Day 1: Brooklyn to Chicago

I just realized I lost a day somewhere in the last couple. It seemed like yesterday that I was sitting at my desk working on a Sharepoint administrator’s contact list, scribbling down last-minute support notes and reminders to everyone where things could be found. But that was two days ago…

When I got home Tuesday night, I hopped in a hot bath and took a nap – that was the plan. At 10pm I woke up, loaded the car (more like crammed, stuffed and jimmied things into the car), and at 3am Wednesday morning, Tanarra and I set off. My shift was the first and I was able to go only about 90 minutes and she took over somewhere in New Jersey. I don’t even remember driving it and I remember even less falling asleep. But at 7am I woke up as we pulled into our first real break of the day, one of those travel centers in Pennsylvania with a 24 hour Starbucks. Joy, at last.

With a venti peppermint mocha warming my hands (that’s my signal the holidays have arrived, when I have my first theme drink from Starbuck’s), I took over. Sun was creeping onto the hills and as cheesy as it sounds, I was listening to Echo and the Bunnymen’s “Killing Moon.’ I saw frost on the buggies as we sped through the countryside – the road was clear and the sun warm, even though the temperature gauge read 18 degrees. It was noon when I surrendered my post near the western edge of PA, and Tanarra took over into the tip of West Virginia, Ohio and Indiana. While she drove, I shuffled and dealt Gypsy Tarot cards, courtesy of Leslie.

Ohio turned out to be the hardest part of the drive – windy snow and wet roads with a temperature around 30 degrees – and traffic was starting to get thick. It only lasted about 45 minutes, though – and we were off again towards Dayton and Indianapolis. The sun was setting about an hour outside of Indy, where I had taken over. At that point we had gone 14 hours in the car and had listened to everything from cheesy goth music (see aforementioned Echo and the Bunnymen) to hair bands (there’s nothing like a good rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody on the road) to classic Elvis. If you’re interested, my playlist is on a separate post (see Day 1 Playlist (11/23/05) Brooklyn to Chicago).

We hit Chicago at 6pm (adjusted, so 7pm EST) and landed at her parents’ home by 6:45. After settling the dog and grabbing a much needed hot meal of pork chops, potatoes and peas and carrots, I hit the sack.

So it’s Thanksgiving Day in Chicago, probably 30 degrees outside and crisp and as beautiful a fall day as I could have ordered up. We will hit the road again in a few hours, drunk with turkey and mac and cheese, headed to South Dakota for the night.