traveling on beautiful I-80

heads up, student lifers - you're about to get an amazing postcard in the mail. it's similar to this one, but it makes interstate 80 look even more thrilling. we found this gem at mahoney state park, nebraska's third most visited attraction (the henry doorley zoo is, rightfully, number one and cabela's is, questionably, number two) and the location of a family camping trip this weekend.

the camping was luxurious - the tent had three rooms and was tall enough to stand up in, the fare included some delicious campfire cobbler, and the park featured a mini golf course, paddleboats, and an indoor auditorium. we were treated to a matinee showing of "mr meany goes a-courtin'", which is an intentionally over-the-top experience during which the audience is encouraged to throw popcorn at the villain and cheer whenever the hero enters the room. this is certainly not the kind of camping that we will be doing in new zealand, so we tried to enjoy it while it lasted. our navigational skills were in question, however, when we found ourselves terribly lost somewhere near the one forested trail in the park. i think we discovered a few new species of spider on our way back to civilization.

we spent a good portion of yesterday afternoon planning our meals for the trip in 4-day increments. i'm relieved to have some semblance of a plan in this area, but by our current estimates, we'll be spending upwards of $85 a week on food alone - and backpacking food, at that! once we actually arrive in new zealand, we'll spend some time perusing grocery stores to find out what we can purchase cheaply there, because the budget will certainly not accomodate the current plan.

we'll hop a flight to baltimore on thursday morning to visit my side of the family and spend some time at the outer banks in north carolina. we do have a layover in minneapolis from about 10:30 am-12:45 pm, so give bryan's phone a call (612-865-1643) if you want to meet us for coffee at the starbucks in baggage claim or something. since, you know, none of you work or anything. :)

rachel