Day 11 (Plus Extra)

* This post, as well as the posts for days 9 and 10, is being written as I sit in the car on the way to Chapel Hill.

Asheville, NC to Chapel Hill, NC

? miles (I forgot to take a picture of my speedometer 

     when we arrived in Chapel Hill…oops!)

Time: We took another detour, so it took longer than 

     normal. It should take about 4 hours to get from 

     Asheville to Chapel Hill.

Highest Temp: 87

Pictures Taken: 1

This morning at breakfast we met a couple whose daughter is a 2^nd year in the AuD program at UT Dallas. For those of you who don’t know, I was also rejected from UT Dallas. In the last two days I have met people who are associated with the two schools that rejected me haha. No hard feelings. I am SO excited and blessed to be attending UNC! It was and always will be my first choice school. I am looking forward to the graduate school orientation tomorrow and can’t wait for my program orientation on Monday.

The drive is quite boring again today. I’m the entertainer and DJ and am not as stellar as yesterday because I’m busy writing blog posts. No worries. Every pro has their off day. (My mom just told me I’m my own best audience because I keep laughing at the sarcastic jokes I make. I like to think I’m not the only one who appreciates it. If you like my writing, go ahead and boost my ego by telling me. If you don’t like it, I don’t want to hear it. Haha.)

After three days of calling my apartment complex to see if I can get in early I finally succeeded! We are about 40 minutes away from Chapel Hill and will move in as soon as I get there. I am so excited to stop living in hotels! 11 days was enough for me.

(The rest of this post is being written now – three days after arriving.)

We stopped at another outlet and I bought even more clothes. Now I am definitely ready for school! I was able to move in to my apartment late on Wednesday and have been running errands and unpacking ever since. I finally finished everything this afternoon. There are a few more things to take care of, but nothing big. In celebration, I went to the pool, which was packed. I read by the pool, and it was glorious, except for the fact that I felt like I was at a frat party. Most of the student that live here are much younger than me. Oh well. It should provide some great entertainment haha. Tomorrow I have a lot of things to accomplish from my “to-do” list before attending a BBQ with everyone from my cohort. I’ve met most of them and am excited to meet the ones I haven’t met and hang out with all of them! Six of the girls went out for drinks on Thursday and had a great time! I haven’t laughed that hard in a while. I lucked out with a great group! :o)

Day 10

Nashville, TN to Asheville, NC

334.5 miles

Time: We took a two-hour detour, so I have no idea how long it takes to get from

Nashville to Asheville.

Highest Temp: High 80s

Pictures Taken: 23

As we were leaving our hotel we met a couple from CA who had just dropped their daughter off at Vanderbilt to start their graduate nursing program. For those of you who don’t know, I got rejected from Vanderbilt. No hard feelings, though, since they’re the number one program.

Yesterday we saw electronic signs along the freeway in TN warning people not to drive drowsy and letting us know the death toll so far this year. The number jumped from 601 to 613. Today, the death toll is now 617. It’s scary to think that 16 people died on TN roads from yesterday to today.

Shortly after leaving our hotel I saw a sign for Outlets. I told my mom, but thought we would pass them and continue our drive. To my pleasant surprise she said, “Let’s pull over”. That trip was the most successful shopping trip I’ve ever had! I bought tons of clothes and accessories for graduate school. I was really nervous about what to wear out here because I’m not used to dressing professionally, and it’s a lot fancier out here than back in Portland. I am so excited about everything I purchased! I’m definitely ready for clinic and other professional settings.

Along the drive to Asheville we saw more religious and political signs. On the back of an 18-wheeler truck we saw a sign that said, “A child is a gift from God.” On the side of the freeway we saw a billboard that said, “America. Obama. You can’t have both.”

The two-hour detour we took was to go to the Great Smokey Mountains. Right before entering the national park we drove through a town that I like to call “Vegas on LSD”. We had no idea where we were, so at a stoplight I rolled down my window and asked a guy in a car next to us. He laughed when I asked and then told me the name. It’s actually called “Pigeon Forge”. I think my name is better. There are so many attractions in the town that it’s overwhelming. There’s another “Dixie Stampede” show, amusement parks, and Dollywood. At the entrance to one of the buildings there was a huge sign that said, “Jesus Saves”. Needless to say, it was quite an entertaining drive through Pigeon Forge.

The Great Smokey Mountains are beautiful. To get the best view (at Clingmans Dome – the highest point in TN), we walked a half-mile up a steep hill. I was shocked by how many people had to stop along the way to catch their breath or couldn’t even make it up the hill. On our way down, several people asked us how much further they had to go before they reached the top. One couple we passed us a religious pamphlet.

After leaving Great Smokey Mountain National Park we headed to Asheville. It was our first experience with driving in the dark while on the trip. It was also the first time we ate at a chain restaurant that we have a home. We got a sudden craving for a burger from Wendy’s so we stopped in Cherokee, NC. While driving through Cherokee I saw a sign for “Boiled Peanuts”. I have no idea what those are.

After leaving Wendy’s we continued toward Asheville. My mom was driving, so I was the entertainer and DJ. I don’t like to toot my own horn, but beeeep beeeep. My karaoke skills are stellar. I’m so good I now make up words to songs. When I can’t understand what the artist is signing (Celine Dion can be difficult to understand), I make up different lyrics that I’m sure are better than the original. In my spare time in grad school I’ll start writing songs. 

Throughout our trip we have seen tons of chain restaurants. The two that stand out are “Cracker Barrel” and “Waffle House”. We have also seen a ton of “adult shops”, which shocks me. There are advertisements close to the freeway and commercials on the radio. I’m not shocked at seeing advertisements since Portland has the most strip clubs per capita and also has tons of adult shops. What surprises me is how prevalent they are in areas where religion is such a big part of life. I’m surprised they are allowed to advertise so easily.

We hit the 3,000-mile market today! As of tonight, we’ve driven 3,206 miles.

For those of you who are curious, this is what my hair looks like when it’s not straight.

Yesterday I cut 3 inches off my hair, so it will look different wavy. It doesn't look much different from the front because the back of my hair was 3 inches longer than the front, so not much length was cut from the front. I was nervous to cut it because it took me years to grow it out, and I loved it. Thankfully, I love my new hair cut. It will be so much easier to manage and wear down in this intense humidity.

Day 9

Before I tell you about day 9 there are two things I forgot to tell you yesterday. (1) I saw a billboard that said, “I love you…I love you…I love you. – God”. It is very interesting to see the differences in religion out here. I am surprised to see so many signs along the freeway that reference religion. (2) Last night we went to dinner at “Cracker Barrel”, which is a country store and a restaurant. There are a ton of them out here. That’s where we had the delicious salad and dessert.

Little Rock, AR to Nashville, TN

361.3 miles

Time: I have no idea how long it took haha.

Highest Temp: High 80s

Pictures Taken: 31

Early this morning (around 5am) we woke up to a huge thunder and lightening storm. The lightening was so close that I could see the brightness of the flashes through the curtains with my eyes closed.

The drive was so boring that I didn’t take any pictures of it. Along the drive we saw cars from CA, OR, and Mexico. We also saw some political and religious stickers on cars/trucks. On the back of a truck we saw a sticker that said, “Obama Bad Ass Mistake America”. On the back of an 18-wheeler truck there was a sticker depicting a fork in a road. One direction was toward Jesus and the other was toward sin. I didn’t mind the boring drive because at the end of the day we ended up in Nashville!

Downtown wasn’t what I expected, but it was still fun. We went to a place called “Wildhorse Saloon”.

The entrance to “Wildhorse Saloon”. There are horses all throughout the place.

When we first got there it was empty, but by the end of the night the dance floor was packed. There were dance lessons, but they weren’t anything like what you get at Bushwhackers. They were super elementary and boring dances, but I took part in the lessons anyway. Throughout the night there were about 4-5 lessons. In between the lessons there was entertainment. Jami Grooms and his band played for us. He switched between his original songs and covers. He’s pretty good. I recommend checking out his album, “Misunderstood”, in iTunes. He and his band posed for us when they saw us taking pictures. He also winked at me a few times haha.

Jami Grooms and his band (minus the drummer)

It was fun to line dance to a live band, but it wasn’t as fun as line dancing to a DJ. In between lessons and sets they played a few current songs. When “Cowboy Casanova” came on I was super excited. I don’t remember the whole dance, but was hoping to pick it up by watching the people around me. Unfortunately, their version of the dance is completely different than the one I learned. The only other dance that I recognized was to the “Watermelon Crawl”. To my pleasant surprise, the dance was the same. I did the funniest line dance of my life that night. It’s called, “Wobble”. Check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siqrFpXBvBU. (I think the song we danced to was slightly different.)

I forgot to take a picture of it, but I had the most unique drink ever. I actually had two of them. I got the drink in a souvenir mason jar with a lid that said, “I got kicked by the horse.” The drink was created by one of the bartenders and is called the “‘8’ Liquor Horse Kicker”. It’s filled with 8 different alcohols and a splash of cranberry juice and something else. It was quite tasty.

The best part of the Wildhorse Saloon is that the name of the stage is called “The Dan Post Stage”, which is the brand name of my cowboy boots. :o)

Day 8

Branson, MO to Little Rock, AR
? miles
     (I forgot to take a picture of my dashboard. I will do
     that in the morning and update the mileage.)
Time: N/A
     (We made a stop at the Clinton library, so I'm not sure
     how long it takes to get from Branson to Little Rock.)
Highest Temp: 97 (AR)
Pictures Taken: 4

Today's drive was SUPER boring! It was worse than yesterday. There were two common themes on our drive: Churches and old-fashioned cars. I have never seen so many churches in my entire life. There were churches across the street from churches and churches a few minutes apart from each other. I saw Baptist, Seventh Day Adventist, and Pentecostal churches. I saw a few other types of churches, but did not recognize the denomination. There was a car show in Branson a few days ago, and the owners of the cars were driving home on the road we took to Little Rock.

When we arrived in Little Rock we went to the Clinton Library. We started off by watching a really good video and then took a self-guided tour with audio. It was definitely more interesting than the Eisenhower museum, but I got bored toward the end. The women who greeted us in the museum were SO nice! One woman told everyone she met from North Carolina that I'm going to school there. She also told my mom and me that she was sad to see us leave the museum.

Front of the Museum

View of Downtown Little Rock from the Museum

Pedestrian Bridge Outside the Museum

When we got to Little Rock we went to Office Depot so I could get a calendar and a few supplies for school. I spent some time figuring out my orientation and class schedule before we ate. We went to dinner at a true Southern restaurant and had a delicious salad and Southern Blackberry Cobbler. We also met some super nice people. I love the hospitality here!

Oh, and one more thing...Over the last few days we have seen so many people smoking! Last night there was a mini-BBQ at our hotel and those who were involved in it smoked and drank like crazy. The trash can outside their rooms was filled with Bud Light cans this morning haha.

Day 7

* This post is one day late because the Internet did not work in our room in Branson.


Junction City, KS to Branson, MO

355.7 miles

Time: N/A

     (We made stops along the way so I don't know how
     long a direct route from Junction City to Branson
     takes.)

Highest Temp: 91 (MO)

Pictures Taken: 72

We got off to a late start, but that was okay because we didn't have to be in Branson until later in the evening.

On our way to Junction City yesterday we noticed signs for the Oz museum. Once we realized it was on the way to Branson we decided to go. I'm not a big fan of "The Wizard of Oz" (LOVE "Wicked"), but I thought the museum would be enjoyable. I really liked it. It was very well done. They didn't have props from the movie, but they had a lot of autographed collector items, information about the actors, and posters/pictures of the different versions of the movie and book that were created over the years. They also had replicas of the main characters and a small section devoted to "Wicked" with props from the Broadway musical.

Tin Man

"Wicked" Display Case

On the way to the Oz museum I saw a super cute boutique down the street. When we left the Oz museum we decided we would only go to the boutique if we found a parking spot. As luck would have it, we found one! "New York Fashion Exchange" is the BEST store I have ever been to!!!! As soon as we walked in, we were offered water, soda, or wine. Of course I accepted the wine. They also had snacks placed throughout the store. The white chocolate fondue was so tasty! The woman who owns the store and her nephew are SO incredibly nice and fun to chat with! They make you feel like a million bucks. Multiple times I was called attractive, smart, and sweet. Can life get any better than wine, shopping, and a huge ego boost?! The store has a unique collection of clothes, jewelry, purses, shoes, food, and trinkets. About 90% of the items are new. The rest of the items are used, but in very good condition. I bought a used (great condition) Coach purse for $160. It was probably about $400-500 when it was new. Such a good deal! If you're ever in Wamego, KS you should totally check out this store! You won't be disappointed! :o)

The drive was super boring compared to earlier on in our trip. Once again, the flat lands didn't do it for me. We did see a few interesting things along the way, though. We saw a few signs like the one below and saw three men riding in a carriage led by a horse. We also came across two towns with unusual names. One was called "Peculiar", and the other was called "Humansville". I forgot to mention that while we were in CO we saw a town called "No Name". Today was the first day we did not see a car from California! At the show we went to (mentioned later) we met a woman from Milpitas, CA, which is about 30 minutes away from our hometown. It's always cool to meet people who live near me.

We made it to Branson with just enough time to change our clothes and walk to the show. "Dixie Stampede", Dolly Parton's production, was awesome! The show started with a pre-show outside the main room. The show lasted about 30 minutes and included two professional jugglers, one of which was only 14! He is super talented! For the main show, which lasted an hour and a half, the audience was divided into two groups: the North and the South. We sat on the North side. The show took us back in time to when Native Americans had ownership of the land and then moved forward in time to when the North and South were enemies. The last quarter of the show involved competitions between the North and South. The North won! :o) The show was so entertaining! It included horses, bison/buffalo (not sure which one), steer, chickens, pigs, and audience participation. Throughout the show we were served a true Southern dinner by an awesome waiter. It was such a neat experience!

I forgot to take a picture of the dashboard tonight. Sometime during the drive I realized that my speedometer re-set itself. My mom and I are pretty sure neither of us did it. We think it started over at 0 after reaching 2,000.

Day 6

Before I tell you about today, I need to tell you about two things. (1) I totally lied (by mistake) about our journey today. We went to the Eisenhower museum in Abilene, KS (not MO). (2) I am a pro at passing cars on a two-lane highway. It was pretty scary the first few times, but now I'm so good that I can do it with my eyes closed...well, not really because that would be dangerous.

Parker, CO to Junction City, KS

451.3 miles

Time: N/A

     (We drove to Abilene, KS before arriving in Junction City, KS so I have no idea how long it 

     takes to get from Parker to Junction City without stops.)  

Pictures Taken: 35

Highest Temp: 89 (KS)

When we went to bed last night, we planned to leave at 8:00am this morning so we could get to Abilene, KS in time to go to the Eisenhower museum. My mom woke me up at 6:45am because she realized that we would be losing an hour during our trip (time change from CO to KS) so we needed to leave ASAP. 

The drive was pretty boring. After the awesome sights we've seen over the last few days, flat lands for miles just didn't do it for me. Thankfully, with the help of my awesome DJ-ing skills, the music kept us going. Below is an example of what we saw for most of the trip.

A few of the states we've driven through have minimum speed limits. I saw this for the first time in Vermont last month and found it quite interesting. I wonder if they had problems with people driving too slow prior to posting these signs.

Toto, we're not on the west coast anymore. We're in Kansas. During the drive I saw a handful of signs that gave me some insight into parts of the country I've never been exposed to. In Colorado I saw a housing development that called itself "A Covenant Community". In Kansas I saw three signs pertaining to abortion. Two of the signs said "Adoption not abortion" and one sign said "Abortion stops a beating heart". I saw two signs pertaining to Jesus. One sign said "Jesus. I trust you." and the other sign said "Jesus, I trust in you". Little did I know that these signs were just a taste of what I'd experience in Junction City, but more on that later.

When we arrived at the Eisenhower museum, we took a tour of his house and then explored the museum. Below is a picture from his house. It was neat to all of the items still there from when Eisenhower lived there. We couldn't go upstairs due to fire code, but we got to see most of the house.

The museum had a lot of interesting documents, videos, and items (clothes, medals, etc.). I didn't enjoy it too much because I'm not a fan of museums or history. If you like that stuff you would enjoy this museum.

When we got to dinner I was amazed by what I saw (take a look at the sign below). We got there too late for the 99 cent well drinks, but luckily $1.99 Long Island Ice Teas were being offered all night. You better believe I had one of those. The drink and dinner were delicious! While waiting for our food I experienced a conversation like nothing I've had before. We talked with a local who asked us why "Frisco" (San Francisco) got hijacked by liberals. We had no idea what to say, so he gave us his opinion. He thought that it got hijacked because the hippies who lived in the Haight-Ashbury district spread out and made their way into Congress. As soon as we told him I lived in Portland for a while he said, "Well we're done talking". He was sort of laughing, but I don't think he was joking. Welcome to a world of different views and opinions. I've decided the best course of action when meeting new people is to let them talk first so I know where they're coming from and refrain from talking about touchy subjects.

We're almost at the 2,000-mile marker!

The woman at the front desk of our hotel is awesome! We became instant friends (we're now Facebook official so it's legit - just kidding...sort of) and talked for about an hour over the course of the night. She is hilarious! It was a great end to the night. I'm now in bed typing this post. I plan to fall asleep to TLC and HGTV and sleep in tomorrow because we don't have to be in Branson, MO until tomorrow night.

Day 5

Moab, UT to Parker, CO

378.4 miles

7 hours 5 minutes

Highest Temp: 101 (CO)

Pictures Taken: 15

Today, as well as tomorrow and Saturday, is a driving day. We are spending 3 long days of driving to get across the country to see more popular points of interest. The drive is beautiful, and the music is great. I spent most of the day driving, but still managed to be a DJ at the same time. I know what you’re thinking. She’s blowing me away with her talent. Trust me, I’m impressed too. The only downside to this drive is that I have experienced two of my driving pet peeves: Trucks passing other trucks on two-lane roads and road construction that leaves only one driving lane accessible. Luckily, only a few trucks passed each other. Unfortunately, about 50% of our drive has been interrupted by construction. It’s a real bummer to have to drive 40 mph when you’re used to driving 78mph. That being said, I’m definitely glad that most of the speed limits on our trip have been 75mph. Oregon can learn a thing or two from these states about safe driving speeds.

Below are a few pictures from our drive…

We saw some people rafting down this river. There weren’t many rapids, but it still looked fun.

We drove through about three tunnels today.

The most important part of today, and I’m sure you will all agree, is that I am wearing my hair curly for the first time in years (totally not kidding – it’s been years). I finally came to terms with the fact that I will not be able to straighten my hair every day in NC. It took me a long time to come to this realization, so you all should be very proud. As part of the process of no longer being in denial I went to the store before we left for our trip to get fancy product recommended by a friend. So far it’s working, but there is one problem. My hair isn’t curly anymore. What used to be adorable blond ringlets has now turned into plain brown waves. The woman at the store told me my curls will come back once I stop straightening my hair and train it to be curly. I have no intention of doing this because it took me years to train it to be straight. For now I’m content with the plain brown waves. Hopefully my hair doesn’t turn into a frizz ball in NC.

Oh and another important part of today is that I had my first Starbucks since we were in Hesperia, CA. I’m not complaining. I don’t need Starbucks every day. I just thought this fact gives you perspective about the types of places we’ve been staying. The Starbucks I went to today was the only one in town.

(Everything above this point was written in the car. The rest of the post is being written as I sit in bed.)

When we arrived at our family friend’s house we had margaritas and played "Extreme Croquet". In this form of croquet you are allowed to cheat, and the course goes through the woods. Below are two pictures from the adventure.

If you hit a ball in the rough, you could pick it up and move it to a better part of the course.

This course reminded me of mini golf because we had to hit the ball over a bridge. The only difference is that there wasn’t water under this bridge.

Right before it got super dark out we saw a family of deer (dad, mom, and three babies) run through the backyard. I wanted to take a picture, but I didn’t have my phone with me. When I stood up to go get my phone they started running through the backyard and left before I could get a picture. That was the closest I have ever been to deer. It was amazing!

It’s time for me to get ready for bed. We have an early start tomorrow because we need to make it to Abilene, MO before the Eisenhower museum closes at 4:45pm.

Day 4

*This blog post is one day late because our Internet connection in Moab was too slow. I think this post will more than make up for it being a day late. :o)

Before I tell you about day 4, I’d like to let you in on a little secret. After 3 days of surface details about my trip, I think it’s time to let you know something a little more personal about my trip thus far. While at Bryce, I discovered a new passion. I am obsessed with clouds. I know what you’re thinking. Umm…that’s weird. Hear me out. I saw the most beautiful clouds I have ever seen while in Bryce. I wish I could have jumped up on one of the fluffy clouds to read a book, take a nap, and look down at the magnificence of the canyon under the bright sunshine. In case you think I’m crazy, below are two pictures to show you just how beautiful the clouds are and why my obsession is legit.

Bryce Canyon City, UT to Moab, UT

300.2 miles

Time: N/A

(We drove through Arches National Park before arriving at our hotel, so I’m not sure how long it took to get from Bryce to Moab.)

Highest Temp: 107 (Arches National Park in UT)

Pictures Taken: 145

The drive to Arches was easy and enjoyable. The hostess at a restaurant in Bryce Canyon City told us we should take a different route than we chose because it was more scenic. I can only imagine what “more scenic” means because the drive we took was gorgeous. Below are two pictures from the drive.

I drive for most of every day and let my mom drive when I get tired. Today, I had fun DJ-ing and singing along with the music. I’m quite talented, if I do say so myself. In fact, if the actress who plays Elphaba (Wicked) ever needs a break, I’d be happy to take over. I know almost every word to her songs and am totally fine being painted. Green is my favorite color, which is a bonus. There’s a catch, though. I’d need to have someone else’s voice used in place of mine. While I’m stellar at signing in the car with the music blasting and in the shower with the water drowning out my voice, my voice on stage isn’t quite where it needs to be. I’ll work on that during my spare time in graduate school.

At one point during the drive we encountered a sign that said, “No bull (with a cartoon bull leaning against the sign). There are no services for the next 110 miles.” Well, we freaked out upon seeing that and stopped at the gas station to get the essentials we couldn’t be without for the next 110 miles. Thankfully, the gas station had everything we needed (tea, red vines, and gummy bears).

When we arrived at Arches it was HOT! The temperature while we were there ranged from 100 to 107 degrees. During our hikes the temperature ranged from 101 to 106 degrees. We took about a 20-mile drive through the park and stopped at various places along the way to take pictures and go on hikes.

We started off on our first hike (in 106 degree heat) with the intention of seeing "Balanced Rock". About half a mile into our hike we discovered that "Balanced Rock" was nowhere close to where we were so we turned around. The hike was not pointless, though, because we saw some awesome rocks. Below are two pictures from that hike.

Below are some of the rock formations we saw throughout the rest of the park…

The Three Gossips

Balanced Rock

 North Window

North and South Windows

Turret Arch

 

Delicate Arch

In total, we hiked about 5 miles. It was hot and exhausting, but well worth it. By the end, my left knee hurt to the point where I had to take the “stairs” (rocks made to be stairs) one at a time because I couldn’t bend my knee without pain. When I got to the hotel, my right kneecap hurt every time I bent my leg. I wouldn’t trade my pain for anything because the hikes and views were incredible!

When we got to the hotel, we checked in as quickly as possible and went to a restaurant around the corner so we could watch the final for women’s volleyball. We were so happy that Kerri and Misty won!

We passed the 1,000-mile marker today!

Oh, and I keep forgetting to mention the type of people we have encountered on our trip thus far. I have never seen so many Europeans outside of Europe! It is really neat to hear people talking in their native languages and to hear their accents when they speak English. My mom and I try to guess what languages they are speaking and are usually wrong. The only time encountering Europeans is frustrating is when they give us blank stares because we ask them a question and then realize they don’t speak English. So far, we have seen people from France, Holland, and Ukraine. I think we’ve seen people from Germany, but didn’t ask what language they were speaking so who knows where they were from haha. 

Day 3

* This post was delayed due to Internet access. We had Internet, but it was only available in the lodge, and I was too busy watching the Olympics in bed to leave my room to go to the lodge. :o)

Springdale, UT to Bryce Canyon City, UT

129.6 miles

Time: N/A

(We drove through Bryce Canyon National Park before heading to our motel, so we didn’t get an accurate amount of time it took to get from Springdale to Bryce Canyon City.)

Highest Temp: 80

Pictures Taken: 237

We started off the day having breakfast near our hotel. Below is a picture of what we saw on our walk to the restaurant.

We left our hotel at 9:47am and headed to Bryce Canyon National Park via Zion National Park. 

The drive was breathtaking and BEAUTIFUL! Below are two pictures from the part of Zion we did not see yesterday.

Bryce Canyon National Park was INCREDIBLE! We drove a 36 mile loop and stopped at every location along the route. We didn’t take any hikes, but walked a short distance at almost every viewpoint to take tons of pictures. Below are two pictures from each stop we made. The rest of the pictures will be posted on Facebook.

It rained a bit at the last three viewpoints, but luckily didn’t pour until we were in the car. There were huge booms of thunder and awesome flashes of lighting while were at the last two viewpoints. When we got to our motel we went to dinner at the family owned restaurant next door. I am exhausted. It feels a lot later than 8:15pm. We are watching the Olympics and will be doing that for the rest of the night.