And i took the road less traveled...

And let me tell you what a bad idea THAT was!

The whole road trip from hell started out as kind of a cool idea...i don't have the ("are we there yet?") kids with me on this trip back from Iowa, so maybe, just maybe, i could took the little side trip i have always wanted to do and take the side road that hugs the Mississippi river from La Crosse down to Highway 18...no kids griping about how much longer will this take and no husband to point out that we were wasting gas...just me and the dog...(the dog that gets car sick on any trip longer then getting gas at Speedway BUT i had already taken care of that little problem too with vet approved doggie car sick drugs...)

So there we were, me and the dog on a beautiful Wednesday afternoon enjoying the scenic route...well, actually just me as the dog was zonked out...i have a friend who always takes the road less traveled under the idea that there is less traffic and you can drive faster but NOT ME as i was there to ENJOY THE RIDE and what a ride(!)...the hills and beauty of the Mississippi was stunning...there were views that reminded me of coastal southern California...the mist coming off the river and the fishermen bobbing in their boats just a few feet from the cliff i was traveling on...not to mention the hills jutting out of the river--the colors, just past peak but still beautiful...plus, as an extra bonus, the excitement of watching a frusterated driver from Nebraska in a giant 78 Buick try to pass a slow moving hay wagon that was actually doing the speed limit(!) on our two lane road...there were also markers along the way that i would have liked to have slowed down and read (one i saw from the road said "Bad Day" as if a bad day was so rare along this river route someone actually put up a sign to mark the occasion) but there was a big semi on my a$$ that i suspected wasn't on this road to enjoy the scenery so i kept driving...

Somewhere around DeSota the dog woke up and started vomiting and i came back to earth...24 MORE MILES TIL HIGHWAY 18?!!!! Oh my God' i'm never going to get home at this pace...what the heck was i thinking?!! Had i taken the other route i'd be to the Dells by now! From now on, when i have the choice between the road less traveled and the other road, i'm taking the road going 65 mph! ; )