Road Trip...By the Numbers

Total Mileage: 11,128
Total # of States Visited: 40
Days Spent Traveling: 48
Oil Changes: 3
New Tires: 2
Total # of Turkey Sandwiches Consumed: 44
National Parks Visited: 9
# of Signs Telling Us to Not "Mess With Texas": 92
# of Times We Actually "Messed with Texas": 0
Maine Lobsters Consumed: 1
# of New CDs Bought For Trip: 20
Amount of Time It Took to Listen to All CDs: 2 days
Nights Spent in a Tent: 24
# of Places Still Not Seen or Want to Visit Again: too many to count

Home Sweet Homes

Bridget:


There's nothing better after a seven-week road trip than stopping home one more time and spending time with family and friends. After North Carolina, Craig and I spent four days in Tennessee with my family, then four days in Nebraska with his family.

In Tennessee we spent the days hiking in the Smokies, spent the nights hanging out with the fam, and even managed to see Claire, one of my best friends from high school, and her parents before heading out. The highlight of the trip was "Thanksgiving dinner," and believe it or not, all the siblings were able to make it! It was the best. Here is a picture of the whole fam outside an old church in Cades Cove which is located in the Smokies.


In Nebraska, we also had a family-filled time including a day on the farm, surprise birthday party, and even my very first HUSKERS game. Craig's aunt Becky and uncle Don invited us to the family farm to see how things go there...well, I sure did get a taste of farm life. Not only did I get to de-worm the cattle, but I also had my first experience trimming the tails....and getting pooped on in the process. Awesome. Not everyone can say that. Now I'm ready to work on some dairy farms in New Zealand, ha ha.


I mentioned we also had the opportunity to go to the Huskers football game; I didn't mention, however, that it was also homecoming and the 300th consecutive sellout game. What a great game for my first time in Lincoln! We actually spent a night in Omaha with Craig's best friend from high school, Greg, his wife Leah, and their new baby Landon. They treated us to dinner, a fantastic breakfast feast, and... oh yeah... free tickets to the game....on the 35 yard line....in row 16. Sweet! Thanks, Greg and Leah, for showing us such a great time!


Somehow in the middle of both stops home, we have managed to make all the last minute arrangements for leaving the country for an extended amount of time. Canceling insurance, cancelling cell phone service, sending in license plates, printing all kinds of info for customs, cleaning the car, buying a webcam, etc. Fun, fun fun.


We also want to thank Craig's parents for storing all our stuff and my parents for keeping an eye on my car while we are away. We honestly don't know what we'd do without your help, so thank you!


Now we sit here in the L.A. airport with only a few hours left in the states, and we are doing some final reflecting on our road trip. We have seen so much but learned even more...about America, about ourselves, and about people from all walks of life. We are so excited to continue this "lesson" abroad.


Thanks to everyone who made this road trip possible. We had a blast and can't possibly thank you enough.


Next Stop: New Zealand

North Carolina

Craig:

Spending time in big cities can get tiring. Especially if you do Boston, New York, and Washington D.C. all in one week. We figured we could use a break from city life but decided otherwise and drove down to Charlotte, NC to see one of my longtime friends. Jon Meyer and I use to race to pre-school way back in the late 1980's. I was in a car and he was on his bike, so it really was not fair but fun nonetheless. We stayed the night with Jon before heading into Tennessee. It was great to catch up on all the latest news in both of our worlds.

A warm thank you goes out to Jon for his great hospitality. We just missed hanging out with Diane and she was definitely missed. Hopefully next time!

We left Charlotte in the morning and drove into Asheville, NC to spend the day. We have both driven through Asheville but never stopped. They say that Asheville is "Portland" on the east coast. I don't know if I necessarily agree with that but it had its finer points. It did offer one excellent outdoor store which we did take advantage of. You just can't pass up a good outdoor gear sale!

We finally headed out of Asheville and started heading toward the "Volunteer State."

Last Stop: Sevierville, TN

D.C.

Bridget:

Three years ago, my friend Jen and I came to the great city of Washington D.C. to live and work for the summer. It was a blast. It was probably my first experience not only visiting a new city but also living and working there. Staying in a place for an extended amount of time really clues you in as to what makes the city and its people “tick.”

Fast forward to the present, and I am still in love with D.C. The famous monuments, the old houses, the way everyone walks everywhere, and so on. I knew I wanted to visit my old stomping grounds for at least a day, but wasn’t sure about a place to stay. I also knew that camping spots would be pretty slim in the city. So, not wanting a Vegas repeat, I finally swallowed my pride and emailed Darren, my long lost friend from the summer of ’06. He and his good friend Noah were probably two of the biggest reasons Jen and I had a blast that summer. We were introduced through a mutual friend also from Ft. Lauderdale, so Darren and Noah immediately became our unofficial tour guides, showing us the local’s favorite hangouts and answering all our phone calls begging for directions. We were the fab four, the four musketeers, the fantastic….well you get the idea.

Darren, probably the most “connected” guy I know, answered my email the same day I sent it. Not only did he offer his pad as a place to crash, but also gave us the scoop on all the newest additions to D.C., and, drum roll, please……..free parking (usually nonexistent in the city).
We arrived on a Sunday night just in enough time to head to the pool. Afterwards we hit up the 24 hr. grocery store that sits at the bottom of his apartment building for some ingredients to make the heavy and fattening, but oh-so-delicious chicken fettuccini alfredo…from scratch. Yum.
The next morning Craig and I caught the metro downtown to first check out Smithsonian’s Museum of American History. They just finished a two-year renovation and it is now a beautifully updated version of all the old favorite exhibits and many new ones as well.
After that we hit up the Museum of Natural History just to get a glimpse of the famous Hope Diamond, a 45-carat beauty. They have changed the display case since I last gawked at it during my 8th grade class trip. Now it stands in the center of the round room, surrounded by glass and sitting atop a rotating pedestal:


We also paid a visit to the dinosaur and mammal exhibits, stumbling upon a couple interesting sights:



Next we walked around the monument loop, taking in the size and grandeur of some of our favorite ones:





After lunch in Georgetown, we hopped on the trolley to my old neighborhood, where Jen and I lived the summer of ’06. Then we walked over to Embassy Row to check out the New Zealand embassy and get a few more questions answered:


After an exhausted metro ride back to Darren’s, we ended the night with phenomenal pizza from Pizza Paradiso and some exciting pro football on the tube.

D.C. was a blast, and once again, I owe it all to my perpetual tour guide, Darren. Go Team!

Next Stop: Charlotte, NC

The Big Apple

Bridget:

What would a cross country trip around America be without a trip to the great city of New York? It seems only appropriate that it would be on our list of stops…luckily for us, Craig’s brother Scott and his wife Brook happen to live just outside the city. We decided to stay a few days to hang out with them before our big move overseas and to leave plenty of time to explore the city.

As you may know, NYC is known for a few signature foods, so aside from Scott’s delicious cooking, we had to make a point of getting our hands on these foods. First on the list: an authentic, kosher New York deli. No other place could fit the bill as well as our new favorite place called the Carnegie Deli, made famous by the Woody Allen film Broadway Danny Rose.

You wouldn’t know it from the outside, but this place is home to the biggest and best sandwiches you’ve ever tasted. After a strong recommendation by our server donning a tuxedo and bowtie, we ordered the hot pastrami sandwich and split it….and were full for hours. Next time you’re in New York, make a special trip to get a taste of this:

Bellies full, we walked down to MOMA, the Museum of Modern Art. Here are a few highlights from that visit:

Van Gogh’s Starry Night

Pablo Picasso’s Flowers in a Vase

Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup Cans

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Falling Water

The next day we headed back into town, this time with Brook and her friend Keri, to hit up the Museum of Natural History. Brook, the aspiring archeologist, completed an internship with the museum and treated us to not only free passes, but also a “behind the scenes” look at the museum’s archives and lab.

This museum is by far the coolest museum I’ve ever been to. Classy and historical, it is complete with an eye-opening planetarium presentation, dinosaur bone collection, old-fashioned IMAX theater, and human origins exhibit.

Later that evening Scott met up with us near Times Square for a few celebratory birthday beers and sushi. Afterwards we made the birthday official with yet another Oreo cheesecake.

The next day was Saturday which means one thing in the fall: college football. Since all of Craig’s family graduated from Univ. of Nebraska, they are big Huskers fans. Not surprisingly, Scott and Brook found a Huskers bar in the city, so that’s where we went to watch the game Saturday afternoon. Huskers fans were out in full force, creating a sea of red to root against Arkansas State. Go ‘Skers!

After Nebraska’s victory, we headed back to Times Square for our highly anticipated photo reenactment of the WWII “V-J Day in Times Square” sailor-kissing-girl picture. Here is the original pic:

…and ours:

Not too shabby, huh? Yes, we are big dorks, but that was an experience I’ll never forget. Can you see the guys snapping our pic in the background?

After the photo-op, we hopped on the subway down to SoHo to do a little fake purse shopping. If you’ve ever been to Chinatown, you’ve probably seen the many shops lining the streets with colorful knock-offs of designer brand handbags, but what you may not know is that each of these stores has a false wall that leads to a “back room” full of many more and much better knock-offs that are hard to distinguish from the real deal. I had heard stories, but I had to see this for myself. Brook, being the veteran Chinatown spender, found a secret “back room” within about five minutes after looking. The store’s salespeople have the process down to a science, using their cell phones to communicate with their associates standing on the street outside looking out for cops before entering or exiting the back room. Crazy...but true.

After that we tried to watch the Florida State game at the supposed meeting spot for Seminole fans, but unfortunately the game was only being broadcasted via Internet, so I had to settle for updates. On the way back to the train, we passed by the Empire State building which was casting a yellow glow into the night fog. Very Batman-esque.


For our last night, we just had to end the trip with some authentic New York pizza back at Scott and Brook’s. I have been to New York three times now, and Craig eight times, but each time is different. The city has a never-ending list of things to do, and it really does seem to never sleep. We had a fantastic time and can’t wait for the next visit. Thanks, Scott and Brook, for a great time!

Next Stop: Washington D.C.

Beantown

Bridget:

Now the drive from Maine to Boston wasn’t too long, so we decided to take a little side trip to a small ship building town called Essex, about 20 miles north of Boston. Why would we go to a place not even listed on most maps? Woodman’s. Woodman’s is a famous seafood eatery that has been going strong since 1914, claiming the freshest and most delicious fried clams you can get….anywhere. We just had to see if this was true.

The verdict: true, true, true. They were mouth-wateringly delicious.

Onward to one of the most historic cities in America. Boston was the location for many of the American Revolution’s important events. We started off the day here with a stroll down the 3-mile “Freedom Trail,” a self-guided tour that takes you by eighteen national monuments:

Massachusetts State House

Paul Revere's Grave Marker

Old State House (where the Dec. of Independence was first read in Boston)

The trail ends near the U.S.S. Constitution, or “Old Ironsides.” In order to get some close-up views of this still-Navy-commissioned ship, you have to take the tour, so we did. The men and women dressed in 1800’s naval uniforms giving tours are actual enlisted sailors, doing their time on this historic ship in Boston. Crazy.

After a full day of American history, we were pretty tuckered out, so we grabbed a Sam Adams Octoberfest (hey, it’s actually local there) headed to the campsite in southern Massachusetts around dinner time. If I had to characterize Boston, I would say it’s a place that brings history to life, while its own modern-day metropolis still thrives in and of itself. Oh, and the local accent is pretty cool too.


Next Stop: New York, NY

Acadia National Park: Maine

Bridget:

When you cross the border into the Maine, the welcome sign says, “Maine, The Way Life Should Be.” Now that is a pretty lofty claim for a state, but from what we saw on this stop, I wouldn’t say they are too far off. We planned to camp in Bar Harbor, which is just outside Acadia, a small national park situated on an island on the coast of Maine. On the way there, we passed several coastal cities with sailboats floating in the harbor and colorful houses dotting the hills. As we approached the town of Bar Harbor, signs advertising the “freshest Maine lobster in town” littered the sides of the road. Even though it is only September, the night weather was already chilly and made for great camping conditions. The next morning we headed into the park to check it out. We first stopped for some sweet coastal pics:

We then drove to the top of Cadillac Mountain, the first point in the U.S. to see the sunrise (we didn't make it quite that early).


After the park, we strolled down the quaint streets of Bar Harbor in search of some good Maine lobster for lunch. Bar Harbor is yet another cute little town with several interesting shops and harbor views to boot. You can even jump on a ferry for whale watching excursions if you have the time.


After lunch, we drove back down the coast and of course had to make a stop to the Patagonia OUTLET in Freeport, Maine. Even though our stop in Maine was short, I’m so glad we drove the extra miles to get there. Maine seems like a place with lots of character, friendly people, and interesting activities you can’t find many other places in the U.S.

Next Stop: Boston, MA

Backpacking in the Adirondacks

Craig:

We have done a lot of “firsts” on this trip. We knocked out one more first for Bridget after our nice little vacation in Burlington by going on a backpacking trip. We packed up two backpacks and headed out into the Adirondacks of New York for three days and two nights. We ventured out about ten miles into the Tongue Range of the Adirondacks. We followed a loop that went up onto a ridge and followed the ridge for about four miles offering great views of Lake George, the High Peaks to the West, and of the Green Mountains in Vermont to the East. We camped up on top of a peak named Fifth Peak and then headed down the next day to hike along Lake George. After a long second day, we took a swim in the lake and set up camp right by the water for our second night. If you have ever been camping out in the woods you would know that it gets really quiet. The noises of civilization are just not there. This leads to your mind playing some tricks on you…well, Bridget’s mind. I don’t think she slept a wink the second night because she was sweating every little stick that broke, every leaf that crunched, and every drop of water lapping onto the shore. Sleepless nights aside, we had a great time! Here are a couple of the better pictures:

Next Stop: Acadia National Park

Burlington, Vermont

Bridget:

After Saratoga Springs, we headed north through the Adirondack Mountains on our way to Burlington, Vermont. In order to get there, we had to take the ferry across Lake Champlain, which was my first experience taking the car on a ferry. In two words: very cool. For a small fee, you can sit back and relax, save a little gas, and watch your destination come into view across the deep blue water:

Just don’t try to go this way in the winter…you may have trouble, unless, that is, you are headed there for the ice fishing.

So Burlington is much more of a college town than I first thought, being home to three colleges. They are definitely not lacking in bars, breweries, or eateries. We ate dinner at a fantastic pizza place called American Flatbread, Burlington Hearth. All their pizzas are made from scratch and use mostly organic ingredients. It was delicious!

We visited a couple other places among the hopping nightlife of the tri-college town, and met a couple very friendly Burlingtonians, one of whom was also a nuclear submariner in his younger years. We in fact had so much fun that we sort of forgot to take any pictures of the city to share with you. Oops. I guess when we say how cool the place is, you’ll just have to take our word for it.

Next Stop: Adirondack Mountains, NY

Race to Saratoga Springs, NY

Bridget:

If you’re like me and thought New York City was a good representation of New York, think again. NYC is the anomaly in a state full of history, charming cities, and even farmland. Driving to Saratoga Springs was quite an experience in itself for me. It is amazing to see old red barns, corn fields, and whitewashed country churches along the back roads of a state I associated with the Empire State Building and Rockefeller Plaza.

We decided to spend some time in Saratoga Springs, Craig’s old stomping grounds during his prototype training for the Navy. Craig’s old roommate and buddy from the Navy, Al, and his wife Brandy also live in Saratoga and were nice enough to give us a place to crash for a couple nights.

We arrived around dinner time (we have a knack for that, I guess) and spent the night catching up and reliving old memories over pizza and some of Al’s home-brewed beers. Don’t be surprised if you see his stuff on the market one day…he is quite the brew master already!

The next day we headed into the city to check out the fabulous downtown of Saratoga Springs, and to witness none other than the Saratoga Horse Race Track. Saratoga Springs is also nothing like I imagined. The main street is comprised of well-kept red-brick buildings holding fine dining restaurants, upscale shopping, and hotels. Closer to the race track, Union street is lined with Victorian-style mansions, most of which look new despite their many years of existence.

After cruising through the downtown area, we headed to the race track to catch a couple races. Again, if you’re not a gambler, this is a very affordable outing: $3 per person. Awesome.

That night we drove to Albany to meet up with Stacey, a good friend of mine from FSU, her husband Andy, and their five-month-old baby Drew. It’s been almost a year since I last saw them and have never met baby Drew, so it was so great catching up with them. You can always rely on your good friends to pick up right where you left off, no matter how long it’s been. They treated us to a fantastic dinner (thanks, guys!), then of course we had to take some pics:



Thank you, Al, Brandy, Stacey, and Andy for a great stop in upstate New York! Can’t wait to see you guys again.

Next Stop: Burlington, VT