I'm outta here…

I very obviously love Chicago. The diversity of events and environments suits almost every conceivable mood. But sometimes, gasp, even I need to get out of town.

My friend Kenny is moving to Montana. When he invited me to make a road trip of it, I jumped at the chance. How many opportunities will I have to explore the Wild West in a beat up Jeep Wrangler while eating trout caught that morning by a (former) competitive fisherman and prepared with freshly foraged mushrooms by a (current) fine dining chef?

Wait a minute – last week I brought him to a fancy resort with room service and a jacuzzi tub and he wants me to schlop through the wilderness and be eaten by bugs while starting a fire with two sticks? Harumph.

Ah well, I may be a city gal now, but one of my favorite childhood memories is camping the summer before my freshman year in Colorado, hiking with my sleeping bag and pitching a tent and showering under a waterfall. Twenty+ years later (ouch that’s hard to write!) I get to do it again, but with a digital camera and a laptop, so I’ll be blogging along the way. I’ll also have my 35mm SLR camera. While he’s fishing, I’ll be shooting.

We’ll be leaving Sunday evening, making a straight shot to Denver, and then spending the next 10 days exploring Colorado, Utah, Idaho, and Montana. I’ve marked out our planned destinations below.

Now I need your help. I need a name for this road trip. Something fun and catchy. Email me your suggestions by Friday, August 31. I’ll give the author of the selected title an 8×10 of his/her choosing, either from the Chicago photos, or from any taken on this fantastic journey I’m embarking on.

Click on the markers to see where we’re going, and you can click and grab the map to move it around.

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While I’m gone, TLT must go on. My great friend Teresa Hill is going to be in charge of the newsletter and will be on top of the band of the week and the trivia contest. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!