Doxology Trip Day 1

Ram and I left about 6:30am on August 4. It was so nice to travel and be able to talk without interruptions for a whole day. We stopped near Albert Lea and had Mexican food for lunch. We stopped in Iowa City to get gas, go to the bathroom, and get coffee. After gas and Ram's bathroom break, we were going to drive to get coffee and Ewe's bathroom break. On the way to the coffee shop we were sideswiped by this...

We were by a train overpass and there were two lanes and the cement mixer tried to change lanes and got a little close. The cement mixer driver got out of the truck and said, "I'm so sorry! I've been driving truck for 16 years and never had an accident before. In fact, I don't even know what to do when I have an accident! I double checked before I changed lanes and you were just in the wrong spot. I really did look!" He had his wad of insurance papers in his hand and called his company and the police.

The police arrived and took a look at Ram's license.
Police: "So Ram, what are you doing in Iowa City if you live in MN?"
Ram: "We are going to get coffee and then going to Saint Louis."
Police: "Oh, welcome to Iowa City!"
(Police walks around and see the damage on the car.)
Police: "Oh, Wow!"
Police: "The cement mixer has a full load and I'm sure his boss is already going to be mad at him so I'm going to let him go to his site and dump his load. His truck is new and   we don't want him to lose his load or truck."
Ewe: (says to Ram after policeman walks away) "That's not fair that the one that causes the accident gets to leave the scene of the accident and we have to wait when we want to get back on the road."
The police did the necessary paperwork and said we shouldn't have any problem since both the cement mixer and our stories were exactly alike.
Police: "So you still know how to get to Starbucks?"
Ram: "Yes, but you better remind me after all this!"
One hour after we got off the highway we were back on the road again. We drove pretty much straight through from Iowa City to Saint Louis with the exception of a break to talk to insurance about the accident and go to the bathroom.
We were blessed that the driver realized right away that he hit us and backed off right away. The accident could have been much worse. It damaged both driver side doors and the panel above the wheel. We were still able to drive the car, we were not hurt, and both doors could open and close.

We made it here before closing time. It was nice to go to dinner together in the city, but there were other kids in the restaurant and I missed the Lambs. I had asked Loopers that were current and former residents of Saint Louis where we should go. Old Spaghetti Factory had the most votes, but there were some other good suggestions too.

I had clam sauce spaghetti. Ram makes Susan's recipe often and he uses lots of garlic in his. We also top it with freshly grated parmesan cheese. Old Spaghetti Factory's clam sauce spaghetti was good, but Ram's with Susan's recipe is better. The prices were excellent for a complete meal. I would like to take the Lambs there and they would really like it. But if we go back to Saint Louis again by ourselves, we'll try a new place.

We got to our hotel about 11pm and were tired from a full day of driving.