Alex had never been to Montana and we had about 36 hours to give her the best quick tour ever, while finishing up some presentations and of course packing. Alex got in at noon so we went to get some good New York bagels located on the wrong side of the country, walked up and down Main, enjoyed a margarita, send her to a brewery with my friend Brad during my presentation, reconvened with a group of 12 of my friends packed around a booth at my favorite pizza spot in Bozeman (MacRiv) for a perfect send off and start to a PIZZA road trip. We topped off the night enjoying server industry night at a hoity-toity bar downtown (Plonk). If that wasn't an action packed day we squeezed in a few more things the next morning. After getting my car loaded and running a few errands we drove up Bridger Canyon show her my favorite mountain range, then pulled off to hike up to the M overlooking Bozeman. We then continued on to meet my friend Micheal for a warm/hot/cold dip in the Boiling River of Yellowstone National Park. After a frenzy of a last few days at home this was the perfect way to start off a road trip. We got a chance to enjoy the scenic beauty (and abnormal surplus of buffalo) in the park and get our muscles good and relaxed for long hours in the car.
We got a head start on the first leg of our trip and headed to Billings for the night. It worked out quite well because we got to get dinner with my good friend Randi and my favorite sandwich shop (Staggering Ox). This place is always my favorite to show off, because they bake the break in a coffee canister and hollow it out to fill it with all sorts of goodies. The entertainment of figuring out how to eat it is enough entertainment for any one the slightest bit sleep deprived. Alex and I then continued to my sisters house where I got to give my nieces and nephew a big hug goodbye. Both of us hit a wall at this point and once the kids went to bed we took over my sisters couch for a siesta until my friend Jenn got off work. Needless to say we went to Jenn's and headed straight to bed. Jenn was my first road trip co-polit when I first joined on with MyFight so she totally understood our fatigue and our need to hit the road bright and early.
Now, as I continue to write this blog, I must explain that this trip was so new and exciting yet FULL of flashbacks of my summer(s) with MyFight. It is also going to be quite a read. Poor Alex had to hear all about it, but it was really exciting to step back to where I was a few years ago and see how much I had grown from that experience and since that experience. Additionally, it was totally worth the extra money spent on gas vs. a plane ticket because I got to see a big chunk of the people I love and care about most in this world (I did have a mid breakdown in Chicago about gas pricing-Alex dealt with me and we got through it). Lucky for Alex (at least I think so), she really got a full tour of my life and the beautiful people that are intertwined in it.
To continue: Alex and I started our trip at Harper and Madison in Billings. This place is special to me for a few reasons. When Caleb and I left for the first leg of our road trip over the summer of 2011 H&M had heard about our trip and treated us to delicious coffee and scrumptious treats. This time around as I was leaving for, yet again, a loooong drive we started there and who was working? The one and only Caleb. Caleb was gracious enough to treat us to a coffee and desserts to send us off on our drive. We then headed towards the North Dakota. It never ceased to amaze me how much the scenery changes right outside of Billings, you literally leave the city headed east and see a whole lot of nothing.... or a whole lot of miles. Thus, the theme of our trip A) Pizza and B) Worlds biggest (Those of you just reading this via the email version may want to go to my blog to see pictures). Granted there is Theodor National Park, but besides that on the drive the best parts are the Worlds Biggest Cow (Salem Sue), a ginormous eye shaped thing kicking of the enchanted highway, and of course the Worlds Biggest Buffalo in Jamestown. Although Alex was able to point out some natural beauty that I have become so accustomed to in the drive, I still find those the best part of the flatlands. Thus, we stopped and got some quality photos at all of these and arrived to Jamestown in time to tour campus (what takes all of 5 minutes) and get me set up for another presentation to lour collegiate students into teaching English abroad. This turned out to be super rewarding, because I had contacted a few of my professors the room so they helped to insure it was full! My last events were at universities over 10x the population and I presented to a significantly smaller group of students.
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What was best about this event was the of presenting to the two professors who have had the greatest impact on my education, passions, need to follow my heart and pursuit my dreams. Dr. Johnson was shocked I was public speaking in general and Connie was probably shocked that I wasn't making random thematic conclusions from my experiences. It was nice to get the reversed perspective of a student to professor and it was quite a compliment to have them attend and participate in my rants.
Entonces Jamestown is where we really began the pizza aspect of our tour. MacRiv is great, but most of the other pizzas we ate along the way were pretty unique. IDK in Jamestown knows me quite well for ordering the Mac & Cheese pizza- I know it sound bad, but you really can't go wrong with a pizza crust topped with a bit of BBQ sauce, bacon, and cheese noodles! Some of my lovely people (Thanks Bob, Bitty and Bryan) joined us for dinner and then followed up with dessert at Applebee's for dessert to visit my normal pizza partner in crime Lauryn. Bitty and Bryan hosted us for that night and after getting a window chip repaired in some man's home garage, we stopped by the new Meeting Grounds to see my boss Kristi and get a good caffeinated start to the day.
Next destination: Twin Cities for another round of pizza, but not before a stop at the Worlds Largest "Booming" Prairie Chicken and the Worlds Largest Viking. We headed straight for Punch Pizza which is a certified Neoplotin Pizza joint. My good friend, Jackie, who has lived in Italy a few times says that a glad of wine and a pizza there is like taking a step into Italy. I had nothing of realistic value to compare that to, but I can say that it was a very unique, delicate, and tasty pizza that I could easily enjoy more than once in a lifetime. Someday I hope to get to enjoy the real deal, but until then enjoying this pizza with Alex, Angie, Kyle, Kendra, and Steve (friends from college) will definitely fill my quota. Alex and I left right after dinner after catching up with both her friends and mine to a Bed and Breakfast in Wabasha, MN (Yes, Grumpy Old Men was based on this town).
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This world really is all about who you know. A new friend Michael owns the lovely Turning Waters Bed and Breakfast right on the Mississippi River (http://www.turningwatersbandb.com). He was kind enough to welcome us in to enjoy a few cozy nights of sleep and the best breakfast I have ever had the pleasure to enjoy. What was best about this step of the journey was kayaking the winter worn Missisippi. Michael also owns a kayaking company so we broke out the boats and spent an afternoon on the water. This was the ultimate experience-not a lot of people would choose to kayak in March, but in doing so we got to see sooooo many bald eagles that we lost count in the first 100 yards. Wabasha is famous this time of year for eagle viewing and we got a front row view of their soaring and water hunting. Lucky us- on top of that we spent the evening getting the best small town fish sandwich (me-while wearing my purple wet suit) and crossing the river for some authentic cheese curds-fulfilling Alex's one request for the trip.
Michael sent us off the next morning with cinnamon and sugar bacon (TO DIE FOR) for our trip to the Windy City. Before arriving the Chicago we stopped to visit the World Biggest Bicyclist (Ben) in Wisconsin. I only wish I had a bike as cool as his!
As you can guess, our main objective was the classic Chicago deep dish pizza and of course the (we decided) Worlds Biggest Reflective Bean. Alex and I pulled into the Mexican neighborhood of Chicago where my adviser for the TEFL Institute so graciously housed us and headed into an evening tour of the city. Alex being the good citizen that she is went to pick up an envelope (trash) only to find it marked with a big dollar sign with $30 dollars in it. This street money ended up treated us to some much needed greens and a deep dish pizza. After walking to find the bean, navigating the navy pier in the chilly breeze of Lake Michigan, and getting stuck on public transportation under construction we were more than ready for a massive pizza and a good night sleep. As many of you probably, deep dish is a creation of its own-basically inside-out fatty pizza. After having experienced this glorious cheesy creation once before I was smarter to consume less and a bit slower so Alex wouldn't have to roll me down the street.
The next morning spent the morning back in the city to get a good cup of coffee with our coworker Zu who happened to be in the neighborhood and enjoyed some good authentic chile rellenos before heading to Indianapolis.
En route to Indianapolis we couldn't find any worlds biggest, so instead we stopped by a big interactive park with a few other photo opportunities. We found a big playground that we got to climb around on and let out our inner kids. We then wrapped up the pizza aspect of our tour and grabbed a garlic greasy totally average American pizza- a good finale to what was an American road trip. Having done this leg of the trip numerous times, we had what I can almost call a second home to stay at with my friends Sara and Joel-whom I met at our first festival in 2011. They have a nice home in a confusing neighborhood of Indianapolis and proved to be just what we needed, drinking tea and watching an evidently consuming Zombie show.
From here we made our longest leg to Annapolis- as for the theme of our tour the roads in between Indi and Annapolis didn't give us many worlds biggest. We did find the Worlds Biggest Candle and ended up spending too much time in the store that accompanies it. And after stopping in Columbus, Ohio to see the Worlds Biggest Graduation Cap we were disappointed to find that they had taken it down to repair-so we made do with an abnormally large preying mantis found on their university campus. We set out from there stoked about the Worlds Biggest Beer Bottle ahead of us- after our last disappointment Alex decided to look up the details. We found that it had disspeared long ago, the only photograph show was in black and white, so who knows where it is now and really what kind of beer was it?!?! Thus, we pulled into Annaplolis with an incomplete worlds biggest tour of the last few states, but that just leaves us a chance to go visit Philly for a famous cheese steak and and few of the worlds biggest to round off the tour. Always ready for more adventuring!
This drive was quite the experience, I am so thankful for all the people who lent us a hand, bed, coffee, or company along the way. I am thankful for the memories Alex and I get to annoy our coworkers with for the next month or so, but most of all I am thankful that something like this is event possible and I had an awesome co-pilot to join me along the way. Although in the desolate area of the mid-west I did question my intent of going back to Maryland I was ecstatic to be greeted by the hills of the Western Shore and the ready to bloom vegetation on the Eastern Shore. Leaving my Montana mountains is much easier when you are greeted by a whole new world of nature ready to bloom. Plus, it is such a great feeling going back to something you know and people ready to give you a big hug! New is nice, but renewal is almost better! Signing off at the Eastern Shore for what looks to be a beautiful spring!
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