Wanderlust

Today I woke up in Wisconsin. There’s cheese here.

We left Austin at 7:05 PM, a day and a half later than we intended. Pausing only for a two-hour nap in the minivan at a rest stop along the Kansas toll road, we kept on keepin’ on, arriving 24 hours later. That’s an epic trip.

It begrudged me to drive through Kansas City without stopping, but I managed to ignore the siren’s call.

So I’m here in La Crosse, Wisconsin. We met our roommate for the month in our shared cabin, which is more like a Hobbit hole. It’s compact to the point of being claustrophobic, but it’s a truly cozy place. I like wood. Wood is good. I like it, despite being a tiny place built for Halflings. I even packed some scented candles for full ambience—spice cake, hazelnut cream, and banana nut bread. If it wasn’t a Hobbit hole before, it is now. Cinnamon spice tea, anyone?

The town is pretty cozy, too. Actually, you know what it reminds me of? Parkville, Missouri. Steepled churches on small mountains, shady parks, trails, warm shops… just a charming riverside town. I’m blogging from a coffee shop downtown, which gives me an impression of what St. Charles might be if it weren’t evil. My first impression of La Crosse, WI is a good one. Don’t get me wrong—I’m sure I’ll despise all the people within a week, but for now the town is nice.

That was a joke.

It is so much more comfortable this far north this time of year. Texas was starting to wear on me, and it’s only the first day of summer! I’m so screwed in August when I go back. But here, it’s like a cooler, tamer Missouri. The flora here resemble that of Missouri more than Texas, so it’s not really an exotic location or anything. It’s just comfortable. I can’t say I’d like it in the winter, though.

I am going to go exploring for a little while before lunch. Naturally, I will be sporting my Cardinals cap. I have to, to make up for the TX license plates, you see. I wouldn’t want people getting the wrong idea.

America is such a vast and diverse land that we should really make it a point to see every state in all its beauty (except Oklahoma, of course).

I want to see more. More, more, more.

”I want to see mountains, Gandalf!”