Day Two.

Welcome to Omaha.

Yep. Two Days. It was a hell of a journey, but here i sit, in a very comfortable hotel room in Downtown Omaha. Paul is passed out, in front of his laptop, pretty much exactly where he sat down when we walked into the room (lightweight) and i have been milling about the room, swearing at the dotty wireless internet connection i seem to be getting.

We departed Detroit around 10am plowing through Gary, Indiana (much to the delight of many of my theatrical friends) and detouring up to Chicago. Chicago is a cool town, very different from NY and Boston, but, at least from what i could tell from the short time i was there, a pretty hoppin place. Have i been using "hoppin" too much in the blog? eh. We saw the giant Chicago Bean in Millennium Park, which is pretty bizarre, and then got some very filling Chicago Deep Dish pizza from a nearby establishment. Quickly we were on our way again, only to hit Chicago at rush hour.

Ok. so this is where i started to get punchy. Can you blame me though? I mean i just eat a pretty sizable meal, and then we get back into the car, punch up the GPS and it reads over 400 miles to go. You're in rush hour horrible stop and go traffic...its hot, its humid, your in an uncomfortable seat, and the internet on your phone is just not working. So, about 25 minutes of me tweaking out led me to put my muff headphones on, and just pump some soooooothing tunes into my ears. This helped a bit, and when we stopped to gas up, i got out, ran around, got some liquids, and was able to calm myself a bit.

I realize the thought of driving 12 hours a day is daunting to most of you. Dont get me wrong, its not somthing i would wish to do everyday, but as i mentioned yesterday, i love road trips, i was all about this road trip, and i knew what i was getting into do. I was, however, plesently surprised with today's journey...

If you have to make a 7 hour drive straight thru from Chicago, this is the one you want. After you clear city limits in Illinois, the speed limit hits 70, and its nothing but a straight flat road for nearly the rest of your trip. Its almost as if you hit auto pilot. Set the cruse control, keep a light hand on the wheel to keep its straight, and your set. It's really astonishing to take in the view of Illinois, Iowa, and Nebraska. Its just field after field, and a straight line of highway that you can see miles and miles ahead down the road. Bugs hit your windshield at an alarming rate, requiring the use of wiper fluid many times. Rest stops and gas stations are few and far between, and civilization is even more infrequent. What people could possibly do out here for fun, i have no idea.... all i saw was the occasional porn outlet. At the same time tho, its very cool that people live out here, farming, taking in life the way its meant to be. Theres no lights on the roads out here, so i can only imagine how pitch black and dead quiet it must get at night. Thats just something im not used to. The stars here are breathtaking, and i saw a shooting one tonight, i made my wish....heres to hoping.

So basically what im saying is, i liked this long drive in a way, it was easy, and i got to see a part of the country that not everyone, or prolly not even the majority of people back east get to see, which is exactly one of the main things i wanted to accomplish with this trip. Its a shame that Paul heads out tomorrow alone, and i can't drive to San Diego, but alas, work calls. I havent heard from Kate or Billy yet, despite numerous times trying to get in touch with them. Hopefully they get back to me tomorrow, or else iv come to Omaha for naught. Im pretty tired and its really 3am for me without this time switch, so im gonna end this one on this note.

Life is to short to worry and stress over things like long car rides. the end always justifies the means, and your will always be stronger from your experience. live it up.

Places of Interest: Gary, IN, Chicago, IL, the worlds largest truck stop, the random Hummer dealership between two cornfields in the middle of nowhere Iowa, the exit in central Iowa that is home to nothing else but a porn store, Des Moines which is much bigger than i expected, and of course, Omaha, a beautiful site at 11pm tonight, having traveled over 700 miles today.
Total Miles Traveled: 1458



goodnight moon.