Scrambled Egg

Tuesday, 8/26/08


We awoke this morning and took our tickets for free breakfast down to the kitchen. Here, you actually order your choice of eggs, a choice of meat, and 2 choices of bread, all included. And they are fast! We packed up quickly and went down to the parking lot where Dan began working on our own Cracked Egg.

An auto parts store was conveniently located next to the hotel, and after 2 trips, we had the right sized bolts to match the right sized nuts, which would be a good replacement for the one lost somewhere in California. We were delighted and thankful to find that the rattle was not from the catalytic converter, but rather from a separated exhaust flange where the broken bolt had once been.


Dan pulled the car up onto a parking tie, as a makeshift jack, to gain the necessary clearance in order to crawl underneath the Egg and make the repair. Melody crouched nearby on her knees, watching and encouraging Dan from the side. In a few minutes, the bolt was replaced, and for 5 dollars, the rattle was gone.


Outside of Bismarck, North Dakota, we were pleased to meet a very interesting couple from New York. The man immediately spotted us as fellow road trippers when we pulled into the rest stop. “Not many of us out here this summer” he said. John and Iris were very friendly and experienced, with an extensive history of road trips all over the country. Their longest ride to date was a trip to Alaska and back with their sons, totaling over 11,000 miles. “You really learn a lot about yourself out here,” John said, “but the trip can take on a mind of its own and ultimately you must follow where it leads you.” Steinbeck would agree.



We continued our journey on a sunny, albeit windy, day as we drove across Minnesota, through Wisconsin and eventually into Illinois. By early evening, we had located a Starbucks within a Target and decided to take a break from the road and catch up on the blogs. It was here that we met Alethia and Jody, our baristas.
The girls were very friendly and curious about our cross country travels. As Alethia prepared our wake up drinks, Melody told her about the travel blog and gave her the address to keep in touch. As we steadily worked and reminisced, Alethia would check on us with a big smile and offer us samples. Through our conversation, we found out that she has dreams of her own to travel to Amsterdam with her husband and young son…maybe next year. We encouraged her to follow through and make it happen in spite of the challenges ahead. A dream realized is worth far more than what it costs to get there. Incidentally, tomorrow, 8/27, is her 3rd wedding anniversary. Keep going, guys, it just gets sweeter with time!

After crossing 4 states, we checked into a hotel in Rockford, Illinois, just west of Chicago, completing Day 2 of our marathon dash back east.