Stage 10: Chicago to NYC

This was the "Queen Stage" of our tour of the USA. At nearly 800 miles total, the journey from the Second City to the Big Apple is substantial--to attempt it in one day, a time trial of epic proportions.

our path

With real estate appointments pending the next morning, we decided to go for it. So it was, on James's 30th birthday, Team Batdog would attempt its most audacious drive.

We rolled through Chicago, past Millenium Park and museums, through the city's south side, and into the heartland again. Indiana and Ohio were both larger than expected and reminiscent of Minnesota or Wisconsin.

As night fell, we still had hours to go before we'd sleep...but we persisted. We were treated to one last amazing sunset looking back over the Allegheny Mountains and miles of semi-delirious conversation and joking as we ground out the final miles.

Coming into New York, we were perhaps too exhausted to really enjoy the skyline at night from the George Washington Bridge. But we did feel a real sense of accomplishment and joy at having successfully and happily completed our unforgettable journey.

Total mileage: 4,103.8

We want to say thanks to those of you who supported this journey, as so many of you did in direct and indirect ways. Thanks also to those who have followed our story through this website. Even though we're done with this adventure, a new one is just around the corner, so stay tuned.

Stage 9: Sister Bay, WI to Chicago, IL

Stage 9 took us from America's dairyland to the Land of Lincoln. Before setting off, we had a hearty Swedish breakfast at Al Johnson's in Sister Bay, a popular local restaurant with a traditional sod roof and an accompanying herd of goats to tend it. (No kidding. They stand on the roof all day, munching grass, completely oblivious to the fact that they serve a much better food inside. Suckers.)

Alas, there were no goats there during our meal--it had been raining all night and off and on in the morning, and surely these superstar, diva goats wanted to avoid being seen looking frizzy.

We had a relatively short drive down to Highland Park, Illinois, where we stayed with MJ's uncle Mark, his wife Linda, and their son Charlie. Once a summer getaway spot for Chicago's rich and famous, Highland Park is now a lovely, leafy suburb north of the city. We were spoiled yet again with great food and company. Also, James tried to convince Charlie to join the cross country team, a shameless plug for his own hobbies.

Fun fact: some homes in their Highland Park neighborhood may be familiar to 80s movies buffs out there. Risky Business and Weird Science both shot film using some of the houses- and this ravine we're standing in front of is where Cameron Frye crashed his dad's Ferrari in Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

(Here's a picture of the house itself, courtesy of Wikipedia.)

We took a walk with the family on the morning of our departure, finally getting a real look at the vast expanse of Lake Michigan.

After strolling for about an hour (Krieger considered it a good, old-fashioned land grab, marking his, ahem, presence in the Midwest), we packed back into DWABBT and got back on the road, ready to check into our first and only hotel of the trip, the Hotel Burnham in Chicago. Thank you so much for your hospitality, Davises!!

On the way, we passed by Northwestern University, a stunning Baha'i Temple, and huge masses of people who had come out for the Chicago airshow. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like ideal weather conditions for planes, as you can see from the picture James took of the skyline (fogline?) during his afternoon run.

That evening we left Krieger in the hotel room and enjoyed a grownup dinner at Sepia, a downtown restaurant that wowed us with its creative and impeccable tasting menu. Neither of us had ever even heard of a pork collar, but we both agree that it was fantastic (see below to be very jealous). 

Much to James's embarrassment, MJ asked for her two leftover bites to be wrapped up; he subsequently shamed her by revealing that they were most certainly intended for  the dog. If they only knew 1) how much MJ loves her dog, 2) how much MJ loves sharing inappropriately decadent food with her dog, and 3) what a refined palate he has developed as a result of this gastronomic training, they would certainly not have been insulted.

The Prince was quite pleased with this porkly tribute, as pleased as he was with his golden chaise and velvet throw. Royal blue, he insists, becomes him.

Thank you, Chicago, and thank you, Jim Kennedy, Alison Kennedy, and Josh Morrison for sponsoring our classy night here.

Stage 8: Goose Island to Sister Bay, WI

Sleeping along the Mississippi was quite peaceful (after the family turned down their singalong) and we woke up to a calm, bright day.

The Mississippi in the morning

 Our goal for the day was to reach Sister Bay, Wisconsin, a charming small town (turned summer vacation destination) at the end of a peninsula that juts out into Lake Michigan. Driving through Wisconsin, we took in more cornfields, more barn and silo combos, and an increasing number of Packers bumper stickers.

We did indeed pass through Green Bay and spoiled ourselves with a stop at A&W for a small lunch and a root beer float. We had successfully avoided fast food for most of the trip, so we figured we owed ourselves a small indulgence in this truly American pleasure.

After Green Bay, we made our way out onto the peninsula, which boasted vineyards, cheese tasting rooms (WI=America's Dairyland), a delightfully cool temperature and pride in the Scandinavian heritage of the place. We were on our way to visit Cliff and Jo Darken, MJ's grandparents. We had a great time talking with them, not only because MJ and I had pretty much only been chatting with one another for a week, but also because of the great stories they told about their own childhoods, raising their children, and living life in Sister Bay for a few decades.

They took us out to a great dinner at Joe Jo's pizza, which even the NY pizza-snob James thought was delicious. MJ, the dessert-snob, loved their chocolate gelato. The Darkens gave us a sense of small town life, greeting many of their friends at the restaurant, and even the cordial owner, who chatted with us at length.

After dinner we returned to their place for more laughs and good times: looking at family photos, marveling at Cliff's fantastic and accurate pencil-drawn portraits, and enjoying the warm company.

When we checked in at our campground at Peninsula State Park we were astounded by a few things: 1) the immense size of the park (we were campsite #548!) 2) the quality of the trails and sights and 3) the astonishing amount of Packers paraphernalia (camping chairs, flags flying from RVs, table cloths, you name it). In addition to being major Packers fans, the people of Wisconsin are also majorly active. We saw tons of folks out running, biking, and paddling. We could definitely see ourselves visiting this place again!

Stage 7: Badlands, SD to Goose Island, WI

After a night of strong winds and a bit of rain, we woke up in the Badlands, ready for another big day of driving.

It occurred to us that the Badlands rock formations look like the most interesting bits of a mountain range--the dramatic peaks, steep cliffs, and deep chasms--but all up close and packed together, rather than distant, high vistas. We didn't dilly dally much for pictures or deep contemplation that morning; with a week's practice under our belts, we're pretty good at packing up and moving out, so we were on the road early.

Leaving South Dakota just after lunch, we started making our way through Minnesota, which consisted of corn, corn, and more corn (see above). There were red barns interspersed and some silos, too. If you look closely in the relatively poor picture below, you can see one such classic Americana scene. There weren't many notable places to stop along I-90, and we were on a bit of a mission to make it across the Mississippi River, so please forgive the hasty photos.

Given the pleasing, if monotonous, scenery, we kept ourselves entertained by listening to Tina Fey's Bossypants on audiobook. She kept us laughing as we crossed two state lines  and two major rivers: the Missouri and the Mississippi. That night, we camped on Goose Island on the eastern shores of the Mississippi and took in a magnificent sunset before preparing dinner and settling in beside the campfire. (Added bonus: the large family camped nearby blasting, and singing along to, the Grease soundtrack until well after sunset.)

Update; Krieger meets bison video

So, once again we've been having too much fun visiting family, traversing the Midwest, and seeing new, interesting places; thus, we have fallen behind on blog posts.

We're currently in Chicago visiting MJ's cousins Mark, Linda, and "little" Charlie Davis. Being in this major Midwestern city, we feel like the bulk of our journey is behind us. We crossed the Mississippi, we're in the Central time zone and it actually rained last night--we're definitely not in California anymore. We'll try to catch up a bit tonight so stay tuned...

We also wanted to take a minute to post a video of Krieger interacting with the bison on Antelope Island, as promised in an earlier post.

Stage 6: Yellowstone to South Dakota Badlands

We woke up early to get ready for our first 500+ mile day on the road. James snuck in a quick morning run and saw the natural bridge pictured below, while MJ slept in after being up half the night with a sick-to-his-stomach Krieger (he's feeling better now, but it was a rough two days for the little guy). 

We said goodbye to Yelllowstone Lake, driving past the placid water and the geothermal vents that periodically dot the shore. The steam drifting over the lake and through dark green trees was quite peaceful as we wound our way out of the park. 

The surprise treat of the day was passing through the Bighorn National Forest. We passed through a tight canyon, with steep walls telling a geological story that is hard to fathom. Different formations were courteously labelled as dating from the Jurassic, Mississippian and other periods measured in the hundreds of millions of years. Between these rocks and the recent memory of prehistoric-looking bison, we felt pretty small and temporary. 

The descent from the Bighorn NF was a steep, twisting, smooth road that took us down to the grasslands of eastern Wyoming (miles and miles of them) before bringing us to South Dakota's Black Hills. We did indeed listen to Rocky Racoon while passing through those famous hills and decided that Krieger, with his salt-and-pepper look and his Gideon's Bible, is our very own Rocky (though, for the record, he likes to duel with raccoons, as the scars on his face make evident "Rocky said, "doc, it's only a scratch".)

James flipped out when the tripometer went from 1999.9 miles back to zero, but he regained his composure as we ended the day with a scenic drive through the Badlands National Park. We saw many prairie dogs, wild colors in the sedimentary rock (yellow, mauve, purple and all sorts of grey), and were in awe of the windswept landscape and the breezy prairie. 

That wind would come on in a vengeance that night. Preceding a thunderstorm, the winds almost laid our tent low, but James cleverly (if frantically) guyed out our cozy abode and we all made it through the night. 

Stage 5: Rest Day on Yellowstone Lake

With two consecutive nights at a campground on Yellowstone Lake, we took a day off from our cross country trek. But just like the easy spin Tour de France pros must take on a rest day during Le Tour, we decided to take a gentle loop around some of the main attractions the park had to offer.

We saw geysers as well as the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone during the day (see below), and just to keep things lively, Krieger pulled a mint chocolate cookie out of James's hand during the night. He got a little sick to his stomach but ultimately recovered. It is a good thing that we had no wifi or 4G connection, or MJ would have found a way to not only reassure herself of his imminent doom, but also to convince herself that this doom would be the result of not only chocolate poisoning, but also bubonic plague. Nevertheless, the Batdog lives; stronger than ever, in fact.

Also it was our one month anniversary on the 12th!!