prettyblueroses

Trees of Mystery

prettyblueroses — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

We woke up on the later end of things, and headed to lunch. It was pretty busy since a tour bus had come right before us. Luckily, we had an awesome waitress, who actually ended up making our food herself. She was very sweet. I got a Turkey and bacon melt with vegetable beef soup and Mike got a bbq roast beef sandwich and a salad. We finished up and headed across the street ...

Trees of Mystery

To the Trees of Mystery. It consisted of a walking, self-guided tour up to the Sky Trail (gondola).

Riding the Turtle

There was a cute little wildflower garden...

Sundial Man

where we walked around...

Elephant Tree

The Elephant Tree...

Nature's Underpass

Nature's Underpass...

Roots of a Fallen Giant

The roots of a fallen tree...

Cathedral Tree

The Cathedral Tree...

Brotherhood Tree

And the Brotherhood Tree, among others.

On the Sky Trail

Then we got on the Sky Trail and went up the mountain.

At the top, we could see over the mountains, in this picture, you can see the white tree thing- at the top is an osprey's nest.

Hugging a Bear

On the way back down, the trail diverged and went walked the path of "Tall Tales" where the story of Paul Bunyan was carved into the trees.

Age of a Tree

At the end of the path was this section of the tree, showing how old the tree is. Crazy!! We wandered around the gift shop for a bit and the "End of the Trail" Indian museum within it. It was pretty cool.

Drive Through Tree

Then we went to a spot where a tree had been carved out but is still living, allowing us to drive our car through it. Wicked cool.

After this, we went up to Crescent City to look around. We ate a place called the Apple Peddler. Mike got steak and chicken teriyaki, and I got pork chops. We shared a Dutch Apple Cobbler with ice cream for dessert. It was ok. Then on the way back, we stopped along side the road and walked out on the beach. Then, we came back to our hotel, played Trivial Pursuit for a bit, and went to bed.

San Fog-cisco

prettyblueroses — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

We woke up this morning and decided to go swimming. The pool was a bit low, only 4.5 ft. at the deepest, and old, so the floor was all up and bubbly. After a bit, we went in the jacuzzi, which was pretty hot (104 degrees) and relaxed.

Back in the room, I called Marc and we talked about meeting up around 5. So we went to lunch first. We went the wrong way, but eventually found ourselves at Max's on the Square, a deli down the street. I got a reuben and Mike got a philly cheesesteak with pastrami instead. They were both good, and then we got dessert, which was a vanilla sundae with coconut macaroons- awesome.

View of the City

We relaxed a bit before getting ready to go out; Marc and Yuko came and picked us up at 5. We drove around and saw a lot- Chinatown, North Beach (kinda like the North End) where we got some coffee and walked around through the park for a moment. We went up to the Coit Tower and wandered around to see views of the city. Unfortunately it was pretty foggy, so all of the sites were hard to see.

Golden Gate Bridge

They took us up to the top of this road that we drove down- it is a famous road, very steep and very winding; it was built that way to allow the horses to get up and down it. Lots of expensive houses up there! We tried to go to another high point, but it was raining, windy and foggy and you couldn't see anything. Then we went to the Golden Gate Bridge!

Mike, me, and Marc

Golden Gate Bridge Stats

The bridge disappeared into the fog, which was pretty amusing. We spent some time looking around up there, and then went to check out Golden Gate Park.

Cute Little Garden at the Blue Plate

We had dinner reservations at 8 at a place called the Blue Plate that Yuko really liked. We got there a bit early, but it was fine. We sat out in the garden, right next to a fountain, which was really nice. They had a heat lamp since it was a bit chilly. The food was incredible. Marc and I got meatloaf, Yuko got the pork chop, and Mike got the rib eye. Afterwards, Marc got a piece of blueberry nectarine pie with vanilla ice cream that we all tried- it was really good. We sat around and talked and just enjoyed ourselves.

Today was quite wonderful. We had a great time with Marc and Yuko and seeing the sights of San Francisco.

Relief

prettyblueroses — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

So we woke up at 1, rested and ready to go. We were met with 100 degree weather and excruciating humidity upon exiting our hotel room- eek! The humidity felt good (after all the crazy dryness), but the heat was insane. After letting the car air out for a bit, we decided to grab lunch before heading out, and found an A&W/KFC down the street. I just got a hot dog and some little cheese things, Mike got a variety box (KFC)… and, of course, a nice cold mug of root beer on tap!

Bridge into San Francisco

Then we took off. We had already gone most of the way, so it was about 2 hours left to San Francisco. We drove by some more farms, saw some strawberries, almonds, walnuts, alfalfa, corn… and then we finally got on a real highway again! Found our way to San Fran and our hotel; put the car in a garage across the street (not quite as expensive), and checked in.

San Francisco

The hotel was nice, very fancy… we weren’t quite fitting in, since we were in our travel clothes, but we didn’t care. Got up to our room and just relaxed. I was able to update the blog and Mike watched some tv.

Us Before Dinner

We made a reservation at an Italian restaurant not too far from here, took a nice long shower, and got ready. Took a cab over and had a really nice dinner. Bread with an olive/garlic/balsamic spread to start, Mike got veal marsala and I got tortellini carbonara. Both were incredible. For dessert we got a chocolate lava cake with vanilla gelato. Everything was wonderful.

Then, we hailed a cab back to our hotel and relaxed before collapsing into bed for a full night’s sleep.

Trails and Tribulations

prettyblueroses — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

We woke up this morning at 8 and headed to breakfast. The Lodge dining room is family seating, so we sat with two older couples and a father with his two sons. They all had been there before, so we didn't have much to talk about with them. We did end up telling them about our first road trip out here when they asked where we were originally from. The food was just ok, but we wanted to make sure we'd have enough energy for the day.

We first called and made a reservation to go horseback riding. It was a 2 hour ride from 3-5; we had to be there at 2. Since it was still early, we decided to explore some the trails around the campsite.

Me at the River

Deer

We pretty much just wandered along the trials we found. We tried to stay along the river, which was beautiful and very calming. We were able to hear the river from our tent and it was the sound that soothed us to sleep.

While out, we saw some of the local wildlife, like deer, what looked like prairie dogs, a little gopher-like animal coming up from a whole in the ground, and many birds.

Us with the Mules

We then headed to the stables. We ended up riding mules, not horses, and the trip took us up and down a mountain. We were paired with a family of 3- father, mother, and young daughter, and 2 guides that came with us.

Me on Vegas

While out on the trial, we climbed up some pretty rough terrain. We got to see a coyote though! He was blonde, and very beautiful. He followed us around for a bit, which was really nice, except that my mule kept stopping to look at it!!

Mike on Roach

Eventually, we got up to the top of the mountain and had a beautiful view of the Tuolumne Meadows and many of the peaks of Yosemite.

Mountains

And it went downhill from there- literally, in more ways than one.

I began to not really feel so well... not only was I hot, but I started to feel lightheaded and like I was going to pass out. Mike took one look at me and told one of the guides that we needed to stop. I asked if I could get off, and they let me. One of them gave me her water and the other gave me her bandanna which she had soaked in the river. We decided to split up- one of the guides, Charlie, took the family of 3, and the other, Karen, stayed with us. Mike helped me feel better, so I got back up on the mule- big mistake. The second I got up on him I immediately felt like I was going to pass out, and I didn't think I was going to be able to make it off on my own accord. After resting for a while, we decided that Karen would take the mules back and Mike and I would walk back.

This wasn't exactly the best thing. We had to walk upwards of a mile, with me feeling lightheaded and pretty exhausted at this point, not to mention pretty freaked out. Karen said that it was altitude sickness, and fairly common. Still, I was worried. And that rough terrain? Much worse when you are on foot! Most of it was uphill and only some of it was in the shade. On top of this, it was prime mosquito time, and we were both being eating alive. We had to stop fairly frequently, and Mike began to worry that we weren't going to make it back by dark. Luckily though, we did, and we were both ready to collapse.

Back at the camp, we made reservations for dinner and relaxed for an hour before eating. At dinner, we were placed with a father and his 14 year old daughter, and a family of 4 from France. It was so fun to listen to their accents! And the father and daughter were very nice too. They gave us rolls and salad; Mike got a steak with a baked potato and corn on the cob, and I got a chicken Caesar salad. We shared both. The corn was so sweet it needed nothing- just like Amy's from the 4th! And everything else was really good too.

After dinner, Mike lit up the fire and we got comfortable. The plan was to get up fairly early, pack, and go see some more before we left. Unfortunately, this was not to be.

I woke up after being asleep for only 2 hours in intense pain. My whole chest felt constricted and it was hard to breathe. Mike woke up and went to the Lodge to ask what was going on. It was the altitude sickness again. The only cure- descent. Mike made the decision that we should leave instead of waiting until morning... so we quickly packed and left. As we descended, I began to feel better. Unfortunately though, we had to drive over 3 hours to find civilization and a hotel to stay in! We found a Holiday Inn Express and checked in at 5am, got a late check out, and slept until 1pm. Sore and exhausted, the day was finally over.

At the end of the day, all that matters is that I have the best spouse in the world. Even Karen (the guide) said we won the couple of the week/month/year (neither of us remember exactly what she said- it was hectic) award. Mike was perfect- patient and helpful and loving. I couldn't have made it without him.

Driving on a One-Way Highway: Ur Doin It Rong

prettyblueroses — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

So the drive up to Yosemite took much longer than expected. It is 11pm and we still aren’t at our campsite!!

We drove through lots of the arid region- mountains covered in dead, yellow grass, the desert, and lots of burnt ground from the fires. As we drove through the desert, I noticed a sign that said “Avoid Overheating- Turn Air Conditioner Off Next 6 Miles”- so we did. And boy, was it hot! Up to 105 degrees, with no air conditioning… you could feel the pressure on your chest, preventing you from breathing normally. Not fun. However, it was a good thing we did it. The entire breakdown lane of the highway was just about lined with cars that had broken down from overheating. We even saw a truck with its brakes on fire!!

Oasis

Eventually we started to get away from some of that when we got up towards Fresno- wine country. There were patches of cute little flowering bushes along the side of the road, but even better was the acres and acres worth of farms! We saw lots of things growing: lemons, grapes, pistachios, walnuts, almonds, alfalfa, corn, raisin grapes, English walnuts, oranges, and cherries. We also saw lots of cattle, and a few slaughterhouses along the way as well. We ended up stopping at Bravo’s Cheese Factory- a cute little place with a gift shop, restaurant, ice cream parlor, antiques, bathrooms, and fresh fruit. We wandered through the gift shop, Mike took pictures of the crazy oasis set up outside, we sympathized with the very hot bunnies (it was over 100 degrees outside!), I got a scoop of Butter Pecan ice cream and we bought some fresh fruit- a bag of cherries, a white peach, and a Santa Rosa plum. Mmmm!

Back on our way again, we continued on until we reached the little town of Oakhurst. We kept seeing signs along the way about wine trails, but weren’t able to stop and explore. We stopped to take out some money from the ATM and decided to eat dinner, since we didn’t think there would be much beyond that point. We ended up eating at a little Chinese food place called “A Taste of China.” For $10 each we got a cup of soup and a full plate, with lo mein, fried rice, a fried wonton, an egg roll, and main course. Mike got the sweet and sour pork and I got the cashew chicken (with no peppers!). The food was incredible- we were pleasantly surprised at how good everything was! After filling up and leaving a good tip, we took off.

Off the main road, we found ourselves on a winding path through a thick forest. The trees were tall and gorgeous, and the smell of the sweet pine permeated everything. It was a beautiful smell, and very refreshing to finally be back in nature like we remembered it—not in the city, and not in the desert!!

Yosemite is huge. Unfortunately, by the time we got to the gate, it was dark. We paid our entrance fee and asked the woman at the gate where to go. She was only marginally helpful, as we were confused about where exactly we were headed. A woman on the phone earlier gave us a specific address, but this woman told us to go a different way. We figured we’d deal with it when we got to the split between the two.

The winding road continued, frequently with fun and interesting signs like “speeding kills bears!” “falling rocks ahead” “lights on, no stopping” “smoke on road ahead” and “management fire, do not report.” Yes, there was a fire, although we couldn’t see it, lit by the management. And we drove through miles of smoky road. As nice as it smelled, the smoke was killing me and I couldn’t stop coughing. Finally, it was over… and then came the moment of reckoning.

We came to fork where we had to decide- take the route the woman told us on the phone, or the one the woman at the gate said. We decided we should pull over at the next turnout and call the front desk again to ask. Unfortunately, we had to decide first, and choose the original route. Turns out, it was a two-lane, one-way highway. We pulled over near a very calm sounding river. But we had no reception, and couldn’t talk to anyone long enough to get out our question, let alone an answer. We turned the lights on began trying to make sense of the park map we were handed upon entrance. It was then that we realized we had gone the wrong way. So what now? We pondered. We had three options. 1) Drive down the wrong way, 2) drive backwards back to the split, or 3) keep driving forward and pray that there would be someway to get where we needed to go, however many hours it would take. After deliberating for quite some time, Mike decided he could go backwards and make it back. There were very few cars on the road for such a time, after all. So on went the hazards, and we began our backwards trek. He managed to not drive us off the road and not hit any cars, and although it was further back than we thought, we made it. Whew! Crisis averted.

It was at this point that we noticed a new problem. Since we had our windows open to let in the cool air, many, many bugs managed to find their way into the car while we were stopped. We spent the next hour driving swatting away massive mosquitoes, unrecognizable big flies, and smaller assorted ones too. This was also dangerous, as Mike used his intense bug catching skills with one hand while the other kept us on the road. Eventually, it appeared that we had got all of them, and were able to relax for the rest of the ride. Well, not Mike. He had to contend with the road and the field mice hanging out on it in order to avoid hitting them as we drove along. A scenic ride, not quite as winding, but increasing in elevation up to 10,000 feet. Crazy! Our campsite is up in the high Sierra Nevadas.

We passed many points that would have been wonderful lookouts; unfortunately, all we saw was the darkness of the cliff as it dropped off next to it with nothing to prevent you from flying over the edge. Eeek!

Mike at our Tent

Finally we reached the campsite. We had to put all of our food and anything with a scent (including all cosmetics!) into bear lockers to prevent our car and tent from being broken into! We brought in our suitcases and Mike lit up a fire in the wood-burning stove, and we curled up together to go to sleep!

On Our Way... Eventually

prettyblueroses — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

So we woke up late this morning... the alarm didn't go off!

But eventually, we are able to get on our way! After shopping and packing last night, doing laundry, updating the GPS this morning, getting the camera and the blog ready, and settling the cats and the fish, we are finally able to leave!

Littlest and the Fish

It should take 6 hours (hopefully there isn't any traffic!) to get to Yosemite. We are staying in a canvas permanent tent with cots- as close to camping as we are going to get!

Don't know how much internet access we'll have- we'll try and update from our hotel in San Francisco, but other than there, the wifi is most likely scarce since we'll be in the woods... So don't hold your breath!

Luckily, Mike was able to get his hands on a device that plugs into the car and has outlets used to power up electronics, so we'll be able to charge the cell phone and I'll be able to play Risk and the Sims to keep me occupied while he's driving!

Cuddly Meows

Hope the meows don't miss us too much! =)
(Nala, aka Keyteh, and Chat Gris, aka Littlest Love, all cuddled up together in their tunnel!)

Here is a preview of our trip:

Sun 7/12: drive to Yosemite (6 hrs.), check in @ 5
Tuolumne Canvas Tent
Mon 7/13: Yosemite
Tues 7/14: check out Yosemite @ 11, drive to San Fran (3.5 hrs.), check in @ 3
Hotel Nikko
222 Mason Street
San Francisco, California 94102
Wed 7/15: San Francisco- day with Marc and Yuko
Thurs 7/16: check out San Fran @ 12, drive to Redwoods (6 hrs.), check in @ 2
Motel Trees
15495 Highway 101 N.
Klamath, CA 95548
Fri 7/17: Redwoods
Sat 7/18: Redwoods
Sun 7/19: check out Redwoods @ 11, drive home (13 hrs.) along the Pacific Coast Highway

Home Sweet Home

prettyblueroses — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

So we woke up this morning, on this last day of our journey, at 7:34am. Mike had wanted to sleep in, but I thought it would be best to get an early start.

We finished the zucchini bread for breakfast, which was sad. Tricia- it was the best snack we had the whole trip!! So, so good =)

We drove through the desert pretty much the entire day. Highest temperature: 102 degrees. We went to stop for lunch, and there was only one place within 100 miles- a Dairy Queen. It was crazy busy and the food was what you'd expect. It was especially silly because it took as long as it would have to stop at a sit-down restaurant. But such is life.

From there we continued on. Nothing happened until shortly after we entered California. It started to get a bit smoky- hazy, from the smog, perhaps. And then you could smell smoke. And then... fire engines raced past with their sirens on. And the road pretty much became impassable. Traffic was extremely slow and we could barely see out in front of us because of all the smoke. Turns out, there were multiple little fires burning all along the side of the highway. Welcome to California!

Even so, we made good time and got here around 4:30. We only brought a few things in with us. First order of business: We made the bed. Mike napped.

Then, we then made a quick trip to Walmart for some supplies- an air conditioner (much needed!), cat litter (since we left it at home, and we were there), and a mattress pad. The Walmart was crazy!! It was three stories high, with escalators and elevators, and the outside looked like a Macy's.

Mike set up the ac when we got back (it works great!), but we didn't re-do the bed. And to sleep we went.

We'll continue to update so you all can see our new place once we've finished moving in! Thanks for coming along on our journey with us! =)

The Grand Canyon

prettyblueroses — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Grand Canyon

Hilton Santa Fe

This morning we awoke at 7:34- well, at least I did! Fancy Hotel had a very nice shower and toiletries. We left shortly after 8 and headed on our way to the Grand Canyon.

After driving for a few hours through New Mexico, we thought it might be smart to stop a Walmart and buy some water to prepare ourselves for the journey through the desert tomorrow, just incase. I also bought a new hair clip for myself, since the one I had broke. We then went to Applebees for lunch. We got the combo things- so we had onion rings and mozzarella sticks, Mike got a penne thing, and I got my oriental chicken salad, and then it came with dessert- a mini hot fudge sundae and a mini apple pie type thing. We then went to a Waldenbooks quickly (I had finished my books and needed more!), and then got gas. After filling up, we were approached by an older man who knocked on Mike's window and begged us for money. He said he is a Navajo Indian from Arizona and needed money for lunch- his name was George Mason (very strange!). He was clearly very, very drunk, and we apologized and told him we didn't have any cash. Which was true. So after all that, we kept going.

Along the way, Mike kept seeing signs for places he would have liked to have gone, like the Petrified Forest and Crater National Park, but worried that if we stopped we'd get to the Grand Canyon too late to see it well. We did attempt to see the crater thing, but once we realized you had to pay we turned around.

As we drove, the storm that has been stalking us this entire trip continued to do so. We passed many Indian Reservations, Trading Posts, and Casinos.

Us at the Grand Canyon

Me at the Grand Canyon

We finally reached the Grand Canyon about quarter past 5 (thanks, time change!). We walked around various areas and spent some time there. It was completely indescribable, and as such, we've decided that instead of attempting to do so, we will let the pictures speak for themselves, although they really don't do it justice.

Mike at the Grand Canyon

We made the 1.5 hour trip to the hotel in 45 minutes. Grabbed a pizza at a crazy busy Pizza Hut (the woman was nice- we felt bad for her) and headed to the hotel. Upon which we discovered that they did not have our reservations. There were a few people who went in after us that had the same problem- luckily, we were there first and it was resolved so we have a room. The room is decent, although the wireless doesn't reach where we are! Oh well. So this will be posted a day late, again. But such is life.

Grand Canyon

We hit over 3,000 miles today. Whoa.

Sunny Santa Fe Would Be Nice

prettyblueroses — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

We woke up this morning at 7:30 and were on our way before 8. We went to Pearl Street, which is like a promenade with shops and restaurants lining the street. It is blocked off for pedestrians only, and there are flowers and plants everywhere. We were there so early that not many people were around. Andrea said that usually there are tons of street performers and assorted types of people hanging out everywhere.

We stopped in a little coffee shop for coffee and bagels which we took with us, and then we went for a walk down the street just to look around. Most things were closed, but ti was still nice to see everything before we left. We saw a beautiful view of the mountains, and then sat down on a bench to eat and relax.

After that we went back to the cars and followed Andrea to Chautauqua. The mountains are right there- it was gorgeous. Mike took tons of pictures (of course!), and Andrea showed us where she's hiked and pointed out other cool things. Maybe next time we can go on a hike (lol!).

We said goodbye because she had to go to work, but as she went to leave, her car wouldn't start. So we asked these guys that were there for some jumper cables (since neither of us have them) and we jumped her car. Luckily, it worked, and it was good. We said goodbye again and she left. We spent a few more minutes there just to take it all in.

I wish we had been able to spend more time with her, but I'm glad that we had the time that we did anyways. Although it is unfortunate that we didn't get to see Mt. Rushmore, spending the day in Chicago and then being able to see Anthony and Andrea was definitely worth it.

Me at the Garden of the Gods

We then went to the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, CO. Basically, it is a huge area in the mountains with all these crazy natural rock formations. We went in the visitor's center to get a map, and then drove around it for a bit.

Mike at the Garden of the Gods

We found some really great views of the mountains and were able to pull over and get out to look around. It was a really nice stop on our way and I'm glad Andrea suggested it!

Then we continued onto Santa Fe. It was a shorter drive today, about 7.5 hours total and about 5 from the place we stopped. We didn't stop for lunch (just for gas!) and drove straight through. And it rained. Again. We are pretty positive at this point that the storms are following us around. Anthony and Andrea said that yesterday was the first time it had rained in their area in forever. So we had to deal with a dripping turtle and winds blowing us all over the road once more.

We got to the Hilton a little past 5. It is very nice. Strangely enough though, you have to pay for parking and the internet, which we didn't have to in the sketchy hotels. =\ But our room is nice and comfy anyways. We managed to figure out that we can use the internet free in the lobby, so we camped out there to find a place for dinner. We went to the Atomic Grill. Mike got a spinach and garlic pizza and I got ribs. It was ok. Not the best food in the world but not bad either. And I was starving by the time we got there, so it was good to eat!

And so here we are. We just booked our hotel outside of the Grand Canyon for tomorrow (we were not thrilled to discover that the closest hotels are 60 miles away and no more than 2 stars!) but it worked out alright anyways. We are looking forward to going there!

“The love of a family is life's greatest blessing”

prettyblueroses — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Welcome to Colorado

So after only a few short hours of sleep, we got up and began the 13-hour trek to Colorado. We were tired, but ok. We stopped for gas, stopped for a lunch on the road at Arby's, and didn't stop again until we got to Colorado. The drive was interesting, because poor Chloe kept trying to tell us to go on roads that had stopped existing. There were tons of roadblocks and detours and re-routed parts of the highway, so we ended up just turning her off for most of it. At one point, she thought we were driving the wrong direction on the highway! But we made it just fine anyways.

The plan was to meet at Anthony's and go from there. We got to his place a little bit before 6 (thanks to the time change!). He was on his way home from work and Andrea was on her way too. Unfortunately, the traffic was really bad and Andrea couldn't make it, so we spent some time with Anthony before heading to Andrea's.

We found Danielle and went inside. First of all, Isabella is adorable!! She was too cute and so friendly despite the fact that we are complete strangers to her. Their apartment is really nice. It is very spacious and well-decorated. She gave us a tour of the place and then we spent some time talking to her and playing with the baby- and the cat! Who is also very friendly =)

Once Anthony got home we spent some time with him and then went out to Friday's for dinner. It was really nice to catch up with them, even if it was only for a few hours. I'm really glad we were able to do that. And I'm so happy that I got to meet their baby!

After that, we departed and headed for Andrea's. Her place is also really great. They have a townhouse, and it has multiple floors, which is cool, and plenty of room. It was awesome to spend some time with her. We also met her roommate Jess, who was very nice, and she even let us use her computer. Andrea showed us a place to go on our way tomorrow, and she also showed us a different way to search for hotels that we hadn't known about- and wish we had! Turns out the Grand Canyon is about 14.5 hours from her, so that wasn't going to happen. We decided to book a hotel in Santa Fe, NM as a mid-way point. We booked ourselves a room at the Hilton for only slightly more than it would have cost us to stay at the Econo Lodge! Very cool.

We decided that since it was dark and raining, we'd wake up early and go walk around for a bit before she had to work since we wouldn't be able to really see anything anyways. And we were pretty tired too, after driving all day, so we all went to bed. She let us sleep in her bed, although I felt bad about it, but her bed was wicked comfy!! So with everything taken care of, we got the good night's sleep that we sorely needed.

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, once we passed into Colorado, our memory card was full, and since we hadn't been able to put everything on the computer yet, we couldn't delete the pictures on it! Soooo that is why there are no pictures of this day =(

The Navy Pier & The Wrong Way

prettyblueroses — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Chicago Skyline

We woke up this morning, fairly early, to a beautiful day (thank God!), which was soon marred by lots of confusion. We had decided last night before going to bed that trying to get to Mount Rushmore in a day (over 15 hours of driving!) was not going to happen. So we found and booked a hotel midway (Minnesota). Well, turns out Andrea is working all day on Thursday (which is when we would have gotten to Colorado because we pushed everything back a day). I am really looking forward to seeing her, so I didn't want to have that not happen.

So we start seeing what we can do. We thought maybe we could cancel our reservation, not spent time in Chicago, and go straight to Mt. Rushmore like we had originally planned. So we start looking for hotels, and lo and behold, the cheapest hotel in that area is $200/night. Whoa. So I keep searching, and I find one that is $89 and we immediately decided to go for it. Mike called and canceled the hotel in MN and I start programming Chloe, only to discover that this hotel is actually in Michigan, 4.5 ours back the way we came!!!! We called the hotel right away and they claimed they couldn't do anything about it, so we had to call Orbitz. And call we did. Mike was able to convince them we deserved a refund; it was easier than we thought it would be. So then we have a decision to make. We decided that it would be better to spend the day in Chicago, go to the hotel in MN, and then go straight to CO and skip Mt. Rushmore. Between the timing being off and the crazy added expense that we weren't counting on, it made sense not to go there. So we called back the originally booked hotel and told them we still needed the room! Luckily, she hadn't gotten around to canceling it yet and it was all good.

At this point, much time has passed, so we quickly gather our things and check out. Then, we headed into the city of Chicago to spend the day.

The Navy Pier

A friend of mine who used to live in Chicago suggested we ought to go to the Navy Pier, and so we did. It was a wonderful choice!

The whole place was so cute. There was a mini-mall with tons of stores, an indoor beautiful garden with fountains, a mini-amusement park, and tons of shops, restaurants, and kiosks all along the pier.

By the time we got there it was lunch time, so we looked at a few of the places to eat and decided on Charlie's Ale House. We were able to eat outside, so that was nice, and the food was decent. After that, we began to walk.

As we wandered in and out of the pier (with Mike taking millions of pictures along the way!) we came across a Stained Glass Museum. Very unique; very cool. So we took our time walking around and checking out the beautiful stained glass. We have pictures of tons of the pieces.

Strangely enough, there were many references to Massachusetts. This is just one of them. =)

Lake Michigan

After that we had almost reached the end of the pier, so we went back outside to the end and spent some time with Lake Michigan before heading back.

Largest Ferris Wheel in the World

Once we got back to the main area, we decided that before we left, we wanted to go on the Ferris Wheel. It is the largest Ferris Wheel in the world, and it never stops. It moves very slowly (it takes 7 minutes to go through a full cycle) and so when it comes down to the landing, the people on it get out and you get in (all while it is still moving!). The views were incredible and it was really nice.

Us on the Ferris Wheel

After that we decided we ought to get on our way. But first, we wanted to stop at a bookstore, because I'm ridiculous and didn't bring anything to read. Because of this, we were able to drive around the city for a little bit before heading out.

There was traffic when we left, so we had to sit in that for a while. After a few hours, we stopped for dinner at the World Buffet (both Chinese and American foods) in Wisconsin. It was ok. We started up again a bit later than we would have liked though, and hadn't gotten as far as we had wanted to earlier because of the traffic, so our arrival time to the hotel in MN was actually 3am! At which point, we calculated the route to Colorado, only to realize that we still had 13 hours of driving. In all the confusion in the morning, we failed to notice that the hotel we had booked was midway point between Chicago and Mt. Rushmore, not Colorado, so we ended up driving quite a ways in the wrong direction. =\ So we're taking a nap (3 hours) and then heading back out.

The Wizard of Oz- Aug 4, Part 2

prettyblueroses — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The Chronicles of Mike:

At some point in time, we had crossed over from MI-94 Westbound to Indiana's 80 Westbound highway. Things were going pretty well at this point, I had refilled the tank back in MI for 3.89 which is a bargain compared to some of the prices I've come across. The sun was setting over the wide-open landscapes of the Dairy State as we crossed into Indiana with well under two hours to go. As we made our way down Indiana 80-W, a light drizzle had begun, nothing too serious but enough to slow me down from my current cruising speed to slightly under 70 which is the state speed limit--awesome. For a little change of pace and atmosphere I decided to put on the radio and see what this area thinks good radio is.

So... you know how sometimes when you're listening to the radio or watching television the station suddenly goes silent or the picutre goes blue, if you're watching television, then an annoying chirp comes over the speakers? And immediately you know it's for the emergency broadcast system "it's a test... only a test" and you pay no attention because you've heard this all before. Well, I turn on the radio to this same annoying chirp and think nothing of it until someone actually begins speaking on the other end:

"....TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA 8:30 PM EDT MON AUG 4 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NORTHERN INDIANA HAS ISSUED A

TORNADO WARNING FOR... EASTERN FULTON COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL INDIANA

THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION!!!

IN ADDITION TO THE TORNADO...THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DESTRUCTIVE WINDS IN EXCESS OF 80 MPH..

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES... EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A STURDY SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE... LIE FLAT IN THE NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES... EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS."

As soon as the warning went through its first cycle... an immense bolt of lightning followed by the most horrendous clap of thunder I have ever bore witness to jolted us both...it was as if hell had manifested itself into wind, water and electricity. Instantly the rains picked up and the wind began blowing so strongly that the car was being forcibly pushed into the other lane. We were corralled in by the consturction barriers on both sides of the highway and I could barely make out an overpass off in the distance. I drove underneath to find a couple other cars seeking refuge as well. You couldn't make out anything in front of you concerning the shape of a funnel cloud or actual tornado... all I knew is what was ahead of us looked a hell of a lot worse than what was behind us, so I didn't want to drive into God-knows-what only to be hurled several thousand feet in the opposite direction.

I took the GPS we bought and called up the emergency locater screen then proceeded to dial 911 on the cell phone. I spoke with the operator and gave him my position making sure to say that I was from Massachusetts and never experienced anything like this before. After finding my position he said that at that point, the best thing to do was stay under the underpass and look for signs of imminent danger (like a car flying by is what I presumed he meant). After getting off the phone with him I rolled down the window and was greeted by the sound of air-raid sirens off in the distance. So I did the only thing I could do... took out our camera and made a video of our 'erm... little situation for posterity.

After 15 to 20 minutes what we came to think of as the tornado passed by a couple miles ahead of us and weather conditions returned to your average rainstorm with flashes of lightning. Most of the highways we traveled on from that point forward were completely dark due to the electrical storm shorting out the overhead road lamps. We crossed into Illinois shortly thereafter and made it to the motel without any further incident.

Here ends the first installment of the Chronicles of Mike.

Fish, Customs, and Waffles- Aug 4, Part 1

prettyblueroses — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

This morning, we woke up at 7:34am, since we planned on leaving at 8am. We got going, but wanted to find a pharmacy before we left. Most things were closed (because of the holiday), but we managed to find one not too far. Unfortunately, Chloe misled us and we ended up lost, so we called the place, and then found it ok. Got what we needed and we were on our way. =)

Canada

We set up Chloe to get us to Chicago and started the drive. It was a 9 hour drive. We didn't do breakfast, but just had a granola bar instead. As we drove, there were moments on the highway where you could smell the unique perfume of rotting fish. Turns out, Canadians use fish pulp as a fertilizer. Thank God for my husband who knows everything. So that was fun. =\

US Customs

On to the drive. The toll on the highway didn't actually have a toll booth, it was automated and sends a bill to your address. Strange. The four lane highways were in good condition, probably because they aren't used very often! I "slept" most of the time, in an attempt to get rid of my headache. We were making ok time even after the pharmacy setback when we reached the tolls/customs. The traffic to pay the toll was ridiculous, and so was the traffic to get through customs. We spent about an hour waiting for both. We were worried that the customs man was going to be an ass because of how long our line was taking; turns out he just is incompetent at using a computer. He barely asked us any questions at all, which was good.

After that, it was about 1/1:30, so we figured we'd stop for lunch. We found a Cracker Barrel right off the highway so we went there. I got a Reuben (with onion rings) and Mike got an open-faced roast beef sandwich. It was all very good. Probably one of the best Reuben's I've ever had. The corned beef was tender and almost melted in your mouth. Mike's was really good too. We wandered the store for a minute after we finished eating and found checkers! So we played, but called a truce (even though I think Mike would have won) so we could continue on our way.

Maurer truck!

As we continued on the road, Mike saw a truck with his name on it. So of course, there is a picture!

Cherry Waffles

We stopped for lunch at around 6:30. Mike saw a place called "The Waffle House of America" and decided that was where we were going. It was kinda a dive. Small, barely anyone was in there, two or three people working the place... but ok, we'll eat anyways. Mike got a waffle with cherries and whipped cream and I got one with pecans. They were both very good. The hostess came over and had a conversation with us... which we found strange. But she was nice enough.

Waffle House Bathroom Sink

So before we left, I went to the bathroom. It was like stepping into another world. The bathroom was huge, and gorgeous! Yeah, that sounds ridiculous, I know. But there were hand-painted flowers everywhere and it looked like it belonged in the house of some wealthy woman who loved flowers.

Waffle House Bathroom Corner

So of course, I had to take pictures of it =) Turns out, their bathroom won 5th place in 2004 for "best bathroom in America"!

After dinner, we continued on our way towards Chicago. And this is when things got interesting. So I'm passing this on to Mike for a chronicle of this adventure.

Niagara, here we come!

prettyblueroses — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Saying Goodbye

We got a bit of a later start than we had intended after going to breakfast with my family. We went to the All American, because I wanted to get my favorite breakfast meal one more time before we left. Ironically, the name of it is "California Eggs". After some last minute stuff at the house and tearful goodbyes, we were on our way at 9:47am.

New York Thruway

Since Marissa wasn't around, our first destination was Niagara Falls, the Canadian side. The drive through NY wasn't too bad. We stopped once to get gas. While we were there, a soldier in the US Army came up to us and asked us for some money. He and his wife were from Maryland and had been in Buffalo for his mother-in-law's funeral, and apparently had lost his wallet. So we gave him some money for gas to help him out.

Canadian Customs

The Niagara Falls area on the US side seemed really cute, with lots of shops and places to walk around, but we didn't stop. We went through customs ok, although the customs man didn't seem too thrilled that we were bringing all this stuff into the country. He seemed suspicious that we were only staying for one night and claimed that nothing would be staying in Canada, but he let us by anyways. From there, we went straight to the falls.

Niagara Falls 1

Finding parking was hard, and there was a lot of traffic in a stretch probably only a mile long. But we finally were able to get out of the car at about 6:30/6:45pm. The Falls were beautiful! The weather was perfect- it was still light out but it wasn't too sunny or too hot, and at certain points you could feel the mist coming off the water, even though we were probably 2,000 feet from it. It felt really good! It was crazy how the mist billowed above the water and covered tons of area that you couldn't even see through it at all. I wanted to go swimming, but Mike wouldn't let me.

Mike

We found it a bit strange that there were so many Muslims and Indians visiting the area. We're going to have to look it up and see if there is some reason why they are attracted to this particular location. And the crazy amounts of children kind of takes away from the romantic aspect of it that everyone always talks about. But we were glad that we decided to go to the Canadian side, because it was beautiful, and seemed to be a better view than the American side. The falls themselves are on the American side, but I can imagine you really wouldn't be able to see them because you could only look down on them, whereas we could look directly at them.

Niagara Falls 2

After walking around for a little bit, we decided to eat dinner there, despite the fact that we knew it would be expensive. Other than breakfast and a few snacks (like Tricia's zucchini bread, which was delicious!) we hadn't eaten all day. The place was on the upper level of an almost mini-mall type thing- "Elements". The part facing the falls was made up of glass windows so you could see out. We wanted to sit by the window but the wait was too long, so we just decided to take wherever they could give us. It ended up working out really nicely, as we still had a wonderful view. We thought it was even better than the window seats because it was elevated a bit more.

Dinner was really good. We got a few things and shared them, as we are wont to do. We had toasted garlic cheese bread (with bruschetta) for an appetizer, and then we split a cup of onion soup and a 12 oz. prime rib for dinner. Everything was really very good and enjoyable.

When we left it was a bit darker, but not too dark. We walked around a bit more before leaving. We were both tired after a long day of driving/being in the car. As we left and it got darker (since we had to sit in traffic again to exit), lights were turned on that lit up the falls- very cool! If we had known, we would have stayed a little bit longer to see it.

We found the hotel with no problem. We worried that it would be sketchy, but it actually looked ok. We checked in and went to the room. At which point, we discovered that it was indeed sketchy. We had booked a non-smoking room, but when we approached the door, the first thing that I noticed was that there was no sign on the door stating it. We opened the door and I almost choked on the smell of smoke. Clearly, this was a problem. There was no way I was going to be able to sleep like this. Mike called the front desk and asked the woman if there was anything we could do. She was a bitch. She said that there was no other rooms available and that it was a non-smoking room. She came up to spray deodorizer and continued being a bitch. "Well this IS a non-smoking room and we just can't control what people do" ... Grrrr. I had gone for a walk to see the other rooms, and almost every other door in that strip had the no smoking sign before the room number on that plaque and then another plaque underneath it stating in large letters "No Smoking" or another no smoking sign (both were about the size of my hand). So clearly there was nothing to inform other patrons that this was a non-smoking room, which explains why people smoked in the room. Which is clearly the fault of the hotel.

So we started making phone calls. Thanks to Chloe, we were able to find tons of other hotels close by. Unfortunately, this weekend was the Civic holiday in Canada, meaning that everything was booked. We finally found one place with an open room, but we went to check it out before we decided to do it, just incase. The woman was extremely nice, and very concerned that the tv remote didn't work! (I guess she was worried we'd be like sterotypical Americans!) It was more expensive, didn't have internet (which is why there was no update!) or a continental breakfast, and although the whole place was non-smoking, the room still smelled a bit like smoke, but nothing like the other room. So we got a refund and went over there. And just in time, too. We saw three other people go in looking for rooms right after we had booked it. We got a bit of a discount- it was still more expensive than the other place- but we decided that it was more important to get a good night's sleep than to save the money.

And we did. =)

Pre-Trip: Packing the Car

prettyblueroses — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Packed Car

Last night, we packed the car. Luckily, Will and Rusty were around to help us! Everything fit, thanks to Mike's mad "tetris" skills, but the car was way too heavy so we had to take some stuff out. And we later discovered that we forgot my box of books for school, so we are going to have to have that shipped to us instead. But after all that, it went ok!

Packed Car 2

We bought a camera today since we didn't have one and wanted pictures of our trip. So expect updates with pics! It is a Nikon Coolpix. Let's hope that it works better than the one my mom has!

Wheels

It has been hard saying goodbye to everyone... although it still doesn't feel real yet. We are having breakfast with my family tomorrow morning, and leaving here to be on our way by 9am (at the latest!). Since Marissa isn't going to be around, we aren't stopping in Albany anymore like we had originally planned. So we should hit Niagara Falls by 5 (it will take about 8 hours- that is, if we don't get lost or stop). We have a hotel booked in Ontario (my first time to Canada!), so there will be an update from there tomorrow night.

Inside of Car

Pre-Trip: the GPS

prettyblueroses — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Yesterday, we finally bought a GPS. We've been wanting to buy one for some time now, but they are all rather expensive. But we figured if we were going to get one though, it needed to be pretty good so it could actually help us on the trip! Mike did some research and chose this one, so we went and picked it up yesterday.

Here it is!: http://www.circuitcity.com/ccd/productDetail.do?oid=207968&om_keycode=8360
(And we had a coupon, so it was even cheaper than it is listed for)

We have a few fun voices to help us along. We have a British woman we named Chloe, and then downloaded a bunch more. There is an Australian man we named Logan, an Irish woman we named Lynette, and then we also have Borat and Slingblade (Mike's idea!). So it should be interesting!