Kate and Lauren Go West-Days 5 & 6 (Grand Canyon and Las Vegas)

Day 5
  On Day 5, we got up early, (after an awesome night of sleep on flannel sheets!), and headed for the Grand Canyon! The drive to the Grand Canyon was just beautiful.  We even drove through a Navajo Reservation which was pretty neat.  My phone didn't know what time it was the whole time we were driving through it, we must have been between time zones or something!

Artsy fartsy photo that actually turned out kinda cool! 

Grand Canyon-bound! 

We got into Grand Canyon National Park, and pulled into the first Visitor Center.  While Kate was off taking care of a few things, I made a plan for our .7 mile hike.  We had to drive another 25 miles to the main visitor center, but it was SO worth all the driving. The hiking path we took was great.  It was paved and provided wonderful lookout points.  Two words to describe the Grand Canyon: Mind-boggling, and selfie sticks. (Okay 4 words).  Seriously, the Grand Canyon didn't even look real to me, it was just so....insane. And beautiful.  Oh, and EVERYWHERE we looked were selfie sticks.  Everywhere. So random.   The park was really busy.  This surprised me because it was a Wednesday at the end of April.  Who knew so many people traveled this time of year?  Everywhere we went on this trip was busy I think.  Weird.  Anyways, the Grand Canyon was absolutely fabulous.  People were being ridiculous though, going out on places they weren't supposed to and just not being very smart.  There aren't a ton of guardrails, (another thing that surprised me), and people are just stupid.  That didn't take away from our experience though, I loved every minute of being there.  Apparently I have been to the Grand Canyon before, although I don't remember it, and apparently I cried the whole time.  

I took this picture to remember what happened the last time. :) 

Amazing. Just amazing.

I was proud of my panoramic skills! 

This picture is probably my favorite of the entire trip!

After we left the Grand Canyon, (it took us FOREVER to get out. Another thing that surprised me), we headed for Las Vegas.  The drive to Las Vegas was beautiful, (we really did see so many BEAUTIFUL things on this trip), especially crossing over the mountains.  We saw Lake Mead and Hoover Dam.  We had planned on stopping at the Hoover Dam, but we missed the last tour by about 10 minutes, so we decided to wait until the morning.  We arrived in Las Vegas around dinner time.  

Our first sighting of Vegas.

I was seriously SO excited to be there.  Vegas was the place that I was anticipating the most, and the place I was most excited to see.  It did not disappoint.  We arrived at Kate's aunt's house, and she welcomed us with wine and snacks.  :) Oh, and one of those snacks was guacamole again, and guess what? I liked it.  I guess I like guacamole now. Hehe.  Anyways, we freshened up a bit, (I took a shower in the most amazing shower I've ever been in in my life.  Awesome.), and then Kate's Aunt took us out to dinner at a very delicious Italian restaurant.  I wish I could remember what it was called, but man it was good.  The food was up there with cruise ship food, which, in my opinion is the best food ever.  Yum.  

Again, I bit into it before I took a picture. Oops.  This was a pomodoro spaghetti with pesto on top.  SO delicious.  Did I mention this trip was all about the food?  

After dinner, Kate's aunt dropped us off on the strip!  The only way I can describe Vegas is this: If the very best parts of a cruise ship and the adult parts of Disney World had a love child, it would be Las Vegas.  What a COOL place. I wish we would have had more energy to party hardy, but we really enjoyed just walking around all the themed hotels and taking it all in. We saw the Bellagio and it's fountains, and a Japanese garden exhibit inside, as well as The Paris (my FAV), Margaritaville, (I won 25 cents on the slots!) and The Venetian with it's amazing river and gondolas.  Very awesome place. I loved how all the hotels kind of felt like malls on the inside with the big fancy stores, but also like cruise ships with all the beautiful decor, restaurants, and things to do.  We also watched a volcano show outside of Treasure Island (I think..) which was neat.  I can't wait to go back to Vegas again with Ben.  I love it there.   

The Bourbon Room from Rock of Ages! Ben loves that movie, so I must take him back there! 

Note: I was really running out of room on my phone by this point, so pictures for me became minimal about this point in the trip..:( 

We took a cab back to Kate's aunt's house that night.  We didn't last super long on the strip unfortunately.  We were super exhausted from driving and hiking, and I also did not wear good walking shoes.  They were cute though! :) 

The next morning, Kate's aunt fed us breakfast, and we headed to the Hoover Dam. It wasn't too far from Vegas, and although we got there early, it was already packed.  It was neat to see, and is another place I would like to take Ben.  My favorite part was going down the elevator into the mountain, and walking through the tunnels.  Super neat.  

It was HOT in Vegas and at the Hoover Dam.  

Even at night it was hot.

After the Hoover Dam, we met up with my cousin Sam, who lives in Vegas! It was so great to see her.  We went to lunch at Smashburger, which apparently is a chain, but it was SO good. Ben would love it. Then we all went back to the strip! We wanted to take a picture with the famous Vegas sign, and to do that, we had to park and wait in line.  I thought this was hilarious and kinda weird.  The line was not bad though.  

Me and Sam! 

After we took some pictures, we went to the New York, New York.  Another thing I love about Vegas-the parking at the hotels is FREE.  Brilliant.  We parked and went inside the hotel, and it was REALLY cool.  Looked just like NYC inside. The size of these places blew my mind. All the hotels and casinos are just massive. And beautiful.  Kate and I rode the roller coaster at New York, New York.  It was $14 to ride but SO worth it.  I loved it. Kate screamed her head off the entire time, but the ride was so much fun.  The views of the city were awesome.  They also had a New York skyline built on the side, which was cute and cool.  

I just loved this.  SO much fun. 

After New York, New York, we took a tram to the Excalibur, Mandalay Bay, and the Luxor.  Mandalay Bay was so beautiful.  We went and peeked at the pool area, which looked so awesome.  They also had a wine elevator, which was so awesome.  We sat down in Luxor and had some VERY yummy beverages.  They must have been top shelf.  Mmm.  

When our tour of Vegas with Sam was over, she took us back to Kate's aunt's house. I am SO glad we go to see my cuz, we really had a great time with her!! She isn't a cousin I get to see all the time, so it was wonderful to just spend quality time together! Family rocks. :) 

When we got back to Kate's aunt's house, we left right away for Kate's 2nd cousin's little league game! It was really fun, and a nice way to relax and enjoy time with Kate's family.  The bleachers had giant umbrellas over them which I thought was SUCH a good idea, considering how hot it is there.  The weather at the baseball game was actually really pleasant.  After the game, we went to dinner with Kate's aunt and uncle and cousin. We had pizza, beer, (I tried Peroni for the first time, it was good, but tasted strangely like olives..), and amazing gelato.  Mmm mmm. 

We had an AMAZING time in Vegas, and I am so grateful for Kate's family for letting us stay, and to Sam for showing us around.  I really can't WAIT to go back again! :) :) 

Up next: We hit California!! 

Kate & Lauren Go West-Days 3 & 4 (Tucumcari and Flagstaff)

  On day 3 of our epic road trip west, we got up and headed for Tucumcari, New Mexico.  First things first, breakfast at Whataburger! We were in Texas, we couldn't resist!

  We hit our first traffic jam in Dallas, but it wasn't too bad, and didn't last very long.  

The big D! And I do mean Dallas! 

After Dallas, the weather was terrible.  The radar looked like this: 

Not cool.  That blue stuff is snow.  Not cool.

At one point, we stopped to get gas, and snowflakes were actually hitting my face while I was pumping gas.  It was also freezing.  

From East Texas to West Texas, the landscape changed a lot. East Texas was hilly and more wooded, where as West Texas was FLAT and we could see for miles.  At least until the rain started.  One awesome thing about Texas is that the highway speed limit is 75. That was nice.  

Flat, flat, flat.  We were watching for twisters! 

I drove some of the way through West Texas and the only time I was truly uncomfortable was when we were driving through Amarillo.  Pouring rain, huge trucks, and traffic, aka the worst possible combination on a highway that I didn't know.  Not cool.  (This drive may have been my least favorite part of the whole trip).   Outside of Amarillo, we planned on stopping at the Cadillac Ranch, but when we passed by it was SO muddy.  Not worth it, so we waved at the cars and carried on. Eventually, we crossed into New Mexico.  

New Mexico! 

We were about 30 miles from our destination when Kate made me stop at the mid-point of Rt. 66.  I got out of the car for a minute but ugh, it was freezing and windy and the rain/snow was hurting my face.  Did not stay out there very long! 

 She had to get over there and take a pic.

This is how I felt about it.

We finally arrived in Tucumcari about 4:00 in the afternoon.  Why Tucumcari? Well...a friend of ours from high school is married to a guy whose family owns a motel (The Blue Swallow Motel) on Rt. 66 in Tucumcari, New Mexico, and we got to stay there! Her and her husband and in-laws take turns running the motel.  I tell ya, it was one of the coolest places I have ever stayed. Everything was SO retro but in a very classy, well-done way.  I loved it there, and again, it was awesome to see friends! 

We had a garage next to our room that was painted on the inside. Very cool! 

The inside of the room.  I slept SO well that night! 

Kate and I with Jessica and Cameron. Thank you all again for your hospitality, we loved it there! 

The Blue Swallow has a webcam, and my sister saw us on it! Fun! 

Kate walking to our room after a very yummy dinner.  

We went to dinner at a place on Rt. 66 called Del's which was so delicious. We also had sopaipillas  and honey, which is a New Mexico thing. They were great.  (We may have had these in Texas too, but I can't remember!)  

After dinner, we got the tour of Tucumcari.  Much of it is abandoned these days, a far cry from it's hey day in the 50's and 60's.  Here is an old park, that apparently used to be a hopping place, but is now completely overgrown and empty.  This place reminded me of somewhere an urban photographer would go.  (If you don't know what those are, they are people who take photos at old and abandoned shopping malls, cities, parks, etc. I find their work fascinating.)

After dinner and our tour, we hung out in the lobby for a little while.  The Blue Swallow was at full capacity that night, (as they are most nights it seems!), and yet there were still a few people who stopped in looking for rooms.  It was really neat though, to get to talk to people from all over, and hear their stories.  If you are ever driving on Rt. 66, don't miss The Blue Swallow. It's fantastic! 

Day 4

We got up early again on day 4 (time zone change probs),  and headed for Flagstaff, Arizona.  

Back on Rt. 66! 

It wasn't a long trip distance wise, but we took our time getting there, and got to see a lot of neat things on the way.  The landscape continued to change as we went West.  

Our first sighting of mountains! 

    The first stop we made was in Old Town Albuquerque.  VERY cool place.  Lots of Indian shops, restaurants, and beautiful Southwestern buildings.  We shopped some and bought some souvenirs and then had an "authentic" New Mexican lunch.  I don't know what qualifies food as New Mexican, but I can tell you my meal was SPICY.  So yummy but my mouth was on fire.  I had a bean and cheese burrito.  It was awesome.  Oh and we had soapaipillas again! 

I was starving apparently, excuse the fact that I had already eaten the rice when I took this! :)

The first church in Albuquerque, built by the Spanish settlers. (I think..)

Old Town selfie! 

After Albuquerque, we crossed into Arizona! 

 We made our next stop at The Petrified National Forest.  What an AWESOME place.  I was a bit skeptical, but Kate convinced me, and it was definitely worth the 2 hours of extra time that we spent there.  I can't even really describe it, but here's a couple pictures that might help.  They don't fully do it justice.  If you are ever close to this, you should stop.  It's awesome.  

 There are beautiful colored mountains all around, it is just glorious.  

    After the Petrified Forest, we made our way to Kate's Aunt and Uncle's vacation home in Flagstaff.  Flagstaff was not at ALL like the Arizona I remember visiting in childhood.  When I was a kid, we went to Tucson, which was desert-y and full of cactus and very HOT.  Flagstaff is wooded, full of pine trees and chilly.  Very odd. But very beautiful.  The home we stayed in was just lovely, in a beautiful neighborhood in the woodsy mountains.  Kate's Uncle George took us to a really cool restaurant for dinner.  It was a steakhouse, but all the servers were musical theater students at Northern Arizona University, and they all sang show tunes! It was so neat.  They even took requests, and sang Kate's favorite song from Les Mis.  Very cool place.  

I had this awesome prickly pear drink. Yum.

Our server was the tall one in the middle. So fun! 

After dinner we toured Flagstaff some.  When we got back to the house, we went straight to bed. It had been a VERY long day.  Next we were off to the Grand Canyon and VEGAS!! (My fav place).  Stay tuned! 

  

Kate and Lauren Go West-Days 1 & 2 (Nashville and Tyler)

Starting today I am going to blog about our EPIC road trip out west.  It was an AWESOME trip and I am so excited to share the stories and adventures with you! Background: My biffle Kate was moving out to San Francisco for a new job, so we decided to road trip across the country to move her there!


Day 1

    The weather the day we left Kentucky was horrendous.  Pouring rain, and cold. We started out day 1 in Georgetown, Indiana, (just outside of Louisville), at a birthday party.  Okay, so we weren't actually there for the birthday party part, but we were there to spend time with Kate's siblings before her big move.  Everyone was very nice and welcoming, and it was a fun time.  I met a 94 year old woman who was in the Navy in World War II. That was cool.  They fed us while we were there, a delicious brunch of french toast and sausage.  Kate also had brisket and BBQ pork and said it was wonderful as well.  I tell ya, a LOT of this trip was about food.  Just wait and see! :)

   From Indiana, we headed to Nashville! We started playing the license plate game on the way there, did you know there's an app for that? Fun.  By Bowling Green we had seen 14 different license plates! Neato.

Of course we had to take a picture of the Corvette museum, with more time we would have stopped.

Tennessee! 

Nashville! I really love this city!

When we got to Nashville, we found our dear friend Jori's place with no problem at all. In fact, she lives in the same neighborhood as Big and Rich. (I can't remember if it's Big or Rich's house..) Fun fact: Big or Rich's house is UGLY.    We freshened up and headed out on the town! We went to a block party at Marathon Music Works, which was great fun.  I didn't know any of the bands, but Jori did.  It was nice to sit and enjoy the weather, music, and each other's company! It was so great to see Jori!  

On the way, we went to a FLOAT store. It was a little shop that just sells root beer floats. Omg, they were so good.  Mine was something like butterbeer, and it had a cookie in it.  YUM (Told you this would all be about food).   

We enjoyed our floats in this little courtyard, it was so beautiful!

At the festival we had brick oven pizza from a food truck, and free water. This pizza was YUM and made me think of Ben and I's favorite Indiana pizza place, Tony Sacco's.  

Love these girls, love Nashville.

After the music festival, we went downtown to Broadway.  We got down there at 8:30, with an understanding that we were leaving by 10, because A) We are old. and B) We had a LOT of driving to do.  We went to a dueling piano bar called The Big Bang and it was a lot of fun. They played great songs, and we saw a LOT of bachelorettes.  Brought back so many memories of my own bach in Nashville! When we got back to Jori's (yes, at 10), we had some yummy guacamole.  I don't even really like guacamole, but this one was so good.  Jori made it from scratch.  Mmm. After our snack it was off to bed!!

Downtown selfie

Day 2

  We got up the next morning and had coffee with Jori, then headed out about 8 am.  The weather in Nashville the day we arrived was perfect, but the morning we left was cloudy and rainy.  We drove down to Memphis, and then crossed the Mighty Mississippi! That was neat.  

Arkansas!

The ever-changing landscape...

    We drove all the way across Arkansas, and into Texas, which I have to say was pretty boring.  We listened to a lot of music and jammed.  And by jammed I mean we sang at the top of our lungs.  :) We had to get off the highway about 2 hours before we actually got to Tyler, and that was terrible.  Drivers in East Texas are SLOW.  It was painful, but we finally made it to Melissa's, another high school friend of ours.  (We stayed with people we knew the entire way! Amazing!) Melissa and Chris's place was super cute, and it was of course amazing to see AB! She showed me her room, (which we were staying in), and her American Girl Dolls, and was her always adorable self.

Texas! 

Love this little girl! She's so big now though, she is even president of her class at her new school! 

After playing a fun dictionary-type game that AB insisted we play, the girls went to dinner at a yummy Mexican place.  During dinner, we talked to Annabelle about her new friends, and she asked us lots of funny and interesting questions. I can't get over how grown up she is. My favorite part, (besides spending time with besties), was that this place gives everyone their OWN salsa, and their OWN cream sauce thing, which was SO good.  

Also, see the butter? Apparently squeeze butter is a thing in Tyler, Texas. With Mexican food. Weird. 

After dinner, we took AB home and then went to a brew house type thing.  It was Sunday night, so there weren't many people in there.  It was so nice to spend time and just talk with Melissa and Kate.  These 2 are some of my best friends in the whole world, and I am so sad we are living in 3 completely different corners of the country.  I loved being with them though, it felt like being home. :)

We all had local brews, mmm.

All in all, days 1 & 2 were VERY long, but totally worth it to see our friends.  :) Stay tuned for Days 3 &4!