Day 5

I woke up this morning, with only the thought of getting to my Great Aunts funeral on time. There was no way that we weren’t going to get there I would not let that happen. Even though Ciara already had the face of defeat, it did not stop me, from being positive about us getting there. We packed up quick and began are journey, but first we stopped at the Denny’s in Cedar Rapids. We both ordered the Harvest Oatmeal which costs twelve dollars total.

 As we began our long drive ahead, all I could think about is my great aunt. I always remembered when we visited her in Montreal, my Cousins and I would be at her house and we would all play in her back yard. I remember us all jumping in her yellow and brown piles of leaves in the cold thanksgiving air. Even though I didn’t know my Great Aunt that well, she gave me the gift of unity between my extended family. If it were not for her house, I would not have the same relationships I do with my aunts, uncles and cousins. My pondering thoughts were abruptly interrupted by the puttering sound the car had started to make. The car suddenly began to slow down and to our horror the car had run out of gas.

I started to panic, know we would never make it to my great Aunts funeral. After repeatedly punching the steering wheel and calling it names that I would rather not repeat. I pulled my self together, I checked the GPS on my phone and saw that there was a Kum and Go gas station 100 meters away right outside of North Liberty. So we began to sprint to the Kum and Go in the frosty winter air. When we got there we bought a two-gallon gas container, we then ran back to the car and filled it up. That took us a good fifty minutes and we still had to drive to the Kum and Go and fill up the car all the way. This ended up costing us sixty-eight dollars and valuable time. I knew deep down that this set back made it impossible for us to make our great aunts funeral. I looked into Ciara’s eyes and her eyes showed the same sickening feeling that was in my stomach. But we had to move onward, even though we aren’t going to make the funeral, we should still go and see the family. We cruised through Iowa and finally reached Illinois. We went right through Gary and could see the outskirts of Chicago the home of Michael Jordan’s bulls. As I drove onward I could not help but gaze of into the beautiful waters of Lake Michigan. I grew up on Lake Tahoe which I always thought was a big Lake but Michigan was a 100 times it’s size. It looked meaner and scarier than the Pacific Ocean. Its howling winds and treacherous waters have been the culprits of many shipwrecks. We ended up veering of the coast of the lake and stopped at a BP gas station in Paw Paw Michigan, the gas cost fifty-six dollars. We also stopped at the subway in Paw Paw where we bought two five dollars foot longs one for Lunch and one for dinner.

We got all the way to the border, we decided to stay on the US side, in a Super Eight in Marysville Michigan it costs sixty-four dollars. As I went to bed that night, I had a sickening ach in my stomach. I had failed to be there for my family when they needed me the most. 

Day 5

Marysville. MI

The Highway in Michigan

Paw Paw, MI

North Liberty, IA

I woke up this morning at 7:30 and I realized that this was the last day; the last day of driving. If we didn’t make it to Montreal today, we would miss our Great Aunt’s funeral. And the thought of missing the funeral brought tears to my eyes. I had been holding my sadness in during the trip, just focusing on driving east, but now as I rolled out of bed and got dressed, I realized that it was likely that Luc and I weren’t going to make it, that after her death, we wouldn’t be able to mourn her with our family around us – and that idea I just couldn’t bear; I missed her so much. I thought about the possibility of not making it to Montreal in time as I packed the tent up. When the tent was all rolled up, I decided that I needed to stop thinking about that terrible possibility and just focus on the drive, as I had been able to do for the rest of the trip.

I packed the tent in the car and Luc and I drove to get breakfast at the Denny’s in Cedar Rapids, both ordering a Harvest Oatmeal Breakfast totaling out to $12. A half hour into the day’s driving at 8:30, the car started sputtering and Luc had to pull off to the side of the highway near North Liberty, Iowa. He looked at the gas meter and realized we were completely out of gas. We had just filled up the tank and shouldn’t have been out of gas, so we hadn’t checked our gas when we got in the car this morning – someone must have stolen our gas while we were sleeping. I wanted to scream – now our chances of getting to Montreal on time were even less; I could already imagine the looks on my family’s faces when they realized we wouldn’t be there for the funeral. A tear escaped my eyes and began to roll down my cheek, but I wiped it away and set my mind to fixing the problem as quickly as possible.

After looking at the GPS on Luc’s phone, we realized that there was a gas station only 100 meters away called the Kum & Go Gas Station. The two of us walked all the way down to the gas station – in the frigid air with clothes that weren’t warm enough to keep us comfortable – buy a plastic two-gallon gas container for $12 as well as the gas to fill it and walk back to the car. We dumped the gas into the tank and tried to start the Chevy. The car rumbled to life, and we drove it back down to the gas station. We filled it up with the total coming down to $56.

Frustrated that we had now lost an hour of our time to drive for the day as well as valuable money, I tried to force myself to think as positively as possible – at least we were back on the road again, driving down the highway. I looked out the window at the gorgeous trees lining the highway and the juxtaposition of the hard, grey concrete with what looked like a thriving forest next to it; something as man-made as it gets, and something so full with natural beauty that it takes your breath away.

After driving for hours, we stopped in Paw Paw Missouri to get gas and lunch. We bought gas at the Paw Paw BP for $56 and stopped at the Subway for two $5 foot longs – one to split for lunch, and one to split for dinner. We got back on the road again, and I realized there was no way we were going to make it. It was already 4:30 and we still had 723 more miles to drive. I couldn't have been more upset. I looked out the window at a broken down farmhouse along the road. Its windows were cracked and its paint had clearly seen better days – it was peeling badly and its color had faded to a dull yellow, no longer the bright yellow it had once been. The house’s shingles were at odd angles, letting the elements destroy whatever was left of the roof. The rain would eventually destroy what was left inside of the house and what had once been something to take pride in would have become a terribly destroyed building that only made the observer feel some sort of sadness. This house had become empty and unimportant, because for some reason, the people who owned it had stopped caring, they had left it, and now it was rotting away. As we drove by it, I turned my head so I could watch the house disappear into the distance as we sped across the highway. I watched it become a toy house, and then a speck, and then nothing at all.

At the end of the day, we were in Marysville, Michigan, still nine and a half hours away from Montreal. We booked a room at the Motel Six for $64. Defeated, I trudged up to our room. I lay down on the bed, still in my clothes and cried. I cried for the Great Aunt I had lost and the funeral I would miss and the drive I had gone through only to fail miserably. I cried mostly for my absolute and total failure. And then I wiped the tears off my face, got under the covers and fell asleep exhausted, knowing that I had failed myself, had failed my family, and once again my hopes had been crushed. And maybe I thought, as my thoughts drifted off into nothingness, I would never hope again.

Day 4

Waking up this morning was one of the most depressing seconds of my life. I was dreaming, that I was in the lush beautiful tropic landscape of Hawaii, sipping a strawberry milkshake and looking out at the beautiful cherry sunset. So when Ciara woke me at five thirty am in O’Neil Nebraska (aka the middle of nowhere) you can see how that could feel a little disappointing. There I was in my dream relaxing in paradise with no care in the world, but instead I’m a washout. Who’s driving across the country to go to Montreal of all places with a dipstick of a car and twelve thousand dollars to my name. Sadly I got up and began the long hull to Chicago. We left O’Neil at 6 am and only drove for twenty two minutes before stopping at a Subway in Norfolk Nebraska, there we bought two five dollar foot longs for breakfast. It was my turn to drive so while Ciara played on her phone and braided her hair, I examined the dull scenery of Nebraska. The rolling hills and the swaying golden wheat, reminded me of a pumping swell moving the ocean floor with it. While examining the dry land swell made of wheat I noticed a rugged fieldstone house. It almost looked as if it was built centuries ago. After seeing the house, all I could think about is how this fieldstone house and desolate area is what this country used to be. Now our countries land has been stripped from its once natural coat and has been clothed with manufactured and artificial cloth that is driven by greed and ignorance. We stopped very shortly in Blair Nebraska were we filled up the tank for fifty-seven dollars. After nearly driving six hours strait we finally stopped at a McDonalds in Cedar Rapids Iowa. There I bought two burgers off the dollar menu and a fountain drink totaling up to three dollars and Ciara bought two salads off the dollar menu one for lunch and one for dinner and she also got a drink which also totaled up to three dollars. Before diving into my two burgers, I noticed my stomach was hurting. I shrugged it off and engulfed my self into the artificial burger. You know how I was on an all time low this morning, well Lunch just made me go down almost as far down as you can go. After eating those two burgers, I started yacking harder than I’ve ever yacked before, three dollars of quality McDonalds meal on the parking lot curb. Strangely enough my sudden attack of vomit was not due to McDonalds but instead by the Subway we got for Lunch. Ciara drove me as quick as she could to the free clinic in Cedar Rapids. Sadly we were done for the day, due to my horrible food poisoning. We found a hotel called Howard Johnson that costs 36. I couldn’t wait to dream tonight but sadly I couldn’t due to the consistent amount of food that was coming out of me. We ended the day on a poor note with six hundred and ninety-nine dollars and ninety-six cents to spare, at this point are trip can only get better. 

Day 3

O'Neill, NE

Wheatland, WY

Flooded Missouri River

Merriman, NE

When we got up this morning, it was cold and overcast, and getting up early really wasn’t something Luc and I wanted to be doing. When we finished packing up the tent, I picked the tent up and was about to walk to the car and pack it away when I stepped on something soft. When I looked down, there was a lizard tail under my shoe and a lizard missing a tail running into the bushes nearby. At first, I was a little bit disgusted, but then felt badly that the lizard was going to have to live without a tail for a while because of my carelessness. I packed the tent into the trunk of the car and got into the driver’s seat, Luc in the passenger seat. We stopped at the Valero Gas Station in Laramie and filled up our tank for $45.38. At 8:00 we were on the road and had begun driving. We looked at the traffic report – construction was being done on I-80 for the day, so we had to find a new route. We would have to go north on I-30, and then exit onto 34, later exiting onto I-25 and then onto I-18, which turns into I-20. After that, we would have to stay on I-20 for the rest of the day’s trip. This detour has been very frustrating. We would have been able to get to Des Moines, Iowa, but are only going to be able to get to Sioux City, Nebraska – that is if everything else for the day goes as planned.

At 9:30, we stopped in Wheatland, Wyoming at a Burger King where we bought two pancakes and sausage platters costing $2.89 each, at a total of $5.78 for breakfast. In the car, Luc and I began to whine and complain about the trip. It was turning out to be a lot more exhausting than we thought it would be – up to 10 hours in the car two days in a row is a lot, and when you realize that you’re barely halfway, that doesn’t make you feel any better either. After venting for a couple minutes, we settled back into a comfortable silence where I focused on the road and not getting us lost, and Luc did some research on where we would spend the night.

While researching, Luc realized that the Missouri River had flooded, and instead of being able to get to Sioux City, we would only be able to get to O’Neill, Nebraska. Both of us were frustrated. I imagined what it would have been like to be pioneers – that would have made our lives much more difficult – and I tried to look at the silver lining. Later in the day, we stopped in Merriman, Nebraska at a Subway. We bought 2 $5 foot longs – one to split for lunch and one to save to split for dinner, similar to what we did the other day. At the subway, we considered buying chocolate, but decided that we needed to save up as much money as possible. We also stopped at the Cherry County Gas station and filled up for $46.42.

When I was about to get back into the car and drive away, a man came staggering towards me with a cup. His hair was greasy and his clothes were ragged and covered with stains. He looked at me sadly and begged me for money. "I...need it...the money I mean," he said. "Miss, I can't live without it. How, how, can I live like this?" And then he broke down. His mouth turned down and tears welled up at the bottom of his eyes. I didn't want to see a grown man cry. I immediately handed him a five-dollar bill. And I told him I hoped it helped him somehow, that it would somehow improve his life and I told him that I was under a budget and I needed to get to Montreal. I wanted to tell him my life's story, for some reason, he seemed like someone I could really talk to -- but I held myself back. And then I smiled at him and walked away. He was struggling to live off of nothing and I was struggling for a better life. I had a future, but he didn’t. And so I drove; away from the homeless man, away from what I hoped my life wouldn’t turn out to be, contemplating my future. Later, at 5:00 we got to O’Neill and parked our car at the Carney Park Campground. Putting up a tent there would only cost us $10 for the night, which we were ecstatic about. At the end of the day, we were down to $808.96.

Pictures From Day One

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Day 2

Laramie, WY

Green River, WY

Wells, NV

Elko, NV

We got going at 8:00 in the morning, and left Elko, Nevada, heading towards Montreal once again. The sun was already up and the sky was bright blue with not a cloud in sight. The landscape was relatively flat and the majority of it was a golden color. In the beginning, Luc drove and I sat in the passenger seat, reading and hoping that he didn’t get us lost. Luc and I were slightly tired from the day before, but realized that we had a long way to go and that if we wanted to get through this trip, we needed to understand that this isn’t going to be easy. An hour into the trip, when we were about to look for a place to eat breakfast, Luc got a call saying that he had an overdraft on our bank account; as a result, we lost $35. Because of this, we decided not to get breakfast, as we weren’t that hungry and wanted to conserve as much money as possible. Our loss of money caused us to realize that there were likely some serious problems ahead and money was definitely going to be tight – $1200 isn’t a lot of money for an almost 3,000 mile trip. About 50 miles into the trip, we stopped in Wells, Nevada where we got gas at Sundance Shell. We stopped inside the Easy Mart for a small bag of original corn nuts that cost $1.50. We shared the bag as a replacement for breakfast. We filled up our tank at the station for $48 and got back on interstate 80 towards Montreal. This time, I drove, and Luc looked up places we could spend the night. His phone has proven to be really useful because we have been able to research things while on the road, so we don’t have to stop to get Internet and are still able to research what we need to. Luc and I booked a place for our tent at the KOA campground in Laramie, which would cost us $19.80 for the night, including tax – a great price. 230 miles into our day’s travels, we stopped at 140 S Rio Grande St in Salt Lake City at Subway. We shared a $5 foot long which came with a free drink. We also bought a second $5 foot long with the free drink for dinner. Later, we stopped in Green River, Wyoming for gas at the Tollgate Station, costing us $50.98. At 6:00pm, we reached Laramie Wyoming, signing into KOA and setting up our tent. We ate our sandwiches we had bought at Subway earlier in the day and relaxed, me drawing in my sketchbook and Luc playing Temple Run on his phone. At the end of the day, we spent $168.28 and we’re down to $911.54. If we continue at this rate, we will definitely be able to get to Montreal with a bit of money to spare which would be truly amazing. The day has been relatively uneventful, and we are really happy about it.

Day 1

1         Ciara and I left my house in Mill Valley at 8:30. We stopped at the Safe Way in Mill Valley and bought honey not cheerios for four dollars. We then hopped on the US 101 North for 13 miles and then merged onto CA 37 east towards Vallejo. We then got onto I-80. Our Impala ran well the whole day, the scenery was so different than were we lived. The big farms and the brown tiny hills that looked like they went on forever. I noticed the huge herds of cows and the tiny shacks that there farmers called home. It made me realize even though we live in the same country our worlds are so much different. We saw this land for at least Two hours, until we finally hit Sacramento, were the big Sierra Nevada’s start. The Impala held its ground and got through it pretty easily. We went through Auburn and the Donner Pass and got our first glimpse of the beautiful Tahoe area. With the beautiful snow tipped mountains and the giant pines that clothe them. But sadly we didn’t stop, and instead we went onward, down Rose Mountain and into Reno Nevada. The dramatic change of land was astonishing from a winter wonderland in Tahoe, to a huge sweaty town that’s in the heart of the dessert. We went right through Reno and took our first stop of the day at the In N Out Burger in Sparks Nevada. We both purchased a Number one, which comes with a medium drink French fries and a burger since Ciara’s a vegetarian she gave me her paddy. The food totaled up to eight dollars and eight teen cents, which meant we were down to one thousand one hundred and ninety one dollars and eighty-two cents. We then got back on the road for an hour until we made a quick stop in Lovelock Nevada to get gas at the Lovelock Chevron. We got a full tank which was 62 dollars, which now meant we were down to, one thousand one hundred and twenty nine dollars and eighty-two cents. We went on for another hour or two until we reached Winnemucca. In Winnemucca, we got stopped for two hours because we had out of state plates. We had to talk to the sheriff and after two hours of negotiating they finally let us go we drove for two more hours until we reached Elko Nevada. We got at Elko at 4:30, we bought dinner at a Port of Subs and the food totaled up to 10 dollars which put us back to one thousand one hundred and nine teen dollars and eighty two cents. We then drove to the double dice RV park and settled down for the night, after our 8 hour 487 mile journey so far. The RV park is 40 a night so are final amount for the day is one thousand and seventy nine dollars and eighty-two cents. Overall our first day was a success.  

Our Destination (Montreal, Canada):

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The House:

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The Kitchen:

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My Bedroom:

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