Daily Stats: Columbia, MO to Boulder, CO (7/5)

Miles travelled: 749 mi. (our longest stretch of driving so far!)

Major roads travelled: I-70, I-70, I-70 ... did I mention I-70?

Facts learned: Missouri ties with Tennessee as the most neighborly state in the US; it borders Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennesee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Kansas (thanks Ibby!). Speed limit increases to 75 mph in Kansas. Boulder, located at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, sits at 5,430 feet above sea level.

CD Albums played thus far (in no particular order): Pieces of You (Jewel, 1995), Come Away with Me (Norah Jones, 2002), Moulin Rouge soundtrack (2001), Lying Awake (Ellery, 2006), Life for Rent (Dido, 2002), Ozomatli (1998), Best of Simon & Garfunkel - Greatest Hits, The Beatles 1, random mix albums

Funny lines of the day:

“This trip has been made possible by cruise control.” ~ Ann (somewhere in Kansas)

“I’m tired of being a nomad.” ~ Jenny (somewhere in Kansas)

Shout outs:

-To all our friends in Missouri, thank you for your wonderful well wishes and bits of wisdom.

-Lydia, we wish you safe travels back to Minneapolis!

-Anna, good luck with your move to Denver in September! Next time we pass through, we’ll drop by!

-Rob and Kathy, thank you for inspiring us with your love, enthusiasm, and generosity. We were so sad to leave you yesterday! Until the next visit ...

Link to Photos:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=453862&id=737260531&l=3e2019bcb1

While driving ...

I rarely drove a car at all during the past three years. Yet since last Monday, I've become quite reacquainted with my Honda civic, the same car I drove across the Mississippi Delta prior to coming to New York City. While cruising for hours in the sun, my mind tends to fluctuate between taking in new surroundings and reflecting on past moments. During long stretches of road, I take note of the small towns, having to decrease my speed when we pass. I like looking at the front yards of houses, reading interesting billboards, and marveling at the occasional cloud patterns in the sky. The scenery in Illinois and Kansas (the farms, the narrow two-lane roads, the flatness, and the expansive reach of land) bring to mind memories of when I would drive through cotton fields of central Mississippi. And before I realize it, those thoughts lead to others, which spiral into others until Ann snaps me back to attention and asks, "Are you ready to switch?"

Passenger preoccupations

Somewhere in Kansas along I-70

When Jenny is at the wheel, I am at leisure in the passenger seat, a confining space surprisingly full of possibility. My mind is free to wander at will, and each day on the road I have been amazed at the variety of tasks I can accomplish while strapped into a moving vehicle. While I had anticipated snapping photos, surfing radio frequencies, and munching compulsively, I did not anticipate the following preoccupations.

Preoccupation #1: Geography lesson. At the start of every drive, our all-knowing Garmin GPS (fondly referred to as “Suzy”) plots out our course. As the passenger, it is my responsibility to double check the route as we chug along, monitoring its soundness. Not once have I contested Suzy’s directives, but in the process I have learned a great deal about our country’s geometry while consulting our 2010 Michelin Road Atlas. For example, who knew that the intersection of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona formed four ninety-degree angles? Not I ... until today.

Preoccupation #2: Sunblocking measures. One of the very few negative effects of this cross-country drive has been uneven tanning of the face, arms, and upper legs. Hours of intense sun exposure, especially between the hours of 11 am and 4 pm, require constant application of sunblock (Neutrogena SPF 70 is preferred) and repositioning of the overhead visor. The changing trajectory of the car combined with the Earth’s rotation constantly shifts the focus of the sun’s heat, keeping me busy, as if over a stove, trying to make sure that both sides (of me) cook evenly.

Preoccupation #3: Correspondence. Any romantic notions I had about this journey being a break from our world of instant communication quickly disappeared when I realized my national calling and data plan really does work nationally. During stretches of Colorado green on I-70, with not a soul or housing structure in sight, I could depend upon hearing my Blackberry’s signature Facebook “riiiing,” indicating I had a message or a wall post from a friend. And so, friends are answered, e-mails are written, and I feel that in some sense, this ride is just like any other.

I can’t decide if I like this or not. Something else to ponder while in the passenger seat.