Phil + Lauren

Our road trip by the numbers:

Miles traveled: 3,668

States traveled through: 11

Miles driven by Lauren: 0 (not for lack of trying...Phil REALLY likes driving)

National Parks visited: 3

Fast food meals eaten: 2

Number of times listened to Andrew WK’s “Music is Worth Living For”: 10

Number of hotels: 6

Number of AirBNBs: 2

Number of snowstorms driven through: 2

Number of FaceTimes with Ruby: 9

We both woke up excited at the thought of arriving in Virginia that night and even more than that, SO excited to finally see Ruby soon. After grabbing breakfast and coffee at Please & Thank You in Louisville (so cute! so delicious!) we hit the highway in the rain for the last time with just 8 hours to go until Richmond.

On our drive from Kansas City to Louisville we had a couple of surprises— we ended up passing through 2 states we had no idea we’d be passing through. Apologies to every teacher who ever tried to teach us U.S. Geography but we definitely thought Missouri and Kentucky were side by side. To be fair, they do touch at some point but our route took us through both Illinois and Indiana. Cool! That brings out grand total of states traveled through to nine.

Other than that (and some weird roadkill), our drive was pretty uneventful. Thankfully we had an evening of fun waiting for us in Louisville. We checked into the 21C Museum Hotel, a boutique hotel that doubles as an art gallery. Our awesome hotel room had black lights in the bathroom, an espresso maker, and mint julep cups— quite a step up from the Holiday Inn Express the night before.

We changed and headed out to Harvest, a farm-to-table restaurant in downtown Louisville. We were both SO excited to dive into some southern cuisine. It’s been a long time since we’ve heard the word “pimento” and it definitely made us feel like we were finally getting close to being home in Virginia.

After dinner, we went back to the hotel and grabbed some drinks at their bar, Proof. We both ordered an award-winning mint julep and then a gin and tonic made with their special house-made tonic. Then we wandered around the gallery for about an hour, taking in some truly inspiring works of art. Our favorites were by Kehinde Wiley who just earned fame for painting President Obama’s official portrait and who also has his unique works on display at the VMFA in Richmond.

We started our day with a mind-blowing breakfast at Snooze, where the waitress brought us a complimentary pineapple upside-down pancake before we even ordered. Stuffed after an amazing meal, we grabbed some coffee at Boxcar Coffee and got back on the road for the first of our three “marathon driving days”. Our goal was to get from Boulder to Kansas City today, roughly a 9 hour drive. As soon as we got out of Boulder, we entered the flatlands and a lot of our day was spent staring out at wheat fields and wind turbines. (Started a new podcast though and we’re both pretty into Atlanta Monster!)

Waking up in Grand Junction, we immediately checked the traffic going through Vail Pass and everything looked clear so we continued east. The drive between Grand Junction and Boulder was magnificent. We did hit some snow showers near Vail but the roads were just fine.

Today we weren’t only up before the sun, we were en route to the park before it too. Bryce Canyon was virtually empty when we arrived which made our early morning hike so much more incredible. We started at Sunrise Point at the top of the canyon and hiked down into it on the Navajo Loop and Queen’s Garden Trail. Bryce’s defining feature is skinny spires called hoodoos that protrude up from the canyon. On the hike we got to walk among them, through tunnels, and finally up a bunch of tight switchbacks to the most beautiful view of the hike. We both agreed it was one of the best (maybe *the* best) hikes we’d ever done.

After a little more exploring of Bryce, the crowds started to descend so we set off for our next destination: lunch. We had a delicious lunch at a little coffee shop in the middle of nowhere called Kiva Koffeehouse. It’s on Route 12, an amazing scenic route that we decided to take for obvious reasons. Route 12 also takes you through another national park, Capitol Reef. We took some time to check out some petroglyphs in Capitol Reef then continued on Route 12, stopping a LOT for photos.

Up before the sun, we drove to Zion knowing spring break was going to bring a big influx of visitors. You can’t drive through most of Zion, you have to take a shuttle instead, and if the parking lot is full you have to park in town and walk to the visitor’s center. We hoped our early arrival meant there was still room in the lot but when we got to the gate it said the lots were full. We wondered if maybe that sign was old but figured it was smart to just park in town and walk in. Lo and behold, the parking lot was NOT full but our walk to the visitor’s center was short so we didn’t care. We took the shuttle to the Grotto stop where the hike to Angels’ Landing is. A rock slide the night before had closed the last ½ mile of the trail but we decided to hike the West Rim Trail to the start of the closed Angels’ Landing trail and take in the views from there. Now that I’ve seen videos of what the Angels’ Landing trail looks like, I’m pretty sure I would’ve chickened out anyway. The trail is only about 2 feet wide and has cliffs on either side. Basically you’re walking a plank 1,400 feet in the air with only a chain to hold onto. We agreed we REALLY wanted to make it home to see Ruby so it was probably best that that part of the trail was closed.

The 5 mile West Rim Trail was still incredibly challenging, however. It’s just a series of dozens of switchbacks, concluding with a tight series of them to ascend the final part of the trail called “Walter’s Wiggles”. Sounds cute right? It’s not. But the view at the top made it 100% worth it.

After snowing all night, it finally let up just in time for us to see the amazing mountains surrounding Salt Lake City. We hit up a few cute shops in the city before grabbing lunch at a super cute spot called Cubbie’s in Provo— then it was on to Zion National Park.

We woke up in Boise to surprise SNOW. Thinking it was just a flurry, we grabbed some coffee and hit the road. As soon as we got on the highway, we were in a total whiteout. Thankfully it only lasted about 10 miles but we both had white knuckles the whole time!

Our second day on the road started with a visit to a majestic lake and ended with an unexpected rock show. It was an epic day to say the least.

We woke up to a dusting of snow in Joseph and drove to the outskirts of town to Wallowa Lake, a stunning lake surrounded by the Wallowa Mountains. After a visit to Chief Joseph’s gravesite (he’s the namesake of Joseph, Oregon) and a stop at M. Crow General Store in Lostine, OR, we got back on the road. We drove through valleys, mountains, plateaus, rain, snow, and sunshine. And when we hit 500 miles on the odometer we were STILL IN OREGON. It’s a gigantic state, you guys.

And we’re off! After tearful goodbyes with our friends and a final walk-through of our sweet little Sellwood house, we packed our huge cooler of beer and drove east from Portland toward Richmond. Stay tuned for more pics of our cross-country adventure over the next 10 days!

Well, Yosemite did indeed bring the heat! (And the crowds!) But what an amazing couple of days. 

We got there just in time for the beginning of the celebration honoring the 150th anniversary of the Yosemite Land Grant Act. It was signed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1864 (in the midst of the Civil War) and it designated Yosemite as the first protected wild land in the United States. This act launched the idea of National Parks in our country and protected Yosemite for all time.

We arrived in Yosemite after a long drive from Monterey, with a much-needed In-And-Out Burger stop along the way as well as a produce shopping spree featuring 7 for $1 avocados! Our AirBNB cottage was about 30 minutes from the south gate of Yosemite, in a town called Oakhurst. The cottage was beautiful and everything we could've hoped for-- great views, a lovely living space, a washer & dryer, 2 porches, and even fresh eggs in the fridge from the owner's chickens! We arrived in the early evening, settled in quickly, and jumped back in the car to try to make it to Yosemite for sunset. 

The drive in was longer and more winding than either of us was prepared for but by the time we arrived at Glacier Point, it was clear that it was all worth it. Hiking up from the parking lot to the lookout point, we could see the famous Half Dome as well as miles of the park spread out in front of us. We sat on a boulder listening to a park ranger talk about the history of the park as the sun went down. Interestingly, at this lookout, it's not the setting sun that's the focal point-- your back is actually turned to it. The real magic is in the light from the setting sun hitting Half Dome and the surrounding mountain range and making it glow a fiery red. 

A bit after the sun had set, we started to see the glow and sat there in awe of it. Despite an iPhone tragedy resulting in a broken screen (which was thankfully resolved later in the trip), we both agree it was one of the most magical parts of our entire trip. 

Once the show was over, it was back in the car for the winding trip home. After a solid night's sleep, we were up very early the next day, hoping to make it into the park before the rest of the tourists.

On the agenda today was hiking the Mist Trail that leads to the top of Vernal Falls. We successfully beat the crowds into the park and started the day with an amazing view of the valley floor from the "Tunnel View" lookout. Next we secured a parking spot before the lot filled up and closed, and hopped on the shuttle to the trailhead. Phil's research on the trail had revealed that it was a 3 mile loop to the falls and back-- unfortunately, we were unaware that it was an entirely uphill hike that concluded with a march up 500 uneven (and oftentimes wet) granite steps. We put on our brave faces and made it all the way to the top and were treated to more amazing views of the falls and the valley below.

By the time we descended it was lunchtime and we were spent so we ate our picnic lunch, checked out the busy visitor's center, and drove around for a bit on the valley floor. The crowds had really started to swarm in the park, so we decided to call it a day and have a leisurely afternoon back at our little cottage. 

The next day was our last in Yosemite so we packed up our car, said goodbye to our AirBNB home, and made our way back to the south gate. Our destination was Mariposa Grove, home to Yosemite's famous redwood trees. Unfortunately, despite getting there at 9:30am, the parking lots near the Grove were already full so we had to take a shuttle there, which added about 45 minutes to our journey. Knowing our time was a little tight, we decided to just tour the lower grove and set out on the 2 mile hike past tons of HUGE redwoods. 

Having already been to the redwood grove at Henry Cowell State Park, we weren't expecting these redwoods to be much different but they were MASSIVE. The biggest one in Yosemite is called Grizzly Giant and is 28 feet in diameter and roughly 1,800 years old. Fun Fact: A branch growing out of the top of it was bigger in diameter than every non-redwood tree in the park! Amazing. 

Hiking back to our car, we sadly said our goodbyes to Yosemite (and good riddance to the crowds) and made our way back toward the coast. Our next stop was San Anselmo, a small town north of San Francisco where Lauren's friends Ben and Ashleigh live. We arrived at their house in the late afternoon and were treated to what was hands-down the most photogenic meal of our trip-- fresh salmon, polenta, and root vegetables and deep-dish peach pie with homemade vanilla ice cream for dessert. It didn't hurt that it was also incredibly delicious too... 

In the morning, our hosts served us sourdough pancakes and fresh fruit and then we were off to explore the area with Ben as our tour guide. First stop was checking out George Lucas's massive "compound" in Ben and Ashleigh's neighborhood. He has bought up a bunch of houses in their hilly community and turned them into his own little world, including a $900,000 "furniture storage" house right across from Ben and Ashleigh's home. 

Next up was Muir Woods, our third sequoia grove of the trip. This was the one we were the most excited about, mostly because it was where Return of the Jedi had been filmed. Phil got the ewok music stuck in all of our heads as we explored the cool and shady trails leading through the grove. We were both nerding out about feeling like we were on Endor-- thankfully Ben was patient with our Star Wars geekery and even was into taking as many jumping photos as we wanted (but you'll have to wait for our Facebook album to see those). 

After Muir Woods, we drove to the nearby Stinson Beach, finally dipped our toes in the (CHILLY) Pacific Ocean and then headed to a spot called Marin Sun Farms for some fresh, local burgers that pretty much blew our minds. After some equally mind-blowing organic ice cream in the little town of Fairfax, we dropped off our tour guide, thanked him a million times over for such a great day, and headed south to San Francisco. 

Less than 20 minutes later and we were out of the tunnel with the Golden Gate Bridge in sight. We both gasped when we saw it and quickly found the closest overlook to stop and take pictures. Thankfully, it was a relatively clear day and the bridge was looking perfect. We snapped a bunch of pictures (and of course, a few selfies), narrowly avoided losing a hat to the gusty San Francisco breeze, and jumped back in the car to head into the city. 

We arrived at our second AirBNB accommodations of the trip, a Victorian mansion once owned by a man named Alfred E. Clarke and nicknamed "Nobby's Folly" for reasons I will let you read about on your own. Our apartment was in one of the house's turrets and was terrifying and beautiful at the same time. The living room was entirely round, even its window panes, and had a spiral staircase that led up to the bedroom at the top of the turret. Phil likened the bedroom to sleeping in the hull of a pirate ship and with the gusty winds constantly blowing outside the turret walls, it definitely sounded like it too. 

Hello from the West Coast! We decided to resurrect the blog for our trip to California-- call it our "babymoon" since we're expecting a little one in December. We wanted to get away and a west coast road trip seemed right up our alley so here we are!

The first day was a loooooong one with a 4:00am wake up call to get to the airport on time. We managed to last 20 whole hours before finally crashing but it was an awesomely action-packed day. When we arrived in San Francisco we immediately hit the road in our rental car. We hopped on the famous Highway 1 and headed south toward Monterey, our first destination. On the way, we had a quick lunch at a great little spot in Santa Cruz called Picnic Basket and then found our way up to Henry Cowell State Park, home of some of California's famous redwoods. 

The redwood grove was an absolutely magnificent sight. We hiked the mile loop past some trees that were over 2,000 years old and even crawled into the burnt-out hollow of one (still living!) tree. Turns out redwoods can even sometimes survive forest fires. Pretty amazing stuff!

Next it was back on the road to Monterey, past farm stands selling fresh avocados 7 for $1 and grapefruits 10 for $1! We checked into our hotel and spent the evening exploring Cannery Row.

The next morning (after a much needed LONG night's sleep), we headed back down to Cannery Row to the Monterey Aquarium and spent the morning gawking at jellyfish, octopi, and otters. It's a beautiful aquarium and super kid-friendly. (Yes, we were making notes for future Williams family getaways.) Our favorite part was the psychedelic jellyfish exhibit complete with far-out music, groovy lighting, and of course, lots of creepy jellyfish. 

After the aquarium, we grabbed some DELICIOUS pizza at a place called Pizza My Heart and then explored Fisherman's Wharf. The highlight was watching the sea lions bark and scream at each other as they battled over sunbathing spots. Don't mess with a sea lion. 

In the evening, we ventured to the nearby Carmel-by-the-Sea (or just "Carmel"), a quiet hillside town that basically looks like a fairy tale village. After wandering around the magical little streets of Carmel all starry-eyed, we found our way to Mission Ranch (owned by Clint Eastwood!). It's a beautiful inn and restaurant overlooking the ocean and hillside. We snagged an indoor table with a view (opting to avoid the 2 hour wait to sit outside) and had a lovely meal together. 

After gawking at more picturesque fairy tale homes in Carmel on our way out of town, we hopped onto the 17 mile drive to see more beautiful coastline and the famous "Lone Cypress". While the tree was a little less than "lone" (sort of a letdown), the drive was pretty and we got to see even more jaw-droppingly beautiful real estate. 

Returning to Monterey we found our way back to the spot where we'd eaten dinner the night before, Cannery Row Brewing Company. We had some dessert and drinks on the patio next to the firepit and then it was time for bed again. 

On day 3, we set out early for Big Sur. It isn't far mile-wise but when you stop every 5 minutes to take pictures of the sweeping views, it takes a while. Our first (official) stop was McWay Falls, a part of Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. We hiked the short trail that leads out to an overlook where you can see the beach and falls below. The views were spectacular, especially the crystal clear blue ocean water. 

Next, we found a trail a few miles up the road that lead to a spot called Partington Cove. We hiked down the fire road and through a 200 year-old tunnel once used to transport lumber and spent some time exploring the isolated cove and rocky beach.

By that time we'd worked up quite an appetite so we made our way to the unforgettable Nepenthe, a restaurant perched atop a cliff. This time we were willing to wait for outdoor seats with a view and it was worth it. It was an amazing lunch with even more amazing views.

After lunch, we spent the rest of the afternoon driving more of the coastline, taking in the views, and listening to good music with the windows down. On our way home, we stopped by Big Sur Bakery for some fresh pastries and coffee.

Dinner was excellent Thai food in nearby Pacific Grove followed by an attempt to watch the sun set over the ocean. The dang marine layer ruined our fun but it still made for some cool pictures. 

What a whirlwind the past two and a half weeks have been.  It's hard to believe how quickly time has gone by and all the fun we managed to squeeze in.  Now that we're back home and out of travel-mode, we've been unpacking and sorting through all our leftover wedding props and decor items stacked to the ceiling of our small apartment. It's been fun to go through everything and relive that perfect day.

We've been home three days now and it will be nice to see friends, get back into a routine, and do all the fun cold-weather things that we both love to do.  On the agenda: picking pumpkins, figuring out Halloween costumes, and binging on apple cider and cider donuts.

I'm not quite sure what form this blog will take next.  One thing is for sure, there are more adventures to come.

It's funny.  We never planned on having a video of our wedding.  It wasn't until two days before that Lauren's mom asked us if anyone would be videotaping the ceremony.  After all the work we'd put in, I suddenly felt this pang at knowing that some of these beautiful moments we'd worked so hard to create weren't going to be captured on video.  However, it was too late, and it would be fine and I'd come to terms with it.

The next day, Lauren's brother-in-law Justin let us know that he'd asked his friends Mark and Jess and they were willing to drive down at the last minute from New Jersey to film the wedding.  After we picked our jaws up off the floor, we said "Yes yes yes!"

Thinking back on why we didn't originally plan for a videographer, I remember feeling like couples got too caught up in making their event filmable rather than making the event what it is.  I didn't want our wedding to be a video or photo shoot - I wanted it to be a wedding.  However, with all the craziness going on before the wedding, I didn't even have time to think about what kind of an impact a videographer would have on our day.

Here's the crazy part: there was no impact at all.  I barely remember seeing Mark or Jess all night - they blended right in and captured the most amazing candid moments, without me even knowing they were there.  It was so beyond what I'd ever dreamed of or expected.  It was perfect.