tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90305529897015983192024-03-19T07:35:55.473-04:00LK & Web's Roadtrip Across AMER'CADiscovering America from the pleasant suburban sprawl of Germantown, MD to the used car lots of Vancouver, WA. But more importantly all the cool stuff, good eats, friends, and camping in-between.laurenlovesroadtripshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00970647142707663330noreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9030552989701598319.post-11064821143282973272009-06-08T05:44:00.001-04:002009-06-08T05:45:51.256-04:00LK's Final Thoughts<div style="text-align: center;">(Why should only Jerry Springer and Andy Rooney get them?)<br /></div><br />America is a large and diverse country impossible to see within just 9 days, not even a whole month. But certainly, the parts you can get to are worth going to. Some parts of the country are really weird, some of the people are vastly different, but in the words of Sean Hannity (whom we took the advantage of laughing at since we had satellite radio), "We are all American." To understand your neighbors, your fellow man, you should visit them and try to understand them.<br /><br />I would recommend a lengthy roadtrip adventure to absolutely everyone regardless of age or origin. Roadtripping is about freedom, the journey, and spontaneity. It was an awesome way to kick-off not only what will be a fun summer in Portland, but a new chapter of my life as a part of the workforce and on the path to full financial independence. This road trip was also a great way of bonding with Web on an adventure neither of us will forget.<br /><br />Beef is the choice meat of America. If you are a vegetarian or vegan roadtripping and really experiencing America, you are gonna miss out on some beefy eats. I recommend lapsing into carnivorous sin before you get on the freeway.<br /><br />Jesus is alive and well in America. The Bible Belt can get really hardcore.<br /><br />America is actually creating some renewable energy from wind turbines. I have evidenced them with my own eyes. I know people sometimes complain about how they look or that they may kill a bat or bird on occasion, but 1) shiny glass building kill way more flying animals, and 2) I think the gigantic white titans, swirling their arms in circles are beautiful compared to a steam cloud from a nuclear plant or a layer of smog from a coal plant.<br /><br />I went to school at an extremely divserse university. I was a solid minority in the vast majority of the places we visited along this roadtrip. I was in culture shock in places like Iowa.<br /><br />I would totally do this again, at the first chance I get, once I get some vacation days and money. I think the next destination is exploring the Southwest and Texas... maybe New Orleans...<br /><br />I also hope all my and Web's family and friends enjoyed following us on this journey. We were thinking of you along the way.laurenlovesroadtripshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00970647142707663330noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9030552989701598319.post-14303941504653543882009-06-08T05:02:00.014-04:002009-06-08T05:44:33.196-04:00Home, Sweet Home (and a Stop at Bend)Sunday, June 7th, was the last day of our amazing roadtrip across Amer'ca. We started realizing we had to work the next day and mild dread and plots to run away to Canada or Texas spontaneously occurred throughout the day.<br /><br />I slept hardcore at Diamond Lake, and both Web and I agreed that sleepinging in the outdoors feels so much better than indoor sleeping. I'd agree more fully if it hadn't been super cold that night in tent that isn't very well insulated.<br /><br />However, due to a combination of Sunday's Day of Rest implications and 8 days on the road (and possibly drugged olives) I passed out in the car most of the day and didn't record much by way of film or photographs. Documentary fail. Web accounts I was very passed out and slippig into dream sleep cycles quick. At some point I had a nightmare about a centipede and scared myself awake.<br /><br />When I woke up, we had made it to Bend, OR. A little out of the way, yes, but we figured downtown might have something cool to do. As it turns out, Bend isn't interesting at all, despite being the largest city in Central Oregon. But we did find a Sonic for lunch, Web's first Sonic. For those of you that haven't seen the savory teaser commercials on TV, Sonic is America's drive-in and they have a plethora of choices of food and drinks:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7YkIgU0YEA2vUIUQO46RShS8VGTDw4Fj2kCQs5F_6k91B6CuRXt8iOQ103GJ8t3IJDZfncpHmF9PMJHVfxokn9WOsYH2z9ZhcPtn7N_MBYl-If58xEPNPScb4WPHfiIxK0LVCe7Q5elY/s1600-h/DSC02329.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7YkIgU0YEA2vUIUQO46RShS8VGTDw4Fj2kCQs5F_6k91B6CuRXt8iOQ103GJ8t3IJDZfncpHmF9PMJHVfxokn9WOsYH2z9ZhcPtn7N_MBYl-If58xEPNPScb4WPHfiIxK0LVCe7Q5elY/s320/DSC02329.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344879699494631090" border="0" /></a><br />We got some grub for the road:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8SuBp57VWrUlpIdZeRJzjSeCCVGGVLkeP_uLFlnS4okpGKpS1qwk48PNO750UBl8D8bY07c_SLbEx1BzuhC5U09nHbqfMuGFwrXNe1sCtJO9JQrAPRwcVWSt7ppn9g_m59k038jDe6iM/s1600-h/DSC02334.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8SuBp57VWrUlpIdZeRJzjSeCCVGGVLkeP_uLFlnS4okpGKpS1qwk48PNO750UBl8D8bY07c_SLbEx1BzuhC5U09nHbqfMuGFwrXNe1sCtJO9JQrAPRwcVWSt7ppn9g_m59k038jDe6iM/s320/DSC02334.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344880891128110498" border="0" />home</a><br />Mmmmmm, limeade:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRM8by9m2o-kiXzCz3f5oGGIG2uzRvlXAOACKhB4Z5So6ZLEFoR9GoUtFNFwLruI4IgEXDoSC9pCpDiIcrG3XSZcwGjrR2BUElFpMbSAOgALGptuo5PgSGFaOqYdhA-qiUn9eGPRVO_xc/s1600-h/DSC02335.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRM8by9m2o-kiXzCz3f5oGGIG2uzRvlXAOACKhB4Z5So6ZLEFoR9GoUtFNFwLruI4IgEXDoSC9pCpDiIcrG3XSZcwGjrR2BUElFpMbSAOgALGptuo5PgSGFaOqYdhA-qiUn9eGPRVO_xc/s320/DSC02335.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344880960538669154" border="0" /></a><br />Mmmmmm, jalepeno burger:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzjoH8eFOQIYOY1PB_Pp4vxP0m7h52uNSmbGHC90mvSJ2CAaUOstfTBkakXe1twVz_YactVJxnnyQJB_C7KZWhyphenhyphenDrqpY0olohBt4j0DnfkiRDfCPV-X1Rblf8wPPR-LQo8debixE_3lRw/s1600-h/DSC02333.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzjoH8eFOQIYOY1PB_Pp4vxP0m7h52uNSmbGHC90mvSJ2CAaUOstfTBkakXe1twVz_YactVJxnnyQJB_C7KZWhyphenhyphenDrqpY0olohBt4j0DnfkiRDfCPV-X1Rblf8wPPR-LQo8debixE_3lRw/s320/DSC02333.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344879782559011538" border="0" /></a><br />Mmmmm onion rings:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguYadIHzht71FOE3svci8w2Bc6RL2gq8My50TTboVQ_YO7TiEwHtw6SoTfCtKvU53zpEbyRrSoDpxLag837QpGfsmZCyMiz3lGEzsJtWrIeV3tbMkvTHkmHSl1iPy_Rv-oAeyjuOvuZnQ/s1600-h/DSC02338.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguYadIHzht71FOE3svci8w2Bc6RL2gq8My50TTboVQ_YO7TiEwHtw6SoTfCtKvU53zpEbyRrSoDpxLag837QpGfsmZCyMiz3lGEzsJtWrIeV3tbMkvTHkmHSl1iPy_Rv-oAeyjuOvuZnQ/s320/DSC02338.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344882425551171874" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl3xBWUjOlUVEmw_aZDucq47-TS0uIouKJtMprqw3S4JHZMkXxP4rZembYailsRQxu5QKqGyA08E8hVrzYBcz1cqlOGpTuHOkgq5xHVxZpemIpk4Slj9ubG4dazTmcg-M0-xhjnxnDMCw/s1600-h/DSC02337.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl3xBWUjOlUVEmw_aZDucq47-TS0uIouKJtMprqw3S4JHZMkXxP4rZembYailsRQxu5QKqGyA08E8hVrzYBcz1cqlOGpTuHOkgq5xHVxZpemIpk4Slj9ubG4dazTmcg-M0-xhjnxnDMCw/s320/DSC02337.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344882503763275586" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixGbW-PDNL-rLdWGnSKrvmPHy-gnaf1MyXAo2d5sOobgB7kK5zHq2ongmlFOJ01JiGQHdh8C4KTpT2B8M0pm-JUKfxcsj8_wIbPW4HmbLL_BpLKWAvD0IORoMoSgiAXKn4fTUfi3rLbz4/s1600-h/DSC02336.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixGbW-PDNL-rLdWGnSKrvmPHy-gnaf1MyXAo2d5sOobgB7kK5zHq2ongmlFOJ01JiGQHdh8C4KTpT2B8M0pm-JUKfxcsj8_wIbPW4HmbLL_BpLKWAvD0IORoMoSgiAXKn4fTUfi3rLbz4/s320/DSC02336.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344882575453336946" border="0" /></a><br />After Sonic, which was a tasty meal, we headed towards my hometown of Vancouver, WA. Again, I must have slipped into a deep food coma or Sonic's secret sauce is roofies, because I was out cold until we got well into Washington state.<br /><br />I'd like to proudly point out how that our state route signs are the profile silhouettes of a bust of Geroge Washington's head. They are cute:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzxzhugGgu9ZYam7NUKzOadLqLkwXcCTEVNUC6rvnJ5HwfdTSXjuE_9YrpPJMBnt-yP8dLDyGGOvmbDDGhISs9pL8mXmrL4HBTbrL5MoCNEPvKjR1CrkIlr1u4eFr-np3KmgsVW_WJP44/s1600-h/DSC02342.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzxzhugGgu9ZYam7NUKzOadLqLkwXcCTEVNUC6rvnJ5HwfdTSXjuE_9YrpPJMBnt-yP8dLDyGGOvmbDDGhISs9pL8mXmrL4HBTbrL5MoCNEPvKjR1CrkIlr1u4eFr-np3KmgsVW_WJP44/s320/DSC02342.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344883070550477106" border="0" /></a><br />Also, that the people of the Northwest have adapted to live in a climate without sunlight, much like bats and small albino cave-dwelling animals on Planet Earth:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHmZuGxog5D5TVEIimich2B9CZdv3ev-DOW4HsSXu8n_5LqbcafGDXRlwIgcDcaeIcrHlE3Kn6k8Vzxu6Z6l1TkONE1LuX1t2Quva-tbm3Yr2jxSBBK6f2hjQgpTw0yQs_S42hxesSHiQ/s1600-h/DSC02343.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHmZuGxog5D5TVEIimich2B9CZdv3ev-DOW4HsSXu8n_5LqbcafGDXRlwIgcDcaeIcrHlE3Kn6k8Vzxu6Z6l1TkONE1LuX1t2Quva-tbm3Yr2jxSBBK6f2hjQgpTw0yQs_S42hxesSHiQ/s320/DSC02343.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344883142428352786" border="0" /></a><br />In the Hazell Dell neighborhood of Vancouver, WA, where I am from and where my mother and brother live, there is a cornocopia of fast food joints, used car lots, strip malls, and big box stores. In fact, it reminds me of Cincinnati. Except we have an awesome fast food burger joint called Burgerville with seasonal milkshakes and the option of veggie burgers:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqfcvt_OldJ_FT-ZDlzSWodSTuD32W7XNuq0iyQEKUDRsnVdwZ30Vlv6lgYJsu8mnMPT8WD4srQy1-qSaF2_zJdQUz5_Sie0gdCIAyIuAlQEYx8Z8FxdiGdaIDkeXVznYrxOH2jvdHo50/s1600-h/DSC02346.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqfcvt_OldJ_FT-ZDlzSWodSTuD32W7XNuq0iyQEKUDRsnVdwZ30Vlv6lgYJsu8mnMPT8WD4srQy1-qSaF2_zJdQUz5_Sie0gdCIAyIuAlQEYx8Z8FxdiGdaIDkeXVznYrxOH2jvdHo50/s320/DSC02346.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344883215561051554" border="0" /></a><br />If you ever visit my next of the woods, you should try a Tillamook cheeseburger and a shake.<br /><br />We got to my mom's house and unloaded all my stuff into the house. I took a much needed shower after conversating with my family for a bit. Web and I then joined his parents, also Vancouverites, for a homemade dinner. Yum yum. I have met the majority of the Web clan in a matter of 9 days, incredible.laurenlovesroadtripshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00970647142707663330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9030552989701598319.post-90154532070632120742009-06-08T04:34:00.012-04:002009-06-08T05:02:02.494-04:00Crater Lake & Diamond Lake CampingWe got into Crater Lake National Park in Oregon in the early evening of Saturday. The elevation got a lot higher, and we got a lot colder, since apparently snow at Crate Lake doesn't melt by early June. But here is the crater, the lake inside, and Wizard Island:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFZsGasD8p86R14e_6gYMcg_XVXauSrVWX0MIzV8CoygCZayq5_pzhbRoTcLxf7LJftOtsPVoDW9hjuJa1qNvo64sgPoTDFW0Vncx-87-GVY9WlNmzf9xBv-HjB5Jt5_bW5tclI_BmWPs/s1600-h/DSC02288.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFZsGasD8p86R14e_6gYMcg_XVXauSrVWX0MIzV8CoygCZayq5_pzhbRoTcLxf7LJftOtsPVoDW9hjuJa1qNvo64sgPoTDFW0Vncx-87-GVY9WlNmzf9xBv-HjB5Jt5_bW5tclI_BmWPs/s320/DSC02288.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344872638625606658" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzwN3r4Jm6_beKJqRI1tZtYg4XjO709hoyZwKJda2ia4UQA0ktkUt8zyfe4Mm-bkjbFQgKVVrHSBr4gXEVCoLdj48CQPuHDlzXIXSSk0Y6vYm8cE7fyC8GvoaaGxshHZIjkDAao6DKRNY/s1600-h/DSC02289.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzwN3r4Jm6_beKJqRI1tZtYg4XjO709hoyZwKJda2ia4UQA0ktkUt8zyfe4Mm-bkjbFQgKVVrHSBr4gXEVCoLdj48CQPuHDlzXIXSSk0Y6vYm8cE7fyC8GvoaaGxshHZIjkDAao6DKRNY/s320/DSC02289.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344872711133873794" border="0" /></a><br />I have memories of Crater Lake from when I was a kid in the summer. We must have visited much later in the year, since it was hot and not just a few degrees above freezing. Crater Lake was formed by a volcanic eruption and the collection of water overtime. So the bacteria in Crater Lake are totally different since they have been isolated for so long. It is also one of the deepest lakes in the world.<br /><br />Web took an unflattering picture of me in from of the lake, I look like I have Down's:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9wuDBXRNsT0Um_2x1HbYdFrnsfBJNGd-TEr0AJEj9O6UEaMINyc-G0tmlu79UC4q6xRPIp1L8QEgXpoUDZrnWtZ5x9nvMFexxc_X87Sx6qMciEAIFVvU0Z46ntnwWv5JrY1BE2Sgqnmw/s1600-h/DSC02290.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9wuDBXRNsT0Um_2x1HbYdFrnsfBJNGd-TEr0AJEj9O6UEaMINyc-G0tmlu79UC4q6xRPIp1L8QEgXpoUDZrnWtZ5x9nvMFexxc_X87Sx6qMciEAIFVvU0Z46ntnwWv5JrY1BE2Sgqnmw/s320/DSC02290.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344872789204724594" border="0" /></a><br />And my picture of him turned out a lot better:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkCmsI7jUtUqf7xLT1idt-MdF4rzj6eX0aKBisHoUmKk38G9fRCfcWmvbDQMXk0AqHJ8KJh8qMcEIto2a4xqCeXRbDJGctk1ra9khmgp6Hudyq-Lml_xYFvRteriZUh-SF66hKN1SdgQk/s1600-h/DSC02292.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkCmsI7jUtUqf7xLT1idt-MdF4rzj6eX0aKBisHoUmKk38G9fRCfcWmvbDQMXk0AqHJ8KJh8qMcEIto2a4xqCeXRbDJGctk1ra9khmgp6Hudyq-Lml_xYFvRteriZUh-SF66hKN1SdgQk/s320/DSC02292.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344872856369927058" border="0" /></a><br />The views are nice in the Cascades, one of the reasons why Oregon is better than every other state.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC7hW5EPjrXlLZuPVmytm1pAam3sGqQV43culi7Q3R2nWw2mfvwu5MzHSnOq8PgMaccF0ksn57bZ0QsxyCJ0UKBjGHqMC3xkHhvPjJY7OK8RgWAPKmmReQWRBBJFnMl2QIoNYVHXxg2F8/s1600-h/DSC02299.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC7hW5EPjrXlLZuPVmytm1pAam3sGqQV43culi7Q3R2nWw2mfvwu5MzHSnOq8PgMaccF0ksn57bZ0QsxyCJ0UKBjGHqMC3xkHhvPjJY7OK8RgWAPKmmReQWRBBJFnMl2QIoNYVHXxg2F8/s320/DSC02299.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344872971422776178" border="0" /></a><br />This peak was really high:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjId1cetozvIQhNKC27va8dOVZw9tRzlUSbSkMsvXnZLp79y-QIFeaOmJWteCL0cuTD2d0ab8MMdWZqtbtuwQKZpT6DityLQwV9KSoRtMENt8UcTvk4dvSvR27RVZQfyt_c6hU09-TnU6g/s1600-h/DSC02306.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjId1cetozvIQhNKC27va8dOVZw9tRzlUSbSkMsvXnZLp79y-QIFeaOmJWteCL0cuTD2d0ab8MMdWZqtbtuwQKZpT6DityLQwV9KSoRtMENt8UcTvk4dvSvR27RVZQfyt_c6hU09-TnU6g/s320/DSC02306.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344873045733979490" border="0" /></a><br />Crater Lake has a long way to go until the snow melts...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghNqcr213InnwpvAU_rrUdyvB80wBkYuCi4N4WnIGKr0dBqLRnQakVIMjXPPSCKBUzpXvZacirVQAdZz0iMvlsGYF1dDTj2bAByNQNtX7QIhVz9hCtgPTJm9iPFb0LVewtPgm2NJktmqI/s1600-h/DSC02307.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghNqcr213InnwpvAU_rrUdyvB80wBkYuCi4N4WnIGKr0dBqLRnQakVIMjXPPSCKBUzpXvZacirVQAdZz0iMvlsGYF1dDTj2bAByNQNtX7QIhVz9hCtgPTJm9iPFb0LVewtPgm2NJktmqI/s320/DSC02307.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344873145711068930" border="0" /></a><br />And another pleasant snow landscape:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOIrUf0LoaGkztPtaqrCy6dKxJ4W7Pdyy1daCBF3odiZmQGMlPFGriwY_DWhpYf_qyFH3-wHFrtRPKZkyEQNVDFvwaZzmJkCqfNyGk-FpbwgysCbkuoCM-_aXc8g_shRGyLArnOZaUTi8/s1600-h/DSC02317.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOIrUf0LoaGkztPtaqrCy6dKxJ4W7Pdyy1daCBF3odiZmQGMlPFGriwY_DWhpYf_qyFH3-wHFrtRPKZkyEQNVDFvwaZzmJkCqfNyGk-FpbwgysCbkuoCM-_aXc8g_shRGyLArnOZaUTi8/s320/DSC02317.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344873250954415682" border="0" /></a><br />We camped at Diamond Lake that night, just north of Crater Lake. Real camping, no KOAs. It was also swarming with bugs and was freezing cold. I actually wore 4 layers of shirts and 2 layers of pants to bed, and a hat! Here is the lovely abode:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieUJ71h_PWhTCtiAxRUAunY_12KDPfTgpl_Vsw-ur2Y29jIPIBv9mvBiI-RAc3LTLo4hVYZ34L28eEPhYw9YKznQwDFzwD4vXlZwGkp7OiHsF1wfGL4dCLNdJ7RHpnSq3foCxDvbPYAQ0/s1600-h/DSC02325.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieUJ71h_PWhTCtiAxRUAunY_12KDPfTgpl_Vsw-ur2Y29jIPIBv9mvBiI-RAc3LTLo4hVYZ34L28eEPhYw9YKznQwDFzwD4vXlZwGkp7OiHsF1wfGL4dCLNdJ7RHpnSq3foCxDvbPYAQ0/s320/DSC02325.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344873431574978658" border="0" /></a><br />And we made a sweet campfire and roasted wieners over it and tossed back a couple brews:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilzwfmQaA015Fw1VaxRG_JAPTIPpTLpvFKbmxMLPbS-nruM1HJt_e1tm8eNX23djyP6G1Nk9LDQQ3zpb-7yXJWq7mLwsp1XNmHkqVz74LROaiIHFLdmLbqWrn5tC0GVyCP51K400Mjm88/s1600-h/DSC02324.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilzwfmQaA015Fw1VaxRG_JAPTIPpTLpvFKbmxMLPbS-nruM1HJt_e1tm8eNX23djyP6G1Nk9LDQQ3zpb-7yXJWq7mLwsp1XNmHkqVz74LROaiIHFLdmLbqWrn5tC0GVyCP51K400Mjm88/s320/DSC02324.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344873340796271618" border="0" /></a><br />And we were starting to get a little sad since this was our last night on the road, nearing the end of our grand cross-country adventure.laurenlovesroadtripshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00970647142707663330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9030552989701598319.post-17912865577722481062009-06-08T03:55:00.018-04:002009-06-08T04:34:16.345-04:00Jelly Beans, Olives, and Weed (CA)We left San Francisco on the morning of Saturday, June 6th. But before we left town entirely, we had to see the Golden Gate Bridge, since Web had managed to stay in SF for 2 weeks and not see it somehow:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-yZ4gxTTW9LvK4_tjTBNGL8mh3ss2xp4VyXlw00yJY1Tv42Dn82qJg9mSc2PiUyJ2RZe7AkLmPQUpcL5x1Bv34TxIqxdw9jhGbHNLc9E7gbC5gJpj4Nd84cmrr25A-wDhRWGP5jBeSRw/s1600-h/DSC02259.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-yZ4gxTTW9LvK4_tjTBNGL8mh3ss2xp4VyXlw00yJY1Tv42Dn82qJg9mSc2PiUyJ2RZe7AkLmPQUpcL5x1Bv34TxIqxdw9jhGbHNLc9E7gbC5gJpj4Nd84cmrr25A-wDhRWGP5jBeSRw/s320/DSC02259.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344862403316684050" border="0" /></a><br />Despite the name "Golden," this suspension bridge is misleadingly red, and even more misleadingly, is technically orange according to Wikipedia. Californians may be color-blind. I suspect "Golden" refers to the fact that California is the Golden State, not the Silver State like Nevada.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq-Sph_eKyaXFzzOr8kPdDLWeT-BxqueLQcksEhwusDIHxUuLzQlkPyXeSZtPQAeARFNUJMkyHm4KzdkUA9TfA9MGYkxJ6ua84tzIjl_09RO0wXlnIlbkrahA3fTl85GHpp2Lljx6YiYY/s1600-h/DSC02267.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq-Sph_eKyaXFzzOr8kPdDLWeT-BxqueLQcksEhwusDIHxUuLzQlkPyXeSZtPQAeARFNUJMkyHm4KzdkUA9TfA9MGYkxJ6ua84tzIjl_09RO0wXlnIlbkrahA3fTl85GHpp2Lljx6YiYY/s320/DSC02267.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344863735016188610" border="0" /></a><br />Once you cross the bridge, you are out of town. Good-bye San Francisco!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVSKeGASgdGRn7TJvHzIVI9LuDZmcJoCqHTgd4ePth4RgPXnJxkY_GWRhfmDp3HWjbyj_-tw3YoF-hCQlZyCLW8JjBNkYh9GQhL8pMSB3EGZJinmWxXvAI_N2pAq1TOf_vyRBgynl6DO0/s1600-h/DSC02270.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVSKeGASgdGRn7TJvHzIVI9LuDZmcJoCqHTgd4ePth4RgPXnJxkY_GWRhfmDp3HWjbyj_-tw3YoF-hCQlZyCLW8JjBNkYh9GQhL8pMSB3EGZJinmWxXvAI_N2pAq1TOf_vyRBgynl6DO0/s320/DSC02270.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344863873932603682" border="0" /></a><br />On our way to I-5 to head to Crater Lake we stopped at a Jelly Belly outlet store (since we missed the factory). Jelly Bellies are a native food to Californians, like Ronald Reagan. Apparently the Jelly Belly factory has commemorated Reagan with a portrait made entirely of Jelly Bellies. Neoconservatism has never been so flavorful! But the outlet was nice, since I don't have to put any crappy flavors in my bag (i.e. Licorice, Dr. Pepper, Tutti Frutti, etc.) Instead I loaded up on Juicy Pear, Peach, Margarita, Mango, etc.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUfA2dj780D-ujW_bMp3Ixaw09EG3uCIAfljL_G6i5LpdbpSJkbGYD3S7SFRja-rimqwqnJMwdtNNDDZs1G4DJKSyuDLaNJOm0upkzDaUa7E6g3uiQfxtzRwAa8he1pzSwWy5XbO9XVlw/s1600-h/DSC02272.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUfA2dj780D-ujW_bMp3Ixaw09EG3uCIAfljL_G6i5LpdbpSJkbGYD3S7SFRja-rimqwqnJMwdtNNDDZs1G4DJKSyuDLaNJOm0upkzDaUa7E6g3uiQfxtzRwAa8he1pzSwWy5XbO9XVlw/s320/DSC02272.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344863999052072370" border="0" /></a><br />The outlets also sell giant 2 lb. bags of their reject beans, entitled "Belly Flops." Since my mom goes out of her way to each the deformed jelly beans, I bought her bag of just funky ones:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFu0nLNZmrSUfagjgLdKaCtv69NxcnJd4eO4lBVvQjrqs8A6NrSG64zLUqnRvm07ygwp4HnZRSJlSl4rrM0fYOl0GA6UQRWTLgkl9a0_RArD7lOnO3iTdqdiCxDp8_FacRnrIKr2_PiUA/s1600-h/DSC02273.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFu0nLNZmrSUfagjgLdKaCtv69NxcnJd4eO4lBVvQjrqs8A6NrSG64zLUqnRvm07ygwp4HnZRSJlSl4rrM0fYOl0GA6UQRWTLgkl9a0_RArD7lOnO3iTdqdiCxDp8_FacRnrIKr2_PiUA/s320/DSC02273.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344864114461608770" border="0" /></a><br />Once we got onto I-5 we passed farms, orchards, burbs, but the roadside billboards for the Olive Pit in Corning, CA caught our eye. AKA, caught my eye since I love olives. So we made a stop at the Olive City:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqNFl8RX_z4aOrJxBp-g_XdHekzCYh9HhIeXvGX3mhPREKBq2ssDmB6RkjDccExWhepw-4X_NQxoJk3Q04HheimoV9u-LrXBR_M68cd-Te725w1huBHGAwxAYrPbVqm0nNQXT-2B8Kjcs/s1600-h/ScreenHunter_01+Jun.+07+22.55.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqNFl8RX_z4aOrJxBp-g_XdHekzCYh9HhIeXvGX3mhPREKBq2ssDmB6RkjDccExWhepw-4X_NQxoJk3Q04HheimoV9u-LrXBR_M68cd-Te725w1huBHGAwxAYrPbVqm0nNQXT-2B8Kjcs/s320/ScreenHunter_01+Jun.+07+22.55.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344864761535515426" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXhasjZPOrAGEfpFCA9QbNxTHyIvqASze8fBHO9trFCljhInKqzPmTJrtcYBCMDx3zJsEzbbp60sNxN8M_l6GRfeEBr5maq_vfX8LsIGnbrV1zXrheZIcg5-k9St6YscD2EuaUWjhzmR0/s1600-h/ScreenHunter_02+Jun.+07+22.56.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 242px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXhasjZPOrAGEfpFCA9QbNxTHyIvqASze8fBHO9trFCljhInKqzPmTJrtcYBCMDx3zJsEzbbp60sNxN8M_l6GRfeEBr5maq_vfX8LsIGnbrV1zXrheZIcg5-k9St6YscD2EuaUWjhzmR0/s320/ScreenHunter_02+Jun.+07+22.56.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344864820416157170" border="0" /></a><br />The Olive Pit was awesome. They had 120 types of olive products and tastings. I ended up bringing back three jars: Deep South Cajun Style Pitted, Mediterranean, and Sicilian. Yum! And the brine of the Cajun ones will make for spicy martinis in the future.<br /><br />After Corning, I passed out for awhile. But I woke up when we were getting near Lake Shasta:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwdfeeQGtccqeXxR3UJHqlmTf5Ylb_FAfptvzebsHGEDwvKksbV7huny0jMItQKEL09g5166MNL5V7-BH8eFGV1Iud62v5-k1my1guy7KVyXmc306yVrIiEeKaSWblTRWFmSkQcvIiCdQ/s1600-h/DSC02276.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwdfeeQGtccqeXxR3UJHqlmTf5Ylb_FAfptvzebsHGEDwvKksbV7huny0jMItQKEL09g5166MNL5V7-BH8eFGV1Iud62v5-k1my1guy7KVyXmc306yVrIiEeKaSWblTRWFmSkQcvIiCdQ/s320/DSC02276.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344864383272339506" border="0" /></a><br />And soon we got closer to Mt. Shasta:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrPCZQQxTuFpg7qJsYIorHav82msG6Ev8rHJygImvSjug8EqTDxA80ZKtsW6CHicA_wlYo8KVGvXoiI4iT-ScHSl0SS3T49efl3SxJH1kZtIr-vjNMrzjuSwhUe2e6Y6kE0967rgBFzKE/s1600-h/ScreenHunter_08+Jun.+07+23.03.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrPCZQQxTuFpg7qJsYIorHav82msG6Ev8rHJygImvSjug8EqTDxA80ZKtsW6CHicA_wlYo8KVGvXoiI4iT-ScHSl0SS3T49efl3SxJH1kZtIr-vjNMrzjuSwhUe2e6Y6kE0967rgBFzKE/s320/ScreenHunter_08+Jun.+07+23.03.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344864997806253554" border="0" /></a><br />This view was from Weed, California, the junction between I-5 and Highway 97:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn9L46g5c3mLI5v4NORVLCofERCRQSrqwSU9d8JXVTGiudsMqEwB-lystk7rqXSzq87X2FiuvoeYJ-d40q1Dnuy6_eJxSSomdYsMlC57p891HeiC_jeLkHq3y9P4cu7TaLLAFwSPodhpM/s1600-h/ScreenHunter_09+Jun.+07+23.05.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn9L46g5c3mLI5v4NORVLCofERCRQSrqwSU9d8JXVTGiudsMqEwB-lystk7rqXSzq87X2FiuvoeYJ-d40q1Dnuy6_eJxSSomdYsMlC57p891HeiC_jeLkHq3y9P4cu7TaLLAFwSPodhpM/s320/ScreenHunter_09+Jun.+07+23.05.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344864933531022130" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPQMVOS6s6N1Yql8kKtmA6_I51v1NAFVw_z4X5z5YxUBRvEKnD4i70xuSI9fdtQIZBbQWT9z_shUbwiF5oMKkfuYUgNQVMpig8pFxAAXPUT5Pw9Di99QzB0VsRKmreAMtqVD-Q8MRgcck/s1600-h/DSC02283.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPQMVOS6s6N1Yql8kKtmA6_I51v1NAFVw_z4X5z5YxUBRvEKnD4i70xuSI9fdtQIZBbQWT9z_shUbwiF5oMKkfuYUgNQVMpig8pFxAAXPUT5Pw9Di99QzB0VsRKmreAMtqVD-Q8MRgcck/s320/DSC02283.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344864558672924322" border="0" /></a><br />They had clever souvenirs like an "I <3 WEED" T-shirt.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrQ_bkQ7wOukItVzhaqXDFoajaY9ByMB2tbtyOjoZGeI5M8Z8ddbbelEILA2xzG8Pt_7hR838LtOwH2eBkhlWRNe-Pl7wvUbhSaMSCcICVKkJ1Hlv_15oy8Ol0VCdRfA7BoOWVJiLEYfo/s1600-h/DSC02284.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrQ_bkQ7wOukItVzhaqXDFoajaY9ByMB2tbtyOjoZGeI5M8Z8ddbbelEILA2xzG8Pt_7hR838LtOwH2eBkhlWRNe-Pl7wvUbhSaMSCcICVKkJ1Hlv_15oy8Ol0VCdRfA7BoOWVJiLEYfo/s320/DSC02284.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344864670172022066" border="0" /></a><br />Other than that, there is not much in Weed.laurenlovesroadtripshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00970647142707663330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9030552989701598319.post-3726764369635006052009-06-08T02:50:00.028-04:002009-06-08T04:00:26.412-04:00Welcome to San FranciscoAfter eating our In-N-Out and getting out of the 'burbs, we headed back out on I-80. When started seeing a lot of water (the Bay), we new we were getting closer to our destination, San Francisco.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaQxDdQ9V3sDmTY7L4wqbfSA4Fo0wb1-uyCGoWdkkbJj6-7sSTvZoZJZR4nSnwBpypXUzlzg2DxK-VD-tlsJsQsyc1PfnKOimo-6KTNbAWDcTARb9Av78DvMW-demjAKZUshgwtn3on4g/s1600-h/DSC02254.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaQxDdQ9V3sDmTY7L4wqbfSA4Fo0wb1-uyCGoWdkkbJj6-7sSTvZoZJZR4nSnwBpypXUzlzg2DxK-VD-tlsJsQsyc1PfnKOimo-6KTNbAWDcTARb9Av78DvMW-demjAKZUshgwtn3on4g/s320/DSC02254.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344849032915236994" border="0" /></a><br />When we passed through Berkeley, we also knew we were in Berkeley by the lone protester on a walkway bridge who was shirtless and holding up a large sign. However, this man could have used a lesson or two in proper activism, since he was holding his sign opposite the direction of oncoming traffic... so whatever he was protesting, it will always be a mystery to us.<br /><br />Traffic also indicated we were nearing San Francisco:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh39V70y0BMnWZ9RzaUDnXoejrhyguUU9qvPyq0-s8apZ3JlKaRRD6rITJY-gvufKfEK0XU-H9UvcxYtWgni0ekm07ncYNCL9cow244Vf9sh9nL-lLpWSAMMecffCd_By-4hmWF-4kQAM0/s1600-h/DSC02256.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh39V70y0BMnWZ9RzaUDnXoejrhyguUU9qvPyq0-s8apZ3JlKaRRD6rITJY-gvufKfEK0XU-H9UvcxYtWgni0ekm07ncYNCL9cow244Vf9sh9nL-lLpWSAMMecffCd_By-4hmWF-4kQAM0/s320/DSC02256.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344851301474782002" border="0" /></a><br />California used to keep their prisoners here at Alcatraz:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIeKRgL8ennggqMKcoQDsWDfor7Eb77_UcuGdIzAC0ae5Spf3NmnG5KIqh0K3ZLfa2_Xe4wahuhFvpJsvOZB6CrIitzdTe381aNsFiqYRPM8eHrMB0ryf-uuvjVW4-lV3VAEi7U6Lz8xk/s1600-h/ScreenHunter_11+Jun.+06+02.40.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIeKRgL8ennggqMKcoQDsWDfor7Eb77_UcuGdIzAC0ae5Spf3NmnG5KIqh0K3ZLfa2_Xe4wahuhFvpJsvOZB6CrIitzdTe381aNsFiqYRPM8eHrMB0ryf-uuvjVW4-lV3VAEi7U6Lz8xk/s320/ScreenHunter_11+Jun.+06+02.40.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344851844302781170" border="0" /></a><br />Props to all the escapees that risked falling into the freezing cold water of the Bay. I feel like they should have gotten automatic parole if they managed to escape there.<br /><br />Interestingly, Treasure Island is actually located outside of SF, unlike the Caribbean like I had imagined:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTfA3_NG5AJ8N6Iyma_0JMde5c0_FeRXsSs0v64VWzvAQ-x1jPRp-FlUTrd-0PdH3uQqmLFYXgm91y4mriFDde5j0v0N8F1TxHCwIGAshkn5nfCIjP_89KCqiSQ-dDgrqjCr6RSWrHDOs/s1600-h/ScreenHunter_09+Jun.+06+02.39.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTfA3_NG5AJ8N6Iyma_0JMde5c0_FeRXsSs0v64VWzvAQ-x1jPRp-FlUTrd-0PdH3uQqmLFYXgm91y4mriFDde5j0v0N8F1TxHCwIGAshkn5nfCIjP_89KCqiSQ-dDgrqjCr6RSWrHDOs/s320/ScreenHunter_09+Jun.+06+02.39.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344849781376639970" border="0" /></a><br />The treasure wasn't in this tunnel:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqDDo_QKTUoRfj4eTRLMJrFh6d0j569d2r-px8H9WEf51qsKbBPKh6ebjHToFEIVLs4nfrc9gc1mkNxdJVek5wctod_qvLMLlKozieP3p85zQrt7UMKR-bluTi1npAEYj7Qaa6A_OuvtY/s1600-h/ScreenHunter_10+Jun.+06+02.40.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqDDo_QKTUoRfj4eTRLMJrFh6d0j569d2r-px8H9WEf51qsKbBPKh6ebjHToFEIVLs4nfrc9gc1mkNxdJVek5wctod_qvLMLlKozieP3p85zQrt7UMKR-bluTi1npAEYj7Qaa6A_OuvtY/s320/ScreenHunter_10+Jun.+06+02.40.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344850456645679906" border="0" /></a><br />Maybe the treasure is San Francisco itself? Here is the skyline from the interstate:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrg0MPkTE0hcknjA_oVo2vnPjD-w7Eu2pDvnSCvEMbDEV5Suen7SlxM-tSD6cMAUQ3X2SKWjidMl9_rPVKLDgUbFpus17HJpjXR8EzBqoP-UPc6PhQTKATD3HkSf0bGrRB2PZTZbqyLc8/s1600-h/ScreenHunter_13+Jun.+06+02.42.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrg0MPkTE0hcknjA_oVo2vnPjD-w7Eu2pDvnSCvEMbDEV5Suen7SlxM-tSD6cMAUQ3X2SKWjidMl9_rPVKLDgUbFpus17HJpjXR8EzBqoP-UPc6PhQTKATD3HkSf0bGrRB2PZTZbqyLc8/s320/ScreenHunter_13+Jun.+06+02.42.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344851159876516898" border="0" /></a><br />We found out thay many stereotypes about Californians are true in San Fran.<br /><br />For example, Californians like palm trees:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYJBUPNiT9nT1UOqMUq13TMfU4_LG1oLG34t0Jy9yYO9kTAAGekyXprDyudWJVVbd_bu5O6tGkkuYV3JbLuCeHQSLgIAFxGmIJnZqyviRzdKlnEy6CLGDH0mv73dOtqJGTMSlhRzGeIjs/s1600-h/ScreenHunter_15+Jun.+06+02.43.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYJBUPNiT9nT1UOqMUq13TMfU4_LG1oLG34t0Jy9yYO9kTAAGekyXprDyudWJVVbd_bu5O6tGkkuYV3JbLuCeHQSLgIAFxGmIJnZqyviRzdKlnEy6CLGDH0mv73dOtqJGTMSlhRzGeIjs/s320/ScreenHunter_15+Jun.+06+02.43.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344852510801881842" border="0" /></a><br />Californians like to surf:<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyQEmTzTe7ho8OkettDITFxwWoBV9z5_06EGKh2-_Nmz5QOh0IdhIDk0TAZaYJvYjyiE58DZK-HA5LCxO7upQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />Californians have the Smug (see South Park), driving hybrid cars and smelling their own farts:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiam7AGqUHAA2FlWJUE6KgDTgFvCNImvQ4BMUpdDbgjZhyNBUsn61tlH9_OMqZr_zLWdlvuV20gMCdAwcKso2xMX4h0FQBVjUyLi97ohQpNQBhWz_v_hyphenhyphenrPPyXPRwm9E8JtYavrie4TGXE/s1600-h/ScreenHunter_22+Jun.+06+02.52.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiam7AGqUHAA2FlWJUE6KgDTgFvCNImvQ4BMUpdDbgjZhyNBUsn61tlH9_OMqZr_zLWdlvuV20gMCdAwcKso2xMX4h0FQBVjUyLi97ohQpNQBhWz_v_hyphenhyphenrPPyXPRwm9E8JtYavrie4TGXE/s320/ScreenHunter_22+Jun.+06+02.52.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344852640889384914" border="0" /></a><br />Californians also are Obama voters and drive the official car of lesbians, Subarus:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFAxwc4OWwnNB4x9EK6dYGq0AYtTlgABUk4RyjuJEoRPF3FoFeAp1a_meGJWQgnCkiH24NlXhpRcZ1CcU0vgOpGjp1HZRbxrheMb_a9nO5FDUYJsse1Pm-gPqRS0rUK4HJRbkhrvdxyb0/s1600-h/ScreenHunter_23+Jun.+06+02.53.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFAxwc4OWwnNB4x9EK6dYGq0AYtTlgABUk4RyjuJEoRPF3FoFeAp1a_meGJWQgnCkiH24NlXhpRcZ1CcU0vgOpGjp1HZRbxrheMb_a9nO5FDUYJsse1Pm-gPqRS0rUK4HJRbkhrvdxyb0/s320/ScreenHunter_23+Jun.+06+02.53.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344852823421764018" border="0" /></a><br />California is also the last place on Earth where Volkswagen Beetles are cool:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9XLI1KPWICdNYsSc5IHXfIg2Vn0guuifZpSaDqM9ysvsnKe11kQaspocvqdu38CFTOPK6_e_hJRsUTs6vPytWO16VezW5eHDAhBBIL3PBLB70SmmdATrdjOY1dvfXWHp_HumIxv6OL2k/s1600-h/ScreenHunter_25+Jun.+06+02.55.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9XLI1KPWICdNYsSc5IHXfIg2Vn0guuifZpSaDqM9ysvsnKe11kQaspocvqdu38CFTOPK6_e_hJRsUTs6vPytWO16VezW5eHDAhBBIL3PBLB70SmmdATrdjOY1dvfXWHp_HumIxv6OL2k/s320/ScreenHunter_25+Jun.+06+02.55.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344854793972832338" border="0" /></a><br />Did I mention they really like hybrid cars? So smug.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaFFzrzjIgg4TZ39fC5v3rqMZnFHLaFbSZcktVUPnuGsoSzQI36X6bFt4atNsh05aV3Mp-ZMmTvOga4rsunUljKGGKJ2t5BxZNR4iVWyV_hFD7oeCVWklqpNODlxMmFJR_QsRdRCS6a4Q/s1600-h/ScreenHunter_26+Jun.+06+02.56.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 242px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaFFzrzjIgg4TZ39fC5v3rqMZnFHLaFbSZcktVUPnuGsoSzQI36X6bFt4atNsh05aV3Mp-ZMmTvOga4rsunUljKGGKJ2t5BxZNR4iVWyV_hFD7oeCVWklqpNODlxMmFJR_QsRdRCS6a4Q/s320/ScreenHunter_26+Jun.+06+02.56.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344852899414408114" border="0" /></a><br />Californians may also be perverts...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dw624P5MSTNHNzlWqIQHrzMoBjIGz6YTU9iMER6HPJrCj1ekkIaQWJM--8ORkQPwiKCXWoNIrydturgAtHXuQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">...since they have a ton of strip clubs:<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhld4wm0bbC_IDzijR0oHc6KMNHL2vB5whwwSAahijDu95bsaGC6vI5KjWNaeNvtVSZSX2WLUBbYSfHpNWPToDjbLlaQoMPricb3fl7Yc7C9rD5y3ufLGpvXzjhKMtIm4KNTLwhFnvzo3g/s1600-h/ScreenHunter_18+Jun.+06+02.48.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhld4wm0bbC_IDzijR0oHc6KMNHL2vB5whwwSAahijDu95bsaGC6vI5KjWNaeNvtVSZSX2WLUBbYSfHpNWPToDjbLlaQoMPricb3fl7Yc7C9rD5y3ufLGpvXzjhKMtIm4KNTLwhFnvzo3g/s320/ScreenHunter_18+Jun.+06+02.48.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344858252288618322" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ifjQZtIse5oBc4FTVjzNCcn5RzhLpT03k-ng3Y9ycSq4_uXfTPvuidT4rSraSyA6nvPaCbxtU4vKjTgIULmv0pVW-2DNq0iBe-SW43TFwHp8eRzSd53z9giWNmBciWsLtujHkr8k6vU/s1600-h/ScreenHunter_17+Jun.+06+02.48.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ifjQZtIse5oBc4FTVjzNCcn5RzhLpT03k-ng3Y9ycSq4_uXfTPvuidT4rSraSyA6nvPaCbxtU4vKjTgIULmv0pVW-2DNq0iBe-SW43TFwHp8eRzSd53z9giWNmBciWsLtujHkr8k6vU/s320/ScreenHunter_17+Jun.+06+02.48.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344858464253870162" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">There are also a lot of Chinese people in California:<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz96OE66GWLqBJq7fVxcVsQ7VPq8dCTqeBzRsKbBPi68rUraGbqG6BTv752FHhZKWehhHiDbbrWXir9twpEqtHSWKdDhmZxPcRq8nWH7S8Sc_dSIcscR20lXbXlpjEY5KFf5K8gUzFC-0/s1600-h/ScreenHunter_21+Jun.+06+02.51.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz96OE66GWLqBJq7fVxcVsQ7VPq8dCTqeBzRsKbBPi68rUraGbqG6BTv752FHhZKWehhHiDbbrWXir9twpEqtHSWKdDhmZxPcRq8nWH7S8Sc_dSIcscR20lXbXlpjEY5KFf5K8gUzFC-0/s320/ScreenHunter_21+Jun.+06+02.51.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344855778397323442" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtf_S3DM1v3zf9UvDCO-vTjLCJD2EEzG4z6_7OKqaZL5odk_Ka6NughmRDvXEPAjQAb-tjwXbWBaN-JqHK5IDCcKuLaTHa9-IXHQ1s_QMfKDaXiUh-4rMxqDEbD24AFYS5_vG-6W9QVPw/s1600-h/ScreenHunter_20+Jun.+06+02.50.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 242px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtf_S3DM1v3zf9UvDCO-vTjLCJD2EEzG4z6_7OKqaZL5odk_Ka6NughmRDvXEPAjQAb-tjwXbWBaN-JqHK5IDCcKuLaTHa9-IXHQ1s_QMfKDaXiUh-4rMxqDEbD24AFYS5_vG-6W9QVPw/s320/ScreenHunter_20+Jun.+06+02.50.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344855849478987426" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDmHms-e4Adv3AVQHjl6Zu6YxMdtOGZcwVOFvC11ok3bEbr4a9G7PnltEkBExGRBtcNxuussNPL8uriTsWQgHK062nGbJ9r6FCRGkk8vbrmMeb6xFG6ScDvUhTXdXKLFPqN7rroM2o5wo/s1600-h/ScreenHunter_19+Jun.+06+02.49.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDmHms-e4Adv3AVQHjl6Zu6YxMdtOGZcwVOFvC11ok3bEbr4a9G7PnltEkBExGRBtcNxuussNPL8uriTsWQgHK062nGbJ9r6FCRGkk8vbrmMeb6xFG6ScDvUhTXdXKLFPqN7rroM2o5wo/s320/ScreenHunter_19+Jun.+06+02.49.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344855698610953682" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: left;">Some stereotypes about San Francisco are also true, like that there are many hills:<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVGdJn1piCuoz-oa-UYm-ZFww2AlHNEmdMRomebgnCDRIQotfwFw-dYFwlfxDb8WP8cp_hQtSlUmUZhwhQWqjoae00t7eCROqEMH14KFII01v7Cu-LB5Dry98PTXXqwxtUFxJEYFxeX_s/s1600-h/ScreenHunter_27+Jun.+06+02.57.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVGdJn1piCuoz-oa-UYm-ZFww2AlHNEmdMRomebgnCDRIQotfwFw-dYFwlfxDb8WP8cp_hQtSlUmUZhwhQWqjoae00t7eCROqEMH14KFII01v7Cu-LB5Dry98PTXXqwxtUFxJEYFxeX_s/s320/ScreenHunter_27+Jun.+06+02.57.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344857235647124338" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">There are also a lot of gays in San Francisco, even this pug is crossdressing using a feather boa instead of a leash:<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzIT86dD07LAyI_QdyFvT8bQ9ogvD-CR2j_0Otdvg_jDS9-rVg1m8yi0LJNLY8h2Buvula4UqQRH_NoBvTkOV243LqjgVN5xtpvLNmwpRgrMAhHEZbNotfMUusX0c0QbWb1L4RWFYG2vM/s1600-h/ScreenHunter_24+Jun.+06+02.54.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzIT86dD07LAyI_QdyFvT8bQ9ogvD-CR2j_0Otdvg_jDS9-rVg1m8yi0LJNLY8h2Buvula4UqQRH_NoBvTkOV243LqjgVN5xtpvLNmwpRgrMAhHEZbNotfMUusX0c0QbWb1L4RWFYG2vM/s320/ScreenHunter_24+Jun.+06+02.54.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344857171100417490" border="0" /></a></div><br />But after a little driving we neared Web's sister's neighborhood in North Beach, near the Italian neighborhood (our crash pad for the night). Parking was a bit of a hassle. However, San Francisco is very considerate of your blood pressure needs as well:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyayi_osepvEWnyfAoGil2TR-Z6nirt9hsUfJM71Z_G1vy0E8vktRawyK40TtroxVwOq-fyDwXgv1Hlu2R-Vw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /></div><br />Once we actually parked, Jenny, Web's sister, has a cute little apartment and a very friendly and pleasant roommate and cat. How quaint! We chitchatted for awhile then headed to Japantown to go to San Wang's, my mothers favorite Chinese restaurant from when she lived in the heart of SF. It was also on Travel Channel, as is a ton of food for the money. I ordered the San Wang Soup, which was actually a lot like Korean soups I have had. In addition to the kimchi served at the table and the Korean names for some dishes I suspect this resturant may be owned by Koreans or ethnic Koreans from China, since there was some Korean-style Chinese food on the menu.<br /><br />After San Wang's we retired for the evening, but only after I made a large number of blog posts.laurenlovesroadtripshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00970647142707663330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9030552989701598319.post-37337429697276255632009-06-06T11:44:00.016-04:002009-06-06T12:13:30.746-04:00California, Knows How to PartyNot too far from Reno, NV is the California state line.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI-FOTi-RdZpdGBMiPywsyCq45AFZrXhy2vpEhIyjjgeIaiCia6ITBW0QAfwTPnabRrYlD4QhCdM1YMPxnziqdkgwwB45ZPEndErLfV9JtRQIg8L43XCSrBO7krbHwozTHPY9QysuBwcQ/s1600-h/ScreenHunter_02+Jun.+06+02.33.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI-FOTi-RdZpdGBMiPywsyCq45AFZrXhy2vpEhIyjjgeIaiCia6ITBW0QAfwTPnabRrYlD4QhCdM1YMPxnziqdkgwwB45ZPEndErLfV9JtRQIg8L43XCSrBO7krbHwozTHPY9QysuBwcQ/s320/ScreenHunter_02+Jun.+06+02.33.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344241428462763282" border="0" /></a><br />The driving in California instantly became more difficult as we entered the Sierra Nevada range, and that was before we encountered many California drivers:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhONjAEViZ7UmnIg2VW5itBiJl9um7w07oDRBzIIIP5a2Wy_8P1wmJJ4RPSEeTB4lMo9oqQ1AksYch5S4kRSjP6r5ZVjMULwDOtzIH-GSRbAdMm_B0Iz5tsaVCnQ2Pd20hF3d741425eNY/s1600-h/DSC02233.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhONjAEViZ7UmnIg2VW5itBiJl9um7w07oDRBzIIIP5a2Wy_8P1wmJJ4RPSEeTB4lMo9oqQ1AksYch5S4kRSjP6r5ZVjMULwDOtzIH-GSRbAdMm_B0Iz5tsaVCnQ2Pd20hF3d741425eNY/s320/DSC02233.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344241164400343906" border="0" /></a><br />Difficult but aesthetically pleasing driving:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOTGUQtvklArIoc3GOQoqKU7-Iz0qwLqJ5xMt9mdAgEC32Qpo0U3bgvaDnj5rGL_s3pgosL1Rrv0uLhlmVJSTFtqjkLVwh_YHOWNpyQ-Y2HKVA-pW8zt7PHLtrHFv-LFtETqBHKq3AFRs/s1600-h/DSC02239.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOTGUQtvklArIoc3GOQoqKU7-Iz0qwLqJ5xMt9mdAgEC32Qpo0U3bgvaDnj5rGL_s3pgosL1Rrv0uLhlmVJSTFtqjkLVwh_YHOWNpyQ-Y2HKVA-pW8zt7PHLtrHFv-LFtETqBHKq3AFRs/s320/DSC02239.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344241287925169026" border="0" /></a><br />The trees start getting good 'n' tall in Cali:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7BScCxIQiQzVfR45SbmgWrnfUumPL8dnb8xRu_YHZWeBvjGDbfe4mzKoykFyhwEsdHWw96C_Dr1LASOnXJIgKam7-VQzTpK88Uc5om0Oenc-o3XQUBetFy-9fpAlaMuoeVR388Noc0xw/s1600-h/DSC02236.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7BScCxIQiQzVfR45SbmgWrnfUumPL8dnb8xRu_YHZWeBvjGDbfe4mzKoykFyhwEsdHWw96C_Dr1LASOnXJIgKam7-VQzTpK88Uc5om0Oenc-o3XQUBetFy-9fpAlaMuoeVR388Noc0xw/s320/DSC02236.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344241224710543858" border="0" /></a><br />And the elevation is high enough where we saw some more snow:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHG6C_4O-AQYz2dgBzyJfxJvGzcB-hpwbHmvppEQofScQrVx92NrlKCNDgL1EmF8qoYPwo1dXEna2JgmoOhGdlurZyIUZ1PYP7h3CwgSjOO7XGerTDYep_-j9QC1Y8uX7tF08gYwLCwtw/s1600-h/DSC02242.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHG6C_4O-AQYz2dgBzyJfxJvGzcB-hpwbHmvppEQofScQrVx92NrlKCNDgL1EmF8qoYPwo1dXEna2JgmoOhGdlurZyIUZ1PYP7h3CwgSjOO7XGerTDYep_-j9QC1Y8uX7tF08gYwLCwtw/s320/DSC02242.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344241351324735058" border="0" /></a><br />At some point, I passed out, probably from possibly drugged beef/a food coma in Reno. I woke up when we hit Sacramento, California's state capital. It wasn't too exciting, but traffic got worse for a little bit:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYqY2iRjUDtvEIe8ojOqShQA-WKFHjTAlVTZW3gnbxdlu9POjs3nHlG3cXPus8TFT696xvBBvzkXY3IPmtMjWI3Yah8-z2MqGMYUoeCoZQGgTFulqFTRdqoTRqEB60S588SekYGG9dV3A/s1600-h/ScreenHunter_04+Jun.+06+02.35.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYqY2iRjUDtvEIe8ojOqShQA-WKFHjTAlVTZW3gnbxdlu9POjs3nHlG3cXPus8TFT696xvBBvzkXY3IPmtMjWI3Yah8-z2MqGMYUoeCoZQGgTFulqFTRdqoTRqEB60S588SekYGG9dV3A/s320/ScreenHunter_04+Jun.+06+02.35.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344241622622442162" border="0" /></a><br />Most of Sacramento, like most of California is urban sprawl though, not compact cities. I joke while canvassing for Measure 49 that if the measure didn't pass, Oregon would look like California. Good thing it passed:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEERsGeqLIUK3m68lCF3YG26TU-GzgdYHi55PjDicNptOs40NLoPL0jkmppSLaAtjPPlK9rwNCrCPUHlMhyphenhypheneZAwWRZ4bdyvF-tZWRWpBCEemUvmuy1t-0NC3gCfuyV0IUQDDWhTwphh2Y/s1600-h/ScreenHunter_03+Jun.+06+02.33.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEERsGeqLIUK3m68lCF3YG26TU-GzgdYHi55PjDicNptOs40NLoPL0jkmppSLaAtjPPlK9rwNCrCPUHlMhyphenhypheneZAwWRZ4bdyvF-tZWRWpBCEemUvmuy1t-0NC3gCfuyV0IUQDDWhTwphh2Y/s320/ScreenHunter_03+Jun.+06+02.33.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344241537539273794" border="0" /></a><br />California had some pleasant medians though on the interstate, planted with flowers:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5GbDHT_GSio2AEMzE8flqzngL-KqXjOjnWClK8pweJhHDqd6hORe8BWyP2YlcyWHlFJMvpgIBm-gjTDokf0nrspo8vpKLNxKEtddIUh7QmqD1Y6Fw5vSUkQbDGcokqfCXFgEQpMdiA8c/s1600-h/ScreenHunter_05+Jun.+06+02.36.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5GbDHT_GSio2AEMzE8flqzngL-KqXjOjnWClK8pweJhHDqd6hORe8BWyP2YlcyWHlFJMvpgIBm-gjTDokf0nrspo8vpKLNxKEtddIUh7QmqD1Y6Fw5vSUkQbDGcokqfCXFgEQpMdiA8c/s320/ScreenHunter_05+Jun.+06+02.36.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344241694787682706" border="0" /></a><br />We also passed some orchards. California is where a lot of America's produce is from, so I expect to see orchards like this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHmQ5tIxVpiu_MxfwWAgcsJg3QMTSta2VRpnU3YnLuDc5HcxGLk12-VNJIRCQaGQhsHcqmunxXPm3KatMgLpAufrYyRE4X7nFratnRkwyFS4HclrgMYpwgTVag2V5V19JzcWDsSxBiuJM/s1600-h/ScreenHunter_06+Jun.+06+02.36.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHmQ5tIxVpiu_MxfwWAgcsJg3QMTSta2VRpnU3YnLuDc5HcxGLk12-VNJIRCQaGQhsHcqmunxXPm3KatMgLpAufrYyRE4X7nFratnRkwyFS4HclrgMYpwgTVag2V5V19JzcWDsSxBiuJM/s320/ScreenHunter_06+Jun.+06+02.36.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344241793742103714" border="0" /></a><br />A little urban sprawl can be good though, because it can yield In-N-Out burger franchises, like in Vacaville, CA. This was also Web's first In-N-Out:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj72yfKHB5EE1fa05GXqHa3souaTRT8bJQRw9KLXPHn0L_9EdeF-wm_g3dLg2dw-7YVhQNmgFbTfpVYNQA9x-USSfCqzfutTc29n7mOyGXiPGTuSTSi_9cxg7oUCZ3EfjXRjYylYX0fN5A/s1600-h/DSC02243.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj72yfKHB5EE1fa05GXqHa3souaTRT8bJQRw9KLXPHn0L_9EdeF-wm_g3dLg2dw-7YVhQNmgFbTfpVYNQA9x-USSfCqzfutTc29n7mOyGXiPGTuSTSi_9cxg7oUCZ3EfjXRjYylYX0fN5A/s320/DSC02243.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344241895543750018" border="0" /></a><br />The employees at In-N-Out have to wear silly paper hats and aprons:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoSWdDmrFtBqwgmpPIdQCNGWN3z16QfA3t_cQejrxMYSm686iIEvUqsEbcwfEicv9c55uVcpbtyomxHAZHrjsZ_RBnmSN7eR1W8wAtOQ3t_QxMKSsBbrlXrtYSk8TsM11-iAy_LhrTAqU/s1600-h/DSC02247.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoSWdDmrFtBqwgmpPIdQCNGWN3z16QfA3t_cQejrxMYSm686iIEvUqsEbcwfEicv9c55uVcpbtyomxHAZHrjsZ_RBnmSN7eR1W8wAtOQ3t_QxMKSsBbrlXrtYSk8TsM11-iAy_LhrTAqU/s320/DSC02247.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344241950540464834" border="0" /></a><br />And very thoughtfully, they give you paper placemats so you don't get burger juices on yourself, aside from wrapping their burgers in paper. Web still managed to take down these defenses and get burger juice on himself:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEaQ9JATduOAKkAXY_IB_A9MUmxrE_Wiugu4usMzAEyzzW6u01u6SYKJ27uV1OngeAOe6E8XCurra1q9X82n-IrdZY-JYqEvluXDAxIrLkgXeG_cCtxg88wYB1EpFlGBNC_kH4JkwJvVE/s1600-h/DSC02248.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEaQ9JATduOAKkAXY_IB_A9MUmxrE_Wiugu4usMzAEyzzW6u01u6SYKJ27uV1OngeAOe6E8XCurra1q9X82n-IrdZY-JYqEvluXDAxIrLkgXeG_cCtxg88wYB1EpFlGBNC_kH4JkwJvVE/s320/DSC02248.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344242035061644898" border="0" /></a><br />And aren't they beautiful, and for only $1.50:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8gSLHk4Mg9cASS_p0LHupBlntGmubz6UwnPCUcV5QnTg8n2Y1SYqiU0IpDnnV3HadJmHL0s_kz29KNtu0wxxQLDwtuj9nIUsVZ7JUC8Max9s_aHE245x1RCvG0w88tKcdfnR-z7ruBHk/s1600-h/DSC02249.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8gSLHk4Mg9cASS_p0LHupBlntGmubz6UwnPCUcV5QnTg8n2Y1SYqiU0IpDnnV3HadJmHL0s_kz29KNtu0wxxQLDwtuj9nIUsVZ7JUC8Max9s_aHE245x1RCvG0w88tKcdfnR-z7ruBHk/s320/DSC02249.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344242110367238578" border="0" /></a><br />Californians also really like palm trees, whether real, fake, or a pattern:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOLr5TBIc19DPekFVuwTpDnn0luYjN_VrXOHFoMW7zY0LDLs-A2Wl26JcNPdUx5xb2c4L0VIAIQYU8piaQK1fcqvulgHn76iw1N89OsW0bkCA943HNkCN1mLrrBKH_nU7QkQg9g8qRR9I/s1600-h/DSC02252.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOLr5TBIc19DPekFVuwTpDnn0luYjN_VrXOHFoMW7zY0LDLs-A2Wl26JcNPdUx5xb2c4L0VIAIQYU8piaQK1fcqvulgHn76iw1N89OsW0bkCA943HNkCN1mLrrBKH_nU7QkQg9g8qRR9I/s320/DSC02252.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344242280520376978" border="0" /></a><br />And Web took a picture of me being a glutton:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjodNk5BMxP_FTR1jlBxQ2B6YRsDLsP7y708RO2lkXn51JuqaNBmwkWAQE1-h6eyJDSwlbAluxgF6hFTfNwKrF2fqyIhgbmp9QLzp8uiME2hP1bDozD-Ixgq-JPQi9vZ7LMRK9RIqOplh8/s1600-h/DSC02250.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjodNk5BMxP_FTR1jlBxQ2B6YRsDLsP7y708RO2lkXn51JuqaNBmwkWAQE1-h6eyJDSwlbAluxgF6hFTfNwKrF2fqyIhgbmp9QLzp8uiME2hP1bDozD-Ixgq-JPQi9vZ7LMRK9RIqOplh8/s320/DSC02250.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344242178793217346" border="0" /></a>laurenlovesroadtripshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00970647142707663330noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9030552989701598319.post-23687320155400355372009-06-06T11:25:00.006-04:002009-06-06T11:44:19.159-04:00Reno, Tackiest Little City in the WorldWe got to Reno that Thursday, we were welcomed by this sign:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD5SlKTopQotT2vNW-9ibWAy8-KakdxYt76GAPnGIPlsYDOdq-DVLJu-xQP47gaRx2KeP-i-GDhLs-G73fTJMxIwwX5ORvRMpOjkvIElfSfnGnGMCpSCGy-7_BPvqH5LQD2MZ_ZGc6frI/s1600-h/DSC02229.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD5SlKTopQotT2vNW-9ibWAy8-KakdxYt76GAPnGIPlsYDOdq-DVLJu-xQP47gaRx2KeP-i-GDhLs-G73fTJMxIwwX5ORvRMpOjkvIElfSfnGnGMCpSCGy-7_BPvqH5LQD2MZ_ZGc6frI/s320/DSC02229.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344236323343106050" border="0" /></a><br />I still think of Reno 911 when I see that show. Unfortunately, we only saw one Reno cop, and he was on a bike. I'm not really sure what cops in Reno do... since hooking is legal and the prostitutes just walk around... and since everyone at night is publicly intoxicated... and since people are expected to behave terribly.<br /><br />And there were a lot of casinos, this one being shiny and pink, so it attracted my eye.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibxK2IYXS-nqx2ip9j15KF3I07FLQmpUWTD0dQJTcA2RRRltZBOuwZVP202Jm-BLv5vtv0cv_YvgT67zf9G3mbMZf_n1-dfvOnoBnxPhrftXs_BvLg_I0aluQ9EalCpn-8eTAZdUfEuyI/s1600-h/DSC02231.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibxK2IYXS-nqx2ip9j15KF3I07FLQmpUWTD0dQJTcA2RRRltZBOuwZVP202Jm-BLv5vtv0cv_YvgT67zf9G3mbMZf_n1-dfvOnoBnxPhrftXs_BvLg_I0aluQ9EalCpn-8eTAZdUfEuyI/s320/DSC02231.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344236733409734754" border="0" /></a><br />I was pretty lazy in Reno about taking pictures. My bad.<br /><br />But, I managed to spin a jackpot on a penny slot machine and win $103 dollars, putting me up $92. Insane odds right? It was at a 5 spinner slot machine called "China Moon." Exciting.<br /><br />Web didn't do as well at the tables. Enough said.<br /><br />However, my small riches paid the cost of a cheap hotel room in the casino, the Sands Regency (I stole this picture):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.travelnow.com/hotels/RNO_SAND-exter-2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 350px; height: 274px;" src="http://images.travelnow.com/hotels/RNO_SAND-exter-2.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Sure this hotel didn't have the free wi-fi I needed to blog, but certain amenities like a FREE JACUZZI won out.<br /><br />The next day, Friday, June 5th, we got to sleep in late and sit in the hot tub to wake up. We couldn't leave Reno before hitting up a buffet, so we went to Carvings in Harrah's, which had yummy crepes to order, and cuts of beef. America is big on beef as I know very well now. In fact, that beef might have been drugged, because I passed out all the way until Sacramento.<br /><br />We then hit the road for California, the state of my birth.laurenlovesroadtripshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00970647142707663330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9030552989701598319.post-9790544130334958442009-06-06T11:10:00.007-04:002009-06-06T11:20:41.987-04:00Out of Utah, Back to NevadaWeb and I have managed to have quite a few close encounters with animals on this road trip. The free range cattle and their calves were no exception, although they were skiddish:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzjAcNXbTMMPtWUd0iZghboAsh6lBClAv1UJ8PzRLBZY_bL7OwefGWU0tNHQ3Vndc-XL6RGTBW-j-ktzmEgaw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /></div><br />And this one mooed at us! I mooed back. What a jerk.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfQd-FaVGhrnuBc3akRDf5knLsSnsHYdq-spMvtlwlGIoe5lIz4Y6nc_qVfBzd6z-T9s7lnaYakJThw8H0bTF3msHMqKGbZUpVuyVEZ64CcFhFhTqBo818vxBYDjw3iNkvxKmU6Ngfyv4/s1600-h/thisguymooedatus.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfQd-FaVGhrnuBc3akRDf5knLsSnsHYdq-spMvtlwlGIoe5lIz4Y6nc_qVfBzd6z-T9s7lnaYakJThw8H0bTF3msHMqKGbZUpVuyVEZ64CcFhFhTqBo818vxBYDjw3iNkvxKmU6Ngfyv4/s320/thisguymooedatus.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344233234798787458" border="0" /></a><br />I also took a picture of me, taking a picture in the desert before we got back to paved roads.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuwjqviFX1Ej3_nTFXBdzky6HxmVTxV33U9q2yAkIUy5nd3QMKWAcJGG214xN8xF3bZRQLNV6xaZDbpiYdtP6vn7hzzNiUYSOt3VUVQW3Qq2ZzxCu6IHsGhc2zJiaxtM-1SIVJFlgtluY/s1600-h/DSC02224.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuwjqviFX1Ej3_nTFXBdzky6HxmVTxV33U9q2yAkIUy5nd3QMKWAcJGG214xN8xF3bZRQLNV6xaZDbpiYdtP6vn7hzzNiUYSOt3VUVQW3Qq2ZzxCu6IHsGhc2zJiaxtM-1SIVJFlgtluY/s320/DSC02224.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344233067132854210" border="0" /></a><br />We got out of Utah soon after and stopped later as a small town in Nevada. Apparently there might we a problem with meth in Nevada, looking at the PSAs.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDaNrLCcvfV79_W5wMg3Ij-PZUZ9mMw9acDtEQ1RMy28IBb1VBv7LfWldHHOUzvOL9gFCT5gIJsPQwYhtYQFeFwIjzFIpyRZT0pm1-1a8qhuDMoAEza-Mbb9AFyUw8xOQGuXrF8dIDUGY/s1600-h/meth.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDaNrLCcvfV79_W5wMg3Ij-PZUZ9mMw9acDtEQ1RMy28IBb1VBv7LfWldHHOUzvOL9gFCT5gIJsPQwYhtYQFeFwIjzFIpyRZT0pm1-1a8qhuDMoAEza-Mbb9AFyUw8xOQGuXrF8dIDUGY/s320/meth.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344233154079834642" border="0" /></a><br />We stopped for coffee at this place Bella's, it apparently used to be a strip club. Now they serve espresso and giant cinnamon rolls.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBdy-6kHFJnT_VXBWQnI8-soNR_GkxTTiRQJcMT83aKD98Wk1zzHPILTEILOOm7-fipPXmCiOKS9ODSPJii-1VLkkSAc_rCYTM_JjAq8enNLKDC_EekvCkLfK1BcO8o9eJN7I0VaQMZSM/s1600-h/cinnamonrollsnv.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBdy-6kHFJnT_VXBWQnI8-soNR_GkxTTiRQJcMT83aKD98Wk1zzHPILTEILOOm7-fipPXmCiOKS9ODSPJii-1VLkkSAc_rCYTM_JjAq8enNLKDC_EekvCkLfK1BcO8o9eJN7I0VaQMZSM/s320/cinnamonrollsnv.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344232913170346386" border="0" /></a>laurenlovesroadtripshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00970647142707663330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9030552989701598319.post-66520961483165618542009-06-06T10:27:00.020-04:002009-06-06T11:09:57.900-04:00Utah Part III: The Sun TunnelsAbout 4.5 miles from the <span style="font-style: italic;">Sun Tunnels</span> you stop by Lucin:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwE_wN7-nftfnNi7P_AmRCmXN3aH2imSj4NGSWAnft7_lncq5YwGdi049kiUF_2-jcJSU3ZLjj_BlkG3T9Q4w' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">According to the Internet, Lucin used to be a town, but all its residents eventually died in the 1990s and since all the buildings have been torn down. Creepy.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">From about 2.5 miles out we could see the tunnels, and when we got to them, which was truly the middle of nowhere and like being on an alien planet. Very few people have been to the <span style="font-style: italic;">Sun Tunnels</span>, since you definitely have to seek them out.<br /><br />Here are all four tunnels, standing 9 feet tall each, and 18 feet long. The only sign of life other than us are those tire tracks:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrszzBX5b4KUgyghvtkPwLXM8eHK6Jb1o6QvslRHwsO0wtwrBnpj34kO958_SVJ_TfILxDAPC6V26Jqk-l0SKvQAUx_jo1pUkIMA8OeV-K8-B7LIfUibXYexGnix6QBRczo-Jy0fIlyC4/s1600-h/DSC02190.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrszzBX5b4KUgyghvtkPwLXM8eHK6Jb1o6QvslRHwsO0wtwrBnpj34kO958_SVJ_TfILxDAPC6V26Jqk-l0SKvQAUx_jo1pUkIMA8OeV-K8-B7LIfUibXYexGnix6QBRczo-Jy0fIlyC4/s320/DSC02190.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344226260101612642" border="0" /></a><br />Let me take you on a tour:<br /><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTDCHlWxHE7mW_jYyOlV8BhOxB2I1vBPFeba2XyyjFNUtrIjrWOc_Y1K8KctZYkmDnpg6fsHHj-FFLY_yke1rjgtHacUJeIJ5-GdzBYkZb5f6gGG1OVdLbmLz6dRSeF4FNNr1iduvBKYI/s1600-h/DSC02214.JPG"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwiOxQ3-OHMftwQUwW_Ytto7nr1ZLUhQ6kXEGewp3nsozUWExvdrQzD5PpsV27nC39WWXhVG8C8RoBOx_QprA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">In a tunnel looking to its opposite tunnel:<br /></div></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioFst2o4VDzYIafJrCyH7kUKuimicL6p-wJSomnq0b8t9Mlz86sAYuTJwUv8MA37iiKTguvcpsWMaEW2RiT1n9EH3f4Dwukhf1QHHx_8x0oprL_m4M5mLk0L5xFUKoZazA6LL6v30v_s8/s1600-h/DSC02198.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioFst2o4VDzYIafJrCyH7kUKuimicL6p-wJSomnq0b8t9Mlz86sAYuTJwUv8MA37iiKTguvcpsWMaEW2RiT1n9EH3f4Dwukhf1QHHx_8x0oprL_m4M5mLk0L5xFUKoZazA6LL6v30v_s8/s320/DSC02198.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344221720411799698" border="0" /></a><br />The concrete tunnels are perforated with four different constellations on the inside, so when the sun shines in them, it creates their pattern inside the tunnel in different ways as the sun moves across the sky:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNEEHtBaRZPuijB9NtTfYZ4jjmwKJJZ8bpHbMns8xcDwdOEr_M0WCdOL7WpaV7iOW8GHKU8MtEwCY-HzD3XQcM6Hmwkq99UOUVqlPpATgnA2EQrUF2pZv-UotKIJHInZGAw6jN0WevM58/s1600-h/DSC02207.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNEEHtBaRZPuijB9NtTfYZ4jjmwKJJZ8bpHbMns8xcDwdOEr_M0WCdOL7WpaV7iOW8GHKU8MtEwCY-HzD3XQcM6Hmwkq99UOUVqlPpATgnA2EQrUF2pZv-UotKIJHInZGAw6jN0WevM58/s320/DSC02207.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344221985796613570" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggaV0vY_sjK7J5FiO4FniegD-1pyh6hJLaHlMTRYmGRWFbzXUsIzvNFNTZI64NC1aSxxn9MdzjSakjd1Enx4E9luBQ-TUllh7X55Ww7L62iuF1jFfG-a7xZxVH1wPz0PMACWstGLCXXwU/s1600-h/DSC02199.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggaV0vY_sjK7J5FiO4FniegD-1pyh6hJLaHlMTRYmGRWFbzXUsIzvNFNTZI64NC1aSxxn9MdzjSakjd1Enx4E9luBQ-TUllh7X55Ww7L62iuF1jFfG-a7xZxVH1wPz0PMACWstGLCXXwU/s320/DSC02199.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344222191291111714" border="0" /></a><br />Web being silly:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF4Ks4uM_wo9KsPh8k4a7YwacJbjCwBF2mm2MHzW_OOPhBHKTM-boyRV8JhYfqfSPRoURcoSDU3h1H6unpdcw5lnYqW1-dlqk7Sq_T8T2q7xS696npylCm_hCU2Q8C6oqSg3O-M4Ze0bc/s1600-h/DSC02208.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF4Ks4uM_wo9KsPh8k4a7YwacJbjCwBF2mm2MHzW_OOPhBHKTM-boyRV8JhYfqfSPRoURcoSDU3h1H6unpdcw5lnYqW1-dlqk7Sq_T8T2q7xS696npylCm_hCU2Q8C6oqSg3O-M4Ze0bc/s320/DSC02208.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344223147538935954" border="0" /></a><br />Looking out from a small hole to another tunnel:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG_C16Oc6n61E2k0Ao6dEZYuF24-_6XUafPZgE0MEOMJJIKKXaOq-ld6MgMWR2P0BdHi2_TkNC5iVpQ8lWbsdsu1_LWRhhsYXF_1GB1_lJ943rNwalIW4X3qiOt5xpoI9p39RzJn4sSMs/s1600-h/DSC02217.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG_C16Oc6n61E2k0Ao6dEZYuF24-_6XUafPZgE0MEOMJJIKKXaOq-ld6MgMWR2P0BdHi2_TkNC5iVpQ8lWbsdsu1_LWRhhsYXF_1GB1_lJ943rNwalIW4X3qiOt5xpoI9p39RzJn4sSMs/s320/DSC02217.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344223933858798610" border="0" /></a><br />After some documenting, we played<span style="font-style: italic;"> in</span> the tunnels:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo3htp6whJKZPay-3_oJwdYzCPksWQV0afSM_EkvqXL-psdt5ode5v4biay88uJUe-xWwR7JwXyGWC4HOpnqUQsABl6l85ZEq83W3ncn05EV3CMMUT2Tri1en8xNw92ZUAdDNO_CadDRg/s1600-h/DSC02209.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo3htp6whJKZPay-3_oJwdYzCPksWQV0afSM_EkvqXL-psdt5ode5v4biay88uJUe-xWwR7JwXyGWC4HOpnqUQsABl6l85ZEq83W3ncn05EV3CMMUT2Tri1en8xNw92ZUAdDNO_CadDRg/s320/DSC02209.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344222527838232066" border="0" /></a><br />Web sustained an injury playing <span style="font-style: italic;">on</span> the tunnels:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgXY7loJfwsNmFtQdkNKn_eHmz3InMQVsHGLM2dj0Ht2VhcfQnjHPmCJO8B5fmKrXkmwM5oxR7kMHQYZE3o4AOOCkqHl__yotXLq3P9Pp6BnFfjezOEFGqBUNUBd00Gj1AjiTYrbg6Y2w/s1600-h/DSC02226.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgXY7loJfwsNmFtQdkNKn_eHmz3InMQVsHGLM2dj0Ht2VhcfQnjHPmCJO8B5fmKrXkmwM5oxR7kMHQYZE3o4AOOCkqHl__yotXLq3P9Pp6BnFfjezOEFGqBUNUBd00Gj1AjiTYrbg6Y2w/s320/DSC02226.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344228935632688226" border="0" /></a><br />He also managed to get a sunburn on his neck.<br /><br />I managed to take some good pictures of Web in the tunnels:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPOenptGSty5JyoGEQmQth3Sje52inwilzyeEIGNx0GBFeF05-zV32eKS_SZKZe_zAr3nNvJnnagSYo6zQw-KYdecB5zl0gS8DWG3tlIHa3zfHyHPCPIEjM-V7BEM5ejrBGsDebjTkgQ8/s1600-h/DSC02213.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPOenptGSty5JyoGEQmQth3Sje52inwilzyeEIGNx0GBFeF05-zV32eKS_SZKZe_zAr3nNvJnnagSYo6zQw-KYdecB5zl0gS8DWG3tlIHa3zfHyHPCPIEjM-V7BEM5ejrBGsDebjTkgQ8/s320/DSC02213.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344223499089629186" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKQJbxYHSmbTM2Zyfryufe5auP_jPuyrFhQFTvJoaTiVDMIyyAtfyORcSM4i2F4ICM0mRvipGspdnc3PkW5Q0b-g6JMDF8Hy567umpFe5tD9BPJD47Vilr85PUC7HL-KigPyOIzLD-FS4/s1600-h/DSC02216.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKQJbxYHSmbTM2Zyfryufe5auP_jPuyrFhQFTvJoaTiVDMIyyAtfyORcSM4i2F4ICM0mRvipGspdnc3PkW5Q0b-g6JMDF8Hy567umpFe5tD9BPJD47Vilr85PUC7HL-KigPyOIzLD-FS4/s320/DSC02216.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344223851345338450" border="0" /></a><br />And uncute ones of myself:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTDCHlWxHE7mW_jYyOlV8BhOxB2I1vBPFeba2XyyjFNUtrIjrWOc_Y1K8KctZYkmDnpg6fsHHj-FFLY_yke1rjgtHacUJeIJ5-GdzBYkZb5f6gGG1OVdLbmLz6dRSeF4FNNr1iduvBKYI/s1600-h/DSC02214.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTDCHlWxHE7mW_jYyOlV8BhOxB2I1vBPFeba2XyyjFNUtrIjrWOc_Y1K8KctZYkmDnpg6fsHHj-FFLY_yke1rjgtHacUJeIJ5-GdzBYkZb5f6gGG1OVdLbmLz6dRSeF4FNNr1iduvBKYI/s320/DSC02214.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344223744258874162" border="0" /></a><br />Something very creepy about being 20 miles away from the nearest people and in the remote desert is the total silence, listen:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwbqKCdF17oO1LB7rVRxnYnlsCOlWuCOnmRFkVjLsMcJOo_7obuzXoKg2X77Jva0xk-1yynPexx98ViPZhzPQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br /></div>laurenlovesroadtripshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00970647142707663330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9030552989701598319.post-81657773122385334912009-06-06T04:30:00.007-04:002009-06-06T04:55:06.957-04:00Utah Part II: The Search for Art in the Middle of NowhereOn Thursday, June 4th, we headed out from West Wendover, NV back into Utah on a truly obscure excursion: the search for Nancy Holt's <span style="font-style: italic;">Sun Tunnels</span> (1973-1976). I first heard about the <span style="font-style: italic;">Sun Tunnels </span>in an art history Western art survey course my freshman year of college. The last time I studied them though was the Fall semester of my senior year where we looked at them more in-depth, and also that whole Earthworks thing. So when I foound out the route from Denver to San Francisco required passage through Utah, I figured, why not go see this monument in the middle of nowhere, Utah? This is really only something someone with significant interest in art would ever want to do.<br /><br />The <span style="font-style: italic;">Sun Tunnels </span>really are in the middle of nowhere. Google maps doesn't even recognize much of the last part of the journey to them as on roads. The nearest humans are about 20 miles away. And the "town" that the tunnels are southeast of isn't actually a town at all, but a historical marker called Lucin. If you thought you have been to the middle of nowhere, chances are you haven't been on the dirt roads of Utah deep into the desert basin:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9esmfJQzJ591kDMSpVPCxJgqb0mWqbe6tvdU0_6-U2M9hhJgTba22ioY-zyFhDSk6mi0TskEBwk7QnU72Vzsq1-bkGwZd4q9cmeAmxygc3UmKhIFslvyd7fp2blrZZLYMT2BUoYGRMuc/s1600-h/DSC02189.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9esmfJQzJ591kDMSpVPCxJgqb0mWqbe6tvdU0_6-U2M9hhJgTba22ioY-zyFhDSk6mi0TskEBwk7QnU72Vzsq1-bkGwZd4q9cmeAmxygc3UmKhIFslvyd7fp2blrZZLYMT2BUoYGRMuc/s320/DSC02189.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344131133413539474" border="0" /></a>(This is still about 10 miles away from nowhere!)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">On our way to the middle of nowehere we encountered a dust devil, which is the little twirling cloud of dust to the right of this road:</div></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtcNpQO_KWw06EyNFX0LSwLxBwxFtUry8Ji_pDjZpR3ASt7wUbvVMdsQwQQvZJCe3qHJ6sM_QXzEA74M5srNysCH29PLem5M8DnY_TI5r0b-ZMPvqQA2hvgNU0_2jhRi9_vBR31KZ60Zg/s1600-h/dustdevilfaraway.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 237px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtcNpQO_KWw06EyNFX0LSwLxBwxFtUry8Ji_pDjZpR3ASt7wUbvVMdsQwQQvZJCe3qHJ6sM_QXzEA74M5srNysCH29PLem5M8DnY_TI5r0b-ZMPvqQA2hvgNU0_2jhRi9_vBR31KZ60Zg/s320/dustdevilfaraway.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344133762387848994" border="0" /></a><br />And it went right past us!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dy1P_qxyAZEU_aeKs3rtGdLJgPYEY1NwEOTykQxZLA3OhLqXoztg7zdd0eocy1ci4Z26THs_9GYi89BgCtbCQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">We also past some truly free-range cattle. These guys have no fences, and I don't think they had seen people in a long while, since they seemed a little spooked by us, aka, they actually looked up from grazing to check us out.<br /><br /></div></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnEfInQPYH89EO4LCtcUPeRVUhs0SS0gmRF1qVIbgIxprSLQNS7wrWz9TxqB-FQRWizgCAW7o9kvJ1QLP3v86MSpyFyLfpdXz-VyvjkQaGsmu1VqYyAfiYMeDEZYDnxmP9-3vE8aXOAyw/s1600-h/truefreerangebeef.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnEfInQPYH89EO4LCtcUPeRVUhs0SS0gmRF1qVIbgIxprSLQNS7wrWz9TxqB-FQRWizgCAW7o9kvJ1QLP3v86MSpyFyLfpdXz-VyvjkQaGsmu1VqYyAfiYMeDEZYDnxmP9-3vE8aXOAyw/s320/truefreerangebeef.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344134814547122194" border="0" /></a>laurenlovesroadtripshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00970647142707663330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9030552989701598319.post-8430794710565825942009-06-06T04:17:00.006-04:002009-06-06T04:30:13.203-04:00Meet Wendover WillyThe only real night driving this trip has been into Nevada, the Silver State.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmx2aYHKhlmYBgdiMV5K6AM47aOO_X6H1bLaWQLNWaU6GZZqJeIYv3ByTHD0usfGda8fEbfnCPqKGBIRBvo_cBf2jGXlOBgtgpWzgTWhoosxS6QCzMi77mCeWexO4daqu2IDaU1ZtFYGI/s1600-h/welcometonv.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmx2aYHKhlmYBgdiMV5K6AM47aOO_X6H1bLaWQLNWaU6GZZqJeIYv3ByTHD0usfGda8fEbfnCPqKGBIRBvo_cBf2jGXlOBgtgpWzgTWhoosxS6QCzMi77mCeWexO4daqu2IDaU1ZtFYGI/s320/welcometonv.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344126547104536626" border="0" /></a><br />Nevada is a peculiar state, where liquor can be sold 24 hours a day, where prostitution is legal, and where everything building has a slot machine. So naturally, the first things you see when entering Nevada are liquor stores, adult shops and cabarets, and casinos, casinos, casinos. If you have a gambling problem, do yourself a favor and don't travel to Nevada. If you like to impose a set of conservative morals on others you also should pray for Nevada and its people.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUpfO0ONctjTwMQCXKhy1Ns0JPR61I5D0pN1DgPnIvwT_TcSdf11QFWG_whROw7OVwgOqa4TFRooNotLX_Eu1kiSxlzsBd_1asFwNjyHg-ddAPJKu2DQLQ4_bOfxjl2BSZbVzdRkk2m-I/s1600-h/nvisallcasinos.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 238px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUpfO0ONctjTwMQCXKhy1Ns0JPR61I5D0pN1DgPnIvwT_TcSdf11QFWG_whROw7OVwgOqa4TFRooNotLX_Eu1kiSxlzsBd_1asFwNjyHg-ddAPJKu2DQLQ4_bOfxjl2BSZbVzdRkk2m-I/s320/nvisallcasinos.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344126199253439442" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge1463y-LGb0I7cfjJ0sLk8m8KhSV8sk4qXW1LRioz5HPgU_SVWaVjb2rpA-dWOM9j3L9QAoBK15co2R3zB-o0m1fdN6biBAmcveh4DuD8n-YG0ayKcKCf_KkwydaccEKY7I2RKJK1olk/s1600-h/casinorainbow.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge1463y-LGb0I7cfjJ0sLk8m8KhSV8sk4qXW1LRioz5HPgU_SVWaVjb2rpA-dWOM9j3L9QAoBK15co2R3zB-o0m1fdN6biBAmcveh4DuD8n-YG0ayKcKCf_KkwydaccEKY7I2RKJK1olk/s320/casinorainbow.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344126066335176594" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOH1PguHzJzvLR_14WA8gm8SfUfuUZ-MBqc-KfVyJ8kvwSGwwq2IOJjnlMq3kt8bVG1Nj7wdzaQQdkrE3Xx-W0TP_1-JQ2eCaoF9_Z38F-sVKINNq7slpstL6AKHrfe3aSeNfgU051VcA/s1600-h/redgarter.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 242px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOH1PguHzJzvLR_14WA8gm8SfUfuUZ-MBqc-KfVyJ8kvwSGwwq2IOJjnlMq3kt8bVG1Nj7wdzaQQdkrE3Xx-W0TP_1-JQ2eCaoF9_Z38F-sVKINNq7slpstL6AKHrfe3aSeNfgU051VcA/s320/redgarter.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344126269004078018" border="0" /></a><br />And this is Wendover Willy to welcome you to the first westbound gambling stop in Nevada. "Wendover" sounds too much like "bend over" for me to trust Willy much less the persons governing this city.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjmKu0T0QKFR5GZdZkzkURQdXp3eH9t4AC0Xk808gAYogP0vRltAl7URfojy1xWSlletIrU7ljjEot_k53JBsVyuD0Oc3QS8XL4LtfhQ6pMsMkmJHkvU9gKEeLbQuifgFfk0-mx7a_zds/s1600-h/wendoverwilly.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjmKu0T0QKFR5GZdZkzkURQdXp3eH9t4AC0Xk808gAYogP0vRltAl7URfojy1xWSlletIrU7ljjEot_k53JBsVyuD0Oc3QS8XL4LtfhQ6pMsMkmJHkvU9gKEeLbQuifgFfk0-mx7a_zds/s320/wendoverwilly.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344126368099857042" border="0" /></a>laurenlovesroadtripshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00970647142707663330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9030552989701598319.post-9784168956214987862009-06-06T03:48:00.012-04:002009-06-06T04:17:35.028-04:00Utah Part I: SaltinessWe finally entered Wyoming in the early evening of Wednesday. Utah's welcome sign is pretty exciting, with a skier on there:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK-rj67et5BYHajwJUDOHWyM58Rsv0uKbScYmn-vc56HZRhYTo2-wr9l5GuKgP1Got1E_8_B84WdBaGxj-XjujyTFFJlAFB5Ta3JTRfIMXd-C2XzeQwDJo666yCUSNSRA_qt4QKkRbtqM/s1600-h/welcometoutah.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK-rj67et5BYHajwJUDOHWyM58Rsv0uKbScYmn-vc56HZRhYTo2-wr9l5GuKgP1Got1E_8_B84WdBaGxj-XjujyTFFJlAFB5Ta3JTRfIMXd-C2XzeQwDJo666yCUSNSRA_qt4QKkRbtqM/s320/welcometoutah.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344119255600531266" border="0" /></a><br />The landscape also becomes much more interesting almost as soon as you cross into Utah with cool rock formations like this one:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm4hwIL5WFqS3Z6S8FLF_bp-kVbVgUlw4fFev_XxKeUGtyLL-fxxbqqDESMsAznvNQOdBh9jRpNFz-55Ex5mkPQC2N-WkelyAMuBjnw3mQ8vhIeTjWrublWT48x60tIWL_Y7DCdP1SW2o/s1600-h/DSC02175.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm4hwIL5WFqS3Z6S8FLF_bp-kVbVgUlw4fFev_XxKeUGtyLL-fxxbqqDESMsAznvNQOdBh9jRpNFz-55Ex5mkPQC2N-WkelyAMuBjnw3mQ8vhIeTjWrublWT48x60tIWL_Y7DCdP1SW2o/s320/DSC02175.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344118666201481314" border="0" /></a><br />And these ones:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtxzD3tnwnA8Tid_Ol9O0K6VkqQa4EI4piXCDJZYqLRa_-w_mg8a0Fc1BD7h8W6gKa9AhrclPB6UObMXbc6LHnG8sNIQzUKw9iVysbu5bIruWjPb_gAxqGSjkwMKlGi0sgTAmQhr5c3fc/s1600-h/DSC02176.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtxzD3tnwnA8Tid_Ol9O0K6VkqQa4EI4piXCDJZYqLRa_-w_mg8a0Fc1BD7h8W6gKa9AhrclPB6UObMXbc6LHnG8sNIQzUKw9iVysbu5bIruWjPb_gAxqGSjkwMKlGi0sgTAmQhr5c3fc/s320/DSC02176.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344118961020811362" border="0" /></a><br />Utah also has beehives as state route sign symbols. Bzzzzzzz.<br /><br />Since we were crossing the skinny part of Utah we got to Salt Lake City pretty quick:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQsI7LgPouJ8grWf8Se8ExuuinMkvndH0uzYwS_VPSHUcv7XpIkUwy3qvd_SHUVJEkeiVTISTma2LiOBfGNHV9iWBLr2di08So6vr5z32YLAzfLf8w4AB4Z3ble0cUBV1s3a4a37h4Dz4/s1600-h/DSC02178.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQsI7LgPouJ8grWf8Se8ExuuinMkvndH0uzYwS_VPSHUcv7XpIkUwy3qvd_SHUVJEkeiVTISTma2LiOBfGNHV9iWBLr2di08So6vr5z32YLAzfLf8w4AB4Z3ble0cUBV1s3a4a37h4Dz4/s320/DSC02178.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344119079016812818" border="0" /></a><br />It was bigger than I expected. What was really big was the Mormon temple.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit26HKLzc5T1-SxcHpDzlU2AFOTmwomF_xibA1gqjlPbmjtdPt4x2j_VqaMIMcwWsX3LWL7izFasMG34iXQzNsHqHFsbdwtCvILJcXXoQhw-6lpL-VmEDCUvbE41cBI9fXRkYnE6vr8Rg/s1600-h/DSC02179.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit26HKLzc5T1-SxcHpDzlU2AFOTmwomF_xibA1gqjlPbmjtdPt4x2j_VqaMIMcwWsX3LWL7izFasMG34iXQzNsHqHFsbdwtCvILJcXXoQhw-6lpL-VmEDCUvbE41cBI9fXRkYnE6vr8Rg/s320/DSC02179.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344119181827959954" border="0" /></a><br />SLC is the known center of Mormonism, so we expected the city to be pretty conservative and dull. But in fact, it was far more interesting than much of what we saw in past Midwestern states. There was a variety of dining available (we ate at a decent Greek place) and saw some hippies and hipsters. Much most shockingly, we found the Salt Lake City gay district:<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzEV5JVwO45rIwbc1AyR-6rbR3939v6yP1eHo90GcnIbBVX4kAx-P4n3E0JagOBLpcs_GGpEt3e_oUdjt7HKQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Once we left SLC we drove past the Great Salt Lake. Web thought it was pretty creepy looking. At some points this lake area smells disgustingly swampy like there are rotting animals in still water. At other points it just smelt salty. We also passed what looked like a salt production plant... or at least we hope those huge white mounds were salt.<br /></div></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwozyDaUi0D-Gsc7pGRmUSbk5MKQzZSP_xZQ8UtKIKJQqkwc29YC_i07MYKlAUH7eFfPiRo49XQD2V_3zEJDphyphenhyphenVUBQG7FehvOABPj3b4F7QrkuRv_u_ptIzgZ41YuVLWf6_Y-UiKvQKU/s1600-h/saltlakenight.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwozyDaUi0D-Gsc7pGRmUSbk5MKQzZSP_xZQ8UtKIKJQqkwc29YC_i07MYKlAUH7eFfPiRo49XQD2V_3zEJDphyphenhyphenVUBQG7FehvOABPj3b4F7QrkuRv_u_ptIzgZ41YuVLWf6_Y-UiKvQKU/s320/saltlakenight.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344119776603966658" border="0" /></a><br />Near the marshy Salt Lake area we ran into a lot of insects. By ran over, I meant killed a small population with the car on impact.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dw-xi1bDzS5DoffjpCzbi8a0Hcx-tUlScOqBG3XFipKkJEIBRfaS93wW3cgZukh5z4QLK9IMjCYVpeoIX329w' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />Kia 836, Insects 0, K.O.<br /></div>laurenlovesroadtripshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00970647142707663330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9030552989701598319.post-5549134787575999322009-06-06T03:31:00.008-04:002009-06-06T03:42:10.942-04:00Rawlins, Part II (WY)After lunch, what better way is there to spend your afternoon than going to a prison museum, especially if it is the Wyoming State Penitentiary where the South Facility is still home to over 1,800 criminals? None.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGJB04VNIU0S3pW2-sbB6BupVb2GbP5WRl1_ENxPjRqHncmrBT2q4aciFQb7ovadBrVe648uUUVlvBQAK4W-kl3vHApw3pd766FkEmICps1qzfvb_NQzDr4TXQ6WFj3uk6WTwJM-egDM8/s1600-h/DSC02153.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGJB04VNIU0S3pW2-sbB6BupVb2GbP5WRl1_ENxPjRqHncmrBT2q4aciFQb7ovadBrVe648uUUVlvBQAK4W-kl3vHApw3pd766FkEmICps1qzfvb_NQzDr4TXQ6WFj3uk6WTwJM-egDM8/s320/DSC02153.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344114130624124002" border="0" /></a><br />The museum itself was one of the most ghetto things I've ever seen. Many of the displays were labeled with printed computer paper pasted to cardboard paper unevenly, much like a middle school science fair trifold board. But at least there was a plethora of shanks that are preserved:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM-5Dm8OhYu9xADUMsPgdnD4IYbs-zUC_ut6HYxk9ya_qQ3vIZCk4u1rv7JALnx-tQbt3AyULCNzG3Z2litD3cyDmb82JJbAnggA_Y4DxRmkqtf5aMWxhXH5CbMsfzH2EFDpED9FU8NJc/s1600-h/DSC02152.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM-5Dm8OhYu9xADUMsPgdnD4IYbs-zUC_ut6HYxk9ya_qQ3vIZCk4u1rv7JALnx-tQbt3AyULCNzG3Z2litD3cyDmb82JJbAnggA_Y4DxRmkqtf5aMWxhXH5CbMsfzH2EFDpED9FU8NJc/s320/DSC02152.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344114050215270882" border="0" /></a><br />Web and I also got to experience the hardships of prison life:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgOkpQOGcpt07DPlmsq_fShSjyF8m0L3t1zYCKMkM6h-tgct6C3AqX5VIOcnkzy1c_x1_nV6g6nUKBoNasd11CSMYyZeF0HuX5w7jNRO7bvXjoHx9adCfU8ei_WVkhwsiZ4jPPXIDm_XM/s1600-h/DSC02151.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgOkpQOGcpt07DPlmsq_fShSjyF8m0L3t1zYCKMkM6h-tgct6C3AqX5VIOcnkzy1c_x1_nV6g6nUKBoNasd11CSMYyZeF0HuX5w7jNRO7bvXjoHx9adCfU8ei_WVkhwsiZ4jPPXIDm_XM/s320/DSC02151.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344113983953233138" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicNuJwaK_ygk9MTRVTtL3uUYmnRIJa5DWQfDMaPyjZCX78W_QR0XnvAZiGdExfXjhx0wUE2tBKaW1WRhRsZEDSGrTlSAoFj_JTn_gj4_PI9v0hWGO2QYLWLD8u5_MUeT63SRNfnpQrHW0/s1600-h/DSC02150.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicNuJwaK_ygk9MTRVTtL3uUYmnRIJa5DWQfDMaPyjZCX78W_QR0XnvAZiGdExfXjhx0wUE2tBKaW1WRhRsZEDSGrTlSAoFj_JTn_gj4_PI9v0hWGO2QYLWLD8u5_MUeT63SRNfnpQrHW0/s320/DSC02150.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344113913531112466" border="0" /></a><br />We also found some more mystery rodents in the prisoner graveyard:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwwZctN_9wC_uNGypeLDXxdnkQnShF84IclWsJe5qzqLAaHDMpXYC-DnzATLUookTeZUigkYETuqwQ5kbubkVlVtPUZGSpCYZbuoOl68PJ9zB5-MeLpEf8s7PMCXc5moP1DFYGm76o4s4/s1600-h/DSC02154.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwwZctN_9wC_uNGypeLDXxdnkQnShF84IclWsJe5qzqLAaHDMpXYC-DnzATLUookTeZUigkYETuqwQ5kbubkVlVtPUZGSpCYZbuoOl68PJ9zB5-MeLpEf8s7PMCXc5moP1DFYGm76o4s4/s320/DSC02154.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344114271026543618" border="0" /></a><br />After our stop at the prison, we filled up on gas an headed to Utah, and passed by some cool rocks like this one:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx73NKEAxWs-1cZPOakIChFZEOYcbqOhqaIvEbYL_TqohcF-T0ZzaVe942ki3w5BBH5SG_eqTdaPpmdGY6abhmG4fVFUWUCyWmwFjaFcbXzVT_jcIVtib_Kbi1zx4rMZcX5fiykFKAPjA/s1600-h/DSC02167.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx73NKEAxWs-1cZPOakIChFZEOYcbqOhqaIvEbYL_TqohcF-T0ZzaVe942ki3w5BBH5SG_eqTdaPpmdGY6abhmG4fVFUWUCyWmwFjaFcbXzVT_jcIVtib_Kbi1zx4rMZcX5fiykFKAPjA/s320/DSC02167.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344114345778001426" border="0" /></a>laurenlovesroadtripshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00970647142707663330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9030552989701598319.post-41320561483568770212009-06-06T02:52:00.015-04:002009-06-06T11:24:31.059-04:00Open Skies and Rawlins, WY, Part IBetween the Lincoln Monument and Utah, there was a lot of open spaces and Rawlins, WY.<br /><br />And don't forget a ton of cattle, even more than in Nebraska or Colorado:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRjcJiXi1f3EYUHqoa2b39-i06NV9Mn9FvOfB0w-OHZjpULCwepoBDAl_LiqlDFwdfueR3vEWV_-8Ij30psAfC_MxoPnJQwG5Onh7V4LW07G55-3zG2Pn7f6D8YFqth85FtLCrLsKMAmc/s1600-h/DSC02121.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRjcJiXi1f3EYUHqoa2b39-i06NV9Mn9FvOfB0w-OHZjpULCwepoBDAl_LiqlDFwdfueR3vEWV_-8Ij30psAfC_MxoPnJQwG5Onh7V4LW07G55-3zG2Pn7f6D8YFqth85FtLCrLsKMAmc/s320/DSC02121.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344104615905869586" border="0" /></a><br />And the Rocky Mountains:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOg2Cu0n6DjS-xbNQd1vMTjjSSUqyRWO5Qzr7-ZB0rjFl1g9S6DLOa5l_oaF1B7HAyDVVe6DYW-j6N0aIFEtSaJjNL72nrKrx0RACpWKftxI63HfIfO65WrREWfn7eEB5i464qvR7Fk6M/s1600-h/DSC02134.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOg2Cu0n6DjS-xbNQd1vMTjjSSUqyRWO5Qzr7-ZB0rjFl1g9S6DLOa5l_oaF1B7HAyDVVe6DYW-j6N0aIFEtSaJjNL72nrKrx0RACpWKftxI63HfIfO65WrREWfn7eEB5i464qvR7Fk6M/s320/DSC02134.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344105046478245650" border="0" /></a><br />And clouds:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiaqU398ku29PzDinfyrA237MkNLnrAenTAGAsh3rBdz36PpaCVQe_8fMAqjnX73yJfxzxn7dhftyIqN614R8JheYVx6h1m0Lt9-7fL_JKCvxZaiVM-aWHAiesRYSaUxrtuMsBV718RgI/s1600-h/DSC02137.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiaqU398ku29PzDinfyrA237MkNLnrAenTAGAsh3rBdz36PpaCVQe_8fMAqjnX73yJfxzxn7dhftyIqN614R8JheYVx6h1m0Lt9-7fL_JKCvxZaiVM-aWHAiesRYSaUxrtuMsBV718RgI/s320/DSC02137.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344105137371994706" border="0" /></a><br />Wyoming has strange PSAs against secondhand smoke:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYf48HHw99nbf-DKjK4545MvtFkOwaoJzxc46LUXeYmgkibsv0C0QnZVWJ6xKmL7glSbBM8cZ5YZE95neBsNqTX3WhlhYoxKca3LKK0XeY0ke4W-s0grGgD1pV5yZV1T2RmlzkJSLox_I/s1600-h/DSC02108.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYf48HHw99nbf-DKjK4545MvtFkOwaoJzxc46LUXeYmgkibsv0C0QnZVWJ6xKmL7glSbBM8cZ5YZE95neBsNqTX3WhlhYoxKca3LKK0XeY0ke4W-s0grGgD1pV5yZV1T2RmlzkJSLox_I/s320/DSC02108.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344235292145823586" border="0" /></a><br />And more wind turbines than anywhere we've ever seen. There was at least 100 in one patch alone.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzFZwHW1op6LED98y21UHADXEEL9qt_CAg8KbUwIgtqYR3YaLR_L4m9Gd_PDXg5owiwGz1cBXOk171aGhl3' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGqBky0SrzOyygC3k57aHyCkbDA8oX6rA5AfyjA0If3E3JSeCqkeQCGNRQlOrcGzUFyd0avnP1JCvM8hXblrXK2ftGimeyTZoBemXB8rx3Z-a2pnfQVm27VpZNM2DsGaWf8F24f-5qsMI/s1600-h/morewywind.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGqBky0SrzOyygC3k57aHyCkbDA8oX6rA5AfyjA0If3E3JSeCqkeQCGNRQlOrcGzUFyd0avnP1JCvM8hXblrXK2ftGimeyTZoBemXB8rx3Z-a2pnfQVm27VpZNM2DsGaWf8F24f-5qsMI/s320/morewywind.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344108662945425874" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">However, even though Wyoming has a lot of wind power, they also have some crazy fossil fuel burning going on:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4h2YBEon2i0jEOTtVXH4FC3ExvkdrHasZXgw71msty_gcjkQNp-bO9XFpva6DX1xPEPlO_-2asJYlD0IMQVRJipy79SSh_WSC1Y-xRqGnqpPNEIQPTGmEhD7p10SNgsvCEV0TAnJMHBI/s1600-h/DSC02147.JPG"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwKAAsGQhpNZdP6TNwNTwy4gScbujK1W1Hs6_-lWBUhU0v_0743rzuiEg8pfIEx_HiJkkEowiNsOF8Zz8ILkw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></a><br /></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">After awhile we reached Rawlins, WY. A small city where there is cheap gas, buffalo burgers, and a state penitentiary.<br /><br />Before checking out the jail and getting gas, we got lunch at a local diner called Sharp Shooters, where the hostess is a Rawlins native. And this diner was adorable and fit for any old time cowboy or cowgirl. They had a buffalo head on the wall:</div></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnvmJMQxOzB1nICl8G_g5ASK-2YEYicQvO6Pyz2cfrqfs7Yt_uHT1RMglgU0ah6cprZVcgTqN8w2HWTEpT7cK3-gFwoupVbRWOMgQ4g2aLcpg_u-QnVlduKm6VByTYVIMLuUKlSn7kvSo/s1600-h/DSC02144.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnvmJMQxOzB1nICl8G_g5ASK-2YEYicQvO6Pyz2cfrqfs7Yt_uHT1RMglgU0ah6cprZVcgTqN8w2HWTEpT7cK3-gFwoupVbRWOMgQ4g2aLcpg_u-QnVlduKm6VByTYVIMLuUKlSn7kvSo/s320/DSC02144.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344105350273392946" border="0" /></a><br />A carved wooden cowboy and the diner rules. Wyoming actually doesn't have a Clean Air Act, so they have both a smoking and non-smoking section. Old school.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggQzkCdMY9Ivv2CjzcuuS84u_padS_x0MlwFhBMocxRaoif5gSCuFicXhnHS9lPtDB8oXZItOcx6o3AM4NbyV-JkUimLDu-ClDv2rGeaME5QlbGIyS6o0yRWzwrQW_5O8hlYaMc1B-05k/s1600-h/DSC02145.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggQzkCdMY9Ivv2CjzcuuS84u_padS_x0MlwFhBMocxRaoif5gSCuFicXhnHS9lPtDB8oXZItOcx6o3AM4NbyV-JkUimLDu-ClDv2rGeaME5QlbGIyS6o0yRWzwrQW_5O8hlYaMc1B-05k/s320/DSC02145.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344105436288443682" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The salad buffet is a cover wagon!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKRP2EjFT788N0HN1Bp7vRG9cEhppFA5fJph4jMESji_lgxLNJcwpi80-B2IkPOFXwXHdhFDCUCQ1g1OUpzj3ZHN2meYpMM9EmufiIY2dR-JE1EexJfVtGQgvXJbQAjRzX81Ny8iw3Vjw/s1600-h/DSC02148.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKRP2EjFT788N0HN1Bp7vRG9cEhppFA5fJph4jMESji_lgxLNJcwpi80-B2IkPOFXwXHdhFDCUCQ1g1OUpzj3ZHN2meYpMM9EmufiIY2dR-JE1EexJfVtGQgvXJbQAjRzX81Ny8iw3Vjw/s320/DSC02148.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344105663364070242" border="0" /></a><br />And the most adorable bathroom room signage ever:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimFlMbwD9XoM2wE3DGmZeTckE-He2vRTqntQmnjSZ9rBKUzlRBnrc4ydjz-XYWo0AuBz_zngWYVacwmDkf_pckRsSYoZ6RPBFRTnel_sxi6AoMU3bsaX60rQL0a3rMaCJiaKoAMvy6Tlo/s1600-h/DSC02149.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimFlMbwD9XoM2wE3DGmZeTckE-He2vRTqntQmnjSZ9rBKUzlRBnrc4ydjz-XYWo0AuBz_zngWYVacwmDkf_pckRsSYoZ6RPBFRTnel_sxi6AoMU3bsaX60rQL0a3rMaCJiaKoAMvy6Tlo/s320/DSC02149.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344105585559522898" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4h2YBEon2i0jEOTtVXH4FC3ExvkdrHasZXgw71msty_gcjkQNp-bO9XFpva6DX1xPEPlO_-2asJYlD0IMQVRJipy79SSh_WSC1Y-xRqGnqpPNEIQPTGmEhD7p10SNgsvCEV0TAnJMHBI/s1600-h/DSC02147.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4h2YBEon2i0jEOTtVXH4FC3ExvkdrHasZXgw71msty_gcjkQNp-bO9XFpva6DX1xPEPlO_-2asJYlD0IMQVRJipy79SSh_WSC1Y-xRqGnqpPNEIQPTGmEhD7p10SNgsvCEV0TAnJMHBI/s320/DSC02147.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344105528608740962" border="0" /></a><br />Their barbecue, buffalo burgers, and coleslaw, also were pretty darn good.laurenlovesroadtripshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00970647142707663330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9030552989701598319.post-71698520479806374172009-06-06T02:37:00.005-04:002009-06-06T02:52:29.969-04:00The Other Lincoln Memorial (WY)Also in Wyoming there is a Lincoln Memorial. But not this one:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.thedctraveler.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/01/lincoln-memorial-flickr.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 334px;" src="http://www.thedctraveler.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/01/lincoln-memorial-flickr.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Its this one:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL0AJPxTgF6cKi6dT82D1mfegko1_Z-JIUjMVYs5Semdgt4bc_tiV-7XsXZtYq9VSX-QWijmLZtBCuKtpD5bwZ8-MBuReHhMU3QJugmPmujsC1xtPDY0DcFaHL-zfl5tNNG-wLrwSvJKQ/s1600-h/DSC02099.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL0AJPxTgF6cKi6dT82D1mfegko1_Z-JIUjMVYs5Semdgt4bc_tiV-7XsXZtYq9VSX-QWijmLZtBCuKtpD5bwZ8-MBuReHhMU3QJugmPmujsC1xtPDY0DcFaHL-zfl5tNNG-wLrwSvJKQ/s320/DSC02099.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344100341227771010" border="0" /></a><br />Someone got very lazy after carving the head and skipped the rest.<br /><br />This giant angry Lincoln overlooks the highest elevated point of I-80.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsZ4BU8eU-6KiyIwo24637G04ia8dk_Er5KAXwwDQ4fxPGes1EkCauLVWS-CAYCMq3cRLwE4hrqLT9gSUUQMN47131lva9db3OIeZfuRawqQHKUjoVl8wZfSHKUKE6ll_VpaAYdq5lmKY/s1600-h/DSC02104.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsZ4BU8eU-6KiyIwo24637G04ia8dk_Er5KAXwwDQ4fxPGes1EkCauLVWS-CAYCMq3cRLwE4hrqLT9gSUUQMN47131lva9db3OIeZfuRawqQHKUjoVl8wZfSHKUKE6ll_VpaAYdq5lmKY/s320/DSC02104.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344100692083784834" border="0" /></a><br />And inside the visitor center they had really sweet welcome mats.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4_pJxK5BTUTuxUlNBpZ_p58XaQ9zJ1cn-_WmXkkrFA9XayJE5Cang5irkX8XB895cwtpdOVAq4v6TlHvDHHCZm-_9B-0iXrtCcnI8DN7GnC-bU7YTJL7z3SeBsV8wNiS7VitptYgNIVY/s1600-h/DSC02102.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4_pJxK5BTUTuxUlNBpZ_p58XaQ9zJ1cn-_WmXkkrFA9XayJE5Cang5irkX8XB895cwtpdOVAq4v6TlHvDHHCZm-_9B-0iXrtCcnI8DN7GnC-bU7YTJL7z3SeBsV8wNiS7VitptYgNIVY/s320/DSC02102.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344100438647776018" border="0" /></a>laurenlovesroadtripshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00970647142707663330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9030552989701598319.post-58967008633368607952009-06-06T02:01:00.008-04:002009-06-06T02:37:03.926-04:00Egyptians in Wyoming, or Maybe Just AliensThe second strange and interesting thing in Wyoming we found, aside from a one person town, was a strange pyramid off a dirt road from the interstate.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY2MwDL2om09yloe5ZCpqIfXETqejW2HYf_Q5Ib0BxX0vCqCv5cWSbrTuDKQ3L7lGhDoQXnYRUrM-xycnQ_TwC0HEDJnEOFxOBMLWJXNlcO8NEBFRKuvy0mAkaNrQA7Z0-5A40MaCUX6M/s1600-h/DSC02094.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY2MwDL2om09yloe5ZCpqIfXETqejW2HYf_Q5Ib0BxX0vCqCv5cWSbrTuDKQ3L7lGhDoQXnYRUrM-xycnQ_TwC0HEDJnEOFxOBMLWJXNlcO8NEBFRKuvy0mAkaNrQA7Z0-5A40MaCUX6M/s320/DSC02094.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344090926891286706" border="0" /></a><br />It is unclear whether it was the Egyptians or extraterrestrial beings settled Wyoming first, but they left us this mysterious monument:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBCmdwlpiURcLLY7v5fF-_RmA1z-RvZvsJEfNB5Bd0cFvEal9DR8tazpF25q-G9g5zkdcsPOhJmSqUrglcUhUzVwVScJDAvI70sNgpTH1GBGCkE-Zpf8SBAXaHTl2IR0NKo53HkAmJCD4/s1600-h/DSC02095.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBCmdwlpiURcLLY7v5fF-_RmA1z-RvZvsJEfNB5Bd0cFvEal9DR8tazpF25q-G9g5zkdcsPOhJmSqUrglcUhUzVwVScJDAvI70sNgpTH1GBGCkE-Zpf8SBAXaHTl2IR0NKo53HkAmJCD4/s320/DSC02095.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344090998033853586" border="0" /></a><br />It is also unclear what was so interesting about the Ames brothers to the Egyptians or aliens, because they were not very interesting to us. The pyramid itself (which isn't a true pyramid by any means), if in fact Egyptian, is probably from around 2500 BCE, around Dynasty IV, the pyramid building age of Egypt. This clearly was an earlier, less successful model that was abandoned. Perhaps Ames is also an early version of the sun god Amun that also was scrapped. How the Egyptians got to Wyoming is still unknown.<br /><br />Did I mention this pyramid is nearly in the middle of nowehere?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ74WBUf457QyRWZePIUkrPr2OrXscTaMUQRVbbQtc4HBPznkb5vvDwEiS5-gj5_0p_0WJwxmJ30PLFXqYhDc6UCWGzkUQ1dm_UK7RqL8NTpgthdMaP_C4jOpQa-6YuL-hICZzZfEDg-o/s1600-h/DSC02096.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ74WBUf457QyRWZePIUkrPr2OrXscTaMUQRVbbQtc4HBPznkb5vvDwEiS5-gj5_0p_0WJwxmJ30PLFXqYhDc6UCWGzkUQ1dm_UK7RqL8NTpgthdMaP_C4jOpQa-6YuL-hICZzZfEDg-o/s320/DSC02096.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344091258830353554" border="0" /></a><br />Web in front of... well... nothing:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM8f2WwIy4RRv6AElN01AkF-1kJRYinc8_sI60fAmF0pExiFz0jB3g2iEx4dcADagIhuZkejdHNxVy1w1-5sdZo_bli5ihZiKHadxz9flQ4evIOFXx3YOGUv8OzfTD0h3-USjWP9iAD3g/s1600-h/DSC02097.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM8f2WwIy4RRv6AElN01AkF-1kJRYinc8_sI60fAmF0pExiFz0jB3g2iEx4dcADagIhuZkejdHNxVy1w1-5sdZo_bli5ihZiKHadxz9flQ4evIOFXx3YOGUv8OzfTD0h3-USjWP9iAD3g/s320/DSC02097.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344091354072859090" border="0" /></a><br />But we weren't alone near the pyramid. Remember those pronghorn antelope from Nebraska that were really digging the Kia and Web? Well, we found one in the wild, and he raced us! We let him win:<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwIyCvCL0smCAVGBiU5VLPOiTwugLta5xXsCqgQfKRTXLnsdRTkugqLrx_HaHoXhpv5kYqp9emOEF1efg3How' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">We also saw there strange rodents, and we aren't sure what they are. Prarie dogs? Large shrews? Small gophers? Who knows, but they were cute.<br /></div><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzSU7M8gS4khOkx4ZgOkRyJQr8f_kyJzexS7i1uXyC2atFittdz1oWJADkO-syo6LqSkffO5M-DUrZ9keiM' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /></div>laurenlovesroadtripshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00970647142707663330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9030552989701598319.post-37560326244595433942009-06-06T01:43:00.006-04:002009-06-06T02:01:33.947-04:00Wyoming, Home of the Smallest Town in AmericaWe spent most of Wednesday driving through Wyoming, where there a lot of cows and a few cowboys. Neither Web nor I recall there being a welcome sign when entering Wyoming... unless it was this giant metal buffalo sculpture... a seemingly more fit welcome to Wyoming... since I don't think they want people moving in.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHGe6UP5GzPKJK47gMjqYQ4-TXPC5OpK3Oti0R2mp0uPmOzlsfUDfcIYd8kFZAaOQULKEOhfUNcuLprxqNGjEDDtXqR8ZIEt8NYbegxdojV9IJGz-rn_tGspNVDg4JWj8ML02hiGZ12io/s1600-h/DSC02087.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHGe6UP5GzPKJK47gMjqYQ4-TXPC5OpK3Oti0R2mp0uPmOzlsfUDfcIYd8kFZAaOQULKEOhfUNcuLprxqNGjEDDtXqR8ZIEt8NYbegxdojV9IJGz-rn_tGspNVDg4JWj8ML02hiGZ12io/s320/DSC02087.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344086469287308258" border="0" /></a><br />Aside from bovine species, you can find oil in Wyoming:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqWIXR9gWEWDqflEHpS2YNIS5PjE7HTjVWjyJUpEiRp1jblLHP0gg5_s_QYp8YqJ8W4ac3Sh3L2pgj7-QxJlDJkVlyneNUYK7I82J5EcRhyphenhyphenPwjR4R6CaXchW6aQEveZCglj-6CBTuwY4Y/s1600-h/DSC02089.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqWIXR9gWEWDqflEHpS2YNIS5PjE7HTjVWjyJUpEiRp1jblLHP0gg5_s_QYp8YqJ8W4ac3Sh3L2pgj7-QxJlDJkVlyneNUYK7I82J5EcRhyphenhyphenPwjR4R6CaXchW6aQEveZCglj-6CBTuwY4Y/s320/DSC02089.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344086671531659826" border="0" /></a><br />Wyoming, unlike many of the state we traveled through, had many things to stop and see. The first was the smallest town in America:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgULU5cJG98uf9EU3s3U1-iqzJsmoDtiViL61dRyH3y6c6O73dQbnevXKWu2FrvwiHanwoF57l63-tYM3Kx3SaGhgzdwB9cT4A3mqI1AAtgelH3uyfYUnBovpd9egacio6MQfvy3Wzxi0/s1600-h/DSC02091.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgULU5cJG98uf9EU3s3U1-iqzJsmoDtiViL61dRyH3y6c6O73dQbnevXKWu2FrvwiHanwoF57l63-tYM3Kx3SaGhgzdwB9cT4A3mqI1AAtgelH3uyfYUnBovpd9egacio6MQfvy3Wzxi0/s320/DSC02091.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344086994353258514" border="0" /></a><br />This is me, in front of the only house belonging to the only woman in Buford, modeling my new hat:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj2m8zgd9-3Hwo24ObJjs_5ivpfjXBhi61NdP5jdnxfPAF0oPBG7QBLlH_LADwoFBOgISVgDPNupDRgwQHuP3LdIEMdeRV936SLDERgN37DiZ5MYE6R5EAZwbRszRMj1KKePKCsPkTnoY/s1600-h/DSC02093.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj2m8zgd9-3Hwo24ObJjs_5ivpfjXBhi61NdP5jdnxfPAF0oPBG7QBLlH_LADwoFBOgISVgDPNupDRgwQHuP3LdIEMdeRV936SLDERgN37DiZ5MYE6R5EAZwbRszRMj1KKePKCsPkTnoY/s320/DSC02093.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344087059744591922" border="0" /></a><br />Aside from the house, there was a gas station and convenience store. The resident of Buford was kind of cranky. I guess I'd be cranky too if I lived in Buford alone.laurenlovesroadtripshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00970647142707663330noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9030552989701598319.post-39180131384001896702009-06-06T01:22:00.007-04:002009-06-06T01:43:12.970-04:00Johnson's, True American Work Ethic (More Colorado)On Wednesday, June 3rd, we set off from Denver to Wendover, Nevada. While dropping off Tate's apartment keys and scouting for coffee nearby, Web saw an ad for Johnson's, which is a truck stop along I-25. We were traveling on I-25 anyways, so there seemed like no reason to not try their famous cinnamon rolls.<br /><br />It didn't take long to get there, which is good, cuz Web really needs coffee to start the day:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7YbsDj7TYdfSkeZrIJ8yElraifWwuoxkZVH6Et5oJmi-t6ALa5LRxDlGn76Lr19hu2AdwfRg_MYb8xTTOvTrbrCSnuW5h27IRqroc9O8VT08sznFxH0lrhZgkl89mG1eDr0LiJ9zXeFM/s1600-h/DSC02083.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7YbsDj7TYdfSkeZrIJ8yElraifWwuoxkZVH6Et5oJmi-t6ALa5LRxDlGn76Lr19hu2AdwfRg_MYb8xTTOvTrbrCSnuW5h27IRqroc9O8VT08sznFxH0lrhZgkl89mG1eDr0LiJ9zXeFM/s320/DSC02083.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344080977532775362" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Inside we not only found regular sized cinnamon rolls, but these cute mini ones!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyBvQlRCW-BvEuE2dX1ZX7XJDbH3cZJxhFrUq_I_X1UUcIeqlQMO13bBWgDdztQL5HrIbLq8223N1b_nPOyKyLYGYsj8yT5HbAhinyEmANknVhL43Cg56LQJBHeU1lSh1jXobwR5hzXIo/s1600-h/DSC02085.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyBvQlRCW-BvEuE2dX1ZX7XJDbH3cZJxhFrUq_I_X1UUcIeqlQMO13bBWgDdztQL5HrIbLq8223N1b_nPOyKyLYGYsj8yT5HbAhinyEmANknVhL43Cg56LQJBHeU1lSh1jXobwR5hzXIo/s320/DSC02085.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344081050225338786" border="0" /></a><br />The cinnamon rolls were good. I also finally found a decent cowboy hat that fit at Johnson's.<br /><br />I'll also note the convenient truck stop chapel at Johnson's. It reminded me of the one from Bill Maher's <span style="font-style: italic;">Religulous</span>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs_j479J3Bi1iqJ-MfzgSAKYmZqzQVDfs9z5nCauyUsrRzqQdhXuVRRhLvjhHtQm6zoafWztY8AKajpIyZJ5oxGAp5ORl7utPudG6udzkXA2lsu39w8WzUcGNZ0sfqCLiXjaEuUFqShxQ/s1600-h/DSC02082.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs_j479J3Bi1iqJ-MfzgSAKYmZqzQVDfs9z5nCauyUsrRzqQdhXuVRRhLvjhHtQm6zoafWztY8AKajpIyZJ5oxGAp5ORl7utPudG6udzkXA2lsu39w8WzUcGNZ0sfqCLiXjaEuUFqShxQ/s320/DSC02082.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344080910809990034" border="0" /></a><br />Not very exciting I know. But wait 'til you see my cowboy hat later.laurenlovesroadtripshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00970647142707663330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9030552989701598319.post-33727962454636836992009-06-04T10:18:00.011-04:002009-06-04T11:32:39.568-04:00The Colors of ColoradoSo camping in Nebraska could have been more pleasant. One, our campsite was covered in tiny little anthills. Two, it rained all night and we woke up with everything around us soggy. Bleh.<br /><br />Also, the so called wi-fi internet didn't work, so I didn't blog. So we got up, showered, and hit the road for Denver.<br /><br />When we entered Colorado, our surroundings almost instantaneously became more aesthetically pleasing with rolling hills, a brownish colored road, and a more mixed bunch of vegetation... of many colors.<br /><br />Colorado also has a lot of hamburgers on legs grazing the plains:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPjMftoTdR-9knKosWXLrS7BlH1oL0nd9-t3ESImTmmCBjU-UrAS7p2HY-wbPP4WB1hUlKgY4TDGhVYWx1LrT6KyXmpxqz7_2HTN152CpVlDeqsDGeb68TuKQqhe1rmtjyefMjjp1yNVM/s1600-h/Morecows.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPjMftoTdR-9knKosWXLrS7BlH1oL0nd9-t3ESImTmmCBjU-UrAS7p2HY-wbPP4WB1hUlKgY4TDGhVYWx1LrT6KyXmpxqz7_2HTN152CpVlDeqsDGeb68TuKQqhe1rmtjyefMjjp1yNVM/s320/Morecows.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343483844649523442" border="0" /></a><br />And more cows:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiboZq4hE1DAwgYaC0LjZiByu762TYI2yCziaLwQ7Sud_aIH6U9lMLt2R43dU06vcWow5G12d_B1L4ITydWZMuXKqQLJ_5rkoZt5SLhB6SiG6atGDpEy8c9yo6jSrrbsk-ejtvhpX9vfsU/s1600-h/cows2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiboZq4hE1DAwgYaC0LjZiByu762TYI2yCziaLwQ7Sud_aIH6U9lMLt2R43dU06vcWow5G12d_B1L4ITydWZMuXKqQLJ_5rkoZt5SLhB6SiG6atGDpEy8c9yo6jSrrbsk-ejtvhpX9vfsU/s320/cows2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343483797179061842" border="0" /></a><br />One of my childhood memories of Colorado, since when I was little we had lived in Colorado Springs and Ft. Collins for a little while, is flavored and colored popcorn. So at one of our stops for gas I purchases rainbow popcorn. It made me happy.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrMrdPAKdjOatSJnoHgqtkPCzis74cHCeO6zFCkSJBYQklOJvD4LpODog9Vic31gAT9srZHcVd1gbqJY9mi8FAxsAxanBiNQ5EElGRT4-H-NkEQfMakAPC9aS1gQZ0RN-aCMN4OoIApc4/s1600-h/DSC02081.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrMrdPAKdjOatSJnoHgqtkPCzis74cHCeO6zFCkSJBYQklOJvD4LpODog9Vic31gAT9srZHcVd1gbqJY9mi8FAxsAxanBiNQ5EElGRT4-H-NkEQfMakAPC9aS1gQZ0RN-aCMN4OoIApc4/s320/DSC02081.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343483950390545538" border="0" /></a><br />And soon, we were in Denver, the Mile High City:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA5hXY2DjwTGdAUaj_vnPNSgTeEkTFlYjmdEmuZl9vfpdq3QObS1oHX20lwG4T1TThQgKj2CxWn63FJtS-pmjkqFmOOpsspKyhzY20T08LeEstMRM37LZ_JNQTLo5vFKMS1D1dZfEzUso/s1600-h/Denverskyline.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA5hXY2DjwTGdAUaj_vnPNSgTeEkTFlYjmdEmuZl9vfpdq3QObS1oHX20lwG4T1TThQgKj2CxWn63FJtS-pmjkqFmOOpsspKyhzY20T08LeEstMRM37LZ_JNQTLo5vFKMS1D1dZfEzUso/s320/Denverskyline.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343484162086153218" border="0" /><br /></a>And our first destination in Denver: Beau Jo's Pizza, the best pizza on Earth! Another one of my favorite childhood memories is the delicious honey wheat crust of a cheesy, garlicky, mountain pie. In my family, a Beau Jo's mountain pie might as well be a symbol of our love for one another. But we topped our pizza with artichoke hearts, onions, mushrooms, feta cheese... yummy! We were so hungry though we forgot to take a picture. Oh well, at least Web is a believer now:<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyU90RxaBj1ZXIKqU7E_wYRxQWQyA73lU0d3embUDH4gDLYm8M7xYobZMb52UTzkIbue86VkS9jV6CIvPZxmw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">After our mountain pie, we headed into downtown. Web hasn't ever been to Denver so I camped out in a hotel lobby to work on some blogging while he explored downtown. He bought sneakers at Payless and didn't take any pictures of downtown, despite having the camera. Pft.<br /><br />We hung out for awhile and relaxed, but there it was time to go to the Buckhorn Exchange for dinner. The Buckhorn Exchange is another wonder I remembered from the Travel Channel. Buckhorn is the oldest restaurant in Denver, it serves a variety of gourmet and exotic meat, and its decor lets you know you are in Cowboy Country!<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvXzQbShcpxyvIXmLOljZIa07UjtG9YzR87difqv6SumXy_dYpn7xmTSfKqVo00PLBpfEQxSuaepdEFzs8Jx89fp_K8CFlws8Lj8eMpT9ROlU7qqwSXD9fx3e7YLkMK4siMIjYPc4cmrs/s1600-h/alligator.jpg"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxPu7h8XnGY42DIF2sQcxz1-fwGlyoQo5Qgb4eikmaj-LRiAx0DHbp8rSeqN90wJm7Zda6RzuutSL5J17uVAA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Most of the really crazy meats were in the appetizers, so we had to get those. I ordered fried alligator:<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvXzQbShcpxyvIXmLOljZIa07UjtG9YzR87difqv6SumXy_dYpn7xmTSfKqVo00PLBpfEQxSuaepdEFzs8Jx89fp_K8CFlws8Lj8eMpT9ROlU7qqwSXD9fx3e7YLkMK4siMIjYPc4cmrs/s1600-h/alligator.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvXzQbShcpxyvIXmLOljZIa07UjtG9YzR87difqv6SumXy_dYpn7xmTSfKqVo00PLBpfEQxSuaepdEFzs8Jx89fp_K8CFlws8Lj8eMpT9ROlU7qqwSXD9fx3e7YLkMK4siMIjYPc4cmrs/s320/alligator.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343484237299905090" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Alligator tastes really weird. It is like a chewier chicken, but tastes like it should be swampy seafood. And has a really potent aftertaste. It was really weird, but made me feel at the top of the food chain.<br /></div><br /></div>But that wasn't the only weird thing we ordered. Web was brave enough to order Rocky Mountain oysters, aka bull fries, aka fried bull testicles. Here is Web chowing down on some cow manhood:<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyMPqhvgiGSHeYeafwSwqBU_xu6A-vIzeHv0DF1fJQvPzZXy6sAqKKqbFBt5zwkOB0_Aw4-q2Jp5k7AC8Rdug' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />I tried some too. Bull fries are the ultimate proof that anything fried tastes good, because they weren't bad at all, considering what they were. Kinda like sliced and fried mushrooms... but of a testicular origin.<br /><br />For our meals we grubbed on elk, quail, cornish game hen, and duck. We might have felt mildly guilty eating our friendly elks if the steak hadn't been grilled to perfection. I found out that cornish game hen tastes exactly like chicken. And Web's new favorite poultry are tender little quails.<br /><br />After eating more species of animals I thought was possible in one meal, we headed over to our friend Tate's apartment for our lodging. Tate actually let us just borrow the whole studio which was sweet. I also had the pleasure of meeting Knives, his cat who like to bat at my feet when I was trying to sleep.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8u5wdJ_VvRGSsgjPyzI2bTPw0g5fOr_aNTow-JLOmdkUuMFEbaJxAHFpDsX-GWxzCqGpJX5dpj7LxNuNomsjT_mNz1hHkFA9YeMqJQD90Yr3Mo-bTSxg2d-9GTgcLbab8c0ihdarsnIQ/s1600-h/DSC02076.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8u5wdJ_VvRGSsgjPyzI2bTPw0g5fOr_aNTow-JLOmdkUuMFEbaJxAHFpDsX-GWxzCqGpJX5dpj7LxNuNomsjT_mNz1hHkFA9YeMqJQD90Yr3Mo-bTSxg2d-9GTgcLbab8c0ihdarsnIQ/s320/DSC02076.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343484319606148818" border="0" /></a></div>laurenlovesroadtripshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00970647142707663330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9030552989701598319.post-6922543633773158482009-06-04T09:53:00.004-04:002009-06-04T10:17:36.516-04:00Into the Boring Part of NebraskaSo after our close encounters of the antelope kind, Web and I got back on I-80 and headed into the boring part of Nebraska.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.tommeersman.com/blog/culvers.jpg"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzAWMUUbVZsHNHa74MQwUrASGzvcAmTwoscplS_rA0KjsoAGkO84sb6wuSfuUpG1M_FxS_aStZdb-oA8ZKgIg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></a><br /></div><br />The only thing of interest between Lincoln and the Colorado state line is Kearney. Kearney is home to the Great Platte River Road Archway. A colorful and random monument over the interstate. Unfortunately we missed out on going inside, where there is apparently an education museum of sorts.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL90tzBqmQrmv_wOW6xS8wqLAquaF5hXUbobYAcimKIaPKET2yOfNYvHFhggTBqCAMrWqT36SpVzZP0ZbjvOCaZ9vrvDme-UVDLeR9SFA95yCMbDF_hCQqrXMunkwdQpiAhHJeTL6bK04/s1600-h/PlatteRiverRoadArchway.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL90tzBqmQrmv_wOW6xS8wqLAquaF5hXUbobYAcimKIaPKET2yOfNYvHFhggTBqCAMrWqT36SpVzZP0ZbjvOCaZ9vrvDme-UVDLeR9SFA95yCMbDF_hCQqrXMunkwdQpiAhHJeTL6bK04/s320/PlatteRiverRoadArchway.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343470581420078354" border="0" /></a><br />In Kearney, the last big city until our camping site in Gothenburg, we decided to pull off and look for some food. Web had never been to Culver's, which is known for its butterburgers and frozen custard. The first time I had Culver's was actually last year on a road trip back from the RNC in St. Paul, MN with Andre (a Midwest native).<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.tommeersman.com/blog/culvers.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 175px; height: 137px;" src="http://www.tommeersman.com/blog/culvers.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Culver's was yummy, but the Georgia Peach custard shake didn't sit well with my newly-recognized lack of lactase production. So, we went to Target anyways to get Web swim trunks, and I bought lactase pills to relieve the feeling that my stomach was going to explode. They work amazingly well!<br /><br />The smell of Nebraska also gets progressively worse the more cows you see. And there were a lot of cows...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyhoOW8evfMtZtXlJB9pym5KwPcR-PpcEh_H5h-H1p2D3krRimeijzV3oMzZWpAiCb1GIb3ovvawQ44F-R5' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /></div>laurenlovesroadtripshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00970647142707663330noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9030552989701598319.post-18365364851647914202009-06-04T02:26:00.019-04:002009-06-04T03:07:36.377-04:00Into Wild NebraskaBut the real reason why Nebraska was way cooler than Iowa, was its preservation of natural Nebraska wildlife at the Lee G. Simmons Conservation Park & Wildlife Safari. Web and I drove through the park in the Kia and got up and CLOSE with a variety of animals from the Great Plains.<br /><br />We first met some Nebraskan elk. These guys really couldn't have given two shits about us driving through their territory and talking pictures of them:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJZZFlwHlZlHjjw5g8-yBfv6JKFmPH3QdrezlhIuGfcXLGul07_5ikzCsJu8h3WFms1xJmNSNIR6mAcuDgznxLd2pLGRZmaj0CaMIXDfmx0H9kwYTx8LiookFMUklkxkZgVSW1Z7vDcGw/s1600-h/elk.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJZZFlwHlZlHjjw5g8-yBfv6JKFmPH3QdrezlhIuGfcXLGul07_5ikzCsJu8h3WFms1xJmNSNIR6mAcuDgznxLd2pLGRZmaj0CaMIXDfmx0H9kwYTx8LiookFMUklkxkZgVSW1Z7vDcGw/s320/elk.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343356895200484786" border="0" /></a><br />We also met the whitetail deer, which were watching us more intently than us watching them. Just some deer chillin':<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVSNmA5tB8tnrc6fYHST65MDkupNCD0DDq4FaKys0z-gxU9wK1mtc0HGWHq73PPjYIXFkBWeqUwAHu-g2kMT2S0oAQ_gNmyQjk-Jyi1yfoDz4lEet6KF6VD9WfAZHbeTHTwC8Osk9mg9U/s1600-h/deer.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVSNmA5tB8tnrc6fYHST65MDkupNCD0DDq4FaKys0z-gxU9wK1mtc0HGWHq73PPjYIXFkBWeqUwAHu-g2kMT2S0oAQ_gNmyQjk-Jyi1yfoDz4lEet6KF6VD9WfAZHbeTHTwC8Osk9mg9U/s320/deer.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343357005422711522" border="0" /></a><br />We then got acquainted with some of Nebraska's avian critters...<br /><br />Like an owl:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ3MtZ7df-yXOP9JpYw3Bz_OYmxbVq05ZLhdGTbAzKRr3Hx8crZX_4aVFcyK3-avKu77_gseFuenKGNdpZ7A4Jjv7HwZi82DT6FwzGYHAgZyXbaKs5IGW4-tDZioZhCWm2ofUMNBa_kzM/s1600-h/owl.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 238px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ3MtZ7df-yXOP9JpYw3Bz_OYmxbVq05ZLhdGTbAzKRr3Hx8crZX_4aVFcyK3-avKu77_gseFuenKGNdpZ7A4Jjv7HwZi82DT6FwzGYHAgZyXbaKs5IGW4-tDZioZhCWm2ofUMNBa_kzM/s320/owl.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343357957212036642" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">A sandhill crane, that got up in our business:<br /><br /></div><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyzsuBDOFXZuRFGZSWdYOOOfov1Fm52e49PpU28lZHPS2Y0RTcamxY5Z5xImvh_BuTs1DIljcwkrh4onXbc7Q' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">And swans doing something strange...<br /><br /></div><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dz-TP0Cxc6lWHLRn_Dq5lu8ZOiASXL8BQnE3AfwvI-YVPYTjjdU2E3nv18c0wRW1bgbz6j5fKnoYMW1N5WYKg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The bear and wolf cages ended up being mildly disappointing. One, they are in cages so you can't just drive among man-eating predators. Two, there were no bears in sight. Three, the bears were quite possibly just mislabeled... or eaten...<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQvsEKrhaFFbg59ThZfJzEJvPBawzWWOryIedoEBy52xAAIKlEDwooa4mPVe2mYl9FII_AO1FSftVulbWHs5eku1vQIWt8xj__NN_Sop-vAA0oRXJfonqRgvdShP7UQuCIUZHp5601NOQ/s1600-h/antelopefemale.jpg"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwQ6pMWR4guUSynALOzSjBdjVEYMMa5b90vcA47hg92UaBjMyl3Ch-F09H65A37AMMG5VXF7f9C339RmBXsuA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">In the last animal pen we observed a herd of bison. Despite being 6 feet tall and could easy kill us, they were mellow and didn't even look up from grazing as we passed. The white bison to the right is named Dakota, and she has a little mixed baby!<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSJMfGUa3ALcns7-OJ1lIHw_7eduesSp_yebGSNhxtfJMeGKlnoJwsiQRvBSe8guvtkXTF1yMiDidbHT-ymVAgCvzHrhgtryxxLGBZfthAMEVTuxQrVVbyg4O20iZiBLJrPnOhyBN0kK4/s1600-h/bison.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSJMfGUa3ALcns7-OJ1lIHw_7eduesSp_yebGSNhxtfJMeGKlnoJwsiQRvBSe8guvtkXTF1yMiDidbHT-ymVAgCvzHrhgtryxxLGBZfthAMEVTuxQrVVbyg4O20iZiBLJrPnOhyBN0kK4/s320/bison.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343359283984663010" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The other animal in the last pen was the pronghorn antelope. And man were they really friendly. Here is one male, not too interested in us but close to the road:<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0KPe_isxaSMnmnO0b97xxPzcJCfMskOqckrGnl5nDeguTzSKtv8z-UxNR4cZu5ckqn6tbzFMMTxxfNHgmp3H_Xy7ukHIPfcK679c4BNqbCkGoKlDNlkUeuGNi0UKd1Jgrb-xFLjcSqLc/s1600-h/antelopemale.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0KPe_isxaSMnmnO0b97xxPzcJCfMskOqckrGnl5nDeguTzSKtv8z-UxNR4cZu5ckqn6tbzFMMTxxfNHgmp3H_Xy7ukHIPfcK679c4BNqbCkGoKlDNlkUeuGNi0UKd1Jgrb-xFLjcSqLc/s320/antelopemale.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343359348673646706" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">And here is a female that actually followed us a little bit:<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQvsEKrhaFFbg59ThZfJzEJvPBawzWWOryIedoEBy52xAAIKlEDwooa4mPVe2mYl9FII_AO1FSftVulbWHs5eku1vQIWt8xj__NN_Sop-vAA0oRXJfonqRgvdShP7UQuCIUZHp5601NOQ/s1600-h/antelopefemale.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQvsEKrhaFFbg59ThZfJzEJvPBawzWWOryIedoEBy52xAAIKlEDwooa4mPVe2mYl9FII_AO1FSftVulbWHs5eku1vQIWt8xj__NN_Sop-vAA0oRXJfonqRgvdShP7UQuCIUZHp5601NOQ/s320/antelopefemale.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343359444719883650" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">But the last, youngest pronghorn, was in love with the Sportage:<br /></div><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwJymJKbaeCKp0ExnE8-_EbmKg7E51PXcK3HPMTb68o3leO-7B00PISsxlj8f6IGqlu680l5JMbEuaJyDmSZA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">He also was very interested in Web:<br /></div><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dy6ODC2YrFyFgpH3PPe40Y1B7BN_VEV8p3nUx1775TdAOP8UGwLpPnG2LU8Bydx5yUK6ufVv1D4YgRsunJPsg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Nebraska, we learned, is not just home to corn, in fact we saw little corn. In fact, Nebraska is the home to friendly animals and invisible bears.<br /></div></div>laurenlovesroadtripshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00970647142707663330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9030552989701598319.post-23953301099660877152009-06-04T02:13:00.005-04:002009-06-04T02:26:42.191-04:00The Mysterious State of NebraskaCompared to Iowa, Nebraska was the best thing since sliced bread. Not to mention our savior from dying of boredom. (Ironic, eh?)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWJ0EXuMR5STN6hIMU0v6XNp87Acd6NsD6Y5deZBikMA4TgnCHxtIiVMHjVTGCvgJrX3kTkjiItCDKm7UCNpggYbJcfwuJSyDLpEJLbBgqPwhKtqlTQvHNKRM6EjqeHujnzW5N4Ccj-2Q/s1600-h/enteringNE.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWJ0EXuMR5STN6hIMU0v6XNp87Acd6NsD6Y5deZBikMA4TgnCHxtIiVMHjVTGCvgJrX3kTkjiItCDKm7UCNpggYbJcfwuJSyDLpEJLbBgqPwhKtqlTQvHNKRM6EjqeHujnzW5N4Ccj-2Q/s320/enteringNE.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343351976864315138" border="0" /></a><br />For one, Nebraska has cool state route signs with covered wagons on them. From my vast experience playing the Oregon Trail computer game (anyone that knows me knows I still play this in my spare time), I know Nebraska is along the trail, and the cause for many fordings of rivers and caulking wagons (ie. oxen injury).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqyYT45Lsa1Yd09X-N2LPlz4BowNqs3Td8585bMIlNI96-MOwHjhx_adK9oIiTYmyWAmwHsMy9dkBm0uI-nEZWjspzfSlh3T855H-bGTBcLOeJw5mNMVxLvUVKlFAGUuy9F-9898G_QIc/s1600-h/NEstateroutesigns.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 238px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqyYT45Lsa1Yd09X-N2LPlz4BowNqs3Td8585bMIlNI96-MOwHjhx_adK9oIiTYmyWAmwHsMy9dkBm0uI-nEZWjspzfSlh3T855H-bGTBcLOeJw5mNMVxLvUVKlFAGUuy9F-9898G_QIc/s320/NEstateroutesigns.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343352121644169218" border="0" /></a><br />Secondly, Nebraska is the birthplace of Kool-aid, specifically Hastings, NE. We were going to go to the Kool-aid museum originally, but a different adventure proved more exciting (for a later post). Over the past year Kool-aid has become a more valuable part of my very low income life, so thank you Nebraska.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNwPMscrpnOp4RhRx7Z_RUT9oyBs8IsLLFJnwFLQFF9d6UhAzl_s2cFVEg4pB3UxHV74BsQOul3hbqt5ecIO1dWww1FEmHGsM9aQ8cVaRsQxRFP5RS1W9cOHomCEQ6Lfsw2VYVcrfEJ_k/s1600-h/Koolaid.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNwPMscrpnOp4RhRx7Z_RUT9oyBs8IsLLFJnwFLQFF9d6UhAzl_s2cFVEg4pB3UxHV74BsQOul3hbqt5ecIO1dWww1FEmHGsM9aQ8cVaRsQxRFP5RS1W9cOHomCEQ6Lfsw2VYVcrfEJ_k/s320/Koolaid.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343352221626497506" border="0" /></a><br />Third, Nebraska actually has population high enough in Omaha and Lincoln to be interesting. Lots more cars, buildings, and signs of life.<br /><br />This all leads me to conclude, despite past beliefs, Nebraska is indeed a state and not a government conspiracy:<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxitUCyRb1fl4u20VxqZzmJuacT0ataznuSlLrcaAkOpsPzao94nLmah7rgTzDP6R9GsWJpfz2uOnAS7p7MWw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />Oh, and did I mention Nebraska used wind power too!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnmTrNI_fq6955BZqHZtClrOhk9NRjVP1LslRwKmiVHE8MvB0f72o7ALBQ7v1Uol-EOr-B9pQomoVGz9oUcx4iQ1v8dLQtHd5ZaU9BJJz5UYPdoN07EC646kzT1wEiKv6VAlMHiXz6m3U/s1600-h/NEwindpower.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnmTrNI_fq6955BZqHZtClrOhk9NRjVP1LslRwKmiVHE8MvB0f72o7ALBQ7v1Uol-EOr-B9pQomoVGz9oUcx4iQ1v8dLQtHd5ZaU9BJJz5UYPdoN07EC646kzT1wEiKv6VAlMHiXz6m3U/s320/NEwindpower.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343354797001245586" border="0" /></a>laurenlovesroadtripshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00970647142707663330noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9030552989701598319.post-32580914084531493922009-06-04T02:05:00.004-04:002009-06-04T02:13:06.779-04:00The Dullest Place in the World: IOWAThe rest of Iowa, after Walcott, which is most of Iowa, was the most boring place ever. It is flat, covered in flat farms, and really nothing of remote interest. The constant rain didn't help matters.<br /><br />Des Moines is the largest city in Iowa. One would never be able to tell:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxHZkoOkGVtP4uHVT89zvF8DElAk-Vx4wdXzCGNBpE1Yw9SO9e1l5Xiy-nplIY71W1cVNxXMo5i_tyNGRFTD2Z4SdM-DJaDfuD2DCZR59VqKBrxGwCECWVaY4HrBNdhP_S57b6Qk-aptM/s1600-h/desmoines.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxHZkoOkGVtP4uHVT89zvF8DElAk-Vx4wdXzCGNBpE1Yw9SO9e1l5Xiy-nplIY71W1cVNxXMo5i_tyNGRFTD2Z4SdM-DJaDfuD2DCZR59VqKBrxGwCECWVaY4HrBNdhP_S57b6Qk-aptM/s320/desmoines.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343349926379716610" border="0" /></a><br />The only thing cool in Iowa, outside of a plethora of Jesus merchandise, is their wind turbines. Clearly those blades were getting shipped to some Midwestern farm. The fact that Iowa is producing wind power and I can see it makes me happy inside.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVfe2j05zwWQ4pIxn4Ce7AomedgFpy0C3Lqg_lU0jhlpFt8KxL305NK_NnKskEgb_cZGKyzoo7kmAc69gOto3C4SJZFgB8HDcyI9W4uVFkeZ8RjREkBSUPITcNZTw_sYnvsmTxSO4AFJc/s1600-h/iowawindpower.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 238px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVfe2j05zwWQ4pIxn4Ce7AomedgFpy0C3Lqg_lU0jhlpFt8KxL305NK_NnKskEgb_cZGKyzoo7kmAc69gOto3C4SJZFgB8HDcyI9W4uVFkeZ8RjREkBSUPITcNZTw_sYnvsmTxSO4AFJc/s320/iowawindpower.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343350032285060674" border="0" /></a><br />But really the rest of Iowa was terrible. I do not recommend to anyone to go to Iowa on their own free will. At least Indiana, which was also boring, was at least a relatively short drive. Iowa lasted forever and caused me not only to nap during the ride, but also for car games between Web and I necessary to be conscious.laurenlovesroadtripshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00970647142707663330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9030552989701598319.post-72030807635637072512009-06-04T01:46:00.006-04:002009-06-04T02:05:12.601-04:00Iowa-80: The Biggest Truck Stop in the WorldNot long into Iowa, we stopped at the largest truck stop in the WORLD, Iowa-80 in Walcott, IA. They made sure to give us a big welcome:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcNI246GUB92natxKCfwKYO5lPXsttg5FP26fcbUNwMeI5YOwtYp7WDkHzQH9bVgMC1ronPjS7G7rJF4feQWvIhJZ1HjDV_3kU1MJ95EUFOGpsOEn3GMKcXyIAAFCDylqZ9-4l6LGSCo8/s1600-h/IA-80.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcNI246GUB92natxKCfwKYO5lPXsttg5FP26fcbUNwMeI5YOwtYp7WDkHzQH9bVgMC1ronPjS7G7rJF4feQWvIhJZ1HjDV_3kU1MJ95EUFOGpsOEn3GMKcXyIAAFCDylqZ9-4l6LGSCo8/s320/IA-80.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343345571985902786" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB5M3-2yNSAJVQby0ze6qdkXAwIk8vZkTp6F8GZmKNFaMmFs8pf-qHMzD4z-ZTUHwEnjof4hGY8ZWkw-iB3HoxJSvw36RbDpIt3GkZRMqh8fxEbUazUNCp0ua98ffzQ_Dzd3KP1WWyZmY/s1600-h/IA-802.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB5M3-2yNSAJVQby0ze6qdkXAwIk8vZkTp6F8GZmKNFaMmFs8pf-qHMzD4z-ZTUHwEnjof4hGY8ZWkw-iB3HoxJSvw36RbDpIt3GkZRMqh8fxEbUazUNCp0ua98ffzQ_Dzd3KP1WWyZmY/s320/IA-802.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343345650944985090" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPhTIjgGChUH4yuIFPPWVIIMZhjvimv9XQ49DZ-IXRHX6MoWCo5Qu1vkZpaZfj1v8ZQZKXCkURpaD2wgrQmGaFd_dbX7NftrW_CzyNevCirk6LTqo8VIyIHBHucPqhs5Ak934U8KWRraE/s1600-h/IA-803.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPhTIjgGChUH4yuIFPPWVIIMZhjvimv9XQ49DZ-IXRHX6MoWCo5Qu1vkZpaZfj1v8ZQZKXCkURpaD2wgrQmGaFd_dbX7NftrW_CzyNevCirk6LTqo8VIyIHBHucPqhs5Ak934U8KWRraE/s320/IA-803.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343345730573571346" border="0" /></a><br />But before we could even explore Iowa-80, we observed a parade of super-oversized trucks transporting wind turbine blades! Being that I am a nerd about clean energy, this was thrilling to see in Iowa. Not to mention the length of the blades was impressive:<br /><br /></div><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dze-Zs9q_LPR6xj2jPassZX4PgZeCPTMdb8wVRrMaaOUXavsrgwYGFA97c3s5g5vUrst6LchV0m2PxqWHyr1Q' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />Iowa-80 had a lot of what I would have expected from the Heartland of America. There was a lot of Christian music for sale, Jesus Ts (I had to bring one home), fast food, trucker hats, confederate flags, white people, military dudes and vets, and chrome for trucks. I was def the only minority anywhere near Iowa-80.<br /><br />We had brunch at the Iowa-80 diner and I indulged on some pulled pork. Yum.<br /><br />But enough redneck fun, back on the road!laurenlovesroadtripshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00970647142707663330noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9030552989701598319.post-46043285653579972102009-06-04T01:22:00.009-04:002009-06-04T01:46:27.655-04:00Illinois Outside of Chicago (Lameness, IL)Day 3: Monday June 1st, The Rest of Illinois, Iowa, and Nebraska:<br /><br />We got up early on Sunday for the longest driving portion of the trip, Point A: Chicago to Point B: Gothenburg, NE.<br /><br />Upon leaving Len's apartment and finding the interstate again, we passed through the New Seoul of Chicago, so apartently there is a healthy Korean-American population in Chicago.<br /><br />But once we left Chicago, we realized the rest of Illinois was way less interesting. It was amplified by the fact it was raining constantly:<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxhseMqixExVNAS_AUpyesBjOesNanlcvCGjHVUL3ovtM7EzP5lP3-wdwAWaIfbpzPp557dEIDamWhbiDKI-A' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />But they had what in my mind is the ideal farm in western Illinois:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIBAoTJ6eHt6AKzW8BwywsaZVwAxPkKsE8WHTmQZ_HG1YKdDIHGO3GrvjtZfyeFZfOCcJB78yLoH7T5IT1n4-RJtLVQp9b0mFmIDj8eqQGf3Mw3ltq41x8N_cLjFomfg5SL9eNFzATAQs/s1600-h/ILfarm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIBAoTJ6eHt6AKzW8BwywsaZVwAxPkKsE8WHTmQZ_HG1YKdDIHGO3GrvjtZfyeFZfOCcJB78yLoH7T5IT1n4-RJtLVQp9b0mFmIDj8eqQGf3Mw3ltq41x8N_cLjFomfg5SL9eNFzATAQs/s320/ILfarm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343340804126698738" border="0" /></a><br />And after awhile we crossed the Mississippi River. It was nothing like what I had envisioned after reading Mark Twain's <span style="font-style: italic;">Huckleberry Finn</span>. I guess the Mississippi gets better in the South:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3XNjlfUr3XBsrC51priHg6QADZg2RuGImgdojNQhYWrxvvIqu4fwDtppgp1Ug8vFeVX73XiH3ZP2Zps2CAeKpDeo_isT3WdnZk2XVu_8V46NG1NlXJRnnsV5gWAjwZQrEie1SC0QOqag/s1600-h/mississippiriver.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3XNjlfUr3XBsrC51priHg6QADZg2RuGImgdojNQhYWrxvvIqu4fwDtppgp1Ug8vFeVX73XiH3ZP2Zps2CAeKpDeo_isT3WdnZk2XVu_8V46NG1NlXJRnnsV5gWAjwZQrEie1SC0QOqag/s320/mississippiriver.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343342227785939410" border="0" /></a><br />And on the other side, lay Iowa and its fields of opportunities!!!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy-dZOnQfJEUJyQQqUBpDfSVFIo9mmpnw8vABDu0kON9VMpnNlWZSA0pAxwueRR9aKj1zS6CJrPy7PZ9VlGbRMmKffKKeKEc4qBHFAMyMS48qxABKH2moEGcBLT1ByUYMhnGRWmdCX7bM/s1600-h/enterIA.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy-dZOnQfJEUJyQQqUBpDfSVFIo9mmpnw8vABDu0kON9VMpnNlWZSA0pAxwueRR9aKj1zS6CJrPy7PZ9VlGbRMmKffKKeKEc4qBHFAMyMS48qxABKH2moEGcBLT1ByUYMhnGRWmdCX7bM/s320/enterIA.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343341427058380610" border="0" /></a>laurenlovesroadtripshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00970647142707663330noreply@blogger.com0