Adam's Final Post (sierras final post below)

I’ve been waiting for the right time to start writing the final blog post, I have put it off so long I knew nobody would still be waiting on it. I think I just need to write it for myself, and also the book I’m turning the blog into. Until tonight I haven’t been able to slip into the right state of mind to write it. As I took my dog outside tonight, the air seemed perfectly crisp and cool but not too cold, reminded me of some of the first nights on the trip. As I turned to walk back into the house I stopped and gazed at the Bigelow mountain range silhouetted against a burnt orange evening sky. My mind flashed back to Montana, Nevada, Wyoming, and the likes. The mountain view, and the feeling of finally having sold the van, I knew I could write the final post tonight.

As I sit here reading back through the blog in the quiet house, home alone, I can remember all the details in the blog we didn’t write about. Every time I read a post I remember all the events, all the stops, all the sensations that didn’t make it into the blog that day…I remember on different days how the sun felt and how the air smelled...I hope that as time goes on, those memories don’t fade…

I’ve realized that I’ve already forgotten to be thankful for warm pajamas a reclining chair, running water, a sink – better yet, a dishwasher – and knowing where I’m going to sleep tonight.

Part of the reason it took so long to write the final blog post, is the same reason I took the road trip in the first place: life gets busy. So a short recap of our arrival home: After arriving home and surprising everybody it wasn’t long before me and Sierra said good-bye for the day and slept at our perspective houses. The feeling of being home was surreal, and took weeks to sink in. To everybody else it was just “Adam is home, things are back to normal”, but to me everything was different. After 50 days on the road all the comforts of home seemed to be such luxuries. BBQ’s ensued and lots of socializing occurred. Trying to explain the road trip to people proved and still proves to be challenging, and in a way impossible. People constantly ask what my favorite place or favorite memory was, and I don’t think I will ever have an accurate answer. In random conversations I can talk about the road trip and bring up specific instances and places, but know one can truly understand. Even for those of you who read the blog everyday, you’ll never know the full extent of the experience we had. I couldn’t talk long enough or remember the details to get you to fully grasp it, and even then, you’ll never really feel what we felt.

Now, in the midst of the chaos, whether at work or school, I think back to that feeling of not having a place to be for the rest of the day, or the next day. I remember the feeling of the way the van felt going to sleep, the feeling of pulling into a Walmart, and the soothing highway at night. I long for the freedom to look at a map and pick a place to go the next day. I miss the way it felt to walk through towns that are completely new, the feeling of perfectly tension free muscles, and the sensation of pulling into our destination.

I want so bad to do the trip again, expand on what we did. I know now what to do, what not to do, where to go, where not to go, and where to plan on spending more time. The thing is, I could do the trip a thousand more times and never see it all, nor satisfy the hunger to explore.

On a recent trip to Vegas, my Dad and I rented a car and visited the Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam, we traveled some of the same roads I traveled in the van over the summer. It was surreal to see and remember the landscapes.

I can’t wait to be get back out there throughout life, and revisit the beautiful spots and places we called home this summer. I can’t wait to go to the same campsites or the same hotel parking lots, and just sleep there to immerse myself back into my mind and re-live the memories. For now, I'll occasionally just put on James Taylor’s album: Hourglass,(the CD we listened to at least once a day on the trip… “at least” being the key word), and just re-live it in my mind. 

Thank you to everyone we met along the way and everyone we got to spend time with. Thanks for all the support and thanks for following. And of course, thanks to my best friend Sierra, couldn't imagine doing a trip with anyone else, especially now.

As for the future, I will finish school and then go from there. I know what I want for a career and I’m not afraid to start. I’m just nervous to be tied down for the next 50 years not being able to ever feel as free again. Maybe I’ll spend a few years being a park ranger in Glacier N.P….or maybe I could just squeeze in one more trip…who knows.

-Adam

p.s. dont forget to scroll down and read sierras final post.

Sierra's Final Post

I still remember when Adam and I were in Olive Garden and he was telling another one of his friends about his roadtrip, and I said, “Well….can I go???”  I think that for a long time, he didn’t believe that I would actually save my money to do it, but here I am, one road trip later, and with no laptop at college.  But, it was never just about the money.  It was leaving and understanding that we couldn’t just go home; it was being with one person for fifty days, it was driving to California in an 85’ VW bus, and attempting to get back.  The roadtrip began with us having to make choices that would result in a summer of pure freedom, a summer that we will never forget. 

The roadtrip turned into an adventure that even I wasn’t expecting.  The van troubles that now make us smile, the people we spent time with that changed or impacted our lives in different ways, that one James Taylor CD that became our roadtrip soundtrack, the silly, crazy places we went and things we did that no one will ever truly understand, the support and encouragement that people gave us, and a friendship that will never be the same.  You know, when you live out of a van in 110 degree weather for fifty days, it’s too hot to argue!  So you have to just laugh, say “what have we gotten ourselves into?”, make up stupid handshakes, sing Disney songs at midnight, roll the windows down, and simply enjoy the gift of a summer spent being free with your best friend.             

Adam has been telling me to write this last post since we got back, and to be honest, I have been putting it off for as long as I possibly can.  The roadtrip still feels surreal or in the making.  I don’t want to except nor recognize its end, but I understand that the roadtrip was a season, maybe the best of my life so far, but still seasons change. 

I owe thank yous to so many people and places, but I will probably forget someone….first, mom and dad, thank you for embracing, my adventurous spirit, and letting me go on the roadtrip.  My Tudela family, thank you for helping Adam and I the whole way to California and back, I love you guys!  Rick and Brett, thanks for all the hard work you put into the van, and Val thanks for introducing me to Adam, and for encouraging me to play, and for hanging out with me while the boys worked on the van.  Goulet, thank you so much for all your guidance and ideas, we’d have been lost without you.  Don, and Eric thanks for the shower and a bed to sleep in, we had so much fun.  Mike, we LOVE your camp, thank you so much!  To everyone in Minnesota, thank you for a fun few days at the lake, and Gramas spaghetti.  To South Dakota thank you for Wall Drug and prairie dogs, and for the badlands…amazing to even think about.  Wyoming, thank you for the elk and Jackson Hole and Debbie.  Dustin and Leigh, you guys made our stay in California absolutely unforgettable, you guys are awesome and we love you!  Tennessee, thanks for that three hours of sleep and the foggy sunrise.  Debbie, we love you…thank you for everything.  To the Galvan’s, we had so much fun in Virginia and you guys are just so much fun, thank you.  And to my dear friend Adam, thanks tudela, you are the best and it was so much fun, and WE DID IT!  We drove across the country in a hippie van…we walked out on the mesa and we stumbled on a few songs J Love ya tudela, thank you for everything before the roadtrip, during it, and after.  The day I met you was such a blessing. 

Well thanks anyone who read the blog, and followed us!  We had so much fun sharing the crazy trip with you all and we are just so thankful for everything.  I can’t believe it’s really over, but hey, stay posted for another blog a few years down the road, maybe, you never know.  


-Sierra

K so a little busy with wedding...there will be a wrap up post...

Explanation

So, heres the deal: since New Mexico we had to fake the blog a bit. We had to make everyone think that we were farther west then we really were. To start, the night when we "slept in New Mexico" we actually just kept driving until we were in Kentucky. It was over 1000 miles in one day and we drove for 20 hours, only stopping for gas and restrooms. After driving through the night we went to sleep at 6:30 a.m. about two hours outside of Debbie's. We woke up at 10 a.m. in a van that was 115 degrees...I had to change my shirt because it was drenched...

We got to Debbie's at noon and enjoyed lunch and some air conditioning and we all napped. From there on out the blog has been completely true, except for the fact that you were getting the story a day or two delayed from when it actually happened. When we were writing about Debbie's we had already arrived in Virginia. Again, all true, just delayed.

We had a app on my phone to fake our gps location. It took an enormous amount of time to set up and make sure the routes and timing were correct to correspond with the blog, and we had to check on it constantly because it would malfunction and sometimes give our actual location. We also said we stayed three days in Virginia but we only stayed two.

A couple of days ahead of the blog, we visited Gettysburg and that night stayed at our friend Donna's house. The next day, Saturday, we drove home.

Getting to Maine was a awesome feeling, the feeling of returning home is like none other. We had gotten lucky with traffic the whole trip, so naturally when we got to the Maine bridge we hit a wall of traffic and slowly made our way across the bridge. Man did I miss Maine though!

We got to Augusta around 6 p.m. We surprised Sierra's friend Jen and then went out to Olive Garden, something we have planned since the beginning. After Olive Garden, we went to a movie and then some of my other friends who live in Augusta stopped by our place...Walmart parking lot... We sat up talking in the van until about 3 am.

Sunday came, a day we have been waiting for since the first day. At 7 am (3 days earlier then we were expected) we awoke and drove to Fairfield. We snuck into Sierra's house made coffee, french toast and made noise so her parents would get up...they were surprised!

Next we headed to Val's place and set up a scavenger hunt for her to come and find us in the middle of the field. She was at church while we set up. After set up, we headed to my house and I walked in and me and my dog Nova had about 10 minutes of cuddle time before the house started discovering me. Slowly but surely everyone was surprised. After some visiting, we rushed back to Vals house and hid in a field. After an hour the scavenger hunt led her to us and screams erupted followed by silly string and hugs. We left her a video camera and she filmed her hunt. (stay tuned for a video on facebook)

After hanging out with Val and her family...our "second family" we parted ways...after 50 days with someone it feels weird to part. We didn't get too sick of each other and we rarely fought. I'd say we did alright. Oh, and we didn't fall in love...sorry, still best friends. :)

An amazing end to an amazing trip. Sorry for the sloppy writing, I'm tired. Stay tuned for a final post by both Sierra and I on Friday at the absolute latest.

-Adam

Surprise

After a some careful planning and some serious dedication we have managed to surprise everybody and arrive home 3 days early. Stay tuned for details, I will write tomorrow, but tonight, I'm going to veg and and sip some wine.

Look for a post tomorrow evening and then a final post after that. Can't believe it.

-Adam

Woke up around 9:30, which is pretty good because I stayed up until 3:30 watching a scary movie that Uncle Andy got me hooked into. Anyway, got up had a quick cup of coffee and we joined Aunt Wendy on an errands quest.

First we stopped at a State Farm agents office, Charles Tilson, and his employee Kim presented us with a check. We felt so grateful, especially since we will definitely be needing all the help we can get to finish up the trip...funds are running extremely low. Next we hit a couple thrift stores, something we have been doing all trip. Aunt Wendy hits the thrift stores often as well, so it was nice to do it together.

Next was Chick-fil-A....which is my favorite...so good! With full tummies we moved on to the grocery store. Aunt Wendy campaigned for us there as well prior to our arrival, so a gas card was waiting there. After the grocery store we headed home and enjoyed the evening together.

We plan on getting up in the morning tomorrow, and just taking our time, maybe leaving around 3 or 4ish. We will see.

-Adam

Clever

I've had the time of my life

Today we woke up around 10:30 am, to the sounds of beautiful singing..."Good morning to you, good morning to you!"  : )  Upon awaking, we were given donuts, and fresh coffee for breakfast.  We then got dressed and headed into town.

Blacksburg was beautiful, and we enjoyed being shown the favorite little shops, and restaurants.  We went to the farmers market which was nice, and then enjoyed some old bookstores, and thrift shops.  After enjoying some time in town, we went home to have some lunch.  While we were eating lunch, Aunt Wendy casually mentioned that Dirty Dancing had been filmed not too far away, and that after we were done eating we would head over there....my reaction was....loud. : )

So, we made our way up the winding road toward Mountain Lake Resort.  I was so giggly and happy!  We walked around all the different places that were in the movie, and even found a juke box where we, of course, played the classic Dirty Dancing songs.  Adam filmed Aunt Wendy and I dancing, so, don't worry. We even got to go down to the infamous lake, and then on our way back up to the car, Adam and I decided to play a round of tether ball, which didn't last long because the string broke.  As we were trying to fix it, we both heard, "SPLASH!"....I said, "huh...did your Aunt Wendy just jump in the pool?"
Adam replied, "Kinda sounded like that, huh?"
We ran over to the pool, and sure enough, in all her clothes, was Aunt Wendy, just swimmin around.  I couldn't resist either, and so I jumped in.  It was so much fun!

After we left the resort, we went home, and after getting changed, Adam and I headed over to the Holiday Inn where Amanda works.  We enjoyed some live music, watching old people boogie, and frozen yogurt!  It was so awesome.  We stayed for a while chit-chatting with Amanda, and then headed home to a pretty quiet house.  So we just enjoyed relaxing, and air conditioning...again, awesome.  Later we watched some TV, and the movie, Source Code, which is very good.

Now, we are headed to bed, enjoying the cool air, and beautiful house.  We feel so very grateful to everybody that has allowed us to enjoy their company, as well as their homes...so thank you everyone!

Good Night!

Sierra

Aunt Wendy pointing at Amanda in the pictures that are everywhere.

Sorry about not posting.

Yesterday we woke up and said good bye to Debbie. Next we stumbled upon a waffle house, yet another establishment Sierra has never visited. After that we hit the road....

8 boring hours later we were at the Galvin residence greeted with smiling faces, happy dogs, and gift baskets in our bedrooms tailored to our specific interests. For instance my basket had, among other things: Chapstick, Excedrine, germ-x, a photography magazine, and a foam sword....my aunt knows me too well. :)

For the next few hours we just hung around the nice air conditioned house and enjoyed their company. Amanda brought us to the campus of Virginia Tech and showed us around some of it. Too much walking to see all of it. Among the highlights were beautiful buildings, huge grass lawns, chapels, bowling alleys...you get the picture.

Can't wait to see what tomorrow has in store. We plan to leave here Saturday Evening or Sunday morning which should put us on schedule for arrival in Maine on the 3rd. Crazy.

-Adam

Life at the Galvin Residence

Annma!

Today we woke up in comfy beds, an air conditioned house, and well rested.  I woke up around 11...which was amazing, and then we spent the morning reorganizing, and just relaxing while Debbie was at work.  She was so sweet, and got off early, so when she got home, she took us to the "Lost River Cave"...which they have dances in, so start saving because I think we need to all go to Bowling Green and rent that out for just a party...honestly, so beautiful.  It was a short, gorgeous hike down to the cave with massive hanging vines, and big trees....oh my word.  I told Debbie that Bowling Green was my green gables, and that someday I will live here, and I'm serious.  Bowling Green is Mayberry...hanging vines, and trees...rivers, and sweet tea...ahhhh I love it here.  So anyways, the hike was beautiful, short and fun!  Then out of nowhere, there is a massive cave!  There is an underground river, and a dance floor, and a stage...yes, a stage.  Like I said, start saving!

After, we went to a frozen yogurt place, which is my favorite, and then we went back home and enjoyed each others company.   Debbie is so much fun!  We discovered that her grand kids call her "Annma", so we adopted the name as well. : )  A little while later, we met up with Heather, Kailen, and Elijah for dinner at a wonderful mexican restaurant.  I can't remember the name of it, but it was delish!  We then said our goodbyes to Kailen, heather, and Elijah, and went around Bowling Green with "Annma" for a bit longer.

Debbie showed us the, "top-of-the-hill', which is Western Kentucky University.  We walked around for a while chit-chatting just like old friends.  Enjoying the summer evening cool breeze, and the sunset over the campus.  We then drove over to the Corvette museum, because, did you know? Bowling Green is the Corvette Capital of the World!  Crazy!!!  It was very cool.  After, we drove home and spent the evening looking at pictures, talking about the past, present, and future, getting teary-eyed about leaving Bowling Green and Debbie, and simply enjoying our last night together.  We laughed a lot, and tried out southern accents..well I did. : )  Then we said good night knowing that tomorrow morning will be very biter-sweet...

Coming to Bowling Green has been amazing.  We know that the trip has been more that anyone could ever dream of, and the extra bonuses of meeting people, and being able to enjoy their company was crazy...This whole thing has been one big blessing of fun, and adventure.  We are excited to be home, but sad to be away from the road...so many bitter-sweet moments these last few weeks.

Good Night!

-Sierra  

Debbies

Tired, so sorry about the sloppy writing.

We arrived at Debbie's today around 11ish. We received a very warm welcome from her, her son Kailen, his wife Heather, and their little boy (almost 1) Elijah. Immediately we could tell they were just very nice down to earth people just like Debbie. We were ushered into the kitchen where a roast, creamed corn, yeast rolls (just like my mom makes), salad, and fresh cookies awaited. We just sat, and ate, and talked. So awesome!

Kailen, Heather and Elijah left for the night but, asked us to come visit them at their place later. After Sierra, Debbie, and I talked for a while longer we all took naps. I took the longest. Debbie's house is so amazingly decorated; it reminds me of my Nana's house so much. The house is also air conditioned...like really well, like so cold...It's awesome. After the naps, we jumped in the car and got a tour of Bowling Green. It is so nice out here, so much to do, so many restaurants...Beautiful little town.

At the end of the tour we went to visit Kailen and Heather at their farmhouse. They had horses, and chickens, and a garden. Their home was also just beautiful. They showed us around, let us pet the horses, and then we just sat on their huge porch in rocking chairs and talked. They seem like such down to earth and genuine people. Could definitely see myself just hanging out with them.

Back at Debbie's we shared stories and talked, ate left overs...which were just as delicious as before, drank ice water and ice cold coke, and watched a movie. Such an amazing day!

We feel so lucky to have met Debbie. What if we didn't go to the Fourth of July at Jackson Hole? What if Sierra didn't go mingle while I was sleeping in the van? What if she chose someone else to sit with instead of Debbie? It's weird, she's one of those people you meet and then immediately can't imagine life without.

Just laying in bed typing this is so nice. The house is so cool (and it is unbelievably hot and muggy outside...like can't even breath), the beds are comfortable, nice hot shower so we are feeling clean. Life is good!

Good Night
-Adam

Drive, drive, drive...

Sorry to say that this post will indeed probably be boring :/

Today we woke up in Oklahoma. It was hot, and humid. The latest with Ms. Frizzle is that the steering wheel is rubbing off onto Adams hands when it gets wet, or the air is moist...it's fine. We drove all day in hot hot hot weather, like having the windows down is having 100 degree air blow onto your already sweaty face...lovely. But good news is that we ate Subway for lunch, thanks to gift cards, and we put a lot of hours behind us. Also we find ourselves getting more into rolling green hills and trees, which is very encouraging, and just nice compared to the desert. James Taylor seems to make the hours go by faster, as we sing to his album, Hourglass, over, and over again.

The sunset is a parade of beautiful oranges and pinks, with a soft blue painting the landscape in that evening glow. It is truly beautiful...We are appreciating every moment lately, as we know it is coming to that bittersweet close. But for now, after a long day of driving, we are buttoned up in TN, tired, and 2 or 3 hours away from Debbie!!!!!! So exciting!

Good Night!

-Sierra

And We Drive

Wish I had more to report on but today was mostly driving…

She has gotten handy with a map.

Today we got on the road about 9, and were planning on a breakfast of coffee for me and water for Sierra. However, as we were driving by a truck stop I said out loud "ooh Denny's". (We do that with just about every restaurant or billboard with food on it, but we usually look at each other, and then sarcastically talk about how it would probably just be disgusting.) Today however, Sierra goes "what's Denny's?"… I was dumbfounded…I'm still not over it…. We obviously had to stop.

After a wonderful, and may I add cheap breakfast, we hit the road again around 10:30. We didn't stop driving until 7 pm. We could have gone longer, but decided to just save it for tomorrow. Still 13 or so hours away from Debbie's.

Before bed we managed to find a lake nearby and take a quick dip, washing ourselves for the first time in days…yes days…4 to be exact. Keep in mind it's been a bit warm driving through Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas…Today the temperature in the van was 110 degrees with the windows down on the highway….

It's funny, when we were heading west we talked about how it would feel to head home. The entire trip, home has been in the back of both of our minds; constantly there, but dulled by the amazing adventures we have been having. We always knew that it would be a sort of "mad dash" on the way home, but we insisted that we would stop and "smell the flowers." We discussed how we would stop at antiques shops and random oversized objects like frying pans…but in reality, now that we are actually driving home, it's an unspoken agreement we have to just drive. It's bittersweet, but we are definitely excited to get home; excited to shower in a shower…not a lake or stream, to see our family, including our dogs, and know where we are going to sleep every night. But at the same time, we will miss not knowing where we are going to sleep, talking to homeless people, finding random bodies of water to bathe in, and getting weird looks as we shampoo ourselves. We'll miss the nights of driving, laughing, James Taylor on the radio, beautiful sunsets over unfamiliar landscapes, and the knowledge that we can pick a spot on the map and just go. 

Don't get me wrong, the trips not over yet. We may be driving home, but we still have stops planned, people to see, things to go wrong, and laughs to be had.  

-Adam

This Van's A Rollin'

Good evening everybody!  Today, we have had a pretty laid back day of driving with a few interesting moments.  From where Adam left off last night, we left the scary Indian town and saw on the GPS that there was a rest area right next to the four corners, so we decided to drive 2 more hours to get there.  We kept ourselves awake with music, and the windows rolled down, but by the time we reached the four corners we were beat...lucky for us, there was a gate in front of the four corners monument, and our rest area...yeah, it was aggravating.  However, there was a Walmart 40 minutes away in Cortez Colorado, so that's where we slept.

We woke up this morning still exhausted, and aggravated about our four corners experience.  We plugged Debbie's address into the GPS at Walmart, and then decided to just follow it.  So basically what we did, like I said earlier, was drive all day.  The highlights of our drive were stopping at a gas station to fill up and go through the car wash, when the van decided to roll away...yes the van is a rollin'.  Adam says he forgot to put it in gear while we ran in to use the bathroom.  Lucky for us, a nice employee jumped in and put her foot on the break, thank goodness!  Other than that not a whole lot happened.

We just now finished eating dinner and watching a movie at a rest stop off of Route 40 in New Mexico, and now, since we are still exhausted, we are just going to sleep here.  We have about 1200 miles left before Debbie, and we plan on taking our time getting there, stopping at a few more places here and there, but til tomorrow, good night!

-Sierra

We have covered a lot of distance in the last two days. We drove late into last night hoping to reach Vegas at 2 a.m., but I couldn't ignore my headache much longer. We woke up at 8 this morning and drove by Vegas. Almost stalled once in a construction zone. Also another charming aspect of the van lately, to start it Sierra must crawl underneath the van, with a hammer, and bang on the starter while I turn the key….awfully embarrassing. 

After hours and hours of driving we made it to the town Kingman where we met up with Route 66 and did the historic loop. It was pretty cool. The road was desolate, but at the beginning and the end there were some awesome stores. At the snowcap drive-in we walked in to order some malts. Well, we walked in after observing the neon sign that says "sorry, we are open". Then we tried to open the handle and pull where it said…but the correct handle was on the other side of the door. At the counter of the 10 x 4 room a man said "hey". I asked him what kind of malt they had and he started listing them all. I said "I'll have a cherry". He goes "wait, I wasn't done…." I laughed and said okay. He kept listing. At the end I said "I'll still have the cherry". Next he squirted fake mustard at me. When my Malt was done he asked me if I wanted a straw and handed me straw…like the kind from a field. I said, yea how about the ones I can drink out of…It was a fun little restaurant. 

After route 66 we headed on to the Grand Canyon. Absolutely amazing. As we drove away and headed for the four corners the sun set over the canyon land…absolutely amazing. 

Now I am typing to you from a gas station parking lot, and there are Natives everywhere. One just approached us and started looking in the van. I gave him some change to make him go away. Definitely not sleeping here tonight…looks like another late one.

Loneliest Road

Good morning!  Sorry there was no blog last night, it was a long day.

So, after we got the van all packed up, and said our goodbyes to Dustin, Leigh, the Puggle, and Hudson, we hit the road for Yosemite.  It wasn't too far away and we were there in the morning.  We drove straight through stopping to take only a few pictures because we know how many miles lie ahead of us.  Yosemite was gorgeous.  We spun around enormous curves in the road, enjoying views of giant forest lands, waterfalls, and epic mountains...so beautiful.  From Yosemite we made our way toward Route 50 in Nevada, also known as the Loneliest Road.

The Loneliest Road proved it's name to be 100% correct.  It was so flat, and desolate.  We just drove, and drove, and drove.  It was really cool, however, as it was similar to what you always see in old westerns.  Desert, more desert, and then mountains.  Again, so beautiful.  We drove down the road seeing a few special spots that Suzanne Goulet had told us about.  But our favorite was the hot spring.  It was in the middle of no where, and we actually thought that we must have the roads wrong or something, and then it was just sort of there.  Somebody had put outdoor carpeting leading to it, along with trash cans, and a fire pit.  And, the hot spring was in a metal tub.  It was so cool!!!  We sat there for quite sometime just dangling our feet in, and enjoying the quiet.

Reluctantly, we left the hot spring and turned off of the Loneliest Road, heading towards Las Vegas!  We drove, and drove, and drove late into the night.  Finally we just couldn't do it anymore...we were SO tired, so we pulled off at a rest area, not far from Area 51....just sayin'.....and spent the night there.  We are now 90 miles outside of Vegas, and on the  road again.  It sure is an adventure!

Hot Spring

The Loneliest Road...

-Sierra

Sorry didn't post last night...internet wasn't working at all.

Yesterday:

Well, too tired to even think about trying to be creative sooo... Today we had another fun packed day thanks to Dustin and Leigh. The day started off once again with breakfast, (coffee and blueberry muffins.) We sat out back in the yard and talked for a bit about what to do with the day. Leigh took the day off of work, so we wanted her to decide; we all agreed on the coast.

We went down to Monterey Bay and walked to the Aquarium! it was sooo Awesome. I couldn't believe how big it was. The exhibits were so cool. Sea turtles and sea otters were definitely the highlights for me. It was that kind of aquarium you see on movies and TV; so big and awesome. We walked around a bit and enjoyed the beautiful views then headed home.

Before getting back to the house Leigh stopped and picked up a freshly made pizza, it just wasn't cooked yet; so weird, and so cool. I want that kind of store in Maine. Don't remember what it's called, but they make a fresh pizza like a normal pizza shop, except you just go home and cook it for 15 minutes. it comes out hot and delicious and hasn't been sitting in a box, it tastes amazing, and an extra large is 10 bucks. Amazing. Leigh made us cookies and bought us groceries for when we leave tomorrow. Both Dustin and Leigh have made our stay so enjoyable. Just a bed to sleep in would have been fine, but they packed so much adventure into each day and catered to our every need. we didn't have to worry about driving, gas, or paying for anything. They took care of everything. Can't thank them enough for making such a big impact on our trip :) Awesome couple of days. California has been fun, and we wish we could stay longer, but tomorrow we head out. Now all the route signs are going to say east instead of west. So surreal.

-Adam

Sea Lions by the bay!

Wow.  Today has been one big ball of fun!!  We woke up in a house...a real house.  Had some breakfast, showered, drank some smoothies...already off to a great start!  After the "getting ready" part of the morning, Leigh went off to work, while Dustin, Adam, and I shipped off, heading towards Santa Cruz.

The drive to the boardwalk was relaxing.  No stalling van, nothing.  Dustin drove us, acting as a tour guide and explaining all of the sights we were seeing.  We arrived at the bay a few hours later and found ourselves amazed.  The colors were so different...the palm trees, the people....the boardwalk was gorgeous.  Similar to OOB, but better...way better.  The day was beautiful.  Sunshine, zero humidity, and a light ocean breeze to complete it.  We walked down to the water, stuck our toes in, and enjoyed the famous taffy they make here.  After soaking in the sun for a while, we headed down the beach to the pier.

At the pier, there were your typical shops and restaurants, but again, it was just nicer.  The thing that was SO different, and awesome, was the sea lions!  They are like mermaids combined with a puppy!!!!  SO cute!  We enjoyed laughing at their amusing noises and cute little faces, and then decided that we have to bring one home.  No, really...we need a sea lion. After watching the sea lions for a while, Dustin brought us back down the pier a little ways to one of his favorite seafood restaurants and treated us to a very yummy lunch! : )  After our fine-dining experience on the top floor, on the pier, we made our way down the Pacific Highway, Route 1.

We took the highway all the way into San Francisco, the city by the bay.  It was beautiful.  I was actually convinced that Danny Tanner was going to pop out from behind a building or something... : )  We drove down by the famous Fisherman's Wharf, but we were glad not to stop as it was packed, but still cool to see.  The ups and downs of the roads amazed us, and we just laughed as we went up, up, up until we reached the famous, Lombard Street.  It was so cool!  We curved all the way down, while enjoying a gorgeous view of the city.  From here, we drove through little Italy, China Town, and then into the huge part of the city with all the sky scrapers.  We parked under Union Square, and enjoyed a cup of coffee at the massive cafe above us.

From San Francisco we took the famous Golden Gate Bridge and headed into Napa Valley, where Dustin works.  It was beautiful wine country.  Dustin drove us through some of his companies vineyards, and then actually took us to where the company is located.  It was amazing...vines and bright flowers, rolling hills of vineyards....so pretty.  We then drove into the town of Napa, where we met Leigh for dinner at a burger joint that is known for serving fine wines with their burgers, called Gotts...or something, but it's been on the food network, which was super cool.  Then we headed home, and I'm not sure what the boys did, but Leigh and I drove through the downtown of Suisun City and then home.  Once we were home, we took the dogs for a walk, cleaned up the van, and enjoyed delicious gourmet cupcakes.  Then, we all just enjoyed a little relaxation in front of the TV while discussing what we might do tomorrow...Leigh got the day off, which is awesome!

The day was just one big treat for us, and we feel beyond thankful for the generosity.  It is so nice to be able to go someplace and feel at home, and that is how we feel.  Thanks Dustin and Leigh!!!  Tomorrow we will be off again, enjoying whatever we do, and then we will stay another night, waking up early Wednesday to take off.  Til tomorrow, goodnight!

-Sierra

We Made It

Today, we drove. After being on the road for an hour or so, we entered Northern California. Immediately after entering, a monumental symbolic moment, we were graced by the 500 year old giants of Redwood N.P. As we drove, fog rolled through the trees, in a way the camera can't quite capture. Everything was wet, and glimmered in the light reflecting off the fog. It felt like we were driving through a scene from Lord of The Rings; so cool.

After the red woods, we stumbled upon the Pacific Ocean. We got out of the car and breathed the moment in.The tide was out and there was lots of wet packed sand to walk across. Sierra kept finding sand dollars and I took a few pictures. Before we knew it, we had walked back to the van, changed, and were in the water swimming. The waves and salt water were our makeshift bath for the day.

For the rest of the day we just drove; 400 miles. We got to Dustin and Leigh's around 8 p.m. Feels sooooo good to just relax in a house...with room to walk.....with a sink...and a kitchen...and a bathroom....and laundry...so awesome. Any house would do, but this one is beautiful and in a beautiful neighborhood. Dustin and Leigh are so nice and are treating us like kings. Dinner Leigh made was amazing...so perfect! It was like something right out of olive garden. Not to mention it was followed up by Chocolate Chip Cookies. I had a glass of wine, which was delicious, and we just sat and talked.

Tomorrow we will get a real tour of San Francisco from the locals point of view. Lots of exploring in store, and the best part is we will be driving with Dustin, so no worry or angst about the van stalling.

The trip is coming to a close. We have lots we want to do in Nevada, Colorado, and Utah and such but after our 5 day delay not any time. We will stop some on the trip home, but we have to make it back by the 4th at the latest. Either way we will have fun, and it's already been amazing. So many stories!

-Adam

Kindness through cookies

Woke up in a walmart parking lot...a sketchy Walmart parking lot.  Right from the get-go, today was an interesting day.  We headed to a gas station right near the Walmart, got gas, and Adam ran in to grab a coffee..5 minutes went by and he walked out with a smirk on his face, and a box of donuts..he had spilled his coffee all over the counter and so it had taken a little while to clean up.  

The drive

From here, we drove to Portland Oregon, with basically no stops.  The drive was beautiful with rolling hills, big wind mills, and the sun ran over everything, painting it all gold.  We got into Portland and looked for a Barnes and Noble with no luck. We ended up getting caught in city traffic, which Ms. Frizzle hates.  After spending nearly a half hour driving through traffic, missing turns, and getting stuck at red-lights, we were safely back on the highway.  We stopped not far down the road in Salem at a Borders, just to take a little break from driving.  From Salem we drove straight to where we are now, Grants Pass, only stopping once so that I could drive...Yay!!!  

We pulled into Grants Pass around 8pm where I had some fun practicing my driving skills at some red lights and pulling into the Walmart that we are staying at tonight.  Needless to say, it was interesting.  Once at Walmart I made some sandwiches and we quickly ate dinner.  As we were buttoning up the van for the night, a guy, maybe 20 years old, walked over with his head down and a forlorn look on his face and said, "oh hey, you guys from Maine?"

He was clearly homeless, but kind.  He had a ukulele, and after we answered that we were from Maine, he told us that he was from Portland.  The conversation ended quite quickly from there.  He didn't ask for money...nothing, and Adam and I felt sad for him.  Adam and I talked back and forth for about 15 minutes feeling like we should have said something more, and so finally I just walked over and handed him a box of cookies.  He was more than thankful and we talked for a few minutes about music, and how he moved around a lot.  It was pretty cool actually, not weird or anything.  I left after a couple minutes and went back to the van to write to everybody that reads the blog. : )

We will now enjoy  a little movie I think, and then hit the hay, as we will get up early and drive once more.  So, goodnight everybody!

-Sierra

What are the chances