Never Have I Been So Wrong

This post is admittedly a day late. I wanted to write one about our last day through the last few miles of Kansas, all of Missouri, the southern tip of Illinois, down through Kentucky, and finally into Nashville, Tennessee; but, frankly, after doing all of that, I was in no state to write about it. Especially after gorging myself on a burbon, maple milkshake, tater tots with truffle oil, and one of the best ranked burgers in the state. (I would apologize for bragging about that, but I can't. It was magical, guys.) 

Now that I've had some time to digest my food (and eat more similarly wonderful food), stretch my legs, and take a whirlwind tour of Nashville, I can write.

Here's the thing--being an ignorant and awfully proud Californian, I have lived under the assumption that the rest of the Union (with the exceptions of New York City, Hawaii, and perhaps Chicago) is generally inferior to the perfection that is Southern California. Never have I been so wrong. While I still have little love for certain parts of the country (I'm looking at you, I-can-bake-cookies-in-my-car-it's-so-hot Arizona), I have developed a new found love for the Great Plains, Utah, Colorado, and the South.

Why is the flatness of Kansas so quietly beautiful? What is it about the tree lined rolling hills of Kentucky farmland that captures my heart? How do the layered, red bluffs of Utah ignite my imagination? Why do the simple woods of Illinois and Missouri beg my hand to write? Why did I envision Nashville as anything other than an unassumingly cool place to be? How is it that I could be so ignorant of such beauty in my own country?

So, though California will remain my first love, I have discovered a deep appreciation for the non-coastal states. What's more, despite it's lack of mountains and ocean, I would not be wholly opposed to living in Nashville if for no other reason than their food is a gift from God. (Seriously though. I don't want to think about how much weight I gained from even a day there.)

As my cross country trip comes to an end, I find that despite days of ten hour drives, filling up for gas two times a day, and listening to hours of alternative punk rock and 90s music, I would absolutely do this again to see more of my amazing, diverse, weird, and wonderful country.