Buffalo, Giraffes, and Chocolate

This is the diner that we lunched at after Buffalo Bill's.

My guilty conscious has convinced me, Eli, to write the blog post for today. Heide already puts way too much effort into editing our videos and my lazy self should at least do something!

May 25 (Day 3, video below)
Heide and I spent the night in Sidney, Nebraska and woke up early to high tail it out of there asap. We came to the consensus that Nebraska wasn't exactly our favorite state and we didn't feel the need to spend anymore time there than necessary. Especially in Sidney. Once we got on the road, what followed I can only describe as an hour long desperate voyage for good coffee, that sadly ended at a Chevron in the middle of no where in Chapelle, Nebraska: Population 929. It was an adventure but I think we can honestly say we will not be sad if neither of us finds our way back to Sidney or Chapelle in the near future.
With palatable yet mediocre coffee in our systems, we finally continued on our way. We were making good time until Heide got sidetracked and we somehow ended up at Buffalo Bill's Ranch in North Platte, Nebraska. With our horribly fake British accents ready, we entered the house, eager to learn some history. About 20 minutes into our tour, we realized that neither of us actually knew who Buffalo Bill was. (History isn't our forte.) Thanks to a native Nebraskan, we were given a quick history lesson and were able to take it a little more seriously. (Although Heide still could not turn off the British accent to save her life.)

This is what we think of Sidney, Nebraska.

After spending a few hours in North Platte, we got back on the road and were amazed at how much time we had wasted and how far we still had to drive. At about 5pm, we still had 7 hours of driving to make it to Iowa City, Iowa. We made the best of it; singing, laughing, and telling stories. We discovered our mutual love for the Backstreet Boys and sang our hearts out for a couple of hours. As night fell, weather conditions worsened and the fun atmosphere vanished. The music was turned off and Heide and I stared nervously at the road. It was pitch black, pouring down rain, and we could not see the lines on the road. The wind was intense and I was pretty convinced I was driving through my first tornado. 45 minutes and a few "hail mary's" later, we somehow ended up at our destination, thanking God for allowing us to arrive safely. We spent the night with Mike Feiss and Cathy Cole (Father Hugh's brother and his wife). They were already in bed by the time we rolled in around midnight and we had to wait until morning to meet our gracious hosts.

DAY 3 VLOG:

Thank you, again, Mike and Cathy!

May 26 (Day 4, video below)
We woke up around 7am (Heide lied and told me it was 8!) and were greeted by Mike and Cathy. We went out to breakfast and enjoyed getting to know them. They played an important role in helping us get to India and we were more than happy that we were able to meet them. We listened to their stories about India and learned a thing or two about our dear Father Hugh. We were sad we couldn't stay and talk more but we had to get back on the road, destination: Ypsilanti, Michigan!
It is only about 450 miles from Iowa City to Ypsilanti, and we were excited not to be on the same time crunch as the day before. While driving along the highway, I saw a sign for the Niabi Zoo and I demanded (nicely) that Heide pull over. It was a perfect day for a trip to the zoo and we enjoyed a break from the history lessons. Our fake British accents made another appearance as we talked to the elephants and Heide took it one step further, talking to the zoo workers. (They might have thought she was crazy but I admired her bravery.)

Yup. This happened.

We got back on the road and after I slept for a few hours (Heide took plenty of pictures), we made another pit stop at THE CHOCOLATE GARDEN. This was Heide's decision and I couldn't have been more happy about it. The Chocolate Garden was supposedly the best handmade chocolate in the United States and we wanted to be the judge of that. We quickly agreed whole-heartedly. With our tummies full of all sorts of chocolates (Heide tried the "Cayenne Kick!") we said our goodbyes to the greatest chocolate in the United States and set out again.
With Ypsilanti only a few hours away, Heide and I began to have some in depth conversations. We realized that we have SO MUCH we can learn from each other. We don't get along all the time but God must have brought us together for a reason. After 4 days on the road with Heide, I have already learned so much about myself and about her. She is very insightful and she helps me look at things in a completely different light. Who knows how ten more weeks together will change us. We are nervous and excited about the weeks to come, but most importantly we are thankful to be sharing this experience with each other. This is the experience of a lifetime and we will never forget the people that made it possible for us.

Heide driving. Happily?

We finally arrived in Ypsilanti, Michigan at around 10pm. We will be staying at St. John's Rectory for a few days before taking off on Wednesday afternoon. Father Bob came home shortly after we arrived and we talked about what to expect in Calcutta. He has been to Calcutta countless times and we eagerly listened to his advice. Hopefully three days in Ypsilanti is enough to learn from him all there is to know about living in India. I guess only time will tell.

Thanks for supporting us!
Much Love and Peace,
Heide and Eli

DAY 4 VLOG: