Colorado + Chicago, IL

Our last stop in Colorado (and second to last on the whole trip!) was to see my friend Lindsay Walker in Florissant, CO. Florissant is a small town (or as Lindsay describes it, an intersection) approximately 45 minutes west of Colorado Springs. She has been working out there for about a year and a half as a geology intern at Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument. Lindsay showed us a great time and put us up in style... many thanks to her co-worker (who she happened to be house-sitting for that week) for allowing us and our pups to stay in his awesome mountain cabin :-)

Lindsay, fully accepting the task of being our Colorado tour guide, took us all around the area so we could cram as many fun activities in our limited time there as possible. We saw Manitou Springs (an adorable touristy town that I immediately fell in love with) and took a short hike to see Graffiti Falls, which are aptly named because the rocks and bridge going over the falls are just covered in graffiti... the most popular message seemed to be "[fill-in-the-blank name] will you go to prom with me?" Photo credits go to Lindsay for letting me snag a few of her shots from our hike.

After our hike we went to see the Garden of the Gods, which are these magnificent red rocks that jut up out of the ground for seemingly no reason.

Back in Florissant we got a personal tour of the Florissant Fossil Beds (from the most brilliant staff member they have! [Lindsay]) and even got to do some fossil hunting of our own.

Some fossils that we (legally!) collected from the Florissant area.

We had a blast with Lindsay, however, all good things must come to an end and we set out on our last leg of our trip.

Chicago! Our drive here was a harrowing journey, driving day and night across some of the most boring parts of the country: Nebraska and Iowa. Scott graciously took the overnight portion of our drive and I took over once the sun came up. It took a little while, but we eventually got there. Gosh, our last stop, I can't believe we made it!

We stayed outside of the city and planned to take a train in, but were interrupted by a shredded serpentine belt on the way to the train station. Somehow we manged to drive all the way across the country and then halfway back before we had any major car trouble and we somehow managed to time our car trouble perfectly, as it happened less than a half mile from the best garage I have ever been to. Our mechanic reminded us in every way of Seth Rogen (the actor) and he replaced our serpentine belt in less than two hours for a reasonable price. I wouldn't believe it was possible to have this easy of a time with a disaster on the road if it hadn't happened to me personally. However, it worked out great and we even made it to Chicago before the sun set.

Our car trouble did set us back a bit once we made it to the city, as we missed our chance to experience a double-decker tour bus or see quite as many attractions as I was initially hoping to, but we did get to go up in the Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower) and soak in all that Chicago has to offer from 103 stories in the air.

We even braved the glass boxes that let you stand out over the city.

After getting the birds' eye view we joined our fellow earthlings back on the ground and just sort of wandered around. We of course hit up the Magnificent Mile, which was a bit too ritzy feeling for me in my bright green rain jacket and jeans, saw the Chicago Tribune building, and ate some yummy pizza. Overall I really loved Chicago; Scott and I agree that it reminds us of a cleaner NYC and that we will definitely be back when we have some more time (and money).

Well, that's it! We left Chicago and headed home. All-in-all we traveled 9,442 miles, spent 26 days seeing 21 states, and did all of this while managing to stay under our initial budget. It was an incredibly rewarding experience and I would get back in the car today to start it all over again. Thank you to my amazing travel companions (furry + human) and thanks to all of you for following our journey! 

To see all of the pictures from our trip (including many that I could not fit in this blog) see my photo album at https://plus.google.com/photos/112571264443479299689/albums/5747994912756501441

Nevada + Utah + Colorado

We spent a day driving across Nevada, most of which was gorgeous but some of which got repetitive after a while. One thing that never got old was seeing snow covered mountains in the distance and rolling hills on either side of the road.

Just after passing into Utah we were greeted by the reflective sheets of water and flat plains that form the Salt Flats. You could tell that the water was only a few inches deep but the ground was so flat that there was nothing to disrupt the water's surface. It's literally like driving through the world's largest mirror because the water showed perfect mirror images of the mountains in the background. In the portions without water you could see where people have done one of two popular pranks: spun a lot donuts in their car or arranged rocks to write out messages on the ground.

In the distance you can see the mountains' reflections in the water.

Our first stop in Utah was Salt Lake City, which has crammed more tulips into its city limits than I knew grew in the entire country. The city is very nice; everything feels so new and clean and there is a lovely outdoor shopping center right in the heart of downtown with a man-made creek and waterfalls running through it.

Most of our time was spent wandering around the Temple Square, which is the area surrounding the Mormon Temple and the Tabernacle. Obviously, Salt Lake City is best known for its association with the Mormon faith, but we found it funny that all of the visitor's guides we picked up focused only on the bar scene and nightlife of the city... like they are trying to reinvent themselves as a "cool," "hip" place to visit.

As long as we were in Utah we figured we may as well go see the famous arch (of the UT license plates) in Arches National Park. The park had a really great road going through the middle of it, but dogs were not allowed on any of the trails :-(  This meant that we got to see everything from afar but nothing up close. As I saw parents herding their two year old tyrants through the trails and around the arches I griped to myself (and maaaaybe a little to Scott) about how unfair it was that our dogs had to stay cooped up in the car while these maniac children got to run around free as birds... as if our dogs could possibly hurt the surrounding landscape, which is made entirely of rocks. But we survived and still got to see some great views in the process.

Next stop, Colorado! Driving through this state was a truly beautiful experience. Breathtaking mountains (everywhere), dramatic rivers that snaked along the road, and an ever-changing climate. As our elevation rose, so did the likelihood of seeing a few snowflakes whisp by our window. These occasional snowflakes eventually turned into pretty significant snow coverage around us and before we knew it we were driving through a winter wonderland. The ski towns are outrageous. I don't know how to ski but seeing the lodges in Colorado made me want to learn.

Our first real stop in Colorado was Boulder, where most of our time was spent conquering the Flatirons. It was easily the hardest hike I have ever done... not that I have the most riggerous hiking history, but it was still hard! I am definitely glad that I stuck it out to the top though because the view was incredible and the sense of self-satisfaction was even better. Everything about the Flatirons is extreme, from the jutting rock formations and steep incline to the insane runners who went zipping by us as I was barely managing to crawl from rock to rock. That is one thing that I notice across the board for Boulder, everyone is in shape (even the homeless people and that 60-something year old woman who hiked past us on the mountain).

Group portrait, complete with dog butt.

I finally made it to the top!

View of Boulder taken during the climb.

Boulder itself was a great city. There is a pedestrian mall downtown with a lot of tasty restaurants and neat shops lining its edges. Our favorite stops were Illegal Pete's (a burrito place), some store that sold work from a ton of area artisans, and a three (or maybe four?) story bookstore in a great old building (complete with ballroom). We had a ton of fun in Boulder but, as with most places, we had to get up the next morning and hit the road. At least we were now on our way to see my friend Lindsay!

California - Part Two

Our first major stop in California was San Francisco, somewhere that I have wanted to go for a very long time. One of the first things that we noticed about it is that it's a little less than driver friendly... all of those pictures that you see where the streets seem to angle directly towards the sky are not an exaggeration. But then again neither are the pictures that show the vibrant shops of Pier 39, the quintessential pastel rowhouses, and the outrageous abundance of delicious food! San Francisco offered all of this and more. It had a feel unlike any other city I have been in... somehow huge, but all very familiar at the same time.

Scott and me standing on Fisherman's Wharf with the city in the background.

For our nightly entertainment we decided to head down to Pier 39 to poke through the shops and try our hand at some San Francisco sushi. The shops were a lot of fun; although the majority of them your typical tourist trap, there were still some unique sights to see. Our sushi dinner was great and we had a view overlooking the harbor, which made the fish taste even fresher!

View of Pier 39 from across the street.

Our view during dinner; notice the Golden Gate Bridge in the background.

And of course we had to visit the famous sea lions who reside in the bay!

We spent the rest of the night just wandering around the city to see what we could see and probably the most "glamorous" street was (big surprise...) Broadway!

The next morning we left San Francisco and headed towards Napa Valley. It was a chilly, foggy morning, which meant that we got to see a great view of the Golden Gate Bridge on our way out of town.

Napa Valley was great, it really had everything that I was expecting to see... rolling hills, perfect weather, and too many vineyards (and spectacular houses to go with them) to count. Due to our limited time (and budget!) Scott and I decided to stick with only one vineyard tour and, hoping to get the most bang for our buck and since we are definitely not wine connoisseurs, we went with a large commercial vineyard where we figured we wouldn't be too out of our league - Robert Mondavi.

Entrance to Robert Mondavi Vineyards.

Our choice proved to be a good one, as the other people in our tour group seemed to be equally as (un)knowledgeable as us and we still got to see some spectacular sights. The tour was really interesting and we got to go through the whole processing room and cellar, and then ended with a tasting of three wines. Up until this point Scott and I had done a great job of not buying souvenirs that would waste both our precious car space and budget, but Napa did a number on us and we came home with more than a couple bottles of wine. I even bought my first "real" (aka expensive) bottle from the vineyard.

Fields at Mondavi Vineyards.

Robert Mondavi cellars.

After our tour, which took up the majority of the morning and early afternoon, we continued to drive through the rest of the Valley and stopped at any particularly interesting vineyards to snap some pictures and enjoy the views.

After the Napa Valley we headed towards the coast to start our trek northward, which was my favorite part of the entire trip. We stuck to Routes 1 and 101, which follows the coast and then dips back inland for a drive through the Redwood Forest. The coastline was wonderfully dramatic with waves crashing over the rocks, cliffs jutting out into the ocean, and crystal clear blue waters. It really does make the drive go by faster when there is something great to look at the whole time!

However, as great as the coast was, the Redwood forests were about 1,000 better. I loved everything about them! In addition from the obvious thing (giant trees!), everything about the scenery was awe-inspiring. I have never been in such silent woods before; every surface is covered in moss and pine needles so nothing makes a sound, and it is green on a completely different scale. I have definitely added the northern chunk of California to my list of "Places I Need to Go Again." The only bad thing about the Redwood Forest: it is not easy to photograph, so I apologize for my lack of clear pictures.

Me inside a tree :)

Our campsite... this doesn't even begin to show how cool it actually felt.

Our campsite was aptly named Elk Prairie... we saw this guy (and about twenty of his friends) in the morning.

The Redwoods were our last stop in California. After we left we had a long day of driving and made a last minute decision to camp on the shores of Lake Washoe in Nevada... which had an okay view, I guess :)

Lake Washoe campsite.

California - Part One

After we got our fill of the Grand Canyon we headed towards Las Vegas as a good "layover" city between Arizona and California. Since we didn't want to get a hotel in Vegas, and also didn't want to risk losing any of our road trip money in the casinos, we just camped outside the city on the shore of Lake Mead, which is really just over the hill from Las Vegas. But since you can't be that close to Vegas without at least seeing it, we drove through it the next morning. We just drove down the famous Las Vegas Strip, as we figured that would be the quickest and easiest way to cram as much Vegas as we could into a five minute tour. I found it to be much cleaner looking than I had expected and it really was fun to see... I can definitely see its appeal as a vacation destination!

Shortly after Vegas we drove through the hottest, lowest, driest place in North America: Death Valley! Now, with that lead in it sounds like it would be pretty much the most depressing place in the country to visit, right? However, Scott and I both thought that it was strangely beautiful... although it probably helped that we avoided the skin-melting temperatures that the region is so famous for (it was only about 65 during our drive through). I expected it to be a flat expanse of nothing, but it is actually surrounded on all sides by these really interesting mountains and hills and I saw some of the most fabulous cloud formations that I have ever seen. The worst part about it was that it was an absolute wind tunnel. We tried to get out of the car to take some pictures and we were about blown over... literally!

After Death Valley, we quickly learned that California is a huge state that is home to every climate you can imagine. Just beyond the hottest, lowest, driest point in North America, you will find the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Its snowy peaks are gorgeous from a distance, and then you keep driving closer and closer and realize that, at some point, you are going to have to drive over those snowy peaks. So in a matter of hours we went from the landscape above to this!

It really was beautiful and the road conditions never got any worse than some slightly wet pavement... but I could not for the life of me convince my nerves that our situation was really not that bad. The department of transportation really does a great job of scaring the crap out of anyone who isn't familiar with the area, as every ten yards there are signs like "Snow chains required," "Icy conditions next 22 miles," "Beware of extreme curves," and so on. Now I'm sure that these signs are quite pertinent during the intense winter months, but in mid-April they just made me nervous for nothing, as the most snow that we saw on the ground was probably around four inches. Lucky for me, Scott did not seem so freaked out by these signs (which may as well have read "Imminent death ahead" in my mind) and he calmly drove us over the mountain and we were out of the snow in about 20 minutes.

Once we descended the mountain, California became a very familiar feeling place. Compared to the landscape of desert, rocks, and more rocks that we had been driving through for the past week or so, the green hills and farms that lay across the Sierra Nevadas may as well have been rural Virginia... it felt very much like home.

California countryside

The rest of our drive through California was not as exciting as the first few hours were, but it is definitely a beautiful state! When we were about ten miles from the coast it still looked like we were in the middle of an agricultural wonderland. There were farms that had fields going straight to the ocean's edge, which is not something that I'm used to seeing. That night we camped at a campground outside of Santa Cruz, which is an adorable coastal town located on Monteray Bay. We could not see the ocean from out campsite, but we were just over the hill from it and, with that proximity to the water, came a fantastic thunderstorm that night. Up until this point we had been lucky not to have any serious encounters with rain while camping, but all of our good luck had apparently run out as we got a solid three hours of intense lightning, thunder, and torrential rain that started around midnight. Nothing worse came from the storm besides having to deal with wet camping gear the next day, but it did make for a rather sleepless night.

Our first view of the Pacific Ocean

Scott and I are currently in Salt Lake City, UT (getting ready to head to Moab today) and I promise that at some point I will finally get caught up on the blog :)  Internet access only comes along every few days on the road, so it is slow going to get these posts online. Still to come are stories and pictures from our adventures in San Francisco, Napa Valley, Redwood National Forest, and Utah... so stay posted!