49 by 29: July 9 - Goodbye to roughing it (sad face), hello to an old friend (happy face)

Coffee:
-Camp coffee at our camp site in West Virginia
-House blend with cream at the Blue Moose Cafe in Morgantown, West Virginia. Good coffee. Great atmosphere. Stepping into the Blue Moose is like stepping back into the '90s. There is spiked hair. There is flannel. There is grunge music. And there is that "Dude, whatever, let's just jam out in the garage" attitude. I miss the '90s.

From the journal:
After striking camp (for possibly the last time...sad face), we drove to Morgantown, West Virginia, and chilled for a couple hours at the Blue Moose Cafe. It was a great little coffeehouse and diner with eclectic tables, worn chairs, funky art, funky baristas, funky customers... I was not expecting this city to have such a '90s grunge feel. Haha. I love it when places surprise me!

Speaking of surprises, I was surprised by how much I didn't like Asheville, North Carolina. I had heard such amazing things about it, too. Perhaps I didn't give it enough time, but its first impression was far too yuppie-hippie-snooty-Boulder,CO-ish for me. As much as I love coffee shops, boutiques, and art galleries, I'm still a Wyoming girl at heart. If a city looks down its nose at people, it's not the place for me.

Isn't it interesting how towns and cities have personality? And how we can like or dislike that personality just as if it were human?

Anyway, we are currently driving through southwest Pennsylvania on our way to Pittsburgh. I am loving the old stone houses and the fields of wildflowers. I honestly thought I'd be tired of driving by this point in the trip, but I'm not! The company is still grand, and the road is just fine.

We stopped south of Pittsburgh to have lunch with Jeremy's best friend's mother-in-law. Bonnie and Chris made us some fantastic paninis, served with fruit and wine and Italian candy. What lovely folk to feed us so well with such little notice of our arrival.

After getting stuck in a tunnel for 20 minutes coming into Pittsburgh, we made our way to my friend Jared's apartment, and, oh my goodness, was it good to see him! Jared has been a constant friend ever since we met at camp 14 years ago. Being miles apart and having longer silences between chats could have hampered our friendship, but it hasn't. And I'm glad. It is always refreshing to be with an old friend.

 Blue Moose Cafe in Morgantown, West Virginia: Welcome to the '90s.

Saw this car on our way out of Morgantown, West Virginia, and just got a kick out of it.

Jared's friends Julia and Sara had us over for a tasty dinner of chicken fajitas and some of the best beer I've EVER had. It was a triple-brewed Trappist beer shipped in from San Francisco, and it was incredible. Anyway, Julia cooked and Sara hosted in her posh loft apartment in the neighborhood known as The Strip in Pittsburgh. Thanks, girls! I had a great time and truly appreciate your hospitality. (P.S. Sara works at Heinz as a brand manager for their gravy department. That means she has input on the labeling and overall appearance of that jar of gravy you buy at your local grocery store. How cool is that?) (P.P.S. Julia is a math genius and just landed her first professorship at Indiana University-Purdue University of Indianapolis. Congrats, Julia!)