Since Lain and Emre left Michigan early, I needed a driving companion so mum flew out for the drive! After shoving much stuff as possible in the car, Tetris style, we took off! Before long we arrived et stop #1, Chicago. Ever since missing it in 2013, I've wanted to see the Bean, and so that was our destination. It was really cool, this giant mirror in the middle of millennium park. It was fun to walk around it and see our earlier reflections with the city buildings behind us. After a stop at Giordano's pizza, we got back in the car and headed towards Nauvoo. After hitting some undefined creature on the way, we pulled over and slept at a rest stop, mum in the hammock (still can't believe she did it) and me on the floor.
The next day, we spent a bit of time in Nauvoo, walking around the town and chatting. Then it was on to Mt. Rushmore. We slept at a rest stop in South Dakota, this time mum in the car and me in the hammock. It was colder than before and a little more depressing! We were both a little grumpy and it took a while to get going. Mum wanted to browse a Walmart but I wanted to get going!
Mt. Rushmore was a lot of fun. Mum loved it. We ate in the town before hitting the road again all the way to Utah. I spent a day or two there before heading out to finish the last leg of the trip solo. I slept out in the Nevada desert in a ditch, away from the road, which was a great and terrible decision. Great because the stars were amazing. I could see the milky way really clearly, clearer than ever. Terrible because I was a little afraid of snakes or something coming into my sleeping bag! But I was so tired that I didn't worry for long.
