Of travel deals, beers, buds and Monical's Pizza.

So it turns out I'm not driving north. I'm flying. I've made it a habit to check for the price of flights before I head north, but in all these years I've never found a great deal. Probably because my road trips are normally last minute decisions. But today I found a deal. Y! offered one of their Last Minute Getaway specials to St. Louis which includes flight and unlimited rental car mileage for the same price as their lowest priced stand-alone flight. It also came at a price that's the same or less than what I would spend on gas, food and a hotel room for my trip.

The only bad part is my little buddy is going to be left behind this time. He gets bummed whenever I tell him he can't go with me as you can tell by his mournful mug in this pic.

Anyway, this is a much better option. I'll get into town Thursday afternoon with plenty of time to do something with the folks or some friends and I won't be exhausted from driving 17 hours. It also gives me all day Sunday to hang with my parents and recover from Deano's party before heading out Monday afternoon.

To top it all off, I called the family and told them I was coming and it turns out that my mom has some type of rewards deal which includes some free nights at a Holiday Inn. She said she'd book me a night or two in Tuscola so I can crash out there after the party, instead of on someone's couch. It's nothing fancy but I'll have some privacy and a jacuzzi and heated indoor pool to help me work out my inevitable hangover.

My itinerary is filling out a little bit, too. Thursday night I'll probably be at Xochimilco in Springpatch. It's an excellent little Mexican place that has great 'rita specials and a solid collection of Mexican beers. My fave is Negro Modelo which is a darker ale but goes down very smoothly with chips and salsa.

The first time I went to Xochimilco, my buddy Adam got there ahead of me and ordered the last one in the store. I've never quite forgiven him for that. Here's a peek at a Negro Modelo.
In some regards I'm getting Adam back with this trip. I had promised to bring him some Yuengling the next time I came up. When I got into work this morning, there was an email from him with an order for some Porter, Black & Tan and traditional lager. I almost felt bad telling him that I was flying and so wouldn't be bringing any Yeungling along on this trip.

And if you're not familiar with Yuengling, it's a domestic offering that has traditionally been a favorite in the Pittsburgh region. It's one of the oldest domestic brands in the country and has expanded in recent years to the southeast. They purchased a brewery in Tampa to hit the Florida market and I was thrilled to be able to get about any type of Yuengling at the local grocery store. Here's a shot of Yuengling Porter. Makes my mouth water just looking at it.

So back to the trip home. On Friday I'm heading to Champaign to meet some cool peeps for lunch, then I'll hit campustown to grab some new Illini gear. I'm not sure what my Friday afternoon and evening hold for me, though I'll probably head towards Tuscola for some Warrior gear and to visit some friends. Monical's pizza is a lock. There's a chance I'll take in the high school basketball game against Arcola and inevitably I'll end up at some local bar hoisting a few Buds with the boys from hometown. Saturday is open all day until the birthday party, so I may end up back in Springfield. I may run by Adam's when he gets off work to share a Stag in his garage. Adam's obsession with the Cold Gold is a whole post unto itself.

So are you beginning to see a pattern here? I should have made some clever post about how this was a tour of beers trip!

Sunday will be a day of rest and recovery. I'll watch the Illini vs. Northwestern game and indulge in mom's home cooking. Big breakfast on Monday then off for the airport. Flying home as opposed to driving is huge. The trip up is always an enjoyable drive, but the trip back is always a drag. It would be imminently worse if I were tired and hungover from Saturday night.