Le Grand Tour du Grand Neuf

(That's French, for anyone who is curious)

A journey of 2,000 miles begins with... a lot of packing. Which at this point, seems a bit tiresome given we all just got home. I was in Cincinnati for nearly a week, while Carma and the boys went with Emily and Richie to Montreal.

However, those trips pale in comparison to the one before us. A true vacation in the tradition of the 90's Bylund Trip of the Decade (though, with 5 less children). Many states to roll through, and many people to see.

For our trip, we eschewed the rising airfare prices and decided to drive. In retrospect, considering the rising price of gas and our "Crossover" (read: kind-of-SUV), this may not have been a wise economic decision. But at least we don't have to rent a car now! And how can we not take Le Gran Neuf? ("The Big Nine")

The Plan
(please note, actual events may not follow The Plan. Life has a way of changing plans, but without a Plan we'd just drive aimlessly, which isn't really much fun at all.)

Day 1: Go West, Young Men (and Carma)

Friday August 8th, we take off heading west. And keep going, and going, and going. As long as we can anyway. The objective is somewhere in Indiana, possibly South Bend. The goal is to chew up as many miles as possible so we can spend less time driving the next day. The over/under for "Are we there yet?" is around 75.

(States: NJ, PA, OH, IN)

Day 2: Wasn't that Chicago?

We'll cruise up around the horn through Chicago (no stopping, please) and make a mad dash for Wisconsin. While we are there, we hope to see my sister Kendra (and husband David), my sister Katie (and husband Mike), and our friends Becky and Dan. And somehow eat dinner in there, and end up in Madison, WI for the night. And no, we are not interested in trading either of our boys for Brett Favre.

(States: IN, IL, WI)

Day 3: The Cow Game, in earnest

There's a game that we play, well not in New Jersey, but in other places that actually have cows. It's called the Cow game. The people on one side of the car count the cows on their side, and the others do the the same on the other half of the road. Simple, yes? Well, if you pass a cemetery, you lose all your cows (they die, apparently). However, if you pass a church before then, your cows are "saved" or "eternal" cows, and are immune to the grave.

So, as we drive to Minneapolis, we will play this game. It'll be a novelty to us New Jersey people.

Eventually, we end up in the Twin Cities to see our good friends Trav and Steph, along with their children and pets. And Trav's motorcycle, which he's threatened to make me ride.

(States: WI, MN)

Day 4: Bye-bye Mommy, Hello Fish

Carma abandons her boys at this stage of the trip, as she has to go do that work thing. The boys and I will continue our trek Northwest, ending the day in the Middle of Nowhere. Also known as Dorset, MN. There we will stay for a few nights, letting the boys discover the simple joys of fishing, mosquitoes, trees, dogs, and the night sky not being obscured by thousands of lights. I am mildly concerned that they may be allergic to fresh air though.

Day 8: Return to Civilization

On Friday, August 15th, we start the second leg of the marathon trip. Still without Carma, we will venture west to the Fargo-Moorhead (ND/MN) area and stop at my alma mater to briefly visit with some friends and colleagues. Then we head south on I-29 through some of the most boring, sceneless stretches of land America has to offer as we head towards Omaha, NE. I've made this drive before in 8 hours, but with stops for visiting and children's basic needs, I have a feeling it will take a lot longer.

(States: MN, ND, SD, IA, NE)

Day 9: Omaha

Well, the end of the tour for me comes in Omaha. I get one day in town to see David and Elaine, and my friend Aaron before catching a flight to NJ the next morning. And one last day to have fun with the boys, who by that point may be very ready to see me go.

I don't have anything particular planned for the day yet, but there's still time to figure that out.

Also, lest you think I'm just abandoning my children in the Midwest, Carma will be there on Wednesday (Day 12) to give them some Mommy lovin'.

In the meantime, Day 10 I travel back to NJ, and get to spend two days with my wife sans children. Which also happens to be near our anniversary, so we will go on a much needed date.

The rest of the trip/plan will have to be chronicled by Carma, since I'm not really sure if she and the kids are actually coming back. Or if so, what the schedule/plan is. I think it involves Colombia, MO; Savoy, IL; Ann Arbor, MI; and Buffalo, NY. Stay tuned to see if Carma posts any details.