In the last two days we have made it through six states! After heading from the hotel in Ohio, we drove through to Indiana, Illinois and then Missouri. We spent a relaxing afternoon and evening with DB's family....I swam and sunned by the pool and tried to get a little color. No luck of course. It was really nice though. For dinner we had DB's favorite pizza, Imo's, which is definitely up to my New Haven standards - nice thin crust, good sauce and tasty toppings. We decided to leave around 10 (which turned into 11....), and got to see his niece and nephew before we left.
From St. Louis, we drove for what seemed like forever through Missouri. I think most of the day was driving through there.....finally into Iowa, and then South Dakota. We made it to Sioux Falls in about eight and a half or nine hours today. Definitely got carded just checking into the hotel - that's a first. Something we discovered that I think we missed last year: the hotel/motel guides you can get at rest areas have really good rates/coupons in them....like at least $10 less than the AAA rate (somewhat disappointing). We've had good luck with them twice already. The AAA guides are still the most helpful though.
Our route so far has been thus:
View Larger Map
Tomorrow will take us through South Dakota....definitely one of my favorite places on the road trip with all there is to see. My plan is to stop at Corn Palace and pick up some really good popcorn, drive through the Badlands and then stop at Wall Drug for lunch. Something I'm excited about is getting my National Parks pass! With all our stops this summer it will certainly be worth it, and since it is good for a year, we can use it while we are living nearby Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks in MT. We may return to SD too for a more leisurely trip after finding an apartment and visiting the Pacific coast. I'd love to do some camping in the Black Hills and Badlands.
Wherever we end up tomorrow night (that's something we need to plan in the morning) will hopefully leave us with a not-too-long drive the next day to Missoula so apartment-hunting can commence.
I got a little bit of knitting done on the ride. My biggest fiber related accomplishment was rolling the messy skein of yarn into a center-pull ball. I kept getting yarn barf every few rows and that was just driving me crazy. I now have a nice neat ball. I meant to take a photo, but I keep forgetting to grab my camera. I also wanted a shot of the car....it's not too packed, but definitely full. (There is one door we cannot open.) And the hippo and dog stuffed animals are peeking out the rear window. It's very cute.
Off to sleep....yet another dinner I almost fell asleep over! Traveling is exhausting! Hopefully we will slow our pace considerably after we find a place in Missoula.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Monday, June 28, 2010
First day
I think this will be the most boring of the driving....not that it wasn't pretty. There was some nice scenery as we headed out of New Jersey on 80W. But once out of Pennsylvania, it was flat, flat, flat, which bores me to no end.
We pushed a bit and made it....not as far as we would have liked....but to Springfield, OH where we checked out the less expensive hotel options. They were totally sketchy. Like the place in Davenport, Iowa where we stayed last year....well, I guess I didn't write about it, but it was horrible. The pool was filthy, food wrappers everywhere, the smoke detectors were disconnected in my room, there were no toiletries and the woman at the counter was super cranky when I asked for some....and I read some awful reviews involving drug trade at this particular place and people walking into a room splattered with blood. Not a good night. So last night we opted for a slightly nicer option and it was worth it. Even $10 can make a difference.
We ran into a lot of bad thunder and rain storms on the way, once into Ohio. After checking in, we went across the parking lot to Cracker Barrel (of course) for a tasty meal. And we just made it back into the hotel before it really started coming down again. Poor DB had to run back to the car for his contact solution....and was drenched.
Storms aside, it was a fine trip. We got decent mileage though the hills killed it a bit. About 40 mpg. The SRS light has gone back off, after coming on briefly yesterday morning. I got some knitting in while DB drove, so maybe some day I will finish this baby blanket!
Today we are heading for St. Louis. It will be about a 6 hour drive....my plans include hanging out at the pool so far. Hopefully we'll have good weather, although here it looks gloomy and soggy.
We pushed a bit and made it....not as far as we would have liked....but to Springfield, OH where we checked out the less expensive hotel options. They were totally sketchy. Like the place in Davenport, Iowa where we stayed last year....well, I guess I didn't write about it, but it was horrible. The pool was filthy, food wrappers everywhere, the smoke detectors were disconnected in my room, there were no toiletries and the woman at the counter was super cranky when I asked for some....and I read some awful reviews involving drug trade at this particular place and people walking into a room splattered with blood. Not a good night. So last night we opted for a slightly nicer option and it was worth it. Even $10 can make a difference.
We ran into a lot of bad thunder and rain storms on the way, once into Ohio. After checking in, we went across the parking lot to Cracker Barrel (of course) for a tasty meal. And we just made it back into the hotel before it really started coming down again. Poor DB had to run back to the car for his contact solution....and was drenched.
Storms aside, it was a fine trip. We got decent mileage though the hills killed it a bit. About 40 mpg. The SRS light has gone back off, after coming on briefly yesterday morning. I got some knitting in while DB drove, so maybe some day I will finish this baby blanket!
Today we are heading for St. Louis. It will be about a 6 hour drive....my plans include hanging out at the pool so far. Hopefully we'll have good weather, although here it looks gloomy and soggy.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
almost (almost!) there....
We spent just about all day yesterday moving everything but the road trip stuff into my dad's car and trailer to take up to CT. Aside from a flat tire issue that brought us to meet several really nice people, it went really smoothly. (Note to self: write nice reviews for aforementioned businesses. Bad review for Garden State Honda who charged me to fix everything but the (under warranty) problem I came in with...and then didn't help me at all with the warrantied safety issue.)
The cat went missing briefly. I freaked out. Who wouldn't? How cute is she?
Dear boyfriend found her wedged underneath the couch....she had crawled up into the arm of the love seat somehow. She's staying with mom and brother until I return. Well, even then, she and I will still both be there until we go to Montana. I miss her already.
I have a lot of stuff. Not really furniture, just boxes and boxes of household things, pictures, lamps, kitchen stuff, etc. Knowing that we're moving (realistically) at least two more times, I am probably going to hold a huge yard sale and sell a lot. Because packing up a whole household every year is stressful.
DB and I then drove back to NJ for our last night here....in an empty apartment. (Again, aside from all the road trip stuff.) We picked up pizza from Star Tavern (which we will also miss!) and sat on pillows and a blanket on the floor and watched Harry Potter. This was around 8 or so...after eating we nearly fell asleep on the floor. We inflated the air mattress, and aside from being very squeaky, it wasn't too bad. Especially considering how exhausted we were. So practice camping went well. Now we are up bright and early, with plans to stop at Dunkin' Donuts, pack up the car, shower and finish cleaning the house (not much left to do there actually - just bathroom, fridge purge and polishing the floors).
We have a variety of first destinations, depending on how tired we are. The earliest would be Dayton, OH, second is Columbus, OH and third (11 and a half hours away) is Indianapolis. I'm guessing it will be one of the first two.
Off to caffeinate! And hopefully get on the road soon.
The cat went missing briefly. I freaked out. Who wouldn't? How cute is she?
I have a lot of stuff. Not really furniture, just boxes and boxes of household things, pictures, lamps, kitchen stuff, etc. Knowing that we're moving (realistically) at least two more times, I am probably going to hold a huge yard sale and sell a lot. Because packing up a whole household every year is stressful.
DB and I then drove back to NJ for our last night here....in an empty apartment. (Again, aside from all the road trip stuff.) We picked up pizza from Star Tavern (which we will also miss!) and sat on pillows and a blanket on the floor and watched Harry Potter. This was around 8 or so...after eating we nearly fell asleep on the floor. We inflated the air mattress, and aside from being very squeaky, it wasn't too bad. Especially considering how exhausted we were. So practice camping went well. Now we are up bright and early, with plans to stop at Dunkin' Donuts, pack up the car, shower and finish cleaning the house (not much left to do there actually - just bathroom, fridge purge and polishing the floors).
We have a variety of first destinations, depending on how tired we are. The earliest would be Dayton, OH, second is Columbus, OH and third (11 and a half hours away) is Indianapolis. I'm guessing it will be one of the first two.
Off to caffeinate! And hopefully get on the road soon.
Friday, June 25, 2010
*tear*
Haven't knit in over 2 weeks....maybe more.....because packing is consuming my life. And stupid car problems :-P
Save me......
Also, on top of this, all the goodbyes.....it's been a really rough month.
Next moving trip: getting a van/truck, etc.
Anyway, I'm very sad to be saying goodbye to everyone at internship....and maybe not so sad to move, but it's still hard and stressful.
Hopefully more....good news.....later. Off to fill more boxes. Three letters: FML.
Save me......
Also, on top of this, all the goodbyes.....it's been a really rough month.
Next moving trip: getting a van/truck, etc.
Anyway, I'm very sad to be saying goodbye to everyone at internship....and maybe not so sad to move, but it's still hard and stressful.
Hopefully more....good news.....later. Off to fill more boxes. Three letters: FML.
Friday, June 11, 2010
changes and things
I'm getting to the point where this blog is about to come back to the traveling topic, where it all began....[cue flashback music and fade out]....
Not that I'll be discarding the knitting portion. I just haven't been making any marked progress on that end of things in my life....I must be the slowest knitter ever! And, also, I haven't been home too much, so that could be part of it. Or at least at home, at leisure.
But the blanket continues....I knit some in the car on our way to and from Saratoga Springs for a girls weekend with Mom and sister. I enjoyed some time in the steam room, a mineral bath, a massage and facial.....ahhh! It was all kinds of wonderful and relaxing. There have been renovations since we were there last and the new lounge is great!
Anyway, the knitting goes on. And meanwhile, I've been thinking about this whole moving and road trip thing. It's rather exciting getting to plan yet another road trip....though difficult to choose where we'll go! We will definitely go down the Pacific coast....but I also want to see: All the parks in Utah (and maybe Arizona) we missed....the Loneliest Road again....maybe back to Great Basin....Yosemite since DB hasn't been there.....the Bonneville Salt Flats....
So, everything, basically. Watching the PBS National Parks documentary isn't helping either. Also, I want to become a park ranger, again. I'm thinking, practice psychology for like 20, 25 years....then maybe join the service. Or go back to college for a degree in Fiber Arts. Either way....
With all this planning about moving and living and so forth I've been thinking a lot about where I'd like to live, ideally. This year in NJ has convinced me I am not cut out for the suburbs, at all. We have been talking a lot about moving back to San Francisco and I think I would be happier there. But, there's a part of me that still wants what would be basically be a homestead or self-sustenance farm somewhere peaceful and surrounded by relatively untouched nature. What I miss about the city is the community. You don't find that in the suburbs, at least in my experience. I've met some of my neighbors here and they are really nice, but there is an isolation here that you don't find in a lot of urban neighborhoods or in small country villages. Even with the isolation of the country, when there is a community, however rarely it convenes, there is support and warmth around the common experience of country life. And in the urban neighborhoods - like where we lived in San Francisco - you get to know the shopkeepers and business owners, your neighbors and even some of the homeless. So, the suburbs aren't for me. It looks like we will be city-dwellers, at least for the next 5 or so years. DB is not much of an outdoorsy person (though I will be working on that during the road trip). Funny, despite our mutual introversion, we both miss the community we had in the Inner Sunset, all the people we met over the years.
Anyway, just musing....off to watch more of the National Parks documentary! I live an exciting life here...nothing like knitting, wine and some educational programming!
Not that I'll be discarding the knitting portion. I just haven't been making any marked progress on that end of things in my life....I must be the slowest knitter ever! And, also, I haven't been home too much, so that could be part of it. Or at least at home, at leisure.
But the blanket continues....I knit some in the car on our way to and from Saratoga Springs for a girls weekend with Mom and sister. I enjoyed some time in the steam room, a mineral bath, a massage and facial.....ahhh! It was all kinds of wonderful and relaxing. There have been renovations since we were there last and the new lounge is great!
Anyway, the knitting goes on. And meanwhile, I've been thinking about this whole moving and road trip thing. It's rather exciting getting to plan yet another road trip....though difficult to choose where we'll go! We will definitely go down the Pacific coast....but I also want to see: All the parks in Utah (and maybe Arizona) we missed....the Loneliest Road again....maybe back to Great Basin....Yosemite since DB hasn't been there.....the Bonneville Salt Flats....
So, everything, basically. Watching the PBS National Parks documentary isn't helping either. Also, I want to become a park ranger, again. I'm thinking, practice psychology for like 20, 25 years....then maybe join the service. Or go back to college for a degree in Fiber Arts. Either way....
With all this planning about moving and living and so forth I've been thinking a lot about where I'd like to live, ideally. This year in NJ has convinced me I am not cut out for the suburbs, at all. We have been talking a lot about moving back to San Francisco and I think I would be happier there. But, there's a part of me that still wants what would be basically be a homestead or self-sustenance farm somewhere peaceful and surrounded by relatively untouched nature. What I miss about the city is the community. You don't find that in the suburbs, at least in my experience. I've met some of my neighbors here and they are really nice, but there is an isolation here that you don't find in a lot of urban neighborhoods or in small country villages. Even with the isolation of the country, when there is a community, however rarely it convenes, there is support and warmth around the common experience of country life. And in the urban neighborhoods - like where we lived in San Francisco - you get to know the shopkeepers and business owners, your neighbors and even some of the homeless. So, the suburbs aren't for me. It looks like we will be city-dwellers, at least for the next 5 or so years. DB is not much of an outdoorsy person (though I will be working on that during the road trip). Funny, despite our mutual introversion, we both miss the community we had in the Inner Sunset, all the people we met over the years.
Anyway, just musing....off to watch more of the National Parks documentary! I live an exciting life here...nothing like knitting, wine and some educational programming!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)