TravelStream™ news feed for member amcgilli on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/amcgilli en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Mon, 16 Jul 2007 11:03:26 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amcgilli/crosscountry_07/1184467740/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amcgilli/crosscountry_07/1184467740/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amcgilli/crosscountry_07/1184467740/tpod.html Mon, 16 Jul 2007 11:03:26 -0400 Helping Rachel move to Massachusetts. Going through 14 states along the way!!

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New York City, New York, United States

Pictures from the Big Apple.
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Hoboken, New Jersey, United States

Pictures from Hoboken, New Jersey.
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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Pictures from Philadelphia, PA.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amcgilli/crosscountry_07/1184372280/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amcgilli/crosscountry_07/1184372280/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amcgilli/crosscountry_07/1184372280/tpod.html Fri, 13 Jul 2007 22:58:38 -0400 Helping Rachel move to Massachusetts. Going through 14 states along the way!!

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Denver, Pennsylvania, United States

Rachel and I have lost it. I blame Indiana. Rachel blames it on the directions to Lowell, Massachusetts, via Philadelphia and NYC. Really, it's probably a combination of our late start on the 12th, the crazy traffic in Chicago, the crappy roads in Indiana and our late arrival in Ohio... and then driving all day today. It's a lot for a young mind to handle.

On the 12th, we got up at 9am when we planned to leave at 8am. By the time we checked out of the hotel, we were an hour and a half behind schedule. Rachel bravely took Chicago traffic head-on. We had a hard time getting into town (away from the dead ends, alley ways, and cement factory) and finding a parking spot, but we made it.

Both of us were looking forward to getting out of the car and on our way to Wrigley Field. In my excitement and complete ignorance concerning public transportation, I purchased a $20 subway ticket when the round-trip cost is $4. And then, in the awkwardness that is my life, I couldn't figure out how to swipe the ticket to get past the gate. Someone had to shout directions at me... and now I'm thinking that a big city could eat me alive.

Despite my own stupidity, we enjoyed walking around the block of Wrigley Field and looking at the rooftop bleachers. I had the pleasure of driving out of Chicago, but ended up driving around the outskirts of downtown for at least 20 minutes before asking for directions. Once we found the freeway, I missed an exit and therefore drove around for another 15-20 minutes backtracking and getting onto the correct freeway. And then once we got onto the correct freeway, we were introduced to an eastern American phenomenon: the tollway.

Not only were we calming down from the Chicago-induced stress, but we had to pay to cross a bridge over to Indiana (a bridge with a McDonald's in the middle of its freeway) and to get onot the Indiana freeway. And then we had to pay to get off the exits. It wouldn't have been so bad if (1) the highways were decent, (2) the rates were decent, and/or (3) Indiana was even pretty. Since none of the above were true, Indiana sucked. With the traffic (see picture of crack in the freeway) and our late start, we didn't get to our hotel until at least 8:30pm.

Meanwhile, Rachel and I are doing out best to maintain our sanity. The leg room in the passenger seat is nonexistent. Each time we have to get back into the car, our souls hurt a little bit more. And it is easily seen on our faces that we are slowly going crazy. We point at and describe roadkill with more precision, the passenger's seat belt comes off more frequently in order to search through the abyss of the back seat, and the yelling at fellow drivers and miscellaneous inanimate objects is... well, constant. When we get to the hotel, we throw our stuff on the floor and greedily take up the entire space of each of our queen beds. Our mutual insanity seems complimentary so far.

Today was definitely less eventful. Rachel kindly drove the entire way. Although Pennsylvania drivers are much more aggressive than any other state. The state also hosts a lot of very long tunnels through mountains. I'm easily impressed, I know. Rachel points this out quite frequently.

Tomorrow will bring us a lot of adventures, I'm sure. It's the last day of driving, but we're stopping through Philadelphia and NYC on the way. I get to drive on the New Jersey Turnpike, and while my dad thinks that Portland traffic has well prepared me for the greater world of transportation... I'm not as convinced. But I'm traveling with a fellow Catholic, we have a cross and prayer cards in the car, so hopefully that will help us out a bit. Your prayers are welcomed as well.
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South Bend, Indiana, United States

Pictures of stupid Indiana.
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Chicago, Illinois, United States

Pictures from Chicago, IL.
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Peru, Illinois, United States

We are living in a small small world. Small... Rachel and I were on our way out of Kearney, Nebraska, when Rachel pointed out the first Oregon license plate we've seen since Boise. Of course, I got really excited and looked at the plate frame to see which city it came from. And it was from Eugene/Springfield. So, of course, I got even more excited. Out of pure curiosity, I looked to see if I knew the two in the car while we passed. Randy Derrick, my first date to a high school dance, was driving with his brother in the same car Randy had in high school (I recognized the vanity plate after I looked at it a second time). Rachel was asking if she should slow down so I could wave or write a message on a piece of paper to hold to the window or flag him down. I said no, but it would have been nice to make sure he knew who was staring at him in shock.

Iowa turned out to be quite inhospitable. No "Welcome to" sign, and the welcome center was off a mile-long, one-lane, poorly paved road. And there wasn't even a sign that said "Iowa" on it there! We were ready to be just disappointed with the state until we fell in love with the landscape and sky and barns and farmland. Gorgeous.

We're staying in Peru, Illinois, tonight. It has a Target. The first Target in a city we've stayed at this whole trip. And the radio stations have more than county and/or Christian music. We've hit a goldmine, folks. Yet, it's still a small city. We saw the new Harry Potter movie tonight (high recommended if you're a fan of the books) and were surrounded by people who knew each other. They didn't come together. They didn't sit together. They just knew each other. Rachel and I felt very out of place knowing that people knew we weren't from the area. Our UP shirts might have given it away, too.

Tomorrow we venture off to Chicago and Norte Dame. I'm excited to see buildings higher than three stories. Maybe even an urban area not surrounded by corn. I have become easily pleased.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amcgilli/crosscountry_07/1184120700/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amcgilli/crosscountry_07/1184120700/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amcgilli/crosscountry_07/1184120700/tpod.html Wed, 11 Jul 2007 23:42:57 -0400 Helping Rachel move to Massachusetts. Going through 14 states along the way!!

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Kearney, Nebraska, United States

We drove all day today. Started at 10:15am Mountain Time, ended at 7:30pm Central Time. Total time on the road: 8 hrs, 15 min. 580 miles.

How have Rachel and I not attempted to kill one another? Well, today we were tired. So there really wasn't energy for bickering. Also, there's not much to bicker about. Rachel pointed out earlier that the only things we can really complain about is if the other is driving too slow/fast or smells bad. Since we don't have issues with each other's driving, and since we've accepted the fact that we both smell, there's no tension.

Even though we haven't really gotten out of the car to explore the mid-west, there are some qualities that are pretty clear just from the car. Rachel deemed one such characteristic the "unabashed Christianity of middle America." (see pictures for example) Also, there are a lot of cattle (none of which we have seen dead on the side of the road). I'm not quite sure what that says about the area, except that I've been challenged to find a vegetarian meal. Lastly, Rachel and I stick out. Today we were wearing matching shirts which warrants the stares. But even yesterday in Wyoming, we could tell that people were wondering where we came from. I'm not sure if it's our lack of Wranglers, our west coast jargon, or just because the locals have never seen us before, but we are definitely not one of the middle Americans we are surrounded by.

My brother will be pleased to know that we are not going to the Field of Dreams tomorrow. Although we had hoped to stop by (and when I say we, I mean me), it would add too much time onto our trip. So instead we will be driving further into the mid-west: out of Nebraska and into Iowa.

This is the furthest Rachel and I have ever been from an ocean... ever. It doesn't seem strange until we started to think about how we felt stuck in the middle of this ginormous country. Instead of fearing tsunamis, we're in tornado country... I don't know which is worse.

Enjoy the random pictures from the road... expect more of the same tomorrow!

(pictures to come soon... Kearney, NE Days Inn has poor internet connectivity.)
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amcgilli/crosscountry_07/1184046540/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amcgilli/crosscountry_07/1184046540/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amcgilli/crosscountry_07/1184046540/tpod.html Tue, 10 Jul 2007 02:07:11 -0400 Helping Rachel move to Massachusetts. Going through 14 states along the way!!

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Rock Springs, Wyoming, United States

Rachel and I learned a few things about the art of road tripping...

(1) Schedule the day well, and stick to it--We hoped to be on the road by 9am, spend an hour in Salt Lake City, and only make stops for food and gas. We actually ended up leaving Boise at 9:45am, spent 2 hours in Salt Lake City, and stopped to take pictures a few times (by the "Welcome to.." signs). Consequently, we arrived in Rock Springs, WY, after 8pm.

(2) Reserve a hotel room--Arriving at our destination 2 hours later than originally anticipated, we were frustrated/nervous/stressed/bewildered to find that all the hotels off of the suggested exit were full. Apparently in the past two years, Wyoming has seen a gas/oil boom that has attracted many people. So many, in fact, that by 8-9pm each night, hotels are turning people away all of Wyoming and sending them to Utah or Colorado. We ended up getting the last of three rooms (the last non-smoking) at an Econo-Lodge. If we didn't get that room, it would have been a decision to sleep in a smoking room or the car. Both equally undesirable.

(3) If Wal-Mart already stresses you out, don't go into a Wal-Mart SuperCenter--Pretty self-explanatory. Do you know how many people go to those places?! It's incredible! Anyway, the less stress inflicted during driving hours, the better it is for driver and passenger. Rachel and I practically raced out of there with groceries in hand.

(4) Don't stare at the roadkill--It really can be disgusting... especially if it's a big animal. And there has been a lot of roadkill. Especially since we're driving in a rural area. Driving slowly by roadkill is also not recommended.

(5) Laugh at everything--i.e.: the trucks speeding past and honking as we take pictures by the "Welcome to..." signs; Mormon country; any other kind of country; the disgusting amounts of signage/advertisement for Little America (see photos); the hesitancy to change a fuzzy radio station with the fear that only country stations will be clear; no signs of civilization for miles and miles; each other's boredom; nothing at all.

(6) Stare and appreciate the scenery--Even when driving!... well, maybe not stare. In all seriousness, Wyoming has been the most beautiful drive. Eastern Oregon, Idaho, and most of Utah were pretty boring. But the end of Utah and all of Wyoming thus far has been breath-taking.

(7) Love your vehicle--Rachel decided that her Dodge Neon needed a name. After vetoing my suggestions (Zelda, Bitsy, Gretchen), she decided on Gloria. Quite a nice choice, actually. She even has her own song. In any case, Gloria has been such a trooper, providing us with air conditioning, music and beating the semi's up the seemingly endless hills.

Tomorrow is the rest of Wyoming and Nebraska. We aren't stopping anywhere for anything besides gas and food. We're actually going to stick to that plan and cover a lot of land. Updates probably won't be necessary... but expect pictures (and look at the ones from Salt Lake City in the previous entry!).
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amcgilli/crosscountry_07/1184035081/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amcgilli/crosscountry_07/1184035081/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/amcgilli/crosscountry_07/1184035081/tpod.html Tue, 10 Jul 2007 00:49:08 -0400 Helping Rachel move to Massachusetts. Going through 14 states along the way!!

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Salt Lake City, Utah, United States

Pictures of Utah and Salt Lake City.
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