Mile High City

Day 17 05/21/2010

Today we are able to sleep in! We leisurely awake from our slumber and actually take our time to get ready, etc. We head over to the Red Rocks Amphitheater, where there were lots of graduations going on. Apparently, it is a huge honor and a prestigious accomplishment to perform in the amphitheater. It was a really cool sight, with the seats and stage built into the rocks. We hiked on a trail to see the plethora of natural red rocks. Our other exciting event was to go down the Alpine Slide, which is where you sit on a cart and slide down the mountain side and control your own speed. However, all of the Alpine Slides were closed....So from there, we just drove around to the mall and walked around. Today we were able to just stay in and relax, before our boring trek to get to St. Louis, MO.

The Long and Winding Road

Day 16 05/20/2010

We were going to wake up early so we could hit the road and arrive in Denver, CO at a decent hour, however, we got a late start. We ate breakfast in one of the many hotel restaurants, this one called Il Fornaiu. After that, we finally take to the road. It was a loooong drive. We drove pretty much straight through Utah, fairly uneventful except for the gorgeous canyons! The roads in Colorado were pretty entertaining though. They had certain caution signs for truck drivers, such as "Don't be fooled drivers. You are not down yet." There were also some steep declines that had runaway truck lanes just in case the drivers lost control or couldn't brake! We finally get to the Denver area where we stay at Melissa's sorority sister's house (shoutout to Amanda Asch!) .

This isn't the real Caesar's Palace, is it?

Day 15 05/19/2010

Viva Las Vegas, baby! Today we head over to the city of blinding lights, continuous gambling, and endless buffets. We take the scenic drive over to see the Hoover Dam, an engineering wonder. The bridge they built was also a structural marvel to behold. There was a certain spot you could stand on where you were literally in 2 states at once, Nevada and Arizona. It was definitely amazing. Then we check into our hotel - New York New York. Shoutout again to Joe!! Without you, we'd probably have stayed at Motel 6 again. This hotel was awesome! So touristy and everything! The rooms were in different sections of the real New York skyline. They also had a replica of the Statue of Liberty and the Brooklyn Bridge. Another bonus - a roller coaster. The game rooms were located on the bottom of the hotel, and there were many theaters and performance halls. We found a drag show called Divas Las Vegas - so much better than we expected! It was in the Imperial Palace hotel, also a very cool place. The show was so hilarious! They did a fantastic job, and the guys could walk in heels better than we can. They had divas such as Britney Spears, Cher, Madonna, Celine Dion, Liza Manelli, Beyonce, etc. Afterwards, we head over to the Bellagio to see the musical water shows, only to be a couple minutes late! We did, however, run into 3 guys who were also roadtripping. What a coincidence! We talked with them for a few hours, swapping road trip stories and such. It was so unusual to happen, what a small world! Vegas was so much fun, even for those underage. There was so much to do in the city that we didn't even do half of the things we planned! Which means we are coming back soon.

Big Ass Trees and the Moon

Day 14 05/18/2010

Today was all nature-inspired. We drove over to Yosemite National Park to see the giant sequoia trees. We were in for a surprise - there were snow flurries and snow caked all over the ground! And this is summertime! Oh the irony. Needless to say though, it was "cool" and the trees really were giant! So giant that you could not get a complete tree in one shot. We hiked all over the trails to get to Touloumme Grove, where there were about 12 sequoia trees. There was also one called the Tunnel Tree, where you could walk underneath it! We wish we had more time to spend there, it would have been amazing to camp there amidst the mountains and trees, but we had to head out to get to Lake Tahoe. The drive there was simply stunning. We were literally driving through the Rocky Mountains, and again there was so much snow! The mountains and snow were awe-inspiring. Gorgeous. Words could not do it justice. We were also up 10000 feet. We arrive at Lake Tahoe. It was like an ocean, as Gillian said. You couldn't see the end in sight, but it was really pretty to see the lake and the mountains. It was a really cool sight to see. Afterwards, we drove past Lake Tahoe so the drive to Vegas wouldn't be so long.

Cookies are Bread

Day 13 5/17/2010



Rain, rain, go away. Today was a typical day in San Francisco, rainy and slightly cold and foggy. We drove over to go see the Golden Gate Bridge, and toughed the winds and rain to get some pictures. After a few wrong turns to find the other scenic spots, we just decided to head over to the Golden Gate Park. Since it was raining, there weren't a lot of people, and a few things were closed, but all the same we just walked around and took in the sights. Feeling hungry, we decide to head back to Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39 to find some food. In-n-Out Burger all the way! We sort of repeated the day before, and went back to Ghirardelli....for more ice cream and free chocolate samples! After that, we rode the famous cable cars. That was so much fun! We stood on the outside facing the streets, which actually leads me to mention that these cable cars stop in the middle of the intersection. Doesn't sound safe at all, does it? Either way, it was so much fun to ride them. What a way to end our time in the great city of San Francisco.

California or Bust!

Day 9 5/13/10

Our first full day in Los Angeles! We started it off right by buying a map of the stars' houses and proceeded to stalk them. It was fun, but rather difficult. Apparently, these famous people have caught on and installed some serious security and view-blocking shrubbery. However, just seeing the houses in Beverly Hills was a spectacle. Our next stop was appropriately the Kodak Theatre, the place where all the stars gather for the Academy Awards. No pictures were allowed inside but we got to go on a very interesting tour, walking in the same halls the Oscar winners walk through. Right across the street was a building where they shot Jimmy Kimmel Live! and we decided to go check it out....and we got in! A nice guy named Link (no lie) guaranteed us in without reservation tickets, and we ended up sitting in the front row of regular seating, right behind the stage managers and camera crew! Everything is so much funnier in person. Afterwards, coming off the high of being on TV (we each have about a second of face/back-of-the-head action on the screen), we finished the day with dinner at In-n-Out Burger, which is the best fast food around.


Day 10 5/14/10

LA Day 2. Today we hit up the Pacific Ocean at Santa Monica and Venice Beach. It was such a beautiful day, with a slight breeze to keep it cool. We walked along the boardwalk and took in the amazing sights of the Pacific coast and the downtown area. We continued walking along the shoreline. We had hopes of swimming in the Pacific today, but due to the frigid temperatures of the ocean, we went no further than ankle-deep in the water. Even that sent a shiver up our spines. Attempting to reach the infamous Muscle Beach, we walked along the streets where all the street vendors (and homeless people) had set up shop to sell their goods. We then drove to the famous Rodeo Drive. We did some intense window shopping and dreaming of the high life while strolling the street. Unfortunately, the stores were a bit expensive for us, seeing as we are poor college students, so we headed over to do some real shopping on Hollywood Blvd. Later that day, we headed to the event we had been waiting for - Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum! We were so ready to pose with lots of celebrities. We'll admit, we went a little crazy when we saw the old Western section, especially with Paul Newman, Robert Redford, and James Dean. Yeehaw it was a blast! The only way to conclude the night after Madame Tussaud's was with dessert in Beverly Hills - the Cheesecake Factory since that was just about the only place open.


Day 11 5/15/10

The day of driving. We leave Pasadena to head to San Francisco, taking the scenic CA-1 that takes us along the coast yet into the mountains at other times. We drove up the mountains where we were literally driving in the clouds. Driving IN the clouds! There were so many curves and rough roads that it was a mini roller coaster ride. Hours of ups, downs, and many turns later, we reached Monterey Peninsula and dined at a restaurant called Paradiso. We had a spectacular view of the ocean as the sun was setting, although the heavy fog obscured most of the sun. After dinner, we took the most direct route to get to San Francisco.


Day 12 5/16/10


We woke up at the break of dawn to get to our Alcatraz Island tour on time. While riding the BART, we saw San Francisco at its finest - today was the day of the city's historic 12k race, in which hundreds of people participate and coordinate teams and costumes. Costumes, as in Supermans, Batmans, Jamaican bobsledding teams, and many many more. All of this bombarded us on our way to Alcatraz - what a sight! Had we known about this earlier, we would have worn our matching CC Roadtrip T-shirts and joined in on the fun. But anyways, we toured Alcatraz complete with audio commentary. That itself was quite an experience - we learned a lot about the island and the inmates as well as regular life on the island. After that we head over to browse along the shops at Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf. The pungent smells of fresh fish, sea lions, and seafood could be smelt a mile away. Continuing our walk, we head to the Ghirardelli Factory. Ghirardelli = Heaven! It didn't matter if it was 60 degrees outside, we sat and ate some Ghirardelli ice cream anyways. To balance out the ice cream, we walked uphill and downhill and up again to find Lombard Street, the crookedest street in the world. By walked, I mean climbed and labored over the ridiculously steep hills. Then we strolled around downtown San Francisco and shopped for a while. We ended our day by staying in for once. Time to relax!

Shoot 'em up, our trek out west.

Day 3 5/07/10

Not wanting to cut our visit to NASA short, we headed over to the Johnson Space Center early in the morning, at the same time the elementary school kids get there. That, in addition to the cool little stations set up inside, made us feel like little kids. We started off with the guided tram tour that took us to the old mission control center and the wing housed the rocket Saturn V. The old mission control was where all the big shots in NASA called the shots. The new one that is used today is in the same building but in a different wing. They made us turn off our cell phones because it might mess up the communication signals. The Space Center overall was very fun, with various activites and shows to keep us entertained. After that, it was off to Austin! Well, technically, it was off to Leander. We stayed with Melissa's relatives for a few nights. Tonight we walked around downtown Austin, stopping at classy latin cantina called Maria, Maria. The first thing that catches your eye, or technically your ear, is the live spanish band. People of all ages were gathered here, dancing and eating. The waiter accidentally delivered us the other tables' quesadilla, so we ended up having a huge feast of delicious food. Then we headed out to check the downtown nightlife which put Gainesville to shame. The place was hopping.
Day 4 5/08/10

Remember the Alamo! Today we visited the Alamo, but first we hit up Barton Creek which is a huge natural preserve with lots of parks and trails in the middle of Austin. It was beautiful. Anyways, on a simple trail that followed the river, we would be the ones to get lost. We ended up missing a few bridges to get back and wound up walking about 2 miles out of our way. We eventually crawled back to the car to drive to San Antonio. It took us a while to find the Alamo. The city is literally built around it. The building itself is tiny but filled with so much history! C'mon, this is where Davy Crockett fought and died. Then we went to Riverwalk. It was a bunch of restaurants, hotels, and shops along the river's edge full of local flavors and tastes.Day 5 5/09/1o


Happy Mother's Day!
Today we ventured to Hamilton's Preserve pool. The pool and waterfall were gorgeous, and the water was freezing! We got to swim in a waterfall, and it was pretty cool. Pun intended. Then we went back to hang with Melissa's relatives who cooked us a delicious spaghetti dinner complete with strawberry pie. Short day because tomorrow we are waking up at four!
Day 6 5/10/10

14 hour drive to Bisbee, Arizona. Fun stuff. Kept busy by watching episodes of 30 Rock and singing to Glee. Driving through the desert was neato. We also passed through several border patrol inspections! The first time the officer asked us if we were US citizens, where we were going and where we came from. The second time he just waved us through. The mountains were very pretty. Finally we arrived at Gillian's aunt's house that was basically in the middle of nowhere. Literally. The GPS kept saying we were in "unverified territory" and that it could not help us. Luckily we found it and then went into the little town of Bisbee for dinner. Bisbee is an old mining town turned artist community. After some delicious pizza we stared at the stars for almost an hour. Even saw a few shooting stars. Because there are so few people near the house we could see more stars then we have seen in our entire life.
Day 7 5/11/10

Woke up and had breakfast in Tombstone! It is a classic old western town in Arizona, complete with saloons, carriages, and people dressed like cowboys. Including us. Thanks to Melissa's planning, we were all equipped with bandannas. After a hearty breakfast and many photo ops, we started another drive to Mission Viejo, California! Here, more of Melissa's relatives were kind enough to put us up.
Day 8 5/12/10


Zoo Day! Today we visited the famous San Diego Zoo. It put Lowry Park and Bush Gardens to shame. Our favorite animal- Pandas!!!! Well, it was only one panda but it was still pretty awesome. We spent all day there looking at lions, tigers, and bears- Oh my! Seriously, the zoo had all of those animals. For dinner we went to a well known sea food joint called Anthony's that was right on the Pacific Ocean. Yummers. Then we drove to LA and found a hotel in Pasadena to stay at for the next three days. Hollywood, here we come.