Summer Trip 2009 Part 1

OK so I actually have news to post. Brent and I just finished our US tour 2009 and it has been a GREAT trip. We packed so much into this trip this year that I've decided to write about some categories. That's why it has to be in 3 parts.

Category one....STATISTICS
Brent and I traveled for 24 days
hit 20 different states
3 time zones (2 of them we hit twice)
over 4000 miles
2 oil changes
Saw forests, mountains, hills, deserts, grasslands, prairy, farmland, lakes and rivers
killed 2 birds and COUNTLESS bugs
Stayed in 6 motels (all from Priceline, more on that later)
used WAYYY too many public restrooms (again more on that later)
and of course drove through MILES of construction

STOPS
BEST STOPS: The best stops are of course our families house. We visited both Brent's and I's family. For Brent's family we were in Minnesotta but did go to Wisconsin to visit his grandma. For my family we were in New Mexico. But I will get to these stops later. As for the actual traveling I would have to say that the best stop was in Mishawaka, Indiana. We found this cute little town on the outside of South Bend on the way to Minnesotta. It was a great place to shop, eat, and sleep. We wanted to visit Notre Dame but we got there too late. So we made plans to see the College Football Hall of Fame, but again we got there too late. So we just spent our time touring the little city. It was a fun time!

WORSE STOP: Walsenburg, Colorado. We stopped here for a gas and bathroom break on our way to my parent's house and boy was it a mistake. The freeway was closed for construction and they rerouted the entire traffic through this little town. So there was TONS of traffic on small tiny roads. To make it worse, the train came through town while we were there and backed up traffic even more. The first gas station we stopped at had all their gas pumps turned off for some stupid reason and didn't tell any of the customers. So we sat there trying to pump gas and getting very frustrated. So finally we left and went to a 7-2-11. GROSS. Brent pmped gas (super expensive too) while I took a potty break. This place gets the second grosses (sp?) bathroom. It was on seat for both boys and girls. I was in a long line and unfortunatly the boy in front of me was sloppy and so I had to clean up after him. EWWWW. We quickly got out of there!!!

HOTELS
BEST: Little Rock, Arkansas. By far the best place I've ever stayed. We were treated like rock stars and slept in THE most comfortable bed. They had a beautiful little swimming pool that was right next to an awesome bar/restaurant. So we were swimming to some great music. The pool was under a gigantic atrium that had lots of windows and a wonderful outside feeling. To make it even better, it was only $50.

WORSE: North Platte, Nebraska. We paid over $70 for this aweful place. The beds were terrible (they only had full size available so Brent and I had to sleep seperate) and the bathroom was yucky. It had lots of mold and smelled. The pool was too small and cold. It was just a bad place to be.

RESTAURANTS
BEST: The Big Texan, Amarillo, Texas. This place was so fun. Brent has been wanting to go to this restaurant ever since I've meet him. It was featured on Food Network and is home of the 72 ounce steak challenge. Challengers are suppose to eat 4 pounds of steak, a potatoe, a salad, 4 shrimp, and a roll in under an hour. Very stupid. Neither Brent nor I wanted to do it, but we did want to watch other people do it. The guy that was trying was defeated. Poor guy couldn't finish it and ended up paying over $72 for the meal. The place was a great tourist stop and had a BIG dinning room decorated all texas style and kind of had a old western feeling too it. Everyone was dressed in cowboy outfits and talked in a THICK texan accent. They had a gift store there too that included a live snake and the world's largest rocking chair. The best part however, was the limo. They picked us up from our hotel in an old limo with large bull horns on the front. Super funny. Watch for pictures.

WORSE: Tequilla's, Mishawaka, Illinois. I know I said that this was our favorite little stop, but the restaurant was a big let down. The hotel attendant recommend it to us so we were excited to go. But the food was all bad. The waitress was aweful and the prices were too expensive. We were kind of in and out pretty quick. So sad.

HONORABLE MENTION: There are a few more places that we thought we'd mention. While we were at the wedding rehersal in New York, we ate at a very authentic Italian restaurant. It was soo yummy. I'm sorry I don't remember the name of the place, but it had the best sausage, pasta and bread. We also wanted to mention the Whiskey Creek Restaurant in North Platte. It's a chain BBQ restaurant, but both Brent and I loved it. The BBQ sauce was super good. And the atmosphere was so fun. It was the first time I saw "western" people and I felt at home.

ATTRACTIONS
BEST: The Sacred Grove. On our way out of New York headed to Mennesotta we stopped to see the Sacred Grove and Palmyra Temple. It was such a spiritual experience, especially knowing that I was there with Brent. The temple was closed so we walked around the grounds. Even though it was hot, the day was so special. There is definatly a spirit there that is hard to ignore. While I was there I wanted to quiz Brent to see just how much stuff he knew about the mormons and he surprisingly got every question right. I even asked him questions that I figured would be really hard. But apparently he has been paying more attenion than I thought. I'm so happy.

WORSE: Purgatory Ski Resourt, Durango, Colorado. So this place has all the ingrediants for a perfect attraction. During the summer you can take a Gondola ride up the mountain to see the beautiful Rocky mountains. This is our second year going here. But both times, they cancled the ride due to lightening. It's an hours drive from my parents house so it is such a bummer to drive all that way just to get turned down.

HONORABLE MENTION: On the 4th of July we went to a horse race track in MN. It was a miserably hot day but in between horse races they had fun little weiner dog races. We got to meet and pet all the dogs and then watch them race. It was sooooo cute and funny. The dog that won was so determined to win. It was just so fun. It made me miss my own puppies, but it was a fun time.

MONEY
BEST DEAL: Buffalo Bill Trading Post, North Platte, Nebraska. We found so many cool gifts and fun things to buy. We got 3 christmas gifts here that were a great deal. It was a very LARGE trading posts that boasts about being Buffalo Bill's own store.

WASTE OF MONEY: Treasure Island Casino, Redwing, Minnesotta. Brent and I went here with his family for some afternoon gambling. We lost a total of $80. But the lunch was AWESOME!!

Return tomorrow for fmore catergories and hopefully some pictures.