Road Food

No, we didn't eat them.

The 1,400 Mile Journey

The beginning of my Utah adventure took place in a 16' Penske truck. Fortunately my friend, Heather, was with me as we figured out how to unhook and secure the car carrier from the back without the use of instructions or help from men. Talk about some self-sufficient women! :)

Later we loaded my life into the truck, my Mini onto the back and the cat & dog into the cab. After a few curb checks, fights with the cat and a stockpile of grasshopper cookies, Brian and I headed off for Utah.

Day one – Chicago to Omaha
I blame the western Illinois landscape for our consumption of an entire box of grasshopper cookies in an hour. Is that fair? So we experienced clouds all day, post-storm black ice in Iowa, about 30 cars off the road with 10 semis overturned and Subway for lunch. After our second stop for fuel, the check engine light came on. Awesome. We're either going to roll on some black ice and die, or the Mini will be our only method of escape when the truck dies. We arrived in Omaha around 10:30p to find only Perkins open for dinner. Uhh... carryout burgers.

Day two — Omaha to Cheyenne
Much earlier start. Only 11 cars and 3 semis off the road today. Nothing better to start the day than some country gospel. Why can't I play Minor Threat in the Penske? Stopped at a Flying J to fuel up, get some pizza and hopefully find an iTrip... no luck on the iTrip. Just a nice Nebraska man with a glass eye and a preference for the CB radio. But we did find some naked lady trucker stickers which seemed to help the Penske forget its engine troubles. In the evening we found ourselves in Cheyenne. During a lovely dinner at the Outback steakhouse with our "Australian" waiter, we heard a little trucker talk.

Day three —Cheyenne to SLC
While fueling up in Cheyenne, Brian tried to decode trucker talk... no luck. Maybe later. Just outside of Cheyenne was one of the more beautiful places I've ever been. Hope to return soon and share pics. Lots of high winds this day. Saw a school bus with a sign from Lee's Summit, MO — how small the world is sometimes. Stopped in Elk Mountain, WY at the scariest and most amazing gas station ever... so much so, Syd wouldn't even get out of the truck. Only stop for 46 miles but they had amazing trucker hats! After 200 miles of Little America billboards and a decision not to fill the truck cab with a vat of 49¢ ice cream cones, we made it to SLC. Someday I'll tell you about the last 30 miles. :)

Friends & Laundry & Parties

As I think back, I realize I have moved nine times in the last 10 years. It's not necessarily something I'm proud of but it's safe to say I've become pretty well versed in the activities surrounding a move...

I know exactly how much I can cram into a box and still carry it. I can shut off old and set up new utilities in a matter of 30 minutes or so. I can disassemble and reassemble all of my furniture and easily remember what hardware goes with what piece. I'm comfortable driving a 16' truck. And, in general, moving half way across the country in a matter of three weeks gives me relatively little anxiety. Yes, all of this makes me a little weird.

But when it comes to upsetting the balance of either my friends, or my laundry... I'm a mess.

Ok so the laundry part seems a little superficial, and it is, but somehow it always plays a big part in my moves. We'll get back to that. As for the friends... How many times can I see them before I leave? Will they visit? How can I make sure my place is ready for them and enticing? (smile) Do they believe me when I say I would let them show up with an hour's notice? Do they understand my willingness to live in a new city, a new state, doesn't mean I'll miss them any less?

And why does everyone always volunteer to help pack and move? Don't they know what they're in for...

So during the packing but prior to the move, we had plenty of fun. I was able to meet one of my best friends, Christy, in Galena, IL just a couple of weeks before the move. We had lunch and did a little shopping. A few hours wasn't nearly enough time but seeing her was great... she completely renewed my strength and spirit :) Thanks CB. When will I make it back to KC to see her? Hopefully soon. Sigh.

When I told my Chi town friends I was moving, I was booed and my name was reduced "Utah" (all in good fun of course). I think my Ram friends had five or six going aways for me... Sushi & bowling, plenty of time at booth 61, a hilarious evening at Rocky's. Wow I'm really missing them. I hope somebody drank the Guinness and Chimay! I must have said goodbye to some of them 15 times and each one was a little more difficult.

Speaking of difficult, back to the laundry. So, anyone who has ever helped me move (and there have been many of you by now) know that my washer and dryer are both important to me, and a serious pain. I won't bore everyone with the details, but I just have to say "thank you" to Kevin, Rich and Brian for this particular move. Kevin, I hope your back is ok. Rich, thanks for climbing on top of and behind that crap! Brian, so good you know how to make a non-magnetic screw driver magnetic...

So I've included a few pictures here... there are so many people missing and they don't even come close to telling how important you all are to me. Just know you have a place to stay in Utah! Much love my friends. Hope to see you all soon :)

The Wild, Wild West

It is one week before Thanksgiving 2009 and I am flying over eastern Utah. I look out the window to see one winding road surrounded by endless red desert. After a few minutes, patches of white soil appear and I think we must be getting close. Wrong.

40 minutes pass and I still see one winding road surrounded by nothing. A lot of it. Vast nothing really. And we're moving at, what... 400 mph? And then there are mountains.

I can't help but feel both excitement and anxiety. Friends Brian and Shoko have asked me out to discuss a studio manager position at BPD Studios, their commercial photography studio, in beautiful but distant Salt Lake City.

I think about the possibility of following that road — in winter — in the Mini Cooper. Yikes! Now imagine it packed with Syd, Otto, the Mac and the plants on a 1,400 mile journey from Chi town to Salt Lake City. Wait... we just did this. Except it was 400 miles from Kansas City to Chicago and it still took nine hours.

Well, whatever. I'll check it out but I'm not making any promises. Utah? Sure it's clean, and safe, and it must be pretty. But what about the Mormons? And the salt? And all that desert? And Shoko did say to steer clear of apartments next to the prison. (Don't worry KC people... it's minimum security. Nothing like Leavenworth.)

After far too much time to contemplate Utah and it's potential shortcomings, my flight lands. Within 15 minutes, I've picked up my bag, exited the airport (as efficient as KCI) and assistant Cate is driving me to the studio.

Just as I'm thinking about how amazing it is to be completely surrounded by mountains, she talks about her internship in New York and how much she missed not having them.

We park at the studio just a few feet from a herd of long horn cattle. Seriously? Where is the Marlboro man? He must be around here somewhere. Even in early, pre-snow winter the purplish mountains are beautiful. Enough so that, for a minute, I forget about going inside to see my old friend, Brian.

Then I step inside the studio to a whole new kind of Utah Zen — beautiful, natural light; more vast, open space; 27" iMacs everywhere; giant soft boxes; ahhh... cameras!!! And a prop room filled with anthropologie-esque amazingness. Could it get any better? Happiness.

As I talk with Brian and get to know his staff — Claudia, Reed and Cate — my anxiety about foreign Utah fades a bit... Agency clients, catalog clients, art & design education, growing the business, skiing/boarding on Sundays, art films, Family Guy, Facebook funnies, hang gliding, camping, hiking, hospitality of Utah locals, diverse landscapes and endless places to explore.

I'm so happy to watch the sun set from the studio windows. Is there any better way to end the day? So we head into SLC (about 20 minutes) to meet Shoko! Dinner at local microbrewery, Squatters (yum), and plenty of great conversation about SLC culture and business.

On Friday, Shoko gave me the complete driving tour of neighborhoods in the valley and eclectic shops & streets downtown. In the evening, we all headed to Bob's place (Sundance) for an amazing dinner and some... uh... interesting ska/reggae music and hippie dancing at the bar next door :) Saturday was a tour of Park City, great brunch and a little shopping before heading back to Chi town.

I actually had to leave and process for a couple of days. Would I feel the same way about Utah when I left? Was the calm I felt altitude sickness or a result of true, mellow Utah? Would Brian and Shoko send me back to the midwest for good after a full four days of exposure?

Fortunately it all seems to be working out! :) In just under two weeks, I will be a happy new resident of Herriman, Utah and a real employee at BPD Studios. Thanks Brian & Shoko!

I look forward to keeping you all updated on the new adventures and experiences. Some of which may include:

• Penske and Cornnuts
• Hippie music
• Weekend expeditions
• Gary Coleman's house
• Agency and business life in SLC
• Local cuisine
• Remedial outdoor winter sports by yours truly
• Local beverages
• Bootlegging
• Local skiing/boarding/fur fashions
• Name that critter
• The frequency of Google maps satellite photo updates
• Crazy herding dogs
• Driving in real snow
• Is that for kids or prisoners?
• Half size or full size
• Polygamy compounds
• The very still Salt Lake
• Brine shrimp
• Friend or homework?
• Utah facial hair
• ...And hopefully a few photo updates along the way :)