Day One: It still doesn't feel like we've left yet... somehow.

Greetings from Iowa! Technically, I'm writing from Illinois, which is better than Indiana. Sorry guys, but after getting very lost and losing an hour in travel time because your highway system falls apart as soon as there's any construction, not to mention the smell of sewage that permeates half the state... well, let's just say it wasn't a fun drive. I'm sure Indiana has some redeeming qualities... like Nascar fans. It was really funny to see the Amish postcards in the stores... like, what, you think your Amish really compare to Pennsylvania's? We invented the Amish. You can't compete with us. Not gonna happen.

Anyways, we're OUT of Indiana and into Illinois, which so far has been full of construction warning signs, but absolutely zero actual roadwork going on. Typically that wouldn't bother me, but the roads are so rough, a cobblestone company offered to smooth them out. Maybe I'm just grumpy from driving all night. I"m sorry, Illinois. You have some very nice trees. And some nice farmland. And one very nice lady at a rest stop who wished me a good romance because I'm a nice young man. I don't think anyone's ever told me they hoped I found a nice girl and had some good romance before...

We're on our way to meet up with Moriah near Des Moines for breakfast... or lunch, at this rate. After that, it'll be back on the road towards South Dakota. We're all pretty excited to get out and camp for a full night's rest rather than driving all night again... of course, we're just kind of assuming we can find a good boondocking location that won't get us in trouble with the state. You shouldn't need a permit to sleep on the ground. In theory, state land should be fair game... but it's just a theory.

Fun story about Indiana - it currently tops my charts of CREEPY AT NIGHT. If you ever want a horror movie set, just drive anywhere (and I mean ANYWHERE) off the freeway in Indiana. It's even creepier at, say, 4 in the morning. As soon as you're off the freeway, you're IMMEDIATELY as vulnerable as you can be. According to Metric, "It's like an unholy union of a place where aliens would land and axe murderers would strike." And to be completely honest... I agree. I'm sorry, Indiana, but you have a bad combo of scary movie sets for towns and bad odor on your expensive highways. But don't worry - if you're good enough to be American, you're still good enough to be my neighbor. Just keep on your side of the fence, eh?

We also managed a stop in NY on the way to surprise the prettiest girl in the state with a visit before we left... *totally* started the trip on the right foot. :D

We're about an hour away from Moriah, and it's almost lunchtime, so we anticipate spending money on some good real food before shopping for our first night of camping in the Badlands. It's still hard to believe we're finally on our road trip, but so far it ROCKS.