Road Trip Day 3: More Kansas & Colorful Colorado

Woohoo! Nothing better than driving through Kansas; lots of corn fields, beautiful fields of bright yellow sunflowers, and weather that quite possibly would make you think you are starring in the “Wizard of Oz”. My father loves watching the weather change, hence he quickly became our weather-vane as we drove into the darkest and ugliest looking clouds. It began raining so hard that we decided to pull off the highway. We were not alone; about 20 other cars decided to do the same and wait out the storm. My dad kept calling, “How is it? According to the radar map, it looks like you are in the middle of a red zone.” I kept asking…do you know if there are tornadoes in the area? I was in a tornado when I was a young diva and my photo appeared on the front page of the Denver Post—insert image of scared little girl sitting on a bench with pieces of roofing, trash cans, and other debris laying about. After a 30-minute downpour, it finally let up. We drove on and into a parking lot (on the highway)…oh fun! A semi truck had jack-knifed during the torrential downpour.

Since we had finished the audio-book, we changed to the radio. I must confess..during road trips I love to scan the radio stations and see what sorts of music/talk shows are playing in the American heartland. Hence, we listened to a lot of 80/90 hits and even a little bit of Rush Limbaugh (until Charlie nearly threw up in his mouth).

Ahhhhh, I know that sign! "Welcome to Colorful Colorado!" We made it (almost), now just 160 miles to the parents house...with one special stop (see next blog post)...

Road Trip Day 2: Illinois, Missouri, Kansas

What a better way to begin another day in the car than by stopping at Cracker Barrel? Ha ha...let's try again. How about the breakfast buffet in St. Louis at Whole Foods (a favorite organic and natural food store)? Yeah, now that is more our style! Organic scrambled eggs, french toast, tofu scramble, fresh baked bread, fresh fruit, and home potatoes joyfully slid down our throats to join the digestive juices in our bellies. Some may think that road trips are all about gas station food (Snickers, Coke, and Doritos), but we prefer to be a little more selective with our road trip cuisine. In fact, Charlie even suggested we do a Google search for the best vegetarian restaurants and build a route around our findings (too bad the best veg eats are located in New York, San Francisco...a little out of our way). After a good and healthy Sunday brunch, we pushed through Missouri and then the long haul through Kansas (with a sweet picnic lunch in the late afternoon).

Road trips are fun because you have an ample amount of time to relax, converse, and listen. On day two, we finished listening to the audio-book, “A Walk in the Woods” by Bill Bryson, a great story of two men hiking the Appalachian Trail (AT). Very apropos since we lived in a place (Athens) that was only 40 miles away from the AT. Bill Bryson is a great writer with a nice balance of intellectual and factual information about the trail as well as a splattering of very funny moments on the trail. It was a good six hours of entertainment. The rest of the time, we talked...it's not hard for Charlie and I to stumble upon an intellectual (or not so intellectual) conversation and be entertained for hours on end.

Amidst all of the “Jesus loves you” billboards, Charlie spotted another winery, Les Bourgeois, in Missouri and that is where we met the pink pig. According to the wine pourer this pig is the most photographed pig in Missouri. Oh yeah and there is a special grape in Missouri, the Norton grape, and now we can say we have tasted it in all of its splendor (or not). Even though we did purchase a bottle of the semi-dry red wine, I am not sure I would recommend you stop only to taste the wine, the pig was much more interesting.

Finally, we arrived at our overnight destination, Manhattan, Kansas (another university town, home of the oldest institution of higher learning in the State, Kansas State University). Do you see a pattern here? We ate at Coco Bolo's, drank some margaritas, and drove through campus to gawk at the beautiful castle-like architecture.

Road Trip Day 1: Athens, GA to Carbondale, IL (499 miles)

Wake up at 6 a.m. Pack up the last few items and attempt to squeeze them into any little space that we might find, in between boxes, bags, and furniture. Nope…two items do not fit (two large picture frames). Argh…I begin to wallow in a growing monster of anguish (Come on Leasa, Keep Calm & Carry On!) I am simply drained, tired of organizing, packing, and moving stuff, and I am simply ready to be home in Colorado. The heat and humidity has tested my nerves the last few weeks and I am ready to move onto the next life adventure. We stop at Ike and Jane’s for our last red velvet cake doughnut, stop for gas (the most expensive gas purchased the entire road trip--U.S. $3.74/gallon), oil, and air for the tires. Ah, this day has been a LONG time coming. Once we leave the city limits of Athens, a wave of solace rolls over me. Ah!

We drive approximately 500 miles on day one (of three days) with an overnight stopover in Carbondale, Illinois—home of Southern Illinois University. The drive goes very well with several stops to change drivers, stretch, and fill up with gas. As we drive through Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Illinois, the pesky little “check engine” light on the car dash remains bright yellow. Yes, we have been dealing with some car issues for the past few weeks, but the auto mechanic swears that little “Lexi” (the hard core 1999 silver Lexus 300RX approaching 200,000 miles) will be okay and will not implode during our 1,500 mile road trip.

In Tennessee, Charlie spots a billboard for wine tastings at the highly acclaimed (snicker) Beachhaven Winery. We decide that forgoing this wine experience would be a sin, so we stop and sip on some surprisingly good Syrah, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Sauvignon. With a bottle of Cab in hand, we pushed on. We arrived at our hotel and immediately got back into the car for dinner. Charlie did some internet searching before our trip and he stumbled on a veggie café in Carbondale, Longbranch Coffeehouse, and when our friend (who used to live in Carbondale) confirmed the delicious fare, it became a destination. Charlie had veggie Thai curry and I devoured the veggie harvest with ginger sauce. Thumbs up for Longbranch! After a night swim we were ready for some shut eye.

Athens Favorites...Goodbye!

I will admit that living in Athens has been challenging, but there is always a silver lining to adverse situations. As I bid farewell to life in Athens here are a few of my favorite things:

1.) My man! I met Charlie in Athens and the best part of leaving Athens is that he is coming with me. He certainly made my time in Georgia sweeter and more bearable.

2.) Earth Fare--the organic food market that I frequented often. I may be parsimonious when it comes to materialistic items, but when it comes to good food I do not skimp. Earth Fare proudly advertises a list of banned food items: any food item containing high-fructose corn syrup, added trans fats, and artificial colors or sweeteners (just to name a few) never makes it on the shelf. In addition to offering healthy food options, it is a great place to grab a fresh cooked meal and free internet.

3.) Rubbersoul Yoga studio--this was the location where the negative energy was beautifully transformed into positive and compassionate energy. I taught many yoga classes here, developed and challenged my yogic philosophy through the adventure club, and enjoyed yogic bliss in shavasana.

4.) Coffee shops--Athens has a solid cafe culture and I watched it grow and change throughout my time in Athens. There is something about being around other studious people that motivates me to do work (osmosis?!), hence a lot of my time was spent at cafes. There were three in particular where I was a "regular" (especially as I studied and prepared for comprehensive exams): Walker's Coffee & Pub, (see photo at the top of this entry), Jittery Joe's, and Espresso Royale (see photo to right).

5.) Eats--Athens has a great restaurant scene, even for us veggie heads. We LOVE the GRIT, a locally owned vegetarian restaurant with the best cup of dal. We LOVE Ike n Jane's Cafe & Bakery where you can buy a super sweet Southern treat...red velvet donuts (see photo to right). But, Ike & Jane's is probably most known for their "Elvis Presley" donuts: peanut butter glaze topped with banana slices and crispy strips of bacon. Our favorite take-away spot was Dondero's Kitchen, a locally owned eatery serving up international dishes and delicious sesame noodles. The White Tiger Gourmet, "food without a 'tude", was our favorite lunch spot where the portabella mushroom sandwich and the grilled broccoli and asparagus never disappointed.

6.) UGA international offerings--I never would have imagined that my time in Georgia would have opened the door to so many international experiences. Travel to Costa Rica, South Africa, and Oxford, England was coupled with professional growth and opportunities in the field of international education as I chaperoned and taught students how to travel with a good conscious. My time at UGA ended on a high note as I conducted research on the international dimension of higher education while working for the coolest boss ever. (See photo of Jane, my boss--to right--cutting my going away carrot cake, yum, from one of my favorites, the Grit).

Some Like it HOT!

One month in Athens, GA in the heat of the summer...never again will I sign up for this again. (Wow, that feels so good to say!) I have learned that heat index indicates what the temperature outside (with humidity) really feels like. These days it is a rarity for the heat index to be less than three numbers long; it normally hovers around 100-108. As soon as I walk outside, no matter the time of day, I immediately break into a sweat and then I freeze in the air-conditioned buildings! The heat is just too much, so most of our time is spent inside (me wrapped up in scarfs and sweaters) hibernating from the intense and oppressive heat. It is a strange way to live; I have always known summertime as a season to be outside playing in the sunshine. Living in Athens, GA has been an experience all around...

Life in Athens in July

Only one more month living in Athens, GA. Woohoo! From July 6 to August 5, Charlie and I are living in downtown Athens in a small one-bedroom apartment (approximately 500 square feet). Charlie moved into the apartment in May (see photos...four windows above Moonshine Bar and A1's Italian Beef). We love living downtown, despite living on top of an 18-years and older bar, where the music thumps deeply into our floors making our bed vibrate from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. almost every night. Nothing better than ear plugs! Charlie especially loves the 5 a.m. wake up call when the leaf blower dude comes through every morning. With all of that being said, we do love being right in the middle of the action and walking everywhere (and the pandemonium below us becomes white noise at some point).

My time in July has been filled with work, yoga, and details for the BIG move. I finally finished up grading papers from the South African study abroad course (ah!). At Rubbersoul studio, I teach two yoga classes every week. In addition, I work at the Office of International Education conducting research 25 hours/week. I really love this job and my boss; which will make leaving a little sad.

Prepping for a move abroad always comes with many little nuts and bolts, here are a few of the details:

• Shop around and purchase one-way airline tickets to Finland (woohoo!)
• Submit travel reports to Fulbright and American-Scandinavian Foundation for grant payment
• Transfer my prescription to the Fulbright health insurance plan
• Schedule and go to dental appointments for two fillings and a cleaning
• Work with banks to process wire transfers for grants (both Fulbright and American-Scandinavian Foundation)
• Sell my mountain bike to Ben's Bikes
• Begin packing for Finland and our trip to Colorado (see photo of Charlie--planking and packing!)