Pretty much sums up Iowa. And Indiana.
After a short stop by my family reunion, complete with candy bar pie binge, we dropped my sister off in Cleveland and drove from 2 pm till 1 am, arriving Iowa City. There are not enough Starbucks (or any other coffee, for that matter) in Iowa. Seriously. Are they not aware of the fact that I NEED coffee? Instead, we're holding out for Omaha.
The trip so far has consisted of us passive-aggressively judging each other's music choices (Really? You want to stop the scan on Elton John? Huh. I wouldn't guessed you were a fan....How do you know this country song?...At least I never liked Nsync...) - though we did have a fun moment rocking out to a crazy remix of Single Ladies around midnight somewhere in Iowa.
We slept for about six hours and were back on the road by 7am. I'm not sure when I developed an acute (some may say paranoid) sense of the dirtiness of hotel rooms – but it's kind of annoying. I can't let the blanket touch my face, the floor seems to be crawling with bugs (seriously – I dropped my coffee lid on the floor and yelped so loudly I surprised myself), and I even bring my own pillow most of the time. It's a little ridiculous, but I'm too cheap to shell out over a hundred dollars for a hotel room. I blame Mike's friend for getting fleas after sleeping on a hotel floor. And a childhood friend's mother who told me that people often pee on their hotel room floors. Seriously, I don't forget these things.
Today we're driving for twelve hours to Denver. As long as I have coffee and some Harry Potter books on CD or public radio, I find that I don't mind this whole driving for days thing. Prior to this, the longest I'd driven was to North Carolina - about twelve hours. This trip is going to bring me to states I've never been to, drive distances I've never driven, and experience a little more of the country for two weeks.
I'm so glad we decided to do this.
Even if I'm going to die from caffeine-deficiency.
In Iowa hotel room.
isn't it weird how there are some towns/states that don't have coffee shops?! It's always freaked me and my mom OUT! We're like Nooooooooo!! HwLOL!! TJ is gross and will chug any gas station/McDonald's coffee but this homey don't play that, I need some REAL coffee (Aka deliciously rich espresso & perhaps maybe some white mocha)
ReplyDeleteGood Luck on the drive today!!!! I hope you guys continue to have a safe trip & don't end up killing each other (or getting fleas!) ;)
Yay for blogging on the road!!!
Oh man, I'm the same way about hotels! I always look for the ones with white duvets, because then I know that at least those were washed! I get the heebies taking showers in hotel bathrooms though--how well do those get cleaned? Yeah...
ReplyDeleteI got over my hotel dirtyness fears when I successfully slept on the floor of a nasty mexico hotel floor in Guerrero Negro. I get so much credit with all the people that went on the trip. I refused to use the showers but sleeping in my mummy bag on the floor, no problem. I think it was the mummy bag that made it possible.
ReplyDeleteOn a non-bragging note this is something I'd love to do, travel cross country. I'm in So Cal and I have family in NY and my husband has never been, it would be so great to drive out there, except my husband doesn't drive, don't think I could do it on my own. So for now I shall live vicariously through you.
A year ago today I was making Cross-Country Road Trip #2 from CA to MO, and for the entire past year I have dreaded long car trips (granted I was moving, not just out for fun), but your trip is making me antsy for another one! Oh the places I could go....
ReplyDeleteI loooooove road trips! When I was a kid, our "vacations" consisted of piling into our van and driving from Seattle to the bay area. Normally, that is an easy 12-13 hour drive. But with my family, we would take like a week. We'd stop and camp, we'd stop at landmarks, we'd take the "scenic route", for which my mom is now famous among my friends and family (infamous might be a better term...). Most people would probably be sick of road trips after that, but I think it totally secured my love for the road. You guys will remember this forever!!! Have fun!
ReplyDeleteI used to love hotels as a kid- but now that I am older- I am starting to freak out about germs too. I don't really know why.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds fun. Have a good trip!
ReplyDeleteWho pees on a hotel room floor? Ew!
ReplyDeleteI sometimes prefer to sleep in a tent - at least the sleeping bag is my own. And when we stay in hotels, I have to take the liner from the ice bucket and use it to cover the remote so I don't touch it directly (I can't believe I'm admitting this). It drives my husband crazy, but I feel like the remote is absurdly germy. I think I read something to that effect once.
Wishing you lots of coffee!
I love a great road trip! Have so much fun! :)
ReplyDeleteOh! You are driving thru or to two of my homes! :)
ReplyDeleteFor future reference, QuikTrip usually has a good coffee selection, or so my coffee-drinkin' friends tell me. Have fun!!
Oh, and they only have QT in Iowa...none in Colorado. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteWow, that's so crazy that you can drive for days and days! It takes just over two days day to drive from the top of the north island the bottom of the south island (if you don't stop) so it seems kinda surreal the distances you can drive in the states! Glad your trip is going well, though :)
ReplyDeleteYay Denver! You will definitely find enough coffee shops here.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I am totally with you on hotel rooms. Especially cheap road trip hotel rooms. Gross.
Wow! It's pretty crazy that y'all are driving so far! I hope it is pretty and there are A LOT more coffeeshops. Because they make everything better.
ReplyDelete.. What are y'all venturing out West for?
Have an amazing, dreamy, exciting time (if you can stay awake for it, that is) =)
ReplyDelete