THE ROAD HOME

I was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, so I suppose if anywhere on this Earth is home, it's there. Having spent 10 years in Seattle, though, it's hard to think of a home as just one place, and it would be a sad day if moving back to Ohio meant leaving Seattle altogether.  I think as much of me stays here as goes back, which is fortunate given the size of the car I'm driving (a 2006 Mazda Miata). No room for furniture or a collection of books--all given to Seattle friends moving into new places or exchanged for the promise of plums from a front yard tree next visit. Just me and the open road. It's been a long time since I've had so little, and I love it!

This was my first solo road trip across the country. The drive to Cincinnati took 8 days, and I stayed just one night in each place I stopped. Because the trip was predicated on deciding to keep the car but needing to make it home before heading westward to Japan on Sept 14, I didn't detour much from the highway. I took some flack for bypassing Glacier, Yellowstone, Mt. Rushmore, the Badlands, a handful of pioneer villages, no end of roadside dinosaur statues, and a real for real South Dakota Corn Palace. 

The route along I-90 looked like this: 

Seattle, WA --> Wenatchee, WA

Wenatchee, WA --> Spokane, WA

Spokane, WA --> Bozeman, MT

Bozeman MT --> Rapid City, SD

Rapid City, SD --> Sioux Falls, SD

Sioux Falls, SD --> Minneapolis, MN

Minneapolis, MN --> Chicago, IL

Chicago, IL --> Cincinnati, OH

I visited my parents, my godparents, a couple of aunts, my uncle, some cousins, some kids of some cousins, a friend from CRNA school, and a very handsome Jackalope (Wall Drug. I had to...). It was great to catch up, and I'm really appreciative of everyone who took me in, fed me, and shared places and stories with me along the way!