August 6 - Great Eastern Tour Day 21

Miles travelled: 576.9
Milkshakes: 1
Total trip mileage: 2, 556.3

8:47 a.m. - Drag myself out of bed for a quick shower. Breakfast is supposed to be at 9, but it looks like godfather is the only other person up so far.

9:25 a.m. - Scrambled eggs and cheese, marble bagels, canteloupe and apples for breakfast. By far the best morning meal of the trip. Conversation is equally as enjoyable, putting me in no hurry to leave.

10:23 p.m. - On the road for the last big haul. Try not to think about how many hours of driving are ahead of me.

1:45 p.m. - Pull into a Burger King drive-thru for lunch. When ordering 4 chicken tenders for $1, I expected them to be bigger.

2:56/1:56 p.m. - Back in central time zone. Gained an hour of unpacking time, but at the moment it feels like an extra hour of driving time.

2:22 p.m. - Desperately need a chocolate milkshake. Want to make pit stop twice as productive by also getting gas. Filling up now should keep me from having to stop again before arriving at the apartment. Walk into the world's oldest McDonald's for milkshake. Take the car across the street for gas, and audibly shout when I see the price: $3.19 a gallon. Put just 2 gallons in the car and vow to never stop for gas in Illinois again.

3:13 p.m. - In need of human interaction. Attempt to call people. Wake up the nurse in Arizona. "Go back to sleep," is the extent of conversation. Stick in Rent and settle for singing along.

4:37 p.m. - Roll down the windows to get some air flow. Instantly regret it. The air is thick with heat and humidity, nearly suffocating me. Should have paid closer attention when Mom was talking about Missouri's temperatures.

5:18 p.m. - Stop for gas just short of Columbia. Curse the weather of this state, and actually miss Rochester weather.

5:34 p.m. - Pull into the same parking space the car vacated 3 weeks ago. Gift bag from Grandma splits at the bottom as I am carrying all of the random bags upstairs. By a stroke of brilliant luck the coffee mugs that fall out do not break. Retrieve mugs and continue with the unpacking. Lug the overburdened suitcase up the stairs last. Cats greet me at the door and follow me around the apartment throughout the unpacking process. Welcome home.