I woke-up in Vacaville this morning. It’s wonderful to be back in California. I know it’s grey, raining and a little dreary outside…but I’m thrilled to be home.
I couldn’t have made this trip without Mark. He has been the road trip leader and our home provider. He’s been our rock. I’m grateful for his strength on this trip and for the next chapter in my career.
On Day 3 of our Road Trip — we had a beautiful start in Salt Lake City. We were surrounded by salty water and shores after driving about 30 minutes away from the city. We also passed a few salt factories, like Morton’s, sitting on the far edges of the lake.
We had time to pull over to the side of the road and sample the salty chunks. It tasted just like the stuff sprinkled over french fries!
The drive through Nevada was mostly flat and empty. We passed several signs that said: “Prison Area: Hitchiking Prohibited.” I wondered why the state would build prisons so close to the interstate.
Road Trip: Day 3 from Kris Vera-Phillips on Vimeo.
We met-up with my Medill buddy Sara in the Biggest Little City in the World. We seem to end-up traveling together, whether in Europe or the USA. She’s on a work move to San Francisco. I’m thrilled to have her as a Cali neighbor.
We ended-up at Harrah’s Cafe Napa for dinner. They have some tasty $10 Asian entree specials from 4 PM until Midnight. I ordered the Walnut Shrimp with fried rice. It came with shrimp and salmon sushi plus fried soft crab legs. Loved everything but the rice. It was covered with this fruity melon sauce that clashed with the savory sweet walnut shrimp.
Daisy and I fell asleep watching Reno’s local news. I couldn’t believe one local sports anchor pronounced V.A. Tech: “VA” Tech. What the hell?
We crossed the California border on Day 4 of our Road Trip. Mark and I cheered. My eyes watered-up. So happy!
It took us 4 days to travel from Kansas to California. I know we could have saved ourselves a day of travel but we didn’t want to drive through the Sierras at night. Despite the weather challenges, I thought our road trip was an adventurous vacation from work. It was also a neat way to spend A LOT of time with the hubby and our baby.
LOL, if you remember when Ray and I made our cross country trip from NC to CA it took 3 days with two children in a cramped SUV but, we successfully made it and got settled in quickly. I think it is neat that Ray, Mark, You and Me all just moved. HEHEHE
I cannot wait to come visit and you guys should come visit us too. We can finally meet Daisy. I just hope she likes Lindy. Lindy LOVES dogs.
How else would VA Tech (there’s no period in VA Tech, unless you want to put one after the A only as Va. Tech) get pronounced? They could say the full name, but if they want to shorten it, it’s pretty common in the sports news broadcasts to say ‘Va’ Tech (Vee Tech would sound weird). It’s not that far different than saying You-Dub (for Univ of Washington) or Wazzou (for WSU)
I’ve met folks from Virginia and I’ve NEVER heard of them refer to Virginia Tech as VA Tech.
So that sounded weird to my ears.
So they just say the whole name (there isn’t a nickname for the school)? Are they Virgina Tech alums, or are they just people from the state?
apparently, after some cursory google research, the pronunciation is cause for minor controversy, but yes, sportscasters have taken to the ‘vah’ tech pronunciation as a shortcut … some fans hate it, some fans don’t care … meh.