We just finished packing everything for our honeymoon trip to Jamaica. We leave in the morning.
The last two days have been very hectic, but we are getting settled in.
We get back from Jamaica and I promise to finally wrap up the drive across country!
Have a great week everybody.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Monday, December 15, 2008
Unloading
Has been completed. heading to linden to get my car. Pictures of our new home later tonight.
AMR
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Day 6 Review
After driving several thousand miles and seeing some great things along this way, we finally pulled into the driveway at my mom's house.
Today's Stats:
Miles Driven: 293
Driving Time: 4:24
Total Miles Driven: 3089
Average Speed: 67 mph
Fuel Economy: 26.5 mpg
What we're listening to:
"Chronicle Vol. I" - Creedence Clearwater Revival
"By the Way" - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Weather:
16 degrees this morning with a wind chill of 7 degrees. The drive was nice though, clear with good road conditions.
Reflections on the day:
In terms of distance and time, today's drive was pretty easy. We were pretty anxious to get the trip over with and get started unpacking and settling in here.
Our visit with my uncle was very relaxing, I really enjoy spending time with him.
As we got closer and closer to Maplewood, I thought a lot about the previous few days and Meghan and I agreed that we both really enjoyed the drive and were glad we did it.
Tomorrow we are going to finish unpacking and watch some football.
Later tomorrow evening I am going to wrap up all the statistics of the drive and put together some final thoughts.
We are really glad that so many people followed this blog; and we had a great time writing it. I am thinking about continuing to write it (our job search, getting settled in NJ etc.). If you would be interested in reading about that kind of stuff let me know by voting in the poll at the top of the page.
Back tomorrow with more.
Pictures from yesterday and today.
Day 5 review (Mobile Version)
Sorry for the delay in our Day 5 review but we were unable to establish connectivity in western PA. What follows is an abridged version without pictures. Look for all the pictures from the trip and our final update later tonight.
Yesterdays Stats:
Miles driven: 481
Total driving time 7:24
Total miles: 2978
Average speed: 65 mph
Fuel economy: 26.1 mpg
What we're listening to:
"Mad Dogs and Englishmen" - Joe Cocker
Weather:
Pretty cold, most of the day below freezing. Heavy snow in Pennsylvania.
Reflections on the day:
Our plan was to get up at 5...we got up at 8. Arjan started out driving. We noticed there were a lot of adult book stores along the highway. At one point there was a big sign on the left of the highway that said "Hell is Real" and on the right was a sign that said "Discount Adult book store". We tried getting a picture but it was too late.
Around lunch time we stopped to get gas and Arjan went in to get a sandwich. When he came out we realized some mo-mo parked behind us blocking us in. There were about 1000 hicks at the truck stop, but Arjan was able to use his Mario Andretti like driving abilities to get us out.
Ohio was actually pretty nice. We saw a lot of farms. It started to snow lightly which picked up once we crossed into PA.
We arrived in Brookville at about 4:30pm. It was very pretty to see all the fresh snow and warm up by the fireplace. We ate a delicious Persian meal which, by its nature, was both highly satisfying and highly nutricious. Special thanks to the Nabatchi family for hosting us for the evening.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
Yesterdays Stats:
Miles driven: 481
Total driving time 7:24
Total miles: 2978
Average speed: 65 mph
Fuel economy: 26.1 mpg
What we're listening to:
"Mad Dogs and Englishmen" - Joe Cocker
Weather:
Pretty cold, most of the day below freezing. Heavy snow in Pennsylvania.
Reflections on the day:
Our plan was to get up at 5...we got up at 8. Arjan started out driving. We noticed there were a lot of adult book stores along the highway. At one point there was a big sign on the left of the highway that said "Hell is Real" and on the right was a sign that said "Discount Adult book store". We tried getting a picture but it was too late.
Around lunch time we stopped to get gas and Arjan went in to get a sandwich. When he came out we realized some mo-mo parked behind us blocking us in. There were about 1000 hicks at the truck stop, but Arjan was able to use his Mario Andretti like driving abilities to get us out.
Ohio was actually pretty nice. We saw a lot of farms. It started to snow lightly which picked up once we crossed into PA.
We arrived in Brookville at about 4:30pm. It was very pretty to see all the fresh snow and warm up by the fireplace. We ate a delicious Persian meal which, by its nature, was both highly satisfying and highly nutricious. Special thanks to the Nabatchi family for hosting us for the evening.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
Friday, December 12, 2008
Day 5
We are without internet this evening. I'll post pics and day 5 review tomorrow morning.
Night.
AMR
Ohio, home of the "Bungles"
So we are driving along and Meghan asks me how much longer we have til Ohio and I said about 40 minutes.
30 seconds later we were crossing a bridge into Cinncinati (which actually looks like a really cool city).
I didn't have time get a pic on my blackberry but we got one on the digi camera.
We are now in the land of the AFC North....
GO STEELERS!!!!!!
AMR
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Day 4 Review
We had a great day visiting Graceland and driving through part of Kentucky.
Today's Stats:
Miles Driven: 370
Driving Time: 5:58
Total Miles: 2312
Average Speed: 62 mph
Fuel Economy: 24.5 mpg
What we're listening to:
"Elvis as recorded at Madison Square Garden (Live)" 1972 (RIAA Certified Triple Platinum)
Weather:
In the morning it was pretty cold and a slightly windy. For most of our Graceland visit it was bearable. As we were heading back to the car it got very windy (there was a severe wind advisory for the area) and cold. Driving out of Tennessee it was raining/snowing, but once we got into Kentucky it was clear.
Reflections on the day:
Meghan and I were very excited for Graceland, especially after experiencing some of Memphis last night. We woke up and hit the breakfast at the Best Western which was good. After we ate we packed up our hotel room and put in a new fuse for the cigarette lighter. We were very proud of ourselves for fixing this problem (we blew the fuse again later in the day).
We drove over to Graceland but got lost and had to ask for directions. Memphis, unfortunately, is a very run-down place. From what I have heard, the area around Graceland was mostly fields and farms when Elvis moved in. Now it is surrounded by gift shops, fast food joints, and gas stations. Kind of sad.
We got directions from a lady working at a gas station behind about 12 inches of bullet proof glass. By the way, the locals pronounce Graceland with a short "a" sound and a soft "d". Kind of like "gracelin".
As we turned onto Elvis Presley Blvd, the excitement began to build. We parked and walked into the ticket office/gift shop (there are probably 6 "official" gift shops around the complex). I bought our tickets and we waited patiently for the shuttle to take us across the street and up to the house.
There was a diverse group of people there with us: asian tourists (of course), Germans, young people, old people, families. We got our souvenir picture taken and were issued our headsets for the audio tour.
The shuttle drove through the gates and dropped us by the front door where Meghan snapped a couple quick pictures. Then we were given a very, very brief history of the house by a semi-interested "tour-guide" (more on that later). At this point we entered the house and began the tour.
I won't give you a complete blow-by-blow, but here are some quick thoughts on the residence:
- Graceland is a big house, but the public part of the house is small. Everything above the ground floor is closed off for privacy and other concerns. According to the tour, everything upstairs is exactly the way it was the day Elvis died.
- The house is pure 1970's which is kind of fun. I am talking mirrors everywhere, carpet on the ceiling, and lots of colors. There are also some design elements that don't really match other parts of the house. Check out the pictures and you'll see what I mean.
- Campy decor aside, it's a pretty cool house and you can feel the communal nature that Elvis created there. From his parent's bedroom to the basement hang-outs, it is clear that Elvis wanted everyone to feel welcome and at home.
The other parts of the tour are pretty impressive. There is a section called the "Trophy Room" that is basically a series of "cases" that chronicle parts of Elvis' life and career such as the movies, his wedding, charitable activities etc. During this portion of the tour, you can listen to specific information on certain things which is pretty cool. The whole pace of the tour is up to you which is nice. You can take as long as you want to finish.
Getting to see wall after wall covered with Elvis' Gold (500,000 sold) and Platinum (1,000,000 sold) records really makes you understand the impact of his career, especially considering that he never once performed outside of North America. In all, Elvis had 97 Gold and 55 Platinum records and it is estimated (according to the tour) that he has sold in excess of 1 Billion records.
One of the best parts of the tour was a discussion of Elvis' charitable activity and a showcase of checks that he sent to various groups and individuals. According to the tour, Elvis considered his receipt of the Jaycee's Outstanding Young Men award to be one of the proudest moments in his life; and it was the only awards ceremony he ever attended.
The garden where Elvis is buried was pretty solemn. The whole tour is treated with a great degree of reverence by the people who come. I think the best part, for me, was hanging out in the "raquetball" building and watching some Elvis concert footage with a bunch of other people that were touring the grounds. It felt kind of like being at a concert in real life.
The planes were cool and so were the cars. All in all it was a really fun tour. Parts of the experience feel very exploitative. For example, in one exhibit (outside the grounds) you can pay $100 to play pool on a pool table that Elvis kept at his home in Bel-Air.
The facilities, other than the house, were not in good condition, and the employees for the most part are very apathetic. I think it would be cool if they staffed the exhibits with real Elvis fans who could tell stories and answer questions (similar to what we saw at the Grand Canyon).
I could write a lot about where they could improve, but the bottom line is this: Meghan and I highly recommend anyone who is a real music fan make the pilgrimage to Memphis and Graceland. In more ways than one, you feel like you are in a very special place while you are there.
And Elvis is, without question, the King of Rock N Roll.
By the way, it just so happened that Mr. B.B. King was playing a local blues club last night, I wish I would have known that!
After Graceland, we cruised the gift shops and picked up a CD and then hit the road. The drive was for the most part not exciting. The weather was crap for all of Tennessee. Once we crossed into Kentucky though, we were pleasantly surprised.
Kentucky is beautiful country. Rich, rolling hills and a soothing almost pastoral feel. The sunset was amazing and at one point had a very fitting, bourbon-like color to it.
Today's pictures are in their own album because there are so many. I hope you enjoy them, Meghan took some really good ones.
Tonight is our last hotel night. Tomorrow we drive to my uncle's house in Pennsylvania and then onto New Jersey on Saturday.
Home for the night
AMR
Gas stop #7
Miles 2281
Only got half a tank. Pump broken. Almost at final destination.
AMR
Bluegrass Sunset
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
Rain Rain go away
It's pooring rain and very windy. We are just driving through Nashville and we have hit the first real traffic of our trip.
We did another 197 miles on I-40 today and after nearly 2000 miles we are officially saying goodbye to it for good.
Depending on the traffic we are about another 3 hours from our hotel.
-Meghan
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
2000 Miles
We just crossed the 2000 mile mark. We had a great morning at Graceland. Short drive today into Kentucky. Not too cold but, very very windy.
-Meghan
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
-Meghan
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
Waffles
(That last bit is a Family Guy reference, let me know if you catch it)
AMR
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Day 3 Review
We are very excited to be in Memphis, TN. Looking forward to a relaxed morning and visiting Graceland.
Today's Stats:
Miles Driven: 780
Total Driving Time: 11:20
Total Miles Traveled: 1942
Average Speed: 69 mph
Fuel Economy: 25.6 mpg
What we're listening to:
We are still without our iPod due to a fuse problem. We finally got around to this issue tonight and we'll be back in business tomorrow. Today we listened to NPR and some classic rock stations. We also listened to a Christian minister talk about raising children for a few minutes.
Weather:
It was below 25 degrees most of the day, although when we pulled into the hotel it had warmed up to 37. In the morning, it was clear and sunny which was a nice change. After getting over the border into Oklahoma, it started to get overcast and by the end of the day it was really cloudy. There is snow forecasted for tomorrow. Everything was frozen this morning, and we expect the same when we wake up in the morning.
Reflections on the day:
Considering we had an extra 300 miles to drive after our early stop yesterday, I think we did pretty good. Meghan deserves credit for doing the bulk of the driving. I just wasn't up to it today.
I drove in the morning when it was still dark and icy for about 3 hours. We stopped for gas and that's when Meg took over.
The Texas leg was very pretty. Big, sweeping views on both sides of the highway. The country is so flat that the horizon extends almost infinitely, which made the sunrise very cool. Once we got into Oklahoma, the country turned to rolling hills with lots of bare trees. It wasn't as nice to look at but it was a nice change of pace. I slept through a lot of this part.
Arkansas looked a lot like Oklahoma, lots of trees and hills. We only saw one Wal-Mart, I thought there would be more since Arkansas is the location of corporate HQ.
Since Texas, we have seen lots of church stuff. Billboards, churches, largest cross in western hemisphere. A lot of the radio stations are Christian music or pastors talking about the bible.
By the time we got close to Tennessee it was dark. We thought we crossed this Mississippi river about 5 times before we actually saw the official sign. As soon as you cross the river into Memphis we saw lots of Elvis things like billboards and stores.
Our hotel was easy to get to and surprisingly nice, the breakfast area looks really good. Our room is big, bright, clean and well appointed. After settling in we called the desk to ask about BBQ. They recommended Marlowe's (the restaurant was featured on "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives" on the Food Network) on Elvis Presley Blvd.
Marlowe's has two pink Cadillac limos that they send out for free to pick people up and bring them to eat. We waited eagerly in the lobby of the hotel and were pretty excited to see the limo pull up. We went outside and Meg snapped a few pics before the driver took one of us. I can't be sure but I think he had had a few cocktails. But he was a super nice guy.
We got into the limo which was a little rickety and smelled faintly of cigarettes. Granted, it wasn't the pimpest ride ever, but we really enjoyed it. Kind of kitschy. The driver was very pleasant and kind of narrated the drive saying things like "we are fixing to pass Graceland in a moment".
The restaurant was awesome. Tons of Elvis memorabilia, Elvis music playing on the sound system, very friendly staff saying "y'all" a lot. Meghan took a video which you can see below along with some pictures.
We ordered some BBQ and it was good! Finger licking good in fact. We had a really fun dinner.
Tomorrow morning we are setting out to do the whole tour and hit the gift shops. I may buy a jumpsuit. I may shave to show off some sideburns.
Thanks for all the comments, we are glad you are enjoying the blog. Be sure to check out the full album of pics.
After visiting Graceland, it is off to Shepherdsville, KY.
Goobye Arkansas
We have also left I-40, or home for the past 1700 miles or so.
At the hotel in a few minutes.
AMR
Remington
Just passed the Remington ammunition factory.
We are in a little congestion right now, lots of trucks.
100 miles to go.
AMR
Now entering Arkansas
Also the home of the William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Library.
God bless America.
AMR
Gas stop #5
1596 miles
Altough it was nice and sunny most of the morning, it has gradually become pretty cloudy.
Meghan is still driving, I am going to try and milk this at least half way through Arkansas.
Still no iPod. We need a fuse. Believe it or not we have only passed 2 wal-marts neither of which was really worth the detour. We plan on taking care of it later this afternoon.
AMR
Lunch soon
We're going to start looking for a lunch spot soon, recommendations?
We just passed some kind of air museum that had an old airforce 1 outside. It is around Oklahoma City. If you figure. Out what it is let me know.
AMR
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