Home Again

Long Day on the Road

I know I have said this before, but today seemed like an exceptionally long day on the road.  We traveled through Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.  We left our hotel around 5:45 this morning and we watched the sun rise along route I 80. 

We had a bookend day.  We drove down to the shores of Lake Erie tonight and watched the sunset.  It was a beautiful end to a long driving day. 

The in between...we went from bored out of our minds to a little too much excitement.

There were no Starbucks in sight so we stopped at the SAPP Brothers for our daily ritual.  

At that point I had been been driving for about 3 hours so we switched drivers and Kurt took the wheel.  About 15 miles later and 100 miles into Illinois, I had just nodded off and was jarred awake by Kurt yelling "DD!" He was so excited because he spotted the first Dunkin Donuts he had seen in 7 weeks.  I convinced him to wait to get another cup of coffee because we still had our SAPP Brothers' coffee. I figured we had hit Dunkin Country so we were safe and could get another cup a little later.  I was obviously wrong...we didn't see another DD until we pulled into Pennsylvania 6 hours later.  

Sorry Kurt! 

If you have ever driven through Indiana, then you already know that visitor centers and travel  centers are few and far between. Both Kurt and I started looking for somewhere to stop to take a bathroom break around the same time.  I can tell you that we both started getting to a code red status very quickly. I finally pulled off an exit assuming there had to be someplace we could stop.  Remember what happens when you assume...

I drove about 3-4 miles and out of sheer desperation I finally pulled over at an old bowling alley.  Kurt jumped out first and beelines for the door.  He came out laughing because when he ran in all the lights were off and he realized that they were closed.  But he saw the men's room and figured there was no harm.  I was already running toward the door as he yelled to me that they were closed and there were no lights on inside.  It was much harder to find the ladies room, but I did.  I came running out of the place, we jumped in the car, and were laughing hysterically as we pulled out of the deserted parking lot.  We felt like Bonnie and Clyde!  

Lastly, Kurt got pulled over in Ohio driving a little over the speed limit.  The State Trooper was so nice and understanding.  "Not too worry,I can see you are from out of state", he said leading us to believe that he was just going to give us a warning.  Then he comes back and hands Kurt a $145 ticket and thanked us for visiting his state. His manner was so courteous and friendly that we didn't realize until after we pulled away that he actually gave us a ticket.   

 

To top off the evening we had an enjoyable dinner at Quaker Steak and Lube. Oh yes we did! 

It was actually lots of fun! 

The last thing I am going to say about today is that if you didn't enjoy today's blog...not my fault...blame Gwen.  

From the Sublime to the Ridiculous

We spent 12 hours in the car today.  We traveled out of Colorado, through Nebraska, and 3/4 of Iowa.  Gone are the mountains, rivers, valleys, plateaus, mesas, replaced by the rolling seas of green grass.  It was beautiful, but you get tired of it very quickly.  All is not lost in our journey today.  Kurt pulled out Roadside America and quickly looked up weird things to see along I 80 through the flatlands.  Enjoy!  

First stop...UFO Water Tower somewhere in Nebraska. 

Our next stop was Fort Cody Trading Post in North Platte.  We were like two little kids skipping through the playground. Oh yeah...and our little dog too!

Heading east, we stopped at the Sod House Museum with the world's largest plow. 

This was actually very interesting as I learned a few things about the settlers journey along the Oregon Trail.  The women working there were so interesting and knowledgable about that time in history.  

We also stopped at the world's largest covered wagon and The Great Platte River Road Archway which is actually a museum that tells the story of the Oregon Trail.  

Heading into Iowa, our first stop was the Volkswagen Beetle Spider,  This was probably my favorite! 

The finale on our wild and wacky ride through the Heartland was...

3 National Parks in 2 Days. Colorado National Monument.

You might think that climbing around on rocks for three days would be boring.  Nope!  Each day was just as amazing as the last, and each park has its own personality.  This morning we visited Colorado National Monument Park.  

We spent the rest of the day driving across the state of Colorado.  We drove through Aspen and Vail, and even the entrance to the Rocky Mountains. But we had to make a pit stop at Grand Junction. We had been having  a slow leak in one of the car tires. It was getting worse so we stopped at a tire store and they found a small nail.  They fixed it quickly and we were back on the road in 45 minutes. It was a win win..they found the problem and it was Lady's Tuesday which meant that it was no charge.  Thanks Carrie and Cory...you made my day.  

What an amazing state. It seemed like every time we drove around a bend, everything changed. We had a long day in the car and hit lots of rain, detours, and traffic.  Gwenny was exhausted. 

Heading off to Iowa tomorrow. We have a long day at the wheel.  Goodnight. 

Canyonland National Park

On Monday we visited both Arches National Park and Canyonland National Park.  We were told that it is almost impossible to do do both parks in one day.  We did it and I have the blisters to prove it!  Both parks were spectacular and well worth the visit.  

Canyonlands was amazing.  There was a quick rainstorm while we were there.  It poured for a few minutes and then this amazing rainbow appeared over the terrain.  

Kurt and I felt like we were standing under the rainbow and found the pot of gold. 

We hiked out to an arch and started taking a few pictures. It was stunning. 

So then we had a few bizarre moments in the park.  At one point It felt like we were standing at the top of the world and we could almost touch the clouds. For those of you who know us, you know that music is a major part of our lives, so of course we had some great tunes playing as we made this 26 mile trek around Canyonland. I just commented to Kurt about how it felt like we could touch the clouds when The Road and the Sky by Jackson Browne started playing.  Then Jackson started singing, "When you come to the place where the road and the sky collide, throw me over the edge and let my spirit glide..."

 

As the day started to come to an end, I turned to Kurt and commented on how majestic it looked as the sun started setting and it rolled across the mesas and lit them up in weird ways.  What do you think started playing?  Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me by Elton John.  It was really starting to get creepy. 

As we were leaving the park at dusk, the coloring of the sky was a bit sinister.   Far off in the distance we could see these wavy colored lights which we thought might be the remnants of another rainbow.  It was very bizarre.  We started making jokes about maybe it was an alien invasion, or an apocalypse.  Next thing we hear is Don't Feel the Reaper by Blue Oyster Cult.  

It was awesome.  We love that stuff!  

For a little extra entertainment...we love this picture.  I'll tell you the story when I see you.  It is quite comical.  Even Gwen got in on it.  

Arches National Park...Beyond Words

It was an extraordinary adventure!