Day 35 - The Day I Got Back Home

Day 35
Manhattan, NY - Ipswich, MA

Home with Barley.  Sigh.  8:30am training tomorrow.  Back to work, but not back to the grind.

Day 34 - Room Service, Philly bus tour, Greenwich Village

Okay, vegetarian Chinese food gives you crazy dreams just like the regular stuff. Last nights dream involved me staying with who I think were Heifer International volunteers. They had a giant pizza oven in the house in which they stored people who had died on giant pizza boards. After realizing what was going on I decided I'd need to let the police know. (sound familiar yet). I played dumb while they jammed someone on in and then told them I was going to the top of the hill to plant some lilacs. Just as I made it to the random wheelbarrow with lilac roots, the leader came running out toward me yelling, "planting some lilacs, huh!?!". In the middle of my fight or flight thought I awoke. After checking the closet and under both beds I fell fitfully back to sleep.

This morning was my first room service. If I'm paying that much for pancakes they better taste good. They were sadly dry and had syrup from a bad year. However a first none the less.

So, I met an interesting fellow. You see his truck broke down and his wife wouldn't answer the phone. He just needed $7 for the bus...could I get some money to help him? Creative, but no. As I walked away he screamed, "someday you might need help!". I'm hoping if I do he's not the only person around for me to ask.

Bus tour, downpour, lunch place tried to rip me off, Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, NYC rush hour, The Jane, Greenwich Village, Home Restaurant.

One more night.

Day 33- Chincoteague Wildlife Refuge & The Mariott in Downtown Philly

Day 33
Poconoke, MD - Chincoteague, VA - Philadelphia, PA (With a little Delaware in there.)

Too busy enjoying my hotel room to blog tonight.  Ahh....soft pillows, quiet air conditioning, clean carpet and soft towels.  I'm watching tv for the first time in 32 days and am considering ordering room service breakfast.  It is scaring me how quickly I am getting used to this.

Day 32 - The Outer Banks

Gull also waiting for the ferry to arrive

Day 32
Ocracoke, NC - Pocomoke City, MD
6 hours that took me from 8am until 10pm  :-)

Questions I asked myself today (technically yesterday I guess):
1)  Is that rain?
2)  I wonder exactly how cold "unheated" showers are?
3)  Why do people have dogs if they just leave them to sit out in the rain?
4)  Can it really be called a crepe if it's prepackaged and warmed on a round surface?
5)  I wonder if those people howling at the moon last night were actors from the new Twilight movie?
6)  How long could the wait be for a free ferry to Hatteras?
7)  I wonder if I'll ever get to Hatteras?
8)  How long would it take to swim to Hatteras?
9)  Ooo, a sandwich shop...I wonder if they have good sandwiches?
10)  How long could it take to make a tuna sandwich?
11)  Could I ride out with you to catch the tuna?
12)  Why is the family of the barfing, sea sick girl sitting on the deck of the sandwich shop where people are eating their lunch?
13)  Can I get that to go?
14)  Should I stay longer at this refuge or drive on to the next one?
14.5)  Is that tree with ROATAN written on it still around?
15)  Why is that family taking photos of themselves in every position possible on the replica Wright Brothers plane?
16)  Is that woman actually laying on top of Wilbur?
17)  Should I stay in Virginia Beach, should I drive on, should I stay in Virginia Beach, should I drive on?
18)  The shortcut costs $12?
19)  Why are all these people driving so slowly?
20)  How late will I drive before I stop?
21)  Will I drive to Ocracoke or stay on the highway?
22)  How dirty could the room really be?
23)  What's that on the carpet?
24)  What's "that" on the carpet?
25)  Could this toilet be any lower to the ground?
26)  What smells like its burning?
27)  What is that smell in the water?
28)  I wonder how long it will take me to go to sleep?

Day 31 - Ocracoke

Day 31 - Jacksonville, NC to Ocracoke, NC
Ferry ride: 2.5 hours
Stomach: Queasy
Campground: Right over the dune to the beach
Pony Pen: Saw some ponies having dinner along with a beaver chewing on some grass.
Grocery Store: fully stocked...slightly expensive
Fire: dying down
Today's blog: Finished

Day 30 - The day I only drove to Walgreens

Day 30
Jacksonville, NC - Jacksonville, NC

Two nights in the same place.  I think I like it.  I slept until 10:30am and then lounged around in my pajamas.  Made a bagel, organized my car, cleaned out the cooler, did some laundry, lounged around some more.  Went out to dinner with my aunts Cindy and Paula and then on to see The Help.  Highly recommend everything I did today to everyone.

Day 29 - Drive, Charleston, Drive, Sleep

Day 29
Madison, GA - Charleston, SC - Jacksonville, NC

Up at 7:00am to make it to Charleston for lunch and a 2pm nature boat tour.  I was hoping to do a series of, "You know you're too sweaty when..." but got concerned about my audience approval rating.  I will say, you know you're too sweaty when you sit down in a public restroom and catch yourself on the wall as you slide off the seat.  CAUTION:  Charleston is too hot to visit in the summer.  I was surprised there weren't people laying in the streets passed out from heat exhaustion and dehydration.  Very hot!  Very hot!  Great tour.  Saw dolphins, oystercatcher, gulls and some other birds I have yet to identify.  Then I drove 4.5 more hours to Cindy & Garrett's.  A bed with sheets that smelled good, a clean rug, friendly people, sofas, pets, hummingbirds & a safe place to park.  Ahhh....

Day 28 - The "Things Don't Always Work Out As Planned Day"

Day 28
Tupelo, MS - Madison, GA
Officially back through all the time zones.

You can probably determine how your day is about to unfold based on your first important transaction.  Today I drove through the McDonald's drive through for a breakfast biscuit and some Diet Coke, drove to the first window, paid the cashier and then drove off without actually picking up my breakfast.  About 5 minutes later I felt kind of thirsty, looked down and didn't have a drink.  They got quite a kick out of my second time through the drive through.  I will refrain from including all the details of the rest of the day but let's just say I'm thinking tomorrow will be a lot better!

Travel Tip #1:  If you are trying to visit a tourist attraction that has moved to a new location, don't drive around the middle of Atlanta looking for the old one.
Travel Tip #2:  Remember, the time doesn't actually change until you drive across the time zone line.
Travel Tip #3:  If your hotel advertises rooms by the week and is right beside a big rig truck wash, don't expect clean towels...or really clean anything else.
Travel Tip #4:  Always have hand sanitizer and wet ones at your disposal...see above.
Travel Tip #5:  Don't be fooled by air conditioning.  If you are not in the Pacific Northwest it will be over 100 degrees when you step out of your car.

Day 27 - Armadillo Day

Day 27
Perryville, AR - Tupelo, MS (Birthplace of Elvis)

7:15am  Breakfast with Sarah & her cutie pie daughter from Heifer Study Tour trip
8:00am  Nap
10:00am Tour of Heifer Ranch - fed a camel & a llama
11:30am  Gift Shop
12:30pm  Hit the road for Little Rock
2:00pm Visited Global Village & took a tour of the super green Heifer Headquarters building and said hi to Todd, our Study Tour Team Leader
4:00pm On the road to Memphis
6:00pm Arrived at Graceland to realize they lock it up at 5
7:30pm Saw Armadillo
9:00pm Arrived in Tupelo, MS

Day 26 - The Day I Milked a Goat

Day 26
Elk City, OK - Perryville, AR  Heifer Ranch

Long day of driving through places that were about 108 degrees today but it ended at the Heifer Ranch where I:
* took a quick look through the gift shop to see what damage I can do tomorrow
* took lots of fun photos
* milked a goat
* walked three goats back to their pasture on a leash
* rode in the farm truck through the cow pasture with one of the volunteers
* had the best meal of the trip so far at a Mexican place in town
* checked into one of the rooms at the ranch that is super clean and comfortable
Tomorrow is breakfast with Sarah, one of the Honduras trip leaders...a tour of the ranch...more photos...gift shopping and then back to the road.

Day 25 - The Day of The Big Rainstorm & The Roadrunner

Day 25
Albuquerque, NM - Elk City, OK
432 miles
States So Far This Summer:  Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Washington State, Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma & the a general state of confusion.  :-)

Now that the excitement of the west is over it's time to buckle down and get some hours in over the next few days.  Tomorrow I'm hoping to make it the Heifer Ranch in Perryville, AR.  Driving through the Texas Panhandle today it rained for the first time on my trip.  And when I say rained I mean I couldn't see the white lines and pulled over using the rumble strip as a guide.  The sky was beautiful when the rain finally stopped.  I blame the Bush's for the Texas rainstorm.  I learned today that Amarillo produces 90% of the beef in the state of Texas and that accounts for 25% of the beef in the USA.  I think it was a great town to contemplate veganism while driving through.  Also, I learned today that broccoli is made from milk as you will see explained in my photos for the day.  Visited some petroglyphs, saw a rabbit and a roadrunner.  Stopped at some Cadillacs sticking out of the ground.  Interesting day full of a lot of driving.

Day 24 - The day I neither drove north to Arches or south to the Saguaros

Day 24
Flagstaff, AZ - Albuquerque, NM

I've somehow lost track of my mission...seeing every cool thing the US has to offer before returning home.  :-)  The days are fewer and the places more.  Better get busy on that list of places to visit once I get back home.  Today I went to Petrified Forest National Park.  It wasn't that scary.  The photo above is of the Painted Desert.

You may have been on the road too long...
...if your seat breathes a sigh of relief each time you get out of the car.
...if taking photos from the driver's seat seems like the perfect angle for any shot.
...if you get almost as excited about unlimited salad bars as you do National Parks.
...if you've seen at least one appendage that looks real floating downstream.
...if your new best friend is your container of Lady Anti Monkey Butt Anti Friction Powder.
...if you're not sure how many public restrooms you've made use of in recent weeks.
...if you have nightmares of dropping essential items into pit toilets.
...if you've worked out a plan of how to retrieve said essential items.
...if you've devised a way to wedge your cell phone between your bra and seat belt for hands free car chats.
...if you have no idea what city you are in when you wake up or go to sleep.
...and last but not least, you know you've been on the road too long when it just seems run of the mill that the old man checking into the Super 8 ahead of you asks where the hospital is because he has kidney stones and may need to go there during the night.  It's not odd that he's driven from Colorado after getting a shot of morphine at his home hospital, which has has followed up with morphine pills.  It hardly even seems strange when he mentions his leg is still bleeding quite a bit and you and the hotel clerk gaze down to see some sort of medical apparatus hanging from his leg under his shorts.  All in a days travel.

Day 23 - Day of the Bighorn Sheep & The Grand Canyon

Day 23
Boulder City, Nevada - Flagstaff, Arizona
Gas Price Range Today - $3.45 to $4.09

In honor of last night's stay at the Nevada Inn I'd like to give some tips on how to know if you are checking into and staying at a roach motel.
1.  If a sign on check in desk says, "Only two rolls of toilet paper will be provided per week and no extra tissues."
2.  If the rooms have a jacuzzi that can only be used for an additional $20.
3.  If the hotel sign lights up in neon like a casino.
4.  If a large banner near the street proclaims the largest parking lot around as one of the draws to stay there.
5.  If you walk into the room and it's 95 degrees because the air conditioner has been turned off all day and the mini fridge is also unplugged.
6.  If the carpet is so stained you keep your shoes on until you get into the bed.
7.  If you wear flip flops into the shower.
8.  If you take in your own pillow and sleeping bag and strip the bed to the bottom sheet and then get nervous because you know the pillow and sleeping bag have to go back in the car in the morning.
9.  And finally you know if you're at a roach motel if the giant bug on the window sill begs you to let it outside as you close the curtain for the night.

I would like to thank Rachel Maddow for her public fascination with the Hoover Dam without which I would have passed it over and missed seeing bighorn sheep, funky chipmunks and some yet unidentified birds.  I'd thank her personally, but she still hasn't accepted my friend request on facebook.  What's up with that Rachel?!?

The Grand Canyon was grand, living up to it's name.  Most of the people there today were French.  I noticed they have a different take on personal space.  For instance, if you're in the space they'd like to be standing in they just bump you out of the way if you don't make it a point to stand your ground.  It would seem they are a people who know what they want and get it.  Or at least this seemed to be the trend for those at the Canyon.

Tune in tomorrow for...Signs that you have been driving too long.

Day 22 - The Day I Saw a Bear

Day 22
Sequoia NP - Boulder City, NV
Milage: 7,700

Saw a bear, drove, saw lots of hills, drove, saw Vegas, drove, at cheap hotel, tired.

Tomorrow:  Hoover Dam and then 4.5 hours to The Grand Canyon

Day 21 - Back on Track

Day 21 

Merced, CA - Yosemite NP - Sequoia NP

Milage: 6700

Days remaining:  14ish  I’m slightly behind and hoping for a time warp of some sort

I’m feeling slightly stuck on the west coast and realizing that it may be time to get a move on.  I have about two weeks left and lots of stops left to make.  Today I made the two hour drive to Yosemite, snapped a few shots, did a few up in black & white in homage to Ansel Adams and headed on down the road.  Next stop, entrance to Sequoia National Park.  Tip:  If you don’t want your car to start overheating in the mountains, turn off your air conditioner and just sweat instead.  When I arrived at the visitor center at 8:30 the campground was full...but, the nice ranger lady gave me a special tag to park in the parking lot near a picnic table and bathrooms so I wouldn’t have to try to drive to another location.  It’s nice to sleep legally.  :-)  

Tomorrow I will finish out Sequoia NP and am determined to make it out of the state!  Next stop...The Grand Canyon - South Rim.

Day 20 - The Good News Is...Tomorrow Will Have to be Great Compared to Today

Day 20
Richardson's State Park, CA - Merced, CA (80 miles from Yosemite)

Milage:  Not sure because the oil change guy reset it!  I hate round about numbers!
Money Spent on Gas:  Not sure since I forgot to get a receipt today after 19 days of saving them all.
Are the Animals at Farm Sanctuary California as adorable as the ones in New York?  Your guess is as good as mine since I drove up and down mountains, on dirt roads, in The Mendocino National Forest most of the day and couldn't make it to Farm Sanctuary before it closed.
Are those sea lions still near the piers in San Francisco?  You mean the ones I missed to go to Farm Sanctuary today?
What should you do if you get lost in the Mendocino National Forest, you ask?  I recommend stopping at the Soda Creek Store to ask for directions.  You'll know it because it's the only store for about 2 hours in all directions.  You'll see lots of broken down cars, trucks and various other equipment strewn around the yard and if you turn down the radio you'll likely hear some gun shots from the people hunting in the woods.  As you approach the store be sure to check out the kittens in the playpen on the front porch and heed the sign to leave all your dogs in your truck.  If you dare go inside you can tell the owner I sent you.  He'll be the guy behind the counter cooking food with a grizzly gray ponytail and beard, no shirt, home done tattoos and several missing teeth.  Lucky for you he is extremely nice and great at giving directions even if they do take you 2 hours to get back down the mountain and on to pavement again.  Also, in case you're not great at remembering directions there may be a lady eating corn dogs sitting at the counter who will write them down for you while bickering with the shirtless man about the best route.  Oh, and when you walk in to ask for directions she'll tell you you're in Nevada but then feel bad when she sees the shocked look on your face.  About half way through the directions another lady will probably walk through to see if the dogs have been fed and watered yet.  The shirtless man with ask her to give you directions up over the mountain.  She'll look at your car, look back at shirtless man and mutter...I'm not sending her over the mountain in "that".  Apparently and Element is not a good mountaineering vehicle.  If you follow your directions well you will eventually make it out alive.  While on your journey you may see dozens of squirrels running beside your car, a wild turkey and some fabulous photo opportunities.  You'll surely be too exhausted, stressed out and worried you may not make it back to civilization to stop and take any shots though.  I'd recommend stopping once or twice.  Watch out for the fire rescue truck and the four wheelers, though.
Tomorrow a whirlwind tour of Yosemite and surrounding parks. Tonight I used to make to make it to Merced...not the GPS!

Day 19 - Redwoods, Roosevelt Elks & A Gray Whale

Day 19

Brookings, OR - Richardsons Grove State Park, CA

To Do List:  Purchase satellite phone, get a pop-up feature installed on the Element, send postcards, find a moose

Reasons to love Washington State Part 2:   poison ivy doesn’t grow there, Dunkin Donuts doesn’t exist there, there are as many recycling bins as trash bins and even the pit toilet huts don’t smell.  Did I mention that I didn’t sweat once the whole time I was there?  Well, actually I haven’t sweat since Wyoming.  I have a feeling that is about to change drastically starting tomorrow!

You might be in Oregon if...you don’t notice the light turned green and no one honks at you to hurry up.

You might be in Oregon if...someone nearly runs you down with a grocery cart and then gives you an apology instead of a dirty look.

You might be in Oregon if...you receive unsolicited advice about the best place in town to purchase windshield wipers and the ones you have in your hand are crap and won’t fit anyway.

You might be in Oregon if...there are more people riding bicycles than driving cars.

You might be in Oregon if...hitchhikers expect to get picked up and look for an explanation if you aren’t stopping for them.

You might be in Oregon if...you are eating breakfast at McDonalds and a crazy old man with caterpillar eyebrows sits down beside you and loudly complains about the milk being 1% instead of 2%.  He doesn’t know why they had to change it...he liked the 2%.  His attention was only diverted when someone in the parking lot, parked beside his vehicle which started an entirely new rant.

Number of people who have commented on the “slide to unlock” magnet stuck to my car door:  6...three of them actually asked me if it works to unlock the car

Number of restaurants I have seen that have signs that simply say restaurant: 4

By the way, if you’re coming to northern California be sure to buy gas before you get here.  $4.09/gallon is the cheapest I could find for over an hour. 

Funny thing...when you drive from Oregon into California they have a checkpoint set up that looks like a country to country border crossing.  I was asked if I was carrying any produce into the state.  I admitted to my one banana hoping the vegetable sniffing dog wasn’t around the corner.  She said one banana would be okay and offered me a map of the California State Parks.  It felt a little like what I imagine the twilight zone is like.  

Northern California is full of amazing Redwoods.  Everyone should walk in a grove of Redwoods at least once in their lifetime.  Photos cannot do them justice.  I met a man and his son from Kentucky there.  The father filled me in his sons interests, college choices and current grad school studies then offered me map of Kentucky in case I end up there on my way home.  I also met Jackie Rave.  Jackie is a nut.  I know more about her than I know about the majority of my friends.  I could not lose her.  She talked about her children, nieces, taking photos, her first camera, her first digital camera, her current camera, shooting weddings, facebook pages I should check out and much, much more.  I must look like I want to meet people.  I’ll work on that.  ;-)

Big driving day tomorrow.  Hoping to make it to the Yosemite area.