Sunday, August 7, 2011
Day 30
Day thirty, August 7, 2011
It was so nice to finally sleep in a nice clean place with beds that we almost slept right through checkout! Rob woke up at 10:45 and checkout was 11. We quickly threw everything into the car and hit the road.
The only stop we made before getting onto the interstate that would take us all the way to Minneapolis was Starbucks. While waiting in line at Starbucks I noticed that they sold the NY Times! I thought about getting so that we could catch up on things going on at home but when I took a closer look they were charging $6 for this newspaper! So I passed on that.
Our next stop was several hours later right outside of Minnesota at the Country Kitchen. This would be our last memory of North Dakota, and what a memory it was! We sat down and were quickly greeted by our very enthusiastic waiter. He seemed to be having an exceptional good day and loved his job. At first Rob thought that he may have been being over nice because he was trying to impress me, however, I ended up just being the decoy. He was really more interested in Rob!!!! He frequently came over to our table to ensure that we were doing well. After bringing us our meal, he excitedly approached the table again with a huge grin on his face! He said, "I have a question for you guys! Do you guys like ice cream?" We both shook our heads. "What about chocolate and caramel?" Rob replied, "Caramel, yes but not really chocolate." He smiled and said , "Ok great! Well save room because I'm going to make you guys a really special dessert!" We had no idea what to expect! Was he serious? Did he want to eat it with us? Were we going to be charged? We had no idea! As we were still eating he came over to us again with a piece of paper. "Here is a list of toppings, so check off the ones you like!" A few minutes later he cleared the table and took the checklist from Rob with a huge grin on his face! A few minutes later he returned with a huge ice cream sundae and placed it in the middle of our table. "So here it is! I only charged you for two scoops of ice cream, that's only 60 cents! Enjoy!!!" He did not wait very long to come back and check on us. He asked how we liked it. Rob replied by saying, it's very good, thank you. The waiter jumped up and down, clapped his hands, and yelled out a great big, "YEAHHH!!!" LoLzz. We paid the bill, and quickly escaped before Elton was able to ask Rob for his digits!
During the trip to Minneapolis Rob began asking me about the hotel we were staying in tonight, I didn't know much about it so of course I googled it! This is what I found:
1. Darren0731 review
“Book somewhere else!!!!! BED BUGS!!!!!”
Reviewed July 29, 2011
Unfortunately anything the very good staff at this hotel do for you is overshadowed by the complete lack of cleanliness in this hotel. I was bitten many times on my first night here, and found nasty crawlies under the duvet. Stay somewhere else unless you like sharing your bed with something other than your other half!!!!
Also make sure you are near the routers for the internet as it is very SLOW...
2. Rustywisconsin1 review
“Disgusting”
Reviewed June 20, 2011
This hotel was terrible!! When we arrived there, there was dried up food smeared on the floor. We were in a smoking room,but the sheets and blankets had cigarette burns all over them. The walls looked like there were boogers all over it. Possible previous fight in the room because the bathroom door had a cracked hole in it. I felt so dirty it was so gross. I brought my own blankets and sleeping bag, Thank God!! I had to wrap their pillows in bath towels couldn't tell if the pillow cases were used or not. Even the bath towels were gross. They were not white and had stains all over! Never will I stay there again.
3. CopperCar...Antioch, Illinois
“Disgusting and Dirty - and possibly BEDBUGS”
We traveled with my mother-in-law to Burnsville for the funeral of her brother, a sad occasion for all. We stayed at the Travelodge the first night after a 7-hour drive, but checked out the next morning due to the disgustingly dirty room. It smelled musty. Sleeping on plywood would be an improvement over those beds as they were so hard and uncomfortable. Half of the lights didn't work in our room. One of the bedspreads was filthy and looked as if coffee had been spilled on it - that was thrown off the bed and on the floor before we touched it.
Another couple checking out at same time in the morning had the wife complaining of red bumps all over and itching like crazy, most likely from BEDBUGS. As a precaution, clothing and bags were washed immediately when we got home. However, my mother-in-law had apparently been bitten on her back as well. She hoping that she didn't bring any of the critters home with her.
Will NEVER stay there again, or recommend to anyone. A lot of work to be done - bedbug extermination, electrical work, thorough cleaning, new mattresses would be a start. And perhaps some management and cleaning crew that cared.
I couldn't take any more! I quickly turned off my phone and felt sick to my stomach!! What did we get ourselves into? Plus we would be staying here for TWO nights!!!
We pulled into the parking and so far so good. It didn't look that bad. I checked in and the front desk attendant informed me our room was in the other building. I returned back to the car and pointed at the building adjacent to the front desk and told Rob that was where our room was. We pulled into the other parking lot and noticed the building was a bit run down and the parking lot was empty. At this point we were very concerned, thinking we would have to bring everything in from the car over night. Luckily Rob noticed another building behind the main building and we realized this was an abandoned hotel and we would not be staying there. We returned to the other parking lot and found our correct room and building. We reluctantly opened the door and were quite surprised when we looked in. It was one of the nicer places we have stayed at since Steph and her embassy suites left us. The room was very clean with what looks like a newly finished bathroom. We will be able to sleep peacefully tonight, hopefully. Peace, love, and happiness, the Nomads.
It was so nice to finally sleep in a nice clean place with beds that we almost slept right through checkout! Rob woke up at 10:45 and checkout was 11. We quickly threw everything into the car and hit the road.
The only stop we made before getting onto the interstate that would take us all the way to Minneapolis was Starbucks. While waiting in line at Starbucks I noticed that they sold the NY Times! I thought about getting so that we could catch up on things going on at home but when I took a closer look they were charging $6 for this newspaper! So I passed on that.
Our next stop was several hours later right outside of Minnesota at the Country Kitchen. This would be our last memory of North Dakota, and what a memory it was! We sat down and were quickly greeted by our very enthusiastic waiter. He seemed to be having an exceptional good day and loved his job. At first Rob thought that he may have been being over nice because he was trying to impress me, however, I ended up just being the decoy. He was really more interested in Rob!!!! He frequently came over to our table to ensure that we were doing well. After bringing us our meal, he excitedly approached the table again with a huge grin on his face! He said, "I have a question for you guys! Do you guys like ice cream?" We both shook our heads. "What about chocolate and caramel?" Rob replied, "Caramel, yes but not really chocolate." He smiled and said , "Ok great! Well save room because I'm going to make you guys a really special dessert!" We had no idea what to expect! Was he serious? Did he want to eat it with us? Were we going to be charged? We had no idea! As we were still eating he came over to us again with a piece of paper. "Here is a list of toppings, so check off the ones you like!" A few minutes later he cleared the table and took the checklist from Rob with a huge grin on his face! A few minutes later he returned with a huge ice cream sundae and placed it in the middle of our table. "So here it is! I only charged you for two scoops of ice cream, that's only 60 cents! Enjoy!!!" He did not wait very long to come back and check on us. He asked how we liked it. Rob replied by saying, it's very good, thank you. The waiter jumped up and down, clapped his hands, and yelled out a great big, "YEAHHH!!!" LoLzz. We paid the bill, and quickly escaped before Elton was able to ask Rob for his digits!
During the trip to Minneapolis Rob began asking me about the hotel we were staying in tonight, I didn't know much about it so of course I googled it! This is what I found:
1. Darren0731 review
“Book somewhere else!!!!! BED BUGS!!!!!”
Reviewed July 29, 2011
Unfortunately anything the very good staff at this hotel do for you is overshadowed by the complete lack of cleanliness in this hotel. I was bitten many times on my first night here, and found nasty crawlies under the duvet. Stay somewhere else unless you like sharing your bed with something other than your other half!!!!
Also make sure you are near the routers for the internet as it is very SLOW...
2. Rustywisconsin1 review
“Disgusting”
Reviewed June 20, 2011
This hotel was terrible!! When we arrived there, there was dried up food smeared on the floor. We were in a smoking room,but the sheets and blankets had cigarette burns all over them. The walls looked like there were boogers all over it. Possible previous fight in the room because the bathroom door had a cracked hole in it. I felt so dirty it was so gross. I brought my own blankets and sleeping bag, Thank God!! I had to wrap their pillows in bath towels couldn't tell if the pillow cases were used or not. Even the bath towels were gross. They were not white and had stains all over! Never will I stay there again.
3. CopperCar...Antioch, Illinois
“Disgusting and Dirty - and possibly BEDBUGS”
We traveled with my mother-in-law to Burnsville for the funeral of her brother, a sad occasion for all. We stayed at the Travelodge the first night after a 7-hour drive, but checked out the next morning due to the disgustingly dirty room. It smelled musty. Sleeping on plywood would be an improvement over those beds as they were so hard and uncomfortable. Half of the lights didn't work in our room. One of the bedspreads was filthy and looked as if coffee had been spilled on it - that was thrown off the bed and on the floor before we touched it.
Another couple checking out at same time in the morning had the wife complaining of red bumps all over and itching like crazy, most likely from BEDBUGS. As a precaution, clothing and bags were washed immediately when we got home. However, my mother-in-law had apparently been bitten on her back as well. She hoping that she didn't bring any of the critters home with her.
Will NEVER stay there again, or recommend to anyone. A lot of work to be done - bedbug extermination, electrical work, thorough cleaning, new mattresses would be a start. And perhaps some management and cleaning crew that cared.
I couldn't take any more! I quickly turned off my phone and felt sick to my stomach!! What did we get ourselves into? Plus we would be staying here for TWO nights!!!
We pulled into the parking and so far so good. It didn't look that bad. I checked in and the front desk attendant informed me our room was in the other building. I returned back to the car and pointed at the building adjacent to the front desk and told Rob that was where our room was. We pulled into the other parking lot and noticed the building was a bit run down and the parking lot was empty. At this point we were very concerned, thinking we would have to bring everything in from the car over night. Luckily Rob noticed another building behind the main building and we realized this was an abandoned hotel and we would not be staying there. We returned to the other parking lot and found our correct room and building. We reluctantly opened the door and were quite surprised when we looked in. It was one of the nicer places we have stayed at since Steph and her embassy suites left us. The room was very clean with what looks like a newly finished bathroom. We will be able to sleep peacefully tonight, hopefully. Peace, love, and happiness, the Nomads.
Day 29
Day twenty-nine, August 6, 2011
When we checked into Chief Motel last night, we were offered two breakfast vouchers for the Wrangler Family Cafe next door. These vouchers cost $1.50 each and included eggs; pancakes or toast; hashbrowns; bacon, sausage, or ham. Of course we added these to our tab! When we walked in all eyes were on us. We definitely just walked into a towny restaurant and clearly we did not fit! I guess it was obvious that we were not from around here. We sat down and thats when I thought I spotted a celeb! Whenever I go out to eat I usually strategically place myself in a seat where I have a good view of the rest of the restaurant so that I can people watch. This morning I don't know what I was thinking, maybe since I hadn't had any coffee yet I wasn't fully awake, but I managed to sit on the far side of the booth, meaning my back was to the whole restaurant. Of course I still took a scan of the room and this is when I spotted something strange. This person was almost directly behind me so it was hard to look without being caught. I had to clue Rob in, even though he isn't much into people watching or "over hearing" conversation. I told him to check out the person sitting in the last booth across the way. His jaw immediately dropped and he asked "what is that?" I explained that I was trying to figure that out also "man or woman?" We were baffled, and that is when compare him to Robin Williams in Mrs. Doubtfire. This person was clearly a man, a pretty decent size one! Maybe 6 foot 4, 240 pounds? Not over weight, just a solid, big boned man. Yeah I know, pretty big right? Anyway this man was wearing a gray haired wig, pulled back in a bun. He had on a blouse, skirt, tights and heels. His finger nails were painted and he had a purse in hand, the only thing he did not have down was the walk. He still very much walked like a man. About 15 minutes after I pointed out Mrs. Doubtfire to Rob he looked at me and said, "why did you point that out to me??? I can't stop staring now!!" We tried so hard to get a picture but people were sitting at the tables in between us and the cross dresser. Rob got really excited when he realized a couple of tables were paying and getting ready to leave, he told me to get the camera ready, he thought he would be able to inconspicuously take a picture. These families took too long though, a couple moments later he said that Mrs. Doubtfire just asked for his/her check too! (I'm so proud of how his people watching skills have improved!). I told him that this was ok because I had a perfect view of the cash register and that when it got up to pay I would snap away. I told him he had to keep a really close eye on him/her because I had to get my phone ready to take a picture. Next thing I know Mrs. Doubtfire is walking right past our table!!! Rob got so into his pancakes, that he took his eyes off the prize!!! Thankfully I was able to work my magic, I quickly opened up my camera and before he/she left for good I snapped a few classic shots!
After breakfast we headed north to see Mount Rushmore. We took the long, scenic way up Needles Highway, located in the Black Hills. As we drove along Needles Highway we entered Custer State Park. The beginning of this highway, was a regular two lane road. But when we approached the first tunnel (one way, 8'4" wide and 12' tall) it turned into a wide one-lane road, with no center strip, but plenty of turnouts. This highway quickly climbs, taking you directly underneath one rocky outcropping after another. The tunnels were the most exciting part of this highway but coming in a close second was the fact that on either side of our car we were surround by tall, jagged, granite spears. Rather than taking the entire loop around to Mount Rushmore and going through Custer's wildlife loop (Yellowstone was enough wildlife for me!) we took a short cut - Black Hills Playhouse. This took us straight across to the other side of the loop. We continued around the windy road and went through a few more very narrow tunnels. About an hour later we finally approached the last tunnel. This tunnel was absolutely amazing because as you drove through the tunnel you had your first really good view of Mount Rushmore! Our photographer liked this scene so much that we had to pull over so that his shot wasn't "rushed!"
We drove up to the visitors center so that we could get a closer look at the mountain and decided to park. As we approached Mount Rushmore, we passed gift shops, food stands and memorials. The side walk that leads you to the closest point you can get to the mountain is lined with every state flag. The visitors center was packed with information about the sculptor, the process, the tools used, timelines, why the presidents were depicted in the way they are, and also information about the four presidents chosen to be on the mountain. We walked through the exhibits room, the book room, and watched a short video on the history of the mountain in the theatre room.
After leaving Mount Rushmore Rob took a quick look at the map and realized that we were very close to Sturgis, North Dakota (where the motorcycle rally will be taking place next week). He informed me that we would defineitely be getting off that exit and driving through the town because he was convinced that the town would already be getting ready for the rally. Before the mountain was totally out of sight as we rounded the bend we were able to get one more cool picture of Mount Rushmore, the profile of George Washington.
After driving for about an hour we reached Stugis. We got off the exit and were immediately bombarded by hundreds and thousands of motorcycles! They were everywhere and the town was already absolutely crazy. There were tents set up selling biker attire, helmets, bike accessories, and even some set up ready for someone to drop in and get a tattoo! The men on the streets were decked out, leather jackets or vests, Harley Davidson shirts, leather pants or chaps, and boots. The women, on the other hand were not all dressed the same. One women were hard core bike owners, big, manly, leather jackets, chaps and boots. Other were biker chicks, cute Harley tank tops, jeans and knee high boots. Then there were the group "other" girls in tiny little shorts, bras, and thigh high socks or boots, that were trying to pick up the bikers! Anyway you look at it the streets were packed! No street signs or stop lights were really being followed, it was free-for-all! Most townies were loving it! They had lawn chairs out in their front yard watching the bikes arrive. Some were even trying to take advantage of this time and make a few extra bucks. We pasted one boy holding up a sign that read, "pitch a tent in our backyard $15 a night." Another house we passed had a poster up that read, "room and tent space available."The last sign we saw said, "space available, comes with pool.". Next to this sign was a small kiddie pool so we weren't sure if there was another pool in the backyard or if it was one of those what you see is what you get things!
The rest of our trip to Bismarck, North Dakota was very uneventful. The rest of the time in South Dakota we saw many motorcycle that were most likely making their way down to Stugis for the rally but that is about it. Once we got into North Dakota we saw nothing. No homes, no cars, no towns, no buildings, NOTHING. I was looking forward to getting onto the interstate and stopping for gas and a snack, but nope we couldn't. Just about every exit was preceded with a sign that said, No Services. Until reaching Bismarck we saw just about Rob. Rob became intrigued and started to look up info on this deserted state. He found out that there were 300,000 less people living in the entire state of North Dakota than there are people living in Bergen County! Since we were unable to stop all day we made it to our campsite in Bismarck in pretty good time. Don't worry we did NOT camp! I still have not fully recovered from our Yellowstone camping trip and refused to camp again so instead we rented a log cabin in the campsite for the night. We were both so happy we did this because the log cabin was so adorable! It was a two bedroom log cabin! When you first walked in there was a queen sized bed and a small table with 2 chairs. Right off this room was the second bedroom, a room with 2 sets of bunks. So this ended up working out perfectly for us.
After checking in we needed to eat! I tried to look up restaurants in Bismarck but there was not much to choose from! I found one place that received 4 stars - Space Aliens Bar and Grill. It was only 5 miles away and the menu seemed to have everything so that was the winner. As we were driving on the highway we spotted this place from a mile away. There were aliens and spaceships everywhere, all of which were brightly lite up! We parked the car and walked in. We were greeted by. Chuckie Cheese Atmosphere, arcade games everywhere, prizes to be won, and screaming kids. I looked at Rob but already knew the answer, we weren't going anywhere else, this place has food and we were both starving. As we waited to get a table, one of the servers asked us if we were over 22 and then quickly corrected herself and said or 21 whatever. We hesitated but both shook our heads. She said, "Oh ok, then you guys can go sit in at the bar if you want." Perfect! The bar was still totally covered with outer space decor but at least it was missing the screaming children!
We headed back to the log cabin, retreated to our computers, our own rooms, and BEDS! Tomorrow is Minnesota. Peace, love, and happiness, the Nomads!
When we checked into Chief Motel last night, we were offered two breakfast vouchers for the Wrangler Family Cafe next door. These vouchers cost $1.50 each and included eggs; pancakes or toast; hashbrowns; bacon, sausage, or ham. Of course we added these to our tab! When we walked in all eyes were on us. We definitely just walked into a towny restaurant and clearly we did not fit! I guess it was obvious that we were not from around here. We sat down and thats when I thought I spotted a celeb! Whenever I go out to eat I usually strategically place myself in a seat where I have a good view of the rest of the restaurant so that I can people watch. This morning I don't know what I was thinking, maybe since I hadn't had any coffee yet I wasn't fully awake, but I managed to sit on the far side of the booth, meaning my back was to the whole restaurant. Of course I still took a scan of the room and this is when I spotted something strange. This person was almost directly behind me so it was hard to look without being caught. I had to clue Rob in, even though he isn't much into people watching or "over hearing" conversation. I told him to check out the person sitting in the last booth across the way. His jaw immediately dropped and he asked "what is that?" I explained that I was trying to figure that out also "man or woman?" We were baffled, and that is when compare him to Robin Williams in Mrs. Doubtfire. This person was clearly a man, a pretty decent size one! Maybe 6 foot 4, 240 pounds? Not over weight, just a solid, big boned man. Yeah I know, pretty big right? Anyway this man was wearing a gray haired wig, pulled back in a bun. He had on a blouse, skirt, tights and heels. His finger nails were painted and he had a purse in hand, the only thing he did not have down was the walk. He still very much walked like a man. About 15 minutes after I pointed out Mrs. Doubtfire to Rob he looked at me and said, "why did you point that out to me??? I can't stop staring now!!" We tried so hard to get a picture but people were sitting at the tables in between us and the cross dresser. Rob got really excited when he realized a couple of tables were paying and getting ready to leave, he told me to get the camera ready, he thought he would be able to inconspicuously take a picture. These families took too long though, a couple moments later he said that Mrs. Doubtfire just asked for his/her check too! (I'm so proud of how his people watching skills have improved!). I told him that this was ok because I had a perfect view of the cash register and that when it got up to pay I would snap away. I told him he had to keep a really close eye on him/her because I had to get my phone ready to take a picture. Next thing I know Mrs. Doubtfire is walking right past our table!!! Rob got so into his pancakes, that he took his eyes off the prize!!! Thankfully I was able to work my magic, I quickly opened up my camera and before he/she left for good I snapped a few classic shots!
After breakfast we headed north to see Mount Rushmore. We took the long, scenic way up Needles Highway, located in the Black Hills. As we drove along Needles Highway we entered Custer State Park. The beginning of this highway, was a regular two lane road. But when we approached the first tunnel (one way, 8'4" wide and 12' tall) it turned into a wide one-lane road, with no center strip, but plenty of turnouts. This highway quickly climbs, taking you directly underneath one rocky outcropping after another. The tunnels were the most exciting part of this highway but coming in a close second was the fact that on either side of our car we were surround by tall, jagged, granite spears. Rather than taking the entire loop around to Mount Rushmore and going through Custer's wildlife loop (Yellowstone was enough wildlife for me!) we took a short cut - Black Hills Playhouse. This took us straight across to the other side of the loop. We continued around the windy road and went through a few more very narrow tunnels. About an hour later we finally approached the last tunnel. This tunnel was absolutely amazing because as you drove through the tunnel you had your first really good view of Mount Rushmore! Our photographer liked this scene so much that we had to pull over so that his shot wasn't "rushed!"
We drove up to the visitors center so that we could get a closer look at the mountain and decided to park. As we approached Mount Rushmore, we passed gift shops, food stands and memorials. The side walk that leads you to the closest point you can get to the mountain is lined with every state flag. The visitors center was packed with information about the sculptor, the process, the tools used, timelines, why the presidents were depicted in the way they are, and also information about the four presidents chosen to be on the mountain. We walked through the exhibits room, the book room, and watched a short video on the history of the mountain in the theatre room.
After leaving Mount Rushmore Rob took a quick look at the map and realized that we were very close to Sturgis, North Dakota (where the motorcycle rally will be taking place next week). He informed me that we would defineitely be getting off that exit and driving through the town because he was convinced that the town would already be getting ready for the rally. Before the mountain was totally out of sight as we rounded the bend we were able to get one more cool picture of Mount Rushmore, the profile of George Washington.
After driving for about an hour we reached Stugis. We got off the exit and were immediately bombarded by hundreds and thousands of motorcycles! They were everywhere and the town was already absolutely crazy. There were tents set up selling biker attire, helmets, bike accessories, and even some set up ready for someone to drop in and get a tattoo! The men on the streets were decked out, leather jackets or vests, Harley Davidson shirts, leather pants or chaps, and boots. The women, on the other hand were not all dressed the same. One women were hard core bike owners, big, manly, leather jackets, chaps and boots. Other were biker chicks, cute Harley tank tops, jeans and knee high boots. Then there were the group "other" girls in tiny little shorts, bras, and thigh high socks or boots, that were trying to pick up the bikers! Anyway you look at it the streets were packed! No street signs or stop lights were really being followed, it was free-for-all! Most townies were loving it! They had lawn chairs out in their front yard watching the bikes arrive. Some were even trying to take advantage of this time and make a few extra bucks. We pasted one boy holding up a sign that read, "pitch a tent in our backyard $15 a night." Another house we passed had a poster up that read, "room and tent space available."The last sign we saw said, "space available, comes with pool.". Next to this sign was a small kiddie pool so we weren't sure if there was another pool in the backyard or if it was one of those what you see is what you get things!
The rest of our trip to Bismarck, North Dakota was very uneventful. The rest of the time in South Dakota we saw many motorcycle that were most likely making their way down to Stugis for the rally but that is about it. Once we got into North Dakota we saw nothing. No homes, no cars, no towns, no buildings, NOTHING. I was looking forward to getting onto the interstate and stopping for gas and a snack, but nope we couldn't. Just about every exit was preceded with a sign that said, No Services. Until reaching Bismarck we saw just about Rob. Rob became intrigued and started to look up info on this deserted state. He found out that there were 300,000 less people living in the entire state of North Dakota than there are people living in Bergen County! Since we were unable to stop all day we made it to our campsite in Bismarck in pretty good time. Don't worry we did NOT camp! I still have not fully recovered from our Yellowstone camping trip and refused to camp again so instead we rented a log cabin in the campsite for the night. We were both so happy we did this because the log cabin was so adorable! It was a two bedroom log cabin! When you first walked in there was a queen sized bed and a small table with 2 chairs. Right off this room was the second bedroom, a room with 2 sets of bunks. So this ended up working out perfectly for us.
After checking in we needed to eat! I tried to look up restaurants in Bismarck but there was not much to choose from! I found one place that received 4 stars - Space Aliens Bar and Grill. It was only 5 miles away and the menu seemed to have everything so that was the winner. As we were driving on the highway we spotted this place from a mile away. There were aliens and spaceships everywhere, all of which were brightly lite up! We parked the car and walked in. We were greeted by. Chuckie Cheese Atmosphere, arcade games everywhere, prizes to be won, and screaming kids. I looked at Rob but already knew the answer, we weren't going anywhere else, this place has food and we were both starving. As we waited to get a table, one of the servers asked us if we were over 22 and then quickly corrected herself and said or 21 whatever. We hesitated but both shook our heads. She said, "Oh ok, then you guys can go sit in at the bar if you want." Perfect! The bar was still totally covered with outer space decor but at least it was missing the screaming children!
We headed back to the log cabin, retreated to our computers, our own rooms, and BEDS! Tomorrow is Minnesota. Peace, love, and happiness, the Nomads!
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Day 28
Day twenty - eight, August 5, 2011
We decided to take our time leaving Denver and sleep in a little. However, we mistakenly slept in a little too much and missed the continental breakfast at our hotel. This was not a major problem because we once again referred to Rob's "Road Food" book. This book has been so clutch and every single place that we found in this book and went to has served delicious food! In fact Rob said that if anyone ever goes to another state or on a road trip he is going to rent out this book to them! We searched for a new breakfast place in Denver and came across Duffeyroll Cafe. Apparently Colorado is famous for their cinnamon rolls. There is actually a place in Loveland, Colorado that sells an enormous plate sized megaroll. However, the most elegant rolls are said to be at Duffeyroll. There are several Duffeyrolls available - crisp- edged swirls of dough drizzled with maple, orange, even Irish cream frosting. But the regular roll is said to be perfectly sugary and cinnamony and super- buttery! Good thing they offered mini versions of all of these because there was no way we would be able to choose. Once again point to "Road Food".
After leaving Denver, there was a point that we drove about two and a half hours and saw maybe 50 cars. We were driving through towns that had less people living in them than students in Glen Rock High School. Nebraska was a little more exciting in that we saw a show of lights in the sky. We were driving through bright blue sky's with big, white, puffy clouds. Them we saw that up ahead there was a HUGE black cloud, but in every other direction of this one very large cloud were beautiful bright blue sky's. But of course our route was taking us directly under the black sky's. As we got closer to the dark area a few rain drops hit our windshield. This soon turned into giant raindrops pouring out of the sky. Bolts of lightning were flashing in the sky ahead of us and because we were in flat open fields the wind was picking up the dirt. For a second it almost resembled small tornados. The clouds even looked like small tornados because parts were hanging down so low and they were so thin and gray that it looked like they were touching the ground in the form of a tornado. The weirdest part of this sight was that as we were driving through the storm, every other direction we looked in was still sunny and bright. We drove through the storm for a few miles and then emerged into the sunshine once again.
After we crossed the border and South Dakota welcomed us, there was once again not too much to see. During our first 25 miles into South Dakota we only saw 4 other cars on the road with us. This trend continued all the way to our exit, where out hotel should have only been a 1/2 mile further. As we got off the exit I began to think I entered the wrong address into the GPS because I did not think it was possible to have a hotel in such a small, secluded area. As we drove down the road we passed by Chief Motel and I prayed that this was not where we were staying. Five second later Matilda said "when possible please make a legal U-turn." I knew then that the the Chief Motel was where we would be residing tonight! Not only was this "motel" run down but it was filled with bikers. I began to wonder if camping was really that bad. I cautiously walked into the "lobby" and was greeted by a creepy man that appeared to have escaped the freak show at the carnival. We walked over to our room and it was exactly what a run down motel room would look like. The only positive is that were no bugs!!! We sat in the room and tried to process everything we had seen.
A little later on we had to find a place to eat. Rob was perfectly fine with his surroundings but I was quite skeptical. I felt like everyone was looking at us and watching our every move. We did stick out like sore thumbs!!! We walked through this town, it's population 1,800, and quickly decided on one of the 4 restaurants offered. We chose Buglin' Bull Sports Bar and Grill. Once again we surrounded by bikers and people who looked like they were stuck in the 80s. Rob was amazed at how many bikers there were so he decided to see if there was a special event going on. Upon further investigation he realized that next week is the beginning of the Sturgis Bike Rally. This rally is the largest bike rally in the world and takes place in South Dakota. Last year 750,000 people attended this rally! Bikers had been already showing up to prepare for the rally. Now that that was settled we were able to go on with the rest of our meal. The drinks were very cheap so we took full advantage of that and luckily the food was delicious! We stuck around to watch the end of the Rookies game on the big screen and watched some SportsCenter and then headed back to Chief Motel! Tomorrow Mount Rushmore and North Dakota! Peace, love, and happiness, the Nomads!
We decided to take our time leaving Denver and sleep in a little. However, we mistakenly slept in a little too much and missed the continental breakfast at our hotel. This was not a major problem because we once again referred to Rob's "Road Food" book. This book has been so clutch and every single place that we found in this book and went to has served delicious food! In fact Rob said that if anyone ever goes to another state or on a road trip he is going to rent out this book to them! We searched for a new breakfast place in Denver and came across Duffeyroll Cafe. Apparently Colorado is famous for their cinnamon rolls. There is actually a place in Loveland, Colorado that sells an enormous plate sized megaroll. However, the most elegant rolls are said to be at Duffeyroll. There are several Duffeyrolls available - crisp- edged swirls of dough drizzled with maple, orange, even Irish cream frosting. But the regular roll is said to be perfectly sugary and cinnamony and super- buttery! Good thing they offered mini versions of all of these because there was no way we would be able to choose. Once again point to "Road Food".
After leaving Denver, there was a point that we drove about two and a half hours and saw maybe 50 cars. We were driving through towns that had less people living in them than students in Glen Rock High School. Nebraska was a little more exciting in that we saw a show of lights in the sky. We were driving through bright blue sky's with big, white, puffy clouds. Them we saw that up ahead there was a HUGE black cloud, but in every other direction of this one very large cloud were beautiful bright blue sky's. But of course our route was taking us directly under the black sky's. As we got closer to the dark area a few rain drops hit our windshield. This soon turned into giant raindrops pouring out of the sky. Bolts of lightning were flashing in the sky ahead of us and because we were in flat open fields the wind was picking up the dirt. For a second it almost resembled small tornados. The clouds even looked like small tornados because parts were hanging down so low and they were so thin and gray that it looked like they were touching the ground in the form of a tornado. The weirdest part of this sight was that as we were driving through the storm, every other direction we looked in was still sunny and bright. We drove through the storm for a few miles and then emerged into the sunshine once again.
After we crossed the border and South Dakota welcomed us, there was once again not too much to see. During our first 25 miles into South Dakota we only saw 4 other cars on the road with us. This trend continued all the way to our exit, where out hotel should have only been a 1/2 mile further. As we got off the exit I began to think I entered the wrong address into the GPS because I did not think it was possible to have a hotel in such a small, secluded area. As we drove down the road we passed by Chief Motel and I prayed that this was not where we were staying. Five second later Matilda said "when possible please make a legal U-turn." I knew then that the the Chief Motel was where we would be residing tonight! Not only was this "motel" run down but it was filled with bikers. I began to wonder if camping was really that bad. I cautiously walked into the "lobby" and was greeted by a creepy man that appeared to have escaped the freak show at the carnival. We walked over to our room and it was exactly what a run down motel room would look like. The only positive is that were no bugs!!! We sat in the room and tried to process everything we had seen.
A little later on we had to find a place to eat. Rob was perfectly fine with his surroundings but I was quite skeptical. I felt like everyone was looking at us and watching our every move. We did stick out like sore thumbs!!! We walked through this town, it's population 1,800, and quickly decided on one of the 4 restaurants offered. We chose Buglin' Bull Sports Bar and Grill. Once again we surrounded by bikers and people who looked like they were stuck in the 80s. Rob was amazed at how many bikers there were so he decided to see if there was a special event going on. Upon further investigation he realized that next week is the beginning of the Sturgis Bike Rally. This rally is the largest bike rally in the world and takes place in South Dakota. Last year 750,000 people attended this rally! Bikers had been already showing up to prepare for the rally. Now that that was settled we were able to go on with the rest of our meal. The drinks were very cheap so we took full advantage of that and luckily the food was delicious! We stuck around to watch the end of the Rookies game on the big screen and watched some SportsCenter and then headed back to Chief Motel! Tomorrow Mount Rushmore and North Dakota! Peace, love, and happiness, the Nomads!
Friday, August 5, 2011
Day 27
Day twenty - seven, August 4, 2011
For the first time on our trip thus far we had nothing planned today, so we laid in bed and watched TV all morning. I was thankful for this decision because of my bed bug incident the night before. However, before I was able to relax and watch TV I did have to get up and take a very long shower because I was still a little grossed out.
Once we decided it was time to get up, we referred to Rob's "Road Food" book to find out if there were famous restaurants in Denver. We decided on a place called Buckhorn Exchange. This restaurant is holder of Colorado Liquor License No. 1 (1893). It is outfitted with a few museums' worth of antique firearms and furniture, and hung with a menagerie of some five hundred game animal trophies, all of which were shot by former owner Shorty Zietz. While the animals hanging all over the walls of this restaurant are very interesting what makes this place even more interesting is that Buffalo Bill was said to be a regular customer here! Of the course this place wasn't only about the ambiance, Rob said that his buffalo burger was the best burger he has ever had!
Somehow the topic of liquor and beer came up at lunch. Rob began talking about how Coors is the beer of the Rookie Mountains and is brewed here in Colorado. He became curious and wanted to learn more about where exactly this happened. During his online investigation at lunch he realized that the Coors brewery was only about 20 minutes away and they give free tours all day. We finished up lunch and headed to the Coors headquarters in Golden, Colorado.
The Coors Brewery in Golden is the world's largest single brewery! It was established by Adolph Coors in 1873, Coors was the third-largest brewing company, with brands that include Coors, Coors Light, Killians Red, Zima, and Keystone. They have since been bought out by Miller and are now called Miller Coors. The tour we took provided an in depth overview of the beer making process. After the tour you could visit their lounge where you could sample their products! Some of the samples we consumed included, Blue Moon Summer Honey Wheat, Colorado Native, Killians Red Logger, and Batch 19. Batch 19 was actually a market product that they were allowing people to sample. It's recipe was an original that dated back to before the time of Prohibition. So this was a popular choice by most!
While we were on the Coors bus that would bring us back to the car, a couple across from us was talking about how they were attending the Rookies game tonight. Rob and I thought that we purchased tickets in every city where a home team was playing. So we were not sure why we did not purchase tickets to the Rookies game. The game would be starting in about an hour and the stadium was rather close so we decided to take a ride down to the box office and see if there were any tickets available. While we were standing in line at the box office there were a group of men behind us yelling $5 tickets for behind home plate. I was very skeptical so I stayed in line while Rob went over to check out these $5 tickets. The game had started 5 minutes earlier but still $5 seemed a little too good to be true. Rob decided to take a gamble and trust Jeff. He bought the tickets and with fingers crossed we walked up to the ticket collector. They were legit! We were in for $5 a piece!
Once again the stadium didn't disappoint. We were both impressed by how nice Coors Field was. We especially liked the outfield. In center field there was a beautiful fountain surrounded by Evergreens and Spruces. Next to this lovely landscape were the bullpens. The unique part about these bullpens were that fans were able to stand right above them and watch pitchers as they warmed up. Every once in a while the bullpen coach or catcher would even toss up a ball or two to the fans. As we continued to walk around the entire field we were really impressed with how much there was offered for fans to do during the game. There were batting cages, speed pitch, and other games to play. There was also a lot of fan participation in between innings. For example, one time a guy stood out in left field and had 20 seconds to run to second base, put a new base in, and then run off the field past first base. Another guy was chosen to stand in left field and try to catch two fly balls. All in all we were impressed with their fan relations!
The game itself was also very exciting. The Colorado Rookies were playing the Washington Nationals. The Nationals took an early 1 0 lead after the first. It was not until the fourth inning that the Rookies tied up the game. They eventually took a 6 1 lead into the 9th inning. The Rookies closer came in and made it exciting. He gave up 2 runs and still with men on was finally able to lock down a win for his team. The Rookies won the game 6 to 3. For a day where we had nothing planned, this turned out to be a pretty great day! Now let's only hope there won't be any flys in our room and that I will finally get a good night sleep. Peace, love, and happiness, the Nomads!
For the first time on our trip thus far we had nothing planned today, so we laid in bed and watched TV all morning. I was thankful for this decision because of my bed bug incident the night before. However, before I was able to relax and watch TV I did have to get up and take a very long shower because I was still a little grossed out.
Once we decided it was time to get up, we referred to Rob's "Road Food" book to find out if there were famous restaurants in Denver. We decided on a place called Buckhorn Exchange. This restaurant is holder of Colorado Liquor License No. 1 (1893). It is outfitted with a few museums' worth of antique firearms and furniture, and hung with a menagerie of some five hundred game animal trophies, all of which were shot by former owner Shorty Zietz. While the animals hanging all over the walls of this restaurant are very interesting what makes this place even more interesting is that Buffalo Bill was said to be a regular customer here! Of the course this place wasn't only about the ambiance, Rob said that his buffalo burger was the best burger he has ever had!
Somehow the topic of liquor and beer came up at lunch. Rob began talking about how Coors is the beer of the Rookie Mountains and is brewed here in Colorado. He became curious and wanted to learn more about where exactly this happened. During his online investigation at lunch he realized that the Coors brewery was only about 20 minutes away and they give free tours all day. We finished up lunch and headed to the Coors headquarters in Golden, Colorado.
The Coors Brewery in Golden is the world's largest single brewery! It was established by Adolph Coors in 1873, Coors was the third-largest brewing company, with brands that include Coors, Coors Light, Killians Red, Zima, and Keystone. They have since been bought out by Miller and are now called Miller Coors. The tour we took provided an in depth overview of the beer making process. After the tour you could visit their lounge where you could sample their products! Some of the samples we consumed included, Blue Moon Summer Honey Wheat, Colorado Native, Killians Red Logger, and Batch 19. Batch 19 was actually a market product that they were allowing people to sample. It's recipe was an original that dated back to before the time of Prohibition. So this was a popular choice by most!
While we were on the Coors bus that would bring us back to the car, a couple across from us was talking about how they were attending the Rookies game tonight. Rob and I thought that we purchased tickets in every city where a home team was playing. So we were not sure why we did not purchase tickets to the Rookies game. The game would be starting in about an hour and the stadium was rather close so we decided to take a ride down to the box office and see if there were any tickets available. While we were standing in line at the box office there were a group of men behind us yelling $5 tickets for behind home plate. I was very skeptical so I stayed in line while Rob went over to check out these $5 tickets. The game had started 5 minutes earlier but still $5 seemed a little too good to be true. Rob decided to take a gamble and trust Jeff. He bought the tickets and with fingers crossed we walked up to the ticket collector. They were legit! We were in for $5 a piece!
Once again the stadium didn't disappoint. We were both impressed by how nice Coors Field was. We especially liked the outfield. In center field there was a beautiful fountain surrounded by Evergreens and Spruces. Next to this lovely landscape were the bullpens. The unique part about these bullpens were that fans were able to stand right above them and watch pitchers as they warmed up. Every once in a while the bullpen coach or catcher would even toss up a ball or two to the fans. As we continued to walk around the entire field we were really impressed with how much there was offered for fans to do during the game. There were batting cages, speed pitch, and other games to play. There was also a lot of fan participation in between innings. For example, one time a guy stood out in left field and had 20 seconds to run to second base, put a new base in, and then run off the field past first base. Another guy was chosen to stand in left field and try to catch two fly balls. All in all we were impressed with their fan relations!
The game itself was also very exciting. The Colorado Rookies were playing the Washington Nationals. The Nationals took an early 1 0 lead after the first. It was not until the fourth inning that the Rookies tied up the game. They eventually took a 6 1 lead into the 9th inning. The Rookies closer came in and made it exciting. He gave up 2 runs and still with men on was finally able to lock down a win for his team. The Rookies won the game 6 to 3. For a day where we had nothing planned, this turned out to be a pretty great day! Now let's only hope there won't be any flys in our room and that I will finally get a good night sleep. Peace, love, and happiness, the Nomads!
Day 26
Day twenty - six, August 3, 2011
Rather than driving directly from Salt Lake to Denver we opted to break up the trip a little and stop in Aspen, Colorado. We had nothing planned for Aspen but thought it would be a good place to stop, stretch, and grab a bite to eat. This ended up being such a great decision because we both fell in love with Aspen. In fact, we both decided that this was the nicest city we have stopped in so far. The cobblestone sidewalks were the perfect fit for all of the high end shops and boutiques. The street lamps were even elegant and everywhere you looked their were brightly colored flowers. Along with parks, fountains, and benches everywhere the food was also amazing. We waited in line at the most popular bakery in Aspen "Paradise Bakery" - definitely was worth the wait. I only wish we had more time to spend here, my credit cards were thankful though!
The rest of the drive to Denver, led us to name Colorado the most beautiful state we have driven through. The narrow curvy roads up and down the snow capped mountains provide us with incredible views and don't worry we do have lots of pictures!
We made our way to the hotel and were pleased with the looks of the hotel from the outside as well as the lobby. Our feelings about the hotel did change when we walked into our room and were greeted by a family of flys! We did our best to swat them but they seemed to either have nine lives or more kept finding their way into our room. We went to bed knowing there were still some flying around but we just couldn't get them all.
Between being totally grossed out by the flys and our air conditioner not being at 100%, I did not sleep well. I was up for good around 3:00am trying to figure out who else would be awake! Since I realized everyone was probably sleeping I caught up on Words with Friends and downloaded some more apps. After tossing and turning for a while I began to get very itchy. So itchy that I googled what could be making me itch so much. That's when I became paranoid, I convinced myself that there were bed bugs in my bed!! Now there was no way I would be able to sleep, I waited another hour or so and then texted my dad asking him for more info on bed bugs! Upon further research and investigation I was able to determine that there were no bed bugs but I still couldn't fall back to sleep! Peace, love, and happiness, the Nomads.
Rather than driving directly from Salt Lake to Denver we opted to break up the trip a little and stop in Aspen, Colorado. We had nothing planned for Aspen but thought it would be a good place to stop, stretch, and grab a bite to eat. This ended up being such a great decision because we both fell in love with Aspen. In fact, we both decided that this was the nicest city we have stopped in so far. The cobblestone sidewalks were the perfect fit for all of the high end shops and boutiques. The street lamps were even elegant and everywhere you looked their were brightly colored flowers. Along with parks, fountains, and benches everywhere the food was also amazing. We waited in line at the most popular bakery in Aspen "Paradise Bakery" - definitely was worth the wait. I only wish we had more time to spend here, my credit cards were thankful though!
The rest of the drive to Denver, led us to name Colorado the most beautiful state we have driven through. The narrow curvy roads up and down the snow capped mountains provide us with incredible views and don't worry we do have lots of pictures!
We made our way to the hotel and were pleased with the looks of the hotel from the outside as well as the lobby. Our feelings about the hotel did change when we walked into our room and were greeted by a family of flys! We did our best to swat them but they seemed to either have nine lives or more kept finding their way into our room. We went to bed knowing there were still some flying around but we just couldn't get them all.
Between being totally grossed out by the flys and our air conditioner not being at 100%, I did not sleep well. I was up for good around 3:00am trying to figure out who else would be awake! Since I realized everyone was probably sleeping I caught up on Words with Friends and downloaded some more apps. After tossing and turning for a while I began to get very itchy. So itchy that I googled what could be making me itch so much. That's when I became paranoid, I convinced myself that there were bed bugs in my bed!! Now there was no way I would be able to sleep, I waited another hour or so and then texted my dad asking him for more info on bed bugs! Upon further research and investigation I was able to determine that there were no bed bugs but I still couldn't fall back to sleep! Peace, love, and happiness, the Nomads.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Day 25
Day twenty-five, August 2, 2011
We wish we could say good morning, but this morning was anything but good. I knew getting into the tent last night that it was going to be cold through the night and I thought I was prepared. Leggings, sweatpants, two tank tops, a t-shirt, sweatshirt, two pairs of socks, a leopard print snuggy wrapped around me (thanks Steph!), and our newly purchased Walmart comforter draped over me. I learned quickly that this did not cut it. Between the rocks under us, the weird sounds we were hearing from outside the tent, and the freezing cold temperatures, neither Rob nor myself slept much at all. As if this part wasn't bad enough we were also rudely awakened at 6:30 this morning by a bird call that was not Rob's rooster alarm. When I first heard this deafening noise I had no idea what it could be. I was still half asleep so of course the first conclusions I jumped to were that something or someone was being attacked by a bear! After realizing that the sound was coming from a bird I calmed down a bit. But it honestly sounded like this bird was being murdered and giving out a distress call. At this point Rob couldn't go back to sleep but I couldn't imagine getting up yet. So Rob decided to leave me at the campsite and go for a drive. I don't know how but it seemed like it was even colder this morning than it had been overnight. With Rob gone, I wrapped every blanket in sight around me like a cocoon and fell back to sleep.
When Rob got back to the campsite he woke me up and asked me to guess what the thermometer in his car was reading. None of you are going to believe this...at 8:45 this morning it was 40 degrees!!!! He then went on to tell me that he barely saw any animals on his early morning cruise. In fact he only saw 3 rabbits, 1 elk, and 1 otter that ran out into the road in front of Coco.
We packed up our tent and the rest of our belongings and hit the road. We drove through the gorgeous snow capped mountains and lakes of Grand Teton. A couple hours into the trip we decided to make a last minute change with our route. Originally we were going to take a detour through Idaho to have a more scenic trip. We were also going to Salt Lake to see a National Park, but this all changed. We decided on taking the quickest route to our hotel which was right outside of Salt Lake City. This route still took us about 6 or 7 hours but at that point all we wanted to do was shower and be back in civilization. More importantly the season finale of the Bachelorette was last night and it is imperative that I find out if Ashley chose J.P. or Ben!
When we checked into the hotel we were surprisingly pleased. We almost felt like we were back at Embassy Suites! The Pavilion Inn impressed us with a nicely decorated lobby, free WiFi, pool open 24 hours, and a complimentary hot continental breakfast! We settled into the room around 5:00 and never left. We were so tired and needed to catch up on bills, news, and shows that we stayed in all night. Plus tomorrow is the longest drive left of the trip - 9 hours! Wish us luck. Peace, love, and happiness, the Nomads!
We wish we could say good morning, but this morning was anything but good. I knew getting into the tent last night that it was going to be cold through the night and I thought I was prepared. Leggings, sweatpants, two tank tops, a t-shirt, sweatshirt, two pairs of socks, a leopard print snuggy wrapped around me (thanks Steph!), and our newly purchased Walmart comforter draped over me. I learned quickly that this did not cut it. Between the rocks under us, the weird sounds we were hearing from outside the tent, and the freezing cold temperatures, neither Rob nor myself slept much at all. As if this part wasn't bad enough we were also rudely awakened at 6:30 this morning by a bird call that was not Rob's rooster alarm. When I first heard this deafening noise I had no idea what it could be. I was still half asleep so of course the first conclusions I jumped to were that something or someone was being attacked by a bear! After realizing that the sound was coming from a bird I calmed down a bit. But it honestly sounded like this bird was being murdered and giving out a distress call. At this point Rob couldn't go back to sleep but I couldn't imagine getting up yet. So Rob decided to leave me at the campsite and go for a drive. I don't know how but it seemed like it was even colder this morning than it had been overnight. With Rob gone, I wrapped every blanket in sight around me like a cocoon and fell back to sleep.
When Rob got back to the campsite he woke me up and asked me to guess what the thermometer in his car was reading. None of you are going to believe this...at 8:45 this morning it was 40 degrees!!!! He then went on to tell me that he barely saw any animals on his early morning cruise. In fact he only saw 3 rabbits, 1 elk, and 1 otter that ran out into the road in front of Coco.
We packed up our tent and the rest of our belongings and hit the road. We drove through the gorgeous snow capped mountains and lakes of Grand Teton. A couple hours into the trip we decided to make a last minute change with our route. Originally we were going to take a detour through Idaho to have a more scenic trip. We were also going to Salt Lake to see a National Park, but this all changed. We decided on taking the quickest route to our hotel which was right outside of Salt Lake City. This route still took us about 6 or 7 hours but at that point all we wanted to do was shower and be back in civilization. More importantly the season finale of the Bachelorette was last night and it is imperative that I find out if Ashley chose J.P. or Ben!
When we checked into the hotel we were surprisingly pleased. We almost felt like we were back at Embassy Suites! The Pavilion Inn impressed us with a nicely decorated lobby, free WiFi, pool open 24 hours, and a complimentary hot continental breakfast! We settled into the room around 5:00 and never left. We were so tired and needed to catch up on bills, news, and shows that we stayed in all night. Plus tomorrow is the longest drive left of the trip - 9 hours! Wish us luck. Peace, love, and happiness, the Nomads!
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