Still to this day, the cross-country trip with three of my best friends is one of the best trips I've ever taken. I can only hope that one day I will be able to share another similar journey with good friends.

And then there was one...

I suppose I should post a "final" message to this 11-day adventure... of course, it is now 3 weeks since we hit the road back in San Jose... and the roadtrip itself feels like so long ago... I have been here in Newark for over a week now... and the last of my friends left earlier this afternoon... I suppose reality had to hit some time. :)

As a closing, I just wanted to share a few things:

A couple of stats:
4,199 - miles travelled from California to New Jersey.
$3.83 - average cost per gallon of gas.

Everyone needs to go on a cross-country roadtrip (but not by yourself). And I don't just mean through part of the country, I mean from coast to coast. It's like a centrifuge. Separates the good stuff from the bad in life. You will learn SO MUCH about how you really handle different situations.

Best of all, you will have a new appreciation for this country. I'm telling you, EACH state we drove through had something unique... not just in its tourist attractions but in its people. Each state had a culture.

And now, on to law school.

Some miscellaneous pictures from the roadtrip
(and a few from my friends' stay in NY afterwards).

This little tree stood out on its own in the middle of the hotsprings.

What a survivor!

Piglets from the farm. There were about 2,200 just
delivered the day before we visited.

Dinner with Dennis and Melinda in NYC.

A "balloon" sculpture on the top of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

More to come... some day. :)

Final leg - Ithaca to Newark

July 30, 2008

We got up early on Wednesday morning to try and see as much of Cornell University as possible before having to head out to Newark (4 hour drive!) for me to make my appointment with the apartment management.

Family photo (sort of)

In all honesty, Ithaca really is a beautiful town... albeit a little isolated. The Cornell campus is also quite nice, as it was created between two (of many) gorges in Ithaca.

After a really good breakfast complete with Chinese shao1 bin3 jia2 rou4 (aka marinate beef slices) sandwiches, we spent the morning touring the Cornell campus. The campus is so big that it took us 2 hours to BARELY make it to our final destination -- the famous Cornell Dairy Bar where they sell freshly made ice cream from the Cornell dairy farm. We had to hit the road by 12:30 in order to get to Newark by 4:30.

Tour of Cornell... with a "real" tour guide (sort of)

Every campus has a tower.

Every campus has a sign.

But not every campus has waterfalls.

Gas in Ithaca, New York.

Sadly, we said our goodbyes with my Aunt, cousins, and Hansen and were on our way to Newark. We got into the city at around 4:30. The building staff were so welcoming. We got a tour of the building, and I got my keys.

One of the many "amenities" -- a private 4-lane bowling alley

We dashed off to Ikea and Target after the walk-through so that I could get some "basic necessities" for the first night.

Settling in.

So, who wants to visit? :)

Playing catch-up

I'm sorry... it's taken me almost a whole week to update the blog with the last few legs of our roadtrip. We arrived in Newark on Wednesday, and I've had limited access to internet -- not to mention limited time and energy to get these posts up!

BUT, over the next couple of days, I will "finish" our roadtrip... starting today.

July 29 - Niagara Falls and Ithaca

We got up around 9:00 am (after a late night at the Canadian casinos) to catch the Falls in the daylight. We were hoping to do the "Journey Behind the Falls" walking tour, but unfortunately, the elevator down to the Falls was broken, so we had to abandon our close-encounter. We did, however, have lunch at Skylon, a tall "Space Needle"-like structure that gave visitors a bird's-eye view of the Falls and other nearby attractions (including the Toronto-skyline in the distance!). It was not too bad of an alternative to walking behind the Falls.

We were bored in the gift shop waiting for the elevators to be fixed...

You can't tell, but we were getting drenched by the mist.

American Falls (in the background --

Steve and Peggy in the foreground...

in case there was any confusion)

At the top of Skylon.

We headed back into the States in the early afternoon, hoping to make it to Ithaca by 7:00 to have dinner with my Aunt and Uncle (proud Ithacans for 10 years now).

Gas somewhere near Buffalo, New York.

It was so great to have a home-cooked meal after over a week of "roadtrip" food. We are still talking about the yummy food!

Canada, eh?

This morning, some of us slept in until about 10:30. It was really the first time on the trip that we were able to relax in the morning without having to worry about a long car ride or having to get somewhere at a certain time. I even woke up a little earlier to do my laundry and catch up on emails. (Everyone else did their laundry last night because they weren't lazy.)

Gas in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

We had brunch at Cafe Zola -- a great brunch place in Ann Arbor (right "down the street" from University of Michigan). From there, we hit the road for the 4.5 hour drive to Niagara Falls.
We eventually arrive at the Falls around 8:00 pm -- just in time to catch the "lighting" of the Falls. I had been here before almost 10 years ago and somehow things seemed more touristy this time around. Maybe I've seen 'too much' in these last 10 days to be really impressed by the Falls -- but it is still a good sight to see and to have cap off this awesome roadtrip adventure.

Gas somewhere right before the Canadian border.

Crossing the U.S.-Canada border.

The Niagara Falls (I promise, it's there... behind us.)

Tomorrow, we head back to the river for a closer look at the Falls. We'll probably grab some lunch before heading off to Ithaca (home of Cornell University, some relatives, and a friend). I head to Newark on Wednesday afternoon... the final stop of this AWESOME adventure.

Stay tuned...

Life on a Farm / The Windy City

Sorry about missing a post yesterday. I actually wrote out a whole post and then pressed something that wiped out the entire thing. It was too late at night for me to try and make a second attempt. And so, today's post will be extra long (starting with today, then followed by yesterday).

The Windy City
Sunday, July 27, 2008

We decided to sleep in a little this morning because we were just too tired after getting into Chicago late last night. We stayed at the Westin Chicago -- NICE hotel. :)

We started the day with mass at Holy Name Cathedral. The church was undergoing major renovation, so the service was held in the basement of a hall.

After mass, we had (our first fancy) lunch at Table 52 -- a restaurant owned by Art Smith (Oprah's personal chef who used to work with Martha Stewart).

Lunch at Table Fifty-Two.

After lunch, we drove by Oprah Winfrey's studio (Harpo Producations) before heading to Sears Tower. After the tower, we took the free town trolley to Millenium Park for a leisurely stroll. We left Chicago for Ann Arbor at around 7:00 and just got into our hotel room.

Oprah's groupies.

View from Sears Tower.

Lake Michigan in the background.

The "Married With Children" Fountain.

Gas somewhere in Michigan
(or could be Indiana -- I can't remember).

Tomorrow: Niagara Falls! :)

Life on a Farm

Saturday, July 26, 2008

We woke up Saturday morning to try and make it to Union, Iowa, by 10:00 am. My "farm" friends were at a 20th high school reunion event in nearby Eldora, Iowa, so we all met up there to head back to the farm.

We were warmly welcomed by Arvin and Carolyn (my friend's husband's parents) and other family members. After introductions and some conversation, we were treated to a YUMMY lunch: pulled pork sandwiches, "peaches n cream" corn, two types of salads -- among other yummy items. Keep in mind, most of the main ingredients came straight from the farm to the table!

Iowa Farm

After lunch, Paul (friend's husband's brother) pulled out the tractor and set up a hayride for everyone. We made a quick round of a nearby field where some cows were grazing and stopped at what I'll call the "pig house." They had just received a delivery of several hundred piglets, so we all went to see the baby pigs!

Hay ride -- without the hay.

Close encounter with a piglet.

Cornfields.

After the tour of the farm, we headed to the nearby soda fountain for ice cream and floats. On the way, we drove by the Twister farm -- you know the 'famous' scene in the movie Twister where the barn is blown up by the tornado? Well, my friend's family owned that farm and were paid some money by the directors to have their barn blown up!

The Twister site (marked by a sign posted on a tree).

The Twister Farm.

Gas in Eldora, Iowa.

Gas somewhere in Illinois.

Chicago River at night.

Another long day

After getting in pretty late yesterday, we had another early start today with a 9:30 am ranger talk back at Mt. Rushmore. We woke up to a BEAUTIFUL clear day… quite a stark contrast from the thunderstorm the day before.

We made it to Mt. Rushmore!

We left Mt. Rushmore at around noon after exploring the Presidential Trail. Each of the four presidents represent a distinct aspect of our nation: George Washington represents the “birth” of our nation; Thomas Jefferson represents the “expansion” of our nation (Louisiana Purchase); Theodore Roosevelt represents the “development” of our nation; and Abraham Lincoln represents the “preservation” of our nation.

Mt. Rushmore on a beautiful clear day!

Gas in Rapid City, SD.

We grabbed a quick lunch (and gas) in nearby Rapid City, SD, and hit the road to Iowa. We were originally going to stay with a friend of mine in Union, Iowa, but because of our delayed schedule from yesterday’s storm, we decided to take it easy and see where our drive would take us. We stopped briefly at the famous “Wall Drug” in Wall, SD, and also ended up taking a “short” detour through the Badlands National Park – quite an unexpected but pleasant surprise! We drove across South Dakota and entered Iowa around 9:30 pm and ended up here in Fort Dodge, Iowa after an 11-hour journey. One of the highlights of the night – a curious stop off the freeway to take a closer look at FIREFLIES! There were hundreds – if not thousands of them flashing on and off throughout the darkness!

Wall Drug in Wall, SD.
(I still don't quite get the appeal of this place.)

A quick detour through the Badlands.

The Badlands (behind me).

Gas somewhere just before Chamberlain, South Dakota.

Gas in Sioux City, Iowa.

Tomorrow, we will stop by my friends’ farm in Union, Iowa to take a peek at farm life – hoping to have some good photos up for that! – before heading off to Chicago in the evening.