THE BUS PROJECT

August 6, 2015. Today marks the last day of The Bus Project 2015. We left Troutville, VA to drop off Alex’s belongings back at his house in Greensboro. He couldn’t take back all of his things on the plane, so we offered to drop it off when we passed through. His mom was so sweet and told us how happy she was that we spent our summer doing this, and I’m really glad we did too.

Afterwards, we volunteered at Camp Kesem. It’s a camp that offers children, whose parents have or had cancer, a week to have fun and just be kids. One of the rules is that camp counselors have to create fake names to prevent the kids from finding them on social media because they aren’t trained to handle or advise these kids outside the camp, so we made up names for ourselves too. Our friend, “Mailbox,” introduced us to the other counselors and invited us to play water polo with them. Then we played Messy Games with the children. What happens is you put chocolate syrup, apple sauce and strawberry jam on paper plates and hand it to a few people in a large circle. They can either choose to pie themselves or someone else, and by the end everyone is covered in food. Who doesn’t enjoy a good food fight? We had such a great time and then it started to rain and everyone retreated to their cabins. I’m glad we were able to play with these awesome kids and counselors!  

We drove in the storm and made it back to Chapel Hill at 4:30 p.m. We finished unloading the Bus and then relaxed until Jon’s parents and my brother came to pick us up. It hasn’t hit me that it’s actually over, but I’m already starting to miss everyone. At 6 p.m., I hugged everyone goodbye and left. But really – it’s not goodbye, just see you later. :)

Best,

We are only one day away from being back at Chapel Hill! It’s a bittersweet feeling to know that The Bus Project 2015 is coming to an end, but I’m so glad I was able to be a part of it. Special thanks to everyone who’s been on the Bus and the people we’ve worked with and met along the way. You are all a part of the best summer I’ve ever had.

Today we worked with Friends of the Blue Ridge Parkway, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving and promoting the Blue Ridge Parkway. When we arrived, we met with their chair of the Peaks of Otter chapter named Greg who’s been riding a bike across the country on US Bike Route 76 to raise money for the organization. Three different local news stations came to report on him, and we were featured as volunteers! Afterwards, we went up to Stewart’s Knob trail to pick up trash. Thanks to our new friends for lunch!

We’re staying with Lu and her husband in Troutville, VA tonight. We went there right after our service project to take a much-needed shower and then went to watch Southpaw at the movie theater. Rob and I had been talking about watching Jurassic World since Las Vegas but still haven’t seen it, so we had planned on watching it today. Unfortunately, we couldn’t make it to any of the showings so we all agreed to watch Southpaw instead. It was so good! Tomorrow we’re headed to Greensboro. Back to North Carolina we go!

Best,

It was our third night in Annandale, VA, which is the longest we’ve stayed in one place in a while. Thanks to Noah and his family for hosting us – we had such a great time exploring D.C.! We drove through Harper’s Ferry and stopped to see the historic spots in town, including the famous arsenal raided by John Brown in 1859 and Jefferson Rock.

Afterwards, we picked up groceries for dinner and made it to our campground near Blue Ridge Parkway. We successfully grilled chicken, vegetables and s’mores! Shane created this nifty tool so we could cook without getting too close to the fire, which was helpful. I pulled out my ukulele, and Jon and I took turns playing songs. Can’t believe there’s only two days left.

Best,

Rob left early this morning to take the GRE, while the rest of us were able to sleep a couple more hours since the museums didn’t open until 10 a.m. Shane, Jon, Noah and I ate breakfast and drove over to the National Mall again for a second day of exploring. First we went to the National Museum of Natural History, which had a lot of cool exhibits on animals, dinosaurs, mummies and more.

 As we expected, it took a long time to go through the entire museum, so by the end we were all hungry. Rob joined us, and then we ate at District Taco for lunch. The shrimp tacos were so good, I definitely recommend it!

Afterwards, we went to the National Gallery of Art and had fun interpreting the art. We walked by the Capitol, which was undergoing construction but still cool to see. We also explored the National Museum of the American Indian and the National Museum of Air and Space. I can’t believe we managed to squeeze all of that into one day, but we did it. We took the metro to where our Bus was parked, and then grabbed dinner. We’re back at Noah’s place now and are resting up for the last few days. We only have 4 days left on this trip, and we’re going to make each day count!

Best,

Today was a day for exploring D.C. and learning more about our country’s history. We went to the Arlington National Cemetery, where thousands of fallen soldiers are buried. We saw many headstones and monuments standing in honor of them. We walked through Robert E. Lee’s house and the Memorial Amphitheater. We saw the John F. Kennedy gravesite and Tomb of the Unknown Soldier – this was especially cool because we got to see the changing out the guard.

Rob dropped Shane, Jon and I off at the National Mall to check out the different museums, while he went to study for the GRE, which he is taking tomorrow morning. We went to the National Museum of American History, which took almost two hours to go through all of the exhibits. We learned quite a lot, and it felt like we were going back in history as we walked through the museum. Next, we had lunch and went to the National Archives to see some of America’s most famous historical documents. We saw the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights – all had aged and faded over the years but still upholds their original intent to establish a free country and just government.

Afterwards, we met back up with Rob. He had seen a lot of homeless people on his way to studying earlier and decided to hand out snacks and water bottles. We thought it’d be a good idea to hand out some more water bottles to the homeless people gathered on 2nd St. before we went back to Annandale, VA. Homeless outreach on a hot day like today seemed like a good idea, and we’re glad to have helped someone in need.

Best,

We had bagels, eggs and fruit for breakfast. May claims that New Jersey bagels are the best, which though debatable, turned out to be pretty delicious. May’s mom insisted we take the extra food with us, which was so sweet of her. We really enjoyed our stay with May and her family! Then Rob, Shane, Jon and I left for Baltimore, MD for our service project. We volunteered for a new, local food festival called “Pig Town, Pig Out.” Several different food and drink vendors came out to support the community event in Pig Town. We helped them set up tents, tables, and chairs. We also helped cover the tables with cloth and put the drinks on ice. Our shift ended right before the food festival started, but we hope it turned out well. Thanks to Beth for lunch! The picture doesn’t do it justice, but that pizza was humongous.

Afterwards, we went to Annapolis, MD. While we were there, we visited the U.S. Naval Academy campus and visited a few shops. Annapolis was such a pretty place to walk around in! We went to Chick and Ruth’s Delly to check out their famous 6 lb. milkshake. On an episode of Man vs. Food, Adam did a challenge where you have to eat a 1 & ½ pound burger and a 6 lb. milkshake. Shane considered doing it, but we all ended up splitting a 6 lb. cookies and cream milkshake between the 4 of us –finishing that was challenging!

Once we finished the milkshake, we drove to Annandale, VA and met up with Shane’s friend, Noah. Noah showed us around Washington, D.C. and was our tour guide for the night. He took us to several different monuments and memorials, which looked really cool during nighttime because you could see the reflections of the buildings and the moon in the water. When we got back, we snacked on some kettle corn and watermelon while watching the boxing game between Ronda Rousey and Bethe Correia. It was a quick yet intense match – wouldn’t want to mess with either of them. Today was great, and tomorrow we’ll continue to explore D.C.!

Best,

Rob, Shane, Jon and I left NYC this morning and headed to our service project in Philadelphia, PA. We worked at Aid For Friends, an organization that provides meals to elderly and disabled individuals. We wiped down the freezer doors, swept the floor, stocked canned goods onto shelves and broke down cardboard boxes.

We decided it would be fun to do a beach cleanup at Seaside Heights in New Jersey. For about an hour, we walked around the beach picking up trash. We split up to cover more ground, so Rob and Jon went right and Shane and I went left. Afterwards, we swam in the ocean before driving to our friend May’s house in NJ. She just came back from traveling in Europe, so I was really happy we got a chance to catch up.

When we arrived around 6 p.m. and ate dinner with May and her parents. Her mom had prepared authentic Chinese food for us, and that was so good – even better than the food we had in Chinatown! Shane really liked the dumplings, which were my favorite too!

May offered to show us around Princeton since it was nearby, so we walked around Nassau Street and grabbed ice cream at Halo Pub. You know the food has to be good when there’s a long line outside of the door. It wasn’t expensive and their single scoop serving is equivalent to two scoops, which is such a great deal! I wish it had been lighter out to appreciate the campus, but still beautiful regardless!

Best,

After grabbing biscuits for breakfast from a local shop, Rob, Shane, Jon and I drove over to 38th street for our service project. Unfortunately, the person I spoke to on the phone two days ago about volunteering was a volunteer herself and didn’t inform anyone else about us. They didn’t have anything for us to do, so we just tried to make the most of today.

We decided to take a ferry ride to see the Statue of Liberty and got to see the city from the Hudson River. It was gloomy and drizzled, but it felt great because it was so hot and humid today. We also went to see the Freedom Tower, 911 Memorial, and St. Paul’s Church which were really interesting.

We were craving some Asian food, so we went to a great restaurant in Chinatown for lunch. They served us hot tea, and the food was authentic! The only bad part was finding our way back to the Bus. We got lost and walked around in the pouring rain for over an hour, but it was quite an adventure. When we had finally made it back to the Bus, it was almost 6 p.m.!

We picked Michael up from work and went to a Mexican restaurant for dinner. The place was lively and the food was good. Traffic has been crazy, but we’ve thoroughly enjoyed our time here in NYC. We enjoyed getting to meet Michael’s roommate, Dylan, and his girlfriend and family. Now I’m heading off to Artichoke Pizza for one last time so Shane can get a delicious $5 slice of pizza. 

Best,

We went woke up and spent the day as campers at Brant Lake Camp. After breakfast, I worked out and Rob went to play basketball. Then Bobby, the co-founder of the camp, gave us a tour around on a golf cart. He’s been around for so many years, and it was cool to see how much the kids really respected him. It was such a beautiful day, so Rob and I paddle-boarded and swam in the lake. We headed out after lunch and said goodbye to our old and new friends.

We secured a majority of the service projects and sleeping arrangements for the remainder of the trip yesterday, so we decided to spend today exploring. We drove by Lake George and drove through Saratoga National Historic Park. It was interesting to think that we were on the very ground that the American Revolutionary War was fought.

When we got to Carmel, NY, we had dinner at Scoops N’ More. It was our friend’s family business, so we promised to go check it out. We got burgers, fries and shakes – so good! Shout out to Andrew for our meal! Then we got to watch a beautiful sunset over the lake - just wow.

We picked up Shane and Jon from the airport around midnight because of their delayed flight, and then drove to NYC. We’re staying with Michael, who has a cool place in Manhattan only a few blocks away from the best pizza place called Artichoke on 14th St. I’ve eaten there every time I’ve been in NYC, so I had to get the guys to check this place out. And luckily they all really enjoyed it! 

Best,

We went to Becky’s Diner for brunch, and it’s hands down one of the top 5 places we’ve eaten at this entire trip. Delicious Maine blueberry pancakes, lobster omelets and home-style hash. I bought a Becky’s Diner mug just to remember this experience. Guy Fieri from Diners, Drive Ins and Dives on Food Network has actually been here too, which is awesome because I’m a huge fan!

One of our goals this trip has been to do random acts of kindness, so we handed out some Gatorade to construction workers on Preble Street. It was our simple way of thanking them for their hard work and giving back. Then we were on the road to Brant Lake Camp.

Our drive through New Hampshire and Vermont were so beautiful. It’s been a while since we’ve seen big open fields and long mountain ranges in the distance, but they seemed endless here. We grabbed ice cream and arrived at Brant Lake Camp, where we’ll be staying tonight. Ritchie, one of the directors, talked to us over dinner and gave us a tour around the place. The kids we saw were either being active or watching a movie in the community space. Being here reminds me of going to camp as a kid, and I love it! The lake is gorgeous – can’t wait to swim in it. Tomorrow we’re picking up two more Bus riders, Shane and Jon!

We loved talking to Mike, who’s the counselor for CIT’s (counselors-in-training). He was such a fun person to talk to, and he had a lot of cool stories to share! Thanks for showing me the best place on camp to see the moon!

Best,

We woke up early and explored Boston and Cambridge, MA. Jessie had a great place in the middle of the city near Fenway Park and across the river from M.I.T. and Harvard College, so we tried to see as much of it as possible. We grabbed lunch and stopped at Harvard to walk around the campus. I’ve never been in the New England states, and it’s truly as beautiful as they say.

We drove to Portland, ME and immediately noticed that something was different. They don’t have billboards along the highways, so there’s nothing to detract from the vast beautiful nature! We met up with Rob’s friend, Sam and her husband David, and then headed up to Acadia National Park together. They recently got married but are having their wedding in a couple weeks, so we were glad that we could give them a break from planning to explore with us. We originally planned on hiking North and South Bubble, but we did the taller of the two (North Bubble) and opted to go to Otter Cliffs instead of hiking South Bubble. Otter Cliffs was agreeably our favorite part of the day. We scaled down rocks of the cliff until we reached the ocean and sat down to admire the endless blue ocean hidden by the fog. We were concerned that climbing back up would be hard, but luckily it wasn’t too much of a challenge.

Afterwards, we were all hungry and thought, “when in Maine, eat Maine lobster.” We found a great restaurant in Bar Harbor and had all sorts of delicious lobster dishes – it was lobster galore. Sam and David surprised us by buying our dinner and donating to The Bus, which was so sweet of them. Now we’re in Portland, ME staying with Rob’s friend, Michael. Can’t wait for what’s in store tomorrow!

Best,

After 14 hours of driving, we woke up well rested and started our day off with coffee and breakfast burritos. There was a Harry Potter marathon on TV, so we watched part of “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.” Even though we would have loved to stay in and watch it all, we had a full day planned ahead of us. We left Bristol, CT and drove to Providence, RI. We walked around the capitol building and the historical district and saw the capitol building. Rhode Island had the country’s smallest welcome sign, which was fitting because it’s the smallest state.

Afterwards, we made our way out to Cape Cod, MA. It was a little further than we had expected, but we hadn’t seen an ocean since Oregon, so we had to go! It was windy and cloudy today, but it was still so beautiful at the beach. And of course, a Cape Cod visit wouldn’t be complete without some authentic New England clam chowder and an ice cream cone from Sundae School – yum!

We made it in to Boston, MA around 9 p.m. and luckily found a parking spot amidst the chaos of game night at Fenway Park. Big thanks to my friend, Jessie, for letting us crash at her place. It’ll be the last time I see her before she heads off to her year-round study abroad trip to Copenhagen, Denmark and Hong Kong. Have fun!

Best,

This morning, we woke up to a huge breakfast prepared by Anita. While we were eating delicious blueberry cinnamon sugar pancakes, we talked about a lot of cool stories. Bob and Anita told us a heart-warming story about two dogs in an animal shelter that were supposed to be euthanized one morning. When the doctor went to go get the dogs, one of them had stood up and hugged the other one – as if they knew what was going to happen. The doctor couldn’t get himself to do it, so he posted this story and picture of them online and found temporary homes for them. What a happy ending! As you can see, I’m a sucker for cute stories about dogs. Afterwards, we went and saw Lebron James’s house. I got a picture by his front gates! Thanks to Lauren and Nolan for risking getting yelled at but getting out of the car with me anyways. Thanks to Bob and Anita for hosting us and send us off with lunch and dinner too!

Our drive from Akron, OH to Bristol, CT estimated over 9 hours, so we prepared for a long day on the road. We decided to go to Niagara Falls, NY today since it’s on the way, and I was pretty excited about that. I always love telling the story of how my parents fell in love, and Niagara Falls is where they had their second date – following their first date at Burger King. It’s kind of funny how love works. Anyways, although the falls were beautiful, it was also extremely crowded and touristy so we were ready to get back on our drive. Leaving Niagara Falls, Rob pulled a prank on me. We were on a bridge driving towards a toll, and he scared me into thinking that we were crossing into Canada. My passport was expired, but I frantically tried to find it anyways thinking I could explain my situation. When we got to the toll, the lady merely asked for a dollar, and that’s when I realized we were not in fact crossing into a different country…

We had over six hours of driving left, so we spent our time talking and listening to the entire album “Hurry Up We’re Dreaming” by M83 with the windows rolled down. It’s one of Rob’s favorite albums and it’s officially become one of mine. 1:30 a.m. and we’re now in Bristol, CT! We’re staying with Rob’s friend, Kerry!

Best,

Today was Rob’s day to sleep in, since he hasn’t gotten much the past couple days. I woke up pretty early and read a few chapters of “The Glass Castle.” Around 11 a.m., Rob woke up and signed up to take the GRE for post-Bus plans. Aunt Barbara took me to the garden across the street, which is filled with native Michigan flowers and plants. Apparently she used to bring Rob and his brothers here when she used to babysit them as kids, and they’d run around the place in circles. We then had lunch and relaxed with the family until 3:30 p.m. We said our goodbyes and were on our way to Akron, OH. 7-Eleven mountain dew slurpees for the four-hour drive!

We arrived in Akron, OH around 7:30 p.m. and had dinner with our hosts Anita, Lauren and Nolan. Afterwards, we hung out and watched a couple episodes of Parks and Recreation on TV. When Bob came home, we talked about their safari adventure in Africa. Tomorrow we’re going to Bristol, CT.

Here are some before and after pictures of Rob! It’s quite the transformation.

Best,

There was a 7 a.m. wake-up call, so that we could leave on time for the Habitat for Humanity build with Rob’s family.  When we arrived, there were two different Habitat houses under construction on the same street in Detroit, so our group was split in two. Half of us worked on the second floor of the house and put on siding, while the other half of us put up interior walls as well as plywood and insulation around the outside of the house. It was a fun time hammering nails and working as a team to put scaffolding together and then breaking it down at the end of the day. We all came together during lunch and joked around – I love how comfortable his family is around each other and accepting of others! I really appreciated how kind everyone was to me. A big thanks to all of Rob’s aunts, Uncle Andy, Natalie, Rolene, Liz, Nina and Grandma Liz!

Afterwards, we came back to Grandma Liz’s house for a barbecue. We had all worked up an appetite, and the food was so good. Ribs, chicken, macaroni and cheese, baked beans, bread, sausage and peppers, Grandma Liz’s homemade potato salad and Aunt Maureen’s delicious brownies! I’m such a “foodie,” if it’s not apparent from how much I talk about what we eat on our blogs. If there’s anything people can relate to, it’s a good home-cooked family meal! Also Aunt Barbara cut Rob’s hair, and his beard is also no more! 

We spent hours at the table outside and in the garden behind the house just talking amongst ourselves. It was fun reminiscing our day at the construction site and getting to know one another. There was never a dull moment, and we were all breaking out in laughter from each other’s stories and jokes. People can really make or break a place – and the wonderful people I’ve met in Michigan have made my first experience in this state equally great! I had such a great time! I know Rob has really enjoyed seeing his family, and I’m glad I got to meet everyone. To end the night, we watched these special flowers that only bloom at night - blossom before our eyes!

Best,

It feels like it’s been weeks since I’ve slept in, but I finally did today! Rob on the other hand woke up pretty early, but it was by choice. I went to the gym with Margaret and then had lunch with some of her friends from yoga class. They were a certainly a fun group of women to talk with! Afterwards, we joined Jack and Rob at Peanut Barrel, which was near Michigan State’s campus. Rob had apparently spent all morning vacuuming and cleaning out the Bus, and it looked ten times better! Margaret gave me a short tour around Michigan State University on our way home, and it has a beautiful campus.

We left East Lansing, MI around 4 p.m., and drove about an hour to Farmington, MI. We had dinner with Rob’s uncle, John, and his family, Sarah and AJ. He grilled us steaks, twice-baked loaded potatoes and fresh green beans! John and Rob gave AJ advice on how to approach this girl he likes at school, which was both a sweet and funny experience. Then John showed us this cool treehouse that he helped build in their neighborhood!

Then we drove over to Roseville, MI where Rob’s grandma, Liz, lives. We saw both of his grandparents in one day! I met his aunts, Margaret and Barbara, who were bringing in food for tomorrow’s habitat for humanity build. They keep up with the blog – it was cool to hear that I have some regular readers!

Best,

Rob and I wanted to leave Chicago early in order to avoid traffic, so we said goodbye to Sam and Mike then started driving. We made it to Grand Rapids, MI around 1 p.m. and realized that we had changed time zones. We’re finally back in the eastern time zone! We volunteered at the Blandford Nature Center with Rob’s friend, Lexi. A local church encourages homeless people to come out and work for pay, so we worked alongside them too.

Together we pulled out goldenrods and buckthorn, a certain type of plant near the marsh that kills frog eggs. Our advisor, Jessie, showed us how to pull out the weeds and differentiate them. Then we worked as a team to move a log to the pond, so the turtles could have a place to lay out in the water. Afterwards, we took a popsicle break and walked around the wildlife exhibit behind the nature center. We saw all sorts of birds, like turkey vultures and hawks, that had been taken in due to an injury and nursed back to health.

Afterwards, we drove to East Lansing, MI. We’re staying with Rob’s grandparents, Jack and Margaret. For dinner, they took us out for sushi at a place called Maru! Rob’s friend, Luke, joined us and shared interesting stories about studying abroad in Europe and his near-death plane experience in Crete. We had good food to match the good conversation, and the green tea ice cream for dessert was a great choice!  

After dinner, we tried to walk to the pond behind Jack and Margaret’s house, but that didn’t last too long thanks to the swarms of mosquitoes. Instead, we went inside and saw Jack and Margaret’s large book collection. They’ve not only traveled to over 80 countries, but they’ve read hundreds of books too! When I pulled a Winnie-the-Pooh book out from the shelf, and Jack told me that he read some to Margaret when he was courting her because she had never read it before – how romantic!  

Best,