12/31/10 Boulder, CO - Moab, UT

This has been the coldest day I've experienced on the trip so far. After eating some breakfast and checking out of the hotel, we set off for Moab, UT. The Rocky Mountains are absolutely breathtaking. We spent 4 hours of our 6 hour drive going about 35mph through them. I took well over 100 pictures, and also took about 15 minutes of video. Pictures do these mountains no justice. They look very much like the one in the background of this blog (I didn't take it, though). If we had tried to pass through the Rockies a day earlier, we would have gotten stuck. It was a long, beautiful, peaceful drive to Moab.

We arrived in Moab, UT at about 7:30pm (9:30pm for you East Coast folks!), and checked into a hostel. We got a cabin for $26, which is really great! We got a response from someone on couchsurfing a few minutes after we checked in, saying that he could host us for the night. Oh well... he was back in Grand Junction, CO anyway, about 2 hours away. I think we'll ring in the New Year at a pub somewhere in town later tonight.

This cabin is COLD! It's two degrees fahrenheit outside, and we only have a small space heater for the room. We have warm sleeping bags, though, so we'll be fine. =)

I think our plan for tomorrow is to go to Salt Lake City, UT. It's only about a 4 hour drive. Not too bad. Through this trip, I've been extremely grateful for my ability to sleep anywhere in any position. My neck doesn't even hurt anymore when I fall asleep sitting up for a long time. I'm not sure if that's a good or a bad thing. It's certainly a convenient thing. Thank you, drum corps.

There have been several phases I've gone through while on this trip. I was going to say that this is probably what most people go through while they're on the road, but I decided that had to be incorrect. I've been on tour with drum corps for about a month before, and this feels completely different. I think the most different part about it all is that I don't have a home to return to when all of this is done. My home is my car. It's a completely absurd truth I've only recently come to terms with.

The first phase of this trip has been something of a honeymoon period, similar to what one experiences at the beginning of a relationship. Everything was fascinating, and the thought of being out on my own was intoxicating. I wasn't really worrying about money. I wasn't really worrying about where to stay or making plans for the future. We were staying in Chicago for almost a week, and things were basically taken care of for us. We planned a few things, yes, but it felt more like we were along for the ride. We were still with family, and still had the closeness and support they gave us. We weren't at our former homes on the East Coast, but it was still faintly similar. It let us be carefree children with little responsibility for making things happen. It was bliss, and little else mattered.

We were eased out of Chicago into the households of two very gracious, generous couchsurfing hosts in Omaha, NE and Sutherland, NE. They accepted our requests early, and we had things planned out around them. We were on our own, but it was still pretty easy. We were only paying for gas and food, as couchsurfing is free. We didn't feel bad about eating out at restaurants for almost every meal.

Things have been a little different since Colorado. We haven't been able to find couchsurfing hosts, and have spent about $120 total for rooms. We started buying food from the grocery store for meals, and avoiding other small costs that add up (buying food/drinks at rest stops). I guess it's pretty impressive to say we've made it to Moab, UT and only spent $120 on hotel/hostel rooms. It's all in how you view things. It's easy to let your mind think you deserve something. "I just spent 9 hours in a car, I deserve a really nice hotel room!" I'm glad both Arlo and I are good a being satisfied with less. I don't think we could be doing what we're doing without that mindset.

I'm really happy Arlo got us into couchsurfing. I was really skeptical at first, but I think my faith in the common man has been restored. That is, as long as the common man has a good profile and several references! I was originally only drawn to the fact that it meant we didn't have to pay for a hotel room. But now I'm realizing how amazing it is to meet these people that are opening up their house to complete strangers. They're so interesting and generous. It really changes your perspective on people. Maybe I'm just a cold-hearted Jersey girl and expect the worst from everyone. I don't know, but I wish I was open to meeting amazing people like this earlier in my life.

I left the East Coast nine days ago, and my life has changed so much. I've already started thinking about warmer weather, and what adventures lie ahead. Life is good.


Happy New Year!!!

12/30/10 Boulder, CO

First of all, I forgot to mention something noteworthy about yesterday. Before we left Denver, we took Damascus to a dog park with the address 666 S. Jason. When we arrived, we realized this was truly the dog park from hell. There was little grass, and within the first 30 seconds, Damascus got a big thorn stuck in his paw. There were no other dogs there. It's no wonder why. Lesson learned: Don't take your dogs to Satan's dog park.

As for today, THERE WAS SNOW EVERYWHERE!!! There still is! It started snowing in the morning, and hasn't stopped yet. I think it tapers off sometime tomorrow morning. We have about 8 inches or so. It's a good thing Arlo is really good at driving in the snow. It's really interesting to see how the natives react to the weather. Snow is no big event here like it is in PA or NJ. Everyone just knows how to drive in the snow. And they really don't plow a lot. I think only the major highways and a few main roads were plowed during the day. All the parking lots and side streets were completely snow covered. No salt. And everyone was out and about seemingly doing their normal daily activities. We did see this one lady in a Subaru drift around a corner at a traffic light and end perpendicular to traffic, but that's about it. No accidents or people getting stuck in the shoulder. If we had this kind of snow in Jersey, everyone would be snowed in at home.

We enjoyed the hotel's continental breakfast, and booked it for another night. It's funny how we easily find two couchsurfing hosts in small towns in a row, and now, in a big town, we can't find anyone. It's ok, though. It has given us the chance to organize some stuff and sleep a lot more.

We took Damascus to a snowy dog park that had one dog in it, and that dog was not at all interested in playing with him. We decided to return to Chautauqua Park (where we hiked a bit the day before), and played in the snow there. We saw a little red fox! He was a cutie. We found out or snow scooter doesn't work very well because of a stupid metal fin that is in the back. Stupid thing. We'll have to see if we can break it off or something. The other sled works awesome. We just need to find some steeper hills. The roads were awesome to sled on! Very dangerous, I know, but very fast and satisfying!

We had lunch at the Original House of Pancakes. It was a bit more expensive that we thought it would be, but it was good. We decided it was time to start eating out less, and packing more meal-friendly foods in the car. We have a lot of sweets (chocolate, rice krispie treats, granola) and these things are good for snacking, but not for meals. We took a trip to the grocery store tonight to stock up on other foods (PB&J, summer sausage, bagels, cheese, crackers). If anyone has some ideas for food that doesn't need to be heated to eat, please share them with us!

After lunch, we went to the Celestial Seasonings factory for a free tour! It was great!! And everything smelled awesome. After the tour, we spent a good 30 minutes sampling tea. We also learned that any tea claiming to be caffeine free is actually not tea at all. It's a marketing trick. That means all the Zinger teas are not tea! I forget the term she used for them. Very interesting, no? My new favorite tea is Decaff Mandarin Orchard. I also like White Imperial Peach. Did you know you're not supposed to brew white tea for more than 30-45 seconds, or it will make the tea bitter? I didn't know that until today, and I realized it really does taste better if you follow the directions. Yummy!

We spent most of the rest of the day planning. Depending on where (and if) we can get a couchsurfing host, we might end up in Grand Junction, CO or Moab, UT. It seems we'll also be making our way to Reno, NV sometime after, and then Sacramento, CA. The only limit to how far we travel before settling down is money. We're still doing fairly well with the funds, but we're starting to become more frugal with it now that we have a better idea of how fast it can disappear. We want to make this last as long as possible, so we're now trying to eat out less and hopefully not have to stay in anymore hotels. The privacy is nice, but its a big zap to our pocket. The ability to travel trumps conveniences like hotels and eating out a lot. I wish we could do something about the price of gas, but that will never happen. At least we don't have to buy that damn corn gas anymore (gas with 10% ethanol). Iowa is weird.

Good Night!

12/29/10 Boulder, CO

I think it's safe to say I'm in love with Boulder, CO. The scenery is amazing, the town is clean, the people are friendly, the downtown is really neat, and did I mention it's absolutely beautiful? Arlo likes it a lot, too. We were just going to spend one night, but we've decided to stay tomorrow as well! The Celestial Seasonings tea factory is right here in Boulder, and they have free tours. I'm definitely going tomorrow! And we're also taking Damascus to a nice dog park. We might do some hiking. Hopefully, we'll be able to meet up with some one or ones from couchsurf to show us around. This place is truly stunning!

Before Boulder, we explored Denver. This is a great city! Everything in this area just makes sense: the traffic laws, the way everything is laid out. It's a laid back city with a very cute main st./mall area (I forget the actual street name) that is closed off to regular traffic.

I've really been enjoying how different the mood and rhythm of each city is. Before this trip, I only ever really experienced NYC and Philly. This road trip thing is amazing. Everyone should do it at least once in their life.

Mine might end here in Boulder one day.

After Colorado, we'll likely go to Moab, Utah, and then up to Salt Lake City.
Fun fun fun!

Oh, and we couldn't find a couchsurfing host for tonight, so we decided to stay in a hotel. So much for trying to make it across the country without staying in a hotel. Oh well, we still saved a lot of money and met some really interesting people!

Sleepy time.

12/29/10 Sutherland, NE – Denver, CO

Driving through the rest of Nebraska was about as exciting as driving through Iowa, minus the snow. As we crossed the border into Colorado, the scenery changed almost immediately. There were sharp hills on either side of the highway, and though the land was still basically flat, it was now a little more interesting.

We stopped in Fort Morgan, CO for breakfast and some wi-fi. Breakfast at Memories was good, but the atmosphere was kind of gloomy. It's a weird feeling day. As of 11:30am, we still don't have a couch surfing host for tonight. We might end up in a hostel or a hotel. It would be really cool if we could make it the whole way without a hotel... we'll see. WOW! I'm writing in the car right now, and we just spotted giant, white-capped mountains in the distance. Snowboarding, here we come!

We keep passing these giant pens full of hundreds of cows and it Smells. Like. Shit.

Every time.

Current Location: Sutherland, NE

All I can say for the past several days is... wow. The further along I travel on this new road of life, the more I realize this was the best choice I could have made for myself. I've only been gone for a few days, and I've already seen and experienced so much. I've had very limited internet access, so I'll break this down for you by days.

12/22/10      Alpha, NJ - Easton, PA

We originally planned to leave on this morning, but it just wasn't going to happen. I spent the day cleaning out my room, taking a car load of stuff to a thrift store, saying last goodbyes, packing, and a myriad of other errands. I loaded everything into my car, and realized I had filled up the trunk, back seat, and a bit of the front passenger seat. And none of Arlo's stuff was in the car yet. Needless to say, when I came back to my parent's house later to say goodbye, I ran a few things up to the attic that didn't make the cut. Saying goodbye was hard. I'll miss my family, and my baby girl puppy Tiffany. She never quite understands what's going on in the people world; when someone's leaving the house for a long time, or when her best friend, Comete, leaves in a car and doesn't come back. Maybe I just don't understand her, but she was only interested in playing with her toy when I was trying to say goodbye. I know dogs aren't people. I wonder if she misses me.

After many repetitions of saying goodbye, giving hugs, and then talking more, I finally left. I took one last look at the house I spent the last 13-14 years in, and drove off on a new leg of life.

Actually, it was just to Arlo's house, but it's still another step in that direction. Getting all of our clothes together and into suitcases, duffel bags, and packs wasn't as difficult as I expected. But getting everything to fit in the car while putting almost nothing in the back seat (We took Arlo's sister, Mela, and her fiance, Carl, with us to Chicago.) was a four hour fiasco. What a night.

12/23/10     Easton, PA - Chicago, IL

After packing everything, we set off at 2am. The whole 14 hour drive is such a blur to me now. I was in the front passenger seat for most of the time, with things under my feet and on my lap up to my eyeballs. I don't think it was something anyone would want to be awake for.

To split up the drive, we stopped in Cleveland, OH for breakfast with our friend Red Bear! Red Bear (Brian Fletcher) is someone that Arlo met this past summer while hiking the Appalachian Trail. I was great seeing him again! His stories are always hilarious. We ate at this place called Grumpy's Cafe. This is also where I saw an ad for Drumline Live. Hilaaarrrioussss!

We continued the drive, and arrived in Chicago at about 5pm in the Central Time Zone. I met his Dad's side of the family and we all had diner together. Phew! What a drive. We were asleep by 8pm.

12/24/10     Chicago, IL

This was an awesome Christmas Eve. We all had breakfast together, and then we walked through the Japanese, snow-covered Gardens near the Museum of Science Technology. Arlo, Carl, and I took Damascus to Nichol's Park (no relation to Arlo's family) and he played with a boxer named Titan. I heard from a friend that Nacional 27 was an awesome place to eat, but it was closed. We ate at Mr. Beef across the street. It wasn't bad, but not fantastic. Mr. Beef met Mr. Toilet later that night. We saw the movie True Grit later that night at a movie theater in town with a full bar. That was a first for me. For dinner, we ate at an Ethiopian restaurant. This was my first Ethiopian food experience. I had Ethiopian beer, and drank the best tasting iced tea I've ever had in my entire life. The food was good too. I asked how they made the iced tea, but they said I had to come back. I hope to God I can go!!! S o o o o g o o d ! ! ! It was snowing that night. What a gorgeous city.

12/25/10     Chicago, IL

Merry Christmas! Breakfast and Lunch was had with the whole family together. We spent much time sitting together and exchanging stories about different life experiences. Arlo's family is a very intelligent group of people full of interesting stories! We went to a Blues Club that night. Oh my gawd. AMAZING! They were absolutely mind blowing. The bassist was craaaazy! They were all extremely talented! Great night. Great Christmas.

12/26/10 Chicago, IL

Today, we got down to business. Arlo, his Dad, Carl, and I ate at Velocies for breakfast, and then drove around to view some sights. Arlo's Dad grew up in Chicago, and was able to show us all the cool places only a native would know. We saw lots of neat architecture and also drove around Chicago University. Later, we stopped at Nichol's Park, where Damascus made doggie friends, and we had a snowball fight. The latter part of the day consisted of us sitting in Borders bookstore looking up places to stay in Omaha, Nebraska. We decided to take I-80 across the middle of the US instead of the northern route. We're planning to hit Yellowstone National Park on the way, and I caaaann't waiitttt! We found someone named Jamie to house us for tomorrow night. We'll leave tomorrow at 10am. I'm a bit nervous about my first CouchSurfing experience, but Arlo keeps reassuring me. Our goal is to make it across the US without staying in any hotels. I love this life.

12/27/10     Chicago, IL - Omaha, NE

After saying goodbye to Arlo's Dad, the remaining family had breakfast. Arlo and I gave his grandparents a 6 pack of Dos Equis and a bottle of red wine as a thank you for their hospitality. They were so much fun to be with and their stories were awesome. They were fantastic hosts! We left at about 10am, and set off for Omaha, NE. It was a pretty boring 9 hour drive. Iowa is sooooooooooooooo flat. At least it was pretty and snow covered. We arrived at our couch surfer's house at about 7pm. Jamie, our host, and his family were so nice! Their doggies were very cute, too! Damascus had a great time playing. Jamie was so interesting and helpful with directions and cool places to stop along our trip. I'm so glad we were able to stay at his place.

12/28/10     Omaha, NE - Sutherland, NE

Today was a fantastically awesome day! We thanked Jamie for his kindness and hospitality, and went to a nice diner, Vidlak's, that he suggested for breakfast. It was quite yummy! We decided to spend most of the day in Omaha, as our next couch surfing hosts were expecting us at 10pm. Omaha is awesome! If you're ever passing through, be sure to check it out. We contemplated going to the Omaha Zoo, which is supposed to be fantastic, but decided we wouldn't have enough time to enjoy everything it had to offer. Maybe next time. 

Jamie suggested that we hit the Old Market, which turned out to be a quaint, old-style shopping district with several pubs and restaurants. Very cute! Before we went to the Old Market, I spotted Thrift World. Of course, even though the car is over-stuffed with things, I needed to check it out. Out of all the thrift stores I've been to, this one gets an A, maybe even an A+. We bought Damascus a little stuffed animal puppy. He mauls it every time he gets back in the car. It's so adorable! Arlo and I found a small snowboard/sled and some sort of snow scooter with breaks. Even though it was probably a bad idea, we bought them both. So. Much. Fun! While looking for Old Market, we found a little frozen stream that went through the heart of the business district. Though likely illegal, this was the perfect spot for sledding! We took turns sliding down the hill while Damascus chased after us. When I got to the bottom, he grabbed my sleeve and started pulling me around. He's so cute! 

After all the sledding, we went to this fancy restaurant in the Old Market. Lucky Bucket Lager is pretty good. The bartender realized after we ordered that they only had enough frangelico to make half of his drink. She felt bad, so she made him a Disaronno with cream. She only charged us for my beer. Score! We left her a nice tip. After using the wi-fi at a bank/cafe (those are kinda weird), we left for the dog park.

It took us about a half-hour to find it, but it was a really nice park! Damascus got to play with about a dozen other dogs for a good 45 minutes. When we left, Damascus was more brown than white. It was crazy muddy! I spent a good 10 minuets cleaning the muck out of my boots. It was getting close to the time we needed to leave, but we had to do something about Damascus' filth. 

$45 later, Damascus was clean, brushed, the car swiped free of hair (kind of), and our bellies were filled with Papa John's pizza. Papa's in the house! Off to Sutherland we went. 

The ride wasn't too painful. Arlo drove the whole way, and I was able to upload a lot of pics from my camera and phone. Those will be up soon. Our hosts, Muriel, Mark, and their family are very nice! Wish we had more time to chat, but I'm really tired. More adventures for tomorrow!