Two kids.. Day 3

As I type this, we have literally just crossed over the border into Iowa. We stopped short of our goal last night because 1. We were tired, and 2. We were hungry. Barnes's don't do well with hunger. Yesterday was a long day, with 4 states under our belt. WV, OH, IN, and IL. Traffic was light, no major delays anywhere, and the weather was nice! A couple things that we learned on day two:
1. IPAD invaluable. Turns out that AT&T does have a cap on the amount of bandwidth they will let you suck in two days, but for a nominal fee this can be corrected.
2. The Midwest is flat as all get-out. No lie, the minute we descended down from The mountains of WV (gorgeous), Ohio loomed ahead like a corn field covered pancake. Truthfully, I find wide open spaces comforting, having grown up in the desert. Daron on the other hand, was alternately fascinated and unnerved by it.
3. Why does gas have to be so $$$$$? Seriously, we topped off our 1/2 empty tank somewhere, and it was $47. This is going to add up fast!
4. Flooding. Everywhere. The heavy snowfalls this year have really contributed to the spring run-off. Banks are breeched pretty much everywhere we look.
5. West Virginia- nuclear and coal power plants everywhere. Very strange to be winding around a scenic country road, and then BOOM. Nuclear power plant. I didn't see Homer Simpson anywhere, so WV must be in good hands.
6.Xenia, OH: self proclaimed bicycle capital of the US. Not sure what makes them so, just that their water tower informs the world of this fact. Nope, didn't see a single bicycle.
7. Richmond, IN: not sure what to make of this, but maybe the church with the biggest cross wins? Use the car in the picture as perspective.



8. Almost as a flashback from my childhood, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that campgrounds still exist. Mostly KOAs, but still. That tradition of my youth is still alive, and being enjoyed here in the Midwest. Ask me about the tornado at the KOA in Kearney, NE someday.
9. Ahhh rednecks. I've discovered that being a redneck isn't geographically dependent. It's more of a lifestyle, really.
10. Daron will still sing "Sweet Child of Mine" with as much enthusiasm as he did in High School. The thing about that is this: only Axl Rose can sing like Axl Rose. Everyone else just sounds like a 9 year old girl. A whiny one.

That's all for now folks. We're about an hour away from Cedar Rapids, where the story will really get rolling. Daron will meet Kelli and the family for the first time, and I know they will adore him. Who wouldn't?
Elisa

Posted by Elisa using her awesome IPad