Tommy and Colleen roadtrip across the US

North Carolina continued to impress us the next day when we saw UNC Chapel Hill and Duke. The feel of North Carolina was great- different enough from home to feel like we were on vacation, but similar enough to home to make us comfortable. UNC Chapel Hill was especially impressive, but I won't bore all of you with the school details. It was a hot day and we only made one stop in Richmond, VA for lunch on our way to DC. In DC we stayed right in Dupont Circle, a pretty major section of the city. The hotel was nice and for once we had a few hours to relax before going out to dinner. One of Tommy's brother's friends owns a bar in DC, so he was not only able to give us dinner suggestions, but also show us his bar and have a few drinks with us. It was a good night overall.

Thursday morning we were instantly excited to go home. We ventured out of the hotel to get breakfast and look around since we had secured a late check-out, but we were so exhausted and anxious to get home that we bagged that idea and got in the car, arriving back in Connecticut by dinnertime.

Thanks to everyone for following along on our crazy adventure! We love and appreciate all of you so much!
Colleen + Tommy

Albuquerque was definitely a turning point for us. We were worn down from the trip to the out-of-the-way Grand Canyon and a few bad experiences, but Albuquerque was unexpectedly pleasant. The hotel was beautiful and we had one of the best meals we had all trip at an upscale Grill on the University of New Mexico campus (read: the most delicious dulce de leche with caramel cream for dessert, WOW). The drive to Oklahoma City wasn't terrible, but we definitely didn't feel like leaving the luxury of The Parq Central Hotel.

The hotel in Oklahoma City was fine, too, but given the bad weather we were pretty wary and stayed close to sleep and get an early start the next morning. The drive to Nashville was frustrating, and it was long. There was nothing much to look at, and we were particularly cranky after trying for 50 miles in Arkansas to find something for lunch, only to find fast food and nothing else off of every exit. We really couldn't bear the idea of eating another burger. The hotel in Nashville was right on the Vanderbilt campus, literally overlooking the football stadium. We had a great dinner at PF Changs (atttached to the hotel). A fierce storm ripped through Nashville overnight and we were woken up by the lightning and thunder a number of times. Thankfully it cleared up and it was sunny by this morning when we woke up.

We were spoiled by the Stanford campus- nothing is going to be as beautifully manicured and resort-esque as Southern California, but Vanderbilt was nice in its own right. It was much more brick and gardens than Stanford which was all stucco and palm trees. Vanderbilt is very much IN Nashville, but it was contained behind fences so there wasn't too much of the overwhelming big city feel. We got on the road to North Carolina, but losing an hour entering Eastern Time and stopping for (DELICIOUS) pizza near Dollywood outside of Knoxville, the drive felt long.

We're in Chapel Hill now, which has a college town feel. The hotel is awesome- the perfect trifecta of free parking, wi-fi, and breakfast. Tomorrow we'll see UNC and Duke before heading up to DC- our last stop on this crazy adventure!

<3

I was sad to leave Las Vegas!! Our hotel was amazing and luxurious and it was fun to be in the hustle and bustle of the big city. But it was cool to see the Hoover Dam and get some sun while we explored there- it was 85 and sunny! It didn't stay that way for long, however, because during the 4 hour drive we went from bright sun to MORE SNOW! We've experienced more snow on this vacation than we could have ever expected. It was 40 degrees and sleeting at the North Rim, but once we arrived we were pretty awestruck by the scenery. We checked into our cabin, which was teeny, and had dinner reservations for 6:45. We thought this would help us out greatly since the lodge was packed, but it turns out it was also extremely disorganized- we didn't get seated until 7:45! We DID get a seat by the window and it was sunset, but the service was downright awful and Tommy had to order three different things before he found something they weren't out of. We also had a terrible nights sleep, but breakfast in the morning in the same diningroom was delicious- although the service was again awful- and we took lots of pictures of the scenery.

Today driving to Albuquerque took us almost entirely through an Indian Reservation- Navaho, Apache, and Hopi. It made for some picturesque driving, but there were virtually no rest stops and even the gas stations were few and far between. I made our lunch of PB&Js in the passenger's seat once Tommy took over driving for the afternoon. Getting here has been a relief- and the hotel is amazing!! It was just redone in 2010 and the room isn't big but it is very luxurious, and the staff is incredibly nice. The lobby, bar, and restaurant are impeccable and with any luck we will get a better night's sleep than we did in the creaky cabin at the North Rim!

Colleen

Sorry for the delay everybody!

Leaving San Francisco would have been a lot harder if the weather wasn't so crappy. We had a great breakfast at a cafe then drove around exploring the city- including all the crazy hills- and Golden Gate Park. We took some pretty good pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge, but it was super foggy so I don't know how well they came out.

After leaving the city we drove toward Palo Alto to see Stanford. Looking at potential grad schools for me is one of the main goals of this trip (okay, maybe one of the secondary goals of the trip) and Stanford was first on the list. We were pretty much blown away. It was drizzly and cold, but the campus is incredibly beautiful- it looks like a resort! We started at the Visitor's Center, walked through campus to the library, went to the observatory of the Hoover Tower (the main landmark of the campus), walked the main drag of classroom buildings, and walked through the athletic facilities. We talked with some students and got the lay of the land, and we were pretty sold. The only downside is how far away it is from home!

We began our drive of Highway 1 (or tried to) shortly afterwards, and it is definitely as beautiful as everybody says. It's also scary- you're driving right along the edge of the cliff. It wasn't great weather, but the sun poked through numerous times while we were stopping to take pictures.



This is where it gets scary- about 45 miles from Monterey down Highway 1 (in complete seclusion, mind you) we come across construction people putting up roadblock signs shortly after it started to rain. A huge landslide obstructed the road about 10 miles further. At first we attempted a windy mountain road that leads through Los Padres National Forest that would have eventually connected us with Highway 101, but after about 10 miles of that, the turn we needed to take was blocked off and we had to backtrack to Highway 1 and then backtrack again all the way to Monterey/Carmel. We got back to Highway 1 with little problem, but it became clear quickly that with all the rain there were numerous landslides occurring in addition to the larger one that had blocked the road- we had no choice but to drive through. There were other cars on the road but no highway officials or police or anything, despite how obviously dangerous things had become. We made our best attempt to drive the road tenderly over the rocks, but eventually two of the tires popped and we were stuck. Of course those of you who have driven Highway 1 will know that you are not only 40 miles from any real civilization- but you are also many, many miles away from having cell phone service. Once we realized that we had two flats AND NO SPARE TIRE(!) we flagged someone down, who turned out to be a very understanding and helpful local who had been in our very situation numerous times. He continued down the road until he had cell service and sent help for us. To make a long story short, it took until 10:30 at night for Triple A to get to us. We had a burger at this teeny tiny restaurant attached to a campsite nearby and just waited and hoped for the best. The closest place to be towed was all the way back- 40 miles- to Monterey. We didn't get there until 12:30, and thankfully there was a Holiday Inn right next to the car place because we obviously needed to crash. In the morning Tommy was able to get the tires replaced in an hour, and before noon we were on our way down to LA- this time via the 101, NOT highway 1!

The drive to LA (well, Santa Monica actually) was relatively easy and despite arriving around 5, we didn't hit much traffic. We stayed with Tommy's cousin Kim who lives right next to Venice Beach. We got there, dropped our stuff, and walked to the beach while Kim finished up what work she had. It was so windy that the beach was almost unenjoyable, but the walk was nice and it was great to finally have some nice, sunny weather. Around 7:30 we went with Kim to the other side of LA to meet up with their other cousin Emily, her boyfriend, and his friend, and we all went to a restaurant called The Park, which has $5 gourmet burgers on Wednesdays! It was a good time- and delicious- and Kim drove us down Sunset Boulevard and through part of Hollywood on the way home so we could see the sights. In the morning we went with Kim to an amazing breakfast place called the Omelet Parlor and filled up before getting on the road. We got the oiled changed then embarked on the quick drive from LA to Vegas!

Getting to Las Vegas was a big relief after the relatively unforgiving conditions of California- we had seen a snow storm, constant rain, landslides, etc. We're staying at a place called the Platinum Hotel and it exceeded our expectations by a long shot. I knew the hotel got great ratings, but we opened the door to our room and found that it is actually a giant suite with a huge living room, full kitchen, giant bathroom, and big bedroom plus a balcony with table and chairs. We found that the pool was equally as luxorious up on the roof, so we went up there and laid out for about two hours. While we were there, a film crew was setting up equipment and the lady in charge explained to us that they were shooting a commercial for JetBlue. Eventually the director though it would be a good idea to put us IN the commercial! We didn't have to do much, just sip drinks and look like we were having a good time (which we were anyway!) and kiss on command. We couldn't stay long because we had dinner reservation at this place called Roy's at 7. It is a Hawaiian fusion restaurant, and it was absolutely incredible. We got lobster potstickers as an appetizer, fliet mignon for me and tombo (tuna) for Tommy for our entrees, and then chocolate souflee for dessert. The ambiance, service, and food were all incredible and we will definitely be visiting one of the other locations on our way home (the owner has places in Orlando, Chicago, Baltimore, LA, and a few other places.

After dinner we headed to the Bellagio to see Cirque du Soleil "O". What an amazing show! It was all that you'd expect from Cirque du Soleil (abrobatics, dance, etc) combined with high diving and synchronized swimming because at the center of the stage there is a million-gallon tank of water! We were awestruck. The athleticism of the performers was unbelievable, and we had really really great seats. My only regret was getting tickets for the 10pm show instead of the 7pm- we were so exhausted afterwards!

Today we depart Vegas for the Grand Canyon and we plan to stop at the Hoover Dam and Zion National Park on the way. We are having dinner at the lodge and staying in a private cabin right on the North Rim! It almost feels like we're on our way home at this point... but of course we don't actually get home for another 6 days. There is still a lot to see as we drive back to the East Coast!

Love,
Colleen

As most of you know, we clocked in an 11-hour day yesterday. It was long, but over all not that bad! We left Salt Lake after breakfast at 8:15 Mountain time, 7:15 Pacific time. We drove first through the salt flats of Utah, then across a stretch of desert before hitting Nevada. The drive across Nevada was long and boring, except for the fact that all the rest stops had slot machines you could play. We only took one long stop for lunch at a rest stop, then traveled through Reno relatively quickly.

When we crossed into California near Lake Tahoe, two curious things occurred. First, just a few miles from the "Entering California" sign, we went through what looked like a tollbooth, but was actually an "Agricultural Checkpoint". The lady working at the booth immediately announced she would have to search our car and did so- taking our oranges from the cooler and demanding to know if we had any other fruit. She said she would have to quarantine the oranges and took down our license plate number, info on where we bought the fruit, etc. Then she bid us farewell and said we could proceed as we sat there dumbfounded as to why this lady had stolen our snack. So far we have come up with mostly conspiracy theories: the economy in California is so bad that they want us to be forced to buy more, this time California, oranges. More likely since oranges are a major crop for them they didn't want us bringing any foreign pesticides or whatever on our Florida oranges.

The second curious thing is that while we were passing through the mountains surrounding Lake Tahoe, the temperature dropped to 35 degrees and it began to snow hard. For a good half hour we drove through a near white-out, in awe that we had encountered a freak snow storm for the second time on our journey! As we drove further and further toward sea level, the snow turned to rain and we were on flat ground in Sacremento.

We hit some traffic in San Francisco but we got to our hotel with relative ease, after climbing and descending a few of the world-famous hills and nearly getting run over by a trolley. We're staying at a boutique hotel called the Chancellor and the room is tiny but comfortable. Last night we walked around Union Square for a while, and eventually settled on a 50s-themed diner for dinner, which was actually very good.

Today we plan to look around some more, see Stanford, and eventually make moves down Rt 1 to see the rest of California!

Adios!
Tommy + Colleen

We're back! Apologies for the delay in updates- we were in Frisco, Colorado with no internet access.

Backtracking a few days, we woke up Friday and started the day at Mount Rushmore! It was clear but very chilly. We spent a while talking pictures and looking around the museum, but we were on the road to Colorado by 10:30 or so. It wasn't a terribly long drive and we originally planned to stop in Denver, but there was traffic and we were tired so we headed right up into the mountains and to the condo.

Frisco, Colorado is right in the Rocky Mountains and while we were prepared for the beautiful scenery, we were definitely NOT prepared for the snow! We spent two nights there, cooked our own food and didn't have to wake up early, and it was awesome. Friday evening we went to the grocery store then cooked dinner. Saturday we spent the morning being lazy then headed out to explore Breckenridge, a big ski resort just a few miles from the condo. Unfortunately, most of the shops and restaurants were closed for "mud season" (April and May, when the ski people have left and the summer people haven't quite arrived). We opted to eat at this awesome place called the Backcountry Brewpub for lunch. It had a good atmosphere and great barfood, just what we wanted. The rest of the night we spent by the fire watching the Bruins lose and the Red Sox win as the snow fell outside. We also made a late dinner even though just hours before we were so full we swore we wouldn't eat for days!

We didn't have an early morning, thankfully, but it ended up being a long day. The drive out of Colorado was absolutely breathtaking- we went through the mountains and through Glenwood Canyon, and as we entered Utah the landscape kept changing and impressing us. We were doing so well on time that we decided to take a detour to Arches National Park in Moab, Utah, which was almost 30 miles off of our route. The scenery at Arches was incredible. We didn't have time to explore all that the park had to offer, but as you can see from the pictures, what we did see was quite impressive. We had our lunch by the aptly-named Balancing Rock and did a short hike around the structure.

The rest of the ride here to Salt Lake City was less exciting and seemed long- but we need to get used to it because tomorrow is our longest day of driving. Salt Lake City to San Francisco is about a 10 hour trip, so even split 50/50 we're looking at a long haul across 3 states. Luckily, California awaits us and that is good motivation. Tonight we ordered pizza to our hotel room and plan to relax and rest up.

Unfortunately we have bad news to share. We left our whiteboard at the condo in Frisco... so no more mileage markers until we can get ourselves a new one

One more thing: we miss our moms and dads!!!!

Love,
Colleen + Tommy

We are currently in Keystone, South Dakota, home to Mount Rushmore. It's been a long few days of travel to get us here, but we had a great day yesterday after I updated and- since everyone has asked- yes, we still like each other!

Leaving Minneapolis at 7am wasn't the most pleasant, but it gave us lots of time to do what we wanted to do with our day. We had a 150 mile start on a two-lane highway that actually had periodic traffic lights, but it took us around any rush hour traffic and we barely saw another car on the road before hitting I-90. We had about 354 miles on I-90 before getting to the badlands. We took one extended stop in Mitchell, SD to eat lunch and see the Corn Palace. The Corn Palace is, more or less, a Town Hall that just happens to be covered in murals made out of corn. There's a gift shop inside and a basketball court and not much else. Some sort of expo was going on, and right as we walked in a man walked over, asked if we we were tourists, and introduced himself as Lou, the mayor of Mitchell. We spoke to him briefly, took some pictures, and headed out.

The drive through South Dakota was truly boring. We kept ourselves entertained, and there were a lot of signs and billboards to look at (advertising Wall Drug, which we visited), but the scenery consisted of field after field after field. We got to the Badlands National Park around 3:30 (Mountain Time Zone) and it was pouring rain and bitterly cold. Had the weather been nicer we could have hiked some trails, taken more pictures, and spent more time there. Either way, the badlands are breathtaking. The landscape changes so drastically from rolling green hills to desert-like rock formations and spires.

20 or so miles outside the badlands is the town (city?) of Wall, SD. Famous for the Wall Drugstore, Wall is pretty much based around this tourist attraction. Signs advertise the stop pretty much the entirety of I-90 through Minnesota and South Dakota, and apparently there are signs for it all around the world, from Prague to Kenya. Wall Drug sits on a street with lots of shops, and the main building itself has several gift stores, a drug store, candy stores, a cafe, jewelry stores, and an art gallery. It was a good place to stop and, in our case, buy some fudge as a snack!

The landscape of South Dakota shifted almost immediately again after leaving Wall as we headed toward Rapid City and Keystone. Entering the Black Hills we saw pine-covered hills and switch-back roads, a drastic change from the straight, flat highway we drove for over 300 miles. Our hotel is settled in a little valley of Keystone, on a strip with other hotels and restaurants. The plan for today is to go see Mount Rushmore, maybe do a drive-through wildlife park with bears, and then get on the road to Colorado where we have a two-day rest with NO DRIVING!

We added pictures to yesterday's entry for anyone who is interested!

Colleen + Tommy

Hey all! Due to a lack of internet access, I'm updating from my phone which means no pictures- but I can go back and add those later on.

Tuesday morning we woke up early to go to the gym (free fitness center at the hotel!) and had a surprisingly good breakfast at the hotel. We were at the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame by 10:30. It was pretty awesome- head and shoulders above the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Its situated right between Lake Erie and the stadium where the Browns play. Unfortunately, they don't allow you to take pictures inside. We saw some amazing things though: Michael Jackson's glove, original handwritten lyrics by Jimi Hendrix, John Mellencamp, Jim Morrison, etc. There were outfits worn by Stevie Nicks, David Bowie, and the Beatles. There were tons of famous guitars, too. Both of us agreed that we have to bring our dads back someday.. it was right up their alley. The hotel offered a free shuttle to/from the Rock Hall but when we called to get back they told us it would be at least a half hour, so we decided to walk the mile or so through downtown to our hotel.

We had a pretty easy ride through the rest of Ohio and Indiana towards Chicago. We saw lots of farms and construction and not much else.

Arriving in Chicago was pretty cool because we saw where the White Sox play and where the Bears play before driving a few miles along the water where there were hundreds of people out running, walking, and biking. The city itself is beautiful- we also had perfect weather. We stayed in a boutique hotel called the Knickerbocker (I kid you not) which was pretty fancy. Our room was nice and the bed was so comfortable. We didn't have much time to enjoy it before taking a cab over to Wrigley Field for the Cubs game! They ended up losing to the Cardinals but it was a fun game and Wrigley is awesome.

I woke up early again to take advantage of the free fitness center, and we were showered and dressed and out the door by 8:30. We walked from our hotel to Millenium Park (home to the semi-famous Cloud Gate sculpture, otherwise known as the Bean). The walk was hot- it was over 80 degrees by 10am- and beautiful. I can't stress enough how much we loved Chicago. We passed by Navy Pier and explored the park, got breakfast at a coffee shop, then took a cab back to the hotel to pack up and head out.

We had a 7 hour drive to Minneapolis where we are staying with Tommy's aunt and uncle. The drive was smooth, but rainy, and we saw just about all there is to see in Wisconsin as we drove through: dairy farms. The end of the drive was trouble, as it sent us through the Twin Cities during rush hour, but we got here safe and sound about 7 o clock. Tommy's cousin Michael took us over to the Mall of America for an hour or so after dinner, and even though we had both seen it as kids, we were pretty awestruck.

Today we have a long drive from Minneapolis clear across MN and SD to Mount Rushmore, via the badlands. We plan to be up and out by 7am. I'm taking lots of good pictures, so I'll add those here ASAP.

Ciao!

Our trip is finally under way!!

First and foremost, congratulations Tommy on graduating from UConn yesterday! What a huge accomplishment! I'm so excited that we get to celebrate with this incredible vacation.

It was an early morning: alarms went off at 5:45 and we were on the road at 7. The drive through New York and a bit of New Jersey was easy. We stopped once for breakfast upon entering Pennsylvania, then drove for a long, long time without stopping, almost clear across the state.


Around 1, we stopped for gas and made sandwiches from our fully stocked cooler. From there it was a straight, 2 hour shot to Canton, OH and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It was $21 to enter and I'd say it was almost worth it. It was pretty fun seeing the history of the league and the memorabilia they had up, we were also pretty much the only two people there so we could move around freely. They had a few interactive exhibits- including one where you had two chances to throw a football through the target. We had a snack and took pictures of our mileage before getting back on the road to Cleveland.

Our hotel here is right off the highway, next door to the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame, and our room has a view of Jacobs Field, where the Cleveland Indians play! Unfortunately they are off today, so there is no game excitement going on around the hotel. After checking in we dropped our stuff and went to a sushi/hibachi place called Ginza for dinner. It was quiet and fast and definitely got the job done for us tonight.

Tomorrow we're starting the day at the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame and then driving on to Chicago.

Love,
Colleen

A week out from our trip, everything is more or less finalized! All of the hotels are booked. Tickets are bought. Excitement is building. So here is the day-by-day general plan for the roadtrip!

• Monday, May 9th: Depart Stamford, CT (Tommy's house) to Cleveland, OH. We're basically driving a straight shot across Pennsylvania to Canton, OH and stopping at the Pro Football Hall of Fame before heading into Cleveland.

• Tuesday, May 10th: Depart Cleveland, OH to Chicago, IL. We're starting the day at the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, then doing the (relatively) quick 4 to 5-hour drive to Chicago. In Chicago we want to sight-see and then we're going to a Cubs game at Wrigley Field that night.

• Wednesday, May 11th: Depart Chicago, IL to Minneapolis, MN.

• Thursday, May 12th: Depart Minneapolis, MN to Keystone, SD. This is a long day of driving with a lot of things to see along the way. We're stopping at the badlands and Wall Drug before getting to our hotel.

• Friday, May 13th: Depart Keystone, SD for Frisco, CO. We're seeing Mt Rushmore in the morning then getting on the road to my family's condo in the Rocky Mountains.

• Saturday, May 14th: Spending the day in Frisco, CO. Going to Vail and Breckinridge Villages, just generally enjoying NOT driving.

• Sunday, May 15th: Depart Frisco, CO for Salt Lake City, UT. A long day of driving.

• Monday, May 16th: Depart Salt Lake City, UT for San Francisco, CA. Another long day of driving, mostly excited to see the salt flats along the way. Getting to San Francisco will be the big treat- our hotel is BEAUTIFUL and our balcony overlooks the Golden Gate Bridge!

• Tuesday, May 17th: Depart San Francisco, CA for Santa Barbara, CA. We'll see Stanford in the morning then explore Big Sur for the day. This is the only day we don't have our hotel planned for, since we're not quite sure where we'll want to stop.

• Wednesday, May 18th: Depart Santa Barbara, CA for Los Angeles, CA. We plan to go to Venice Beach for the day, Hollywood in the afternoon/evening for dinner.

• Thursday, May 19th: Depart Los Angeles, CA for Las Vegas, NV. I'm so excited to get to Vegas! The drive should only be about 4 hours. We have Cirque du Soleil tickets for 10pm and plan to go to dinner at a place called Roy's beforehand.

• Friday, May 20th: Depart Las Vegas, NV for North Rim, AZ. We're passing through Zion National Park on our way to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, and maybe the Hoover Dam if we have time. We're staying in the Grand Canyon Lodge right on the rim, and will eat at this amazing place overlooking the Canyon dinner. Hopefully timing will permit that we see sunrise *and* sunset.

• Saturday, May 21st: Depart North Rim, AZ for Albuquerque, NM. Just trying to get to the other side of the country!

• Sunday, May 22nd: Depart Albuquerque, NM for Oklahoma City, OK.

• Monday, May 23rd: Depart Oklahoma City, OK for Nashville, TN. Stopping at Memphis / Graceland on the way. Seeing Vanderbilt in the afternoon if we get there in time. If not, the next morning.

• Tuesday, May 24th: Depart Nashville, TN for Chapel Hill, NC. Seeing Duke.

• Wednesday, May 25th: Depart Chapel Hill, NC for Washington, DC. Seeing UNC Chapel Hill before getting on the road. Seeing George Washington University. Exploring the monuments/museums in the afternoon after the short 4-5 hour drive to get there. Going out for a final nice last dinner.

• Thursday, May 26th: Depart Washington, DC for Stamford, CT. Stopping at Annapolis and Baltimore, then getting on the road home.

The next time I write, we'll have already gotten on the road!

Cheers!
Colleen

Hey friends and family!

I started this blog of our roadtrip so that you all could read about what we do on our long journey across the US of A and back. Most of the hotels we're staying at have Free Wi-Fi, so I'll be able to update frequently with our whereabouts, daily activities, and even pictures so you can get a sense of what we've been up to.

Our trip is just over a week away now, but lots has to happen between now and then. We have to take our finals, and more importantly, Tommy has to graduate! Planning is nearly done, but not quite, and I can't wait to have our itinerary all ironed out.

Stay tuned for updates once our departure date arrived, and stay safe happy and healthy until then!!

Colleen