I have posted several “heading west” blog posts over the years.  But the truth of the matter is that if you live on the east coast, you inevitably need to, well, head west.  I suppose you could go north or south, but really – who does that.  Crazy talk.

We headed west from New Hampshire towards Colorado – to visit Child Unit 2.  Spoiler alert:  I have more words than photos.  Oh, Sweet Love of All Things Precious, say it ain’t true.

We traveled through Massachusetts via Route 2, which is a beautiful ride – so I could gracefully show Karen the source of my unparalleled intelligence – North Adams State College.  Well, let me say, neither North Adams State or my unparalleled intelligence exist today.  But it was a nice drive.

We stopped somewhere in NY state, somewhere along the Thruway.  I know it was a memorable stay, but I just can’t remember why.  Or where.

A notable reason for traveling through New York was to visit the Anchor Bar in Buffalo.  Those in the know, know the Anchor Bar as ground zero for Buffalo chicken wings.  On a previous visit (heading east, I might add) we stopped at Duff’s for Buffalo chicken wings… best wings we have ever had, but we had not made it to the Anchor Bar.  Kind of a McCoy’s and the Hatfield’s thing.

On this trip, because the Anchor Bar is downtown and we are traveling in a 55+ foot-long rig, we decided traveling through downtown Buffalo during lunch on a business day was probably not a great idea, so we went to Plan B – go back to Duff’s.  It was regrettable to forego the Anchor Bar – but it is still on our bucket list.   But Duff’s is – well let me just say, when they fry their last wing, they will head straight to heaven.  Freaking awesome wings.  And the onion rings?  Can I get an amen?

Please don’t think less of us because we travel hundreds or thousands of miles just to satiate our culinary needs.  And we are not talking refined tastes here.  I can throw down a can of Dinty Moore beef stew faster than a dog can snag a bone.

With a tummy full of wings, we continued our trek west.  When you are in Buffalo, NY, you have pretty much exhausted that state so we moved through the upper part of Pennsylvania.  What can I say about this part of Pennsylvania?  Less said best said.

On to Ohio.  Keep in mind – we are on the interstate, which we rarely do.  But in the interests of speed and time the decision prevailed.  We make it to a truck stop somewhere on the interstate in Ohio (it matters not where) for a one-night stand.  Freaking fabulous!

Yes, I know you are not supposed to like truck stops, but hell – this was great!  I know this is going to sound crazy, but it was quiet!  Yes, there were trucks rolling in throughout the night, with some running their reefers or engines all night. Yes, there were trains running throughout the night nearby.  But in our own quiet zen state, we were oblivious to these distractions.  Ommmm….

I decided to explore what these trucks looked like up close and personal.  When they go steaming past you on the highway you may think less of them, but when they are snugged in and comfy in a truck stop, they are beautiful beasts.

And let’s keep in mind that all those knick-knacks on your mantle, the endless Amazon deliveries that show up on your doorstep, and every other thing you have ever thought about probably arrived via a truck!  No, I am not paid by the trucking association.  And if you have an accident with a truck, better call Saul.  Or better yet – who are the guys in New York – Cellino and Barnes?  1-800-888-8888.  You can’t make this up.

Our next stop was Indiana Dunes National Park, for the simple reason: we had never been and really wanted to “check that box”.  Let me just say – we checked the box.  I don’t have a single photo to prove we were even there, but obviously someone with deep pockets had input into making this a national park.  National park it is not, and we love national parks.  We actually stayed in the state park which is within the national park, but cut our stop short because we were underwhelmed.  Unequivocally, we have never done that before.

Having shortstopped our trip to Indiana Dunes, our next stop?  You guessed it – Wisconsin.  Stay tuned – I’m pretty sure we’ll have some bad-assed things to report on from Wisconsin!