While riding home from work on the T today I spotted an ad for Suffolk University with the tagline "No goal is insurmountable if you take the right route". I considered pulling out a pen and replacing "insurmountable" with "unattainable", but I didn't have a sharpie, and it seemed like overkill. Still, a university should know better. Not saying a lot about themselves, are they?
Fast forward a few hours: on the way home from Shrek the Third, Erica pointed over my shoulder and said "do you agree with the edits to that ad"? Someone else had pulled out their pen and done what I had failed to do, with the annotation "to surmount is to climb over". My thoughts exactly.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Monday, May 21, 2007
And Here We Are
After 12 days on the road and about 4,100 miles driven, we finally made it to Cambridge around 12:30 this afternoon. It's so nice moving into a furnished apartment, you don't end up sitting on the floor for the first few days!
Memphis was fantastic. The BBQ competition was amazing, with hundreds of barbeque "teams" from all over the south coming with their cookers (and kegs) to compete. It had the feel of a giant fraternity party combined with a huge county fair. Unfortunately, something disagreed with my stomach, so we didn't quite get our 12 hours of driving in the next day. This left us pushing to complete the final 15 hours of driving yesterday, and awful construction traffic in PA and NY finally destroyed any chance we had of getting it done. We bunked down out near Hartford around 1AM and finished the drive this morning.
So, we've moved! We'll be posting a lot more pictures over the next few weeks, but that's basically it for our cross-country details. Thanks for playing!
Memphis was fantastic. The BBQ competition was amazing, with hundreds of barbeque "teams" from all over the south coming with their cookers (and kegs) to compete. It had the feel of a giant fraternity party combined with a huge county fair. Unfortunately, something disagreed with my stomach, so we didn't quite get our 12 hours of driving in the next day. This left us pushing to complete the final 15 hours of driving yesterday, and awful construction traffic in PA and NY finally destroyed any chance we had of getting it done. We bunked down out near Hartford around 1AM and finished the drive this morning.
So, we've moved! We'll be posting a lot more pictures over the next few weeks, but that's basically it for our cross-country details. Thanks for playing!
Friday, May 18, 2007
B-B-Q
Without knowing it, we've managed to vist Memphis on the weekend of the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, which means that tonight's activities are all planned out for us. Huzzah!
On the way to Memphis we stopped in Little Rock, Arkansas and walked around the park surrounding the Clinton Presidential Library. Very nice indeed. Lots of fun bumper stickers in that parking lot. We even saw a car from Massachusetts and some old folks in Sox hats.
On the way to Memphis we stopped in Little Rock, Arkansas and walked around the park surrounding the Clinton Presidential Library. Very nice indeed. Lots of fun bumper stickers in that parking lot. We even saw a car from Massachusetts and some old folks in Sox hats.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Okajima!
As hoped, we were able to use my air card to listen to the last 3 innings of the Sox game while travelling down I-40 in Oklahoma. Isn't technology great?
We stopped in Oklahoma City for dinner and Erica found us a fantastic steak house, Cattlemen's, which happens to be directly adjacent to the stockyards and in a neighborhood known as "Stockyards City". Dinner was great :-)
Onward to Arkansas!
We stopped in Oklahoma City for dinner and Erica found us a fantastic steak house, Cattlemen's, which happens to be directly adjacent to the stockyards and in a neighborhood known as "Stockyards City". Dinner was great :-)
Onward to Arkansas!
Somewhere in Oklahoma
Day 8: Santa Fe, New Mexico to Alma, Arkansas via Amarillo, TX and Oklahoma City, OK
A few days ago I published my first post on a blog ever. Now I am publishing my first post while traveling in a car down an interstate! We are currently in Oklahoma; Seth is driving and I am typing and checking my email on his laptop, conveniently making use of his Verizon data service. The connection has been a bit spotty, but it is quite fun to surf the internet and IM with friends while on the highway.
Anyhow, thus far we have exited New Mexico and passed through Texas, and are about 45 minutes outside of Oklahoma City. Today's highlights have included: a free contintental breakfast at our fancy Quality Inn hotel, a view of the largest tires I have ever seen riding on the back of a flatbed, a quick trip through Bushland, TX on the interstate, and (as of 1 minute ago) a stretch limo pickup truck with no less than 7 passenger windows per side. Everything truly is bigger out here.
In Oklahoma City, we hope to find a good steakhouse and then continue on a few hours to Alma, Arkansas. That should position us for a short drive to Memphis tomorrow. We may even be able to catch the Sox game over the internet this evening while driving.
Have a great evening! Email me!
A few days ago I published my first post on a blog ever. Now I am publishing my first post while traveling in a car down an interstate! We are currently in Oklahoma; Seth is driving and I am typing and checking my email on his laptop, conveniently making use of his Verizon data service. The connection has been a bit spotty, but it is quite fun to surf the internet and IM with friends while on the highway.
Anyhow, thus far we have exited New Mexico and passed through Texas, and are about 45 minutes outside of Oklahoma City. Today's highlights have included: a free contintental breakfast at our fancy Quality Inn hotel, a view of the largest tires I have ever seen riding on the back of a flatbed, a quick trip through Bushland, TX on the interstate, and (as of 1 minute ago) a stretch limo pickup truck with no less than 7 passenger windows per side. Everything truly is bigger out here.
In Oklahoma City, we hope to find a good steakhouse and then continue on a few hours to Alma, Arkansas. That should position us for a short drive to Memphis tomorrow. We may even be able to catch the Sox game over the internet this evening while driving.
Have a great evening! Email me!
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Santa Fe
Day 7: Santa Fe & Taos, New Mexico
After several days of waking up for sunrise or hiking, we both enjoyed a lazy morning here in Santa Fe. We made our way to downtown Santa Fe (we stayed out in the cheaper area) and strolled around having coffee and checking out the adobe-style buildings. We ducked into a few shops and museums, but then hopped back in the car to head for Taos.
We took the scenic "high road" which meandered through several old Hispanic villages; these towns were so isolated and depressed that it was hard for us to believe they were in the U.S. In each town, the most modern building we saw was the U.S. Post Office; most others were run-down and appeared to be abandoned. It seemed like the only business in each town were the handful of artist studios run out of dilapidated houses. These places gave me a new understanding of the term "small town"; at one point, I missed an entire town in the time that it took me to reach down and pick something up on the floor of the car!
We were ready for some grub by the time we reached Taos, so first filled our stomachs with flautas and tamales at a local restaurant (thanks AAA guidebook!) & then went to visit Taos Pueblo. This gave us a small glimpse into the traditional lifestyle of the Taos people and an appreciation for their efforts to remain faithful and connected to their past. There are 20-30 families that permanently live in this village (which intentionally does not have electricity or running water) and others that do so seasonally. We took a tour and then walked through the village, ducking into the many open art and jewelery shops. We couldn't help but think that it must be a bit weird to live your life on display to this degree; they clearly welcome the tourism but it must be a double-edged sword.
After leaving the Pueblo, we wandered through a few more galleries and stores in the town of Taos before heading back to Santa Fe for a very scrumptious and very filling Southwestern dinner. It was one of the few times in my life that I have only finished about half of my meal! I was so full that I did not order dessert despite the amazingly perfect looking pie we saw on the way in.
Now we are at the hotel and aiming to get a good nights sleep; tomorrow is a full day of driving to Arkansas, hopefully with a stop in Oklahoma for a good steak.
Sorry, no pictures today. Not sure what we will see between here and Memphis, but if there is anything good, we'll put them up.
Good night!
After several days of waking up for sunrise or hiking, we both enjoyed a lazy morning here in Santa Fe. We made our way to downtown Santa Fe (we stayed out in the cheaper area) and strolled around having coffee and checking out the adobe-style buildings. We ducked into a few shops and museums, but then hopped back in the car to head for Taos.
We took the scenic "high road" which meandered through several old Hispanic villages; these towns were so isolated and depressed that it was hard for us to believe they were in the U.S. In each town, the most modern building we saw was the U.S. Post Office; most others were run-down and appeared to be abandoned. It seemed like the only business in each town were the handful of artist studios run out of dilapidated houses. These places gave me a new understanding of the term "small town"; at one point, I missed an entire town in the time that it took me to reach down and pick something up on the floor of the car!
We were ready for some grub by the time we reached Taos, so first filled our stomachs with flautas and tamales at a local restaurant (thanks AAA guidebook!) & then went to visit Taos Pueblo. This gave us a small glimpse into the traditional lifestyle of the Taos people and an appreciation for their efforts to remain faithful and connected to their past. There are 20-30 families that permanently live in this village (which intentionally does not have electricity or running water) and others that do so seasonally. We took a tour and then walked through the village, ducking into the many open art and jewelery shops. We couldn't help but think that it must be a bit weird to live your life on display to this degree; they clearly welcome the tourism but it must be a double-edged sword.
After leaving the Pueblo, we wandered through a few more galleries and stores in the town of Taos before heading back to Santa Fe for a very scrumptious and very filling Southwestern dinner. It was one of the few times in my life that I have only finished about half of my meal! I was so full that I did not order dessert despite the amazingly perfect looking pie we saw on the way in.
Now we are at the hotel and aiming to get a good nights sleep; tomorrow is a full day of driving to Arkansas, hopefully with a stop in Oklahoma for a good steak.
Sorry, no pictures today. Not sure what we will see between here and Memphis, but if there is anything good, we'll put them up.
Good night!
Arches
Day 4: Bryce Canyon National Park to Arches National Park
Day 5: Arches National Park
Day 6: Arches National Park to Santa Fe, NM
View more photos from this part of the trip!
Wow, we've done so much and seen so many amazing things since our last post, it's overwhelming to think about summarizing it! After posting from outside of Bryce on Sunday, we started down Route 12, a national Scenic Byway, en route to Arches. 12 goes through Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and the Dixie National Forest, which were absolutely amazing. We had no idea what we were in for. Here's a scene from Grand Staircase, although photos just can't do the area justice.
From Route 12 we took Route 24 east through Capitol Reef National Monument, another hidden gem that we weren't expecting. In Capitol Reef we hiked to Hickman Bridge, a huge natural bridge, and checked out some ancient petroglyphs. Erica also found some fun places to climb.
From Capitol Reef we moved as fast as we could through relatively empty desert and got into Arches National Park just before sunset. The Devil's Garden campground sits at the far end of the park, 18 miles from the entrance, and high atop the landscape. From our campsite we looked east over desert and plateau at the snowcapped La Salle Mountains. When we arrived, a lightning storm over the mountains was illuminating the horizon.
On day 5, which happened to be my birthday, we hiked the Devil's Garden trail, visiting many of the most famous natural arches in the park before returning along the appropriately-named Primitive Trail. The area was amazing, with huge fins of rusty-red sandstone towering hundreds of feet in the air over us in all directions. Here's a view through Partition Arch with Erica in the lower-right corner.
After a birthday ice cream cone in Moab, UT, we hiked up to Delicate Arch, the most famous of the park's arches, for sunset. The time of year and clouds made the color less than it apparently can be, but the area was surreal and the overall experience fantastic. We had cheese and crackers, snapped some photos, and hiked back out in the dark. For scale, notice the person on the left.
On day 6, we got up early, packed up our campsite, and headed out for my birthday present: a guided canyoneering trip in Arches' famous Fiery Furnace. We spent the morning with one other visitor and our guide scrambling, chimneying and rappelling through the maze of sandstone boulders and fins that is Krill Canyon. The trip culminated with a rappel through the appropriately-named Rap Through Arch. Here I am on our first rappel, about 60' down into the base of Krill Canyon.
After repacking the car we headed out for the 7 1/2 hour drive to Santa Fe, which took us out of Utah, through southern Colorado and into the New Mexico desert, where we visited an Apache casino and won $8.40 on a single slot machine play! We finally made it to Santa Fe around 10:30pm where we showered off 4 days of outdoor activity and slept comfortably in a real bed.
Now it's off to see Santa Fe and Taos. Talk to you tomorrow!
Day 5: Arches National Park
Day 6: Arches National Park to Santa Fe, NM
View more photos from this part of the trip!
Wow, we've done so much and seen so many amazing things since our last post, it's overwhelming to think about summarizing it! After posting from outside of Bryce on Sunday, we started down Route 12, a national Scenic Byway, en route to Arches. 12 goes through Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and the Dixie National Forest, which were absolutely amazing. We had no idea what we were in for. Here's a scene from Grand Staircase, although photos just can't do the area justice.
From Route 12 we took Route 24 east through Capitol Reef National Monument, another hidden gem that we weren't expecting. In Capitol Reef we hiked to Hickman Bridge, a huge natural bridge, and checked out some ancient petroglyphs. Erica also found some fun places to climb.
From Capitol Reef we moved as fast as we could through relatively empty desert and got into Arches National Park just before sunset. The Devil's Garden campground sits at the far end of the park, 18 miles from the entrance, and high atop the landscape. From our campsite we looked east over desert and plateau at the snowcapped La Salle Mountains. When we arrived, a lightning storm over the mountains was illuminating the horizon.
On day 5, which happened to be my birthday, we hiked the Devil's Garden trail, visiting many of the most famous natural arches in the park before returning along the appropriately-named Primitive Trail. The area was amazing, with huge fins of rusty-red sandstone towering hundreds of feet in the air over us in all directions. Here's a view through Partition Arch with Erica in the lower-right corner.
After a birthday ice cream cone in Moab, UT, we hiked up to Delicate Arch, the most famous of the park's arches, for sunset. The time of year and clouds made the color less than it apparently can be, but the area was surreal and the overall experience fantastic. We had cheese and crackers, snapped some photos, and hiked back out in the dark. For scale, notice the person on the left.
On day 6, we got up early, packed up our campsite, and headed out for my birthday present: a guided canyoneering trip in Arches' famous Fiery Furnace. We spent the morning with one other visitor and our guide scrambling, chimneying and rappelling through the maze of sandstone boulders and fins that is Krill Canyon. The trip culminated with a rappel through the appropriately-named Rap Through Arch. Here I am on our first rappel, about 60' down into the base of Krill Canyon.
After repacking the car we headed out for the 7 1/2 hour drive to Santa Fe, which took us out of Utah, through southern Colorado and into the New Mexico desert, where we visited an Apache casino and won $8.40 on a single slot machine play! We finally made it to Santa Fe around 10:30pm where we showered off 4 days of outdoor activity and slept comfortably in a real bed.
Now it's off to see Santa Fe and Taos. Talk to you tomorrow!
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Bryce Canyon
Day 2: St. George, Utah to Bryce Canyon National Park
Day 3: Bryce Canyon National Park
View more photos from Bryce!
Day 2 marked the start of the fun part of our trip. Our drive from St. George to Bryce Canyon took us through Virgin, UT and into Zion National Park, which was beautiful. After an hour or so of picture-taking in Zion we headed for Bryce, passing through Orderville on the way (those Mormons like order). Here's a shot from Zion.
We got to Bryce around 3pm and set up our tent and hammock at Sunset Campground, then headed out for a late afternoon hike on the Queen's Garden loop trail. The first time you see over the rim of the plateau and down into the "canyon" is breathtaking. This place is like nowhere else on earth, absolutely amazing. In the first two days we took 365 pictures, including these.
On day 3 we slept in a bit and had a leisurely breakfast at the campsite, then headed out around 11:30 to hike the 8-mile Fairyland loop trial, which starts at Fairyland point on the rim of the canyon, dives down into the canyon, loops along around a maze of hoodoos, then climbs back up the steep rim of the canyon to Sunset Point, where you hike the Rim trail back to Fairyland Point. The things we saw on this hike defy words...you'll have to look at the pictures. After our hike we stopped at a bunch of the drive-in vista points along the rim, then made dinner and headed back to the rim to catch sunset at Paria Point.
This morning (day 4) we got up early and watched sunrise from Bryce Point. It was pretty cloudy, so the color wasn't spectacular, but you can't complain. Now we're sitting in Ruby's Hotel just outside of the park, taking advantage of their free wireless and cell phone coverage. You have to talk to Mom on Mother's Day!
Day 3: Bryce Canyon National Park
View more photos from Bryce!
Day 2 marked the start of the fun part of our trip. Our drive from St. George to Bryce Canyon took us through Virgin, UT and into Zion National Park, which was beautiful. After an hour or so of picture-taking in Zion we headed for Bryce, passing through Orderville on the way (those Mormons like order). Here's a shot from Zion.
We got to Bryce around 3pm and set up our tent and hammock at Sunset Campground, then headed out for a late afternoon hike on the Queen's Garden loop trail. The first time you see over the rim of the plateau and down into the "canyon" is breathtaking. This place is like nowhere else on earth, absolutely amazing. In the first two days we took 365 pictures, including these.
On day 3 we slept in a bit and had a leisurely breakfast at the campsite, then headed out around 11:30 to hike the 8-mile Fairyland loop trial, which starts at Fairyland point on the rim of the canyon, dives down into the canyon, loops along around a maze of hoodoos, then climbs back up the steep rim of the canyon to Sunset Point, where you hike the Rim trail back to Fairyland Point. The things we saw on this hike defy words...you'll have to look at the pictures. After our hike we stopped at a bunch of the drive-in vista points along the rim, then made dinner and headed back to the rim to catch sunset at Paria Point.
This morning (day 4) we got up early and watched sunrise from Bryce Point. It was pretty cloudy, so the color wasn't spectacular, but you can't complain. Now we're sitting in Ruby's Hotel just outside of the park, taking advantage of their free wireless and cell phone coverage. You have to talk to Mom on Mother's Day!
Thursday, May 10, 2007
On the Road!
Day 1: Palo Alto to St. George, Utah
664.7 miles
664.7 miles
4 states: CA, NV, AZ, UT
View all of today's pictures!
One full crate, one overloaded car, and two sad people headed out of Palo Alto this morning at 11am. Still full from our yummy pizza goodbye party last night, Seth and I said our goodbyes to our fantastic neighbors and friends (including their dogs) and hit the road (of course, after a good hour of running errands in Palo Alto).
We went down California's Central Valley, over the foothills, across the Mojave, through Vegas, across the pitch-black northwest corner of Arizona and into southwestern Utah. Tonight we are in a special town, St. George, UT; our beloved Spencer grew up here!
Along the way, we got some local snacks:
One full crate, one overloaded car, and two sad people headed out of Palo Alto this morning at 11am. Still full from our yummy pizza goodbye party last night, Seth and I said our goodbyes to our fantastic neighbors and friends (including their dogs) and hit the road (of course, after a good hour of running errands in Palo Alto).
We went down California's Central Valley, over the foothills, across the Mojave, through Vegas, across the pitch-black northwest corner of Arizona and into southwestern Utah. Tonight we are in a special town, St. George, UT; our beloved Spencer grew up here!
Along the way, we got some local snacks:
Saw a bit of green amidst a lot of desert:
Saw a plethora of sheep and windmills (at the same time):
And passed 60K on the Jetta:
Now we sleep! Tomorrow: Bryce Canyon.
p.s. I hope that you enjoyed my first blog entry ever.
Monday, May 7, 2007
The Move Begins
Although we don't leave Palo Alto until Thursday, our move began today with the arrival of our shipping container, which will be responsible for safeguarding all of our worldly possessions on their way to Cambridge. The best part of the container arriving was, of course, the three-wheeled forklift that they use to move it around.
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