24 hours, 1 car, 2 people= Adventure

One thing I have learned since being married is that road trips either test your relationship or makes it stronger. Over the last couple years Emily and I have made a few long road trips and in each of those trips we have bonded. We have been lucky and have managed to communicate and have fun in tight quarters. I think it is because we don't just take trips but go on adventures.

Emily is not one to plan out every detail, and I love that about her (most of the time). We left for Minnesota the Wednesday before Thanksgiving with a set of driving directions and that was it. We drove through the night planning our stops around empty gas tanks and stomachs. As we drove through Illinois we were running low on gas and needed a driver change, so we stopped at a Pilot in the middle of nowhere...literally! We each got big drinks, some caffeine, to help us stay awake in the dark backcountry. We later decide we are getting hungry (about an hour from the Pilot) and started looking for a restaurant near the interstate for dinner. Emily wanted Mexican, not the easiest food to find on a highway sign unless you are wanting taco bell.

We saw a sign for "Mr. Salsa's" so we both said lets try it. We are so agreeable. As we take the exit we look around and don't see much in this town. But knowing what Emily wants, I decide to just keep driving and be patient that the restaurant will appear. We drive for about 2.5 miles and get into a small town main street that looks half abandoned. Then all of the sudden, there it was, Mr. Salsa's...inside a bar, a dirty looking bar.

Like I said Emily wanted Mexican, so we actually ate there and the food was pretty good...and yes, they had good salsa. The adventure of finding the restaurant was weird enough, but not this night. As we sat there eating our chips and salsa, this family walks in...that Emily recognizes. A woman and her adorable daughter walk in, the same from the Pilot we got drinks at. Emily was 99.9% certain it was them, but wasn't going to say for sure or ask them to confirm it.

So we both just sat there eating thinking..."What are the odds? That has to be them! Are they from this small town or passing through like us?". I had to know, so when Emily went out to the car as I paid for dinner; I made a detour. I "politely" asked if they happened to be the same people Emily noticed at the Pilot. They confirmed it and laughed, saying "I'm glad we are at least memorable". They told me they just decided to stop here too and they were also traveling for Thanksgiving.

I am still amazed at how we saw the same people in the middle of nowhere twice in one night. We had never meet before, but had a very weird connection that night. Of all the places on that road to eat and stop, we both chose Mr. Salsa's, a place most people would drive right past. It makes me think of how small this world truly is...

The rest of the trip was fun, but less interesting than our chance occurrence. We made it to Minnesota, had a great time, and drove home. The trip was ~24 hours of driving total, but one crazy adventure in whole.