Unexpected Delights? We hope!

So, I thought over the next number of posts, as we wait our trip's start, I would talk about some of our expectations of the trip.

I guess the main expectation is getting the 3 of us, our car and our rats (yes, they are traveling with us!) across the country. If we get that accomplished, and we're still in tact as a family, we'll have achieved the most basic objective! Beyond that, we really want to get a sense of the country -- seeing it as we drive.

Of course, there are some spots that are amazing destinations -- destinations that most Americans would love to see (Yellowstone comes first to mind). But then there are some spots that I am pretty interested to see. Maybe I'll end up being disappointed, but I'm hoping not.

Places like Wisconsin -- visit to a cheese factory and the very beautiful geology of the Wisconsin Dells. I've actually done that trip in my college days and it was very fun.

And perhaps the most intriguing to me of the "non-destination" stops is Winnemucca, Nevada. Winnemucca is this western town which is supposed to have a significant Basque population, and has Basque restaurants, etc. Even the hotel we chose is owned by Basque people, who came over to America during Franco's reign and decided to stay. They have decorated the hotel with items from their people's history, and supposedly are glad to talk about their culture.

One restaurant has been mentioned on a few websites as one of the best Basque restaurants in the country, and we do love to adventure with food!

If you can believe it, for $68, the hotel gives you a room with two queen beds,refrigerator, microwave, wireless internet, and a pool. Maybe we shouldn't have bought a house in Berkeley, and just lived there!

As we write these posts, please feel free to comment if you have any ideas we should be aware of, or know anything we "shouldn't miss" as we go on the trip.