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Two Lane Gems, Vol. 2: Bison are Giant and Other Observations from an American Road Trip

April 27, 2020 //  by Theresa Goodrich//  Leave a Comment

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Author Theresa L. Goodrich presents Two Lane Gems, Vol. 2: Bison are Giant and Other Observations from an American Road Trip in serial form. Enjoy!

I glared at the dumpster as rain attacked the windshield. This is NOT how I wanted to start our Epic Road Trip. Parked in the lot of a 7-Eleven, staring at a big green hunk of carnage-carrying metal while the wipers slapped and sloshed. We hadn’t driven more than two miles before we had to pull over because Mother Nature decided to have a crying jag. Not just any crying. She was weeping her ever-loving-eyes out like a mid-80s Duran Duran fan who just heard the band had split up. THAT kind of crying.

Our exit to I-90 was close enough to smell the I-Pass. I obsessively checked radar and waited. Glared some more. Took a deep breath. Remembered that, even though we were already seven hours behind schedule, we were going to be traveling thousands of miles over the course of more than a month, and a delay of another few minutes, even another few hours, wouldn’t matter much in the scheme of things.

It was the second-to-last day of May and my husband, Jim, and I had put everything in storage. We’d timed our road trip to coincide with the end of our lease. No rent = more money to spend on things like gas, places to sleep, and food. We had no idea where we would live when we returned, and for the most part we successfully blocked that uncertainty from our thoughts. That’s fairly easy to do when the prospect of a month-long road trip is your reality.

Our loose – very loose – route was to drive until we hit the Pacific Ocean, and then turn around and come back. We had several destinations in mind and had plans to meet lots of Jim’s family, but most of the itinerary was just points plotted on a map. A National Park here, a Scenic Byway there, a cattle ranch, horses, a beach, alpacas, a mountain cabin on a lake and my husband’s boyhood home.

We had no place to live when we returned, on purpose, and were going on a road trip with very little planned. On purpose.

Who was I and what had I done with control-freak me?

I knew I was out of my comfort zone, but I figured hey – I’d survived the relative lack of planning on our last cross-country trip. In fact, I’d experienced things I never would have if I’d been Ms. Dotted-I-Crossed-T, so why not go for gold and put it all in fate’s hands? The no-home thing was a bit of a stretch, but I knew we’d make it work.

Our first destination was one of the few I had scheduled with precision. I’d learned there was a UNESCO City of Literature a few hours away so I reached out to their visitors bureau, and they came back with an index of activities for us to experience. We were supposed to arrive early afternoon, go for a bike ride, explore the Literary Walk, have a nice dinner followed by a relaxing night at our historic inn and then leave early the next day.

The wipers slapped and I glared. Early afternoon had long ago passed. I’d planned one day. One. I’d already miscalculated how long closing up our apartment and packing for this trip would take. When we were supposed to be reading quotes from literary giants embedded in a sidewalk, I had been racing to the bike store to get an adapter bar for my ladies Schwinn so we could carry it however many thousands of miles we’d be traveling. It was already 4 p.m. and here I was constantly refreshing the weather app and willing with all my might for those storm clouds to stop dumping their angst.

And then, the sky lightened, the rain lessened. Angels sang and Mother Nature dried her eyes.

We were on our way.

Would you like to read Two Lane Gems, Vol. 2 without ads? It’s available on Kindle and Paperback. (Paperback books purchased through the link below will be autographed.)

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Day 1 - Elgin to Iowa City

Ending a rough beginning with poutine, beinets, and chocolate chip cookies.

Day 2 - Iowa City to Lewis & Clark State Park

Exploring a UNESCO City of Literature and a VW Beetle spider in a field.

Day 3 - Lewis & Clark State Park to Valentine, Nebraska

Loss and thunderstorms.

Day 4 - Valentine to the Badlands

When bison decide to come at you.

Day 5 - Badlands to a Cattle Ranch

From bison to cattle.

Day 6 - Bear Butte to the Black Hills

Driving pigtail bridges and looking up a president's nose.

Day 7 - Black Hills to Devils Tower

Visiting the (almost) center of the U.S.

Day 8 - Devils Tower to Billings, Montana

Digging into the west's past.

Day 9 - Billings to Yellowstone

Driving the most beautiful scenic road in America.

Day 10 - Yellowstone

Yellowstone Day!!!

Day 11 - Yellowstone to Grand Teton

Two National Parks in one day.

Day 12 - Grand Teton to Arco, Idaho

Talk to the locals and you just might find the best burger west of the Mississippi.

Day 13 - Arco to near Boise

Craters, sand dunes, and HORSIES!

Day 14 - Near Boise to Bend, Oregon

Nearing the half-way point.

Day 15 - Bend to Diamond Lake

Stunning, cerulean Crater Lake.

Day 16 - Diamond Lake to the Oregon Coast

Reaching the halfway point.

Day 17: The Oregon Coast

A gorgeous drive up the PCH.

Day 18: Oregon Coast to Columbia River Gorge

Never camp by train tracks.

Day 19: Columbia River Gorge to Walla Walla

Maryhenge?

Day 20: Walla Walla to Loon Lake

A day of family and alpacas.

Day 21 - Spokane, Washington

A surprising carrousel ride.

Day 22 - Loon Lake

Best. Day. Ever.

Day 23 - Spokane

Family history and wine with a view.

Day 24 - Another relaxing day

Errands and a '50s-style diner before getting back on the road.

Day 25 - Loon Lake to Cabin City

Visiting the Center of the Universe

Day 26 - Cabin City to Missoula

Returning to Jim's hometown.

Day 27 - Missoula to Glacier

Lots of Buddhas and very few bison

Day 28 - Glacier National Park

Wow. Wow Wow Wow.

Day 29 - Glacier to Great Falls

Two words: Mermaid bar.

Day 30 - Great Falls to Glendive

Escaping a tornado - in Montana!

Vol. 2: Day 31 - Glendive to Jamestown

Badlands, frustration, and cheese fries.

Day 32 - Jamestown to Eden Prairie

World's Largest Buffalo and One Giant Viking.

Day 33 - Eden Prairie to Onalaska

Spam Museum? Yes, Spam Museum!

Day 34 - Onalaska to Governor Dodge State Park

One last night.

Day 35 - Home

Home - ish.

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Category: Two Lane GemsTag: Two Lane Gems Vol 2 Serial

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