It’s a whole new year, but we are back with another monthly recap. Things look quite a bit different now because we are happily exploring our home country. This month was pretty quiet because we spent most of it in a small town in Iowa. We needed a bit of a break from moving around and it was just what the doctor ordered. But, the road trip has started and this is just a glimpse of what we’ve done so far.
Places Visited
1 Country – Just the USA
7 States – Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama
How We Got Around
- A whole lot of driving
- A little bit of walking
- 1 or 2 trips around the Lazy River at the waterpark in IA
Best Meal
Steph – While we spent a few weeks in Iowa, we had some friends come down and visit. It was awesome to have some one on one time with people because it can be hard in the whirlwind of a visit to get good quality time. Tony & Caroline were kind enough to introduce us to Raclette. They brought a fancy machine that goes in the center of the table (see what it looks like here). It cooks veggies on the top and melts cheese underneath. We had a feast of bread, potatoes, veggie sausage, peppers, onions and zucchini with three kinds of cheese and some delicious red wine. The process of a longer, drawn out dinner with two amazing people was the best part. It was definitely the best meal I had in the last month.
Justin – One thing that I was definitely looking forward to when we decided to head to the south was the food! If you’ve been deprived of getting to try southern eats, imagine your favorite comfort foods coupled with an old family recipe and topped off with…fat. Lots of fat. Where else would all of the flavor come from?
My pick for favorite meal of the month came in the form of a pan-fried flounder swimming in a lake of mashed polenta with butter-soaked asparagus. Over the top, the chef drizzled a gravy with capers and sprinkled garnish along it to give it that perfect finish. The server who recommended it earned my trust on the first bite so when she came back and suggested we get the bread pudding, there was no way I was turning her down. This was undeniably the BEST dessert I have ever eaten! Anywhere. Period. I can’t even string together the right words to do this tasty treat justice. My only recommendation is to get your ass to Latitude 30 in Gulf Shores, Alabama and try it yourself. Oh, it’s a special only on Thursdays so plan accordingly.
Favorite Random Roadside Attraction
Steph – We took a little detour into small town Arkansas to see Johnny Cash’s birthplace. It was down some crazy dirt roads, but it was pretty cool when we got there. The house is in great shape and you get a good idea of some of the scenes shown in Walk the Line. I always imagine these places to be signed for miles around, but the only thing leading us to this small house on a dirt road was the app we downloaded to find gems like this.
Justin – We followed the Selma to Montgomery National Historic trail, albeit in reverse, while in Alabama and my top pick was found along this route. I admit, I am probably late to the game in knowing about a National Parks Interpretive Center so forgive me if this doesn’t seem very exciting but it was amazing to me. The Lowndes Interpretive Center was a free, educational pit stop along the historical route that deep dove into some events and people from the civil rights movement. The first-hand accounts, images and videos are so well laid out that it becomes hard to believe that these events happened so recently in our history and not in the dark past of some foreign nation. Steph and I had both just finished up John Lewis’ graphic novel series “March” – get your copy here. I was more than a little bummed that a lot of the museums cost quite a bit of money. This stop in Lowndes took away the need for going to other museums and tied together so beautifully with what I read in March. I would’ve loved to stop at other museums along the way, but for the budget traveler I cannot recommend this stop enough.
Our Peak
Steph – Completing our first dog sit felt amazing. We signed up for Trusted Housesitters and have a few sits lined up in places along our route. Our first one was for three dogs in Hattiesburg, Mississippi and it was amazing. Animals are the best and it’s so awesome to have a way to hang out with animals and stay places for free. I fell pretty hard for Twiggy – their 2 year old rescue who was very shy at first, but just the sweetest boy.
Justin – Volunteering for a campaign. This has been something that we both have wanted to do for a long time and even more so since the dotard came to power three years ago. We had the opportunity to volunteer for Pete’s campaign while in Iowa and it was really eye-opening to see the work that goes in behind the scenes. I would’ve loved to volunteer for several of the democratic candidates while there but unfortunately it didn’t work out logistically. Wow, if 19 year old me knew that I’d be volunteering for democrats, he probably wouldn’t have let me get this far. I guess we all have to grow up at some point. Here’s hoping a small percentage of the 63 million voters from 2016 did some growing up in the last three years too. *Giggling to self*
Our Pit
Steph – Being sick was the worst. I lost a full day in Memphis being stuck in bed and it was just horrible timing. We thought we came back with iron clad immune systems, but we were wrong. I had some pretty big goals for Memphis and I was excited. I’ll just have to return someday because there were many places left on the table that we couldn’t get to because I couldn’t get out of bed.
Justin – I think as I’ve gotten older I’ve become a bit soft. I always thought that as we grow and collect more experience that we develop a harder shell and will be stronger. Such has not been my case and this month’s low comes as a result of that. I am a little embarrassed to admit it but my low has come when having to say goodbye to furry friends. I spent time with my parents’ dog and then the three wonderful pooches Steph mentioned above. I grow so attached so fast that saying goodbye always makes me sad. I don’t do the bullshit of “it’s not goodbye, just see you later” because no one can possibly know that. Laugh at me for that if you want because I know it’s a bit silly. I just have to be honest here and yeah, I hate goodbyes.
Grateful to have…
Steph – New clothes. Well, old clothes, but different ones than the ones I had in my backpack for nine months. We were able to pull down one of the boxes at my brother’s house and it was like opening a Christmas present of so many of my favorite clothing items.
Justin – Well certainly not my health! OK, sorry. I’m grateful to have our car back. If you’ve been following along you know it was the one thing we couldn’t manage to get rid of before we left for New Zealand last April. That is why we re on our road trip now in the US – we have miles to burn up on our lease. I’m grateful to have it because it is something that is familiar from before we shipped out. I didn’t realize how important to me that would be for reacclimating. Plus, it’s small and gets good gas mileage so it prevents us from piling up crap and also will be easy to pay for carbon offset when we are done.
Missing this…
Steph – Health. This month was rough for us with non stop running noses, coughing and some horrible neck pains. Justin is still sniffling even though I’m back to 100%. I just miss being able to get through our days without Kleenex, cough drops, hand sanitizer and medicine. I feel like this is our week.
Justin – Residency. Our accents give us away everywhere we go in the south and we are regularly asked “where are you from?” I have a Brooklyn driver’s license and Minnesota plates on the car and neither are where I’ll be living in a few months. It feels weird to give any place as an answer because it feels like a lie. Then over course, it’s super obnoxious to be like, “well, man, you know I’m just drifting around right now. I took a year off to travel and…” Blah. Blah. Blah. It’s dumb. I know it’s dumb. But it’ll be nice to settle in again somewhere and have a place to call home. I’m open to suggestions, by the way.
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What’s Next?
The compass is set for west. We are heading to two of Steph’s favorite cities in the US this week – New Orleans and Austin. Once we wrap up some time with Steph’s mom in Texas, we will continue our trip west.
