The Trek West... I mean East

Hello Cohort!!

As you all are aware, I left Thursday for a very long drive. Since I know you're all dying to know how I survived the 2,253 mile drive, and since I obviously have no idea what I'm doing at work (probably due to brain damage from that drive), I'll save details of my job for another post.

Leg 1: Payson to Denver, CO - 8 hrs
The drive on I-70 from Provo to Denver is one of the more interesting and scenic ones, particularly Glenwood Canyon where President Roosevelt went hunting "Teddy" bears. Being loaded to overflowing with summer stuff, our poor Honda had a hard time going over the Rockies, but at 40mph (don't get too excited Lauren, thats miles per hour) our little Japanese car scored an incredible 32 miles per gallon on this first leg. Go speed racer! By the way, I didn't take any of these photos, which is probably a good thing considering my status as designated driver for the entire trip. My wife and son will be flying to Baltimore June 1.


Leg 2: Denver to Lincoln, NE - 6.5 hrs
When I crossed the state line to Nebraska, the most exciting thing I noticed was that the number of roadkill doubled. I also saw a random turkey walking on the highway with high hopes of contributing towards that "state line" effect. Interesting things in Lincoln: the state Capitol building, affectionately known as the "Penis of the Prairie," (that nickname shouldn't bother any of you who participated in any of the lab discussions during finals week!) the Pony Express stations and the Winter Quarters temple.


Leg 3: Lincoln to Champaign, IL - 9 hrs
I felt like I had deja vu during this entire leg. How many barns, silos, windmills and fields can exist in one state? Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois - they all look exactly the same, except you get more gay married people in Iowa. Oh and I saw the John Deere (no pun intended) Pavilion on the Mississippi River in Davenport, IL. Here's another joke for you: Did you hear about the magic tractor? It turned into a field. Warning: if you get this joke you might want to keep it to yourself. Champaign is actually a quaint little agricultural town with a university smack in the middle of it and the highest concentration of MD/PhD candidates in the US.


Leg 4: Champaign to Baltimore, MD - 12 hrs
Based on what I heard on the radio, I believe I came dangerously close to the Bible Belt during this portion of my trek east. Which was actually quite timely -- I didn't get to go to church so those "Hallelujah's," "Christ will heal your sins" and other inspiring messages were a welcome addition to my otherwise soporific travels. Interesting things on this leg: the Indianapolis Speedway, the picturesque, rolling landscape of Pennsylvania (wow), and listening to episodes of Johnny Dollar and Dragnet as the orange Baltimore sun buried itself in the Maryland hills.