Long Strange Trip

The end of the line- Chicago, IL to Dorset, VT in one long day

2009-11-17T11:48:00.006-07:00

hard to see but we are blowing past Jenna's birthplace of Rome, NY (though often confused with other Rome I'm sure) at about 11PM last night.
The highlights from Pennsylvania...
Highlights from Ohio...
Birthplace of Michael Jackson
Beautiful Gary, IN

A poor photo of the Chicago skyline. At this point in the drive (about 20 minutes in) Jenna was insisting that she was blind and the surgery was a dismal failure despite the fact the next day she tested 20/20. Of course after a nap in the car she saw fine again, despite the bloodshot eyes.
These two in a rare moment of peace and good behaviour. Probably because I'm holding a treat.

In a Herculean effort, Jenna and I pushed all the way from Chicago yesterday morning to my place in Dorset, VT late last night. 891 miles in total yesterday and almost none of them warrant a single sentence in writing. We did traverse six states yesterday and pay an exorbitant amount of tolls. Though we didn't keep a precise tally we think the tolls were in excess of $60. And to make matters worse, I hated the fact that the speed limits continued to lower as we ventured Eas of Chicago. First 70, then 65, then 60, and finally 55mph. I miss the days of the West already with their posted 80mph (and I think we even saw an 85mph for a stretch in Western Texas).

Best of all, and I'm sure most surprising to followers of this site is the fact that we weren't pulled over once. In fact, I think I only had one close call the entire trip. Next time I'll drive faster.

Parts of this drive we didn't see law enforcement for hundreds of miles (namely South Dakota- as evidence by my 86+ mph average for nearly 300 miles, including gas stops). I found myself wondering how I would attempt a cannonball run in an appropriately equipped vehicle. That being said I was pleasantly surprised by the performance of the truck, apart from its ugly gas consumption. Not only was it very comfortable and able to carry massive amounts of gear, it was nice to be able to literally drive off-road (which we did a few times) when we wanted and then jump back on the interstate and cruise at 80-90mph with no concerns about the vehicle's capabilities.

Yesterday: 891 miles, 12.9mpg, 69.5mph
Total: 4868 miles, 13.2 mpg, 68.4 mph

We used a total of 366 gallons of gas which cost us just a touch over $1000.

In our license plate quest, we failed to see 8 states: Arkansas, Delaware, Hawaii, Louisiana, North Carolina, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and West Virginia. Also no DC plates. We did see, however, a number of Canadian provinces: Alberta, Manitoba, British Columbia (surprisingly only saw that finally yesterday in Pennsylvania), Ontario, and Quebec. Only a few missing but I'm not sure snowmobiles can make it this far south.

It was a great trip and though we spent 71 hours together in the car Jenna and I did not kill each other, or the dog. I would love to drive parts of this trip again and spend more time in specific parks (namely Zion, Yellowstone/Teton and possibly add Mesa Verde) but as a whole I think we managed to see quite a bit of the country in a short period of time and I think I speak for both of us in saying we feel very fortunate to have had this opportunity. Most people can't or won't do a trip like this for myriad reasons and while I find that unfortunate, I would say the best part of the whole experience was the lack of crowds. And had we the time we would have ventured off the driven path and seen so much more. Next time....

Thanks for reading and I hope you've enjoyed the trip a fraction as much as we have.

Days 13, 14, 15 and 16: Winnetka, IL

2009-11-15T16:55:00.012-07:00

Couple photos my dad took this weekend up at the Botanical Gardens. There is wildlife in Chicago...

A very tired Sonny and Kaya
Grinding away the remaining gears in my father's Morgan

Pre-game at the Madhouse. Two of the original six on a Friday night.
A skunk and two canines
Jenna in a sweet hairnet getting the Lasik surgery done
Jenna's eyeball will never be the same.
A not-sober Pat and I post-game in front of the Bluesmobile at the UC.

Though this was meant to be a 'rest' stop with the hope of recharging our batteries, Jenna and I are more tired now than we were when we got here. Mostly because Jenna decided to have Lasik eye surgery done (I think she felt guiltly of missing some of the wildlife and for missing some of the signs we needed for the drive- the cause of most of the angst on the trip). We had to get up early several days in a row- first for eye exam/pre-op, then the surgery itself, and finally post-op.

Good news is she now sees 20/20 (she was 20/60 and 20/40 in both eyes before). Bad news is she finally sees how ugly I am.

I also had appointments galore in the city- renewing my Dutch passport, dentist (lost the veneer on my front tooth again) for example but did manage time to visit some friends and go see a Blackhawks game at the United Center for the first time since high school. Of course I hadn't had much reason to see them since they've been horrendous for the past 15 years. We weren't disappointed- the Hawks prevailed 3-2 over the hapless Leafs. For even the casual fan the singing of the National Anthem at the Madhouse on Madison is an experience not to be missed.

We enjoyed some spectacular weather for our stay here in Chicago. Saturday was close to 70 degrees- perfect for some drives in my dad's vintage Morgan(s). These toys are more dear to him than his three children. We took his 1969 +8 (originally owned by Mick Jagger) out for a few spins at the local forest preserve and got a few nice photos. Unfortunately it is completely original, including a horrific gearbox. Not the easiest car to drive.

Kaya also had a blast as she got to spend four days wrestling with my parent's golden retriever, Sonny. As I write this I think they've finally run out of energy as they are both out cold beside me.

The weather today has changed- about 20 degrees cooler than yesterday and rain is in the forecast for our drive tomorrow.

Day 12: Winnetka, IL

2009-11-12T16:34:00.002-07:00

We finally made it to Mac's parents house and what a good feeling it was to share our adventure, sleep in a comfortable bed and be pampered like we were home from college.

As for the oversized load- we both feel like we have put on some pounds but who can say no to local beer, trying new food and making sure we didn't miss out on the local grub.

Our favorite place by far was The Blue Lion in Jackson, WY and runner up was Strip Steak in Vegas. Mac loved the breakfast at the Comfort Inn which included a waffle maker to make your own belgium waffles for FREE! Eddie McStiff's in Moab was the worst meal by far and there were others as well. We only had McDonald's once - ok maybe we stopped for fries another time but it never let us down. My snacks helped a lot and we both really enjoyed Trader Joe's buffalo jerky and Mix 1 protein shakes as an alternative to lunch often as possible.

Our first night at the Macintosh's was filled with laughs, a delicious dinner, lots of cheese and wine (of course) and a visit from Sully & Kelly. We stayed up late and chatted the night away. Kaya is in heaven with Sonny - he is only 4x her size but like a big teddy bear for her to play with each day.

Day 11: SD to Minnesota

2009-11-10T11:29:00.002-07:00

Our park journey has come to an end with the Badlands. We headed to see some friends in Minneapolis and enjoyed warm weather and a nice walk to start off our trip east. The Westra's welcomed us with warm hugs and a wonderful walk around White Bear Lake at their beautiful home. Kaya decided the backyard felt more like a football field. When she heard the neighbors dogs barking she decided to go check it out and squeeze through the fence to join them and couldn't decide if she wanted to stay in or not but it was too late because she was stuck! Mac had to capture her...

Mike and Katie met us for dinner in St. Paul at a lovely Italian restaurant where we drank, ate and caught up until the real part of the night began. We then proceeded to drink about 30 beers and stay up until 4:30am chatting like school girls about everything and anything. Can't wait until our ski trip this winter so we can do it all over again.

Day 10: Badlands/Rapid City, SD- Sioux Falls, SD

2009-11-09T22:14:00.017-07:00

Tatanka!

Caught one of them rolling on his back...

This coyote wasn't too bothered by our presence and looked well-fed compared to the ones I'm used to in Santa Fe

Prairie dogs were everywhere. Running in these fields would have been a guaranteed busted ankle for human or horse

Looks like drippy sand castles

I've been coughing all afternoon

'You looking at me?'

Nice sunset along I90

Modern-day Sioux fighters in action

This photo was taken at 8:30 last night-- these two are party animals indeed

After another delicious Comfort Inn breakfast of waffles and an orange we headed out to check out the Badlands. After a 30 mile 'detour' on Sioux BIA land we drove up Sheep Mountain road in the south section of the park. A nice eight mile dirt trail took us to a plateau with great views of the park and best of all, nary another person in sight. Jenna took the mountain bike and I ran with Kaya for a few miles along the dirt trail to wear her out before the drive. The rock formations were fantastic- particularly a section that looked like giant sand castles- the ones you would created by dripping sand slowly. Amazing stuff.

After checking out that part of the park we drove the isolated highway 40 miles to the more popular section to do the 'scenic' loop and find us some buffalo.

The Badlands remind me of the Grand Canyon in the fantastic contours they create and even to an extent with the colorations of the rock strata, but obviously on a different scale. That being said in a way its even more fantastic as you can approach these impossible towers and walk amongst them to really experience it whereas the Grand Canyon is so vast and effectively intangible that it's hard to comprehend, even when on the rim or hiking in its interior.

About 20 miles into the scenic loop I spotted a few buffalo ranging down in the badlands and stopped the car for some photos. Unimpressed with my vantage point I clambered down into the badlands (probably foolish and possibly illegal) for a better perspective. I managed to walk within about 50 yards of two of them but I knew they were watching my every move and, unsure as to their comfort level with humans, I did not dare to get any closer.

Clambering back up proved to be an adventure but then again so has most of this trip. I discovered that despite its appearances the 'badlands' seems to consist mostly of a hard exterior but almost a mud-like substance under the crust.

We saw literally thousands of prairie dogs and even a coyote that seemed comfortable at a 150 yard range. A few bighorn were also spotted roadside including a couple rams that couldn't care less about us.

Unfortunately today proved to be the day Kaya realized why we keep slowing the car down for photos: big animals. She started going ballistic every time we slowed down to point something out. Best of all was when we refuelled the car outside the park before hopping on the interstate. There was a life-size statue of a buffalo in the parking lot and when she spotted it she went bananas. I encouraged her to get closer but she was having none of it. Only when I picked her up and put her on it did she realize it wasn't real but it did nothing to calm her down from then on every time we saw a deer (of which we saw hundreds), prairie dogs (Jenna started covering Kaya's eyes), or bison.

Once on the interstate the drive proved to be pretty uneventful and we made Sioux Falls in record time (and accordingly terrible gas consumption). Had a nice dinner at Minerva's in downtown. Jenna continues to marvel at the prices at the restaurants we are going to in Middle America- this place had ample sides for $1 per.

We managed to find another Comfort Inn her in Sioux Falls- and this one actually allows pets so we don't have to find increasingly devious ways of smuggling in Kaya. Last night we put peanut butter in the bottom of one of Jenna's empty bags while I literally ran her through the hallway and past the security camera to the room.

Tomorrow we deviate from our Eastward course as we roll through Minnesota and visit a few friends of ours for the evening. In fact the next few days will be spent in leisure (not that any of this has been anything but) in MN and in my hometown outside of Chicago.

Day 10:
Badlands: 186 miles, 42.5mph, 12.6mpg
Badlands - Sioux Falls: 281 miles, 86.4 mph, 10.3mpg (not the most aerodynamic vehicle)
Total: 3154 miles, 67.5mph, 13.4mpg

Day 9: Teton NP to Rapid City, SD

2009-11-08T20:12:00.008-07:00

Not worth the $10 parking fee.
Yes that's the same Deadwood of HBO series. Not much to see in the town. Like many of these towns it's living off an event that happened there over 100 years ago (Wild Bill Hickock was killed here) and beyond the associated tourist trappings there is nothing to see or do (that being said it had at least 3 mini-golf courses).
Hard to see- but the sign says "Chubby Chipmunk" chocolates and candy

A well-named cafe- Crazy Woman. Also saw roads and a creek by the same name. She must have left quite an impression on the men in Wyoming.
We saw hunters everywhere with their recently deceased prizes strapped to their vehicles. This guy looks big for a fox- maybe a coyote? We saw one van with five bucks on the roof. Next time I'm wearing orange.
Saw at least 10 of these signs throughout the drive in Wyoming today. I guess their is a bottling plant somewhere and they must be hard-pressed for jobs if it warrants these signs all over the place.
Great name for a caterer.
Went through a succession of tunnels as we left Shoshoni. Followed a very pretty river to Thermopolis- aptly named for its 'world-reknowned' hot springs.
All downhill from here. I peed in the snow. Wonder which ocean it will end in.

It was bitterly cold as we started the drive at 6:45AM- mercury registered a whopping 9 degrees according to the car. What a change from the 88 we experience in Vegas only two days ago!

Shortly after leaving the dude ranch we hit the Continental Divide - it's official- everything is downhill and flows to the Atlantic from here. It's actually the second time we passed the Divide on the trip- the first time was the first day just outside of Chama, NM.

As we drove we saw a beautiful sunrise over the Tetons- a nice farewell to a very cool part of the country.

Unfortunately those were pretty much the highlights of the day. We put in nearly 400 miles in Wyoming alone before hitting the South Dakota border and there wasn't much to report on. The Big Horn Mountains were pretty but everything else was pretty dull.

Jenna was ecstatic that our entire breakfast bill was a whopping $12 (3 pancakes, omelet, 2 orders hash browns, and 2 eggs), but I reminded her that we were the only people in the town under the age of 50 with a full set of teeth. A lot of these small towns are pretty depressing. This diner even had a smoking section- I can't even remember the last time I saw that. A lot of the towns had tiny populations, for example Kinnear, WY: pop. 44. Does that even warrant a reduction in the speed limit? I think not.

As I mentioned in a previous post there are hunters galore and today was no exception. Heck we saw so many pronghorn and deer roadside today I'm confident I could have run over a few and we'd be eating venison all the way to NYC.

We skipped Devil's Tower and was thankful we did as we could still see it from the interstate and other than the singular monolith I'm not sure what else there is to see that would warrant the 50 mile detour.

We did, however, decide to swing briefly off our route for Mount Rushmore. A total let-down but I'm thankful we did it off-season. Honestly if you've seen a photo, that will suffice. That's it. $10 to park and get stuck in traffic in tourist central is very overrated.

Saw a few funny signs that we managed to snap some photos of. We've also started keeping track of all the different license plates we've seen. So far we've got 22 states and 4 Canadian provinces. The Southern ones are going to be tough (and I've given up on Hawaii) but we've seen Alaska a few times and even Georgia/Florida on several occasions.

We stopped tonight in Rapid City, SD. Not much to report from here either, though we are looking forward to stretching our legs a bit tomorrow in Badlands NP. About an hour from here we are planning on doing a little mountain biking with the dog and then hopefully a nice hike in another part of the park before hitting the road to hopefully Sioux City (about 300 miles away).

Day 9: 570 miles, 71mph, 13.2 mpg

Total: 2687, 69mph, 13.8mpg

Day 8: Jackson, WY: Photos #2

2009-11-08T19:59:00.006-07:00

The famous barn off Antelope Flats outside of Jackson.
An even bigger bull moose was well-hidden about 50 yards away from the first one. Got to within about 20 yards of him. Didn't dare get much closer as I was upwind from him and was concerned if I got much closer I wouldn't be able to outrun him.
See the rack? The Snake River is right behind him and the building is about 400 yards away- the visitor center to the park.
Big bull moose bedded down on the flats next to Snake River right outside of the appropriately named Moose Junction

What an amazing sunset we were treated to. On one side there were 3 moose and the other was this view! All taken with my point and shoot Canon G10- a fantastic little camera.

Day 8: Jackson, WY Photos #1

2009-11-08T19:37:00.006-07:00

Day 8 in Teton!

I looked in the box but saw no heads (for elk, deer, etc). Felt like I was in the movie 'Seven'.

The Teton range

Is that a deer I see??
A few photos after a nice hike to Phelps lake in Teton NP

May be hard to see but this fence in Jackson is 1/2 wood and 1/2 skis. Goes like this for about 150 yards.

Day 7 photos #2

2009-11-08T18:41:00.004-07:00

This sums up how I felt after the 550+ mile drive on Day 7
these photos don't really do the sunset justice

Day 7 photos #1

2009-11-08T18:33:00.004-07:00

The original Oregon trail

The view of Bear Lake in Idaho/Utah as we crested the mountain gap

Day 6: Photos #3

2009-11-08T18:28:00.003-07:00

Vintage AC cobra coming out of Zion. One of about 10 plus 2 GT40s. Like to say they were driving so quickly that the photo was blurred as a result, but alas not so much.

Day 8 - The Girl who cried Raccoon and other children's fables of the West

2009-11-08T06:11:00.001-07:00

Day 8 brought us our first winter weather of the trip and plenty of moose to go with it. We left Jackson around noon to explore Grand Teton National Park (we passed on the six hour detour to Yellowstone) as we heard Teton has pretty much everything Yellowstone has sans the geysers and vast bison herds. While we failed to see any bison, I did spy a massive rack of antlers- revealing two massive bull elk bedded on the flats just off the Snake River. I managed to get within about 40 feet of them (one realizes they must be pretty used to seeing bipedal mammals) and take some nice photos. Being that close to a massive wild animal is quite an experience. We then drove north toward Moran Junction and the infamous Oxbow Bend and caught a most beautiful sunset over the Tetons and, as luck would have it, another five moose. This time they were at a fair distance but we admired them walking through the river while the fiery sunset reflected off the water. I hope the pictures do it justice.

We also had our first snowfall of the trip, albeit just flurries. It was definitely cold enough all day. We did a nice four mile hike along the southern part of the park to Phelps Lake, which has as its backdrop the mighty Tetons. Quite a site, and best experienced as we did with no other people encountered. Despite the closure of most of the park roads we are quite appreciative of the fact that the park is almost completely empty of other tourists, allowing us to see it mostly as one hopes to but rarely gets to. On the hike back from the lake there were a couple mule deer frozen in the path. Kaya didn't notice them until Jenna took the camera and tried to approach them for a photo. Once she realized what Jenna was stalking Kaya went berzerk. I don't think she'd ever seen anything like that to accompany the smells along the trail and when she put two and two together she was beside herself with excitement. Alas no more deer on the walk back to the car but everytime we slowed the car down to look at anything she would rush to the windows, preparing herself to 'woof' at the offending animal.

We saw plenty of moose and deer but failed to spot any wolves or bear (though we did see plenty of tracks), and down by the river saw a few beaver. It is an amazing place, chock full of wildlife and we only scratched the surface of it. I was a little concerned to wander deeper off the beaten track as we are in the middle of hunting season and my clothes don't exactly distinguish me from a portly bear.

We left the park shortly after dark and headed towards the motel of the evening. As our friends in Telluride stated, it's 'motel cold'. Too cold to camp indeed. Lows here last night approached the teens. Jenna found us a dude ranch about 15 miles east of Teton NP and it felt like walking into another world.

This ranch is full of elk hunters at the moment. Met a couple authentic cowboys, Shane and Bill, who have been here for a while but have yet to bag their bull elk of the season. Passed on a couple '6x6' (I presume the points on the antler rack) in hopes of something bigger. They invite us to get up with them at 5AM to go see some grizzlies (apparently they are attracted to the scent of the communal offal dump of the hunter's kills) to which we keenly say yes and then after a miserable night dreaming of killer raccoons we decide to pass on. For a brief period last night, however, we were exciting about the prospect of a grizzly and were busy making preparations. Mostly for orange/red jackets after Shane said, 'I hope you aren't wearing that' while pointing at my furry brown fleece jacket. I ransacked the car and only managed to find a red biking top and an orange windbreaker, but all for naught as we decided to pass on wading through an ice-cold crick to find the grizz. Next time.

The story of the raccoon. As we went to bed last night in one of the dude ranch cabins, Jenna passed out quickly while Kaya and I stayed up as I did some reading (Edward Abbey's classic Desert Solitaire). This ranch has a few tabby cats that roam the grounds catching mice and other vermin from infiltrating the wooden buildings on the grounds. Well, about twenty minutes after Jenna fell asleep there is some screeching outside as a cat clearly has found its dinner right out our door. Jenna lurches semi-awake, flailing for the bed frame and shouting, 'oh my god a raccoon!'. I look at her completely bewildered, Kaya starts to bark and Jenna keeps flailing until I ask her what the problem is. She then realizes her folly and tries to play it off by stating, 'well I thought it was inside'. I shake my head as she giggles herself back to sleep in our posturepedic foam bed. This bed is intense. At first touch its like a rock but after a few seconds it begins to mold to your body. It's what I presume drowning in quicksand feels like.

Got a long drive ahead of us today- hopefully stopping at Devil's Tower and Mount Rushmore before our final destination this evening at Badlands, SD. Unfortunately most of the 'wild' West is now behind us on this trip but knowing that we missed Yellowstone I'll be dying to come back soon.

We drove about 100 miles today, but nothing material enough to warrant an update.

The internet connections have sucked the last couple of days so I have a decent backlog of photos to post. Hopefully I will be able to do so tonight.

Day 6 photos #2

2009-11-07T10:09:00.003-07:00

Day 6 photos: Zion

2009-11-07T09:37:00.002-07:00

Day 7: Zion, Ut to Jackson, WY

2009-11-07T09:16:00.003-07:00

Our first truly long day in the car, we trekked clear across Utah, Idaho and southern Wyoming before ended the day nearly 600 miles later in Jackson, WY. Also passed 2000 miles on the trip, just over a third of our expected mileage.

Most of the drive was pretty uneventful with the exception of the surprisingly frequent speed traps in southern Utah. We must have seen at least ten people pulled over. Thank goodness for radar.

Once we hit Provo traffic got pretty heavy for the next 60 miles through Salt Lake and its 'burbs until we pulled off the interstate at Brigham City for what looked to be a more scenic route to Jackson. After a twisty twenty mile drive over some mountain passes we were treated to a spectacular view of Bear Lake which straddles Utah and Idaho. The sun was setting and as a large alpine lake the reflecting colors were awesome.

A quick thirty mile jaunt in Idaho along the original Oregon Trail before hitting Wyoming. Unfortunately the sun had set and we couldn't enjoy the view any further.

Got to Jackson and had a great meal at the Blue Lion. If anyone is making a trip here be sure to order their rack of lamb. Honestly the best I've ever had. A nice surprise as we were turned away from our first choice, Teton Thai, as it seems to be closed until ski season in a few weeks.

Our trip hit a large bump tonight, however, as we learned that Yellowstone access has been limited after November 2nd to only the North entrance (which is near Bozeman, MT)- a 5 hour detour. We are either going to make the detour or skip Yellowstone and spend some time instead in Teton NP. A real bummer for me as I had really been looking forward to seeing the large fauna that is Yellowstone.

Also a bit of a bummer as we realized that this morning in Zion was likely the last time we will be wearing shorts in 70 degree weather for six months. It was in the low 40s when we got to Jackson and snow is in the forecast.

We also realized that we saw the first cloud of the trip, seven days in, in northern Utah. Alas that may be the last of the blue sky for the remainder of the trip.

Day 7: 562 miles, 73mph, 14.4mpg
Total: 2012 miles, 69mph, 14.1mpg

Day 6: Las Vegas to Zion, UT

2009-11-07T08:53:00.002-07:00

After a successful night at the tables in Vegas we hit the road for a long drive through Utah, hoping for Wyoming. We had planned for a brief stop in Zion before resuming the drive but we were so taken by the breathtaking views at Zion that we decided to explore it a bit further and spend the night.

Zion is effectively a deep canyon with the Virgin River running through it. We happened upon the perfect time for this road trip- it's 'off-season' yet most things are still open, so we miss the crowds without missing any of the views. In fact Zion was perhaps at its most beautiful as all the trees were in peak color. We did a couple quick hikes and even managed to bring Kaya along despite the posted signs. Enjoyed a nice sunset with a spectacular view with about 30 other camera aficionados- some of them had been there for a week just to get a nice photo. Nuts.

In the morning I went for a run with Kaya and Jenna biked along the river for a few miles in the hopes that we could burn some of the thousands of calories we've ingested and wear out Kaya for the long drive in the process.

Zion has been one of the prettiest places we've seen so far. Out of the way but definitely worth it.

Day 6:
Drive: 132 miles, 80mph, 12.7mpg
Total: 1363 miles, 69mph, 14.2mpg

Day 6 & 7 - Vegas to Zion then to Jackson, WY

2009-11-05T21:16:00.001-07:00

We didn't want to leave because we thought - well, we could make more money and/or enjoy the sun and relax for a few more hours but Zion was calling our names. We drove 100 miles and realized Zion was another 32 miles off the highway but we couldn't skip it. The town was really charming and the park (another -$25 from my $90 park pass) was filled with peak fall colors. Like any good park you need to go deep to really experience it's true beauty but we waited near the Virgin river because like 10 other photographers hoped the sunset looked promising.

The shortened fall days are not on our side as the sun now sets just after 5pm and doesn't leave much time to dig deep into the parks. We waited and waited for a colorful sky and we didn't see much but the light leaving us and decided it was just too late to get back on the road. We headed into the nearby town for dinner at Switchback Grille where we were very disappointed with our meal and didn't even bother to order dessert (which is abnormal for these 2 chocolate-lovers). We headed back to out little motel with a great view of the peaks and planned on an early morning hike.

We woke up early to hike a short trail to the emerald pools which were not that impressive (again, one needs to go deep into the park to experience the wonders). I was dying to get on my bike and ride the bike tail so I geared up and Mac ran along side with Kaya. Nothing like tiring her out for a long drive to Wyoming. We made it to Jackson, WY to find out our favorite spot Teton Thai was closed but found a great motel with a $49, yes $49 rate and enjoyed a tasty dinner next door at The Blue Lion (random find) of elk and lamb.

I have got to get some sleep tonight! Kaya thinks we are at a constant slumber party and loves to snuggle in between us all night long. I guess we could put her in her travel tent/crate but it seems so cruel since we are on vacation and all. Mac will comment next and photos to follow...

Vegas - In-N-Out (and hopefully the burgers too!)

2009-11-05T11:31:00.000-07:00

My first trip to Sin City. What to do, where to eat, how long to say up? I knew Mac would enjoy a nice steak and when I heard they had duck fat fries I was sold. Michael Mina's place was really tasty. Especially after having lady's luck at the Blackjack table how could anything go wrong. I was nervous at first blowing through the chips but they started piling up after a while and the night was still young. Besides winning, filling up on duck fat and other sorts of fat we headed to "O" which topped off the night. I felt like a little kid at the circus for the first time.

Today will be our last day in the desert heat and I am hiding under a towel at the pool to keep you all updated. I must go and enjoy a strawberry smoothie and get sun-kissed before we hit the snow...

Vegas Photos

2009-11-05T11:18:00.001-07:00

'O' at Bellagio. I didn't use a flash and cause an accident.
Jenna's intro to gambling and we managed to double our money a couple of times. Amazing what gambling sober does to one's luck.
The amuse bouche fries at Strip Steak. Cooked in duck fat and prepared three different ways. Worth eating there just for the fries.
Two fatties at Strip Steak wondering how much weight we're going to put on during this trip.

Vegas Baby!

2009-11-05T10:58:00.000-07:00

A pretty uneventful drive from Flagstaff across the Northern Arizona desert brought us to the Hoover Dam and what a mess that was. They are in the process of building a new highway that goes over the Dam (terrorism concerns) and traffic is severely restricted as a result. We were caught in 20 mph traffic for nearly 10 miles until the dam. We couldn't see much from the vehicle but there were a fair amount of tourists milling around and we would have stopped if they allowed dogs. You can't even keep your pet in the vehicle while you walk around. You never know, she might have a bomb strapped to her collar or something. Silly.

Shortly past the dam as we crested over Boulder City we got our first glimpse of Sin City 15 miles away. Jenna had never been and apparently had visions of grass and greenery (??!), so needless to say she was a bit taken aback by the concrete and neon jungle that is Vegas.

We lived it up and stayed at the Four Seasons, not because of our bankroll, but for the simple fact that outside of the Trump Casino its the only place in town that takes dogs. That little bitch is getting costly. We did manage to make some of it back at the blackjack tables, however.

Enjoyed a nice dinner at StripSteak though it wasn't without its issues. Jenna had made the reservation but apparently for the Strip House, a totally different restaurant across town, and fortunately the hostess took pity on our dishevelled visages and made room for us in the packed restaurant. A little commotion as we waited outside for our table as apparently the Latin Grammys were taking place right there and throngs of Latinas would erupt in shrieks as some unknown pop star would saunter past. Pretty amusing actually.

We then headed over to the Bellagio for the Cirque du Soleil 'O' show at 10:30. I had seen many Cirque shows in the past but not this one, and it was also Jenna's first. We were not disappointed. An amazing show and, to me, a more amazing set. The introduction of water into their show changes everything. Extremely well done and I think it blew away Jenna.

Got back to our room around 1Am and found our little pup just sitting on the bed, no damage to the room or our stuff. Good little dog she's turning out to be. At least at night. She tends to wake up around 6AM and start licking faces so inevitably one of us gets up and takes her for a walk. I've pulled the short straw the last two mornings and took her out this morning for her rounds. She wasn't counting on the PBR tour being here though. The bull riders have set up in the parking lot next door and we walked right through it. Once she caught a glimpse of one of the bulls (only about 10 feet away) she went bonkers. So I encouraged her to get closer. The bulls were certainly interested. But alas she's all bark and no bite and crouched behind me only to peek around me and bark and then retreat. Repeat ad nauseum.

Today we hit the road for a while with a possible stop at Zion NP before trying to make a cannonball run through the entirety of Utard. Should be a long day in the car.

Car is holding up pretty well though we had a minor scare in the desert yesterday. Check Brake Pads light came on about 100 miles outside of Vegas. Thankfully managed to get a hold of the dealer here in Vegas and came right to them and it turned out to be a quick fix (brake sensor line was not attached correctly and had rubbed through with contact to the wheel). Apparently the next closest dealer on our trip is Salt Lake and beyond that I think it's Chicago. Hopefully I don't have to find out.

Realized today was both the southern and western-most points of our trip. All East from here! I was a bit tempted by the signs to Los Angeles- West Coast or do we turn around and head back East? We could have made LA by dinner time. Instead today will likely be the last pool day for a long time...

Day 5: 250 miles, 73 mph, 13.6mpg
Total: 1281 miles, 68mph, 14.2mpg

Grand Canyon 5

2009-11-04T11:37:00.001-07:00

Grand Canyon 4

2009-11-04T11:22:00.001-07:00

Dinner at El Tovar
ET!

Grand Canyon 3

2009-11-04T11:19:00.001-07:00

Grand Canyon 2

2009-11-04T10:56:00.001-07:00

Grand Canyon

2009-11-04T09:21:00.000-07:00

After a quick drive over the mountains from Flagstaff we arrived at the big hole. Despite it being off-season it was still relatively crowded and we were hard-pressed to find parking. Spent a couple hours on the rim checking out the views (very hard to do when the sun is directly overhead as the colors are all washed out) and then went for a couple hour hike partly down Angel Trail to the 1.5 mile marker. Had we continued, we could have pushed on to the Colorado itself, 5000 feet below and 10 miles in. Unfortunately we had a dog (abeit sleeping) in the car and the sun was starting to set so we pushed ourselves back up to the rim to enjoy the sunset. Went to Yvapai point to enjoy the view from the South Rim and were not disappointed. Definitely the best time of day to enjoy the views.

Temperature dropped quickly from the mid-70s to low-40s and we sought out the El Tovar hotel in the park for dinner. It feels like you are transported back in time about 70 years- a truly majestic old fir and stone lodge. Staff in bowties and prices to match, we enjoyed a very nice meal (although Jenna ordered some crap for dessert) to finish off the day.

Had to sneak Kaya into the hotel tonight as they did not accept pets. A $300 fine incurred if you are caught, so we swaddled her in towels and did our best ET impression.

Wish we had more time here to hike all the way down and jump into the Colorado. Definitely would like to do the two-week rafting trip of the Grand Canyon again someday. The best way to experience the vastness of the Grand Canyon.

Starting to think maybe Jenna gets credit for spending $90 on a National Park pass. Would have cost us $25 just to get into Grand Canyon National Park. That being said, by my estimate we've only saved $35 to date and only a few parks to go....

Tomorrow- Vegas baby!

Driving totals:
Today: 73 miles, 68mph, 15.5mph
Total: 962 miles, 65mph, 14.2mpg

Grand Canyon 1

2009-11-03T22:49:00.000-07:00

Day 4!
Some fire in National Forest outside Flagstaff

Day 3- Four Corners

2009-11-03T10:01:00.000-07:00

Jenna getting jiggy with it. The Navajos starting doing a war chant when she pulled this off.

Day 3 more photos

2009-11-03T09:57:00.001-07:00

Just finished Slickrock

Views from the ride...

Day 3: Moab to Flagstaff

2009-11-03T09:03:00.000-07:00

After a quick grease session at the Moab Diner, Jenna and I headed to Slickrock Trail outside of town to attempt the epic ride. I left a part of myself and bike on the trail pretty much immediately as I came to realize the sandstone is indeed much slippier than anything I've ridden on before. The ten mile loop took about 90 minutes and featured tons of steep descent and ascents and some very narrow passes next to canyons where you definitely did not want to fall. Some wonderful views to Arches, back to CO, and of the Colorado River. I think we picked the perfect time to be there- apparently in October the trail sees upwards of 150,000 riders in a year but I only saw about about 10 others. More on the trail here: http://www.utah.com/bike/trails/slickrock.htm

From Moab we headed South and deviated back towards Colorado briefly in order to access the Four Corners Monument. Cool to say you've been there, but definitely wouldn't recommend it to anyone not in that immediate vicinity. $3/person to access some derelict Indian concrete slab denoting the exact spot the four states (AZ, CO, NM, and UT) all meet, but based on the surroundings you would have thought you stumbled on a Native American Walmart. Lots of stalls with Navajos selling their wares (mostly dreamcatchers, jewelry and cheap tourist stuff). Felt like I needed a bath afterwards. In fact I realized I did. Still do. Oh well.

As we hopped back in and starting the boring drive along wasteland in Northern AZ Jenna realized that the main reason we are going to Vegas, to see Cirque du Soleil, doesn't start until Wednesday. After a quick scramble we decided to venture down to Flagstaff for the night and slow our progress in order to hit Vegas on Wednesday. Not much to really write about in Flagstaff. Seems to have changed quite a bit since I was last here 10 years ago, but it was hard to tell in the night.

I think our dog has narcolepsy. I kid you not she slept for about 20 hours yesterday. Easy to travel with. Kaya did wake us up this morning at 6:30 with licks to the head. It's her sign that she needs to go. Works so far.

Cant seem to put caption on these photos but they should speak for themselves. The alcohol photo was taken in Utard. Of course. Pretty much sums up Utah.

Hard to see but the first photo you can see white dots leading up one of the rocks- that was the trail indicator on Slickrock. For the most part pretty easy to follow but sometimes I found myself saying, 'Really? You really think I can climb that 40% embankment? ' and a couple of times the trail just disappeared. And I wandered aimlessly until I saw another dot and raced off.

After a quick breakfast we are hitting the road today for about 80 miles to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon for a hike and possibly to camp on the rim itself tonight.

Realized we've travelled just under 900 miles so far. We've got a long way to go...
Today: 363 miles, 71mph, 13.6mpg
Total: 878 miles, 64mph, 14.0mpg

Photos Moab 3

2009-11-02T08:18:00.000-07:00

Awaiting sunset at Delicate Arch, Arches NP
Jenna standing in the arch. Don't step back- it's a couple hundred foot dropoff!
It looks light in the photo, but we hiked down in the dark with headlamps

Photos Moab 3

2009-11-02T08:14:00.000-07:00

Photos Moab 2

2009-11-02T08:07:00.000-07:00

Photos of Moab 1

2009-11-02T08:00:00.000-07:00

Utah!
Note the bullet hole on the Colorado '90'
Wild Turkeys!

Moab, UT

2009-11-02T06:49:00.000-07:00

No one woke up with a mustache this morning and we didn't meet any friendly locals to show us a good time.

The drive into Utah was spectacular...leaving the Rockies and heading into the massive red rock cliffs was nothing like I have ever seen. The roads were windy for a bit and not many other cars. Of course Mac took advantage of that and drove as fast as our packed car could take. Averaging 61mph and 14.7mpg. The drive took us less than 2.5 hours.

We drove straight up to Arches NP for a sight you can only see yourself www.nps.gov/arch

The drive is only 5m from downtown Moab and our first stop was Balanced Rock a spire-upon-spire balancing act rising 128 feet from the desert. We were determined to make it up to Delicate Arch by sunset so we then raced to get ready for the estimated 2 hour hike.

Well, I raced to keep up with Ironman as he booked it up the slickrock taking him about 40mins? I finally found my way after huffing and puffing and realizing if I got lost in the desert I was pretty much left for dead. I didn't see a person in sight and surely we didn't remember water as we were in too much of a hurry to get Kaya settled and get all of the camera equipment. I finally made it up about 10 mins after Mac to find an amazing sight. The arch rises out of a rock face and frames the La Sal Mountains in a distance standing 12,oooft. We were able to snap many good shots and enjoy the sunset from the top.

The sun was going down and the air got very cool and we headed down mostly in the dark with headlamps and flashlights in hand.

We were starving and ready for a good local beer and headed to Eddie McStiff's for a bite of local grub. Don't bother hitting up that joint if ever find yourself in Moab. My chicken sandwich was more spam-like and I nearly spit out the brownie sundae. Who could mess up hot fudge? Even McD's gets it right! We headed to the Redstone Inn for a cheap stay and something close in town and we lucky to have internet that is all I will say. I am not too impressed with Moab just yet but maybe the Pancake Haus will give this place points. I was thinking Love Muffin Cafe or Wake & Bake might be even better.

After breakfast we are off to Slickrock Bike Trail. I may or may not take my bike on the "practice loop" as it looks pretty challenging but Kaya and I might hike the 2.5m trail. Mac will surely get out there and get "narly" as they say and tell some tales later. Pictures to follow...stay tuned.

Day 2 - On the way to Moab, Utah from Telluride

2009-11-01T12:59:00.000-07:00

Last batch of photos from Telluride

2009-11-01T11:10:00.000-07:00

Jenna in front of the Blue Bird on a bluebird day
Looking back down at Telluride from Bear Creek Trail

Another classy costume in Telluride's Last Dollar Salloon

photos 4 Telluride

2009-11-01T11:05:00.000-07:00

Our new friends in costume

Andy and Gary at the saloonNice view coming into Telluride
Telluride
Can't see clearly, but there are at least 3 dogs of various sizes and colors in this pickup

Photos 3 Telluride

2009-11-01T11:01:00.001-07:00

Ouray, Co the Switzerland of America...

Yet more photos of the drive...

Photos 2 Telluride

2009-11-01T10:57:00.000-07:00

11052' on the GPS

Looking down on Silverton

Tempted to take the short route to Silverton

Santa Fe to Telluride and Halloween

2009-11-01T10:51:00.000-07:00

One day in and it's already gotten weird. We met two guys, Andy and Gary, at the local saloon here in Telluride last night and ended up getting Halloween costumes from them and hitting the town late into the evening. Woke up with a sweet mustache (courtesy of Gary and a permanent marker) and a wicked hangover (courtesy of about 15 local brews and a few car bombs thrown in for good measure). A great start to the trip indeed.

We left Santa Fe yesterday around noon and drove through Chama before hitting the Colorado border at 134 miles and driving up to Pagosa Springs. A beautiful drive until that point, but the drive from Pagosa to Durango was pretty boring and had a surprising amount of traffic.

Stopped in Durango for a quick stroll and gas break. Decent town but a fair amount of strip mall development and not a ton of character. From there (elevation 6500') we drove north on 550, the road we had heard horror stories of 3000 foot dropoffs with no guard rails and several mountain passes. Apparently it had been shut down with the record October snowfalls earlier in the week but had reopened on Friday.

An absolutely beautiful drive. First 10 miles all climbing up to 10000' where we crossed several passes before dropping into the old mining town of Silverton. Not much to see there and we climb back up to Red Mountain Pass (elev. 11100') before dropping into Ouray, the site of the annual Ice Festival (http://ourayicefestival.com/). Some spectacular cliffs and tunnels as we drove around hairpin after hairpin before finally emerging into town. Couple close run-ins with some bighorn sheep on the road but no collisions and even Kaya wasn't sure what to make of them on the road.

A hairy drive in good conditions, I can't imagine driving it in the winter. No guardrails because the snowplows need somewhere to put all the snow and rails would only block their clearing efforts. I can imagine there have been some horror stories on that road. At 11000' even a summer drive could turn into a problem very quickly.

Rest of the drive was pretty boring until we arrived at Telluride. Arrived at sunset so we saw the mountains bathed in hues of pink and orange and of course being Halloween we saw tons of trick-or-treaters out and about.

Day 1 driving ended up being 339 miles. Average speed of 58.3mph and gas consumption a pleasantly surprising 14.1mpg. So just under six hours of driving, a far cry from the google maps estimate of 8.5 hours! Here's a link to the route we took: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=17053+US+Hwy+85%2F285,+Santa+Fe,+NM+87506+(Santa+Fe+Opera)&daddr=chama,+nm+to:durango,+co+to:silverton,+co+to:ridgway,+co+to:Telluride,+CO&geocode=FYesIQIdvV6v-SHk9EmObEIwYg%3B%3B%3B%3B%3B&hl=en&mra=ls&sll=36.958671,-106.918945&sspn=4.090562,9.733887&ie=UTF8&ll=37.749001,-107.899475&spn=1.012018,2.433472&t=h&z=9

Found a great place to crash- the Ice House- right next to the gondola and walked around town before settling in at the local saloon for dinner and beers. That's when the strange stuff started.

A combination of Halloween, 9000 feet elevation, 6 hours of driving, and crazed locals make for an interesting evening. After a few beers while poring over the map for tomorrow's itinerary we strike up a conversation with the two guys at the bar. Turns out they are nuts. Gary, the wild-haired, enduro-mountain bike racer and Virginia transplant, and Andy, the Wyoming transplant, downhill mountain bike racer and quasi-Mormon convert ("You guys are going through Salt Lake? You GOTTA check out the genealogy museum- you will love it"). These two were our first introduction to locals and proved to be a fair representation of the rest of this box canyon's population. At one point I got up to to go the bathroom and see that there's an old-timer in there already and close the door to await my turn. I hear a holler from the toothless wonder in the bathroom, "Come on in, it's a two-holer! No wait, a three-holer with the sink!". Needless to say, I waited. The night got hazy shortly after and I'll let the pictures do the talking for me, but suffice it to say a good time had by all.

Woke up to another bluebird day and after a quick breakfast we took Kaya on a short walk up a mountainside trail, Bear Creek. Nice views of town and a good way to work off some of the alcohol.

Going to do a stroll through town, check out Main Street and also see if I can find the glove last night. Maybe it's with my dignity.

Planning on hitting Moab tonight. Should be a nice short-ish drive and we hear the weather should be warming up which will be nice for our bike/hikes tomorrow.

Last musings:

- loved all the ranches we passed in Northern NM and Southern CO. Must have passed at least a couple of hundred. Some great names like Leaping Trout, Two Bear, and Lone Elk.

- laughed when we saw the commercial moving company just out of Telluride named Jo Mama's Movers. I'd use them for sure.

Jenna's take on the movers

2009-10-31T00:50:00.000-06:00

I have learned one thing about not being in NYC - it is hard to get good service. The movers showed up with no packing supplies and not very motivated. We thought we might get a bite of Thai food for lunch and get on the road by dark. The movers left at 11:30pm after 2 packs of cigarettes, hours on their cell phones and many dirty looks from me. I just hope our stuff makes it in one piece to NYC as they were headed on a 300 mile trip down south right after they left with no sleep in mind.

We slept in our casita (our small apt out back) for the first time and will leave for CO first thing in the morning. Snow has dumped on Denver and we are hoping all the passes are open for the first day of our long journey.

Finally

2009-10-30T10:07:00.001-06:00

Mover's are showing up shortly and once they're done we're hitting the road. Cold brisk day here in Santa Fe but no precipitation. Unlike CO which is getting hammered with record snowfalls. Should be an interesting drive up 84 North as we head into the storm.

Speaking of the car I'm surprised we didn't fill it to the brim. In fact I hate to admit it but I think I packed more than Jenna. It's a close race between her and the dog for second most in terms of volume. Empty we were only getting about 14mpg, I'll be surprised if we even manage 10 for most of this trip.

Next stop: Telluride.

Austin pre-race

2009-10-29T12:43:00.000-06:00

Lance's Bike Shop - it was packed bc of the LAF ride

Did you know Stevie Ray Vaugh was from Dallas? I didn't until Sam told me!

Something I will never get used to doing! Yet to do it actually but NY insists on it.

We always order nachos..I think I am a nacho at this point. Chuy's had a new twist on them though - they made them on taco shells so each one was huge!

Mac ordered up some BBQ but wasn't that impressed. They did have some amazing wings though. I was going to tell everyone he was Lance - he could pass for him here, right?

Austin race and after...

2009-10-26T23:57:00.000-06:00

Here he goes - running 13.1 miles after swimming and biking!

Mac always seems to smile and wave which makes it fun for me. Kaya and I were right there to see him each time we could. I think he should wear a purple or neon yellow top. I noticed a lot of red tops this time around.

Brendan and his friends from CO were a total blast. They all have 3+ kids and were ready to party...well until they met Mac. They didn't realize his favorite drink is an Irish Car Bomb.

Mac joined in on the bar staff taking a bomb. Brendan looks true to form - tired and ready to go home!

Road-Trip Warmup: Round Trip to Austin, TX

2009-10-26T21:45:00.000-06:00

This weekend Jenna, Kaya and I headed to Austin for the Longhorn 70.3 Ironman. A long trip for a 'warm-up', nearly 1600 miles round trip.

Race was pretty much a disaster but having barely trained I wasn't particularly perturbed. Swim went well despite this chronic pain I've had for over a month in my shoulder that has prevented me from any swim training. I passed 5 different colored caps from waves ahead of me- and each wave was separated by 5 minutes, it was mayhem out there. Out of the water in 29 minutes.

Bike was where the real problems occurred. Got two flats. First was a slow leak on my rear (disk) I noticed about mile 26 and stopped, felt it- about 100 psi at that point (riding tubular so normally I ride about 160psi ) and thought maybe i could get away with it. Hopped back on (was averaging an easy 24.6 at that point) and went about two more miles before going around a corner and almost losing it. I had to stop. Being an idiot, I failed to bring any tools (air, spares, tire lever etc) so I basically had to sit there and flag another rider down to help me. Someone tossed me their CO2 which I used to inflate the tire back to about 120psi and took off, this time taking it really careful not to hit anything to cause the leak to happen more quickly. I made it to mile 36 before I had to stop again.

This time I waited until I saw someone else roadside before pulling over. As an aside, I saw the aftermath of two serious bike accidents (later heard these two unconscious guys were medivacced out). The ride was a shitshow out in the middle of nowhere because they did a retarded 18 wave start with the fastest guys last so we were biking through literally thousands of yahoos). Other than those serious accidents saw many riders with mechanical issues.

Anyway I stop next to this guy on a p3 who busted some spokes on his 808s and he offers to help. He has two CO2 cartridges and a spare tubular. We try inflating my disk but his CO2 doesn't fit properly on the valve (you need a special adapter which of course I failed to bring) and we basically waste the first CO2 and manage to lose the rest of the air in my wheel. So now I'm really screwed. Obviously I'm not riding a disk flat for 20 miles. He then offers up his spare tubular and when I resist he basically says he doesn't care as his day is over. He helps me rip the damn tubular off the glue (takes about ten minutes between the two of us) and we put on his spare (a 19mm which is obscenely narrow btw) and without glue I ride it the rest of the way. My bike computer, which only works when I'm rolling, averaged about 23.1 (2:24) which I was pleasantly surprised with considering my lack of training and the low psi I rode on for god knows how long. Race was actually moderately hilly and very windy. Disk not the best idea.

I had an old coworker from lehman, 40 year old guy, doing his first 70.3 and only his second triathlon (his first was a mere month ago). I apparently passed him 3 times on the bike and only recognized him on the third time as he yelled out my name when I passed him about mile 40. Knowing he wouldn't be far behind me off the bike I jogged the first of the three loops on the run waiting for him to catch up so I could help him finish. Didn't see him so slowed even more until he caught up with me on the third loop. His legs were shot but helped him work through it, running, jogging, and even walking at times. The run was basically all hills- they changed the course due to recent heavy rains. We finished side by side and while I was disappointed with my day I was happy with how I felt. Other than some nasty blisters on my feet (because of course I forgot socks) and some sunburn (ditto with the sunblock), I really wasn't very fatigued. Next year...

Austin was a pretty cool town but very small. It was a zoo all weekend with Lance's charity ride/run and Austin Film Festival all occurring the same weekend as the IM. Jenna and I walked over most of town including checking out Whole Foods (Jenna was ecstatic as it had '5 different restaurants inside') and Mellow Johnny's (Lance's bike shop). His shop was packed with riders and tourists but I appreciated checking out the assortment of bikes he's ridden over the days from pre-Postal Service to his new team's rides. All just sitting there in the store. And of course a bunch of his Yellow Jerseys from which the name Mellow Johnny's name is derived (French for yellow jersey is 'maillot jaune').

Our hotel was right on the river which is ringed by a nice dirt running trail that I used for a warm-up run on Friday. We hit the supposed places to eat- Green Mesquite (bbq), Stubbs (bbq) and Chuys (tex mex) which were great pre-race dietary supplements (!) but they weren't that good. Pretty disappointing as we were really looking forward to some good eating. 6th street is where all the bars are and that was cool but small. Basically the town felt like a smaller Boston lacking the draw of mountains and water.

It was announced the morning of the race that Austin had 68 100+ degree days this summer. With that humidity I don't know how one can live down there. Brutal.

I had no idea how long of a drive it was going to be from Santa Fe, however, until I looked at it online last week. 750 miles and 12 hours according to MapQuest. And a very boring 750 at that. If flights weren't over $600 each I think I would have elected to fly.

On the way down we went through Roswell (think aliens) and Carslbad (caverns) before hitting Texas. We took two days on the way there and those two 'destinations' were pathetic. Highlight of the drive was the 80mph speed limits (which meant I put it on cruise control at 100). It's amazing how big Texas is. I mean we only drive from western TX to the middle of the state and it took nearly 6 hours and 500 miles!

We did the whole drive back today and took a different, more direct (and supposedly slower) route. From Austin we left in driving rain (thank God it was today and not yesterday) to San Angelo, through Lubbock before hitting border of NM and onward to Fort Sumner and up. A lot of the driving was on desolate desert state highways- a steering wheel is irrelevant on these roads. 55mph zones but was doing as high as 115 (as fast as the loaner could go) and one could easily go substantially faster safely as the roads are straight with no towns or intersections as far as the horizon. You literally would drive 40-50 miles without passing a single residence (or anything interesting to look at).

We went through Fort Sumner, NM where apparently Billy the Kid was killed. As far as I could tell it is the only thing that town has going for it. So many of these podunk towns have some cool western history byline but the modern towns are absolutely atrocious. It's much easier to imagine a meth addicts life when you pass through these towns. Most of them consist of nothing more than some rusted out old motels and derelict gas stations scattered for about a quarter mile. And then back into nothingness.

Three highlights from the drive back-
1) Went over some creek in nowhere Texas today called Kickapoo Creek. I mean seriously is there a better name for a creek?

2) Some sign on a seemingly vacant commercial property in a tiny town in TX- ' I'm so busy I don't know if I found a rope or lost a horse'. Only in Texas.

3) And the signs along the highway in Texas stating- 'Dont mess with Texas. $10,000 fine for littering'.

Runner up: Glasscock County TX.

Hitting the road for the 'trip' end of this week. Looking to be a chilly trip- 37 here in SF when we got home tonight and frost on the hot tub cover. Good omen for the trip is that our mutt Kaya didn't relieve herself in the car and definitely farts less than I do in the vehicle. I am trying in vain to blame all gas on her. Also got her to piss and poop on command- we only had one piss accident in the hotel in Austin which Jenna and I felt no shame for after being woken up at 4:30AM race day by a vacuum cleaner in the hall.

Jenna's list of car snacks - very important!

2009-10-13T22:27:00.000-06:00

Thinking healthy, yummy, non-perishable and variety because we don't want to get bored and eat McD's everyday. Although nothing beats fries and a chocolate sundae for a road trip dinner.

What did I miss my fellow foodies?

water, lemonade juice boxes

oranges, bananas

nuts, dried fruits

granola bars

chocolate (of course that will come along with me at all times so kaya won't be tempted)

crackers - goldfish, kashi

jerky (yes i said jerky, i actually like that stuff sometimes)

apple sauce, fruit strips

cereal

combos (who can go on a road trip without combos!!!)

qbell wafer rolls (a whole foods find that are totally delicious)

laughing cow cheese

semi-sweet chocolate chips - such a good snack

pb&j - we are both kids at heart

mix1 - our favorite portable drink

chocolate covered espresso beans (we don't drink coffee and may need a boost!)

Driving Directions from Santa Fe, NM to Winnetka, IL

2009-10-12T08:24:00.001-06:00

Driving Directions from Santa Fe, NM to Winnetka, IL

Here's a rough draft of the first part of the trip- 3600 miles from Santa Fe (NM) through Telluride, (CO), Arches National Park (UT), Mesa Verde NP (CO), Grand Canyon (AZ), Las Vegas (NV), Jackson Hole (WY), Yellowstone NP (WY), Badlands (SD), Minneapolis (MN) and finally my hometown of Winnetka (IL).

Check out the hyperlink above for a MapQuest version of the trip.

62 hours of driving according to MapQuest. We are thinking of taking about two weeks to get to Chicagoland.

Beyond that all that remains is another 1000 miles to Dorset, VT so we're looking at about 4600 miles total.

Anyone want to take a guess as to total cost of fuel on this trip? I'm guessing the truck with everything in it is going to average around 14mpg (nice). Closest to the mark will get some chintzy souvenir from our travels.

Trip Planning Day #1

2009-10-11T15:14:00.000-06:00

We've decided to head back East. To fly seems too easy, as does driving due East. Instead we are planning a 4000+ mile circuitous route through the mountains of New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, Utah, Idaho and Wyoming before veering to the Atlantic seaboard.

We'd like to hit some of the more interesting sites along the way including Telluride, Arches NP, Mesa Verde NP, Grand Canyon, Vegas (gotta make some $), Zion NP, Yellowstone NP, Badlands NP and Niagara. No 'set' itinerary but thinking it's going to take about three weeks, give or take.

Likely not to leave before the end of October, putting us in Chicago by mid-November and our final destination a little before Thanksgiving.

Jenna lucked out as the car I would really like to be driving is down and out (for good- Lemon Law time) and I can't do any serious speeding in the vehicle we'll be using. I just hope it makes it all the way.