On the way into Memphis' downtown, we had to swing by Graceland and pay our respects to "the King". Pierce and I didn't go onto the grounds, but it was a lot of fun to check out the souvenir shops and all of the Elvis fans that were out and about. We had a great time taking pictures. We moved on fairly quickly and before you know it we were in downtown Memphis. I have to say, I was not that impressed with the parts of Memphis that we went through, it seemed a bit dingy and rather mellow for there being so many storefronts lining the streets. In Memphis' defense it was also daytime so every flaw was completely visible. Pierce and I did give ourselves enough time to check out the Lorraine Motel (where Martin Luther King Jr was shot), Sun Records, the Gibson Guitar factory, we made ourselves lunch and then scooted on our way.
The heat and humidity I think had finally caught up to us and we were both pooped. We were lucky enough to find a great place to camp for a couple of nights before heading up into Nashville.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Since we left New Orleans...
we have traveled to another 12 or 13 states. Pierce and I were told to travel up the Natchez Trace Parkway through Mississippi and we are so glad that we took that advice. We have been blessed with some amazing vistas and green landscapes, but this experience was a little more than some of the "regular" roads.
(from the national park website):
What Is The Natchez Trace Parkway?
The Natchez Trace Parkway is a 444-mile drive through exceptional scenery and 10,000 years of North American history. Used by American Indians, "Kaintucks", settlers, and future presidents, the Old Trace played an important role in American history. Today, visitors can enjoy not only a scenic drive but also hiking, biking, horseback riding, and camping.
Pierce and I took our time and followed the Trace from Natchez to Tupelo, before heading over toward Memphis. The drive brought us through green pastures, thick wooded forests and across the path of a few animals and trillions of bugs. In addition to all of the natural beauty around us were dozens of turnouts with trails and exhibits that described and showed the history of the Trace. We even spent the night at one of the campsites in the Parkway, which was great for we because it meant that I could wash my hair (this sometimes doesn't get to happen as often as I would like).
Although the Parkway continued up through Alabama and into Nashville, we deviated at Tupelo and went onto Memphis but not without visiting Elvis' boyhood home, the diner he would hangout at and the hardware shop that we got his first guitar.
(from the national park website):
What Is The Natchez Trace Parkway?
The Natchez Trace Parkway is a 444-mile drive through exceptional scenery and 10,000 years of North American history. Used by American Indians, "Kaintucks", settlers, and future presidents, the Old Trace played an important role in American history. Today, visitors can enjoy not only a scenic drive but also hiking, biking, horseback riding, and camping.
Pierce and I took our time and followed the Trace from Natchez to Tupelo, before heading over toward Memphis. The drive brought us through green pastures, thick wooded forests and across the path of a few animals and trillions of bugs. In addition to all of the natural beauty around us were dozens of turnouts with trails and exhibits that described and showed the history of the Trace. We even spent the night at one of the campsites in the Parkway, which was great for we because it meant that I could wash my hair (this sometimes doesn't get to happen as often as I would like).
Although the Parkway continued up through Alabama and into Nashville, we deviated at Tupelo and went onto Memphis but not without visiting Elvis' boyhood home, the diner he would hangout at and the hardware shop that we got his first guitar.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Friday, May 28, 2010
New Orleans
THANK YOU MAX, ZACK, AARON, and JESSICA!!!
We have been very blessed by the people that we have met on this trip. There are so many amazing people out there that have been so kind and generous to us, and none more so then the people we met in the wonderful city of New Orleans.
...Our adventure began by rolling into town and going straight to the French Quarter. We started walking around and then decided to give our landlord's sister a call who owns a restaurant in town (or so we thought). It ended up that the New Orleans location had closed the previous year, but she was in Houma (about a hour from the city) so we planned on hooking up with her the following day. But, in the meantime Lee told us to go check out a bar called the Bridge Lounge that is located around the corner from where the restaurant used to be and to ask for Max. We found the bar quickly and walked up just as they were opening. We walked in and asked for Max and told him that Lee sent us, these were the magic words, from that second on we were treated like family.
We bellied up to the bar, explained to Max how we knew Lee and next thing you know we are all riding our bikes down to the riverfront to go to GulfAid, a spur of the moment concert that was set up to benefit those affected by the oil spill in the Gulf. We had a terrific time watching authentic New Orleans music and street entertainers, as well as eating great southern food and to top it off, listening to Lenny Kravitz wail.
Max was then gracious enough to invite us to stay at his house for the evening which was a godsend because it was about 85 outside and we would have been in the van.
...end day one...
We have been very blessed by the people that we have met on this trip. There are so many amazing people out there that have been so kind and generous to us, and none more so then the people we met in the wonderful city of New Orleans.
...Our adventure began by rolling into town and going straight to the French Quarter. We started walking around and then decided to give our landlord's sister a call who owns a restaurant in town (or so we thought). It ended up that the New Orleans location had closed the previous year, but she was in Houma (about a hour from the city) so we planned on hooking up with her the following day. But, in the meantime Lee told us to go check out a bar called the Bridge Lounge that is located around the corner from where the restaurant used to be and to ask for Max. We found the bar quickly and walked up just as they were opening. We walked in and asked for Max and told him that Lee sent us, these were the magic words, from that second on we were treated like family.
We bellied up to the bar, explained to Max how we knew Lee and next thing you know we are all riding our bikes down to the riverfront to go to GulfAid, a spur of the moment concert that was set up to benefit those affected by the oil spill in the Gulf. We had a terrific time watching authentic New Orleans music and street entertainers, as well as eating great southern food and to top it off, listening to Lenny Kravitz wail.
Max was then gracious enough to invite us to stay at his house for the evening which was a godsend because it was about 85 outside and we would have been in the van.
...end day one...
Monday, May 24, 2010
Hot Springs National Park
My wonderful husband Pierce was very disappointed to find out that Hot Springs National Park actually has no hot springs, at least not ones that you can just jump into and soak in. Back at the turn of the century (20th that is) all of the natural hot springs water was directed into the town of Hot Springs and bath houses. These bath houses/spas were places that one could go to relax in, or a place to go in order to "cure" whatever one may be ailing from. The limestone in the spring water is said to have healing properties. So, even though we could not wade around in the hot springs, there were a couple of fountains in town that had the hot spring water spouting from them, and there were even places to fill up your own water jugs with the "medicinal" water. We definitely made sure to do that, mmmmm!
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Arkansas
Trees seem to be everywhere in Arkansas, not just in people's yards, or lining the highways, but draped over every hillside. There were many places when we would look out the windows and all we saw were trees, trees and more trees. We would turn the bend and low and behold, more trees. As a matter of fact there seems to be forest upon forest of trees around this nation of ours. Even a lot of Arizona is covered in trees. It is amazing to think that there is still "global warming" with all of these plants hard at work.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Long Time No Blog!!!
Thank you for all of your patience and support! We are uploading pictures and stories as soon as we possibly can. You would be surprised how hard it is to find wi-fi in many areas of the country. Please keep checking back every week or so and we promise to try and keep up.
We love you all!
We love you all!
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Arizona & New Mexico
After leaving Sedona we headed off to the east and visited the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert National Park. There is a 28 mile loop that you drive through with vista turnouts and signs explaining the phenomena in front of you. The colors and variation of the hills was remarkable, ranging from hues of pink, orange and purple, to black, grey and white.
From here we went south to Duncan, AZ winding through the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest (which is remarkably beautiful, but also extremely long and slow going). Unfortunately at the end of this amazingly picturesque journey is one of the biggest mines Pierce or I had ever seen. We did some research and found out that it is in the Clifton-Morenci district in Greenlee county and is the largest copper mine in the state of Arizona.
We finally pulled into Duncan around 8pm to find that no one and we mean no one was awake. every one's lights were out, no cars driving on the roads, it was eerie. We found a nice dark spot to park and hit the hay, when we woke up the next morning around 6:30 there was still no one to be seen. Needless to say we got the hell out of Dodge (or Duncan).
Next stop Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, fortunately for us there happen to be Gila Hot Springs in-route, so we stopped off for a soak and a little scrub (much needed). The guy running the place, Jim, was unreal. He has for the last 10 years worked as a guide at the cliffs and a local for many years. Pierce and I had a great time chatting with him and learning all about the surrounding area, both historically and agriculturally. Once up the Cliff Dwellings we had a nice 3 mile hike around and through the dwellings (a beautiful spot to build a home or religious gathering sight). Needing another soak and a rinse (solar showers are awesome!!!) we headed back to the hot springs and gave our new friend Jim our car plant (sorry Jen, it just wasn't gonna make it and we knew he would be the one to take care of it).
Socorro, New Mexico was our next stop, not only to check out The Capital Bar (one of the oldest in Texas) and to get dinner, but also to restock our food supply. Wal-Mart parking lots are a great spot to take EVERYTHING out of your van to repack it (definitely a necessity, my husband was going to lose his mind if he couldn't find one more thing). (Mind lost-PMK) We met a very nice couple from Seattle when we were at the San Miguel Mission taking pictures and wouldn't you know it they both work for REI and the guy, Adam, is a Field Test Analyst (in charge of giving products to everyday people to try out). How perfect is that? We exchanged info and Pierce and I are hoping to see them in Seattle and figure out how he got the greatest job in the world. It is like my brother Dennis getting paid to sample chocolate.
SURF'S UP- LOVE TO ALL.
From here we went south to Duncan, AZ winding through the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest (which is remarkably beautiful, but also extremely long and slow going). Unfortunately at the end of this amazingly picturesque journey is one of the biggest mines Pierce or I had ever seen. We did some research and found out that it is in the Clifton-Morenci district in Greenlee county and is the largest copper mine in the state of Arizona.
We finally pulled into Duncan around 8pm to find that no one and we mean no one was awake. every one's lights were out, no cars driving on the roads, it was eerie. We found a nice dark spot to park and hit the hay, when we woke up the next morning around 6:30 there was still no one to be seen. Needless to say we got the hell out of Dodge (or Duncan).
Next stop Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, fortunately for us there happen to be Gila Hot Springs in-route, so we stopped off for a soak and a little scrub (much needed). The guy running the place, Jim, was unreal. He has for the last 10 years worked as a guide at the cliffs and a local for many years. Pierce and I had a great time chatting with him and learning all about the surrounding area, both historically and agriculturally. Once up the Cliff Dwellings we had a nice 3 mile hike around and through the dwellings (a beautiful spot to build a home or religious gathering sight). Needing another soak and a rinse (solar showers are awesome!!!) we headed back to the hot springs and gave our new friend Jim our car plant (sorry Jen, it just wasn't gonna make it and we knew he would be the one to take care of it).
Socorro, New Mexico was our next stop, not only to check out The Capital Bar (one of the oldest in Texas) and to get dinner, but also to restock our food supply. Wal-Mart parking lots are a great spot to take EVERYTHING out of your van to repack it (definitely a necessity, my husband was going to lose his mind if he couldn't find one more thing). (Mind lost-PMK) We met a very nice couple from Seattle when we were at the San Miguel Mission taking pictures and wouldn't you know it they both work for REI and the guy, Adam, is a Field Test Analyst (in charge of giving products to everyday people to try out). How perfect is that? We exchanged info and Pierce and I are hoping to see them in Seattle and figure out how he got the greatest job in the world. It is like my brother Dennis getting paid to sample chocolate.
SURF'S UP- LOVE TO ALL.
Tulsa,Oklahoma and Topeka,Kansas
We love these towns!!!
From Oklahoma City we headed east to Tulsa (arrived May 7th) to what I thought was going to be the state capital (that's what happens when you write things all over your map book, you can't make out those neat little stars that they put on each capital city). Once I discovered my mistake, we decided that Tulsa wasn't a bad idea anyway because we could pass through on our way to Catoosa where I wanted to see The Big Blue Whale (didn't find it). Nonetheless, once we arrived in downtown Tulsa we found some amazing churches and buildings to photograph so we decided to spin a lap through town.
We eventually parked in front of a place called the Blue Dome Diner where we met some friendly folks named Jerome and Greg who were nice enough to tell us about a couple of music shows to check out and where the neat parts of town were. While walking around, Pierce heard the sound of batting practice in the distance, so we sniffed out where they were and we were soon upon a nice new minor league stadium (bloodhounds got nothing on rabid baseball fans). We made our way to the front gates and made inquires into where to buy tickets, unfortunately for us the game had been sold out for weeks, we weren't surprised when we found out it was the cross-town rivals, OSU(Oklahoma State University-The Cowboys) VS. OU (Oklahoma University-The Sooners). We continued our way around the stadium to check it all out and see where the best spot would be to see as much of the game from the outside as possible. After hanging out for about 4 or 5 innings someone inside was nice enough to hand us a couple of tickets that his friends didn't show up for. We walked to the front gate with huge smiles on our faces and songs in our hearts (my song was "Hello, It's Me"- Todd Rungren-PMK) and we were excited to join in on the frenzy of a middle America college game. The sea of maroon and orange made me wonder why in San Diego we don't commit ourselves to supporting our teams. Where are you Clippers? Rams? Gulls? ...welcome back Sockers (our only championship team). Why do I have to go to a Padres game and see more Chargers jerseys than Padres, or more LA, SF or Boston hats than SD? Enough of my ranting, I guess transplants are loyal to their origins, oh well.
(Rod Laver and the San Diego Friars tennis team-PMK)
We had a wonderful time at the game, cheering on any team that was up to bat and jeering anyone who made a silly mistake. After the game we funneled out with the crowd and headed off to a local club called Cain's to see The Paul Benjamin Band (Tulsa's own), they were incredible. The club has had everyone from the Misfits to Willie Nelson and was a wonderful spot to stop in and check out some great music.
May 8th took us northeast to Topeka, Kansas. The drive was gorgeous (as are all of our drives), field after field of horses, cattle, trees, crops, farm houses, etc. Along the way we had some how started talking about the TV show Little House on the Prairie and low and behold not too far down the road was the place where the Ingalls had lived while in Kansas and was the inspiration for Laura Ingalls' writings and for the set of the television show. We took our time making it into Topeka and finally rolled into the Topeka v. Board of Education National Historic Site just 2o minutes before they were closing. This turned out to be one of the best things that could ever happen to us. Pierce and I had separated at one point and when I found him he had befriended the National Park rangers Tavio and Randy, and by the time we left we had a place to stay for the night.
Tavio was nice enough to welcome us into his home where we were able to wash laundry, take a shower and hangout with some very nice and interesting people. That night happened to be the Classic Car show on the main drag in town so we spent a nice spring evening walking up and down the street looking at the beautiful and interesting cars/vans/trucks. Once back at the house we started a BBQ and before you knew it we were feasting on steak, grilled onions and bell peppers. You have no idea what a home cooked meal and a shower does for your soul until you don't have that anymore.
(Tavio has an amazing mustache...and with that, a friendship was born-PMK)
Thank you Tavio!!!
From Oklahoma City we headed east to Tulsa (arrived May 7th) to what I thought was going to be the state capital (that's what happens when you write things all over your map book, you can't make out those neat little stars that they put on each capital city). Once I discovered my mistake, we decided that Tulsa wasn't a bad idea anyway because we could pass through on our way to Catoosa where I wanted to see The Big Blue Whale (didn't find it). Nonetheless, once we arrived in downtown Tulsa we found some amazing churches and buildings to photograph so we decided to spin a lap through town.
We eventually parked in front of a place called the Blue Dome Diner where we met some friendly folks named Jerome and Greg who were nice enough to tell us about a couple of music shows to check out and where the neat parts of town were. While walking around, Pierce heard the sound of batting practice in the distance, so we sniffed out where they were and we were soon upon a nice new minor league stadium (bloodhounds got nothing on rabid baseball fans). We made our way to the front gates and made inquires into where to buy tickets, unfortunately for us the game had been sold out for weeks, we weren't surprised when we found out it was the cross-town rivals, OSU(Oklahoma State University-The Cowboys) VS. OU (Oklahoma University-The Sooners). We continued our way around the stadium to check it all out and see where the best spot would be to see as much of the game from the outside as possible. After hanging out for about 4 or 5 innings someone inside was nice enough to hand us a couple of tickets that his friends didn't show up for. We walked to the front gate with huge smiles on our faces and songs in our hearts (my song was "Hello, It's Me"- Todd Rungren-PMK) and we were excited to join in on the frenzy of a middle America college game. The sea of maroon and orange made me wonder why in San Diego we don't commit ourselves to supporting our teams. Where are you Clippers? Rams? Gulls? ...welcome back Sockers (our only championship team). Why do I have to go to a Padres game and see more Chargers jerseys than Padres, or more LA, SF or Boston hats than SD? Enough of my ranting, I guess transplants are loyal to their origins, oh well.
(Rod Laver and the San Diego Friars tennis team-PMK)
We had a wonderful time at the game, cheering on any team that was up to bat and jeering anyone who made a silly mistake. After the game we funneled out with the crowd and headed off to a local club called Cain's to see The Paul Benjamin Band (Tulsa's own), they were incredible. The club has had everyone from the Misfits to Willie Nelson and was a wonderful spot to stop in and check out some great music.
May 8th took us northeast to Topeka, Kansas. The drive was gorgeous (as are all of our drives), field after field of horses, cattle, trees, crops, farm houses, etc. Along the way we had some how started talking about the TV show Little House on the Prairie and low and behold not too far down the road was the place where the Ingalls had lived while in Kansas and was the inspiration for Laura Ingalls' writings and for the set of the television show. We took our time making it into Topeka and finally rolled into the Topeka v. Board of Education National Historic Site just 2o minutes before they were closing. This turned out to be one of the best things that could ever happen to us. Pierce and I had separated at one point and when I found him he had befriended the National Park rangers Tavio and Randy, and by the time we left we had a place to stay for the night.
Tavio was nice enough to welcome us into his home where we were able to wash laundry, take a shower and hangout with some very nice and interesting people. That night happened to be the Classic Car show on the main drag in town so we spent a nice spring evening walking up and down the street looking at the beautiful and interesting cars/vans/trucks. Once back at the house we started a BBQ and before you knew it we were feasting on steak, grilled onions and bell peppers. You have no idea what a home cooked meal and a shower does for your soul until you don't have that anymore.
(Tavio has an amazing mustache...and with that, a friendship was born-PMK)
Thank you Tavio!!!
Back Country Roads
If you really want to see America you have to get off of the interstates and get onto the back country roads. These roads tend to be quite a bit slower and narrower than the main highways, but the views and scenery are worth every extra minute and mile. Pierce and I have seen elk and deer from just a few feet away, watched hawks and vultures hovering overhead, and have been able to pull over and throw snowballs and take the time to look at the amazing vistas.
Another perk about our smaller, less traveled roads is that we have been given such solitude from the rest of the world. We are enjoying our conversations and "intelligent" discussions (i.e. renewable energy sources, harvesting tidal flows and Stevie Nicks) while rocking out to amazing classic mid-western radio stations. We even had one road we drove for about four hours and in that time we never had a car in front of us and only 3 cars and 2 motorcycles passed us in the opposite direction. We are loving our journey!!!
Another perk about our smaller, less traveled roads is that we have been given such solitude from the rest of the world. We are enjoying our conversations and "intelligent" discussions (i.e. renewable energy sources, harvesting tidal flows and Stevie Nicks) while rocking out to amazing classic mid-western radio stations. We even had one road we drove for about four hours and in that time we never had a car in front of us and only 3 cars and 2 motorcycles passed us in the opposite direction. We are loving our journey!!!
Monday, May 3, 2010
Day 3: Sedona
Hi everyone!
The first 2 days have been unreal!!! The drive through California was gorgeous, all of the rain this year has made the desert green and blooming. With a late start and a busy week, we ended up sleeping in a Love's gas station parking lot in Coachella the first night. We slept in until about 7am (which I guess was good, one- because we needed it, and two- we missed out on the mass exodus by the big-rigs) and then got back on the road headed to Havasu.
The desert winds sure can blow and with a larger vehicle we sure did move around a lot. When we arrived in Lake Havasu the winds were still blowing pretty hard and there didn't seem to any reason to stay in town, so we ate a picnic lunch by the lake, checked out the bridge and split.
The drive to Sedona was great, once again, besides the wind the scenery was unbelievable. The color of the rocks and their unique structure is so neat.
We drove through the town of Prescott and then had to go back a few miles to the 89A which brought us to Jerome, AZ. This drive was crazy, the roads were so incredibly twisting and narrow, I don't think that the speed limit was ever over 35mph. This was my leg of driving which is interesting because I hate roads like this, especially even more so when there is a steep cliff on one side of the road. Needless to say my palms were sweating the whole time! Once we reached the town the drive was DEFINITELY worth it, the town itself is built into the hillside at 5,000 feet and tiers down the side of the hill. The narrow road switchbacks through town and overlooks a beautiful valley of reddish rocks.
We arrived in Sedona around 5:30pm and went up Airport Rd to overlook the entire town and see a panoramic of the red foothills and distant peaks. It was still quite awhile until sunset and we figured the angle of the sun would be better for sunrise, so we headed back to town to scope it out and find a good trail to ride the next day and a place to pull into for the night.
...Pierce and I just watched the sunrise over Sedona, AZ (which was quit freezing, boy that wind is cold at nearly 5000 feet) and now we are warming up with some coffee and getting some work taken care of. After some breakfast we will be going for a bike ride and then head on to the Petrified Forest. Our plan is to stay in southeast Arizona tonight and then head into New Mexico in the morning.
We are having a blast!!!
...more in a few days, right now we are off to ride Sugar Loaf Trail :)
Pictures to Follow
The first 2 days have been unreal!!! The drive through California was gorgeous, all of the rain this year has made the desert green and blooming. With a late start and a busy week, we ended up sleeping in a Love's gas station parking lot in Coachella the first night. We slept in until about 7am (which I guess was good, one- because we needed it, and two- we missed out on the mass exodus by the big-rigs) and then got back on the road headed to Havasu.
The desert winds sure can blow and with a larger vehicle we sure did move around a lot. When we arrived in Lake Havasu the winds were still blowing pretty hard and there didn't seem to any reason to stay in town, so we ate a picnic lunch by the lake, checked out the bridge and split.
The drive to Sedona was great, once again, besides the wind the scenery was unbelievable. The color of the rocks and their unique structure is so neat.
We drove through the town of Prescott and then had to go back a few miles to the 89A which brought us to Jerome, AZ. This drive was crazy, the roads were so incredibly twisting and narrow, I don't think that the speed limit was ever over 35mph. This was my leg of driving which is interesting because I hate roads like this, especially even more so when there is a steep cliff on one side of the road. Needless to say my palms were sweating the whole time! Once we reached the town the drive was DEFINITELY worth it, the town itself is built into the hillside at 5,000 feet and tiers down the side of the hill. The narrow road switchbacks through town and overlooks a beautiful valley of reddish rocks.
We arrived in Sedona around 5:30pm and went up Airport Rd to overlook the entire town and see a panoramic of the red foothills and distant peaks. It was still quite awhile until sunset and we figured the angle of the sun would be better for sunrise, so we headed back to town to scope it out and find a good trail to ride the next day and a place to pull into for the night.
...Pierce and I just watched the sunrise over Sedona, AZ (which was quit freezing, boy that wind is cold at nearly 5000 feet) and now we are warming up with some coffee and getting some work taken care of. After some breakfast we will be going for a bike ride and then head on to the Petrified Forest. Our plan is to stay in southeast Arizona tonight and then head into New Mexico in the morning.
We are having a blast!!!
...more in a few days, right now we are off to ride Sugar Loaf Trail :)
Pictures to Follow
Sunday, April 18, 2010
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