Don't ever allow life to be anything short of a superadventure^2.
Where We've Been (And, If We're on Top of Things, Where We Are Now)
View Progression of Ze Great Car Cruise in a larger map
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Regrettably, We Didn't Make it to North Dakota...
Actually, our decision to skip the other Dakota (we were planning to drive up to Fargo for lunch on our way from Rapid City, South Dakota to New Ulm, Minnesota) wasn't quite as regrettable as I anticipated it might be.
We started in Rapid City, drove out to Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Monument (the latter was very impressive!), and then made our way on small highways up to Pierre, South Dakota - the state capital. And, well...there wasn't much of anything there. In Pierre or outside of it. No lakes, no hills, no roads, no people. Just...snow. Flat snow. So we retracked ourselves straight to New Ulm, Minnesota, where we saw Hermann the German and did a tour of the Schell's Brewery - the second-oldest family-owned brewery in the US...second only to Yuengling (shoutout to all of our PA friends).
Oh, North Dakota, what ARE you?
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Well hello Ms. Mississippi!
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Just a Few Miles from Central Time...
Hang tight for our Mount Rushmore pictures, coming soon!
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Gimme Some West Coast Lovin'
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
L&L Cross the Country!
- Arriving at Bev's in Jackson to a plate of pasta topped with elk?! :)
- Waking up to a view outside the window that belongs outside my dream home...
- Watching Laura ski for the first time! Plowing her way down the slopes at Jackson Hole
- Cruising with Bev down the 4,100ft runs in the shadows of Grand Teton
- Walking around downtown Jackson, wishing I was wearing long-johns under my jeans?!
- Sitting side-saddle at a cowboy bar... for reals
- Driving through the elk refuge, and by driving I mean shotgun napping...
- Enjoying grilled cheese and tomato soup and movies, already wishing for another day in winter-white Wyoming
- Discovering Crown Burger's special sauce
- Hitting the pillows at Hilton thanks to Baba Mueller :)
- Relishing the quiet moments in Zion Nat'l Park
- Adventuring out on Greyhound, bound for a Superbowl in San Diego!!!
- Smiling as Ethan snapped my first (of this trip) Cali beach picture
- Being schooled on the art of table shuffle board in Pacific Beach (or as the locals say, PB)
- Cruising 'round SD, finding the perfect fish taco with Matt
- Reuniting with a preschool pal, keeping warm under the heat lamps at Fashion Valley Mall?! :)
- Laughing our tooshies off at a surprisingly stellar comedy show with Kelly Marie in Normal Heights
- Surviving a best-night-out with Ethan, killing wii zombies, making friends :)
- Absorbing the warm SoCal rays at La Jolla, smelling the sea lions
- Hiking the Hills and holding up the Hollywood sign with Laura
- Finding Michael Landon's star on the Walk of Fame for Mom :)
- Catching up with college gal pal, Courtney, the better half of the displaced Jones duo, to the tune of Thai Elvis in LA
- Staring wide-eyed at the indescribable views of Highway 1... (this will stay on my To-Do-In-Leiha's-Life-List forever)
- Moving into PetSmart, watching Cynthia's pup, Maggie, learn how to sit/stay/lay... ruff!
- Meeting a kickball team captain whilst crashing a party in Campbell, signing Cynthia up for her kickball career debut!
- Playing soccer on a Sunday morning under the shining NoCal sun...
- Scouring the farmer's market, shopping for veggies and such in Mountain View
- Watching Jacob blow up an air-matress with lungs of steel
- Discovering the expansiveness of Bay Area transportation with Kit and her bellybutton
- Watching as 7RPCVs converge for a Valentine dinner to remember (Jill's here!!!)
- Talking about life, family and friends in Mangio Village with Adrienne, the only other RPCV to know it as home
- Watching Ellen's 90s standup and babysitting with Rashad... fo shizzle.
- Walking the East Bay, perusing book stores, doing errands, sipping cafe coco and having wonderfully normal moments with Kate in Alameda
- Finish uploading pics from cell phone before cell phone is lost/destroyed!
- Wine tasting with Laura & Jill?! and/or meet Jacob in Durbin at 5pm
- Salsa dance with Cynthia in Los Gatos
- Catch up with Laura & Jill in San Jose
- Drive over the Golden Gate Bridge and through a Redwood, en route to Oregon!
- Bound for Seattle on Friday...
Monday, February 7, 2011
You're Lucky...
“You’re lucky it’s only 17 below out here. Just on the other side of the mountain it’s negative 36.” That’s what our friendly Wyoming State Trooper said when he came to check up on us and our melted tire. And now, as we sit in the car waiting for the AAA tow truck, we count ourselves lucky to have half a tank of gas (enough to keep the car running), food (leftover pizza from last night), and seat warmers. And a working radio (a small miracle after my can of ginger ale exploded and froze all over the electronics last night).
Because who doesn't need to pick up a saddle and feed when shopping for a necklace? |
Later, in an unrelated incident (we weren't even on I-80 anymore), we saw:
80 miles where? To what? We have no idea. |
We also saw billboards advertising a Dinosaur Dig and The Museum of the Mountain Man. Fo Reelz.
So, at last, thank you Bob the extraordinary man who stopped for us to help us change our tire (and his family who waited patiently while he did so), and both state troopers who ended up stopping - the one who actually helped, and the one who provided moral support. You were all very nice.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Takin' Care of Business...In a Flash!
Anyway, let me catch you up on our adventures, because it’s been awhile since our last real post (I don’t count that bit about the deer legs in the back of the Texan pickups as a real post…do you?).
It was a long drive from the farm in Arkansas. We retraced our steps just one state south of where we’d headed west across Missouri, driving back east across Arkansas for the first five hours. And then…we arrived in Memphis. We toured Graceland, and that’s where we adopted Elvis Presley’s slogan, “Takin’ Care of Business…in a Flash!” Why? Because it’s hilarious. And stellar. And, it's what we've been doing: flashing through the continental United States, one by one, and takin' care of lots of business. Here's how Elvis signifies his ability to TCB on the wall of his TV room in the basement:
Here are some pictures of Elvis’ first floor, since you’re obviously curious (everyone is):
It’s basically like watching a time-warped episode of MTV Cribs. But they don’t let you upstairs. We got to see a lot of cool things, but our favorite by far was the pool room in the basement. Check it out:
I wasn’t actually allowed to lean that far over the table, which I found out when the alarm went off, but it’s winter, there aren’t too many tourists, and the guards could see I was harmless. So I got away with it. (Also, look at the ceiling!) Elvis (like Leiha) really likes carpeted walls, too:
Before we left Memphis, we stopped for lunch at Gus’s World Famous Hot & Spicy Fried Chicken. Please don’t ask me how that was. If I think of it now, I might be tempted to drive back to Memphis and never leave again.
I’m going to skip around a bit here, because I want to let Leiha write about New Orleans, which is where we went next. At least, I want to let her do justice to the NOLA nightlife, since she’s the one who enjoyed it. I went home at 2am…and anyone who’s ever heard of Bourbon Street knows that’s basically the definition of a party pooper.
Leiha’s high school friend Lyndsay (think awesome) flew down from Boston for a weekend in The Big Easy. We picked her up at the airport, and all three of us enjoyed the Southern hospitality of a family that represents just about two and a half centuries of New Orleans history. And that is a HUGE shoutout to Marielle and her parents. And the street named after their family.
Oh. And I have to tell you about the ghost tour. Carla, our tour guide, took us through the Lafayette Cemetery and New Orleans’ Garden District. She was a smash hit. Not only did she know all of the neighborhood ghost stories, but she also knew the neighbors. She knew them so well, in fact, that one of them joined our tour, and then let us have a look around his beautiful mansion. Which used to be a church and is now haunted by two priests – one good and one bad. In the moment, stories of housekeepers and cooks who had felt phantoms slap them across the face for using foul language seemed pretty intriguing, but now that my disbelief is no longer suspended, I’m more interested in the fact that Nicholas Cage, who once owned the house, replaced the gorgeous stained glass windows with plexiglass. Plexiglass? Really, Ghost Rider?
Enter…Texas. The Alamo, The San Antonio River Walk, Texas barbecue in Austin, and a long, long drive through the state and up the Texas panhandle, across the Oklahoma panhandle, and onto a Rocky Mountain High. More on THAT coming soon.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
No, No...A Cross Country Food Crawl, For Sure
more cars than we'd seen in one place since the East Coast |
the birthday girl and her hubby Terry |
two beautiful cousins, Lisa and Leiha |
rocking out to Charlie and The Stingrays |
While in Missouri, we also visited Harry Truman’s house, but didn’t take the $4 tour, because that would have cut into our barbecue budget.
HST's home in Independence, MO |
Not that we’re complaining. This barbecue was worth some jiggle.
yes, i made this photo extra large, because it deserves it. |
Mmm mmm mmm…thank you, Molly and Caleb, sweet old friends of Leiha’s, for introducing us to Jack Stack’s burnt ends and ribs. And I will never, ever forget the cheesy corn. Break my little heart right into my small intestine…because that was delicious. Another thank you to Molly and Caleb for your quite eclectic CDs (eclectic as in: Beyonce selections from Destiny’s Child to Put a Ring On It, Christian rock, and a several unidentifiables…oh, and two Christmas songs). Here's your shoutout:
from left to right: Ryan, Josh, Leiha, Lisa, Laura, Molly, and Caleb. and in front, a statue of a little boy peeing...and behind, that's a Starbucks full of entertained onlookers. |
Friday, January 14, 2011
Go West Young (wo)Man, Go West!
It's 1pm on Wednesday and here I am, sitting shotgun in Tamara Natasha, a big cheshire cat smile spread across my face. The past 24 hours have been a rush of ridiculous fun and I feel compelled to share the details immediately.
-----------------------------------
We pulled into Nashville just as the sun retired for the night, checked into our choice accommodation at the Music City Hostel, and selected that night's outfits from our dresser (also known as a car trunk, or perhaps a boot). As Laura busied herself posting the events of the past few days, I contacted an old high school comrade to meet up with us in our quest to take downtown by ze great storm. On the agenda, the only thing on our agenda mind you: line dancing. And dancing in (something that may possibly be described as) a line we did! Tim, Laura and I twitched, twisted and twirled our way around The Wild Horse Saloon to our ho-down hearts content, and then some. A gold star for our efforts, for sure. (Only a few times did I misstep due to an uncontrollable fit of laughter. Okay, maybe a few more than few. Between the expressions of Laura's seriousness and Tim's bafflement, what do you expect from me?!) Before departing the saloon as the last patrons of the establishment, we showed our appreciation for all that is Nashvegas by serenading the staff and house band with a genuine rock-out Journey jam, requested by none other than our very own Ms. Mueller. (Are we surprised? C'mon now.)
Around the corner and up a few blocks, we were then wooed by the melodies of the Chris Weaver Band from the upper deck of The Stage. I ask, "Hey Laura, how would you describe the sound of this C. Weaver?" Not missing a beat, Laura replies. "Sexy." A few self-written titles later, Mr. Weaver shouts from the stage, "Are there any requests out there?" Poised on her barstool perch, Laura exclaims, "JOURNEY!!!" (Again, are we surprised?!) As if there weren't another soul in the room, Chris and Laura made that cosmic connection… somewhere in the niiiiiiiiiigggghhhttttt, followed by stellar guitar solos. Yes, our dear blog-a-ma-bobbers, for the second time this night, Tim and I found ourselves laughing in disbelief as we scrambled to meet our third amigo, already rocking out to C. Weaver's Journey cover on the dance floor. (Do us a favor and check out the guys who made our night that much more grand: www.chrisweaverband.com)
-----------------------------------
How else should we greet the wintry morning air of Nashville than by a brisk jog around the block, practicing our right hooks and upper jabs against the snowflakes? (Yes, we understand that it's winter, obviously. But it wasn't until just now as the radio announcer stated that Florida is the only state, of the 50 United States of America, to not have snow on the ground did we stop to consider the possibility of a mass conspiracy. What?! Think about it! Even Hawaii has snow! Hmph. What is wrong with this picture? Nothing, absolutely nothing. We have brand new snow tires and a few more tupperware containers of Mama Mueller's leftovers. So, Florida, enjoy your snow-less state of being. We are just fine out here on the road, rocking out to our friends' cds, watching the snowflakes dodge Tamara Natasha's windshield wipers.)
So a Brit, two Ozzies, and a Kiwi are sitting across the table… This was breakfast at Cafe Coco. The Kiwi and Brit were our bunk mates at the hostel and introduced us to the two Ozzies as we walked up the street toward breakfast. Tim met up with us again, giving me a second chance to completely forget to document our reunion with a click of the camera. At least we have his nothing-to-do-with-nashville-country-but-still-an-amazing-mix cd to indie-rock out to.
And now, parked in the parking lot of the wrong Waffle House in Bowling Green, Kentucky, we wait for our next host to find us. A scavenger hunt, of sorts? Turns out that he meant the other Waffle House on this street.
-----------------------------------
(Cue Leiha sitting shotgun, again, 24 hours later… GAH!!! I'M LOVING THIS!!!)
So after Heath, our friend from 'The Core', found us at Waffle House he quickly proposed 2 options for how we could spend our afternoon, of which only the second needs to be mentioned. Option #2: a boat tour of the Lost River Cave. Excuse me?! This girl doesn't need to think twice! (thankfully, my partner-in-everything-road-trip agreed) Boat.Cave.Adventure. Yes, please! (Hands down, this may end up being one of my favorite experiences of this entire trip.)
In snapshots:
- being escorted over the Lost River, past the blue/green pool and down into the mouth of the cave to board our metal monster of a boat.
- ducking, crouching on the bottom of our boat beast in order to avoid grazing our heads on the underside of the cave ceiling.
- listening to our expert tour guide and picking his brain on everything/anything that entered my mind re:developing on and around the cave
- being proposed to on the steps of the 30s era night club stage, out of business but still nestled in the entrance of the cave… :)
(www.lostrivercave.com)
While we were still glowing from the surprises of the afternoon, Heath treated Laura and I to dinner at The Farm Boy. If you ever wondered what a small town Kentucky restaurant boasts for the 'daily' specials, you'll have to visit Morgantown and be pleasantly surprised yourself. The corn nuggets actually have kernels of corn in them, and the chicken livers taste better with barbecue sauce. (Laura insists that you try the fried apples.) After masticating our orders of everything fried and hearty, we grabbed our overnight bags from our dresser and met Mr. & Mrs. Ray who say, "it isn't an empty nest until they move their stuff out of the basement." Trust me on this one, the reason for this quote is something you must see for yourself (think 3D scrapbook, perhaps?).
So here we are, car cruising out of Kentucky, gearing up to capture our next welcoming state signs of Indiana and Illinois. We're en route to cross the mighty Mississippi, pass through the gateway to the west and be at my cousin Lisa's in Independence, Missouri by sunset. Hey, Harry Truman! We're coming on over!
--------------------------------------------
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
A Cross Country Snow Crawl?
Oh, hello Nashville. It's nice to see you again. Want to go line dancing?
Saturday, January 8, 2011
TIME CHECK!
"Yeah, we'll just pack the car in the morning." Laura replies.
...and the anticipation builds.
The Starting Line...and an Appeal from Adventurer Laura M.
The packed car, well, we can take care of that ourselves. It's just a matter of transforming a messy explosion of my possessions (see challenge, below) into some sort of organized representation of a legitimate life, stuffed into a packable vessel (or vessels).
My Life as a Packing Challenge: View #1 |
My Life as a Packing Challenge: View #2 |
The music, however, is where you all come in. 12,000 miles on the road and the Honda's radio scan button just isn't going to cut it. In an appeal for our sanities, we're asking every family member, friend, and exciting roadside stranger we see, meet, or befriend from now until Saint Patrick's Day to make us a mix CD. That's right. A 2001-style compact disc, because as far as I can tell, my car doesn't have an auxiliary jack and my iPod won't hold that many playlists anyway.
So please - if you can spare ten minutes (we'll provide the blank CD), put together a playlist of 15 of your favorite songs and burn it for us. We want to take a little bit of you with us in the car.
We've already discovered - thanks to our drive from DC to Randolph - the euphoria of having an assortment of CDs from a bunch of creative and truly unique people. It's fun to realize how people's personalities present themselves in their musical tastes. (For my DC friends: According to their respective CDs, Billy Fett is a rock star, Miranda is a uniquely perceptive musical savant, and Jon S. is a supremely mellow soul. I'll get back to you on Katie and Hilary.)
This is my last pre-departure post. That means the next one will be much more intense and adventureful. Brace yourself.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
How'd I get here?! Where? Here!
-------------------------------------------------
I closed my contract with Peace Corps Tanzania on Friday 2 July under the terms of interrupted service. Here's the short story: There were a few issues that suddenly jumped out of nowhere in late May, ultimately jeopardizing my sense of security as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Tanzania. After sitting in my Mangio home away from sweet home for a few weeks, trying to psych myself out of my fears, I came to this conclusion: I had to come home for my lil sis Ashley Rae's wedding (no question about that!) but I couldn't foresee myself being 101% committed to go back to Mangio to teach just a few weeks before my kids’ exams in November and then sit on my butt through late December when my Peace Corps contract officially expired...
So, what's next in the life of Leiha?
Announcing (drum roll please)
What is it all about? Well, I say - it’s about Leiha taking advantage of this limbo-like state of life. That's what it is! I want to hear AND SEE what you're up to! Finally meet your new significant other, finance, wife, husband, offspring, pet. Check out your newest apartment or house. Learn more about your line of work or masters or doctorate program. See the sunrise or sunset from your corner of the country. You know, learn about your life as YOU have been living it for the past 3 years. Let's catch up.
For an unlimited time only (maybe until my money runs out or opening day at Fenway) I will be available to crash on your couch and catch up on life...I'll be transporting myself around the continental United States using the various inexpensive modes of transportation available.
So there you have it, an abbreviated version of the last mass email Leiha Update.
As I started collecting the names of people who would welcome a couch crawler, I googled and pinned each friend/family’s location for reference, creating a digital map of delight. Meanwhile, I was speed-dialing Ms. Laura Mueller’s ear off lamenting the cross-cultural-craziness that had become my life those first few months back in the land of milk and honey. When I mentioned to her that this couch crawl proposal was developing into more than a possibility, we both decided to take it a step further, of course. Nothing can be ordinary when the extraordinary is within reach. Combining my pre-pinned places of interest with her own potential destinations (or as Captain Planet would declare: With our powers combined!) we spawned Ze Great L&L Cross Country Couch Crawl & Car Cruise!
So, upon couch crawling myself through the residents of friends and family in 12 states, I am now stuck in a travelling limbo here in DC, awaiting my fearless travelling companion as she readies herself for the super adventure^2 that will consume 10 weeks of our mid-twenties.
3 days and counting!!!
Post Script
Here’s where I’ve been so far:
July 3, 2010: arrived back in Boston as an RPCV
Massachusetts
Connecticut
Vermont
Maine
New Hampshire
Rhode Island
Vermont
December 4, 2010: Leiha’s InCredible Couch Crawl
Florida
Georgia
Washington, DC
(drive through Delaware)
New Jersey
New York
Maryland
Washington, DC
West Virginia
Washington, DC