Shenandoah National Park Adventure - Big Meadows

Man oh man, do I have an adventure story for you! Ok, it goes like this ::clears throat::

Yesterday I woke up and could feel that my muscles were very tight and knew that I needed lots of physical activity, which means hiking. Lance suggested that we try to head up to Big Meadows in Shenandoah National Park. In comparison to most of the hikes around here, which usually involve hiking up or down a mountain, Big Meadows is fairly flat, since it's well....a mountain top meadow. That means it's easier for me to hike AND I can move faster which helps with my muscles. 


There's a service road that cuts right through the meadow that meanders off into the woods. We'd never walked it before and thought it would be fun to go check it out. About a mile in, we come to a small path that went off the road down the mountain. There was also a sign: RAPIDAN RD 6 MILES, HORSE TRAIL 2. The decision was obvious. Even though the road was more flat and easier, I wasn't going to walk 6 miles. Horse Trail it was. We had no idea where it went, only that it would end up at "Rapidan Camp"...whatever that was. The first half was fairly easy and wasn't a steep descent but after that, it got really rocky, steep, narrow and slippery. We did find a very pretty waterfall but I didn't bring my tripod (cause I didn't think I'd be seeing a waterfall that day) so all the pictures turned out pretty crappy. When we got to the bottom, we found "Rapidan Camp" which was a small cabin retreat for President Hoover. Overall though, it was kinda lame. I was soooo tired though from the hike and my legs were so shaky, I really didn't want to head back up the mountain on the Horse Trail. We figured that with as strenuous as that hike was and as tired as I was, it'd be just as fast to hike back up the 6 mile service road, which would be easier. SIKE. 6 miles up a mountain!?!?! What on God's green earth were we thinking?!?!? Too late, we were committed.

At one point, Lance slowed down, almost to a stop, holding his hand out and looking down into a gully. He said there was a black bear waaayyyy down in the gully but we figured that us and the bear would be fine since we were so far apart. I had been telling Lance about all my plans for whenever I'd finally be able to take Sean on our "Bosther-Stister" trip to Gatlinburg, whenever I get well. I figured it was best to keep talking 'cause I had heard somewhere it's best to make your presence known when you're hiking to avoid startling any bears. Further up the mountain we both heard a noise down in the woods and both froze. We heard a crack, crack, crack, SMASH and a fluttering and squawking of birds. We had NO idea what it was. Maybe it was a coincidence that a rotted out tree fell over right then but we suspected that something very large pushed it over....like a bear...trying to get to bugs and grubs. We immediately hurried our pace until we were far beyond the bend. I kept thinking about how I had flipped through the "Bear Activity" log book at Big Meadows Lodge before our hike and noting how many bear sightings there had been in the area. The whole time I kept saying that we should really look up bear safety when we get home if we didn't get attacked by one before that.

It was so hot, so steamy, the road was so long, I was hungry and everything on me hurt. 4 miles. 3.5 miles. 2 miles. Nearly there. I knew that once we made it back to the sign where we originally separated from the road, that I'd be able to make. it. The road began to get more and more flat. We knew we were nearing the top, nearing the sign, nearing the meadow and ultimately, THE CAR. Lance called out, "Babe! I see the sign!" The sign that said, RAPIDAN RD 6 MILES, HORSE TRAIL 2 and another larger one that said BIG MEADOWS 1.1 MILES. 1.1 miles to go!!!! Almost there! And the sun was setting!!! And we'll be able to get dinner!!! And rest!! And shower!!! Suddenly Lance stopped, holding out his hand again. I immediately knew. I couldn't see it yet but I knew. We both simultaneously slowly, slowly started to walk backwards. There, right by the sign in the brush and undergrowth was a large, black face, that slowly emerged. A black bear. Of course. Of course this would happen right at the very end.

We couldn't go back down the mountain.

Be calm.

Don't turn your back.

Don't make any sudden moves.

Then, out hopped a little fuzzy cub. You've got to be kidding. Momma was watching us VERY closely. She starts to walk down the road towards us. Keep walking backwards, do not turn your back, keep giving them space, make sure they know you're giving them space!!! Please don't keep coming towards us! What do we do if she decides to attack!?!? We'd be goners. We're out here in the middle of nowhere, we haven't seen anybody for a couple of hours and we have no cell service. We backed up to where we could still keep an eye on them.

Baby Bear crosses the road.

Great now we have to wait for Momma Bear to cross, otherwise we'll be in between Momma and Baby.

Wait.

Wait.

She'll cross. I wish more people would come around the bend. I wish we could get help.

Wait.

Just wait.

Momma Bear crosses the road. Good. Now just wait so that they have time to get further into the woods.

Wait.

Listen.

Wait.

Watch.

We can't see them anymore.

Get the camera out. Use the zoom on the lens. We don't see anything. We don't know if they're far enough into the woods.

The car keys. Take the car keys off the back of the backpack so that we can jingle them louder. The water bottles. Get them and bang them together.

Go slowly. Don't startle them. Hope, pray they're not still by the road.

Closer, we're getting closer to the sign. Lance stops, looks. Baby bear is in a tree by the road. Suddenly Momma bear storms out from the bushes on the OPPOSITE side of the road! How!? HOW!? We didn't see her cross again! Baby scampers down the tree and runs to Momma. Momma Bear guards Baby giving us stern looks and taking a few steps towards us.

Keep backing up, keep going, go back to where we were! Give them Space!

How long are we going to be stuck here!? No body knows we're back here. Wait. Just wait. They'll leave.

Baby Bear crosses the road again.

Wait.....

Wait......

Ok, there goes Momma Bear.

Wait......

Give them more time to get further into the woods.

Keep jingling the keys.

Keeps banging the water bottles.

Wait.

Just wait.

Is it safe?

Where are they? Get the camera out again. Check the the trees and bushes. Nothing. Was it enough time? Are they into the woods far enough? We cant tell. I guess we'll go. Hope, pray they're not still there.

Slowly.

Go slowly.

Keep making noise.

We just want to get back to our car. We don't want to hurt you or baby.

Getting closer to the sign. Still don't see Momma and Baby. Nearly to the sign. 50 ft. Please don't attack. Please don't charge out of the bushes.

20 ft.

10 ft.

We're here. Still no sign of them. Please don't storm out. Keep making noise, keep moving. We're past the sign. Speed up the pace, keep making noise. Alright, we're far enough away. RUN. We ran as fast and as far as we could. Then, we could see the meadow!!! And people! We're almost to safety! The sun was setting. The clouds were soft peach and violet. The meadow was calm, peaceful. The deer had come out for their usual evening meal. We're safe. We're alive! We conquered a 10 mile hike and survived a bear encounter all just in time to catch a glorious sunset on Skyline!

Arizona

In a few days we will be continuing our tour of the West, traveling to the gem of the Southwest, Arizona!  A state with a history as colorful as the land, where outlaws ruled, cowboys roamed and where indians held the land sacred, where mysteries and secrets echo in whispers off the canyon walls.

Out there, it's desolate and quite.  You can feel the red rocks still silently emanating Jehovah's magnificent creative energy.  The gritty, baked desert glows with hues of burnt sienna and amethyst as it cools into the fading twilight.  Stars slowly begin to trickle in across the sky like a rain shower gently pooling over the dusty ground.

It's also a part of me and my history.  My grandmother lived in the tiny mining town of Jerome for part of her childhood.

She died when my mom was only 18.  Mom grew up listening to her tell stories of the desert, my grandmother had loved it out there and it has been my mom's dream to go to Arizona.

Old family photo of donkeys roaming the hills near Jerome in the 1920's

Never having the opportunity to know her, she has almost become this saint-like character in legend-like old stories and I hang on to the few things that connect me to her: Canadian Geese, the heroic story of Orion, the northern lights, her high school graduation picture, the Great Lakes, New York and the old pictures of Arizona from the 1920s.  I'm even told I tell stories just like she did; passionately and vibrantly.

We will begin our adventure in the north-east part of the state, exploring a little known geological attraction: Antelope Canyon.  Of course we'll stop to see the famous view at Horseshoe Bend and then hop over the border into Utah to take pictures with the welcome sign.  Then for the next three days, we'll be soaking up the majesty of the Grand Canyon and the mighty Colorado River.  For the final two days, we'll wind down in the Sedona area, sight seeing along with shopping and venturing out to the "Largest Ghost Town in America" and the purpose for our trip, Jerome!

First, blogging didn't happen for a few reasons, but most importantly because we didn't have internet.  So here's the one big story about Chicago!

Tuesday morning we woke up before the sun was up.  There was only a light grey tint to the sky.  The one thing I do really like about CHO's small size is there's not a lot of mayhem, long lines or any sort of that ridiculousness.  You can show up like 30 mins before your flight leaves, casually go through security and saunter on out to the plane.  Which is what we did.  I haven't flown much but I have come to one conclusion:  small planes make me sick.  For starters, we were alllllll the way in the back.  Since the plane is small, every movement is magnified.  Things weren't made any better by the fact that it was cloudy, which means: A: there's turbulence, B: I don't have a vantage point.  It also didn't help that we were right on the wing, so that cuts down my view by 1/2.  Plus I get motion sickness anyways.  After about 40 mins though, things cleared up a bit.

We were above the clouds and the sun was streaking across the tops of them, waking up the morning with it's bright white rays.  The clouds were all puffy,white and swirled.  Kinda like how when you slide a fork through cream cheese swirled brownie batter.....mmmm brownie batter.  In all honesty, I really couldn't tell the difference between VA and the rest of the states.  Unlike flying out to Colorado, it all pretty much looked the same.  Patchwork of farms with barns and homes all clustered and scattered, kinda like a kid had come through and dumped their legos out onto a carpet.

Soon we could see the edge of Lake Michigan.  It just sort of came up out of nowhere.  I'm watching the quiet green scene underneath us when I notice that it comes to an abrupt stop at a seemingly endless aqua marine blue.  It looked like water I'd expect to see in the tropics!  But unfortunately it was far from it.  Those turquoise, glistening waters were quite deceiving because down below us the climate was very different from that in the Caribbean: COLD.  A typical late winter along the Great Lakes; grey, brown, dull, windy and biting cold.

 When we landed at O'Hare, the city of Chicago jutted up from the flat Illinois landscape.  Silohetted in the early morning haze, it looked like a postcard.  This flight was possibly one of the easiest. We were very grateful that nothing traumatizing happened this trip like it did on the way to Colorado.  Direct flight with only a 2 hr duration.

rainbow light walls in the subway

We hopped on the metro that ebbed and flowed with tired, exhausted faces of travelers and early morning workers.  Thankfully we were headed to a hotel and a day of fun.

We even had a very exciting surprise!  In the metro there was a stand with two local Witnesses!  Something that I was hoping to come across.  Very exciting to be able to see them in action instead of just seeing pictures on JW.org.

this was right outside our hotel!

our hotel lobby

Due to Hubs' disorientation from being underground, a new city and a bad GPS, we got stuck wandering nearly 20 blocks of the city instead of the short 5 to get to the hotel.  This is where everything started to go downhill.  See,  I'm not the most in shape, added with concrete everything, heavy bag, hunger and already being very tired was a recipe for disaster.

Statue outside of Yolk. Captain Wellington 

Streeter.  The eccentric resident that gave Streeterville it's name

Since we had missed the complimentary breakfast, the concierge directed us to a nearby restaurant called Yolk.  CUTEST breakfast place ever!!!  For some reason, exhaustion seems to enhance the quality and flavor of any food but especially food that's already amazing!  If you ever get a chance to try out Yolk , do it!  It's sooooo scrumptious!  It felt sooo good to sit, rest our feet and fill our bellies.

View of the city from the park next to the Navy Pier

sign on the Navy Pier.  It lists St. Thomas!

Next it was off to the Navy Pier!  It ended up being a much farther walk than expected.  The Pier it's self is very long too.  This is where we hit another bump.  It was under construction!  Instead of being able to enjoy the grand entrance and meander the walkway all the way to the end, everything was covered in scaffolding, with a maze of temporary walls, noise and flying sparks topped off with the fact that there was a small business convention going on in the arboretum upstairs that was closed to visitors.

The parts that were accessible that we were able to enjoy had cute shops and we were able to find our way through the mayhem to the rides and the ferris wheel.  You cant not visit the Navy Pier and not ride the famous ferris wheel which is one of the biggest there is.  This however was not a good plan for me and I quickly started to realize my mistake.  It was STU-pid on my part but also half way spectacular!  See, I HATE heights.  Like, it's bad.  And sometimes I get a little carried away and forget until it's too late. I was so freaked out, my eyes were closed, I was leaned over towards Hubs, squeazing his hands tightly, breathing heavily.  I must have looked like a woman in labor  up there! HA!  At the top I accidentally opened my eyes and despite the overwhelming rush of fear, the sight was incredible!  I decided to keep my eyes open, because even though it felt like I was about to have a full on panic attack, I didn't want to miss this.  I could see almost the entire city!  There was the lighthouse, the enormous lake and the skyscrapers!  I even bravely, slowly and steadily picked up my camera and began to take pictures.  I'm so glad I did!

After getting that teaser glimpse of the lighthouse, I wanted to head out on the boat onto the lake.  As we stood in line waiting to get tickets, we were informed that there was only one type of tour running (the river one) and ours was not open due to the grip winter still had on the area.  No boat, no lake, no lighthouse. Another bump.  Fine, we would just go live it up on the Magnificent Mile.

I don't know if it was my tired aching body or the fact that I didn't see any stores that looked new to me or interesting, but the Magnificent Mile wasn't that magnificent.  There weren't even any street vendors selling cute little knock-offs or run of mill souvenirs.  Even the food trucks I had dreamed about weren't out.  The water tower on the other hand was very cool.  So was the Hershey store!   

There's nothing like being surrounded by chocolate.  I was disappointed though because I was expecting stores that I'd never come across before, ones that were new, unique and exciting.  But it was all stuff that we have here at home and the few that were new were either not my style or too expensive.  I came across a super cute chiffon maxi dress that was nearly $300! NO THANKS. Along with another disappointment, the concrete under my feet was a constant reminder of my aching muscles.  There was one saving grace though: the American Girl Store!  My childhood dream come true!  I've always loved history and the day to day lives of people from long ago.  I used to love to flip through the catalogs when I was little, oogling over Samantha and all the books that came with her.  Books like Samantha's Cookbook and Samantha's Craft book.  Getting a brief glimpse of life long ago when things were more simple, pure, patient and creative.  I even went so far as to order each of the original American Girl's cookbooks as a wedding gift to myself.  Which actually was a good idea since they're written for children, the recipes are basic and I'm not the best at complicated cooking.  Walking through the store, seeing all the different dolls, eras, clothes, food and doll sized furniture, made me think how nice it would be to have a little girl.  To buy her a doll and all the little things that come with it.

The long walk back to the hotel further stiffened and tightened every muscle in my body.  But fun wasn't going to wait or be delayed.  Press on!

For dinner we wanted a classic Chicago-ian restaurant.  A Google search lead us to Giodano's - famous Chicago "stuffed" pizza! The most delicous, cheesy, doughy, thick pizza I've had!

Also, I've gotta say, Chicago is sooooo diverse.  It felt like everybody we talked to had an accent.  There's something so soothing about listening to different languages in their everyday conversations.  The steady rise and fall of their cadence, the rhythm and beat of their symbols.  I loved it!  It was like a warmth riding in and out of the harsh, biting winds  of Lake Michigan.

By the end of dinner the sun was starting to set.  What a great time to go find the Buckinham Fountain!  What a sight that would be!  The spectacular water show and colorful lights of the fountain against the backdrop of the sparkling lights of the city and the setting sun!  The first step out onto the side walk sent shooting sharp pains through my legs that radiated up to my shoulders.  I hurt so bad but I knew the long walk would be worth it. Press on!  We made it to the entrance of the park, crossed bridges and were presented with the fountain right before us, sitting quietly and very dry.  The Buckingham Fountain goes off every hour on the hour.  The website said it opens every April at the middle of the month and it was just about 7 o'clock and it should be going off soon.  But what was worrysome was how dry it was.  There wasn't even any water in the fountain its self.  Only seagulls perched on the ledges surveying the uneventful scene waiting for a drop to fall from a spout to wet their feathers.  But nothing came.  No boat ride, no lighthouse, no cool stores, no street vendors, no food trucks and now now fountain.  No romantic magnificent show like I had seen on videos or pictures on Pinterest.  What a disappointment!  I was so tired, in so much pain and so cold.  I had added insult to injury by pushing myself to get here for nothing.  We were so far from any bus stop that it would have been the same amount of time to just walk back to the hotel.  Ok, just keep going, we'll get there. One foot in front of the other.  Lance said we were right next to Millennium Park, which is where the "bean" is.  He said it was only one block over but at that point I really wasn't even willing to go 5 feet out of the way.  I couldn't even walk the extra 5 feet.  But we were already there and we didn't know if the weather would hold out for us to come back on Thursday.  So walk the extra block we did.  It felt much longer than a block with me hurting and the incessant evening wind.  We finally came to the bean, it sitting there amongst the towering buildings just as I had seen in pictures.  Just take out the camera and get some quick shots.  Its too cold, I'm too tired and too sore.  We did the classic picture of us looking into the side of the bean like it was a funhouse mirror.  Being under the bean and looking up into it is so weird.  You can't tell if it's dented in or out or even how deep.  It's just this vortex that moves like the water on the lake as you pass under it.  Enough of the bean, onward ho.  The hotel bed is calling my name very loudly.  The walk back was one of those seemingly endless walks that happens when you're so exhausted and sore, it feels like one of those dreams where you're trying to get somewhere and you can never reach it.

Also, cities are possibly the worst place to be when you have a horrible fear of heights.  We came to yet another obstacle: metal stairs with see-through railings on BOTH sides, two stories up!  Dear God, I was going to die.  Between situations like this, escalators that went up multiple levels to where you could see all the way down to the bottom, elevators with glass walls, glass banisters along the hotel hallways overlooking the courtyard below, the fact that everything is concrete, this city was definitely trying to kill me. I made my way through the situation the best I could, griping the railing with one hand and Lance with the other, breathing steadily and slowly, slowly making my way down.  "There's people coming down behind us Babe," he said.  "I don't care!!!! AND WHY ARE YOU LETTING GO OF MY HAND!???!!!! DON'T ACTUALLY LET GO OF MY HAND!!!",  I shouted, freaking out from the fear and frustration from an interruption in my concentration, completely forgetting any sort of courtesy to people around me.  I got to the bottom and let go of the death grip I had on Lance, a relieved exhale, sweetly thanked Lance and continued on my merry way.  Those people must have thought I was a nut job.

for example: like this view here from the elevator

We finally made it back to the hotel.  I could hardly walk and my every movement sent shooting, stabbing pains through my shoulders.  Sleep and rest is good.  I'll feel better tomorrow.....

The next morning we made our way down to the complimentary continental breakfast that was a smorgasbord board of every kind of food the American diet has to offer for breakfast.

We hopped the metro to Wrigleyville for the 100th Anniversary Celebration of Wrigley Field and Hubs' dream of getting see his Cubbies play there.

I hate crowds.  No I'm not agoraphobic or claustrophobic, it's just people are rude and down right stupid and when you lump mobs of them together, it's a nightmare.  I just kept reminding myself that I was there for the food, the free stuff, to enjoy history, past and present and to support Hubs and try not to actually slug somebody.   It was possibly the coldest day of the month for this event to be happening.  I had on 2 layers of pants, my heavy winter coat, gloves and we had even bought a Cubs blanket and we were still freezing.  But at least I had a warm pretzel with cheese, a hot dog, hot chocolate and a giant chocolate chip cookie. It was kinda neat to see the stadium and field.  But about midway through the game I ended up in the heated bathroom - along with all the other wives. HA!  I would have been quite content to camp out there for the duration of the game, flipping through instagram, pining over the warm spring pictures from home posted by my friends and scenes from the national park instagram accounts.  But I forced myself to be a good wife and resurface to the crowds, noise and the voices of the announcers.  It was almost the end of the game and the Cubs were winning. Lance said if they kept it up, they wouldn't have to bat and the game would be done quicker.  Oh please win!  The cubs could win on their 100th anniversary, the fans would be thrilled and I could get the heck up on outta there and into a warm restaurant.  But no.  In Cubs fashion, they lost at the last minute.

hot chocolate and a giant chocolate chip cookie cause it was freezing

For dinner, we went over to Goose Island.  It's a cool place but I wasn't impressed with their food.  Maybe it's cause I got wings and not one of their hamburgers.

When we got back to the hotel, we were just in time for the complimentary happy hour.

After a refreshing drink, we headed back out to find the Chicago Theater which was only a few blocks away.  We didn't get to go in but the outside of it with is glittering lights was beautiful!

After returning to our hotel, we went up to our room and as I changed into my jams, I felt shooting pain through my shoulders, arms, legs and feet even worse than the day before.  I draped a warm wet towel over my shoulders.  I stung all over.  Maybe a good nights rest will help.

Thursday morning we got up, got our usual continental breakfast.  Eggs, potatoes, bacon, french toast, tea for me and pancakes, bacon, eggs, potatoes and orange juice for lance.  I had already only walked around the lobby and I was already hurting.  I hadn't fully recuperated from the previous days.  If I was forced into a situation where I had to walk for days and days, I'd probably die.  I told Lance that I really couldn't do much walking that day but that's easier said than done in big city.  I figured since the Navy Pier was under construction, there were no boats, no food trucks, no fountain, no good stores, that we could at least go find the rt 66 sign and the 26 foot, Forever Marilyn, statue.  I had pinned a picture of it with the location.  When looking it up again to double check the exact spot, I found a wikipedia page on it.  It told all about the history of the statue, that it was of Marilyn from her famous movie The Seven Year Itch annnnnnnnd (another disapointment) in 2012 it had been moved to California. Of course it had! Why not!?

We headed out to the Navy Pier to buy a couple of things we had seen the day before and to walk to the end of it this time.  Even though we caught the bus, just within the few short steps from the bus stop to the entrance of the pier, I was already very sore.

stained glass exhibit at the pier

really cool McDonalds.  Made to look like you're fish in a pond looking up at the city

the arboretum at the pier

After moseying around the pier, we went out to find the start of the rt 66 sign.  Hopefully that was still around considering everything else had gone bust and maybe there would be a shop nearby that sold rt 66 shirts!  Of all the things I really wanted from this trip, a rt 66 shirt was on the top of the list.  I wanted a shirt from the very start of the road (Chicago), and be able to wear it on our trip to Arizona in May of 2015.  At last! There was the sign.  It was cool but really not as climactic  I thought it would be.  It just stood there leaning on the street corner amongst the dirt and grime of the dull, cold sidewalks, buildings and train tracks above it.

There wasn't even a rt 66 souvenir shop.  Just a measly little Starbucks at the corner that offered a measure of warmth and hard wooden bar stools and baristas who provided no answers to the baffling status of the Buckingham Fountain.  I ached.  Oh I ached.   There was really nothing else left to see or do and all I really wanted was to go back to the hotel and collapse.  Is this really what this trip has come to?  Sure we could go to the art museum or aquarium but I really could care less about an art museum and we've been to a good many aquariums already, plus they each required walking.  Lance convinced me to wandered over to State Street to check out some shopping over there.  Again there really wasn't anything new or impressive.  The only thing I knew is that we just kept walking and I kept hurting more and more.  I was so tired.  My toes hurt, my feet hurt, my heels hurt, my shins hurt, my calves hurt, my thighs hurt, my stomach hurt, my back hurt, my shoulders hurt, my arms hurt, I was freezing, tired and utterly disappointed.    What a bust!  I came up here expecting a smorgasbord of lively food trucks, a spectacular, romantic water show at Buckingham Fountain, a jaw dropping view of the city and a chance to get up close to the light house on a tour boat, a scavenger hunt for the cows from cow parade, statue of Marilyn Monroe and the R2D2 mailbox, a nostalgic experience at the Navy Pier (uninterrupted by construction),  topped off by amazing shopping and a rt 66 shirt.  There was none of it.  Even the forecast had been wrong.  It was MUCH colder.  We even had somehow managed to go through nearly over $800 I had saved for this trip and the upcoming trip to AZ all on a bunch of zip!  Not to mention the cost it took to get here and the hotel all for just a lousy 3 days in Chicago.  I was so tired, so mad, so disappointed and in so much pain, I just stood there in that Target store in its overly opulent historic building, as tears welled up in my eyes.  I'd had enough.  This city sucked.  Screw aimlessly wandering to find the next bus stop to save some money, I was getting a cab and going back to the hotel.  At that moment, Lance came through the racks of clothes.  I told him I was done and I was going back to the hotel....by cab.  He said there was a bus stop right outside the store that would drop us off right across the street from the hotel and we wouldn't have to pay the extra money it would take to get a cab.  Fine. Bus it is.  I was so sore and so stiff I could hardly move when we stepped into the lobby. I hobbled over and rode the elevator up to our room.  I immediately filled the tub and stripped down.  Oh the warmth of that water soothed my muscles that felt like wounds all over my body.  I sank in up to my ears.  What a horrible trip.  For once I couldn't wait to get back to the valley and Draft.  It wasn't even so much the fact that I missed Draft because I jump at any opportunity to get out of that place filled with tobacco chewin', rednecks where the biggest entertainment is a Dairy Queen on the corner.   I just missed the quietness, cleanness and peacefulness of the valley, my house and my cat and my bed.  The rising steam and gentle flow of the bath water quickly lulled me to sleep.

I woke up a while later to luke warm water and a very loud grumbling tummy.  I was so hungry. We hadn't even done our "nice dinner" yet this trip.  But that meant, getting up, getting dressed and moving some more.  I also wanted to spend at least $100 on this dinner, A: because I really wanted something special and B: because it's Chicago and you can't do a nice dinner without spending at least $100 anyways.  But did I really want to sink more money into this piece of crap trip?  The plan was, was that any money that wasn't spent from the piggy bank would go towards Arizona.  Naturally I wanted as much as I could to go towards that trip; especially now.  Not to mention the hubs didn't even bring dress shoes, a tie or a belt even though we had clearly decided that we would do a nice dinner while we were in Chicago.  Its ridiculous to think about his boasting about how he had packed everything with room to spare and his backpack was mostly empty; that's why....you didnt bring half the crap you were supposed to.  This is why you don't pack 30 minutes before it's time to go.  It's not a game to see how long you can procrastinate and how little you can bring.  He'd have to go out and get dress shoes, a tie and belt, which was more unnecessary expenditures on top of the price of dinner.  It was only 3 o'clock and I was hungry NOW.  Whatever.  What a lousy trip.  We'll just order pizza and stay in.  But I really wanted that nice dinner.  Lance, weeks before the trip, had described this one romantic evening starting with the complimentary cocktail hour in the lobby overlooking the city and then the night out to a fancy dinner.  I still really wanted that.  Fine, we'll still do it.  Lance went out to find shoes that he justified buying because he said his other ones were on their way out and he' need new ones for Kyle and Hannah's wedding next weekend anyways.  I found a really neat looking fondue restaurant called Geja's that almost looked middle eastern.  I made reservations for 7:30.  When Lance got back he had brought me a snack of fried cheese (aka mozzarella sticks) from Giordanos!  We got dressed and headed down to the lobby to start our night out.

Lance had hailed a cab and it was my first time doing anything like that!  How classically big city.  We sat in the back seat, me holding Lance's hand while my other was resting on my silky, blue flowery dress, that I had worn on our honeymoon, as I looked up and watched the glittering lights of the city rush by us.  I'm glad we decided to go ahead with our "nice dinner".  We arrived at the restaurant which was in the bottom floor of an old stone building.  It was so dark with lanterns lit with red lights, thick curtains with fringe with live Moroccan acoustic guitar playing.  I loved it!!!! Just like the Melting Pot but way better!  Our waitress explained that the restaurant was in an old wine cellar and named after a Moroccan prince!  It felt like I was in Aladin's palace!  We got the "International" that started off with a Swiss style cheese infused with a white wine served with grapes, apples and breads for dipping.  Next came the main course:  raw steak, chicken and shrimp with potatoes, onions, broccoli, peppers and mushrooms that would be cooked in the fondue pot of hot oil then dipped in any of the 12 sauces. Desert was a flambeed chocolate fondue with chunks of rice crispy treats, apples, marshmallows, pound cake and graham cracker crumbs.  What a wonderful last evening!