Cow ... Cow ... DOLLAR DRAFTS WOOO ... Cow .. Cow

I got to State College last night after several hours in the Pennsylvania Wilds with nothing but semis for company. I suppose that will be the trend of this trip. When I stopped about an hour from here to stretch out my right leg, I found myself in the parking lot of the Twilight Diner, a little place having a slow night except for its ice cream window. There was an Amish couple in the parking lot, eating in their buggy. Really. They parked their horse right next to the beige Toyota. My first Amish sighting!
The place was cute, and I was hungry, so I ordered a grilled cheese with tomato. Cheapest thing on the menu. It was fucking fantastic.
And then I was here. When people from big state schools tell me their campuses are in the middle of nowhere, I always picture UConn. For Connecticut, it's in the middle of nowhere. But the state's pretty fucking small, and UConn is only 30 minutes from Hartford. (Not that that's a blessing.) But Penn State is in the exact center of the state, and therefore not within hours of anything but cows, mountains and truckers. So now I understand. Middle of nowhere.
So why am I here? The destination cities for the next few weeks are based almost entirely on the whereabouts of my seven study abroad roommates. Carissa is the first.
She's been an incredible hostess, and last night fed me Yuenglings and took me out to Penn State bars with some of her film major friends. The drink specials here -- and, I'm sure, everywhere outside Massachusetts -- blew my mind. It was American microbrew night at the first bar, and I had a Golden Monkey for $3. They had other beers, like Blue Moon and #9, for $2.50. I almost cried.
Then we went to the Gaff, where Bud Light bottles were $1.50 and pitchers -- pitchers! -- of Captain and Coke were $5. People were sipping the alcohol with straws, a pitcher a person.
Then pizza, a smoke stop at one of Carissa's friends and back to her place (above a bike shop), where I promptly passed out on a couch.
I'm staying another night because my next roommate, in Minneapolis, won't be able to hang out Thursday or Friday. Apparently some people do have jobs, and can't just take off because I'm coming. Go figure. Also, I'm in no rush to tackle the western half of PA. I keep hearing how horrible it is.
So the plan is to head out for Chicago early tomorrow, probably with a night stop between here and there, and then on to the Twin Cities for Saturday. I want to stick to state roads instead of the interstates, which so far have been nothing but truck stops and farms.
And now, to the pool!