Aaron and Johanna

We departed S.L.O. in the morning and started toward L.A. The day started with a cloudy sky which quickly gave way to sunshine by mid morning. At that point we saw a sign for Refugio State Beach and turned in. Johanna was feeling a little bit of relief from her sunburn and was actually able to partially enjoy the beach! We spent the rest of the morning there and left a little after noon to avoid getting roasted again. Johanna’s cousin Jenny had recently relocated to Camarillo so we made plans to meet up with her later that afternoon. On the way to Camarillo we drove through Santa Barbara. We were both very impressed by the landscaping in that city. It seemed very clean and well manicured. After taking a break to walk through a park ... read more

After a good night’s rest to recover from our hike we headed west toward San Francisco. The drive to SF was pleasant and the skies were clear. Upon arriving in SF we quickly learned why the local shops sell so many sweatshirts! It was cool and breezy. We headed for the Fisherman’s Wharf area eager for a seafood lunch. After lunch we took a drive down the curviest road in America, Lombard Street. Aaron then took the car down what must be the steepest residential street in America which made Johanna a bit nervous. Thankfully the brakes on our rental car handled the decline without any problems. Next we drove across the Golden Gate Bridge and stopped for some pictures in the park just across the bay before leaving the city. We got onto Route 1 ... read more

We departed Vegas late morning after catching up on some much needed Z’s. The sun was bright and it looked like we were headed for some hot weather in Death Valley. Soon enough we confirmed our suspicions. Death Valley was interesting but unfortunately the visibility was not great here either. We still enjoyed watching the elevation drop and the temperature rise as we drove through it! Other cars were scarce so the park was very quiet - as if we were the only living things around for miles because we probably were! The temperature went above 110 while we were there and was predicted to hit 120! We stopped at a family owned resort on the west edge of the park for a big frozen smoothie. While we were there one of the employees caught a ... read more

The past two days have certainly been chock full -o- scenic goodness! We left our campsite in Moab and made a stop in at Wicked Brew Coffee Drive Through to load up on our favorite caffeinated beverages before hitting the road. The highways we traveled through Utah had great views out every window. The speed limit was 75 and the roads were empty so between our many stops for pictures we were able make great time across the state (staying within the speed limit of course!). Our first stop on Tuesday was Goblin Valley State Park. The main features of this park are amazing mushroom-shaped rock formations that are referred to as “goblins.” Walking among them truly feels like navigating a martian landscape! We decided to brave the afternoon heat and sun for a quick 1.5 ... read more

After leaving Aaron’s sister’s home in Ohio on Wednesday afternoon, we traveled in the direction of St. Louis as long as we could stand to be on the road. As night closed in our eyelids began to become heavier so we stopped in the middle of Illinois for the night. The next day consisted of 800 miles of driving. We started by completing the route to St. Louis where we made a stop to take a few quick pictures of the Gateway Arch and more importantly take a tour of the Budweiser brewery! During the tour we got to see all sorts of memorabilia in a miniature Budweiser museum, the world famous Clydesdales, the brewing and bottling operations, and had a few samples of the freshest beer possible. Aaron even got a certificate for participating in ... read more