Leaving Manch Vegas

Saturday took us 180 miles to Edinboro, PA, just south of Erie to visit with Will's brother Paul and his family.

They seemed happy to see us.

It was a great chance for Bella to play with their dog, Emma and for us to drink beer and eat meatballs.

Although it was sad to say goodbye (largely because we knew there were more meatballs) on Sunday morning we loaded up the Penske and headed out for our biggest day yet.

Paul is a truck driver and he knows the roads we were headed for, so between beers we mapped out a route that not only helped us avoid toll roads all day, but also allowed us to actually SEE the parts of the country we were driving through. One of my primary duties as co-pilot is to take pictures of the "Welcome to..." signs we see as we enter each state. I did ok, as you can see in our previous posting, but starting with PA, I kind of lost my touch. On our approach to Ohio I was all ready to go, camera strapped around my wrist, but then Will distracted me by pointing out a sparkly powder blue trike w/ a Harley front end and a Corvette back end, pulling a pop-up camper. Sadly I wasn't with it enough to take a picture of that either.

If only we could have missed the state itself instead of just the sign. I can't say much stands out from Ohio. We passed through Sandusky, the name of an Uncle Tupelo song. We saw a church so big, Will dubbed it God City. We proved our guidebook true by passing bait shops, drive through liquor stores and drive-in movie theaters, all in the space of about 5 miles.

One notable thing about Ohio was that it was where I first drove the Penske. Just before the Indiana line, I decided to take the wheel. Having once run for Mayor of a short stretch of sidewalk in Bloomington, Indiana, I felt a responsibility to be the one to drive us across the Hoosier State (more accurately known to some as the Goober State).


Luckily it didn't last and I took us to just about Gary, Indiana - where the Jackson family grew up. (Obviously not going to win "Best Place to Raise a Family" anytime soon.)

We passed such fun sites as Gays Hops 'N Schnapps, an Amish buggy dealership and loads of churches, each with their own fear-inducing message on the marquee. One cleverly suggested that "Exposure to the 'Son' prevents burning," and another we used as inspiraion for the title of this post.

Will drove us through Chicago, while Bella continued her sleeping tour of the US, and we made it all the way across the Wisconsin line! 530 miles in all. Our directory of dog-friendly hotles listed two in Pleasant Prairie, WI. We chose the Holiday Inn Express first to find that they charge an additional $50 for dogs because they steam clean every room. Screw that we say! Our dog is perfect! Why would we pay for an unneccessary steam cleaning?!? So we headed over to La Quinta (so Will could ram the 10' 6" truck into the 9' covered entryway -- only minor damage to hotel and truck, at least), where not only is there no charge for dogs, but they also gave us a way better room rate!

We walked into the room, gave Bella some water and a little treat and within about 5 minutes she puked all over the rug. So....sorry to the peeps who stay in Room 203 next! You should have stayed at a Holiday Inn Express!