Day 15 (Chicago to Wooster)

I had been looking forward to this day for the whole trip. Maura and I got our butts up EARLY. I' talking I was in the shower with water on me by 7 (and those of you who know- KNOW). We had a quick breakfast with Marion and Dick and then collected Champ, who had been sitting idle for too long! We headed out and were in Indiana before we knew it! Indiana is unexpectedly green and pretty! We were not a fan of the 1,001 toll booths everywhere though! Every time you get off the freaking highway you pay a toll. WTF Indiana? Oh and WTF South Bend. So, Maura and I got a little curious about South Bend. We got off the highway and took a gander. Let me tell you - don't bother getting off the highway. We'll leave it at that.

We took another shot getting off the highway in Ohio at Wauseon. We ate at a place with a sign that read "Good Food". It looked SKETCHY at best from the outside, but the inside was all about the local vibe and the food was pretty decent. We ate late, but got right back on the road to Rick and Denise!

A little about Rick and Denise...

First of all, check out their amazing furniture company, Around the Bend. Rick and Denise design and make all of the furniture that they sell and are incredible talents and artists. If any of you have seen even half the paraphernalia in my apartment/home in CT you know how unbelievable they are at their work! What you don't is what incredible people they are. We were welcomed into their glorious home with open arms and had our first home cooked meal! Rick grilled chicken, made salad and Denise made bean stew with cheese! YUM. We were VERY happy.

After getting the grand tour and sitting down to a tasty meal in their beautiful dining room, we headed out to the barn with Rick to meet the pups! Arlo and Ozzie. Big fuzzy mounds of love. Their dogs are Great Pyrenees with polar opposite personalities. Arlo is a little troublemaker. Or I should say a BIG troublemaker. He is all personality, jumping and sniffing and loving. Oz is the calm, cool and collected type, but EQUALLY as lovable. After only gazing at Grizzlies from afar, this was a much needed doggie encounter! Rick stayed to do some work and Maura and I cuddled up with Denise to watch her favorite show, Glee! It was getting late, but Rick came in and we all played games until TOO late. I felt like I was home! We got into our cozy beds with flannel sheets and sighed. We love Ohio. :)

Day 14 (Chicago)

Maura and I were lucky enough to be staying in Lincoln Park. Lincoln Park is like the Upper East Side in NYC. It has gorgeous old apartment buildings and my Aunt Marion and Uncle Dick have a glorious view of Lake Michigan from their apartment window. Dick grew up in Chicago, but he and Marion have lived in their apartment in the ballpark of 45 years! This apartment building was built in the 1920s and Marion and Dick have kept all the old tile, flooring and appliances. It is MASSIVE and has two spare bedrooms and ours was just off the living room with a great tv and bathroom to boot! We got up on our own body clocks for once. We had been really hustling to get up and get out for the past few mornings so we sort of took our time and lazed a bit. We came out of our room to a bustling Marion, who had cut up all of the gigantic pineapple Maura had brought them the night before. The origin of this pineapple is Maura's glorious mother, Gail, who sent it and some much adored food stuffs when we landed in Sioux Falls. Marion and Dick RAVED for what seemed like years about this pineapple. It essentially made their morning! We had coffee, Maura heard the tale of Alleva cheese (a family joint in Little Italy) and then we decided that Maura and I would head out to the Lincoln Park Zoo and meet them at The Chicago Art Institute later that afternoon. We walked in the VERY gusty Chicago wind down to the park and checked out this famous place. What a sweet zoo. Our hands down favorite was this Andean bear that jumped in his pond while we watched! We had some serious bear love on this trip. We headed down State Street for lunch and then stopped at my parents old apartment on Cedar Street. Quite the digs!

We walked around so much that it got late pretty fast, but there were Dick and Marion, awaiting our arrival on the steps of The Art Institute. We immediately headed down to the Thorne Rooms. This gallery displays tons of teeny tiny miniature rooms decorated, built and designed by Mrs. James Thorne. The smallest details are included: the views from the windows, the embroidery, the flowers, the wallpaper, the rugs. Everything is perfect and SMALL. Apparently Orson Welles visited the opening as a teenager and was very inspired by the lighting. When someone asked him his inspiration for the new film techniques in Citizen Kane he said one word, "Thorne". Everyone thought he was making a reference to "Rosebud", but it turned out to be Mrs. James Thorne and her rooms! Next we took a tour of the impressionist rooms (my personal fave) and then headed to the Matisse exhibit. Definitely take a moment to check out some of his more experimental work...really incredible. After squeezing in American Gothic and Nighthawks, we trapesed out to Millenium Park. If you haven't heard about the BEAN, check it out!


To top off the day, with Marion in the driver's seat, Dick gave us a driving tour of the South Side of Chicago. We went all around the University of Chicago campus and then grabbed dinner at Medici, an adorable Italian place near campus. We somehow made it home in one piece, be that one tired piece. We packed for the next day and then watched Maura's favorite film of all time which is a new one for me: Adventures in Babysitting. Only got through the first half before passing out, but highly recommended on the fun meter! Dreams of Wooster...

Day 13 (Des Moines to Chicago)

'Is this Heaven?' .... 'No, It's Iowa.' Yes folks, today was the day. The day that Jesse and I would stand at the Field of Dreams movie site. The place where Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) and Shoeless Joe Jackson (Ray Liotta) had their infamous catch! Where Ray explained this was Iowa, where he asked his dad to have a catch and where Terence Mann (James Earl Jones) gave such an incredible speech. Not to mention where Burt Lancaster stood for the last time on a film set (unfortunately he died shortly thereafter).

But first, breakfast. If you're ever in Des Moines be sure to hit up Java Joe's on N. 4th Street by the courthouse. Super cute, delicious food and just a really great space. The staff is very friendly and the clientele are a hoot. Just trust us.

So after we fueled up on some scrumptious toast, tea and coffee we hit the road. The sky was overcast and the clouds started rolling in. It wasn't stopping us. It couldn't stop us. NOT TODAY! Nothing was stopping me today. Jesse didn't quite share my enthusiasm but she was a good sport.

Now, for those of you who don't know the farm used in Field of Dreams was and still is a private residence. After the movie wrapped, however, the family decided to keep the field and throw up a souvenir shop. This kind of brings a whole new meaning to 'If you build it, they will come.' We were coming alright. Even with the rain now coming down in light showers we were still coming. No matter what. As we got closer to Dyersville Jesse had the brilliant idea to stop for lunch first in hopes that the rain would stop and we would have clear skies for a catch on the field.

BRILLIANT! We stopped into Happy Joe's. There is a website but I'm not going to link it. Jesse and I had very different experiences here. Lets discuss the Taco Salad, a menu item that is a staple in the Mid-West. Who knew? But if you're not sure of the quality of a restaurant the taco salad is generally a safe choice. Jesse ordered first. She got a regular size taco salad hold the sour cream. What she received was a salad that could feed four people. Not only that but they basically made the salad and then dumped an entire bag of Doritos over it. VERY WEIRD. Seeing this, I got a small taco salad hold the sour cream AND the Doritos. I hate to talk about taco salad for this long but I feel I must because it greatly disturbed Jesse, as well it should. She is threatening to write to Jaime Oliver and tell him his next shop on Food Revolution should be Dyersville, IA.

I have to admit though, I was hardly listening. I was too excited about what came next. I had brought my glove from home but we stopped at a Pamida (a Mid-West equivalent to Marshall's) and grabbed a bat and ball. Off to the field.

As we arrived I couldn't help but be giddy. I tried to contain myself and walk around and take pictures first but the urge was overwhelming and I went and got my gear. Jesse was the pitcher and she threw a few and I must say I cracked a few. But on one pitch I hit a pop up behind the cage. A man (lets call him Mitch) who had been walking the premises earlier and taking tons of photos picked up the ball. Clearly he didn't want to get his hands on a ball here and only throw it to me five feet from him. He threw it up over to Jesse and a large smile came across his face. I asked him if he wanted to hit a few and his smile grew even bigger. 'I really do' he responded. Mitch took to the plate and between pitches he explained that he was driving through Iowa for business and hadn't realized how close he was to the field and decided to stop. He didn't have any equipment with him and had just posted on Facebook that he wished someone was here to have a catch with him. We made his day. The last thing he told us was that after seeing Field of Dreams he decided to become a documentarian so Field of Dreams is essentially the reason for his career. HOW GREAT, RIGHT?!?! Anyway, he went away happy as a clam. So after running the bases and taking a million photos I dropped a ton of cash at the souvenir shop and then it was back in Champ.


The ride to Chicago was very easy and we hardly hit any traffic until we got right in the city. We made it to Dick and Marion's apartment building. It couldn't be more perfect: right on the Lake Michigan and looking over Lincoln Park. But more on the apartment tomorrow. Dick was kind enough to come down and meet us at the garage. What a nice man!!! He brought us upstairs where Marion opened the door and proceeded to give us the most excited and gracious greeting. Such a cutie pie! After dropping our bags in our huge room we headed out to Rosebud Steakhouse. Holy Moses abort the food baby! It was soooo good! Order the rib eye or grab a burger. It doesn't matter. Everything's delicious and Marion and Dick added great conversation. After stuffing our faces we had to come back and head to bed. An early morning and lots of Chicago details up next ... night for now!

Day 12 (Sioux Falls to Des Moines)

We awoke to a lovely continental breakfast at The Clubhouse Hotel and Suites in Sioux Falls. Maura and I were shocked to find that they offered room service (which is a service that apparently escapes most Western hotels) and we got free breakfast. The crowd at breakfast was quite a sight. LOTS of young parents and their multiple children. We definitely looked out of place. We packed up Champ and got on the road to Iowa.

We love those "welcome to" signs. Unfortunately, Iowa just has about 40 welcome centers. We were sad to have no sign to take a photo of, but we went into a welcome center where a little old lady (let's call her Dolly) helped us get brochures on Madison County, our day's destination. We hopped back in the car, happy to see some sun for a change of pace and took off down I-29. We headed east on I-80 and slowly, but surely, wound our way to Madison County (not before I stopped at a Napa and returned the TIRE CHAINS we bought from Shasta Lakes). I really wish I could've discreetly photographed some of the characters in there. Woof. Let's just say watch out New York overalls are back.

Exit 110 came up on us very quickly and we made our way to the town square of Winterset. We pulled around the giant limestone courthouse and spotted the Northside Café!!! We hustled in, sat in a booth and whipped out our cameras. What movie geeks. But, truly, this place is unbelievable. Completely stuck in time and the food is SO cheap. I think an omelette was 3.95? WHAT? We got a late lunch and I evened ordered pie! It seemed like the right thing to do - and I had never ordered pie before! YUM. Totally worth it. Oh and we sat on the 4th stool from the front too - where Clint sat! What a thrill!

Next, we walked around the town and took photos of the old movie theater, water tower and local kids getting ready for prom! We went to the birthplace of John Wayne and met a couple little biddies in the gift shop who made for a laugh. The people in the town were very warm and friendly.

We headed out onto I-92 to see THE bridge. Which, incidentally, is called the Roseman Bridge. The road is long and unpaved and makes for a real Iowa experience. There are beautiful farms everywhere and we even saw two huge silos filled with dried corn! SO cool. The bridge itself is glorious. So romantic, and really beautiful from every angle. Also, couples have come in and graffitied the interior with their names, marriage dates and vows. It was an absolutely unmatched experience all the way around.

Before heading out of town, we wanted to catch a glimpse of "Francesca's House" (that's Meryl for all of you who MUST SEE THE MOVIE). Unfortunately the house was damaged in a fire in 2003 and you can no longer tour it. The only way to see it is from the road. The house is tucked off on a side road, but after a few minutes we found it! It even had a truck (that looked like it belonged to Robert Kincaid) out front!! An absolutely perfect way to end our day.

Off to Des Moines we went...which is only 15 miles away (and good thing too because it was POURING just as we headed out). We checked into our hotel and did a quick session at the gym. During the morning car ride I read Edible Iowa. It listed the James Beard Award semi-finalists that had restaurants in Des Moines, so we made a reservation at Centro, an Italian place around the corner. We got there at 9 and had a very tasty meal with a side of movie industry conversation (there are never any shortages). We are off to Chicago tomorrow so have another early morning. Will send more details soon when we get to my Aunt Marion and Uncle Dick's place! Sleep well.

Day 11 God Only Knows What Day We're Up To (Rapid City to Sioux Falls)

Yes folks, we no longer know what day it is, the date or what time zone we're in. But time flies when you're having fun...

I feel we need to fill you in on a few more cool facts about the Alex Johnson hotel... First, the eighth floor is supposedly haunted. What room were we in? 820. Nothing spooky in our room but kind of a cool tall tale. Second, six Presidents have resided there in the Presidential Suite. Third and probably coolest, when North by Northwest was shooting in the area the cast and Hitchcock stayed there. Kind of neat!

Once we said goodbye to our cool hotel, we headed to Alternative Fuel, a cute little breakfast spot in Rapid City, SD. It was a good jump start to the long day of driving that lay ahead of us.

It was raining but that didn't stop us. We headed out to Art Alley. If any of you have visited Graffiti Alley in Long Island City it's the same concept. Some of it is cheesy cartoon work but a lot of it is really interesting portraits and political messages. Very cool stuff.

Then we headed to the Crazy Horse Memorial. For those of you who don't know the story behind this memorial it is actually pretty neat. Sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski was asked by the Lakota Chief Henry Standing Bear to sculpt a monument of Crazy Horse in 1947. According to Korczak, Standing Bear wanted to show that there are great 'heroes in the Red Man's history too'. The memorial's mission is to honor the culture, tradition and living heritage of North American Indians. Korczak essentially had nowhere to go and no money so he decided to dedicate his life to building the largest sculpture ever created in the side of a mountain using dynamite and chizzelling tools. Luckily he apprenticed on Mount Rushmore so he knew a thing or two about it but still... it's no little undertaking. He also built and outlined several scale models and drawings so that his TEN children could continue the project after he died. Seven of the ten do in fact continue to work on this massive project. Incredible. Should be really interesting to see if they finish in our lifetime ... probably not.

Next up we headed for Mount Rushmore. The fog unfortunately returned and we couldn't see a damn thing. Kind of creepy to think that there are four ginormous president heads looking down at you as you drive through thick fog... oh well.

Then we set out on our old friend I-90. All along I-90 are signs that read 5 Cent Coffee at Wall Drug or Cowboys Saddle Up at Wall Drug. Turns out Wall is a town and it has Wall Drug, a drug store started in the '30s that now has expanded to a large department store with all sorts of Western knickknacks from cowboy boots to native American art to homemade ice cream and fudge. I desperately wanted a cowboy boots but this cowgirl doesn't drop $500 on boots even if I'm on vacation in South Dakota. No way, no how. So after I purchased a $17 cowboy hat and got some homemade ice cream with Jesse we were back in Champ...

... this time heading for the Badlands National Park. Major shout out to Tyrene for telling us to visit here and to Erica for informing us that it was free national park week. THANKS to both ladies! We considered turning back because the fog was too thick but just as we were about to throw Champ in reverse the fog lifted and we saw the most beautiful rock formations, horizon lines and valleys you've ever see. GORGEOUS!!!! And in keeping with our national parks experience we saw new wildlife ... coyote, prairie dogs and long-horn sheep. And of course we saw more danger signs. This time, much to my chagrin, they were Be Aware: Rattlesnake Area. Needless to say, I did an about face and got back into Champ. But it was cool, the Badlands are essentially a driving tour. Ever time we came around a bend there was another amazing piece of picturesque landscape. Glorious!

After that we drove through dark, rainy and deer infested highways to Sioux Falls, SD. We listened to one of our books on tape the whole way which was kind of the only thing that could save that trip. Lots of boring stretches of highway between the Badlands and Sioux Falls. Let me put it this way ... there is a 3 hour stretch without a McDonald's on the side of the highway. HELLO?!

Day 10 What We Owe You + Today (Teton Village to Rapid City)

Maura just yelled out yet another sign. North Platte River!! Woo! Let’s see, what other signs have we seen. What’s that? ADOPT A HIGHWAY!!!!!!! Amongst others, there are “be bear aware”, “historic site”, “moose crossing”, “bridge may be icy”, “chains up”, “road closed when light is flashing”, “DANGER wildlife crossing”, “speed limit 75”, “rock”, “slide”, “do not approach wildlife”, “bison crossing” (this actually happened) and “population 10”.

So, we are in Champ leaving Casper, WY and heading to Rapid City, SD. Maura just did that thing she does when she gets distracted by scenery. Champ moves arbitrarily when that happens, Don’t worry – no one is on the road, but us. We owe you some serious details. Mainly the journey has had some really high highs and some looows. Maura and I got truly full of ourselves on the day we left Missoula. We had the ultimate perfect roadtrip sightings, timing, food and weather. Round about 8:45pm, the world decided it had had enough of our egoism. Here’s what happened:

We went to bed in Missoula vowing to each other to leave at the crack of dawn. NO. We woke up late and by the time we bit into the scrumptious blueberry scones baked by Brady and Elaine, our innkeepers, we had to hightail it out of there. We got on the road to Yellowstone with no directions and with no idea about road closures. Don’t worry, Maura likes to rely on her compass, if only to spite me for making fun of her. Montana is beautiful. Creeks and streams everywhere surrounded by gorgeous mountains took us all the away to Bozeman where we stopped for lunch before hitting Yellowstone. Saddles and canoes bedazzled this interior and we happily ate our lunches and jumped back in Champ.

The ride to Yellowstone was phenomenal. Gorgeous weather, views and sunlight, not to mention Maura’s Billy Joel fetish. Then, we had our first sighting; bison. Oh so cool. Huge beasts right out of a movie. Despite the chances we knew we would have of seeing more animals we decided to stop in at the Grey Wolf and Grizzly Bear exhibit at the gate of the west entrance. We bought our tickets and headed out to see Sam and Illie, the 2 biggest bears at the reservation. They were quite active! We went into the viewing booth to check out a wolf pack who incidentally had a lot of drama. The Alpha female had made a snack of the Omega male’s ankle earlier and she was telling it like it was when we showed up. Why can’t life be like that? But, honestly, gorgeous creatures and a wonderful way to see them mere feet away.

We hopped back in champ and were surprised to see a magic shrub on the side of the road which served as a bison gateway to the open road. Nearly 20 bison appeared in the middle of the road. They walked right at champ. Maura took the right approach. Calmly throw your car in reverse and back away slowly from the 2,000 lb animal. Despite my own motives for photos and hanging my torso out the car, we got out alive. What an amazing roadblock.

Oh wait, there’s more, sooooo much more. Maura just said “bucket list, CHECK”. For those of you who know her agenda you understand. Needless to say, I played my part. We’ll skip ahead here. Soon after stopping for an impromptu photo shoot, we got back on the road to Old Faithful.

Here’s the thing, this guy blows every 90 minutes or so. We had no idea if we would time it right, And then the ultimate roadblock. Maura and I were chit chatting per usual and then she slammed on the brakes (don’t worry, Champ forgave her). Next to the sign for the Daisy Trail sat a big honking brown grizzly bear. Yes, a WILD bear. Soon enough, four cars pulled up as well and a Northwest safari was underway. We knew we might be cutting it close on the Old Faithful front if we stayed too long so we jumped back in the car. The speed limit in Yellowstone is a max of 45, we aren’t used to that, but we love animals enough to obey. The signs for Old Faithful are oddly confusing. There is an Old Faithful Lodge, Visitor’s Center and the geyser itself. We parked (if you could call it that) and ran up to the signs. We headed to the geyser and literally as we approached from 15 feet back she blew! How awesome. Thankfully we didn’t get hit with 204 degree water, but the steam and the faces of the people watching were so fun to see. Round about this point we got a little cocky. We took a walk around the geysers and basically praised ourselves for our awesome cosmic timing. We rock. We realized that everyone should know of our wonderful sightings so we headed to the gift shop and visitor’s center only to be smited by fate. Everything had closed moments before we walked up. We even saw the cashier riding away on his bike. Fuck it we said we are on our way to Hotel Terra! Yikes.

At this point it was around 6pm. Not realizing we couldn’t drive out the south entrance (as it is closed until May) we had to back track and go out the way we came. This proved to be worth it when we spotted yet another wild grizzly and a pair of elk! For those of you who haven’t seen elk, they are funny – like Dr. Seuss characters a combo of a buffalo and a horse.

As we cleared the park, we called Terra and got the best route to town. And by town we refer you to this quote “the store has the flu”. Little did we know that our first night drive would involve a mountain pass. The drive started out beautifully. We watched the sky turn purple and the road became a roller coaster. If any of you have seen the opening of “My Cousin Vinny” you know these roads. These roads weren’t SO bad, at least there are reflectors on either side to guide you. But then it got darker. Much darker. We literally had a party every time we were able to follow a fellow car. And when someone turned off the road, Maura would say “Fine. Go.”. We both conferred and decided that the Tetons we were driving toward couldn’t possibly be close enough and that we wouldn’t have to cross them at night. Slowly but surely we made our way toward them. And before we knew it we were on them. Maura navigated a very safe ride over to Wyoming despite my gasps and multiple proclamations of “ Oh Jesus”. Our friend over at Hotel Terra told us that all restaurants had closed by the time we arrived so we went to bed tense, hungry and exhausted. Served us right for all that attitude.

Waking up with a glorious view of the Tetons was the payoff. The mountains have a ton of snow and the …. Oh wait I have to stop writing, Maura has to pull over to pee again. Be right back….

... We're back... We were so tired when we arrived at the hotel that we didn't fully comprehend what she meant when she said everything was closed. She actually meant EVERYTHING was closed. They kept using the phrase 'off season'. How would we know what that meant? If there were an 'off season' in NYC there would be riots. I (Maura) tried to call the cafe, nope got the front desk. Then the pool, the spa and the restaurant. CLOSED. So finally we went down to the desk and got the real scoop. Turns out everything in our Eco Friendly hotel was closed BUT everything in the hotel behind us (literally about 30 feet away) was open.

So, after a glorious breakfast of pancakes and fruit plates we headed out for an awesome hike. I got a little scared that there may be snakes after the tall grass rustled a few times and Jesse was kind enough to about face. So four miles and no snakes later, we hopped in the pool and did some laps. But the best part was after laps when we went up to the rooftop hot tub with the Tetons hovering above us. AWESOME!!!! To top it off we treated ourselves to 80 minute massages, a great dinner at Billy's Burgers and called it a night. Holy moose it was good!!

After a dinner like that it was a damn miracle we woke up today. We headed into Jackson and picked up some bagels and coffee and hit the road for Rapid City. It was a long day of driving through rainy, beautiful hills. We passed through the Wind River Indian Reservation, saw antelopes and tried to avoid hitting deer. Success!

We drove by Mount Rushmore but with the heavy fog couldn't see a damn president's face anywhere. So tomorrow we'll try again and fill you in on that. We arrived at the Alex Johnson hotel around 6:45, checked into our beautiful suite and headed out to have dinner at the Firehouse Brewing Co. Soooo stuffed and sooo happy!!!

We're going to map out a plan of attack for tomorrow and if we're not too tired when we hit Sioux Falls tomorrow night, we'll fill you in... Night night!

Day 9 (Jackson Hole/Teton Village)

Why hello. We have been very tired trying to do a ton and plan as much as we can! A little bit about what today involved: massages, Grand Teton National Forest hike, 10 napkin burgers and a rooftop jacuzzi. MUCH more tomorrow so we can catch you all up about Yellowstone! Look for a big post tomorrow with tons of photos!

Day 8 (Missoula to Jackson Hole)

We are EXHAUSTED. One of the best days so far, but chock full of driving, navigating, and we are spent. All the details tomorrow when we are rested and rejuvenated after a wonderful night at the Hotel Terra in Teton Village. Sleep well all!

Day 7 (Seattle to Missoula)

Evening folks! We are broadcasting to you from the Blue Mountain Bed & Breakfast in Missoula, Montana. Its been a long day of driving so this may be a bit shorter than normal but here goes ...

Seattle was awesome! If you haven't been make sure to visit and spend a day in the Public Market. Sooo great! A huge Picasso show is coming in October if anyone's visiting in the fall. We said goodbye to Mindi and Lina, grabbed coffee and hit the road!

First stop... Roslyn, WA. A big shout out to Geb Byers who suggested a visit. This is a coal mining town that basically still looks the way it did at the turn of the century. It's also the filming site for the TV show 'Northern Exposure'. So cool! We walked around and checked out the shops and historical signs before we went and grabbed a coffee. We met Jennifer, the President of the Downtown Association, who gave us a brief history of her building. It used to be a medical building with a physician and a dentist who basically setup shop next to the mining line. She pointed us in the way of the incredibly old cemetery which is segregated by ethnicity and lineage. Very neat... Super cool town lost in time!

After Roslyn we booked it to Spokane. But not before I (Maura) was pulled over by a State Trooper on I-90. Apparently he didn't approve of me going 14 miles over the speed limit. Can't imagine why?! Oh well, I've never been pulled over in my life so if it was going to happen it might as well be on this road trip. And for those of you who know my bucket list for this trip, a speeding ticket is up my alley. But fortunately we had a really nice trooper who took pity on two cute girls from NY who have never been in Washington State before.



Onto Spokane. Lets just say if you feel the need to see Spokane simply pull off the highway, get an ice cream at Dick's, try to ignore the toothless people and get back on the highway. After driving through town for about 2 minutes we came to this conclusion, grabbed our ice cream and booked it. So not worth anything but a vanilla shake! (And for all of you Seaford peeps) Dick's is exactly like All American but not nearly as good. What could be? PS, Jesse had to hear that comment 6 times and still wants to kill me for it. But oh well. Back to the road.

We drove through the Northern part of Idaho (the thin part). From what we saw Idaho is quite picturesque and the speed limit is 75. Very helpful when you're trying to make time. Harrison and Wallace are two super cute towns we passed and if we didn't have reservations we probably would have stopped in one of those two beautiful towns.

But alas we trekked on to Blue Mountain. Our room is enormous, the bed is enormous, the bathroom is enormous. Pretty much, this place is great. We're doing our laundry and watching 'Connie & Carla'. Who wouldn't love that?

Day 6 (Seattle)

Well, let's just say that Jesse now knows what it takes to make a CRAZY good cup of coffee. There are actually INDIVIDUAL coffee drips! Thank you MINDI! You don't know what a service that was. We woke up a little later than usual and sat in Mindi's gorgeous kitchen with water and market views. We decided to hit Pike Place Market first. Everything is right next to Mindi's place, but you could literally spit from her window and hit the back of the market sign. Holy heaven, what a place! Everywhere you look are giant tulips and folks selling their art, honey, bags, hats, and fish! The main meeting point in the market area is a GIANT bronze pig. It stands directly in front of the famous fish market where they throw the fish around. Remember Real World: Seattle?

Ok, so everyone prepare yourself. Mindi wanders over to this fish vendor, her favorite. She introduces us to her good friend, Richard, who works there. We all get to chatting and Richard asks Maura and I if we've had smoked salmon. That would be a NO. And if you know Maura and I you know that's a HUGE no. I didn't want to be rude and Maura was eager to take a taste and try something new! While Richard looked on, we sampled the salmon. This is Alaskan salmon, not any of that east coast city crap. Basically if you like smoked bacon, you would be in hog heaven. We finished our bites! Woot!

Back toward the other end of the market is Starbucks. I know what you are all thinking. Big fucking deal. BUT, this is the VERY FIRST ONE. Out of millions or probably trillions. The very first Starbucks which was opened in 1971 is still there and very much kicking. A favorite hotspot for tourists, buskers and coffee worshippers alike.

After the market we walked along the waterside with Mindi guiding us. She is every woman's essential tour guide to Seattle. A little about Mindi: She works for the Port of Seattle doing real estate development. Her building overlooks the sound and off the rear balconies you can see the Olympic Mountains and Mount Rainier (a volcano!). Inside the building, which used to be an old cannery factory, there are gifts from sister ports and tons of light. The space is maintained to utter perfection for the comfort of it's employees. What a concept. Surround your employees with tranquility and a sense of calm and they will be VERY happy to come to work.

We headed over to the Olympic Sculpture Park and Mindi headed out to do some Sunday errands. We followed the park around to the Space Needle. I mean we're here. It's like not bothering to check out the Eiffel Tower. The Space Needle was built 48 years ago and is 605 feet high. Nearly 8,000 people can pass through each day. We went up to the top for glorious Seattle views and stopped into the rotating restaurant. I (Jesse) got a little woozy. I don't think I would want to spin while I eat!

Back to the market we went. Shopped and walked. Shopped and walked. Fro yo and walked. We have landed back at Mindi's apartment and are taking a short decompressing break. Later tonight we head out to dinner with Lina and Mindi back near the market!

Day 5 (Portland to Seattle)

Greetings from Seattle! We've just arrived home from dinner with Mindi, Lina and Lina's friend, Kat. We had a fabulous dinner at Tilikum Place Café with everything from glorious Jigsaw Willamette Valley Pinot Noir to grilled asparagus with parmesan and topped it off with profiteroles (Maura actually like them!). She's an Italian at heart. To which she responded "Haha NO". She's quite loyal to her shamrock don't try to classify her as anything else. She gets cranky.

Lots of driving in the rain today. Olympia and Tacoma in particular were MONSOON towns.

Before we departed the beloved Portland, we hit up the Saturday Market, Bijou Cafe and Powell's Books.

Powell's is NOT TO BE MISSED. It has every book you could ever think of in your life. And, shocker, the people who work there actually know about the books! They have read them! We spent at least 90 minutes browsing and buying before we had to tear ourselves away and get in Champ to hit the road. Actually, in the fairness of full disclosure...Maura mentioned yesterday in the gardens that she actually "missed the open road". Well, she got her wish and Champ was off to another running start.

More tomorrow...we are loosing steam and chatting with Mindi.

Day 4 (Portland)

Oh God do the booties hurt... Allow us to explain. We woke up early and went to Mother's Bistro & Bar a wonderful breakfast joint that Jesse found. I had a waffle with strawberries and holy moses was it delicious. Jesse had a cheesy fritatta. Mmm mmm good!!! The best part about Mother's though was the coffee mugs that actually say 'Call Your Mother' ... a cute reminder as you dine.

But, don't go thinking that we ate like heifers and then lazed around. We worked it today! After breakfast we picked up our complimentary bikes from our hotel (and our helmets Moms! - super cool nutcases) and headed out for a six mile bike ride to South East Portland.



This neck of the woods is the Portland equivalent of Williamsburg, but a little less crowded, a little more cool. If you ever wanted ANYTHING vintage you can find it here. From Star Wars action figures to dresses from 1987, this place has it all. There are eco-friendly, organic and fair trade shops up and down each block.

Including Swirl, the most amazing fro-yo spot ever. It's a self service spot where you can basically fill up a bucket of whatever flavor of frozen yogurt you want followed by any kind of topping. They weigh it, you pay for it and it's deliciousness run-a-muck. Why aren't these in NYC? Needless to say, we indulged.



After we biked back over one of the many bridges connecting the East and West, we downed some water and headed back out to Washington Park to look at the International Rose Test Garden and Japanese Garden. Another mile up hill. Holy glutes!

We were EXHAUSTED. But, curious about North West and not wanting to disappoint our hostess from last night, we headed onto 23rd Avenue. This area is INCREDIBLE. Gorgeous, giant homes, adorable eateries, and boutiques everywhere you look. We popped into 3 Monkeys and came out hours later with goodies. Now, FINALLY, we were ready to head home.

Getting ready for dinner was quite the feat. Our feet hurt, our brains slowed and hunger was REALLY the only driving force behind the effort. But, thank god we ventured out! We got great Mexican food back in the North West section of Portland. The streets are lined with white lights and the food was worth the trip.



Top 10 Moments of the Day:
1) "I Love My Brain" nutcases
2) Eavesdropping on two cute boys tennis game - apparently the girl he went out with last night let him know she hates him.
3) Contributing to local artists.
4) Begging for a bathroom at South East Thai.
5) Bike paths!
6) Impromptu interviews on relationships.
7) Lovely, friendly, advice giving Portlanders.
8) Bridges views from our bikes.
9) Suspicious chocolate bars (thanks Gail).
10) Rallying. No matter what.


We are broadcasting to you from BED. LOTS of plans for tomorrow, including a whole new city. Watch out Seattle we're coming for you. Good night and good luck.

A Little Bit Behind

Hey all! I'm (Jesse) writing to you from the laptop bay in the Ace Hotel lobby in Portland. There were a couple points over the past couple days we missed and I am feeling like they should be shared. Maura lovingly got me a cup of joe this am, seeing my cranky face at 8am probably did it. Anyway - let's just go back to that day we left Napa for a second. Let me tell you that we decided to pull off the highway for food and had no idea what we were in for. Shasta Lakes is a tiny bumble town with a few random places to get grub and some auto parts stores...So, when we paid our check and waved goodbye to the waitresses I was NOT prepared for the conversation that followed. I know Maura let you all know a BIT about it. But let me tell you, as someone who took this woman at her word, she was trying to scare my hair straight. She proceeded to say something to the effect of "where are you all headed?" We let her know our plan of heading through Mt. Shasta to Klamath and her face crinkles: "do you girls have chains for your car?". I knew what chains were, which is why I was freaked...Maura thought the woman had just stepped off the funny farm. She said her friend had just come through the mountain pass and that it was a total whiteout up there. She gives us many phone numbers to call for the road conditions and tells me that I have 90 minutes of VERY treacherous driving ahead. Listen, I went to Syracuse, snow is not a freaking issue, but this woman made it seem like we were taking our LIVES in our hands. Maura had the good sense to completely ignore her comments, but I chose to believe her. We stopped to get CHAINS and met Sheryl. Sheryl looked kinda like a dude and she and her colleague ask us all about medical marijuana in New York and our car. She turns to this dude next to her and goes "You know they have all that fancy stuff over there like plows and salt. They have that snow where you can just drive through it! Your car doesn't spin off the road. Not like here." Needless to say I had to pee because I was yet again FREAKING OUT. To make a long story short, Maura drove us through the pass. NO SNOW, NO NEED FOR CHAINS and yes folks the people of Shasta Lakes are maybe a little off.

On another note, last night we arrived in Portland. It was a gorgeous drive into the city and it's a very hip and cute place to hang out. We got to the Ace Hotel, an Eco-Friendly hotel, and checked in. The building is styled with very industrial fixtures and furniture. There is a photo booth in the lobby and the elevator is lined with raw wood. Walking to your room almost looks like walking through army barracks. The rooms are VERY chic and artfully decorated. Simple is the key here. There is a local coffee shop next door called Stumptown...currently fueling this post actually! Oooo Johnny Cash just came on. Haha.

We took a long walk around last night, it was very quiet in the areas we walked and we finally sat down at a place up the street called Jake's. Well, the hostess instantly latched onto us and told us all about her take on Portland. I got a great local beer, Full Sail, and we got really good bar food. MUCH needed after the long day we had. Anyway, we're heading out to find some brunch and take a bike ride! More from Portland later...

Day 3 (Klamath Falls to Portland)

We get major props for starting out super early this morning. 6:30AM alarm, 7AM laps, 7:45AM … Jacuzzi. Yes folks, Jesse was speaking kindly before 8AM and with only ½ cup of coffee. Hot tub does a body good! …. Goodbye Running Y Ranch!

This could have been yet another weather scare for Jesse. But, thankfully we got one of the most glorious days Oregon has to offer. Don’t worry, we called and bothered Amy over at the Crater Lake Information Center about 4 times to make sure the weather conditions were appropriate.

And then we met Rick (also known as Joe or George, whichever you like) whose arm was eaten by a bear and he owned the nicest port-a-potty in the state of Oregon. He threatened to shoot off Jesse’s fingers for trying to pump her own gas. He so kindly informed us that you will be shot in the state of Oregon for pumping gas, intruding on a home or steeling from a neighbor’s tool shed.

Rick has lived in Fort Klamath for thirteen years, hasn’t locked his door in thirteen years and could not possibly tell us where his key is. But he’s quite certain that if someone broke into his house and he was not available to shoot the intruder, his neighbor certainly would. And apparently the Sheriff condones this behavior. We became fast friends.

Before departing he pointed us in the direction of naked hot springs and seemed very proud of the bare ass way they role in Southern Oregon. You can’t say you don’t love Rick.

But can you say that you’ve been to the deepest lake in the United States that gets around 500 inches of snowfall each year? … Well, we now have.



As you drive into Crater Lake National Park the foot of snow next to you quickly becomes 10 feet of snow and eventually you’re just driving through a tunnel of snow. We arrived at the Visitor’s Center only to find it buried. We’re talking snow 20 feet high up the side of the building. A separate entrance was built specifically to get through the snow.

Amy was as nice in person as on the phone and even recognized Maura’s voice as the woman who kept calling earlier. She pointed us up towards the viewing point and holy crap what a view!!! After dawning our Wellies we crossed the 20 foot snow gap and began to take the same picture over and over again. It never got old.

A little info on Crater Lake: It is only fed by rain and snow (no rivers of streams) and it is considered to be the cleanest large body of water in the world. The water is exceptional for its clarity and intense blue color. It was created when a volcano erupted on the site and then collapsed.

The snowfall in Crater was 614 inches in the 1930s and has slowly declined to 459 inches in the 2000s … Hello Global Warming! Here’s a thought: the amount of snow moved each winter by the park’s roads crew could create a ski trail 3 feet wide, 6 inches deep and long enough to circle the Earth at the equator … Are you getting what I’m telling you?!

Well if you’re not getting it, get this: best meatball sub ever! Who would have guessed that Crater Lake was famous for their meatballs? Yum!

Because the North park roads are closed due to snow we headed back the way we came and took the Chiloquin cutoff up to Eugene. Now for anyone trying this at home, there are very few places to pee on 97 North. Have you peed in a National Forrest? Maura now has. But not before switching into Wellies (SNAKES!!!).



Okay so here’s the thing about driving to Eugene, it’s the most beautiful drive EVER!!! Lets just say Maura almost flipped ‘Champ’ over multiple times to stop for waterfall photos but it was worth it.

We’re currently broadcasting to you in the car on our favorite road and old friend I-5. The sun is sinking behind the mountains and we’re on our way to Portland. So psyched! Jesse needs a beer! Ciao for now!

Day 2 (Napa to Klamath Falls)

The morning started out with a nice crisp walk down Main Street before we had a lovely breakfast and said goodbye to the Old World Inn and Napa. Then driving ... lots of driving.

I-5 is totally beautiful, nothing for miles and miles. Gorgeous but pretty uneventful. That is until we wanted to stop for lunch. We pulled off at Redding and found a Rodeo stadium but no restaurant. Back on the road for a bit until we came upon the Old Mill Eatery in Shasta Lakes. A taco salad and burger did us good. Delicious!!!

Everything was fine until we paid and struck up a conversation with the waitress. She proceeded to tell us that I-5 was hit with torrential snowstorms this morning and we'd need to put chains on our car. Side note for those New Yorkers like Maura who had no idea what this crazy woman was talking about - Chains are literally wires that are wrapped around the tire to give more traction. Jesse proceeded to freak out. Maura, unaware that this woman was serious, completely ignored her warnings and said lets go. We stopped at the auto store, picked up chains and journeyed on. This is the torrential weather we came across on I-5:



Horrendous, I know.

After trekking through the gorgeous countryside we got to our new home for the night, Running Y Ranch. We worked out for almost an hour and now we're tired and going to bed. More tomorrow, too tired to fill in ALL of the details. Night all!

Day One (LA-NAPA)

We started out today at 7:30am. A little later start than we were hoping for, but hey it's day one, give us a break. We got on I-5N pretty fast and drove through the San Fernando Valley. Ok, so we didn't take the coastal route, but we got to Napa in time for a vineyard tour! Along the road, we were both appalled to see more than one cattle farm chock full of cows knee deep in their own excrement. Yes folks, our nations food supply is fucked. I (Jesse) saw our very first cowboy hat drive by along what seemed to be a fruit orchard. There are a ton around these parts! Peaches, mandarins, walnuts, olives, almonds, strawberries, lemons and of course sweet white corn...photos later. I (Jesse again) noticed that Maura likes the open road. She claims to be all about the rules of driving. NOT SO. Once she saw that great open wide expanse in front of her, there was no stopping her (and champ 2!) Actually, there could be stopping her. That would be the aircraft enforced radar that we noticed only after driving 10-15 miles over the speed limit for an hour or so. YIKES.



Rule #1 for the trip that we learned just today is that eating lunch is better than eating carrots and water. Yes, ok, we want to look hot when we get home, but not at the expense of good lunches. I (Jesse) was getting very very very concerned about time. We called ZD Winery, a place that does Eco Tours, but they were booked. Instead, Dustin, at ZD, suggested Frog's Leap Winery. This is up past Yountville and before St. Helena. We turned onto Rutherford Road off of CA-29 just in time and hit paradise. We approached the gorgeous main house and joined our tour. The main house is the first in California to get LEED certification. This makes it an Eco-Friendly building. It was even insulated with old scraps of denim and worn jeans!

John, the owner, has been organically farming wine and produce for over 20 years (before it was cool). Shannon, our tour guide, showed us how the natural precipitation of the area made it possible to farm without irrigation. Apparently, the roots go down close to 15 feet where as other irrigated farms have vines only going down about 3 feet. This affects the taste and the quality of the grapes. Mondavi and Beringer, more popular and larger, vineyards in the area spill more wine than Frog's Leap produces in a year! Frog's Leap produces about 60,000 cases of wine. All their grapes are picked by hand and their staff consists of 45 workers including hospitality and administration! The ultimate production crew. The Sauvignon Blanc was first in the tasting and the BEST. Maura even liked it a little. Fortunately for Jesse, Maura passed over some of her left over vino. Needless to say Maura drove us out of there!



We arrived at our B&B around 5 and got a quick tour complete with a chocolate chip cookie. We are spending the night in Paris. Let me explain. So, our suite is called A Night in Paris. We are sleeping on a canapy bed also known as a cloud and it's HUGE. We went to dinner on Shannon's recommendation at UVA, an italian restaurant off of main street. It was excellent! We are exhausted from our first day of madness, but happy, excited and full (NOW).