Thursday, May 24, 2007

Kalamazoo! (or: twelve hours of hell on I-80W)

So, I'm in Kalamazoo, and I've been informed that I must give pictorial evidence of this fact.  To that end, I give you thumbnails to click.  Enjoy.

We left Williamsport around 8am, and I got my first opportunity to enjoy the scenery I'd be looking at for the rest of the day:

Pablo was very helpful, really: he held the directions (he's inside the box, in a pillowcase).

We got into Ohio about four hours after we left PA.  Didn't look too much different at first...

Soon, however, the pretty PA mountains gave way to flat brown ugly fields (and, incidentally, construction, but that's a given in PA, too):

Pablo got out to stretch his legs, as it were, at a truck stop.

Ohio actually has a good racket.  They charged us a fortune to get the heck out of the state.  What do they do with people who can't pay? (Kevin's dad's 
answer: Where do you think they get the tollbooth workers?)

We hit Indiana, at long last, after about four more hours in Ohio.   Alas, the scenery was not much improved.  

Pablo attempts to make a break for it, out of a hole in the right side of his box.  

Weee!  After nine hours on I-80W, we get to leave it.

Michigan!

Fortunately, Michigan did turn out to be much prettier than the past two states.  I had been worried, so this was good to find out.

We spent the night in a cheap motel just outside of Kalamazoo, since it was late and we couldn't move in until Wednesday, then got up bright and early to head into town.  They wouldn't let us move in until after noon, so we investigated the campus (WMU) first, which was a gigantic inferno.  At long last, we made it to...

We had a quick look at work, first.  Huge!

My street!  Claymoor, no "e" on the end.

Kevin weeps with despair as he notes the sun beating down on our apartment and moving van (van not pictured).  His Dad is pleased to have chosen a wide-brimmed hat today.

Our door:

Looking across the parking lot (aforepictured door is to the right).  We have to take a half-flight of stairs down to get to our apartment.

Really crappy picture of the living room (camera is awful indoors).  The apartment is actually a lot brighter and roomier than that picture makes it look.  It's about the size of the old one plus a room and a half (this one has a bedroom and a teensy dining area), and it's currently clean and cool and generally pleasant.

The view from the living room window (we're ground level, quite literally!):

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