Days 8-9: Colorado and More Colorado!

This paragraph marks the arbitrary beginning for this post.  If you have not read our previous three, please do so now.

Day Eight – Tuesday, July 28:

Boulder has more character than some entire states (*cough* Nebraska *cough*).  We liked it a lot.  The altitude was definitely draining, as we felt even more out of shape than we do on a daily basis.  But we wandered around the cute little shops, ate cute food in a cute sandwich shop (with compostable cups made out of corn.  How adorable is that?!?), and mostly were just cute ourselves.

That night, Laura persuaded Allyson to join her for swing dancing in Denver at the Mercury Cafe.  Laura swing dances regularly, but has never done so a mile above sea level.  Well, now she has.  15 glasses of water and several extended breaks later, Laura had a tremendous time dancing with fantastic dancers.  And even Allyson stopped hiding in the corner long enough to get sucked into the wonders of swing dancing.  She’s hooked, but she won’t admit it yet, though her insistent questioning on Lexington schedules and classes and other details certainly evidence the early stages of addiction.  Hooray!

Day Nine – Wednesday, July 29:

We were planning to leave by 10 am.  We left generally but not specifically around 1 pm.  After driving through beautiful country on the way to Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, it started raining, then storming. Soon, we heard on the radio that there was a tornado warning for that county.  However, you only die once, and as one of Laura’s life goals is to see a tornado before she dies (but preferably not immediately before), we excitedly continued onto the park.

Point of clarification: the “we” that excitedly continued does not include Allyson.  She begrudgingly continued, as she had few other options than to sit in a car that was just as likely to be carried away to Oz, and she’d rather not die alone.

We hiked a little.  We rapidly remembered how high the elevation was (over 6,000 ft), and ceased hiking much sooner than we expected.

We never did see a tornado.  Laura was terribly disappointed.  Allyson, not so much.

After this, we got back in the car and drove some more, a continuing theme for this trip.  The progress was much slower than anticipated, due to a terribly wonderful habit of pulling over every hour or so to take pretty pictures of beautiful things.

The most breathtaking moment was when we reached Wilkerson Pass, elevation 9,507 ft, and stopped at the small ranger station at the top.  Laura, who is not much inclined to tears, must admit to crying just a little.  Or maybe a little more than a little.  Allyson, who is even less inclined to tears, did not cry.  However, she still reports grand feelings of magnificence and happy thoughts.  Definitely a highlight of the trip.

Our plan originally had us staying the night somewhere between Durango and Mesa Verde.  However, we decided to ignore both our plans and Daniel’s insistence that we were going completely the wrong direction, and we set off in search of the rumored Red Mountain Pass, with an elevation of 11,018 ft and a thousand foot plunge immediately by the road into the valley below.  But don’t worry, it’s on Allyson’s side of the car, so Laura might make it ok.

Between our random stops to explore Colorado awesomeness and our newly planned detour to Death Mountain, er, Red Mountain Pass (and the Black Canyon!!!), we were getting very behind schedule.  Our first thought was to just drive straight through, but it’s not nearly as beautiful or conducive to survival to brave such a pass in the dark in a storm.  Our second thought was to find a cheap place to camp.  But once again, it was storming, and forecasted to rain all night.  We found ourselves in the quaint little town of Gunnison, were directed by fate (aka two nice people in the gas station) to the Gunnison Inn where for $60 we obtained a nice room with two comfy queen beds and a real honest-to-goodness-shower with “free” breakfast.  Not the cheapest ever, but we’re in the middle of nowhere and it certainly beats most of the other prices in town.  And they have mostly-functional wireless, which allows this marvelous post (or rather, series of arbitrarily-divided posts).

Tomorrow morning we plan on visiting the Black Canyon, which is apparently not as big as the Grand Canyon (otherwise IT would be called Grand instead of the currently-named-one), but it is deeper and blacker (like your soul… ok, really just checking if you’re still reading. Are you?) and it has a WATERFALL.  Laura has still never seen a waterfall.  Tomorrow, that all changes.

And then we plummet 1,000 ft over the edge of the pass to our deaths.  Oh wait, wrong ending.  And then we continue on our merry way and take lots of pictures and end up in Mesa Verde for cool tours of the cliff dwellings.

Good night.

Days 4-7: DC, MD, PA, OH, IN, IL, IA, NE, CO

This post is a continuation of the last one.  And the one before that.  This is an ongoing series of posts.  You should not read this one before reading parts one and two.  And when you do read this one, you should not stop here.  You should continue reading, because we will post many more.  Maybe.  Or maybe we’ll just give up now.

The previous paragraph is why we should not be allowed to write publicly after 10 pm.  We apologize for any inconvenience.

Day Four – Friday, July 24:

DC rocks.  If we were wearing socks, they would have rocked them.  But flip flops are nice too.

We got up early, went to a bagel shop where we ate, wonder of wonders… BAGELS!  Then we stopped by Webster Hall, where Allyson lived as a cute little high school page.  We toured the Capitol, including adventures sitting in session with the House and Senate, and then getting a special invitation from a nice Senator (Bond, not James Bond) to ride on the Senators-Only-Elevator with him.  We additionally experienced multiple museums – Allyson’s favorite was the National Art Gallery because of the pretty art, and Laura liked the Natural History Museum because it had freaking cool space rocks.

Day Five – Saturday, July 25:

We parted ways for a while and hung out with various cool peoples along the way.  Our very concise summaries of the day:

Laura: OMG CAPITOL BOOKS IS AMAZING!!!1!!!1one!1!!!  Like omg.

Allyson: Old Ebitt Grille where I ate mussels.  Not to be confused with muscles.  And rocking it out with my brother and Maria.

Day Six – Sunday, July 26:

We attended the English service at St. John The Baptist Russian Orthodox Church.  Beautiful church, amazing choir, good times.

Immediately after that, we hit the road.  Hadn’t made it out of DC before we passed a very large and shiny temple, vaguely resembling the Wizard of Oz, or rather not resembling the Wizard but a building you might find in the movie that bears his name.  We quickly exited the highway and found ourselves at the very cool and spaceagey Latter Day Saints Temple.  It was cool.  Did we mention that?

On a whim, we decided to reroute our travels from Indy to Chicago for our overnight stay.  This unexpectedly took us through Pennsylvania, which is amazingly gorgeous.  Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, not so much.  AND, we paid at least $25 in tolls between DC and Chicago. *mutter mutter*

Spent the night with the Nelsons, who are absolutely fantabulously splendid and adopted us, pressing upon us immense amounts of food and camping supplies that we may or may not need and binoculars and much love.

Day Seven – Monday, July 27:

We drove through Illinois, Iowa, and Nebraska.  Ewwww.  Nebraska has only two redeeming qualities – cool windmills and a breathtakingly beautiful Catholic shrine made almost entirely of glass.  If you’re ever vaguely almost near, you absolutely must stop at the Holy Family Shrine in Gretna.  Absolutely.  You must.  Please.

We made it to Boulder, Colorado, where we would be spending the next two nights with Acacia and Aubrey.  As it was dark, Allyson (who has never experienced “real” mountain before) couldn’t see the mountains when we were driving in.  This made for a pleasant surprise the next morning.

This paragraph marks the arbitrary ending for this post.  Please continue to the next one for further ramblings and other miscellaneous amusements.

Days 2-3: NC, VA, DC

When last we visited our fearless heroines, they were traipsing through the wilds of North Carolina in search of a beach house to lay their heads.

Since then, we’ve been woefully neglectful of you, our loyal audience.  Can an audience be loyal to a saga that’s only had one edition thus far?  Hmm.  We’ll ponder that for a while.

Anyhow, as it’s late and we’re tired and exhausted and tired some more, you’re going to get a “short” (for Allyson and Laura, at least) Cliffnotesey sort of update on the last week. And we’re going to split it into several posts because otherwise insanity will ensue.  It probably already will.  But now it can ensue over the course of several posts, woohoo!

Day Two – Wednesday, July 22

I was not aware that time existed at 5:30 in the morning.  Surprise, it does!  We got up to watch the sun rise on the Atlantic Ocean… a beautiful experience, though one we’re not likely to repeat.  We prefer our sleep.

Lessons learned during the sunrise: the ocean is wet. and cold. and salty. and if you stand in it, the waves will probably go higher than you expect and get your pants wet.

Later, the excitement really began.  As Allyson relates:

A storm was rolling in.  The waves were violent.  Laura was adventerous while I got freaked out whenever the water was above my knees.  The dark sky and collosal waves were enough to convince that the sea would swallow me alive if I ventured too far.  After much persuasion and manipulation from my dear friend, including guilt trips and overspiritualizations, either my fears of being eaten by the ocean subsided or I just gave into peer pressure.  We ended up in midtorso heigh water and bobbed with the rolling sea while discussing the mysteries of life.  Great fun.

Then it began to rain and we got wet.

After the storm’s intensity increased and we thought it prudent to remove ourselves from the sea before it removed us from the shore, we dug large and useless holes for the thrill of watching them fill with water.  Laura found a crab.  She named it Squishy.

Day Three – Thursday, July 23:

We woke up ready to leave on our next big adventure, only to find the driveway had flooded in a miniature representation of Lake Superior.  We attached floats to Suzy’s tires and…ok, really we just drove really slow through it and happily did not drown the engine.

Laura and Allyson switch driving (if you recall from last post, Allyson is just now learning to drive stick).  They quickly realize that Dearest Daniel decided Allyson should have an impromptu driving lesson.  He routes them off the highway and straight through Norfolk, VA.  Not straight through an interstate – no, no, straight through downtown.  With traffic.  And construction.  And traffic lights on uphills.  Allyson suffers from a minor heart attack, but after Laura rescues her with an automatic defibrilator, she miraculously survives and continues without mishap.

Eventually, Daniel directs them back to the interstate.  Now they hit a wreck.  Or rather, someone else hit a wreck, and they’re stuck in the ensuing bumper-to-bumper traffic.  Allyson has had enough of Daniel’s shenanigans and turns the driving back over to Laura.

Then they arrived at DC.  That is all.  Except not really, because you should keep reading our next post.

Day The First (Tuesday, July 21 – Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina)

Allyson, Suzy, Daniel and I traveled a treacherous 700 miles to our first destination: Nags Head, North Carolina.

Before you wonder who Suzy and Daniel are, let me explain.  Suzy is my fearless and wonderful 12 year old Saturn SC-2, which in car years (those are like dog years but completely different) is nearly ancient.  And Daniel is our very attractive British GPS Navigator.

Anyhow, as I was attempting to relate two paragraphs ago, The Roadtrip began in fine style yesterday morning as our party of four departed Lexington and began our slow trek.

Adventures ensued.

Adventure The First, as narrated by Allyson:
An hour out of Wilmore and Daniel the GPS dies.  Is it the GPS or is it it the cigarette lighter?  We try a cell phone charger.  No power.  Laura uses her her wonder woman powers (and quick thinking) to call the mechanic.  He walks (talks) her through how to open the console and she finds an unplugged cable, compliments of the mechanic who forgot to plug in in.  She plugs it in.  We have power.  We have a working GPS.  We are happy.  The End.

Adventure The Second:
We are seeking sustenance around the noon hour and have our sights set on Panera.  Or rather, our sights aren’t set because we have no idea where it actually is, driving around a mall complex of the worst design.  Ever.  In the midst of chaotic traffic and complete lack of traffic-planning on the part of the city designers, we stumble upon a yellow-red light.  It was yellow, and then it wasn’t, and Newton’s Third Law dictates a Saturn in motion will stay in motion.  I choose to maintain control of the car (going a shocking 30 miles an hour) rather than unmaintaining control of it, thus running the yellow-red light.  There was a police officer behind us as evidenced by flashing lights and a nice man in a uniform.  I hand him my license and insurance, fully expecting a ticket, which I really don’t deserve because I really tried to stop and I really shouldn’t say really this much.  Before he heads back to his car I ask him woefully where the Panera is, because we’re lost and confused and this is the worst mall road design ever.  He laughs, agrees, gives me detailed instructions to the Panera, and hands my license back without even a warning.  Who would’ve guessed….so no ticket.  Rejoicing ensued.  I like the word ensued, by the way.

Adventure The Third, as narrated by Laura with random deletions and censorship and murderous glances by Allyson:
Allyson has a friend.  A friend of the male variety.  He happens to live an hour away from the mall with the awful traffic, the Panera and the very nice police officer.  Allyson hasn’t seen this friend in a month.  That is a sad thing.  I was going to say “a very sad thing” but she thinks that’s inappropriate, so I made the necessary adjustments.  Anyhow, I contacted said friend without her consent or knowledge and inquired if he would like to meet us for lunch.  Wonder of wonders, he agreed, and our little surprise was set.

So we found ourselves desperately looking for a “random” Panera while Allyson wondered why I was suddenly and mysteriously craving a restaurant for which I had no particular affinity the day before.  It didn’t take her long to find out, as she turned around after ordering and I’d been joined by a dashing gentleman that looked strangely familiar.  Much smiling and lunch ensued.  See, I told you I liked that word.

Adventure The Fourth:
We encounter our first tollbooth.  It is unfortunately not of the phantom variety.  However, we are very excited to successfully navigate it without incident.  The second tollbooth isn’t nearly as exciting.  The third is just annoying…we like our money, but apparently so do they.

Adventure The Fifth:
400 miles into our 9,000 mile roadtrip, Suzy’s cruise control breaks.  Apparently her computer brains take great delight in frying cruise control modules.  And apparently Laura and Allyson are driving the next 8,600 miles the old-fashioned way. BOOOOOOOOO!!!

Adventure The Sixth:
Allyson doesn’t know how to drive stick.  Or rather, until Adventure Six, she didn’t know.  Now, to her immense surprise, she does, successfully driving three miles on backroads through two stop signs and two stoplights (all of which she did stop for unlike her companion driver), one of them on a steep incline.  She only stalls once, but NOT on the hill, complements of her newly acquired skills with the emergency brake.  We reach the highway without mishap.  Props to the driver behind her, he is quite possibly the most patient man in the state of Virginia.

Adventure The Seventh:
We go through a tunnel under the ocean.  It is awesome.  w00t.

Adventure The Eighth, which Allyson would narrate but she still has no idea how this could possibly have happened:
It is time to switch drivers again, and Laura is far too lazy to put her shoes on before walking around the car.  When she gets back in the car, she wants to check her socks to see how dirty they got, and through a strange series of contortions her toes end up near the top of the door.  Simultaneously, she attempts to close the door while looking at her sock, and through a mysterious and possibly magical series of events, her middle toe gets slammed in the TOP of the door.  Laura is laughing and crying hysterically.  Allyson is confused.  If you are too, don’t worry, you had to be there.

Adventure The Ninth:

There are a lot of stars.  And lots of sand.  The ocean is big.  Laura and Allyson are tired.  YAY they arrive at the beachhouse at which Amanda’s family is so kindly letting them crash for two nights.  Sleep ensues.  I promise that’s the last time I use that word today.

Addendum:

License plates gathered so far:
VA, WV, NC, PA, MS, IL, OK, ME, NY, KY, NJ, AL, IN, MD, AK, DE, TN, AZ, plus DC and Quebec.

Quotes that were much funnier if you were there:

Allyson: “Are those the Blue Ridge Mountains?  They’re very blue!”
Laura when she sees some cows: “Civilization!!!”
Allyson: “That’s awesome vegetation.”
Laura: “Shrubbery!”

Post-Addendum:

I’m not posting pictures now.  Nor am I posting anything about today (Day 2).  I am going to sleep.  However, pictures will probably be on Facebook sometime in the semi-near future.  Gnight.

Your Chance To Plan My Road Trip

As you probably saw in my last post, I’m going on an AMAZING 1 month, 8,000+ mile road trip across the United States with my friend Allyson. And we need your help!  I know that everyone has tremendously narcissistic tendencies and loves to express their opinion. So this is your chance – express away!!   We need your input on:

Places to visit

Our current, but very tentative, itinerary can be found here: http://bit.ly/q7meG. We will probably NOT actually visit all these locations (as you can see, it’s nearly 9,000 miles, and my car is 12 years old, and…..) But anywhere within a couple hours drive of this route is fair game for suggestions, as well as alternate routes. And while restaurant/shopping suggestions are welcome, we’re trying to do this on a minimal budget so the cheaper the better. National parks and other free-ish adventures are the best.

Mixtapes

We have our normal iPod music, but we’ve listened to all of it before. If you can suggest any favorite CDs/playlists (or loan them!) we’d be grateful.

Books on tape

As I’m sure you can imagine, 8,000 miles is a very long time to sit in a car. And music gets old after a while. What are your favorite books on tape?  Favorite narrators? Once again, loans are greatly appreciated.

Also, we need to borrow a 300-watt power inverter (aka cigarette-lighter-to-3-prong-outlet-converter-doohickey) so I can actually use my laptop in the car, and thus post pictures for everyone that’s demanded them.  So please let me know if you have one we could use.

From Sea To Shining Sea, or How Laura Quit Her Job

My freshman year of college, I needed a job.  On a whim, I applied to work at our Help Desk since fixing computers seemed much more interesting than washing dishes in the cafeteria.  Several years later, graduation rolled around and I was still working there, and through a strange set of circumstances it became apparent that I should stay.  So I began a new and unexpected chapter in my life as a fulltime computer technician.

It wasn’t my longterm goal – my degree is in social work, and my passions lie with engaging people more fully with God, community, and themselves.  Computers are just an amusing hobby on the side.  But when an amusing hobby happens to pay more than any of the other job options available, and when you just graduated with more debt than you can really comprehend, you head in directions you never planned.

Since graduating two and a half years ago, I’ve been very blessed.  I’ve worked with amazing people, both in the department and around the campus, and I’ve built some treasured relationships.  I’ve grown leaps and bounds personally and professionally, and I wouldn’t trade the time I’ve spent here for anything.

However, all chapters come to a close, and this one has as well.  God’s been opening some unexpected doors and leading my heart down a path I didn’t plan.  That brings me to the reason for this post:

I have just put in my resignation at the Help Desk, and my last day of work will be Friday, July 17th.  It’s a bittersweet decision, but I know it’s the right one.

Immediately after joining the ranks of the shiftlessly unemployed, I’ll be leaving with my dear friend Allyson on an uberawesome road trip.  Leaving July 21st, we’ll be driving across the ENTIRE United States, out to the Atlantic Ocean, then to the Pacific, and back to Kentucky. I’ve always wanted to travel and never had the chance…so I’m taking this splendid opportunity to do so.

Our current itinerary includes Outer Banks, DC, Boulder, Grand Canyon, Vegas, San Diego, LA, San Francisco, Redwood Forest, Yosemite, Salt Lake City, Yellowstone, Mount Rushmore, and Chicago.

When I return in late August, God willing, I’ll be refreshed, rejuvenated, and perhaps have a better sense of direction. Being unemployed, I’ll actually have time and energy to pour into the job hunt, as I really feel like I need to pursue something more closely related to my degree. As a contingency plan, I have enough savings to comfortably live at least through the end of the year, or even a part-time job would keep me going indefinitely. If all else fails, as my mom said, “The worst that could happen is that you run out of money and have to move back to Texas and live with us. And that would be WONDERFUL. So PLEASE run out of money and come back to see me!!”

I’m so amazingly excited for my adventures over the next month.  It’s a big leap, but one I’m looking forward to.  I’ll miss everyone I’m leaving behind, but there’s a big world ahead of me and I want to live in it for all it’s worth.

Love,

Laura