Land of the Spuds

We reached potato land- Idaho. From Utah we drove through Jackson Hole, Wyoming to get to Idaho. Jackson Hole is a pretty neat cowboy town. We tried to go to the Snake River Brewery here, but guess what it was closed, for a staff party! So we decided to saddle up at a bar to grab a drink...literally. They had saddles as bar stools, it was pretty cool. The bar was called Million Dollar Cowboy. We were able to get a beer from the Snake River Brewery so it kind of all worked out.

 

We walked around town a little more and then we headed to our over night spot in Driggs, ID. We rented a little cottage in Driggs, which was perfect for a little recharge for the night. We rented it from an awesome couple who owned the cottage in their back yard, along with their glass blowing studio. We picked Driggs because it is only about an hour and a half from Yellowstone National Park. Here are some pictures of the cottage, it was perfect!

 

Yesterday marked one week since we have been on the road. We are thinking it will be 7 more days until we land in L.A. At the start of the trip we started listening to an audiobook, Travels with Charley: In Search of America by John Steinbeck. It is a travelogue about Steinbeck's trip around the country with his poodle Charley in his camper truck. It was a sad day today because we finished it, we didn't want it to end! It was fascinating to listen to Steinbeck's stories of his travels knowing that we were going to be traveling through the same places. It is a great book and worth a read, or a listen across the country!

Stay tuned for Yellowstone!

 

Utah

Yesterday we headed north, from Colorado to Utah. It was a beautiful drive heading out of the Rockies. We entered the plateau region of northwestern Colorado and then the red rock area of Utah. It was quiet the drive, we had to remind ourselves to check if we needed gas because it could be many many miles until the next station.

 

 

We landed in Vernal, UT last night at a KOA campground. It was pretty chilly, we got the usually "umm...sure, if you want to, it's going to be cold". We were pros by now and stayed plenty warm. We had an awesome fire last night and probably the best dinner so far. Chopped up peppers, onions, potatoes, and kielbasa. 

There it is before it went over the fire, sorry no after pictures it went into our stomach too fast. After dinner we played a wonderful game of cribbage (Mo won) and called it a night. We did wake up with a lot of frost on the tent, so we had to put most of the tent into the sun to thaw. Coffee and oatmeal then we hit the road. Vernal is known as dinosaur land, many of the streets are named after dinosaurs, there are fossils and tracks all around, along with dino statues. 

 

 

Breckenridge

We made it to Breckenridge. An awesome ski town just southwest of Denver. We made a reservation here before we even started the trek because we knew we weren't going to tent it in the chilly mountains. It was 28 degrees last night with a chance of snow. Since we have been averaging about $28 a night on camping we figured we would spurged for The Lodge and Spa. It was great! Absolutely beautiful view from our room, hot tubs, mountain decor, and free breakfast! 

In the morning we walked around Breckenridge, explored the many shops, and then tried to go to the Breckenridge Brewery but they were closed for renovation. We were bummed, but we found this awesome little crepe cart and we got a turkey club crepe for lunch. Deliciousness with a view! 

We have headed north now, on our way to Utah and Yellowstone, something we have been looking forward to for a while and we are glad it is open now! 

Our drive through Colorado has been amazing. I can't tell you how many times we have said "WOW, this is amazing, crazy!" If you haven't been, you probably should go! 

Colorado

We made it to Colorado and it is beautiful here! We camped in Sterling, CO last night at a state park. It was our coldest night yet and we woke up to frost on the tent. We were all bundled up and stayed plenty warm. Being a state park there was some wildlife and preserved land all around us. We had a couple visitors during the night including some deer and a little rabbit we named Jack. We were the only ones in the campground until the evening and that is just the way we like it. Nice and quiet. I still think people think we're crazy for tenting. SO BE IT! It's the real deal and a ton of fun.

We drove from Sterling to Longmont to visit the Oskar Blues Brewery the makers of Dale's Pale Ale. The drive was amazing because we moved from the beautiful prairie country of Colorado to the unbelievable Colorado Rockies. The mountains are snow capped and just gorgeous: a sight to see that is for sure!

The brewery was a lot of fun! We got a sampler of their 7 most popular beers. Of course Dales Pale is their most popular, but some of the other beers we haven't heard of that much. We loved them all. The stout was exactly something you would want in the winter sitting at a bar watching the snow fall. It was around 60 degrees today so it didn't quite fit, but it was still good! 

Some murch and some pictures later and we were on our way to lunch. Colorado holds some of the coolest and first micro breweries and we're excited to visit a few of them. Tomorrow we are looking to go to Breckenridge Brewery just down the road. 

Stayed tuned for more Colorado!

Corn, corn and more corn.

Not too much to post on today's adventures. In order to make a reservation in Colorado we need to put some miles behind us. Seeing as how there isn't really much to see in Nebraska we decided to drive right through. We were wrong. There is something to see: CORN! Miles and miles and miles of brown, dried corn. It's actually pretty amazing how much there is and how little civilization there is along the interstate. It's also cool to see all of the machinery harvesting the corn and all of the irrigation systems. 

Something I don't mind about driving out here? The gas prices!! We only paid $3.04 for unleaded today. Outrageous. 

We also took the time to replace our front tires. After our little incident in Chicago yesterday we figured it would be a good idea. We stopped in Omaha to get this done and quickly were on our way. 

Hopefully tonight we will be in Colorado. 

P.S.

These exist: it's a gas station all over Iowa. Yikes. 

PEACE!

The Windy City

We decided to stay in a hotel last night just outside of Chicago, instead of a campground an hour away. We felt like a King and Queen, sleeping in a real bed. Chicago is a really cool city and we were able to do quite a bit in just the short time we were there. First stop was deep dish pizza at Pequods in Lincoln Park. Paired with some Goose Island American Pale Ale, brewed right here in Chicago. The pizza might not look to appetizing but man was it good, layers and layers of cheesy goodness. 

 

Next, we thought we'd stop to see some blues, we were told it was the thing to do in Chicago. But we are on a budget and didn't want to spurge for the cover charge, so we went to bed. 

In the morning we got up early and did some sightseeing: Wrigley Field, millennium park, cloud gate aka "the bean", and searched for a Chicago style hot dog.

Cloud gate is something else! It's amazing to see the city reflected on the structure and it's fun to see all the people taking self portraits (or selfies if you prefer). A lot of hand prints on it, does it ever get cleaned? 

Before we hit the road we stopped for a Chicago Dog, which had more toppings than dog! There was meat in there somewhere and t'was delicious! 

Oh, forgot to mention in the middle of the excitement of the city we had to change a tire. Andrew went to park on a side street and went a little too close and POP. We were able to change it pretty fast with the full spare we had, now all is good. Also, we are proud to say we have only used the GPS once and that was to find the restaurant last night. We have been sticking to the old fashion paper maps, which are awkwardly large but a lot more fun! 

Sneak peak at tomorrow's post: Corn! 

Hello Chicago!

We drove from Niagra straight to a campground in Michigan. We decided it would be best to continue through Detroit and get to setting up the tent a little earlier. Driving through Detroit was a little saddening. The highway we were on took us through the abandoned factories and older buildings. Having the Detroit skyline in the background made it extra potent. 

It's amazing how many times we get asked, "you guys are sleeping in a tent?!" I guess in an age of huge motorhomes seeing a tent is a little shocking. It seems like every campground we go to we are surrounded by trailers and golf carts. Last nights campground was nice, they put us by the restrooms and off by ourselves. It was a little rainy and windy but you wouldn't know it in our tent. L.L Bean, if you're reading this, thanks for making such awesome products! Our Adventure dome 4 kept us warm and dry all night. 

We tried to make a fire, but it was too windy and the wood the campsite gave us was a little damp. Ah well. 

This morning we woke up to the sunrise over our tent. What a cool feeling. A quick breakfast of oatmeal and sausage and a shower got us ready or the relatively short drive to the Windy City: Chicago! On our way we figured we'd stop at a small laketown and see Lake Michigan. Now, if you haven't been to a Great Lake, don't take their name lightly. These things are HUGE! It practically like being at the ocean less the salt water. Huge waves and long beaches along with not being able to see the other side. We still can't get over the size. 

That's a lake?!

We didn't stay very long seeing as how it was so windy and cold. Had a quick lunch, snapped some photos and we're off! Stay tuned for Chicago. 

PEACE!! 

Niagara Falls, ON

We made it to Canada last night! Our first camp set up was a success and surprisingly very easy. After the tent set up we made dinner, chorizo over the fire and quinoa on the stove. We sat at our fire surrounded by RVs with their electricity, tvs, and comfy beds. We weren't jealous, we were excited that we were the only tent. A couple people passing by in the morning said, "how did you do? Were you warm?" We were fine, almost too warm in fact with the amount of blankets and sleeping bags we had. One woman said, "you guys look like pros!" Little did she know that was our first time camping together. It was fun, we made coffee and breakfast in the morning and then we were on our way to the Falls! 

Niagara Falls was amazing! It's huge and such a majestic site to see! Flooded with tourist and every camera ever made. The town its self is a little strange, we weren't expecting the theme parky feel, with giant dinosaurs and rides. A while back Andrew found a one dollar chip to Casino Niagara on a walk we took in Massachusetts. We cashed it in today, but didn't win big. 

We are back in the states now. 

And we're off!!

Today marks the first day of our journey! We started early this morning and have been driving all day. Just a few more hours and it will be time to set up camp for the night. Wish us luck! It will be the first time setting up the tent for sleeping purposes. Peace out! 

Craft Beer

Since we are both craft beer lovers, part of our trip will be seeking out breweries along the way. We will be posting about each of them, so we hope you like beer too! We thought we would stop at two of our favorites while we spent this past week in Vermont. First stop Hill Farmstead in Greensboro, VT. 

 

Farmstead is probably our favorite beer and it has been growing in popularity over the past few years. They only fill growlers at the brewery, occasionally they will have some bottles for sale and if your lucky you can find it on tap at some local restaurants. The location of the brewery is what makes it pretty unique. Hidden away in a small lake town, down a dirt road, with beautiful mountain views, can't get much better than that. 

 

Next was The Alchemist in Waterbury, VT. Their most popular beer is Heady Topper, which you have probably heard of. It's rated number one regularly on most beer rating sites. It's a very hoppy double IPA with a floral taste yet remains very smooth and easy to drink (careful it's 8% ABV). We went to their small cannery last week to pick up a couple of 4 packs for the trip. Andrew got a new hat and we had some fun with the new cut out sign in front.