Hello again all,

Obviously it's been awhile since posting, but then again it's been awhile since Kate and I have undertaken a long hike. We're currently stopped in Chicago on our way out to Montana after crushing a 15 hour drive out to the Midwest in the process. Thankfully we have three drivers, which makes the travel a little less punishing and affords some time to look around and enjoy the country. We've lucked out with the weather so far, as aside from a few scattered patches of (admittedly torrential) rain, it's been all big sky and lofty clouds. The drive started off in a familiar fashion as we made our way across Massachusetts and in to New York. Kate had done much of it before while visiting her friend Rikki in upstate NY, and Liz had slogged this way on her many trips to see Wes at Ohio State in Columbus, but the last time I was anywhere near this area was while looking at Ithaca University in high school many moons ago. It's been pretty much everything you'd expect so far from this part of the country at this point; flat farmland, scattered red barns with aluminum silos, carpets of corn and wheat, and the occasional glimpses of the Great Lakes off in the distance. It being 2017, we've been able to delve in to some podcasts on our phones instead of being subjected to endless country music on the radio out here (an experience that might not be as torturous for some inhabitants of the car as it would be for me). Thankfully we have access to the Hardcore History podcast, so we can all learn about an obscure German cult in the 1500s. You know, fun-for-the-whole-family kind of stuff that everyone is obviously interested in.

We hit some traffic in the last leg and elected to stop for dinner before getting to Chicago, sliding in to a restaurant at a golf club just minutes before they closed (my server sensibilities cringe). Thankfully they were gracious and accommodating, and Kate bought the kitchen a round of Jim Beam shots for their troubles. We rolled in to our hotel around 10 p.m. while being treated to some sporadic fireworks, and getting our first peak of the Chicago skyline in the process. It was a long day, but we're looking forward to doing some whirlwind sightseeing and visiting with our brother-in-law Jeremy and his family who live nearby before heading on to South Dakota. Talk to you all later!

Love,

Jeff and Kate