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.

Coming out of the rain

Today was perhaps one of the most exciting so far...

Gas in Hardin, Montana.

We got up early to try and get to Mt. Rushmore in good time... little did we know, road construction and a HUGE thunderstorm (complete with quarter- sized hail) would slow us down quite a bit.

We ended up getting to Mt. Rushmore at 8:00 pm... a couple hours later than we had hoped... but it didn't matter! At 9 pm, they start the closing ceremony, with an introductory address from a park ranger, then a 20-minute video explaining the history of the national monument, and finally ending with the flag-folding ceremony and the "lighting" of the monument.

There were hay bundles (like this one) all over the Midwest...

we just couldn't help ourselves but to pull off

to the side of the highway to get a closer look.

After surviving the storm, we made it to Mt. Rushmore.

You have to see for yourself

Day 4. Yellowstone!

We spent the entire day in Yellowstone -- 9 am to 9 pm. While I can't say that we saw the WHOLE park, you'd be impressed by what we DID manage to see.

Gas in West Yellowstone.

Most people say it usually takes about 4-5 days to see "all" of Yellowstone. We were here for less than 2 days but managed to "see" most of the major tourist spots. Don't worry though, we're planning to come again some other time to explore the 980 miles of hiking trails.

Norris Geyser Basin
Mammoth Hot Springs
Canyons
Upper and Lower Yellowstone Falls
Sulfur Cauldron
Mud Volcano
Old Faithful (again)
Grand Prismatic Springs
Bison herd (complete with calf feeding)
Bison crossing
Bald eagle
Two coyotes
Artist Point
Yellowstone Lake
Fountain Paint Pots

Our shadows over a spring at Norris Geyser Basin.

Towards the end of the day at Grand Prismatic Spring.

Old Faithful at sunset... we saw it again!

A highlight: we even saw Carrie Anne Moss (of Matrix fame) with her family!!!

I HIGHLY recommend each of you to come and visit Yellowstone some day... it really is magnificent.

Tomorrow, we head off to MOUNT RUSHMORE!

Second try

Unfortunately, the fantastic post I had written for this post was completely wiped out because of the terrible internet connection here. Frustrating, but fear not. I will try to recreate it again.

First of all, I need to express my new-found appreciation and respect for "middle America". There are some pretty amazing landscapes out here... everything is so ... natural! Green is greener. Yellow is yellower. Air is fresher. Sky is bluer.

Our trusty steed.

After a great brunch in Salt Lake City, we headed off on 15 NB (then 20 EB) to Yellowstone. We passed through Idaho into Montana and eventually drove into Wyoming where most of the park is.

Gas in Salt Lake City. Don't be fooled. We found out the hard
way that their Regular gas has an octane level of only 85...
not like in California, where Regular is 87!

Fried PICKLES at Ruth's Diner (second oldest restaurant in SLC).

Gas in McCammon, Idaho.

If you have never been to Yellowstone, YOU ARE MISSING OUT. It is absolutely amazing here -- especially during thunderstorm season. We must have hit two or three different storms so far, and each one has offered some amazing scenery and ... let's just say, adventures. And the rain comes very suddenly.

The best part was perhaps missing the Old Faithful eruption. After we arrived at the Visitor Center, we were told that we had just missed the eruption. Luckily, we hung out long enough to catch the next eruption -- and with the sun's red, orange, purple, and yellow rays peeking out from behind fluffy (though menacing) clouds for an already beautiful sunset... and then reflecting off of the steam from Old Faithful... the view was absolutely stunning.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow when we head back in for further exploration!

Our first encounter with wildlife in Yellowstone.

Reno to Salt Lake City

Whew! First off, I want to apologize to everyone for not posting a message yesterday. We did (obviously) arrive safely in Reno... around 10:30 pm. I had my last cup of 'good California' pearl drink before hitting the road.

The drive to Reno went very well. We made very good time -- 3.5 hours without going over the speed limit (too much). Hit the roulette table for a bit, then the penny slots (yes, I know what you're thinking -- "you high-rollers, you!"), then off to bed.

We got up this morning, hit the breakfast buffet (what's a stay at a casino without a buffet), then a little more play on the casino floor, got gas, and then off to Salt Lake City.

(Cheap gas in Reno -- if you're from California.)

Talk about a LOOOOOOOOOOOOONG drive to Salt Lake City. Total of 519 miles. 9 hours (including 2 stops). Three pretty significant thunderstorms. A long stretch of salt flats. And a stinky (and bug-ful) drive by the Great Salt Lake.

Expensive gas ($4.68/gallon) in Carlin, NV - don't worry,

we just got 3 gallons to get us to the next town.

Gas in Elko, NV -- cheap gas ($4.31/gallon) once again!

I gotta say, there is a LOT of land out there beyond California. Now, whether or not you'd want to live there is another story -- but the landscape in Nevada and Utah is pretty magnificent. Just large expanses of flat lands and mountains and really temperamental weather. One second could be sunny, the next -- downpour!

The first thunderstorm... it was a little scary. Just a little.

Me *pretending* to do a cartwheel in the MIDDLE

of the Bonneville salt flats on Interstate 80.

The four of us pulled over on the side of Interstate 80

to get a closer look at the Bonneville Salt Flats.

Tomorrow, we need to hit the road for Yellowstone! 300+ miles... short drive, no problem. Hope you're all doing well!

Two days to go

Just two more days before I hit the road... I must admit, I can't decide if I am nervous, excited, frustrated, tired, or just plain anxious... or maybe it's all of the above. On the one hand, I've got the basics all packed -- and yet I look around and there's still so much to do. Am I ready? Will I ever be? Maybe I just need to get there to start feeling ready. Whew.

the planning

It's July 1st. I'm moving to the East Coast in exactly 20 days... and I've done NO packing yet.

But boy do I have a great roadtrip planned out...

July 20 - Reno, Nevada
July 21 - Salt Lake City, UT
July 22-24 - Yellowstone National Park
July 24 - Mount Rushmore
July 25 - Union, Ia
July 26 - Chicago, Il
July 27 - Detroit, MI
July 28 - Niagara Falls, Canada
July 29 - Ithaca, NY
July 30 - Newark, NJ

And a link to the map: http://tiny.cc/WLDWt

Stay tuned!