Road Trip: Detroit

On Day 2 of the great adventure, the all-knowing Google doc once again said to leave at 7am. We had a long day of driving, and we needed to make it all the way to Chicago with time for two detours. Since I was in charge this time, I got up at 6:30, took a shower, and then woke Eehern. At 7:15am, we were outside packing the car.

Figure: Miss Outlier runs on time.

 This was Friday morning, and I needed coffee. Well actually, most mornings I need coffee. On Friday mornings in particular, I'm used to World's Best School coffee hour where I get coffee and a donut.

Eehern, as usual, needed nothing.

But we stopped along the highway at a Tim Horton's, which is supposedly a cult favorite. In fact, two World's Best School Coffee Hours have featured Tim Horton's donuts, brought all the way from Rhode Island.

Figure: Forget the donuts, I have COFFEE.

Figure: But the donuts were delicious too. I had two. 

 I'd like to point out here that along the ENITRE trip, we hardly went an hour without seeing construction. I know summer is known for road construction, but seriously it was ridiculous.

Figure: Orange cones, orange cones everywhere

 Along the way we noticed the beloved Subaru had a home even here, in the middle of random Canada.

And I noticed a store for shopping, not available in Boston. :)

Figure: I asked if we could stop, and Eehern said "Go for it!" So we did.

 I took entirely too long to shop, but again Eehern was a gentleman and didn't complain. I checked out with a new shirt, and I went to find him.

I looked.

I walked around.

I peered over the racks.

I checked outside.

I walked around again.

I had lost Eehern, in a foreign country. I didn't have my phone. And then I recalled when Eehern and I had spent a week in London. I also went shopping there (and again, took entirely too long. It's a vice. I'm sorry.) And AGAIN when I came out of the store in England, Eehern was nowhere to be found. And my phone didn't work. In  London, after I exhausted all my options I ended up sitting forlornly on a bench on the side of the road, waiting for him to come back. In Canada, I stood in the front of the store until he showed up.

I think he just likes to lose me. But he can't be tired of me yet, it's only the second day!

We continued on, heading toward the border. This time we had our story straight - Eehern was ready for the "So what do you have in your car?" question. Tough stuff, those customs agents.... :)

Figure: But it was not to be.

 Instead, we got stuck in traffic. We CRAWLED forward. We could see that waaaaay up ahead was a bridge, and we assumed that customs (and freedom) lay across that bridge.

But with that vision dancing ahead, we were painfully starting and stopping our way down the road. Half an hour. An hour.

I was getting bored. My legs needed to stretch. I wanted lunch.

Figure: Not getting anywhere anytime soon.

Eehern needed nothing.

And hour and a half, and still more of the scooting forward.

I was cramped and impatient.

Figure: I had run out of my road trip drink.

And finally - FINALLY - we found something that made Eehern ruffled.

He was watching the idle RPMs on the dashboard. Wasn't much else to do, really. And the idle RPMs were high - something like 2.5. And then they would wiggle. And then go down. And then go up. And then down.

Figure: It's the middle of the bridge, and Eehern is freaking out about the RPMs.

 He got so worried about the situation, he called up the Cambridge Subaru dealership.

"Hi," he says, "I have a question."

"Go ahead," says the cheery woman on the other end.

"Well," Eehern begins, "I'm wondering what the normal idle RPM speed is for my car. It's shooting up to 2.5, and then whizzing down to 1, and then jumping all around. And I really just want to know if that's normal."

The lady, trying to be helpful, replies, "Well sir I don't really know, it's not my area, but I don't think that's normal, and you should bring it into the dealer."

*facepalm* Lady, don't you know that now we are going to be worrying about this for an entire two week trip...? We spent TWO HOURS in traffic. As we were waiting the final last bit, which seemed forever, and I was hungry, and I needed to stretch, and I needed a bathroom break, I thought "We are never getting to America!"

But thankfully, we did. Next stop - Sonic!

Figure: Ah, road trip drink.

 Sonic is a nostalgic favorite of mine from Oklahoma. It's a drive-in restaurant, where you order from your window and the carhop brings your food out. I love it. I love the Supersonic breakfast burrito, the Chicken club toaster, and ESPECIALLY the Sonic Cherry Limeade.

We even got there during Happy Hour with half price drinks. I ordered my favorite combo, with tater tots, and even Eehern got a cherry limeade.

I practically inhaled my food, as it was like 2 or 3pm and I hadn't eaten.

As I was chowing down, I heard, "Um...." said Eehern, "Would you mind putting your tater tots on a napkin?"

I paused in the midst of chewing and glanced up. My tater tots were sitting in a cardboard fries container on the dashboard. I had my lap covered with a napkin. Seriously, man? Put a napkin on the dash under the already contained tater tots?

Okay, sure....

I finished, and asked Eehern how his meal was.

Picking at his sandwich, he confessed, "I'm not much a fan of eating in the car."

Laugh! Alright, I get it. :) No more eating in the car. It really didn't bother me, I just didn't realize.

When it comes to idle RPMs and fries on the dash, you don't mess with Eehern! :)