3300km later... we made it back home safely. 

We passed through temperate jungles, plantations of pine, rows and rows of grapes and other crops. We then sped by Santiago, and into the wild yellow desert. With mountains all around us, we headed for the coast where we would stay for the next two weeks. Traversing much of Chile's western border with the great Pacific, our target of interest was to be found on the rocky shores lining so much the coast. 

More stories to come...

This past weekend we went to Argentina!

We loaded up two cars with ten people spanning the age range of 6 - 60 including four nationalities: Chilean, Colombian, USA, and Polish! Argentina is actually closer to us than is Santiago, so we thought it might be nice to take a three day weekend to see another country.  We had a great time with great people, though the trip was not without its difficulties...

More on that soon.  Here are a few photos leaving Chile.

I have not disappeared!  

Its been awhile since I've been around these parts, virtually speaking, but I'm still alive and well despite the uphill climb that is life.  Pablo and I have been busy working, adventuring, road tripping, drinking lots of wine in some of Chile's famous vineyards, walking cats on leashes, and making pies.  so. many. pies.  I hope to relay more stories of all of that in the near future.  Hope all is well in your neck of the woods.

The midwest can be bleak in winter.  The cornfields have been plowed under, the leaves have fallen off  of the trees and its cold.  Really cold.  We hurry from house to car to building to car to house without hardly taking a breath outside because its cold and dismal.  Seasonal depression is common.  So much so that it can induce hibernation, melancholy, general unfriendliness... or... the stealing of rice cookers.

But, luckily, for those traveling through Indiana, there's Elwood.  The center of Hoosierville.  Alight in all its glory.  Urging us all to twinkle through the muck.

chicken n' biscuits

Midwest Roadtrip appendix...

Sorry, about that, I said that the series on the Midwest Roadtrip was finished, but I just found these photos on my camera and I couldn't help but share them.  I am salivating right now.  I treated Pablo to a chicken dinner on our drive home to Indy from Chicago.  Sometimes all you need to make you happy is fried chicken.  mashed taters.  gravy.  mac n' cheese.  slaw.  and golden corn bread.  Good for the end of a roadtrip, great anytime.

I wish you a happy fried chicken kind of day :)

Midwest Roadtrip Finale

I just love those Heads, don't you?

We had a lot of fun in Chicago.  Before departing the city, we wandered around Millennium Park, watched the kids play in the fountains, and then made our way up Michigan Avenue.  We crossed the river and took in the refreshing lake breezes.  It is funny how that lake wind feels nice and cool and crisp in comparison to the salty, humid breeze that comes from the ocean (perhaps I will always be more of a lake girl).  When our legs felt like they had enough wandering around, we wandered some more and then we looked at our time-keeping-devices and found that we were late in meeting up with our friends!  So, we pushed it into high gear and more or less ran to Navy Pier where among the thousands of people, we finally found the boys.  Luckily, we were not too late and we were still able to catch a viewing of Shrek at the Shakespeare Theater.  Nothing like a bunch of over-educated nerds sitting amongst 200 first-graders and laughing our heads off at that Donkey.

Thanks Chicago for being so fabulous.

and then...

...we crossed the Mississippi.  It was and is, extraordinary.  From Faulkner to Zeppelin, this mighty river has been idolized by man since the beginning of time.  It separates east from west, befuddles first-graders (and Colombians) in spelling bees, and it is the drain pipe of North America.  Its kinda a big deal.  

And we drove over it.  With slight headaches and dehydration following our night of libations, we set forth from Madison to Rochester, Minnesota to visit some of Pablo's friends.  Unfortunately, I took a total of zero photos while we were in Minnesota.  Something about traveling to a previously unseen Midwestern town and speaking nothing but spanish seemed to consume all of my concentration.  So, sorry for the lack of visual pleasuring, just know that we had a fun time with gente querida, y las arepas con quesito eran muy sabrosas.  Divino, divino.

Midwest Roadtrip IV

Where things start to get fuzzy...

You know those friends, the ones that you can go five years without seeing, and then hang out with them again and it is like you saw each other yesterday?  I just love that.

We saddled up on some borrowed bikes and headed downtown to the water front.  We got some buckets of beer and bratwursts with sauerkraut while we watched live bluegrass music on the Terrace.  We laughed and caught up on each others' lives and remembered the good times we had once upon a time in a far-away jungle.  After the sun had set and we watched a woman rock out on the drums, we hopped back on our bikes to pedal back home.  Swerving our way up State St. we stopped for a local delicacy.  With noodles on top and crust on the bottom, that macaroni and cheese pizza couldn't have been better.  We had an awesome time and can't wait to go back, hopefully one day to the cabin up north!

Thanks guys for all the fun!  Sulls, Liz, next time you're coming too!