Nevada

On Monday morning we left Denver and made our way to Las Vegas, NV. A snow storm coming in from the west forced us to head south to New Mexico. We stopped in Santa Fe for lunch around noontime. I kept waiting to see the Santa Fe skyline off in the distance as the GPS drew us closer and closer, but nothing. Then we arrived in Santa Fe, Nevada's capital, yet we still saw no buildings. Apparently Santa Fe isn't like most cities. The city is made up of 2-3 story clay-like buildings sprawled out for miles. It was very cool stuff. We didn't spend much time there but would love to return and visit more of the cool shops and restaurants. Julie is very excited to visit the city someday with mom, auntie Mare, and her sisters. After lunch we set off on the road destined for Sin City. We became very tired half way through Arizona and stopped at a Best Western in Flagstaff. About a mile before the hotel however we encountered a 'white out'. The snow was so thick and coming down so fast I could barely see 3 feet in front of my car. Our night time road enemy (the 18-wheeler) suddenly became our ally as I used the lights off the one in front of us as a guide through the terrible weather. We made it to the hotel safely, went for a quick soak in the hot tub and then fell asleep. The next day we had a small breakfast provided by the hotel and set off on the road again. Arizona is much like New Mexico with the rolling mountains off in the distance, although the rocks seemed more red. And much to Julie's dismay we had still not seen any untamed wildlife (ie: mountain lion! 'Roar' Jaden!) On the Nevada/New Mexico line we encountered the Hoover Dam - a very cool sight to behold. We stopped to take in the scenery for a moment and then left for Las Vegas! I called the Sheas to say hello and by chance Big Pat had received an offer in the mail about cheap hotels in Vegas. I then began calling some of the Harrah Hotels before settling on the 'Flamingo'. Vegas is town of unlimited fun and activity. Julie and I had never been attracted to Vegas before but after seeing all it has to offer we definitely conclude that it is a fun time. We gambled a bit on roulette, enjoyed a buffet at Planet Hollywood hotel, and then saw a hypnotist show which was very funny. We didn't get to explore all the hotels on the strip but we would just like to say that the Bellagio is one of the nicest hotels we have ever seen. It is the one with the water fountains out in front that are synchronized to music. The money I lost on roulette will be given back to me as a credit at the Flamingo as part of a promotion from joining the rewards club for Harrah's casino's. So we will be returning in June (Note to Amy, start planning for the weekend of June 13th and 14th, make it happen!) Cheers! Tim

And the two kids traveled westward!

Hello All! Much has happened since leaving New Orleans. Julie and I set out on Tuesday afternoon (after watching some of the inaugural events) destined for Denver. We stopped in Shreveport, LA for dinner at a Japanese restaurant called 'Tokyo'. The food there was very good (miso soup, chicken lettuce wrap, spicy tuna roll, and salmon). Deep in the Dark of Texas we drove on through the night making it somewhere between Wichita Falls and Amarillo before having to pull over and rest for a couple of hours. This was extremely exhausting and the scary 18 wheelers were dominent throughout Texas. The skyline in Dallas at night was very bright and colorful, pretty to look at. Sometime around dawn we hit the road again determined to make it to Denver by dinner time. We crossed the New Mexico/Texas line in the late morning on Wednesday. While Texas had been flat and boring New Mexico began to exhibit plateaus and rolling mountains. It was awesome witnessing the major changes in our countrys' geography. Despite not having slept much at all since leaving New Orleans we felt invigorated to be in a new state and closer to our destination. Soon we were into Colorado where the weather was absolutely beautiful, 70 degrees! The Rockie Mountains are abosolutely breath taking. Our first night at Pat and Sarah's in Denver consisted of a delicious meal purchased at Whole Foods (salmon, steak, shrimp and potatoes) and prepared by Sarah. We were extremely tired and after dinner and soon went to bed. On our first full day in Colorado Julie and I wasted no time in experiencing what this awesome state has to offer. We drove up to Boulder in the late morning and did a small hike on one of the nearbye mountain trails. After a short, but tiring hike we headed west to Hot Sulphur Springs, CO (about 2 hours). We visted the hot springs resort which has about 25 man made pools with natural hot spring water flowing throughout. The suplher may not smell great, but it does wonders for the skin and hair. Julie enjoyed the hottest tub at 112 degrees while i preferred a temp of 108-109 degrees. Around sunset we left the hot springs, grabbed some lovely dinner at a nearbye pizza restaurant, and headed back to Denver. The ride home was little nerve racking at times because Hot Sulphur Springs is nested way up in the mountains where there are some trechorous roads. With the GPS leading the way and warning me of all approaching sharp turns I navigated us back to Interstate 70 successfully and safely. On Friday morning Pat, Sarah, Julie, and myself all left to go skiing at Copper Mountain (about 2 hours away). Pat was able to get us a discount on lift tickets which saved us about 80 bucks. Pat and his best man Chris (who met us there) headed off to the difficult trails while Julie and I tried some easier slopes. Learning how to ski is not something one picks up at the snap of a finger and as Julie stuggled to find her bearings I encouraged her to not give up and keep at it. With my help we were able to get down a few runs before going into the lodge for some lunch. After lunch Pat, Chris and myself all headed back out for some black diamonds and moguls. Julie and Sarah relaxed in the lodge and had some good bonding time. As a small snow storm began to blanket the area with several inches the ride home from the mountain turned into quite a spectacle, ultimately taking us over 4 hours to get home. We estimated that about 40% of all the cars and trucks on Highway 70 were stuck on ice. Traffic was about 5-20 mph for most of the way as people spun tires and pushed cars in the middle of the highway. Luckily, we were in Pat's brand new Susuki which had four wheel drive and is a stick shift. All of Pat's worries on the capibilites of his new car were put to rest as the car successfully made it through the snowy and icy conditions. Later that night Pat went up to Boulder to see a show and Sarah, Julie and myself stayed in and watched a movie. On Saturday morning Julie and I did some yoga and headed to the Boulder Rock Gym. We climbed the walls for about two hours before becoming really hungry. We then went to the Mountain Sun restaurant on Pearl Street in Boulder. I had a delicious burger while Julie enjoyed a Tempe Reuban. This place is great. They give you free apps while waiting for a table and the food and beers were quite tasty. After eating we went back to Pat and Sarah's and prepared to go to a show at the Filmore theater. Umphree's McGee was in town and Pat and all his friends are big fans. The show was pretty good. They are kind jammy with hard rock and reggae elements. We made it home after a long night of music and partying and lucky us; Sarah made the most yummy grilled cheese sandwiches which we violently consumed before falling into a deep and restful sleep. Today (Sunday Jan 25th, Happy Birthday Ray!) was a pretty restful day. We had a delicious breakfast at a place called Lola in downtown Denver and then napped for most of the day. We are now preparing to get some dinner and then rest up for a long drive tomorrow. Originally we were going to travel to Salt Lake City and spend the night. But now with snow moving into the region we have decided to drive South to Santa Fe, have lunch and then head directly West to Las Vegas. My friend Kevin is currently in Las Vegas on a business trip. We will redevous with him. Denver was non-stop and we had a great time. We are thankful to Pat and Sarah for hosting us and look forward to seeing them again in June at the wedding! Goodbye for now friends!

Tim

Hospitable Bill

We stayed at Tim's uncle's place just outside of New Orleans. Uncle Bill provided wonderful accommodation for us on this chapter of our across America trek. We strolled the infamous Bourbon Street (where Tim was suckered into a shoe shine at a price of $12), gambled at Hannah's casino off Canal Street, and surveyed the remaining damage of this notable American city in the wake of Katrina 3 years ago. While Tim prefers to figure out directions and locations of places on his own, Julie is an asker - never hesitating to engage the local population for information on just about everything. New Orleans is a fun party town, but not a place either of us would want to live. There is a lot of poverty here, low property tax which translates into poor public school systems, bad roads, corrupt gov't (so Bill tells us), too much fried food, and lax drunk driving enforcement due to the acceptance of drinking as a mainstay to the culture and business. Despite all this we did have a great time. The weather was awesome and a nice change from the freezing conditions we had been experiencing days prior. New Orleans would be a fun place to visit with a group of friends looking to party for a short time. Mardi Gras 2010 anyone? Julie and Tim depart LA on this historic inauguration day and as they drive westward into the setting sun they are hopeful for the future of good things to come.
J&T

Alabama the beautiful

We left DC at 7:00 on Saturday morning, stopped at Starbucks for some coffee and set out on the open road for the next 12 hours towards Alabama. We had started using the Garmin GPS by this time and i would just like to say that this device is truly wonderful. We got in around 7:30pm and met Carrie at her house. After reminiscing for a bit we ordered some pizza and hung out until Chris, Carrie's husband, got home. Chris is a big Red Sox fan, which I found strange given the fact he has never lived in the New England area. Carrie says when he was a young boy he loved the beards on the Red Sox players and that's how he became a fan. We played card games until about midnight and then headed off to bed. Julie and I were both extremely tired by this point and were relieved to feel the touch of the pillow (and Tinkerbell sheets) to our heads. The Queen air mattress was quite comfortable. In the morning we were greeted by the lovely Charlotte, Carrie and Chris' daughter. She is an absolute delight (As you can tell from the video below). After a delicious breakfast Carrie made for us, we packed up and set off in beautifully warm weather to New Orleans. We drove through a bit more of Alabama and then entered Mississippi where the bulk of the days driving took place. We got to Tim's uncle's place around 6:30pm. He lives 10 miles outside of the city. He took us to dinner at 'Copelands' which was very yummy. Tim had shrimp and pasta and Julie had pecan encrusted catfish with broccoli. We then rented a movie and fell asleep five minutes into it. Today is gorgeous outside and we are preparing to go downtown to Bourbon St and have some lunch. Bye for now!
J&T

Freezing in Washington DC

Holy crap its cold! Cold cold cold. We arrived in DC around 1:00pm, checked into the Hyatt and set off at about 3:00 to do some sight seeing. We saw the white house, the Washington Monument, and the Jefferson Memorial before we began to really need to get out of the cold. A local Starbucks provided a warm haven for a short while before we made our way through the National Mall and back to our hotel. We went for a swim in the hotel pool and then headed out for some dinner. After an unsuccessful attempt to find a particular burrito place, a kind gentlemen pointed us in the direction of many restaurants. It was colder than before! Both starving, we settled on fast food Indian, which was pretty tasty but probably not the healthiest of choices. We are now back in the hotel room preparing for bed. Tomorrow we will leave at the crack of dawn and begin driving to Alabama. Best of dreams to all on this frigid January night!
J&T

Tim and Julie's night in Yonkers

We arrived at Buddy's at around 7:00pm. Buddy had ordered us dinner (Hibatchi and Sushi) and it was very delicious. We enjoyed great conversion during dinner while waiting for more friends to come. Kat and Damian came over around 9:00 and we played several games, including 'catch phrase', 'scene it', and 'Texas hold em'. Julie has amazing beginner's luck at Texas hold em. Julia (Buddy's wife) arrived at 10:30 from her class and she joined the festivities. Buddy and Julia are a lovely couple and we thank them so much for their hospitality. We capped off the night by watching the new episode of The Office where Andy learned of Angela's affair with Dwight. It is currently 7:30AM. Julia is making us coffee as we prepare to depart for Washington DC. I was telling Julie before we went to sleep, I said " Julie, this is going to be a great adventure I can feel it." Our first night was a success and we look forward to more.
Stay Tuned!,

T & J

Pics and Video from our last night in Rhode Island at the Vakalis home.

Last night in town

Tonight, Julie and I along with family and friends will all rendezvous at the Vakalis house to have our last dinner in Rhode Island for 6 months! We are going crazy doing our last minute packing, but that was to be expected I suppose. Last night Julie and I said goodbye to our dear friends at the Cerro house. After a yummy dinner we bid farewell and looked forward to our next meeting in Beaver Creek, CO in late June for Pat and Sarah's wedding.

Julie and Milly having some quality bonding time before the trip. Milly 'Witchy Cat' is presently going through her rebellious tween times and creating a bit of frustration for mommy Amy.

Final week in Rhode Island - Preparations

Our Australian Visas were approved late last night by the Australian government. All arrangements to depart the country have been made and are finalised, including our flight out of San Francisco. We are anxious, but very excited. The last thing I need to do is get an oil change and pack my bags. We leave for New York on Thursday. More to come...