what's next?

Bagels

2008-03-30T22:13:00.002-05:00

Chicago is not the town for a good bagel
or so I thought....

after scouring the city for a really good bagel sandwich today I found it at the hip i-tune playing, rock boy's day job that is the Chicago Bagel Authority.

Usually I would find places like this stressful but I was in the need for a bagel fix so I went along with the flow and order Sam's Sunrise: Egg, Cheese, Lettuce, Tomato on a plain bagel. yum yum.

oh yeah the most interesting part is that at The Chicago Bagel Authority toasters are so passe and all the bagels are steamed. This process takes a little longer (READ: you're going to wait at least 15 minutes) but the outcome is all that I have hoped for in a bagel sandwich since moving to Chicago.

Watch and Discuss

2008-03-30T22:05:00.002-05:00

Friday night the remote wasn't working and instead of walking over the TV and changing the channel I watched VH1's greatest songs of the 90s.

Here is their Top 10:
01. Nirvana "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
02. U2 "One"
03. Backstreet Boys "I Want It That Way"
04. Whitney Houston "I Will Always Love You"
05. Madonna "Vogue"
06. Sir Mix-A-Lot "Baby Got Back"
07. Britney Spears "...Baby One More Time"
08. TLC"Waterfalls"
09. R.E.M. "Losing My Religion"
10. Sinéad O'Connor "Nothing Compares 2 U"

So, in honor of the special it's been a 90s themed weekend. I've been listening to "Nothing Compares 2 U" and J is going to leave me if I play it again.

What do you think of the TOP 10?
Click here for the complete list.

Pinky and the Brain

2008-03-30T21:37:00.004-05:00

Meet Shia (pronounced Shy). The newest addition to the chaos. Roscoe and Shia are best friends and get into a lot of trouble together. They remind me of Pinky and the Brain from the Saturday morning cartoon, 1995.

Pinky: What are going to do tonight Brian?
Brain: Same thing we do every night Pinky, Try and Take over the world!

40 degrees and Vampire weekend

2008-02-16T17:01:00.002-06:00

I didn't really post too often during January because I didn't really do too much. Its been very cold and snowy so my life has consisted of staying warm, watching movies and going to work.

Today it was almost 40 degrees and sunny! Hot Damn! So, in celebration we went out to breakfast (not that I need a reason to go out to breakfast). We also semi-explored Logan Square, a neighborhood outside of Wicker Park that has cheap rent, but the exploring ending up being going to the Gap Outlet and buying clothes, which is a plus for moving to that neighborhood if we do!
We went to Reckless Records, in Wicker Park, to get the new Vampire Weekend CD. Ronson went to see them in Ciny last week, Check it out here. It a really good CD. I would write a review but instead click here to read Pitchfork Media's review.

Sadly, the weather isn't going to stay warm, the cold is coming back tomorrow but after today I'm super excited for Chicago in the summer.....now I'm going to go sit by the window and bask in the rest of the day's sun!

New Blog

2008-02-16T16:56:00.003-06:00

Well I guess I shouldn't say "new blog" but Amy invited me to be an author on her cooking blog. Since I do like to cook and try new recipes check here to see what I've been cooking. (I haven't posted anything yet!)

Going to be an Aunt!

2008-01-13T22:33:00.000-06:00

2008 is going to be very exciting!
Lori is going to have a baby!
She is 11 weeks pregnant and is due in August.

Check out her blog:
http://www.babysites.com/sites/schatzel/default.asp?page=home&seq=1

What I've been eating

2008-01-06T20:57:00.000-06:00

This last week was pretty busy because I started my new job! Yay! Besides that I'm been following my goal of eating at home and have been busy planning, cooking and eating!

Here is what I've eaten:

Grilled Mahi-Mahi with wasabi mashed potatoes with caramelized sweet onions and peas.

Spicy black beans with salad (I posted about that already!.

Hamburgers, Sweet Potatoes, and a vegetable.

Cheese Tortellini with broccoli, tomatoes, and garlic.

Mushroom, spinach, and Cheddar wrap with oven fries.

Garlic crusted pork loin with mashed acorn squash.

We did eat out once after my eyebrow wax in Wicker Park at Earwax Cafe.
Its a very hip cafe with mismatch furniture and graffiti type art. I got the tuna melt an fries which were very spicy and J got the Spicy Chicken Sandwich with fries Very good and yummy!

Dinner Tonight: Spicy Black Bean Cakes

2008-01-01T21:04:00.000-06:00

After shopping for 3 hours at many different stores to complete the grocery list I wanted to make something easy. I'm also trying to include more beans in my diet and one of my favorite magazines "Everyday Food by Martha Stewart" had this recipe.

Its so easy and super good. Its a spicy dish and I'm not really a spicy food person- this recipe calls for a jalepeno chili but i just put a tiny bit in and it was just enough spice. The black bean cakes are served with lime sour cream which takes some of the edge off of it.

I didn't take a picture but check it out here.

Home for the Holidays

2007-12-17T11:02:00.000-06:00

J and I came home a little early because of the huge storms that were hitting. We didn't want to get stuck in Chicago b/c of the snow.

I haven't really been doing anything that interesting. I've been trying some new recipes out, some were a hit and I think most were a miss.

I've also gearing up for the Golden Globes and trying to see all the movies that got nods..which is a hard task but a fun one too. As long as I get to see the movies that have been nominated for Best Picture I'll be okay.

I'm also working on updating my Ipod. I'm borrowing some CDs and trying to get a lot of music on it.

Other than that nothing new is happening. I'm trying to figure out where we should go on New Year's (we'll be in Chicago!)...

New Movie Blog

2007-12-02T14:29:00.000-06:00

I decided that in the world there wasn't enough people giving their opinions on movies..so I have a new blog dedicated to my opinions on movies.

So, if check it out here.

First Winter Storm

2007-12-01T22:59:00.000-06:00

I survived my first winter storm but I realized that I need to stock up on a few things to stay a little warmer.

We decided to go out to lunch and see a movie but didn't realize how COLD it was outside.

There was wind, cold, slush, rain, ice and maybe a few other things that were unidentifiable. There was some bus delays which meant that we had to stand outside but we made it home to our nice warm apartment.

I have made a vow that I'm not leaving the house again until spring. (hehehe)

Haircut and Literacy

2007-11-28T21:41:00.000-06:00

I needed a haircut because I haven't got my haircut since I've been back from Europe and I've always heard good things about the Aveda Institute in Cincinnati so I decided to try the Chicago location out. Its pretty cool because students cut your hair (of course their instructors check up on them).
I didn't get anything too crazy done, I just basically just got my ends and layers cleaned up but the best part was the my stylist, Alyson, was very Cincinnati (Anderson- to be exact) and she was real cool. She graduated from DAAP and decided that she wanted to do more hair and makeup kinda stuff at fashion shoots so started the program at Aveda. She gave me a lot of advice on hair and products-so it was real fun.

Today, J and I went to the volunteer dinner at Open Books. Its a real cool place that promotes literacy throughout Chicago. I signed up for a couple of events and J signed up for one, but it was still a lot of fun to get out of the house and do something different.

Now I'm watching MTV, Pageant Place, and Miss USA is wearing the same earrings that I have. pretty cool

Sunday

2007-11-19T00:32:00.000-06:00

Today we finally completed our living room with a fine futon frame.

In our move we somehow lost 2 pieces of wood that connects our old futon together so for the last 3 weeks we have just been sitting on the futon mattress. Thanks to my favorite website craigslist we were able to buy a nice futon frame. Its not as nice as our old one but at least we have something more than a mattress on the floor to sit on.

For dinner I made a nice potato and onion frittata with a bell pepper saute courtesy of a Martha Stewart Everyday Food Recipe. Yum Yum. IT was my first time making a frittata-it was super easy, healthy and as I mentioned yummy!

Finally, we went and saw Beowulf. I absolutely hated it. It was a horrible adaptation that changed the story so much it was almost unrecognizable. They tried to make it more modern by adding a sexy Angelia Jolie to the mix..
granted the way the movie was made did have its interesting points. It was digital which was cool sometimes but a little cheesey at other times. Like when Grendal was killing people and blood was everywhere I couldn't even cringe (and normally I would) because it would be like cringing watching a video game.

It is interesting that the story of Beowulf has been around since the 10th century and you would think that Hollywood would understand that something that has survived that long doesn't need a screenwriter messing with it...Neil Gaiman should be ashamed of himself. Anyway, wikipedia has some basic info on Beowulf. Read Here.

On a Budget: Saturday night and Homemade curry

2007-11-18T00:46:00.000-06:00

After hanging out with Kari and having a ton of fun last week we put away our wallets and decided to stay in for the night.

I made homemade curry which turned out to be very yummy- Sweet potatoes, spinach and chickpeas served over rice with warm pita bread.

we also watch the last couple episodes of 30 Rock and drank some wine that Kari brought us as a housewarming gift.

I've been very budget conscience the last couple of days so tomorrow I'm going to celebrate by going to a coffeehouse called, "Coffee Tree and Tea leaves" and treat myself to a cup of tea!

4 days, 3 nights with Kari

2007-11-15T12:03:00.001-06:00

Its been a very eventful 4 days. Here is some highlights:

Monday night: dinner at Crust with 1/2 priced bottles of wine..nice.

Tuesday: shopping downtown at H&M, eating at a really weird food court at Water Tower Place Mall. Then went and had drinks at The Signature Lounge, which is in the John Hancock Building. It was a really cool view but a little loud and packed.

Later that night, Kari and I headed to the Gold Coast area to Japonais, which was ultra trendy but the drinks and desserts were very good. I got a martini with an edible orchid in it and for dessert Kari and I split "Coffee and Doughnuts"

Here is the review for Chicago Magazine:
COFFEE AND DOUGHNUTS
Japonais
The pedestrian-sounding dessert seems out of place at a sophisticated sushi restaurant; but this playful take on traditional breakfast fare is a smart way to end the day. Channeling the best of both the East and the West, these doughy, chestnut-filled beignets are rolled in cinnamon and sugar and served warm alongside airy, mousse-like green tea semifreddo for dipping. 600 W. Chicago Ave.; 312-822-9600 [$9]

On Wednesday we went to Wicker Park to boutique hop, got a snack at Letizia, where I got a super sweet lemon cookie and a hot tea. Later on we headed downtown to eat some Chicago-style pizza at Due, went shopping at Forever 21, and finished the night with the premiere of Project Runway.

Today is Kari's last day so we are headed to Orange for brunch and then she gets back on the megabus and heads home.

Kari comes to Chicago

2007-11-14T13:03:00.001-06:00

Kari is in Chicago and we are exploring the town!

Check out Kari's blog here to see how she has been mobile blogging her trip.

Winter Coat

2007-11-11T14:53:00.001-06:00

After searching forever and the looming cold approaching I headed downtown to Macy's. First, Macy's downtown is pretty cool b/c its about 7 floors of shopping, I made it 4 of them. While I was there Martha Stewart was going to be appearing to "light" their 70 something foot Christmas tree. I didn't hang around b/c I had a date with Potbelly.

The coat is a DKNY coat, style Bette, "wool-cashmere blend fashions a duffle coat with incredibly soft faux fur trim along collar with detachable hood and ear flaps"
its 70% wool blended with a lot of other stuff.

The best part of the coat is that it was originally $325 but because I shopped the Veteran's Day sale I got it for like 40% off paying about $195. Much cheaper than I thought I would pay for a good winter coat.

I'm ready for the cold...(well almost I need a hat and gloves!)

Roscoe: The Chicago Cat

2007-11-09T23:23:00.000-06:00

I have a cat or I guess I should say a cat has me.

His name is Roscoe and he was a stray cat that showed up on Amy and Rich's doorstep a week before we moved. The pound told me that he probably wouldn't get adopted and would be put down - so that was that and so on moving day, Roscoe came with me!

Hello to Chicago

2007-11-09T23:13:00.000-06:00

I've been in Chicago one week tomorrow. I finally unpacked and minus a few problems (a broken dresser drawer and missing parts to the futon) everything is going well.

This week I've been working on my resume and unpacking trying to get back to some sort of "normal." Yesterday, we were finally able to get out of the house and we headed to Michigan Avenue.

Downtown is fun. I love walking around but I really like my neighborhood b/c it is quiet with tree lined streets and then I can hop on the L and be in downtown in no time.

Tomorrow I head to the library to get the card that is the most important one of all.

Venice and Naples

2007-10-03T14:16:00.000-05:00

London Calling

2007-10-01T10:45:00.001-05:00

It is our last day of our trip! We are sad but excited to get back...

We are in London for the final part of our trip, this morning we flew from Amsterdam to London and we have been hanging out in London ever since. Of course the rain has followed us but we know that warm weather awaits our return!

I'm going to post a ton of pictures when I get home and hopefully I'll have them up by Friday or Saturday.

Water Logged in Amsterdam

2007-09-29T10:07:00.000-05:00

Hello-

I hope everyone is enjoying their Saturday.

J and I are in Amsterdam where it is very cold and very rainy.

We walked around this morning and went to the Amsterdam History Museum and got very wet doing it so we took a little break to dry off and watch the old movie 6 days 7 nights (you watch what you have to).

Now we are headed back out to enjoy rainy Amsterdam.

Hello from Germany

2007-09-27T11:00:00.000-05:00

Hello

I hope everyone is enjoying Amy as the host of mz blog. Thanks Amy!

Its very fun for me to see all the pictures that we took!

Today is our last night in Germany, we are in the Rhine Valley in Bacharach.
It is very rainy and very cold here but we still took a boat ride down the Rhine and walked around... (thank goodness for raincoats)

Tomorrow we head for Amsterdam and then fly home on Tuesday..

As soon as I get home I am going to put more pictures up of places like Florence, Cinque Terre, Germany, Amsterdam...etc..

I also might put all the pics up on Shutterfly so you can look at the whole album!
I will update with that information later....

Tonight we are rounding our trip in Germany with some fine Germany beer, actually you might find it funny that we drink wine instead of beer but Bacharach is proud of their wine...

i am off to do that...

Next stop, Naples & Pompeii

2007-09-27T02:43:00.000-05:00

We caught a train down to Naples and then we headed straight to Pompeii. It was a sight to behold, especially with Mt. Vesuvius in the background. We saw some interesting art that had been preserved on the houses (indicating the perfect balance, verility and wealth). Then we headed back to Naples. Since it's the birth place of pizza, we had to partake, and it was good! Next stop, Venice!

Roma Day 3

2007-09-26T18:08:00.000-05:00

Our third day in Rome was another busy day. Though, we got a later start. J went in the morning to do much needed laundry. Lucky for him, the laundromat did the laundry for him so he was able to check the scores of the game and do some needed internet activity. Pam and I got to sleep in! It was wonderful. When J returned we went to our favorite lunch spot. I think we ate it every day. We called it "fold over pizza". You ordered pizza and they cut how much you wanted then heated it in an oven and then folded the pizza onto itself and you ate it like a sandwhich. It was so good!

Our first stop was the Colloseum. It was even more impressive in the daylight. We were able to see where they think the emperor's box was. It's marked by a cross. You could see into the "pit" where they kept the gladiators and the animals. They built a floor over part of the pit so you can get a better image of what it looked like. In the picture, it's towards the back.

The Colloseum was built in 80 AD. It's real name is Anfiteatro Flavio or The Flavian Amphitheater. It was used as an arena for gladiator contests and spectator sports. It could accomodate 50,000 fans. Only a third of the Colloseum remains. Earthquakes destroyed some of it but most was used for other buildings during the Middle Ages and Renaissance. From the Colloseum we had an excellent view of the Roman Forum and the Arch of Constantine.

From there we passed the Arch of Constantine and then on to the Roman Forum. The Arch represents when Emperor Constantine defeated his rival Maxentius in the battle of the milvian bridge. This one battle turned him Christian and thus the entire empire. The Arch represents that change.

The Roman Forum was the political, religious, and commercial center of the city. Rome's most important temples and halls of justice were here. We walked down the via Sacra which runs through the trees, past the Senate building, and up Capital Hill. It was amazing how much history took place here and how old things were. So old!

We saw the Temple of Julius - where his body was burned after his death. He was then later made a god and the temple was dedicated to him. The picture is of the inside - his "burial" site.

Then the Senate building which was built in 283 AD. It fit 300 hundred senators. It is so well preserved because it was used as a church since the early Christian times. In the 1930s it was restored and opened to the public as a historic site. We thought it was open but twas not. The Senate building is the one on the right in the picture.

The Column of Phocas is from 608 AD. It was a figt from the Byzantine Empire to a fallen Rome. It was a gift to commemorate the Pantheon's becoming a Christian Church. And then.. Rome Fell...

On to the Palatine Hill! The Palatine Hill houses a courtyard, stadium, palace, a view of circus maximus and a great view of Rome. The 15,000 sq. ft palace was built by Emperor Domitian in 81 AD. It was described as so grand it made "Jupiter jealous".

This is a fountain in the lower courtyard and could be viewed from the upper level (where we were standing) or from the rooms around it on the lower level.

It was refreshing being on the Palatine Hill because we were able to get away from the crowds.

More of the palace.

After the Palatine Hill, we had lots more ground to cover so we stared the trek to the Pantheon. The Pantheon was a Roman temple dedicated to all the gods. The original temple was built in 27 BC. The current structure is a result of a couple of fires and had been completely rebuilt around 120 AD. Its dome was the model for the Florence cathedral dome which influenced the dome of St. Peter's and finally the dome of the US Capital building. The dome is made of concrete and is 23 ft thick at the base. It is as high as it is wide, 142 ft. It is a site to behold. It's also going to celebrate it's 1400th anniversary as a church. The oculus at the top is the only source of light for the building and 30 feet across.

The Pantheon also houses the final resting place of famous painter Rafael Santi (known as Rafael). The painting above his tomb was commissioned by him for his tomb.

After the Pantheon we went on a church expedition. We toured about 4 churches in the area. While looking for the churches, I found my first canoli of Italy! Yummy! Some of the churches and buildings have a flood line from when Rome flooded in 1870. So much water! Some of the churches were affected and the artwork was affected from the flood line down.

While touring the churches we saw the body of St. Catherine of Sienna (her head is in Sienna), the tomb of St. Francis Xavier, Michaelangelo's Christ Bearing the Cross. And lots in between. On the walk back, we encountered the "cat zoo" it's an area of Rome actually in ruins where there are tons of cats. Sadly, I can't remember the name of the ruins.

We headed back and freshened up. We headed to dinner at a more upscale restaurant. J had a red wine infused steak, Pam had pumpkin ravioli, I had mussel risotto, that was for 1st course. for appetizers (first) we had the house specialty which had sausage and like 7 dishes total. Then as if we hadn't eaten enough already, we shared a tuna, onion, and gorgonzola chz. It was different. Tasty. J didn't like it, at all! No dessert tonite, we were all way too full! There was also lots of red wine to be had that night.

So, our last night in Rome was a fun walk back...

Roma Day 2

2007-09-26T16:26:00.000-05:00

The next morning was Vatican Extravaganza day. We scheduled a tour with Rome Walks (we do not recommend this tour). We were set to start at 9:45. The Pope was in St. Peter's Square that day, so we went over and watched him for a while. He drove around the front of the square (nearest to the entrance of St. Peter's). He then went to the "stage" in front of the church. Priests speaking different languages (Spanish, Italian, English) read from the Gospels and then Pope Benedict gave a homily. Unfortunately, not speaking Italian we couldn't understand what he said. It was really neat to see the Pope.

Amy and Pam in St. Peter's Square

We then met with our tour guide and headed to the Vatican Museum. After waiting in line for about 45 minutes we made it to the front. The Vatican has an impressive collection of statues, paintings, frescoes, tapestries, basically any type of art, they have it. Some of the more impressive pieces of art at the Vatican are the Apollo Belvedere which is of the god Apollo. It was considered the most perfect work of art in the world. Another, Lacocoon found in the long forgotten Emperor Nero's house. The statue is of Laocoon a high priest of Troy warning his fellow Trojans to beware of greeks bearing gifts. The Trojans did not believe Laocoon and the statue depicts his death. The gods wanted the Greeks to win, so they sent huge snakes to kill Laocoon and his sons so their message could not be heard.

Laocoon

We then walked and walked and walked! The Vatican museum is vast. Our tour guide had lots of information to share. We finanally made it almost to the Sistine Chapel. First, we went through the Raphael Rooms. Raphael painted the papal apartments of Pope Julius II. Included is the School of Athens. A beautiful and famous painting depicting both Rafael and Michaelangelo.

School of Athens

After the Rafael rooms, we were finally ready for the Sistine Chapel. First, we had to get a snack. We were starving! The Vatican has a little snack shop so we stopped in super quick and got a sandwhich and drinks. After eating them quickley, we were back on track. The Sistine Chapel is a wonder to behold. You first walk in it's overwhelming. It's long and tall. The chapel was made to the specifications listed in the Bible for the Temple of Solomen. Michalangelo spent four years painting the ceiling. He painted it in sections standing 70 ft above the floor. He painted the entire ceiling by himself. There is no photography allowed in the chapel so no pictures of that. There are nine main scenes to the ceiling: Drunkeness of Noah, The Flood, Sacrifice of Noah, Temptation and Expulsion, Creation of Eve, Creation of Adam, Separation of Land from Water, Creationof Sun Moon and Planets, Separation of Light from Darkness. The first half of the ceiling took him 3 years the last took him only 1 year. The last half is the most famous. He made the figures bigger and more detailed. The first half the figures are smaller with lots of details, but harder to see from the floor. Perhaps the funniest part of the ceiling is in the Creation of Sun Moon and Planets because Michaelango depicts God mooning everyone looking up! Look the image up on the internet, it's amusing. Also in the Chapel is the Last Judgement also painted by Michaelangeo. It takes up an entire wall by the altar. It's pretty cool being in the chapel knowing that is where the new pope is chosen. Pretty cool.

Doors and Stairs leading up to the Chapel

After the Chapel it was on to St. Peter's. This St. Peter's is actually the 2nd. The first was knocked down in 1500 to build a bigger better one. The church is the largest in the world. The window at the far end is two football fields away. The church covers 6 acres. Basically, it's huge. In the center under the dome is a large canopy crafted by Bernini. Behind that is the altar with an equally impressive sculpture by Bernini designed to look as though it's inside the first. Under the dome and the canopy are 99 oil lamps that are always lit. There are stair leading down and that is where it was believed St. Peter's rested. It was discovered later that it is actually not quite there, but close. It was officially announced that they are indeed St. peter's bones when dating was done and it was determined the bones were of a man from the 1st century. Graffiti in the tomb stated that these were the bones of Peter.

Altar of St. Peter's

Also in St. Peter's are relics of St. Peter's Cross, Jesus' Cross, The Spear of the Soldier that pierced the side of Jesus, and the Cloth with which Veronica wiped the face of Jesus. We could have spent hours in the church and not see everything.

We then saw the Pieta, one of Michaelangelo's most beautiful sculptures. It was attacked by a mad man with a hammer and is now behind bullet proof glass. We saw the Holy Door which is opened on Christmas Day by the Pope only in Holy Years. The next one will be in 2025. The picture below is from the outside of the church (of the Holy Door).

Pieta and Holy Door

We had planned to climb the dome of the church, but we were pretty tired by this time. We had been at the Vatican from 9:45 to about 5pm at this point. No breaks and no lunch! It was intense! So we didn't climb the dome, instead we went into the grotto or the "crypt" where the popes are buried. We saw the tomb of Pope John Paul II. There were lots of people there morning him. One lady was bauling. It was very moving. No photos were allowed.

We were ready at this point to leave the Vatican. We filled up our water bottles and headed back to the subway. after 7 hours of walking around the Vatican, we were ready for a nap! We got up a few hours later and headed to a delicious dinner just a street away from the hotel. We had delicious appetizers of caprese salad (tomato, fresh mozzarella, basil) and proccuito (not spelled right) and cantalope. J ate a calzone filled with egg, cheese, and ham. Pam and I shared a marinara pizza (no cheese) and we enjoyed some delicious red wine. For dessert, Pam got Tirimisu, J got a chocolate cake and the waiter brought me a yummy dessert ( I asked him to surprise me). It was awesome!! Still tired, we headed back to bed anticipating the Colloseum and Roman Forum tours!

The three of us in the courtyard of the Vatican Museum with St. Peter's Dome in the background & the dome of St. Peter's

Dinner at the pizzeria

Roma

2007-09-26T14:12:00.000-05:00

While Pam and J continue their Europe tour, I have sadly returned home. I was given an important mission: update the blog! Since I joined them in Roma, that is where I shall begin the story.

My first day in Roma, Tuesday 9/18 was busy! Pam and J met me at the airport and then we had business to attend to! Our first stop was the National Museum of Rome. The museum houses the greatest collection of ancient Roman art anywhere, including busts of emperors and a Roman copy of the Greek Diskus Thrower. Some interesting things we saw here were:
-the bust of Julius Caesar (we will later see his temple at the Roman Forum)
-life size statue of Augustus (also known as Octavian - he took the title later in life and became the first of the emperors who would rule Rome for the next 500 years.)
-Statues of Apollo (the god of light), Aprodite (goddess of beauty), the diskus thrower, Hermaphrodite Sleeping (yes, she/he was sculpted as a hermaphrodite)

After the mueseum is was off to the Baths of Diocletian. These baths sprawled over 10 acres, roughly twice the area of the Forum, and could cleanse 3,000 Romans at once. Today, there are 3 sections to visit: The Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli, housed in the former main hall of the baths, is the single most impressive sight of the bunch. The Octagonal Hall, is a well preserved rotunda that displays sculptures from the baths. Finally, The Museum of the Bath has a shady garden with Roman tombstones outside, and early Roman jewelery, masks, burial items, and Roman inscriptions on tombs and tablets inside. Of the three, we only visited The Church b/c the other we tried to visit was closed.

Some facts about the Church. It is a round dome room with an oculus was the cooling off room of the baths where medium temperatures were maintained. It is the size of a football field and 7 stories higher. it was once even higher (the original ancient floor was about 15 feet below its present level. It was built around 300 AD. The church today was partly designed by Michelangelo who used the baths' main hall as the nave. Later another artists renovated the church. One neat feature of the church is the La Meridiana (1702). It is pointing north and acts like a sundial. The clock also served as a calender. There are signs of the zodiac and it can chart the movement oft he stars. There are also key dates in the Christian calendar such as the spring equinox and Easter. La Meridiana was the city of Rome's official time keeper until 1846 when it was replaced by the cannon atop Gianicolo Hill which is still fired everyday at noon.

Here are some pictures:
Exterior of the Baths of Diocletian

Interior of the Church

La Meridiana

Diagram of La Meridiana

The next church we visited was Santa Maria della Vittoria. This church houses Bernini's statue, the swooning St. Teresa in Ectasy. Teresa has just been tabbed with God's arrow of fire. Now, the angel pulls it out and watches her reaction. Teresa, a 16th century Spanish nun, later talked of the "sweetness" of this intense pain, describing her oneness with God in ecstatic, perhaps erotic terms. It is a very impressive especially considering the natural light shines in creating even more effect.

St. Teresa in Ecstasy

Statue of St. Teresa

Exterior of Santa Maria della Vittoria

After a quick rest at "home base" we were off again. This time we were going to do a night walk of Trastevere. Trastevere is the crustier side of Rome. It is also where we ate dinner. We intended to do the Rick Steve's Trastevre walk, but we got turned around and never really did it. Rome is very confusing. They don't have street signs per say, they instead have a sign on a building. This can make it really hard to figure out the street you are on. There are slo all kinds of Piazzas which have names as well. Sometimes they are the same name of streets so it gets confusing. So we couldn't find the church we were going to tour and ended up kind of following the route of the tour. We got to see all kinds of quaint alley ways and buildings. We made our way over to Trattoria da Lucia for dinner. It is described as traditional simple food at a good price in a great scene. It has been family run since world war 2. We drank red wine and ate delicious food. The food was amazing and the atmosphere was great. It was on a side street with walking traffic. Very quaint. We ate in the alleyway. After this, we walked to the Colloseum metro stop. It was quite a distance! About an hour walk. It was neat because we saw the colloseum, roman forum, the Tiber River and basically Rome at night. This was the end of my first (Pam and J's second) day in Roma!!

CHIO!

Colloseum at Night

Dinner at Trattoria da Lucia

Pam and J in the alley where Trattoria da Lucia is. Taken after dinner

Tiber at night.

Austria

2007-09-23T12:15:00.000-05:00

Hello

Sorry for the lack of posts but i have been so busy! well not busy with important stuff but you know stuff like drinking wine, exploring churches (not at the same time) and old ruins...oh the life of a traveler...

amy arrived in Rome on Tuesday and is having a blast but sadley she is going home on Tuesday...

since the last time i posted we took a 2nd night train (amys first) and it wasn't as bad as the first time.

Now we are in Austria (at the German border) tomorrow we head for castles and more ruins and then to munich to drink beer....

I am sending pictures home with Amy so she can post them. Check back becuse she said she will post pictures by friday and if you are lucky she will post some comments too!

more later! hopefully...

Cinque Terre

2007-09-16T08:25:00.000-05:00

Today (and yesterday) we are in the Cinque Terre. Imagine the California coast (Rt.1) only add the mediterran sea...

its filled with all my Italian favorites, wine, pasta, pizza, and gelato. YUM YUM
But it also has hiking, sun and the sea..so really its the best place ever.

The weather is warm (actually HOT) so we are enjoying it while we can!

There are five towns that make up the Cinque Terre;Riomaggiore (where we are staying), Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterrosso. It is a 5 hour hike to get from Riomaggiore to Monterrosso. We are town number 4 but there are trains that run between the towns in case you do not want to walk.

Tomorrow we head for Rome and on Tuesday Amy arrives....

hopefully i can post pictures soon!

Pisa and the Itailan Riveria

2007-09-14T13:17:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow we leave Florence early and head to Pisa to see the tower and then to relax in the Itailan Riveria.

Chio!

Chio!

2007-09-14T13:08:00.000-05:00

Chio!

The first day in Florence was very rough for J and I because we were tired. Florence is also very confusing b/c at times you think that you are walking in the right direction but then BAM you are somewhere totally different.

BUT today we are enjoying Florence a lot more!

Today we went to the Accademia and saw Michelangelo's David, among many other things.
Then we went to the Uffizi Gallery which is said to have the greatest collection of Italian paintings any where--(Botticelli's Allegory of Spring, and Birth of Venus"
we took a break at the Museum cafe and had had cappuccino..salute.
(J tried but didn't like it)

We walked acorss the Vasari Corrido, which is basically a covered bridge, but was used by rich people way back when. It was a pretty view of the Arno (the Arno's not that pretty).

The best part of the night was dinner. J and I went to Trattoria la Burrasca. Its a cute little place that houses 10 tables, cheap wine and yummy food. J and I practied our Italian through the whole mean and ONLY spoke Italian to our waitress and we did a pretty goood job..if i say so myself....

Florence

2007-09-13T04:02:00.000-05:00

We arrived safe and sound in Florence today.

Last night we used the night train and survived....
it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be it was still rough and I do need a nap. It was like sleeping in a closet with 5 other people.

Today we went to a museum and have been walking around until we can check into our hotel...

Florence is nice a little crazy and a bit overwhelming but I think after a nap my mind will be fresh and it will be easier to figure things out!

I'll update later after a nap and we do more stuff!

Night Train to Florence, Italy

2007-09-12T06:34:00.000-05:00

Tonight J and I are taking our first night train and in the morning we will be in Florence!!

Gimmelwald

2007-09-11T13:14:00.000-05:00

Gimmelwald is a very dream-like place. It has great mountain views and yummy locally made products like cheese...

Here are some gnomes chilling in someones frontyard....

Here is looking up at the mountains. People keep cattle and goats in their yards...

This is the lift to the town above Gimmelwald, Murren..Murrens lift is higher than Gimmelwalds..

This is the view from Gimmelwald....

"If Heaven isnt what its cracked up to be send me back to Gimmelwald"

Paris Part 3

2007-09-11T13:08:00.000-05:00

The picture is not the best but this is the night that we ate dinner under the Effile Tower...so pretty

This is me when J and I went on a bike ride around the Grand Canal at Versailles

This is a view looking at the Grand Canal and the gardens straight back is the palace

Paris Pictures Part 2

2007-09-11T13:00:00.000-05:00

View of Paris from the top of Notre-Dame

Notre-Dame
The inside of the Orsay
Me at the Effile Tower
J and I outside the Louvre

Paris Pictures

2007-09-11T12:50:00.000-05:00

I loved Paris. There is so much to see and do.

Here are some of my favorite pics.

Arc de Triomphe

the bored gargoyle at Notre-Dame

The Effile Tower at night

The Mona Lisa at the Louvre Museum

London Pictures

2007-09-11T12:46:00.000-05:00

this is a view from the bus....

Tower Bridge

Update

2007-09-10T13:49:00.000-05:00

Hello!

I am sorry about the lack of pictures but my computer is not working so I have to figure a way to get them on a disc and then I will be able to publish some photos. I hope that my commentary will hold you over until then.

Gimmelwald Day 1 (9/9/07)

2007-09-10T13:43:00.000-05:00

We left Paris and headed to Gimmelwald. It was a very long 6 hour train ride. We barley made our train and did not have time to get breakfast so J went into the food car and bought some weird ham sandwhich...it was gross (even J thought so)

By the time we arrived in Lauterbrunnen we were tired and hungry so we grabbed some lunch at a restraunt with an amazing view of the Alps before we headed to Gimmelwald.

We took a bus that took us to the gondola (the lifts that look like car but uses wires between places). I was expecting it to be verz scary and go super high but it was not bad at all. Even if it was scary it would of been worth is b/c Gimmelwald is amazing. Our B&B is comfy and homy and we can look out the window and see the Alps in every direction. This was the prefect place to rest and inhale the Alps.

Paris: Versailles Day Trip: 9/8/07

2007-09-10T13:32:00.000-05:00

On Saturday we headed to Versailles, the palace of Louis 14th and 15th and Marie-Antoinette.

Versailles is a little town about an hour outside of Paris. We had to take a train to reach it. Our train that we needed was closed b/c of work on the lines so we were routed to a different station and train...it was very confusing and a little annoying but we made it one piece.

Versaillesis huge and defintely a wonder. Even in modern times it would be on MTVs cribs..I think the Hall of Mirrors does the trick. The Hall is 250 feet long with 17 arched mirrors matching 17 windows reflecting views of the gardens.

The best part of Versailles is the gardens. The Gardens have a Greco-Roman theme.

Some things about the gardens:
it has thousands of orange trees
trees are planted from all over, laid out in an elaborate grid, dotted with statues and fountains. of the original 1,500 fountains 3oo remain.

The Grand Canal-designed after Venice was used so that couples could use imported (from Italy) gondolas. (also imported from Italy the gondoliers) The Canal is a cross shape and is one mile from end to end.
J and I rented bikes and rode around the canal...very fun.

Since Versailles was not good enought for the royals here are some other residences they built on the property:
1) Grand Trianon: Kings private residence
2) French Pavilion: Summer house
3) The Hamlet: Marie-Antoinetters fairytale world of country living
4) Petit Trianon: Small Palace for the king and later used bz Marie-Antoinette.

Versailles is amazing and defintely worth the trip.

Paris Day 3: 9/7/07

2007-09-10T13:18:00.000-05:00

On our last offical daz in Paris we were ip early and ate pain au chocolate (chocolate filled croissant) for breakfast..yum...

We started our sightseeing at the Arc de Triomphe, which is 165-foot-high arc that was built to honor Napeleons soldiers. It is the center of a chaotic traffic mess. When designed (before cars were invented of course) the Arc was to be the centerpiece of 12 boulevards interesecting at diagonels with the Arc. In order to reach the Arc you have to go into an underground pedestrain walkway.

J climbed to the top of the Arc (284 steps) but my legs still hurt from yesterday so i remained on the ground.....

Next we walked North on Champs-Elysees (Shahnz az-lee-zay) which is considered one of the worlds grandest and most celebrated streets-it houses big business, celebrity cafes, nightclubs and high fashion shopping. From 1920'1960 Parisians dressed up to come to the boulevard but since the commuter train suburbanites and toursits have found their way here...just like we did.

Champs-Elysees leads to the Place de la Concorde which was the place of the Revloution where 2,780 ppl lost their heads (no really) during the Reign of Terror. This is the spot where Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were made "a foot shorter on the top."

Our nest stop was the Orsaz Museum. The Museum left off (art wise) where the Louvre stopped. It contains French art of the 1800s (1848-1914) also known as Impressionism--one of my favorite types of art.

We sae Manet, Degas, Monet, Renior, Van Gogh, Cezanne, Toulouse-Lautrec and Redon--to name a few, It was amazing.
to reward ourselves for a hard afternoon of art viewing we went to the cafe and sample French cheese...yum.

Later that night we took some carryout to the Effile Tower and had dinner under the lights of the Effile Tower. (no we did not go up b/c the line was waaaay long) Dining under the Effile Tower was an amazing way to end our Paris trip.

Paris Day 2, 9/6/07

2007-09-10T13:02:00.000-05:00

On our 2nd daz in Paris we headed to Notre-Dame Cathedral which is sooo beautiful. The Cathedral in Covington, KY looks a lot like Notre-Dame.

After viewing the outside of the church and taking it all in we headed inside and saw the Nave and the Altar. The church has a lot of Gothic elements, especially the way it uses the light (coming from the stain glass windows) to show the grandure of the inside.

Next we went to the Louvre which is an impressive U-shaped palace and the largest museum int the Western world. We entered through the grand pyramid in the central courtyard. The contrast between the old palace and the new glass pzramid is an amazing thing to see. In the Louvre we saw, Venus de Milo, Winged Victory of Samothrace, the Italian Renissance paintings of Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael and Veronese to name a few..oh and we saw the Mona Lisa which was impressive-smaller than I thought but still very cool to see. The gallery that Mona Lisa is in seemed like a paparazzi frenzy..people everywhere, cameras flashing...

We left the Louvre and headed back to Nortre-Dame this time to wait in line to climb the dome. The dome has 400 winding and steep stairs to the top but the view was worth every ache that I would have the next day.
The view was so amazing, we could see it all, every building top, the Effiel Tower..

Paris is huge! The population is 11 million people in the city center 2,150,000 people live and it cover 40 square miles. It has the highest denisty of an European citzz and is 20 times more than NYC!

back to the view...From the top we were able to see the bored gargoyle that leans on his elbow and watches Paris (he is the most famous gargoyle) we were able to see different views of Notre-Dame and we were able to walk into the old bell tower I was looking for Hunchback of Notre-Dame but could not see him.

We nursed our aching legs at dinner across the street from last nights restraunt at La Varangue, a favorite for English speaking tourist.

Paris Day 1

2007-09-10T12:54:00.000-05:00

We took the Chunnel from London to Paris. I guess I was expecting something like a rollercoaster ride but the ride was very smooth, so smooth in fact that I took a nap. It takes under 3 hours to get to Paris.

When we arrived in Paris we has a lot of little things to do in the train station; like reserve our seats to Gimmelwald, buy the Paris Museum pass and a couple of other things. Since the train station was huge it was an adventure to figure out where to go and how to say things in french!

Our first stop in Paris was a cafe. We were dzing to try authetic Paris cuisine. We went to La Terrase de 7eme. The cafe was verz large and sat on a corneer that overlooks a very busy intersection. I ordered the salade nicoise which is lettuce, tuna, potatoes, and hard boiled eggs..it seems like it would be gross but in fact it was very yummy. I do love tuna.

We rounded out the day with a sightseeing cruise on the Siene River. The river was a little smelly but it gave us great views of the city and especially Notre-Dame. After the cruise we hopped over to our neighborhood, Rue Cler and ate and La Gourmadise which serves up pizza and pasta by a friendly and helpful owner.

hello from Paris

2007-09-08T09:45:00.000-05:00

hello from Paris....

Im at an internet cafe in the town of versailles and we just finished touring the palace....it was so amazing the gardens are so huge. in fact they are so big that you can rent a golf cart, J and I opted to rent bikes and pedal our way through, it was a nice afternoon; a little warm but nice.

Im typing on an European keyboard qnd i keep making lots of mistakes and i an typing veeeerrrrrry slow b/c the letters are all rearranged.....n is where m should be and q is where a should be.....its a challeneged.

tomorrow we leave France and head to Gimmelwald, Switzerland for rest and the alps...since there isnt too much to do ill have more time to update the blog and tell you all about Paris.

London Day 2

2007-09-04T14:19:00.000-05:00

On our 2nd day in London we wake up late b/c we didn't set our little travel alarm properly..when it was supposed to be A.M. it was set to P.M. WHOOPS! but luckly the street noise woke us up...

so we headed to Westminster Abbey. It was my 2nd time and J's 1st but it was still very cool to see again and have a refresher in history.

Westminster Abbey is a very pretty church and the site of royal coronations and burials since 1066. (google it for pictures of the inside b/c photos are not allowed)

Then we went to the Tower of London, which I didn't get to go to b/c the last time I was in London,I was sick and missed this trip.

The Tower was cool to see BUT since i'm not really into military history it was a little boring but J did love it.
The best part of the Tower is seeing the crown jewels. The crown of the Queen Mother, Queen Victoria's small diamond crown and theImperial State Crown is kept there. Its worth a google to see these jewels if you never have. Sorry, no pics allowed in the Crown Jewel Room.

The most exciting part of London is that the Tube is on strike so we have to use the bus system which isn't too bad except that since the tube is on strike and none of it is running everyone is using the buses which makes it really packed. Also, when using the buses you don't avoid rush hours and London traffic is insane!!!

London is fun but we are ready to move onto the next city which is Paris.

I'm at an internet cafe so I can't post pics but once I get a chance I'll post some!

London Day 1

2007-09-04T14:14:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the 2nd part of summer vacation.

J and I arrived in London on Monday after a very long and rough flight, we hit some rough weather and it was super bumpy.

After getting to London and finding our B&B, which is nice, we took a little rest.

We walked all over Europe, we went past Buckingham Palace, walked past Westminster Abbey, saw Big Ben and hung out at Trafalgar Saquare.

It was a very fun but tiring day....

What's Next? Europe!

2007-08-18T22:30:00.001-05:00

Now that we have conquered the West on September 2nd (2007) J and I head over the big pond to Europe for 1 month!

This blog will now be about Europe and I will update as much as I can. Sadly, it probably won't be as much as the West trip but I will do my best.

I invite you to come along on my trip to Europe with me!

See ya there!

33 Days and 8942 miles later: The End

2007-08-18T22:13:00.000-05:00

It has been 33 days and we have traveled 8,942 miles through 17 states, 11 National Parks and 6 Cities and we are now back home in Cincinnati!

States: Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, and Missouri.

National Parks: Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Grand Canyon, Zion National Park, Badlands, Grand Tetons, Waterton-Glacier, Wind Cave, Yellowstone, Crater Lake and Olympic.

Cities: Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Denver.

This trip was truly a trip of a lifetime and through traveling out West I have learned a lot and am happy to report that the only major incident was a speeding ticket in Utah (J).

Driving cross country and having the opportunity to see everything that I have has taught me that there is so much more to America than what meets the eye. Every time I got bored or tired of the landscape some new rock formation or mountain would pop-up and I would again be in awe.

The landscape of America is so diverse and so interesting that until you really stand looking up or down into a canyon that you can see and understand how amazing the Earth really is and how it is always changing.

THANK YOU so much for joining us on our trip and I hope that you have enjoyed reading the blog as much as I have updating it!

Stayed Tuned because there are always more adventures to be had!!!

3rd Stop in The Colorado Plateau: Capitol Reef

2007-08-16T23:15:00.001-05:00

Capitol Reef's defining feature is the Waterpocket Fold which geologist know as one of the largest and best exposed monoclines of the North American continent. (sorry no picture). Other than the Waterpocket Fold, Capitol Reed is beautiful with a lush valley caught between canyons.

Another cool things about Capitol Reef is that there are peroglyphs visible on the canyon walls. Sadly, my camera didn't really capture them well.

Fremont Indians pecked into the cliff large humanlike figures in headdresses. The origin of these Indian farmers about A.D. 600 and their disappearance 6 centuries later are still a mystery. Early settlers found what appeared to be remnants of their irrigation ditches, granaries and pithouses. (From National Geographic)

2nd Stop in The Colorado Plateau: Bryce Canyon

2007-08-16T23:05:00.001-05:00

Bryce Canyon is another amazing site.

The local Paiute Indians' legend explains that feeling that one has when viewing the rocks; "Once there lived animals-like creatures that changed themselves into people. But they were bad, so Coyote turned them into rocks of various configurations. The spellbound creatures still huddle together with faces painted just as they were before being turned to stone."

The legend is one way to explain how the rock formations came to be but geologist explain that through natural erosion and water Bryce Canyon was formed.

First Stop in the Colorado Plateau: Zion National Park

2007-08-16T22:52:00.001-05:00

Zion National Park was named "Zion" b/c 19th century Mormon pioneers saw the rocks as the "natural temples of God." They called the canyon Little Zion after the celestial city.

After driving through Zion I understand why the early pioneers were s amazed by what they saw. Even with paved roads, tunnels, and rest areas the dramatic canyon still is worthy of awe.

History of Zion: Zion was formed by millions of years of flowing water cutting through the red and white beds of Navajo sandstone that forms the sheer walls of Zion. The geologic hear of the canyon began as a vast desert million of years ago; almost incessant winds blew one dune on top of another until the sands reached a depth of more than 2,000 feet. (from National Geographic)

The Colorado Plateau

2007-08-16T22:34:00.000-05:00

After leaving Vegas we entered the Colorado Plateau.

The Colorado Plateau covers 4 states;Utah, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico. The plateau encompasses nearly 2 billion years of Earth's history and contains the nation's largest concentration of national parks. (Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Grand Canyon, Great Basin, Mesa Verde, Petrified Forest, Saguaro and Zion....and thats just to name a few)

We took a scenic drive along Route 12 and saw some amazing canyons and rock formations.

On The Road Again

2007-08-14T20:50:00.001-05:00

We are back on the road today. We made it to Utah and are now making our way home!
Next stop is Zion National Park and then Denver.

Last Night in Vegas

2007-08-14T20:38:00.001-05:00

For our last night in Vegas we went to Wolfgang Puck's Trattoria del Lupo.

The menu is really cool b/c it is printed every day so I went with the ravioli sampler which ranged from green pea to traditional cheese.

Viva Las Vegas!!!

Wave Pool and Cabana at Mandalay Bay

2007-08-14T20:30:00.000-05:00

After battling the Las Vegas heat for days we decided to cool off at our hotel's wave pool so we rented a cabana and spent the day riding the waves and then when we were bored with that we rested in the lazy river.

The cabana was awesome it had a TV (not pictured) and a mini fridge!

Red Square Russian Bar at Mandalay Bay

2007-08-14T20:22:00.000-05:00

Sunday after brunch we checked into Mandalay Bay and rested from our hard afternoon of eating. Then we headed out to the Red Square Russian Bar. The Red Square has an iced-cover bar and over 150 different types of vodka so Matt and Scott decided to check out a couple of the best vodkas.

Sunday Brunch at the Wynn

2007-08-14T20:12:00.000-05:00

For Sunday brunch we headed to the Wynn buffet. The Wynn buffet is nothing like Golden Coral. The food is high quality with things like King Crab and lamb chops. My personal favorite was that the buffet had pastry chefs on staff making homemade pastries/desserts before my eyes.

Needless to say I (along with everyone else) ate so much that we had no room for dinner!

New York New York part 2

2007-08-14T20:08:00.001-05:00

This is the outside of New York New York......

Las Vegas: A New York State of Mind

2007-08-14T20:00:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite casinos was New York New York b/c well it looked and at times felt like New York City. Plus it has pizza by the slice until 3 am!

Hoover Dam (Saturday 8/11)

2007-08-14T19:47:00.001-05:00

On our back from the Grand Canyon we stopped at Hoover Dam.

Hoover Dam history: The dam's construction began in 1931 and took 5 year and 5,000 men to complete it. In 1935 when the dam was finished, 96 men had died.
The result of their work was a 726 ft. structure that pumps more than 4 billion kilowatt hours of power to Las Vegas and LA.

The Hoover Dam is a tribute to America's "think big" era and big it is weighing 6.6 millions tons and measuring 660 ft thick at its base and 1244 ft across the canyon at its crest.

Grand Canyon Saturday (8/11)

2007-08-14T19:23:00.001-05:00

Saturday we arrived at the Grand Canyon and didn't have much time so we started right away! We headed to the popular South Rim where the views are amazing. The Grand Canyon has some of the nation's cleanest air, with visibility averaging 90 to 110 miles which is helpful b/c the canyon is about 277 miles long!

A little history of the Grand Canyon: Rocks at the bottom of the Grand Canyon date back 1.8 billion years and even though geologists don't know exactly how the river was formed most agree that it was formed in the last 5 million years.

Amy, Rich and J were very brave and climbed out a ledge to get a better view. I had flip flops on at the time and decided I didn't want to fall off and die!

This was Rich's 3rd time to the Grand Canyon and he really wanted to go hiking so I changed into my tennis shoes and we started off on The Bright Angel Trail.
The Bright Angel Trail zigzags 8 miles and 4,4460 ft down to the river. It is an overnight backpackers trip but we did about 3 miles of the hike and it was hard but well worth it. The hardest part was coming back up!

This is looking down at the trail that we were just on!

Get your kicks on Route 66 (8/10)

2007-08-14T19:10:00.000-05:00

On Friday (8/10) Amy, Rich, J and I pile into the car and start our way to the Grand Canyon. We were on Route 66 for part of the way.

We stopped at a little diner for dinner and Amy and I had a chili dog but it wasn't anything like Cincinnati Chili!

Across from the diner there was a train that was in a park so Amy checked it out for us!

Friday and The Grand Canyon

2007-08-10T17:37:00.001-05:00

Today we are headed to the Grand Canyon and the Hoover Dam!

Will post pictures when we get back tomorrow!

Viva Las Vegas

2007-08-10T17:15:00.001-05:00

Thursday night we got dressed in our best and headed to Emeril's New Orleans Fish House
Las Vegas and Amy said "was a great dining experience."

Here is the Fam: (from Left to Right) Rich, Amy, J, me, Lori and Matt

The sisters outside of Emeril's..

For Dinner I had:
For my Cold Starter: Tempura Fried Sushi Salmon Roll With Spicy Cucumber Salad and Cilantro Crème Fraìche
For my entree: Lobster Bienville Two Pound Maine Lobster stuffed with House Cured Bacon, Aromatic Vegetables and Spinach in a Rich Velouté Sauce (pictured below)

not that there was any room left but for dessert I had to try: sweet potato bread pudding.
It was yum yum yummy!

We were so stuffed we weren't able to go out afterwards so we went home put our PJs on and headed to BED!!!

The next day (Friday) we got up and after a couple of hours we were hungry so we headed to Toby Keith's I love this Bar and Grill and Amy and I spilt a fried bologna sandwich..it was yummy!!

Las Vegas Baby Las Vegas

2007-08-10T16:39:00.000-05:00

Las Vegas is hot, hot, hot!!!!!
The strip is very busy with lots of things going on!

We checked into the Flamingo where we were staying with Amy and Rich and then all 6 of us (Matt, Lori, Amy, Rich, J and I) went to Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville.

Most of us at the table got the Cheeseburger in Paradise and a Margarita. This is Matt posing with the famous Cheeseburger is Paradise!

We stayed at the Flamingo and of course they had Flamingos.

To round out our first day in Vegas we headed down to the pool and swam and had some adult beverages....FUN FUN!

LA Day 2

2007-08-08T23:44:00.000-05:00

On day 2 of our LA adventure we hung out with J's uncle Mike. He lives in LA and was kind enough to spend the day with us! (thanks Mike!)

We started the day by going to Canters and getting sandwiches. Canters is famous for their West Hollywood food that they have been serving up for like 50 (or more) years!

After that we went to Universal Studios. It was a really fun place! I really didn't really know anything about Universal but we went on the Studio tour, which took us behind the scenes of the movies and onto sets, it was pretty cool!
This is Mike and J on the escalator heading into the "lower lot"

On the studio tour we saw the set of Desperate Housewives which was really neat. I was looking for the cast but didn't see anybody....
We also saw the opening set for War of the Worlds (the Tom Cruise one). This is 747 that they bought for 60,000 and then destroyed it. It was really cool to see how they do things.

This a blue scene that is used to create scenes like in Bruce Almighty where Jim Carrey walks on the water.

One of the coolest things about LA is that when you drive down the street you see really cool places like The Writer's Guild , MGM, Revolution Studio and many other places like that.

We had fun in LA but we thought it was crazy because there is so many things to see, things to do, and places to eat that you really could live your whole life in LA and never experience it all.

LA Day 1

2007-08-08T23:33:00.001-05:00

We arrived in LA on Monday in the afternoon. After checking into our hostel we drove around LA, we mainly just got lost but we had fun!

We drove around Beverly Hills, drove past the IVY (a restaurant Celebs go too) we didn't see any celebs but we did see some paparazzi which was fun!

LA was nice and sunny but not as hot as I thought it would be.

We went to Santa Monica and walked on the pier. It was very nice--there were swing sets on the beach and nice little boardwalks. We hung out there for a little while. The crazy thing is that it was a little cold, we had to wear hoodies on the beach! I never thought that I would be on an LA beach wearing a hoodie!

Sunday on the Coast

2007-08-07T12:46:00.000-05:00

Sunday we spent the day driving down the coast. We drove on Highway 1 from Monterey to LA. It was a very nice drive. In some parts it was a little cloudy but in other places the sky was blue and the breeze was nice.

In Monterey we took the 17 mile drive around Pebble Beach Golf Course, it was a cool drive--great views of the ocean and of rich people's houses. This is a very famous tree it is the lone cypress tree, it has been on this rock for about 200 years...pretty....

I don't know if you can tell but the water in this picture is 2 different colors. At the shore it is a very green kinda like emerald and then it turns to a very blue blue. It was so pretty.

This is kinda like the grizzly bear picture but instead sea lions! It was really cool b/c we were standing about 200-300 above the sea lions and we could hear them but not really see them. We got the binoculars and we could see a ton of them lying on rocks just hanging out!

Saturday in San Fran

2007-08-06T03:12:00.000-05:00

San Fran is always a fun place to go so J and I decided to add it to the drive and stop in for the afternoon. We were just there in October and had a blast so we decided to repeat some of our favorite places. We did a little shopping, ate at Citizen Cupcake at the top of the Virgin Mega store and then went to our second favorite pizza in the US; Tomasso's Pizza.

Just like Seattle when you drive into San Fran you can see the clouds "getting stuck" on the mountains. Its really cool to see it and experience the temp drop. Outside of San Fran it reached 108 degrees then it went to a cool 60 degrees.

Driving over the Golden Gate Bridge is always fun. Sadly, the fog was so thick we couldn't see the bay or water. The summer brings a lot of fog into the bay.

We had to an hour for this pizza but it was worth it. We had ate light the whole day to make room so we ordered a large and ate the whole thing! It was worth every mega calorie that was in it! Its really the sauce that makes it great. The sauce is a very thin tomato sauce that is very basic but combined with the wood fired pizza creates very yummy pizza...

San Fran at night....

California

2007-08-04T01:21:00.001-05:00

We have arrived in California. We are on our 18th day of travel and have drove over 5,000 miles. We are super excited to be in California where the weather is warm and there are beaches to go to.

We are headed to San Fran tomorrow. J and I went in October with friends Kari, Ronson and Amy and had a blast. Sadly, our San Fran travel buddies won't be with us but we had this yummy pizza that we have been craving ever since. We'll see what happens but I think Tommasos might be calling our names!!

Crater Lake

2007-08-04T01:01:00.000-05:00

Crater lake is about 5 hours from Portland and is so worth the drive. The water is this magnificent blue. I kept reading about the color blue but it didn't really hit me until I saw it. It this deep blue that is pure and peaceful.

I won't bore you with too many details of Crater Lake but it is about 1900 feet deep, the sunlight penetrates to about 700 feet down which is the most recorded, no fish are indigenous to the lake and the air is very clean which allows visitors to have full access to the other side.

Crater Lake was an amazing site and I'm glad that we were able to stop and see it. Its so beautiful and serene.

Pacific Coast of Olympic National Park

2007-08-04T00:27:00.001-05:00

We got up early on Thursday to check out the beach when it was low tide. It was cold but well worth the view. Some brave souls were actually swimming when was so brave b/c I wouldn't even take off my shoes to cross a tide pool!!!

When its low tide you can see many star fish and other sea creatures! It did smell a little bad , like a weird fish smell.

We headed off to Portland where we didn't get to stay long--we were able to check out the downtown area but it was rush hour and the traffic was very crazy so we kinda had to cut and run. We are trying to make it to LA by Monday and we were still at the top of Oregon and had other stops so we decided to put Portland on the list of places to come back to...

On to Crater Lake..

Olympic National Park Day 2

2007-08-02T01:05:00.001-05:00

Day 2 we headed to the Hoh Rain forest. The rain forest was very amazing to see. We went to 2 different areas--one area was super cold and the other area which was the actual Hoh rain forest was warm with lots of bugs. We hiked the Hall of Mosses Trail. The trees that we saw were very big! Sitka spruce, western hemlock, and western red cedar, measuring up to 25 feet in circumference with heights up to 300 feet.

This is a picture of a creek with moss and trees growing in it.

very tall trees.....

The rain forest floor is crowded so new seedlings sprout on fallen trees, called nurse logs. Old trees stand on huge roots called stilts where their nurse logs rot away. Here is an example of an old tree with the nurse log underneath. It is very cool to see.

Tomorrow we are headed to the Pacific Beaches and then down to Portland.

Olympic National Park

2007-08-02T00:27:00.001-05:00

Olympic National Park is very beautiful. It is a little on the cold side but after I grabbed a jacket it had some great views.

Some basic information about the park: it has three distinct ecosystems: subalpine forest, wildflower meadows; temperate forest, and pacific shore. There is 600 miles of hiking trails in the park yet no road goes through the "heart" of the park which keeps the park unspoiled. This condition has lead the United Nations to declare Olympic an international biosphere reserve and a World Heritage Site.

We started our journey on a drive to Hurricane Ridge. Hurricane Ridge is called so b/c of its forceful winter winds.

Here is the view from the visitor's center. Mount Olympus carries 7 of Olympic's 60 named glaciers.

Here is a view from a trail where you can see the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Canada's Vancouver Island.

This is what the road looks like on the drive to the hot springs of Sol 'Duc.

Seattle Part 2

2007-08-01T01:30:00.001-05:00

The coolest thing about Seattle is the taxpayers spend more per capita on the arts than an other American city so you'll be walking around and see some beautiful art walk a few more blocks and come across a park with sculptures. Its so great. This is the Olympic Sculpture Park.

Sadly, J and I couldn't go to the Experience Music Project--but I know some of my blog readers are big music fans so I wanted to post a picture. The Experience Music Project was created in by Paul Allen, Microsoft Co-Founder, who wanted to build a tribute to Jimi Hendrix. The EMP houses 80,000 musical artifacts. The building alone is cool--the architect Frank Gehry designed it. The entrance fee is about $20 per person but that includes the Sci-Fi Museum next door.

After finishing our tour of the Seattle Center--we headed to Pioneer Square where we checked out Elliot Bay Books which takes up an entire block. The cool thing about this locally owned book store is that the staff write reviews of their favorites books on sticky notes that are put near the books.

After book browsing we (well I-J doesn't drink coffee) stopped in at Tully's, one of Seattle's favorite coffee sellers. I didn't feel like a hot drink so I grabbed the old faithful iced mocha. yummy.
Sadly, again we didn't go to the Seattle Art Museum (SAM) but the building was so cool I took a picture. The sculpture actually moves! Very cool.

To round our day out we went to a Rachel Ray recommended spot, the Brick House. It was yummy and a great way to end our trip.

Seattle is an amazing place. It is full of life, good food, great art and music and of course coffee. When we were there (2 days) it was cool (mid to low 60's) but sunny--the weather report said that it was going to be warmer later in the week and the locals didn't seem to carry umbrellas around. The prices are affordable and people are nice and helpful. If you haven't been to Seattle it is definitely a must trip.

Seattle: The Real Story

2007-08-01T00:48:00.001-05:00

We drove from Montana all the way across Washington State with temps in the high 90's. As we approached Seattle the temp dropped down into the high 50's low 60's!! This is what the clouds looked liked around the Cascade Mountains. The clouds looked liked the actually "got stuck" on the mountains b/c it was clear, bright, and sunny on one side of the mountain and on the other side COLD and dark.

We drove into Seattle the next morning (Monday 7/30) after staying the night at a Days Inn about 30 minutes outside the city. We waited till about 10am to drive into the City and missed the traffic! We checked into our hotel, The Moore Hotel, which had a great location. The Moore Hotel is awesome b/c it is very budget friendly, very young and hip people stay there and it has a great location ( 2nd ave- 1 block from Pike Place Market).

Seattle is really a Footie's dream come true and since I am totally a foodie--I found my place at Pike Place Market. Pike Place Market (imagine Findlay Market on steroids) was created to appease angry farmers in the early 1900's, a huge fire in the 1940's shut it down until the 1980's when Seattlities brought it back. Pike Place Market is known for the fishmongers hurling fishes. Sadly, we didn't see this taking place. But what we did see was a lot of food. J found his way to Piroshky, Piroshky, which serves Piroshkyi. Piroshki is a croissant-like dough that has different fillings baked into it. J's choice of piroshki was ham, cheese, spinach. HE LOVED IT!!! I went down the market road to Cinnamon Bakery and grabbed an iced pumpkin cookie--which was good but not as yummy as my sister's.
Pike Place Market sold everything--T-shirts to art. There was live music on the street and many cafes,bars and restaurants lined the allies and street ways. An amazing place to visit.
After our yummy adventure we decided to walk off our snack and head down to the man piers of Seattle. It was really cool b/c my first look into the water I saw a SEAL! He was too quick for me to get a picture but he was soooo cute just hanging out in the water being a seal.
We made our way to the The Seattle Center which includes the Space Needle. The Space Needle wasn't as tall as we expected it to be but still a pretty picture and fun to see. It was built in 1962 for the World's Fair and is 607ft.

Leaving Seattle

2007-07-31T12:26:00.000-05:00

Hello,

Today we are at Rick Steve's Travel Center outside of Seattle planning our trip to Europe (which is in September!)

We didn't have internet at our hotel and might not have it for a few more days. We are headed into Olympic National Park and once I have internet again I will post Seattle and Olympic pictures!

Seattle

2007-07-30T12:44:00.000-05:00

Today we are headed into the city for some coffee and cold fun!

Will post pictures later!!!!

Glacier National Park Day 2 Part 2

2007-07-30T00:50:00.000-05:00

After dinner we stopped at the general store and grabbed a Huckleberry Cream Soda and Huckleberry beer and sat on the porch and enjoyed the weather.

We met a lady from Indy who told us where to see grizzlies. J really wanted to see a grizzly so we finished our drinks and headed to Many Glacier to see what we could see.

And we saw a mama with two cubs....she had been in the area for a while..crossing back and forth over the road and heading up into the mountains to feed on the huckleberry bushes. She had a tracking collar on which means that she has been being a "bad bear" and hanging around humans. During our bear viewing we met a family from Lexington, KY.

This is a really bad picture of the bears but by the trees there are some white dots..those are those bears..

Glacier National Park Day 2 (7/28)

2007-07-30T00:31:00.000-05:00

On our second day we head up to Many Glacier to go on a 4 hour horseback ride through the mountains and grizzly country! Sadly, we didn't see a grizzly but we saw many pretty views.

Later on we hiked to St. Mary's Lake and had a picnic....

Glacier National Park (7/27)

2007-07-29T23:58:00.001-05:00

We arrived in Glacier National Park via the West Entrance with a huckleberry milkshake in hand we start our drive on Going-To-The-Sun-Road.

The Going-To-The-Sun-Road is considered by many to be one of the "most spectacular highways" and after traveling on it I understand why.

The views were amazing--

We stayed at the Rising Sun Motel in Rising Sun--which is the west entrance of the park.
Our motel was across from St. Mary Lake.

The road is where you see the rail.....

This is a Glacier....

Happy Birthday

2007-07-29T23:47:00.001-05:00

For J's b-day we went The Bay in Kalispell, MT. It was a nice, yummy place. J got five for five beer sampler and a brownie birthday cake.

Happy 26th Birthday J!!!

2007-07-26T01:37:00.000-05:00

Today is J's 26th Birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

(this is last year's b-day celebration--i'll post some pics of this year's when we celebrate it later!!!)

Grand Tetons Day 3 (7/25)

2007-07-25T22:29:00.000-05:00

Today we went and explored the park. Its been pretty rainy today so there was a lot of clouds around the tops of the mountains.

Here are a couple pictures of the mountains:

This is the Grand Teton. If you look straight at the pictures you'll see the Teton Glacier .

then when went and checked out Jenny Lake which was sooooo pretty the only problem is that the camera ran out of batteries and we didn't have replacements so we didn't get many pictures.

Video: Animals of the West

2007-07-25T13:28:00.000-05:00

Here is the video that I promised....Enjoy!

Grand Tetons Day (7/24)

2007-07-25T03:08:00.000-05:00

Today we decided that we would rest up. After driving for days and all the fun of Yellowstone we needed a day to nap, watch TV and chill out.

So, after a nap we walked around Jackson got a cookie at the Bunnery Bakery (very yummy)

and then we saw Transformers. Transformers is a great movie, plus I love Shia LaBeouf.

After being in the wilderness for a week it was nice to see a movie about robots....
Tomorrow we go back to the wilderness to hike and possibly some horseback riding and then we are going to celebrate J's 26th b-day which is on Thursday!!

Grand Tetons Day 1 (7/23)

2007-07-25T02:53:00.000-05:00

To get to the Grand Tetons we drove through the South Entrance of Yellowstone and almost immediately we were in the park.

The Grand Tetons are amazing. In case you don't know what the Grand Tetons are they are a series of mountains. The name "Grand Tetons" come from the French Trappers that dubbed the three main peaks-South Teton, Grand Teton, and Middle Teton "les trois tetons," meaning "the three breast."

After checking into our hotel we decided to check out Jackson, WY which is a very cute little mountain town. Its very upscale, artsy but remains rustic and down to earth with yummy restaurants.

We ate at "Merry Piglet's Mexican Grill" I got the fish tacos and they were very yummy!

More Animals of Yellowstone

2007-07-25T02:44:00.000-05:00

Here are some more pictures of animals. J has put together an edit of all the animals that we have seen on our trip that I wasn't able to capture on my camera, the internet is being a little slow so I'm having a hard time uploading but once I get it loaded I will post it.

Enjoy!

Bald Eagle Nest
Elk

Animals of Yellowstone

2007-07-25T02:14:00.000-05:00

The best part of Yellowstone is the wildlife. Everywhere we went we saw some sort of animal. Here are a few:

The crows are as big as chickens..

Elk...

bison...

bison napping on a hot springs beach....

moose...
elk on a lawn in Mammoth Hot Springs...

Up Next....

2007-07-23T11:53:00.000-05:00

We leave (from Cody) for the Grand Tetons which is about 3 hours.

Once we get there I will post "Animals of Yellowstone"

See ya later!

Day 3 Yellowstone (7/22) Old Faithful

2007-07-23T11:43:00.000-05:00

When we arrived at Old Faithful I think everyone in the park and then some were waiting for Old Faithful.
It was 1:30 when we arrived and Old Faithful wasn't supposed to erupt until 2:15 so we decided to head on down the walking path to see some other geysers.

We decided to escape the crowds so we hiked 1/2 mile (up hill-200 feet) to see Old Faithful when it erupted.
Every shin pain that I received was so worth it b/c it was an amazing view away from the crowds.

After we saw Old Faithful we hiked to Lonesome Geyser where we were able to see another eruption, although it was
much smaller in scale it was still very cool to see. Plus, J and I were the only people for miles so it was a very
pristine moment- and then the steam engulfed us and we had to move away very quickly!!!!

After Old Faithful we headed North to the Midway Geyser Basin where the Grand Prismatic Spring is. The Grand Prismatic Spring was J's favorite spring and after I saw it I understood why.
Here are some other Hot Springs from the same boardwalk:

After we were finished we head to West Yellowstone had a quick dinner at Timberline Cafe, where I succumbed to the
pressure and had bison meatloaf-pretty yummy....

After dinner we went back into the park and spent some time wildlife viewing BUT you'll have to read that under
the blog post :Animals of Yellowstone =)

Day 3 Yellowstone (7/21)

2007-07-23T11:39:00.000-05:00

After a better night sleep, J and I had a hunkering for some pancakes so we go back to Pahaska and have the biggest
pancakes ever!

After breakfast (b/c today we actually got up early!) we head into the park to explore the West side of the park.

Today's route: East Entrance to Lake to West Thumb to Madison to the City of West Yellowstone back to Madison then to Norris
back through Canyon Village onwards to the lake and then to the East Entrance.
Again this trip is about 200 miles!

Day 2: Mammoth Hot Springs

2007-07-23T11:31:00.001-05:00

Mammoth Hot Springs area is very charming-it looks like it is a little city. The reason behind this is b/c most
visitors arrived in trains at the north entrance and stayed at the hotel before exploring the park. If you can
afford the peak season prices (suites at the Mammoth Hot Springs go for about $500 a night) it is worth the stay

After grabbing some ice cream. I had the grizzly bear (which was huckleberry) J had Vanilla, we headed to the
Mammoth Hot Springs boardwalk to check out the hot springs.

Leaving Yellowstone Via Gardiner we were able to get our picture and the original entrance of Yellowstone, which
was very cool and very majestic. (I posted that picture yesterday)

We stop at a cute little pizza place called K-Bar and had a very yummy, cheap pizza

We enter back into Yellowstone via the North Gate and head back towards the East Gate which took 2-2 1/2 hours! Crazy!

Day 2: Canyon Village

2007-07-23T11:23:00.000-05:00

Canyon Village is where The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone is located. It is a very popular spot but what J and
learned is that if you are willing to walk a little bit off the beaten path you can have wonderful views to yourself.

Canyon Vilage to Norris (12 miles)
Nothing much in Norris-moving on....

Norris to Mammoth Hot Springs (22 miles)
The drive up to Mammoth Hot Springs was very pretty and if we had more time I would of love to have taken my time
and enjoy it but we had places to go and places to see so we couldn't stop too often.

Day 2 Yellowstone (7/21)

2007-07-23T11:18:00.000-05:00

We wake up after a rough night sleep (the air is super dry) and head on down the road to Pahaska Tepee Resort to
their Lodgepole Room, which serves up some yummy, cheap grub. I had a grilled cheese while J enjoyed a
Club Sandwich.

After brunch we head on into the park.

Today's goal was to explore the North side of the park.

our route was East Entrance to Lake to Canyon Village to Norris to Mammoth Hot Spring to the city of Gardiner
to Tower/ Roosevelt back down to Canyon Village and then to the Lake and then exit at the East Entrance.
This Route was over 200 miles.

Lake to Canyon Village ( 22 miles)

This portion of Yellowstone is where you can see the Mud Volcano. The Mud Volcano is "acidic hot springs have
reduced the underlying lava rock to a fine clay, producing a variety of boiling mud pools, mud pots, and mud volcanoes"

We walked along the boardwalk that displayed the best of these mud creations. The smells of these mud pots smells
like rotten eggs so our trip around the boardwalk was pretty quick!

Day 1 Yellowstone (7/20)

2007-07-23T11:04:00.000-05:00

We arrived in Yellowstone via Cody around 4pm and check into our lodge.
The lodge is Elephant Head Lodge which wasn't exactly what we thought it would be. The lodge is nice but its more
of a place that you come and don't leave but since J and I wanted to spend most our time in the park the lodge's
remote location didn't really comply to that idea. (Plus, on a whiny note the lodge didn't have A/c and the air is
super dry so i'm stopped up =(

J and I went out at about 5pm to venture into Yellowstone to finally experience what its all about.
We enter at the East Entrance to find that the road is being repaired and that there will be a 30 minute delay so
we roll down the windows, turn off the cars and start looking at the maps!

We made it up to the Fishing Bridge and turned around to head back to the lodge for dinner. On our way back we
encounter 2 bisons walking in the road and have to put the car in park until the move past us. It was very
crazy/scary with these two enormous bison walking on either side of the car, one of them was totally giving me the
stare down so I just looked straight ahead- I don't want any trouble!

After I take a quick shower, we bop on down to the lodge to have dinner. I have the trout (my first trout experience) and
it was mighty tasty, I would recommend it. J had an enormous Ribeye steak was at least 1 pound of pure beef.

After that J and I went into the lodge lounge and enjoyed some adult beverages.

Emergency Evucation from Lodge Room Due to Bugs in the Bed

2007-07-23T02:37:00.000-05:00

Hello,

just a quick update to let you know that J and I had to leave the Elephant Lodge at midnight due to bugs in the bed.

This is what happened...

I was just minding my own business writing in my travel journal when I felt something crawling on my arm and I look down and its this weird little knat-looking bug so I kill it and keep writing..

a couple minutes later it happens again I get out of bed and I tell J that I think that there are bugs in the bed.

J thinks I'm overreacting and we take off the blankets and sheets- there are a lot of these little guys, some alive and some dead. J tries to tell me that there are just a few bugs in the bed and I shouldn't freak out. He starts to kill these weirdo bugs with tissues... as the numbers multiple and J's tissue solution doesn't work I say, WE HAVE GOTS TO GO....
J agrees to leave b/c he realizes that the bugs are out of control.

the main problem is that lodge does not have 24 hour guest service or an emergency number so the only thing that we can do is leave.

so we drive 1 hour to the closest city and here we are at 1:42 in the morning just settling in for bed. (after close inspection of our clothes and hair we are bug free!)

we left a message for the inn keeper to call us back and I will update you as the situation continues.....

goodnight and don't let the bed bugs bite.

Yellowstone Update

2007-07-22T19:14:00.001-05:00

Hello-

Yellowstone is HUGE- is the size of Rhode Island and Delaware put together.

For Example: Today in order to see the West side of the park J and I have to drive round trip 200 miles!!!!!

Its a lot of driving but its so much fun!

I don't have Internet at the ranch b/c we are in the middle of a forest but tomorrow we leave for the Grand Tetons and at our Hotel there we have Wi-Fi and I will post a ton of pictures (b/c I have many pictures and many stories to tell!!!)

Check back tomorrow and I promise you won't be disappointed...

Drive to Yellowstone

2007-07-20T15:28:00.000-05:00

Well here we are in Cody which is about 58 miles from Yellowstone.

The drive here was very nice. The scenery went from flat plains to crazy mountains (Big Horn Mountain)

This is a picture of a moose that we saw along the road. Hopefully we will see more and be able to get better pictures!

We are headed to our ranch we were are staying and I'm not sure if I will have internet but I will take lots of picture to post when I have internet again!!