Some pictures from the trip for your viewing pleasure:
From top to bottom- Monument Valley, Arches National Park, Snowy New Mexico, Petrified Wood, The Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
Day 8...Again
Hello friends and family,
We thought we would let you know how the "epic storm" of '09 is going. Well, we made it about 150 miles today before we reached the end of the line blocked by a New Mexico state trooper. Yes, that's right, the little snow storm that could, did. I-40 and every other road out of NM was closed as far as Oklahoma. Let's recap the situation: we changed our awesomely fun plans to tour the Rockies through Utah and Wyoming so we wouldn't get caught in a massive snowstorm. That's exactly what was going through our minds as Becky registered our information at the Tucumcari Recreation Center which was now serving as a shelter for stranded motorists. After taking one look at the shelter and still having some money to our names, we succesfully procurred one of the last motel rooms in town. The silver lining is that the motel is really cool. It's called the Pow Wow Motel and it's a historic Route 66 business, with a bar next door!
Hopefully the storm will let up enough by the morning to release us from the kung fu grip of the desert south west.
Staying the course,
Ben
We thought we would let you know how the "epic storm" of '09 is going. Well, we made it about 150 miles today before we reached the end of the line blocked by a New Mexico state trooper. Yes, that's right, the little snow storm that could, did. I-40 and every other road out of NM was closed as far as Oklahoma. Let's recap the situation: we changed our awesomely fun plans to tour the Rockies through Utah and Wyoming so we wouldn't get caught in a massive snowstorm. That's exactly what was going through our minds as Becky registered our information at the Tucumcari Recreation Center which was now serving as a shelter for stranded motorists. After taking one look at the shelter and still having some money to our names, we succesfully procurred one of the last motel rooms in town. The silver lining is that the motel is really cool. It's called the Pow Wow Motel and it's a historic Route 66 business, with a bar next door!
Hopefully the storm will let up enough by the morning to release us from the kung fu grip of the desert south west.
Staying the course,
Ben
Day 8
Hello All,
Another update from the road. In our efforts to avoid or at least lessen the direct impact of the "Epic Storm" (according to newscasters in the SW), as Ben mentioned, we changed our travel plans. No longer are we visiting the beautiful mountains of Utah, the hot springs of Wyoming and the Sand Hill Cranes of Nebraska. Oh no, we thought the wiser choice would be to curtail our road trip and head back to Chicago via the seemingly safest route. Simple, right? Unfortunately the gods are playing a game of cards with our chances. Turns out sunny SW is a snow covered, wind blown despot of gray gray gray gray... I wish I could throw a noun after the grays, but truth be told, we can't see a darn thing past 50 feet. I think we're surrounded by mountains. The Bermuda Triangle? Trump Tower? Who knows?
As I write this, we are at a halt, sandwiched by two semis which have both turned off their engines. Ah, Texas, the glorious state of Big. Apparently the SW REALLY doesn't know what to do with this little natural phenommena called snow. Watching how the Department of Transportation reacts to snow is equivalent to how I think I'd react to an invasion of locusts, dinosaurs, Stephen King scenarios. After sitting in this standstill for 45 minutes, they have literally closed the interstate. What, you ask? Close the interstate? But where are people to go? To the oasis of Shell. Gas and ice cream are calling. Not necessarily in that order.
Addios for now.
Rebecca
Another update from the road. In our efforts to avoid or at least lessen the direct impact of the "Epic Storm" (according to newscasters in the SW), as Ben mentioned, we changed our travel plans. No longer are we visiting the beautiful mountains of Utah, the hot springs of Wyoming and the Sand Hill Cranes of Nebraska. Oh no, we thought the wiser choice would be to curtail our road trip and head back to Chicago via the seemingly safest route. Simple, right? Unfortunately the gods are playing a game of cards with our chances. Turns out sunny SW is a snow covered, wind blown despot of gray gray gray gray... I wish I could throw a noun after the grays, but truth be told, we can't see a darn thing past 50 feet. I think we're surrounded by mountains. The Bermuda Triangle? Trump Tower? Who knows?
As I write this, we are at a halt, sandwiched by two semis which have both turned off their engines. Ah, Texas, the glorious state of Big. Apparently the SW REALLY doesn't know what to do with this little natural phenommena called snow. Watching how the Department of Transportation reacts to snow is equivalent to how I think I'd react to an invasion of locusts, dinosaurs, Stephen King scenarios. After sitting in this standstill for 45 minutes, they have literally closed the interstate. What, you ask? Close the interstate? But where are people to go? To the oasis of Shell. Gas and ice cream are calling. Not necessarily in that order.
Addios for now.
Rebecca
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Day 7
Update from the road:
Currently we are driving in a torrential snow storm along I-40 in Arizona. We left Las Vegas yesterday and along with it 80 degree temps and sunshine. The big adventure on day 6 was spending time on the Hoover Dam. It was my first time ever seeing it and we were fortunate enough to watch construction of the absolutely massive Hoover Dam bypass bridge which will cross the Colorado River from the top of the canyon. On a side note, I won $15 with just 2 quarters in the slot machine. The only reason we were even in a casino was for the all you can eat buffet, but I figured I had a couple quarters so what the hell. Speaking of the buffet, we arrived 12 minutes before they closed until dinner so I had to make sure I got my money's worth in a short period of time. Lets just say I left a few pounds heavier.
Today we were surprised to find that there are a few cool things to do along I-40. Rebecca and I explored Petrified Forest National Park near Holbrook, AZ. It was actually quite interesting and unbelievably beautiful. They call the area its in the Painted Desert and its clear how it got that name. The hills are many different shades of red, yellow, and orange and you see probably 100 miles in each direction. Unfortunately the weather closed in on us again and we reminded that the desert can be a windy and cold place. We braved the 40-50 mph winds blasting sand and pebbles in our faces to explore the native ruins and overlooks of the park. We lasted until the snow started to come down with serious force.
While I started writing this we stopped at a local Navajo trading post and picked up some nice souvenirs from a striking man named Cody Yellowhorse. Tonight we hope to stay at a classic and cheap motel on route 66 which parallels I-40 (the interstate that killed the old highway).
We'll get some pictures up when we can, hopefully tonight.
Snowy thoughts,
Ben
Currently we are driving in a torrential snow storm along I-40 in Arizona. We left Las Vegas yesterday and along with it 80 degree temps and sunshine. The big adventure on day 6 was spending time on the Hoover Dam. It was my first time ever seeing it and we were fortunate enough to watch construction of the absolutely massive Hoover Dam bypass bridge which will cross the Colorado River from the top of the canyon. On a side note, I won $15 with just 2 quarters in the slot machine. The only reason we were even in a casino was for the all you can eat buffet, but I figured I had a couple quarters so what the hell. Speaking of the buffet, we arrived 12 minutes before they closed until dinner so I had to make sure I got my money's worth in a short period of time. Lets just say I left a few pounds heavier.
Today we were surprised to find that there are a few cool things to do along I-40. Rebecca and I explored Petrified Forest National Park near Holbrook, AZ. It was actually quite interesting and unbelievably beautiful. They call the area its in the Painted Desert and its clear how it got that name. The hills are many different shades of red, yellow, and orange and you see probably 100 miles in each direction. Unfortunately the weather closed in on us again and we reminded that the desert can be a windy and cold place. We braved the 40-50 mph winds blasting sand and pebbles in our faces to explore the native ruins and overlooks of the park. We lasted until the snow started to come down with serious force.
While I started writing this we stopped at a local Navajo trading post and picked up some nice souvenirs from a striking man named Cody Yellowhorse. Tonight we hope to stay at a classic and cheap motel on route 66 which parallels I-40 (the interstate that killed the old highway).
We'll get some pictures up when we can, hopefully tonight.
Snowy thoughts,
Ben
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Days 2-5
I guess I can't consider myself an effective blogger at a rate of 1 blog per every 5 days on an 11 day trip. 
Let's just call a spade a spade.
That said, to update you of our journey in a slightly abridged version, every day, every minute, has been a joy filled with "Oohs" and "AHHs" and simultaneously a test of one's inner resolve. We have definitely choked down/coughed up more sand than is prudent.
The trip so far. Day 2. After spending a night in Omaha with the Brodie's (my friend's parents) and eating some delicious ribs and brisket (food is always how I catalog my trips) we headed west to Colorado with the hopes of finding a cheap campground or motel near Boulder. Ben has rigged a Blackberry/internet/GPS/cell phone charger contraption. With the aid of his techie ways we were able to secure a hotel after searching for hours.
Anyway, I realize this isn't exciting and it's time to hit the road again, so I will save you from more boredom. Pretty much we saw some awe inspiring arches, were nearly blown over numerous times by the most unbelievable sand storms, stayed at a campsite with a random couple who saved us from sleeping in a car outside (whom we met outside a potty/shack/openair hole in the ground), nearly fell off a sharp precipice while climbing to the most famous arch (literally hit the ground, army crawled, and prayed to the gods), met a man named Ron who is a Native dancer (and refered us to a "traditional" restaurant which to our surprise meant hamburgers and country-fried steak), watched a few photographers run around snapping pictures like they were high on a sugar fix, and on our way again...
Let's just call a spade a spade.That said, to update you of our journey in a slightly abridged version, every day, every minute, has been a joy filled with "Oohs" and "AHHs" and simultaneously a test of one's inner resolve. We have definitely choked down/coughed up more sand than is prudent.
The trip so far. Day 2. After spending a night in Omaha with the Brodie's (my friend's parents) and eating some delicious ribs and brisket (food is always how I catalog my trips) we headed west to Colorado with the hopes of finding a cheap campground or motel near Boulder. Ben has rigged a Blackberry/internet/GPS/cell phone charger contraption. With the aid of his techie ways we were able to secure a hotel after searching for hours.
Anyway, I realize this isn't exciting and it's time to hit the road again, so I will save you from more boredom. Pretty much we saw some awe inspiring arches, were nearly blown over numerous times by the most unbelievable sand storms, stayed at a campsite with a random couple who saved us from sleeping in a car outside (whom we met outside a potty/shack/openair hole in the ground), nearly fell off a sharp precipice while climbing to the most famous arch (literally hit the ground, army crawled, and prayed to the gods), met a man named Ron who is a Native dancer (and refered us to a "traditional" restaurant which to our surprise meant hamburgers and country-fried steak), watched a few photographers run around snapping pictures like they were high on a sugar fix, and on our way again...
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Day 1
Hello everyone,
This is our first blog post for our Spring Break '09 road trip. First, let me say thanks for caring enough to want to follow this adventure. We certainly hope to provide some needed entertainment for those of you who could not take a trip somewhere due to time/job/school restrictions.
Currently, we are in route to Omaha to stay with Becky's friend Jenny's parents for the night. We are driving into a beautiful Iowa sunset as I type this from the road. We spent the day visiting my former college, the University of Iowa. We had a great time feeling older than everyone else we saw and exploring the places I had never bothered to check out during my time there. I'll upload a couple pictures tonight if I can, otherwise tomorrow from the road.
Well we are about to take a pit stop, so I'll wrap this up...
During this adventure we plan to drive nearly 4,000 miles with explorations in Bryce Canyon, Boulder, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, southern Wyoming, Navajo territory in Arizona and much much more. So stay tuned for more action.
Warm Regards,
Ben
This is our first blog post for our Spring Break '09 road trip. First, let me say thanks for caring enough to want to follow this adventure. We certainly hope to provide some needed entertainment for those of you who could not take a trip somewhere due to time/job/school restrictions.
Currently, we are in route to Omaha to stay with Becky's friend Jenny's parents for the night. We are driving into a beautiful Iowa sunset as I type this from the road. We spent the day visiting my former college, the University of Iowa. We had a great time feeling older than everyone else we saw and exploring the places I had never bothered to check out during my time there. I'll upload a couple pictures tonight if I can, otherwise tomorrow from the road.
Well we are about to take a pit stop, so I'll wrap this up...
During this adventure we plan to drive nearly 4,000 miles with explorations in Bryce Canyon, Boulder, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, southern Wyoming, Navajo territory in Arizona and much much more. So stay tuned for more action.
Warm Regards,
Ben
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