Day 6: Fountain, CO to Taos, NM

We woke up in our technologically advanced tent and packed everything back into our car. We finally found a piece of fruit in the town too!



We drove down to Taos, New Mexico to visit Casey, his wife (Julie), and their adorable daughter (Brisimina - often abbreviated to Mina). We met Casey and Mina at the Hungry Gator for amazing Cajun food. They even had gator on the menu but we decided against it since we were in the middle of the desert and couldn't figure out where it would have come from.

Casey took us to see the Rio Grande which appears out of nowhere as you're driving in flat desert. One minute you can see flatness for miles and then you're looking down a 70 story drop into a river. It was beautiful to look into but slightly nerve racking (for me) since the bridge we were standing on shook pretty seriously every time a car rolled through.



After our views from the sky, Casey and Mina took us up into Clark State Forest where we hiked in the woods, put our toes and fingers in frigid water, and Jayson practiced the fine art of balancing rocks.



We then went back to meet up with Julie and their good friend Visudha. They made us a great, homemade, vegetarian dinner which we throughly enjoyed after our fried food and potato adventures the past week. We also had lots of quality time to play with Mina who is just adorable!



After dinner, Visudha and Julie showed us maps of where our astrological lines fell based upon where and when we were born. They are used to show you where you will be the happiest, have the most wealth, ect. Unfortunately, both Jayson and mine indicated we should be on the east coast...oh well...We decided to keep driving west.

Day 5: Denver, CO (sort of)

Our new tent is fantastic - it has so much room! We woke up bright and early and quickly realized that we didn't have any breakfast besides the nuts and dried fruit we've been eating for the last 4 days (thanks Mom!). So we quickly put out tent into the convenient carrying bag, packed up the car and headed for Denver (approx. 45 minute drive). I am loving the fact that the speed limit in Nebraska and Colorado is 75 for most of the way. Jayson has pointed out that the gas mileage decreases when we go faster than 55 but I don't think he minds getting to our destination earlier than we would have at 55 mph. On our way, we started calling campsites in the area to find a place for the night. We found out that Friday is a very popular night to camp - every state park we called was completely booked. This was not so good for me since I like to have a plan. Jayson, on the other hand, is much better at rolling with the punches. We finally decided to stay south of Denver, about 1.5 hours, at a KOA campground in Fountain, CO. More about that later...

We searched out breakfast in Denver at a place called Bump and Grind. On weekends, the waiters dress in drag and the decor is, as Jayson said, "It's a color explosion with a transexual twist." Unfortunately we were there on a weekday. Bummer. There were 4 choices on the menu for breakfast - each of which looked great. Jayson (and his obsessive picture taking habit) took a photo of our food so that you can see our breakfast too.



Downtown Denver has a great outdoor shopping mall. It spans as far as you can see and has free buses that will take you from one end to the other - stopping, of course, if you see your favorite store. We walked for a while and then decided on a comfy looking coffee shop to relax and check email.



Our breaks were squeaking a little (which they had not done before) so we sought out a Toyota dealership. We pulled in and talked with the nicest Toyota employee ever, Fred. He was really helpful and basically told us not to worry unless we were feeling the car shake etc. We'd highly recommend Mountain States Toyota Scion. Then, of course, Jayson asked if he could take a picture of Fred because we are documenting our journey. Seriously Jayson? Fred was nice enough to comply with Jayson's request and then asked for the website so he could follow along (and probably make sure we're not writing anything horrible:). Hi Fred!



Once we had PB (our car) checked out, we drove down past Colorado Springs to our KOA campsite. For it being just off a major highway it was surprisingly nice. We got a "deluxe" campground for $6 more which included a sandbox for us to pitch the tent on, a metal canopy above the tent and, most importantly, a power outlet and wi-fi! We're really roughing it - can you tell?



We decided to explore the campground a little. We jumped across a small river and climbed on a concrete and rock man-made dam. Just as we are enjoying the sites, something swam about 20 feet from us in the water. I was convinced it was a crocodile but Jayson thought is was a beaver. You know - they look alike.

We got back into the car and drove to the recommended Coke's Diner. This picture explains it all.



There were no vegetables to be found on the menu unless you count iceberg lettuce or canned corn. We were the only ones who weren't having the specials of Sirloin, T-Bone and whatever other cuts of meat there are. I have a feeling if we were serious meat eaters the food would have been fantastic!

We stopped at a gas station to ask if they sold fruit or if he knew of anywhere that did. We wanted some for dessert. The attendant laughed at us and said, "Not here." And he clearly meant the whole town. Then he corrected himself and said we could try Wal-Mart 5 miles away and they might have some. We went fruitless. Instead we picked up some beer and made our way back to our humble abode.

We met a very nice couple from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan who had an adjacent campsite. They said hello to us because Jayson was wearing his "Up North" shirt and they said they've only heard that used in the context of Michigan. After we talked with them for a while we ran over to the hot tub (yay KOA!) and took a dip before it closed. Since the sun was setting, we came back to the tent and Jayson used the electric outlet to do some computer work before bed. Oh camping:)

Day 4: Fairfield, IA to Fort Morgan, CO via Omaha

Knowing we had 11 hours of driving ahead of us, we woke up bright and early at 6:00. We're still working on Michigan time so it didn't seem all that bad and Jayson drove in the morning so I got to sleep a little more. There had been massive flooding in Iowa and the surrounding areas during the time we were there but somehow we were lucky and it missed us. We did see evidence of the flooding along the drive though. It's too bad the store was flooded - I'm sure it would have been packed if it wasn't. Looks like a nice establishment. (I just realized you can't tell that it is an adult store in the middle of nowhere.)



In trying to keep ourselves busy we listened to Spanish lessons on CD. So far, we've learned about 10 words in 1.5 hours. It's coming along...

We decided Omaha, Nebraska was our lunch stop for the day and ended up at El Bee's Mexican restaurant for food. We thought it was appropriate since we were learning Spanish and it was something other than the fast food that constituted all of our other choices. Jayson was very excited because we ordered the Burrito Fantastico - a new Spanish word.



The lunch was very enjoyable but the mood was somewhat solemn because everyone was talking about the four boyscouts that had been killed in an Iowa tornado the night before.

We reserved a campsite at Jackson Lake State Park in Fort Morgan, CO. To get there, you take 10 different country roads until you feel as if you are completely in the middle of nowhere and then it just springs up. It is a lake in the middle of nowhere and nowhere appears to be desert - go figure. We set up our new tent (thanks Dad!) and explored our surroundings. Jayson exclaimed, "Well, it is the flattest lake I've ever seen."



We needed to find some food and since we were in the middle of nowhere our one choice was A.J.'s Bar. We wandered in and realized that the only non-meat option was the special. Dinner was fried chicken, baked beans (with more bacon than beans), and potato salad. We were feeling a little weighed down by the end of it all but the wait staff was really nice and we were able to catch a little of NBA game four.



Keeping in the theme of in the middle of nowhere. Here is a video from a place that bought gas earlier today. It is also in the middle of nowhere. Oddly it had great cell phone reception. While we gased up Jayson discussed the average MPG of a Prius with an inquisative local who was driving a 7 MPG motor home.

Day 3: Fairfield, Iowa (Hanging out with Paul and Mary)

For anyone who hasn't been there, Fairfield is a very cool place. It looks like any other small, middle American town until you realize that the Wal-Mart is right near an authentic, vegetarian Indian restaurant. There are about 9,000 people in the city and about a third of them are involved in the TM movement. People settle there from all over the world to be in this meditation hotspot. The rest of the people we saw appeared to be the typical farmer type you would expect to see in a small community. It was a bit of a strange combination but it seems they've mastered the coexistence part and the result is the most intriguing small town I've ever seen.



We started the day at a coffee shop called Paradiso that looked nothing like a coffee shop from the outside. It is actually and old warehouse that sits by a few abandoned trains at the edge of town.



But inside it is a swanky little coffee house with supposedly great live music. Iowa Source named it the best coffee house of 2008.



Sheri and I liked it a lot. They roast their own coffee beans and have a great house blend. Sheri's cousin Anna claims that is where she and her friends spend the majority of their income. I can definitely see why so many locals go there. I personally had some extra fun with the crayons and wax paper provided on our table.



The drawing is of course Fairfield, IA. You might notice some unusual things in the artwork, but they represent some of the things Sheri and I planned to see. The little house represents a home in the Sthapatya Veda style of which Fairfield has entire communities (both on-grid and off-grid). Those two large domes actually represent two large domes that the bulk of Fairfield use to communally meditate. The little stick man telling godzilla to chill out is none other than Maharishi himself. Godzilla is just for fun.

I'll start explaining the above by describing the rest of our day with Paul and Mary (PM), which ends up explaining much about the Tracendental Meditation (TM). In short, our day with PM and TM in Iowa. The first thing we did with PM was to check out Fairfield. It is a beautiful town. Given its size we were able to easily walk around all of town in about an hour. It reminded me a lot of Ann Arbor. An unexpectedly large amount of fun shops, book stores, and restaurants existed for such a small town. Multiple Indian, Mexican, and Turkish cuisine places? Not to forget the local all organic, vegetarian friendly neo-Americano joints. I'd wager a field of flooded corn and soybeans that we're not really in Iowa anymore.

We had lunch at a locally owned pizza/cafe place named Revelations. It is both an all organic pizza place and a book store. The walls are lined with used books and you can trade your books in for credit and buy books as you please. PM helped get me a copy of the entire Ender series from Orsen Scott Card -- thanks!



Here is a picture of Paul and Mary, our gracious tour guides, along with some of the food that we ordered. The "locally awesome" special pizza was great. It had fresh, organic asparagus and spinach from the local greenhouses. Each bite exploded with local awesomeness.



We headed out of town for a tour of the surrounding area. First stop, Sthapatya Veda styled housing. Upon arriving Sheri and I learned that PM's house is for sale. They explained it is because they desired to move out to the (soybean/corn) country and live in a sthapatya veda style home. Here is what one looks like.



And here is what an over-the-top sthapatya veda house looks like. We did see a few larger, crazier ones.



PM aren't complete experts on sthapatya veda but they explained quite a lot to us. One of the primary goals of TM is to abide as much as possible to natural rules. By doing this many things that are out of order in your life will fall back in to a desirable place. Health and happiness are amongst the two obvious things. A sthapatya veda house is one that complies very well with these natural rules (I think primarily based on Maharishi's advice). Thus, living in the home feels really, really good. TM related perks include that it is all natural (wood), faces the best direction (East for sunrise), has rooms oriented optimally for specific purposes (digestion/kitchen, sleep/bedroom, etc), allows light an air to flow through the home from both East to West and North to South, and finally a sweet little top piece that aims directly at the heavens.

After seeing a few of these homes, they all look pretty cozy. Sadly we didn't get to go inside one, but they all appear to be well kept, let in lots of light, and made completely out of natural materials. You'll find almost every new home in Fairfield is built in this style. The "old style" architecture is primarily there because Fairfield used to be a regular Iowan town.

Next stop, Ecovillage. Only a few dozen people seem to live here but they all live completely off the grid. Note the sweet wind turbine.



We also saw Vedic City. It is similar but not completely off the grid but certainly all sthapatya veda architecture. I won't post a picture, but imagine Ecovillage without a wind turbine.

Afterwards we visited my most anticipated stop: the domes. I forgot to ask who built them and why, but Fairfield, IA, has two massive domes that the citizens go to twice a day when meditating. One dome for men. One dome for women. You can actually get paid to meditate at the domes. I'll explain after the jump.



I think that the TM movement made these domes. I say this because I don't think they are something that used to hold corn or soybeans. Also, they have the little sthapatya vedic top on them. Why have the domes? Well, they are a key part of the daily TM life in Fairfield. PM explained that TM doesn't force people to meditate at the domes versus elsewhere, but the domes are an ideal place for community, privacy, etc. One of the core beliefs of TM (surely I'm messing this up a little) is that if the square root of one tenth of the population is in order, then the rest of the world will fall in to order. In other words, if about 2,000 TM folks are meditating around the clock, the rest of the world will fall in to order and a boon of peace and prosperity will ensue. This concept sounded a little crazy to me at first, but Paul explained that it is based primarily off of observations in quantum mechanical systems. Supposedly in controlled systems, order in the overall systems falls in to place automatically if the right ratio of individual components is placed in order. I didn't ask much more about this. I'm keen to read up on if it is true, but the topic was a little heavy to pursue while relaxing with PM. Also, it seems the TM folks are really just trying to bring peace to the world via meditation. I'm cool with that.

What next could possibly be cooler than the domes? Well we stopped by one of the largest all organic greenhouses in the U.S. Sorry, no pictures. Then we stopped by Maharishi University of Management (MUM). An accredited University that teaches the concepts of conscious living alongside normal American education. Not unlike a Catholic or Jesuit University, albeit TM is a philosophy intended not to interfere with religious beliefs. Here is a pic of the U's new student center.



Imagine loads of barefoot 20-somethings engaged in seemingly thoughtful discussion regarding sustainable living (one of MUM's popular programs). Note again, no corn or soybeans.

Time to ground this post with something everyone can related to. On the way back to town, PM took us to Everybody's grocery where we had some of the best ice cream I've ever tasted. It was from all organically fed cows that were primed to produce good ice cream via the playing of special vedic music. I don't really know what that second part means, but man, it was awesome, locally made ice cream.



Some other things that I forgot to mention! For dinner we went to Small Planet, which is another fantastic neo-Americano joint. Fresh, organic, local everything that tasted really great. I had a walnut burger. Finally, Sheri and I stayed at a fantastic bed and breakfast in town thanks to Paul and Mary. Try out the Mainstay if you are visiting.

If ever you have an excuse to visit Fairfield, IA, I recommend that you give it a look. It is a small town where everyone knows everyone, literally, but that ends up being a good thing. The TM movement seems to have concentrated thousands of relaxed, smart, and friendly people that care significantly about sustainable living. Meet up with PM their hip kids and ask for a tour of the only place in Iowa that doesn't seem to be dominated by corn, soybeans, and Wal-mart.

I conclude with a picture of none other than the late Maharishi himself.

Day 2: Chicago, IL, to Fairfield, IA

Breakfast in Chicago ended up being a bit of an adventure. My brother Jarret is a proponent of Yelp.com for finding sweet, local-favorite places to eat. I decided to adopt this tactic and I found a great local breakfast joint named Tweet. Three miles later Sheri and I parked the Prius in a sketchy area of Chicago and quickly learned that we could not eat at Tweet on Tuesdays. Bummer. Additionally we realized that we had no idea which of the six "Fairfield, IA" GPS entries we should drive to. That prompted us to ask the GPS where we could buy an Atlas from. Ironic?



Borders was next to a Jamba Juice and BestBuy. One smoothie, one atlas, and one power converter later Sheri and I were back on the road. It turns out that "Fairfield (Jefferson), IA" would have been the right GPS location to pick. It also turns out that a Prius is incapable of powering my monster of a laptop. The smoothie, however, was delicious.

The drive from Chicago to Fairfield is about 6 hours. The most tedious part seemed to be getting out of Chicago. Then it was corn, soybeans, corn, and more corn and soybeans. Due to the recent weather some of the corn and soybeans are under water. Some are not. People are worried that the crops might suffer this year due to the excessive rain. Sheri and I were just happy to make it across the Mississippi before it washes out the interstate highway.



We didn't get any great photos of the flood damage, but I definitely saw a few dozen mobile homes either floating in the Mississippi river or almost completely submerged by it. This made me wonder why someone would park a mobile home by a river. It also made me wonder why someone wouldn't move a mobile home if water levels were rising.

I did manage to get one bizarre flood related photo. Notice the makeshift damn that is being built on the road. It was fairly massive (the photo doesn't do it justice). This sent us on a detour. It also seems to imply that Iowans really care about saving Subway restaurants.



There isn't much more to say about the day's trip. We successfully made it to Fairfeild and spent the rest of the day visiting Paul, Mary, Laura, and Anna. Here is a sweet picture of their home. It is really nice, but just wait until you hear about the planned upgrade. Fairfield, Iowa, is a hotspot for all that is related to Transcendental Meditation (TM for those in the know). You'll hear all about it tomorrow.

Day 1: Detroit, MI, to Chicago, IL

Day one was a mix of excitement to start the trip and sadness as we said goodbye to Detroit and loved ones on Sheri's side of the family. We had phenomenal breakfast at "The Original Pancake House". For $8 you can get enough food to feed several people. Check out the German pancakes.



At breakfast I heard one of the most entertaining abuses of the English language ever. When David asked if the waitress had squeezed the orange juice herself, she replied, "No, someone squoze it this morning." Think of choose and chose. Squeeze and squoze. Awesome.

After breakfast we visited Sheri's grandmother before heading off to Chicago. David, Barbra, Aunt Debbie (cheers Deb), Bub, Sheri and I all posed for a final photo.



Chicago is about a five hour drive from Detroit. We had a lot of time to listen to NPR and stare at the ominous storms hovering over the Midwest. After four hours of NPR I learned that the new iPod sounds pretty cool and that city cows in India are dying because they eat too many thin plastic bags. Yay NPR.

Sheri's younger brother Daniel and some of Sheri's cousins live in Chicago. We first met up with Daniel at Northwestern's campus. It was great to see him, but it reminded me that I really enjoy not living in college dorms. Although the sponge bob menorah made the place feel like home.



We spent a bit of time hanging out at a Cafe Ambrosia with Daniel before getting some Sushi with Marsha, Gabby Rose, and Noah. Marsha and her husband Jerry are technically Sheri's cousins, but I'll throw in the standard disclaimer. Everyone in Michigan is somehow Sheri's cousin. In this case I think Jerry is David Osher's first cousin.

I'll leave you all with a cute photo of Marsha and Jerry's kids. The chocolate cake lasted about 2 minutes.

Day 0: Journey to the West

Sheri and I are on the road to Portland, OR. It is odd to have your life packed in to two large ABF U-Pack ReloCubes and a 2006 Prius. The good news for all of you is that we have something to blog about.

Here is what a pair of ReloCubes looks like. We had to be creative when packing in the couch, but everything fit.



Overall the ABF folks impressed us with their service. Scheduling was easy, the driver was great, and I dare say that it was convenient to box up our life. Something I thought was really amazing is how the little fork lift gets on and off of the truck. No ramps required!



Our goal is to try and blog about each day on the road. I'm curious to see if loading up the Prius hurts my 60 mpg (Sheri is still a 50 mpg girl...heh, heh, heh). I'm guessing it will.

P.S. The wedding planning still goes well :-)