Wednesday, December 30, 2009

They've all gone to look for America...

The above lyric is from a Simon & Garfunkel song, "America" and I think it pretty much sums up my trip. I've been home in Wareham for almost two weeks now and figured that after all the traveling I did, I needed to wrap it up blog-wise.


The trip home was LOOOOOOOONG. It was boring. It was tedious at times. It was frustrating (especially when it came to tractor trailers, and their drivers). But after over 3,000 miles I made it back safe and sound. But let me tell you, if I had it my way I wouldn't have powerdrove home and took highways the whole time. But Christmas was approaching and I had to get back. And good thing I really pushed myself to get back Friday night, because we got HIT with a massive snowstorm Saturday night - almost two feet! Crazy!


So now that I've been home for a while and had time to reflect on my trip, here's what I have to say. First off, I've got to say how much I absolutely loved this trip and I am so happy that I finally got the balls to do it. It really was a trip of a lifetime and I am nothing but grateful that I was able to do it at this point in my life. I don't think that there was one bad day on the trip. The United States is a great country. There's so much to see and I feel like there's so much more left out there for me to explore later on. I found so many great things in places I didn't expect (i.e. Smokey Mountains - never had plans to go there originally and then ended up spending three nights...)


Of course being by myself had it's advantages and it's disadvantages. There were definitely some places that I was at, or things that I did, that would have been nice to have another person with me. But overall, I am so glad that I did this trip by myself. I've always been independent. I've never had problems with going out to eat by myself, or taking myself to the movies. Hell, what do I do every night when I'm home? Shut myself in my room and watch movies. I've even done a few mini-road trips alone and I would say that moving to Key West was a pretty bold move, as well. Being by myself on this trip really was great. I was forced to talk to people and I met a lot of interesting folks along the way, a few I hope to stay in contact with. Also by being solo, I made my own decisions. I decided what was for dinner. I decided when to stop for the night and what hotel to stay in. I decided when to be spontaneous and do things like that helicopter trip (in St. Louis). You get the drift. It was awesome. And I would like to think that if I thought I was independent before I left, I'm even more independent now. So look out world! Haha.


Another thing I learned on this trip was that life is too short. If you want to do something, better just buck up and do it. Why wait? What's the point? I understand that I went to college and I have a degree. But I still have no idea what I want to do with my life. I do, however, know what I want to do in the near future. Years from now...no idea. I thought that by going on this trip, I would find some place that I really loved and want to move to. Yes, I definitely found some places that I would ponder moving away to (Nashville, San Francisco, Smokey Mountains) but ultimately, right now, I think I still want to be around Massachusetts.


I want to take this time to thank the people that made my trip that much more enjoyable. First, to the friends and family that let me crash at their places: Cency and gang at Washington & Jefferson, Cat and Alex in Orlando, Jack and Mark and Gina in Key West, Eric and Linda in Naples, my aunt Josette in Nebraska and my aunt Louise in Oregon. Many thanks.


And to all the people I met along the way: the Strickland family while hiking the Smokey Mountains, the bartender at Longhorns in Pigeon Forge, the Buffalo Wild Wings and trivia gang in Madison, TN, the Evangelical couple I met at Ozone Falls, the Australian gent in Nashville and Memphis, Barbara at the Natural Bridge in Alabama, the tour guide at the Atlanta Braves, the Key West gang (Hi Brian and Jan!), my waitress at the Angus Steakhouse in Panama City Beach, Kathy and gang at Lafittes Blacksmith Bar, the two hilarious guys from the piano bar in Lafittes (New Orleans), the guy from AAA in Arkansas, the group at Schlafly Brewery in St. Louis, the mullet lady and Mexicans at the bar in St. Louis, the helicopter driver in St. Louis, Josette's friends from the 'hood in Alliance, the Canadian couple at Pyramid Brewery in Seattle, the volunteers at the Cape Disappointment lighthouse in Washington, Chris at Ukiah Brewery and anyone else I might have forgotten. That was what this trip was all about, and I'll never forget it.


Now I'm home. Christmas came and went. I went to the Wave a few times. I've hung out with some friends. But really, I don't feel that comfortable being back. Every time I get in my car, I just want to drive. I've definitely found something I love to do! Not being back at the yacht club feels weird, but really I'm all set with that place. I was angry at first when shit hit the fan while I was away, but now I'm just learning not to be bitter and move on. Whatever, I'm the one who left. So, now what? Exactly. That's what I find myself asking every day. For starters, my desktop crashed while I was gone. I lost all my pictures, music, resume, everything. I'm trying not to dwell on it especially since it's probably karma for not backing things up and downloading things illegally. I guess I should probably work on finding a job, but theres really nothing around. And my credit card bill is insanely large. But I knew that would happen going into this. I have enough money to pay my bills for January so when I get back from Stevie P's wedding in Arizona (I'll be going for a couple days) and if I still don't have a job by then, well then the worrying will start.


Right now, I'm taking things day by day. I knew certain things would happen when I decided to do this trip. I knew my credit card bill would be high. I knew I wouldn't have any money. I knew I would have trouble finding a job on the Cape in January. So now I'm just dealing with the consequences while still reveling in the fact that I just traveled 13,000 miles across the USA and back in two months by myself!!


Tomorrow is the last day of 2009. Last year as I rang in the new year sitting at the Cranebrook Restaurant during a New Years snowstorm just absolutely miserable, I made up my mind that this was the year that I took charge and changed things. Yes, I had some pretty bad months (especially working at the Crane - I hated it so much) but this trip cancels all that stupid crap out. My goal for 2010 is to continue doing what I started. Plain and simple.


Road trip 2009. Best decision of my life. Here's hoping that I'm able to do part two of the trip somewhere in the near future!

Thursday, December 17, 2009

The road is long...with many a winding turns...

My epic adventure is slowly winding down. I'm somewhere in Iowa right now and with a little luck, I'll be sitting at a bar stool at The Wave Friday night...but that's only if I really push myself driving tomorrow. The last week of my trip have been great and here's why...


After Seattle, I slowly made my way to Port Orford, Oregon to spend a couple days with my aunt Louise and uncle Coy. The ride there was terrific. Why? Because I was driving one of my "dream roads". Route 101 has been pretty high up there for me ever since I started researching this trip a couple years ago. The number one road is Route 66, obviously. But that will be a completely different trip. So, Route 101. Awesome. Gorgeous. Beautiful. Fun. The Washington coast wasn't much to look at in the beginning. There were lots of stumps and tree debris from what used to be forests. Kinda sad looking, but we gotta have paper! Once I got to the Long Beach area...all hell broke loose! Not really, but it was fun. You're actually able to drive right on the beach and I did that for well over 20 miles. I was zigging and zagging out of the ocean, which probably wasn't the best idea, but whatever. It was crazy!





Also in Washington, I stumbled upon a couple lighthouses near the weirdly named Cape Disappointment. I really don't know why such a place would be named that, but it was NOT a disappointment.





I spent the night in Seaside, Oregon which was a cute, quaint tourist town that I'm sure is rockin' in the summertime. I think I was one of three people staying in the hotel that night. The town was dead except for locals and a few tourists on the beach during sunset, which was gorgeous.



The next day before I got to Port Orford, I did some more scenic driving along the coast of Oregon. I've really seen nothing like it before. And if I had to recommend one drive that everyone must do before they die, Route 101 would be it. The Oregon coast is just miles and miles of beaches. The rock formations that the coast is made up of is really neat too. Sometimes it reminded me of the Caribbean. I also think the Pacific Ocean is much clearer then the Atlantic. I don't know, maybe it's because I haven't seen the Atlantic in so long...but anyways, needless to say....great drive.





The next three nights were spent in Port Orford, Oregon. They were definitely days of relaxation. Louise showed me the "sights" around town and there really wasn't much to see. But it was still nice. I hadn't seen my uncle Coy in a few years, and the dogs were basically still puppies when they came up to Wareham years ago. It was a nice area of the country, but I would probably not survive there. Especially since I'm not a seafood fan! Haha.



I was originally going to drive straight to Reno, Nevada for a day and then spend some time in the Salt Lake City area but basically last minute, I decided to spend a couple nights in San Francisco. So the trip down route 101 continued! Passing through all the giant redwood trees was different, but after a while the thrill kind of wore off and I just wanted to get to San Fran! But California is a big state so I had to spend the night in Ukiah, California. Fun fact: Ukiah is haiku spelled backwards. I really liked that area of the state. Very free-spirited and hippie-ish. Probably because of all the marijuana...And the breweries I went to were awesome! Since I could feel the end of the trip approaching, I decided to bypass the Napa/Sonoma valley. I'm not that big a fan of wine and I think that trip would best be done with a group of people so...next time!





San Francisco was everything I thought it would be and more! Originally, I wasn't too excited to be there. It was raining, the parking situation downtown was bad and I think I was just in a bad mood. But despite the rain, I managed to have an AWESOME time! I did a tour of AT&T ballpark, where the Giants play. Cool park, but I did the tour with a group of cub scouts. Shoot me! I sure did a lot of walking. The first day I walked from the park to 21st Amendment Brewery (tasty!) and all the way up Market Street. I was trying to get to the Castro but I never made it. Instead.....I randomly bought a ticket to see one of my favorite Broadway show Wicked. I was in the second row and it was amazing! I can't help but act like a fangirl over that show...





Since I never got down to the waterfront the first full day I was there, I decided to book an extra night at the hotel. Great decision because it turned out to be a really nice day and one of the most memorable on the trip. The rain stopped and the sun tried to come out so I took a walk down to the Golden Gate Bridge and snapped some great pictures - especially with the fog rolling in. From there I walked down to the Fisherman's Wharf and spent some time there. I experienced my first In 'N Out burger! The waterfront in San Francisco is great. The view is spectacular, when the weather is cooperating. I tried to get out to Alcatraz, but I literally "missed the boat". Soooo...instead I took a boat tour around the harbor, right before sunset. One of the best things I did on this trip. I also rode one of the trolley cars up to the Castro. The Castro is the gay section of San Fran and I really like the vibe in that area. I went to the famous Castro Theatre and saw "The Wizard of Oz" on the big screen. Honestly, there is no other place in the world that I would have rather seen that movie then the Castro. Everyone was clapping and laughing, especially at the innuendos. I really think the Cowardly Lion was the first gay icon in America. Haha.



All in all, I LOVED San Francisco. It's become a habit of mine on this trip to see if I can imagine myself living in the area that I'm in. And I really think I could fit in here. Not to say I'm going to up and move across the country, but it's one of those places (along with Tennessee) that will always be in the back of my mind now.


On Monday, I started the looooooooooooong trek back to Wareham. Driving through Nevada, Utah, Wyoming and Nebraska has proved to be the most boring thing ever. Nothing to look at, lots of hills and lots of TRUCKS. Ugh, my hatred for truck (and their drivers) has only gotten worse since I started home. My road rage is coming out! I love being able to do over 75 on these highways, but trucks like to do their own thing. JUST STAY IN THE RIGHT LANE AND DON'T TRY TO PASS ANYONE!!! Oh, the frustration. I did stop off in Salt Lake City yesterday for a couple hours. I wanted to see the big Temple, so that's what I did.



Right now I'm in Council Bluffs, Iowa. At this point I would LOVE to be home by Friday but we'll see what happens. Tomorrow will be a BIG powerdriving day. Usually I stop for a hotel between 5 and 6 PM, but tomorrow I'm really going to push it (if I'm not too tired). I've had the best time on the trip and I know I wasn't looking forward to going home, but right now I have the destination in my head and I just want to get there!


The next update will be from my desktop in my room! One thing I am looking forward to is: not having to use wireless!


Like always, if you like what you read (or didn't), leave me a comment!

Sunday, December 6, 2009

So raise the bar high...

I need to stop updating so infrequently. I actually wanted to write last night since I was sitting in a hotel room playing around on Wikipedia all night, but couldn't find the motivation. Can't say I really have the motivation tonight either, so hopefully it won't be too long. But we all know that it will...once I start going, I can't stop!


Nebraska turned out to be a pretty good time. Of course, I didn't stay there the whole time, but still it was nice to be with my aunt, Josette, and to meet her friends and neighbors in the 'hood. We had a couple nice dinners together, including Thanksgiving and I even got invited out for "a night on the town" with the girls after we saw The Blind Side Thursday. Good times.


I did a side trip to the Badlands in South Dakota the Friday after Thanksgiving. After being out late drinking and then getting up early, part of me wanted to cancel the trip and stay in bed but thankfully I went. The Badlands were seriously one of the most AWESOME things I've ever seen in my entire life. And I'm proud to say that I've seen some pretty cool places in my lifetime, but this just might be at the top. Driving there during a Nebraska sunrise was also the icing on the cake. When I first caught sight of the Badlands, I had to pull the car over and just gape at the sights before me. I actually got chills. The pictures don't do it justice. It's just something you have to see for yourself. I also saw buffalo and cute prairie dogs too. But don't touch the prarie dogs. They have some sort of plague...



Also while in the Badlands, I stopped off in Wall for the famous Wall Drug Store. It's basically the South of the Border of the north. There are signs leading up to it and once you get there, it's one big tacky tourist trap. And you all should know how much I love things that are tacky. They had taxidermied animals dressed up in cowboy clothes. I was literally laughing out loud on the sidewalk by myself looking at these creatures with their hooves placed on their hips. I'm actually laughing right now as I write this just thinking about it. Haha.





Saturday was spent in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. My aunt wanted to show me a couple historical landmarks that she thought I would like, and I did. But first we stopped off at Stephanie's feed lot that she works at. It was quite interesting to see the process in which the cows are fed and taken care of before being sent off to the slaughter house. The Scotts Bluff Monument was cool. I had never heard of it before, but it was a big deal during the Oregon Trail. So yes, I walked on some of the original Oregon Trail and nobody died of cholera and I managed to keep all my oxen (Oregon Trail game reference...) And Chimney Rock was neat too, though you aren't allowed to go near it - just admire it from afar. I really do love American history stuff, so I really enjoyed seeing the sights.





The next two nights my aunt and I spent in Deadwood, South Dakota. She had previously won a free stay at the Deadwood Gulch, a hotel/casino. On the way there we stopped at the Crazy Horse Memorial. It is massive! And nowhere close to being finished, even though its been worked since 1948. It's not federally funded and they rely a lot on donations. It will probably never be done in my lifetime. But it's cool to imagine what it will look like when it's finished. You can fit Mt. Rushmore just into Crazy Horse's head. 









And speaking of Mt. Rushmore, that's where we went next. This was one thing that was on the top of my "must see" list. But I wouldn't recommend going to it after you've been to Crazy Horse. It just looks so small. But the difference with Mt. Rushmore is that it's a finished monument and it has so much history behind it. I really enjoyed reading about how it was built and about the presidents carved into the mountain. Did you know that Thomas Jefferson was originally supposed to be carved to the right of George Washington it didn't work out so they had to switch it up? Bet you didn't know that, smartypants.





Deadwood was cool. It's a little town that it all about gambling. It's also rich in history when it comes to the "Wild West". If anyone ever watched the HBO series with the same name, then you'll know that this is the town where Wild Bill Hickok was killed. All that cowboy history I found to be really interesting. While my aunt gambled, I walked around town and explored. It definitely has an old West feel, and there are a couple cool bars that give you a old timey feel. I think it would be a fun place to visit in the summer since some things weren't open and they have western shoot-outs on the streets. We had dinner at a restaurant owned by Kevin Costner and there were lots of memorabilia from his movies. Also, the Celebrity Hotel is worth checking out because they also have memorabilia from random movies and TV shows. Cool stop on my US tour, that's for sure. Deadwood definitely sparked an interest in me and I totally want to watch the show when I get back home...
 



On Wednesday I left Nebraska after a fabulous time. I probably could have stayed longer if I didn't have to be home for Christmas. I really miss Gaby the cat. She was little friend while I was there and I have the hair all over my car to remind me! I will totally be going back to Nebraska again, that's for sure. My next stop is Port Orford, Oregon. I haven't made it there yet as I've been slowly making my way. I was planning on going to Yellowstone, but after doing research I realized that there are way too many road closures to risk it. I didn't want to waste an entire day looking for the one entrance that was open, so I'll have to do it another day. Plus it had recently snowed and some of the roads were not in top condition.


Believe it or not, one of my favorite rides so far was in Wyoming. What a gorgeous state. There isn't much to see, tourist-wise, but man, nature sure has been kind. I love snow. I even love driving in it. So I was in my element as I went up and down mountains all day. I also have become a pro at taking pictures while driving. But I don't recommend that anyone does it! It's kind of dangerous. Oh well. While in Cody, Wyoming I stopped off at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center. It's basically five museums in one, and it was really neat - especially the Buffalo Bill one. Since I had just been to Deadwood, I was really interested in this Buffalo Bill character. He was one cool dude. And after Wyoming, I spent the night in Montana, where it was typically the same kind of scenery.




 


 Yesterday was what a refer to as a "bad day". I totally woke up on the wrong side of the bed and then something from back home really started to tick me off. Not even Carole King and Bette Midler could cheer me up. It was also a LONG day of powerdriving on a highway, which is kind of boring. So I was pissed off and just wanted to get to my next destination. But once I got through Idaho (where it snowed for a while) and got through the boring part of Washington, I started to feel a little bit better. However, today I woke up quite tired. I didn't get a lot of sleep last night. Weird dreams. But today I went to Seattle, so all is well in the world!


Seattle, Washington. What a fun city! I really wish I had more time to explore but my next destination is calling. I did a tour of the Seattle Mariners ballpark - Safeco Field. It was cool, but not my favorite park that I've been to. Though the roof is definitely different. Since I've been cooped up in my car for the past couple days, I decided to walk around the city. My first stop was Pike Place to watch the workers at the Fish Market throw fish. That was fun. Thankfully I don't like shopping or I would have found myself stuck there all day. It kind of reminded me of Faniuel Hall back in Boston. Then I found the Real World house! That was pretty exciting to me. The Real World used to be one of my favorite shows back before Las Vegas completely ruined it. And Seattle was so great especially all the Irene and Stephen drama. The slap heard 'round the world! Also, while on the subject of TV shows...I saw lots of ferry boats and couldn't help by think of "Grey's Anatomy"....I went to the Needle but it was going to be an hours wait just to get to the top, so scratch that plan. Seattle is now at the top of my list - along with Tennessee - for places I need to go back to PRONTO.



Also, before signing off...I really have to say how much I appreciate being back near the ocean. The smell is almost intoxicating to me after being away for a couple weeks. Yes, I've seen some lakes and rivers, but really the ocean is where it's at. And the sunset was too beautiful for words.


 


I know this was long, and kind of boring. I'm multi-tasking right now...watching "The Holiday" on TBS. I can't help it. It's Kate Winslet. She does no wrong in my book. Anywhoooooo.....tomorrow I'm going to travel the historic Route 101 all the way to Port Orford, Oregon. It should be a nice ride. And I'm really looking forward to seeing my aunt and uncle and relax for a couple days.


Once again, if you like what you read - or if you made it this far - leave a comment!