miles to go before i sleep

Notes on helping my sister move from Fort Collins to Green Bay...

Wednesday: Flew out to Denver on ATA. Easy flight. When we landed, there was a rainbow past the eastern edge of the airport, which I could see from one end to the other. I took that as a good omen for the days ahead.
Found Michele and headed back to Fort Collins. Her place was mostly packed up, so we went out to Beau Jo's, the only good pizza place in town. Honey garlic cheese bread appetizer! Yum.
Michele was a little worried about leaving behind all of her wonderful Colorado breweries (New Belgium especially), so I had to convince her that she will still be able to find good beer in Wisconsin.
Eventually joined by her friend C; after dinner hit the Rio for one of their famous margaritas. Then off to a favorite dive bar (where a cool pint glass was liberated as a souvenir) for a little while (the jukebox was frightening; why must Jimmy Buffett exist?) then back home to sleep.
Next day, Michele's car having been loaded full of plants (a rolling greenhouse) up onto the trailer it went. Finished packing up the truck and hit the road.
Soon, Nebraska. And more Nebraska. Tra la la, Nebraska. Not enough cars on the road to play silly license plate games, Nebraska. 37th state admitted into the union, Nebraska. Arbor day began in Nebraska, which is simply astonishing, considering that there seem to be so few trees, at least along route 80, and yes, we are still, still, persistently in, wait, we are almost passing near Lincoln, originally Lancaster, almost done, and what else can I say about: Nebraska. (Good luck with this one, Sufjan Stevens).
Eventually we hit the Days Inn near Des Moines. Ah, sleep.
Early start for Friday. By the time we hit Green Bay around 3:00 p.m., the truck will have burned through about $350 worth of gas.
3 hours later, the truck is unloaded, the tow hitch is reattached to the truck (after a bit of struggling and cursing), the greenhouse has been emptied out, and the fish that rode in the truck cab the whole way is now on more solid ground (so to speak). Michele and I bickered a lot more than I would have expected, but she's stressed out over the whole ordeal and I'm just tired.
Green Bay is, in fact, very green. In the spots where it is not an industrialized slab, anyway.
Saturday, the apartment starts looking less like a collection of boxes and more like an actual home. We head out in search of some decent coffee (I am going through caffeine withdrawl and wake up with an awful headache. Michele explains the physiological effects, something to do with arterial constriction, but I don't remember her explanation very well because my head was pounding and there was no aspirin at hand). We drive from one end of the city to the other in about 20 minutes, stopping at a drive thru Starbucks (ugh) and spotting a promising brew-pub during the excursion; by the time we get back to her place Mom and Dad are sitting there waiting for us. More unpacking and setting up, and eventually we hit the aforementioned Titletown Brewing Company for lunch. Eventually, back in the car and headed home; it has been a long few days.