I JUST CAN’T WAIT TO GET ON THE ROAD AGAIN
There are still so many places I have yet to write about or post pictures of from my European and Mediterranean cruise ship adventures. But, perhaps it’s because we’re on our way back to U.S. soil or that I’m simply reminiscing that I’ve decided to dedicate this post to my summer 2011 road trip across the United States. There’s no time I feel happier or more free than when I’ve got a car, an open road, no place to go, no set time to get there, and no designated time to leave. I lose track of the time, the day, the mileage, and when I’ve last showered!
The best part about this road trip was the fact it wasn’t planned; I set out from Ohio with plans to drive nine hours south to visit the music epicenters Nashville and Memphis and then return back to Ohio. But once I visited both places I realized I didn’t want the trip to end. So I decided it wouldn’t. I ended up spending two months traveling the country by car with only enough belongings meant for a few day’s trip!
Now that I’ve practically been all over the world, I can easily say the United States has some of the most beautiful, breathtaking, and varied landscapes anywhere. The pictures below should attest to this!
California coast, off Highway 1
Deserts of New Mexico
The coast of Oregon
Here’s each stop we made along the way:
Nashville, Tennessee, where we spent the evening bar hopping on Broadway.
Memphis, Tennessee ,where we spent two days walking up and down Beale Street listening to the most amazing Blues music and eating some of the best food. We also toured Graceland.
Houston, Texas, where we stayed with friends and shopped and dined at City Center.
Waco Texas, where we stayed with friends and went tubing down the river.
Austin, Texas, where we spent the night roaming 6th Street.
Albuquerque, New Mexico, where we caught a Rihanna concert at an amazing outdoor amphitheater.
Madrid, New Mexico, which was just simply awesome.
Santa Fe, New Mexico, where we listened to music at the Santa Fe Bandstand in the Santa Fe Plaza.
Las Vegas, Nevada, where we had breakfast at the amazing Hash House a go go.
San Francisco, California, where we stayed with friends and visited Pier 39.
Portland, Oregon where we were impressed with their music scene.
Astoria, Oregon, where we had great food and beer at The Fort George Brewery and checked out The Goonies House.
Seattle, Washington, where we visited Jimi Hendrix’s Memorial.
Roslyn, Washington, where the popular TV show Northern Exposure was filmed.
Boulder, Colorado, where we visited friends, hiked one of the trails I helped build, and ate at one of my favorite local restaurants, Turley’s.
Denver, Colorado, where we stayed with family and roamed the 16th Street Mall followed by a trip to Black Hawk Casinos.
Chicago, Illinois, where we fell in love with Potbelly Sandwich Shop.