We left Mooresville, IN at 11:30am on 12/31/10. Arrived at the IND airport at 11:47am. Andy left IND airport cellphone lot at 12:15PM. I stayed at the airport to take a flight from IND to Detroit to STL - for one reason - to maintain my Delta Flying Status. My flight was to depart at 1:25PM. At 12:45PM I got a notification on my phone that my flight was delayed 1HR. Andy stopped along HWY 70 at 1PM. At the gate, standing in line to see my options, I watched the CNN. Tornados were all across the mid-west and had already claimed 3 lives in Arkansas. I begged Delta to keep my 2 First Class Flights and the money I paid for the ticket in exchange for letting me keep my status in 2011. They denied me. Even if they could get me to Detroit there is no way my flight would have left for STL. The tornado continued on through IL taking 6 more lives in STL. At 1:15PM Andy started driving 70EAST back to the IND cellphone lot. At 2PM after exhausting every angle with Delta I got back in the car and together we headed WEST :)
We had not brought a lot of food for the road so once we got to STL we stopped at Whole Foods (Trader Joes was too far off 70) and got some hot food to eat. Driving through STL made me miss it a bit. I wanted to get out and run through Forest Park - one of my all time favorite 6 mile loops. I have some great memories of the city after living there 5+ years.
Back on 70W at 6PM Central Time we were back on the road.
We set-up a bed in the back of the Pathfinder for road trips - lay down the seats and put our futon mattress in the back - perfect fit! Sheets, blankets and pillows - comfy! At 6M after driving 7 hours - Andy climbed into bed unfortunately it was way too early for him to sleep! I drove from STL to Topeka, KS - about 5+ Hours.
At 11:30PM I climbed into bed and Andy back to the driver seat. Andy drove from Topeka, KS to Oakley, KS and we did another switch. I keyed in Snooze Eatery to the Garmin and took off. At 7AM Mountain Time I slid (literally!) into the curb outside of our favorite breakfast place in the entire country.
We walked in and were greeted with Happy New Year! You are first customers of 2011 - breakfast is on the house! A perfect way to start the new year - free breakfast at Snooze. Seriously, if you are ever in CO you MUST go there for breakfast. They do serve a great lunch but the breakfast is too amazing to pass up. Brulee Oatmeal, Scrambles, Creative Sweet Pancakes (Strawberry White Chocolate Chip, Apple Cinnamon Snickers, Sweet Potato,... you can get a small one as a side or share one with your table), Burritos, Tacos - all with fresh organic ingredients of your choice. I had a naked breakfast burrito with black beans, goat cheese, spinach, garlic and eggs - yummers!
After breakfast it was still too early to see any of my Denver friends who had either worked the night shift nursing or went out on the town to ring in the New Year. So we headed to Park Meadows Mall to do some shopping. I worked for about an hour before the stores opened.
I got an iPAD for work - very excited! It is going to be great to use at the trade shows to show our presentations. It is also becoming a huge distraction from real work! Oops!
We also went to the one and only Silver Jean Store. There is only one actual Silver Jean Store and it is in Park Meadows Mall in Colorado - managed by my dear friend Calley. So, it is a must go on our CO trips. Andy got a pair of new jeans and I got 2 pairs - my are being hemmed and shipped to Portland.
After our shopping spree we went to go visit Calley and her boyfriend Aaron. I missed them terribly so it was great to drink some coffee, catch-up and meet Lola her new puppy from the rescue mission.
We said goodbye and headed up to the mountains. I almost cried when I drove into CO - it is so beautiful here. The clouds were red tinted and the mountains in the distance were bright white. As Andy drove up the hill I was able to look around and see what we have been missing! Mountains, snow, amazing people and a few favorite places to eat :)
We checked in to the Frisco Hotel. We needed to rest, shower and relax before heading out for the night. Well..I did. Andy showered and went to Rocky Mountain Roasters to see who was around. I showered, work and rested. At 6PM we headed to Vinny's for wine and food.
I am pretty much a vegetarian. I like meat but my body hates it and rejects it. Andy never eats pork - I say because he is Jewish but he says because Pigs are smart. Whatever our reasons for not eating pork - they do not come into play when we eat at Vinny's. He makes an incredible pork loin wrapped in bacon. It is so tender - like butter. It is must order if are you ever in Frisco, CO. If you happen to be there around lunch - go to Vinny's and order the BBQ - outstanding! Back to dinner....a bottle of Malbecpolenta and to end the evening you must always have his award winning Bread Pudding!
After that meal..I went to bed and Andy went to play some music. I needed to rest up to go for a run this morning. However, with temps at -8 I may wait a bit! I don't remember it being so cold here!
Okay...a little more about the drive. Our gas mileage is HORRIBLE!!!! We may as well have the RV. We just had the car checked over and had a few repairs so we are not sure what is going on. Our CO mechanic is not around this week and we are leaving today!
We are pulling the trailer so most of our stuff is in there. Andy event build a top the trailer so we can lock it up. It's ugly but pretty cool at the same time - he built so when he opens it up he has a table. He can just open half of it up and it has a "kick-stand" so the stuff is still partially covered. If it not too cold or snowy I will attach some pictures of the trailer in action!
Long post...read it in chunks! Not sure when I will post again. Frisco, CO to Portland, OR - 20 Hour Drive!
