7.30.2012

"Travel is only glamorous in retrospect."

The first three days you start thinking "I am totally going on craigslist when I get home. I am going to buy a trailer and I am definitely doing this more often but I am going to do it better and travel farther and longer, and really visit some of these quiet hidden gems in this country." The final three days you long for a dresser to put your clothes in and a reason to cook an elaborate meal.

This was my fifth trip across country. This was the first one I did with my mother.
Here was our itinerary*:
- Drove through Canada to Grayling, MI (an arbitrary location chosen by convenience). We were very fortunate and had no problems at either border.
- Crossed the Straight of Mackinaw into the upper peninsula and met Lake Superior for the first time. Ended up spending one night in Duluth because it was too sad and cold to stay there a second.
- Detroit Lakes, MN - the most pleasant and unsuspecting part of the trip, and awesome pizza!
- Bismarck, ND - had some steak and all the hotels were aimlessly overpriced.
- Billings, MT - they had a lot of pro-fracking paraphernalia around.
- Missoula, MT - I liked it so much, I was looking up houses on Trulia before dinner.
- Spokane, WA - I just wanted to see Adam.

(*This is a reference list for my mother, so she can stop asking me and start correctly identifying where we stayed...... love you, mom!)

The most giving friend I know. Packed up my entire trailer and included this fine Vespa!

The first night, we drove into a burning ring of fire.

Didji loved Lake Superior.

YEEEEEHAAaaaaw!



Bragging to Brian about having New Belgium and Shiner on tap.


We finally hit mountains!




 The view from our motel room in western Montana.

Home again, home again, jiggity jig...

Teddy and Aunt Tad are all settled in.




7.14.2012

Wasting away again, spring brake version.

What I mean is slam on those brakes and let's get the hell out of here... Or that's what I should have said halfway down the Keys during Spring Break season. It was not wild or overcrowded; I am not sure if our timing was just right or if all the kids just stay up in Miami. My complaint was that it is overpriced, chintzy, and dirty (but not in the charming New Orleans fashion). On the positive side, almost every meal was consumed outside and I got to see plenty of alligators! YEEhaaaw!! Oh yeah, and I swam with a 12ft reef shark - double yeehaw!

Start of our adventures, on Loop Rd/Country Rd 94, off of Route 41, the "Old" Alligator Alley.



Check the background... do you see? There were dozens of alligators everywhere, but he was the biggest, maybe 12 feet.

Great place for a picnic and a swim at Bahia Honda State Park.


Adam is channeling the mystique of Mr. Hemmingway.

Coral Castle - unsual, indeed! But one of my favorite stops on the trip.