There are about a million things I should be doing while I have internet access-- but I'm choosing to blog-- in a very cliche' manner non the less. Courtesy of my sister's excellent Googling, I'll be relocating to Cabo Cantina in Santa Monica later this afternoon. Free WiFi + Margs= win. Also, much less cliche' and potentially less productive. So let me get you up to speed on my cross-country trek and my first 36 hours on the coast:
After shoving my life into the U-Box:
Day 1: Cedar Rapids -> Frisco, CO. This part of the trip was pretty boring and uneventful. Probably because I have made it approximately 8,000,000 times and could drive it in my sleep. Plus, Nebraska is just... awful. One of the worst states, hands down. Highlight of the day was stopping at Kermitt's Roadhouse in Idaho Springs, CO-- my favorite dive bar in the world.
I drove by Kermit's all the time in college when we would cut through on Hwy 6 to go to the mountains- always thinking that it looked like an awesome place to stop and hearing they had great chili. Needless to stay, we never stopped and my first time to Kermitt's was not until August 2010 when I was living in Frisco for 6 weeks and Eileen came to visit:
We absolutely loved it and I have been obsessed with both Kermitt's and their green chili ever since. Please notice all the dollar bills on the wall in the picture. There are no longer there because they are a fire hazard and Kermitt's almost burned down last winter- a discovery made on a ski trip this past spring. Thankfully, it survived, re-opened, and Mom and I enjoyed our green chili and "Diet Coors" before crashing at our condo in Frisco for the night.
Day 2: Frisco, CO -> Los Angeles, CA
A much more exciting day since the farthest west on I-70 I have gone is Glenwood Springs and Mom has only gone to Beaver Creek. Western Colorado was awesome- as expected. Eastern Utah was very disappointing. It looked like a sandbox. I was expecting to practically drive under the arches from Arches National Park... not so. About an hour or so in Utah redeemed itself:
And of course most impressive of all was In-n-Out in Las Vegas:
This was Mom's first In-n-Out experience and probably the last one I'm allowed to get unreasonably excited about since they are everywhere in CA. Anyways it was a delicious and fitting meal to prepare us for our drive through the Mojave Desert on what the AM radio info lady informed us was the most fatal highway in America. Hooray?
About 1-2 hours into California we were stopped at an agriculture checkpoint. Yeah... right? Didn't know those existed. It looked a lot like we were going though customs and we were asked similar questions about the potential produce and animals in our possession. Sooooo apparently California has become it's own country... which is weird. They did allow our apples from Iowa to pass since they were pre-sliced and packaged. Whew. Such a relief. And yes I'm sure we didn't accidentally drive through Mexico... would love to hear more on what this was about if anyone knows...
Eventually the desert gave way to mountains and then city lights. As a habitual speeder, I must say that everyone in California seems to drive REALLY fast. And if I say it's fast, IT. IS. FAST. Rounding out the 15 hour drive into LA with some drag racers and crazy aggressive drivers was enough to make Mom cranky and put me on edge. Driving in LA for the first time with your mother may just be equivalent to having her wipe your face with her spit in front of the high school on your first day. I'm sure the Iowa plates were no help in this matter either...
Day 3- present: Settling In
Mom and I stayed in a hotel for a few days and did some house hunting. I've looked at quite a few places and put in a few applications. Hoping to get something locked down sooner rather than later-- there is quick turnover out here! Though pricey, all the apartments were charming and livable and reasonably close to the beach. Santa Monica seems like an excellent place to live and I am very excited! I dropped Mom off at the Burbank Airport a few hours ago (thus why I am in The Valley) and will be heading down to Huntington Beach later this evening to crash with my good friend from college Joni's parents until I get a lease. I'm also getting my paper work sorted with the VA- shooting for an October 1 start date, knock on wood!
Well-- that's all I got for now. Time to brave the traffic and head South...West...ish...
Pretty sure I will have earned a Marg after the commute :)
9/21/2011 2:45 pm- RETRACTION AND UPDATE: My LA guru Gnat has informed me that Burbank is not The Valley. Sorry. I clearly do not have my bearings or really know anything about the area. Also Cabo Cantina is the birth place of Taco Tuesday- a well loved Chicago tradition that Gnat brought to us from California. How appropriate!
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