Saturday, July 29, 2006
Day 30 Photo Dump: Hot Pools
Now that most of the pictures are said and done I'll be going back posting more and more to previous days. and Soon Alie will be posting some images as well. Here are two more pictures from Yellowstone National Park.
Friday, July 28, 2006
UPDATES on the Bounty!
Alright The day after I published the UPDATES Ahoy! post. The updates changed again. So here is the final word on them.
A. The power block arrived while we were in Virginia City. So thats excellent! I haven't used it yet but now that we are a little more stationary I'm going to unload my computers hard drive of pictures and add them to the now powered external.
B. BOA reversed the charges. Manuvering through thier phone support is annyoing and tricky but it worked. I also contected the booking agency and explianed to them the problem. They have taken notes and as far as I cal tell wil not be any more trouble.
C. We got the GPS and we returned the old one. I have yet to ask Alie if the charge disappeared but I cannot see why it wouldn't have.
So thats that. All that ends well is well or something like that. Anyways I'm very glad we got it all done and things sorted themselves without much argivation sans BOA and the booking agency.And we'eve learned a lot.
As I said in a previous post will be posting a lot more to this site to give a sense of conclusion with stuff like what we learned our favorite experiances and other fun facts like our highest price of gas and such. so pay attention there will also be a quiz later.
A. The power block arrived while we were in Virginia City. So thats excellent! I haven't used it yet but now that we are a little more stationary I'm going to unload my computers hard drive of pictures and add them to the now powered external.
B. BOA reversed the charges. Manuvering through thier phone support is annyoing and tricky but it worked. I also contected the booking agency and explianed to them the problem. They have taken notes and as far as I cal tell wil not be any more trouble.
C. We got the GPS and we returned the old one. I have yet to ask Alie if the charge disappeared but I cannot see why it wouldn't have.
So thats that. All that ends well is well or something like that. Anyways I'm very glad we got it all done and things sorted themselves without much argivation sans BOA and the booking agency.And we'eve learned a lot.
As I said in a previous post will be posting a lot more to this site to give a sense of conclusion with stuff like what we learned our favorite experiances and other fun facts like our highest price of gas and such. so pay attention there will also be a quiz later.
Hear Me Ramble on the Radio!
At this blog I tend to ramble on and on and on. Well while Alie and I were traveling from Cleveland OH to Binghamton. We were listening to NPR and we stumbled upon this local channel that had a show about travel. I thought this was a great chance to talk about Alie and I's experience, so I called up and was on the air! However I was really nervous and it came out as a stream of consciousness. So click the following link and be ready to not only read my rambles but also HEAR me ramble!
And if you want to download the show you can go here and right/option click on the mp3 links and select 'download file.' The show I'm on is from Wenesday 7-26-06 and its titled Travel Special!
And if you want to download the show you can go here and right/option click on the mp3 links and select 'download file.' The show I'm on is from Wenesday 7-26-06 and its titled Travel Special!
Day 37, 38 and 39: I've Traveled Every Road in this Here Land!
This will be one of our last times together. The reasons we have not been posting very often is that there has not been much to tell after we left Binghamton. In Binghamton we visited our friend Patty. She was a visual art major in college and is returning to Boston to tech and be an aid for a special needs child. Her parents were gracious enough to feed us and give us a place to stay. In Binghamton we exchanged stories about the summer quoted funny times in cartoons and then saw Superman Returns and I must say that it is truly awesome! Bryan Singer has done it again; made people who might not normally enjoy Superman or a super hero movie in general and brought out the universal story that anyone can appreciate. Then the next morning we talked some more and headed to Utica, NY.
Where I am currently posting from. Here we've met many many family members helped set up the tables, decorated the reception tent and making sure everything goes well. Right now Alie is getting her nails done and then off to the rehearsal for the singers and the general wedding rehearsal. My job has been manual labor and largely staying out of the way. So much stuff is happening that I'm afraid that I'll muck things up so the best place for me right now is here in "the Den" posting and listing to the freshly bought Tom Petty album Highway Companion and of course the essential Johnny Cash rendition of I've Been Everywhere. After all the wedding mayhem is said and done Alie and I will be posting our final thoughts, share our best and worst experiences of the trip and a lot of other stuff like photo dumps and such. But for now just sit back, relax and listen to these good tunes while you read the following stats: (that include to Binghamton and to Utica)
Total visited: 60% of the USA! Rock on!
Distance: 482.7mi
Moving Average: 55.8mph
Overall Average: 48.5mph
Moving Time: 8h 38m
Stopped: 1h 18m
Total Time: 9h 57m
Wrong Turns: 1 or 2. I dunno.
Distance to go: That was fun lets do it again next year! ;)
Where I am currently posting from. Here we've met many many family members helped set up the tables, decorated the reception tent and making sure everything goes well. Right now Alie is getting her nails done and then off to the rehearsal for the singers and the general wedding rehearsal. My job has been manual labor and largely staying out of the way. So much stuff is happening that I'm afraid that I'll muck things up so the best place for me right now is here in "the Den" posting and listing to the freshly bought Tom Petty album Highway Companion and of course the essential Johnny Cash rendition of I've Been Everywhere. After all the wedding mayhem is said and done Alie and I will be posting our final thoughts, share our best and worst experiences of the trip and a lot of other stuff like photo dumps and such. But for now just sit back, relax and listen to these good tunes while you read the following stats: (that include to Binghamton and to Utica)
Total visited: 60% of the USA! Rock on!
Distance: 482.7mi
Moving Average: 55.8mph
Overall Average: 48.5mph
Moving Time: 8h 38m
Stopped: 1h 18m
Total Time: 9h 57m
Wrong Turns: 1 or 2. I dunno.
Distance to go: That was fun lets do it again next year! ;)
I was totin my pack along the long dusty Winnamucka road
When along came a semi with a high canvas covered load
If your goin' to Winnamucka, Mack with me you can ride
And so I climbed into the cab and then I setteled down inside
He asked me if I'd seen a road with so much dust and sand
And I said, "Listen! I've traveled every road in this here land!"
I've been everywhere, man
I've been everywhere, man
Crossed the deserts bare, man
I've breatherd the mountain air, man
Travel - I've had my share, man
I've been everywhere...
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Day 35/36: Chi Town Surprise
First off, I would like to apologize for our lack of post last night. It was a late night following a busy day, and Internet was not as convenient as it could have been. As the name suggests, however, we did indeed make it to Chicago yesterday. We got out of Rochester, MN yesterday morning and headed out, driving half of Minnesota, all of Wisconsin (complete with cheddar cheese from the gas station) and a little bit of Illinois to get to Amanda’s house and hour from Chi town.
We met up with Amanda at work and had lunch at the fabulous Mexican restaurant she works at. After lunch we let her continue working while we treated her town as another homebase and ran some errands. That was when our luck began to change. I have been having some pain in my left arm off and on since we were in Texas (I attributed it to strain from picking up my little cousins). Yesterday, however, the pain moved into my chest and became constant and sharp. To make a long story short, we ended up going to the hospital for lack of a better option. Luckily everything was fine, they did some chest x-rays and nothing major was wrong. They concluded that I probably have pleurisy, which is just a fancy way of saying chest pain with a questionable cause. So I’m healthy, just in a bit of pain. Never a dull moment…
After that, the night got much better. I felt bad about putting a damper on the evening a bit of walking around the city and had some deep dish Chicago pizza at Pizzeria Due (the second Pizzeria Uno restaurant). Things were definitely looking up.
Today we woke up in time for breakfast (for once) and had another great meal at the breakfast restaurant that Amanda works at. With our bellies full, we were ready to take on Chi town once again. We walked around Millennium Park and saw great metal sculptures (photos to come) and fountains complete with kids (and some adults) splashing around. We walked around the parks some more, saw Lake Michigan (my first Great Lake!) and then headed to Navy Pier. Navy Pier is like Fanuiel Hall in Boston, only bigger and on the water. There are tons of shops and food places, as well as a big ferris wheel and swings. It was fun to walk around and see Chicagoans in their natural habitat! We did a lot of walking and exploring! It was a great day. Chicago is a beautiful city that I would like to explore again sometime. Thanks so much to Amanda for her hospitality and for showing us around the area!!!!
Now we are on the road as I right this. We have crossed Illinois and Indiana and are now in Ohio. We had planned on getting to Pittsburgh, but plans change and due to the fact that we left later than expected, among other things, we are staying in Cleveland tonight. We will still be fine on our next to last road trip day in which we head up to New York for the wedding! I can’t believe its almost here and our trip is almost over. It will definitely be bittersweet; we have loved exploring the country, but we are ready for family and friends and the comforts of home!
Until tomorrow!
The Stats (for the past 2 days):
58% of the USA covered!
Average Speed: 50.7mph
Moving Average: 55.8mph
Total Time: 19h27min
Moving Time: 17h42min
Stopped: 1h45min
Distance Traveled: 987.3miles (woah!)
Distance Left: Eastward Ho!
We met up with Amanda at work and had lunch at the fabulous Mexican restaurant she works at. After lunch we let her continue working while we treated her town as another homebase and ran some errands. That was when our luck began to change. I have been having some pain in my left arm off and on since we were in Texas (I attributed it to strain from picking up my little cousins). Yesterday, however, the pain moved into my chest and became constant and sharp. To make a long story short, we ended up going to the hospital for lack of a better option. Luckily everything was fine, they did some chest x-rays and nothing major was wrong. They concluded that I probably have pleurisy, which is just a fancy way of saying chest pain with a questionable cause. So I’m healthy, just in a bit of pain. Never a dull moment…
After that, the night got much better. I felt bad about putting a damper on the evening a bit of walking around the city and had some deep dish Chicago pizza at Pizzeria Due (the second Pizzeria Uno restaurant). Things were definitely looking up.
Today we woke up in time for breakfast (for once) and had another great meal at the breakfast restaurant that Amanda works at. With our bellies full, we were ready to take on Chi town once again. We walked around Millennium Park and saw great metal sculptures (photos to come) and fountains complete with kids (and some adults) splashing around. We walked around the parks some more, saw Lake Michigan (my first Great Lake!) and then headed to Navy Pier. Navy Pier is like Fanuiel Hall in Boston, only bigger and on the water. There are tons of shops and food places, as well as a big ferris wheel and swings. It was fun to walk around and see Chicagoans in their natural habitat! We did a lot of walking and exploring! It was a great day. Chicago is a beautiful city that I would like to explore again sometime. Thanks so much to Amanda for her hospitality and for showing us around the area!!!!
Now we are on the road as I right this. We have crossed Illinois and Indiana and are now in Ohio. We had planned on getting to Pittsburgh, but plans change and due to the fact that we left later than expected, among other things, we are staying in Cleveland tonight. We will still be fine on our next to last road trip day in which we head up to New York for the wedding! I can’t believe its almost here and our trip is almost over. It will definitely be bittersweet; we have loved exploring the country, but we are ready for family and friends and the comforts of home!
Until tomorrow!
The Stats (for the past 2 days):
58% of the USA covered!
Average Speed: 50.7mph
Moving Average: 55.8mph
Total Time: 19h27min
Moving Time: 17h42min
Stopped: 1h45min
Distance Traveled: 987.3miles (woah!)
Distance Left: Eastward Ho!
Monday, July 24, 2006
Day 34: American Art
Mount Rushmore is truly a sight to be seen. Its such a common image in American culture to sell things, as spoofs or as inspiration. When I saw it and I believe, when most people see it they experience inspiration. Because of the choice of which presidents to display and the sculptor's views on American Art.
Mount Rushmore was sculpted by a Danish immigrant named Gutzon Borglum. Being an immigrant helped shaped his view of American art. He believed that American art should be just has big and monumental as the American ideals in the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. Thus a monument to these ideals must be just as big. It took a little over 17 years for the monument to be completed originally Borglum planned to have all the presidents except Roosevelt to be torso length. However Borglum unfortunately died before the final head, Roosevelt's was completed. He left his son to finish the heads.
The life that comes from the sculptures is as amazing as it is an engineering marvel for its time. But what struck me as the most interesting piece of the entire monument were the reasons behind, which presidents to display. Washington was chosen, because he defeated the British and upheld the values in the Declaration of Independence, thus giving birth to our nation and its ideals. Jefferson was chosen because he expanded the land of our nation with the Louisiana Purchase, Lincoln is there because he held the nation together. And Roosevelt's likeness was carved there because he developed the US into the modern marvel it was at the time. That kind of thought really was interesting to me because its a great way to summarize our history in just four faces.
The ideas behind it are really cool, though the execution is at times questionable. First being that you really do not get to explore much of the park the presidential trial goes in front and does not take you very high. You never get to see it from many other angles then you get with the grand view. Also it seems like part of it is a money grab of sorts. There are four different bookstores and gift shops, a restaurant, and two cafés. All of which have higher prices then we've seen in other parks. This frustrated us since we felt that our money's worth did not go nearly as far as it did in any of the other parks. Including Death Valley, but we are glad we went. Its just something you have to see.
After leaving the park Alie and I drove another 8 hours to Rochester MN home the famous Mayo Clinic. Actually we visited one more National Park one of the newest National Parks; The Minuet Man Missile National Historic Site. It is there as an example of the missile race with Russia and what was under the ground during the Cold War in the US. We found it when we stopped for gas. Across the way was a temporary visitor center. The site contains a missile silo and some launch control buildings unfortunately. It is only currently open Monday-Friday. So we did not get our stamp. But it does count as our 20th park! (Kind of) Hopefully we'll be able to pick up one more so we can legitimately claim all 20. Alas it is now getting late and I must head out because we are planning on leaving EARLY and its already too late for me. But first our map and stats:
Visited 50% of the USA!! Booyeah!
Distance: 621.7mi
Moving Average: 68.6mph
Overall Average: 62.6mph
Moving Time: 9h 3m
Stopped: 52m 19s
Total Time: 9h 56m
Wrong Turns: 2
Distance to go: With more days like these we might even get there on time. ;)
Mount Rushmore was sculpted by a Danish immigrant named Gutzon Borglum. Being an immigrant helped shaped his view of American art. He believed that American art should be just has big and monumental as the American ideals in the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. Thus a monument to these ideals must be just as big. It took a little over 17 years for the monument to be completed originally Borglum planned to have all the presidents except Roosevelt to be torso length. However Borglum unfortunately died before the final head, Roosevelt's was completed. He left his son to finish the heads.
The life that comes from the sculptures is as amazing as it is an engineering marvel for its time. But what struck me as the most interesting piece of the entire monument were the reasons behind, which presidents to display. Washington was chosen, because he defeated the British and upheld the values in the Declaration of Independence, thus giving birth to our nation and its ideals. Jefferson was chosen because he expanded the land of our nation with the Louisiana Purchase, Lincoln is there because he held the nation together. And Roosevelt's likeness was carved there because he developed the US into the modern marvel it was at the time. That kind of thought really was interesting to me because its a great way to summarize our history in just four faces.
The ideas behind it are really cool, though the execution is at times questionable. First being that you really do not get to explore much of the park the presidential trial goes in front and does not take you very high. You never get to see it from many other angles then you get with the grand view. Also it seems like part of it is a money grab of sorts. There are four different bookstores and gift shops, a restaurant, and two cafés. All of which have higher prices then we've seen in other parks. This frustrated us since we felt that our money's worth did not go nearly as far as it did in any of the other parks. Including Death Valley, but we are glad we went. Its just something you have to see.
After leaving the park Alie and I drove another 8 hours to Rochester MN home the famous Mayo Clinic. Actually we visited one more National Park one of the newest National Parks; The Minuet Man Missile National Historic Site. It is there as an example of the missile race with Russia and what was under the ground during the Cold War in the US. We found it when we stopped for gas. Across the way was a temporary visitor center. The site contains a missile silo and some launch control buildings unfortunately. It is only currently open Monday-Friday. So we did not get our stamp. But it does count as our 20th park! (Kind of) Hopefully we'll be able to pick up one more so we can legitimately claim all 20. Alas it is now getting late and I must head out because we are planning on leaving EARLY and its already too late for me. But first our map and stats:
Visited 50% of the USA!! Booyeah!
Distance: 621.7mi
Moving Average: 68.6mph
Overall Average: 62.6mph
Moving Time: 9h 3m
Stopped: 52m 19s
Total Time: 9h 56m
Wrong Turns: 2
Distance to go: With more days like these we might even get there on time. ;)
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Day 28 & Day 30 Photo Dump: Orangy Goodness
Here are some Rock formations from Yellowstone National Park and Bryce Canyon. This part of the country has just some of the most beautiful parks around.
Day 24 Photo Dump: Beat
Here are two pictures from the City Lights shop that alie and I went to. My favorite bookshop ever and the one B&N is inspired by.
Day 33: On the Road Again
Nothing much happened today, we left Montana a little later than we wanted trying to find my car keys, but we found them and got to Mt Rushmore just fine. The 8 hour trip was easy cheese and a 4 hour drive seems like nothing nowadays. After this trip a 5 hour drive 1 way would be considered a day trip for us.
Tomorrow we hit Rushmore and get as close to Chi-Town as possible. Alie and I are very much looking forward to seeing Amanda and the city. But for now here is the map and stats.
49% of the USA!!! This is getting really exciting.
Distance: 516.6mi
Moving Average: 69.3mph
Overall Average: 66.2mph
Moving Time: 7h 27m
Stopped: 21m 22s
Total Time: 7h 48m
Wrong Turns: 0 Its much easier to navigate out here.
Distance to go: Not much at all.
Tomorrow we hit Rushmore and get as close to Chi-Town as possible. Alie and I are very much looking forward to seeing Amanda and the city. But for now here is the map and stats.
49% of the USA!!! This is getting really exciting.
Distance: 516.6mi
Moving Average: 69.3mph
Overall Average: 66.2mph
Moving Time: 7h 27m
Stopped: 21m 22s
Total Time: 7h 48m
Wrong Turns: 0 Its much easier to navigate out here.
Distance to go: Not much at all.
Saturday, July 22, 2006
Day 32: Talkin' 'bout a Ghost Town
Yesterday Alie's grandparents took us to a ghost town called Virginia City. At one time it was the capitol of Montana. That was around the 1840s or so during the gold rush era, when the town was a big deal. Now a days its a neat little side trip. Everyone who works in town has to ware period outfits that would fit their profession. The creamery guy wore a vest and a string tie. The man manning the ticket booth at the opera house wore a bowler and the woman who ran a shop in the old school house wore something that a spinster would've wore. It was pretty neat. A lot of the buildings in the town are restored, but sealed off from the outside. If you peer in the windows you see mannequins all dressed up in period cloths as well posed to do their specific jobs. Like the switch board operator at the Bell Telegraph shop was sitting and in the process of manipulating some cables.
The history of the town is pretty neat, like I said it was the capitol of Montana for a short while, but before that, there was this vigilante government. Where locals decided to clean up the town and the surrounding area and distribute justice to the outlaws. Well once they did that and there was gold discovered in the surrounding hills. They got power hungry and started becoming the oppressors. Eventually they were removed from power somehow (I never got that far.) And the town basically folded up in the mid 1940s. Today as I described above its a tourist attraction and a neat one at that.
At night we had a delicious steak dinner cooked by Alie's grandmother's nephew, Bob. Then went to a real cowboy bar called Stacy's it was great. The country band player not only country but some good classic rock tunes as well, but still had a distinctive country feel. Alie and I danced to a slow version of Rocketman and Bob sang with the band for one song. Good people, good drinks and good times. Certainly one for the memory banks.
Today we shove off and head for South Dakota an 8 hour trip! But tomorrow we hit Mt. Rushmore! I'm psyched. No stats today since we did not really travel very far and we did not have the GPS with us. ;)
The history of the town is pretty neat, like I said it was the capitol of Montana for a short while, but before that, there was this vigilante government. Where locals decided to clean up the town and the surrounding area and distribute justice to the outlaws. Well once they did that and there was gold discovered in the surrounding hills. They got power hungry and started becoming the oppressors. Eventually they were removed from power somehow (I never got that far.) And the town basically folded up in the mid 1940s. Today as I described above its a tourist attraction and a neat one at that.
At night we had a delicious steak dinner cooked by Alie's grandmother's nephew, Bob. Then went to a real cowboy bar called Stacy's it was great. The country band player not only country but some good classic rock tunes as well, but still had a distinctive country feel. Alie and I danced to a slow version of Rocketman and Bob sang with the band for one song. Good people, good drinks and good times. Certainly one for the memory banks.
Today we shove off and head for South Dakota an 8 hour trip! But tomorrow we hit Mt. Rushmore! I'm psyched. No stats today since we did not really travel very far and we did not have the GPS with us. ;)
Friday, July 21, 2006
Day 30: These Sulfur Fumes are Making Me Nauseous
Yellowstone the second time around was great! We decided to focus our energy on the North West side of the park. This area includes Mammoth Springs and Norris Geyser Basin. Both of which we explored thoroughly. The Norris Basin is really neat it does not have many of the famous ones. Instead those are found in the south west Yellowstone, however they are still amazing things. There are many small geysers and tons of springs thermal vents. The two that stick out the most to me is Vixen, and Steamboat. Steam boat Geyser erupts has small eruptions regularly, but every once in a while it releases a big one. That is much taller than Old Faithful and lasts about 24 hours. The problem being that every once and a while is either 4 days or 50 years from its previous eruption. The last time it went off big time was May 23 3005 so it was easy to say that we were not going to see it happen. What we did see was Vixen Geyser go up.
This geyser does not have any special story like Steamboat does, instead its a small and deep geyser that we saw erupt. It started very small with little water reaching the surface From its pit and then it got a little higher and then some more until it reached about my height and then stopped. Now this wasn't in one huge spray it was in spurts. Alie and I thought it was cool because we were the only ones around when it did it. I got some pictures and video. I will not be able to post the video but pictures for sure.
We then traveled to Mammoth springs and saw the types of geological formations called terraces. These things are limestone deposits that build up and form little terraces for a lack of a better word on the ground where the hot water runs and falls. The lime stone deposits in one place and as it grows higher the water runs around it and over it making them longer. The flows originate in these small mounds where the springs are located and runs a long way down until it reaches the valley.
This section of the park used to be much more colorful then it is now. When a lot of these were named they were beautiful natural sculptures, however now the most of the springs lie dormant leaving only the rocks behind but the color of the springs vanish with the hot water. So when one was named Minerva the Roman goddess of sculpture one can imagine how beautiful it once was.
As I said above a lot of these are dormant but not all. Our two favorites were Canary Springs and Orange Mound. I belief that Orange mound looks a lot like a mammoth. Thus the area's name but apparently not enough of one to name it so. (Picture coming soon.) This formation is amazing. The color is all orange for the small organisms in the water. The water also created these interesting ridges and mounds that give it this great texture. All day I struggled to find items that would turn up well on my digital camera and it was not until I found this mound that I was truly inspired. (Wow that was really pretentious I'm sorry)
Afterwards with our damaged GPS we made the drive to Bozeman using the classic call ahead for directions technique. Once there we were welcomed with open arms and two barking puppies.
Alie and I's recommendation for this park, go and hire a snow coach or a snowmobile guide and come in the winter or spring. There is a lot less people, many more animals, and the snow just allows these geological formations and colors to really stand out. The two major draw backs are you cannot explore it alone, trust us not a that big of a deal and some areas are closed. But you cannot get the entire park in one trip so try it in both. Overall Yellowstone ranks one of the best parks we've been to so far and I have ever been in my life.
Some stats that are a little off but only very slightly. Due to GPS testing that occured today.
Distance: 312.3mi
Moving Time: 1h 40m
Stopped: 24m 46s
Total Time: 2h 5m
Overall/Moving Average: Completely utterlyinaccurate wrong but for fun I'll post them any way and you guess which ones are which. 149mhp 186mph.
Overall is the first number and moving is the second.
This geyser does not have any special story like Steamboat does, instead its a small and deep geyser that we saw erupt. It started very small with little water reaching the surface From its pit and then it got a little higher and then some more until it reached about my height and then stopped. Now this wasn't in one huge spray it was in spurts. Alie and I thought it was cool because we were the only ones around when it did it. I got some pictures and video. I will not be able to post the video but pictures for sure.
We then traveled to Mammoth springs and saw the types of geological formations called terraces. These things are limestone deposits that build up and form little terraces for a lack of a better word on the ground where the hot water runs and falls. The lime stone deposits in one place and as it grows higher the water runs around it and over it making them longer. The flows originate in these small mounds where the springs are located and runs a long way down until it reaches the valley.
This section of the park used to be much more colorful then it is now. When a lot of these were named they were beautiful natural sculptures, however now the most of the springs lie dormant leaving only the rocks behind but the color of the springs vanish with the hot water. So when one was named Minerva the Roman goddess of sculpture one can imagine how beautiful it once was.
As I said above a lot of these are dormant but not all. Our two favorites were Canary Springs and Orange Mound. I belief that Orange mound looks a lot like a mammoth. Thus the area's name but apparently not enough of one to name it so. (Picture coming soon.) This formation is amazing. The color is all orange for the small organisms in the water. The water also created these interesting ridges and mounds that give it this great texture. All day I struggled to find items that would turn up well on my digital camera and it was not until I found this mound that I was truly inspired. (Wow that was really pretentious I'm sorry)
Afterwards with our damaged GPS we made the drive to Bozeman using the classic call ahead for directions technique. Once there we were welcomed with open arms and two barking puppies.
Alie and I's recommendation for this park, go and hire a snow coach or a snowmobile guide and come in the winter or spring. There is a lot less people, many more animals, and the snow just allows these geological formations and colors to really stand out. The two major draw backs are you cannot explore it alone, trust us not a that big of a deal and some areas are closed. But you cannot get the entire park in one trip so try it in both. Overall Yellowstone ranks one of the best parks we've been to so far and I have ever been in my life.
Some stats that are a little off but only very slightly. Due to GPS testing that occured today.
Distance: 312.3mi
Moving Time: 1h 40m
Stopped: 24m 46s
Total Time: 2h 5m
Overall/Moving Average: Completely utterly
Overall is the first number and moving is the second.
UPDATES Ahoy!
Welcome back. After a real short hiatus we have returned. The blackouts were due to no internet connecting in West Yellowstone and lack of an easy connection here. But thats relatively sorted now. I am terribly sorry about I'm also sorry about the out of order posting, but catching up with this and me trying to tie up loose ends with my credit card, GPS, and power block has resulted in a convoluted posting procedure.
First let me show you around the new old stuff. I've updated three previous posts with stats and/or maps. These can be found here and here and finally here.
Second we've added two days and are adding a third shortly.
Third: Updates on little odds and ends issues that have come up.
A. The power block. You may remember that my power block was left in San Fran, well the Days Inn there had it and said they will ship it to Montana with no charge, however. It will get here next week. :( I'll have to have it shipped to New Jersey and use Alie's computer for picture storage since she has mysteriously stopped taking pictures.
B. My credit card issues was that we never stayed in the room I charged to it because the company never sent any information over. So I am trying to dispute the claim. It has now posted, but the claim office was closed tonight, thus I'll have to call tomorrow.
C. The worst one of all the GPS. This is a new problem to our readers but its something we've been struggling with for a few days now. And I have good news. The problem originally was that it would either not find the satellites it needs to triangulate our position or it would find them and then loose them if we travelled any distance at all. So today while Alie was shopping for a present. I was on the phone with Garmin. And what they did was nothing short of WONDERFUL. I was on the phone with a Matt, he is a Montana native and knew of Bozeman well. I told him the issue and he said I should have no problems acquiring satellites in downtown Bozeman. Which I was.
He said our unit was in need of repair. So he was going to ship us a new unit ASAP so that we could continue our road trip with a GPS unit. The problem being that the shipping office had closed about a 1/2 an hour ago so we would get the new unit sometime Saturday. I told him that was okay but we were planning on leaving Saturday morning. He said hold let me call shipping and stop the truck to see if I can get this order out today. And he did which enabled us to get the new unit to us tomorrow (Friday).
All we had to do was give him a credit card to charge the new unit to just to make sure they aren't just giving us one and not getting something back in return. Once Garmin gets our current unit, they will remove the charge and we get to keep the brand new GPS unit. He also is going to ship us a different kind of mount so we do not have to worry about the unit falling and being damaged again. This was wonderful Matt did not have to stop the truck nor did he have to send us a different kind of mount nor allow us to keep any of our current accessories.
This has made me a lifetime buyer of Garmin products. The units themselves are easy to use, light and portable, and the costumer service is beyond compare. Thanks to Matt and Garmin for pulling us out of a major problem.
Finally Photo dumps will return shortly. Just after we get all this writing done with and I am able to go through the 600+ or photos and see which ones are worthy and which are not.
First let me show you around the new old stuff. I've updated three previous posts with stats and/or maps. These can be found here and here and finally here.
Second we've added two days and are adding a third shortly.
Third: Updates on little odds and ends issues that have come up.
A. The power block. You may remember that my power block was left in San Fran, well the Days Inn there had it and said they will ship it to Montana with no charge, however. It will get here next week. :( I'll have to have it shipped to New Jersey and use Alie's computer for picture storage since she has mysteriously stopped taking pictures.
B. My credit card issues was that we never stayed in the room I charged to it because the company never sent any information over. So I am trying to dispute the claim. It has now posted, but the claim office was closed tonight, thus I'll have to call tomorrow.
C. The worst one of all the GPS. This is a new problem to our readers but its something we've been struggling with for a few days now. And I have good news. The problem originally was that it would either not find the satellites it needs to triangulate our position or it would find them and then loose them if we travelled any distance at all. So today while Alie was shopping for a present. I was on the phone with Garmin. And what they did was nothing short of WONDERFUL. I was on the phone with a Matt, he is a Montana native and knew of Bozeman well. I told him the issue and he said I should have no problems acquiring satellites in downtown Bozeman. Which I was.
He said our unit was in need of repair. So he was going to ship us a new unit ASAP so that we could continue our road trip with a GPS unit. The problem being that the shipping office had closed about a 1/2 an hour ago so we would get the new unit sometime Saturday. I told him that was okay but we were planning on leaving Saturday morning. He said hold let me call shipping and stop the truck to see if I can get this order out today. And he did which enabled us to get the new unit to us tomorrow (Friday).
All we had to do was give him a credit card to charge the new unit to just to make sure they aren't just giving us one and not getting something back in return. Once Garmin gets our current unit, they will remove the charge and we get to keep the brand new GPS unit. He also is going to ship us a different kind of mount so we do not have to worry about the unit falling and being damaged again. This was wonderful Matt did not have to stop the truck nor did he have to send us a different kind of mount nor allow us to keep any of our current accessories.
This has made me a lifetime buyer of Garmin products. The units themselves are easy to use, light and portable, and the costumer service is beyond compare. Thanks to Matt and Garmin for pulling us out of a major problem.
Finally Photo dumps will return shortly. Just after we get all this writing done with and I am able to go through the 600+ or photos and see which ones are worthy and which are not.
Day 29: Big Rocks
We started our day traveling 4:30 hours to Grand Teton National. Park Alie and I were here in our previous visit to Montana thus we did not feel we needed to explore the park as thoroughly as we have previous ones. The fact is Tetons is a very small park in comparison there are a few trails here and there but they are relatively longer ones and we had arrived later in the day, about 3:30. Thus we went down the road that is closed in the winter and it took us to Jenny Lake there we enjoyed a much closer view of the Tetons then we have previously seen and found it very interesting to see the park not covered entirely in snow. Alie and agreed that we preferred the snowy cliffs to the bare ones we saw today. It also helped that during the winter Tetons is much less crowded.
The real adventure started when we had to travel to West Yellowstone for our place to stay. It is only about 60 miles from Jenny Lake, but the quickest rout is via the John Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Highway. This small stretch of road connects Yellowstone and the Tetons. Once we hit Yellowstone it was rather dark and forced us to be fairly slow so we could react to wildlife crossings and such. It also did not help that through out the day the GPS mount kept falling from its perch and possibly damaging it. Through our journey through the two parks we could not get decent satellite reception for any long period of time. Alie and I are hoping that it is the geography of the parks that was preventing it and not some greater threat.
But that was a small problem compared to an RV that was a head of us for most of the park. It stopped suddenly in front of us; both Alie and I thought she was pulling over to appreciate the very last traces of lights and the coming stars in an awkward place. It did not occur to us that there was some other reason until Alie spotted a HUGE dark shape walking away from the RV. The woman driving it was going slowly but ending up smacking into a Buffalo head on. The beast survived and wandered into the wilderness, the woman was shaken, but not hurt. The RV however was a different story. The diriver side lights were all busted and broken. The hood was crumpled and leaking anti freeze. Someone follow alie and I in a black suburban went a head to call a ranger, since no one got cell service, while alie and I stayed with the woman,apparently her first time in the park, until the Ranger arrived. It was only a few minuets and then we were on our way to battle again the the GPS.
Results it did not really know where our hotel was, nor did it know where we were. Obvious not good. Nevertheless it still calculates routes even when it cannot find satellites, under s different setting, and has very detailed mpas of the entire US built in. so worse comes to worse we can use it as a portable MapQuest or such; hopefully it will not come to that. Tomorrow will see how it fairs. It its still acting up will call Garmin and see what they can do for us. Ibelieve its still under warrenty.
Due to the GPS malfunction the stats are not completely accurate but they provide data that I deem good enough. Tomorrow we do Yellowstone’s Mammoth Springs and then head to Bozeman to the see Grandparent Howards! We are very excited!!!
BEHOLD The Return of the MAP:
47% of the country!
Distance: 613.0mi
Overall Average: 78.5mph
Moving Average: 87.2mph
Moving time: 7h 1m
Stopped 45m 44s
Total: 7h 47m
The real adventure started when we had to travel to West Yellowstone for our place to stay. It is only about 60 miles from Jenny Lake, but the quickest rout is via the John Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Highway. This small stretch of road connects Yellowstone and the Tetons. Once we hit Yellowstone it was rather dark and forced us to be fairly slow so we could react to wildlife crossings and such. It also did not help that through out the day the GPS mount kept falling from its perch and possibly damaging it. Through our journey through the two parks we could not get decent satellite reception for any long period of time. Alie and I are hoping that it is the geography of the parks that was preventing it and not some greater threat.
But that was a small problem compared to an RV that was a head of us for most of the park. It stopped suddenly in front of us; both Alie and I thought she was pulling over to appreciate the very last traces of lights and the coming stars in an awkward place. It did not occur to us that there was some other reason until Alie spotted a HUGE dark shape walking away from the RV. The woman driving it was going slowly but ending up smacking into a Buffalo head on. The beast survived and wandered into the wilderness, the woman was shaken, but not hurt. The RV however was a different story. The diriver side lights were all busted and broken. The hood was crumpled and leaking anti freeze. Someone follow alie and I in a black suburban went a head to call a ranger, since no one got cell service, while alie and I stayed with the woman,apparently her first time in the park, until the Ranger arrived. It was only a few minuets and then we were on our way to battle again the the GPS.
Results it did not really know where our hotel was, nor did it know where we were. Obvious not good. Nevertheless it still calculates routes even when it cannot find satellites, under s different setting, and has very detailed mpas of the entire US built in. so worse comes to worse we can use it as a portable MapQuest or such; hopefully it will not come to that. Tomorrow will see how it fairs. It its still acting up will call Garmin and see what they can do for us. Ibelieve its still under warrenty.
Due to the GPS malfunction the stats are not completely accurate but they provide data that I deem good enough. Tomorrow we do Yellowstone’s Mammoth Springs and then head to Bozeman to the see Grandparent Howards! We are very excited!!!
BEHOLD The Return of the MAP:
47% of the country!
Distance: 613.0mi
Overall Average: 78.5mph
Moving Average: 87.2mph
Moving time: 7h 1m
Stopped 45m 44s
Total: 7h 47m
Day 31: The Air Up Here
Hello all from Big Sky Country! We finally made it to Bozeman, MT to my Nonnie and Papaw's house last night where we were welcomed with loving arms. It is so nice to be back at a "home base" of sorts, and consequently we enjoyed a simple, if not mundane day of enjoying some of the comforts of home.
For starters, we were able to sleep in as long as we liked without the threat of a "housekeeping" knock at our door. And we took full advantage of it!!! Wandering out of bed at around noon, we were welcomed by bagels, doughnuts and coffee all at our disposal, and soon after good company arrived back home to chat and spend time with us. But we had a mission: to get our lives in order. We relished the moments spend "in town" doing errands. We finished our laundry, which was a very necessary. Then we gave the car a much needed wash at the local carwash. After that we went to the drugstore to pick up some things, and to a local store to pick up a birthday/thank-you gift for my grandparents. All trips were quite successful as was the complete inside renovation of the car! No more trash, and we can even find our stuff...imagine!!
Perhaps the most successful part of our day was concerning our GPS. After a day or two of trouble with our "lifeline," Matt called the Garmin dealer to report the problem. We anticipated some heartache and inconvenience, but we got the opposite. We will be shipped a brand new system tomorrow that we will get to keep with just a deposit to put down refundable when we return the broken one. This is a HUGE load of our minds! Just thinking about trying to get back without the device we have relied on for so long is unnerving,a nd is is nice to have that settled, and rather pleasantly at that!
This evening we enjoyed good food, drink and company as we had a tostada dinner outside with my Nonnie and Papaw, their nephew Bob and his wife Sue and Tom their neighbor. We had a great time talking and laughing into the evening, and it was so nice to have some company and familiar faces. Now we are ready to get another good night's sleep, and we are ready for an adventure tomorrow! We are going out to Virginia City to see a good ole western ghost town and spend some quality time with Nonnie and Papaw. For now, goodnight!
Stats: negligable, only driving was in town =)
Tomorrow: Virgina City! A real live commericalized ghost town!
For starters, we were able to sleep in as long as we liked without the threat of a "housekeeping" knock at our door. And we took full advantage of it!!! Wandering out of bed at around noon, we were welcomed by bagels, doughnuts and coffee all at our disposal, and soon after good company arrived back home to chat and spend time with us. But we had a mission: to get our lives in order. We relished the moments spend "in town" doing errands. We finished our laundry, which was a very necessary. Then we gave the car a much needed wash at the local carwash. After that we went to the drugstore to pick up some things, and to a local store to pick up a birthday/thank-you gift for my grandparents. All trips were quite successful as was the complete inside renovation of the car! No more trash, and we can even find our stuff...imagine!!
Perhaps the most successful part of our day was concerning our GPS. After a day or two of trouble with our "lifeline," Matt called the Garmin dealer to report the problem. We anticipated some heartache and inconvenience, but we got the opposite. We will be shipped a brand new system tomorrow that we will get to keep with just a deposit to put down refundable when we return the broken one. This is a HUGE load of our minds! Just thinking about trying to get back without the device we have relied on for so long is unnerving,a nd is is nice to have that settled, and rather pleasantly at that!
This evening we enjoyed good food, drink and company as we had a tostada dinner outside with my Nonnie and Papaw, their nephew Bob and his wife Sue and Tom their neighbor. We had a great time talking and laughing into the evening, and it was so nice to have some company and familiar faces. Now we are ready to get another good night's sleep, and we are ready for an adventure tomorrow! We are going out to Virginia City to see a good ole western ghost town and spend some quality time with Nonnie and Papaw. For now, goodnight!
Stats: negligable, only driving was in town =)
Tomorrow: Virgina City! A real live commericalized ghost town!
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Day 28: Canyonlands UPDATED!
Having arrived in Utah late last night, we slept and prepared ourselves for a feat we have only achieved once before...not one but TWO national parks in one day! Matt has been raving about Brice and Zion Canyons since the preliminary planning stages of this trip, daring to say that they rivaled even the Grandest Canyon of them all (the little hole in the ground in AZ). I was suspicious, since we are indeed a little "deserted out" as earlier posts have suggested. In the end, however, I was glad we made the trip!
This daring mission required us to drive about a half hour from where we stayed last night to Zion, do as much of Zion as humanly possible, drive an hour and 40 minutes to Brice, do as much of Brice as humanly possible then drive four and a half hours to Salt Lake City. How did we do? Well, we are now in Salt Lake after having spent a fabulous day exploring two gorgeous parks! I would say we succeeded and are officially champions in my mind!!!
We started the day at Zion, famous for its amazing formations including the White Throne, the largest sandstone monolith in the world. In this park, you are not allowed to drive on the scenic road during the summer because of the traffic on the narrow roads, so a shuttle carts visitors to several different points of interest throughout the park. This system was indeed convenient and efficient with knowledgeable guides and beautiful stopping points where visitors could hike trails and take photos at their leisure with the assurance that another shuttle would arrive shortly. The only drawbacks have to do with the experience. These shuttles increase the concentration of people at a given site and don't allow people to blaze their own trails, in my mind breaking the illusion that the park belongs to you alone at a given moment. However, Zion is a beautiful park with amazing redrocks and the shuttle system is a clever way to cut down on traffic and pollution in a delicate environment.
Perhaps the most spectacular views came on our way out of Zion on the way to Brice. We drove windey roads carved from the red rocks and even drove through a tunnel built in 1930 that went right through one of the rocks, which was truly impressive for the time. After a good amount of driving, we arrived at Brice Canyon, arguably our favorite park thusfar. The park contains a few small and, of course, one large (Brice) Canyon. All around are hoodoos, tall, thin pieces of red rock that have eroded from the canyon walls and will eventually be eroded away, constantly changing the face of the park. Magnificent pink cliffs run through the park, and their colors are something to behold. The best part of our trip to Brice was the 1.6 mile round trip hike that took us to the floor of the canyon, giving us a variety of different angles at which we could view the amazing features. It was somewhat strenuous coming back up, especially for us ill prepared and inexperienced hikers, but it was well worth the effort to experience such unique beauty. Overall, we only scratched the surface of this expansive park, but we enjoyed the time we spent and long to go back.
After the canyons, the four and a half hour drive to Salt Lake would have been uneventful if it had not been for the amazing sight we saw along the way. We have been hearing about forest fires for weeks now and even saw smoke from a few while in California. Driving through Utah this evening we actually saw a raging forest fire. It went for miles ranging from dying embers to tall flames engulfing trees. We could not believe our eyes. The whole south side of I-15 was closed for miles because it was right along the fire line (luckily we were on I-15 North!). The smell of smoke permiated our car's walls. Luckily, it seemed to be in a wooded area that was not heavily populated, and the police and firefighters seemed to have it under control. I suppose it is fairly routine for them, but for us it was shocking, as we are not used to such experiences in the east.
Other than that, it was a fairly uneventful drive. We are ready for a good night's rest in Salt Lake, as we have a long day tomorrow once again. We are driving up to Jackson which should take about 5 hours and going through the Tetons, making our way towards Montana. We can't wait to see Nonnie and Papaw on Wednesday! See you on the other side (of the mountains!)
And now without further ado...the Stats
41% of the USA!
Overall Avg: 55.9mph
Moving Avg:63.4mph
Total Time:7h 33 min
Moving Time:6h 39 min
Stopped:53 min 6s
Distance:422.4miles
Distance to go: Moving right along
This daring mission required us to drive about a half hour from where we stayed last night to Zion, do as much of Zion as humanly possible, drive an hour and 40 minutes to Brice, do as much of Brice as humanly possible then drive four and a half hours to Salt Lake City. How did we do? Well, we are now in Salt Lake after having spent a fabulous day exploring two gorgeous parks! I would say we succeeded and are officially champions in my mind!!!
We started the day at Zion, famous for its amazing formations including the White Throne, the largest sandstone monolith in the world. In this park, you are not allowed to drive on the scenic road during the summer because of the traffic on the narrow roads, so a shuttle carts visitors to several different points of interest throughout the park. This system was indeed convenient and efficient with knowledgeable guides and beautiful stopping points where visitors could hike trails and take photos at their leisure with the assurance that another shuttle would arrive shortly. The only drawbacks have to do with the experience. These shuttles increase the concentration of people at a given site and don't allow people to blaze their own trails, in my mind breaking the illusion that the park belongs to you alone at a given moment. However, Zion is a beautiful park with amazing redrocks and the shuttle system is a clever way to cut down on traffic and pollution in a delicate environment.
Perhaps the most spectacular views came on our way out of Zion on the way to Brice. We drove windey roads carved from the red rocks and even drove through a tunnel built in 1930 that went right through one of the rocks, which was truly impressive for the time. After a good amount of driving, we arrived at Brice Canyon, arguably our favorite park thusfar. The park contains a few small and, of course, one large (Brice) Canyon. All around are hoodoos, tall, thin pieces of red rock that have eroded from the canyon walls and will eventually be eroded away, constantly changing the face of the park. Magnificent pink cliffs run through the park, and their colors are something to behold. The best part of our trip to Brice was the 1.6 mile round trip hike that took us to the floor of the canyon, giving us a variety of different angles at which we could view the amazing features. It was somewhat strenuous coming back up, especially for us ill prepared and inexperienced hikers, but it was well worth the effort to experience such unique beauty. Overall, we only scratched the surface of this expansive park, but we enjoyed the time we spent and long to go back.
After the canyons, the four and a half hour drive to Salt Lake would have been uneventful if it had not been for the amazing sight we saw along the way. We have been hearing about forest fires for weeks now and even saw smoke from a few while in California. Driving through Utah this evening we actually saw a raging forest fire. It went for miles ranging from dying embers to tall flames engulfing trees. We could not believe our eyes. The whole south side of I-15 was closed for miles because it was right along the fire line (luckily we were on I-15 North!). The smell of smoke permiated our car's walls. Luckily, it seemed to be in a wooded area that was not heavily populated, and the police and firefighters seemed to have it under control. I suppose it is fairly routine for them, but for us it was shocking, as we are not used to such experiences in the east.
Other than that, it was a fairly uneventful drive. We are ready for a good night's rest in Salt Lake, as we have a long day tomorrow once again. We are driving up to Jackson which should take about 5 hours and going through the Tetons, making our way towards Montana. We can't wait to see Nonnie and Papaw on Wednesday! See you on the other side (of the mountains!)
And now without further ado...the Stats
41% of the USA!
Overall Avg: 55.9mph
Moving Avg:63.4mph
Total Time:7h 33 min
Moving Time:6h 39 min
Stopped:53 min 6s
Distance:422.4miles
Distance to go: Moving right along
Day 27: Viva Las Vegas UPDATED!
After our room debacle from last night, we finally got to enjoy Vegas today. We set out for “The Strip” early this afternoon in search of adventures. I must say I was thoroughly and consistently by all of the wonders of Las Vegas. Where else can you go to New York, Paris, Venice, Ancient Rome, Treasure Island and Sherwood Forest circa Medieval Age in one day? I hadn’t thought I would enjoy it as much as I did, being new to the gambling scene (and not really wanting to delve into it) and having seen actual wonders without signs in front of them for 16.95 prime rib specials. It truly is impressive the way that these casinos create an adult wonderland that allows you to escape the sweltering desert complete with ads for strip shows and adult stores and lose yourself in flashing lights, fancy restaurants, games and high end shopping, all but losing your sense of space and time. Worries give way to illusions, and anyone can feel like a “high roller” as they bask in luxury (even if it is only through window shopping).
Of course Vegas is not without fault. It is, after all, very much in the middle of the desert and one does have to brave the 100+ degree heat to get from one playland to the next. Prices are rather high for anything that doesn’t have to do with gambling (though amazingly parking is free!). And it is overrun with tourists who, like you, are just there for the fleeting feeling of luxury and freedom from care that you are there to enjoy as well. And they often want to document every moment on film, much to your chagrin. But everyone is free to enjoy “sin city,” except of course for children, who aren’t allowed within 100 feet of a gambling area.
Sadly, or thankfully, our day was rather tame by Vegas standards. We began in New York, New York where we felt closer to home than we have in weeks. We had lunch and began our gambling. Luck smiled on me for a little while at the slots (sadly luck was NOT as much of a lady to Matt) and I came out about 50 dollars ahead. But of course, the day was young and so are we, so it was on to the next casino to try our luck. We traveled on to the Aladdin, one of the older casinos on the strip and were whisked away to an Arabian paradise, and again I came out on top. My luck changed completely when we got to Paris. I was surprisingly dazzled by the building itself (as I have seen Paris in the flesh), complete with Eiffel tower, Louvre and cafes with delicious crepes (I had to spend my winnings somewhere!). But after learning to play roulette and promptly losing $20, my disillusionment and losing streak began.
Our gambling waned after our trip to Paris, we decided to stick to the less expensive activity of sightseeing. We walked the marble halls of Caesar’s Palace, saw the fountains dance in front of the Bellagio (truly a sight to behold) and waited eagerly for the ship sinking at Treasure Island, which sadly was cancelled due to high winds. I even spotted an Elvis impersonator! We ate dinner at, what else, but an all you can eat buffet at King Arthur’s table at the Excalibur (unfortunately, the king himself was not in attendance.) After all of that, I felt that we had “done” Vegas, but I feel an itching to go back again. The glitter has drawn me in; the tourism board has done its job. But that’s another story for another time. Now we are in Utah, getting ready to go to Zion and Brice Canyons together before beginning our Northern ascent and our true trip back east, back home. The time has flown…even if some moments have felt long.
Without further ado…The STATS
Overall Average: 56.5mph
Moving Average: 65.5 mph
Total Time: 3h 22 min
Moving time: 2 h 55 min
Stopped: 27min 53 sec
Miles Traveled: 190.9 miles
Distance to go: It will be over before we know it…
37% of the country travelled
AND THE MAP:
Of course Vegas is not without fault. It is, after all, very much in the middle of the desert and one does have to brave the 100+ degree heat to get from one playland to the next. Prices are rather high for anything that doesn’t have to do with gambling (though amazingly parking is free!). And it is overrun with tourists who, like you, are just there for the fleeting feeling of luxury and freedom from care that you are there to enjoy as well. And they often want to document every moment on film, much to your chagrin. But everyone is free to enjoy “sin city,” except of course for children, who aren’t allowed within 100 feet of a gambling area.
Sadly, or thankfully, our day was rather tame by Vegas standards. We began in New York, New York where we felt closer to home than we have in weeks. We had lunch and began our gambling. Luck smiled on me for a little while at the slots (sadly luck was NOT as much of a lady to Matt) and I came out about 50 dollars ahead. But of course, the day was young and so are we, so it was on to the next casino to try our luck. We traveled on to the Aladdin, one of the older casinos on the strip and were whisked away to an Arabian paradise, and again I came out on top. My luck changed completely when we got to Paris. I was surprisingly dazzled by the building itself (as I have seen Paris in the flesh), complete with Eiffel tower, Louvre and cafes with delicious crepes (I had to spend my winnings somewhere!). But after learning to play roulette and promptly losing $20, my disillusionment and losing streak began.
Our gambling waned after our trip to Paris, we decided to stick to the less expensive activity of sightseeing. We walked the marble halls of Caesar’s Palace, saw the fountains dance in front of the Bellagio (truly a sight to behold) and waited eagerly for the ship sinking at Treasure Island, which sadly was cancelled due to high winds. I even spotted an Elvis impersonator! We ate dinner at, what else, but an all you can eat buffet at King Arthur’s table at the Excalibur (unfortunately, the king himself was not in attendance.) After all of that, I felt that we had “done” Vegas, but I feel an itching to go back again. The glitter has drawn me in; the tourism board has done its job. But that’s another story for another time. Now we are in Utah, getting ready to go to Zion and Brice Canyons together before beginning our Northern ascent and our true trip back east, back home. The time has flown…even if some moments have felt long.
Without further ado…The STATS
Overall Average: 56.5mph
Moving Average: 65.5 mph
Total Time: 3h 22 min
Moving time: 2 h 55 min
Stopped: 27min 53 sec
Miles Traveled: 190.9 miles
Distance to go: It will be over before we know it…
37% of the country travelled
AND THE MAP:
Sunday, July 16, 2006
Day 26: The Hottest Place on Earth UPDATED!
Beamed right to you for your enjoyment. Today we went to Death Valley. It was pretty cool. We had to stay two hours out of Death Valley since the park is so big and flanked by a Navy weapons testing ground and an Air Force testing ground. So by the time we got into the park it was about 1:00. We stopped to get gas since we were running on fumes and in a desert that reached to 122ºF, that wasn't good. Then we continued to the park's visitor center.
If there was one place that needed a make over it is this visitor center all the exhibits look like they are straight out of the 1960s, there is even a slide show, where the color fade has rendered it almost completely useless. Death Valley is the biggest park excluding Alaska so driving around it takes time. And you do not want to hike the majority of the death due to the suffocating heat. So we did not get to see that much.
After the Visitor Center we saw Scotty's Castle, which was neat but we got there too late to go inside. This building was made during the 1920s by a wealthy investor who wanted a place to escape his troubles and his pack pain. His name was not Scotty, instead it was Johnson. John and Scotty were close friends. They met when Johnson first visited the desert and fell in love. There Johnson built an amazing house for him, his wife and Scotty. During the depression they opened it up as a place to stay and Scotty entertained the travelers with his tall tales. This continued even past Johnson's death. He left the house to a charitable organization he started that controlled the house and cared for Scotty. Scotty died in 1954 and was buried on a hill over looking the Castle. And Thus it was known as Scotty's Castle. Its very beautifully done in the vien of the Span ish missions, with bell towers, stucco and spanish shingles. There is tons of decorative titles all over the grounds which provide a nice colorful landscape to the same time dreary desert.
After that we headed back to the visitor center area to see Dante's View. This is 11,0000 feet up, (our highest point yet) and looks over all of Death Valley. Really gave us a great view of it all, and helped us settle our qualms of not seeing much. I enjoyed Death Valley as did Alie but i think we are a little burned out of the desert. We've driven through so much its become matter fact. Even though this desert is very unique, it still reminds of previous long hauls.
Getting to Vegas was easy, but we were arrived there were no rooms available in all of Vegas due to this huge Boxing match alie nor I had any idea about. All of Vegas book we got desperate, one of the resorts we called connected us to a hotel Booking Agency. We got a great room for a good price at a place called the Desert Paradise Resort. However when we arrived there the person at the desk had no information on us whatsoever. According to the agency she was going to send a fax, but according to the man at the disk there was nothing. So we were screwed, we tried a few more places and they were all booked solid.
I ended up calling my friend Will. He recently moved to Vegas and is currently on tour with Little Women, so his room was available. He was very generous in allowing Alie and I to stay and basically pulling our ass from the fire. I checked my credit card and the room hadn't posted yet so I'll have to wait to get the money back there. I might send an email to the booking agency, but I rather not deal with them or the Desert Paradise anymore and just block payment on my card. I'll let you know how this gets sorted out as well.
As for my power block. The hotel has it and I have to call tomorrow to arrange for shipments. But for now I must sleep since its been an excruciatingly long day full of fun, and frustration. I knew our luck was going too well on the return trip hopefully this will be the last for a while.
Stats will come with tomorrow's post. (Sorry I'm just exhausted.)
A few days late but there are here now:
Distance: 309.7mi
Overall avg: 36.3mph
Moving avg: 51.2mph
Total time: 8h 31m
Moving time: 6h 2m
Stopped: 2h 28m
Destination Tomorrow: The Strip and then Salt Lake since Jackson Hole is just a little too far.
If there was one place that needed a make over it is this visitor center all the exhibits look like they are straight out of the 1960s, there is even a slide show, where the color fade has rendered it almost completely useless. Death Valley is the biggest park excluding Alaska so driving around it takes time. And you do not want to hike the majority of the death due to the suffocating heat. So we did not get to see that much.
After the Visitor Center we saw Scotty's Castle, which was neat but we got there too late to go inside. This building was made during the 1920s by a wealthy investor who wanted a place to escape his troubles and his pack pain. His name was not Scotty, instead it was Johnson. John and Scotty were close friends. They met when Johnson first visited the desert and fell in love. There Johnson built an amazing house for him, his wife and Scotty. During the depression they opened it up as a place to stay and Scotty entertained the travelers with his tall tales. This continued even past Johnson's death. He left the house to a charitable organization he started that controlled the house and cared for Scotty. Scotty died in 1954 and was buried on a hill over looking the Castle. And Thus it was known as Scotty's Castle. Its very beautifully done in the vien of the Span ish missions, with bell towers, stucco and spanish shingles. There is tons of decorative titles all over the grounds which provide a nice colorful landscape to the same time dreary desert.
After that we headed back to the visitor center area to see Dante's View. This is 11,0000 feet up, (our highest point yet) and looks over all of Death Valley. Really gave us a great view of it all, and helped us settle our qualms of not seeing much. I enjoyed Death Valley as did Alie but i think we are a little burned out of the desert. We've driven through so much its become matter fact. Even though this desert is very unique, it still reminds of previous long hauls.
Getting to Vegas was easy, but we were arrived there were no rooms available in all of Vegas due to this huge Boxing match alie nor I had any idea about. All of Vegas book we got desperate, one of the resorts we called connected us to a hotel Booking Agency. We got a great room for a good price at a place called the Desert Paradise Resort. However when we arrived there the person at the desk had no information on us whatsoever. According to the agency she was going to send a fax, but according to the man at the disk there was nothing. So we were screwed, we tried a few more places and they were all booked solid.
I ended up calling my friend Will. He recently moved to Vegas and is currently on tour with Little Women, so his room was available. He was very generous in allowing Alie and I to stay and basically pulling our ass from the fire. I checked my credit card and the room hadn't posted yet so I'll have to wait to get the money back there. I might send an email to the booking agency, but I rather not deal with them or the Desert Paradise anymore and just block payment on my card. I'll let you know how this gets sorted out as well.
As for my power block. The hotel has it and I have to call tomorrow to arrange for shipments. But for now I must sleep since its been an excruciatingly long day full of fun, and frustration. I knew our luck was going too well on the return trip hopefully this will be the last for a while.
A few days late but there are here now:
Distance: 309.7mi
Overall avg: 36.3mph
Moving avg: 51.2mph
Total time: 8h 31m
Moving time: 6h 2m
Stopped: 2h 28m
Destination Tomorrow: The Strip and then Salt Lake since Jackson Hole is just a little too far.
Saturday, July 15, 2006
Day 25: The Long Haul
Today we drove a very long time from San Francisco to Death Valley. We had to scrap the Napa plans because we plotted out our time and we found we just do not have enough to cover everything we wanted. This is a little bit a shot to our moral, but thats what we have to deal with. Instead we'll boost it by staying in Montana a few days and from some R&R. I think the road is finally getting to us.
Alie and I are both looking foward to Maggie's wedding of course and Visting Alie's grandparants but the drives to get to these places are starting to weigh on us. We figured we will have to do a few more long days to cover the ground we need to, this constant need to be moving east is a little trying. I would like to remain in one place longer then a day or two soon but that does not seem to be in the cards until Montana. Add some slight homesickness to it and well its harder to gain back the momentum we had on our way out. Again this is not due to our destinations its just the driving through nothing.
Side note: our country will not run out of land for a while. There is tons of nothing all over the place so if we ever need its there.
Anyways we got out here and that was an accomplishment we persevered through long nights of driving car malfunctions and the like, but we made it. Now we have to do the same thing but have been on the road for 25 days and nothing having as many interesting places to stay once we pass Montana and before we get to Chi-Town. So in the end I guess what i'm trying to say is that the road is hard, but the experiences we are having are certainly worth it. Thank you again to our parents for enabling this trip of a life time.
Now for some stats:
Still 35% of the country.
Distance Travelled: 505.5mi
Moving Average: 68.2
Overall Average: 31,7mph
Moving Time: 7h 24m
Stopped: 8h 30m Accidently left the GPS in the car when we got to our hotel
Total Time: 15h 55m
Wrong Turns: 1
Distance to go: We are getting there either via the hare's route or the tortoises
PS I've seem to have left my power block for my external hard drive at out previous hotel. (Yes this was very dumb of me. I blame myself for not doing an idiot check like we usually do and lack of sleep. Alas) Tomorrow I'll call them and see if they have it and can ship it to Alie's Grand Parent's house.
What that means for me right now? I can only store 10 more gigs of pictures on my computer. Really only about 7-8 safely. When I average 1 gig a day, I end up a little short. Also I cannot access any pictures from the wedding till yesterday until I get the power block back or I buy a new one. I'll keep you all posted
Alie and I are both looking foward to Maggie's wedding of course and Visting Alie's grandparants but the drives to get to these places are starting to weigh on us. We figured we will have to do a few more long days to cover the ground we need to, this constant need to be moving east is a little trying. I would like to remain in one place longer then a day or two soon but that does not seem to be in the cards until Montana. Add some slight homesickness to it and well its harder to gain back the momentum we had on our way out. Again this is not due to our destinations its just the driving through nothing.
Side note: our country will not run out of land for a while. There is tons of nothing all over the place so if we ever need its there.
Anyways we got out here and that was an accomplishment we persevered through long nights of driving car malfunctions and the like, but we made it. Now we have to do the same thing but have been on the road for 25 days and nothing having as many interesting places to stay once we pass Montana and before we get to Chi-Town. So in the end I guess what i'm trying to say is that the road is hard, but the experiences we are having are certainly worth it. Thank you again to our parents for enabling this trip of a life time.
Now for some stats:
Still 35% of the country.
Distance Travelled: 505.5mi
Moving Average: 68.2
Overall Average: 31,7mph
Moving Time: 7h 24m
Stopped: 8h 30m Accidently left the GPS in the car when we got to our hotel
Total Time: 15h 55m
Wrong Turns: 1
Distance to go: We are getting there either via the hare's route or the tortoises
PS I've seem to have left my power block for my external hard drive at out previous hotel. (Yes this was very dumb of me. I blame myself for not doing an idiot check like we usually do and lack of sleep. Alas) Tomorrow I'll call them and see if they have it and can ship it to Alie's Grand Parent's house.
What that means for me right now? I can only store 10 more gigs of pictures on my computer. Really only about 7-8 safely. When I average 1 gig a day, I end up a little short. Also I cannot access any pictures from the wedding till yesterday until I get the power block back or I buy a new one. I'll keep you all posted
Friday, July 14, 2006
Day: 23 and 24: San Francisco Treats
Day 23 was largely an uneventful. We left Yosemite early in the morning stopped and took a few more pictures and then we on our merry way. It was about a 4 hour drive to San Francisco and went off without many problems of course we arrive during rush hour so that obviously added some time.
Which brings me to my first point or observation. California drivers are by and large the worst drivers we've experienced so far on our trip. They are extremely rude, impatient and at times extremely dangerous. We did not mention it earlier but our first experience with road rage happened on our way in to San Diego where a driver nearly ran us off the road, but that is neither her nor there. As I said above we arrived in San Fran around rush hour, there were tons of cars on the road all going very fast and seemed very cramped in the tight lines of one the four lane highway that goes in and out of the city. Coupled with the fact that the GPS was not very quick on the directions, and the ever present fog around the golden gate bridge, we ended up with a little bit a stress. But not to worry we arrive safe and sound and quickly veged out to Anderson Cooper's 360 on CNN to catch up on some news and then went into the city to catch some delicious Thai food. Afterwards we came back and promptly passed out.
Day 24, was much more interesting. We slept in since we did not have to check out by 11am and got into the city around 1pm. after parking we headed straight to the gold and blue ferry station, so we could get to Alcatraz and really explore the place. right before we got in line a couple approached us asking if we wanted tickets for the 1:45 ferry. They had prepaid and another coupe could not use them. They fofered us normal price, but we did not take them, because we did not have the cash on us. So we waited in line for the real ticket counter and when we got up there we discovered that they have sold out through the weekend for tickets to Alcatraz. This frustrated me a lot because we had a chance to go and blew. Alas live and learn. Just leaves us something to do when we come back.
So instead of the prison we went to eat at a fairly decent seafood restraunt right on Fisherman's Warf. A little over priced but the meal netted us 3 free hours at the garage we parked at. So in the end was worth it. After lunch we tried to go to the City Lights Book Sellers and Publishers. The problem being that the GPS did not have City Lights in it, instead the listing was under Book sellers and Publishers, and our travel book gave us the completely wrong address of 2261 Columbus St. The true address is 261 Columbus, which we found later.
Eventually realized 2261 did not exist and headed down to the Hyde St. Pier, where there is another National Park about the shipping industry in San Francisco. This brought our total cancelations to 11! Woot! (Tying my all time high on one trip.) The park was very interesting chronicling the kinds of trade goods that went through San Francisco and even had some ships that tourists could go on and explore from various eras. There was a sailing cargo ship, under reconstruction (Which was just as neat to see a NPS exhibit work in progress.) a stand plank ferry, a tug boat and some other smaller ship exhibits like a turn of the century house boat and the light from a San Francisco light house.
After the park closed and we were kicked out we went for a walk on the Municipal peir and got shots of both the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz from a far. Then we retrieved our car and explored the City Lights Book Seller and Publisher. It was a very cool trip. Bring in the same palce as Ginsberg, Dylan, Keroack, etc. It was very chill place wwith some slogas here and there, but nothing over the top and tons of sings inviting visitors to sit and read, which I found refreshing. Sure B&B has confy chairs and such but it does not seem like they really want you to sit and read, while sipping coffee. Here they were content if you just sat down and read all the books there. The point is they just want people to read and be enlightened and that was really cool.
To finish the day, we got some take out in China Town located conveniently near City Lights and too it back too our hotel, but before we left San Fran completely we did each take turn driving down the most twisted street in the world, and road on a trolley car.Both great fun and comes highly recommended as cheap thrills in the most expensive city we've ever experienced.
Since its getting late in the month we have restructured our route. Sadaly that required we cut out Napa Valley and the Grand Canyon, but I think during this time of year its better off. But enough downers lets go to the uppers...
Stats for the past two days:
Distance Traveled: 736.3mi
Moving Average: 56.8mph
Overall Average: 47.2
Moving Time: 12h 58m
Stopped: 2h 37m
Total: 15h 35m
Wrong Turns: A few here and there, San Fran is a lot like Boston in the way that it is a pain to drive in.
Distance to go: Lots of long driving days ahead
Tomorrow: Death Valley
Which brings me to my first point or observation. California drivers are by and large the worst drivers we've experienced so far on our trip. They are extremely rude, impatient and at times extremely dangerous. We did not mention it earlier but our first experience with road rage happened on our way in to San Diego where a driver nearly ran us off the road, but that is neither her nor there. As I said above we arrived in San Fran around rush hour, there were tons of cars on the road all going very fast and seemed very cramped in the tight lines of one the four lane highway that goes in and out of the city. Coupled with the fact that the GPS was not very quick on the directions, and the ever present fog around the golden gate bridge, we ended up with a little bit a stress. But not to worry we arrive safe and sound and quickly veged out to Anderson Cooper's 360 on CNN to catch up on some news and then went into the city to catch some delicious Thai food. Afterwards we came back and promptly passed out.
Day 24, was much more interesting. We slept in since we did not have to check out by 11am and got into the city around 1pm. after parking we headed straight to the gold and blue ferry station, so we could get to Alcatraz and really explore the place. right before we got in line a couple approached us asking if we wanted tickets for the 1:45 ferry. They had prepaid and another coupe could not use them. They fofered us normal price, but we did not take them, because we did not have the cash on us. So we waited in line for the real ticket counter and when we got up there we discovered that they have sold out through the weekend for tickets to Alcatraz. This frustrated me a lot because we had a chance to go and blew. Alas live and learn. Just leaves us something to do when we come back.
So instead of the prison we went to eat at a fairly decent seafood restraunt right on Fisherman's Warf. A little over priced but the meal netted us 3 free hours at the garage we parked at. So in the end was worth it. After lunch we tried to go to the City Lights Book Sellers and Publishers. The problem being that the GPS did not have City Lights in it, instead the listing was under Book sellers and Publishers, and our travel book gave us the completely wrong address of 2261 Columbus St. The true address is 261 Columbus, which we found later.
Eventually realized 2261 did not exist and headed down to the Hyde St. Pier, where there is another National Park about the shipping industry in San Francisco. This brought our total cancelations to 11! Woot! (Tying my all time high on one trip.) The park was very interesting chronicling the kinds of trade goods that went through San Francisco and even had some ships that tourists could go on and explore from various eras. There was a sailing cargo ship, under reconstruction (Which was just as neat to see a NPS exhibit work in progress.) a stand plank ferry, a tug boat and some other smaller ship exhibits like a turn of the century house boat and the light from a San Francisco light house.
After the park closed and we were kicked out we went for a walk on the Municipal peir and got shots of both the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz from a far. Then we retrieved our car and explored the City Lights Book Seller and Publisher. It was a very cool trip. Bring in the same palce as Ginsberg, Dylan, Keroack, etc. It was very chill place wwith some slogas here and there, but nothing over the top and tons of sings inviting visitors to sit and read, which I found refreshing. Sure B&B has confy chairs and such but it does not seem like they really want you to sit and read, while sipping coffee. Here they were content if you just sat down and read all the books there. The point is they just want people to read and be enlightened and that was really cool.
To finish the day, we got some take out in China Town located conveniently near City Lights and too it back too our hotel, but before we left San Fran completely we did each take turn driving down the most twisted street in the world, and road on a trolley car.Both great fun and comes highly recommended as cheap thrills in the most expensive city we've ever experienced.
Since its getting late in the month we have restructured our route. Sadaly that required we cut out Napa Valley and the Grand Canyon, but I think during this time of year its better off. But enough downers lets go to the uppers...
Stats for the past two days:
Distance Traveled: 736.3mi
Moving Average: 56.8mph
Overall Average: 47.2
Moving Time: 12h 58m
Stopped: 2h 37m
Total: 15h 35m
Wrong Turns: A few here and there, San Fran is a lot like Boston in the way that it is a pain to drive in.
Distance to go: Lots of long driving days ahead
Tomorrow: Death Valley
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Day 22: Beauty in America
There was a time when I thought one had to go to Europe to find true beauty. Those days have since passed especially since my first trip to Yellowstone Park. Yesterday, at Yosemite, I was the most sure I have ever been that there is abundant beauty in this country of ours. I sat at Glacier Point around sunset, listening to a ranger talk, and I was so moved by the beauty all around me that I could feel my eyes well up with tears.
We arrived at Yosemite National Park a little later than expected yesterday because the entrance closest to the town in which we were staying was closed due to roadwork. Better late than never though, as the saying goes. We drove along the widing, tree lined roads for a while, wondering what made this park distinct from all the others. Suddenly, we discovered the reason. Before us stood magnificent rock faces that were carved by glaciers millions of years ago. We witnessed the views of Half Dome and El Capitain that inspired some of Ansel Adam's brilliant photography.
We drove into Yosemite Village, a little weary from fighting crowds and motion sickness from the winding roads. We refueled and headed up to Yosemite Falls, the fifth largest waterfall in the World and the largest in North America. We climbed up huge rocks to get the best view possible, and were soaked with the cool spray of true spring water.
After the falls, we watched a video about Yosemite, and by that time it was coming upon late afternoon. The video talked about the "spirit" of the park and what it meant to the Native Americans who lived off the land and John Muir who loved the land and wanted to protect it. I understood the message, but I still did not feel a personal connection with this park. I was disenchanted by the crowds and the heat, and convinced that Yosemite may have been just a cliched family vacation spot from the 1950s that happened to have a nice view.
As we drove along the roads the Glacier Point, where a sunset ranger talk was taking place, the crowds began to diminish. The point is off the main road a ways, and it has very few amenities to attract people. The virtue of this place lay in its view alone. There were two hotels up there, but both were destroyed by fire and never rebuilt. While it would have been great to see the hotels or even stay in them, I liked the feeling of seclusion and peace that it seemed to uphold. There were still many people up at the rock, but as I listened to the ranger talk about the memories that were made in the park and thought about the memories that I was making, the other people seemed to melt away. I was in that moment, in that wonderful place. It is hard to say what my favorite place we have visited in our travels is, but I Glacier Point is my favorite single point that I have seen so far.
The night continued interestingly. We had a beautiful late dinner at the Yosemite Lodge Lounge, which after weeks of fast food, was a welcome change. We decided that instead of driving four hours to San Francisco at 11:00 at night we would spend the night in the park. By default, so to speak, we ended up "roughing it" in the canvas tents, complete with wooden floors, beds with linens and an electric light. The hardest part of our camping adventure was taking all of our food, trash and toiletries out of the car and putting it in "bear lockers" so that bears would not smell it and try to break into our car or our tent. All in all it was a fun experience, especially for one without camping experience like me, and it was worth it to spend a few more hours in the park.
It truly turned out to be a wonderful day, despite its challenges. It is an experience I won't soon forget. Stats will be included in the next post with San Fransisco stats.
We arrived at Yosemite National Park a little later than expected yesterday because the entrance closest to the town in which we were staying was closed due to roadwork. Better late than never though, as the saying goes. We drove along the widing, tree lined roads for a while, wondering what made this park distinct from all the others. Suddenly, we discovered the reason. Before us stood magnificent rock faces that were carved by glaciers millions of years ago. We witnessed the views of Half Dome and El Capitain that inspired some of Ansel Adam's brilliant photography.
We drove into Yosemite Village, a little weary from fighting crowds and motion sickness from the winding roads. We refueled and headed up to Yosemite Falls, the fifth largest waterfall in the World and the largest in North America. We climbed up huge rocks to get the best view possible, and were soaked with the cool spray of true spring water.
After the falls, we watched a video about Yosemite, and by that time it was coming upon late afternoon. The video talked about the "spirit" of the park and what it meant to the Native Americans who lived off the land and John Muir who loved the land and wanted to protect it. I understood the message, but I still did not feel a personal connection with this park. I was disenchanted by the crowds and the heat, and convinced that Yosemite may have been just a cliched family vacation spot from the 1950s that happened to have a nice view.
As we drove along the roads the Glacier Point, where a sunset ranger talk was taking place, the crowds began to diminish. The point is off the main road a ways, and it has very few amenities to attract people. The virtue of this place lay in its view alone. There were two hotels up there, but both were destroyed by fire and never rebuilt. While it would have been great to see the hotels or even stay in them, I liked the feeling of seclusion and peace that it seemed to uphold. There were still many people up at the rock, but as I listened to the ranger talk about the memories that were made in the park and thought about the memories that I was making, the other people seemed to melt away. I was in that moment, in that wonderful place. It is hard to say what my favorite place we have visited in our travels is, but I Glacier Point is my favorite single point that I have seen so far.
The night continued interestingly. We had a beautiful late dinner at the Yosemite Lodge Lounge, which after weeks of fast food, was a welcome change. We decided that instead of driving four hours to San Francisco at 11:00 at night we would spend the night in the park. By default, so to speak, we ended up "roughing it" in the canvas tents, complete with wooden floors, beds with linens and an electric light. The hardest part of our camping adventure was taking all of our food, trash and toiletries out of the car and putting it in "bear lockers" so that bears would not smell it and try to break into our car or our tent. All in all it was a fun experience, especially for one without camping experience like me, and it was worth it to spend a few more hours in the park.
It truly turned out to be a wonderful day, despite its challenges. It is an experience I won't soon forget. Stats will be included in the next post with San Fransisco stats.
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Day 21: Generals and Trees
Today Alie and I went to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. We saw HUGE trees and beautiful cliffs. The story of this park is all about conservation, but unlike Petrified Forrest its not about people destroying the park before it became a park or even people taking things from the park. Instead the damage was done by the National Park Service.
Sequoia National Park is our nations 2nd National Park after Yellowstone. As it be came more accessible thanks to a WPA group called the CCC, the park became more popular. In the 1950s at the beginning of the Giant Forrest there was a little village set with cabins, a gas station a gift shop and many other buildings. These buildings were built upon the shallow roots of the giant trees, cutting them so electric lines and plumbing could be run where needed. As time marched on the damage this caused be came apparent. Today only one building remains and has been turn into a museum, telling you about the Red Woods and the flora that populate the grove. Adding prescribed burns that were picked up again in 1969 enabled the trees to be rejuvenated and be restored to their former glory as John Muir first saw them.
The biggest tree in the park is titled General Sherman. Its not the tallest or the widest but is in fact the biggest thanks to its volume. 4 tractor trailers can fit inside it. Its biggest branch can hide a VW Bug completely. And if it were chopped down it could make billions and billions of tooth picks. (I'll try to find and exact number that was quoted to me today.)
What was most interesting about the park is the visual damage that fire does. The smaller trees leaves are brown and its branches white where the fire licked up and burned them. On the Giant Sequoias you can see where the hairy red bark has burned away and left the tree almost hollow. Apparently these trees can be so strong that a fire can burn at the base virtually hollowing it out and it will still grow. But as mentioned above their frailty is always present, when one of these trees falls it is felt through out the entire park. First the is the cracking of the roots, which there are many, then there is the crashing through the branches of the other trees and then the thud thud of a 270' tall tree hitting the forrest floor. It is intense.
Kings Canyon is our nations 3rd National Park and is right next to Giant Sequoia. Kings Canyon has a lot of the same features, but is more geared to the camping and hiking kind of group. There is only one main road and it only covers a VERY small section once it ends you need a permit to go further into the park and do low impact camping along its trails to further explore it.
Again the story of this park is of conservation. John Muir lectured and pushed for the canyon to be protected. The area was thought to be a great developmental opportunity. First hydroelectric damns were considered there, then logging, then tourism, and so forth. So many different interests laid claim to the area that is now the park that they kept each other at bay just long enough for congress to protect it. But when they did they did not include the canyon floor. It took another act of congress 20 years or so later to protect it.
So that covers our first two National Parks in California. Tomorrow we cover what many consider to be the greatest National Park Yosemite. But first our daily stats.
Still 35% Of the nation.
Distance: 265.8 miles
Moving Average: 43.1mph Very twisty turning roads in the High Sierra.
Overall Average: 31.8mph
Moving Time: 6h 10m
Stopped: 2h 10m Including lunch and dinner.
Total Time: 8h 21mIncluding parts of the parks.
Distance to go: Seems to be getting longer...hmmmm
Sequoia National Park is our nations 2nd National Park after Yellowstone. As it be came more accessible thanks to a WPA group called the CCC, the park became more popular. In the 1950s at the beginning of the Giant Forrest there was a little village set with cabins, a gas station a gift shop and many other buildings. These buildings were built upon the shallow roots of the giant trees, cutting them so electric lines and plumbing could be run where needed. As time marched on the damage this caused be came apparent. Today only one building remains and has been turn into a museum, telling you about the Red Woods and the flora that populate the grove. Adding prescribed burns that were picked up again in 1969 enabled the trees to be rejuvenated and be restored to their former glory as John Muir first saw them.
The biggest tree in the park is titled General Sherman. Its not the tallest or the widest but is in fact the biggest thanks to its volume. 4 tractor trailers can fit inside it. Its biggest branch can hide a VW Bug completely. And if it were chopped down it could make billions and billions of tooth picks. (I'll try to find and exact number that was quoted to me today.)
What was most interesting about the park is the visual damage that fire does. The smaller trees leaves are brown and its branches white where the fire licked up and burned them. On the Giant Sequoias you can see where the hairy red bark has burned away and left the tree almost hollow. Apparently these trees can be so strong that a fire can burn at the base virtually hollowing it out and it will still grow. But as mentioned above their frailty is always present, when one of these trees falls it is felt through out the entire park. First the is the cracking of the roots, which there are many, then there is the crashing through the branches of the other trees and then the thud thud of a 270' tall tree hitting the forrest floor. It is intense.
Kings Canyon is our nations 3rd National Park and is right next to Giant Sequoia. Kings Canyon has a lot of the same features, but is more geared to the camping and hiking kind of group. There is only one main road and it only covers a VERY small section once it ends you need a permit to go further into the park and do low impact camping along its trails to further explore it.
Again the story of this park is of conservation. John Muir lectured and pushed for the canyon to be protected. The area was thought to be a great developmental opportunity. First hydroelectric damns were considered there, then logging, then tourism, and so forth. So many different interests laid claim to the area that is now the park that they kept each other at bay just long enough for congress to protect it. But when they did they did not include the canyon floor. It took another act of congress 20 years or so later to protect it.
So that covers our first two National Parks in California. Tomorrow we cover what many consider to be the greatest National Park Yosemite. But first our daily stats.
Still 35% Of the nation.
Distance: 265.8 miles
Moving Average: 43.1mph Very twisty turning roads in the High Sierra.
Overall Average: 31.8mph
Moving Time: 6h 10m
Stopped: 2h 10m Including lunch and dinner.
Total Time: 8h 21mIncluding parts of the parks.
Distance to go: Seems to be getting longer...hmmmm
Monday, July 10, 2006
Day 19: The First Wedding Day
Last time I posted, Alie, Aneta and I were waiting for Leslie and her family to leave for the church well they did and we got ready. Alie kept commenting on how rare it was for her to see me in a suit and how much she enjoyed it, so much that she wanted me to wear my jacket in 104 degree heat to our Pre-Church Starbucks run. I gracefully declined citing that I did not want to die by drowning in my own sweat. But enough of that lets talk about the happy Bride and Groom.
Leslie and Brian tied the knot in a small traditional and classy wedding. The Reverend discussed how it was not up to Brian and Leslie to lean on each other but rather lean on God to help solve disputes. The Reverend also made everyone in attendance help Leslie and Brian work on the marriage when they needed it. An interesting look at marriage to say the least.
After the ceremony all 63 people headed to San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art, which was very cool, well except for the first hour. The hot California Sun forced us to drink a few more drinks then we thought and seek shade in a big red object. Eventually it did cool off and we were allowed to head inside. The sunset grave the entire party great lighting and amazing pictures. The entire time both Leslie and Brian were beaming with happiness, something I do not think they will loose any time soon, if at all. The table settings the food and even the drinks, were personal to Leslie and Brian. Decorations were Sodoku puzzles, Leslie Brian Trivia and wonderful food that they ate during their first date.
Around 10pm Aneta, Dan, Alie and I were exhausted and decided that we should head back the 30 minute drive back to Leslie's. We said good bye wished the bride and groom good luck and thanked Leslie's parents for their hospitality. Once we got back we all just went to bed and passed out.
The wedding was very wonderful and it was great for Alie and I to be able to relax. I loved Leslie's attitude during the weekend; very calm and what happens happens. She and Brian looked so content!
To Leslie and Brain: Alie and I wish you luck and have a great time in RI, also Alie and I are very proud to call you both friends. Leslie its been great living with you and thank you for everything you have taught me and being there for me. I know you and Brain will have a great life together. Stay in touch and of course have fun!
PS Pictures to come!
PPS No stats yet. Thankfully this wedding was our first destination.
Leslie and Brian tied the knot in a small traditional and classy wedding. The Reverend discussed how it was not up to Brian and Leslie to lean on each other but rather lean on God to help solve disputes. The Reverend also made everyone in attendance help Leslie and Brian work on the marriage when they needed it. An interesting look at marriage to say the least.
After the ceremony all 63 people headed to San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art, which was very cool, well except for the first hour. The hot California Sun forced us to drink a few more drinks then we thought and seek shade in a big red object. Eventually it did cool off and we were allowed to head inside. The sunset grave the entire party great lighting and amazing pictures. The entire time both Leslie and Brian were beaming with happiness, something I do not think they will loose any time soon, if at all. The table settings the food and even the drinks, were personal to Leslie and Brian. Decorations were Sodoku puzzles, Leslie Brian Trivia and wonderful food that they ate during their first date.
Around 10pm Aneta, Dan, Alie and I were exhausted and decided that we should head back the 30 minute drive back to Leslie's. We said good bye wished the bride and groom good luck and thanked Leslie's parents for their hospitality. Once we got back we all just went to bed and passed out.
The wedding was very wonderful and it was great for Alie and I to be able to relax. I loved Leslie's attitude during the weekend; very calm and what happens happens. She and Brian looked so content!
To Leslie and Brain: Alie and I wish you luck and have a great time in RI, also Alie and I are very proud to call you both friends. Leslie its been great living with you and thank you for everything you have taught me and being there for me. I know you and Brain will have a great life together. Stay in touch and of course have fun!
PS Pictures to come!
PPS No stats yet. Thankfully this wedding was our first destination.
Day 20: Road Trip Goes Hollywood
Today is day three of the great California excursion. We left the Telford compound bright and early to take our friend Dan to the San Diego airport. Consequently, our travels began around 7:30 this morning. With Mexico to the South, ocean to the west and no plans to go east yet, we began your trip northward.
Initially, we planned to go straight up to Sequoia National Park, giving LA only a passing nod. However, given the fact that it was early and we don't know when we will be back in Califonia, we decided to get a little SoCal experience. We travelled about two hours north of San Diego to the beautiful beaches of Santa Monica. After walking along the Third Street Promanade and looking at the upscale shops and cafes, we put our toes in the sand and then the Pacific Ocean! It's hard to believe that only two weeks ago we were diping our feet in the Atlantic! We have come so far and still have a ways to go! We had some lunch on the famous Santa Monica Pier and rode on the Carousel before deciding to move on to bigger and better things.
From Santa Monica we went into Hollywood. There we visited the Grauman's Chinese Theater and spent a moment in the shoes of stars (so to speak), among them Gene Kelley, Marylin Monroe, the Marx Bros, Julie Andrews and the "governator" himself. And what would a visit to Hollywood be without some star sightings? We saw Mickey Mouse, Yoda, Batman and of course Elvis, just to name a few!
When we were finished oogling at famous footprints and "stargazing" on the walk of fame, we decided to drive up to "the hills:" to get a good look at the Hollywood sign. We caught a good glimpse of it and snapped some pictures before getting lost up there and deciding to be satisfied with the view we got. Our final point of interest was a cruise down Rodeo Drive on our way out.
This afternoon we decided to leave the glitz and glamour (and expenses) of "Hollywierd" behind in search of more natural surroundings. We drove about four hours Northeast to the town of Three Rivers, about 15 miles outside of Sequoia National Park. On the way we saw (and smelled) the billowing smoke of a forest fire along the edge of the interstate (luckily not the side we were on), and we felt that now we had truly seen California.
Now we are resting in Three Rivers, getting ready for a big day of big trees! It is on to Sequoia National Park, and don't worry everyone we WILL drive through the tree!
More on that tomorrow.
Now the California stats (from the Past 2 days):
Been to: 35% of the USA!
Overall Average: 39.0 mph
Moving Average: 50.2mph
Moving Time: 13h 18m
Stopped Time: 3h 47m
Total Time: 17h 6m
Distance Traveled: 667.9mi
Distance to go: Back to the begining
Initially, we planned to go straight up to Sequoia National Park, giving LA only a passing nod. However, given the fact that it was early and we don't know when we will be back in Califonia, we decided to get a little SoCal experience. We travelled about two hours north of San Diego to the beautiful beaches of Santa Monica. After walking along the Third Street Promanade and looking at the upscale shops and cafes, we put our toes in the sand and then the Pacific Ocean! It's hard to believe that only two weeks ago we were diping our feet in the Atlantic! We have come so far and still have a ways to go! We had some lunch on the famous Santa Monica Pier and rode on the Carousel before deciding to move on to bigger and better things.
From Santa Monica we went into Hollywood. There we visited the Grauman's Chinese Theater and spent a moment in the shoes of stars (so to speak), among them Gene Kelley, Marylin Monroe, the Marx Bros, Julie Andrews and the "governator" himself. And what would a visit to Hollywood be without some star sightings? We saw Mickey Mouse, Yoda, Batman and of course Elvis, just to name a few!
When we were finished oogling at famous footprints and "stargazing" on the walk of fame, we decided to drive up to "the hills:" to get a good look at the Hollywood sign. We caught a good glimpse of it and snapped some pictures before getting lost up there and deciding to be satisfied with the view we got. Our final point of interest was a cruise down Rodeo Drive on our way out.
This afternoon we decided to leave the glitz and glamour (and expenses) of "Hollywierd" behind in search of more natural surroundings. We drove about four hours Northeast to the town of Three Rivers, about 15 miles outside of Sequoia National Park. On the way we saw (and smelled) the billowing smoke of a forest fire along the edge of the interstate (luckily not the side we were on), and we felt that now we had truly seen California.
Now we are resting in Three Rivers, getting ready for a big day of big trees! It is on to Sequoia National Park, and don't worry everyone we WILL drive through the tree!
More on that tomorrow.
Now the California stats (from the Past 2 days):
Been to: 35% of the USA!
Overall Average: 39.0 mph
Moving Average: 50.2mph
Moving Time: 13h 18m
Stopped Time: 3h 47m
Total Time: 17h 6m
Distance Traveled: 667.9mi
Distance to go: Back to the begining
Saturday, July 08, 2006
Day 18: "Here I was at the end of America -- no more land..."
Well we made it. Yesterday we got in around 2:00pm to Leslie's house. You would think that every one would be running around crazy, trying to get things done all over the place, but in fact everyone is calm cool and collected. Leslie is not nervous and here thought is that everything will work out fine. Things will get done on time and everything will work great. This is how I'd like to feel at my wedding. Not be rushing around all crazy, just plodding along, time is but a reference point but not set in stone.
After a while Alie, Aneta (a friend from college) and I followed Leslie and Brian to La Jolla and then walked around had lunch at a cool surf shop and went to the beach, while they rehearsed. Afterwards we went back for the dinner which was very low key, very relaxing and calm. Alie and I have been doing so much during the day that its not to have to worry about getting some place or be on a specific time frame we are on someone else's and it feels good.
After dinner we went to the beach again and sat talked and laughed; overall a very good time. Now we are waiting for the bridesmaids to get their hair done and then they are off to the church. At this point Aneta, Alie and I will be getting ready and heading to the church. It’s going to be great. The Church is right across from The San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art, where the reception will be so that shall be very exciting.
For now stats will have to wait until tomorrow when we will post both days of Cali, but I will leave you with something our very proud of our map.
After a while Alie, Aneta (a friend from college) and I followed Leslie and Brian to La Jolla and then walked around had lunch at a cool surf shop and went to the beach, while they rehearsed. Afterwards we went back for the dinner which was very low key, very relaxing and calm. Alie and I have been doing so much during the day that its not to have to worry about getting some place or be on a specific time frame we are on someone else's and it feels good.
After dinner we went to the beach again and sat talked and laughed; overall a very good time. Now we are waiting for the bridesmaids to get their hair done and then they are off to the church. At this point Aneta, Alie and I will be getting ready and heading to the church. It’s going to be great. The Church is right across from The San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art, where the reception will be so that shall be very exciting.
For now stats will have to wait until tomorrow when we will post both days of Cali, but I will leave you with something our very proud of our map.
Friday, July 07, 2006
Day 17: Welcome to Triassic Park
Today was a great day. When our car originally broke down, we thought we would have to drive straight to San Diego and cut out both Canyon De Chelly and the Painted Desert. But once our heads cleared, we decided we could do the Painted Desert and that's what we did today.
The Painted Desert is inside of Petrified Forrest National Park. We first traveled to the Painted Desert, and it's quite a beautiful palette of muted pastels. It got its name when Coronado came through the area and saw the hues in the rocks and described as "the painted desert."
From there we got onto the road, part of which is historic Route 66, and travelled to ancient Pueblonean ruins and went on a guided tour of native dwellings. The buildings there are not the kind you see at Canyon De Chelly, but are only partially excavated ones; meaning they looked like foundations of buildings, when in fact the rest of the walls and such are still beneath the ground being protected from the elements and humans. We also saw petroglyphs the natives left there thousands of years ago. The differences between pictographs and petroglyphs is that petroglyphs are carved and pictograms are painted. Apparently there are some pictographs in the park, but they are in a remote and protected area. The most common drawings found here are petroglyphs.
After that we traveled and stopped off at many pullovers taking pictures and seeing the general sites. But our final stop was truly our best. It is called Crystal Forest. Before the park was a National Park, during the turn of the last century, this field was covered in petrified logs that glistened in the sun and had been there for 225 million years. Back then all the continents were still joined together. That area of Arizona was a sub tropical climate located near present day Panama. In this land there were HUGE trees and all kinds of Triassic animals that resembled crocodiles, rhinoceros, and other pre-dinosaur creatures. Over time these trees fell into a river and floated down stream till they reached a flood plain and sank to the bottom when they were completely water-logged. Then layers of sand, ash, etc. were piled on top. The silica in the ash seeped through the pourous wood and reacted chemically with it. As time marched on, the silica replaced the wood cell by cell with stone and other semi-precious rocks. Resulting in beautiful colors wrapped around petrified bark.
Today the filed is almost barren; only a few of the pieces of petrified wood remain. People have been stealing it since the railroad came by and established a link to the remote area. The pilfering of the wood is what made the park become a park so it can be protected. But that still hasn't stopped people. The rangers estimate that 1 ton of petrified wood is stolen from the park each month; soon there will not be any petrified wood left at all.
However the park has been fighting back. They do vehicle checks on the way out and they like to permiate the idea that there is a curse upon stealing rocks from the park. It isn't something they came up with and they do not tell it over and over again, but reminders are here and there about it. Each year the park gets tons of mail and packages with pieces of petrified wood and other rocks from the park. In the letters some tell of how terrible their luck has been since they've stolen a piece of the park and are hoping it will change when they return the property. They do not seem to follow up on it though. Would be an interesting investigation.
Alie and i very much enjoyed the park. Our hike around Crystal Forrest was very beautiful despite the thefts. I got a good bunch of pictures mostly macro shots that I will post soon. We could not help but think about what it would've been like if people were not so greedy with the petrified wood and left it there for all to see. I'd imagine it would rank up there with the colors and sites we saw in Carlsbad Caverns or even the painted desert. But alas people are greedy and the view of Crystal Forrest is lost to history, at least now we still get to see what is left and that is still worth the trip.
I've typed a lot here, but I cannot elave with some quick stats for you all
We are still in AZ so it keeps us at 35% of the Nation.
But that does not mean we haven't gone anywhere.
We travelled 430miles
at an overall avgerage of 64.8mph
and a moving average of 67.8mph.
It took us 6h and 38m
with 6h and 20m of moving time
stopping for only 18m and 7s
Wrong Turns: 0 Its so much easier out here with all this land and planning.
Distance to go: about 2h 20min YESSSSSSS!
The Painted Desert is inside of Petrified Forrest National Park. We first traveled to the Painted Desert, and it's quite a beautiful palette of muted pastels. It got its name when Coronado came through the area and saw the hues in the rocks and described as "the painted desert."
From there we got onto the road, part of which is historic Route 66, and travelled to ancient Pueblonean ruins and went on a guided tour of native dwellings. The buildings there are not the kind you see at Canyon De Chelly, but are only partially excavated ones; meaning they looked like foundations of buildings, when in fact the rest of the walls and such are still beneath the ground being protected from the elements and humans. We also saw petroglyphs the natives left there thousands of years ago. The differences between pictographs and petroglyphs is that petroglyphs are carved and pictograms are painted. Apparently there are some pictographs in the park, but they are in a remote and protected area. The most common drawings found here are petroglyphs.
After that we traveled and stopped off at many pullovers taking pictures and seeing the general sites. But our final stop was truly our best. It is called Crystal Forest. Before the park was a National Park, during the turn of the last century, this field was covered in petrified logs that glistened in the sun and had been there for 225 million years. Back then all the continents were still joined together. That area of Arizona was a sub tropical climate located near present day Panama. In this land there were HUGE trees and all kinds of Triassic animals that resembled crocodiles, rhinoceros, and other pre-dinosaur creatures. Over time these trees fell into a river and floated down stream till they reached a flood plain and sank to the bottom when they were completely water-logged. Then layers of sand, ash, etc. were piled on top. The silica in the ash seeped through the pourous wood and reacted chemically with it. As time marched on, the silica replaced the wood cell by cell with stone and other semi-precious rocks. Resulting in beautiful colors wrapped around petrified bark.
Today the filed is almost barren; only a few of the pieces of petrified wood remain. People have been stealing it since the railroad came by and established a link to the remote area. The pilfering of the wood is what made the park become a park so it can be protected. But that still hasn't stopped people. The rangers estimate that 1 ton of petrified wood is stolen from the park each month; soon there will not be any petrified wood left at all.
However the park has been fighting back. They do vehicle checks on the way out and they like to permiate the idea that there is a curse upon stealing rocks from the park. It isn't something they came up with and they do not tell it over and over again, but reminders are here and there about it. Each year the park gets tons of mail and packages with pieces of petrified wood and other rocks from the park. In the letters some tell of how terrible their luck has been since they've stolen a piece of the park and are hoping it will change when they return the property. They do not seem to follow up on it though. Would be an interesting investigation.
Alie and i very much enjoyed the park. Our hike around Crystal Forrest was very beautiful despite the thefts. I got a good bunch of pictures mostly macro shots that I will post soon. We could not help but think about what it would've been like if people were not so greedy with the petrified wood and left it there for all to see. I'd imagine it would rank up there with the colors and sites we saw in Carlsbad Caverns or even the painted desert. But alas people are greedy and the view of Crystal Forrest is lost to history, at least now we still get to see what is left and that is still worth the trip.
I've typed a lot here, but I cannot elave with some quick stats for you all
We are still in AZ so it keeps us at 35% of the Nation.
But that does not mean we haven't gone anywhere.
We travelled 430miles
at an overall avgerage of 64.8mph
and a moving average of 67.8mph.
It took us 6h and 38m
with 6h and 20m of moving time
stopping for only 18m and 7s
Wrong Turns: 0 Its so much easier out here with all this land and planning.
Distance to go: about 2h 20min YESSSSSSS!
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Day 16: Movin Right Along (Thank Goodness!!)
Hello all!
Thankfully the car is up and running once again!! After waiting until 4, we found out that there was a problem with the computer which they replaced. The test drive showed that it was running fine, so here's hoping that there are no other problems (that would be costly in both time and money). All in all we didn't lose much in the whole ordeal. We got to explore Santa Fe, stay in a nice place and celebrate the fourth and we didn't have to pay for repairs because they were under warranty!
We drove the car for about four hours yesterday without incident, so our confidence is coming back. Which brings us to where we are today...in ARIZONA! We decided to drive to the Petrified Forest National Park yesterday so that we could find a place to stay and see the park the next day. We were under the impression, however, that the park was in New Mexico, but it turns out its in Arizona, so we were very excited. Oddly enough we are also in a different time zone of sorts, because apparently they don't do daylight savings around here, so we went back another hour. Three hours from you east coasters! Basically there is not much to report from yesterday; we had another 'forced' relaxation day where we sat at cafes and walked around.
We did see the Palace of the Governors, which was the center of Santa Fe politics whether it be rule by the Spanish or the Indians. It is also the oldest continually run building in the US! We caught a guided tour, on which we learned a lot about New Mexico's long and rich history. Unfortunately there will be no photos to follow because photography is not allowed in the museum, sadly. If you ever find yourself in Santa Fe and are hankerin for some history, I recommend the Palace of the Governors; I think you will learn a lot.
Now we are getting ready to head out and explore the Petrified Forest. Then its on the California (or as close as we can get)!!!
But first some Stats:
Been to: 35% of the USA!
Overall Average: 69.4mph (speed limit is 75! ;)
Moving Average: 71.0mph
Moving Time: 4h 23m
Stopped Time: 6m 2s
Total Time: 4h 29m
Distance Traveled: 311.9mi
Distance to go: Not much at all!
Thankfully the car is up and running once again!! After waiting until 4, we found out that there was a problem with the computer which they replaced. The test drive showed that it was running fine, so here's hoping that there are no other problems (that would be costly in both time and money). All in all we didn't lose much in the whole ordeal. We got to explore Santa Fe, stay in a nice place and celebrate the fourth and we didn't have to pay for repairs because they were under warranty!
We drove the car for about four hours yesterday without incident, so our confidence is coming back. Which brings us to where we are today...in ARIZONA! We decided to drive to the Petrified Forest National Park yesterday so that we could find a place to stay and see the park the next day. We were under the impression, however, that the park was in New Mexico, but it turns out its in Arizona, so we were very excited. Oddly enough we are also in a different time zone of sorts, because apparently they don't do daylight savings around here, so we went back another hour. Three hours from you east coasters! Basically there is not much to report from yesterday; we had another 'forced' relaxation day where we sat at cafes and walked around.
We did see the Palace of the Governors, which was the center of Santa Fe politics whether it be rule by the Spanish or the Indians. It is also the oldest continually run building in the US! We caught a guided tour, on which we learned a lot about New Mexico's long and rich history. Unfortunately there will be no photos to follow because photography is not allowed in the museum, sadly. If you ever find yourself in Santa Fe and are hankerin for some history, I recommend the Palace of the Governors; I think you will learn a lot.
Now we are getting ready to head out and explore the Petrified Forest. Then its on the California (or as close as we can get)!!!
But first some Stats:
Been to: 35% of the USA!
Overall Average: 69.4mph (speed limit is 75! ;)
Moving Average: 71.0mph
Moving Time: 4h 23m
Stopped Time: 6m 2s
Total Time: 4h 29m
Distance Traveled: 311.9mi
Distance to go: Not much at all!
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Day 13: Photo Dump Stalactites and Mites
Here are the promised photos of Carlsbad Caverns. Again they do not do justice to the cavern at all but they at least wet your appetite for geological formations. MMMMM flowstone!
Famous Rock of Ages:
Famous Rock of Ages:
Day 15: Happy 4th of July from Santa Fe
Today was a very relaxing day and thus uneventful. Alie and I slept in for our forced day of non driving. Then we got up and went to a restaurant called The Upper Crust recommend by my Uncle Paul. (Thanks!) It was delicious and as an extra super duper 4th of July bonus they served Sam Adams on tap! This excited Alie and I. There is nothing quite like Sam on the 4th of July with a pizza. It tasted like home, and it tasted good. A lot of beers down here are minimally hoppy. Instead they go for a thirst quenching kind of beer whereas we are used to the hoppy Sam and Harpoon IPAs so once the Sam hit our lips it brought back home to us. Which was refreshing since we've been on the road for 1/2 a month.
After that we returned to our hotel and went for a swim. This was also very relaxing, sitting poolside reading. After that we walked around downtown Santa Fe and entered the Cathedral they have here. It was very neat, one of the oldest structures in town and had some interesting artifacts brought over from the Old World. Alie and I took some pictures so we will be posting them eventually. Then we returned to our room and posted some pictures and did some digital cleaning of the blog.
Around 8:30pm we headed to Santa Fe High School to watch the local fireworks. It was interesting being a major city with the fireworks being at a local high school. Alie and I were discussing this, and in general, we feel there is a disconnect from the holiday and what it means to people around here. Here they have their own local history that is very disconnected from our "Nation's History." When we won our freedom from the British this land was still controlled by the Spanish or the Native Americans. (Not sure which hopefully a reader can correct me.) So when they celebrate the 4th it might mean something to them symbolically, but it's not the same as it is with people in the Cradle of Liberty; at least that's what if feels like to us.
The final thing we want to mention is the cab drivers around here. Since our "Iron Horse" is in the shop. We've had a total of 3 cab drivers. So far all of them are 50+ men who seem to have come here because they were tired of were they were and are laid back kind of people. They also seemed to have done a lot of drugs in the past and continue to while enjoying the new age kind of vibe found around here.
So overall we've enjoyed our stay in Santa Fe. We'd certainly come back here, but I do not think that we would move here any time soon.
Tomorrow at 9am we have an appointment with the dealership and we get to find out if we are to fly out of New Mexico or drive. Here's hoping for driving. Wish us luck!
After that we returned to our hotel and went for a swim. This was also very relaxing, sitting poolside reading. After that we walked around downtown Santa Fe and entered the Cathedral they have here. It was very neat, one of the oldest structures in town and had some interesting artifacts brought over from the Old World. Alie and I took some pictures so we will be posting them eventually. Then we returned to our room and posted some pictures and did some digital cleaning of the blog.
Around 8:30pm we headed to Santa Fe High School to watch the local fireworks. It was interesting being a major city with the fireworks being at a local high school. Alie and I were discussing this, and in general, we feel there is a disconnect from the holiday and what it means to people around here. Here they have their own local history that is very disconnected from our "Nation's History." When we won our freedom from the British this land was still controlled by the Spanish or the Native Americans. (Not sure which hopefully a reader can correct me.) So when they celebrate the 4th it might mean something to them symbolically, but it's not the same as it is with people in the Cradle of Liberty; at least that's what if feels like to us.
The final thing we want to mention is the cab drivers around here. Since our "Iron Horse" is in the shop. We've had a total of 3 cab drivers. So far all of them are 50+ men who seem to have come here because they were tired of were they were and are laid back kind of people. They also seemed to have done a lot of drugs in the past and continue to while enjoying the new age kind of vibe found around here.
So overall we've enjoyed our stay in Santa Fe. We'd certainly come back here, but I do not think that we would move here any time soon.
Tomorrow at 9am we have an appointment with the dealership and we get to find out if we are to fly out of New Mexico or drive. Here's hoping for driving. Wish us luck!
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Canon NP Contest Reminder
Hi all Happy 4th! Alie and I will be posting a full update later tonight. But right now I am just taking a quick moment to remind everyone to let me know which pictures in this photo set you like so I can then submit the best one to the Canon National Parks Photo Contest. You can post a comment here or in any post at all or even email me with the name(s) of the photo(s) you like. Rock on and have fun!
Day 14: The good the Bad and the Car Troubles
We are new in Santa Fe, New Mexico! This place has been pretty neat, but its been a little odd too. Its largely a tourist town but Alie and I have found that a few restaurants are closed for the holiday. This doesn't seem right especially since a lot of people will be coming into town to celebrate the 4th. We figured they just did not need the extra money.
We've also heard that Santa Fe is expensive; we did not find this to be necessarily true. Our dinner and our lunch were very reasonable for a city. Though compared to places like Carlsbad or Rosewell, Santa Fe is expensive but its nothing like the major cities we've been to in the past. In the end its right up there with any other tourist destination. A little expensive but nothing unexpected.
The road to Santa Fe from Carlsbad was rather boring except for the last 40 minuets where it was hilly mesas. Once we got through Roswell, which was 2 hours from Carlsbad, there was nothing. Just small brush and desert for miles and miles and miles. Alie and I were supposed to eat and switch 3 hours into our drive, but after we got 3 hours out there was no place to eat, just small picnic areas or unpaved shoulders. So we did not end up eating or switching until we got to Santa Fe.
This leads me to the third part of the title. Once we ate we decided to go back to the car and book a hotel. When we turned on the car we got a MAJOR Engine Error! We called a Toyota Dealer and made arrangements for the car. On the phone the service department said we could drive it as long as it was driving okay. Well it was before we turned it off to eat, and the dealership was 2mi away so we figured why not? The car barely made it there. It would only average 20mph and right when we were turning into the dealership it wouldn't go at all. We turned the car off in the turn lane turned it back on and that was just enough to get us there.
Tomorrow the Toyota dealer is closed so we are required to spend the 4th in Santa Fe, not bad, but it puts the rest of the trip in peril. Hopefully they can fix it on the 5th and we can still see the Petrified Forrest. Canyon DeChelly is too far out of our way to hit on this leg but its not far from Zion National Park, so we might pick it up after the wedding. time will tell. In the worst case scenario, we will fly the rest of the distance to San Diego and fly back to pick up our car later. Time will tell and right now we think about how lucky we've been and the memories we have created thus far. Alas what doesn't kill us makes us stronger. ;) But enough crappy things.
Tomorrow will be better and we'll be able to give a more rounded view of the city. For now the stats...
Still 33% of the USA!
Distance Traveled Today: 281.1mi
Moving Avg: 55.5mph
Overall Avg: 36.0mph
Moving Time: 5h 4m
Stopped: 2h 44m
Total Time: 7h 49m
Gas Used: 44mpg! Yay Hybrid! when it works
Wrong Turns: 0 Straight lines all the way!
Distance to go: 600+ miles: Will we make it?
We've also heard that Santa Fe is expensive; we did not find this to be necessarily true. Our dinner and our lunch were very reasonable for a city. Though compared to places like Carlsbad or Rosewell, Santa Fe is expensive but its nothing like the major cities we've been to in the past. In the end its right up there with any other tourist destination. A little expensive but nothing unexpected.
The road to Santa Fe from Carlsbad was rather boring except for the last 40 minuets where it was hilly mesas. Once we got through Roswell, which was 2 hours from Carlsbad, there was nothing. Just small brush and desert for miles and miles and miles. Alie and I were supposed to eat and switch 3 hours into our drive, but after we got 3 hours out there was no place to eat, just small picnic areas or unpaved shoulders. So we did not end up eating or switching until we got to Santa Fe.
This leads me to the third part of the title. Once we ate we decided to go back to the car and book a hotel. When we turned on the car we got a MAJOR Engine Error! We called a Toyota Dealer and made arrangements for the car. On the phone the service department said we could drive it as long as it was driving okay. Well it was before we turned it off to eat, and the dealership was 2mi away so we figured why not? The car barely made it there. It would only average 20mph and right when we were turning into the dealership it wouldn't go at all. We turned the car off in the turn lane turned it back on and that was just enough to get us there.
Tomorrow the Toyota dealer is closed so we are required to spend the 4th in Santa Fe, not bad, but it puts the rest of the trip in peril. Hopefully they can fix it on the 5th and we can still see the Petrified Forrest. Canyon DeChelly is too far out of our way to hit on this leg but its not far from Zion National Park, so we might pick it up after the wedding. time will tell. In the worst case scenario, we will fly the rest of the distance to San Diego and fly back to pick up our car later. Time will tell and right now we think about how lucky we've been and the memories we have created thus far. Alas what doesn't kill us makes us stronger. ;) But enough crappy things.
Tomorrow will be better and we'll be able to give a more rounded view of the city. For now the stats...
Still 33% of the USA!
Distance Traveled Today: 281.1mi
Moving Avg: 55.5mph
Overall Avg: 36.0mph
Moving Time: 5h 4m
Stopped: 2h 44m
Total Time: 7h 49m
Gas Used: 44mpg! Yay Hybrid! when it works
Wrong Turns: 0 Straight lines all the way!
Distance to go: 600+ miles: Will we make it?
On the Road Again Texas Pictures
These are a few pictures I've snapped while Alie and I are on the road.
Monday, July 03, 2006
Day 13: Broadcasting from 750ft Below Ground UPDATED!
Today was spent at the wondrous Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico! That’s right we’ve made it all the way to Mountain Time. So now we are two hours different from our common time. It was exciting crossing over the state boarder we got to switch all our clocks over and were glad we were given an extra hour in the park. We needed it.
In Carlsbad Caverns there is 2 ½ miles of self guided tours and another 1 1/4miles of guided tours. We were unable to get in on a guided tour but that’s okay for us. The we had in the caves was excellent. First we decided to use what is known as the Natural Entrace. This is the big opening to the cave where people bats and birds enter and exit. The other entrace is via an elevator shaft but you do not get to see nearly as much if you take it. We did both. The Natural Entrance is neat and really gives a visitor the sense of how deep the cave goes down. You also get to see an area where the bats hang out. During the 1920s and parts of the 1930s this cave was used as a guano mine. Gauno is bat poop and is used as a fertilizer. Apparently there is so much guano in the Bat Cave that it has added 40feet to the floor! This are ais now closed off to visitors, but the bats do come out and eat flying insects nightly starting in the spring and ending in October where they migrate to other places.
The human developed sections of the cave go down to about 750feet. When traveling the Natural entrace you go down on foot in a winding path that terminates in the “Big Room” There is more cave below the Big Room as well but that remains undeveloped so researchers can study the cave in a natural way. “The Big Room” Is where all the famous geological formations are, and a ton of them, there is. I would describe it to you but words simply cannot do it justice instead, I’ll post pictures of them. But even those do not really describe the cave fully. Needless to say this park is a must see even if there are around is NOWHERES-ville. Tonight we are watching the Bats fly and hunt! I’m Psyched!
Want to know more?
Side thought: In New Orleans a city that was once almost completely destroyed has had internet city wide for about 9 months or so but since we’ve left Houston We’ve been in a virtual internet blackout. Makes me think anyways….
Stats and more about the Caverns to come tomorrow with pictures!
UPDATED:
Pictures to come once I weed through them and decide which ones are worthy.
Let me tell you about Lechuguilla Cave. This cave was discovered in 1986 and is the largest limestone cave in the USA. To get in you must be a very experienced spelunker, but once you are in you see all kinds of underground untouched wonders. From gypsum and flow stone formations to rare kinds of microbes and other forms of fauna. I mean the public caverns are amazing to be sure, but the things in Lechuguilla Cave is beyond compare. (I know this from the exhibit in the Visitor Center and other research.) I only hope that one day they will open it up to more people so, the general public can experience the new world found in the remote places of Carlsbad National Park. However before that can happen the National Park needs to be extended so all of Lechuguilla Cave is protected. Right now a lot of it is, but parts extend to the boundaries of the park and development on these parts can threaten the cave beneath the land. Hopefully that will come sooner than later.
So that is all about the inside of Carlsbad Caverns.
Now for the stats to Carlsbad Caverns, around the park and the town...
33% of the Country!
Distance: 225.9mi
Overall Avg: 40.7mph
Moving Avg: 53.5mph
Total Time: 5h and 33m
Moving time: 4h 13m
Stopped: 1h 20m
Distance to go: Juat a few more stops
Gas used: About a tank a day not bad for 500mi days
Wrong Turns: Not many at all! straight shot once we got in the south and southwest.
In Carlsbad Caverns there is 2 ½ miles of self guided tours and another 1 1/4miles of guided tours. We were unable to get in on a guided tour but that’s okay for us. The we had in the caves was excellent. First we decided to use what is known as the Natural Entrace. This is the big opening to the cave where people bats and birds enter and exit. The other entrace is via an elevator shaft but you do not get to see nearly as much if you take it. We did both. The Natural Entrance is neat and really gives a visitor the sense of how deep the cave goes down. You also get to see an area where the bats hang out. During the 1920s and parts of the 1930s this cave was used as a guano mine. Gauno is bat poop and is used as a fertilizer. Apparently there is so much guano in the Bat Cave that it has added 40feet to the floor! This are ais now closed off to visitors, but the bats do come out and eat flying insects nightly starting in the spring and ending in October where they migrate to other places.
The human developed sections of the cave go down to about 750feet. When traveling the Natural entrace you go down on foot in a winding path that terminates in the “Big Room” There is more cave below the Big Room as well but that remains undeveloped so researchers can study the cave in a natural way. “The Big Room” Is where all the famous geological formations are, and a ton of them, there is. I would describe it to you but words simply cannot do it justice instead, I’ll post pictures of them. But even those do not really describe the cave fully. Needless to say this park is a must see even if there are around is NOWHERES-ville. Tonight we are watching the Bats fly and hunt! I’m Psyched!
Want to know more?
Side thought: In New Orleans a city that was once almost completely destroyed has had internet city wide for about 9 months or so but since we’ve left Houston We’ve been in a virtual internet blackout. Makes me think anyways….
Stats and more about the Caverns to come tomorrow with pictures!
UPDATED:
Pictures to come once I weed through them and decide which ones are worthy.
Let me tell you about Lechuguilla Cave. This cave was discovered in 1986 and is the largest limestone cave in the USA. To get in you must be a very experienced spelunker, but once you are in you see all kinds of underground untouched wonders. From gypsum and flow stone formations to rare kinds of microbes and other forms of fauna. I mean the public caverns are amazing to be sure, but the things in Lechuguilla Cave is beyond compare. (I know this from the exhibit in the Visitor Center and other research.) I only hope that one day they will open it up to more people so, the general public can experience the new world found in the remote places of Carlsbad National Park. However before that can happen the National Park needs to be extended so all of Lechuguilla Cave is protected. Right now a lot of it is, but parts extend to the boundaries of the park and development on these parts can threaten the cave beneath the land. Hopefully that will come sooner than later.
So that is all about the inside of Carlsbad Caverns.
Now for the stats to Carlsbad Caverns, around the park and the town...
33% of the Country!
Distance: 225.9mi
Overall Avg: 40.7mph
Moving Avg: 53.5mph
Total Time: 5h and 33m
Moving time: 4h 13m
Stopped: 1h 20m
Distance to go: Juat a few more stops
Gas used: About a tank a day not bad for 500mi days
Wrong Turns: Not many at all! straight shot once we got in the south and southwest.
Day 12 (Remembered): Don't Mess With Texas
After exploring Sixth Street in Austin, a twentysomething/college student playground with miles of bars and restaurants open late, we retired to our hotel a little north of the city. The next day we went out in search of some good ole Texas BBQ and we found Ruby’s, a no frills barbeque joint that would cover just about anything with hot sauce. It was just the thing to satisfy our taste for Texas and tide us over for the busy day ahead.
We took a mini driving tour of the Austin area and saw the streets lined with trendy little shops and cafes for college students and “real people” alike. It was certainly a fun town, and Matt and I agree that it was someplace we would definitely like to visit again.
Later that afternoon, we drove up to Fort Hood to see my cousin Billie and her two kids, Natalie and Talon. It was the first time I had seen them since Christmas, so I was both excited to see them and amazed at how much the kids had grown in just a few months. We had a great time seeing their toys and their room, playing hide and seek and watching Talon eat his first ice cream cone!! It was so nice to see some family and have some fun with the kids. I’m sure that a lot of my family members are jealous that we got them to ourselves for a whole afternoon! I’m so glad that we were able to see them.
We left Fort Hood that evening with a long drive ahead of us. We prepared to leave Texas and enter New Mexico via Fort Stockton, TX, a sort of gateway to the far west. We drove about 6 hours through the countryside, passing farms and ranches. We saw both a beautiful sunset and an intense lightening storm in the same drive. It was truly a quintessential road trip moment, with almost no one driving ahead or behind us and just the headlights to guide us down the open road. We arrived in Fort Stockton road weary and ready for a good night’s sleep before heading off to Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico where we are now. Details on that adventure to follow.
For now the stats:
Overall Avg: 45.3mph
Moving Avg: 61.6mph
Total time: 10h 2m
Moving Time: 7h 52m
Stopped Time: 2h 49m
Distance: 480.0mi
We took a mini driving tour of the Austin area and saw the streets lined with trendy little shops and cafes for college students and “real people” alike. It was certainly a fun town, and Matt and I agree that it was someplace we would definitely like to visit again.
Later that afternoon, we drove up to Fort Hood to see my cousin Billie and her two kids, Natalie and Talon. It was the first time I had seen them since Christmas, so I was both excited to see them and amazed at how much the kids had grown in just a few months. We had a great time seeing their toys and their room, playing hide and seek and watching Talon eat his first ice cream cone!! It was so nice to see some family and have some fun with the kids. I’m sure that a lot of my family members are jealous that we got them to ourselves for a whole afternoon! I’m so glad that we were able to see them.
We left Fort Hood that evening with a long drive ahead of us. We prepared to leave Texas and enter New Mexico via Fort Stockton, TX, a sort of gateway to the far west. We drove about 6 hours through the countryside, passing farms and ranches. We saw both a beautiful sunset and an intense lightening storm in the same drive. It was truly a quintessential road trip moment, with almost no one driving ahead or behind us and just the headlights to guide us down the open road. We arrived in Fort Stockton road weary and ready for a good night’s sleep before heading off to Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico where we are now. Details on that adventure to follow.
For now the stats:
Overall Avg: 45.3mph
Moving Avg: 61.6mph
Total time: 10h 2m
Moving Time: 7h 52m
Stopped Time: 2h 49m
Distance: 480.0mi
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