Road Trip = Life Metaphor

It wasn't long into this trip that we realized that Roadtrip!2011 had metaphorical potential out the wazoo. We had lots of philosophical, spiritual, in-depth, and complex discussions that left us all thinking about the more important things in life. I think I speak for all of us when I say that we each learned things about ourselves during this adventure that we weren't fully prepared to learn. For me? I was reminded, blatantly, that there are some things I cannot control, no matter how much I think I can.

I also learned that the United States is beautiful. I don't really know what else to say, or how to say it. But I live in a gorgeous country. As someone who is so passionate about exploring the rest of the world, I had never really taken the time to appreciate my own nation and what it has to offer. I am so, so, so glad that I took advantage of the opportunity to drive to the west, and to see the US from a car. There aren't many times in your life that you can take two and a half weeks off of reality, pack in a sedan with four other people, eat sandwiches for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, stay with friends and family at every stop, and only spend less than $300 a person on the entire trip. By the trip's end, we had visited five national parks, had seen friends and family that we hadn't seen in months or years, and didn't have one car problem (unless you count blowing the fuse when we had four chargers plugged into one electrical socket; thank goodness Eric knew just what to do). It is a trip that I will treasure forever, and will recommend to anyone graduating from college. Jump in a car, map out a trail, and see this amazing country.

People keep asking me what my favorite part was, and it's impossible to say. Surprising the JOH boys was definitely my favorite moment; nothing can compare to the amount of love and happiness that came from that surprise. I wish that I could replay it over and over again. But I think that my favorite place to visit was Jackson, WY, mostly because I fell in love with the Tetons, and the hike we did there was unreal. But then I think about everything else we did and everywhere else we went, and there is no way that I can say I liked Jackson more than Yellowstone, Yellowstone more than Glacier, Glacier more than the Badlands, or the Badlands more than Colorado. You don't go on trips like this to find a favorite place. You go to take all of it in, and you come back with favorite places.

I could write about this trip forever. I don't know which details to give you all, because there are so many. And I am leaving these posts on my "Something I Can Send You from Across the Sea" blog, even though I didn't actually cross the sea this time. Why? Because my journeys abroad made me think that the rest of the world was more beautiful than my own country, and this road trip taught me that I was sorely mistaken. Every trip I go on impacts my passion for travel in some way--whether it's a ten hour drive or a ten hour plane flight. The point is that I travel. And I want you to be a part of my journey.

Love,
lvp

Still on the road!

So I had to stop updating for a little while because we were in the process of surprising our friends on JOH--the bike ride across the country to raise money and awareness for people with disabilities. Five of my friends were on the trans route, which goes through Yellowstone, and we were going to be there at the same time. Of course, if the boys had known we were in Jackson Hole, they would have either been furious we weren't seeing them, or certain that we were. So Joey forbid us from writing anything about our location online, and as a result, we pulled off an amazing surprise. It was definitely one of the highlights of the trip.

After we left the Badlands, we took Eric to Rapid City, SD where he met up with his family for his brother's wedding. The next morning, we headed out to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, stopping at Mount Rushmore on the way, which was a beautiful drive, complete with lots of "critters" that Mitch spotted (while driving, nonetheless). In Jackson, we stayed with Joey's friend Sarah who graduated from Queens and works at a ranch out there. We hiked in the Tetons for a good 4.5 hours, and then Sarah took us on a horse ride through some trails, which made for some gorgeous views.

We were sad to leave Jackson, but excited for SURPRISE DAY! We drove through Yellowstone and made all the important stops, including Old Faithful and Grand Prismatic. Some of those places are crazy beautiful. We didn't have a whole lot of time in the park, though, before we had to meet Fred for the big surprise. I can't really put into words what surprising Ian, Wes, Michael, and Brett was like...but I have a few pictures for you.

Next stop: Bozeman. This drive also proved gorgeous, and we got to see an amazing sunset that left us all with our jaws dropped. We stayed with Nate, one of my London friends, and his family in Montana, and went out to one of the local bars with Nate and my other London friends, Jeff. The next morning, we headed to Glacier National with Nate, and had a great time out there camping, exploring, hiking, and driving around. 

After a few nights in Montana, it was time to move on, and now we are in Boulder, Colorado staying at my brother's. After we eat breakfast, he's taking us rock climbing, and then we are getting on the road again!

That's all for now.

Love,
lvp

And these badlands start treating us good...

The South Dakota Badlands. Ever heard of them? Neither had I until a few days ago. And rather than trying to explain them to you in words, I'm just going to share pictures with you. Please know that these photos do not, in any way, do this magnificent place justice. But, it's the best I can do. Hopefully it will inspire you to visit yourself.

Amazing, right? This is the best road trip ever.

Love,

lvp

Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska...

It's hard to believe that three days ago, I was in Florida. And now, after 27 or so hours of driving, I am in Omaha, Nebraska. Today, I drove through several states that I have only heard about but had never actually seen--not even in movies, because nobody puts Iowa or Illinois (unless it's Chicago) in a movie. Lots of land, y'all. And fields. And wind farms. We got really excited about the wind farms, I guess because it meant a change in scenery.

We also had a run in with a few storms, the worst one being when we arrived in Omaha. The clouds were more than just ominous; they were pre-tornado, as far as any of us were concerned. Once we reached our destination for the day, we saw on the news that there were, in fact, tornado warnings; it's a good thing we got here when we did.

I'm just going to leave you with a few pictures, and leave the rest to your imagination. Don't worry. I'll update you again soon!

That's all for now. Don't be freaked out, Mom.

Love,

lvp