From Michigan to California, up the coast to San Francisco and back....here are the total miles! I think it may be about 5, 743.4......but whatever, that's a lot of miles....GOOD JOB DANTE!!

Total Miles on the car after the trip....

The Crew..hahah

The dinosaur looking map to track where we were on the trip!

Oops!! Forgot a chunk of the end of the trip!

Here's Kara's update from the rest of the trip!!! :)

DAY 8 Mon Nov 12th:

Our first day in LA!!! Ely made us a very nice breakfast that we consumed with massive amounts of coffee. That wasn't until after I of course met her very, shall we say, intense neighbor!! When walking to her apartment a pot fell off this tiny ledge outside his apartment. I knocked on his door to inform him and he rudely barked orders to clean it up without even cracking open his door. Ely later told us he is a very old man who simply walks around in nothing but his underwear so thank goodness that door was never opened!!

After breakfast we went to Runyon Canyon for a nice morning hike... Thankfully it was no challenge when compared to the Grand Canyon! We walked for a little while before reaching a lookout point where we could see not only the city but the infamous "Hollywood" sign as well. After that it was time to get back to the car (parked just down the road from Sheryl Crow's house) and get Ely, the up and coming actress, to USC for her audition! Katie, Samm and I had planned to park on campus and walk around while we waited but Samm had already made one gutsy move cutting between closed gates in front of a cop so we decided to hang in the car and simply wait. Again, thank goodness for those puzzle books of Katie's! Samm found a shady spot and we all worked on crosswords until Ely was done. I thought students at MSU were crazy... these kids didn't seem to even notice cars driving around campus! Spencer works over at Paramount and was nice enough to get us all passes to get in for free! So after the audition, Ely led three very giddy girls through the gates and into what seems like an entirely different world all together. Spencer picked us up off the streets of "New York" in a golf cart and gave us an incredible, and very behind the scenes tour of Paramount!!!! We got to see different studios, Spencer's office, an actual set for a TV show (they're so crammed together) and even drove by Chevy Chase's car!! Little did we know five mins later we would see Chevy Chase. IN PERSON!!! "Are you happy now, Clark?? She's deaf!!" We drove right by him and had to do everything in our power to not go crazy and start yelling at him. (Being from MI doesn't warrant a lot of star sightings). Not five mins later I thought I was going to have to hold Samm from jumping off the back of the cart as we drove by Kevin McHale (he plays Artie in the TV show Glee). Unless he wears his costume around in real life they must have been in the middle of shooting an episode. After all the excitement we went to the gift shop where Samm picked up a coffee mug before us three ladies had to part ways. We said our thank you's and goodbyes until later and took off toward Hollywood Blvd. I had never been so Katie and Samm took me down to see all the stars impressions. Somehow I missed Tom Cruise but got a picture with a framed photo of him leaving his mark outside the Chinese Theatre. We didn't however miss the cast of Twilight (the final movie comes out in four days)!!!! Next it was up a set up stairs turned into a piano (yes it in fact plays music as you step on each step) and off to Hollywood and Vine where Samm was more amused by the people walking around than anything. It was starting to get dark and we were all famished so we went back to the apartment and ate leftovers. Spencer and Ely were going to take us to Universal City Walk after her class but Katie, Samm and I were so exhausted we watched "Accepted" and passed out instead.

DAY 9 Tues Nov 13th:

Samm looked online last night and found a reasonably cheap hotel two hours north of LA right on Avila Beach; so we awoke relatively early, had breakfast, packed up the car and went on our way. Of course not before Ely played paparazzi and snapped a million pictures of us.

The hotel was very homey so the three of us settled in, took in a sunset on their gorgeous sunroof then made some spaghetti for dinner. We got some California wine and settled in to watch the first part of Twilight Breaking Dawn as Katie had yet to see it!!! It took us about four hours to get through the movie as we paused it on several occasions to get in some much needed girl time as well as making a mad dash to the only store in town for another bottle of Moscato!! In order to enhance our movie viewing experience we took one bed and turned it perpendicular to the other one so we could all be close. It was still early when we did finish Twilight so we took our wine on the roof an hung up there until bed time!!

DAY 10 Wed Nov 14th:

Maybe the bed arrangement for our "movie viewing" experience wasn't the best for sleeping. Samm awoke completely turned around on the rearranged bed, the sheets all torn off! We moved it back around expecting to be checking out that day. After further discussion, however, we all decided we wanted to have a day of complete relaxation instead. So we booked a second night and headed across the street to catch some rays along the beach.

I went for a short run along the water before meeting up with the girls on the beach. Its official... when I eventually settle down it will be along the water. The hotel let us borrow chairs so we sat on those and tried to remember how to do absolutely nothing!! After a while hunger took over and we went inside to make some sandwiches before moving to our favorite spot: the rooftop!! There Katie and I curled up on a hammock and Samm took to a very comfy chair with lots of pillows!! We read, worked on puzzles, napped, whatever suited us until snapping shots of a gorgeous sunset!! Katie broke our usual pattern of indecisiveness and decided we should continue to do nothing and go out for dinner instead of cook ourselves.

After changing and freshening up we went to the only bar in Avila: Mr. Rick's. Thankfully this place is nothing like the Ricks of EL! We got some beer for happy hour, ate seafood and enjoyed one another's company in a bar where we didn't know a soul (a rare experience for us after living on Mackinac). Well one pitcher turned into two which quickly became three and before we knew it we were singing karaoke. Correction: Samm and Katie were singing and I was simply laughing anytime the microphone came near me. It was there we met the bartender Levi who gave us some helpful tips on things to do on our way up to SanFran! He also gave us directions to some natural hot springs right down the road from our hotel. They usually smell like rotten eggs but thankfully the one we went into was small and did not. What a way to finish off Avila!!! :)

DAY 11 Thurs Nov 15th:

Sadly it was time to say goodbye to our cute little hotel :( We will not miss the construction going on right outside our door or the lack of Internet but it was certainly a fun little town to spend two nights in!! From there it was off to Salmon Creek Trail along the Pacific Coast Highway! I felt like Little Red Riding Hood as we literally went over a river and through the woods to see this incredible waterfall. Words cannot even begin to describe how amazingly beautiful it was. If it was warmer and I didn't have three different electronic devices on me I would have jumped in the water!! I thought for sure this view would come in second to the Grand Canyon but I was put in my place about twenty minutes later as we started making our way up the PCH also known as US-1... It was difficult to drive along this twisty turny road and take in the views all at once but thankfully there were plenty of opportunities to pull off to the side and take pictures. So we did just that! What should have been a three hour drive to our hotel (The Sofitel in Redwood City... Thank you Mr. Heberlein!!) ended up being the most breathtaking six hours! As a tribute to Miles and Greg we played, "Circle of Life" while Samm videotaped some of our drive. At one point we hiked down this slope to get pretty close to the water and make a rock formation of the mitten!! We had to leave our mark somehow. I could go on all day about all the incredible views but I figure I will let Samm's pictures do the talking instead...

Once we got out of the mountains and reached civilization, Samm took over for the final stretch into Redwood City. We arrived at The Sofitel and Samm parked the car while Katie and I carried our bag of clothes that very much resembled a dead body (yes people commented) up to the nicest room we have stayed in thus far on the trip! It was just after dinner and Samm and Katie nicely dealt with my not so pretty "hungry side" as I ordered us some Dominos. We quickly stuffed our faces before getting ready for bed and watching the Hangover Part II... Definitely a replica of the first but funny nonetheless. Nighty night!

DAY 12 Fri Nov 16th: KATIE'S BIRTHDAY!!!

Happy Birthday, Katie!!! Last night we had found a theater to watch the new Twilight movie at so we once again packed up our lives and headed out from our seventh home in the past week and a half. The movie was amazing (aside from the few points where Samm almost left the theater ha) to anyone that has followed the series and has yet to see it. It was rainy and gross out so we just decided to make our way to SanFran and figure it out from there. We were staying at my friend Kris's house and he didn't fly back in from work until 10 so we has plenty of time to kill. We started off by driving past the house they used for Full House (even though there are several locations listed as being the one we of courseeee saw the real one :P). Next it was a quick drive through the park before heading to the bridge. They had a place to pull off at so we were able to walk around for a few and get some sweet pictures despite the rain. Our final stop was Fisherman's Wharf!!! Unfortunately it was rainy and dark so we didn't get to do everything we wanted. We did however stop and get some CA souvenirs before we got completely drenched.

Samm and I had been dying to eat sushi while in California so we headed to Sushi Hunter for an all you can eat menu. It was only thirty each and we split eight rolls plus edamame... Ah!! Katie is not a fan of sushi and was a very good sport as she ate some edamame while we stuffed our faces. We offered her some food but she politely declined. It wasn't until she stepped out to smoke that Samm realized she was sitting right in front of an octopus' leg. No wonder she wanted nothing to do with even a taste!

Kris's flight got delayed so we had another hour and a half to kill. We took this time to finally change out of our wet clothes and move the car to a location where we could park overnight. We unanimously agreed living in a big city would be a pain in terms of dealing with parking 24/7. We attempted to go to a bar for Katie's birthday but were having trouble finding one and were getting cold so we went back to Dante, packed some overnight bags and waited until Kris got home. One final walk in the rain and we were finally at our end destination. It was so nice seeing Kris!! I felt bad we couldn't do more for Katie's birthday but the rain took everything out of us. There was a mattress in the living room that Katie and Samm shared right next to the couch I curled up on.

DAY 13-DAY 15 Sat Nov 17th-Mon Nov 19th:

We had planned to stay in SanFran one more night but after yesterday we decided it was time to start the long journey home. I headed out to go grab the car only to find Dante had died :( Thankfully Samm had jumper cables under the floor in the trunk of her car (which I had to access from the back seat) and Kris met me after the gym to get us back on track. Not to say he didn't have to block an entire lane of traffic and make a bus driver very angry but all is well that ends well. We did some laundry while Kris made us a very yummy breakfast to start us off on the right note.

At around 3:30 we got on the road and started toward Michigan!!! Crazy to think the trip is over already... Accounting for the lost hour we made it to Cheyenne, WY in twenty hours!! The three of us showed up just after noon on Sunday exhausted and barely able to put sentences together. Katie's boyfriend, Keogh, met us there from Colorado and was more than generous in booking Samm and myself a room of our own to pass out in for eight hours. We showered up and watched about five mins of the Lions vs Packers game before setting our alarms for 9:30 pm, saying good afternoon and passing out-each in our own bed!!

I could not fall asleep for more than an hour here and there so finally after tossing and turning in bed for two hours I got up a little before nine (10 pm Chicago time) to call my sister. She was just headed to bed so after a quick chat I hung up just as Keogh came into the lobby. We hung out with Katie until Samm got up which meant we once again had to say goodbyes :( After about six rounds of hugs we finally got in the car... And then there were two! Thankfully Samm took one look at me and knew I could not handle the first shift as originally planned. She started out the first part and I passed out in the back seat. Even though it was a million times less comfortable than the bed at the hotel, I was out instantly and for the entire first leg! After that it was just more and more driving and jams until we finally reached Chicago!!!

Those were the final entries from Kara on our trip! I will put more pictures up on Facebook and the blog as I get them edited!! Hope you enjoyed. The trip was amazing and I highly suggest it to anyone else that would want to go!!!

Back home for Thanksgiving...

San Francisco-Golden Gate Bridge

After making the very long journey home in 2 days. Yes. I said it. 2 days. We drove from San Francisco, California to Cheyenne, Wyoming in one day. We arrived at noon, slept from 1pm-9:30pm and then got back on the road to drive again. The next leg was from Cheyenne, Wyoming to Chicago, Illinois to spend a night at our siblings place. We crashed hard that night, and I'm still trying to make up the sleep that I lost in the last few days of the trip. This trip was amazing. I am SO glad I was able to make it, and that the people that came along were able to join.

To Miles and Greg- thank you for bringing humor into all situations.Greg for helping us finish all of our crossword puzzles, Miles for celebrating your Birthday with us in such a special way. To Kara and Katie- thank you for being an emotional support to me when I needed it. I will not thank you for being indecisive....I can't or wait...can I? I dunno...whatever you want to do....;) Kara- for wisdom and maturity beyond your true age. You are an amazing person and I'm so glad I met you on the island and our friendship will carry off of it. Katie- You have been one of my greatest friends over the last 4 years. I can't imagine working without you, or not being within a few minute drive of you. You are the best.

After a very long journey on the road exploring new towns, states, and nature. We come to the day we save each year to give "Thanks". With the kitchen wafting smells of spices, herbs and creative concoctions, and the TV blaring the Thanksgiving football game. We sip on seasonal beers and dip pretzels into sharp cheddar cheese.
I am so very thankful to be able to return home whenever I need to recharge, relax, vent, cry, or just be me. With the next month to organize my life and decide on my future, I take a few minutes to recognize the people that have changed my life.

Thank you to everyone I met this summer on Mackinac Island. It was an amazing experience, and I would never give that up.
To the friends that I have made- May we always keep in touch, or retouch whenever one is needed.
To the challenges I faced over the last 6 months- thank you for remolding who I am and what I will become.
To the people that tried to make my life difficult- may you find something better to do with your time.
To the island- may you always stay beautiful, true to your roots, and smell of horse shit and booze;)

To all my friends that live near and far- may we always be able to meet up, no matter how long it has been, and finish the joke we started telling years ago. Friendship is so important, and I'm glad to say I have amazing friends.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! 

May you give thanks today, and every other day of the year!

Some PCH pictures!

Sunset, Avila, CA

PCH Coast 

Sea Lion....aka..ADORABLE!

I haz an itch.

PCH Coast

Salmon Creek Trail Waterfall...find me if you can!

The road to nowhere....

Beautiful colors.

People left their mark....and so did we:)

Pacific Coast Highway

Avila was an amazing 2 days. We spent some time on the tranquility of the beach. Listened to waves crash as we napped in hammocks. Watched Dolphins and Sea Otters play right in front of us, and saw a fiery red sunset over a mountain range to end the evening. We had a great dinner and 2 wonderful girls nights at Mr. Ricks, a small bar in the small town of Avila right on the water. The last night we met a bartender named Levi and he gave us some suggestions about going up the PCH the next day. After a few rounds of karaoke (oh boy), we called it a night so we could get some rest.
Yesterday we woke up and took our time leaving Avila. Slowly we made our way up the PCH. We have had the luck of great weather this whole trip and lucked out again yesterday on our drive. After missing the off ramp to jump on Highway 1 (PCH) we did a quick 5 minute turn around because we just didn't want to miss it.

DO. NOT. MISS. IT.

The Grand Canyon was amazing, breathtaking and something you can't go without seeing. The PCH is just that. At first we were driving through farm fields and mountains. Until the scenery broke and we were making hair pin turns on cliff drop offs over looking the ocean. Some roads looked like you were driving into the abyss. Our drive should have taken about 3 hours...we turned it into 6 1/2.
To what seemed like our dismay, a road crew was re-marking the roads, slowing traffic down to a near stop. Up ahead I saw a sign for "Lion Seal Viewing Area". Of course we had to stop, and we are SO glad we did!!! Katie nearly lost her mind when we looked over the railing and there on the beach were groups of Sea Lions, all piled on top of each other catching some zzz's. It was their resting period (we learned from an old man that approached us as we were squealing taking pictures). They spent all summer swimming out and diving to their most favorite depths and eating all they could. Now was their time to rest up for mating season and another long year ahead. We got pictures and video of male Sea Lions having a "I"m bigger than you" standoff. More pictures to come:)

We then stopped at Salmon Creek Trail right off the PCH. It wouldn't be hard to miss. The trail took us up into the side of a mountain and only the sound of a waterfall to guide us, we maneuvered around slippery rocks and leaves and with some bouldering, found ourselves in front of a tall waterfall. Surrounded by lush greens, moss, and huge black boulders we sat for a few minutes taking everything in.

Every few miles we would stop at a Vista Point, usually on top off a drop off over looking the ocean, which looked like it never ended. Water to the end of the horizon. Crystal clear tropical waters and dark black rocks accented the crashing waves. There were so many moments we spent not speaking. Smelling the ocean air, hearing the crashing waves and the wind whipping through mountain passes and over fields. It was absolutely amazing.

After a long day driving up the coast we found our Hotel Sofitel of Redwood Shores in Redwood City, CA. Here we rested and watched TV, and ended up falling asleep around 10pm our time. Now it's off to explore more of Northern California around San Francisco!

I took probably 200 pictures, if not more plus about 10 videos. So uploading them is taking around 45 minutes. So for now, I will leave you with your imagination on our journey. More pictures will be posted later, but I have to say, no picture can truly capture what we saw. Everything was so much bigger and the colors so much more vibrant than could be captured on video or picture.

The last few days....

After a few days in Vegas and 2 in LA we found ourselves The Inn at Avila Beach in Avila, CA. Our hotel is right on a small cliff overlooking the ocean. Grabbing some local wine we are cooking a pot of pasta and enjoying the crash of ocean waves....here are some pictures over the last few days and more detailed updates from Kara!

DAY 5 Nov 9th:

So much for sleeping in... We all woke up around eight and started getting ready for the day. Samm and Miles ran some errands while the rest of us bummed around Brandi and Jeromy's apartment. Once they got back we all headed down to the strip. It sure looks different during the day!! We met Jeromy at the Mirage and he showed us around the place before we parted ways to go get food. Then we just walked around and saw some pretty neat stuff. We ended up getting a room at the Flamingo right on the strip so we rushed back home, packed up our stuff and moved on over. Unfortunately we had to use the car top carrier once more but thankfully this really will be the last time!! Once we got all settled, Bacon from the island met us and hung out for a bit before us girls headed to a club. It was neat because we got in for free and were able to pass the line but it is an experience I don't think any of us would care to experience again. It was way too crowded and just reminded us of being back at Horns trying to push our way through the crowd. Shortly after arriving we headed back to the hotel to meet back up with the guys and Katie... Time for bed!!

DAY 6 Nov 10th:

Hoover Dam

Bellagio Ceiling, Las Vegas 

Runyon Canyon, Hollywood, CA

The Inn at Avila Beach, Avila, CA

Miles' birthday!!!!! We hung out in the room for a few before Greg and Jen went to find food while the rest of us went down to check out some flamingos. I met back up with Greg and it was off to find a bank that would cash his cashiers check. Boy did that prove to be more difficult than expected! But we got it done and grabbed Samm and the birthday boy then headed to see Skyfall-the best Bond yet in my opinion. Finally back to the hotel where we got ready for dinner. Jeromy, Brandi, Eric and Miles' friend Zack met us and nine of us went to a fancy dinner in the Flamingo. It was a very delicious dinner and a nice way to spend our last night in Vegas! Then we went from nine to three as Zack, Miles and myself went to an outside bar for his birthday. Definitely a fun first experience in Vegas!!

DAY 7 Nov 11th:

Today was a sad day as we hugged Miles and Greg bye... I thought it would be nice having the entire back seat open but I would rather be crammed and uncomfortable if that meant still having them along. Who is going to finish all of our crossword puzzles now!?? Unfortunately the shuttle to go to the airport was late which meant instead of Miles flying out at noon, he didn't leave Vegas until almost one in the morning!! Poor guy... (But thank you to you two for making the first half of our trip that much better. I know I speak for all of us when I say we wish you were finishing it with us. Better see you both soon!! xoxo)

I stayed out late last night so Samm drove the five hours to Venice Beach. We stopped for Subway about an hour into the trip and I almost died choking after seeing a silly looking trolley and laughing while chewing!! Wish i would have been able to get a picture of it but obviously had more important things to focus on... Unfortunately we arrived at Venice Beach just after sunrise so we didn't get to see it during daylight but there were definitely still interesting people out. I think our favorite was this woman who ran her car into a parking lot gate arm!! We aren't sure if she didn't see it or thought it would move up but this thing was clearly in the opposite direction of the exit and had to have crushed her car some as it noisily rolled onto her roof. After all that excitement we went onto Santa Monica Pier and walked around for a few before heading back to LA to meet Samm and Katie's friend Ely and her boyfriend Spencer. The five of us went to their favorite Mexican restaurant for dinner after getting settled into their neighbors apartment which we will call home for the next two nights. After Katie and I spent ten minutes picking out movies, the three of us passed out by 1030 before even putting one in!!

Kara's Update!!!

DAY 4 Thurs Nov 8th:

Woke up at six for the sunrise. We all rushed around, still half asleep, until 615 when we ran off to the bus. We ended up stopping at Powell Point which was a lot less crowded than Hoapi (where we watched the sunset last night) and still had an amazing view. It rose at 658 and we were able to catch the 718 bus back to our hotel. Somehow we all showered and got the car packed in two hours!! Thankfully this is the last time we have to put the car top carrier on Dante. As useful as it is, it sure is a pain in all of our bums to get it on and off the car. Pretty sure we all have battle scars from it!!

We got on the road around eleven (only ten in Vegas) and headed to Kingman!! This was the place where turquoise was originally found. Samm's mom told us to stop there to get some jewelry so we did just that! We both got really pretty rings and the clerk was delighted when Miles got pumped about a squirrel necklace they had in the case. From there it was on to the Hoover Dam!! We had to go through a security check point and I think we all had mild heart attacks when they told us we had to pull over so they could look in our carrier. Now I guess I didn't properly explain how it works. This carrier is a large bag that zips shut and is held in place by four straps, three running from the front to back of the car and one running from side to side. Sounds simple enough but these straps are a pain to get on in off, not to mention moving the bag itself. The guys got out to take care of business but thankfully the officers decided they only needed them to unzip it a few inches. After the delight of not having to deal with that carrier again we found a parking spot and got out to explore the Dam!!!! It sure was something to see... We got more awesome pictures and were actually able to be in two places at once (the border of Arizona and Nevada).

After that it was less than an hour to Brandi and Jeromy's where they were making us homemade lasagna and pasta. Eric was there too so the eight of us had a nice family style dinner. It was nice being with a lot of my island friends, but this time in nicer accommodations! We headed to the pool and hot tub after all the dishes were done and hung out there until Greg and Miles left to pick up Jen from the airport. We were all exhausted but decided we wouldn't waste any time in Vegas. Jeromy was nice enough to drive us to meet a friend of Miles' at an outside mall just outside the strip. We hung out there for a bit before splitting ways. Katie, Miles and Samm headed back to the apartment while Greg, Jen and myself went to the strip. I think if it weren't for Gregory, Jen and I would have been perfectly content hanging out in the convenience store with the clerks Danny and Frank all night! We were so excited that we could crack open our tall boys in the store and walk out onto the street with them that we got several pictures in that place. After Greg finally got us out of there (yes he had to try more than once) we ran across the street to the Mandalay Bay. There we gambled a little (or rather Greg and Jen gambled while I mostly just sat at the slots) and got some free drinks before heading back to crash. After a very long ride with a cabbie who was more lost then us, we scaled the fence to get into the complex where Eric let us into the apartment. So pumped to sleep in tomorrow!!

Grand Canyon 11/7/12

Wednesday November 7- After a very long drive to arrive at the canyon, we got a chance to sleep in a bit, and by a bit I mean an extra hour. After breakfast at the Maswik, we hopped on a shuttle point to Haibab Trail. For the next 4 hours we went hiking through the canyon. 

****There are a few things that people need to pay attention to, EVERYTHING THE GUIDES TELL YOU! ****

-This canyon is no joke. Wear the right shoes, the gravel is slippery at some point, and the LAST thing you want to do is slip with your possible death less than a foot away.

- Pre-plan your hiking route. Don't just start a trail and keep on walking. Make sure you know the check points you want to reach. Going down the canyon may be a little slow because you're taking in the views and trying not to shake from the height, but you HAVE to keep in mind that the time it takes to go down, will take twice as long to get back up. The switchbacks are steep, the sun is hot, and the oxygen level is low.

-Drink LOTS of water, and bring a lot with you! It doesn't seem that bad on the way down, but once you start climbing back up the canyon, you are surprised how much the elevation and sun effects you. Best way to avoid elevation sickness? WATER.

There are signs with guidelines everywhere with how to trek the canyon safely, but every other sign also shows people that have died because they simply didn't bring water. I can't tell you how many people I saw climbing down the canyon with sandals and UGG boots. 

The canyon is amazingly beautiful and breathtaking, but PLEASE listen to the guidelines. I'm sure glad I did!!

I've been hiking before, but nothing can prepare you for climbing down switchbacks on the face of a canyon with unbelievable drops on either side of you. There were times I had to stand still and get my bearing on the fact that I was on solid ground, but remember that one wrong step and I would be as flat as a pancake a couple hundred feet down....We passed breathtaking views, and daredevils that would stand with their toes on the edge of a cliff and their heads over the canyon. Here are some of the shots I got with shaky hands throughout our hike...

Instructions on how to walk along the ridge....

Switchbacks from the top

The gang right before we left!

First stop along the hike!

Cedar Ridge, second stopping point, and final point for us. 1.5 miles down.

Our hike back up the canyon.

Crazy views!

Our dusty shoes after the hike

After the hike we went to Hopi Point to check out the sunset before heading in for Pizza and a nice sleep after our bodies were beat up from hiking in the Canyon.

Sunset from Hopi Point, Grand Canyon, AZ

Final sun rays on the tips of the Canyon

Sunset along the rim

 After hiking ourselves to exhaustion, eating an awesome Pizza from Maswik Lodge, and star gazing around 11pm, we woke up again at 6am to see the sunrise over the Canyon so we could have both perspectives. No sunrise over a Canyon would be complete without some Circle of Life from the Lion King. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, look at the pictures, then watch the movie again, you should understand:)) There are a lot more pictures from last night and this morning, but I need a lot more time to go through them.

Sunrise from Powell Point, Grand Canyon, AZ

Sunrise over the ridge

Sunrise over the Grand Canyon Railroad tracks

Sorry the updates are so short, but it's proving to be hard to do everything we want to do and have time to sit down, edit photos and update a blog:) Here's what I have and I will post as much as I can later, plus keep checking in for Kara's updates! For now, I leave you with an Elk....

Route 66 Day 3 - Grand Canyon

Yesterday was absolutely breath taking. Kara will update you on what happened yesterday.

Painted Desert, Arizona

Painted Desert, Arizona

We are using the internet at Maswik Lodge in the Grand Canyon Village about to get on the road to head to Vegas. Tonight we plan on relaxing at our friend Brandi's place which will give me time to upload/edit some photos for the blog...for now, check out Kara's update!! :)

DAY 3 Wed Nov 7th:

We all woke around eight this morning-which to us still feels like ten due to the time changes. After showering and getting all packed for the day we made our way to Maswik's lounge for a real, very expensive, breakfast... In addition to filling our bellies, we got access to the Internet, filled up our water bottles and figured out our game plan for the day. After talking to Gina at the front desk we decided to take the "Kaibab Trail" despite it's lack of canyon on either sides of the trail at certain points.

Miles and Katie were daredevils as they scooted out toward the edges to get good views. If it weren't for Samm and myself having mild heartattacks every time they got within a foot I'm sure they would have sat out there on them. Personally, I found it extremely scary walking down these sandy, gravely paths where two feet to your left or right was a drop whose distance I don't want to begin to imagine. At one point Samm and I had to use our hands as blinders around our eyes because it was literally just a three to four-foot wide path with immediate drop offs on either side!!!!! Once we got to Cedar Ridge a mile and a half down we took quick bathroom breaks and sat out near this one edge for a while. Greg and I even made one of those anukshuks (Greg claims it was the best one of course) and as I'm typing out this blog I found out Samm took pictures of it before even knowing it was ours. After resting for a few it was time to head the mile and a half back up. As much as it was less frightening to climb up as opposed to down, it was also an entirely new level of difficulty! The elevation sure made things hard but we all made it back safely and without any scratches!!

We swung by the hotel for snacks (we never had lunch) before heading to Hopai Point to see the sunset!! We got there with enough time to walk around and get even more pictures of the giant hole. Finally we got back and ordered some pizza for dinner. We were able to watch Modern Family while stuffing our faces!

To top our night off, Gregory went to go look at the stars so we all wandered about ten minutes off to check it out. I don't think I have ever seen stars that bright!! We stayed out there long enough for Samm to snap some pictures and for Katie and Greg's sandal wearing feet to freeze. Time for bed so we can is early enough for the sunrise!!!

Route 66 Day 1 and 2

Blogging is proving difficult when you spend 21 hours on the road the first day, another 11 the next day, and reach the Grand Canyon. No part of me wants to sit at my laptop and update on what's happened the last 2 days. There's also no internet in our hotel room which means walking to the main lodge to use it. I'll try my best to update tonight, but right now. I have some hiking of the Grand Canyon to do!:) More from Vegas I swear!!! Here's some pictures of our adventures so far.....and here is Kara's update that she kept on her iPod the whole time!

ROAD TRIP LOG

DAY 1: Mon Jan 5th

I stayed the night at Samm's house in EL the night before (Nov 4th). We packed up the car and got the car top carrier all situated and after a quick test drive down 127 we chowed down on a wonderful Mexican style dinner!!! Then it was time for us to head to bed at 830! I think this is the first time I have been to bed before my parents since I was little.

Finally the morning of our trip!! I couldn't believe it was finally here. Samm and I awoke just after three, finished putting together the finishing touches and loaded up on coffee. Katie met us at Samm's just after four in the morning and we proceeded to pick up Greg and Miles on our way to the expressway. Thus began the long haul for "Road Trip 2012"!!

Miles took the first leg as the rest of us slept through Indiana and most of Illinois after the initial hype of it all wore off. Next Samm took over the second wave (we had gained an hour!!!) and drove us past the arch in St. Louis, Missouri!! (Wave hi to Jen Palmer)!!! It was rainy but still a really sweet landmark to see. Shorty after that I took over and drove us through the rain and hills that continued on throughout the rest of MO. Katie continued to check the radar to let me know when we would finally be out of The gross weather conditions. Figures it was pretty much the only spot in the entire US that was raining that day. Better than snow and ice though!! Next it was back to Samm for another four hours (which we tried to average per driver as long as the gas tank and lack of sleepiness permitted it). She took us through Oklahoma which was finished off by a gorgeous sunset. The first of many I'm sure!! Next it was my turn to finish us up... I took us across the border into my old stomping grounds... TEXAS!!! We didn't have to go too far (which what isn't too far after driving over 21 hours and passing through six states in one day) before reaching Amarillo where Samm had booked us a hotel a few hours prior. The last hour started to get brutal so I made the mistake of telling Greg (who was keeping me company in the front) that I enjoy doing mental math to pass time while driving. Well then he threw a problem my way which, under normal circumstances of not being sleep deprived/stuck in a car all day or maybe just simply having a pen and paper, would have been a piece of cake. But after our day it was seemingly impossible to complete. Thankfully that passed a good twenty, ok thirty, minutes!!

Of course we were all exhausted when we finally got the hotel and just wanted to pass out but our car top carrier has no locks so we had to undo that and get that in the car for safe keeping. Naturally, some of the synchs got twisted so it made for an even more complicated situation to top it all off. Thankfully everything was taken care of and Samm was able to get the air mattress blown up which enabled us all to crash for a little while.

We must all thank Katie for the puzzle books she brought along for the trip. Without those I think there would only be four of us left on this venture!

DAY 2: Tues Jan 6th (Election Day)

We awoke around 730 in the morning and scarfed down a very minimal continental breakfast (what do you expect for $69 a night?!?) before re-packing the car and hitting the ground running.

Katie had been to this Cadillac Cemetery with her grandparents when she was little and it was right on our way so we stopped there and boy was that a good choice!! There were these ten Cadillacs sticking up out of the ground that you are legally allowed to spray paint graffiti on. Miles found some unfinished cans of paint as well as part of a car so we were all able to spray paint our names on it and get pictures. My dad had given me a book that breaks down interstates and different things to do along them. In it was a picture of the cars taken many many years ago and it is crazy how different they look today!! Of course we also decorated some of the cars for Sparty as well... Greg got in one and pretended like he had crashed. Needless to say we have some pretty cool pictures from that adventure!

We quickly gased up and grabbed any food or drinks we needed before heading out. We stopped quickly in Albqerqe, NM to once again gas up (boy does it go quickly!!) and I gave Samm a break and took over. Next it was a race against time to get to Painted Desert and Petrified Forest. I was there when I was younger but definitely did not remember all of it. All I could say was, "wow!" So much so that Samm began counting how many times it came out of my mouth! They were both in the same state park which was nice because we got there at 435 and it closed at 5. We quickly drove around and stopped off at a few lookout points. First it was Painted Desert which was incredible!! Then after a few stops we drove what seemed like forever until we got into the Petrified Forest. There we pulled off once and were able to see the sunset (5:17) from there. We set up Samm's camera and were fortunate enoua picture of all five of us (which didn't work so well earlier with the Cadillacs ha). Katie and I ran over and got a few pictures of the petrified wood before the visibly annoyed ranger came by and told us very sternly that the park had closed at five and we were to leave immediately without making any further stops. Sadly we all got back in the car and continued on our way. That didn't stop us from "pausing" our game as it came to be known (because we would pull up to a lookout, hop out with the car still running, get our pictures, hop back in and continue on) and snapping a few more priceless moments. The sky was a gorgeous pink and blue... How could we not??? Thankfully just past the exit was a group of petrified logs so Samm was able to get some shots.

Miles took over driving the last leg to get us to the Grand Canyon!!! Food was impossible to find so we ended up munching on some vegetables!! I cannot wait to have a real meal... Hopefully it is soon!! Thankfully we won't be driving for an entire day so we won't be rushing around. An hour and a half out Greg proclaims, "this trip isn't that long when you compare it to.... Jail! I'm out in an hour and a half!? Sweet!" The things that come out of his mouth have sure kept is entertained along the way!! Plus all the different voices he does. Kudos to Katie for only napping once today (yesterday we were all laughing because she couldn't seem to stay awake whatsoever). We were actually able to find some real food once we got off the expressway so with happy bellies we hopped on 180 for our final stretch toward the Grand Canyon!!! Once we got away from the city lights and saw all the stars the past two days of non-stop driving seem so obsolete. In fact Miles spotted two elk. He was able to turn around so we all got a chance to see them clearly!!! It was definitely a site to see!! Ah not ten minutes after that we passed an entire herd of Elks!!! So cool. After that Miles and Samm navigated our way to Maswik Lodge which will be our home for the next two nights. Once we got settled we watched Obama win the election and had a night cap so hopefully we can sleep through Greg's crazy snoring!!

Please disregard any grammar or spelling errors in this blog... It was done late at night and there is no time to correct it before putting it on the blog!!!

4:30 am Departure from Speedway East Lansing, Mi

Sunrise somewhere outside Chicago, IL

The Arch! St. Louis, MO

Beginnings of a sunset in Texas

Awesome sunset in Texas

Route 66 Amarillo, TX

Cadillac Graveyard, Amarillo, TX

Years of Spray Paint, Cadillac Graveyard

Cadillac Graveyard

The Cars, Cadillac Graveyard

Adding my piece

We found out it starts over after 1,000miles.

Kara alphabetized my CD's.