Freaks and Geeks

So, we did it! We made it across the country. After 9 days of driving, camping, and basically having a fantastic time, we made it to Seattle. The impressive thing? We only had one minor setback- a flat tire just outside of Libby, Montana. However, with the help of my (Kristen) extensive (okay, maybe not that extensive) knowledge of fixing cars, Julia and I managed to change the tire so we could continue on our way to the Emerald City.

Sophie's aunt and uncle have been extremely nice to allow us to stay here for a couple of nights. When arrived at their house, they had a large box of mangoes just waiting to be devoured. As we haven't had any sort of fruit (and very little vegetables, for that matter), this was one of the best things ever. Even better, though, were the comfortable beds and temperature-controlled rooms (as Katie mentioned in previous posts, it had been rather cold camping for the past week). We also made sure to take advantage of the availability of the TV and watched a lot of Freaks and Geeks and the Office. After an incredibly comfortable night of sleep, we woke up and headed off to the amazing Pike Place Market, which housed the delicious Crumpet Shop. We then spent a good bit of the rest of the day hanging out with Sophie's grandparents, Mervyn and Leatrice, and having dinner with them along with her aunt and uncle. Unfortunately, no one remembered to bring a camera to document our day.

Tomorrow morning we begin our trek south! After what will almost certainly be a slow-going morning, we will head down to Portland and then Salem. This three-hour drive will be a piece of cake after a week and a half of eight-ten hour drives.

MT=Montana, MT ≠Mountain

We arrived in Glacier National Park on Thursday after a quick lunch of mediocre bagels from Sunshine Bagel in Ennis, MT. We quickly found our site after a little chat about bears with our new favorite park ranger Chrystal Thurman, and then sat at the Beautiful McDonald Lake before dinner. It was VERYYYYYYYYYYY COLLLLDDDDDDDDDDD in Glacier, especially our first night because it was rather rainy (and Hail).

After our first cold night, we woke up late and had a lazy morning with pancakes, cards and frisbee. We then went on a 4 mile long round trip hike to a gorgeous lake in the middle of bear country. Although much of the park was still closed due to snow, we enjoyed a small part of the famous Going-to-the-Sun Road. Showers were far too expensive for our budget so we simply did without.

We had at this point perfected out fire starting technique and had another feast of pasta, hot dogs, tofu pups, corn, potatoes and popcorn. We threw the football around and became much better at Frisbee with a little practice (except Julia, she was just bad).

Off to Seattle!

MANY Visitors Have Been Gored by Buffalo!

We headed to Yellowstone NP on Tuesday, with the thought of BEARS on our minds. As we entered the Park and then to our site, we were warned multiple times of the dangers and frequency of bears in the Park, WE WERE IN BEAR-ITORY! We got in rather late and searched for a dry campsite (it took us 4 tries, but luckily we had a very nice woman helping us out). We had our first hot meal in a few days consisting of Moon Pies and Hot Dogs...although we did have some trouble with the fire building. The next day we saw Moose, a Bear and some Bison on our way to see Old Faithful. We did a short 1/2 mile hike to a look-out to watch the geyser erupt amid MANY bears. We then had delicious frozen yogurt at the historic Yellowstone Inn.

We passed the Continental Divide on our short 30ish mile drive to and from Old Faithful. That night we feasted on pasta and green beans for dinner. It was VERY cold sleeping at the park due to off and on rain. We did get to shower at the park and it was the best, warm and without a time limit.

More to come about GNP.

WE'RE IN THE BADLANDS!

We entered the Badlands National Park on Sunday from the Ytterbergs and arrived in the early evening, after a quick stop at the World's Only Corn Palace (look it up on Wikipedia). We made a quick round of the park in a light rain, then made camp and had cold soup and cheese sandwiches for dinner. We played catch after dinner and as it got dark, we entertained ourselves by playing poker and betting on hands with various "lady products". The next morning we "hiked" around the park during which time I (katie) fell off a HUGE mountain, nearly being eaten by a Rattlesnake (not really, just slid precariously down a smallish rock hill). We went to the famous (as told by Lauren Luther and Jessiriah Jullman) Wall Drug on the way to Mount Rushmore.

Mount Rushmore was awesome and just as weird as we were expecting (it's 4 faces carved into the side of a mountain!). We saw our first Bison... a rather boring animal it seems.

More coming with tales from Yellowstone!

Where in the U.S. is Carmen Sandiego?

After a leisurely start leaving Chicago around 11, we said goodbye to friends and headed towards our next stop. We drove through Wisconsin and entered Minnesota far earlier than expected, but the border of WI and MN was the most exciting part of our trip thus far. We rode over the great, the revered Mississippi River and I, Katie Baldonieri, was in the driver's seat. We managed to calm down and finish the drive to our friend Annie's house in Rochester through the rain.

The Ytterbergs were the BEST! They had a bed or comfy couch for all 5 of us and even cooked a delicious dinner of local buffalo and veggie burgers. After a tour of the lovely city, we returned home to play a rousing game of "Where in the US is Carmen Sandiego" (won, of course, by Sophie and Katie). We are watching Clueless and getting ready for bed soon.

Off to our first camping destination tomorrow morning, where we'll be seeing the grand landmark of Mount Rushmore. The Badlands, Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks are our next 3 stops, meaning that we will probably not be posting until we arrive in the Emerald City, until then.

Here We Go...

After months of planning, we're finally doing it- heading out on the open road. We left Pittsburgh at 9:30 this morning and headed west, the van brimming with clothes, sleeping bags, and a plethora of food. Our first eight-hour leg of the trip was highlighted with playlists, This American Life, snacks, and giggles. Julia, the inaugural driver, managed to get us safely to Chicago, with only a few close calls (almost running out of gas, for instance). But, we did make it, and even managed to snag pictures of the Ohio, Indiana, and Chicago welcome signs (apparently the state of Illinois is not worthy enough to have its own sign). Our elegant lunch consisted of peanut butter and Cheez-It sandwiches on fresh Panera bread. Needless to say, we were thrilled to arrive in Chicago and get a substantial meal. After a long day of driving and meeting up with teammates Jen and Kristine, all seven of us are cramming into a one-person hotel room. It will be an early bedtime tonight, as we're heading to Minnesota in the morning, bright and early.