So Ill

Raise your hand if you have ever been to Southern Illinois. Raise your hand if you have ever dreamed of visiting Southern Illinois. I didn't think so. Prepare to be dazzled! There are geological wonders hidden within! See our photographic documentation of the Garden of the Gods, the natural remains of a 3 million year old sea that receded into oblivion leaving behind mud and minerals that petrified to beautiful stone bluffs. Now who wants to go to So Ill? I thought so!

Also of note is the southernmost town of Metropolis, IL, population 6500, home to none other than the world's most beloved super hero. He's taller than I expected. We also decided Lowrider looks like a perfect Superdog when he sticks his head out the window at high speeds.

Day 1 recap (from the male perspective)

Ah, what a day the 30th turned out to be. Anna and I and Low and Krull left Chapel thrill without a hitch (although perhaps a bit late). Here is the rough timeline for the day:

6am- wakeup, punch anna in the stomach.
6:30- leave for lab to stimulate T cells.
8:00- help Ginnie move a compost pile roughly 80 yards down the street to her new house.
10:00- buy a 1-2 car outlet converter to power our GPS and XM radio! nice!
2:00pm- multiple car gauges go wild, which means I have no idea how much fuel is in the tank, how fast I am going, and the rpm's......very foreboding.
2:10- all electrical fails in the car, luckily I just got off the highway and was still on the off ramp as I coasted to a stop.
3:20-Paid for the alternator; mechanic with poor dental hygiene brought to my attention a little problem......Anna's tags were expired! (Women)
3:25- Made it to the DMV.....actually not Anna's fault, and they gave her tags so we are now street legal......Anna avoided corporal punishment.
6ish- Lowrider pukes up the equivalent of a clear, mucus-like squid creature onto my shorts (Li LoBue called it right).
7ish- realize the right side of the two pronged converter didn't actually work, now we are back to square one.
8:00- Reach the mainou-thornburg residence. Dogs got into a little scuffle, most likely because Lowrider is an annoying little punk.

The day ended with a great chicken dinner (thanks chef Bernie), had some choice colorado beers and put the women and children to sleep.
All in a days work I guess. Hope day 2 is more smooth.

Dollywood

I have always wanted to go to Dollywood. I don't really know why, and I don't really know what it is--a tribute to Dolly Parton or a tribute to Dolly Parton's boobs, I figure. Anyhow, this was our first planned stop about halfway to Nashville, our final destination for this fine Wednesday. Unfortunately, this was not to be... Because Veronica broke down in Asheville. I spent 750 big ones at the shop last week to prevent this exact thing from happening. She has new rear brakes, a fresh coolant system, air filters, you name it. But they didn't say anything about the freakin alternator. So now we are late. And I don't get to see Dollywood. But I'll tell ya what: Biltmore Village is not a bad place to break down. I drank a cherry Italian soda, Lowrider was invited into an art gallery to view some homemade dog dishes, and they turned the car around in an hour. Except for the fact that alternators are really darn expensive, it wasn't such a bad experience.

Warrior and protector

We're on our way. What completely slipped my mind is that I am not only traveling with a dog that has already relegated me to the backseat while he gets the front, but also with a fish. All things considered, the most ridiculous part of this trip might be the fact that I get to carry Krull the Warrior King, aptly named after Matthew McConaughey's penis in 'How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days', with me everywhere I go in his travel bowl.

T-25 hours 23 minutes

In little more than one day, I'm going to get in a car--my blue 1999 Ford Escort named Veronica with 106,577 miles--with a man and a dog, and I'm going to drive 4000 miles. Nine days later, I am going to get out of that car and look around at the city I will soon be calling home. I've lived in Chapel Hill, NC for the past 5 years, 11 months, and 13 days. The first time I felt anxious to leave NC was approximately 5 years, 8 months, and 2 days ago. Now that it's happening, I feel...excited? Yes. Very excited! Scared? Maybe. But there are like nine other things I'm feeling that I can't really describe, one of which is the need for 2 more cups of coffee. Anyway, I wanted to document this life altering trip we're taking to a land far, far away named San Francisco. So here goes my first ever (and probably last ever) blog!