We last updated in Indiana...before we fell asleep. Well, tried to sleep anyway. Living in Washington, I thought I knew what a thunder and lightning storm was. There is some rain, 5 or 6 bolts of lightning and the thunder that accompanies it. What I learned is that Washington lightning storms are kinda like...buying french bread in America, eating california style pizza in Virginia, or a philly cheesesteak sandwich in Kansas. I guess what I'm trying to say is lightning storms in Indiana are TERRIFYING...especially when viewing them from inside a tent. Literally...lightning every 10 seconds and the thunder did not stop for half an hour. So we didn't get much sleep and when we decided to pack up in the morning, everything was soaked and dirty. great.
The day after Indiana was not to exciting. We drove through Chicago, which is an extremely ugly city. Everything there seemed dirty. The only redeeming point of interest in that area was how they handled their "service" stations along the toll road. They were these big archways that went over the freeway and had restaurants and such inside. It kinda felt like you were in an airport. We had chinese food in one and then continued on to Minnesota. After our experiance in Indiana, we were not looking forward to camping outside again so we upgraded to a little cabin site and slept indoors while hanging our tent out to dry a little while we went to explore the area. We had arrived really early that day and since we were sleeping indoors we decided to see if there were any movies we wanted out and watch them in the cabin. We bought Men in Black and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon because they were 5 bucks and watched those.
The next day we headed towards Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills. South Dakota is an interesting state...every city in South Dakota has something that is the most amazing thing you will ever see and they will advertise it thoroughly. We visited Wall Drug...which you start seeing signs for 355 miles away and then every 5 miles from that point. You would think it was a lot cooler than it was. However, it's just a block of old west looking building, lots of cowboys, and a maze. We bought some ice cream...which I guess was pretty good. We did manage to pull ourselves away and continue on to Rushmore. Again, we got there pretty early so we had 3-4 hours to visit Keystone, Mount Rushmore, and Crazy Horse (kinda). I say kinda because we didn't want to pay the 20 bucks to get in when you can see the actual mountain from the road. Crazy Horse is interesting because it's been being built for nearly 100 years and it isn't close to being done. I saw it when I was in junior high and the only difference between then and now is there is a hole in the mountain where is armpit is gonna be. Mount Rushmore was Mount Rushmore...it's surprisingly small in real life. Keystone is another old west themed town. It's...not exciting. Merrilee bought some black hills gold...from the black hills.
We upgraded to a cabin again that night and, for the second night in a row, had problems with our internet so we couldn't update. Did I mention that earlier? We didn't update the last few days cause KOA internet access is spotty at best.
Anywho, we started driving through Montana. Again, not exciting. We intended on upgrading to a cabin site in Misoula, MO, but they were booked. So, we decided that we could either find a hotel, sleep in a wet tent, or drive through till we couldn't drive anymore. We decided on the last option and hit Spokane around 9 o'clock. At which point we figured we could make it to Seattle before 2am, so we just drove through. We made it into Merrilees Mom's house around 1:30 and crashed after a quick cuddle with our kitties. We plan on trying to clean up the tent today, doing our laundry and then heading ho e tommorrow morning. We're excited to be getting home, even though that means we have to go back to work :-(
-Jason
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
blog ity blog blog blog
yeah, so it's been awhile again. Somehow it's harder to blog when you are staying at a house rather than a campsite...go figure. However, we are now on our homeward stretch and it's nothing but campsite on the way so....I can officially announce that we will try to post almost every day when we have the time!
I believe we left off in connecticut...which was fun. We met up with a ton of the HoA gang and had a pretty crazy fun party. It was really great meeting, in person, all of these people we have known for almost 2 years. Good times were had by all and it was difficult to tear ourselves away, but we finally managed to make our way through the state of New York. Sunday night, we stayed at a campsite in Herkimer...which was nice...but very cold. An eventuality we were not wholly prepared for. Luckily, it was a short driving day (4 hours) to the Buffalo area to visit Merrilee's dad.
We had an excellent time touring their town and visiting Niagara Falls with them on Monday and Tuesday. We did the "Maid of the Mist" and "Cave of the Winds" tourist thingies and was able to experiance the falls in the wettest way possible. We got souvenior shoes! WOOO. Except I donated mine...which I regretted later as my Vans got completely drenched and took nearly 8 hours to dry. However, all and all it was an excellent day.
We woke up this morning and met Behr for breakfast at Tim Horton's. Not half bad coffee and/or breakfast. One thing that is refreshing to know about this roadtrip is that all of my friends that I enjoy "virtually" and thoroughly enjoy in real life...or IRL for those of you "in the know." The day was pretty uneventful. Pulled into our campsite in Indiana around 6...got lost trying to make our way to Michigan for dinner...Merrilee stressed out...I made lots of jokes to make her feel better...she yelled at me for making jokes...I made jokes about not making jokes...she hit me. A good time was had by all.
Oh, and one thing I will not miss about the east coast and mid west is...HUMIDITY. We don't get much of it in Washington and thank the lord almighty for that. Humidity sucks.
I believe we left off in connecticut...which was fun. We met up with a ton of the HoA gang and had a pretty crazy fun party. It was really great meeting, in person, all of these people we have known for almost 2 years. Good times were had by all and it was difficult to tear ourselves away, but we finally managed to make our way through the state of New York. Sunday night, we stayed at a campsite in Herkimer...which was nice...but very cold. An eventuality we were not wholly prepared for. Luckily, it was a short driving day (4 hours) to the Buffalo area to visit Merrilee's dad.
We had an excellent time touring their town and visiting Niagara Falls with them on Monday and Tuesday. We did the "Maid of the Mist" and "Cave of the Winds" tourist thingies and was able to experiance the falls in the wettest way possible. We got souvenior shoes! WOOO. Except I donated mine...which I regretted later as my Vans got completely drenched and took nearly 8 hours to dry. However, all and all it was an excellent day.
We woke up this morning and met Behr for breakfast at Tim Horton's. Not half bad coffee and/or breakfast. One thing that is refreshing to know about this roadtrip is that all of my friends that I enjoy "virtually" and thoroughly enjoy in real life...or IRL for those of you "in the know." The day was pretty uneventful. Pulled into our campsite in Indiana around 6...got lost trying to make our way to Michigan for dinner...Merrilee stressed out...I made lots of jokes to make her feel better...she yelled at me for making jokes...I made jokes about not making jokes...she hit me. A good time was had by all.
Oh, and one thing I will not miss about the east coast and mid west is...HUMIDITY. We don't get much of it in Washington and thank the lord almighty for that. Humidity sucks.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
The East Coast (or Most of it)
Sorry it's been so long! Traveling can keep you really busy. Lets see...
Wednesday we spent the day going from Virginia Beach, to downtown Norfolk, and then had dinner at Bardo's. They say it's a Toppas Bar, but it wasn't actually toppas, but it was still really good. After that we went back to Geoff's and attempted to make an early night of it, but then Janet and Chad came over, so we hung out with them for a while.
We then got up early the next morning, and made our way to Washington D.C. That was the first time I'd ever been on a subway! We ate lunch, and tried to make our way around the Mall for the afternoon. When we first got to D.C. it was pouring. We needed cash, so we stopped at an Eckerd's and picked up umbrellas and cash. But as we walked out the door, it stopped raining! So we ended up carrying umbrellas around with us all afternoon instead. It ended up getting really hot, so after seeing the Washington Monument, the Whitehouse, and the Lincoln Monument, we caught a bus and went to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History for a while. We only really saw the dinosaurs and geology exhibit, because by then we were getting tired and still wanted to see the capital building. So we left, saw the capital, then took the subway and bus back to the hotel. From there, we picked up Geoff's car, and went to dinner with his friend (also named Chad). After that, we were exhausted, and fell into bed. That was a lot of walking in the sun!
Friday morning we packed up, and started driving to Connecticut. We made good time, and got to the Statue of Liberty by about 1pm, and decided it was worth the Ferry fare. It was great. We got to see Ellis Island, but we decided not to visit. It was crowded, and we got good pictures from the outside. So we went on to the Statue of Liberty. That was great. I never realized the base was so big, and she was so small! And since we didn't go to NYC, we admired the skyline. When I first saw it I wasn't so impressed, then I realized it kept going... As soon as we got off the return ferry, it started raining. So when we got back on the New Jersey Turnpike, there was a ton of lightening. Sadly there was traffic, so we got to see a lot of it. It took us almost 2 hours to go from Jersey City through the little bit of New York we went through. When we finally hit Connecticut, it really started raining, and we hit even more traffic.
We ended up getting to Marie and Joe's just after 7. There were already a ton of people here, even though the party isn't actually until tonight. Some people have hotels, but there are 6 people sleeping in the living room, one in front of the bathroom upstairs, us 2 in one bedroom, 3 more in another bedroom, and 4 in the master bedroom.... I'm not sure how showers will work.
Anyway, we're having a great time. I'm posting now because most people are still asleep.
Ta ta!
Wednesday we spent the day going from Virginia Beach, to downtown Norfolk, and then had dinner at Bardo's. They say it's a Toppas Bar, but it wasn't actually toppas, but it was still really good. After that we went back to Geoff's and attempted to make an early night of it, but then Janet and Chad came over, so we hung out with them for a while.
We then got up early the next morning, and made our way to Washington D.C. That was the first time I'd ever been on a subway! We ate lunch, and tried to make our way around the Mall for the afternoon. When we first got to D.C. it was pouring. We needed cash, so we stopped at an Eckerd's and picked up umbrellas and cash. But as we walked out the door, it stopped raining! So we ended up carrying umbrellas around with us all afternoon instead. It ended up getting really hot, so after seeing the Washington Monument, the Whitehouse, and the Lincoln Monument, we caught a bus and went to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History for a while. We only really saw the dinosaurs and geology exhibit, because by then we were getting tired and still wanted to see the capital building. So we left, saw the capital, then took the subway and bus back to the hotel. From there, we picked up Geoff's car, and went to dinner with his friend (also named Chad). After that, we were exhausted, and fell into bed. That was a lot of walking in the sun!
Friday morning we packed up, and started driving to Connecticut. We made good time, and got to the Statue of Liberty by about 1pm, and decided it was worth the Ferry fare. It was great. We got to see Ellis Island, but we decided not to visit. It was crowded, and we got good pictures from the outside. So we went on to the Statue of Liberty. That was great. I never realized the base was so big, and she was so small! And since we didn't go to NYC, we admired the skyline. When I first saw it I wasn't so impressed, then I realized it kept going... As soon as we got off the return ferry, it started raining. So when we got back on the New Jersey Turnpike, there was a ton of lightening. Sadly there was traffic, so we got to see a lot of it. It took us almost 2 hours to go from Jersey City through the little bit of New York we went through. When we finally hit Connecticut, it really started raining, and we hit even more traffic.
We ended up getting to Marie and Joe's just after 7. There were already a ton of people here, even though the party isn't actually until tonight. Some people have hotels, but there are 6 people sleeping in the living room, one in front of the bathroom upstairs, us 2 in one bedroom, 3 more in another bedroom, and 4 in the master bedroom.... I'm not sure how showers will work.
Anyway, we're having a great time. I'm posting now because most people are still asleep.
Ta ta!
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Super Quick
So, today we went to Virginia Beach, then explored the Norfolk waterfront. We went to dinner at this amazing restaurant, and now we're hanging out with friends. Tomorrow we're heading to Washington D.C. and we won't have internet access. I'll try to post this weekend, but no guarantees!
<3 Merrilee
<3 Merrilee
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Roller Coasters and Headaches
So, I'm a huge fan of roller coasters, but Washington doesn't really have many. And since we don't really get out of the state, I don't ride them much. Luckily, Busch Gardens had a ton. I especially liked the Griffon. It was incredible. We got there about 10 this morning, and stayed until just after 4:30. We're not kids anymore, and we were completely worn out. So we've just vegged and played Wii the rest of the evening.
The day doesn't have a lot to be said about it, there's just a lot of pictures. Enjoy!
The day doesn't have a lot to be said about it, there's just a lot of pictures. Enjoy!
Monday, August 13, 2007
Wookie Noises and Monticello
We woke up this morning relatively early because we were going to head over to the Charlettesville area to see Monticello. First however, we met with Meera and Katie for lunch. Lunch was...interesting. Apparently, when you order field greens in salads at "Soup Revolution" they also include all the bugs from the field in your salad. I had about 6 bites of my salad before I found a nasty dead ladybug near one of my shrimp...so I kinda lost my appetite. The company was good though and I have been storing up enough fat from eating every other nasty thing that missing lunch wasn't going to kill me.
Monticello was lots of fun. I was able to fulfill my lifelong dream and drop my cell phone in Thomas Jefferson's back lawn. I also dropped my keys in Thomas Jefferson's back lawn. I even dropped my wallet in Thomas Jefferson's back lawn. In addition, I pinched Merrilee's bum in Thomas Jefferson's Beer Cellar, Amongst other Thomas Jefferson rooms.
Stopped for dinner at the Legacy Brewery with Geoff's friend Christie. We got two beer samplers and had a nice dinner. Geoff got a cool cup.
We then drove home and spent at least 15 minutes perfecting our best Wookie/Murloc noises. Geoff won.
Monticello was lots of fun. I was able to fulfill my lifelong dream and drop my cell phone in Thomas Jefferson's back lawn. I also dropped my keys in Thomas Jefferson's back lawn. I even dropped my wallet in Thomas Jefferson's back lawn. In addition, I pinched Merrilee's bum in Thomas Jefferson's Beer Cellar, Amongst other Thomas Jefferson rooms.
Stopped for dinner at the Legacy Brewery with Geoff's friend Christie. We got two beer samplers and had a nice dinner. Geoff got a cool cup.
We then drove home and spent at least 15 minutes perfecting our best Wookie/Murloc noises. Geoff won.
North Carolina?
Yesterday Geoff took us for a drive. We saw lots of farms, and peanut sculptures, and we ended up in North Carolina. Not for long, just enough to say we've been there. It's not too far of a drive from Portsmouth. We also did laundry, then came back, ate leftovers for dinner, then watched the first two Harry Potter movies. But I fell asleep. I am boring I guess. That's all we really did!
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Past Due!
Sorry everyone, we didn't have an internet connection in Kentucky, and I was too tired to post more last night, so I'll do a big update now!
So the last I talked about was arriving in Missouri. That was so terrible, I can't say it enough. I think the humidity was like 110% and it was 98 degrees. Blah. After packing up the next day, we drove through Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and into Kentucky. We had to stop in Missouri for an oil change, and then drove pretty much straight the rest of the way. Illinois was a lot flatter than I expected. It didn't even have the tiny rolling hills of Kansas. Indiana was a little better, and Kentucky was pretty. Lots of horses and pretty hills.
Driving in, we stopped to get gas. One of the locals saw our license plates, and asked "Washington, is that up by New York?" I can't get the proper twang here, but wow. We stayed in Renfro Valley, right next to the Kentucky Country Music Hall of Fame. The gift stores were odd... We went in one and it was full of dolls and country music memorabilia. We got our post cards, but the one I got I'm pretty sure is a picture of the GRAND CANYON with "Kentucky" written across the front. Yikes!
On Saturday we left Kentucky, and traveled south into Tennessee and the Smokey Mountains. We got almost as far as Knoxville. I still don't believe that those are Mountains. From there we headed north through the Appalachians. They were a little bigger, but still tiny! We missed the "Welcome to Virginia" sign :( The first one we missed, and we're staying here for 4 days! Oh well.
The weird thing for us has been the lack of things you can see from the freeway. In Washington, towns are built on both sides of the freeway, but even in some of the "larger" cities you can't see them from the freeway.
Anyway, we're all awake now, and It's my turn for a shower. Today we're hanging around Portsmouth, and we'll probably go up toward Charlottesville and Richmond tomorrow, then Busch Gardens on Tuesday. Anyway, ta ta for now!
So the last I talked about was arriving in Missouri. That was so terrible, I can't say it enough. I think the humidity was like 110% and it was 98 degrees. Blah. After packing up the next day, we drove through Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and into Kentucky. We had to stop in Missouri for an oil change, and then drove pretty much straight the rest of the way. Illinois was a lot flatter than I expected. It didn't even have the tiny rolling hills of Kansas. Indiana was a little better, and Kentucky was pretty. Lots of horses and pretty hills.
Driving in, we stopped to get gas. One of the locals saw our license plates, and asked "Washington, is that up by New York?" I can't get the proper twang here, but wow. We stayed in Renfro Valley, right next to the Kentucky Country Music Hall of Fame. The gift stores were odd... We went in one and it was full of dolls and country music memorabilia. We got our post cards, but the one I got I'm pretty sure is a picture of the GRAND CANYON with "Kentucky" written across the front. Yikes!
On Saturday we left Kentucky, and traveled south into Tennessee and the Smokey Mountains. We got almost as far as Knoxville. I still don't believe that those are Mountains. From there we headed north through the Appalachians. They were a little bigger, but still tiny! We missed the "Welcome to Virginia" sign :( The first one we missed, and we're staying here for 4 days! Oh well.
The weird thing for us has been the lack of things you can see from the freeway. In Washington, towns are built on both sides of the freeway, but even in some of the "larger" cities you can't see them from the freeway.
Anyway, we're all awake now, and It's my turn for a shower. Today we're hanging around Portsmouth, and we'll probably go up toward Charlottesville and Richmond tomorrow, then Busch Gardens on Tuesday. Anyway, ta ta for now!
Saturday, August 11, 2007
VIRGINIA!
We got to Virginia safely, and we went out to dinner with Geoff. We had pizza and beer at Cogan's. It was tasty, but we spent all day driving, so I'm pretty tired. I'll upload pictures and write more tomorrow.
<3 Merrilee
<3 Merrilee
Thursday, August 9, 2007
WTB Air Conditioning for Tent
(I uploaded more pictures from yesterday, as well as some from today, tonight we have electricity and a better internet connection.)
I love driving in Colorado. It’s so pretty there, every time you turn a corner, it’s another sweeping vista. Sadly we left the mountains, and the eastern side of the state is pretty flat. It was interesting for about 5 minutes. And we hadn’t even hit Kansas yet.
So, when planning this trip, I didn’t realize how BORING it would be to drive through Kansas. I don’t know how people do it without Harry Potter. Seriously, aperating would have been awesome. Any other audio book would be fine too, as long as it distracts you from going blind from the flat, straight, green. And cows. Many of them standing in water. I was soooo happy we had air conditioning. We put up a pillow case in the passenger side window though, we both are getting overly tanned / border-line burned on our right arms.
We finally got through Kansas, and into Missouri. WOW. I guess I never realized the power of humidity. Living on the West Coast has kept me sheltered. We got to our site, and immediately started sweating the moment we got out of the car. On top of yelling to communicate over the drone of the cicadas, we finally got the site set up, and now I’m doing this. Exciting, huh? I know I’m not as witty as Jason, but honestly, it’s too hot to think of anything else.
I miss my kitties. And I finally saw a cactus yesterday, but we never saw one of the Taco Time ones. I tried calling them Sbarros, then realized I was hungry. They’re actually Saguaros. I learned that off of a post card.
<3 Merrilee
I love driving in Colorado. It’s so pretty there, every time you turn a corner, it’s another sweeping vista. Sadly we left the mountains, and the eastern side of the state is pretty flat. It was interesting for about 5 minutes. And we hadn’t even hit Kansas yet.
So, when planning this trip, I didn’t realize how BORING it would be to drive through Kansas. I don’t know how people do it without Harry Potter. Seriously, aperating would have been awesome. Any other audio book would be fine too, as long as it distracts you from going blind from the flat, straight, green. And cows. Many of them standing in water. I was soooo happy we had air conditioning. We put up a pillow case in the passenger side window though, we both are getting overly tanned / border-line burned on our right arms.
We finally got through Kansas, and into Missouri. WOW. I guess I never realized the power of humidity. Living on the West Coast has kept me sheltered. We got to our site, and immediately started sweating the moment we got out of the car. On top of yelling to communicate over the drone of the cicadas, we finally got the site set up, and now I’m doing this. Exciting, huh? I know I’m not as witty as Jason, but honestly, it’s too hot to think of anything else.
I miss my kitties. And I finally saw a cactus yesterday, but we never saw one of the Taco Time ones. I tried calling them Sbarros, then realized I was hungry. They’re actually Saguaros. I learned that off of a post card.
<3 Merrilee
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Day ....I lost track..4?
It was dark when we woke up this morning. When the rooster came around to wake everyone up, he was to late. I had already woken up all the neighbors by vacuum packing all our bedding. So I kicked him in the face and said “Not today buddy.” Ok, I didn’t actually kick a rooster…though I may have being that is was 4:30am and I’m normally a little irritable.
We got an early start this morning because today was one of the longest driving days of the trip. On top of that, we were losing an hour going into a new time zone so we had very little time to waste. We left our desolate campsite in Kingman, AZ and headed to the Grand Canyon.
As a child, I visited the Grand Canyon for a day. I remembered being there because it was the last major stop until we got to Disneyland. I have to stress that I truly didn’t appreciate the majesty of the area until today. Peering into the giant chasms that run as far as the eye can see, you can not help but be completely awe struck. We spent much more time than we had expected to there…mainly because we couldn’t pull ourselves away from canyon edge, and any time there was a viewpoint with a decent view into the Canyon we stopped for a few pictures. All in all, we got something like 200 pictures and 5 minutes of video around the Canyon.
The rest of the day was pretty boring. Arizona really has nothing going for it other than beautiful landscapes. We didn’t think about lunch until noon and decided to stop at the next place that looked like good food to eat. Around 3 o’ clock, we finally stopped in Cortez, CO for lunch. This was because the entire 3 hour drive through Arizona had nothing but gas stations and creepy looking Navajo trading posts, of which, none looked like someplace I would like to eat. On top of it all, there was a CHARGE to stand at 4 corners. The whole area was fenced off and they were charging 3 bucks a person to stand in 4 states at once. Are you kidding me?
Finally pulled into our spot in Alamosa, CO around 8 o’clock and set up camp. And though, there are a lot more mosquitoes and the showers smell suspiciously of egg…I like it here much more than last night.
Tomorrow, We will leave the Rockies behind and face the long, flat, straight of Moria…I mean Kansas. Mileage wise, tomorrow is the longest day I think, however, it’s all straight, no-stops except Bathroom and Food, and flat driving. Uploaded a few GC pictures…will have more tomorrow, Battery is running low for the night. See ya tomorrow!
Jason
Total Mileage: 637.1 miles
Gas prices: 2.74 in Kingman 2.88 in Tonalea
We got an early start this morning because today was one of the longest driving days of the trip. On top of that, we were losing an hour going into a new time zone so we had very little time to waste. We left our desolate campsite in Kingman, AZ and headed to the Grand Canyon.
As a child, I visited the Grand Canyon for a day. I remembered being there because it was the last major stop until we got to Disneyland. I have to stress that I truly didn’t appreciate the majesty of the area until today. Peering into the giant chasms that run as far as the eye can see, you can not help but be completely awe struck. We spent much more time than we had expected to there…mainly because we couldn’t pull ourselves away from canyon edge, and any time there was a viewpoint with a decent view into the Canyon we stopped for a few pictures. All in all, we got something like 200 pictures and 5 minutes of video around the Canyon.
The rest of the day was pretty boring. Arizona really has nothing going for it other than beautiful landscapes. We didn’t think about lunch until noon and decided to stop at the next place that looked like good food to eat. Around 3 o’ clock, we finally stopped in Cortez, CO for lunch. This was because the entire 3 hour drive through Arizona had nothing but gas stations and creepy looking Navajo trading posts, of which, none looked like someplace I would like to eat. On top of it all, there was a CHARGE to stand at 4 corners. The whole area was fenced off and they were charging 3 bucks a person to stand in 4 states at once. Are you kidding me?
Finally pulled into our spot in Alamosa, CO around 8 o’clock and set up camp. And though, there are a lot more mosquitoes and the showers smell suspiciously of egg…I like it here much more than last night.
Tomorrow, We will leave the Rockies behind and face the long, flat, straight of Moria…I mean Kansas. Mileage wise, tomorrow is the longest day I think, however, it’s all straight, no-stops except Bathroom and Food, and flat driving. Uploaded a few GC pictures…will have more tomorrow, Battery is running low for the night. See ya tomorrow!
Jason
Total Mileage: 637.1 miles
Gas prices: 2.74 in Kingman 2.88 in Tonalea
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
No Cacti
I think that's how you spell Cacti. I'm not getting an error on spell check, so that must be correct. I only saw potted ones in California :( I want to see real ones tomorrow!
We spent last night and this morning with my Uncle Rick. It was so great to be able to spend some time with him and two of my cousins. We don't get to see them very often! Rick even got up and made us a great breakfast. We then left, and drove through California, down 99, Over to 58, then up 15 a bit, then on 40 into Arizona. We kept forgetting the numbers, and so I've recorded them now that I have them correct.
The drive itself was just driving. We stopped at In-N-Out Burger for lunch. I'd never eaten there before. One of our goals for this trip is to not eat at a restaurant that we can eat at at home. So no McDonalds... etc. So this was a fun treat.
I love that the speed limits are 75. But it makes it a real shock to switch to a slower speed limit! Anyway, I'm not going to write a whole lot tonight, we need to go to bed early so we can get a super early start tomorrow.
Just remember to ask us about our made up songs, and our new careers as annoying song singer/songwriters.
<3 Merrilee
We spent last night and this morning with my Uncle Rick. It was so great to be able to spend some time with him and two of my cousins. We don't get to see them very often! Rick even got up and made us a great breakfast. We then left, and drove through California, down 99, Over to 58, then up 15 a bit, then on 40 into Arizona. We kept forgetting the numbers, and so I've recorded them now that I have them correct.
The drive itself was just driving. We stopped at In-N-Out Burger for lunch. I'd never eaten there before. One of our goals for this trip is to not eat at a restaurant that we can eat at at home. So no McDonalds... etc. So this was a fun treat.
I love that the speed limits are 75. But it makes it a real shock to switch to a slower speed limit! Anyway, I'm not going to write a whole lot tonight, we need to go to bed early so we can get a super early start tomorrow.
Just remember to ask us about our made up songs, and our new careers as annoying song singer/songwriters.
<3 Merrilee
Merrilee's Two Cents
Yesterday was great. Jason didn't add that the reason the post for Day Two was late was because the open wireless internet at the campground still needed a password according to my computer, but there was no password. Grrr. I hope we don't continue to have a problem connecting at KOA's. Oh well, I think they have different providers at each one, so that should make it better.
I actually enjoyed all the tourist traps, and someday I'd like to go back and do some of the hikes. Driving through groves of huge trees was awesome though. I'm adding it to my list of re-visiting places. This trip is mostly to see what we want to see more of! We took 101 almost half way down the coast, then headed inland. It was crazy, one moment we were driving through gorgeous mountains that reminded me of eastern Washington (with less rocks) and then all of a sunden we were in a completely flat valley, full of orchards and farms. Looking back at the mountains it was like a hard line of where the foothills started and stopped. So different than Washington!
It was great to see Uncle Rick, Zack, and Kyler. They've grown up so much since we last saw them. Anyway, we have a huge day of driving, and more Harry Potter to get through.
<3 Merrilee
I actually enjoyed all the tourist traps, and someday I'd like to go back and do some of the hikes. Driving through groves of huge trees was awesome though. I'm adding it to my list of re-visiting places. This trip is mostly to see what we want to see more of! We took 101 almost half way down the coast, then headed inland. It was crazy, one moment we were driving through gorgeous mountains that reminded me of eastern Washington (with less rocks) and then all of a sunden we were in a completely flat valley, full of orchards and farms. Looking back at the mountains it was like a hard line of where the foothills started and stopped. So different than Washington!
It was great to see Uncle Rick, Zack, and Kyler. They've grown up so much since we last saw them. Anyway, we have a huge day of driving, and more Harry Potter to get through.
<3 Merrilee
Monday, August 6, 2007
California, Traffic, and Big Trees
It rained last night. Our tent didn't take it to bad cause we had a huge tree cover so it was just mildly damp around the top and edges. It was our first time setting up and taking down the tent and it wasn't to bad. We got up around 6:00 and was able to shower and get everything packed up around 8:00 and hit the road.
Our morning drive was through the Redwoods and I was surprised to see just how many tourist traps there were. The Trees of Mystery, The Skyride Redwoods Trip, The Jurassic somethingorother, and a giant Bigfoot "amusement" park. We made a quick stop at The Trees of Mystery...but just did driveby's of the rest.
The worst part of our day was the 3 hours at least we spent in traffic today. First of all, this small town on the coast of California had 3 of it's stoplights out and traffic cops were guiding people through the lights. This caused a 6 mile backup on 101 which took almost 2 full hours to get through. Then we got caught in the daily traffic around Sacremento which was about an hour for 4-5 miles. I suppose traffic is an eventuality on a roadtrip, but it doesn't mean I have to enjoy it.
Right now, we're hanging out at Merrilee's Uncle Rick's house, who has been kind enough to feed us and house us for the evening. Prestige is a good movie.
Mileage: 390.6
Gas Price: $3.23
Our morning drive was through the Redwoods and I was surprised to see just how many tourist traps there were. The Trees of Mystery, The Skyride Redwoods Trip, The Jurassic somethingorother, and a giant Bigfoot "amusement" park. We made a quick stop at The Trees of Mystery...but just did driveby's of the rest.
The worst part of our day was the 3 hours at least we spent in traffic today. First of all, this small town on the coast of California had 3 of it's stoplights out and traffic cops were guiding people through the lights. This caused a 6 mile backup on 101 which took almost 2 full hours to get through. Then we got caught in the daily traffic around Sacremento which was about an hour for 4-5 miles. I suppose traffic is an eventuality on a roadtrip, but it doesn't mean I have to enjoy it.
Right now, we're hanging out at Merrilee's Uncle Rick's house, who has been kind enough to feed us and house us for the evening. Prestige is a good movie.
Mileage: 390.6
Gas Price: $3.23
Day 2!!
We started the day at my mom’s, where we said goodbye to our cats. They were already getting adventurous, and no longer wanted to stay in the “safe” bedroom, so they were already exploring their temporary home before we were even gone! On our way out of Mom’s house, we were almost attacked by a hummingbird. It wasn’t scared of us at all, and came within a few feet. Those wings are loud! Ate our breakfast, stopped for coffee, and we were off.
South on I-5 we went, through Portland, OR. From there we took the exit that google directed us to, and headed over to the Oregon coast. We only got a little lost, and found our way just fine. We got over to Lincoln City by about noon, and decided to stop for lunch and gas. We ate at the best little place, the food was fantastic! The décor inside cracked us up. It was all Winnie the Pooh, Campbell’s Soup, and Coca Cola. I used their restroom and made Jason go look… It was tiny and decorated to the armpits. Including a hand painted Pooh on the inside of the toilet seat, and motion activated birds that chirped at you the whole time.
By this time we were listening to Harry Potter (book 1) and enjoying the scenery. It was a gorgeous drive down the coast. Most of the pictures I took were through moving car window, but they turned out pretty good! We got to the campsite at about 6:30 and set up the tent. From there, we got ourselves lost in Crescent City, and realized that on Sunday nights there’s only Mexican food to eat. So we found a place, and sat down, and were immediately confused at the Western themed menu, complete with a buck staring at you. But the food was great, and we left well satisfied. It’s now 8:30, and we’re already thinking about bed.
Well, time to make Jason walk over to the wireless hotspot and post this.
Good Night!
Gas: $2.89/gallon
Traveled: 527 miles
South on I-5 we went, through Portland, OR. From there we took the exit that google directed us to, and headed over to the Oregon coast. We only got a little lost, and found our way just fine. We got over to Lincoln City by about noon, and decided to stop for lunch and gas. We ate at the best little place, the food was fantastic! The décor inside cracked us up. It was all Winnie the Pooh, Campbell’s Soup, and Coca Cola. I used their restroom and made Jason go look… It was tiny and decorated to the armpits. Including a hand painted Pooh on the inside of the toilet seat, and motion activated birds that chirped at you the whole time.
By this time we were listening to Harry Potter (book 1) and enjoying the scenery. It was a gorgeous drive down the coast. Most of the pictures I took were through moving car window, but they turned out pretty good! We got to the campsite at about 6:30 and set up the tent. From there, we got ourselves lost in Crescent City, and realized that on Sunday nights there’s only Mexican food to eat. So we found a place, and sat down, and were immediately confused at the Western themed menu, complete with a buck staring at you. But the food was great, and we left well satisfied. It’s now 8:30, and we’re already thinking about bed.
Well, time to make Jason walk over to the wireless hotspot and post this.
Good Night!
Gas: $2.89/gallon
Traveled: 527 miles
Saturday, August 4, 2007
The Adventure Begins....
Here we are folks, day 1 of our 22ish day adventure across the United States. I had the pleasure of starting out today with a 2 hour math exam...WOOOOOOO. Even though it was terribly exciting, I'll refrain from giving you the terrible details. Merrilee spent the morning doing last minute preparations for the road ahead, got the car loaded...etc.
Once I got home, I took a shower and we took off. Our first stop was at Jason and Molly The Flavor (I type it that way because I can't spell his last name....and this sounds cooler anyway). Check out our pictures section for exciting pictures. The wedding was nice and it is always good to hang out with the old crew. The last few times I have seen them is at weddings. It's always amazing to me that no matter how old we get, no matter how many responsibility's we have, when we get together we're just a bunch of kids. At the last wedding, we spent hours coloring on the pretty table mats and then ate crayons. Then talked about creating edible crayons as a business venture because actual crayons don't taste very good. Not sure why we ate them as children really...they are just so colorful. Today, we played table Jenga and drew maps on the tables. We also named the 50 states a la' Friends. Merrilee proved her dominance in "state naming" by completing all 50 solo before Ben and David could do it together. Great pictures on the Flickr...so check it out.
Other than that...hung out at my Parent's house because it was my Mom's birthday and saw my sister off on her 2 week vacation to South Dakota with a friend. Laying in bed now, getting ready for the REAL beginning tomorrow. We're heading down the Oregon coast tomorrow and hope to be in Crecent City by the late afternoon.
See ya tomorrow!
Gas Price: 2.99
Mileage today: 110 miles
Mileage total: 110 miles
Once I got home, I took a shower and we took off. Our first stop was at Jason and Molly The Flavor (I type it that way because I can't spell his last name....and this sounds cooler anyway). Check out our pictures section for exciting pictures. The wedding was nice and it is always good to hang out with the old crew. The last few times I have seen them is at weddings. It's always amazing to me that no matter how old we get, no matter how many responsibility's we have, when we get together we're just a bunch of kids. At the last wedding, we spent hours coloring on the pretty table mats and then ate crayons. Then talked about creating edible crayons as a business venture because actual crayons don't taste very good. Not sure why we ate them as children really...they are just so colorful. Today, we played table Jenga and drew maps on the tables. We also named the 50 states a la' Friends. Merrilee proved her dominance in "state naming" by completing all 50 solo before Ben and David could do it together. Great pictures on the Flickr...so check it out.
Other than that...hung out at my Parent's house because it was my Mom's birthday and saw my sister off on her 2 week vacation to South Dakota with a friend. Laying in bed now, getting ready for the REAL beginning tomorrow. We're heading down the Oregon coast tomorrow and hope to be in Crecent City by the late afternoon.
See ya tomorrow!
Gas Price: 2.99
Mileage today: 110 miles
Mileage total: 110 miles
This is it!
Jason is off taking a test, and I'm home debating what's left in the refrigerator and its nutritional value for breakfast. Only a few more things to pack up, and then I'll start loading the car. Joy!
We'll have just enough time today to get to my Mom's house, drop off the cats, change our clothes, leave for the wedding, and come back to Jason's parents to celebrate birthdays before Jessica (his youngest sister) has to leave again. Goodness! After that we'll head back to my Mom's house, so we can get an early start the next morning. So that's all for now!
We'll have just enough time today to get to my Mom's house, drop off the cats, change our clothes, leave for the wedding, and come back to Jason's parents to celebrate birthdays before Jessica (his youngest sister) has to leave again. Goodness! After that we'll head back to my Mom's house, so we can get an early start the next morning. So that's all for now!
Thursday, August 2, 2007
The Husband Speaks
Or in this case...types.
Since this is a blog about "The Dilley's" not just "The Merrilee's" it's about time I added my two cents.
It's the Thursday night before the roadtrip begins. It honestly hasn't sunk in yet. I'm sure by the time we hit Lincoln City it will have resonated in my brain that we are no longer home. But until then, my mind is focused on my Praxxis: Math Content test Saturday morning, Jason "The" Flavors wedding, and my Mom's Birthday party.
I'll try to keep up with Merrilee and post every night during the roadtrip, but I make no promises. I blog about as often as I write e-mails to people...which is pretty much never.
Since this is a blog about "The Dilley's" not just "The Merrilee's" it's about time I added my two cents.
It's the Thursday night before the roadtrip begins. It honestly hasn't sunk in yet. I'm sure by the time we hit Lincoln City it will have resonated in my brain that we are no longer home. But until then, my mind is focused on my Praxxis: Math Content test Saturday morning, Jason "The" Flavors wedding, and my Mom's Birthday party.
I'll try to keep up with Merrilee and post every night during the roadtrip, but I make no promises. I blog about as often as I write e-mails to people...which is pretty much never.
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Closer...
Only a few more days to go! The book is off to the printers, so now I'm focusing on cleaning up the house and getting everything ready. Today, the theme is cats and shopping.
The cats are getting microchipped this morning, and I have a few gifts to buy before we head to Seattle. Then it's come home, do some little bits of work for Jack, and do some more preparing.
I realize this isn't much of an update, but I'm bored, so you get to read the mundane.
The cats are getting microchipped this morning, and I have a few gifts to buy before we head to Seattle. Then it's come home, do some little bits of work for Jack, and do some more preparing.
I realize this isn't much of an update, but I'm bored, so you get to read the mundane.
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