If South Dakota was flat, then Minnesota was an ironing board. At least the bugs weren't as bad. At some points, we had to stop and scrape open a field of vision in the windshield.
When we made it into Wisconsin, I realized that we were really close to my mom's side of the family, and it would be nice to say hi to them. Drove into Milwaukee and knocked on my cousin's door (he owns and runs a bar there, and lives upstairs). Jim was there, and felt slightly guilty for waking him up at 5pm, but that went away with the look of astonishment and excitement on his face after a pause of him trying to figure out who the heck was knocking on his door in the middle of the afternoon.
We drove down into Chicago and met my friends Phil and Kate for dinner (fresh food! good food! ethnic food! with spices beyond salt and pepper!!). Their apartment is fabulous, as could be expected. They always have great home vibes. Funny, they're moving back to the Bay Area soon. In their reorganizing and consolidating efforts, they handed off to us a Poang (IKEA chair) and poof and a microwave for our new home.
We spent our day in Chicago biking along the lake (are they sure, it looks as big as an ocean). Went to the aquarium there and walked around downtown. Ate super deep-dish Chicago-style pizza for dinner (ahh, reminds me of Zacharay's).
Out from Chicago, we drove through Indiana and Michigan and into Ontario, Canada. We camped near Niagara Falls.
The Canadian side of the Falls was not what I expected. Or, at least, not what I expected from Canada. Contrary to logic, the AMERICAN side was the natural park, undeveloped, and serene. The Canadian side was touristy, full of cheesy crap, and way over-Disneyified. We got to see the falls (pretty huge and powerful) but failed to find even one informational plaque or sign telling us about the falls or its history, oh well.
Drove back into the US and across upstate New York into the Adirondacks. Pretty driving, but I think you have to know someone or know where you're going to actually get to a hiking spot or find an overview.
Drove through Vermont onto New Hampshire and to Lake Winepesaukee, where family friends Row and Hank live. I love visiting them and their house on the lake. We kayaked, learned loon calls, went for a mushroom walk, bought maple syrup and delicious cheddar.
South through MA and into CT. Arrived in New Haven in the afternoon. But our house was not ready yet. The relator put us up in a fancy schmancy bed and breakfast just up the road. Feather bed, hot water, fluffy towels. Free breakfast. Now we're in our new home.
