Joe Morone for President!

The last few days have been mostly driving from Chicago to Mount Rushmore. We passed through the stretch of Wisconsin, Minnesota, and South Dakota. Each state is more beautiful than the next. Joe has done ALL of the driving. He's my superstar! He truly is the best travel buddy; helping me cook, making great fires to keep us warm, and singing silly songs as we go. I couldn't do this without him.  I included a photo of him at Mount Rushmore because if I had my way, he would be our next president and his face would make it beside the others up there. 

As for lodging, we camped one night in Jackson, Minnesota and another in Custer, South Dakota.  I'm not sure where we will end up tonight, but the goal is to make it to Yellowstone by the 29th. For now I need to pay attention to the road in front of me because it's too spectacular to miss!

Chi-chi-chi-cago

I have to share that Chicago is one of my favorite cities. Although we were only in town for a little over twenty-four hours, we lived it up! This city is full of beauty, both natural and man-made. Fortunately we found this great boutique hotel that accepted dogs and even greeted Barley with a goodie bag filled with treats, doodie bags, and a toy. Way to go Kimpton! We are fans for life. After checking in we decided to grab some Chicago-style pizza at Lou Malnati's. This was Joe's first visit to Chicago, and according to him, "the first real Chicago pizza" he's ever had.  It was delicious, and even Barley found a scrap or two under the table to enjoy. At lunch we decided to make most of our short visit and signed up for an architectural tour of the city on a river boat. We dropped off the pup and headed down the river to fully enjoy the gorgeous and incredibly interesting history of Chicago's skyline. I would totally recommend anyone to do the tour when in the Windy City. When the tour wrapped up, we headed to the hotel again for the free happy hour; honestly, way to go Kimpton. Later that night we had plans to go to dinner with a dear friend from grad school, Carolyn. She suggested this place called Cafe Iberico for tapas and drinks. It was the first time she had met Joe, and I had met her significant other, Niles. Together the four of us had great conversation, delicious food, and a round or two (or three or four) of drinks. The visit with them was such a great end to our night in Chicago. We then headed back to the hotel to put on our cheetah-print robes (did I mention I loved Kimpton hotels?) and soak in the last moments before it's back to camping for the next week or so. On the way out of town we grabbed brunch and strolled by the Bean, because no trip to Chicago is complete without it!  (Side note: I write this while riding through the farmlands of Wisconsin where we just had one heck of a grilled cheese. Picture included ;) 

The Grass is Always Greener when Eight Generations Have Enjoyed It

Yesterday we journeyed to western Pennsylvania to a small town called Conneaut Lake. This is a town where my father's family came over two hundred years ago. Joe and I decided to come here to check out some land, 30 acres that is, that has been in my family for the past eight generations. I've known about this land for my whole life and always dreamed of coming to see it. In college I imagined using it for a hippie commune, more recently, Joe and I have considered it to build a summer cabin. That may be more realistic at this point in life, but I won't rule out the commune ;). We arrived in the sleepy little town and checked into our hotel, still having no exact address for this land. I contacted my mom, who had no address, but instead had the name of the tax collector she had been paying for years without ever seeing this land for herself. Fortunately the tax collector had some information. She knew the address that was across the street, and connected us with a county website that shows property lines. So we adventured out to find the land. After getting lost a few times, we arrived to what looked like a gorgeous wooded lot. We parked on the side of the road, and the three of us went on what felt like a real hike. Originally we kept Barley on his leash, but after crossing the creek that runs through the property we decided to let him run freely. He LOVED it! LOVED IT! This trip made me feel more connected to my ancestors than I ever have, while making me feel more excited about the future at the same time. We thoroughly enjoyed the trek through the woods, and then headed back into town where we found an awesome little brewery called Table and Tap. What an incredible day! 

Virgina is for Lovers

The first three days of our trip have been amazing. We spent last night in Richmond with my friend Jes from college. She's got an amazing little place, filled with amazing things from her travels around the world that all tell a little story about who she is. When we arrived, she had made us an incredible Indian meal; then we walked down to a little local pub and had a drink in the gorgeous Virgina evening temps. Churchill, the neighborhood where she lives, has a community garden that we walked through, cute restaurants, and the most quaint row houses. We spent the rest of the evening talking about life, good times we had living in Asheville, and what's to come. Both Joe and I were so humbled by her amazing hospitality! 

This morning we got up and made our way west to the mountains of Virgina. We spent the afternoon on one of the cutest, hipest towns I've been to, Staunton! The local scene is amazing here. There is even a store that sells all fair trade, ethically made, good-for-others products. I connected with the store owner, Anna, about philanshopic.org and plan to stay in touch with her. After some time enjoying the small city, we took Barley to a great dog park called Gypsy Hill. He loved it! Then we decided to go set up camp. I can't even begin to describe our campsite, so I'll have to add photos. I am looking forward to a great night ahead and have some smores waiting for me. Off for now! 

The Oregon Trail (with one wagon, one dog, and a tent)

When Joe and I sat down last year and decided to get a dog, we had to get real about our travel. You can't just pick up a cheap flight to Mumbai when you have a furry little friend to care for at home, (which had kept me from buying every cute little puppy I've seen up until that point). As we sat and dreamed, then talked about what our hearts were really craving, and the places we were really wanting to see, both of us individually came to this desire to drive out west. Let me share, it is not that international travel or a quick flight to NYC is out of the picture, it's just that at this stage, we feel this need to drive out west and see our beautiful country. It also meant we could get a puppy! Win! So, with months of dreaming, and loosely sketching out an itinerary, we are on the road! The plan is for 30 days (mostly because that's how long the post office will hold your mail ;)). Excited for the road ahead, and trusting it will be a transformational and spiritual journey like none other, we head west for adventure. For now, the itinerary is posted below.