1500 miles (boots)

I have a question: What actually connects Chicago with the small town of Forest City in Iowa? That's right - absolutely nothing! Except for the fact that it's a pain to get from one place to another. It takes a 9-hour extremely uncomfortable bus ride, a bus driver who obviously enjoys his job and his announcements, and a private individual named Earl that we found on the internet who will take you the last 30 kilometers for a fee.

Why am I telling you this? We decided to rent a motorhome for the next 3 weeks and drive from Forest City to Los Angeles.

So after we finally arrived and got through all the paperwork and orientation for the motorhome, we were ready to go. The only question remaining is whether I can stand being with Sascha in such a small space for so long without wanting to strangle him (he probably thought the same when we made the decision 😄)...

Our first stop was the Walmart in Sioux City, Iowa. We stocked up there on the most delicious things that America has to offer: bread, cheese, sausages, ketchup, chips, ramen noodles, and, as the saying goes, saving the best for last, Froot Loops. As expected from Americans, only healthy things. To supplement our balanced diet, we will do 300 push-ups every day for the 3 weeks that we have the motorhome, to show the beachgoers at Malibu Beach what a toned body looks like. 😀

However, when we wanted to bring the stuff from the store to the motorhome, it suddenly started raining heavily. So it was the perfect opportunity for me to cool down Sascha, who was probably still thinking about all the pretty women in Chicago. I locked him out of the motorhome and left him standing in the rain. Am I not a good brother? 😄

In the end, he wasn't mad at me because we hadn't eaten anything for more than 24 hours, and the feeling of hunger overshadowed everything else.

The next few days were less exciting. We drove a lot and made relatively quick progress, thanks to the fact that Iowa and Nebraska (unfortunately, Penny was not to be found) have absolutely nothing to offer except for cattle farms and lots of agricultural land. Finding a parking spot for the night outside the interstates was more exciting with our 'Minnie Winnie', as it is lovingly called. It is not easy to find a place to stay overnight, as it is often forbidden.

It only became much more exciting when we were halfway through Co(w)lorado. Denver, home of the Broncos, is the beautiful city that lay before us in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains. However, due to the heat and our lack of plans, we decided to watch the second game of the NBA Finals in a bar with a cold beer. Just an hour in a foreign city and my dear brother started only caring about women again. I was a bit surprised, though, when two American women left the bar and said goodbye to Sascha. It must be because of the magic helmet he wears on his head. 😄 (At our place, long hairstyles are lovingly called helmet hairstyles)...

Anyway, visiting the bar turned out to be a mistake, as we discovered during an evening stroll through the city that there must have been a street festival during the day. Well, you can't have it all... So we settled for a half-day trip to Denver and continued heading west.

The shortest way there took us through the Rocky Mountains. They offered us fascinating panoramas and views, whether it be snow-covered peaks, steep cliffs of bizarre rock formations, or mountains covered in huge forests. There was an even more breathtaking view behind every turn, and that's why this part is one of my highlights so far. We stopped a few times to take a break from driving or simply enjoy the nature. For one day, we also went hiking and climbing on our own. While climbing the mountains and the Palisade Canyon in Colorado, we repeatedly heard a kind of cannon that strongly reminded us of "The Hunger Games". Anyone who knows the movie knows that the sound of the cannon doesn't mean anything good. Sascha actually thought that we were going to die somewhere there, but fortunately, our (imaginary) cannon remained silent. However, we couldn't prevent the sunburn that we both got... 😄

Currently, we are in Nevada, about 100 miles away from Las Vegas. The state of gambling is already having its effect on us, and so, somewhat impulsively, we started playing solitaire. The stakes? Our own hair. But see for yourself what happened to my hair...

In summary, we can say that our second week was also one of the quieter ones. We drove a lot, saw a lot of America's nature, and still have a lot of desire for much more...

In this sense...

See you soon

Tim (Max) & Struppi (Sascha)