Denver: Runner's Paradise :)

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-239-283-318-5346-0,00.html

Share the Road!!!

Please sign the petition!!!!!!! Can't wait to get my bike out here, I miss it!

http://www.BicycleColorado.org/to/ShareTheRoad

Great American Road Trip Final List

We saw over 70 "sights" which consisted of towns, cities, national parks, state parks, forests, etc. We were on the road 60 days total, about 3 of those we were driving back to Denver, our new home of choice. It went so quickly. You could easily spend weeks, months, years, at a lot of the places we saw quickly. Hopefully we'll return soon. Here is the final list:

Blackwood, NJ
Atlantic City, NJ
Ligonier, Pa
Washington, D.C. /Centreville, Va
Chapel Hill, N.C.
Cary, N.C.
Myrtle Beach, SC
Georgetown, SC
Charleston, SC
Folly Beach, SC
Hampton Plantation, SC
Bluffton, SC
Hilton Head, SC
Savannah, Ga
Skidaway Island State Park
Francis Marion National Forest
Cumberland Island, Ga./St.Mary's Ga
Clemson, SC
Vicksburg, Miss
Tyler, TX
Dallas, TX
Austin, TX
Van Horn, TX
Fort Stockton, TX
Guadalupe Mountain National Park
Carlsbad Caverns, NM
Roswell, NM
Valley of Fires, NM
White Sands National Monument
Oliver Memorial Park (Alamagordo)
Santa Fe, NM
Highlands Ranch, Co/Denver, Co
Boulder, Co
Stop in Vail, Co
Moab, Utah
Arches National Park
Canyonlands National Park
Salt Lake City, Utah
Park City, Utah
Village of Solitude and Brighton
Provo, Ut
Boise, Idaho
Auburn, Calif
San Leandro, Calif
Hayward, Calif
San Francisco
Mount Tamalpais, Calif
Golden Gate Park
San Rafael, Calif
Half Moon Bay, Calif
Monterey, Calif - the Monterey Aquarium
Carmel, Calife
Point Lobos State park
Santa Barbara, Calif
Morro Bay, Calif
Lompac, CAlif
Los Angeles, Calif
Santa Monica, Calif
Venice Beach, Calif
Temecula, Calif
San Diego, Calif
Sedona, Az
Phoenix, AZ
Tempe, AZ
Scottsdale, Az
Flagstaff, Az
Grand Canyon National Park

Future Colorado Adventures!

We are really looking forward to exploring our new home, the state of Colorado. We've made a list of things we want to see and do:

Rocky Mountain NP
Gunnison, CO
Leadville, CO
Fort Collins, CO
Colorado Springs
Estes Park
Durango
Mesa Verde NP
Great Sand Dunes National Monument
Aspen and back to Vail
Back to Boulder (I think we'll go often)
Cheyenne WY ( to visit my friend Matt)
Florissant Fossil Beds Nat'l Monument
Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP
San Juan Skyway
Ouray, Co (hot springs!)
Telluride
Breckenridge
Georgetown, CO

Places we still want to see!!!!!

We were able to see so much on our trip but there is much more to explore. In addition to re-visiting all the sights and cities we saw on this trip, we've come up with a list of things we missed in the USA that we'd like to get to someday:

Crater Lake NP
Bryce Canyon NP
Zion NP
The Wave Trail (border of Utah and AZ)
Yosemite
Acadia
Yellowstone
Portland
Seattle
Glacier NP
Grayson Highlands (Lisa really wants to see the wild ponies)
Los Alamos/Trinity Test Site
Big Bend NP
Death Valley NP
Joshua Tree NP
Mesa Verde NP
Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument
Vermont Tour (Ben and Jerry's, Cheese factory)
Taos, NM
Hawaii!!
Grand Teton NP
Madison, WI
Petrified Nat'l Forest
Alaska
Chicago (Josh has never been)
Meteor Crater (AZ)
Grand Canyon over night with white water rafting
Sunset Crater Nat'l Monument
Wupatki Nat'l Monumen
Rainbow Bridge
Capitol Reef
Back for an overnight at White Sands NM
Navajo Nation (we drove through it but didn't get to see anything really)
Saguaro NP
Apache Trail
Congaree NP

And many more!!!

The Apartment!!!!!!!

We love this place! In order: Bedroom, Kitchen, bathroom, view of the Denver skyline from our living room window, Living room.

Conclusion

Needless to say, I’m disappointed the road trip is over. It was a great 2 months that went by so quickly. In those 2 months we were able to see America from a unique vantage point. Driving through the beautiful scenery proved that this trip was not just about the destination but the journey. I was awed, amazed and inspired by the beauty that I am so fortunate to live in. We met so many great, friendly people in our travels. In our 2 months we really only scratched the surface of what there is to see and do in this country. This fact is further proven by 2 couples we met who have been traveling the USA in their RVs for over 3 years now. I’m so glad we expanded our trip to include many national parks other than just American cities. I am deeply grateful to the National Park Service for preserving so many places of beauty in this country. Once I am gainfully employed I plan to make a donation to see the continued success of the National Park system to educate, protect and preserve the enormous amount of beauty in our country’s boundaries. Though having some commercialized development near a natural wonder is a little upsetting, it does get people out to see the wonders in the USA.

Going in the fall afforded us the opportunity to see many sights and cities with less people, and saved us money at off season hotels and hostels, but the cold ended up costing us more as we went on b/c I don’t have a winter sleeping bag. And Josh was kind of sick of camping since he did that for 6 months on the trail. One of the best parts of this trip was seeing all of our friends and family who live in their own pockets of the USA and who welcomed us into their homes! The best way to see a city or town is to have a local take you around :) Thanks to everyone who put us up for a few days! We will certainly return the favor.

Maybe it’s because I grew up on the East coast, but as we kept driving, and we were surrounded by the incredible Rocky Mountains, it was a constant reminder that we were making the right decision. The vastness of the move, and the fact that we were moving closer to the mountains and new things....made you get excited and ready to start a new chapter. I know Westerners come to the East coast and are enamoured by its beaches, large cities with so much to offer and great food :)but there is truly something unique about the West. Especially in the Southwest where the Native American culture is shared and celebrated, you can really gain a sense of roots in the USA.

I was excited to see all the different state license plates we saw out on the road (though, for the record, I only saw one Jersey license) b/c it meant that others were getting out there and seeing this country, too. I’ve traveled for a long period of time before in Europe, and this experience was just as rich in different ways. Though, I kept hearing my mom’s voice in my head when we’d see something truly special. “America First!” she loves to say.

Travel is great for the mind, body (man I’ve enjoyed those McDonald’s fries, ha! Kidding, we ate a lot of local food, too) and soul. It renews your sense of wonder and hunger, challenges you in situations and ways that your daily routine won’t. Makes you excited to get out there to see, feel and touch things. Not to mention the great memories, laughs and stories you’ll keep for a lifetime.

Always remember, in the words of Supertramp: Take the long way home!! We certainly did, and it was worth every penny.

Now on to life’s next adventure: finding a good job, friends and fun in our new city! Please come visit us in Denver, Colorado. Thanks for reading, I hope you had as much fun following us as we did exploring. Thanks for all your support over the past 2 months as we’ve been traveling, finding our new place to live in an unconventional way. We really appreciate it and We miss everyone.

Until next time…Happy Trails!

Things to do on next trip:

More photos of places we’ve eaten

Keep better track of our quotes of the day

Find more time to write the blog and in my own journal

Incorporate more photos of stuffed animals. They were funny!

More photos of just us i.e. hound more people

Have more money (when ISN’T this part of a list?)

Buy a winter-rated sleeping bag

A decision has been made!!!!!!! December 9-11, the Drive Back "Home"

We're moving to Denver, Colorado!!!!!!!!!!

We're very excited! Denver fits best what we wanted in each city, and I guess we can say "You were right" to the hundreds of people who said we'd end up there. We really liked the feel of the city and the easy access to outdoor activities.

We expect visits from everyone (but after we get jobs, please)!

The Best and Worst of the Great American Roadtrip

Stats and The Best and Worst of the Road Trip

We’re compiling a list of the best and worsts of The Great American Roadtrip 2006.

# of days on the Road – 60

Miles traveled - Over 9,000

Most Expensive Day- $159 in Monterey, Calif (this included an oil change and trip to the Aquarium)

Least Expensive Day- $0 in Highlands Ranch -- Thanks to the Park family!

Longest day of driving- 9 hours to Mississippi from South Carolina

Shortest day of driving- 1 hour - Albuquerque to Santa Fe

Nights at a campground-

Nights at a hostel-

Nights in a hotel (Thank you Quality Inn Inc. for running your buy 2 get one free! Nights)

Nights spent with a friend

Number of laughs - immeasurable

Best Happy Hour Deal – Conch Restaurant in Savannah, Ga

Best Campsite – Guadalupe National Park in Texas

Best Lodging Deal (that we had to pay for) - $30 for 2 nights in Charleston (tent camping in the parking lot)

Best Lodging Deal (free) – Francis Marion Nat’l Forest, 20 miles north of Charleston, SC

Best Breakfast – Tia Sophia’s in Santa Fe

Best Dinner - Crab Shack in Charleston, S.C.

Best Lunch - Sherpa Restaurant in Boulder, Co and little Mexican place in Van Horn, TX

Best National Park – This was a really tough one, but it's a tie btw Arches National Park in Utah and the Grand Canyon

Best bargain souvenier – Josh’s $5 Moab Tshirt

Best Off-the Beaten Path stop – Valley of Fires in New Mexico

Worst Hostel – Route 66 Hostel in Albuquerque

Worst Meal – stuffing and SPAM canned corned beef

Weirdest Meal- New Mexican Italian food in Albqu

Worst Campsite Deal – Skidaway Island (very nice) but it was $$! South of Savannah. $50 for 2 nights.

Most Overpriced Cities: Park City, Utah, San Fran, L.A.

Some of the big Highlights for us on this trip: Arches NP, The Grand Canyon, Denver and Boulder, Charleston, the freedom of everyday, Thanksgiving in San Francisco, The California Coast, The Monterey Bay Aquarium

Some bad happenings, though they're pretty funny now: Accidentally kicking a homeless guy out of a park, Sleeping in our car, Sleeping in Santa Fe at 8,000 feet elevation, getting lost,
not being allowed to participate in a time share video b/c we were unemployed.

The Grand Finale - The Grand Canyon December 8th

The Grand Finale certainly lived up to its name. I got choked up seeing it. We visited the Grand Canyon on a particularly bright and sunny day so the photos really don't do this canyon justice. I'm looking forward to coming back and hiking down to the bottom of the GC.

Sedona, AZ and Flagstaff, Az December 7th

Phoenix and the surrounding area December 6th-7th

Santa Barbara and Los Angeles November 30th- Dec 2nd

With Jules in Santa Monica, Calif.

Temecula, Calif and San Diego, Calif November 3-December 5th