9/28/2007

I slept so well last night, I was so warm under an electric blanket. Today was really nice, we took the dog for a walk on the beach, had lunch and then sat in the sun for a while. I took a really long nap, I didn’t realize how tired I was! We went to dinner at a new Italian restaurant in town, which was very good. Tomorrow I get to play in Sue’s craft studio, I’m so excited!

9/27/2007

I’m finally at Kirk & Sue’s house! Once again, I had just about had all the alone time I could handle. Today I really wanted to go horseback riding on the beach. I found out where to go, but when I got there at 12:10, I saw the sign that said rides were at 12, 2, 4, and 6. I didn’t want to wait and it was really foggy, so I decided to move on. I went and spent some time in Bandon, which is a really cute tourist town. It’s another town that I could absolutely picture living in. I got to Crescent City around 5. Kirk and I took the dog for a walk, and then we had a really good dinner of steak, baked potatoes and salad, followed by mint chip ice cream with blueberries and blackberries. It’s so nice to have home cooked meals! Sue got me a beautiful bracelet in Alaska, it’s silver starfish or daisies, we’re not sure which, but it’s really nice. Anyway, I love the West coast, so nobody's allowed to be surprised when I decide to move here.

9/26/2007

Today I drove from Lincoln City to North Bend, which is part of the dunes. I went to a KOA and the owner told me where to go to the beach, so I went there. It was beautiful, but very windy, so I didn’t stay long. When I left, I wanted to go to Wal-Mart, so I found it on the GPS, but for some reason it took me to a residential area. I decided to drive around and see if I could find it on my own. I didn’t, and then I got hungry so I had dinner at a really good Mexican restaurant that was also recommended. I asked them how to get to Wal-Mart, and got really bad, broken English directions. Finally I decided to go to Rite-Aid instead. As I was checking out, I asked where Wal-Mart was, turns out it was really close! By then I had everything I needed, but I had become obsessed with finding it, so I went there anyway. I’m sleeping in my car tonight, it’s supposed to be in the mid forties, so I shouldn’t be too cold. Tomorrow I’m going to my aunt and uncle’s house in Crescent City, CA.

9/25/2007

Well, I finally took a break! Today was great, I lounged around my hotel room for a while and then I went to breakfast at a place called Maxwell’s. It was good but greasy. After that I walked around for a while and did some shopping. I came across a bead store and decided I should start making jewelry again, so I bought some supplies. Then I went and sat on the beach and read for a while, I’m reading The Road by Cormac McCarthy. It’s really good so far. It got a little chilly so I went back to my room and watched TV and did some beading. After a while the sun came out so I went back to the beach and read some more. When I got sick of that I went back to my room and watched TV and did some more beading (repetitive, isn’t it?) I decided that I really wanted Chinese food, so I asked the woman at the front desk where I should go. I got takeout and went back to my room to eat, it wasn’t very good. I got to watch the season premiers of House and Bones tonight, so that was a nice treat! Tomorrow I’m headed for the dunes.

9/24/2007

I made it to the West coast!! You can’t imagine how happy I was to see the ocean. I got to my destination, Lincoln City, OR, just in time to watch the sun set into the ocean. I had almost forgotten how amazing the Pacific Ocean is.

I went to Portland today, but I didn’t actually go into the downtown area. I had lunch at the Olive Garden, which was really good. Then I got the oil in my car changed for the first time ever.

Tomorrow I might stay here and hang out on the beach for the day. I keep saying that I’m going to take a day off from driving and just chill out, but I’m finding it really hard to sit still. However, now that I’m at the ocean, it might be a lot easier!

9/23/2007

Today I drove from Mountain Home, ID to The Dalles, OR. It was a nice drive through Oregon, and really pretty along the Columbia river.

9/22/2007

I went to Craters of the Moon today, it was cool, but I probably wouldn’t go back. After that I drove up to Ketchum, which was a really cute ski town. If I were into skiing, I could definitely imagine vacationing there. Unfortunately, I was misinformed about there being an Ernest Hemingway museum there (thanks, Dad). So I left there and went to a KOA in Mountain Home, ID, which is as awful as it sounds. I’m definitely happy that my cabin door has a deadbolt.

9/21/2007

Today I drove from West Yellowstone, MT to Jerome, ID. It was an uneventful day. I saw a forest fire. I also went shopping at Wal-Mart, TJ Maxx and Old Navy where I got a bating suit for $2.06. I’m staying at a KOA where I met some really nice people in the laundry room again. Apparently that’s the cool place to be at campgrounds. Tomorrow I’m going to Craters of the Moon and Sun Valley/Ketchum, where there’s an Ernest Hemingway museum.

9/20/2007

First of all, HAPPY ANNIVERSARY KAREN AND RYAN!!!!

I left the Moore’s house this morning. It was sad to leave because they took such good care of me and it was so good to see them. I spent the day in Yellowstone, which was nice. It was a beautiful sunny day, finally. I hiked to the Artists’ Paint Pots and around the Norris Geyser Basin. Both were incredible. At Mammoth Hot Springs I saw a big herd of elk and thought about how delicious they are. I also saw the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, which was really cool, but doesn’t even compare to the real thing. My head is killing me again, I’m assuming from the altitude. Tonight I’m staying in a $77 a night motel because the KOA had no cabins and it’s going to be 25-30 degrees overnight. Tomorrow I’m headed to the Twin Falls area of Idaho.

9/19/07

I had a great night’s sleep last night in a real house! This morning when I woke up Ed was out chasing elk around the countryside. Schatzie and I had coffee and watched him through the scope for a while. This house is so cozy and homey, I really love it here. After a great breakfast of bacon and eggs, we went to the Lewis and Clark caverns. It was cold out, but refreshing in a way. We walked three quarters of a mile uphill to the cavern entrance. The caverns were so cool, I would like to live in them. Anyone who gets the chance to go there really should, because the pictures I took really don’t do it justice. The formations look like candle wax, and it was really interesting to learn about the history of the caverns and how they were formed. When we got back to the house, I wasn’t feeling well, probably because of the altitude and being in a car for so long. Ed made another fantastic dinner; we had elk steak with cranberry chutney, fettuccini with Gorgonzola sauce, and Schatzie’s homemade bread. I really love elk; I could eat that instead of beef all the time. We had a nice relaxing evening of television, which really makes me feel at home.

Tomorrow, I’m going to go back to Yellowstone and probably spend the night somewhere nearby.

9/18/07

It is so nice to see familiar faces!! I got to Ed and Schatzie Moore’s house tonight. They live in McAllister, MT on a mountain. The view is so amazing, you can see for miles in every direction. Their house is beautiful, it has huge windows all along the front, and it’s an open floor plan. We had spaghetti for dinner, which is pretty much my favorite food. I also tried elk meatballs, they were really good, and not gamey like venison. It’s really hard to go for almost 10 days without seeing someone you know, I think I was getting close to my breaking point, so it’s a good thing I got here when I did.

I left Cody, WY around 9:30 this morning and drove an hour to Yellowstone. The drive was beautiful, I saw a lot of mountains and wild animals. When I got to Yellowstone, I ran into a guy I met at the campground last night, named Jerry. He’s cool, and it’s always nice to meet a fellow traveler. He went from Seattle to Chicago and now he’s on his way back. The really amazing thing is that he’s on a motorcycle. I definitely could not do that!

After lunch, I drove to Old Faithful. I got there at 2:15, and it was predicted to erupt around 3:10. There is a short loop that takes you past a bunch of small geysers and pools of boiling water. There was one pool that wasn’t boiling, but it was so clear and bright blue, I could see right to the bottom. The whole thing is so amazing. Then, as I was sitting and waiting for Old Faithful to do it’s thing, I saw Jerry again, so we hung out and watched it. It’s less impressive than I had imagined, but it’s still really cool. The funny part is listening to all the people around as it starts to go off. It’s a little like going to fireworks on the Fourth of July.

I’m not sure yet what I’m going to do tomorrow. Ed is going elk hunting at 5 am, so hopefully he’ll get one and I can help gut it! Once again, it is so nice to see people, I feel sane again (almost).

9/17/2007

The drive today was by far the most beautiful so far. I was amazed at how many forest fires there had been in South Dakota. Once I got into Wyoming, it was amazing. I took Route 16 through mountains. At one point the elevation was somewhere around 9,000. The altitude definitely takes a toll. Yesterday I got a bad headache and today I was really out of it for a while. I took a lot of pictures today, most of them while driving.

I am at a KOA in Cody, WY tonight. I had to do laundry due to a fruit punch Gatorade leak in one of my bags. I met a couple from Washington State and they had just come from Yellowstone, so they showed me pictures and told me where I should go. It was very helpful.

Then, as I was leaving the laundry room a woman came in looking for her phone. I offered to call it for her, but she couldn’t remember the number. We walked to her cabin so she could ask her husband. On the way there she told me that they had totaled their truck and fifth wheel camper in Yellowstone, avoiding a deer. She found her phone in the car, but while we were outside, her dog ran away (I’m not making this up). I really felt bad for her, she was a nutcase. So, I go back to my cabin, and my cell phone rings…it’s the same woman calling to ask why my number is on her phone! I was so shocked, but I managed to explain it to her. Then, I’m walking to the bathroom and I see her dog, Bubba. So, I call him and get him to follow me most of the way back to her cabin. He, of course, decides that this is a perfect time to poop in the field. When I knock on her cabin door, I can hear her on the phone saying that someone brought her dog back. If my dog ran away, I would be outside with a flashlight trying to find it. Apparently she wasn’t that concerned about Bubba. She was very appreciative, but pretty much crazy. I might be too if all of that happened to me.

Anyway, tomorrow I’m going to Yellowstone, where I think I’ll spend a few days. Apparently there is no cell service or Internet, so don’t freak out when you don’t hear from me.

9/16/2007

I didn’t get to write yesterday, so now I have to remember what happened. The altitude is making me dumber than I already am, so please excuse my bad writing.

So, yesterday I went to Mt. Rushmore. It was so amazing. You can’t even imagine how big it is until you stand under it. To get there, I had to drive on 90 for a looooong time. Most of the drive was like every other day; totally flat. When I finally got to the Black Hills, it was so refreshing to see something other than corn.

I also went to Wall Drug, which I had never heard of, but was told I had to go. They have billboards for at least 200 miles before it. The billboards are cooler than the place. It’s basically a mall with lots of western crap. But at least I can say I’ve been.

I stayed in a hotel last night for $39.95, which was cheaper than the KOA I would have stayed at. The hotel was in Keystone, SD, which is basically the first town after Mt. Rushmore. It’s a cute town that reminded me a lot of the old west. I had an amazing night’s sleep, and this morning, I started driving again.

9/15/2007

I hear scary noises outside my kabin…I think it’s a bear, or saskwatch…yikes!

My kabin (as they call them at KOA kampgrounds), is in Mitchell, SD, home of the world’s only corn palace, and there’s only one for a reason. Luckily for me, I happened to get here during the annual polka-fest! It was really one of the most interesting things I’ve ever seen. If I can figure out how, I’ll put a video clip on here.(I tried, but my connection is bad, maybe tomorrow.) The corn palace is so corny…get it? Corny!! The outside is covered in various parts of corn, which makes murals. Inside it’s basically a small theatre with a few corn murals. Not the best place ever, but, according to the guy with one tooth and a serious stutter who works at the campground, it’s one of the 1,001 tackiest places to visit before you die, so, I win!

The highlight of my day was dinner, which was a pulled pork sandwich at B’s BBQ House (or something like that). I also went to Cabela’s, but the one in Pennsylvania is much better.

Driving sucked today. It was 240 miles of flat and straight, but the speed limit is 75. The only problem with that is that it’s so windy and my car is a box on wheels (it’s a Honda Element, for those who don’t know), so I really couldn’t even go that fast. Tomorrow I’m driving 300 miles to the Black Hills area, where Mt. Rushmore is. It’s supposed to be really beautiful there, so I’m excited to maybe do some hiking. Those of you that have seen the movie Team America will know what I’m really going for!

Also, thanks for all your comments, it’s nice to know people are reading this and following me on my journey.

Seriously...what is that noise??

9/14/2007

I almost froze to death last night. I really don’t think I’ve ever been so cold in my entire life. At 6 am I woke up and decided that I needed to sit in the driver’s seat with the heat on. Then I went to McDonald’s for coffee and a delicious egg mcmuffin. When I called my parents to complain about being cold, my dad explained to me that being under the sleeping bag is not the same as being in the sleeping bag…further proof that I am not the camping type. When I went back to sleep around 7:30 inside the sleeping bag I was much warmer. Still, I don’t think I’ll be sleeping in my car again until I get somewhere warmer.

On the bright side, I went to the Mall of America today. Oh. My. God. I have found my happy place. Really, I know it’s sad, but today was the best day I’ve had so far. It helped that I didn’t drive all day. Walking around the mall was a nice change from driving. Anyone who’s into shopping should really go sometime, you will not be disappointed. Let me know if you’re going, I wanna come.

After a lovely day of shopping, I drove to Plymouth, MN where I will be spending the night in a somewhat dirty Day’s Inn. At least it’s warm. I had dinner at a restaurant called Joe’s Sports Café, which was really good. For the rest of the evening, I’m going to watch the Red Sox beat the Yankees, take a shower, and get a good night of sleep. Tomorrow my goal is Sioux Falls, Mitchell, or Kennebec, SD.

9/13/2007

In the past two days I have driven about 815 miles. The days and states are starting to blend together. My total mileage so far is 1641 miles. There really isn't too much to say about today. I woke up at 10, started driving around 11, and got to Jordan, MN at 6. I have changed my original route to avoid driving through Iowa and Nebraska. Tomorrow I’m going to the Mall of the Americas, it’s a good thing I don’t have any extra room in my car, because I could do some serious credit card damage there. Sorry, Nichole, for not posting yesterday. I know you get impatient. I’ll try to do better tomorrow!

9/12/2007

The Amish are so disappointing. I actually saw an Amish woman in her bonnet driving a brand new-ish GMC Yukon. Uhhh, where’s your horse lady? They also have really nice houses, with barns instead of garages. The flea market was like every other flea market. There were a few Amish people there, but none of them selling anything. I did go to Yoder’s Meat and Cheese Company, where they sell 17 different kinds of beef jerky…awesome! I got the teriyaki which is pretty good, I also got some pork ears for my dogs.

I had planned to spend the night there because I thought there would be so much to do. Instead, I drove to Union, IL, which is outside Chicago. I hit Chicago at 5:00 and sat in traffic for about an hour and a half. Not fun. I am staying at a KOA, which is really nice and very quiet. Tomorrow I’m heading to Minnesota.

9/11/2007

First I would like to acknowledge today's date, September 11th, it has been six years since terrorists attacked the World Trade center and the Pentagon. Thousands of innocent people lost their lives that day. A lot of people think that we should try to move on and forget what happened, I think we should remember it. The firefighters and police officers who died deserve to be remembered. For a while after the attacks, America was more patriotic than most people had ever seen it. Everyone needs to remember what happened and be happy that we live in such an amazing country.

Now, on to the reason why people are reading this (is anyone reading this other than my mom?) Today I drove 330 miles from Niagara Falls, NY to Port Clinton, OH. Niagara Falls was as cool during the day as it was at night. I wish I could come up with words to describe it, but I think it’s something you have to see to understand. Sorry John Mark, but Asians are hilarious. I saw a group of them chasing a gull, trying to take pictures of it, and of course a lot of them videotaping the falls. Who doesn’t want to watch that video at the next family party? I sure do.

I stuck to the highway for most of my drive today, which was a good idea because it took less time. I can’t believe the amount of construction on I 90, but unlike New England, there aren’t traffic jams (yet). Similar to Massachusetts, people in Ohio drive like idiots, but other than a few crazies, everyone really sticks to the speed limit. I am really impressed by the number of working windmills I’ve seen. There were a few in Buffalo on Lake Erie, and a few in Cleveland. I didn’t get to go to the lake, but I did get to see it from the highway. It’s really big (duh), and there were even waves. At least people who don’t get to go to the real ocean can go there and pretend. The funniest thing I saw today was a place off the highway called “Quarter’s Steak and Lube,” what the hell do they do there? Do I really want to know?

I couldn’t make it to Indiana today, so tomorrow morning I’ll go there, it’s about 160 miles from here. I’ll probably spend the night there, and then maybe go to Chicago the next day.

9/10/2007

Hotels rule!! I figured out that if I don’t eat at all, I can stay in hotels every night! Camping wasn’t really too bad, but I do love electricity and being warm. Anyway, I drove for 8 hours from East Berne, NY to Niagara Falls, NY today. It took forever because I mostly took back roads. I may take highways more, which will also help me afford hotels. The beginning of the day was really foggy, so I didn’t get to see a lot. Once it cleared though, the drive was really nice. I saw a lot of farms and a lot of cute little towns that I would never live in.

Now I am in a hotel about 3 miles from Niagara Falls. I went to see it tonight and it was really amazing. Although I don’t think I would ride down it in a barrel, which someone told me would be fun. Tomorrow I’ll go see it in the light and maybe do some touristy things.

My next destination is Shipshewana, IN to see the Amish auction and flea market. It only happens on Tuesday and Wednesday so I have to make it there by Wednesday morning. It’s about 430 miles from here, so if I take highways, I should be able to do it. In the past two days I’ve driven 495 miles, filled my gas tank twice, and eaten a lot of grapes and almonds.

9/9/2007

I left Woodstock this morning at 10:30, and I haven’t gotten very far. Although back roads are much more scenic, they are really slow. I went to my old boarding school in Sheffield, MA today. It was really weird to be back there after 10 years. It’s not at all like I remember, which I think is a good thing because it didn’t bring back too many memories.

From there I drove to Pittsfield, MA and took a nap in a Wal-Mart parking lot (sorry Pinky). I was surprisingly comfortable in the back of my car, and I felt very safe because it was the middle of the day. From Pittsfield I drove through some amazing country, which would have been even better if not for the fog, to East Berne, NY. I also drove through Albany, which was a really scary experience. I’m sure there are nice parts, but I really prayed every time I got stuck at a red light. Now I’m at Thompson’s Lake State Park. It’s really pretty, and there aren’t too many people.

I really hope that it’s clear tomorrow so I can see where I am. I think I’m on top of a mountain, because I drove uphill for a really long time. Although today was hard, and I wanted to turn around and go home, I think I’ll have a really good time on this trip. Tomorrow’s destination: Niagra Falls.

Preperations...

The (brief) story of my summer:
On May 6th I attended my graduation from UConn, even though I had six classes to complete before getting a diploma. May 7th was my first day of summer classes, which continued until August 16th. I managed a 3.8 for the summer and a 3.3 for my college career. Not too bad considering I did almost no work.

On August 18th, my family and I went to Martha's Vineyard for two weeks of sun and fun. Unfortunatley, the sun didn't come until the second week (the day Gardiner left). The fish also opted to show up that day. I caught a 30" bluefish and my mother caught a 33" striper. It was amazing. Between the three of us we caught nine fish. The rest of the week was beautiful, and we spent a lot of time on the beach.

I came home a day early in order to go to the Woodstock Fair, which was way more fun when I was a kid.

Then, on Saturday morning, we packed up and got back in the truck to drive to Northern Maine for my cousin Jess's wedding. After 8 hours, we finally arrived. It was an absolutley beautiful location, on Second Roach pond, somewhere North of Moosehead lake. The whole weekend was great, everyone pitched in to make it a really personal wedding. The ceremony was beautiful, and there were very few dry eyes. On Monday morning, we once again packed the truck and headed for home.

So, the last few weeks have been very busy, and I'm looking forward to some serious "me" time.

And now, I'm finally getting ready to embark on my two month tour of the US (I feel like a rock star). I have a route planned, and all the things I think I'll need. Now I just need to get my car back from the dealer where they are fixing a scratch that was in the door when I bought it brand new. Luckily for me (or not) I have a rental, it's a Kia Rio! I am planning on leaving Sunday or Monday, first stop Niagra Falls!