Catchup

SO...
In case you were wondering, we didn't die. I thought I kept notes on our days, but apparently they weren't meticulous enough because afterwards I couldn't remember right away each day from another. Much of the time we didn't have internet because the return trip was pretty much one giant blizzard. We even got stranded in Laramie, WY again!
We decided we'd have to stop for the night because of the snow, and made plans to get to Laramie. After sitting on a closed highway only 30 miles away, and I do remember that we decided to try and reach it by the old highway. We made it about 6 miles from Laramie before that highway closed, ended up trekking all the way back and discovered the actual highway had opened up again, long enough for us to get to our hotel. Wasn't our favourite New Year's activity, but we made it home safely!

And then I never updated again.



BUT. This time, it is summer. J spent it on the East coast for an internship, and this morning I flew out to see him! (Finally!) Our road trip this time around will be the opposite, as we'll drive through Texas to get home in the heat and cross off some new states for us. We start early tomorrow, and even splurged a little on the hotels. After working two jobs all summer, J deserves some pampering! I'm excited, but mostly I couldn't care where we stay - I'm just glad to finally be with him again :)

Return, Day 1

Driving stats~

Time: 4 hours, 20 minutes

Miles: 237

Stops made: None! Easy day for us :)

General mood: Excited

Weather: Overcast but fair, mild snow flurries

What a fun day for us! We made it to Pittsburgh and met up with some of J's family for lunch at a cute little Italian place called Il Pizzaiolo. His cousin got the house salad, J ordered some sort of appetizer that looked like mozzarella sticks but involved potato, and I started off with traditional wedding soup. If you haven't heard of it before (I hadn't), it's essentially a chicken soup with a little rice, pasta, and meatballs, and it is fantastic. It was exactly what I needed, and I loved it! Then they got a margherita pizza and we split one with fennel sausage, which was also delicious. Just the right amount of sauce and an amazing dough, it was really thin but tasted great. The decor was fun and cozy, apparently during the summer there's a cute back patio to eat in, and the service was helpful and friendly--J's niece only wanted plain pasta, and they were more than happy to bring her some. Oh, and the bread! I love places that bring me free bread at the beginning. It was a great meal.

After lunch, we had the whole afternoon and J took me sightseeing. I'd never been, so we took the public transit system there--the T--to a fun thing called the Incline. Apparently, it's so annoying to drive up Mount Washington that they put in this track called the Monongahela incline, where you pile in this little car and are pulled up a track straight up the side of the mountain (much like a roller coaster, but only the anticipation part). Right outside the top is a cute little lookout platform, but between the ice, freezing temperature, and high winds we didn't stay long. Instead, we enjoyed the view on the ride back down and to the nearby shopping center, which used to be a train station. What a fun place! We browsed around and got a free hand scrub demonstration (causing us to crave gingerbread cookies and rasberry lemonade the rest of the day, the sugar scrubs smelled so good) and just enjoyed the Christmas decorations still up around the depot.

After a great dinner with the rest of his extended family in Pittsburgh, we checked into our Days Inn, which in all honesty has been our least favourite hotel so far. It was...clean. That's all I can really say, especially the bathroom. It didn't leave me with the impression of being cozy, or cute, just...Hmm. This is clean. And then the shower had about 8 different settings, all of which turned out to be either drip or deluge, so that was disappointing, but hey. It was a hotel, and yes there was a nice TV and minifridge/microwave set. All in all, a very fun day.

Vacation!

I love the holidays! Spending some time relaxing with family, seeing the Christmas decorations around the DC area, it was a great time. And there was some great food! There were a lot of wonderful family meals, but here are the restaurants we went out to:

Lunch at Clyde's in Georgetown, the original in the chain that apparently inspired the 1976 hit Afternoon Delight. We started off with a delicious chicken soup of the day, which really hit the spot for me, and the atmosphere somehow suggested high-end class and crowded diner at the same time. I had a turkey club sandwich, which I highly enjoyed, J loved his swiss cheeseburger and fries, and his mom got a vegetable omelette with a side of brunch potatoes (it's one of her favourite dishes there). All in all, I'd say two and a half thumbs up, except there were 3 of us... so I suppose that'd be three and a half, maybe 4 thumbs up? I'm ridiculous, I know.

Lunch at Austin Grill in Rockville, a fantastic repeat from my last visit. They start you off with chips and salsa, and we ordered a small bowl of queso with it. First of all, small? No, this was not small. It could be considered small for a table of 6--maybe. But it was delicious! Then we feasted on appetizers, finally realizing that we can't eat both 3 or 4 course meals all the time.

He got the grilled chicken taquitos, flour tortillas stuffed with chicken, cheese, and garlic mashed potatoes. I'm not quite sure what's in the sauce it was served with, but it was tomato based with a great kick and absolutely

complimentary. I ended up with the combo Longhorn nachos, piled with

beans, cheese, roasted jalapenos, sour cream and pico de gallo, and alternating between steak and chicken. Let me tell you, I know there is a God because he gave us edible things like cows. The steak was amazing. It's a fun atmosphere, I'm sure it's much busier at dinner time, but we got just the right amount of attention. Three and a half thumbs up!

Dinner at Rio Grande in Bethesda, a fun place for some more great tex-mex. We went with a few other friends, but one way or another all ended up ordering chicken, steak, or combo fajitas. I loved that we got to make our own, the flour tortillas were heavenly, and again--the chicken is good, but the steak was out of this world. It could also be that this was the first day I had steak this trip--which is practically a record for me--but I'm gonna go with they just really knew what they were doing.

In one of his friend's drink was a little flamingo thing, which I love because I used to be an avid flamingo collector. But this one is special. I mean, it looked decidedly male to me:

And then I pulled it out and saw this:

Those are definitely women's legs wearing heels. So it ends up being some kind

of confused little flamingo, but ah well. It was a wonderful dinner with wonderful people!

I'm not even going to try figuring out the thumbs up thing.

Day 4

Driving stats~

Time: 10 hours, 50 minutes

Miles: 596

Road work sites passed: 6

Statistics forgotten: 1

Weather: Overcast but fair, an occasional touch of snow

Wow, we made it! I was so done with being in the car, I can only imagine how tired my amazing driver was. We slept in a little longer than we had originally planned, but I'm sure we needed it to stay happy enough on the road!

We drove through Kentucky, and unfortunately still did not like the roads at all. But we listened to great music and got through it, and ended up in West Virginia for lunch. It was this tiny little town a few miles off the highway, situated right by the Elk River, and we went to the family restaurant which I believe was called Century Inn. To be honest, I'm not even entirely certain Sutton was the name of the town...it was quite tiny and fairly nondescript, just another small town among several.

It was interesting experiencing such a different pace of life, the place was empty and the service slow, but they had a ribeye steak for $9.99, which I ordered but they were out of. So I got a Belgian waffle with bacon (if you haven't noticed I like bacon, I like bacon quite a lot), and a bowl of oatmeal. He ordered the roast beef with gravy, mashed potatoes and corn, and praised the corn quite highly. If you don't mind taking your time for a meal, it was good solid food and I think we would give it just under two thumbs up. We also got a doggy bag of assorted fudges and cookies, and some chocolate covered pretzel rods for the road, which are some of our favourite so that was great too!

We got back on the road semi-reluctantly, but spurred on by the idea of finally being home. We finished our drive through West Virginia with not much of note occurring, except it seemed to have a great deal more bridges than anywhere we've been so far. There were mountains and it was pretty, and there was a lot of road work--though I suppose in the long run that's better than just exceptionally awful roads, because at least it means they're working on it, right?

We moved into Maryland, which was so exciting for us! Everything really is relative, we had three or four hours left and were grinning that we were so close. By the time we got through the mountains we still had two hours left but decided we'd be there in no time at all, I was counting down with one eye on the clock the entire time. I'm sure it was worse for him, because he knew the area and knew just how close he was! I could swear the clock held steady for minutes at a time, just taunting me. Don't get me wrong, I love this man and spending time with him, and I enjoyed our roadtrip, but there comes a point when you are simply done. Luckily, we made it his family's safe and sound, and with energy to spare! Saying hello to everyone and unpacking the car--especially bringing in all the Christmas presents to put under the fantastical tree--made it all pretty worth it.

Now just the trip back...

But we won't think about that yet.

Merry Christmas and a very happy, low-stress holiday season to everyone I can't be with this year! I love all my friends and family, and friends that are family--I hope you each stay safe (especially if traveling) and have a wonderful time enjoying it all!

Day 3

Driving stats~

Time: 9 hours, 15 minutes

Miles: 552

States traveled in: 5

Miles left: About 595

Weather: Overcast

We really enjoyed Kansas. Everyone was so friendly, and wished us Merry Christmas (not Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas!) We had

a fairly easy day driving-wise, though maybe not so much mentally. I was kind of ready to be done... But it seemed to go fairly quickly, we made good time and got great gas mileage! Moved across Kansas and right into Missouri. We even got a peek at the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, which I believe is 630 feet tall and the same wide.

We drove into Illinois and stopped at a cute little restaurant in Nashville (we were momentarily confused about which state we were in--especially since we parked next to this fantastic truck pictured below! In case you can't see very well, some of my favourite details included the confederate flag license plate, the "Redneck" decal across the windshield, decals on the back windows that were stag heads, and the fuzzy confederate dice hanging from the rear-view mirror). The place was named, appropriately, Little Nashville Restaurant. We ordered hot wings for me, which tasted almost fried and not hot at all, and an openface roast beef sandwich which he LOVED. It came with really great mashed potatoes, gravy, and corn. I enjoyed it, he adored it, three and a half thumbs up.

On we went into Indiana.

And then on to Kentucky! And we've only been in Louisville so far, but the roads have been awful. They're crazy! Traffic lights for every lane, poorly marked 20mph turns, sudden ditches and minor cliffs with no warnings or guardrails. Not okay.

But the dinner we had at Cafe Lou Lou was delicious! We tried to start off with a small appetizer, and ended up with a 10" garlic bread "pizza" covered in mozzarella cheese, with a side of marinara. It was hard to save any room for our entrees, but we were so looking forward to them; he ordered a twice-baked lasagna, with all the layers of awesome that come with it, including a mix of ground beef and Italian sausage. I got a half portion (and ate barely half) of the special: tri-color tortellini with three cheeses, tomatoes and onions, sausage and chicken, covered in a creamy tomato/cheese sauce with a bit of a kick and topped with pepperjack cheese.

By the time we got towards the end of the meal

we were getting full, and I wasn't feeling too hot, so I kind of passed on dessert. Of course, I come back to the table to find him with a chocolate souffle lava cake drizzled with a vanilla cream and chocolate sauce.

I couldn't stay away, and it was absolutely scrumptious, truly melted in your mouth. By popular vote, three and a half thumbs up! It also had great (if slightly confusing new-age and modern art) decor and very friendly service.

Our hotel could be better, the city isn't our favourite and our hotel suffered water damage so they rerouted us to a Ramada Inn. We weren't too worried, we enjoyed our other Ramada...until we realized that this one was connected to a restaurant by a strip mall? We were not a fan. It turns out that our original hotel didn't have any water damage to our room, just the lobby and maybe the other side, so we ended up back here at the Baymont. No fancy jacuzzi this time, but a cozy little well-lit room. We are very, very ready to end our trip tomorrow, but hopefully it won't be such a tough day. Weather's been good today, we hope it continues...

Tomorrow, we'll be in DC!

Day 2

Driving stats~

Time: 11 hours, 50 minutes

Miles: 700

Vehicles pulled over by cops: 4 cars, 1 semi

Fun animals spotted: cows, cows, more happy cows, horses, sad cows, deer, 2 hawks, and a heron.

Weather: Fair to overcast except for a few hours of snow flurries leading up to minor visibility and traction difficulties.

We live in such a beautiful country. Before today, I'd never had the actual experience of being on the top of a mountain , looking down across the land at the edge of the sunrise that hadn't gotten there yet. Somethings are absolutely breathtaking, even if it's just the way the light streams through a gap in the clouds. We started off bright and early, in great spirits and ready to face our long day of driving. Well, he drives, and I keep him company--really he's taking a lot on himself. At any rate, we were looking at signs and enjoying being somewhere new, and I saw a sign for a Lincoln monument. As I wondered what it was, we passed this:

So, I suppose that cleared that up.

Soon enough, we left Wyoming and entered Nebraska. We had originally planned to head down through Chicago so we'd have a different route each time, but decided it was worth it to avoid the snow and mountains. Plus we had fun passing all of the pioneer monuments and things we'd seen in various movies. He gave me my favourite quote of the trip so far: "Hey look, the North Platte River. I've crossed that...in the Oregon Trail game."

We stopped in Kearney for lunch at an Old Chicago pizza place which was, there is no other way to describe it, utterly delicious. We shared a medium pizza with Italian sausage and hickory ham, and it was utterly fantastic. (A possible 4 thumbs up!)

Around this time it had begun to snow, but it wasn't sticking or even very noticeable until a few hours away from Lawrence (our destination). We made a quick stop for gas, and when we came back outside it had suddenly decided to be difficult. A small layer on the roads, the sun had gone down, and turning on the brights only meant that we lit up the snow swirling around the car. To be fair, it looked wonderfully like we were headed into warp speed... The snow slowed us down a bit, but we made it through and were not in any of the accidents we saw (or the one that closed down the highway). Which was a fun adventure, being sent by Kansas troopers to "the old highway" down the street, which twisted around and included a very narrow one lane bridge (on a two-way highway). Eventually, he got us through it and the roads cleared up by the time we hit our last major roadway.

We made it to Lawrence later than we had planned, but still in time to alter our reservation at the 715--very different from last night's dinner though still as well-loved! He got rabbit ravioli, which was quite layered and delicious though also including goat cheese, which I am not a fan of so I can't really review it further. I however, got a wonderfully spiced, delectably moist pork chop. Let me tell you, they really knew what they were doing--not only was it amazing and cooked so nicely it made my mouth extremely happy, it was the only thing on the plate aside from some hand-made applesauce on the top. No veggies, no nothin', just meat. They were a place after my own heart! I will estimate another three thumbs up.

For dessert, we went to a place across the street called 3 Spoons Yogurt--for those of you who know Pinkberry, very similar. Except more soft-serve flavours and CHEAP! You choose your flavours, any toppings you want, and then they charge by the ounce. We got two cups for about the price of a medium Pinkberry with 3 toppings, but we got to sample all the flavours and it was just a fun experience. I ended up getting half strawberry and half cake batter, with mini chocolate chips. He got cake batter with Oreos, fruity pebbles I think, I don't even know what else but it tasted kind of like a funfetti cake with chocolate! We are big snobs about not eating low-fat or non-fat things on account of "taste", but 3 Spoons only had low or non-fat frozen yogurt, and we still went gaga for it. Again, 4 thumbs up.

Afterward, we checked into our Baymont Inn, which we found didn't have as large/nice of a room at the Ramada, but traded comfy for class. It made up for everything when we went into the bathroom and found...a jacuzzi tub. Yes. By the time we finished with dinner the pool/hot tub had closed, but no matter! All in all, an evening in Lawrence was the perfect thing to treat ourselves with after a long day of driving. We loved downtown, the food, and the atmosphere of the college in the area infused everything with trendiness; most of the people we saw would have fit right in back in Manhattan. Every single person here in Kansas has been extra helpful and wonderfully nice. I hope Kentucky can live up to this standard!

Day 1

Driving stats~

Time: 5 hours, 45 minutes

Miles: 390

PT Cruisers laughed at: 1

Cars stopped by/off road spotted: 4

Weather: Overcast but fair

Surprisingly, I actually got the house fairly clean before leaving. I did not, however, finish Christmas for people back home in the box I need to ship. Instead I have supplies to finish making the two I need to and somewhere along the way I'll find a post office. Ah, who am I kidding...When I get home, I'll be able to send out the box for a January Christmas!

We finished packing the car and set out in the early afternoon for a fairly uneventful drive. The road was either tediously straight or curving through the mountains, and it was mostly us and trucks traveling, but The Phantom of the Opera, Next to Normal, Wicked, Avril Lavigne, and random local religious/news talk shows got us through. I have a feeling they will be our new best friends these next few days...

And now, here we are: Laramie, Wyoming. Yes, I know, such a hoppin' place, how could we not be excited! And though finding our way through these roads in the dark was not a fun experience at all (even the GPS was no help. After dinner it led us to a field in the middle of nowhere), we've actually enjoyed it. We're staying at the Ramada Inn, and it's quite nice--especially for such a cheap room. We ate dinner at the local college hangout called The Library, Brewery and Grill and had truly spectacular hamburgers. I stole some pictures on my camera phone which I will attempt to upload on here/facebook--they were so wrong. So, so deliciously wrong...

We started off with an appetizer sampler of buffalo wings, mozzarella sticks, mini corndog bites, and deep fried mac-n-cheese bites--all mouthwateringly unhealthy. Then came our burgers! He got the Paul Bunyan burger, one full pound of hamburger with hickory smoked bacon, provolone and cheddar cheese, barbecue sauce and all the fixin's. And I ordered an amazing

invention called the nacho cheese burger. Yes, that's right, a burger with bacon, jalapenos, and nacho cheese. Lots. Of nacho cheese.

I don't know who invented that, but they deserve a trophy. Made out of bacon and nacho cheese.

We finished off with a turtle brownie and ice cream. All in all, a very satisfying experience. If we lived here, we would most definitely go back quite often, I would say about three thumbs up.*

And now if you'll excuse us, we're going to sleep asap. Tomorrow we leave quite early for our longest day of driving...

Next stop, Kansas!

*There are two of us. It works, trust me.