Back to Reality and An Ode to my Road Companion

It's been almost 10 days since we returned back to the Midwest. And a whirlwind.

We cranked through Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, and Illinois in one day for one reason, so I could come home to see my dear Aunt Jane. I was blessed enough to be able to spend a few hours with her and the family on Friday morning and retrospectively say goodbye to the most beautiful woman in the world. Sometimes Gods' work is more apparent, and I know he made it possible for me to say goodbye to the sweetest aunt and one of the most influential people in my life. Wednesday, July 6th, she became another angel of mine... and while I was surrounded by some of my dearest friends on the lake, the sun reflected upon the clouds in such a way that it looked like heaven's gates were opening up and I was comforted.

After spending time with my family, we headed up to Grandma's that afternoon and those 6 hours were probably the longest of the trip. But we had singalong time with Boodle and we jammed loudly to Celine and Send it On...me and Beth doing all the hand motions. Seriously laughter...we even skyped in Carrie and the Startts so she could see what her daughter was up to. We stopped in Cedarburg to drop off the gear and then make our way to the Northwoods.

By the time we got to Grandma's, it was almost as if our great adventure had not happened.... perhaps if the odometer didn't read 12,000+ miles higher and we didn't have 10,000 pictures to prove it, I'd feel like it was all just a dream. The month went so fast and we experienced so much. We learned so much about our country and about ourselves... we learned the importance of seatbelts in national parks and that bear spray is really important...after learning about a man being attacked in Yellowstone by a grizzly only a few weeks after we'd been there. And like I said before.... we experienced so many different lifestyles but were reminded that kindness is often the best way to accomplish a task and that communication is key to any relationship.

Perhaps the most important lesson was that anything is possible and that you can do whatever you set your mind to, which perhaps sounds like a Mr. Rogers' afterschool special, but people doubted our ability to drive to Alaska... and sometimes we even doubted it, but despite challenges and obstacles, we used our resources and each other and made it, without too many scratches.

I think this lesson was especially important for my road trip companion. Despite outside opinion about her abilities, she often doubts them. While I am hands down the more logical, Lindsay can do anything she puts her mind to. I couldn't have had a better sidekick on the road... or a better big sister. This trip only solidified our relationship... especially when I would steal her stuff and then return it half broken in total little sister fashion. And our sibling banter. For me, I saw a light ignite in her somewhere along the road... which turned into a fire when we crossed into the State of Washington. And while I've always been able to bring out the "car jammer" in her... I think she finally reached a new level of openness on the road. I saw that shell begin to break open, and the wings beginning to emerge from my little baby bird. I hope that our road trip memories will be the fuel she needs to stretch those wings and fly into the wide open, this time solo. I have no doubts about her abilities.... and as much as I will miss her by my side... I will always remember the 30 days we spent together on the road.... love you lucy.

including my travel to and from cedarburg.... finally miles : 13,133 plus 412 nautical miles by ferry.

Guest Writer: 7 year old Beth

We had Elizabeth blog in the car about her time with us....

The funny thing is that she wrote this before she got up to grandma's, but already talked about how much fun she had there and all the things she did. We had so much fun with her... definitely kept us entertained and she's so much like both of us. This is her take on our adventure :

So my godmothers made me eat on the side of the road. We were cooking on the side of the road to I was the look out and I saw a fox Lindsay said that they could of have been eaten alive by the little thing. I hid in the messy car. Lindsay was scared so Lindsay got a rock and threw it at the fennec fox. She was so terrified we had to eat in the car. I don’t know y but Brittany used her hands . After we were done eating we were on the road again. Finally we found a campground .We setup the tent we slept on our sleeping bags ow!!! We woke up at 7:00 pm We got dress and Lindsay made pancakes and put Hershey’s syrup on them yum!!!!!! Then we got back in the car boring!!!! We drove to Zion it was so fun. We went looking for a koa which is a fancy campground. We found 1. We set up the tent. This time me and Brittany slept on the air mattress. Lindsay slept in the car. At 6:00 am Lindsay set off the car a alarm she woke ever body up. We yelled ather . after that we took a shower Brittany took a shower in the handicap shower. We drove through Nebraska to Chicago to Britt’s house. We arrived at her house at 5 :00am by the time we got to her house we were so tired. That we just went up stairs and fell in to Britt’s bed. And Britt went to sleep on the couch for 2 hours and went to go see if her aunt Jane was ok because she was sick for 2 week. And was in the Hospital. Britt said she was doing ok but not that good. But anyway we went to GGF great grandma floe. Had so much fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I got to ride on the wave runners, paddle boat, swim in the lake, I also got to catch fish.

Friday July 1 (Day 29 Part 2) – Saturday July 2 (Day 30) – 80 on 80

We hit Denver, stopped at a Wal-mart to get rations. It wasn’t a supercenter so we couldn’t get groceries so we settled on Subway and some mountain dew and pepsi cans in anticipation of our long night of driving. I took over the driving so Lindsay could nap and be ready for her later driving shift. She got in the back so I had Beth up front with me. Now these are the times that she really is my goddaughter. She automatically took over DJing on my ipod…which was a little more heavy on the Jonas Brothers but otherwise identical to my DJing skills. She has music ADD just like me, meaning she can’t go through a whole song without switching it to the next. Her favorite song is “I Like Big Butts”, which she loves to play so we all dance and sing along like crazy fools. We’ve also done Baby by Justin Bieber a few hundred times and she has adopted my sweet hand motions in the car. We played “Send it On” by Disney’s Friends for Change which involves me doing a lot of swaying with my hands and “sending it on”. We had crossed into Nebraska and despite their sign indicating it was “the good life”, the driving was quite boring so entertaining ourselves was necessary. Beth got a kick out of us being goofy and singing along. I set the cruise control for 80 on highway 80… the speed limit is 75… but I was still going slower than most of traffic. Despite my recent speeding ticket I have a hard time being the slowest one on the road. Genetics I think. The day of my speeding ticket I felt like a dog that had just been punished, every time I moved over so someone could pass me, I felt like I had my tail between my legs in shame.

Beth and I were singing and cruising.. she was playing a mix of Jo Bros, Kesha, Counting Crows, and Fall Out Boy. Beth played Battlefield and suddenly Lindsay started screaming along. Lindsay had gotten stuck in the backseat as her feet were up in the air and her butt was stuck. Close quarters. So we were cruising, and singing, and screaming, and dancing like a bunch of crazy girls. That’s how you survive a roadtrip after all. This is standard Brittany and Lindsay driving, but I think Beth had fun being goofy with the girls. Sometimes when you have brothers you can’t let loose around them without being made fun of. No holds bar here…sing off key all you want. Since we don’t shower, the car has turn into the place where we can sing. I had turned the music down so Lindsay could sleep and Beth promptly told me to “turn it up, you’re a buzzkill”. I about died.

We cruised and sang for a while… playing some pretty girl rock and a mix of everything. Nebraska was kind of smelly, and just flat… no good life here. We got near Lincoln when we started seeing the sky light up with fireworks. Happy 4^th of July weekend. When we got near Omaha and it had gotten dark.. we decided it was time to serenade Beth in our favorite midnight cruising song… the one and only Celine Dion…. We sang probably our best performance of the trip… It was all coming back to us now.. in full force. Beth covered her ears. I was almost out of breathe from singing so hard. Hilarity.

We switched drivers and I got in the backseat. I curled up in a ball in attempts to sleep so I could drive the twilight shift. We crossed into Iowa and I fell asleep. I slept for about 2 hours, but woke up cause my neck was stiff from the way I was packed in the car. When we stopped for gas, I offered to drive since I was awake because “I slept like a unicorn”. I really meant “I slept like an accordian”. It was like 2 am..... oops. I napped in and out but by 4 I was awake. We crossed into Illinois… and then Beth woke up. We told her to go back to bed but she claimed to have slept 5 hours and there was no use arguing…she could sleep when we got to my house and in the car on the way to gram’s. Since we were all up, we had another godmother singalong… throwing down some 4 am St. Lunatics.

We got to DeKalb and we switched drivers again. I took us the last hour and a half to my house… watching a beautiful sunrise over scenic Naperville. Both Lindsay and I were sort of melancholy…after 30 days on the road…we were back in the Midwest. It had gone so fast… but what an awesome 30 days… I can’t even remember all we’ve done and seen.. but all good things must end they say. And we have a little vacation on the lake to look forward to. That should ease the post road trip blues. That and hot showers and comfy beds. We got home and were greeted by my mom who had been out doing errands (at 6:30 am…she’s crazy), who had bought us donuts. Lindsay and Beth took my bed and I crashed in my moms. Back home.

Friday July 1st (Day 29) – Colorado Mountains

We slept in (meaning until like 9 am) because all of us were tired from our hiking yesterday. I took Beth to the bathroom…which I swear smelled much worse than it had the night before. Got to love pit toilets. Lindsay reorganized the car while I packed up the tent. The car is a continous disaster area… that’s what happens when you live in it. * I humbly refer to it as my shit hole. Not a reflection on the fine piece of machinery that has safely got us were we wanted to go like a champ just a reflection of what happens to a vehicle when exposed to the wilderness and roughing it for a month. I promised the poor girl we would give her a nice thorough cleaning inside and out. She deserves it that vision of beauty she is! Yeah I love my car get over it!* We brushed our teeth using our bottled water and changed our clothes. Lindsay updated her portion of the blog (she’s much slower than I) *list of talents/skills that I am lacking and completely fine with…typing on the computer quickly. I suck at it so sue me. I get what needs to be done done, plus I keep the car organized which is a task when you’re in it with a girl who manages to get her purse strap and every cord in the vehicle tangled in a horrific mess withing 2 minutes of being in that car. I am just fine that my skill is packing things in the vehicle with precision (like a puzzle if you will) instead of typer extrordinaire* while Beth and I explored Rifle Falls..the waterfall and caves nearby. It wasn’t too far and the waterfall was pretty cool. We explored the caves a little bit, but they were dark and we had flipflops on..not ideal exploring shoes. We made our way back to the car, and got in. Time to hit the road again. I drove us back to the main road and Beth made up a game for us to play… where we had to go through the alphabet and remember all the things we were bringing on vacation. We didn’t finish but we had gotten as far as “I’m going on vacation and bringing the Startts, a Rooster, a Quilt, a Pear, an Owl, nuts, Mom, Lindsay, kids, a jaguar, ice cream, a helicopter, a gorilla, a fan, an elephant, a dog, a coleman stove, a boat, and an apple orchard”. Beth and Lindsay had a hard time using the alphabet backwards..so I had to help them with what letter we were on. *yet again a skill I am okay with not having*

We got some donuts and ice at the gas station and filled up and switched drivers. I had driven all day yesterday and I was tuckered. We checked in with Carrie since our phones had no service the night before. Then Denver bound.

The last time I was in Colorado I was like 6 but I still remember all the mountains. While we’ve had our share of mountains on the trip, the highway cut right through the mountains, giving us the best of both worlds: a scenic view and an efficient route. The Colorado River runs fast along the highway, with some serious whitewater that makes our Alaskan whitewater look like a float trip. * the river is extremely high at the moment over flowing it’s normal banks to flood the land near by* We drove along, enjoying the mountains until we arrived a little east of Vail. There was snow patches off the road and Beth had been fascinated with the snow topped mountains in the distance. We got out of the car and walked into the forest were there were some snow piles. Impromptu snow ball fight on July 1^st. Beth and I made snow angels in our shorts and tank tops. Then on the road again. Beth and Lindsay keep talking in their Sid the Sloth voices…but I’m unable to make that voice… not surprising given my inability to do accents. Goofy girls. We’re a little west of Denver now…and depending on how we are feeling…we may power through to Chicago tonight or rather early tomorrow morning. Tom saws we can be there by 4 am…. We’ll see.

Thursday June 30th - Day 28 part II: Utah Rocks!!!

*If I wasn’t already thoroughly impressed by Utah the arches for sure clinched it. One of my favorite states so far. I was thinking it was just going to be a lot of desert but it wasn’t it was a lot of different rock and clay and sandstone formations in all kinds of colors just beautiful. *

We headed to Arches National Park after breakfast, which was about 3 hours from our campsite. We arrived about 12 and after a bathroom stop and water bottle fill up at the gas station, we headed into the park. We headed to the Balanced Rock and then parked so we could explore “the Windows”. We changed into our gym shoes…we learned at the Grand Canyon that hiking in flipflops was not ideal. Beth lost her flipflop under the car because it was super windy but some nice dad in the car next door fetched it for us… he must have thought me crawling on the pavement trying to reach it with my umbrella was not effective. Now the basic idea behind Arches National Park is that there are these natural sandstone arches formed by erosion. *mostly wind erosion. The sand blowing against them at high winds deteriorates them after time. I say wind erosion because it was flipping windy out there and I kept crunching on sand the would blow in my moth or get stuck to my teeth. MMM grit*We had experienced the powerful Utah rain already so it was understandable. There is something amazing about this… and I suppose if you had some engineering background you could explain how the arch holds itself up. *like most arches its all about the keystone, but in this case I think its really the relentless swirling wind and god* But we just explored and climbed around. Lindsay was desperately trying to get into this big hole next to the Turret Arch but she couldn’t get all the way up there because it turned flat and she had no hand holds. *ah so mad. If I wasn’t so scared of heights I think I really could have done it oh and had a little more arm and upper body strength (note to self pump iron and loose some more weight all could be helpful in rock climbing endeavors). This hole was so great. I know I’m weird but it was so inviting a nice little place to tuck yourself in absorb nature and read a book or take a nap spend some time reflecting. I wanted to be in that hole and I got pretty far but my fear of heights was not ideal for having confidence to get myself up the rest of the way. I will go back and get up there!* Beth wanted to follow her but I told her no, so we explored on the ground. *yeah I am not ideal to have around either when you have a very curious kid wanting to follow you. But a girl after my own heart she is just as curious as me. After all most days I revert to a younger age or maybe just to wild eyed curious spirit of a child. Whatever I love being in touch with my inner everyone should try it especially B. She does and awful sid the sloth impression. It’s more Sylvester spitting impressioin not as charming with spit flying everywhere* We found a little cave to climb up into, but it smelled like a portapotty so we were convinced people have been peeing there. We were starving so we headed back to the car, but not before Lindsay and Beth hunted for lizards. They caught this collared lizard which had all sorts of bright colors on it.* once again I reiterate that any day that includes successful lizard catching is a good day and especially a bigger one like that. I mean I am the queen of catching lizards but they are usually only abour 3 inches from head to tail and I am quite good at it. One year when I was by carrie in Tucson I went to start family easter at a park and I had every last child following me around because I was catching lizards. I hadn’t intended to be the family babysitter I just wanted to catch lizards and suddenly a line of kids formed behind me. I caught a lizard and handed it off to one of the kids until all of them were holding lizards. Told you childlike curiousity. But this collared lizard was a boy yep I know those things. Impressed? I know me too. It’s the biggest lizard I have caught in the wild and he was opening his mouth at me so I opened mine at him, B got some pics. Awesome lizard I thanked him for his time and set him free. I believe in catch and release just like fishing, that is if you don’t intend on cooking them and eating them that day and even then I still feel bad. A big sap I kno, why I am not a vegetarian is a good question. Because meat is delicious simply said.* We got back in the car and I drove to the Delicate Arch while Lindsay made sandwiches for us. Beth and I jammed out to Justin Bieber and the Jonas Brothers… screaming and singing at the top of our lungs. When she chases lizards and spits, she’s like Lindsay, *for the record I did not teach her to spit! She did it the first day she was on the road with us and I was like she spits,she’s like me. COOL! Lol* but when she’s rapping Bieber, she’s definitely like me.*yes B can have that one that’s cool I like being able to carry a tune ooo burn jk love you B!*

We devoured our sandwiches and after taking a loop to the arch viewpoint, Lindsay said she wanted to hike up to it. We saw some people on an offroading trail, but the Vue doesn’t have 4 wheel drive so we couldn’t try it out. * bummer that would have been a blast right up my alley, stinken grocery getter as some very humourus boys of the worzalla family call it while trying to get a rise out of me. What they don’t realize is I find the constant picking on me entertaining it cracks me up actually* We got to the Delicate Arch trail and brought our water bottles. The trail was supposed 1.5 miles, but it was all up hill so it seemed so much longer. Beth was tired so we’d stop every so often to rest and drink her water. She finished her water, so I gave her mine. Lindsay ventured ahead of us…apparently too impatient to wait for us. * more of I’m not a skinny minney and not all that fit and kept going so that I wouldn’t loose momentum. If I stopped I wouldn’t have kept going. I thought there was a direct path to this arch so I figured they’d be fine. Right? Well no because I followed these two girls who apparently didn’t take the path and I got lost and wound up on the not arch side of a big ravine. When I finally found the path I got up into and arch overlooking delicate arch and heard my name being called. Beth and B were on one side and I was on the other.i didn’t have any intention of loosing them but I’m like a pack mule I have a larger load to carry and slow and steady gets you were you need to be* We followed her but she vanished from sight so we kept walking in the direction we thought she went. Beth cooled off in the puddles on the rock. The sun was very hot and the hike was strenuous. We finally reached the top, but found a cliff, so we hiked around, and finally located the Delicate Arch. Lindsay was nowhere in sight. This is why you don’t separate. We found a rock to sit on…. The arch was surrounded by this big hole that looked like we were walking inside a clay pot. Beth spotted Lindsay on the other side of the gorge. We shouted to her…and it sort of echoed across the big pot. All of our water was gone so I was getting hot and agitated, since I hadn’t really gotten any water since I’d given mine to Beth. Beth climbed up to this cave…a little explorer just like us. We finally found the trail, which we had apparently deviated from. We found Lindsay and I gave her a piece of my mind for separating from us and being impatient. I hadn’t hiked my butt all the way up there to see the side of the arch so we walked around and I hiked over to it so I could stand underneath it. It was amazing in its strange simplicity and yet complexity. Very hot and tired, we began our descent. By the time we made it all the way down the mountain (we had an epic view of the whole desert), we’d been hiking for about 3 hours. I swallowed a whole bottle of water within 2 minutes and set out for the park entrance.

We pointed ourselves in the direction of Colorado. It was about an hour and a half drive to the state line, so we forged ahead. We stopped to fill up at Papa Joe’s gas station… and then on the road. We stopped to take a picture at the state line and headed into the Colorado Mesas… big plateaus. The sun was going down, so the lighting on the plateaus was really cool. We drove for about an hour more…than I got off at the town of Rifle, Colorado. We had passed Parachute too, but there wasn’t any campsites. There had been signs for Rifle State Park and since there had been no other signs for camping, I figured this was our best bet for finding a place to camp. We headed north through the small town of Rifle and towards Rifle State Park… we made a right at the fork which pointed to camping…left at the fork would’ve led us to the Rifle Correctional Facility. Just what you want to be camping by. * and this is the girl who apparently lives by the phrase “stranger danger” and we are both afraid of creepers, I’d be way more comfortable with bears.* We drove for about 10 more miles (so far away from the correctional facility) and passed the Rifle Gap Lake. Beth has a habit of calling any body of water a lake…like a stream or a river or a pond… apparently puddles are lakes in Arizona. *And lakes flow to the sea who knew?* We found a spot to camp and Lindsay set up the tent while me and Beth paid the fee, went to the bathroom, and I made us sandwiches. We decided to sleep sideways so we could all fit in the tent on the airmattress. It was chilly, so we put on pants. And then it was time for bed. We were all exhausted from all the hiking, and I think I had a little bit of heatstroke because I had a pounding headache. * actually she is unaware of this but she was fully experiencing the effects of “no food=bad mood” but she will never admit to that. Just sayin’. Also I would like to add we are tent setter upper pros. I am really good at setting up a tent in the dark. With the exception of Alaska and parts of Canada we always arrive to the campsites in the dark. Because it was dark we obviously had no idea what our surroundings looked like we could only speculate based on sounds and dim lighting. So it left a cool air of mystery for the morning to see what we were surrounded by. Kind of a fun little surprise every morning. I dug it.*

Thursday June 30th (Day 28) – Breakfast in the Rain

We all slept a little longer today, until Lindsay accidently set off the car alarm. *woopsies*Good morning campers. We all headed to take a shower. We passed all the shampoo and conditioner back and forth and had good hot showers. Which ofcourse ended up being sort of pointless since it began to rain as soon as we started making breakfast. I tried to hurry up and put away the tent while Lindsay kept cooking the pancakes. I managed to get most of our stuff out of the rain before it started pouring and even a few little pieces of hail. By the time we had breakfast ready to eat in the car, I was soaking wet and so was Lindsay. * once agaqin I was left cooking under an umbrella because of the elements but this time I had to hold the umbrella myself while trying to flip pancakes on a little propane stove. So maybe they weren’t the prettiest pancakes but they still tasted good. I was somewhat seltered from the huge rain drops but my back was completely exposed. Soaking wet back awesome. I also cut up a bunch of fruit so the chocolate drizzled pancakes were at least a little counter balanced by the fruit, right?* Beth was excited about the rain, but ofcourse she got to sit in the car and be dry. Earlier when we had walked out of the bathroom and passed the man mowing the lawn, she remarked that it smelled like mildew and I said no, that’s the grass. And she’s like “that’s what grass smells like??”… oh man, a little desert baby. We had pancakes with chocolate drizzle again and a bowl of cut of apples and pears. We finished getting the stuff packed up and on the road again.

Wednesday June 29th (Day 27) – Arizona State Patrol and Utah’s Landscapes

Beth woke up at the crack of dawn, which meant we all woke up at the crack of dawn. I took her to the bathroom (a fancy portapotty… well a pit toilet). I advised her not to look down. Then we brushed our teeth using the water spigot. Lindsay made pancakes (fancy campers) while I packed up most of the tent. We didn’t have syrup so we used melted Hershey’s chocolate bars for chocolate drizzle. Quite good I must say. We got everything packed up and got ready to head out. Lindsay hadn’t slept well and I could tell she was exhausted so I decided I would drive while she slept in the backseat. We hadn’t found our campground host and there wasn’t a drop box, so we ended up not having to pay for this campsite. On the road again. Beth sat up front with me and watched a movie.

We were on two lane roads through the Northern Arizona Desert where they were all sorts of rock formations and plateaus. I was enjoying the scenery and cruising along… apparently cruising a little too fast because before I knew it, a state trooper was coming straight at me, with his lights on. I still stand by the fact that I had a spotless driving record until this trip… haven’t been pulled over in 6 years of driving and this would be twice in 3 weeks. * I told her at some point the lead foot catches up with you and the luck runs out. The luck ran out today but it was somewhat of a blessing because if it was me she’d be driving the entire way back seeing as my luck ran out a few times now leaving me with measly 5 points left on my lisence. Oopsy poopsy. Do you get points back after 2 years?* The officer approached us on Beth’s side and asked for my license and registration after informing me that my speed was the reason he was pulling me over. I handed over my license but told him we didn’t have any registration or insurance information. Lindsay rolled down the backseat window to explain to him that in Wisconsin you don’t need proof of insurance or registration so she doesn’t have any. He seemed skeptical about this, but he took down the VIN number. * I have never been asked for my registration or proof of insurance, NEVER. And believe me I have had my share of run ins with police officers. When I got in an accident, pulled over for my lisence plate holder, speeding, speeding and more speeding. And none of those times have I ever been asked for that. So I have a hard time believing that all those time it was just coincidence. Furthermore now I probably sound like a horrible driver when in fact I am a pretty darn good and capable driver. That’s what B gets when she makes fun of my grandma driving lol jk.*He instructed me not to put the car in drive while he was doing this. Luckily for him, I am still afraid of authority and wouldn’t have dreamed of it. We got our information and went back to process my ticket. He came back with it, and was a little more friendly this time. Maybe he noticed my spotless driving record. There was no chance of him just giving me a warning because he was a state trooper and it was the end of the month. It was stupid of me to be speeding when we had literally seen 20 cop cars on the side of the freeway the day before….definitely end of the month quota time. Beth wanted to make sure I wasn’t going to get arrested and I told her ofcourse not, and she was calm the whole time and even told the officer to have a nice day when he left. It looks like I’ll be taking online driver’s school at the price of $225. Since I don’t think I’ll be returning to Moccasin County anytime soon. Didn’t really budget for tickets when planning this trip. But I was speeding so I guess I deserve the ticket.

After that, we were on the road again. We crossed the state line and got out to take a picture with the Utah sign. Lindsay told me I should’ve outran him to the border. *well he couldn’t have done anything once you cross the state line that was like 4 miles down the road. That must be my Bucholz thinking kicking in eh hem dad, uncle leonard :P*

Our first Utah stop was Zion National Park. We ended up taking the side entrance so we drove for a bit until we found a spot to pull off and explore. Zion has all sort of layered rocks that are easy to climb up on. We did just that, and hiked for a bit. Lindsay and Beth chased after lizards. * I so caught one and any day that includes a successfully caught lizard is a good day in my book. Yeah Beth is so much like both of us it’s weird. She totally spits like me which I did not teach her she did that all on her own and laughs when she toots like me yet she is evry bit as girly as B. Kind of cool to see.* Sometimes Beth is so much like Lindsay and sometimes so much like me. Lindsay hiked up one of the rocks, but I told Beth she had to remain by me. We explored for a bit, enjoying the view. We continued to follow Tom’s instructions but then figured he was wrong. Lindsay had apparently know that I should’ve stayed on the main road but didn’t say thing. Lindsay fell asleep so it was just me and Beth driving. We stopped to get gas in Springdale and head through Zion National Park. It was a beautiful park with these astonishing rock walls. I think my favorite part was driving through the tunnel which was 1.1 miles long and just carved into the mountain..dating back to 1930. It was awesome. Me and Beth got out of the car a few times to get a better view of the park and for Beth to scribble “Beth Was Here” in the sand. After we left Zion, Beth fell asleep too, so I kept driving until we got to Bryce National Park. I woke both the girls up and we took a picture by the sign. Lindsay had to go to the bathroom so we pulled into the lodge. Beth was getting really hungry so we tried to get a meal at the lodge but the dining room was closed until 5. We decided to go out and explore Bryce a little bit and then come back and get dinner. We went to Bryce Point and finally got a view of Bryce’s famous Hoodoos. It began to rain, which Beth was so excited about. People from the desert love the rain I suppose. The drops were big and cold but we decided to keep exploring. We found the path and walked down the side of the canyon…getting a better view of the orange and pink rocks. We walked underneath this natural archway and followed the path around. Lindsay decided she wanted to climb up to one of the caves so me and Beth sat by a rock while she did. When she got to the top and couldn’t climb into the cave, she shouted down…why don’t you tell me this is a bad idea? Just as three guys walked by and probably had a good chuckle. She slid down and we explored more until a big cloud appeared threatening a downpour. The hike up was much more difficult than the hike down and all 3 of us were huffing and puffing. When we finally got to the car, we each drank a whole bottle of water. * I hate getting so close yet being so far from my goal I just wanted to sit in the cave and B to take my picture. Grrr *

We made it back to the lodge and entered the dining room. I made sure we didn’t have to be hotel guests to eat, and we didn’t so we found a place and looked at the menu. Ofcourse this was a hotel restaurant so everything was a little pricey and fancy. I had really just wanted a cheeseburger. We devoured the bread and I went to the bathroom. When I got back, Lindsay had gotten a kids menu. The kids menu seemed so much more appealing with pasta and cheeseburgers and chicken fingers. We asked the waiter if we had to be kids to get food off the kids menu and he said no so we ordered pasta, chicken fingers and a cheeseburger. We must have looked famished because our bus girl kept bringing us new bread. She was super sweet and told us we could have as much as we wanted. I felt like a poor person at a fancy restaurant….loading up on the free bread and eating off the kids menu. But its not like the $26 entrees were really in the budget. Especially since I had quite the expensive morning. We gave our waiter a nice tip since our bill was pretty low. Both Lindsay and I have worked at a restaurant so we were on the same page on that.

Fed and happy, we hit the road again. * the food was so good mmmm delicious. Plus I figured we owed beth a better meal that gas station street meat for dinner even though it was that bad.* Beth kept us entertained in the car… Lindsay talked about the good look men we saw at the Grand Canyon the day before and Beth insisted that she should’ve given them her number and said “Call me toots”. I’m guess she learned that from Stewart… We had originally planned to go to the Four Corners but given there’s not really a clear cut path there and it would be like an 8 hour detour to just stand on a piece of desert, we decided to head towards Arches National Park and bypass the New Mexico slice. And we were rather impressed with Utah’s landscape…especially as the sun went down and cast its shadows on the colorful rocks of the mountains. We drove for a while until we hit the town of Richfield where I found a Wal-Mart. There was also a KOA campground there so we decided to hit Wal-mart and then camp. We got Beth a pillow since she had forgotten hers and I didn’t enjoy sleeping on the rolled up blanket when I gave her my pillow the night before. We also got some lunch meat and fruit and more pancake mix. We stopped at McD’s so me and Beth could get ice cream cones then we headed to the campground. We found a spot and set up the tent…this time with the air mattress. Lindsay offered to sleep outside so we wouldn’t be smushed on the air mattress.. how nice of her. We got in the tent and after a little of blogging, I got tired and fell asleep. * I was totally fine with sleeping outside but soon moved to the car because I was sweating profusely in my sleeping bag and was not so keen on being out of my sleeping bag outside. So I soon moved to the car. Not a better choice. I could not get comfortable.*

Tuesday June 28th (Day 26) – On the Road again….this time with a stowaway.

Somewhere in the days we were there, Lindsay came up with the idea to bring Beth and Zack home with us. She wanted them to be able to spend some time at the lake for the 4^th of July…which ofcourse I understand since those are my favorite childhood memories. I just wasn’t too keen on the idea of having 2 kids in the car for 5 days. We weren’t making a straight path home…. We still had things to explore. Carrie was a little apprehensive… not that she doesn’t trust us with her children (we are the girls’ godmothers after all) but just has a hard time letting go of her babies. Understandable. After much discussion (and Stewart’s all for it attitude) and coming up with a plan (surprise surprise Carrie is a planner too), we agreed that the kids could come with us. Zack decided that he didn’t really want to be gone that long and would also benefit from staying home alone without the annoyance of his sister but Beth was very gun-ho let’s go.

So when we woke up, and everyone got showered and packed, Beth was antsy to leave. Maybe she thought momma would have changed her mind. Either way, when I told her we were going to leave at 10 am, she would remind us of how much time we had left. Which perhaps was a good thing because we always have a hard time leaving. Lindsay had made room in the car for Boodle *I’m not entirely sure how but miracles happen lol* and we loaded it up along with some muffins and peanut butter cookie bars Carrie had sent with us. Drew wanted to come too. He kept coming up to me and saying “I come home with you”. We told him that he was too small but he kept insisting. It was ofcourse a tearful goodbye, although I had mentioned coming to AZ in Sept before the job starts, so Carrie will undoubtably hold me to that so I preferred a “see you later”. Little Drew snuggled on my lap for a bit and then he started to cry which about broke my heart into 3048 pieces and made me cry. He went to his mom and we all hugged goodbye and Sammi Jo gave us kisses. In the car, pulling out of the driveway, waving goodbye. Carrie’s crying. Zack looked like he was smiling a little (free from Beth for 2 weeks) and Lindsay’s shouting “STOP CRYING” as we’re driving down the road. *You metz girls are emotional basket cases…I will be sure to remember that statement when I have kids of my own thank you*

We cued up “On the Road Again” and taught Beth how we start everyday with this song. We played music and Beth sang along with us. We sang loudly and off key and she followed right along. * so funny B and I were both knee slapping it. That’s our girl . Suchy proud godmothers I tell ya.*Beth napped for a bit as we made our way to Tempe to meet up with Uncle Leonard and Aunt Stephanie for lunch. We met Leonard at ASU where he works and followed him on his motorcycle to Cousins’ where we found Stephanie. 105 degrees out, and Lenny is on his motorcycle in jeans, a dark blue shirt, and riding gloves. Sounds really hot to me. Leonard picked on Beth in typical Bucholz fashion but she took it pretty well, looks like she’ll be okay with Uncle Scary in a few days. * she’s an eyeroller that beth . she gets that from me my dad will totally have a ball with that* After our lunch and catching up, we hit the road again. We drove through Flagstaff, which was surprisingly foresty and had real trees. Who knew. I pointed out that this was where Nick and Ryan were going to college in the fall so Beth thought that was cool.

We set out for the Grand Canyon. I am pretty sure that half the reason that Carrie was apprehensive about us taking her kid is because of this stop. Now I’m sure when I have kids I will want them to avoid big big holes in the ground as well. But we kept Beth within a foot of us at all times, and when we got out to explore the first look out point, I made sure she was always holding my hand, and that I was always between her and the hole. That way if she slipped (which she didn’t), she would run into me and I would stop her from slipping anymore… granted it might push me into the hole, but I lived 22 great years… falling in the grand canyon would kind of be an epic way to go. It really is as Grand as they say. It’s hard to wrap your mind around…it just keeps going and going. We hiked down at our second stop and got some really good views. Lindsay is sort of afraid of heights so between her and making sure Beth was always safe, I was definitely lifeguard on duty. *of the 22 years I have been going to AZ and the probably 20 some odd times I have been there I have never seen the Grand Canyon. It was a way overdue visit. It was astounding…I mean I knew it would be big but not that big. I was thinking more deep than wide but it was both way more tremendous than I had imagined and I never would have got it unless I saw it in person. Awe inspring! If you haven’t seen it GO! GO NOW! J*

It was approaching dusk when we got to our last stop at Desert View, so we found the old Watchtower just in time to go up in it. We decided it be magical to watch the sunset over the canyon so we brought along some snacks and parked in on a rock facing the canyon. (Behind a fence, don’t worry Carrie). We watch the sun fade behind the canyon, filling the sky with all sorts of oranges and pinks. The show was over, and so there was a surge of people towards the parking lot.

We headed out of Grand Canyon National Park, all safe and out of harm’s way. We headed north, passing all sorts of plateaus. While the south entrance has been surrounded by civilization, this exit was literally just in the middle of the desert. We drove on and found a single gas station. Beth had to go to the bathroom and wasn’t quite feeling the peeing on the side of the road thing quite yet. While I pumped gas and went to the bathroom, Lindsay and Beth found dinner. Well, a package of pork chops…from a gas station. I mean it was sort of a market type gas station, but still, gas station pork chops. We were in the middle of the desert so we didn’t have many other options. Supposedly Beth wanted steak but they didn’t have it… and I thought I was a high maintenance camper. We kept driving but it was getting late and we were literally in the middle of nowhere. Since I was driving and our cell reception was not so good, I was unable to really navigate us to the nearest campground. After a while, Lindsay suggested we just pull off the side of the road and cook there so Beth would be fed and we could drive until we found civilization to camp or find a motel. So I found a large shoulder and we pulled off. Now we’re in the middle of the desert so its rather dark, which meant that the headlights were necessary and also that we could see every star in the sky. They were bright like lightbulbs too. Lindsay got out the Coleman stove, while I chopped up potatoes. Lacking marinade, Lindsay used a can of Orange Crush soda for flavoring and to keep the meat juicy. Beth was in charge of the flashlight, while I carried the bear/animal spray in my pocket. I personally was more afraid of creepers on the highway than animals, but Lindsay advised me to not turn on our blinkers as we didn’t want to attract any attention… plus we only saw like 5 cars on this highway anyway. Beth was quite the flashlight girl..spotting some sort of fox creeping a few hundred yards away* a fennec fox just chilling staring at us makin’ gas station street meat. I was creeping me out so I threw a rock at it to scare it away. Besides being thoroughly sketched out about this situation I have to say the stars were perdy! I mean I thought we saw good stars up north but holy smokes these were huge and bright and almost seemed to touch the ground. Spectacular*. Beth retreated into the car while Lindsay threw rocks at it, scaring it away. This definitely ranked as one of our strangest meals…. But Beth was quite the trooper. Carrie’s probably thinking “Why did I think sending my 7 year old daughter with those two was a good idea… they’re feeding her gas station pork chops that they cooked on the side of the road?” I promise you they were perfectly healthy. We even made green beans. We packed up the gear and got back on the road.

Lindsay took over the driving so I could find us some sort of lodging. I found a campground at Jacob Lake..about 35 miles from where we were. Beth fell asleep in the backseat while we drove to the campsite, through more windy, under construction roads. We found the campground and set up the tent. It was late so we didn’t want to wake our neighbors with the air pump so we just slept in the tent on top of our sleeping bags with the blanket over us since it was still pretty warm outside. Not the most comfortable of places… but we all fell asleep.

From the mouth of babes...Beth has a little contribution to our blog:

"So my godmothers made me eat on the side of the road. We were cooking on the side of the road to I was the look out and I saw a fox a Lindsay said that they of they could been eaten alive by the little thing. I hid in the car."

Saturday – Monday June 25-27th (Days 23,24, and 25) – Tucson, Our Desert Oasis?

When planning the roadtrip, we didn’t allow for more than a few hours in most places. We spent about a day in each state…except for Alaska (for obvious reasons) and California (since it would’ve been impossible), yet we allowed for 3 days in Tucson. Which is probably one of the ugliest and least exciting places we’ve been. But Lindsay and I both knew we wouldn’t be able to spend less than 3 days with Carrie, Zack, Beth, Drew, Samantha and of course the Stewarts. Our visits to Tucson to spend time with the kids are standard and at this point, necessary, since both Beth and Samantha are our goddaughters, Carrie is our big sister, Zack is a blast, and Drew is the most adorable 3 year old around. Even though we both didn’t get to bed until 4:30 am… the minute we heard little Samantha talking in our half asleep state around 8 am, we literally hopped out of bed to find her. * I may have tried to shove B over in order to get to her first lol* She is so big now and a totally different child than she was in November when were in Arizona for Thanksgiving and even from March when she came to Brent’s wedding. She of course didn’t leave her mom’s side when we first raced to her…like kids after an ice cream truck on a hot day. She looked at us unsure…. But not that unsure…like she knew us, but wasn’t giving in so easily. I heard the boys wake up so I walked into their room where I was greeted by Drew. He gave me the biggest hug. It was the best feeling in the world. Zack gave me a big hug too and we went back to the playroom where Lindsay was still trying to coax Samantha. I’d given up on Sammi Jo and just let Drew snuggle with me, but when Sammi saw Drew snuggling, she realized it was okay, so she came over, gave me a sweet “Hi” and a big hug. This is the reason Tucson gets 3 days. Plus it was a much needed rest, relaxation (if you call chasing 4 kids and being a human jungle gym relaxing), and indoor time. We played out in the pool… on the slide ‘n slide and the array of baby pools and had water balloon fights. Even us big kids played… it was hilarious to watch Lindsay slide down the slip ‘n slide and then tuck and roll off the end…or even more hilarious to see Carrie half slide down and then have all 4 kids drag her down the rest of it. Carrie baked for us… her signature sugar cookies…of which I got like 3 of us.. cookies go fast when you have 4 kids and 3 adults standing around.

One of the days we were there it was 115 degrees. Carrie and I had to run some errands (and have a cousin date at the Carl Jr’s) so we left Lindsay with all the kids. She decided she wanted to take the kids to a movie so they’d get over the “where’s mom?” dilemma but we had taken Lindsay’s car, leaving them with Stewie’s car with no air conditioning. When we got home and found the kids and the car missing, we decided to go get them at the movie theater so all 5 of them wouldn’t be packed in this tiny car with no A/C. We found them and after a little wandering of the mall (which is totally not enjoyable when you have 4 kids who all want to run to different stores and play in the play pin, etc) we headed home. Somehow Carrie and I got stuck in the no A/C car, while the brain child of this adventure was in the A/C. Ofcourse we hit construction so by the time we got home, we were literally dripping sweat. Solution: jump in the baby pool…with our clothes on. So we went running through the house, dropped our stuff, and ran outside while all the kids (and Lindsay) looked at us like we were nuts. Clothes in all, we jumped in. The kids joined us. Clothes and all. We looked like some serious WT…kids and parents in the baby pool with our clothes on while the baby wandered around in just her diaper…which ofcourse blew up when it filled with water.

We did a lot of playing. Drew came up with several games that involved me chasing him around. He used a remote to “turn Brittany on, and turn Brittany off” and I often played the big giant that would chase him, then get tired, fall asleep, and snore loudly until he woke me up..which would ofcourse anger me, so I’d chase him some more. And ofcourse little Sammi Jo followed her brother wherever he went.

Dinner time is always madness, but after we played games like Disney Scene It with a guest appearance of Alicia via Skype. On our last night we play Quirkle, which got both Stewart and Beth riley up. It reminded me of our many games of Chicken Scratch at Grandma’s at MetzFests.

3 days goes by way too fast. But we enjoyed our time with our favorite kids and came back with paintings from Drew… from our day of painting. (also very messy).* I painted!!! I painted what I wanted stayed loose with it and not so tight and exact like usual it felt good. I knew as soon as I started painting I was going to have a group of followers. Amd yes a big mess thankfully I anticipated this and painted outside. B even painted me something. Best gifts ever..they are going right on my wall.*

Friday June 24th (Day 22) – She’s So California

Any night spent indoors on a bed, of any variety, is a good night, so we both woke up cheerful. Then of course we were greeted by lovely Blythe. A hot shower, with some serious water pressure *B commented on the love of the water pressure in Blythe’s “ghetto shower” as she called it, to which Blythe comedically responded “I know right sometimes it really hurts my nipples”. So was not expecting that response if I would have been taking a sip of water I probably would have choked on it and spit it out so funny*and then Blythe made us an awesome breakfast. We had her signature green drinks (this time they were less grainy so much easier to drink without feeling like we were gnawing on leaves) followed by a sort of egg omelet with veggies and cheese *correction scrambled eggs with fresh tomato, green peppers and broccoli. So good. Who knew Blythe was also little miss Susie home maker.*, grapefruit, and whole grain toast. It was quite deliscious and knowing the cook, probably really good for us. We got ourselves put together and I made Lindsay do my makeup so I could feel like Barbie. Yep, I’m so high maintenance. Then we set out on the day to explore West Hollywood. We took a walk down Melrose, passing all sorts of shops. We wandered into a chandelier shop with beautiful intricate light fixtures and then into Crystalarium, a store specializing in crystals. That’s definitely not a store you’d find in the Midwest. Especially when one of the crystals retailed at $100,000. Supposedly this is where the stars buy their rocks. * before entering this shop Blythe had mentioned that one of her friends was having a fire sale of her crystals and that if we wanted to stop by we could. Her friend said she really wanted to meet us she was digging the cousin vibes she was getting. Blythe asked us if we wanted to partake and we agreed to it. Good decision.* We kept walking and daydreaming of cupcakes after seeing a store with some sort of cupcake reference in the name. *Sprinkles cupcakes in fact that Blythe had mentioned* Blythe took us to Urth, a trendy café on Melrose so we could get our sugar fix. We ordered a three layer cheesecake and a carrot cake to split. I got fresh watermelon juice and the girls got some sort of coffee variety.* I had a green tea latte that had a chick formed in the foam. Awesome* I found us a table outside and we sat and waited for our dessert. Nothing like sweets for lunch. We split the treats…. And they sure were yummy! Probably some of the best carrot cake I’ve ever eaten. What a perfect California day… eating sugar for lunch in the sunshine with my cousins. The girls next to us were gossiping and I felt like we were straight up on Laguna Beach. After we had eaten most of our treats, we kept walking. We took a little detour on Melrose Place (yeah like the show) and wandered by a John Frieda salon and an array of Marc Jacobs stores. We did standard window shopping… the road trip budget isn’t really made for Hollywood prices.

We headed back towards Blythe’s. She had mentioned a friend of her sells jewelry and was having a moving sale so we decided to venture that way. She wasn’t home yet, so we found our way to her backyard where she has a sort of crystal zen garden….guarded by King Tut. We sat on this patch of crystal rocks under the pyramid structure. Other than her initial pursuits of acting (and some side modeling), painting and promotion of the arts, and of course her crusades for being green and sustainable, Blythe has a background in metaphysics, which focuses on the study of energy. Now its sort of hard to wrap your mind around, except that everything in the universe gives and receives. This sort of thinking makes even more sense when you’ve spent 3 weeks in a car with another person. The idea that we admit a sort of energy subconsciously is best understood in this environment…because although we have always been similar…we most definitely picked up each other’s energy in the car. We could sit in the car, not say a word, or even really exchange facial expressions and I could feel how she was feeling. Anyway, supposedly a pyramid is suppose to sort of contain the energy. Like an energy hotspot if you will, so we sat under this pyramid in the middle of these pretty pink flowers and vegged. Not really sure if we felt the energy as much as the hot California sun beating on us. I got up and found a seat in the shade…and must have knicked my toe on a rock because Blythe let me know my toe was bleeding. Totally oblivious to it. We were in the middle of figuring out what had happened to my toe when Blythe’s friend and owner of the space we were currently occupying, Lunice, appeared. Our introductions were followed by me apologizing for bleeding on her patio, which she replied right on, almost happy that I was leaving some of me behind. Any person that has such an energetic response to the fact that you are bleeding on her patio is automatically a person worth knowing. *plus she instantaneously gave us hugs and welcomed us into her world if you will. Her and Blythe were saying “something about the kids. I had no idea what they were talking about until the garage doors we opened and Blythe proclaimed “hi kids”. They were talking about the rocks and crystals. I love rocks and all but wow they were really into rocks. Lenise treated them as if they were people and always tried to find the right home for the crystals. She said she could communicatre with them. All seems a little hoaky and weird right? Totally what I was thinking when Blythe gave B and I both a crystal to rub on our bodies at thanksgiving. I was thinking it a little emore even then. Until she described it as the rocks give out vibrations while B touched this spectalur piece of citrine and proclaimed I feel it. What? So I put my hand on it. Sure as shit it pulses. I was opening my mind up at this point. The whole reson fopr the trip essentially. Lenise might make me a believer yet.*She opened up her garages and showed us her crystals and jewelry and then her big crystal pieces… one retailing for $300,000. Lenise is a “crystal intuit” which means she has a greater sensitivity to the energies of the crystals. She specializes in matching people with the right crystal for their needs. While all this sort of idealogy is not anything I’m familiar with…. After 2 hours with Lenise. I think me and Lindsay were both “drinking the Kool-Aid” for lack of better term. I sat on the large crystal (the one worth $300,000) and I could feel it pulsing. Lenise has great perception and both Lindsay and I ended up crying as we talked to her. She took us into her home and we sat and chatted for a while. I think we both left with a little inspiration… or at least a reminder to be true to ourselves and create our own happiness. In some strange way, it was like the perfect LA experience. * The most profound part of the trip. While we were upstairs chatting with Lenise she was educating us on what each stone was meant for. I was still skeptical until I placed this gorgeous stone flat on my chest while I was standing and it took my breathe away and I could feel it sending energy up and down my spine. Ok I am thouroughly intrigued. I was looking for something bigger than myself and I think I found it. So I asked questions. I asked what stone was good for mental health. Namely depression. Lenise told me citrine. And then she said the most amazing and intuitive thing to me, “the outside isn’t you! The inside doesn’t match the outside. You carry the weight of other people when you find your place the weight will just fall off” I never said anything about my weight. I started to cry like hardcore cry. It hit the cord.What a interesting way of seeing it, that totally fits. Then Blythe started to cry and I was just left in utter amazement of this woman I had just met. She continued and was everybit dead on the mark. Ok I believe it. And if there was any doubt left the pendulum was astounding. B saw it work too. Phenominal. So glad we got to meet this amazing woman but I’m not really surprised that Blythe attracts such great people she is a great person.* We also left with some crystal and rock jewelry… I got some beautiful jade pedants and a beaded bracelet that has little blue beads that look like the world. Perhaps a reminder that the world is mine or that the world is big, or at least a reminder of a great adventure with some marvelous women. * I got something for my brother for concentration, a pendant of citrine and amethyst a virtual good vibe powerhouse, a pendant for inspiration and concentration, and a turquoise ring. After 2 rounds of hugs we were off*

One of the best part of this trip is our visits with different friends and family. When I told Matthew that our visits were my favorite parts of the trip so far, he claimed I was a socialite. Well, yes, that is part of it… but what I really like is being able to experience the lifestyles of so many different people in different places. Spending time with Blythe and Lenise showed us that there are so many different ways of thinking and viewing the world and sometimes an open mind can help you deal with life by seeing it from different perspectives. We hugged our new friend goodbye and headed back to Blythe…we had lingered more than scheduled for..but I made no reference to the schedule because I knew that this was an experience worth lingering for.*somewhere in there I lost a hundred dollar bill, bummer. We looked for it and to no avail. I didn’t let myself ruin the day by getting pissed. Blithe told me I handled it like a goddess. Thanks Blythe you made me feel like one for the day. It was my last hundred ( I had cash because I lost my debit card and they did not get me my new one before we left so that’s why I was carrying cash, not my ideal) which I figured was a blessing. I only lost one it could have been more and it could have been worse. Besides Blythe kept saying “maybe someone else really needed it”. I thought who could need it more than the unemployed girl with debt? Well someone who doesn’t have all the riches in love and support that I am blessed with from my family and friends. I was connecting with my wise min and open mind. As I said earlier…shit happens brush it off and didn’t let it ruin my day* I know both of us loved our time with Blythe… and its never enough time. She has good energy… and leaves you happy and always inspired, solely by the way she lives. I can’t wait for her business line to launch, and for all the success in the world to come to her so we can play more. Lindsay misplaced some cash…so after scouring the neighborhood and returning to Lunice’s once more, we got back to Blythe’s. She made us a great dinner of pasta and kale salad… which was ofcourse very healthy and very yummy. If Blythe could just cook for us, I think we’d all eat well. Except I’m not sure if I could give up my Eggo waffles… I love those processed things. She had also made us dehydrated apples and pears for roadtrip snacks. And our left over carrot cake and cheesecake. We packed up our stuff and gave her big hugs goodbye. We always hate the goodbyes.

I drove since we’d be venturing through the city scapes of Los Angeles. We undoubtably hit traffic immediately and spent a little while crawling on the 5. There’d be moments of freedom, where I’d race ahead… playing summer music, in the sunshine, feeling very California. Like I needed a convertible and a pedicure. We had already thought we needed to Pretty Woman strut down Melrose earlier. Lindsay took a nap while I zipped towards San Diego, watching the beautiful sunset in the rearview mirror.

It was 9:30 when we reached the outskirts of San Diego. We saw Sassafrass Rd which Lindsay found humorous. Turns out Carrie also found it funny when she visited San Diego and had called Blythe to tell her about it... seriously, peas in a pod us cousins. Originally we had planned to spend at least a half of day in San Diego…because I’ve heard nothing but great things and just had good vibes about it. But our next destination was Tucson, and there were 5 people there we were really anxious to see, so we spent a grand total of 30 minutes in San Diego.. mostly we ventured to the beach at Coronado. It was dark but I wanted to get some sand and seashells from the ocean for Jodi…who loved San Diego and the beach…and perhaps I don’t know, it makes me feel like she’s not really gone if I think about her like she’s still here. We found the beach…took off our shoes and ran in the beautiful sand. Now I can’t say much about San Diego, other than the city had colorful lights, but the sand and the beach were sure nice. We played in the water…well sort of. Lindsay was going to go in in her clothes but then she felt something on her feet and that was that. *DUDE something swam over my foot and it was dark and it was creepy so I made a goofy face (so says the photo evidence) and high tailed it out of there no pacific ocean swimming for me* We wandered along the shore with the flashlight and we saw someone with a bonfire. I wanted to make smores… so I consider asking if we could use their campfire. Plus bonfires on the beach are on my list. After a little wandering, we found the bathroom, washed off our feet, and got back in the car. Lindsay stopped at Starbucks and caffefined up for the 6 hour drive t o Tucson. We hit the road about 10:15 pm… but stopped shortly after to find a Wal-mart. Although it was a SuperCenter it closed at 10 pm…fail * I don’t know where everyone else is from but in Wisconsin Wal-mart super center is synonymous with 24hrs*. So on the road again…

I tried to sleep because I had every intention of taking over the driving at around 1 am. I feel sort of asleep, but would wake up periodically. One time I woke up and asked Lindsay if we had enough gas… 100% worry wart. Turns out we did need gas… I just didn’t want to run out while we were driving through the desert mountains. We found a gas station and used the bathroom… I offered to drive (I had a Pepsi on reserve) but Lindsay insisted she was fine. We had to go through border patrol, which was super random because we had been in Arizona for at least a few miles and we were coming from California. They were more intimidating looking than any other border patrol… they had dogs sniff our vehicle but they were friendly enough so onward we went. For the last 2 hours, I slept on and off…but then decided to sit up and sing instead. Road warriors. We approached Picacho Peak around 3:30 am… and finally got off at Cortaro around 4:15. The sun was about to rise by the time we pulled into Carrie’s driveway. We called her to let us in… hugged…looked at each other and then went to bed. Lindsay was convinced we should stay up to watch the sunrise…but Carrie and I both gave her the “you have fun with that” look. And then it was bed time…. At 4:30 am. Good day. * I would like to add that I couldn’t sleep and B wouldn’t read me a bedtime story…how rude!* It was 4:30 am... I wasn't going to read her a bedtime story.

Thursday June 23rd (Day 21) - From the Hills of San Francisco to the Hollywood Hills

The day started out well. Matthew made us some oatmeal with almonds and goat milk yogurt (yep, definitely embracing the “whatever works”/ “vagabonds can’t be choosers” mindset on this trip), and we got hot showers. Off to a good start. Matthew pointed us in the direction of town on a less curvy road in the mountains. So far so good. Lindsay finally understood my crabbiness of the day before as she sat in the passenger’s seat while I weaved through the mountain. * yeah totally got it so queezy ick* The morning seemed less promising when the gas light went on and we were somewhat lost in the mountain. Tom wasn’t so good at pointing us in the right direction and I was anxious about the fact that we were going to be stuck in the middle of nowhere. Now after our running out of gas experience in Arizona and the fact that road rule #2 was “never pass up a gas station”, you wonder how this is the second time I have been in the drivers seat when the gas light has gone on. Usually its because we switch drivers unexpectedly and I’m too busy trying to navigate, plan, and drive all at the same time to assess the gas situation and Lindsay didn’t give me heads up on the gas level when she gave me control. After 15 minutes of stressful driving, we found a gas station. * well B was stressed I was fine. She started driving frantically and I could see her anxiety and informed her the more she accelerates and brakes quickly the more gas you actually burn, so take it easy we’ll be fine. I also stated for the record that I was saying this out loud and not just thinking that in my head which she appreciated. Oh Carrie the stories you leave us with*Thank the lord. Unfortunately USPS was sitting in front of me, blocking the entrance, and I thought there was a great chance I’d run out of gas waiting for the mailman to get his butt out of my way. After we fueled up and I got my directional bearings straight we headed back towards the good old Golden Gate Bridge. The fog had somewhat subsided so we had a great shot of her, but I wanted to take a closer look so I pulled off after we crossed and took to exploring by foot. I ended up wandering down this path that looked like a trail and ended up at the maintenance area, until some helpful man pointed me in the right direction, I went to get Lindsay and drove to the viewing area. I had trouble finding a parking spot given the mass amount of people and tour buses so I tried to loop around again, which actually lead me back onto the freeway, back over the bridge, again. Lindsay was quite annoyed, since it costs $6 to cross the bridge, but accidents happen, and victory laps on the Golden Gate Bridge is somewhat humorous. I really wanted to soak it in anyway. I pulled into the viewing area on the other side of the bridge and got out. I wanted to walk on the big old bridge, so I left Lindsay in the car and after a little wandering and crossing under the bridge which turned out to be closed, I got on the path and walked towards the center. San Francisco is the land of 10,000 bikers, which surprises me since its famous for its hilly terrain, but biker after biker peddling across the bridge. There were sail boats in the harbor and floating in groups near the bridge, the sun was shiny and it was brisk but comfortable out. I walked to the first tall pillar of the bridge then turned around.

Back in the car, and off to explore a little more of San Francisco. We headed for the Fisherman’s Wharf and Pier 39 first. We found a parking lot and illegally parked our car in our own spot. Yep, Lindsay is turning me into a delinquent. * well Brittany was getting frustrated and this was one of the things she really wanted to do and at this point you could kind of cut the tention in the car with a knife, so when she said in a huff “If we can’t find a parking spot we are gonna have to skip this” I suggested a little more law breaking. Someone else did it too and I followed it with a good deed and it instantly lifted the tension. No biggie*We saw a homeless on the street with a sign that said “Food or anything helps”. Lindsay decided to be generous and give him a bag of our goldfish. A little good karma never hurt anyone. I’d describe Fisherman’s Wharf as a mix of Navy Pier and Howth, Ireland with tons of restaurants (and Bubba Gumps ofcourse) and lots of boats and sea lions lounging in the sunshine. We took a stroll around, listened to the sea lions barking at one another, got an ice cream cone and hit the road. * and a man wearing a pirate costume completely covered in gold paint *

The next stop was reliving my childhood by finding the Full House house and driving passed “Postcard Row” and Alamo Square which is the park they play in during the open scene. We found the park but couldn’t find a place to park so we could get out and explore so we kept going. After a little winding around, we found their house. Win.

Driving in San Francisco was fun…and of course Lindsay gave me the task since she hates city driving. The hills were intense and I skidded the tires *more like totally burnt rubber lol*once trying to get going after stopping on one steep steep slant. Anytime we do some sort of dumb driving mistake we just proclaim to the other drivers that we’re from Wisconsin. Wouldn’t want to embarrass any of my solid Illinois drivers…so I’ll blame it on the cheeseheads and our Wisconsin affiliation created by our license plate.

After seeing the Full House house, we drove through the Haight and Ashbury neighborhoods to feel all the peace and love and hippiness. Then off to a land of peace and love and happiness..Costco. After 3 trips around the block to figure out how to get into the parking garage, we got in, and checked to see how long a tire rotation would take. After waiting in line for 10 minutes just to ask, we found out it would take 3-3.5 hours. Not in the schedule. So Lindsay picked up her prescription and we hit the dusty trail again. Matthew told us there was a Costco in Monterey and Tom told it was on Metz Rd so we figured it was a good sign. We headed to Monterey. San Francisco is a very neat town, the houses are so detailed and intricate, but it seems like they are all packed into one another like sardines or as our Montana cowboy would say…condensed milk.

It was later in the afternoon when we made it to Monterey, probably about 4:30, so we found the Costco (but didn’t see any Metz Rd…so I must have been hallucinating) and checked on getting the tires rotated. They said about an hour and a half but it needed to be done so we decided to explore the nearby beach. First we needed our sweatshirts out of the car, so Lindsay used her spare key, which just set the alarm off. Breaking into our own car in the Costco parking lot… yep, all-stars. We crossed underneath the overpass and found a nice beach. A man was fishing and I walked to put my feet in. I kicked off my shoes which wasn’t a good idea since the tide came in and washed them out so I had to chase them down like a fool. Bet the fishermen thought I was an idiot..ah well, but Lindsay missed it so it doesn’t really matter. * Ah I found the treasure trove of sea glass. Can’t pass that up! But I would have liked to see Brittany run around like a fool having the roles reversed would have been nice lol*

We sat there for a while watching waves crash…best wait for car care ever. We both had to use the bathroom and the ocean noise wasn’t helping so we walked back to Costco and went inside. We found a little girl going to the bathroom making all sorts of relief noises and I couldn’t help to think “Everyone Poops”….that’s what 3 weeks of pooping in public places does to you. * funny how she mentions this book. I told her I was going to share that we were bonding in the bathroom and she yelled at me. “I don’t want people reading about my poop!” my response was “everyone poops B they even wrote a book about it” and while we were at Matthews he had some choice reading material “What’s your poop telling you” with a big toilet on the front. All I could think was Aunt Pam probably has this book and it’s totally Bucholz. I was not at all surprised in fact I just laughed and apparently loud enough that B could hear me in the bathroom. Ah poop get used to it…shit happens!*We grabbed some chicken bakes from the Costco concession stand and ate our fancy dinner while we waiting. Two Costco visits in one day… some sort of bizarre record, although I’m sure Aunt Kath has done it from time to time. We got our car back and hit the road.

We ventured furthered down into Monterey and found another beach to play in. Which ended up getting me soaking wet when the tide came in further than expected and I decided to splash around like a child. Everyone loves the beach. Changed my pants on the side of the road than we were LA bound. * yeah we both got soaked AWESOME*

We passed the Pebble Beach exit on our way back north to cut over east onto the 101. Then we headed south. We eventually hit the 5. The sun set over Monterey Wine Country’s rolling hills. Beautiful. Then it got darker, and it warmed up as we headed south. We had Pepsi at Costco so I was fueled up…then a late night stop to get gas. *so fired up she had to fire up the Celine Dion ballet and started signing like a weirdo in typically road trip fashion. I didn’t join in right away because I was reading. B was not pleased so almost in a very surprising way I joined in singing like a fool, big surprise, while B started laughing. I am pretty entertaining if you are lucky enough to see that side of me* We couldn’t figure out how to operate these air tight gas pumps that California has, so we had to enlist the help of the gas station attendant. She thought we were dumb Midwesterners undoubtedly but whatever…she had to shove it in the car so hard, it moved the car. * ok friggin’ stupid we tried one pump, no bueno, keypad didn’t work tried the next one still, no bueno. I went inside and the chick was useless. We had to wait until the next shift chick came and then they started speaking espanol which I don’t speak. They were probably bitching about me whatever just because you ruined your ozone and have smog doesn’t mean you should have dumb ass gas pumps. I mean really * We both had the same thought… McD’s ice cream, so we hit the drive thru. And finally Lindsay got her dipped cone. Slow moving service but then we were back on the road. *who would have thought Wisconsin would be as advanced as California but they didn’t have them at the same bargain price of 79 cents like wiscosin. 3^rd rip off pllllllll raspberries. Although maybe that’s why us Midwest girls aren’t lacking for any insulation. Damn it Mc Donalds* It was dark and we were somewhere in the valley. In fact, I think we were in Hidden Valley because it smelled overwhelmingly like Hidden Valley Ranch*veggie dip better than the horrific shit smell Matthew warned us about for about 30 miles too long…barf*…and then green peppers, and then ranch again. So random. There were a thousand semis on this road and then civilization.

We jammed to a little Bruce Springsteen montage.

We got off at the Hollywood exit. Welcome to Hollywood. The bright lights gave even Lindsay a little excitement, and she’s a little anti-city. * I totally felt the magic. City of dreams, where dreams come true. It totally had that energy. Perfect for Blythe!” We found our way into West Hollywood, and to Blythe’s. We parked the car on the side of her apartment and found the knocker with Metz on it. We were greeted by our loving cousin who welcomed us into her colorful apartment that was warm with candle light. Very homey.* while we talked Blythe started jumping on her little trampoline in her robe holding the girls and I just chuckled. She is so funny and full of life it’s a little contagious* We sat up and chatted for a while before we decided it was time for bed. Lindsay took a tumble when she sat on the end of the hide-a-bed and it collapsed due to a missing screw. Hilarity…especially at like 1:30 in the morning. * don’t worry it struck while B was in it too. We both layed down and suddenly our feet were in mid air. The end collapsed again. Don’t worried the muscle of the group fixed it so we might not have been swallowed by the hide-a-bed in the middle of the night. It was pretty damn funny though. My mom would have been cackling like a hyena I can just hear it*

Wednesday June 22nd (Day 20) – Highway 1

We had plans to get up at 5:45 to get an early start, as we’ve decided to adjust our sleep schedule to the sun so we make the most of our days. We ended up waking up around 6:30 so Lindsay allowed me to go take a shower while she took the tent down. This was most fancy park campground we had been at. *they had bear boxes. These metal cabinets you could put food and things inside that bears could not get in to , so cool but unnecessary seeing as we hadn’t seen a bear since we left british Columbia. California you silly state, so deceiving with the bear on your flag*We got ourselves ready and headed out… hitting the road about 7:15. Back on the 1. Biggest trees ever. The fog was back too, giving us an element of mystery. We stopped to stand next to the Redwood and wrap our arms around it…literal tree huggers. You feel so small when you stand by these trees. We continued down Highway 101 and turned onto the 1. The end parts of the 101 had been curvy and winding, but Highway 1 was just plain ridiculous. We weaved through the woods for a while. Up and down, around, and around. We stopped at the Chandler Drive Thru Tree…but our cooler at the top prevented us from actually driving through. Plus it seemed pretty narrow. We opted to park and walk through. Such majesty. One of the trees was on its side, so you could stand in its core. We made friends with a dad visiting the forest with his family from Oregon I think and he was blown away by the miles we had traveled and our ambitions. Lindsay had worn a dress that day, making it hard for her to climb the trees so she made me do it. I scaled the side of the log, and photobombed some peoples’ pictures. Oops.

We continued on the Highway 1. Overwhelming smell of pine. *Serious pine. My eyes were burning it was so strong. It was like someone shmeered pine-sol on my cheeks. It smelled more like upnorth than up north does. Oh California never a dull moment. Thery have awesome trees though AWESOME!!!!*That was mixed with a smell that I could only categorize as the stale smell of an airplane. After a while of smelling this, I finally figured out the smell’s source… the bags of coffee beans sitting on the dashboard we were bringing Matthew from Portland. The mix of pine and coffee as we weaved on the road was enough to make me nauseous. In 22 years I’ve never gotten car sick… I can read in the car, and I drove the Road to Hana in Maui, but this road was just ridiculous. We weaved and turned, in the woods and in the forest, on the coast, near the beach, round and round. At one point, we counted the amount of times we changed direction in one mile. 18 turns in one mile. The overwhelming smell of pine wasn’t helping. It was like sitting on a tilt a whirl in the middle of a Christmas tree farm. I had a headache, but I couldn’t eat, cause my stomach was uneasy. And this wasn’t a one or two hour drive…. Nope, 9 hours later, we passed Stinson Beach, home of Matthew Bucholz. *this being the reason we didn’t blog on these days. Because you were literally ill if you were in the passangers seat. I drove that dang road for 11 hrs twisting and turning and when you are driving it’s fine, totally reminds me of snow mobiling or weaving threw the poles of a downhill ski course. Kinda fun but only for like the first hour or two.*

San Francisco was one of the places I was most excited to go. I wanted to explore the city. While I can jump aboard the nature express, I find cities interesting. I love the architecture, the buildings, the people, and in this case, the proximity to the ocean. In Dublin, the girls described me as “an all American girl” and sometimes I embrace this concept. I wanted to stand on the Golden Gate Bridge, and enjoy this feat of American engineering. I had planned on being in San Fran by 1 or 2 to be able to spend the day in the city and see the sights, but as Lindsay loves to remind me, nothing goes as planned..so let go of the schedule. But this was neither of our faults. We had kept the stops to a minimum…it was just that it was slow moving since we couldn’t really go faster than 45 mph on these windy death roads. Lindsay began to lose her marbles…singing, honking the horn to the beat, basically going stir crazy in the drivers seat. *steering wheels make great teething rings. Dear lord I lost it. I was trying to be funny about it and not cranky and making light of the situation. Brittany was laughing at me and though I was loosing it we were good.*We were rapping old school Nelly * oh brings me back to highschool sneaking cigarettes in the car to try and keep it from my parents. Oh the good old days. NOT!*as we joined the caravan of 5 oclock commuters weaving up and down the mountain, through the forest, next to the beach. The people in front of us undoubtably saw us dancing and rapping…whatever.We hadn’t had much of a lunch, so by the time we arrived near the Golden Gate Bridge, we were both crabcakes. Lindsay was not any more pleased when we had to pay $6 to cross the famous bridge. * Well hello I just went from driving on a two lane road with no shoulder or guard rails and sheer drop offs to all of a sudden 5 lane freeway where the wind was so strong I thought we were going to lift off. I nearly had a heart attack and then you make me pay $6 to cross a bridge are you Fing kidding me. Rip off.*Part of me considered the fact that we should’ve abandoned sight seeing and just stopped for the night at Matthew’s but I wanted to see the bridge. And we desperately needed an oil change and a tire rotation. Google said there was a Jiffy Lube relatively near the bridge and tire rotation was one of their listed services so we headed there. By the time we got there, Lindsay was in full blown “no food = bad mood” and just a peach. * I was driving for 11 hours and didn’t want to run around this huge city like a chicken with my head cut off trying to find a place to get all this stuff done.*When the jiffy lube guy told us that they couldn’t rotate our tires, and that they only do small compact car’s tire rotation, Lindsay had about had it. The guy told us that Paul’s Tire Service might be able to do it, but they weren’t sure what time they closed, but gave us street coordinates to us. Lindsay replied “that means nothing to me” in a somewhat displeased voice. I quickly explained that we were from out of town and therefore would need a little more direction. I pulled up google maps on my phone and pointed us in the right direction. Lindsay was impatient and demanding, telling me she wanted me to call to make sure these places did the proper services, but I was trying to navigate and investigate at the same time…not simple in a foreign city. Lindsay pulled over in some parking spot and we determined all auto services were now closed since it was 6:05 pm. She had been driving all day and not a big fan of city driving so we switched places. We determined that it would be better to get the oil changed that night and then we could get the tires rotated at Costco the following day because I found one and Lindsay needed her prescription filled anyway. So after we switched places, we did a lap and returned to the Jiffy Lube. The guys probably thought we were ridiculous because we had just left, but whatever. We got our oil changed with synthetic oil…which cost us a whopping $83 and figured out our game plan. *again another rip off. So far not impressed with san fran and no I’m a country girl through and through cities are only a cool place to visit and for one day max. I tried to make light of the fact that I was proclaiming “California …Overrated! I hate cities” by blowing the air horn app on my phone to put some humor in my disgust and frustration at the moment.*We determined that it was be better to just go to Matthew’s, eat some dinner, and explore in the morning since Lindsay wasn’t feeling it. She was hungry and therefore crabby, and also had lost a few brain cells from all the turns. She sat in the waiting room of the Jiffy Lube honking her airhorn app on her cell phone. Sometimes I feel as though I’m traveling with a small child. Not only did we leave and come back, we were now sitting in the waiting room, honking an electronic air horn out of frustration. Oil changed, we got back in the car, and crossed the bridge again. It really is magnificent. We headed back to Stinson Beach, taking a detour through Muir Woods which Bill had recommended. This also lead us to a different route home which was more direct and less curvy. * as we left Jiffy Lube I had called Matthew and said “I’m tired and cranky what do you have to make it better?” he answered with a “so you’re coming over tired and cranky huh?” I answered with a “yes” and he said some very magic words, “are you hungry?” ah “yes” “then we will eat” . Great phrase! So we got there sat down and were immediately served with fresh backed halibut potatoes and broccoli and wine. Thank god for Matthew.*

We found Arenal St…we had scoped it out on our way to San Fran and looked for 2,6 … the weirdest address ever. Lindsay insisted on just calling out Matthew’s name…which was more effective when we were next to his door than when we were wandering down the street. Matthew greeted us, welcomed us in, and within 4 minutes, had warm dinner for us. Lindsay had warned him of his bad mood and in typical Bucholz fashion, he made us a delicious homemade dinner of halibut and broccoli with potatoes, red potatoes in fact. Must be a Bucholz thing. We ate dinner feverishly, the fruit snacks had not held us through the day. We caught up with Matthew as we ate, then decided to take an adventure to the beach, which was only a 2 minute walk away. We walked along Stinson Beach, it was a little chilly so luckily we had on our sweatpants and sweatshirts. Lindsay stopped to take pictures of more birds, but I didn’t get much sympathy from Matthew. All these Bucholzs seemed equally enamored with birds. *Bucholz Power…right on.* Lindsay found me a jelly fish and put it in my hand…it was dead and looked just a silicon breast implant.*which I had already told her previously but as per usual she must have toned me out for that as she has with a lot of things on this trip*When the sun went down, we headed back… our stroll ended up being about 4 miles. * on this leasurely stroll I hadn’t noticed any of the houses until the way back because I was too preoccupied looking at the ocean and the footprints in the sand and the birds and the sand fleas. EWW I knew the existed but I thought they were little like dog fleas. No they my friend are not. I picked one up thinking it was a crab and asked Matthew what it was because I realized that it was not oriented from side to side like a crab but 1front to back like a shrimp. This thing was the size of a large grape or the green olives they put blue cheese in. It moved and I freaked and threw it. I can handle crabs (giggle) but not large crustacean like bugs …heebie geebies. And on the way back there was what I thought was a seagull but soon I realized it was not. I tried getting a picture but it was too dark and this bird, like the sea lion, was taunting me. Every time we got relatively close it flew about 10 yards ahead of us and continued this all the way back. I had to look it up on my phone because it was bugging me. I suspected some sort of heron…and I was right a night heron. Pretty cool.*Matthew had to get up early so we settled on the hide-a-bed and tried to find something on Netflix to watch. After a day exploring Northern California, the National Geographic Redwood Forest documentary seemed appropriate. While visiting the Chandler Drive Thru Tree, that was 2,400 years old, some man had commented to us that it was around before Jesus…National Geographic made the same connection. However, after a LONG day in the car, and a full belly, and a 4 mile stroll, I had about 5 minutes of Tree TV before I fell asleep. * I however learned that redwoods put on more girth the older they get than when they intitially start growing. They grow to 6 feet in the first year and just keep going. 95% of the old growth forests have been logged and new growth wood as not as good of quality as old growth, go figure. The trees are able to grow to such great size because they continually absorbs the fog. I know I learned more and watched a bit longer than B but didn’t finish it. Although I had seen the end of it at brent’s house on the monster screen. Fasinating stuff though so sad that all the old growth trees are almost gone. Stupid people.*