A beginning and an end...

This is it. The end of the blog. The end of the road trip!

We hope you enjoyed reading about our journey -- we enjoyed almost every minute of it! It's one more road trip to add to our growing list of life-long stories about being on the road. (We thought of two more road trips we've taken. One involved Liz traveling to Philadelphia while I was there with a March of Dimes conference and she brought along fabulous cannolis from Vaccaro's Italian Bakery back in 2000. In 2003 or so, Liz and I went with our dear friend Jen and her then infant son Diachi to Monticello. It was a blast and we spent most of our time fighting over who got to hold Diachi!)

So while this is an end -- it's also an exciting beginning as well. Liz is ready to start her new job in DC and Andy will be joining her in September. Lots of changes between now and then, but it's all starting to shape up. The SUNY office space is wonderful and in the same building she used to work in when she was with Cornell. She is staying with good friends in Maryland who have two adorable children and a beautiful home. And she will be working for both of her alma maters - SUNY Binghamton and Cornell.

In multiple conversations across the 6 days on the road we both agreed that it sure feels good to be back in DC and on the East Coast as well. There's just a feeling about being back in the Nation's Capitol. It's certainly different than anywhere else in our Country - it's amazing and wonderful in it's very own way. As we moved across the country we were also reminded that every single pocket of our country has something fabulous to offer. It's ALL good! While Liz loves Oregon and is glad to be moving back to DC, I am so happy to have visited DC once again and yet be headed home to Oregon.

I would be kidding everyone if I didn't admit to being a bit sad... It's been a once-in-a-liftime road trip with one of my best friends!!! But I am also sad to have Liz moving away from Oregon. I have loved being able to work at OSU with Liz. It's a privilege and opportunity neither of us ever expected to have. We had been friends for over 10 years before we ever wound up working on the same coast. Our friendship started in DC with both of us showing up at the National 4-H Council to be interns (Which turned out to be glorified tour guides -- by the way!) and so it's only fitting that this is where the road trip ends.

So I'm a bit sad to have this road trip come to an end. But I also know that we now have yet one more great story we can tell in the years ahead...

"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all." -- Helen Keller

Tourists in DC!

Liz and I arrived in DC LATE on Thursday night, essentially Friday morning. Friday was a slow day because we were both worn out, but we did take in a few of the tourist sights. Liz went to work on the Hill for a bit and I headed to one of my favorite spots in DC. Arlington Cemetery.

I have always been moved by and found inspiration at Arlington. When I was a tour guide, I saw Changing of the Guard many times, spent at least two Easter mornings at the sunrise sermon and was at Arlington during countless burials hearing the bugle play taps and the 21 gun salutes. I left DC before the Women in the Military Memorial at Arlington Cemetery was complete. It is a well done memorial for our women who served in the military. And it's a rare quiet and cool spot in DC. (With clean bathrooms too!) I spent some time going through the exhibit and then trekked up the hill to Lee's restored home in the center of the cemetery. Great view of DC from the top of the hill. For all of the tours I worked with during my time in DC at the 4-H Center, we almost always rode on the Tourmobile bus that only covers the high points of the cemetery. This time I wanted to set out on foot to see the lesser known spots in the cemetery. It was well worth the effort. I saw Jackie O's grave marker (When I was a tour guide JFK's and their two infant sons were the only markers), the Taft grave, Thurgood Marshall's grave, Audie Murphy's grave and a section of graves for 4 star generals. I ended my trip in the visitor's center viewing a photo exhibit put together by National Geographic. There were lots of solemn faces and quiet tears.

I left Arlington and metro'd to Union Station and Liz and I grabbed lunch. I love the metro! Clean, easy and cheap. Crowded -- but it's a holiday week/end. If you've never used Metro and plan a trip to DC -- jump in and use it. Union station has an exhibit on the building of the Titanic -- and the building itself is one of my favorites. I love the naked guard statues! Liz bought me a pignoli cookie from Vaccaro's Italian Bakery... Decadent!

Gargoyles, flying buttresses and the Bishop's Garden were the afternoon stop. One of my other favorite spots in DC is the National Cathedral. Specifically -- the spot I love is the Bishop's Garden next to the cathedral. It's not a place most folks know about. Beautifully and lovingly manicured and a huge variety of plants. Liz and I went to the reflection gazebo and I caught a picture of one of the towers of the cathedral through the gazebo window.

We ended the day with a fabulous dinner in Georgetown and a long shopping trip to the two-story Sephora store. We meet one of the Spehora national make-up artists and had a wonderful time! (Sephora is a make-up super store for those of you who don't already know!)

It's been hot and humid, but with a breeze -- it's really pleasant. Liz and I both know that DC can be a whole lot hotter than it was this weekend!

Stay tuned for more from DC...

We plan to hit Washington, DC over the next two days and will try to put up a couple more posts before Betsy returns to Oregon on Sunday morning.

Mileage Summary

Portland, Oregon to Winnemucca, Nevada: 643 miles
Winnemucca, Nevada to Moab, Utah: 593 miles
Moab, Utah to Sterling, Colorado: 537 miles
Sterling, Colorado to Newton, Iowa: 720 miles
Newton, Iowa to Newark, Ohio: 699 miles
Newark, Ohio to Accokeek, Maryland: 468 miles

Total mileage: 3,660 miles

Cheapest gas: Edwards, Illinois--Premium: $2.89/gal
Most expensive gas: Burns, Oregon--Premium: $3.47/gal

Thursday

Once a tour guide always a tour guide? Rich gave a fabulous tour of his corner of Coshocton County, Ohio this morning. We could fill this entire blog with stories he and his family recounted and the things we witnessed in the few hours we were there...the dangling Amishman, the alligator in the farmhouse, the Fox Hole and the adulterous preacher, the Mennonites with the secret television, oil rigs in the middle of corn fields, Rich's tree, what happens when drivers hit 10pt bucks...we could go on an on. In the meantime, we're just going to have to leave you with a few more pictures. Here are Rich, Amy and Lexy. Also, here are a couple of pics from I-68 and I-70 taken not too far from Cumberland, Maryland.

Beaver Signs Everywhere

We've been amazed at how many people are Beaver Believers across the United States. People are just enamored with nature's engineer. Rich's cousin even lives on Beaver Street in Warsaw, Ohio. Check it out!

We have arrived. Yahoo!!!

We left Rich Lawrence this morning after a tour of the area where his family lives -- and he grew up. Waholding Valley. Fabulous part of Ohio you will not see if you don't get off of the road. We hit the road later than we thought we would and didn't get too far down the road before we ran into Longaberger. High end baskets for those of you not familiar. Manufactured by the Longaberger family in Dresden Ohio. Great stuff! One of these pictures if of their corporate office buildings... YES! It is shaped like a huge basket. Classic!

We passed through OH, WV, PA, MD and VA to get to our DC host. I sound like a broken record -- but what beautiful country! We went through the Cumberland Gap and hit fog and 62 degree weather on the summit. (Felt like home!)

We got to Accoceek where we are staying for the weekend and it was 11:30 PM. But we are here... More to come and we spend a few days exploring DC before I head back to Oregon.

Rural Ohio

Our July 4th destination was a very small town about an hour outside of Columbus and that last hour had to be the most interesting part of our drive. For those of you that have driven around parts of the rural East and Northeast this should sound familiar. But, those of you who are not, be sure to ask Betsy about driving at twilight amidst deer, fireflies (aka lightning bugs) and Mennonite buggies underneath yet another amazing sunset.

More on Wednesday...

Sorry we didn't get a chance to report on Wednesday. But, hopefully you were celebrating the holiday with friends, family and fireworks. We covered 699 miles on the 4th of July, starting in Iowa, moving through Illinois and Indiana and into Ohio. While we did get of of the car at the Mississippi River, these two photos pretty much sum up our day until we arrived at Rich and Amy's house.

Dipped my toes in the mighty Mississippi!

y

We did not write yesterday - our longest day of travel! We arrived in New Castle Ohio from Iowa and we were consumed with meeting and playing with Rich and Amy Lawrence's 9 month old daughter Lexi... What a great way to end a great day!

I dipped my toes in the mighty Mississippi and I have wanted to do that for a long time.

We drove through miles and miles of beautiful farms. Corn and soybeans as far as the eye could see and then an occasional hog farm would grab you by the nose!

Ditto (2)

Betsy summed up our day really well. And, yes, we really did go two hours out of our way to see Carhenge.

However, if you ever have the pleasure of driving through Nebraska, you MUST take Route 2 through the Sand Hills. It is just beautiful, we can't stress this enough.

Although Nebraska claims to be home of the first Arbor Day, we really weren't sure when, exactly, we passed the Nebraska National Forest? It was on the map...

Have you ever been to a Cabela's? The one in Omaha seems like the Mother Ship, though I hear others actually have bass ponds adjacent to them, too!

Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha (where the Oregon State University Men's Baseball Team won the College World Series just a little over a week ago) was packed as we arrived today. As Besty mentioned below, the local minor league team had a home game and a big fireworks show scheduled because of the holiday. We couldn't find a spot to park, so we had to settle for drive-by pics. Sigh...we had big plans for holding up the Barometer (just like the tourists in the Travel section of the Oregonian) and then hunting down some of the Beaver t-shirts we read about in the Barometer but don't think the OSU Bookstore will be selling anytime soon.

Sadly, we have to give-up our plans to visit Pella, Iowa tomorrow in order to make sure we get to Ohio at a decent hour. Pella is a good friend's hometown--and home to Pella bologna which we've heard a lot about. Barack Obama is scheduled to be in Pella tomorrow, and though witnessing a moment of "Obama-Rama" would be interesting, the road is calling us.

Goodnight from Newton, Iowa.

PS We stopped at our favorite gas and convenience stop again today. hee hee.

Happy 200th Birthday, Liberty, New York!

Last night, Betsy and our waitress were bonding over Sonic Limeade. I can't remember even ever having been in a Sonic before, let alone trying a Sonic Limeade. So, first thing thing this morning, we made our way right to Sonic to check these drinks out. (Really, they were even raving over the ice Sonic uses in its beverages!) OK...so...I'm sold. Good stuff.

As Betsy is driving out of Colorado and into Nebraska this morning, I decided to check-out the USA Today we have in hand (courtesy of Best Western). I turn the front cover of the USA Today only to see a big story about my hometown on page 3. For Liberty, New York to make page 3 of USA Today, well that's big news in itself! OMG! I nearly spilled my Strawberry Limeade and I think Betsy nearly drove off the road. Check it out yourself:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-07-02-liberty-ny-celebration_N.htm?csp=34

Happy 200th Birthday, Liberty!

It was only fitting that for lunch today, we found a wonderful ice cream and lunch spot in Broken Bow, Nebraska. Not only did they have good eats, they had BROASTED CHICKEN, which, of course, I had to have for lunch.

Those who had the pleasure of visiting the Dairy Barn in Liberty will know exactly what I'm talking about. For those of you that haven't, in a nutshell, I grew up scooping ice cream and serving Broasted Chicken at my family's business in Liberty. I know ice cream stands need no explanation, but here's the closest I can bring you to the Broasted Chicken experience:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&contentId=A26913-2004Apr20

Too bad we never served Limeade there, too.

Crop dusters, coal and baseball

Nebraska is beautiful! I'd never really spent any time here and I have to say that I loved it and will be back again soon. We spent the day driving Highway 2 across the Sandhills. Beef cattle country -- big time! We saw crop dusters. (One was flying right over the road -- toward us... Actually it was more like he was flying straight at us and looking at the road as a landing strip. He got close enough that Liz and I were contemplating getting OFF of the road so he could have it if he needed it!) But later -- I got a great shot of one on a field as we were driving by. We got sprayed with fertilizer -- but it was worth it.

There are MASS amounts of coal being moved across the state. The trains are close to or just over a mile and half and they come one right after the other. All with identical cars, open-topped full of coal. It was a great reminder as to the value of products and what it takes to make the country run. There are a lot of people working to make my life easy and comfortable...

We drove from Sterling Colorado to Newton Iowa. When we hit Omaha we HAD to see Rosenblatt Stadium where our Beavs won their national men's baseball title. The were having a minor league baseball game AND getting ready for the fireworks display -- it was too crowded to get too close. But we saw the stadium and cruised 13th Avenue. We snapped pictures as we navigated the traffic...

Tomorrow we head for Coshocton Ohio to see our friend from Washington DC 4-H - Rich and his family. Happy 4th of July to you

Pics

We have literally taken hundreds of pictures since we hit the road on Saturday. Here are some pics from our journeys today. One is of the Colorado River looking back toward Moab as we made out way out toward I-70. One is of Balanced Rock at Arches National Park. And, the other is also taken in Utah, but while we're actually moving right along.

Arches National Park is amazing and we hope that some day you all have an opportunity to spend some time there--even if you only have a few hours as we did this morning.

Kwik-E-Mart

So, we have been checking-in on the news now and then and for some reason the top news today was focused on 7-11 changing the name of some of its stores to "Kwik-E-Mart."

(If you don't get it, check-out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwik-E-Mart )

Well, our first fuel and snack stop in Colorado had a much more creative name. We took pictures. But, after "exposing" you to our experience in Elko, NV yesterday, and in case you don't believe us, we're just going to share with you this "gas and go" chain's corporate website:

http://www.kumandgo.com/

Seriously, you can buy a t-shirt: http://store.kumandgostore.com/kumgotshirts.html

We can't help but mention that they sell food from this company, proudly advertised in lighted signage on the side of the building:

http://www.hotstufffoods.com/

Okay, okay, it's potty humor, but we've been in the car for the past three days.

Tumbleweed Hunters

We started the morning in Moab -- specifically visiting the Arches National Park. Wow. In fact we quickly tired of saying 'wow!". But it was spectacular and awe-inspiring. We hiked about 3 miles in different spots to look at some of the arches and they were worth every step!

We drove from Moab to Sterling Colorado... Sterling is on the North Platte River in the Northeast corner of the state. Beautiful ranching and farming country.

When we crossed the Utah/Colorado border it was 110 degrees. And it stayed hot -- even in the low 90's at the top of the Rockies. I took 139 pictures today. It was simply beautiful everywhere you looked. I love the sun roof in Liz's car -- I got some great shots using the sun roof!

We did get stopped at the top of the Rockies in about 20 minutes of traffic while they were clearing an accident. A passer-by at the rest stop warned Liz that there was a 4 and half hour wait... So I called my friend Ty (Who lives and works in Fort Collins) and with a terrible signal and dying phone battery we begged him for information. Ty said the web was saying 20 minutes so we forged on ahead. Thank you Ty!

One thing I forgot to mention earlier happened in Burns... Liz and I were in Burns getting fuel before we headed out to Winnemucca. I was wearing an obnoxious orange OSU shirt. A gentleman walked up to me and said "We've been in the back country for the last week -- how'd the boys do?" I was so floored I thought he was kidding me. I told him we WON!!! and he cheered!

We're headed thru NE to Des Moines if all goes well. And we're heading for Carhenge... I was told to see it -- and we've had several folks along the way recommend it. So off we go...

Betsy

If you want to enjoy life, you have to live life.

Not a bad motto to go by, huh?

Well, we ran into that statement today when we pulled behind an old school bus today in Elko, NV. It was painted across the top of the back of the bus. I should probably tell you, too, that the bus was painted in various pastel colors with a big giraffe painted on the back of it. Except for the driver, the bus looked pretty empty until , suddenly, Betsy noticed that a woman in the back of the bus looked like she was taking her shirt off. Then, she commented that from the looks of it, "that bus needs new shocks!" Use your imagination. We didn't have to. What a way to start our day! Yes, yes, "if you want to enjoy life, you have to live life."

We stopped for gas and wondered if we'd see the bus again on our way to Utah. No such luck. Betsy thinks the bus was headed for Eugene. Oregon Country Fair is coming up soon, isn't it?

I know you'd love to see a picture in this post, but it all happened so suddenly and we were so taken by surprise that we forgot to grab our camera. Sorry to disappoint you!

Well, we didn't run into any more interesting busses along our route through Utah today. But, we did roll into Moab around 8:30pm tonight. We're off to Arches National Park in the morning and hope to make it to Nebraska by this time tomorrow night. Catch you later!

Who said Northeast Nevada was boring?

Nevada

We stayed at the Red Lion, but this Casino had a much more interesting exterior!

Entering Winnemucca

What a sky! It was beautiful, but we think that some of the color in the sky was due the smoke in the air, still lingering and wafting from the fire in Lake Tahoe.

Eastern Oregon...

We wish we could post all of our pics here-- it's so hard to choose! We had beautiful weather in Eastern Oregon yesterday. Here's a shot, with what we believe to be the Steens Mountains poking up in the distance.

Moab and a numb bum...

We left Winnemucca this morning and tonight we're settled in Moab. We are at the gateway to the Arches National Park -- which we'll hit first thing in the morning.

Much better internet connection this time.

We stopped at the Great Salt Lake. (That's us in the Lake...!) It was quite the experience... It was super salty -- as you would expect, but so much so that our shoes and clothes are showing salt stains. It was slimy to walk out on the exposed bed to the water -- and there were trillions of little gnats trying to fly in your mouth and up your nose. Some were successful. The water was really warm and shallow. We took pictures of people 2 or 3 city blocks out into the lake and they were only to their knees. I'm really gald we went into the lake -- but once is enough for me! About 30 miles down the road Liz and I were still wondering what smelled funny... There is a HUGE bird colony just up wind of the lake and the stench was memorable and lasting.

The scenery when we left Provo was spectacular! If you have never been to Utah, make a plan to visit! Highway 6 from Provo to Green River is the route we took and it was beautiful the entire way. (The photo from the road is of the Rhone Cliffs between Price and Green River. It was stunning and this picture was about 35 miles away from the actual cliff.)

Waking up to day two...

Good Morning!

This shot is of the Painted Hills out of Mitchell Oregon.

This will be short -- we're not having great luck with the internet connections. We left yesterday and made it to the painted hills which were indeed spectacular and worth the drive. And they are something everyone should see -- at least once! Then we went up over the hill and into Burns Oregon. We'd been told to make sure that we used restrooms and got fuel before we left Burns for Winnemucca. They weren't kidding... It was a LONG stretch of road with NOTHING along the way except for a few scattered ranches and commerical trucking weigh station!

We made it to Winnemucca around 9 PM.

We have stories to tell and pictures to show -- but not with this internet connection!

We're off this morning thru Elko and Wells Nevada, Salt Lake City and onto Moab Utah.

The So-Called "Plan"

Some of you have asked which route we will to take. Here's the plan so far...don't hold us to it!

Saturday: Portland, OR to Winnemucca, NV
Sunday: Winnemucca, NV to Moab, UT
Monday: Moab, UT to Denver, CO
Tuesday: Denver, CO to Omaha, NE
Wednesday: Omaha, NE to Coshocton, OH
Thursday: Coshocton, OH to Washington, DC

Just leave a comment for us if you know of any sites or stops we must see along the way!

Ditto

Liz sums it all up. The only thing I would have to add is that a lot of our road trips have contained detours, spur of the moment surprises, great food at off-the-beaten-path restaurants and lots of adventure. We're setting out with a map, a sense of humor, a digital camera, a few ideas of places we 'must-see' and an eagle eye for adventure. And of course we reserve the right to change our minds as we go! We don't want to become too predicatable. It is really a wonderful part of the story of our friendship that we're traveling from Oregon back to DC. Where it all began. How cool is that??!

We've got satelite radio this time (yahoo!) but we still need to build a list of the best road trip songs we can find. Let us know what you think we should add to the list.

DC or bust!

The Backstory...Liz's Version

So, who would have thought that when Betsy and I met back in January of 1993 that we would embark on so many road trips together?First there were the trips in Betsy's brand spankin' new Honda Civic way back when. One of our trips included Jen and her fabulous Saturn--which my brother JC is still driving to this day. That Saturn just won't quit! Then there was the pick-up truck, a rental car, the 4Runner, and now, the VW. No matter where we've found ourselves in life, somehow, some way, we usually find time for a classic road trip. (And, this time we have satellite radio!)

While it was once our starting point for road trips, this time, our destination is Washington, DC, where Betsy and I first forged our friendship at the National 4-H Center. Serendipity brought us back together for the past several years in Oregon, and at Oregon State University in particular, but my Potomac Fever has flared up and my husband Andy and I are headed back East. Andy will be overseeing contractors in our house in Portland and keeping our dog, Doogie, company in Oregon for the next week or so while Betsy and I take on the task of getting my car out to DC.

Although maybe I should count the trip with Jen and Rich to Potomac Falls in Jen's little yellow car as our first road trip, Bets and I first put the rubber to the road going from Washington, DC to Virginia Beach to meet up with one of my best friends from high school. Then, there were the trips to Upstate New York... Binghamton... Rochester (Wegmans!)... Ithaca. Betsy also drove all the way from DC to my hometown, Liberty, NY, to pick me up and bring me right back to Washington, DC in 1995 for my International 4-H Youth Exchange orientation and departure--destination: Luxembourg. (A shout out must go to Colleen for driving me back home to Liberty six months later after my return! Hey Coll, there's nothing like being pulled over at the exit for Liberty, huh?) Back to the trip with Bets, that was the year M&M's started making blue ones and Betsy got to see the site of the 1969 Woodstock Festival.

There have been day trips to Monterey and Napa (when Bets was in the Bay Area), to the Oregon Coast and Corvallis (years before I even moved to Oregon) and weekend trips to the Olympic Peninsula and Seattle. There have been ski trips to charming places in Upstate New York as well to Oregon's premiere skiing destination, Mt. Bachelor, in Central Oregon.

Thanks for taking the time to check-in on our journey. We'll try to keep this updated--and interesting-- and we hope you that each time you visit our blog over the next several days that you'll be inspired to come back again to let us tell you, "just one more story".

Our trip begins on Saturday, June 30, 2007.

Liz