Episode 12: Finale

This episode is titled "Finale" not because it was especially grand, but because it marked the completing of our trip. Yesterday morning we were up early and got on the road from Missoula, MT. We drove first along I-90 to Hudson's Hamburgers, a famous burger joint that has been in the same small place in Coeur d'Alene for 105 years, making the same very simple few things. They make burgers their own way, and the only condiments they offer are dill pickles, raw onion, homemade ketchup, and homemade mustard. We bought some of the sauces as they are a secret recipe, but for sale and fantastically good. From there, it was simply a drive west to home. We didn't really make any stops along the way until arriving home in the driveway. We had an amazing trip, but are both very glad to be home. Hopefully everyone is doing well and we'll get to see everyone soon. Here are some stats as well as a picture of us and our car from the trip: -$80, rough amount paid in tolls over the course of our trip. -26 States visited (Georgia, South Car., North Car., Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, and Washington) -11 days total -18, approximate number of times we had breakfast :) -3 College Campuses visited: Duke, Syracuse, and Notre Dame -5600, approximate number of miles traveled from Atlanta, Georgia to Maine to home. -665, number of miles put in on our longest day of driving -All 50, number of US States Uncle Greg has visited.

Episode 11: Jellystone

Today our big stop was Yellowstone National Park. The title of Jellystone comes from the great cartoon Yogi Bear as well as from some episodes of Bugs Bunny. Jellystone was always interesting to watch in cartoons; Yellowstone was great to see pictures of, and to see Yellowstone in person was amazing. The park is truly beautiful. We drove through the heart of the park, driving along the edge of Lake Yellowstone, past many mud bubbles and steam tables, and of course, Old Faithful. The whole park was beautiful and incredible, and we'd definitely visit it again. We're really looking forward to getting home and seeing everyone soon! We're hopefully going to make it in tomorrow late afternoon/evening. Looking forward to it! PTL0

Episode 10: I guess all I had to do was ask...

Well, I asked for a thunderstorm yesterday, and today I got one. Today we drove from Minnesota to Wyoming. And along the way, we experienced another midwest thunderstorm.

We got on the road early today, and by 10 am, we had driven 200 miles. Our first stop was at the famous and ridiculous Wall Drug, a set of stores making for almost a mall in the middle of literally nowhere. A unique thing is they advertise it 200 miles along I-90 each direction, so we saw all kinds of advertisements for Wall Drug along the interstate leading up to it.

After a short stop in Wall Drug, we drove some more and stopped at Mount Rushmore. The countryside was beautiful leading up to it, and when we got to it, we found, well, quite a rock. It was amazing to see the entire surrounding structure to view it, as well as the state flags and of course, the carving itself. It was very interesting to see and hear about all the work that went into it (Almost 1 Million dollars throughout the course of more than 10 years) and see the beautiful resulting structure.

After Mount Rushmore, we headed further west into Wyoming. After dinner at Perkins, we stopped at the Fairfield Inn and Suites in Gillette, Wyoming. We were able to get the hotel through grandpa for a special rate, and since grandpa has special status at this hotel chain, when we checked in, we got "Elite" room cards. The holder said "One look at you and we can tell you're Elite... And it's not just the card." We find it ironic that we, dirty and sweaty after 9 hours in the car in the sun are immediately called "Elite" when the only thing elite about us is the card. We had many great laughs over our supposed "status" :) 

We're hoping everyone is doing great at home; we're really looking forward to seeing everyone! We're aiming for Yellowstone tomorrow, so hopefully there will be more pics. TTFN!

PTLo

Episode 9: Where's a thunderstorm when you need it?

Today we traveled a good amount, and experienced along the way why thunderstorms are so great. When we had the thunderstorm in Ohio, the temperature dropped more than 20 degrees and everything was soaked. Today we drove from Fort Wayne to Austin, Minnesota, through Chicago with the heat hovering around 100 degrees the whole time. In a car with not really any A/C and now shade or wind for over 400 miles, a day under the sun is exhausting. A shower never felt so good...

Our big adventure on the way though, was in the heart of downtown Chicago. We drove into the city to visit Pizzeria Uno, the birthplace of deep dish pizza. Neither of us had ever had deep dish before, but were both extremely pleased with the thick, tasty pizza. We tried the original Uno, with green peppers and mushrooms, and it was amazing!

We're both really looking forward to being home and seeing everyone! From here, there are only a couple landmarks until home, including Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone, Hudson's Hamburgers in Coeur 'd Alene, and Sturgis, South Dakota, home of one of the biggest motorcycle rallies in the country (Uncle Greg wants to visit). Other than that, there are many miles ahead! Until tomorrow,


TTFN!

PTL0

Episode 8: We Didn't Sing in the Rain

Today's title comes from the fact that we went under some major water today, which we did not sing to. Can you picture Uncle Greg and I singing in the rain? I sure hope not. The first adventure was on the Maid of the Mist, which took us right next to Niagara Falls. Seeing the Falls from this perspective was incredible; we were both amazed at how much water came constantly. We got ponchos which were in turn very useful, as we got soaked going on the ride.

From Niagara Falls, we headed west, were amazed that we got to pay another few dollars to the State of New York Toll System, and then drove through Pennsylvania and Ohio. We stopped in Canton, Ohio, at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and were overwhelmed with history, records, stats, jerseys, videos, pictures and merchandise. We found the NFL Hall of Fame was surprisingly different from the MLB Hall. The Baseball Hall of Fame was more of a historical, quiet, grand cathedral in feel, while the Football Hall of Fame was much more glamorous, loud, and flashy. Both were undoubtedly amazing and reflected their sport truly. Here are some pictures of Niagara Falls and the NFL Hall of Fame:

After Canton, we simply just headed west. Which is where our second rainy experience came along. While driving through Ohio, quite a storm picked up. It turned out to rain incredibly hard for about half an hour, and we had thunder and lightning sometimes very close. There were a couple where the thunder came less than 2 seconds after the lightning, all in the pouring rain. 

We did make it to our stop this evening, however: Fort Wayne, Indiana. We're both doing alright, but ask for prayer as I (Taylor) have come down with a bad cold, and Uncle Greg seems to be getting it too. Hopefully no one at home is sick and all is going well! We're looking forward to seeing everyone at home in a little less than a week! 

PTL0

Episode 7: For whom the Toll Bells...

Today comes from an appreciation we have for the New York Tolls. Over the last few days, the state of New York has garnished more than $20 from us. After getting home, 520 will seem like a breeze! But speaking of driving, I should tell of our unintentional adventure today. As narrated by Uncle Greg: Had a flat tire, that was bad. Had a spare tire, that was good. Spare tire was almost flat, that was bad. Air compressor was less than a mile away, that was good. New tire place was 33 miles away and closing in less than an hour, that was bad. Made it in with 5 minutes to spare, that was good. Now rolling on the interstate, this is great. After more than an hour lost and some pretty tight time squeezing, we managed to make it back on I-90. 


Before our roadside adventure, however, we had a very intentional adventure in Cooperstown, NY. After starting in Albany, we headed to the Baseball Hall of Fame, and we were both amazed at the amount of history and great stories there. In addition to the specially made plaques for every Hall of Fame member, many players had jerseys, bats, balls, and even trophies in special lockers. We saw many exhibits for Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Ty Cobb, Frank Robinson, among many many others. We even saw a small tribute to Edgar Martinez:

Cooperstown was definitely one of the most memorable stops in this trip, as we will both remember it for a long time. From there it was a drive to Niagara Falls, which we haven't actually seen yet. We plan on taking a Mermaid of the Mist cruise tomorrow morning, during which we plan to take many pictures. We hope everyone is doing well at home and everyone has had a great Father's Day! Looking forward to seeing everyone!

PTL0

Episode 6: Go West, Young Man, Go West!

Today we stopped going northeast and started west! The day started in Providence, Rhode Island, and after a quick Starbucks breakfast, we headed north. We drove past Boston, and on through part of New Hampshire and into Maine. The two sites we visited on the way were Gloucester, Massachusetts, and Kennebunkport, Maine. Both were very interesting fishing ports with amazing views of the ocean, which was unfortunately gray as it was cloudy. Nonetheless, the ports were very nice, colonial feeling, and smelled strongly of the ocean.

If you read the Special Post I wrote this afternoon, you'll read about Haley's Burgers and Fries, a small place where we picked up lunch. From Maine, we headed straight west through New Hampshire, Vermont, and into Albany, NY, where we are spending the night. I got to drive almost the whole way from Maine to Albany, and I must say, all 5 hours of driving was very enjoyable. Vermont in particular has some of the most beautifully scenic driving I have ever seen; the picture here is from the top of a mountain/hill on the highway.

The curvy country road was bright (the clouds cleared up as we went west), fresh, and simply beautiful. I think someday I would want to come again in October and fly to Boston, rent a car, and drive through Vermont and upstate New York, and just enjoy all the leaves changing. Seeing the flowing green deciduous trees was incredible, and to go to Boston in the fall must be spectacular. 

We've had a great day and hope everyone else at home is too! We're looking forward to seeing everyone, and now we're headed in the right direction. Tomorrow we will drive through upstate New York, and we plan on stopping in Cooperstown for the MLB hall of fame, and in Syracuse to visit relatives. Until then, have a great Father's Day weekend! Happy Father's Day dad!

PTL0