the last one...finally...

after long last, the last post, from las vegas, into california and up the pacific coast.  the stops included san diego to see some friends who moved there from arlington a couple of years ago, then to santa barbara to stay the night, followed by a fairly early morning rise and continuing the drive up highway 1 through monterey and into santa cruz.  once we hit santa cruz we turned east, rolled over the mountains and made it to our destination in the bay area.

after we arrived, we had a couple of days to unpack, organize, and try to get set up in the new digs.  i started working essentially the second we hit the ground, though, so casey had some time to herself to drive around and check out the area.  she didn't go too far for fear of getting lost, so on thursday the 31st of january we headed up to san francisco for dinner at scoma's, an apparently well known seafood restaurant on the piers.  great drinks, great dinner, great location, but afterwards we were both wiped out and decided to call it a night and head home.  not much to report for the next day other than the balance of my things finally arriving and more organizing and unpacking.  we tried to take it easy and just enjoy the last night before casey flew out the next day.

i drove her to the airport the next afternoon and got ready to start my new adventure in northern california.

now, i know this post seems rushed and lacking in the details, but there's a specific reason for that: i spent the past couple of hours uploading the 700+ pictures that we took on the whole trip, and i know that pictures speak much more vividly than my words ever could.  so for everyone who was following along since day one or day 10, enjoy the sights, and i'll preface them by advising that they're presented unedited and uncropped, and most of them were taken from a moving car, so apologies for any shaking or uncentered shots.  apparently it's really hard to remain steady at 85mph.  either way, thanks for coming along on this once-in-a-lifetime trip, it was good to have you in spirit, and we look forward to sharing with everyone in the future.

slideshow

az, nv, and vegas

we took a bit of a hiatus from posting to this, and there's a lot to report from the last update until now.  the last time we checked it, we had just arrived in phoenix, well into the mountain time zone.  our plan was to leave phoenix, head to jerome where there are a couple of wineries that i wanted to visit, then head to sedona, where casey had visited a couple of times a few years back and which is, apparently, full of gorgeous views.  unfortunately, this was the scenery almost as soon as we got outside of phoenix:

just beautiful

thanks arizona. we stopped in jerome, a small (SMALL) town of a few hundred that just so happens to be the home of the tasting room for a couple of vineyards that are either partially or wholly owned by the lead singer of my favorite band.  pretty cool stuff.  we stopped for a bite, bought a few bottles of wine, and after a few hours were on our way.  the weather was still pretty nasty; the only question now was whether it was even worth it to shoot for the grand canyon.  after some hand-wringing, we decided that given the weather, and since the whole idea of the grand canyon is to experience the landscape, we decided that the 30 yds of visibility that we had just wouldn't make it for a memorable experience.  decision made, we put the pedal to the floor headed toward our next destination, the city of sin, las vegas.

counting the grand canyon weather disaster, this leg of the trip included 2 of the biggest (perhaps only?) disappointments in terms of things missed.  As we crossed over from arizona to nevada via the hoover dam at nightfall, we had no light to see the sights that i'd seen several times from an airplane, but never as close up as i could have now.  though i suppose that if those are the biggest low points of the trip, then we did alright.

as we drove closer into las vegas, the first thing casey noticed was the lights.  even before we hit the strip, she thought that every single light she saw was it.  one thing that i don't know whether people who've never driven in have ever realized, as i know i didn't, is that las vegas is a sprawling city, with the world famous strip being nothing more than a blip on the map.  a lot of the sprawl to the south and east is pretty crummy and run-down looking, too.  i guess people use all their money gambling, with nothing left to clean up the place.  we could see the lights off the casinos coming from miles away, and it took us longer than we expected, once we got within sight of it, to actually get to our destination, the bellagio hotel.  there was no agenda for the trip other than have a good meal, do a little bit of gambling, and rest up for the next leg, which would take us into our destination state.

almost there...

after parking the car, checking in, and getting to the hotel room (which came fully equipped with an unmade bed, linens strewn about, and the previous occupant's room key on the dresser - yes, we changed rooms), we changed into our civilized clothes (no more sandals, t-shirt and dirty underwear!) and made our way to las vegas boulevard.  we made it outside just in time to get a prime seat for the famous water show.  after that ended, we strolled down the road to kill some time before our reservation at bobby flay's mesa grill in caesar's palace.

we got to see the usual weirdos spouting off about the impending end of the world etc and everyone in their strange, non-sequiter outfits.  mario, luigi, storm troopers, chewbacca, street performers, and even your garden-variety beggars.  it's like any other city only with more lights, more costumes, and less clothes on the women. oh yea, and the nearly full size replicas of the eiffel tower and the statue of liberty are a nice touch, too.  once we got to caesar's we still had some time to kill, so what better time to do the requisite gambling.  for some reason casey just wanted to pull a lever, so we went to the slots so that she could do that.  after it ate our money, the machine sprung to life and invited us to pull the lever, for which casey was more than happy to oblige.  a few button presses, upping the ante, and few pulls later and the money was gone.  pretty funny to see her, a first time gambler, come to the quick realization that the house always wins.  not the most expensive lesson ever taught, though, so no harm, no foul.

we got to bobby flay's a few minutes before we were due, but were still immediately seated and started perusing the menu.  i can't say anything other than wow.  i won't bother describing it, because there's no way my typing can do it justice.  i will say, though, that for the first time since we left, we didn't split the meal between the two of us as we'd done at every other eatery to try to avoid overeating and to prevent having to carry leftovers in the car.  the next time you're in las vegas, that's a place that's certainly worth consideration for a nice dinner.  we got back to the room completely wiped out, and slept like babies, getting ready for the next day, which would be our final state line crossing.

1,100 miles later

by the cup or bowl

if the proclaimers were trying to be the man who walked a-thousand miles and wound up at your door, they still would have a couple hundred more miles to go to equal the distance we've gone in the two days since last we posted.  we had a day in austin, followed by driving, driving and more driving, with our landing in phoenix tonight.

first off, austin is definitely as weird as everyone says, but still very cool and fun.  whenever hipsters around the world pray, i have to assume that they are required by hipster law to face austin.  the restaurants are good, the shops are quirky and different, and it was all very laid back.  and there really is as much live music as we'd heard; it was a wednesday night and there were not less than a dozen bars with live music within a two block stretch.  we saw a great 90s rock music cover band at one place and the creatively named shakey graves at another.  the bars here are into a few things, and the picture to the right gives you an idea what one of those things is.  sounds like my kind of place.  a special thanks to casey's cousin, sarah, for showing us a good time; austin's another place i wouldn't mind visiting again.

unfortunately the night took a little bit of a toll and we didn't get on the road on thursday until about 930am headed toward west texas.  once we got on i-10, with its 80 mph speed limits, we were really making western moves.  fast forward 7 hours and well over 400 miles and we arrived in carlsbad, famous for...being the other carlsbad that's in america, i guess.  also the caverns.  since it was already dark when we arrived, we checked into the hotel, looked for some options for dinner, and once we realized that there were very few,

guadalupe mountains

we just decided to drive down the one main road and figure it out.  for the 3rd time on this journey, the choice was bbq.  after dinner, we had an early bedtime, because today was another marathon drive of 600+ miles and 9+ hours through new mexico and arizona.  though the drive into town the night before was unimpressive, seeing southern new mexico and southeastern arizona in the daylight was absolutely remarkable.  the landscapes are truly unique in the palette of america's countryside.

we stopped in tucson for a late lunch (not bbq!) close to arizona's campus; that makes around a half dozen college campuses that we've managed to eat near on the trip so far.  from tucson it was a quick 2 hour jaunt up 10 west to phoenix.  as we checked in to the hotel i saw that there is some sort of frisbee competition going on in town with a large contingent staying in the hotel.  so, maybe if i play my cards right i'll be able to win this tournament/competition thing and not even need to work anymore.  they're paying top dollar for frisbee these days, right?

al, ms, la & tx

we havn't updated you since sunday, so there's a lot to go over, and not much time, before we get moving on the next leg of our journey.

we got up on monday, had a light breakfast in huntsville, then started south and west.  our first stop was in tuscaloosa to see alabama's campus, the football stadium, and to try the bbq at a place called dreamland's.  the bbq was good (though we both thought the potato salad and baked beans were the best part of it...sorry lacy!) the stadium was impressive, and the campus was beautiful.  it makes me a little jealous of all the friends i have who went there.  definitely looks like a good time.

from tuscaloosa we continued southwest through mississippi...not much there...so...yea, thanks mississippi...

after mississippi we landed in new orleans to see how much bourbon street was celebrating mlk day.  the answer: lots of drunk 20-somethings were definitely celebrating something, with booze, booze and more booze.  and yelling.  lots of yelling.  we met up for dinner and a little stroll down bourbon with our friend alison who was originally from n.o, moved to dc several years back and then recently moved back to n.o.  it was good to have a native walk and talk us through some of the history of the area.  eventually she had to take off, though, to get ready for work the next day, so casey and i walked around some more, had some hurricanes, went to a piano bar but ultimately made it a relatively early night.

the next morning we got up early, went and had some biegnets for breakfast, packed our things and were on our way.  on the way out of town we stopped by the site of this year's super bowl, the superdome, and saw the preparations that were underway for the upcoming confluence of mardi gras with the harbaugh-bowl.  it looks like the city is ready to go nuts, no matter what happens in the game.

from new orleans we hopped on 10-W toward texas, stopping only in baton rouge at parrain's for the crawfish etouffe (REALLY good) and to take a drive through LSU's campus.  another SEC school, another place i could picture myself going in another life.  the rest of the day took us into texas to our eventual destination in houston.

finally we were in a place that i knew, having spent the better part of 2011 here with work.  we checked into the hotel, then spent the rest of the daylight hours driving around seeing the sights.  the houses, the shops, the restaurants - casey wasn't sure how i didn't like this city more than i did while i was working here.  we were also able to stop into the office where i had worked, so it was good for her to see the fruits of my labor.  a light sushi dinner, a few drinks, and a hookah bar to end the night finished our less-than-24-hour adventure in houston.

this makes the perfect time to wrap it up, as casey is finishing getting herself ready to head out the door - next stop: austin, tx, and casey's cousin, sarah.  it's a pretty quick drive, so we should get the better part of the day to enjoy the city before driving through west texas and new mexico after that, so wish us luck!

we'll check in again soon

c+w

the first weekend - atlanta and huntsville

nashville is a damn cool town.  i wish we could've stayed longer.  alas, the road was calling and we had to get to atlanta to visit the bro, sis and godson.  carson is still awesome, but i would expect no less from a relative of mine, so it's good to see that he's keeping the bar high.  we had a great home cooked dinner and breakfast, and got to spend some time at the park where carson seemed to be a little too into the pink toys...i can't wait to upload some pictures of the little man, so stay tuned for those once we land in palo alto. 

we left atlanta right as the nfc championship game was getting ready to start (aside: sorry, falcons fans...not really, though...geaux saints).  a drive through the backwoods of georgia and alabama took us to huntsville to see one of casey's best friends from growing up, where we've just finished dinner, gotten through the requisite catching up over bud lights and red wine, and are continuing the catching up over more spoiled grapes.

not staying up too late tonight, though, since tomorrow starts another work week and more westward travels, this time to new orleans to see the preparations for mardi gras and superbowl and to otherwise stay completely sober.  hurricanes are a weather event, not a drink, right?  we got a recommendation to stop in tuscaloosa on the way, so we may take a stroll through alabama's campus to hang out with nick saban, but either way we'll be in southern louisiana in a matter of hours.

and the journey continues, making our way through the central time zone...

c+w

the first night - nashville, tn

wow.  that was easily the longest time and distance i've ever spent in a car in a single day, flying past the drive to glacier national park from a few years ago.  over 660 miles, a stop in roanoke for gas, a stop in knoxville for a late lunch, 1 time zone change, and 10+ hours later, here we are.  all the snow on the ground from front royal to knoxville made me really happy that the heater in my car still doesn't work.  at least the engine still does...now that we've checked into the hotel for the night i'm slowly regaining the feeling in my feet.

as an aside, if you ever get a chance to go to knoxville, whether to stay or just passing through, i recommend a place called calhoun's on the river.  great ambience and location right across from tennessee's campus on the tennessee river, great bbq ribs, awesome mac-n-cheese, and a great cinnamon apple side that inadvertently doubles as a dessert.  all around good choice.  with her winning choice of the meal casey has earned herself the responsibility of picking the menu everywhere we stop from here on.

ok, so now that we're in nashville, it's time to check out some of the places that were recommended to us.  but first, i found out earlier this week that one of my best friends from growing up also happens to be in nashville this weekend, so we're going to get together for a beer before casey and i split off and check out the downtown area.  no rest for the weary, though, so it'll be a relatively tame, early night so that we can hit the road tomorrow, back-tracking a bit to visit chip, anne and carson in atlanta.

have to keep it (relatively) short; with such a limited time here we have to make the most of it and get out of this hotel!

c+w

and we're off!

here it is, friday morning; i'm up early like i'm going to work, but the office isn't on my itinerary today.  so, with apologies to willie nelson, bob seger, canned heat and jack kerouac, i'm on the road...

departure eve eve

welcome to all family, friends, transients, drifters and accidental google searchers!  this is where, for the next 2 weeks or so, i'll attempt to gather a log of my daily travels, sights seen and things learned as casey and i travel from our nation's capital in d.c. to our nation's tech capital in northern california.  departure is slated for friday morning and has us traveling down the blue ridge mountains and landing in honky tonk, usa, nashville, tennessee!  we'll check in soon!

the map