"Didn't really feel that long at all."

Iowa

We had been seeing Taco John's signs for hundreds of miles at this point so when it was time to get lunch we decided we'd give the West-Mex fast food chain a chance. Both of us were impressed, he gave it a 7/10 if Taco Bell is a 6/10. Now we have a different fast food taco for every part of the country: Taco Bell in the midwest, Taco Johns's in the middle of the country, and Jack in the Box out west (he clarified that Jack in the Box is still the undisputed champ.)

Illinois

Started to feel like we were driving through our home state. This is most likely because they look very similar, but I like to think it's because my mom is from here and some of the nostalgia she feels for her home was passed down to me.

Indiana

Only drove through for a few miles. Sorry Indiana, I've got nothing.

Michigan

Best state ever! Everything is awesome! Why did we ever leave God's gift to the world in the first place!? Look at that magnificent sunset over Lake Michigan! Look, everyone is waving to us as we drive by! Everybody loves everybody here!

It was time to start looking for a place to eat dinner and I was getting sick of fast food chains so I scoped out a restaurant along Lake Michigan to provide us with a much healthier meal: pizza. This place had above a 95% rating on Yelp, UrbanSpoon, and Google. The view of the sunset reflecting off the ice and snow on the lake was stunning, and reading through reviews of the "best pizza in Sourhwest Michigan" was making my mouth water. We ended up eating Pizza Hut instead.

There was a line out the door and Mr. Kowalski had his very own "San Jose International Airport moment" in the parking lot, so we decided it wasn't worth it and settled on Pizza Hut. Apparently their signs don't even say "Pizza Hut" anymore so we unknowingly drove past "Wing Street" the first time. I don't understand.

After dinner we just had a three-hour drive left to the cottage, so it felt like a normal trip up north. We saw snow for the first time on our trip, but the roads continued to stay clear the whole way. We were truly lucky not to run into any bad weather considering what a crazy winter this has been. We both commented on how the trip "didn't really feel that long at all." We did a great job of splitting the driving time and having a good partner always makes hard times bearable. There's a couple feet of snow in Harrison, and one of us tumbled face first into it on our walk to the door. We started the trip with an embarrassment and we ended the trip with an embarrassment. How perfect.

So this is where we part. Thanks for coming along for the ride, readers. This has been fun for me, but I think my blogging days are over. I hope my dad enjoys it as much as you all have, I love him very much and I feel lucky to be able to spend this time with him.

Time for the big reveal...