A Trip on the Wayback Machine

(This is going back several years, but I was thinking about this trip the other night and remembered I had posted about it on a message board. Happy Reading.)

My Trip, Concord and Law School
Well I’ve finally arrived after my cross-country drive...and let me just say driving for seven days straight just isn’t very fun. Even though we saw some pretty cool stuff, I’m really not cut out for the driving world...the reason I wasn’t born until 1975 was so that I could fly every where I go and get there fast.

Anyway, in 8 days I was in 11 states, 2 countries and 1 province (so the countries were really cancelled out by the state/province number, but it sounds cooler this way). For someone from the west where it takes usually at least 2 or 3 hours just to leave the state, that’s a LOT.

So, here’s the rundown on what I thought of each state/province as I drove through...

Utah: OK, this was really just the starting point, but getting up over Parley’s Summit (a few of you will know how steep that is) in a loaded car was a bit difficult but we did it. (Can I just tell you how very loaded my car was? Crazy - barely room for me and my friend to sit!)

Wyoming: All I can say about Wyoming is that it’s UGLY and really, do you need to re-do *every* road at the SAME time? C’mon leave a few roads construction-zone-free.

A little anecdote about WY. Shortly after we entered the state (so maybe only 2 or 3 hours into the drive) a HUGE blown out tire hit the hood of my car. Fortunately, the tired skidded across the top (there are rubber marks on my hood now and a dent....grrr) and went off the side instead of into my windshield. Now before you start saying “well, why didn’t you just go around it?” I have to tell you that I couldn’t go around it. The car in front of me ran over the top of it (tore his bumper half off), so the tire was in motion when I got to it...grrr. I really thought this was a bad omen for the trip, but things eventually straightened out and it was a nice trip.

South Dakota: Saw Mt Rushmore, but since I worked there a few years ago (in 1995), I was more interested in seeing the changes in the concession/gift shop area...there were vast changes in these areas.

Additionally, if you ever need to get to get your break pads replaced while on a cross-country trip, Chamberlain, SD is a great place to do it. The town is small (only about 2000 people) and it sits on the bank of the Missouri river. The people are incredibly friendly - as is often the case in small towns and it’s just nice to walk around while you wait for the nice mechanic to work on your car. I told my parents they should retire there...it’s just a really pretty, friendly town.

One note I should make here is that we were really starting to notice how much greener the rest of the country is in comparison to Utah. It’s very dry this year in Utah and it’s a desert there. The combination is deadly for any naturally occurring green. So, it was about the 3rd day (after leaving Chamberlain) that I noticed that even the *weeds* were green. This is just not the case any where I have lived...at least not in August. Everything has dried up and turned brown. So, imagine my surprise when I realized the green stuff growing between the freeways wasn’t planted and maintained...it was Mother Nature doing her job. Really a very surprising thing.

Also, as you drop in elevation, the air becomes more oxygen-rich...it’s just a lot thicker than at higher elevations. It’s usually not naturally noticeable until you exert yourself, but if you pay attention to it, you notice. I kept making a stupid joke that if I took a deep breath, I’d get dizzy from all the oxygen going to my brain (I said it was stupid). While that’s an exaggeration, we did notice that we didn’t yawn as frequently...just taking the deep breath before the yawn was enough to get the oxygen in.

So on we go...

Iowa: Lots of corn. That’s about all I can say for Iowa scenery. This is where the speed limits dropped to a 55/65 combination instead of the 65/75 that I am accustomed to. Really, 75 isn’t *that* fast.

We crossed the Mississippi River in Iowa. It’s quite dirty. I had only seen it once before, but my friend had never seen it. Really it’s not a pretty river. But, it is interesting to think “If it’s this wide here in Iowa, how much wider is it down at the bottom in Louisiana after all those other rivers have joined it?” Size is the only redeeming quality to the Mississippi River, I think.

Illinois: More corn. But I got to see Karen and Charlie (well, I sort of saw Charlie). I got my first ever look at Chicago. I have been in other large cities...but I don’t think any quite this big. The fact that there were so many tall buildings so close together just amazed me. Do I sound like someone who has lived a very sheltered life in a small town? That’s how I felt...and even though I’ve been to other places visiting or even living, the small town girl in me really came out in Chicago. I felt very small and insignificant. I’m better now. Thank you to Karen and Chuck for showing us around and taking us for Chicago pizza - yummy.

Indiana: I was only here for about 45 minutes, maybe an hour. Not really long enough to get a feel for the state. It did seem like we were getting more trees the further East we went, though...

Michigan: I don’t think they sell a lot of Saturns in Michigan, at least not that I saw. I felt kind of out of place in my cute little car. We went through Michigan so quickly that I can’t really say what it was like. Not that much different from what we had seen before...a little less corn, a bit more hilly, fairly green. Unfortunately, the number I had for Margaret was not working (must have copied it down wrong) so we didn’t get to meet her. It’s probably OK since we were supposed to have lunch and we didn’t get to Ann Arbor until nearly 4...but we did eat lunch there.

Ontario: OK, crossing the border into Canada proved to be not *too* difficult. He checked our ID’s and asked about the stuff in the car. He checked the acceptance letter to the school and then let us go. Really not too hard. As for the scenery in Ontario, really it’s the same as Michigan. There just isn’t very much change in these areas. At least not that I noticed.

We saw Niagara Falls before leaving Ontario (thus the reason for going into Canada in the first place) and it is truly awe-inspiring. I was just amazed at the sight. We joked that there was more water in those falls than in the entire state of Utah - and I really don’t think it was much of an exaggeration. Seriously, I can’t even describe what Niagara was like.

New York: Upstate NY is a lot prettier than I expected it to be...so green and lush. The forest is just so dense. It’s amazing to someone from the desert. I was in awe.

Now, if you’re going to be staying in upstate NY, I don’t suggest doing it when there is a MAJOR power outage every where. Driving becomes an adventure, as does finding a hotel. Fortunately, we were across the US border (that guy knew how to ask the questions...he scared me...thought I was going to pee my pants) before the outage began. But, not much before - we teased that it was us who did it. We did encounter one traffic light that was out shortly across the border, but that was it until we got off the freeway in Syracuse. Since we hadn’t been listening to the radio (just to CD’s - Harry Potter), we didn’t know what was going on. We were a bit confused when we got into town and none of the traffic lights were working. So, that’s when I turned on the radio and learned what was going on. Apparently there was *one* power grid in the entire city that was still working, and it fortunately had a lot of hotels in it. So, we found one and then went to dinner. Because there was no power anywhere, many people went to dinner. In all, we spent about 2 hours or so at Denny’s...that includes eating. I was actually very impressed with how efficient this staff was. They had called in people who had the evening off to come in and work...a district manager and/or area manager was doing the cooking. The restaurant manager was bussing tables. It was crazy busy. They made a killing that night. I just feel bad for all the restaurants who couldn’t stay open and lost all the money from that night.

When I called my mom to let her know that I had found a hotel with power, she didn’t really care. Her only concern was whether or not I had seen Niagara Falls that day...she wanted to make sure the power outage hadn’t affected my sight-seeing. It didn’t matter whether or not I had a place to stay and eat...oh, no, only that I had seen a bunch of water falling over a cliff. Silly mommy.

Vermont: So, after leaving NY, you come into Vermont. It’s very pretty as well. We weren’t there very long, either. Maybe a couple of hours. We did eat in Vermont, but just at McDonald’s (this was the last day of driving - we just wanted to be there). More commenting on how pretty it is...how dense the forests are...the sheer number of trees...the hills and how they differ from the Rocky Mountains (the Rockies are more jagged, while it’s more rounded and smooth in the East)...

New Hampshire: Yes, the destination place. A lot like Vermont. Driving in New England is very different from driving in Utah...or probably in the west. Here, there is not a pretty grid-system to the streets. They just kind of go wherever they want. I have been lost more in the past few days than ever before in my life. I’m finally learning my way around Concord though...just a few more days and I’ll be OK.

Massachusetts: Before my friend flew back to SLC, we decided to see a bit of the East. So, we drove down to Salem, Mass. Driving there was very, very confusing. I became incredibly frustrated at times. But, it was worth it. I think if you’re ever in Boston, everyone should visit Salem. I plan to go back. The history there is amazing...and it’s more than the witch trials. Very cool place to visit. But, make sure you go with someone who knows the area. Trying to find Salem, then trying to find a hotel for my friend (her flight left Boston early in the morning) meant that I drove more in the Boston area than I had planned...though I never got into Boston proper (I was in Lynnfield, Peabody, Salem and Danvers, for those who know the area).

So, that’s the trip for you all. I’ve now been hanging out in Concord for nearly a week, and I think I’m finally figuring it out. I no longer get lost every time I leave the house. The places I can find without getting lost: the nearest gas station, the school, the mall, Boston Market, Wal-Mart, Target, Shaw’s (grocery store), the post office, a few bars, and that’s about it. What you all don’t know is that everything I mentioned except the gas station, the school and the bars are on the same road and I discovered it my first night - it’s a big shopping area in town and it’s hard to miss. I no longer get lost coming home - I really had a hard time figuring out where my house was at in relation to the city, but I’ve finally figured that out.

My initial impressions of Concord was that it is bigger than it actually is. I thought the main street was forever long. I’ve since figured out that this city is very, very small. My understanding of the police officers of the area is that they really don’t have much to do so they are really strict on traffic violations. I was driving down the big road mentioned above and a minivan had been pulled over...there were THREE cop cars behind her and I saw another one on its way there further down the road. C’mon people...it’s a minor traffic violation - does *every* police officer in town really need to be there? There are several places where you can’t turn right except when you have the green, and that’s confusing me now - I never know where I can actually turn. Eventually I’ll get the hang of that though. I get all freaked out - afraid that I’m going to unknowingly do something wrong and get a ticket for it. Hopefully my Utah license plates will help me in such a situation.

Beyond the driving, I think I’m going to enjoy living in Concord. The people are very nice and it’s a pretty good size - not too big, but large enough to support and provide entertainment for a law school.

And, now we come to law school. After three days of orientation, I think it’s going to be good. My school is very small - there are only 160 students in my class, and it’s the largest class they’ve had so far (which is typical of most law schools this year). The first morning I really felt like I did as a freshman - not knowing where to go or what to do and just being inundated with information...and it’s all information that doesn’t start to make sense until you’ve actually been in school for a while. For some reason, I’ve been meeting a lot of the second-year students (2Ls in common law school lingo) instead of the 1Ls...but I’m sure I’ll be meeting everyone in time...it’s so small that it’s hard to not know everyone. This law school is actually smaller than my high school was, and I went to a very small HS.

I can’t say very much about what law school is like. We’ve only actually had a couple of classes - and they were more introductory than anything. I think I’m going to enjoy it though - especially in the classes where the teacher encourages debate among the students...I love that kind of learning. I already have thousands of pages of homework to read, and I don’t think I’ll enjoy that part of it...but all the 2L’s say that by the end of the semester I’ll be reading very quickly, and briefing cases will become second nature. Let’s all hope they are right...