Today's drive was nauseating. California 1 (Shoreline Highway) is a nearly 100 mile stretch of curves and hills that is beautiful but sickening. The one positive was that it wasn't hot or really that sunny. Fog was coming in off the ocean and created this mystical looking haze on the trees over us but sparing the road from visibility issues. It was actually pretty sweet. But the drive was long. And tiring. And it actually means that we decided to alter our route tomorrow to avoid having to do something similar again. The only other exciting thing that we did today was spend some time in San Francisco. Except for the fact that we nearly kept getting lost, things went well. I drove down Lombard Street, which naturally is a 27% downhill grade but was constructed ... read more

We left Nampa a little early and headed out towards Crater Lake and Klamath Falls. From the first moment, Oregon eluded us. We nearly missed the sign welcoming us to Oregon (but did get a picture, thankfully) and AAA gave us faulty directions coming off the exit that sent us in the wrong direction for about 5 minutes before we realized that things just didn't look right. Thankfully Karen (the GPS) put us back on track. And the drive through Eastern Oregon showed us farms and open plains. There is really NOTHING out there. We did eventually hit Burns, but that was several hours in already. Megan had asked if there was anything after Burns and I mentioned this town called Hines. Yet when I was unsure how big that town was, we stopped in Burns. ... read more

We woke up this morning and, after eating breakfast, went back to Mt. Rushmore. It is really cool during the daylight - easier to make out the features on all of the faces. Lincoln's eyes struck me because of the detail. Amazing. Then we drove through rural southwestern South Dakota and eastern Wyoming. Now, I was fully expecting to hate this part of the drive, but I was pleasantly surprised. We saw oil wells working and the scenery kept on changing into one amazing view after another. Later on, we went on a road that took us from north-central Wyoming over to Yellowstone National Park. It is supposed to be the 52 most scenic miles in the United States and it didn't disappoint. Then we got to Yellowstone. The nice lady at the East Entrance let ... read more

We spent the morning and early afternoon in Chicago being real tourists. We started off on the L and then went straight to Buckingham Fountain. It's really impressive and reminded me of the grand European capitals because the area was full of large boulevards and lots of green trees and grass. From the fountain we walked up through Grant Park and into Millennium Park. We saw the Bean and the reflection was sooooo cool. We kept walking up the avenues of Chicago through the downtown area. We crossed the Chicago River and were told to look for Giordano's, a great place for Chicago-style deep-dish pizza. It was great...and filling. Then, being the smart ones that we are, we decided to go up to the top of the Hancock Tower. The elevator goes from the lower level ... read more

So tomorrow morning Megan and I leave for 19 days as we drive around the United States. I want to thank first and foremost Megan for (1) suggesting this trip; (2) being my partner in crime; and (3) planning with me this amazing route. I'd also like to thank those who are nice enough to host us for a night - Wendy, Emily, Ilana, Larry, Kayli, Jenny, and Maija. We appreciate your company and look forward to spending a night with you all. As for our journey, it will take us through 29 states and the District of Columbia. Our path: (Day) Date - Start to End - By way of... (1) May 11 - Lake Hopatcong, NJ to Chicago, IL (2) May 12 - Chicago, IL to Cedar Falls, IA (3) May 13 - Cedar ... read more