Trek West Part One

Coming to you from inside the beast that is Taco (Kevin’s Toyota Tacoma). She is filled to the brim with what a couple thinks necessary to have, trekking across the country. As Kevin puts it, “We have a small REI strapped to her.” As a girl, I’m proud by the fact I only have 3 official tupperwares with my name on it (and one has towels, linens, and other odds and ends that we’ll both use). The other 12 or so (of varying sizes) are packed with fishing rods, lines, and flies, kayaking helmets and lifejackets, sleeping bags, camping equipment, disc golf toys, and one small tub of plaid button ups and Patagonia shorts. Kevin is an expert packer, so even though we’re carrying a lot, and the truck certainly feels weighed down, it’s all compact and neatly tucked away under a tarp. I was in charge of packing the cab. A guitar (hopefully that will be put to good use this summer), a box of electronics, pillows, and some DVD cases among other things block our view through the back window. We also each packed a ‘week’ bag filled with toiletries and clothes we plan on using during our drive (which was almost impossible to plan and pack for… We started at the beach with balmy 75 degree Fahrenheit weather but we know we’re headed to Fraser, Colorado where Kevin’s friend lives and has reported to us that they have 2 feet of snow… What?!) To finish off the mess, our backpacks with cell phone chargers, books, and laptops and finally a delicious soiree of goodies that Kevin’s sweet, sweet mom bought and packed for us are all on top for easy access. We’ve already made good use of our sandwich fixins and I’m completely grateful for (and in danger of), not only an entire box of vanilla wafers, but chocolate chip cookies she bagged for us! (THANKS CINDY!!!) Side note: Kevin just informed me we are 1004 miles into our trip!

AND we just passed the Kentucky state line (shout out to Patrick and his home state!) We left Kevin’s house in Nashville around noon today. Thankfully, the day we planned to drive to Nashville, Kevin awoke feeling much better than he had in days. No more stomach problems! So to Nashville we headed, albeit much later in the day than we had originally anticipated. I had planned on making a stop right outside of Pigeon Forge to get a good Patrick hug in (one of my dearest and bestest friends), but since we didn’t leave until 1:30, and then were delayed even more from having to redirect because the President was flying out of the Asheville Airport at 2, we had to forego our plans to meet up. Which to that I say, he just needs to come out west sometime this summer. We arrived at Kevin’s dad’s house to open arms and just in time for dinner! They had prepared steaks, asparagus, and potatoes and we were delighted and stuffed by an amazing home cooked meal! To top it off, Kevin told them to keep a supply of chocolate so I could get my fix (do I sound like a druggy for chocolate or what?!). So Kevin’s little sis prepared chocolate lava cakes!! Olive garden had NOTHING on those tasty little bites of Heaven! This was my first official meeting of Kevin’s father, stepmom, and sister so it was wonderful getting to know them all and seeing just where Kevin gets all of his humor, manners, and quirks! The next day was a ‘running errands’ kind of day… Kevin treated me to my favorite breakfast spot, Cracker Barrel (a chain I don’t mind touting!) and then we got him a new phone (which is the exact same one I own and I’ve already had to change my notification ringers, sheez…). Most importantly, I finally got myself to an eye doctor. As I stated in my previous blog, I was having severe eye problems that as Kevin stated, “Makes her cranky as all get out.” But you’d be cranky too if every morning your eyes felt like they were on fire OR swollen shut with eye crust (yeah… eye crust…). Kevin’s mother was the one who hooked me up, since she worked at said office. So I officially met Kevin’s mom there! It was funny because Kevin had already fully warned me that every lady that worked there would know exactly who I was and what type of fun Kevin and I were getting in to. Sure enough, I was approached more than once with the line, “You must be MK!” I felt special! After being reassured that I was having a bad case of eye allergies (with a small flair up of a past eye condition), I was given the a-ok and a whole bunch of free samples of eye drops to alleviate the situation – thank you Dr. Scott. They already feel better and I feel restored to my ole self again! (Kevin is probably more thankful than I am…) Following the doctor and a quick car tour of downtown Nashville (there’s a full sized replica of the Pantheon! WHO KNEW?! I didn’t!), we were a bit peckish so Kevin wanted to introduce me to Krystals burgers. I trust his judgement, but at the same time, the kid can’t smell and that affects his taste buds… The little boogers were disgusting. I don’t even think there was real meat in those things. The Dr. Pepper I got was good though. So after I crushed Kevin’s dream of us sharing a love for Krystals, we headed to his momma’s house for yet another awesomely home cooked meal. This time it was caesar salad, spinach lasagna, and garlic breadsticks! What did we do to deserve such treatment?! Not only that, but I was surprised with adorable Michael Kors sandals (with the official logo ‘MK’ on them – perfect!), magazines for the drive, and all the previously aforementioned food items! Score! Again, we were early bedders (which I’m slowly getting used to, believe it or not!) because we planned to get up at the crack of dawn for breakfast at a Nashville staple, the Pancake Pantry. So with Kevin’s mom we met his dad and the four of us dined on delish breakfast items. I ordered the pecan pancakes (YUM-MY) and some egg whites, that I caught some slack for from Kevin’s dad – a true character! He told me the story of Nicole Kidman going to a local dive bar down the road that served food and trying to order an egg white omelette. The cook told her they weren’t on the menu and refused to make them for her! Ha! Apparently, she’s not as demure and sweet as she seems! A national enquirer type magazine ran the story as “Kidman refused egg whites!” and the owner said it was the best free advertisement that he ever had! Now, on Sunday brunches, they offer ‘The Nicole.” You can guess what it is. Hahaha… So once again, we were treated to a fulfilling meal, one that would really get our day of driving started!

After goodbyes, hugs, and pictures, Kevin and I headed back to the his dad’s for one last good pack of Taco (but not before a nice mid morning nap on a full stomach). We filled her with gas, and got on our way! We’re still not too sure what we’ll be doing tonight – to drive or not to drive is the question. To camp or not to camp. To hotel or not to hotel. We decided to just drive and see what we feel when the time comes! Currently, we have our GPS set to Fraser, Colorado (our next real destination before West Yellowstone) and if we drive straight, we’ll arrive at 6:35am… Granted, we’ll have to stop for gas, pee breaks, and photo opportunities.

Signing off for now because I’m done AND because of this:

Kevin reaches for his phone, answers: Hello?
MK turns radio down.
Kevin: It’s for you.
MK starts to reach for phone as Kevin says: It’s your publisher calling, he wants to know when you’ll be done with your book.

Wha wha wha whaaaaaa…. 