Bar Rescue

Posted on May 7, 2014 by brent

To read an actual account of someone who appeared on “Bar Rescue,” click here.

My common answer when asked about reality television is that I think it is all scripted but that doesn’t stop me from watching some of it. An example of such a show for me is “Bar Rescue.”

For those who don’t know what the show is about here is the very basic premise: A guy who specializes in revitalizing bars visits a failing establishment in each episode. He then works his magic and turns it into a money making machine (supposedly). The show lasts an hour and there is never a shortage of drama, cursing, and yelling.

My brother and I love the show. We text back and forth when it is on. We love it when Jon Taffer (the star of the show) loses it. We compare the bar featured on the given program to bars we have frequented. Whenever we go into a restaurant or a bar area we immediately ask ourselves what would happen if “Bar Rescue” converged on the place. We get a lot of entertainment out of the show that lasts us much longer than just when it is airing on television.

With that said, we don’t take it entirely seriously. In my opinion I think “Bar Rescue” is just as scripted as any other reality show out there today. I mean it doesn’t take much to realize that each show follows the exact same predictable format: Jon walks into a failing bar and notices horrific problems. He chews out the staff and belittles the owner. He brings in his people to transform the bar. He has the staff go through a “stress test” when they bring the public in for a soft opening of sorts…it always ends in disaster. After more yelling and patronizing everything seems to click. Taffer transforms the bar in one night. They have the grand opening and for that evening it turns out to be a smashing success. Rinse and repeat.

Every show is like that. There is always resistance. Terrible business practices and unsanitary conditions are always exposed, Taffer always overreacts, the staff always has a meltdown during the stress test, a magnificent bar makeover is always accomplished, and a lavish grand opening with a great performance from the staff and a record night of sales always concludes the show. If you watch reality TV hoping to be surprised don’t watch bar rescue.

Besides the scripted and predictable format other things just give it away that the show isn’t 100% “reality.” For some reason whenever Taffer is doing a stakeout in his car right before entering the bar the surveillance always picks up the bartenders fighting, an employee stealing, or an owner making out with his girlfriend in the corner. Although he looks like he might have been athletic in his day, I am also amazed that Jon always manages to sneak up on the bar owner before he/she can spot the large man and his camera crew. I also have zero idea how the show can bring the whole staff out in front of the bar and not have them look at their made over business until Taffer gives them the okay to turn around. I have also yet to see one of Taffer’s undercover moles go into a business and return without any incriminating evidence. It all just works way too well.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy watching “Bar Rescue.” But I know it isn’t authentic. So I will continue to watch the show and get my laughs but don’t think for a minute that I think Jon Taffer is working miracles. Don’t Blink.

Loving My New Job Already

Posted on May 6, 2014 by brent

Is it too early to say I love my job yet? Although I have only had my gig at Coastal Carolina University since last Thursday I couldn’t be more excited about what I am doing or more satisfied with the decision I made to come here. The welcome I have received on campus has exceeded all my expectations and while I have the freedom to do my work I also know I have the complete support of our staff if I needed assistance. In tonight’s blog post I just want to share a few things that I have experienced in my first few days at CCU.

Finals Frenzy – It is finals week at Coastal Carolina. Last night an event called Finals Frenzy took place in Hicks Hall on campus. Starting at 10 p.m. and going until midnight students could come by and eat a variety of free food, participate in a cornhole tournament, win sweet prizes, and try to make a dent in a giant mountain of ice cream. For me it marked the first CCU event that I got to cover. I really enjoyed interacting with the students and observing them as well. Another highlight was that I got to meet several staff members who play large roles in the CCU social media landscape. Adding just one more plus to the late evening was that I got introduced to the President, Dr. DeCenzo.

This wasn’t even the ice cream mountain at full size. In fact, this was what it looked like over an hour into the event.

Exposure to Different Students – Today I went and took behind the scenes photos/video at the taping of the news program that our department puts out called “Coastal Today”. The particular show shot this morning was a special with the graduating Bachelor of Fine Arts students. With the filming taking place in the intimate Black Box Theater of the Edwards Building I had the opportunity to meet extremely talented individuals who hope to make a big splash in the performing arts world. Fresh off a trip to New York where they underwent evaluation, the students had the opportunity to talk on camera about their experiences and upcoming graduation. I absolutely loved working with student-athletes but I find it cool that I now get to work with a wide variety of different student groups.

I went on set of “Coastal Today” and met some cool students.

Teal Tuesday – Coastal Carolina University has an awesome tradition where the campus dresses in teal on Tuesdays. People take this very seriously, especially the staff, and as you can imagine the participation rate is high. I sported my new teal CCU polo today and really felt part of the Coastal Carolina family. Besides the fact that I like the color teal and that I love the concept in general I also enjoy the fact that my decision on what to wear on Tuesdays is no longer an issue.

Me on my first ever Teal Tuesday.

Office Location and Staff – I work in University Communication at CCU. We are housed right in the middle of campus in the Singleton Building. Besides my office (which also includes media relations, marketing/licensing, publications, and graphics) we also share the building with the President’s office, business and finance, and legal counsel. While it is a neat deal to work in the administration building on campus the experience is heightened even more because of the people I get to work with inside those walls. I can’t say enough about how much the staff I am on has gone out of their way to make me feel comfortable and welcome. My boss is beyond awesome and the other people who make up University Communication treat me so well. I have said it before, I am extremely happy I made the decision that I did.

The Singleton Building is where I work in (left) and this is the door to our offices (right).

Beauty – The campus here is gorgeous. It is vibrant green and the grounds are meticulously well-kept. A pond sits in the middle of campus with a bridge crossing over it. Flower beds can be found everywhere you look. Adding to the beauty of the campus is the fact that it is pretty much always drenched in abundant sunshine. What’s not to like?!

During an early morning stroll on campus I took this photo of the pond while crossing the bridge.

I am on fire for what I am doing right now. I love what I am tasked with and the environment that I get to do it in. Coastal Carolina University is a wonderful place to work and I am very glad that I am here. Don’t Blink.

Time Zone Swap: Living Ahead of Family and Friends

Posted on May 5, 2014 by brent

I know now that for the most part people are people and living is living. Although people like to say things are way different in this part of the country or in that part of the country this much is universal: Courtesy, hard work, and intelligence will make you affluent in any society. Yes, there are differences between the west and the south but the truth of the matter is that both areas are populated with people who share basic needs and aspirations.

However, one thing not shared is the time zone. Maybe one of the biggest adjustments I have made since moving to the south is becoming acclimated to the Eastern Time zone. Now I don’t mean I had to become acclimated to it in a body sense. My circadian rhythm or whatever they call it never skipped a beat. When I entered Eastern Time somewhere in Kentucky I automatically made the switch and never let any silly jet leg theories play with my head. I never became tired or disoriented like some people like to claim happens to them.

For me the battle came with adjusting to two things: the start times of sporting events and living ahead of everyone else I know.

I definitely got a funny feeling watching NBA playoff games that finished the FIRST HALF at MIDNIGHT. I mean I totally understand that these games are played on the west coast and must be scheduled that way but it seemed so weird to watch live basketball play into the early morning of the next day. I grew up a Mariner fan and have followed them my whole life. I am definitely not following them as closely anymore. With first pitch for home games at 10 p.m. ET you would be hard pressed to track a game without going to bed before 1 a.m. Living on the east coast really makes sports seem like a much more round the clock thing.

Talking with family and friends is quite a bit different. Living in Montana I was on Mountain Time so I am two hours ahead of most my friends. But my family, who all live in Washington state, are on Pacific Time. As many of you know I tweet out a “Life’s Little Instruction” phrase right when I get up each morning. Besides tweeting it out I also text it to my mom. You need to understand though that I get up at 5 a.m. in the morning so these days my mom is having her phone go off at the sweet hour of 2 a.m. Now before you give me the “Worst Son in the World” award I think the text actually gives my mom a little bit of comfort knowing that her son is doing okay and is up and well.

But in the past week it has been routine for me to wake up in the morning and have text messages from both my friends and my brother waiting for me. I also open up Facebook and have numerous notifications. When I lived out west I usually stayed up later and awoke earlier than most so text messages or social media alerts didn’t get past me. Not the case anymore. While I am dozing others are still interacting with me. Not that I begrudge them at all for doing so…how hypocritical would that be coming from the guy who texts his mom a stupid quote at 2 a.m. each morning?

All in all, I don’t know how I feel about it. At times it seems as if the people I have known my whole life are much further behind than just 3 hours. It seems weird that at 10 a.m. when I have already been up for five hours it is only 7 a.m. back home. Or it seems odd that in the afternoon at 1:30 p.m. my family still has an hour and a half to go before lunch. Or it seems funny that when I am home at my apartment relaxed for the night and it is dark out my dad is just getting off work.

As time goes on it will seem much more normal. However, if you asked me what one of the bigger adjustments for me with the move has been I would probably point to the time zone change. Hey, I must not be doing that bad if that is one of the larger challenges I have had to face, right? Don’t Blink.

First Weekend in Myrtle Beach Down, First Full Week at CCU Coming Up

Posted on May 4, 2014 by brent

I find myself in a very content position right now. I am coming off a super nice first weekend in Myrtle Beach and I have a lot to look forward to this upcoming work week.

Let me start first with the weekend. As I mentioned in my last blog post, Saturday started well with a great workout, the completion of some housekeeping issues, and pool time. But it only got better from there. My new friend Veronica and I went out to a great restaurant in Garden City (a small town about 10 miles from Myrtle Beach). Called the Guflstream Café, it is a coveted local steak and seafood place that was built right on the beach. The two of us sat on the upper deck overlooking the water and boats. For dinner we had New York steak and delicious salmon. It is also worth noting that the mashed potatoes that came with the entrees were to die for.

It was a very enjoyable dinner at the Gulfstream Café (clockwise: The view from the deck, the restaurant sign, Veronica with her salmon dinner, my steak!).

On Sunday I started the day off right by going to church. As I search for a Catholic church this morning I went with Veronica to her church called New Spring. I feel it is always good to go outside your comfort zone every now and then. After the service I came back to my apartment and spent some more time at the pool. This time though a couple fellow residents introduced themselves to me so I got to meet some people who live at my complex. After I took a stroll on the beach I went to a place called Broadway at the Beach, an area in Myrtle Beach that is full of shops, food, and bars. Although I loved the atmosphere I didn’t achieve my mission of finding a Mother’s Day gift.

The pool at the Alexan Withers Preserve complex is awesome! Great layout and atmosphere.

From Broadway at the Beach I went the few block to TicketReturn.com Field, the baseball stadium of the Myrtle Beach Pelicans. As a Minor League Single A (long season) team I enjoyed the laid back atmosphere and my seat located in the shade behind home plate. I dominated a bag of peanuts and enjoyed the time by myself…in my opinion, a perfect way to cap off the weekend.

I had a nice relaxing time at the Myrtle Beach Pelicans game.

I am stoked to get back to work tomorrow! It is graduation week at Coastal Carolina University and I will have the opportunity to work hard and do as much as I can to generate excitement and buildup through our social media outlets. Graduation itself will take place on Saturday in Brooks Stadium, the home of the football team. There will also be festivities prior to the ceremony that I will get to cover as well, just additional chances for me to get my feet wet and connect with the CCU community.

I feel fortunate. I feel fortunate that the staff at Coastal Carolina University has welcomed me so warmly. I feel fortunate that I met someone like Veronica who has taken the time to hang out with me and serve as my “tour guide” so to speak (she hates that term). I feel fortunate that I have the support of my family almost 3,000 miles away. I am blessed. Have a great week everyone! Don’t Blink.

The Little Changes (but big)

Posted on May 3, 2014 by brent

If it ever seemed that South Carolina wasn’t my home I can positively say that is not the case anymore. On this beautiful Saturday afternoon I can say that I have lived here for several days. I have worked out at the campus gym four times. I have started my job and got my feet wet. It has sunk in that I live in the south and that I am a Chanticleer.

Besides the big changes there are also the smaller changes. However, even though they are smaller when it comes in terms of life significance it doesn’t mean they don’t bring about a degree of hassle. I am talking about items such as an address change. Or an e-mail change. Or an employee identification number change. Or a locker and locker combination change. These things not only make you ditch familiarity they also force you to memorize new digits and words. It takes some getting used to.

But out of all these smaller changes there is one that topped them all for me. Yesterday I was handed a brand new iPhone 5S. With that phone also came a brand new phone number too. Yep, I am a bona fide South Carolina resident now!

The number I said goodbye to yesterday was previously the only personal phone number I had ever known. When I was a 17 year old high school senior I received my first cell phone with an area code 509 number I used up until yesterday morning. The University of Montana allowed me to keep my number when I got placed on their account for work because I was already under the Verizon family. But with a new provider in a new part of the country it was time that I got a new number.

Yesterday I got my new phone with my new number.

I have spent the past 24 hours notifying my family and necessary entities that rely on my phone number for contact about the change. I haven’t even started reaching out to my friends yet. With that said, please contact me via Facebook Message or Twitter Direct Message if you would like my new number.

I am in the middle of my first weekend here in Myrtle Beach. After a good workout in the rec center this morning I got to run on the University’s outdoor track. I also did some more moving necessities such as ordering checks from my new bank and making a trip to the post office. Don’t worry, I managed to sneak a little pool time in too. Tonight I am off to a great local Myrtle Beach restaurant that overlooks the ocean. I am hungry and excited.

Since I am having a good weekend it is only fair that you have a good weekend as well. Have fun, stay safe, and enjoy some relaxation. Thank you so much for reading my blog. Don’t Blink.

The Top Five Things I Buy At Costco

Posted on May 1, 2014 by brent

CNBC just showed a special on Costco so of course I can’t get the warehouse store out of my mind. I love Costco. However my love doesn’t ignite a fire hot enough to make me buckle down and pay the membership fee. Like a first class moocher I have relied on friends and family to get me through the doors of the place for years. Perhaps now that I am in South Carolina, with no family and no friends as of yet, I might make the sacrifice and purchase a membership. You see, there are some items I really like at Costco.

For this blog post I want to give you the five items I purchase the most at Costco. So without any more chatter let me give you my list in no particular order.

Muffins: About once every two months I will do the mix and match deal where you get to pick two packs of six muffins each in the bakery. I always go chocolate for one of the packs and then either apple crumb, banana nut, or blueberry for the second six. I freeze them at my place and then for two weeks I will wake up looking forward to breakfast! I will take one out of the freezer, throw it in the microwave for 20 seconds to unthaw it just a little, and then eat it relatively cold. BONUS: Down south they have a different flavor of muffin you can’t get out west…corn muffins!! Yes, the jumbo Costco sized muffins also come in the corn variety.

Me with some frozen Apple Crumb Costco muffins.

Cheese: Costco sells a cheese variety pack that is awesome. They put two pounds of thickly cut squares of cheese into plastic wrapping, a perfect snack item. Many times I will add some squares of cheese to my dinner or when I take a rare break from peanut butter I will layer my sandwiches with the cheese slices. The variety pack includes French swiss, creamy harvard, Dutch gouda, and my personal favorite…aged cheddar.

This is the cheese pack that Costco sells.

Pub Mix: Costco offers a snack mix that I can’t stop eating once I start. I don’t know how to describe the pieces that make up the mix because they are kind of obscure but pretzels are included…and then you got about four other heavily salted items. I started to chow down on this stuff when we would hold basketball tournaments at Montana. In our hospitality room we would always have a tub and my obsession started.

Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches: In western Costcos they sold a microwavable cheesesteak sub. A box contained six sandwiches and if you happened to put a little Sriracha on it you had something pretty special. I would buy a box and have a sandwich for lunch on the weekend. When I visited the Myrtle Beach Costco I couldn’t find my beloved philly cheesesteak subs but I opted for the BBQ beef steak sandwiches (coincidentally an item I never saw out west).

The Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches from the west turned into Beef Steak sandwiches in the east.

Hot Dogs from the Food Stand: It doesn’t matter if you are on the west coast, east coast, or no coast you will always find Costco’s signature hot dog at the store’s food stand. Oversized, tasty, and only $1.50 with a drink included you really can’t beat it. I have ate Costco dogs from when I was a little kid up until now and next time I go to Costco I am sure I will order another one.

The only way I am getting back to Costco anytime soon is if I bite the bullet and invest in a membership. With a store only five minutes from my place I think I am going in that direction. I just hope that particular Costco can pick up its samples game because it was pretty weak a few days ago. Don’t Blink.

Getting Accustomed to My New Life in Myrtle Beach

Posted on April 30, 2014 by brent

What an amazing ride it has been! When I last posted I was in Camden, South Carolina. At that time only 120 miles separated me from my final destination. That was on Sunday night. With it now Wednesday I can report to all my readers that I am settled in my new residence in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Upon seeing this sign for the first time I made sure to snap a photo.

On Monday morning my dad and I rolled into Myrtle Beach. We reported to the U-Haul station and turned in the car dolly. Of course this meant that I could now drive my car. With my dad following me in the U-Haul I drove to my new apartment complex. Let me tell you, my new place is fantastic. It was everything as advertised in my blog post from earlier this month. But we only had a couple minutes to admire my major step up in living quarters because we had moving to do! My dad and I spent a couple very sweaty hours hauling my stuff up three staircases to my unit. By the time we were done our shirts were soaked with perspiration.

After we took the U-Haul truck back to the station, a truck that we used to transport us 2,601 miles across the country, it really hit home that the days of traveling over 600 miles a day had come to an end. The rest of Monday we spent unpacking and getting my apartment “Brent-Ready”.

My dad and I took a celebratory picture after turning in the U-Haul.

Tuesday I went to campus and became official. I signed payroll paperwork, received my Coastal Carolina I.D. card, picked up my parking decal, and visited the bookstore. We then made a stop at Costco where I bought a brand new television for my living room and of course loaded up on food (I don’t have a Costco card but luckily my dad does!).

It is official! I am a Coastal Carolina University employee.

After I met with the maintenance staff of my apartment complex for a standard orientation session my dad and I drove the couple minutes from my place to the beach. We walked on the tier and on the beach itself as we admired the Atlantic Ocean and all the neat activity surrounding us.

My dad and I enjoyed visiting the beach…just a short two minute drive from my apartment.

With the beach visit in the books we made a trip to our second Wal-Mart in as many days to just pick up some last minute items to make the move in complete. After hanging out in my apartment for a little bit my dad and I went to Market Common, a gorgeous and sophisticated lifestyle and shopping area in Myrtle Beach. We ate at a restaurant called Nacho Hippo and enjoyed our last night together.

A prominent grocery store chain in the south is Piggly Wiggly. They have a really cool store in Market Common.

This morning I dropped my dad off at the airport for his 7 a.m. flight. I had no problem saying goodbye to the people I am leaving behind out west with the exception of my mom and dad. There were tears when I left my mom last week and when I hugged my dad goodbye this morning. Even though I am so ready for this new chapter in my life it is hard to move thousands of miles away from your two biggest supporters. But they both have given me their blessings so I am completely comfortable looking nothing but forward here in South Carolina.

Today I ventured again to campus and got my first workout in at the rec center. Holy cow, that is one nice gym! It seemed even nicer than I remember it when I visited for my interview. The place is state of the art, spotless, and has a great vibe! I am stoked for the many hours to come in that building. When I concluded my exercise I took time to stroll around campus.

As you can probably gather since I am publishing this blog post I now have internet (along with cable) at my apartment. Just another thing to check off the list when it comes to making a move. I look to relax for the rest of today and get ready for the real exciting things to come in the next couple days.

Tomorrow is my first official day at Coastal Carolina University. I will spend it in orientation meetings and on Friday I will report to the office for the first time. Things are coming together and I am so glad I am doing what I am doing. Thanks again for all your support. Don’t Blink.

Hello South Carolina!

Posted on April 27, 2014 by brent

I have arrived in my new home state! As I write this blog post I am on South Carolina soil where I will begin the next chapter of my life. The bouncing from state to state that has characterized the past several days is over.

But I am not quite in Myrtle Beach…yet. Although in last night’s blog post I hinted at the possibility of arriving at our ultimate destination a whole day early my dad and I made the call to complete the odyssey tomorrow morning. We didn’t make this decision because we are wimps and couldn’t go on for a couple more hours but rather we did it for practical reasons. My apartment community does not open for business until 10 a.m. tomorrow. Getting settled in my new home is priority number one and since we are both early risers we didn’t want to wait around doing nothing for a few hours. Thus, to help us get in Myrtle Beach right when my apartment becomes available and to allow us to get off the road at a reasonable hour tonight, we pulled off into a town called Camden. We are 120 miles from Myrtle Beach.

My dad and I outside a rest stop in Tennessee today.

While yesterday could be characterized as the most exciting day on the road, today was definitely the most beautiful. I thought that the previous few days all showed great glimpses of beauty but today definitely took the cake. Hills covered in large full green trees that looked to stretch for miles while also seemingly reaching out to our U-Haul on the road dominated the landscape the whole way. Throw in the fact that we drove under blue skies on a brilliantly sunny day and you can see how we were treated to a very scenic 10 hour drive.

Some images from today’s drive.

We woke up in Paducah, Kentucky, and hit the road at 6:30 a.m. once again. Soon we crossed into Tennessee. We drove past Nashville and I got to see the stadium of the Tennessee Titans, LP Field. We then gassed up in Volunteer Country in Knoxville. Next we crossed the North Carolina border and we navigated through the windy and hilly roads until we got dumped into my new home state. Once in South Carolina we drove south to Columbia before heading east on the road that will pretty much lead us to Myrtle Beach. But the conclusion of that route will come tomorrow. This evening we are at the Holiday Inn of Camden for the evening and we are hungry.

Me at the end of the drive today. Next up…Myrtle Beach.

Here are the stats from today:

Total Mileage Today: 611 miles

Total Mileage for Trip: 2,475 miles

Number of States Visited Today: 4 – Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina.

Number of Stops Today: 4 – Middle of Nowhere, TN (bathroom break), Knoxville, TN (gas and lunch), Border of SC (bathroom break), Camden, SC (ending point of the day).

Food Consumed During Today’s Drive: Convenient store chicken sandwich, convenient store corn dog, 1 pack of Frito Lay’s Flaming Hot Peanuts, 1 Reese’s Peanut Butter Easter Egg.

Drinks Consumed During Today’s Drive: Nothing.

Tomorrow this fun, expansive, and special road trip will come to an end. Because I won’t have internet set up at my new until at least a couple more days you might not see a blog post. But please follow me on Twitter (@BrentReser) for full updates and don’t be shy to tweet at me using the #BrentCoastToCoast hashtag. Thanks to all of you for keeping tabs on me during my travels, I have enjoyed sharing my experiences with you. I just want to offer up one fact with you before I turn this computer off and we go get dinner….my dad is absolutely AWESOME. Don’t Blink.

600 Miles of Beauty

Posted on April 26, 2014 by brent

What a day! By a wide margin today provided my dad and I with the best experience so far on our cross country trip to Myrtle Beach. We drove in four states, saw beautiful country, went by major cities, experienced some interesting weather, and knocked out over 600 miles.

My dad and I had a GREAT day on the road going through four states.

We hit the road early this morning as we were cruising in the U-Haul by 6:30 a.m. Reason for leaving so early was twofold: We wanted to end the day earlier than the past two days and frankly we wanted to get out of Iowa as soon as possible (did I really just say that?). It didn’t take long until we entered Missouri, the state where we would spend the majority of the day driving through. The Show Me State was absolutely beautiful as we enjoyed the vibrant green trees lining us on both sides and pristine cut grass dividing the east and west roads. We forgot about the beauty though for about ten minutes as we drove through a torrential downpour. After the rain let up and we could breathe a little easier we admired the ensuing lightning storm that lit up the morning sky.

The highlight of the ride through Missouri for me was going past Kansas City and getting a gorgeous glimpse right inside Kaufmann Stadium. We also stopped in Columbia where we fueled up and then enjoyed lunch at Lee’s Famous Chicken. Ending our tour through the state was a ride by St. Louis where we saw the Gateway Arch and the Edward Jones Dome.

I took this photo of St. Louis from our U-Haul.

Right after St. Louis we entered Illinois. The scenic views from Missouri carried into the Prairie State as lush greens continued to dominate the landscape. We mostly drove right through except for a stop at a rest area where my dad and I stretched our legs and strategized on where we would end the day at.

The decision of our mini meeting was to stop in Paducah, Kentucky. Although we flirted with the idea of driving all the way through to Nashville we thought back to our goal at the beginning of the day to try to leave ourselves more time to enjoy the evening. We honored our ambitions and drove the short ninety minutes from the rest stop in Illinois to the Hampton Inn of charming Paducah. As I sit here in our room I am looking forward to a nice dinner at the town’s most popular steakhouse, some relaxation, and then the NBA Playoffs later tonight.

With the sun and high 70’s weather in Kentucky please excuse the sunglasses.

Here are today’s stats:

Total Mileage Today: 605 miles

Total Mileage for Trip: 1864 miles

Number of States Visited Today: 4 – Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky

Number of Stops Today: 4 – Outside of Council Bluffs, IA (needed to shut my door harder), Middle of Nowhere, MO (bathroom break), Columbia, MO (gas and lunch), Middle of Nowhere Illinois (strategy meeting and bathroom break), Paducah, KY (ending point of the day).

Food Consumed During Today’s Drive: Lee’s Famous Chicken 5-piece dark chicken box, 1 pack of Planters Heat Peanuts.

Drinks Consumed During Today’s Drive: Can of Xyience Energy Drink (Tangerine Twister flavor).

I had a really nice time today! Can tomorrow top it? We are aiming high as we look to make it all the way to my new home of Myrtle Beach which would put us in town one day early. We will have to drive over 700 miles and deal with losing an hour but we will try to make it happen. Thanks for the interest and support during this cross country extravaganza. Remember that you can follow live updates of my journey via Twitter (@BrentReser) and you can make my day by tweeting at me by utilizing the #BrentCoastToCoast hashtag. I can almost smell the beach from here. Don’t Blink.

Life on the Road Isn’t Always Glamorous: South Dakota and Iowa

Posted on April 25, 2014 by brent

If there is one thing I believe after today’s ten hours of driving it is this: South Dakota should present my dad and I with honorary driver’s licenses after we spent almost nine hours driving through its wonderful land. Or, maybe the state should just provide me with a dunce cap after I erroneously stated that I would not spend more time in a single state during this road trip than I did in Montana. Obviously I didn’t look at the map close enough.

So how could it be that my dad and I drove 486 miles in South Dakota? Well, you got to understand that the state by its own right is big. The state is vast from the most western point to the most eastern point, a distance that we pretty much drove. Then throw in that once we got to the east part of the state in Sioux Falls we went directly south all the way through the state’s southeast panhandle (yes, South Dakota does have a panhandle) and you can see how the hours and miles started to add up. By the time we hit Sioux City, Iowa, I had pretty much seen enough of South Dakota.

A look at our second big day on the road.

After we crossed into the Hawkeye state we drove south for about 80 more miles until we hit a city called Council Bluffs, an area that is next door neighbors with Omaha, Nebraska. That is where we parked up shop for the night. If you never have the “opportunity” to visit this town don’t beat yourself up too badly.

Although Council Bluffs is not very fun I was glad that we were off the road for the day.

Today can be characterized by a few things: An extraordinary amount of road kill lining the highway, bizarre and random roadside attractions, and lots of flat land. Although not the most scenic drive ever my dad and I had a wonderful time talking with each other, picking up on a couple sports talk local radio shows, and eating terrible gas station food at a joint in Mitchell, South Dakota. Let me give you the vital statistics:

Total Mileage Today: 579 miles

Total Mileage for Trip: 1259 miles

Number of States Visited Today: 2 – South Dakota, Iowa

Number of Stops Today: 4 – Rapid City, SD (U-Haul inspection), Middle of Nowhere, SD (bathroom break), Mitchell, SD (gas and food), Council Bluffs, IA (ending point for the day)

Food Consumed During Today’s Drive: Snickers Peanut Butter Egg, slice of gas station pizza, 1 pack of Planters Heat Peanuts.

Drinks Consumed During Today’s Drive: Can of Xyience Energy Drink (Melon Mayhem flavor).

While we were still in South Dakota we passed this terrible scene of a big truck totally rolled over on the side of the road.

From here on out the traffic should get a little heavier and the states a little more frequent. After driving the rest of the way through Iowa we will take on Missouri along with most likely Illinois and Tennessee. It should be a packed Saturday. Make sure to follow me on Twitter (@BrentReser) for live updates and I encourage you to tweet at me using the #BrentCoastToCoast hashtag. The anticipation is building and I am having a very memorable time with my dad. Don’t Blink.

Don't Blink

By Brent Reser

Author Archives: brent