Explosive Donut

We started off the day at the Ramada’s Super-Continental breakfast. My guess is that the Super is for the waffle-maker they had. My waffle was good, although waiting for the family of six to each make their waffles was not so delicious. At first there was only two, but then more and more members kept coming down and making waffles too. It was like someone was mocking me with the promise of waffles.

After that we ran across the freeway of a street in front of our hotel to the cheese giftshop (we were in Wisconsin after all). We got some jalapeno cheddar cheese curds which seem to be small chunks of cheese. I’m not sure what the difference between curds and normal cheese are aside from the shape.

I packed the car up and Mom and I got back on I-90 towards Chicago. We didn’t quite end up in the city as we were meeting up with Pam, one of my mom’s tennis buddies who moved to the area for work. I think I had only met her once or twice before, most likely while I was playing video games. I briefly met the other members of the household as well. Everyone was really nice.

Pam, Justin, and Pam’s Mom enjoying some family time

After we met the family, Pam and Jim took us to a pizza place down the street, since I wanted to try some Chicago pizza. It didn’t taste all that different from Pizzeria Uno, although it was a little less buttery. It was really good. Everyone else got pan-pizza, which seemed like a waste to me but I guess the huge pizzas get old after a while. Just ask a Seattleite what they think of Starbucks. A real Seattleite.

Scenic Chicago!

After our short visit in Chicago we got back on I-90. There was a little traffic getting out (seems as though a lot of people in Chicago aren’t staying at work that long). It didn’t last long, but traffic is one of your deepest fears on a road trip. Suddenly you could end up a state behind for no apparent reason other than the car in front of you is going slow.

We looked for a Thai restaurant around Toledo, OH. Our GPS was convinced that the place was located in a very residential area and the AAA map seemed to indicate the same thing. Eventually we gave up and ate at Schlotzky’s Deli. It’s odd how their sandwich bread looks more like cookies than rolls. I’ve had enough Reuben sandwich to last me a long time (until I go to Boca Raton or Manhattan at least).

We drove a bit longer and ended up staying at a Days in a little bit past Cleveland. Their Internet was crappy and somehow I was convinced I hadn’t been able to update my site when I apparently posted the same post about ten times. But a bed was nice. 

 
The magic of Murdo, SD

After waking up in another strange hotel room in another strange town, I got cleaned up and headed to the Murdo, South Dakota Best Western’s breakfast with Mom. These continental breakfasts are a bit odd: you find out which strangers were sleeping down the hall from you. Most seem to be seniors, or at least they seem to be the ones who get up early enough for breakfast.

Packing the car, again.

After breakfast, it was time to pack up the car again. This is a tricky process of getting all of the bags into the trunk and then stacking my fragile framed things on top. Somehow it gets a little harder to get the truck to shut every morning. Lastly, I have to tie the bike down on the rack. Since I got a flat tire on my bike after the first day, it’s pretty hard to screw this step up.

I drove for a few hours and we ended up in Sioux Falls, SD where we got lunch at Bob’s Cafe & Carry-Out. If you like fried burger food, you’ll love this place. I had the Big Bob, which was a 1/2 lb. bacon cheeseburger and very tasty. Mom got the Santa Fe Chicken, which had a nice kick and “and the bread was really fresh.” Bob was really cool, gave us a magnet, and had us sign his out-of-towner guestbook. Mom wrote an entire paragraph but I’m not sure what it said.

We went to a cookie store downtown afterwards. It was pretty good, but I’m not sure I’d go out of the way for it. They had plenty of cookies, but I like mine more. I think Mom was disappointed with the amount of chocolate in her chocolate chunk cookie. She also couldn’t make up her mind about whether to buy cookies for other people and I think I left the store twice before she decided to buy more.

Mom and I drove a bit until dinnertime, which we had in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The town reminded me a lot of Pittsburgh: a city that had seen better days but still had pockets of activity. We walked around to find a “different” restaurant but most were either pizza or “family” places. We ended up at a restaurant whose name we’re both forgetting. We both were tired of deep fried road-food. Mom got a salad and I had some fish. Even though I elected not to have deep fried fish, my Pike was still breaded and pan-fried so I didn’t get too far.

We found a cafe nearby and I got a great cappuccino without having to slink into Starbucks. It was if everyone who didn’t fit with the rest of the town was showing up here. I felt like I was back in Seattle for a moment.

A “typical” hotel in Wisconsin Dells, WI

I then continued driving and we ended up in Wisconsin Dells, WI. This was a very strange place. Water slide parks, adventure golf, and theme hotels were the standard here. The area reminded me a bit of when my brother and I went to the New Jersey shore with our cousins, aunt, and uncle. There’s tons of touristy stuff to do, but the odd bit was that there was no other reason to be there. In New Jersey, we were there for the beach, the tourist stuff was an extra bonus. In Wisconsin Dells, it was just tourist stuff. It’s like an Oreo without the black parts.

After waking up and getting myself cleaned up, Mom and I headed over to the Free Contintinental Breakfast. Nothing really surprising to eat here unlike Day 1’s dinner, but there was some mysterious white gravy that seems to be showing up a lot. It’s like real gravy except without any tie-in to real meat.

We got some gas and checked out the tire pressure and oil levels in the car. I had just gotten the car fixed so this made me a little nervous. The oil seemed good (so unlike what Toyota of Seattle said, my oil pan gasket did not need replacing). Tires were in good shape too. My mom also noticed that some engine fluid was low (on later inspection, turns out halfway is really a full amount).

After that we drove down I-90 to Rapid City, South Dakota. We tried one restaurant that turned out to be closed on Sundays. In the process we also found that statues of all US presidents were located on street corners. Jimmy Carter seemed especially wet. Reagan had a cowboy hat at least.

We went to our second choice for lunch, Diamond Dave’s. The place turned out to be a glorified taco bell in a mall. Poor service didn’t help: they didn’t seem to understand that tea is not iced tea.  It also took forever…if we went to taco bell it would have been much faster.

After that, we headed over to Mt. Rushmore. The pass was $8 (for some reason they didn’t take my mom’s National Parks pass) but at least it lasts until the end of the year. Let me know if you want it…we’d like to spite the parks service =).

The monument was impressive and the statues are really huge. It’s hard to imagine how they could carve the faces…until we stepped into at least three different exhibits about how they did it. There was an absurd amount of spots on the trail for views of the monument from every possible angle. I did learn a couple of interesting things though. Apparently there’s a cave-like compartment behind Lincoln’s head that stores replicas of important US documents, although you can’t even see it. Also, the original plan included the president’s hands in the monument but that got nixed somewhere along the way.

After getting as much information as one could impart about one statute, we headed back to I-90 and continued our eastward journey. Along the way we saw billboards for Wall Drug at least an hour before we got to the exit. Mom wanted to check it out. It has to be the biggest tourist store I’ve seen. It was as if an entire city block (the entire block, not just one side of it) was populated with tourist stores. They’re all connected from the inside and have a hokey tourist feel like you were in a even-more commercial version of Disney World. I was tempted to buy Melody a pink cowboy hat but it was kinda big and I didn’t think we had any room for it in the car anyway.

After driving for a long time in heavy rain, we hit an unexpected problem: we passed into Central Time. This meant that we lost an hour and suddenly we weren’t going to make it to the hotel we had picked. We ended up eatting fried chicken at a diner in Murdo, South Dakota, apparently a town of 650 and no cell phone towers. We stayed at a motel down the street. Unpacking was a bit tricky as it was pouring and even night I have to take my college diploma out to get at my clothes. Somehow Pistachio Frog hopped in perfectly dry though.

After I woke up Mom and I headed across the street for breakfast. Nothing special, but pretty good and quick. The restaurant also had an attached gift shop. I think half of the restaurants we’ve come across so far has had a gift shop. I wonder how many mini-license plates with people’s names are needed. Apparently there’s a large demand.

After finishing up and loading the car (which gets a little harder every morning), we got back on I-90. There was a lot of up and down as we drove through the Rockies. Along the way I’ve been trying hard not to work my car too hard as I’m not sure what I would do if we got stuck out in the boonies. I don’t really know what “working the car too hard” even is, which makes this a more challenging goal.

I drove for a few hours and eventually we ended up in Bozeman, Montana. We found a place for lunch, “The Garage.” Oddly enough, their forte was soup. I had the clam chowder which was pretty good but not worth driving to Montana. It took them a long time to bring out the sandwiches and salad after. Slow service seems to be a frequent theme on this trip too.

One ice cream sundae and gas-up later, we were back on I-90. Mom drove to Little Bighorn, where Custer had his last stand. It seemed rather odd to go to a monument for a guy who died trying to kick natives off their land. The monument didn’t try to make any judgement calls, but it’s hard not to think that the US Government got what it deserved, which isn’t to say that the soldiers did. I saw a newspaper article from after the battle which more or less expressed outrage that the “Red Devils” would fight for their land. I suspect that the monument had a similar attitude until recently.

We then headed to the Sheriden Inn Wyoming’s Rib & Chop House. Mom and I both had the baby-back ribs. They were good although I think it took us an hour just to get our food. We made a reservation fifteen minutes before arriving and got in on time before people who had been waiting an hour outside without reservations. Pays to call ahead.

We checked into a Best Western down the street in Sheriden, Wyoming. After sleeping on the floor for a week while packing my stuff in Seattle, I’m pretty happy to have a mattress.

The day started by removing the last items from my apartment. I had to schlep over to University Village to ship a box too large to fit in the car. 25″x25″x25″ is a big box. The apartment, once crammed with my endless amount of Ikea looked pretty bare.

After we moved out of the apartment (the landlord charged me $30 for minute holes for wall hangings, jeesh), Mom and I got some Korean food on University Ave. Then the drive began.

The trip started around 12:30PM and we hit traffic getting on I-5, of course. It was sad leaving Seattle, of course, but I’d been saying my goodbyes for so long that it was nice to be finally following through. It’s a bit awkward saying goodbye to someone only to see them the next day. This even happened with one of the waitresses at Thai Tom, who now remembers my name.

We drove straight through Washington on I-90 and into Idaho. There really isn’t a whole lot in Washington other than Seattle on 90. For dinner, we stopped at the Wolf Lodge Inn. It looked like a giant log cabin.

One of the appetizers were “Swinging Steaks”. These are also known as “Rocky Mountain Oysters” or, more directly, “Bull Testicles.” Of course, I had to try this. They were sliced and deep fried, so you couldn’t really tell what they were. They were similar to fried clams in texture and taste, but had an odd aftertaste. I got my mom to reluctantly try one, but I finished the rest. I wonder if I would fail any performance-enhancing drug tests. We also shared a large steak which was good (and in no way disgusting).

We drove a little further and ended up staying over in Superior, ID. As far as I can tell, there’s not much to do there other than I-90.

Friday came and went, and my job with it.

My last day was good. I didn’t really get much accomplished other than cleaning all my work (and desk) up so everyone else can use it. We had cake (I guess to celebrate that I was leaving?) and I’m happy that I got the chocolate one. Everyone loves chocolate. It was tough saying goodbye to everyone and rather than give a big speech (which I think I already did a few times) I tried to go to everyone’s office and say bye individually.

I had a bit of a get-together on Saturday at Barca in Capital Hill. A lot of people came out and many insisted that they buy me a drink (of which I obliged – don’t want to be rude!). Thanks to everyone who came – it was really fun. It was especially nice to see some people who I haven’t really seen much for a while. I’m still curious why I woke up this morning with a gyro wrapper in my pocket. I know there was a reason…I just can’t remember what it is.

It feels really odd to not be going to work tomorrow. Sure, it’s nice not have to work, but I almost feel guilty, like I should be working. I’m sure I’ll be slaving away soon so I’m not feeling too bad. Plus, I’ll still be packing and cleaning so it’s not like I’ll be sipping drinks on the beach.

Tomorrow’s my last day at Microsoft. It’s a bit harder than I thought it would be.

I’m excited to going to class and doing research, but I’m leaving a good job. It’s hard to leave a place where you’re largely happy even though I know I’m going to be happy where I’m going. I finally get to see my girlfriend, family, and friends back home, but there’s plenty of friends who I’m not going to see on the West Coast.

I get a lot of people asking if I’m excited, if I’m even paying attention at work anymore. I’m really excited but sad to leave. I’m working just as hard at work, maybe even harder than usual. Trying to get all your loose ends wrapped up can be a lot of work and I seem to have plenty.

New beginnings are easy. Leaving is hard.

The Craig’s List mania is dying down. I sold a ton of stuff over the weekend and there isn’t too much big stuff left to sell. I think I’m going to hold onto the dining table and bring it to Cambridge with me. Apparently that’s the only thing the guys in my future apartment didn’t leave. I hear there’s a 27″ TV and a sweet propane barbeque waiting for me.

Oddly, I can’t do much packing right now. I took my car in for a check-up before my mom and I drive across the country. Unfortunately, they (the dealer) found a plethora of issues and suddenly I’m not sure I will have a car to drive across the country. I decided to get a second opinion and I’m taking my car in tomorrow morning. I’ll find out if I really need all of that service and if really will cost my  firstborn (hopefully they take IOUs).

Since I don’t even know if I have a car, it’s hard to know what I’m packing and how to pack it. So I’m just waiting to hear what the damage is and hopefully I get to keep my car.

It’s also the last week of work and I’ve got to move all my personal stuff out. I’m not sure when I’ll have a car to do this though, so I should probably do that soon.

I put my iron and ironing board on Craig’s List and I’ve been getting crazy response. The bad thing is that I realized I’m going to need an iron and might not sell it. But I’ll still sell the board. Is the bait and switch bad if it was due to stupidity?

I’ve been selling stuff on Craig’s list (and Live Expo, the Microsoft version) over the week, with varying success. I’ve already sold my DVD player, bed frame, a bookshelf, and some other stuff. I’ve still got a ways to go though.
Most people I meet are very nice and mostly prompt. There’s been a few people though. One forgot to show up and turned out to be a used bed frame dealer. Another person showed up and was angry when I told her she might want to park in a legal space around the corner. She and her friend were also rather large and I was afraid they were going to destroy the chairs I was selling. Then they decided they didn’t like them after sitting in them a few times and just left without a word. Not even a thank you. Geez.
If you’re interested in anything I’m selling, click here!

After thoroughly considering all the options, I’ve come to agree with Melody and decided to sell as much as possible before moving to Cambridge. The de facto way of doing this is Craig’s List. Craig’s List is making me crazy.
It’s not that it’s bad or doesn’t work. It’s just that it took me a really long time to take pictures of everything, write descriptions, come up with reasonable prices, and post the thirty-five or so things I’m selling. After that, you have to then field all of the inquiries and keep track of what you said to who. Floor lamps seem to have a bizzarely high resale value. I almost wonder if I could go to walmart and sell lamps at above cost.