OK so we spend most of four months together, the majority of it in a tiny (120 sq ft) cruise ship cabin. Ahhh togetherness! But no, that wasn't enough. After being home a couple of short weeks, we got into our sedan (front seat full full of the two of us and various bits of technology (iPod; GPS...), back seat and trunk full of provisions and things to bring to our half-way-point destination, Vancouver. What's it like driving across North America (mostly in the US) with your loving partner who has been in 24/7 contact with you for, like, forever?
Fun. Mostly. Scott did most of the driving (probably 2500 out of 2800 miles). We took about two weeks, with several stops along the way: Keene, NY, Grand Rapids, MI, Madison WI, Somewhere near Fargo ND, Medora, ND, Glacier National Park, Castlegar, BC. A lot of the driving was just plain boring. The scenery is lovely in the west -- but hundreds of miles of grassland, punctuated with the ocassional town -- well, we knew what we were in for and enjoyed the relative desolation.
What made it fun, and ultimately worthwhile, were the special spots along the way. Some were new but planned (Glacier National Park), others "old and reliable" (friends, relatives) -- and one place we just happened upon -- Madison, Wisconsin. Well, Madison is brilliant. Reminds us a lot of Cambridge, MA (home to Harvard and MIT) except "without the attitude" (we suspect there are Liberals and other free-thinkers here, though. Shudder!). If it were not for the Winters, we'd spend some time here. Hmmm... maybe during a summer?
Scott's mood fluctuated quite a bit along the way. Has to do largely with the quality of sleep he gets; if he's he's tired and stressed out he can be sullen, snappy and withdrawn. When he sleeps well he is just the nicest guy. It was a mix on this trip -- both "Jeckel" and "Hyde" were experienced.
It cost us about $1300 to make the trip -- that's one way for two people and doesn't include the wear and tear on the car. To fly this would have been about $600 round trip -- so it clearly isn't a money saver. But, once in Vancouver we've got a car, and ultimate freedom of when we'll be where. We'd do it again.