We made it.
Not today Justin
Alisa U Zemlji Chuda
art blog(derogatory)
KIROKAZE
Xuebing Du
"I'm Dorothy Gale from Kansas"
One Nice Bug Per Day
dirt enthusiast
Cosmic Funnies
todays bird
taylor price

Janaina Medeiros
will byers stan first human second

â
Monterey Bay Aquarium
hello vonnie
macklin celebrini has autism

pixel skylines
cherry valley forever

seen from Malaysia
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seen from TĂźrkiye

seen from United States
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seen from Malaysia
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@2746miles
We made it.

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Day 9: Death Valley (9/9)
Unfortunately, we have no photos today. It's not as if we didn't take any, they just weren't quite descriptive enough of how eventful today was. Or maybe today wasn't eventful enough due to certain setbacks. So, here I am attempting to make this the most enjoyable text post to read, ever!
As someone with anxiety, Vegas is quite the mountain to climb (specifically at night) which is why it was nice to wake up to a still quite fast, yet slower pace of the city. We had two main goals this morning: find a post office, and a garage that would put two new tires onto Brian's trooper of a Ford. It was great to feel a sense of home as we sent some mail to friends and family. The process went smoothly and I hope they all appreciate it. Afterwards, the pickle of the day began to take place. When I say pickle, I mean the tiresome mishap. Speaking of tires, we arrived at Pep Boys at 2 p.m Vegas time. Pep Boys may do "everything for less", but we waited quite long. Actually, the initial 45 minute wait turned into a 3 hour wait. By the time we left the garage it was a few minutes shy of 5 o'clock. Thank you, Brad. Brad was the pro who got us on the road with new tires in a jiffy; please note the sarcasm.Â
We were going to explore daytime Vegas before we left on our (roughly) 2 hour cruise to Death Valley. Unfortunately, we only had time to check out the Stratosphere. I shouldn't use the word unfortunate because it gave us the opportunity to view the city at it's highest point. The sky was cloudy, though, and the photos appeared just bland (for lack of a better word). No worries: we will have captured Death Valley through Brian's camera lens and perhaps mine, if it does the scenery any justice, by tomorrow afternoon. I'm excited because after the hustle and bustle of Vegas, some barren serenity is just what I need...even if it will be 100+ degrees.
Here is where the other setback comes into play. I was beyond excited to travel the extraterrestrial highway, and I know that Brian was too. Sadly, the sun had set. Our curiosity didn't set, but the overcast and darkness above us took away from our ability to read any signs/see those small entry ways leading towards Area 51. Aside from the slight upsets, something interesting did take place while we were driving along it's border. Seemingly out of no where, it began to rain and a strong gust of wind sent the sand ripping towards our car. In the midst of it all, I saw my first tumbleweed! Yes, sandstorms happen in the desert. And yes, occasional rain is common as well. But this all happened in a matter of five minutes or less. We'll allow you to ponder the strangeness of that.Â
We arrived at our destination which was a Motel 6 in Death Valley, just a couple miles off of the ET highway. While Brian was going through his photographer motions (editing and such) inside our room, I went just outside of the motel for a brief walk around. During that brief walk I heard barking and howling, then witnessed (roughly) 5 coyotes along the highway. Which didn't surprise either of us considering we are in the middle of the desert and directly across from the motel are a few jagged mountains. Furthermore, while I was still outside, my eyes captured 4 donkey-mule-horse-esque animals. Later Brian did some research and it turns out that they are termed Burros, which commonly and wildly roam some of the western states.Â
Dreams are on their way, and sleep is much more than needed for the both of us. LA tomorrow night. Time seems to have flashed before our eyes.Â
Antelope Canyon from today in black and white.
Day 8: Las Vegas, NV (9/8)
I don't think we could have had a longer, more eventful day if we tried. Knowing how many miles we had ahead of us, we woke up bright and early at 7 AM and checked out of our cabin style motel room by 8:30. We drove an easy half hour to Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah and were just stunned. I was half awake when we got there, and even though it was a $25.00 entrance fee to the park, it was well worth it. Our first stop was called Natural Bridge, a red rock formation that had an arch within it - formed from millions of years of mountain runoff that finally pushed a hole through the canyon rock. I've seen pictures but they really don't do any justice. Afterwards, we drove to the infamous Sunrise and Sunset Points, the most popular spots in the park. That's where there are these hundreds of tall rock spires poking up from the rugged terrain. It looks like dozens of stalagmites - but a lot larger - and they're a canyon red color. See pictures above.
Afterwards, we left Bryce around 10:30. It seemed like a very short time spent there, but I felt content with what we had gotten to see. We embarked on our four hour journey to the little town of Page, Arizona that laid just on the northern border of the state. On our way through a tiny town of Kanab, Utah, the car started heavily vibrating, and we stopped and got out only to see we had a flat tire to our dismay. Luckily, there were a few tire shops in town and I just drove to the nearest one which was a tenth of a mile away. They replaced two of my tires and we were ready to be on the road again within the hour. I feel very fortunate that it didn't happen earlier or later on that drive that day - many places we drove through didn't have civilization (let alone a tire shop) for long periods of time - sometimes at least 30 miles. Just plain, flat desert. Oh, and no cell phone reception for miles either. So I felt lucky.
After we got back on the road, we headed towards Page and unexpectedly drove by the beautiful Lake Powell, a (controversial) manmade reservoir. We saw (and walked along) the Glen Canyon Dam, which was mesmerizing in itself. The dam itself is a massive 710 feet tall, and I don't think I will ever see that much concrete again in my life.
We finally headed a little further south and got into the town of Page. We booked our (expensive) tour through Antelope Canyon and met at the tour office. I don't think either I or Becky knew what to expect. When it was time to leave, we were shuffled into a large Chevy Suburban with another five person tour group from the Czech Republic and our Navajo tour guide. It was cramped, but just being in the car with those people was so fascinating. Our tour guide drove us through backroads until finally turning on 4x4 and began driving through dirt. Dirt turned into sand, and sand turned into small dunes. It was pretty exhilarating, fishtailing everywhere through a small canyon in the Arizona desert. We finally got to the actual Antelope Canyon, and it was just jaw dropping.
Our tour guide took us in and I just went trigger happy with my camera. Left and right there were incredible views. The canyon is dark, it's about a 30 foot high crevasse of scarlet, lined rock - and we were on the floor of it. The canyon, like most others, was carved by millions of years of floods and runoff. I was very happy I brought my tripod, as I could see other photographers in various tour groups getting easily frustrated with the lack of light for handheld photographs. Every turn of a corner was a new incredible perspective. I found myself frequently falling behind our tour group, trying to capture the brilliance of this place but void of people. I almost felt like I was tainting the place just by being there and breathing in the red dust hovering in the air, it was that sacred. See my pictures in black and white below for more.
After a quick stop at Taco Bell and a gas fillup, we left page at around 5 PM and headed out on our six hour drive towards Vegas. It was our last drive longer than four hours for the entire trip, which was relieving. We sat in silence and let the music orchestrate our desert sunset. We arrived in Vegas around 11 and I drove us down "The Strip," the "Times Square" of Vegas. Most main casinos are on this street and the lights were as vibrant as I remember. It could easily be mistaken for day time if you weren't looking up.
Finally, we went to our hotel/casino, The Golden Nugget, which is on another famous road in Vegas, Fremont Street. Valet was great and immediately serviced my car. It was such a good feeling to have the tiny luxury of someone parking your car for you. We walked in and of course the place was bustling. Drunks yelling everywhere. Slots ringing. The sound of money being wasted. Adults become kids again here. It was interesting though. Our room was easily the nicest hotel room that we've stayed in so far - king sized bed, 42" flat screen TV, the whole works. And for $47.00 for the night, I was sold.
It was a long day, to say the least. The time zones were very screwy. We had begun the day in Mountain Time, entered Arizona in Pacific Time, left Arizona in Mountain Time again, and later arrived in Vegas on Pacific Time. At least we gained an hour of sleep. But we made it through some fantastic sites that I will never forget in my entire life.Â
Well, after that minor setback (a costly one at that...see below post) we are back on the road again. We're currently stopped in the little town of Page, Arizona awaiting to go on our tour of Antelope Canyon at 3:00. We finally made it to the Pacific Time Zone, three hours behind Eastern time. Antelope Canyon is probably going to be one of my favorite highlights of the trip so I hope it's as awesome as I expect it to be. Until later.

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Womp womp.
Day 7: Bryce Canyon, UT (9/7)
The sun shining through the large windows in the loft portion of the barn we stayed in was a pleasant way to wake. After going through routine packing and breakfast, we bid our farewells to my wonderful family who had been so kind to put us up, and then some. Becky began the eight hour drive to Bryce Canyon, but we didnât get far.
On our way back through Glenwood Springs, I noticed a cable tram car that ran up the side of the mountain. I recognized it as this ride I had been on before when I was here five years ago. I had forgotten all about it until now, but I remembered how great it was so I convinced Becky to stop. So we followed the cables to the source and paid the 12 dollars for the ride up. When we got to the top, there was a miniature amusement park on the summit of this huge mountain. We decided to ride on the âalpine coasterâ - an open two person cart with a handbrake that followed a switchback track along the side of the steep mountain. We must have been going around 40 miles per hour down it, with the wind in our hair, and the gaping wide view of the valley where Glenwood Springs is nestled. I havenât had that much of a rush in a long time. Until later that day.
Once we finally made it out of the town we were staying in, we embarked on the always scenic drive of Interstate 70 again, the same road we came in on. I didnât think that there would be much else that could beat our drive between Boulder and Glenwood Springs, but yet again, I was dead wrong. The rest of Colorado was scenic, but nothing we hadnât seen before. At the very western border of Colorado, we stopped into a dinosaur museum that we had seen signs for on our way to get gas. While in there, we saw some pretty fascinating skeletons, robotic lifelike carnivores, and even a paleontologistâs lab where you could peek through a window at scientists gently removing rock and dirt from tiny fossils.Â
After our second spontaneous adventure of the day, we made it into Utah. I would like to preface this paragraph by saying that I think out of the 30 states I have been privileged to pass through, Utah is probably the most underrated one. Everywhere is gorgeous. Just on I-70, we must have passed through dozens of crimson canyons, gigantic facades of sedimentary rock, and sporadic plateaus that are miles long. Literally every ten miles was a new âView Area: 1 Mileâ sign, and we must have stopped at at least five of them. Very modestly named âareas,â each one had something new and special to offer. The best one was called âGhost Rocks,â which had the closest scenery to the Grand Canyon that Iâve ever seen out west. This was nice because even though Iâve been to the Grand Canyon, Becky hasnât, nor is it planned on our trip to go there, so giving her a taste of that helped me feel a bit better about not going. While stopped there, I heard a strange accent from a nearby married couple and their daughter also admiring the view. I asked where they were from and they had hailed all the way from New Zealand, two months deep into an âaround the worldâ road trip. The people that weâve randomly met have all been incredibly interesting. Iâm sure I can speak for the both of us when I say weâve been very fortunate so far.
After all of our dawdling through the east coast equivalents to âscenic overlooks,â we decided it was time to get the show on the road and drive, since it was a long day. I booked it through the south of Utah and arrived here at our cabin style motel around 9:30 at night. Weâre 10 miles out of Bryce Canyon, and weâre going to wake up very early tomorrow to enjoy what little amount we can. Tomorrow is another long driving day, but of course a scenic one as well, dipping into Arizona to a fairly well kept quiet place called âAntelope Canyon,â and then finally up to Las Vegas later at night.Â
It seems as if every day is trying to outdo itself - and succeeding. My expectations always seem to go down after an incredible place like Ghost Rocks, but somehow the scenery either improves, or shows us something completely new thatâs refreshing enough to keep us thoroughly impressed. I wonder if tomorrow can outdo today, because today outdid yesterday. Weâll have to see. Until tomorrow.
Day 6: Glenwood Springs, CO (9/6) Though both Brian and I had troubles falling asleep last night, it felt great to wake up naturally. However, due to our schedules itâs been necessary to wake up shortly after the sunrises. So, I think our habits have grabbed ahold of us and we wake up semi-early, anyway. Wake, drive, settle, sleep, repeat. It was a rainy morning in Boulder and as Iâve been told, that just doesnât happen frequently. In fact, Trudy mentioned that Colorado has (on average) 330 days per year without rain. That may or may not be precise. But I suppose the mostly barren land outside of her home was appreciating the precipitation, as well as the citizens of Boulder. I will say again that Trudy is quite the lady. She has the laid back personality which Iâve been noticing a lot within the people here at Colorado. Along with being laid back though, sheâs quite persistent; persistent in a caring, friendly way. After a few Poptarts and a spoon full of peanut butter, we wished farewell and many thanks to her and Tasha (her giant, white, fluffy pillow of a dog). It was a great relief to know that we only had about a four hour drive ahead of us. Brianâs mom had suggested that we have lunch with her friend Cathy while we were still in Boulder. She ended up having important matters to tend to which was perfectly fine because that gave us time to roam the city for a while. I bought a T-shirt, of course. It reads: âIn most states getting this high is a felonyâ. Again, such a tourist sometimes. Afterwards we met a kitten named Pegasus, browsed and purchased novels at a quaint book store, came so close to being guilted into supporting children in other countries (which is an absolutely worthy cause, donât get me wrong), stopped at Chipotle to feed Brianâs tummy, and stopped at a gas station to fill Brianâs Focus up. Before we knew it we were on our way to Glenwood Springs, CO to stay with Brianâs cousins Nancy and Denny. I thought the view from Trudyâs house was breathtaking, but the interstate on the way to Glenwood Springs was more than that. A few stops were made just to capture the essense of the snowcapped mountains which slowly turned into dry, red, rocky mountains. The rain was relentless, but it didnât affect the beautiful scenery. Before we knew it, we arrived at Nancy and Dennyâs home. I met Brianâs great aunt Ren who is Nancyâs mother and she is delightful. Not only delightful but knowledgable and her experiences and stories completely blew me away. Then, I met Brianâs great uncle Karl who is Nancyâs father. He is unbelievable. A jewish man, with a strong German accent who has survived the reign of Hitler and far more unimaginable events. Talking to Ren and Karl was almost like being in the midst of a college history lecture (in a fantastic way). We all had an enjoyable dinner and shared more life stories. Then gathered in the family room to feast our ears as Brian played his guitar for family who seemed to be mesmerized. Denny is a sort of nerdy, innovative man who showed us a few crazy automatic insertions as well as creations that he had placed around the guest house. The guest house is where Brian and I are sleeping tonight. Itâs like our own hideaway in the midst of the mountains. Nancy, I know you will read this. You are absolutely wonderful in your own quirky way and we thank you for everything. Included in that thank you is the use of that ever so relaxing hot tub. Itâs about 3 a.m, and too late to function if I may say so myself. Tomorrow: hello Bryce Canyon, Utah. I hear you are a wondrous view.
Our odometer reads 2,059.8 miles so far.Â
Making progress. Utah today.
Day Five: Boulder, CO (9/5)
We started off our day leaving the somewhat sketchy hotel in a small suburb of Lincoln, Nebraska. We were both somewhat fortunate to get out of there, I think. Shortly after leaving, we passed this gorgeous field full of sunflowers. Becky loves them so we decided to stop. I don't think I've ever seen so many in my entire life. The field literally went as far as my eye could see. I held the camera above my head to take the picture above but it didn't really capture the beauty of it. I don't think any picture can capture the true beauty of anything, but this didn't even come close.
Anyway, Nebraska was a haul. It was probably one of the longest states we've driven through so far. It's pretty much what everyone makes it out to be - lots of corn and lots of straight county roads. But as soon as we got into Colorado, everything started to become more cinematic. We got there and filled up on gas at a station straight out of the 70's. Nothing was digital about this place. It was a refreshing change. The wind really picked up around there, too. As we drove further into the state, we saw the Rockies off in the distance and got excited. It's very strange. They literally sprout up out of nowhere. No gradual mountains in between. It's just flat, and then it spikes. I found that interesting.
We drove through the city of Boulder, following our trusty GPS (who hasn't failed me yet) to my cousin Trudy's house. We thought her house was in the downtown area of Boulder and didn't know what to expect. We began driving through the mountains and kept going up. Before we knew it, we were at the tops of the very mountains we had been marveling at earlier. 8,000 feet up, my GPS told me. Trudy's house is incredible. I know I've used that word a lot this trip but it is absolutely gorgeous at her house. I'm in a McDonald's in downtown Boulder right now because she doesn't have WiFi, but I kind of like it that way. It's nice to just disconnect from the world sometimes and take in the natural beauty. This trip has really changed my perspective on using technology. I've realized how much less I could use it and how much more I could take in. I will post pictures of Trudy's house tomorrow sometime.
The pictures you see of the mountains are right behind her house. It was about all I could ever ask for. I'm happy because I think it exceeded Becky's expectations too. She's never been here before (I have) so I wanted her to enjoy it the most. But I ended up doing so as well. Colorado is just the epitome of the west. It was a vacation to this state when I was a 15 year old that induced me into the wide realm of photography, so being back here is like finding my roots again. It's really a wonderful feeling. I wish we were staying here longer. But fortunately, tomorrow, we'll be driving to western Colorado to stay with some more cousins, so we'll still be in the state. Stay tuned.

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Day Four: Lincoln, NE (9/4)
This morning we said our goodbyes to the most hospitable people I've met in a long, long time. Brian said it himself; he couldn't have picked a better family to stay with while we resided in Illinois for two nights. Parting with all of them was bittersweet. Especially the tiny one named Brooke who carried around binoculars, but called them 'Bin-oc-cleyars'. After a group photo, and finding a perfectly generous note hidden in Brian's car from Pat (Kristen's husband) that read: "Lunch on me" with a twenty dollar bill folded inside, we started our journey to Lincoln, Nebraska. Let me just say, to see a sign that read: "End of Illinois Tollway" was quite a relief because the fees were draining, to say the least. As you can see from the last post, we did get pulled over for speeding. Hey, it was expected. The trooper was definitely a small town gentlemen who let out a few negative sighs when we told him we toured Chicago yesterday, and referred to it as a zoo. In short, he mentioned that I was "precious cargo" and we continued on (watching our speed, of course).
We made a pit stop in Iowa City, Iowa to have lunch at Panera Bread with Kaleb (Brian's friend). From the perspective of the highway, Iowa didn't seem too too interesting. For instance, a flashy billboard on the way displayed that Iowa held the largest truck stop. Nail biting fun, right? However, due to the flat terrain that I have never set eyes on before, the sky was absolutely breathtaking. Brian made the reference "Toy Story clouds." That's exactly how I can sum up the appearance.
Well, we (at least I did) underestimated the excitement that Iowa could truly bring to us. Kaleb showed us around downtown. That alone swayed my preconceived judgements. It's a rural, yet scenic area with a population that is not too large, and not non existent. First, Kaleb told us about a piano that was specifically placed on the sidewalk for public use. Unfortunately, it was covered and locked so we couldn't play. However, there was a large model of a book that is used as a chalkboard for anyone to doodle/ write on. I, of course, picked up a piece of chalk and documented the fact that it was day four on our trip out to California. So, if anyone who is reading this lives in Iowa City, look out for that! After purchasing an Iowa City T-shirt as any tourist would, we ventured underground (literally) to a small indie-esque shop for students and people visiting the area. I proudly bought a sweater that resembles something Cosby, or a grandmother would wear. Brian bought a cardigan. Afterwards we started walking back to the car that was parked along the street. As we walked, a bum who was scattering bread across the ground was stopped by a cop patrolling the area. I suppose he was attempting to feed birds? I'm not sure. The only reason why I'm mentioning this is because he said (and I quote) : "So, I'm criminally exposing bread?". Got quite a laugh out of that one. Oh, the things you can witness at any moment. After piling into the car, we drove Kaleb back to his car where the students park, took another group photo, said our goodbyes once again, and carried on with the remainder of our drive. Needless to say, Kaleb is a wonderful kid and I'm glad to have met him.
It took about nine or ten hours to get from Iowa City to Lincoln, Nebraska. The drive was tedious. And I think I can speak for both of us when I say that it was exhausting. On the upside, the sunset was absolutely breathtaking and left the two of us in awe for a good 40 minutes or so. I'm talking a sunset that left the sky illuminating a "mac and cheese", "tangerine", "clementine" color. As the sky grew dark, the stars grew magical.
We arrived here at the Super 8 motel at around ten thirty. It's about 30 minutes outside of Lincoln. No cell phone service, but free WiFi (obviously). Brian's currently playing his acoustic which could put me to sleep in a heartbeat, and that's exactly what I'm going to do. Check out is 11 a.m, which is early considering it's hard to take in every moment of each memorable day. All in all, today was great and though we may be physically drained, tomorrow is a fresh start. Let's see what Boulder, Colorado has to offer.
Pulled over.
So close to exiting Illinois. It was bound to happen, eventually. Nicest state trooper in the world, without a doubt. Hey Brian, way to keep that composure kid.
Day Three: Chicago (9/3)
Today was nothing short of incredible. We woke up and carpooled into the city of Chicago along with members of my (Brianâs) family. Neither I or Becky have been to âthe windy cityâ before, so it was quite a treat. At first, I didnât think we would spend enough time there to satisfy our hunger for exploring one of our nations largest cities. I was wrong. On our way into the city, we saw Soldier field (Bears, NFL) and McCormick Place where hundreds of major conventions are held. We also saw Lake Michiganâs waterfront and Navy Pier from a distance, and other beautiful sites. As soon as we parked, we were a block away from âthe bean.â For those who donât know, itâs a large, gorgeous sculpture made entirely out of stainless steel that distorts the Chicago skyline. We stood in front of that, marveling for awhile until it was cleared out by security because of a sudden rain and the sound of thunder. The rain continued for awhile but we trudged on. Next stop was the Chicago Cultural Center. We didnât stay in there for too long but there was some beautiful architecture inside and out. The inside was filled with wonderful decor, frescoes, and a large glass dome at the top. Afterwards, we grabbed lunch at quite the fine restaurant/sports bar called Sweetwater. The food was great of course and it allowed us to dry off and refresh our spirits before heading out again. There was an incredible melted cookie dough dessert that came with vanilla ice cream in the middle. Iâm pretty sure that gave us the energy needed for the rest of the day. After we left the restaurant, we walked a few blocks up towards the river and decided to take a water taxi. Best idea ever. The sun decided to come out just in time, too. In Chicago, there are a series of drawbridges spanning the Chicago river that connect the entire city. We went under at least a dozen of them. Left and right, there were skyscrapers everywhere. It was as if this river had specifically carved a path through the most scenic parts of the city. When we got off the water taxi, we walked a block and were suddenly at the Willis (formerly known as Sears) tower. The Willis tower is the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere (North and South America) at 1,451 feet. So what did we do? We climbed to the top, of course. I should rephrase âclimbâ to âwaiting in line for an hour and then taking a 60 second elevator to the 103rd floor.â It was well worth the wait though, as you can somewhat see in the pictures above. More images will be added into the stop motion video Iâm making, but Iâve got to keep some of those secret until then. At the top, there is glass panels that you can walk on that overhang the building. You can literally see through the floor that leads to 1,300 feet below you. Itâs a frightening but âI wanna do that againâ experience. The Willis Tower was amazing, and Iâm glad we managed to pull off getting up there spontaneously today. Afterwards, we came back down and walked through some more of downtown back to the car. We drove back to Kristin and Patrickâs neighborhood and stopped for ice cream. I treated. Seven year old Sean challenged me to a game of chess (they had it built into the tables there) and played a very impressive game for a seven year old. Then we finally came back home and here we are. All in all, it was one of the best days Iâve had so far this summer and an absolutely memorable one for the both of us. I filled up my 4GB camera card completely. Iâm a reserved photographer, so thatâs hard for me to do. It was just incredible today. I would just like to shout out to Kristin, Patrick, and also Patrickâs dad Fred for providing such charitable hospitality. We wouldnât have had such a great day without you guys, and of course, the always wonderful Sean and Brooke. Well, thatâs all tonight. Tomorrow morning we will be making our way on our journey to Nebraska. Gotta get up early to make the 9 hour drive so goodnight!
"You're gonna be battling me, bro."
Sean, age 7. In reference to anticipating a chess match with Brian.
You have to push hard. Hard enough to touch the sky.
Brooke, age 3.

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Becky's iPhone camera impression of the restaurant we ate at tonight with Brian's family (Portillo's in Illinois) and a very adorable adult glasses wearing girl named Brooke.
An apple a day.
Day Two: Naperville, IL (9/2)
Brian failed to mention an important aspect of our morning. Alex was kind enough to offer us apples as a quick breakfast before we began day dos of El journey. No intentions of displaying a high knowledge of the Spanish language there. You know the old saying. "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." This trip possibly holds a one percent relevance to fruit but this particular fruit is relevant to high hopes and safety. Right? Anyway. Pittsburgh was beautiful in the morning. As we drove farther out, I attempted to capture the essence of the architecture through a camera lens with the best of my abilities.
I suppose he left off at the rest stop in Ohio. The only thing I remember about driving through Ohio is Third Eye Blind, Cedar Point reminiscing, my amateur photo skills (once again), and the sense that the scenery didn't appear too much different than that of PA. But we were both in Ohio before. So, that was expected I guess.
With the four leaf clover post in mind that Brian wrote earlier, I can safely say that Indiana is full of friendly people. Two guys that we bumped into from West Chester, PA were headed west simply to see a Pearl Jam concert. Dedication. Another thing about dedication: paying tolls. Almost 40 dollars tossed through toll booth windows thus far.Â
Now, here we are in Illinois. I feel like I'm surrounded by ocean, which I'm not at all. It's just due to the fact that they display their water here like it's a cash cow. Day/night one of crashing at Brian's cousin Kristen's home. She's one of the most welcoming women I've ever met in my life. The burger joint I was expecting to go to turned into an eccentric, entertaining restaurant. Her children (Sean, 7 and Brooke, 3) are perfectly adorable and we are just south of the city. Hitting up the streets of Chicago tomorrow and it should be more than awe-inspiring.Â