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Published: August 17th 2008
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On Wednesday, July 30th, Amy (my best friend from high school for those of you who don’t know) set out to drive 2,000 miles across the lovely USA with the final destination being Alamosa, CO. The week prior to leaving home, I began freaking out a bit about the huge step I was about to take. However, on the day our trip began, I was excited for the adventure to begin. The goals of trip were to travel through states that neither of us had visited before and to not have my bike fall off of the back of the car. I’m glad to say both goals were completed, and I was able to log 8 new states in 6 days!
Our trip began in Maryland and passes through West Virginia before making our first stop in Louisville, Kentucky. In Louisville, we spent a day visiting Churchill Downs and the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory. At Churchill Downs, we toured the track where they run the famous Kentucky Derby every May. We were able to see horses practicing and even try on some derby hats! Then it was off to the Louisville Slugger Factory where we saw bat-making in progress.
Welcome to Illinois
We attempted to take pictures of each state's sign, and only failed at capturing Indiana's... They taught us everything from the wood that is used to the special requests of the Major League baseball players. Amy and I were particularly excited about the replica of Orioles Park at Camden Yards that they had in the museum, complete with cut-outs of Cal Ripken Jr. and Brady Anderson. And we even got free mini bats with the tour!
Next we stopped in St. Louis, Missouri to spend some time with some of Amy’s family. They treated us like queens for two days, treating us to dinner and sightseeing! But my favorite part was spending time with Amy’s ADORABLE one-year-old cousin, Olivia! She is quite possibly the cutest baby I’ve ever seen. On the second day in St. Louis we took a tour of the Anheiser-Busch Factory where we were able to taste some of they’re best brews. I also got to see the St. Louis Arch for the first time!
On our way to the next stop in Topeka, Kansas, we passed through Indiana and Illinois, crossing two more states off the list! I wish I could say Topeka was as awesome as the first two destinations, but unfortunately all we had to brag about
were moldy motel room carpets and Amy’s lop-sided bed…
The next day was going to be a long one, as we had the goal of getting to Colorado Springs by a reasonable time on Saturday so that we would have plenty of time to enjoy the sights. My brief summary of the state of Kansas is that it is EXTREMELY FLAT! Granted my past geography classes taught me that, but it didn’t sink in until I was there in the flesh. In order to break up our 18-hour drive, we did make one stop at Monument Park. It was home to these amazing chalk formations that were just sitting in the middle of some corn fields. They were formed thousands of years ago and are still massive!
Upon arriving in Colorado Springs, we set out to explore the Garden of the Gods. And I must say that if God was going to live anywhere besides heaven, it would have to be there. We walked through these amazingly gorgeous red-rock formations that were at the base of the mountains. As the sun was setting, we drove through the park to try to take in as much nature as we
Jesus?
Weird billboard #1 could before dark. Besides feeling a little funky due to the high elevation (6,000 feet!), this was by far my favorite stop on the trip. We ate dinner at this awesome brewery in downtown CO Springs, and then retired for the night to get ready for the final day of sightseeing. On Sunday, we stopped at Amy’s new favorite place - the Air Force Academy - to attend church at the school’s chapel. It was a beautiful steel and glass building stretching towards the sky that holds services for Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim students. Then, we headed south a bit to Manitou Springs where we did some window shopping and then headed to the top of Pike’s Peak. As one of the top 15 highest peaks in Colorado, Pike’s Peak sits at 14,110 feet. While I would like to say we hiked to the top, we spent a lovely 3 hours riding on a cog-railway train to the top. Once at the top, we had the most amazing view of the surrounding mountains, Colorado Springs, and even into Kansas - before it started raining that is! However, before we were able to get too disappointed, a rainbow appeared over
the mountain-side. A beautiful ending to an amazing trip!
Finally, after 30 hours of driving, we arrive in beautiful Alamosa, CO where I will be spending the next 15 months! I got settled into my new room and then headed off to dinner to meet all of the other volunteers. Overall, our adventure went pretty smoothly. We only almost ran out of gas twice (although once was in the back-country in West Virginia…). We documented some interesting billboards and other sights along the way. Most importantly, I’m so grateful for the time Amy and I spent together! Even going to college near each other, we never got to hang out as much as we would have liked. It was the perfect post-graduation trip to make up for lost time!
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Trudie
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I see your photography skills are coming in handy! Love the blog!