Okay, so I'll start my first content-laden post by talking about the extremely long drive from Laramie, Wyoming to Valparaiso, Indiana. Spanning 19 hours on the road, in total, it was, needless to say, rather tiresome. I got in around six last night. Here are some travel highlights:
1. When driving over the Summit, Wyoming decided to give me a farewell gift of dense fog and poor visibility. While such conditions are typically enough to drive me mad, I couldn't help but laugh the entire time. It was actually kind of ... endearing. The Summit is never good, regardless of the season. It reminded me that though I may be moving on, Wyoming isn't. For some reason that's a bit comforting. Or maybe I'm just sleep deprived.
2. Going through Nebraska, I saw signs for a "scenic turnout." The "scenery" being referred to was, of course, nothing at all. What set apart that particular field of nothing from all the rest is beyond me. It was nevertheless amusing, as I saw several cars actually stopped to take in the ... erm, splendor.
3. We stopped in Ames for the night, which was awesome because it reminded me of how close I am to starting grad school this fall. I didn't really get to do anything besides obtain a storage unit, but it was nice to be there. After getting the storage unit, my dad and I parted ways, leaving Corey to brave the I-states alone (Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana).
4. As any of my friends who have gone with me (or more accurately, driven me) to Denver can tell you, I avoid city driving like the plague. I just don't have experience with traffic, being from the Wyoming boonies, and I never quite seem to want to lose that particular virginity. As such, I had with me in the car a list of directions to re-route myself around the Chicago metro area. But, as I neared the exit, I decided to take a chance and go through as Google Maps intended me to. I thought I would arrive in Valpo by four ... comfortably avoiding rush hour. How bad could it be, right?
5. Right before Joliet, IL, I encountered major construction. Though I'm not sure why traffic was stopped (construction crews were not working and nothing really seemed wrong), it ended up taking me an hour and a half to go five miles. This delay landed me in the thick of the traffic at ... you guessed it, rush hour. While six lanes of impenetrable traffic was daunting to observe, I actually made it through a bit better than expected. That is to say, I made it through a) alive, and b) without needing a change in underpants. While I'm not exactly chomping at the bit (what an odd expression) to do that again, I doubt I'll be as squeamish next time.
6. About 15 minutes after I got off the Interstate, I arrived in Valpo. I was very relieved! I called my parents, letting them know why I was two hours late and hadn't answered their calls. I doubt my mom could concentrate at work yesterday she seemed so worried!
Valpo is a really pretty town (around 34,000 people, I'm told). The area actually feels a lot like the Broomfield-Boulder area, though I'm not sure why. There area lot of trees (with leaves, no less!), and though they tell me it's much colder than usual now, I find it to be very nice.
Well, that's it for now. I officially start on Tuesday, so I have a few days to get settled. However, I decided to avoid unpacking today and instead go into Chicago. There's a really cheap train that takes about an hour. I'm not sure what I'll do, but I'm sure it will be fun! More on that later!
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