Emily was quite the hostess and made us some breakfast sandwiches before we left on our final stretch.
390.4 miles
4917.9 total miles
Day 12 Clemson to Winchester
Being the gentlemen, our cousin treated us to breakfast (Becca and I made an attempt to pay the waitress, but she replied that she always takes money from the man first, I almost forgot we were in the south) and then we headed north. We contemplated making the drive straight home, but decided to visit our cousin Emily in Virginia. Not only was it halfway home, it was nice to see more family.
I suppose that driving along the eastern portion of the United States did not have quite the appeal as the early part of our trip. These were roads that we had been on before and offered the same landscape of where we grew up. With that said, we still enjoyed each other’s company and the drive seemed to go by quickly.
As we were approaching our destination, we wondered if the GPS was right. We were entering the land of nowhere and lost all cell phone coverage. We followed the directions onto a dirt road (the first in our trip) and soon arrived to Em’s place. It was very secluded, but cute and homey.
Earlier I mentioned to Em that I was craving wings, so she asked around and got the name of a place that supposedly had good wings. Getting there turned out to be more of a matter than expected. In the minutes that we were at her house, a storm came (it seems that we brought the rain with us once again). It didn’t last long, but the first two roads we drove down were blocked by fallen trees. Luckily a third route was passable. I kept wishing the storm wouldn’t come back and that we’d be able to return to the house.
Em managed to find the restaurant without a hitch and when we walked in, we found ourselves in a poor lit room with smoke seeping in from smoking section on the opposite side of the room. I figured the wings must be really good. Fortunately, Emily felt like it wasn’t the right place and sure enough, the restaurant had another nonsmoking section with a different entrance on the other side of the kitchen. This side was well lit with live music and a much better vibe. It didn’t even seem like the same restaurant. The wings were good too.
479.7 miles
I suppose that driving along the eastern portion of the United States did not have quite the appeal as the early part of our trip. These were roads that we had been on before and offered the same landscape of where we grew up. With that said, we still enjoyed each other’s company and the drive seemed to go by quickly.
As we were approaching our destination, we wondered if the GPS was right. We were entering the land of nowhere and lost all cell phone coverage. We followed the directions onto a dirt road (the first in our trip) and soon arrived to Em’s place. It was very secluded, but cute and homey.
Earlier I mentioned to Em that I was craving wings, so she asked around and got the name of a place that supposedly had good wings. Getting there turned out to be more of a matter than expected. In the minutes that we were at her house, a storm came (it seems that we brought the rain with us once again). It didn’t last long, but the first two roads we drove down were blocked by fallen trees. Luckily a third route was passable. I kept wishing the storm wouldn’t come back and that we’d be able to return to the house.
Em managed to find the restaurant without a hitch and when we walked in, we found ourselves in a poor lit room with smoke seeping in from smoking section on the opposite side of the room. I figured the wings must be really good. Fortunately, Emily felt like it wasn’t the right place and sure enough, the restaurant had another nonsmoking section with a different entrance on the other side of the kitchen. This side was well lit with live music and a much better vibe. It didn’t even seem like the same restaurant. The wings were good too.
479.7 miles
Day 11 Atlanta to Clemson
We didn’t have anything planned for our time in Atlanta, we actually came this far south for a friendly visit, and again we looked up things to do. My eye was caught on Peidmont Park. The pictures of green grass, ponds, and all the things that being outdoors has to offer looked very appealing to two girls cooped up in the car for hours at a time. We went there and it was a beautiful day, perfect for a run. I never realized how appealing a park could be. It was much nicer than running with cars driving nearby. It was also great to get moving even if there weren’t any mountains to climb on the East end of our trip.
We didn’t stay in Atlanta long and knew we would have to come back to see more of what the city had to offer. Instead we headed to a town north of Atlanta to meet the parents of a late friend of mine. Her death was very sudden and it meant a lot for me to visit her resting place and listen to stories that her mother shared. It was a very emotional afternoon and I was glad to have my sister with me on this trip, life is too short to let it pass you by.
We had made some contacts the night before (at this point of the trip, we left things unplanned) and decided our next stop would be Clemson, South Carolina to visit cousins. It had been years since I saw my cousins, Tucker and Sutton, and they have grown up to be quite the southern gentlemen. We had dinner with their mother, Aunt Christa, (more great Mexican food) and went back to Tucker’s to chill with him and his roomies.
273.9 miles
We didn’t stay in Atlanta long and knew we would have to come back to see more of what the city had to offer. Instead we headed to a town north of Atlanta to meet the parents of a late friend of mine. Her death was very sudden and it meant a lot for me to visit her resting place and listen to stories that her mother shared. It was a very emotional afternoon and I was glad to have my sister with me on this trip, life is too short to let it pass you by.
We had made some contacts the night before (at this point of the trip, we left things unplanned) and decided our next stop would be Clemson, South Carolina to visit cousins. It had been years since I saw my cousins, Tucker and Sutton, and they have grown up to be quite the southern gentlemen. We had dinner with their mother, Aunt Christa, (more great Mexican food) and went back to Tucker’s to chill with him and his roomies.
273.9 miles
Day 10 Nashville to Atlanta
When we had returned to our hotel the previous night, we met the desk clerk again and asked for suggestion of places to visit. But since the Grand Ol' Opry was closed for renovations, all he came up with was returning back to Broadway to see a few more of the bars. We wanted to branch away from the same scene. We did find our way to the Belmont Mansion. It was the home of an heiress of the civil war time period. As we walked through the rooms furnished as it was in the 1800s, our guide told us stories of the family and how Mrs. Adelicia Hayes Franklin Acklen Cheatham came about her wealth (and how she was known to have required her second and third husbands to sign pre-nups). It was very fascinating to get a glimpse of the life of a southern belle, who broke boundaries of her time.
We got on the road again and driving out of Nashville we passed many signs advertising local things to do. And like wineries are to California and breweries are to Colorado, whiskey distilleries are to Tennessee. We didn’t stop of course, (whiskey and driving just don’t go well) and kept to the road listening to some Ray Charles, and The Presidents of the United States of America. Like the rest of the trip we broke the driving up and soon enough we were checking into another hotel.
Becca had made the comment early in the trip that the first week was work and the second week was play. And so it seemed. We dropped our bags and went on a second attempt for margaritas and Mexican. We had better luck then the small town in Arizona. Our waiter was friendly so we asked him for some recommendations to get the feel for Atlanta’s nightlife. He suggested a place to get margaritas by the pitcher, we nodded and thanked him, but already have lived our college days, we were thinking something a little more low key.
We ended up at a place that was supposed to have live music, but we were too early for it. The bartender said that next door was always a blast, with some kind of karaoke as entertainment. We went there, paid the cover, and walked into an empty room. He forgot to mention the karaoke didn’t start for another hour. I’m not sure if it was the long hours on the road, the early mornings, or just our homebody habits, but at that point, sleep sounded better than waiting around. So we went to the bouncer and asked for our cover money back (we gave him the poor puppy dog look). We then took the ten dollars and spent it on cheesecake and coffee. It turned out to be a much better alternative.
276.0 miles
We got on the road again and driving out of Nashville we passed many signs advertising local things to do. And like wineries are to California and breweries are to Colorado, whiskey distilleries are to Tennessee. We didn’t stop of course, (whiskey and driving just don’t go well) and kept to the road listening to some Ray Charles, and The Presidents of the United States of America. Like the rest of the trip we broke the driving up and soon enough we were checking into another hotel.
Becca had made the comment early in the trip that the first week was work and the second week was play. And so it seemed. We dropped our bags and went on a second attempt for margaritas and Mexican. We had better luck then the small town in Arizona. Our waiter was friendly so we asked him for some recommendations to get the feel for Atlanta’s nightlife. He suggested a place to get margaritas by the pitcher, we nodded and thanked him, but already have lived our college days, we were thinking something a little more low key.
We ended up at a place that was supposed to have live music, but we were too early for it. The bartender said that next door was always a blast, with some kind of karaoke as entertainment. We went there, paid the cover, and walked into an empty room. He forgot to mention the karaoke didn’t start for another hour. I’m not sure if it was the long hours on the road, the early mornings, or just our homebody habits, but at that point, sleep sounded better than waiting around. So we went to the bouncer and asked for our cover money back (we gave him the poor puppy dog look). We then took the ten dollars and spent it on cheesecake and coffee. It turned out to be a much better alternative.
276.0 miles
Day 9 St. Louis to Nashville
We started our day with some cream of wheat and oatmeal that we brought with us and went to the St. Louis Zoo. I was excited to be in an area where we could stretch our legs and have a change of scenery. We’ve been to several zoos growing up and we were very impressed with the St. Louis Zoo in comparison. Besides free admission, there was a large array of animals that were in large and clean living quarters. The many cats, especially the jaguar, were a highlight, as well as the giant turtles who seemed to put on a discovery channel educational special. We didn’t get to see the rhinoceros because she was hiding behind rock, but overall the zoo did not disappoint.
From there we had to check out Pappy’s Smokehouse, know for their Memphis style BBQ. The line was out the door when we got there a little before noon. But the hour wait was well worth it. Becca enjoyed the half rack of ribs, while I ate every crumb of my pull pork sandwich. We understood why people came from all over to eat there and why the NY Times thought it worthy to recommend. Already satisfied with St. Louis, we only had one more stop to make it complete. We had to see the Arch.
It could be spotting from miles away. As we walked closer to the Gateway of the Westward Expansion, the structure grew. It was so tall. We didn’t feel the need to go up in the tram, but did walk around the museum below and got a glimpse of the time of the westward expansion.
Then back on the road to Nashville! We were expecting only 2 ½ hours of driving, but somehow I remembered incorrectly, it was about 5 hours to our destination, but we still arrived in time to experience some of the nightlife that Nashville has to offer.
Our hotel clerk, gave us the directions to Broadway and told us that we would have no problem finding live music. Sure enough, after we walked down the street that some like to refer to as NashVegas, live music poured onto the sidewalk in front of every bar that we passed. The first place we walked into was Legends, there the music was a little too country for me, it was an old style that Becca didn’t even care for that much. Then the next place we wondered into had advertised to be bluegrass, but was more pop country. The group was made up of a few young girls, they were good, but we ventured to another bar we thought would be more interesting called the Blue Moon. There, we listened to a group of mostly women playing all kinds of country and even some Pat Benetar that I could sing along with. We had found just the right place, watching them I desperately wanted to be able to play the guitar and become a country singer; they looked like some pretty cool chicks.
356.3 miles
From there we had to check out Pappy’s Smokehouse, know for their Memphis style BBQ. The line was out the door when we got there a little before noon. But the hour wait was well worth it. Becca enjoyed the half rack of ribs, while I ate every crumb of my pull pork sandwich. We understood why people came from all over to eat there and why the NY Times thought it worthy to recommend. Already satisfied with St. Louis, we only had one more stop to make it complete. We had to see the Arch.
It could be spotting from miles away. As we walked closer to the Gateway of the Westward Expansion, the structure grew. It was so tall. We didn’t feel the need to go up in the tram, but did walk around the museum below and got a glimpse of the time of the westward expansion.
Then back on the road to Nashville! We were expecting only 2 ½ hours of driving, but somehow I remembered incorrectly, it was about 5 hours to our destination, but we still arrived in time to experience some of the nightlife that Nashville has to offer.
Our hotel clerk, gave us the directions to Broadway and told us that we would have no problem finding live music. Sure enough, after we walked down the street that some like to refer to as NashVegas, live music poured onto the sidewalk in front of every bar that we passed. The first place we walked into was Legends, there the music was a little too country for me, it was an old style that Becca didn’t even care for that much. Then the next place we wondered into had advertised to be bluegrass, but was more pop country. The group was made up of a few young girls, they were good, but we ventured to another bar we thought would be more interesting called the Blue Moon. There, we listened to a group of mostly women playing all kinds of country and even some Pat Benetar that I could sing along with. We had found just the right place, watching them I desperately wanted to be able to play the guitar and become a country singer; they looked like some pretty cool chicks.
356.3 miles
Day 8 Hayes to Kansas City to St. Louis
We had got checked into the hotel around 1 am (we crossed another time change), so when our alarm went off, we were reluctant to get out of bed, but managed anyways. Back on I-70, I drove for Becca was certain she needed more sleep before getting into the driver’s seat. We had heard lots of advice about sticking to the speed limit in Kansas, so I turned on the cruise control and set it to 72 on the 70 mph road. Like the night before many cops were spaced along the highway, so I was relieved the rental had cruise. I thought nothing of it when I passed another sitting trooper, but when he pulled out I had this funny feeling it was for me. Sure enough, his lights went flashing and I pulled over. I thought 2 mph over the speed limit? Really Kansas? So the trooper said that he didn’t think Becca was buckled, but after he chatted with us for a while about our trip and how he could never be in a car that long with his brothers, I began to think we was just bored sitting there and decided we seemed like nice people to talk with. Soon enough we were okay to go and pulling back onto the highway, I set the cruise to 69 mph.
About halfway to Kansas City, we took a detour to Abilene, to visit Eisenhower’s Presidential Library. Silly me, I thought a library had books. This one only had quilts and displayed art of students from the local high school. At the same location, we visited the home where President Eisenhower grew up with his siblings and the museum that displayed Eisenhower’s life story.
After a few more hours back on I-70, we arrived in Kansas City, a city that expands into two different states. We parked in front of a hotel and walked around, looking for a visitor’s center or signs of the many fountains that are scattered throughout the city. It was the hottest day so far in our trip and instead of aimlessly wondering, we found our way back to our car and asked the hotel for some info. They gave us a map and said we were right in that Kansas had many fountains (the most for any city in fact except for Rome). So we went to an area where the most well known fountain in the city was. Nearby, shops lined the streets. Not being in the mood to shop, we stopped only for coffee at a cute local cafe and then continued on to cross the state of Missouri to get to St. Louis.
St. Louis was on the far east of Missouri and took us another 4 hours to get there. The landscape had more to offer than Kansas’ endless fields. The trees and lakes made the evening drive more interesting. Still when we arrived to our hotel, we were glad just to get a good night of sleep.
502.3 miles
About halfway to Kansas City, we took a detour to Abilene, to visit Eisenhower’s Presidential Library. Silly me, I thought a library had books. This one only had quilts and displayed art of students from the local high school. At the same location, we visited the home where President Eisenhower grew up with his siblings and the museum that displayed Eisenhower’s life story.
After a few more hours back on I-70, we arrived in Kansas City, a city that expands into two different states. We parked in front of a hotel and walked around, looking for a visitor’s center or signs of the many fountains that are scattered throughout the city. It was the hottest day so far in our trip and instead of aimlessly wondering, we found our way back to our car and asked the hotel for some info. They gave us a map and said we were right in that Kansas had many fountains (the most for any city in fact except for Rome). So we went to an area where the most well known fountain in the city was. Nearby, shops lined the streets. Not being in the mood to shop, we stopped only for coffee at a cute local cafe and then continued on to cross the state of Missouri to get to St. Louis.
St. Louis was on the far east of Missouri and took us another 4 hours to get there. The landscape had more to offer than Kansas’ endless fields. The trees and lakes made the evening drive more interesting. Still when we arrived to our hotel, we were glad just to get a good night of sleep.
502.3 miles
Day 7 Denver to Boulder to Fort Collins to Hayes
Although we didn’t have to be in Boulder until 10:30, and it only took about 30 minutes to get there, we were showered, dress, fed and ready to go by 9 ish. You could say there was some anxiety in the air caused not only by the thought of jumping out of a plane, but mixed with the worry of not having the chance because once again, rain was in the forecast. So we naturally got to the small skydiving airport early, and it was a good thing. Clouds were multiplying by the hour.
We were a little rushed to get into harnesses and waited on the tarmac. The clouds still expanded, but we were reassured that we were definitely going, those after us might not be. While we waited for parachutes in the sky, Ryan and Rich, kept us entertained with jokes. We saw parachutes gliding to the ground and began to make some adjustments to the harnesses. Rich (who was of Mexican decent), was Becca’s instructor and when tightening her straps asked if she had ever been jumped by a Mexican. The comic relief eased our nerves.
The small plane landed and we climbed in. There was just enough space for the four of us plus the pilot. Becca and I were strapped into Rich and Ryan and up we went with a clear view of the ground getting smaller below us. At this point, I have been given no instructions what so ever, all Ryan told me was there was no reason, I wouldn’t remember anyways. As we started the climb he told me what would happen and I guess even though I shook my head, my blank stare gave away the fact that I couldn’t hear him over the gust of wind blowing by in the space where a door might have been. At one point it turned cold we closed the flap over the opening. We were still climbing to higher elevations. Then the plane dipped and Rich gave out a scream. Becca and I immediately started to laugh, we couldn’t be fooled. Almost to our desired elevation, Ryan went through the instructions again. This time I could make out “legs over the edge and put your feet behind you, go when I say go.” That was all the instructions I needed. We rolled up the tarp and feet over the edge we fell forward out of the plane.
Whoooooo………..
What a rush! I couldn’t feel the cold, or the wind, just the overwhelming sense of
the adrenaline rushing throughout my body. I couldn’t even hear my screams of excitement. As we free fell, Ryan spun us around get a panoramic view of Boulder below us and the Rockies to our West. (Becca was grateful she could where her glasses under the goggles to see the gorgeous view.) After a decent minute, Ryan let the parachute out and I instantly felt the harness doing its job. I also thought, geez, that’s going to leave a mark. (And from what I was told, the harness was equally if not more unpleasant for Becca, but provided some laughs between her and Rich.)
With the canopy guiding our fall, Ryan unlatched and loosened a few of my straps to make the ride a little more comfort (surprisingly enough I didn’t get nervous by this, I may have been overly confident in my instructor). This was also when I got our landed instructions of “when I say to, lift you feet.” He turned us a few times and I tried to figure out where we would land, I was pretty sure it wouldn’t be in the pond, but where? I couldn’t tell. Then we neared the ground and headed towards more open space, I got the notice to lift my feet and expect to land seated. But things went smoothly and I was able to put my feet down, and just walked off the landing.
Ryan unhooked us and I had time to watch Becca and Rich land. They came to a halt on their behinds (I forgot Ryan carried our camera down, so I didn’t get any pictures).
A van pulled up and we all piled in. We had a few more laughs on the ride back to the airport. Ryan told us about landing in some really random places and being picked up by strangers. Rich cracked a few more jokes about him being Mexican, so Becca asked where he was from. Ryan was shocked when Rich replied that we was born and raised in Boulder (he called himself a coconut, brown on the outside, boulder on the inside).
We finished up a lot earlier than expected, so we asked for directions and headed to Fort Collins. We were hoping to see a high school friend of Becca’s when she got out of work. We looked up things to do in Fort Collins and of course breweries popped up. So we visited one, while we waited for Amanda. She met us there and took us to a downtown area, which reminded me of a similar street in Burlington, VT. The visit was nice but we had to cut it a bit short to get back on the road. Our destination was Hayes, Kansas about a 5 hour drive with a time change not in our favor.
Back down to Denver, we got on I-70 and headed to the East. Our friend the rain (since it waited for us to get back into the car, the rain was now our friend) came down in buckets. As we were leaving the rocky mountain state, the land became flat and straight, but the rain started to lighten up and we drove into a full rainbow that met the ground on both sides of the interstate. As soon as the thought crossed my mind, we noticed that in fact it was a double full rainbow (OMG, what does this mean?) Although it wasn’t as mind blowing as it may be to some, it was pretty spectacular in its rarity.
At every exit we neared we were trying to scope out a place to eat, but kept going, hopeful the next one would have something to offer. We ended up going 2 hours like this before actually making the stop in Burlington, KS at The Route restaurant. The food wasn’t bad and the service was a little slow, but the most memorable thing about this stop was the man in a sombrero. On he way out he stopped at our booth and made room for himself next to Becca. He mumbled something that we could not decipher and after saying something about having to go pay his neighbors and sons, left us to our dessert. It was national cheesecake day, and after not being lucky to find some in Fort Collins, we had to spilt a piece with some coffee. Then back on the road.
474.2 miles
We were a little rushed to get into harnesses and waited on the tarmac. The clouds still expanded, but we were reassured that we were definitely going, those after us might not be. While we waited for parachutes in the sky, Ryan and Rich, kept us entertained with jokes. We saw parachutes gliding to the ground and began to make some adjustments to the harnesses. Rich (who was of Mexican decent), was Becca’s instructor and when tightening her straps asked if she had ever been jumped by a Mexican. The comic relief eased our nerves.
The small plane landed and we climbed in. There was just enough space for the four of us plus the pilot. Becca and I were strapped into Rich and Ryan and up we went with a clear view of the ground getting smaller below us. At this point, I have been given no instructions what so ever, all Ryan told me was there was no reason, I wouldn’t remember anyways. As we started the climb he told me what would happen and I guess even though I shook my head, my blank stare gave away the fact that I couldn’t hear him over the gust of wind blowing by in the space where a door might have been. At one point it turned cold we closed the flap over the opening. We were still climbing to higher elevations. Then the plane dipped and Rich gave out a scream. Becca and I immediately started to laugh, we couldn’t be fooled. Almost to our desired elevation, Ryan went through the instructions again. This time I could make out “legs over the edge and put your feet behind you, go when I say go.” That was all the instructions I needed. We rolled up the tarp and feet over the edge we fell forward out of the plane.
Whoooooo………..
What a rush! I couldn’t feel the cold, or the wind, just the overwhelming sense of
the adrenaline rushing throughout my body. I couldn’t even hear my screams of excitement. As we free fell, Ryan spun us around get a panoramic view of Boulder below us and the Rockies to our West. (Becca was grateful she could where her glasses under the goggles to see the gorgeous view.) After a decent minute, Ryan let the parachute out and I instantly felt the harness doing its job. I also thought, geez, that’s going to leave a mark. (And from what I was told, the harness was equally if not more unpleasant for Becca, but provided some laughs between her and Rich.)
With the canopy guiding our fall, Ryan unlatched and loosened a few of my straps to make the ride a little more comfort (surprisingly enough I didn’t get nervous by this, I may have been overly confident in my instructor). This was also when I got our landed instructions of “when I say to, lift you feet.” He turned us a few times and I tried to figure out where we would land, I was pretty sure it wouldn’t be in the pond, but where? I couldn’t tell. Then we neared the ground and headed towards more open space, I got the notice to lift my feet and expect to land seated. But things went smoothly and I was able to put my feet down, and just walked off the landing.
Ryan unhooked us and I had time to watch Becca and Rich land. They came to a halt on their behinds (I forgot Ryan carried our camera down, so I didn’t get any pictures).
A van pulled up and we all piled in. We had a few more laughs on the ride back to the airport. Ryan told us about landing in some really random places and being picked up by strangers. Rich cracked a few more jokes about him being Mexican, so Becca asked where he was from. Ryan was shocked when Rich replied that we was born and raised in Boulder (he called himself a coconut, brown on the outside, boulder on the inside).
We finished up a lot earlier than expected, so we asked for directions and headed to Fort Collins. We were hoping to see a high school friend of Becca’s when she got out of work. We looked up things to do in Fort Collins and of course breweries popped up. So we visited one, while we waited for Amanda. She met us there and took us to a downtown area, which reminded me of a similar street in Burlington, VT. The visit was nice but we had to cut it a bit short to get back on the road. Our destination was Hayes, Kansas about a 5 hour drive with a time change not in our favor.
Back down to Denver, we got on I-70 and headed to the East. Our friend the rain (since it waited for us to get back into the car, the rain was now our friend) came down in buckets. As we were leaving the rocky mountain state, the land became flat and straight, but the rain started to lighten up and we drove into a full rainbow that met the ground on both sides of the interstate. As soon as the thought crossed my mind, we noticed that in fact it was a double full rainbow (OMG, what does this mean?) Although it wasn’t as mind blowing as it may be to some, it was pretty spectacular in its rarity.
At every exit we neared we were trying to scope out a place to eat, but kept going, hopeful the next one would have something to offer. We ended up going 2 hours like this before actually making the stop in Burlington, KS at The Route restaurant. The food wasn’t bad and the service was a little slow, but the most memorable thing about this stop was the man in a sombrero. On he way out he stopped at our booth and made room for himself next to Becca. He mumbled something that we could not decipher and after saying something about having to go pay his neighbors and sons, left us to our dessert. It was national cheesecake day, and after not being lucky to find some in Fort Collins, we had to spilt a piece with some coffee. Then back on the road.
474.2 miles
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