Colorado

Things I've learned:
Zion National Park is a mere day-LONG drive from Los Angeles
The Rocky Mountains are humbling
The Salvation Army has the best prices in every state


We were rewarded after a day of some serious truckin' with a day of few but seriously good thrift store deals. Amanda with a great winter coat for $20 and me with the missing link to my Pyrex primary color nesting bowl set for $.50.


As far as we're concerned the day began in Colorado and ended in... Colorado.



Rising early as was possible in Green River, Utah the day began in Grand Junction, Colorado where we hit up four thrift stores, had lunch and continued on our merry way.



The flats of the valley quickly faded as we moved our way into a ravine, wound along the Colorado River and squeezed through the appropriately termed, majestic rocky mountains.


I'm posting this blog from a hotel room in North Platte, Nebraska, night having fallen upon us as we crossed over from Colorado I can imagine the similarities between north-eastern Colorado and Nebraska and though beautiful I can't help but desire to turn around and drive through the Rockies once more. Like a roller coaster ride - again, again!


And so we plan to do it again tomorrow, awaken early with loads of ground to cover all for the sake of a good Chicago Deep Dish Pizza, a beautiful face, gorgeous scenery and adventure. Nebraska being the home of my grandfather's youth we'll have a lot of history to be a-lookin' for.

Road-Side Photographer

"The best camera is the one you have" - said by my friend Ivett Chicas before I embarked on this cross-country trip.


It's day one. Not only have we made excellent time but we have displayed the soul of true road-warriors, driving an eleven hour haul from Palm Springs clear to the middle of Utah.


On the road by 8am we lost an hour and arrived in Green River, Utah at 8:15pm! Smaller but far more alive, even with the boarded up gas stations and cafes along the one mile strip than our original sleepy destination of Richfield, Utah.


On a minor level I'm obsessed with Green River. The bright lights of Vegas reign throughout the town, a slow quiet river runs along the middle, half the town has been boarded up, keys tossed to the side due to our delightful economy and a majority of the population are tourists looking for some solitude.


The drive here was a long, pleasant journey through the familiar desert outside of California. Towns popped up along the way like a mirage, a place known only by those who never want to be known of again. Pink plateaus turned into green rolling hills, into vibrant red clay molds dashing toward the sky and back into pink plateaus.


The sun set just as we rolled into town.


And not once did we stop for a thrift store but twice we stopped for coffee. Tomorrow is another day and we've vowed to take it slow. A morning detour off the main highway and a thrift store or two along the way. Oh what the day beholds!

Cross Country Road Trippin'

There were days not to long ago when a road trip involving moi driving across the country would've meant, at the very least, a plan set in place one month in advance and a suitcase packed 1-2 weeks prior. Those days are so far gone I can't even see them in my rear view mirror.

Here we are going on the Wednesday before the long-haul begins and I can barely conjure the excitement to plan said route, I still haven't UN-packed my suitcase from northern California not to mention packed for five days across the country and five in NYC. And I need to be ready to go by Saturday!

Please forgive me if I sound as if I'm complaining, I certainly am not, honestly I couldn't be more excited. I'm merely stating my awe over time and how it gets the best of us - just another cliche ringing true as they all tend to do.

But I digress. I finally sat down and mapped out the trip, and even though we won't be venturing along any of the routes on the above map (Route 66 was considered) I thought this website, www.roadtripusa.com was worth a mention. It's the only place I was able to find on the web that lays out optional routes. On top of this places of interest in the various states are highlighted. I only wish someone would do THAT for my random route.

Here you have it, and any suggestions along the way are welcome!

I-15 through Nevada, Arizona and Utah
I-70 through Utah and Colorado
I-76 through Colorado into Nebraska
I-80 through Nebraska, Indiana, Ohio
I-90 through Ohio, Pennsylvania and we're almost there!

Any thrift store suggestions are VERY welcome.