San Francisco

After being out in Utah for less than a week, both Julie and I had to travel to San Francisco for work. I was attending Oracle OpenWorld, our annual customer conference, and Julie had a class out at Headquarters. Fortunately for us, our travel overlapped and we were able to squeeze in a bike ride across the Golden Gate Bridge the weekend before the conference got underway.

We opted to embark on this epic voyage not on separate bikes but on a bicycle built for two. Julie didn't seem to mind that it looked ridiculous and I was OK with the idea figuring I could put her to work pedaling up any steep hills while I relaxed and enjoyed the ride...

We picked up our noble steed at a bike shop called Blazing Saddles and started to wind our way along the waterfront towards the Bridge.Those of you who have been following previous blog entries can imagine our horror when we stumbled upon a Cruise America Rental RV parked by the Golden Gate Bridge. Up until now we had thought these creatures were limited in habitat to National Parks but some appear to have escaped.
You really get a sense of how massive the bridge is while biking across it.

After crossing the bridge we headed down into Sausalito

Rather than take the ferry back from Sausalito we decided to press on and continue riding to Old Mill Park to see some of the famous redwood treesHere is Julie doing her best impersonation of a Tree Hugger


From the Redwood Forest we rode to Tiburon and took a ferry from there back to Fisherman's Wharf. Here's a picture I snapped from the ferry as we were passing Alcatraz.

Random Observation

You know how when you are on a plane and go to open a yogurt it explodes due to the lower pressure at that elevation? That happens here too, even when you are on the ground.

Anyway, Julie and I have been very busy and I was out in San Fransisco all last week for Oracle Openworld. There are some cool pictures to post to the blog as soon as I get a chance.

As a side note, this will be the first full weekend that we have been able to spend together in Utah. Tomorrow morning we are driving up to Snowbird to pick up our season passes, take some mountain bikes up the tram and down the backside of the mountain, and check out the Oktoberfest event. Can't wait.

Magic Disappearing Boxes

If there is one thing I have learned it is that Unpacking is alot faster that packing. Below are two pictures of the same room, not really a before and after but more like a before and "half way there"

We also now have a washer and dryer attached to the kitchen which Julie may actually be more excited about than the upcoming snowboarding season.

Here is the playground at our new apartment where I jump off the swings and set a bad example for the rest of the kids.


Here is a shot of Lone Peak towering over our apartment complex. At over 11,000 feet high this massive mountain has almost a 7,000 foot vertical rise from the valley our apartment sits in. It is possible for a determined hiker to make it to the top and back between sunrise and sunset but I think I would need some oxygen bottles, cross-training, and a helicopter to attempt a hike with that kind of vertical rise.

Comparing Sandy to Bethesda: Running and Airports

Last night around 2 AM, a giant hanger box smacked me in the face and awoke me enough to realize that I wasn’t actually in the bathroom as I had previously assumed. (Apparently toilets aren’t located in closets.) Our new apartment is the 15th different place I’ve slept in over the last 19 days. No wonder I was confused.

About four hours later, I rolled out of bed to explore my new town. I am only vaguely familiar with the area so I figured I would turn down a street, head toward the mountains, look around, and head back. Getting lost in Salt Lake City is impossible thanks to their amazing grid street system, which makes my running adventures even more fun for me.

In the DC area, running consists of wearing as little clothing as possible, bringing a lot of water with you, and wringing out your clothing afterward. It’s a rather humid experience, if you will. This routine occurs for at least seven months out of the year.

In the Salt Lake City area, running consists of wearing lots of layers and bringing a lot of oxygen with you.

Yesterday morning, the temperature at the start of my run was in the high 40s, which in DC terms means shorts and a tee. So, that’s what I wore. Five minutes into my run, I realized that 48 and no humidity equals more clothing. Oops. Today, I was smarter about the clothing, but forgot the oxygen.

Earlier, I mentioned my plan was to turn down a street and head toward the mountains. Up the street I went, and up and up and, well, then I couldn’t go up anymore. While I was heaving, I turned around and looked back onto a full moon overlooking Salt Lake City, and then I noticed the bright, twinkling lights and tall buildings in the valley below, homes scattered on hillsides all across the region, and distant mountains in the background. To my left were enormous, beautiful homes built into the landscape (many of them had wakeboard boats in their driveways!), to my right was a sleepy neighborhood community, and behind me: Little Cottonwood Canyon, home of Snowbird. What a delight!

I ran back to our new apartment (which is really terrific and we’ll post more details soon about it), showered, and then a taxi picked me, as I’m heading to Reston less than 24 hours after I’ve arrived.

In the DC area, driving to an airport during rush hour takes an hour, unless it’s raining/too sunny/foggy/snowing/constructioning in which case add another half hour. Finding parking at Reagan is sometimes impossible (truly impossible, not an exaggeration), although security is smooth. Finding parking at Dulles is easy, but security is horrific. Take your pick.

In the Salt Lake City area, I arrived (in rush hour traffic) at the airport exactly 20 minutes after my taxi picked me up. I sailed through security (as a “normal” passenger, not premier) and arrived at my gate ten minutes later (including some dilly dallying in one of the shops). No people movers here!

Steve called me while I was waiting at the airport to report that waking up to sunlight and mountains is very inspiring. Yesterday, I found grocery shopping (!) in Sandy nearly as inspiring: an enormous, clean, friendly, grocery store filled with wonderful produce and fresh meat (far, far different from the underground, cramped, crowded Bethesda Safeway experience). Then again, after eating at 38 Subways, 299 steakhouses, and 1 McDonalds, anyone (except Steve) would enjoy grocery shopping.

We have so much more to explore and discover, but thus far, we’re really happy about “moving” to Utah.

The Eagle Has Landed...

After Three Thousand, Two Hundred and Eighty Three Miles on the open road Julie and I have arrived in Sandy, Utah. We could have made the trip direct in around 2,000 miles or just taken a plane but the experiences we have had traveling the scenic route out here are something we will cherish for the rest of our lives.

This morning we left Jackson Wyoming and headed southwest into Montpelier Idaho. From there we headed to Bear lake, a 20 mile wide monstrosity that sits on Idaho's border with Utah. we decided to take a detour and drive around the entire lake which was a great experience especially because we ran into a park ranger who informed us that we were allowed to drive on the salt flats that occur on one side of the lake.

Here is a view looking back on Bear lake as we go up the scenic byway into Logan Canyon

After navigating Logan canyon we hopped on I-15 south for the 90 minute drive down to Salt Lake City. The highway infrastructure out here is great, everything was built up recently to handle the Olympics and the speed limit is 75 unless you are near a city in which case it is 65.

The Salt Lake City area is literally surrounded by mountains in every direction as you can see from this random picture we took from the car while approaching the city.
Below is a picture of the sculpture outside of the Salamon Center, a huge new facility dedicated exclusively to adventure sports. Activities available run the gamut from indoor rock climbing and mountain bike rentals to wacky stuff like an indoor skydiving wind tunnel and a man made water jet powered wave you can surf. They've even got a white water kayaking river nearby as well as a form of kiteboarding using a snowboard.

We also checked out the location of the Oracle office in Sandy and it literally took two minutes to get from our apt complex to the office. Also note the mountains in the background, I will be sure to take a picture from the top floor of the office.
Preliminary Recon had indicated a lack of Chipotle Restaurants in the area which had been a major concern but fortunatly one just opened up right near where we are staying
This is the view that dominates the sky in Sandy. For those of you keeping track at home the access road to Snowbird goes through little cottonwood canyon which is between these two mountains.


We can't actually pick up our Apartment Keys until tomorrow morning so it is one last night in a hotel for us. The good news is that both the jeep and our Belongings have already been delivered to the Apartment so all we have to do is get the key. We'll post more pictures as soon as we get a chance.

Grand Tetons

We left Yellowstone in the early afternoon and headed south towards the Grand Tetons. Even before exiting the Park you could occasionally get a glimpse of the giant peaks in the distanceDriving past Lake Jackson and seeing the teton range coming into view was a very impressive experience and we pulled over often so we could gaze without the rick of driving off the road into the lake.
One of the most stunning aspects of the tetons is how they seemingly rise out of nowhere. There are no foothills or smaller mountains to obscure them which makes the range very unique.
Some park visitors apparently grew tired of the endless stopping and photographing and decided to take a nap.

After the Tetons we drove through a Moose Preserve but apparently all the Moose were hiding because we didn't see any. From there we stopped by Jackson Hole, one of our favorite ski areas, and I checked out the construction of the new tram that should open this season and we also stopped by the Mangy Moose.

Memories from my childhood visit to Yellowstone

While growing up there were many things I was forced to do by my parents and the standard line given when I objected was "You'll thank me later when you grow up". I'm still waiting for the day that I am thankful for all the torturous piano lessons but the memories from our family cross country road trip are proving to be priceless even though I certainly did not appreciate it at the time.

It has been almost two decades since I visited yellowstone as a kid and alot of things have changed but just as many are exactly as I remember them. On the first trip I remember seeing the devastation that had been caused by the 1988 fires that savaged much of yellowstone. Now, much of that devastation has been replaced by new growth and life.

Other things are exactly as I remember them. As I approached the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone on this current trip I suddenly had a vivid memory of the location and even though I hadn't been there in so long I instantly knew the view that was coming up around the corner down to the specific intricacies of the waterfall and how the mist provided moisture for vegetation downwind. (I snapped the picture below to help me remember it for next time)
Another memory I had from my childhood visit was of jumping off some rock cliffs into a river, floating down through a canyon into a swimming hole, climbing out, and doing it all over again. Approaching the swimming area on Firehole river everything was exactly how I remembered it except for a sign telling visitors they are no longer allowed to jump off of the rocks.

Other memories included a Buffalo who decided to set up his wallow in our camp site and getting in trouble with a park ranger for chopping down trees with my hatchet. The most interesting thing was that I didn't know that I had many of these memories but being in the park again trigger them on multiple occasions.

Conclusion: come see the Wild West at least once in your life, but preferably twice or more...

Yellowstone (Updated)

Here are some pictures and a few details of our experience at Yellowstone... Be sure to click on the pictures to see the larger versions and I will have the high resolution originals posted after the trip is over.

Julie and I spent almost two full days in Yellowstone which may seem like alot but the park is larger than most small states and would take a lifetime to thoroughly explore. We had previously snowmobiled to and toured the old Faithful and Main Geyser areas on our previous trip to Jackson Hole so we planned our route this time to revolve around the rest of the park.

One of the Major Highlights was the "Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone". Below are two pictures for a scenic lookout entitled "Artist's Point" for obvious reasons. The View of the 300 foot waterfall and yellowstone River Canyon was spectacular and the camera hardly does it justice.

Another viewpoint we hiked to involved the following warning sign and they weren't kidding around. Getting down into the canyon is the easy part but getting back out is the equivalent of taking the stairs to the 30th floor of an office building which might not be TOO bad except for the fact that the whole thing is in the thin air at 8000 foot elevation.


Here's one small section of the stairs up the cliff
We also obviously saw a ton of interesting thermal features ranging from boiling pools to geysers to hot springs to mud volcanoes. It will take a while to sort through all the pictures.
In Custer State Park we were excited to see a few Buffalo. In Yellowstone we saw entire herds of Buffalo (some groups numbering in the hundreds) roaming the park.
As nice as it is to see Herds of Buffalo from Afar, it is much more exciting when one decides to come up and join all the cars on the road. As you can see it is as big as a car.

This next picture was taken directly from the car with no zoom, I probably could have reached out and touched the buffalo but seeing as how the top was down I decided against it.Below is a picture of Lake Yellowstone which covers over 100 square miles and reaches depths over 400 feet.

Sensory Overload

The Smells
“Yellowstone is the only place in the world where I can fart with impunity,” said Stephen as we drove toward Mammoth Hot Springs.

I’m laughing as I write this, as his statement, at the time, was one of the most random statements he’s ever made to me (and still makes me crack up). Was I supposed to respond to his query? I decided to congratulate him on his awareness of Yellowstone’s smells rather than comment on his farting abilities.

Yes, the various mineral basins and hot springs throughout Yellowstone often smell like sulfur or “rotten eggs” as Stephen so vividly describes it. And, well, he really was right about human smells being of complete insignificance as we viewed the various sights. Steve even tooted several times to prove his point.


The Touch
I so badly wanted to reach out and stick my hand in the various hot springs around Yellowstone, but instead I heeded the various warnings and kept my “arms and head inside at all times.” Stephen nearly dove into the Firehole River at a specific (allowed) swimming hole, although after consideration that the ambient temperature was 60 degrees and his leather seats might be impacted by this decision, he aborted his original mission.

As we walked on the boardwalks directly into the steam emitted from the geysers and pools, we experienced a complete facial, if you will. Someone in Yellowstone should market such body treatments. I needed the 15 seconds of warmth, as Yellowstone’s temps are nearly as crazy as the switchbacks through the mountains.

Although I couldn’t actually touch the hot springs and “hot tubs,” I was able to stick my fingers in the various lakes around Yellowstone. Anyone who swims in Yellowstone Lake, Jackson Lake, or Jenny Lake has a tolerance for cold water well beyond the normal individual.

The Sounds
Babbling brooks. Complete serenity. The clicks of a camera. Stephen tooting.

Special Report: The Scourge of all National Parks

A Dangerous Menace has been lurking right in front of our noses at every park we have visited so far. No, it is not the Bears, Buffalo, Prairie Dogs or even the Donkeys. It is not the weather, overzealous park rangers, boiling cauldrens of water, or even the picnic basket thieving antics and shenanigans of Yogi and Boo Boo.

What is this menace you ask? I will tell you. It is "Cruise America" Rental RV Customers, the most annoying and dangerous of all inhabitants of a National Park. Below you can see a number of these creatures with their unique markings gathering around watering hole in Yellowstone. Had the producers of the Planet Earth responding to my request for professional photography equipment to document this phenomenon I would have used a fisheye lens to capture the entire scene and you would be able to count at a minimum 286 Cruise America RVs in the picture.


Now, I'm sure alot of people are saying "What's so bad about these rental RVs and the people that drive them?"... so I will tell you.

Let me enumerate all the reasons that this operation is a riduclousy asinine idea from the get go. First of all, anyone with a pulse can rent one of these giant, unweildly, and severly underpowered vehicles which have all the aerodynamic properties of a sail. Even though some are the exact same size as busses no special permit or training is required to rent one. Then, take these same people with zero big rig driving experience and send them on their merry way... STRAIGHT FOR THE MOST TREACHEROUS ROADS IN THE COUNTRY!!! As if that wasn't bad enough, factor in the fact that the driver of the rental RV is paying 10 times as much attention to whether that black speck in the distance off to the left is a buffalo or not than he is to where he is pointing his 10 ton behemoth that contains everything including the proverbial kitchen sink.

You heard it here first folks, this "cruise america" RV Rental house of cards will come collapsing down in a huge liability lawsuit sometime in the near future.

Now I know that some of you are still objecting with "You are just upset that these lumbering gargantuan beasts are clogging up the roads like the 'little engine that could' trying to get over mountain passes". Not so, it is a matter of personal pride to pass these guys and I am thinking about special ordering little RV shaped stickers that I can put on the side of the car every time I chase one down.

ESPECIALLY that one "Cruise America" RV we saw that had Canadian plates. Someone has got to explain to me how that works before my head explodes.

Into Thin Air...

After spending the night in Red Lodge Montana we hit the road to take Beartooth scenic Byway down through silverlodge into the North East Entrance to Yellowstone. The trip up north into Montana and back down south into Wyoming certainly isn't the most direct way to get to Yellowstone but since many people have claimed that Beartooth pass is the most scenic road in the country we decided to spend a few extra hours and find out what all the fuss was about... It certainly didn't disapoint.

The pass itself climbs to a literally breathtaking elevation of 10,947 feet which for those of you keeping score at home means that my vette has now traveled to a higher altitude than the peaks of Snowbird, Whistler, and Jackson Hole. In order to climb that high the road is a series of switchbacks that resembles the cave drawings I used to make with Crayon on the basement walls when I was younger. See below for a small sample of the circuitous route displayed on the GPS
The views as we climbed the mountain were so spectacular we barely noticed the temperature dropping until suddenly my car started warning that icy conditions were possible and the outside temp had dropped to 31 degrees.
Sure enough, the peaks we were driving over must have received a few inches of snow a day or two ago as it was pretty fresh on the ground and great for making snowballs.
Fortunately for us, the road was completely clear of snow which kept negotiating the hairpin turns at a manageable level of excitement.
Below are just a few of the multitude of pictures we took this morning descending from our skyward adventure into yellowstone which is "only" at about 6,000 feet. As you can see in the last picture the weather warmed enough as we dropped elevation to put the top back down and by the end of the day we were down to shorts and T-shirts.



Everything in this particular post happened before lunch and then we spent the rest of the day in yellowstone itself, more details and pictures to come on that later, in the meantime I will make one more quick post about a newly discovered menace in all national parks and then it is off to bed to rest up for another day in yellowstone and then the Grand Tetons.

Snowballs and Rogue Cows at 9000 Feet

After an exhilarating driving experience (wow, our chariot can move!), we exited I-90 to head to Cody, Wyoming where we had plans to stop for dinner at Wyoming’s Rib and Chop House, famous for their baby back ribs and buffalo steaks. According to the GPS, we would arrive there in couple of hours, just in time for Steve to wash his car before dinner.

Being the technologist that he is, Steve trusts his omniscient GPS to an incredible degree. I, however, come from the home of the Jeep, where adventure and good, old-fashioned maps come hand-in-hand. Steve says that I’m out of touch with society at large and probably still get my mail delivered by the Pony Express.

Since we left Ohio, I have been deprived of my navigating privileges, thanks to Steve’s favorite GPS. Not that I really minded, but staring at cows gets a little repetitious after awhile. Finally, at a gas station in Wyoming, the attendant handed me the Official State Highway Map of Wyoming, and I was “back to work.”

Our next conversation went something like this:
Julie: “Hey Steve, we’re taking highway 14 to get to Cody, right?”
Steve: “Yes.”
Julie: “Oh, cool. We’re going to go through Bighorn National Forest.”
Steve: “Nice. It’ll be scenic.”
Julie: “Did you know we’re going through Granite Pass? The elevation is 9033 feet.”
Steve: “Huh?”
Julie: “Yeah, it’s a scenic byway, right through the mountains.”
Steve: “Really? For how many miles?”
Julie: “About 75 or so.”
Steve: “I don’t think we’re going to get to Cody in two hours.”



Thirty minutes, a zillion switchbacks, and only a few miles later, Steve was threatening to throw a snowball at me. We had literally driven up the side of a mountain and had come to nearly open pastures with snow on the ground. Then, we saw a sign that read “Open Range, Free Stock” which was posted AFTER we nearly ran into a cow standing in the middle of the road.



We both thought seeing Devil’s Tower would be the highlight of our day today, but after driving through that mountain pass and absorbing the breathtaking scenery, Steve and I are just beginning to realize that our entire road trip is filled with incredible examples of Mother Nature’s beauty and strength.




P.S. To clarify the opening statement of this entry, I was the one driving the Vette, thus “our chariot can move” is in Julie terms.



P.P.S. We waited over an hour to eat at Wyoming’s Rib and Chop House, and it was well worth it. I ordered a buffalo filet and Steve ate a rack of baby back ribs, which he said are better than Famous Dave’s!

Devil's Tower

Leaving deadwood this morning on the way to Wyoming both Julie and I reflected on how much more interesting South Dakota had been than we had originally anticipated. Hopefully Wyoming will keep that trend alive and so far it has yet to disappoint. Our first Stop after the obligatory State welcome sign was Devil's Tower.You first spot Devils's tower while you are still many miles away and it is impossible to get a sense of scale since it is a lone giant monolith rising 1200 feet above the rest of the prarie land. Apparently the tower used to be the core magma of a large volcano and the rest of the softer volcano material has eroded away leaving what we see today.

Julie and I decided to hike and scrable up through the boulder field at the base to the top of the tree line to investigate the tower first hand. Below are a few photos taken as we approached the tower. This thing is so tall that occasionally a cloud would float by and obscure the view of the top!

The Needles and Custer State Park

We are quickly getting backlogged with pictures so this will just be a quick post, more details and pics to come later. After leaving Rushmore we traveled up to over 6000 feet elevation on Needles Scenic byway into Custer state park. The views were magnificent and we also enjoyed the one lane tunnels blasted straight through solid rock. The needles themselves were unlike anything we had ever seen, some reaching hundreds of feet in the air seemingly ready to topple at any moment.

When Donkeys Attack!!!!

Today we had a very harrowing experience and were apparently lucky to have escaped with our lives. While cruising around the Wildlife loop in Custer State Park scouting for prairie dogs and Buffalo we were beset upon by a pack of wild donkeys and very narrowly averted being next up on their meal ticket...

At least this was the initial version of events as experienced by Julie who I now know is deathly afraid of donkeys, especially those whose innocent approaches to vehicles looking for handouts of free food can be mistaken for overt acts of aggression. As can be seen in the first picture below, our only means of escape were blocked by a pickup truck and with the vette's offroad capabilities being questionable at best Julie felt as though we were experiencing an aptly named Custer's last stand. It was very much like the scene in "Clear and Present Danger" where the convoy is stuck in a narrow alleyway with all exits cut off and they are resigned to meet their doom.

What is going on in this next picture??? Are some kind people feeding the donkeys or are the bloodthirsty donkeys feeding on the poor people trapped and surrounded in the car??? YOU be the judge...
After the adrenaline had worn off from the hair-raising Donkey experience and we had reviewed both the food chain and definition of herbivore, we stumbled upon a few Buffalo. Now keep in mind that Buffalo have certainly been known to cause some carnage to humans on rare occasions but for some reason unknown to me they do not evoke the same visceral reaction in Julie. This has prompted me to make two lists so we can keep track.

Animals Julie is afraid of and shouldn't be:
1. Donkeys
2. Dolphins

Animals Julie is not afraid of and should be:
1. Buffalo
2. Sharks

Other than the obvious alliteration of the animals on the first list beginning with the letter "D" I am still at a loss to explain. Any help would be appreciated and I may need to acquire a live Duck to test my theory...

Mount Rushmore

Today has been our busiest and most adventurous day yet. Julie and I woke up early and left our cabins in the Badlands and drove about 60 miles to the start of the black hills where Rushmore and many other attractions are located. It is amazing how fast the scenery changes and in the blink of an eye you are transported from the arid and desolate badlands into "Gold in them there hills" country. Our main goal on the touristy side of mount rushmore was to get one of the many other gawkers to get a picture with both of us and rushmore in it and here is the result. (I had to touch it up slightly with an advanced graphic editing program since the random gawker we picked is apparently not so skilled with properly framing a shot, hopefully nobody will notice...)
And lest you think that this whole rushmore thing is a ruse here are some actual pictures of the presidents themselves. Also pictured are some Mountain Goats who apparently due to budget cuts have replaced the normal landscapers at the Mount Rushmore Amphitheatre.

However, for us the real adventure for the day was hiking and climbing in the area on the backside of mount rushmore, an area very few visitors are aware of even though it was featured in the blockbuster movie "National Treasure: Book of Secrets". The unique pinnacle style rock formations are enormous and become even more fascinating when studied up close.

The amazing thing was that this was only a taste of what lay in store for us later in the day when we traveling the needles scenic byway up to over 6000 feet on our way to Custer state park which may be one of the most underrated parks in the country. More details on that to come...

The Badlands

Julie and I are seeing so many interesting things on our way across the country that it is tough to keep up with everything on the blog. We've taken over 1,000 pictures so far and we'll try to post some here to keep things updated and sort through everything and provide more details later.



Here are some pictures from the Badlands, we drove the loop road and checked out every overlook that provided a glimpse into the bizarre geology only found in the Badlands. It is a very surreal experience, completely devoid of life save the droves of retired RVers and us. It almost feels like another planet once you hike away from the road like Julie and I did, climbing our way along Notch trail to a spectacular view down on the seemingly endless desolation.




I've also updated the picture at the top of the blog to one from the badlands but I may be changing the main picture many more times during the trip so be sure to check back often.

Duck and Cover, ICBMs inbound...

Today we awoke in Chamberlain, SD, a sleepy town located on the banks of the Missouri River. Julie and I were pleased to discover that after being the only guests in the motel overnight, we were not the next unwitting victims in an Alfred Hitchcock film. After Julie took a jaunt along the Missouri River, we got on the road around 8:45 CDT, and thanks to lenient South Dakota speed limits and a one hour shift to Mountain Time, we arrived at the Badlands exit around 9:15 MDT. But, before we entered the park, there was another nearby location, much less well known than the Badlands that I insisted on visiting...


As many of you may already know, during the Cold War the government installed a number of nuclear missile silos across the USA, primarily in the Great Plains region, to serve as a deterrent to an attack by the Russians. Once such site, previously only known to those with the appropriate clearance, has been declassified and though not well publicized is accessible by the general public. There is even a handy road sign reading “Missile Silo” to point you in the right direction, which was certainly not there back in the day of “Duck and Cover” videos.


Arriving at the Missile Silo you would hardly guess that a weapon capable of such destruction was once housed in such a non-descript location. At first glance from the surface, nothing more than a large slab on concrete is visible. Upon closer inspection, you will notice the large blast doors mounted on a track that retracts to expose the 100 foot tall missile when the launch protocol is initiated. Even though the warhead was removed from this particular missile it was still an awe inspiring site.


Currently we are staying in a lodge in the badlands. We’ve got some spectacular pictures to share in a separate post about the Badlands but it seems like the Verizon Aircard connection out here is handled by a mixture of smoke signals and carrier pigeons so it may have to wait until the next time we are in a location inhabited by a population that doesn’t consist of prairie dogs, ferrets, and mountain goats.

Crossing the Great Plains

Due to a storm that was drenching Wisconsin today Julie and I made a game time decision to forgo stopping at Devil's lake state park and push through for a long driving day of almost 800 miles. Though we will miss out on Devil's lake, the decision will yield us an extra day to explore the Badlands, mt Rushmore, and Custer state park.


The longest driving day to date went very smoothly and the hours flew by. We left Chicago in the morning, drove up through Milwaukee and ate lunch in the Wisconsin dells. Then we made the trek across Minnesota with just one quick stop for gas and grabbed dinner in Sioux Falls SD. We are currently the only guests (which is both cool and creepy) at Lakeshore Motel in Chamberlain SD which should put us into the Badlands tomorrow in just under two hours of driving.

We are both excited to be through the great plains and tomorrow we should hopefully see alot of the amazing geology that the Badlands have to offer. With over 1500 Miles already behind us the rest of the trip is planned at a slower pace which should allow us to explore the wild wild west.

Welcome to Chicago

Seeing Sears Tower and the skyline as we approached the city of Chicago was really exciting for both of us. Steve flawlessly navigated the various highways (the beltway pales in comparison to 90/94) and we successfully arrived in Evanston at Lori and Tom's roaring condo.

30 minutes and a fantasy football update later, we were at Giordano's, home of Chicago's famous deep dish pizza. Yes, up to this point, our road trip has revolved around family and food. Starting Monday, our true wild west adventure begins.

For anyone who hasn't eaten authentic, Chicago deep dish pizza, you're missing out on an incredible edible. It's essentially a cheese pie with some marinara sauce on top, unless you're Steve and Tom who insisted on ordering double pepperoni inside to spice it up.


Aunt Paula joined us for lunch and gave us some great tips about various points of interest on our road trip (e.g., the location of the Hot Springs and Thunder Canyon River swimming holes in Yellowstone).

We're currently on 94 North, heading through Milwaukee to Devil's Lake State Park, near the Wisconsin Dells. Depending on the weather, if it's raining there as predicted, we may push through for a long driving day today so we get an extra day out near the Badlands and Mount Rushmore. Our second option, if the weather doesn't cooperate, is to visit the Milwaukee's Best factory, as Tom Strite and Todd Lesser would surely recommend. ;) (I think we'll choose the Badlands...)

Moose Tracks Ice Cream!!!

No trip to Sylvania (the city where I grew up, which is on the outskirts of Toledo) could be complete without a trip to Charlie's Homemade Ice Cream and Edibles. I was so fond of this wonderful establishment during my childhood that I spent my sweet 16 summer scooping delectable treats to scores of baseball teams, grandkids, and my entire extended family.

Alas, after greeting Willy at Eddie Lee's and watching Steve eat 18 ounces of prime rib, I proclaimed to my grandparents (all four of them), Aunt Diane, Michelle, and Steve that we needed to go to Charlie's despite how full we already were from dinner. Uncle Jim and I were already in cahoots about this "errand," as he loves Charlie's just as much as I do, except he's a Mackinac Island Fudge kind-of guy.

What is Moose Tracks? Charlie makes his homemade ice cream from scratch in big vats. Moose Tracks is vanilla ice cream goodness with thick fudgy swirls and enormous quantities of broken up Reese's peanut butter cups. If you're smart, you ask the girl or guy behind the counter to dig for PB cups while scooping it out. And, adding whipped topping never hurts either.

So, our trip to Northwest Ohio was successful--we listened as Miranda counted to four (and she's only 18 months old!), Steve ate a massive steak, we saw most of our family, and I got my Moose Tracks fix. :)

And We're Off!!!!

After what seemed like an eternity of preparation and packing Julie and I are finally on the road. Somehow we managed to fit everything we needed into the trunk but we were so tight on space we had to put a few extra items like some shoes and a book or two in a box and mailed it to our new address.Driving around 495 and up 270 for the last time in a long while was a very refreshing experience as we each recalled the many hours we'd spent there stuck in traffic. The drive to St Marys PA to visit Carolyn and J seemed to fly by and we enjoyed the trip through the Appalachian mountains. We passed a sign on I-80 right near the continental divide that marked the highest point on the cross country highway east of the Mississippi at 2500 feet. That fact really highlights the dichotomy between the east and west coast mountains since one of the scenic byways I have us routed on from Montana into the Northeast entrance of Yellowstone will take us up to almost 11,000 feet on the road! I hope Julie didn't forget to pack the oxygen...
(Update: Astute blog follower David Knox has pointed out that there are many points east of the Mississippi higher than 2500 feet, even thought we didn't cross any of those on our particular route. However, all of them still pale in comparison to the massive elevations of the West Coast mountain ranges.)


We got a chance to see Carolyn's house that she is remodeling as well as the gym that J owns which also houses the office for his computer business.



Today we are off to Toledo Ohio where we will catch up with as many relatives as possible and the next day we will be visiting Lori and Tom as well as the Barkers in Chicago, after that we begin our true westward adventure...

As a parting shot, here are some pictures of the giant tire that is being used in the strongest man competition at J's gym today.

General Itinerary for our Road Trip

This is a cursory overview of the route we plan to take. More detail to come later.

(CLICK HERE TO SEE OUR ROUTE ON GOOGLE MAPS)

Day 1: (Friday, Sept. 5):

• Depart Silver Spring (evening), drive to St. Mary's, PA
• Check out J's Gym and spend the night with Carolyn

Day 2: (Saturday, Sept. 6):

• Spend half of the day in St. Mary's, drive to Toledo. Dinner at Grandma's!
• Spend the night in Toledo on Peppermill.

Day 3: (Sunday, Sept. 7):

• Drive to Chicago in the morning, see Uncle Chuck and Aunt Paula for lunch, Tom and Lori for dinner, spend the night.

Day 4: (Monday, Sept. 8):

• Drive to Devils Lake State Park. Explore. Then, drive to Wisconsin Dells.

Day 5: (Tuesday, Sept. 9):

• Drive to South Dakota (Badlands). LONG DRIVING DAY
• Stay in Cedar Pass Lodge Cabins in the Badlands National Park

Day 6: (Wednesday, Sept. 10):

• Venture around the Badlands, see Mount Rushmore, Custer State Park.
• Spend night in Deadwood, SD.
• Stay in Mineral Palace, home of Al Swearangen's "Gem Saloon"

Day 7: (Thursday, Sept. 11):

• Drive to Wyoming (Yellowstone).
• Stop by Devil's Tower National Monument.
• Stay at Cody Cowboy Villiage

Day 8: (Friday, Sept. 12): Yellowstone!

• Drive up through Red Lodge Montana to take scenic route to 11,000 vertical feet throught the mountains enroute to the north east entrance to yellowstone.
• Explore the park all day and spend the night in West Yellowstone.

Day 9: (Saturday, Sept. 13): Yellowstone and Grand Tetons.

• Drive through Yellowstone in the morning and explore Grand Teton National Park in the afternoon.
• Stay at Elk Country Inn in Jackson Wyoming

Day 10: (Sunday, Sept. 14):

• Drive to Bear Lake. Spend night in Logan, Ogden, SLC, or Sandy. TBD.

Day 11: (Monday, Sept. 15):

• Drive to Sandy. Arrive at our new apartment at 9AM and if all goes according to plan our belongings should already be there.
• 1251 S. State Street, Apt. H302, Sandy, UT 84070

Preparing our Chariot

Julie and I are very excited to get the chance to drive the vette across the country but it does mean that luggage space is a limiting factor on what we can bring. Intense preparation and computer modeling (similar to tetris) have allowed us to maximise every nook and cranny so it looks like all the essentials will be coming with us when we pull out of Maryland tomorrow afternoon. Also, I am exploring different options that should hopefully allow us to post pictures as well as text updates as we travel across the USA. More to come hopefully...

Creation of This Blog

As I stated in my wedding vows, one of the reasons I fell in love with Steve was his sense of adventure. This first year of marriage has been, in a word, FUN! Yet, our true "fun" is just about to begin as we embark on a cross-country road trip to our new home in Sandy, Utah.

We've heard from many people that they will be living vicariously through us for the next six months or so. What better way to share our adventures than to create a blog?