Road Trip: Day 1

We're on vacation! Whoo-hoo! Faithful readers will recall that I have some paid vacation to use up before starting my new position at work, so we're taking advantage of that to do some traveling. We arose in the wee hours of the morning, packed the vehicle, and left Dickinson around 6:00 A.M. en route to my sister Sandy's home in Omaha, NE. We stopped whenever the gas tank gauge, our bladders, or our stomachs told us to. (I know you'll be impressed, Faithful Readers, to know that I decided to choose health-conscious snacks each time we stopped for fuel: trail mix and bottled water rather than the preferred peanut M&M's and Mountain Dew.)

After one stop in Bismarck, ND, the next stop was in Fargo, ND for dinner. We ate at Extreme Pita and were VERY happy that we did! We'd never eaten there before, and we're all about trying out new restaurants, unfamiliar foods, etc., so Susan mentioned having heard of this place, and we gave it a try. Abigail and I shared the Greek Chicken Colossus and, for our two sides, we chose pita chips and tomato bisque (we used the soup as a dip for the chips--yummy!). We were "extremely" satisfied with Extreme Pita.

We stopped at the New Effington rest area in SD for a photo op. beneath the gigantic concrete teepee; at Brookings, SD for fuel; and at Sioux City, IA for more photos at a rest area/tourist info center whose design features many Lewis and Clark-related elements. We "made good time" (as locals say when traveling doesn't take them as long as expected) and arrived at Sandy's around 6:30 P.M. (Mountain time). She had a roast in the crock pot and fed us well with a supper reminiscent of something our mom would have made on a Sunday. It was wonderful. (Fun detail: We eat multi-grain bread at our house, so our daughters aren't accustomed to white bread, which they spotted on Sandy's kitchen counter. They asked if they could have some white bread and butter with supper . . . and the manner in which they requested it was the same one that kids might use to ask for a bowl of ice cream or a new puppy! Sheesh.)

With the skill of Vanna White, here I am demonstrating the distance between the Sioux City, IA rest area (my left index finger), where we are, to Sandy's house in Omaha, NE (my right index finger), where we're headed.

We got a tour of her (relatively) new house, its recent tornado damage, and the even more recent repairs (some still underway). We met her two cats, Trouble (outgoing and rambunctious) and Yoda (standoffish and hissy). Suzanna, Hillary, and I even got to explore the nearby grocery store when Sandy discovered that she was out of flour (and I threw into the cart a jar of Smucker's spoonable marshmallow topping for ice cream . . . a product not available in our grocery stores . . . yummo!).

This is Trouble resting in the cabinet that Sandy plans to hang in her upstairs bedroom.

This is Yoda welcoming us to his home by hiding under the dining room table and adopting a defensive posture appropriate for sudden leaping should one of us dare to bend over and offer a kind scratch of the chin or stroke of the fur. Oh, and he hisses. A lot. Cats are fun.

Sandy also shared her suggestions of fun things to do while we're in Omaha, so we made a list and will finalize our plans tomorrow. I have the feeling we're going to be very busy on this vacation!

P.S. Read my sister's version of today!