How I Prep For A Long Drive + What’s So Great About Omaha, Nebraska!?

Blog posts are a few months out from where I am currently. Please check out Instagram (@wtfveganfood), Facebook, and Twitter for day-to-day news.

Written September 23, 2012

It’s really cool (literally) how just a few miles this way or that can mean a huge difference in temperature change. I had to break out the sleeping bag (again) last night while settling in on a side street in Kansas City, MO. According to my phone it was about 45 degrees at around 10:30PM. I dosed up on the codeine-laced cough syrup and curled up with two pillows, the sleeping bag and another blanket for good measure.

This morning I threw on some jeans for the first time in months. I had been skirting (literally.. haha.. okay, okay) around wearing jeans or pants, only dresses or shorts for so long that it was almost unnatural to put on a proper pair of pants. Something else that felt unnatural was how tight they seemed. Eesh! Yes. This eating, writing, driving lifestyle is catching up with me. I’ve noticed my body changing and my jeans ensure it’s true. ::sigh:: I should probably cut back on the sweets. Or attempt to incorporate some exercise while on the road. Perhaps both. Regardless, I can see it in my face and elsewhere. Blergh!

I walked a few blocks to Mud Pie – I really love this place – and ordered a “sausage and cheese” scone along with a cup of water. I took my breakfast upstairs and started in on one of the first Ohio blog posts. I made a promise to myself that I wouldn’t start driving until I published a new blog post. So, I wrote and wrote, and re-wrote, and edited until about 1PM when I finally felt satisfied enough to publish and share the post via Twitter and Facebook. While I was writing I realized that even I was getting bored with the style of posts that are going out. I really hope y’all like these new diary-style posts. I’m enjoying them and they’re keeping me from getting even more behind, which is a nice plus. :)

 

Another blog post done! Woohoo! Each one feels like  a small victory. :) I walked back to the van, opened up the blinds, set up the GPS, plugged in the inverter to charge my phone, set out my earbuds in case someone calls while I’m riving, put a snack within reach, started up the Stuff You Should Know podcast by How Stuff Works, and hit the road for Omaha, Nebraska.

Omaha wasn’t originally part of the game plan but truth be told I’m not good at driving long distances. It doesn’t help that just last week the cruise control feature on the van stopped working all together. I have no idea how or why this would happen. But it did. I guess in a way it’s good because I have to pay a bit more attention to the road, but in general I’ve always disliked driving more than a few hours. For this road trip I think the longest I went was something like eight hours. But I mostly keep it to three to five hours. I also don’t like driving at night so that’s a bit limiting as well. Anyway, by the time I left Kansas City it was after 1PM so I decided to stop in Omaha because a) I’ve never been, b) I found a local vegan group here (at least their website anyway), and c) the incredible Isa Moskowitz lives here. I was hoping to connect with her and/or some other vegans but my attempts at doing so were unsuccessful. That’s okay, I’m leaving here tomorrow so it was all very short notice.

I stopped a couple of times for gas and water refills and arrived in Omaha just after 5PM. Based on what I saw on Vegan Omaha’s Facebook page I decided to have dinner at Crystal Jade.

I love the way they prepare the tofu here, it’s more popped, light, and crispy rather than fried and heavy. My dish had steamed white rice with mock duck and tofu, carrots, peas shoots, and broccoli in a brown sauce. This dish also came with a salad appetizer but I found a hair in it so decided to skip that one. But the main meal was quite satisfying.

After dinner I went to Whole Foods to re-stock some of my road trip supplies and then headed to a Walmart parking lot for the night. I’m hoping to find an Internet Cafe around here tomorrow morning, write the blog post on Columbus, OH and then begin the trek to the Badlands National Park. I’ve never been…I’m so excited!! :)