After being here for a few weeks, I have noticed a few things about the Midwest. I am by no means an expert, but here are my takeaways:
1. We are in the land of pop. Not Lady Gaga, but pop as in soft drinks. The signs at Subway even say "pop lids." I've heard people call it soda and down in Texas we say we want a Coke and then they ask, "Ok, we have Sprite, Diet Coke, Dr. Pepper..." Along these same lines, Pepsi is king here! I always wondered how they made any money and it turns out the Midwest is their sweet spot.
2. Staying in the beverage category, the iced tea here is TERRIBLE. I'm a big iced tea fan and usually have at least one glass a day, so I feel pretty qualified to make this call. It is always really watery, not to mention there is never any sweetener around. And if I am lucky enough to find it, there is never Sweet-N-Low. I found a place that had sweet tea and thought this was going to do the trick but boy was I wrong! I couldn't even taste the sweetness! But I thought it would be rude to ask for sweetener when clearly they thought this was it.
3. Midwesterners love their old cars. I have seen more restored vehicles in these few weeks than I have in my whole life. This has actually been kind of cool. There is everything from old Porsche convertibles to muscle cars. And in addition, Ford rules here. I was pretty surprised, as I thought Chevy would definitely hold it's own, but apparently this is Ford Country.
4. The accents are hilarious. There's a lot of "Eh" thrown around. The accent can sometimes have a touch of Canadian, which throws things off.
5. Everyone is very patriotic. There are American flags everywhere, which reminds me of the East Coast. Everyone is very proud of our country, which has been really cool to see.
But the main takeaway is that everyone has been so nice. Whether it's asking directions or looking for other people to sail with Michael, everyone has been really helpful.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
And we're driving, and we're driving....
We have finally made our way back to the Midwest after a long day of traveling yesterday. After waking up at 3:30am, our flight was delayed out of LAX and we didn't get to Milwaukee until 4:30pm. From there, we drove two hours south to Chicago. We had a great dinner with Michael's mom and dad at an Italian Steakhouse and it was great to catch up over a nice meal.
We left Chicago around 11pm and started the 6 hour drive up to Michigan. Michael is doing the Melges 32 Nationals this weekend with Team Roxanne so he had to be here Wednesday morning for practice. Luckily we had downloaded "Into Thin Air" and the book kept us awake for the drive. We finally got to Traverse City, MI around 5:30am. We didn't realize that they were on Eastern time and therefore we lost an hour.
We put the address for the house into the iPhone, but we could not find it anywhere. Finally around 6am we gave up and called Michael's teammate. Turns out the regatta is actually in Harbor Springs, not Traverse City...which was about 2 hours away. (the event is held at the Travese Yacht Club, which is why we assumed it was being held in Traverse City...you know what they say about assumptions) By this point we were both so tired that an additional drive really didn't seem that bad and people had started getting lost on Everest, so it was good timing for the book. We finally pulled in a little before 8am and were exhausted.
On top of all that, Michael was worried about his target weight. When he does team regattas, all the team members have to weigh in and be under a total weight. You could see how this didn't bode well, given that he has been trying to GAIN weight for the Laser. He had to lose 15 pounds in order to hit his target, so he didn't eat or drink yesterday or today. So after we finally got to Harbor Springs, I went to sleep but Michael had to go sit in the sauna to sweat off the pounds. Luckily the team weighed in shortly after that and hit their marks! Michael chowed down after starving for 2 days.
The team went for an afternoon practice sail and I decided to check out the town. Harbor Springs is a really cute town and reminds me of Annapolis, Edgartown, and small town Maine. The Main St. had quaint shops and restaraunts and is right next to the harbor. I am happy to finally be here and check out more of the sights tomorrow!
We left Chicago around 11pm and started the 6 hour drive up to Michigan. Michael is doing the Melges 32 Nationals this weekend with Team Roxanne so he had to be here Wednesday morning for practice. Luckily we had downloaded "Into Thin Air" and the book kept us awake for the drive. We finally got to Traverse City, MI around 5:30am. We didn't realize that they were on Eastern time and therefore we lost an hour.
We put the address for the house into the iPhone, but we could not find it anywhere. Finally around 6am we gave up and called Michael's teammate. Turns out the regatta is actually in Harbor Springs, not Traverse City...which was about 2 hours away. (the event is held at the Travese Yacht Club, which is why we assumed it was being held in Traverse City...you know what they say about assumptions) By this point we were both so tired that an additional drive really didn't seem that bad and people had started getting lost on Everest, so it was good timing for the book. We finally pulled in a little before 8am and were exhausted.
On top of all that, Michael was worried about his target weight. When he does team regattas, all the team members have to weigh in and be under a total weight. You could see how this didn't bode well, given that he has been trying to GAIN weight for the Laser. He had to lose 15 pounds in order to hit his target, so he didn't eat or drink yesterday or today. So after we finally got to Harbor Springs, I went to sleep but Michael had to go sit in the sauna to sweat off the pounds. Luckily the team weighed in shortly after that and hit their marks! Michael chowed down after starving for 2 days.
The team went for an afternoon practice sail and I decided to check out the town. Harbor Springs is a really cute town and reminds me of Annapolis, Edgartown, and small town Maine. The Main St. had quaint shops and restaraunts and is right next to the harbor. I am happy to finally be here and check out more of the sights tomorrow!
Monday, July 26, 2010
California Dreamin'
After a marathon drive to Milwaukee and an early morning flight, we have arrived in California. We were able to spend time with Michael's family and see the newest addition, Jack Jordan Bradley!
On Friday, we headed up Pacific Coast Highway to Santa Barbara. Michael was racing on Escape in the Fiesta Cup. One of the crew was unable to race on Saturday so I filled in! It was my first time to race and I was really nervous. I didn't want to make any mistakes and cost us spots. I was in charge of "furling the jib" (basically pulling in one of the sails), getting the kite down (grabbing the big sail in the front and pulling it down below), and hiking (hanging over the rail). I am proud to say that I did a good job and everyone was very complementary. We ended up finishing 6th on the day, which wasn't exactly where they wanted to be. The regular crew was back on Sunday and Escapade ended up finishing 4th overall.
Tomorrow we are flying back to the Midwest, with a pitstop in Chicago and driving up to Traverse City, MI. I am sad to leave California, but the road calls!
On Friday, we headed up Pacific Coast Highway to Santa Barbara. Michael was racing on Escape in the Fiesta Cup. One of the crew was unable to race on Saturday so I filled in! It was my first time to race and I was really nervous. I didn't want to make any mistakes and cost us spots. I was in charge of "furling the jib" (basically pulling in one of the sails), getting the kite down (grabbing the big sail in the front and pulling it down below), and hiking (hanging over the rail). I am proud to say that I did a good job and everyone was very complementary. We ended up finishing 6th on the day, which wasn't exactly where they wanted to be. The regular crew was back on Sunday and Escapade ended up finishing 4th overall.
Tomorrow we are flying back to the Midwest, with a pitstop in Chicago and driving up to Traverse City, MI. I am sad to leave California, but the road calls!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Best Deal in Town
Since Michael and Ben need to gain weight, eating has become a large part of our trip. No complaints here! I came across Table 316, which offers the best happy hour in town. Starting at 3:16pm, you can get a steak dinner for $3.16. Every hour the price increases a dollar. Not to mention that they have the best rootbeer floats! You would think that we would be the only ones looking for a steak dinner in the afternoon, but the place is always packed! I think we've probably eaten 95% of our dinners here.
On Monday night, Michael and I checked out Arnolds Park, an old amusement park/boardwalk. We also got one of their famous Nutty Bars, which is vanilla ice cream on a stick, dipped in chocolate and nuts. The ice cream was Blue Bunny (obviously not ideal) but it was still tasty.
We also rode the wooden roller coaster, which I would describe as a scaled down version of the Texas Cyclone at AstroWorld. Of course we had to be the cool kids and sit in the last car. I love roller coasters and have ridden plenty in my day, but this one was rough! We got banged around in all directions and I've got the bruises to prove it. But overall it was a great ride!
Today is our last day in Iowa before we drive to Milwaukee and catch a flight to Santa Barbara for a regatta. We will be there this weekend and then heading back to the midwest for the second half of the roadtrip!
On Monday night, Michael and I checked out Arnolds Park, an old amusement park/boardwalk. We also got one of their famous Nutty Bars, which is vanilla ice cream on a stick, dipped in chocolate and nuts. The ice cream was Blue Bunny (obviously not ideal) but it was still tasty.
We also rode the wooden roller coaster, which I would describe as a scaled down version of the Texas Cyclone at AstroWorld. Of course we had to be the cool kids and sit in the last car. I love roller coasters and have ridden plenty in my day, but this one was rough! We got banged around in all directions and I've got the bruises to prove it. But overall it was a great ride!
Today is our last day in Iowa before we drive to Milwaukee and catch a flight to Santa Barbara for a regatta. We will be there this weekend and then heading back to the midwest for the second half of the roadtrip!
Monday, July 19, 2010
I don't think we're in Kansas anymore...
Yesterday was the final day of the regatta and Michael had a great day of racing. He finished 4th and 2nd in the two races, earning him a spot of 2nd overall in the regatta!
I was able to go on the Judges Boat again for a front row seat to the action. A big thanks to the Grahams for letting me tag along!
The team after a successful regatta!
The team decided to head back to Iowa so Michael and Ben could train today. We finished the book on tape, which was excellent! I must admit that I thought books on tape were going to be pretty lame, but I really enjoyed it. We'll be in Iowa through Wednesday, then Michael and I head to Santa Barbara.
Luckily we were able to stop in Omaha before Entourage came on last night. For those other viewers out there, I feel like I'm still waiting for the season to heat up, and we're already three or four episodes in. What's the deal? And I loved Ari's banter in previous seasons but feel he hasn't been as witty lately. Maybe my expectations are just too high, but still waiting!
I was able to go on the Judges Boat again for a front row seat to the action. A big thanks to the Grahams for letting me tag along!
The team after a successful regatta!
The team decided to head back to Iowa so Michael and Ben could train today. We finished the book on tape, which was excellent! I must admit that I thought books on tape were going to be pretty lame, but I really enjoyed it. We'll be in Iowa through Wednesday, then Michael and I head to Santa Barbara.
Luckily we were able to stop in Omaha before Entourage came on last night. For those other viewers out there, I feel like I'm still waiting for the season to heat up, and we're already three or four episodes in. What's the deal? And I loved Ari's banter in previous seasons but feel he hasn't been as witty lately. Maybe my expectations are just too high, but still waiting!
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Ahoy!
We have arrived in Wichita, and today was the first day of racing for the Laser District 16 Championships. After all the training, I decided to watch the action from the water and see if our efforts had paid off. There are 25 Laser Districts in North America and each one hosts a championship regatta. District 16 encompasses Kansas and other Midwestern states. The Laser is an Olympic Class boat, and Michael is doing this event to get points on the Grand Prix circuit, which will help in qualifying for the Olympics.
For those that don’t know a lot about this world (like me two years ago), here is a brief summary of what goes on. There were 15 Laser boats and they sailed three races today. All three were different courses. Thanks to the folks at the Ninnescah Yacht Club for letting me tag along on the Judges Boat! Judges are responsible for watching the sailors to make sure no one is cheating or to judge who is correct if there is a discrepancy on the racecourse.
Tomorrow they plan to do two more races, for a total of five. The scoring is as such: the boat that crosses first gets 1 point, second gets 2 points, and so on. They add up those points for the five races and that is your final score, determining who wins the regatta.
Michael finished 4th, 5th, and 2nd in today’s racing for a total of 11 points, which was exactly where he needed to be. He is in third after the first day of racing, so we will see what tomorrow brings!
All the boats lining up for the start:
Michael and his training partner Ben rounding the weather mark:
Michael about to cross the finish line on the first race:
Some good hiking!
For those that don’t know a lot about this world (like me two years ago), here is a brief summary of what goes on. There were 15 Laser boats and they sailed three races today. All three were different courses. Thanks to the folks at the Ninnescah Yacht Club for letting me tag along on the Judges Boat! Judges are responsible for watching the sailors to make sure no one is cheating or to judge who is correct if there is a discrepancy on the racecourse.
Tomorrow they plan to do two more races, for a total of five. The scoring is as such: the boat that crosses first gets 1 point, second gets 2 points, and so on. They add up those points for the five races and that is your final score, determining who wins the regatta.
Michael finished 4th, 5th, and 2nd in today’s racing for a total of 11 points, which was exactly where he needed to be. He is in third after the first day of racing, so we will see what tomorrow brings!
All the boats lining up for the start:
Michael and his training partner Ben rounding the weather mark:
Michael about to cross the finish line on the first race:
Some good hiking!
Friday, July 16, 2010
On the Road Again
Yesterday we left Iowa and headed to Wichita, KS. Michael is going to be racing in the Laser District 16 Championships here this weekend. We’ve decided to take a much-needed break from camping, and it’s a good thing we did. The Yacht Club is in the state park, and it was HOT today with a lot of really strange looking bugs. So we’ll see what else Wichita has to offer!
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