Have Car/Dog/VP Babs, Will Travel

Yikes!  I’ve let far too much time pass since my last entry.  Forgive me, faithful bloggy readers! (i.e. Alicia, JF, Kevin, and Moniqueeee!)  As many of you know, I made my latest trek back to Wisconsin via my trusty Prius.  It’s been a long time since I embarked on such a road trip.  In fact, the last time I covered so many miles on America’s interstates was when I was a young, idealistic lass venturing out west with EP Dad and the goal of conquering Hollywood.  Guess I’m still taking the scenic route when it comes to that “conquering” thing, huh?

For this voyage, my traveling companions included VP Babs and everyone’s favorite high-strung dog, Lucy.  The goal was to get to Minneapolis in three days so I could drop off VP Babs to see some old friends and reunite with her hubby – and Deliberate’s CFO – John who was flying in from across the pond.  We were on a tight schedule and had a lot of ground to cover.  This is my way of apologizing for not having more scenic photos to share.  But here’s a little looksie at some of what we did experience.

DAY ONE: South Pasadena, California —> Albuquerque, New Mexico

It’s about a twelve hour drive from LA to ABQ, so we were up at 5:00 a.m. and hit the road at 6:30.  Even at that godforsaken hour, we were all pretty excited.

Actually, Lucy doesn't seem all that excited, does she?

We made good time through California and Arizona.  I particularly loved driving through New Mexico – what a gorgeous area of the country!  And it just so happens the state offers excellent tax incentives for film productions.  I may have to set my next screenplay there.

Had I taken more scenic photos, one might look kinda like this.

We rolled into Albuquerque at around 8:30 p.m. and checked into our comfortable Hampton Inn room.  The evening ended with a delicious (and well-deserved, if I do say so myself) margarita and meal at a local Mexican restaurant.

Yeah, I'll hold down the fort while DLB gets her drink on.

DAY TWO: Albuquerque, New Mexico —> Witchita, Kansas

Turns out New Mexico’s beauty is in direct opposition to the…uh…scenery (and I use that term oh-so loosely) to be found along Highway 54, a little two-lane number that takes you through the Texas panhandle to Oklahoma and, finally, into Kansas.  Lots of flat, brown farmland broken up by the occasional small-and-I-mean-small town.  Thank goodness we could indulge in the miracle invention that is…THE AUDIO BOOK!  Who knew? (Okay, probably millions of people, but I always seem to arrive late to these technology-related parties.)  So I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Adam Carolla for making what could have been a total vehicular slog a lot more entertaining.

His rant on "LA Food" and goat cheese is worth the price of the download.

DAY THREE: Wichita, Kansas —> Minneapolis, Minnesota

The drive up to Minneapolis was fairly uneventful.  Throughout the journey I kept Lucy in her dog crate in the back seat, but I did let her sit on my lap for the final two hours of the drive.

When she wasn’t staring out the front windshield…

"Are we there yet? Are we there yet?"

…she was staring at VP Babs.

"Shouldn't your hands be at ten and two, Babs?"

After a fun night in Minneapolis, Lucy and I made our way down to Madison which provided a final beautiful drive.  And now we’re settled into the comfortable home of my brother and sister-in-law for the next few weeks.  Lucy can take a rest while I get back to work on behalf of Deliberate Productions.

"This works for me. Now get down to business, DLB!"

NEXT UP: The Details (Yep, God is in them!)