Today was such a crazy rollercoaster of events that it's best to just begin in the morning. After a delicious breakfast of spam, eggs, sausage, and rice (Courtesy of Riks' Tita Cris), we hit the road headed for New York. The day was sunny and warm, with a slight wind. We decided we absolutely COULD NOT leave Illinois without trying a famous Chicago deep dish pizza so we altered our route a bit to go through Chicago on our way out of Illinois. Since we were already in the area we decided to make the most of our stop and visit the Chicago Culture Center. Although today was an unusually busy Monday for everyone working there, they still took time out of their schedules to give us a mini-tour as well as a few parting gifts. We left our car in the center's parking lot (because parking is just ridiculous and obnoxiously expensive in the city) and walked to Lou Malnati's Pizzeria for that deep dish we were craving so much. We ordered one of their speciality pizzas, "The Lou" to-go and walked around downtown while waiting for it to be made. We were able to get some postcards and other souvenirs and walk back just in time for our pizza to be ready. And so began a series of incredulous events.
When we stepped outside of the pizzeria, we noticed that it was sprinkling a little bit and in an effort to protect our precious deep dish pizza on the walk back to the car, we covered the box with a plastic CVS bag (good thing Nics took that accidental handful of bags that one time). Then, as we briskly made our way downt the block, the sprinkles became large droplets. By the time we turned a corner down a secret passage-way shortcut, the droplets had become monstrous tub fulls of rain. We were completely drenched and wading in puddles of water in less than 60 seconds. No joke. By the time Nics asked, "Should we use the umbrella?" it was already too late for us. But all we could think about was our deep dish pizza getting ruined so Riks made a frantic grab for a second CVS bag and we stood under a garage overhang to gently protect our meal. We eventually made it back to our car in one piece looking like a pair of sad soggy dogs and had to change clothes inside. Then the moment of truth came: the revealing of our precious deep dish pizza. The box was shredding and soaked at the edges, but we opened it up and the steam of hope wafted out, reassuring us that indeed, everything would be okay. Believe it or not, the pizza survived the watery battlefield unscathed and we indulged in our victory as we drove back onto the highway towards New York.
When we stepped outside of the pizzeria, we noticed that it was sprinkling a little bit and in an effort to protect our precious deep dish pizza on the walk back to the car, we covered the box with a plastic CVS bag (good thing Nics took that accidental handful of bags that one time). Then, as we briskly made our way downt the block, the sprinkles became large droplets. By the time we turned a corner down a secret passage-way shortcut, the droplets had become monstrous tub fulls of rain. We were completely drenched and wading in puddles of water in less than 60 seconds. No joke. By the time Nics asked, "Should we use the umbrella?" it was already too late for us. But all we could think about was our deep dish pizza getting ruined so Riks made a frantic grab for a second CVS bag and we stood under a garage overhang to gently protect our meal. We eventually made it back to our car in one piece looking like a pair of sad soggy dogs and had to change clothes inside. Then the moment of truth came: the revealing of our precious deep dish pizza. The box was shredding and soaked at the edges, but we opened it up and the steam of hope wafted out, reassuring us that indeed, everything would be okay. Believe it or not, the pizza survived the watery battlefield unscathed and we indulged in our victory as we drove back onto the highway towards New York.
From Illinois to Indiana, the weather was gloomy and wet, periodically sprinkling. Little did we know that those sprinklings were only a hint of what was to come. By the time we were driving through Michigan, a full-fledged lightning storm had waged war on the sky and we were but innocent victims caught between sky and earth. The windshield was so flooded by the onslaught of water that we could barely see 5 feet in front of the car and had to slow to less than 30MPR in a 65MPR zone. We even hit surprise ditches so deep that it was as if we were in our very own log ride. Never have the car's tires been so deep in water. The scariest thing? Not being able to see the lines on the road dividing the traffic lanes. It took a serious effort to stay close to the shoulder just to ensure we wouldn't be even a smidgen in harm's way of oncoming traffic.
The crazy weather patterns put us almost 2 hours behind schedule and by the time we reached Ohio the sun was already quickly setting. We decided long-before not to drive through the nights, and with the possibility of another rainstorm through the night, we made the decision to stay in Ohio and just head for New York bright and early tomorrow morning. We're currently cozy and dry in a motel in Ohio, preparing for our next big day. Unfortunately, this means we lost the payment we put down for the lodging reservation we had in NY, but when it comes down to it, our safety is much more important than money.
Despite all of today's setbacks, all we could do was laugh. We've realized that some things are just out of our control and if you can't just sit back and laugh, it's difficult to enjoy the moment. So that's one of the mantras we're carrying with us on the Kerouac Crusade: just laugh. It really was a beautiful day full of incomparable experiences. Oh, and that deep dish pizza though. A must-eat.
Stay tuned as we drive on!
Nics & Riks
The crazy weather patterns put us almost 2 hours behind schedule and by the time we reached Ohio the sun was already quickly setting. We decided long-before not to drive through the nights, and with the possibility of another rainstorm through the night, we made the decision to stay in Ohio and just head for New York bright and early tomorrow morning. We're currently cozy and dry in a motel in Ohio, preparing for our next big day. Unfortunately, this means we lost the payment we put down for the lodging reservation we had in NY, but when it comes down to it, our safety is much more important than money.
Despite all of today's setbacks, all we could do was laugh. We've realized that some things are just out of our control and if you can't just sit back and laugh, it's difficult to enjoy the moment. So that's one of the mantras we're carrying with us on the Kerouac Crusade: just laugh. It really was a beautiful day full of incomparable experiences. Oh, and that deep dish pizza though. A must-eat.
Stay tuned as we drive on!
Nics & Riks