Round Trippin' 2009

Road Trip Recap

2009-09-10T22:53:00.004-04:00

Looking back on our 25 day journey, it's difficult to say the experience was anything other than incredible. During the final days we reflected on our route, audibles and all, and tried to assess the damage to our wallets, the mileage on our rental car, and of course, the sheer amount of ground that we covered.

The trip cost us approximately $5,500 (including gas, car rental, accommodations, and meals but excluding other spending cash). Split 3.5 ways (Eros being with us for only have the trip), it was probably the best $1,571 any of us have ever spent over a 25 day period.

We put 10,400 miles (2,500 of which came on our 2-day drive back from Arizona) on our Pontiac G6! All I could say is, thankfully they don't charge per mile…We stuck to our route pretty well, with the exception of a few unplanned, albeit, necessary audibles and a few unavoidable detours.

The G6 was good to us. We all agreed that once we figured out a way to efficiently pack all our luggage into the trunk, the car was spacious enough to comfortably sit 4 (and even a smaller cooler in the back seat for one of us to rest our head on - see picture in one of the previous posts for example).

Overall, we visited 26 states (and probably twice as many Subway restaurants), 15 major cities, 4 national parks, and all this within the borders of one amazing country.

Thank you again to those who followed the blog and shared in our experiences. For those considering a trip of this magnitude, I think we would all say, if you have the time, resources, and energy…just do it!

THANKS!

2009-09-07T01:09:00.006-04:00

As our trip has come to an end...so does our blog. We would like to thank all of our avid readers for their support and their comments throughout our journey...you know who you are! It was truly a pleasure to have you share in our experiences and we hope that our blog has entertained you through some of your more monotonous work days.

This was an eye opening experience for all of us, as we can now truly appreciate the vastness of our country. One realizes, that life is incredibly different from one corner of the country to the other. The 25 days that we've spent on the road barely scratched the surface that are the depths of this great nation. Rather, it allowed us to gain a good idea of all the different cultures, religions, languages, foods, etc., sprinkled throughout the country.

As we assimilate back into civilian life, we would like to welcome any questions you may be curious about, including planning, costs, etc. Maybe we've inspired you to take your own journey. Vlad will follow up with a post about the total miles we've driven, the total cost of the trip, and the total number of states that we've visited. We will also be posting a link to an online photo album documenting our adventures.

Thanks again!

Day 25 - In Transit: Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey.....NEW YORK!

2009-09-07T00:59:00.009-04:00

This post took a little longer to post than we expected-we have all been trying to get our lives back on track. As you might have assumed, we made it home in one piece, passing through a total of 12 states during our non-stop drive back from Arizona. Even more impressive, we made it back without being stopped by the fuzz during our entire trip.

Unfortunately, we didn't really stop at any of the states mentioned in the title, except for bathroom and snack breaks. Maybe the South will be a roadtrip on its own...

Day 24 - In Transit: New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas

2009-09-02T19:45:00.002-04:00

We are about halfway through our 40-hour journey that began yesterday evening. We have been on the I-40 East for what seems like an eternity. Currently, we are approaching Little Rock, which is pretty much dead smack in the middle of Arkansas.

New Mexico was a blur, as both Vlad and I slept right through it. Driving through Oklahoma, one realizes how Native American culture is intertwined in this country. Reading the names of the many exits on the I-40 through Oklahoma will show all types of Native American town names. As well as signs indicating when you are entering and leaving different "nations".

The attached picture (of Sal and Eros passed out after driving straight through New Mexico all night) pretty much sums up the last 24 hours. We are looking to shoot straight back to NY with just stops to answer nature's callings. So far, we've done pretty well.

Our strategy revolves around 2 teams of drivers, one team drives while the other sleeps. Each person puts in a 5-hour stint behind the wheel and then switches. Everyone does a total of two 5-hour sessions, and we're basically home. Starbucks Double Shot Espressos have become part of our daily diet during these drives. We will probably be driving through all of Tennessee tonight. At this pace, we should be back in NYC tomorrow afternoon!

Day 22 & 23 - Phoenix, AZ & Grand Canyon National Park

2009-09-01T22:32:00.002-04:00

We arrived in Phoenix, AZ at around 6:30 PM and went straight to Phil G's place (thanks again for letting us crash, brah). We caught up on old times over dinner and a few brews at The Tilted Kilt. We took it easy that night as we were heading to the Grand Canyon the next morning then beginning our official journey back east.

The path from San Diego to Phoenix really leaves you on the US/Mexican border. In fact, our cell phones even picked up a Mexican cellular signal.

The drive north to Grand Canyon National Park took about 4.5 hours and took us through Sedona and Flagstaff. We spent some time admiring the vastness of the canyons and picked up some gifts at the souvenir shop.

After grabbing a quick dinner, we entered our home address in our GPS unit and began the 40-hour drive back home. We are currently on the I-40 East heading to New Mexico then through the northern tip of Texas and all of Oklahoma. Vlad and I are watching Role Models in the back seat while we wait for our rotation to drive. Stay tuned for updates from the road!

Day 21 - La Jolla, CA

2009-08-31T19:27:00.001-04:00

PB Sushi was excellent. This place makes some exotic type sushi rolls such as the ones pictured. From top to bottom: pictured is a lobster roll, spicy yellowtail roll, and samurai roll.

The next morning, we headed north to La Jolla in search of Wind & Sea Beach, but we found Marine Beach instead. The beach was excellent and the waves were the strongest we all have ever experienced. I think all of us have battle scars from literally being flipped and body slammed by the waves. You'd be surprised how easily skin scratches when sliding across sand. It was a blast though. The Pacific Ocean was warmer than I had expected.

Between sessions of being manhandled by the ocean, we played a little football and even some beach volleyball. Eros and I edged out Vlad and Sal for the crown. They were no match for our tandem setting and spiking skills.

After the beach we took a cruise up the historic Pacific Coast Highway (US-101) to Laguna Beach. Although it was foggy at first, the haze thankfully cleared up, giving way to magnificent views of the beach strewn Pacific coast. Currently, we are in Arizona on the I-8 East heading to Phoenix to hang with one of my buddies, Phil G. This leg of the trip marks the beginning of our journey all the way back east!

Day 19 & 20 - San Diego, CA

2009-08-29T17:41:00.004-04:00

We were reluctant to depart Las Vegas but laying here on breezy Pacific Beach in San Diego, CA makes Vegas a little easier to leave behind. We arrived at one of the "nicest cities in the world" (with close to a combined 300 sunny or partly sunny days) at around 9 PM last night. We are staying in the Gaslamp Quarter, which is a short walk from ample nightlife.

Last night, although it was already late by Cali standards, we kicked off our evening at The Yard House, which served what seemed like a limitless number of beers from around the world. Unfortunately, they had run out of Carlsberg, one of our favorite European brews. We opted for some of the local offerings instead. Afterwards, we walked around 5th Avenue and checked out a few random places including Stage and O.

Today, we are just soaking in some rays at Pacific Beach. Eros tried his hand at a little surfing and wasn't too shabby. We are happy to be winding down our trip in such a lax city. Tonight, we will be heading to PB Sushi and hanging around the area afterwards to see what beach life is all about! Stay tuned!

Day 18 - Audible #4: Las Vegas, NV

2009-08-29T14:02:00.002-04:00

When we were originally planning this trip, we purposely excluded Las Vegas because we felt we wouldn't be able to give it the attention that it deserved. However, when we were in Denver, we decided that we were going to cut one of the two days out of Los Angeles, and take the 4.5 hour drive through the Mojave Desert to Vegas.

Hotels were on a firesale as a night at the Hard Rock went for just $80 - we couldn't pass up on a deal like this. However, things weren't all rainbows and sunshine, Vlad misplaced his ID somewhere between LA and Vegas. We knew, doing anything in Vegas without an ID would be tough.

We discussed the night's plans over dinner at The Cheesecake Factory in Cesars Palace. After dinner, Sal and Eros headed to Tao in the Venitian, while Vlad and I tried to track down a police station to file a report so that he could have some sort of identification. Two hours later, we finally found a police station that was open in Downtown Las Vegas. Just to let you know, even with the police report, no casino would let us do anything, including entrance into Tao. They were even reluctant to let Vlad just stand on the casino floor.

The good news is we all did pretty well in the casinos. A few of us cleaned up in roulette. I actually hit my numbers dead on about 5 times (36-to-1 payout), and about 4 times on the line (18-to-1 payout). Eros however, was the most efficient, putting one dollar in a video roulette machine and cashing out his $90 voucher within 5 minutes.

The next day, we relaxed at the Hard Rock Hotel's pool, which is the setting for the famous pool party, Rehab, every Sunday.

We soaked in the 114 degree heat for a little while and headed back towards LA and down to San Diego!

Day 17 - Los Angeles & Hollywood, CA

2009-08-27T12:02:00.011-04:00

We left chilly San Francisco for the Southern California sun early in the morning. There are several ways to get to Los Angeles from Northern California. The fastest way is the I-5 South, which doesn't offer much of a view. Then there is Highway 1 and US-101, which runs down the Pacific coast of the US. We chose the latter option as it would be the more scenic route. However, there was so much fog (see picture above) on the coast that not much could be seen. We will try again around San Diego.

Our first stop was the Santa Monica Pier where we walked around the beach getting a feel for the atmosphere. It sort of looked like Coney Island but much newer. There were tons of people rollerblading, biking, and jogging around. It was hot out, at least 90 degrees. LA is actually going through a heat wave right now - go figure.

Before heading over to our hotel, we went to In-N-Out Burger on Sunset Blvd. and had a delicious lunch/dinner. Our hotel is actually right around the corner from the Hollywood Blvd. and Highland Blvd. intersection. We are also right behind The Chinese Theatre (which is where they do all the big premieres, more on this below).

We got pretty lucky as we were walking by The Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Blvd. checking out the Walk of Fame. There was actually a movie premiere going on for All About Steve starring Sandra Bullock and Bradley Cooper.

Right as we were walking by, we heard someone shout out "that's her!" Sure enough, it was her. She was literally 3 feet away from us signing autographs.

After our celebrity spotting, we headed over to Saddle Ranch on Sunset Blvd., which is a Texas-style bar, fully equipped with a mechanical bull. We went over the day's happenings and talked about tomorrow's Audible #4 which will be revealed soon! Stay tuned!

Day 16 (Bonus) - Diamondbacks vs. Giants @ AT&T Park

2009-08-26T12:08:00.002-04:00

Much to our dismay, most major league baseball teams in the cities that we've been visiting have been away (exception: Cubs). I guess timing really is everything. However, the Giants were not fortunate enough to escape our grips. The event card promised quite a pitchers' duel in the Giants' Matt Cain versus the D-Backs' Dan Haren.

There are several tributes to Willie Mays around the stadium and McCovey Cove, which is where many of those Barry Bonds homerun balls landed. Also, let me mention that if you are ever going to AT&T Park, you should bundle up! The combination of San Fran already getting fairly chilly at night, and the winds whipping up in the Bay, makes for a chilling experience.

We all donned our beloved pinstriped Yankees gear in AT&T Park. Expectedly, we got some glares, but we thought it was rather school-girlish of some of the fans in the upper deck for throwing peanuts at our backs and not fessing up to it. Also expectedly, we saw some Red Sox fans (these people are all over the freakin' country, doesn't matter where you are, chances are there is a Sawx fan lurking around you).

In fact, as we were walking around the stadium, Vlad overheard a compliment given from a Giants fan to a Red Sox fan and said "Red Sox suck", as he pointed to the Yankees logo branding his chest. Startled, another defending, and possibly inebriated fan, slurred out "hey, get outta this stadium". We did eventually leave, but not before we said hello to fellow New Yorker Lauren C. who was also at the game (although it would have made for a better story, this meeting was not coincidental but rather coordinated).

After the game, we headed over to City Tavern and Matrix Fillmore on Fillmore Street for a night cap, before turning in and preparing for our 6-hour drive south to Los Angeles in the early morning. See you in Southern California tomorrow - stay tuned!

Day 15 & 16 - San Francisco, CA

2009-08-26T10:36:00.004-04:00

After a long drive (south) through all of Oregon and most of Northern California, we finally arrived in San Francisco via the Bay Bridge late Monday night. I crashed early as I was nursing some cold symptoms, while the boys wandered into the Tenderloin. To quote comedian Dave Chappelle (who has been a staple in our daily entertainment repertoire), "there is nothing tender about it", and "we've never seen crack smoked so casually."

In the morning, we drove to San Francisco's most famous landmark, the Golden Gate Bridge. Did you know? The bridge is constantly maintained (possibly on a daily basis) to preserve its copper-hued color known as International Orange. On windy days, the bridge can sway up to 27 feet from side-to-side. Luckily, we had great clear weather which afforded us the opportunity to see the coast and Alcatraz in the near distance.

Does anyone recognize the houses from the second picture? If you said the opening scene from Full House, you are absolutely correct. Your prize is in the mail. Our Roadtripping USA guidebook did not have an exact address, but with little research, we discovered that the houses lay somewhere on Steiner Street. So we drove through, and lo and behold, we eventually saw several groups of people taking pictures of a row of Painted Ladies, which is what the style of house is known as (props to Lana R. for pointing this out). Sure enough, we had found them.

These excursions had worked up an appetite, so on our way to lunch, we drove through The Castro, to see what all the fuss was about. Maybe it was a quiet day but it just seemed like a (tolerant) normal neighborhood. For lunch, we headed over to Taqueria Cancun in Mission to satiate our Mexican-food cravings. The burritos were delicious, albeit, probably unhealthy, but you only live once!

Lastly, we ventured off to Fisherman's Wharf to explore the touristy pier. Hustlers were on the prowl as we were asked for money from several people. They were not performing, doing magic tricks, or making believe they were homeless, they were just plain out asking for money. At least they get creative in NYC!

Day 14 - Portland, OR

2009-08-24T15:56:00.004-04:00

We are still getting over the daunting fact that we've driven all the way out to the west coast. Maybe it will be easier to fathom once we hit California.

Portland is a beautiful city with beautiful weather. It was reminiscent of Denver, another outdoorsy-type city, but with the advantage of being on the Pacific coast. A drive around town will spawn many sightings of runners and bikers sprinkled throughout the city. Plus Mt. Hood in the backdrop serves as icing on the cake.

Before we kicked off this trip, we each picked a place that we wanted to visit. Vlad's city was Denver (which was a blast), mine was Portland (which was also a blast), and Sal's is San Diego (which will be a blast). We only had one night in Portland, and we loved it.

After a leisurely stroll around Washington Park, we caught the end of the Yankees-Red Sox game (go Yanks!) over some excellent wings at The Cheerful Tortoise, which is right by Portland State University. Vlad had some friends from Eugene, OR (shout out to Mike & Mike in the SI!) who met up with us and showed us around the Pearl District in Downtown. We went to Deschutes Brewery, which is a local microbrewery in Oregon. After sampling the goods, we walked over to Life of Riley Tavern where we settled an East coast vs. West coast feud over a game of darts. It was a close match, but Mike & Mike edged us out, however, they have to go to work in the morning. For a city not being NYC, Portland was bumpin' on a Sunday night.

Before setting off for California, we took a short gondola tram ride which offered a panoramic view of the city (see picture). That is the Ross Island Bridge and Mt. Hood in the far background (better photo coming soon). We are now en route to San Francisco. As you can see in the lower left hand corner of our GPS unit, we have quite some ground to cover today. We are now officially going going back back to Cali Cali.

Day 13 - Seattle, WA

2009-08-22T20:44:00.002-04:00

Our first stop of the day in Seattle was the Space Needle in the Seattle Center. The Space Needle appeared a lot less imposing than it did on the former Seattle Supersonics logo (now the Oklahoma City Thunder) and the opening scene in Fraiser. Although it was a rare clear day in Seattle, we opted not to venture to the top.

About 4 blocks away, towards Elliot Bay, we walked by the suite where the Real World Seattle was filmed and the infamous spot, where Stephen smacked Irene as she was pulling away in a car. I'm sure you Real World fans remember that scene.

We then drove down to Pike Place Market and bought some coffee at what we thought was the original Starbucks. When we asked the barista, she disappointingly informed us that the original Starbucks was about four blocks away. We made the mistake because the Starbucks we went to donned the old school all-brown logo. The attached photo is one of the original.

Day 12 - Boise, ID and Seattle, WA in Transit

2009-08-22T15:55:00.001-04:00

After pretty much non-stop travelling the past few days we decided to take it easy and rest up for our impending descent down the west coast. Boise served as a place to run errands, such as doing laundry, changing our car's oil (we've clocked up about 6,000 miles already!), and mailing all our space consuming camping equipment home (we think the UPS Store overcharged us) to make space in the car for a new member of our team, Sal's friend Eros. Eros is joining us for our second half of the trip.

The last leg of the drive on the I-90 West into Seattle was both scenic and curvy. Seattle is known for approximately 200 days of cloudiness and today was no exception. Our drive through the outskirts of Seattle, through the mountains, felt as if we were driving above the clouds. Stay tuned!

Day 11 - Salt Lake City and Park City, Utah

2009-08-21T01:11:00.002-04:00

The drive from Yellowstone was just plain long and tiring, so we got into Salt Lake City right before last call, which was 1 AM. We had just enough time for one brew before closing, so we walked over to a little bar called Bayou (thanks to Ashley P. for the recommendation!), which served a plethora of local brews. We settled on a pint of Uinta IPA, which is brewed in SLC, and was full of flavor and had a nice amber color.

In the morning, we headed to the downtown area and walked over to Temple Square, and saw the Church of Jesus Christ and Latter-day Saints. The city is centered around the church and street names indicate how far you are from the city center.

Afterwards, we drove about 40 minutes east to Park City, which may be better known to many of you as the setting for the Sundance Film Festival. The city also has some of the best skiing and snowboarding in North America. We had lunch at a great restaurant called Zoom, and walked around the main strip of shops and restaurants.

We are now off to Boise City, Idaho, which is about 5 and a half hours away. Boise is just a necessary stop as the drive straight to Seattle (which is the stop after) is way too long to do in one shot. These 5 to 6 hour drives are really becoming walks in the park with repetition. You just throw on some tunes, start up some good conversation with your allies, and boom, you're done! (that one is for you J to the K!).

Day 10 - Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

2009-08-19T20:31:00.006-04:00

This post comes to you as we depart Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park for Salt Lake City, UT. We entered the park this morning through the Roosevelt Arch in the north entrance. We drove through Mammoth Hot Springs, Canyon Village, and West Thumb on our way to Old Faithful. The drive south through the park yielded many wildlife sightings right on the side of the road, including bison, moose, and deer. We also drove by Yellowstone Lake, which we learned, is the highest altitude lake in North America. Another honorable mention is seeing the Continental Divide. Which is where the watershed of America is divided between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. This divide runs from Alaska, through Canada, and along the Rocky Mountains.

For those of you that have not heard of Old Faithful, it is Yellowstone's trademark attraction and also one of it's most predictable geysers. It is located in the park's Upper Geyser Basin, which has the largest concentration of geysers in the world. Eruptions usually occur about every 1 to 1.5 hours. We grabbed lunch and waited, and when the geyser finally erupted, we were fortunate enough to be in the direction that the wind was blowing (sarcasm), so we got sprayed down by the sulphuric water.

Day 9 - Audible #3: Montana...

2009-08-19T03:17:00.005-04:00

This post comes to you collectively from Vince and Vlad, from Livingston, MT, in a Comfort Inn. We felt the need to jot our thoughts down while they were still fresh in our minds. The drive from Mt. Rushmore to Yellowstone (we are not yet there) was absolutely brutal. Vlad drove about 4.5 hours from Keystone, SD through most of Wyoming on the I-90 West. I took over in Gillette, WY and drove for about 8 hours to Livingston, MT (this sounds as agonizing as you think, times 2, but we wouldn't have it any other way).

Our Magellan Maestro instructed us to get off the I-90 West and onto the US-14 to reach Yellowstone. However, based on our experience from last night, driving on these US-roads at night is both dangerous and time consuming (due to lack of lighting and lower speed limits). Therefore, Vlad, with his trusty iPhone, mapped a different route and discovered that we could stay on the I-90 West, cut through Montana, and enter Yellowstone from the north side, which is where Canyon Campground is located (our proposed stop for the night).

Halfway through this trip, we all agreed that setting up camp in total darkness...again...would not be desirable. Plus, we were told by the Yellowstone operator, to be careful of the plentiful wildlife roaming the roads at night. So again, Vlad got on his iPhone and found us a hotel as close as we could be to Yellowstone without getting of an interstate highway. During our search, we found hotels ranging from $99/night (which is the last available room at the hotel where we are staying) to $359/night. Absurd. Sal questioned the location of the latter hotel, and suspected that the lady might have mistaken Livingston, MT for Michigan Avenue in Chicago, IL. Anyway, we must get some much needed, and much deserved rest. Goodnight.

Day 9 (Part 2) - Mt. Rushmore National Memorial, Keystone, SD

2009-08-19T03:01:00.003-04:00

EDIT: This post was written much earlier, but due to limited cellular data connectivity in the states of South Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana, it was not uploaded until much later.

The Badlands National Park was incredibly scenic and unlike anything we have ever seen. In the morning we took a drive around the park's main attraction, which is a 31-mile loop on a road surrounded by nothing but large mountainous rock formations. Along the way, there were a few viewpoints where people could stop and take pictures. We took full advantage of these opportunities and even ventured out on to some of the large rocks!

Then, just like that, we were off to see Mt. Rushmore in Keystone, SD. The advertisements and signs for the Mt. Rushmore National Memorial started about 70 miles from the actual location. When we drove into Keystone, we were all surprised to see how busy and lively (mainly full of tourists like us) the town was. The town looked exactly like you would imagine a historic western town.

As were driving up to the mountain we saw a sign saying "A 30 minute stop...experience of a lifetime," and that probably sums it up for most people. We learned that the monument was initially intended to be a memorial for frontier heroes, but sculptor Gutzon Borglum opted to display the presidents instead.

Once we finally parked, walked out, and caught a glimpse of the mountain, our reaction was: there it is, exactly as it appears in every picture you would have seen, except smaller than you would think (kind of like the Mona Lisa at The Louvre in Paris). We appreciated the precise sculpting and took a few obligatory pictures attempting to catch a shot in which we could align our heads with those of the presidents.

After the memorial, we grabbed some pizza at nearby Big Time Pizza, which was better than we expected for South Dakodian pizza. During our meal, we tried to map out our plan for getting to Yellowstone National Park tonight. We have to drive through part of South Dakota and ALL of Wyoming on the I-90 West.

On a side note, we had been talking about this trip since March and originally contemplated doing only 2 weeks of traveling, obviously seeing less. Experiencing what we have over the last 9 days, we're all thrilled that we opted for the longer trip. Stay tuned!

Day 9 (Part 1) - Badlands National Park, Interior, SD

2009-08-18T22:05:00.003-04:00

We awoke early this morning to a glorious view of bison, which were just chillin' about 150 feet away from us. Combine this with a backdrop of The Badlands, and that equals a good morning. Our early start is essential to this day, as we will drive through The Badlands, head to Mt. Rushmore, and then across Wyoming to our resting place for the night, Yellowstone National Park. We stopped by the Cedar Inn Diner for breakfast, we all got the same thing. Two eggs scrambled, a blueberry muffin, and a cup of coffee, for just $3. Great.

We entered the park for $15 and were absolutely astounded by the amazing views that were set before us. No picture could possibly capture the depth, beauty, or serenity of the scenery. Believe me, we tried futily. What's worse is me trying to capture the scenery with my BlackBerry for you all to see and I hope it came out.

Day 8 - Finding/Getting to The Badlands

2009-08-18T09:31:00.000-04:00

Around 10:30 PM MT, we finally found our campground and set up our tent. The drive through Wyoming and South Dakota were excruciating. Wyoming, because its rolling green hills lost their allure after two hours. South Dakota, because there are just no cars to follow, nor lights to light your path. Even with high beams on, on a clear night, visibility was extremely limited.

Anytime I flew to the west, and looked down from the airplane, I always noticed these vast fields with little isolated roads connecting them all, and wondered what it would be like driving through them. Now I know.

After about 9 hours of driving, we found SD-377, which is the highway that leads into Badlands National Park, as well as the road our campground was located. With night time visibility close to zero, we drove straight into Badlands National Park in search of our site, but instead, ended up right next to the actual Badlands and some wild deer. We drove around circling for about half an hour, ready to give up and just sleep in the car, but miraculously, after turning around, we finally found the site. A sign on the office door instructed us to head to the trailer in the rear for assistance. After finding the manager's trailer, and confirming with a half-naked man that this was indeed the campgrounds, we were in business.

We were informed by fellow campers that there was a bison farm right next to us, deer, and possibly a bobcat on the loose. We ate our Subway sandwiches for dinner, and had a brew under the magnificent view of the night sky. I guess the lack of ambient light augments the view of the stars under the pitch black night. I was fortunate enough to see two shooting stars. I guess that is just normal out here, but it is a big deal when us city slickers actually get to see this one. Goodnight.

Day 8 - Audible #2: The Badlands @ Interior, SD

2009-08-17T19:23:00.000-04:00

After our hike, we quickly hit the road for our 7 hour drive to Mt. Rushmore. We hopped on the I-25 North, which bisects the state of Colorado from north to south and runs through Denver and Ft. Collins. We are currently in Wyoming, en route to South Dakota.

At a rest stop in Wheatland, Wyoming, we attempted to purchase another lottery ticket but learned from the store clerk that we were: (1) "No longer in Colorado" (which we were aware of), (2) that we should go to Colorado if we wanted a lottery ticket, and (3) that Wyoming did not have a state lottery. Afterwards, we googled "wyoming state lottery" and discovered that Wyoming was the newest state to join the Powerball group in 2009. Oh well, maybe we'll try somewhere else.

Also during our drive, we decided we wouldn't be able to get to our camp site (near Mt. Rushmore) by the required 8 PM, so we decided to go to Badlands National Park instead, to see The Badlands and camp there instead. The camp site, Badlands Motel & Campground, had an option to rent tee-pees, instead of using a tent, but unfortunately, they were all booked already. Our next update will come when we arrive at The Badlands, cell phone reception permitting.

Day 8 - Hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park

2009-08-17T18:52:00.003-04:00

After a much needed 10 hours of sleep, we got up at a record (for this trip) 8:30 AM. At the recommendation of some park rangers, we drove to Bear Lake, which is the starting point for many trails. From there, we took the Emerald Lake trail. Bear Lake stands at 9,475 feet while this trail left us at a lofty elevation of 10,080 feet! As I mentioned earlier, you immediately feel the effects of the elevation as soon as you do some uphill hiking.

This was my second trip to Rocky Mountain National Park, but Vlad and Sal's first time. Unfortunately, I couldn't remember which trail it was that we took the first time, which left us with spectacular views of the Rocky Mountain peaks. We chose Emerald Lake for its length (1.1 miles) and elevation gain, and on the basis of some recommendations. There were not many views of the snowy peaks, but there were several scenic lakes (Nymph Lake, Dream Lake, and of course, Emerald Lake).

Day 7 (Part 2) - Rocky Mountain National Park, Estes Park, CO

2009-08-17T16:17:00.001-04:00

Expecting to pay the $20 park entrance fee, we were pleasantly surprised that admission was free today. The Moraine Park campgrounds in the park are approximately 9,000 feet in elevation. Expectedly, the air is a bit thinner than we are used to, and a brisk walk slightly uphill around the campgrounds left us a little more winded than usual. However, the air is also extremely clean, crisp, and refreshing.

Sal was not feeling well and may be coming down with a cold so he turned in a bit early. Vlad and I ate our dinner on the provided picnic table and enjoyed the views of the Rocky Mountains. We are going to sleep early so that we can get up early and go for a hike in the morning. Also included, is a picture of our humble abode for the night.

Day 7 (Part 1) - Coors Brewery, Golden, CO and Boulder, CO

2009-08-17T13:00:00.001-04:00

The Coors Brewery is located in Golden, CO, and is less than 30 minutes from downtown Denver. The brewery tour is free and includes 3 beers. The selection of beer includes Coors Banquet, Coors Light, Killian's Irish Red, Blue Moon, amongst others. The Coors Light at the brewery tastes exactly like what you would drink in a can. This is in comparison to the Anheuser-Busch brewery, where the Budweiser obviously tasted crisper and fresher.

A fun fact that we learned was that the Coors Brewery, which sits on approximately 55 acres of land, is the largest single-site brewery in the world. In comparison to the Anheuser-Busch tour, the Coors tour is fairly short and can be completed within an hour.

After the Coors tour, we headed north to Boulder, CO. Although small, this city is very charming. We walked around the Pearl Street Mall area, which is about 3 or 4 closed blocks of shops, bars, restaurants, and street performers. We actually saw a guy in a straight-jacket wrapped around in a chain, break free unassisted, in under 2 minutes. Impressive. Tonight is our first night of camping, and we will be at Rocky Mountain National Park. Stay tuned!

Day 6 - Denver, CO

2009-08-16T17:12:00.001-04:00

Denver was a great city, after a short nap at the Hyatt Regency right across the street from the Colorado Convention Center, we headed to the 16th Street Mall area for some dinner at Marlowe's. Sal and I had some gnocchi while Vlad opted for some rock fish. The food was delicious, it was actually my first time having gnocchi, which is a small ravioli like pasta filled with potatos and spinach, I would highly recommend it.

After dinner we walked over to the Lower Downtown, or LoDo area, which is peppered with nightlife. Still slightly feeling the effects of our all nighter, we kicked off the night with some vodka & Red Bulls at The Tavern. Most of the bars had open rooftops, that offered great views of Coors Field, home of the Colorado Rockies.

We met several Denverites who were all super friendly and interesting and even ran into some South Dakodians who gave us some tips about camping out at Mt. Rushmore.. Other stops on our lap of the LoDo area included Cowboy Lounge and LoDo's Bar & Grill. Denver offers a unique blend of American cultures as there is a slight western feel (Texas influenced?) fused in an urban setting. Overall, a great experience!

Heading West

2009-08-15T22:30:00.001-04:00

For the last couple of days we've been covering some serious ground from Chicago to St. Louis to KCMO and now to Denver. After cruising down historic Route 66, we've been on I-70 West for what seems like forever. But I've almost grown fond of this never ending two lane highway.

First, the scenery is different from what I'm accustomed to, it's just continuous grass fields with scattered cattle farms, a church here and there, and no shortage of random diner advertisments and religious / political messages. Also, the speed limit ranges from 65 to 75, which is a change of pace to say the least..

Beyond that I think we all felt ourselves drifting off a little during our turns behind the wheel because of the monotony of the road and lack of traffic, but hey, we made it.

Getting into Denver now...time to check out this "mile-high" air

Day 6 - Audible: Kansas City to Denver...Overnight

2009-08-15T12:09:00.000-04:00

After yet another round of driving on the I-70 West, we found Kansas City, MO, or as we learned the locals say, "KCMO" for short, as opposed to "KCK", which represents the Kansas side of the city. We checked into the Q Hotel & Spa in the Westport area of KCMO, which, although looked alright (safe?) early in the night, turned into a pretty sketchy area later on.

We had an awesome cab driver (poor-man's chauffeur) named Abdul, who picked us up and told us about what to do in the city. Our first stop with Abdul took us to Arthur Bryant's on Brooklyn Avenue, where we had some tasty authentic midwestern BBQ. We were told that the area was not safe to walk around in, and believe me, we didn't need to be told twice.

After dinner we went back to the Westport area to check out some of the nightlife. After a little while, we decided that we did not want to get to Denver at 10PM on Saturday, but instead earlier, so we decided to leave right away. I kicked off the driving while Vlad and Sal slept. Vlad took over the driving somewhere in Kansas. After switching, I was in a haze of delirium and needed sleep badly. I zonked out in the back seat observing the greenery of the Kansas landscape. When I awoke about 3 hours later, the view was exactly the same...just rolling green lands as far as the eye could see. But at this point, we were officially in the Mountain Time zone and will soon be in the mile-high city! Stay-tuned!

Anheuser-Busch Brewery, St. Louis, MO

2009-08-14T15:36:00.002-04:00

Since the wait for the tram to the top of the Gateway Arch was too long, we decided to head over to the Anheuser-Busch Brewery. To our delight, the tour was free ninety-nine and included the freshest Budweisers we've ever tasted. Big shout out to our tour guides Eric and Dave, who were both knowledgeable and entertaining.

If you're ever in the St. Louis area, we would highly recommend this stop, especially since it will cost you nothing. This place was like a Disney World for adults, fully equipped with their own buses, however, many kids were on the tour, they just didn't get the free beer at the end...their parents got them. Vlad and I have both been to the Heineken Brewery in Amsterdam and the Guinness Brewery in Dublin and we both agreed that the Anheuser-Busch Brewery was the best one. Why, you ask? You actually get to see the equipment they use and you get to see the actual beer going through the assembly line. This is not the case in either or the other two as you only get to see the older retired equipment. However, learning how to pour a proper pint of Guinness at the Guinness Brewery was very cool. We're now off to Kansas City - stay tuned!

Day 4 (Part 2) - St. Louis, MO

2009-08-14T14:23:00.002-04:00

History Lesson of the Day: The Gateway Arch was erected in 1965 as a symbolic gateway to the west during the US' expansion era. The Arch is visible right as you are approaching the city. Our hotel, the HoteLoumière Suites and Casino was conveniently located on the other side of the Eads Bridge which takes you from Illinois to Missouri. The Arch, located in Downtown St. Louis was about a 5 minute walk from our hotel.

After taking some time to appreciate the magnitude of the Arch, we walked over to Busch Stadium, home of the St. Louis Cardinals.

At this point, we had worked up quite an appetite, so we decided to head to Laclede's Landing for some grub.

Based on some suggestions, we ordered some toasted ravioli as an appetizer, delicious. After dinner, we headed to Big Daddy's, the self-proclaimed "Best Bar in the Whole Wide World". There was a decent crowd that included an age range that spanned several decades.

We also tried our luck at the casino later that night, and I am pleased to announce that we were able to get up and leave in the black.

Day 4 (Part 1) - United Center and President Obama Sighting

2009-08-13T16:25:00.000-04:00

This post comes to you from the I-55 South, en route to St. Louis, MO. Before leaving Chicago, we decided to stop by the United Center, home of the Bulls and Blackhawks. I grew up a die-hard Michael Jordan fan (when he first retired in 1994, I actually cried-don't judge me, I was 11 years old) so I was extremely excited to see his statue that sits in front of the United Center.

We also saw President Barack Obama! He was more than willing to snap a couple of photos with us. However, for as eloquent of a speaker as he is, he did not have much to say to us...come to think of it, he didn't say a word to us. OK-so maybe it was just a life size cut out of him, but you must admit, the photo looks fairly convincing!

Day 3.5 - Chi-City Recap

2009-08-13T16:22:00.002-04:00

After a fun night of partying at the bars near Wrigley field, Sal decided to pick up some cigarettes and wondered off to a shady part of town, where he was allegedly "complimented" on his watch by some shady characters.

We got back to the hotel and Vince randomly decided to drop kick the hotel room door...no reason, we weren't locked out or anything. The result, Vince limped around the city and up to the Sears Tower the

next day. I'm happy to report Vin is doing alright after a couple of icing sessions and Sal can still look at his wrist and tell you what time it is...

The bars on Hubbard street were definitely lively for a Wednesday and Howl at the Moon was awesome because there's no substitute for live music.

Chicago felt a lot like NYC, probably the closest we'll see on this trip...Off to St. Louis to check out the Gateway Arch and the Anheuser-Busch brewery.

Howl At The Moon

2009-08-13T02:49:00.002-04:00

Based on the suggestions of some friendly Chicago natives we met last night, we headed over to West Hubbard Street. In search of a fine establishment, we walked around the street several times. Being a Wednesday night, we didn't expect too much to be going on. We went to the place where we heard the most noise coming out of, that place was Howl At The Moon. It was a piano bar with an outstanding trio of musicians. This place was jumpin' and with good cause. The musicians where straight-up, superb. We heard renditions of Sweet Home Alabama, Snoop Dogg's Gin 'n Juice, Blackstreet's No Diggity, Eminem's Lose Yourself and a bunch of U2 tracks. We even requested our own songs of Tom Petty and the HeartBreaker's Last Dance with Mary Jane, The Killers' Mr. Brightside, and The Foundations's Fill Me Up Buttercup. They were spot on with each song. It proved to be a truly great time!

Nobody Puts Sal In A Corner...

2009-08-12T18:31:00.000-04:00

...except Vlad and I. We got Sal to partially get over his fear of heights and take a picture inside the capsule.

Feeling bold, Sal even decided to pick up the Hancock building with his bare fingers. Brilliant.

Day 3 - Sears Tower Skydeck, Chicago

2009-08-12T18:12:00.001-04:00

Its a beautiful day in Chicago. We woke up and had an itch for some Chicago style deep-dish pizza so we headed over to Giordano's. These deep dish pizzas are abolutely loaded with cheese and whatever else you add in - definitely a heavy meal.

On our way to the Sears Tower, we walked through Millennium Park in Wrigley Square. There are some really cool pieces of art there - we would highly recommend it. The line for the Skydeck was a whopping hour and 45 minutes. General admission is $15, and for the impatient, there is a "Fast Pass" option for $30 which allows you to skip the line. Given our time constraints, we chose the instant gratification option. And yes, we were instantly gratified.

The Skydeck offers amazing views of the city. We were told by some Chicago natives and friend (props to Dopey) that the Hancock building offers views just as good and are free. However, we were still satisfied customers.. The Skydeck is equipped with several completely clear capsules that protrude from the building, including a glass floor! People afraid of heights need not apply. Stepping on the glass floor feels awkward at first but you will quickly acclimatize.

Day 2 (Bonus) - Philles vs. Cubs @ Wrigley Field

2009-08-11T22:30:00.006-04:00

The night was young, so we decided to head to the Phillies/Cubs game at the historic Wrigley Field. Our first attempt at scalping tickets ended as we foiled a man's plan to sell us tickets that were already scanned. The man drew a blue letter M on Vlad's hand and instructed him to try to enter through some hidden pathway, but the attendant took the ticket and said it was already scanned. The man was not happy that he lost his ticket. We did find another guy with legit tickets and got 3 for $100. Wrigley Field has a ton of "General Admission" tickets where you head up to the top deck and just find a spot to stand where you are not obstructing the walkways. Face value on these tickets....$15. But the house was packed and we got to see the defending world champs Phillies. This place was packed with Phillies fans, and even some Red Sox fans (boooo). Overall, a great experience!

Day 2 (Part Deux) - Chicago

2009-08-11T21:37:00.000-04:00

Three hours north of Indianapolis, IN lies the great city of Chicago. Music on the drive north was provided by our favorite Chicago-native, Kanye West. En route to Chicago was Gary, IN, which is both the murder capital of the US, as well as the birth place of Michael Jackson...no, we didn't stop by. The inset picture is a view of the Chicago skyline from the I-94 North.

The Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers is our home for the next 2 nights. Navigating this city was confusing, much more so than our grid-style city of NY. Our Magellan Maestro GPS as well as Vlad's iPhone were sending us to all corners of the city before finally finding the hotel. Parking at the hotel is an absurd $36 per day - no discount is provided to patrons. A big 6 thumbs down to that one!

Day 2 (Part 1) - Indianapolis

2009-08-11T20:24:00.003-04:00

After about 3 hours on the I-70 West from Columbus, OH, we ended up in Indianapolis, IN. We had lunch at Jimmy John's (home of the self-proclaimed best gourmet sandwich in the world). However, Sal believes their trick is just packing the sandwich with mayo. Downtown Indianapolis looked like any other American city, but still had a charming quality. After lunch, we walked over to Lucas Oil Stadium (formerly the RCA Dome), which is the home of the Indianapolis Colts. The stadium was located in a rather sketchy part of town, where we were asked by a police officer who was apparently selling Colts tickets, we respectfully declined.

Next stop - Chi-town!

Day 1 - On Your Mark, Get Set, GO!

2009-08-10T16:49:00.001-04:00

Well, after a few hiccups at the Budget rental car office, we are on our way to Columbus, OH, currently driving through the never ending state of Pennsylvania (sorry PA natives reading this-its true). However, our vomit green-colored Pontiac G6 came with a nifty little surprise in the center armrest. There was about $25 which we will use to buy a lottery ticket in each state we pass through. Maybe we'll come back millionaires!