America

April 21 2020

Hiking the Table Rock Trail, Pickens, South Carolina

When Dave first moved to South Carolina in 2018, I spent a lot of time searching the internet for things to do in the “upstate” region. Something that kept popping up in my search was hiking Table Rock, which claims to have the best views in the area.

If you’ve ever been to South Carolina, you’re aware that the weather can often make hiking difficult. Between the heat and the humidity, you’re just setting yourself up to be miserable, especially on a trail that has been labeled “very strenuous” by the parks system. In general, its not easy to find the “perfect” time to hike.

About the hike

A mere one hour drive from Greenville, the trail is a 3.6 mile out and back hike (nearly 8 miles round trip), which gains a whopping 2000 feet in elevation. There is a lot of rugged terrain with many sets of steep human-made rock staircases and some light bouldering. Despite its difficulty, the views are 100% worth it. The Park Rangers recommend that you allow at least 3-4 hours each way.

The Table Rock Trail is marked very clearly with red markers.

Planning the day

While we were planning our weekends out last fall, we decided January might be a good time to try. The temperature tends to be in the 50s-60s, and the humidity lower; however, we only had 10 hours of daylight, so if it was going to take 8 hours, we needed to make the most of our time.

I usually plan my weekends in South Carolina by flying Friday after work and returning on Sunday. Since we planned to hike Saturday morning, a midnight arrival didn’t make sense. I decided to take Friday off and arrive Thursday night instead.

What we were not planning on was rain on Saturday ☹. We’re talking heavy downpours, thunder, and lightning. We were leaning toward canceling the entire hike when we noticed the weather on Sunday was going to be nearly perfect.

Sunny and 62: it doesn’t get much better than that. Despite this, we still had my flight to worry about later that day. Fortunately, it wasn’t until 5:30 PM. It just meant we had to start the day very early.

Welp. We’re doing it.

After a night of poor sleep, thanks to some boisterous neighbors . . . we awoke at 0600. We thought if we could get to the trail base right before sunrise, we could make it work.

We arrived at the Nature Center around 0715. Fortunately, the trail starts directly from the center.

A few things to note:

You must register at the Nature Center before going on your hike: leave a name, address, and emergency contact in case something happens, and you need to be rescued.

In January 2020, there was a $6 per person fee for entry to the park. If you get there before the park rangers, you must pay in cash. We didn’t bring exact change, intended to pay when we left, and ended up getting a ticket. If this happens, you have to go across to the Main Visitors Center. Bring exact change. It’s easier.

The park is heavily trafficked. There are multiple trails and not a lot of parking. Get there early.

There are bathrooms at the Nature Center. They are open even if the rangers are not there yet.

Bring LOTS of water. And snacks.

The Trail

The beginning of the trail is very deceptive for what comes later. The first three-quarters of a mile is relatively easy. The trail winds gently through a series of small waterfalls and beautiful bridges allow for an easy crossing.

After this, the trail makes a sharp change. The reasonably flat landscape between waterfalls ends abruptly, and you are faced with nearly two miles of man-made staircases. Fortunately, after the mile and a half mark, the trail begins to flatten out some. Please note, I said some. The stairs are still pretty miserable; there are just more stretches in between them.

The landscape is beautiful. There are large boulders strewn between the trees and glimpses of the surrounding mountains.

After a challenging climb, we ran into the halfway shelter closer to the two-mile mark. Since we began our climb so early, we were the only two at the shelter (this was not the case on the way back). It was a perfect place the enjoy the beauty of Table Rock Park and grab a snack.

After a short break, we hit the trail again. The path becomes somewhat less rugged at this point, and there are significantly fewer stairs.

However, after a brief reprieve, we ran into what I would consider the most challenging part of the trail. At about the 2.5 mile mark, before reaching Governor’s Rock, you are required to begin a steep climb. Fortunately, there are stairs cut into the granite. Unfortunately, this doesn’t make breathing any easier.

After making it up the stairs, you are rewarded with panoramic views and another great spot for a break.

Just past Governor’s Rock (2854 ft), the trail flattens out again. For nearly three-quarters of a mile, the trail gently weaves through trees.

There is still one more challenge before reaching the top, however. The trail steepens greatly as you near the three-mile marker. You must climb over rock slabs and boulders to gain a lot of elevation in a short distance. Luckily, there are a couple of great places to rest before the final push.

The trail reaches the pinnacle (3124 feet) before the end of the trail.

You must continue on past the sign for 10-15 minutes before reaching the final overlook (I will this was a bit deceptive as it seems as though after coming so far, you’re so close . . . but then, why not give your calves a bit more of a workout, eh?) The rock face overlooks Table Rock Reservoir. The views are incredible.

Final thoughts

It took us just about three hours with a couple of breaks to get to the end of the trail. We sat for a while, snapped some pictures, and enjoyed another snack before heading back down the mountain.

The descent took us just under two hours. It was getting closer to the time I needed to my flight time, and I wanted to get back to shower as it ended up being about 70 degrees.

The halfway shelter was packed with college and high school kids on our way back through. We ran into so many people on the trail who had absolutely NO idea it was 3.6 miles one way.

We had a few people ask us at the 1.5-mile marker if they were “almost there.”

Yes, you can bring your pets.

Although this trail was labeled “highly strenuous,” and it was difficult, it was less strenuous than I was expecting. There were plenty of places for breaks and parts of the trail, which were fairly easy. That being said…DO NOT underestimate this trail and show up in flip-flops or without water.

Plenty of water (we brought two large bottles and electrolyte drinks for the car), decent shoes (they don’t need to be full-on hiking boots), sunscreen, and clothing layers are highly recommended.

Trail map:

https://southcarolinaparks.com/files/State%20Parks%20Files/Table%20Rock/MapTableRock.pdf

Park Hours:

Hours are Sun-Th 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. (extended to 9 p.m. F and Sa).
Sun-Th 7 a.m. – 9 p.m. (extended to 10 p.m. F and Sa), during Daylight Saving Time.

Seasonal winter hours M-Su 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Admission:

$6 adults; $3.75 SC seniors (age 65 & older); $3.50 children ages 6-15; ages 5 and under, free.

November 3 2019

Autumn in Chattanooga

For as long as I can remember, fall has always been my favorite time. Growing up in Maine, I experienced the best: beautiful leaves, cooler temperatures, apple picking—you name it!

(Disclaimer: while fall is easily my favorite season, Halloween is not on my favorites list (except the candy part. I know, I know . . . it’s horrible! Because of this, this list does not include any haunted houses, Boos at the Zoos, or any other kind of similar fright-filled activities. )

Since moving to the Midwest, my favorite season just hasn’t been the same. For the last four years, I managed to make it home to Maine in October to soak up as much of the season as I could.

Unfortunately, this year, I wasn’t able to make it because I went to Africa instead. Fortunately, Dave and I were due for another visit back to Chattanooga.

Because of the beautiful surrounding areas, Chattanooga has been nicknamed the “Scenic City.” Between the mountain ranges and the Tennessee River, there’s a lot to see and do. Chattanooga also happens to be the closest city to the midway point between where Dave and I live and the location of our favorite Airbnb host. For these reasons, we keep going back.

We’ve now been there four times, and the city has become somewhat of a second home for us. We’re figuring out our favorite restaurants, things to do while we visit, and spending less time scouring the internet to make plans for the weekend. Since beginning our long-distance journey, three out of the four trips have been between September and November.

So here is a guide to the best fall activities in Chattanooga:

Rock City

If you’ve driven anywhere near Chattanooga, you have seen the bright red birdhouses adorned with the saying “See Rock City.”

Rock City can be found at the top of Lookout Mountain. Being a mere six miles from downtown Chattanooga, Rock City feels like an escape! It is most well known for the 100-foot waterfall, 200-foot swinging bridge, and Lover’s Leap (a lookout point from which you can city the city of Chattanooga and parts of six other states). In the fall, the park becomes more beautiful as the changing leaves add a touch of brightness.

During weekends in October, the gardens celebrate their German heritage with Rocktoberfest. A month-long festival of polka lessons, German food/beer, and live music/dancing. The gardens are open from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM (we missed this by one weekend)

If Octoberfest isn’t your style, they also do Rock City Lights in November and December decorating the area with thousands of twinkling Christmas lights.

Unfortunately, since our first visit was in September and the second visit the first weekend in November, we were between events. Despite this, we were still able to experience the beautiful gardens. They were even more beautiful in November with the changing leaves.

Blowing Springs Farm

Although technically in Georgia, Blowing Springs Farm is also only six miles from downtown Chattanooga.

Blowing Springs Farms has a Fall Festival starting at the end of September. Every year they design a new corn maze. If you visit Rock City, you can see both the corn maze and Blowing Springs’ large “See Rock City” birdhouse from Lover’s Leap.

For $10, you get entrance to the farm and four tokens, which can be used at the different activity stations. They have everything from the corn maze to hayrides, duck races, a critter coral (a small petting zoo), and a cow train (in my humble opinion, riding the cow train is the best activity!)

There are also pumpkins for purchase and yard games available.

Tennessee Valley Railroad

When we visited Chattanooga in the spring, we took a ride on the Missionary Ridge Local train (see that experience here). The Mission Ridge train only takes about an hour and costs $18.

In the fall, they have a train called the Fall Leaf Special. This is a 9-hour round trip from Grand Junction Station in Chattanooga to Summerville, Georgia. There is a 75-minute layover in Georgia during which you can enjoy the area and see the engine reversed on an old turntable.

The trip, in coach, costs $79, and you can also purchase lunch on the train for an additional $20. Seats in other cars are available for an increased cost and include breakfast and lunch.

Other seasonal train trips are available on their website.

Chattanooga Market

The Chattanooga Market is open on Sundays from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM, starting in April and ending in November. They offer many local vendors and live music — everything from produce, meats, and cheeses to local crafters.

Southern Belle Riverboat

If trains aren’t your thing, you could always do your leaf-peeping on a river cruise instead.

The Southern Belle Riverboat offers a 3-hour Fall Foliage Sightseeing Cruise along the Tennessee River and the Tennessee River Gorge. The cruise costs $29.95, but lunch can be added for an additional $11.00.

Most of the fall foliage activities I’ve done have been on foot or from the roadway. The river cruise gives you an entirely new perspective.

Check the website for dates and times as the weekday versus weekend times vary. Also, consider booking ahead of time if you want to add a meal.

Glens Falls

If you’re looking to stretch your legs and check out the leaves on foot, the Glens Falls Trail is a great place to start!

We actually visited Glens Falls during our spring trip in April (you can read more here) but would love to see it again with the changing leaves and cooler weather.

The trail is a short two miles round trip; however, the hike to the falls is only about half a mile. You can then follow a set of stone steps past the falls and continue through a cut-out rock before turning around.

While the path is well-traveled and clearly marked, the parking can be somewhat tricky. *important tip* search Glens Falls trailhead on google maps. There is a small parking area to the left off Ochs Highway as you drive towards Rock City from downtown.

Incline Railway

Last, but not least . . . what better way to enjoy the changing leaves than from the top of the Incline Railway. The Incline Railway is one of my favorite Chattanooga activities as it reminds me of a tram trip I took while in Italy. (You can read more about that trip here.)

I suggest parking at the bottom and taking the tram to the top (there is minimal parking as it is located in a residential neighborhood). Here, you can look out over the city of Chattanooga and learn more about the history of the incline rail.

You can then enjoy a quick five-minute walk to Pointe Park.

If you’re interested in Civil War history, the “Battle Above the Clouds” was fought here in 1863. The entry to the park is $7.00.

Don’t forget to grab some Clumpies ice cream before you leave. It’s so good!

There’s certainly plenty of activities to do in Chattanooga. Why not avoid the southern heat by visiting in the fall?

August 12 2019

A guide to Little Rock, Arkansas

Dave and I headed to Little Rock, Arkansas this weekend to cross another state off our 50 states list. If you’ve read any other posts on this blog, you’ve probably noticed we don’t always get the best weather. It rained most of the day Saturday making the day feel like two completely separate days. We spent the morning inside and even made it to brunch! Okay . . . I lied about quitting. After the rain dried up, we headed outside to make the most of it!

As always, we had an excellent trip. If you ever get a chance to visit, here’s a list of the best ways to spend your time:

Brunch

We forgot all of our past brunch fails and decided to give it another go. I shouldn’t have been surprised when the thunderstorms caused flash floods, and we couldn’t make it to our first choice, Cathead’s Diner (FYI: the place gets its name from the cat-head sized biscuits they make). As it turns out, we realized later that their brunch is buffet style and kind of pricy, so maybe it was for the best that we ended up not making it there.

Instead, we went to @thecorner. We got there just in time as the line quickly grew to wrap around the restaurant. You order at the counter and then get seated by the staff. The restaurant has a regular menu but occasionally hosts themed additions to the list as well. This weekend was a squash brunch. We ordered biscuits and gravy and the breakfast poutine. Squash is too healthy for brunch…

We stopped at EJ’s Eats and Drinks for breakfast on our way out of town. This is more of a classic diner. The food was good, the staff friendly, and we didn’t have to wait for a table!

Things to do while it’s raining

Is there a better rainy day activity than bowling? We made our way to Dust Bowl Lanes and Lounge to dry off. At $20/hour, it was a little pricier than I remember as a kid, but included food and drink service. They have a full bar if you’re interested, and the food smelled/looked fantastic.

The River Market District can be found on nearly every Little Rock must-do list. Let me tell you: it’s even better if it’s raining. Especially because it’s empty! The actual River Market Hall is covered and hosts a farmers market during the warmer months. Here you can find vendors selling local produce and crafts. The Museum of Discovery, Ron Robinson Theater, and the Library are all nearby.

If you’re not interested in any of these things, the city of Arkansas offers a free streetcar which allows you to hop on and off. It makes stops at several areas around the city including Heifer International (a nonprofit working towards ending hunger and poverty using sustainable resources), the Historic Arkansas Museum, and even crosses the Arkansas River to visit the North Little Rock Argenta District. The operators are pretty funny, knowledgeable about the city’s history, and overall give a pretty good tour.

People lived in this cabin without electricy or water until the 1960s
We were lucky enough to run into a couple who donated this barn to the state of Arkansas

Also found near the River Market District is Riverside Park. Here you can find the beginning of the Arkansas River Trail, a 14-mile loop for biking or walking, Peabody Park, filled with beautiful sculptures, and the Arkansas Maritime Museum, just across the Junction Bridge. All these things are great for drier weather!

Breweries

We found a really cool $15 Airbnb experience where you bring/rent a bike, and a tour guide brings you to four different breweries (you can choose which ones you go to) and drink (not included in the price). Although this sounded great, we skipped the bikes and did our own walking tour.

Flyaway Brewing was my favorite of the breweries we visited. Although the outside looked a little rundown, the inside was new and modern. They had an interesting take on food and excellent beer. If giant pretzels and sliders are your thing, this is your stop.

Stone’s Throw Brewing was Dave’s favorite. It had a “this is where the locals go” feel. There were picnic tables in an outside seating area, as well as a taproom inside. And some pretty cool gear too if you’re into that sort of thing!

Flying Saucer Draught Emporium: Although it’s not a brewery, the emporium boasts over 200 beers with around 75 on tap. The bartenders are great at making suggestions since the list can be a bit overwhelming. Although the other places all had food, this is the only one where we ate. I highly recommend the Hippie Hollow with jalapeno vinaigrette. There are several locations. You can join the club and get a saucer on the wall when you taste 200 beers. Good luck!

If you don’t find anything you like on this list, have no fear! There are plenty of other breweries. We didn’t even make a dent. There is also Lost Forty, Diamond Bear, and Rebel Kettle just to name a few.

Food

I know we’ve already talked about food a lot. . . And there are many restaurants inside the River Market Hall, but Dave and I decided to branch out. My favorite meal of the weekend came from Three Fold Noodles and Dumpling Co. Although the menu is small and simple, the food was so good! I enjoyed a dumpling plate with spicy chili oil while Dave ate a noodle bowl. It took all of my efforts not to get three extra orders to go. Seriously. . . sooo good.

While walking around town, we received several recommendations for Soul Fish Cafe (southern food), Samantha’s Taproom & Wood Grill, and Bruno’s Little Italy. Although we didn’t eat at any of them, word on the street (literally!) is you should add them to your list.

I don’t condone smoking, but this is pretty clever. The streets were so clean!

Hurts Donut. Delicious donuts. That’s all you need to know.

Finally, while researching for this trip I kept coming across something called a chocolate sack: A MUST-HAVE while visiting Little Rock. Since our birthdays are both coming up soon, we decided to #treatyoself. Found at SO Restaurant and Bar (fine dining), this thing was incredible. I’m not even sure that’s a strong enough descriptor. It was Belgian chocolate formed into the shape of a small paper sack stuffed with chocolate cake, raspberry preserves, and vanilla icecream. Phenomenal. The restaurant was a little out of our style, but for dessert and wine, it was worth it. I’m pretty sure the waitress could tell we were out of our element. She was lovely, though.

The number of steps we walked nearly balanced out all the food we ate. At least that’s what I tell myself! Hahah! Little Rock was quite a pleasant surprise, and we can scratch another state off our #placeswevebeen map!

July 22 2019

Floating the Current River

What else is there to do when the temperature hits 95 degrees Fahrenheit with a heat index of 110-115 degrees?!

The answer: Float on a tube through the Ozarks of Missouri on the Current River, of course!

Several of my Southern Illinois friends and I had been talking about wanting to go on a float trip because we had done one a couple of years ago and it was amazing! We discussed it for months but it seemed like it wasn’t going to happen this summer, until suddenly, poof, it came together!

Because we had only started planning a couple of weeks ago, we were left with the busiest weekend of the season–quite a popular activity during the hottest months of summer. After spending hours looking for a place to stay, we managed to find Current River Retreats (we’re way too old to attempt sleeping in a tent after floating for hours and the temperatures would have made things more miserable). The cabins accommodate six people and offer air conditioning, comfy beds, and a shower which are INCREDIBLE after a long day on the water. Believe me. If you’re traveling to Van Buren for any reason, I highly recommend staying here.

Float Trip 2019

The trip started on Friday after everybody got out of work. I helped with surgery in the morning but managed to escape early to pack. We left Carbondale and made our way towards Van Buren, Missouri, stopping in Poplar Bluff for dinner at Scotty’s Brewhouse. With our bellies full, we finally made it to our final destination.

After settling in, we found a couple of common areas with fire pits and chairs. We sat outside playing games for a few hours and then headed to bed to get ready for Saturday. We would wake up the next morning, eat breakfast, and get on the river as soon as we figured out logistics.

Prepping for the float

Since this was only our second float trip, we made a mistake and didn’t book a shuttle to pick us up from the house to avoid having to drive after drinking on the river. The Landing is the most well-known tube rental company and was just too busy to add us on. Tip** if you want to float with this company book a pick up the day before. After driving around for a little while trying to come up with a plan b (walking vs. dropping the coolers off vs. driving), Lauren and I decided to see if Big Spring RV Camp, a smaller rental company, which was further away, could pick us up. Fortunately, Big Springs was less busy and offered to pick us up right outside our cabin! They even had upgraded tubes with backrests and cupholders!

We ran back to pack the coolers and get everything ready for an 1100 pick up time. The bus picked us up and drove us several miles upriver on the curviest roads. Hello, motion sickness! We finally made it to the drop site, unloaded all of our things, and elbowed our way to the riverbank. The cold river water felt incredible after sitting on the hot bus.

Finally hitting the water

Because the river was flooded after all the rain, the water was flowing really quickly. The trip, which was supposed to take six hours, only took about five with a couple stops. Despite this, we had a fantastic day floating, laughing, making new friends, snacking (and low carb lunch because we forgot the tortillas for our wraps! haha), and soaking up the sun. We had a few close calls with trees and sticks that were sticking out of the water but managed to get everybody safely to the end. Dave and another one of the floaters, Logan, even managed to save a woman who got separated from her group and almost floated by the spot where we were supposed to get out.

Big Springs shuttled us back right back to our cabin at the end. We all showered and then headed directly across the road to Jim’s Pitt Stop, a bar, for food and entertainment. Breanne even convinced us to try out the mechanical bull. Holy embarrassing! But here you go…

Afterward, we went back to the cabin to play more games and relax. It was at this point that I realized the 4-5 layers of sunscreen that I had put on were not enough. Or that maybe I was just horrible at putting it on. Ouch!

The next morning, we packed up and headed home after another AWESOME weekend!

All photo credit goes to Lauren Siegert with her waterproof phone! 🙂

June 17 2019

36 hours in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

“True friendship isn’t about being inseparable, it’s being separated and nothing changes.” -unknown

I met my best friend, Michelle, on our first day of college at Husson University in 2007, and for a long time, we were inseparable. We had all the same classes, friends, and were attached at the hip. Life has a funny way of stepping in sometimes and making relationships a little more complicated, but we’ve made the friendship work.

Nearly 12 years later, here we are: PA school for me, medical school/residency/marriage for her and even after moves to different states for both of us, we still manage to match our crazy schedules up for one weekend a year.

Last year, we met up for a girls’ weekend in Chicago for my birthday, but this year Dave and I decided to hop back in the car and road trip north to see her, and her husband Reed’s, new house in Milwaukee. As usual, we packed the weekend full of adventure.

Big things, small town – exploring Casey, Illinois

Michelle had an event Friday evening which didn’t finish until late; however, this worked out perfectly as I was the middle person at work (more on this later) and likely would be in the OR until mid-afternoon. Dave and I intended on leaving as soon as I escaped to begin the 6.5-hour journey to their house. Low and behold. . .we didn’t have any surgeries that day, and I managed to get out reasonably early! Instead of waiting around, we decided to make an #offthebeatenpath stop in Casey, Illinois to check out the “Big things in a small town” items they boast about.

While being a town of fewer than 3,000 people, Casey, Illinois has managed to keep their town afloat by drawing tourists to see their Guinness World Record structures. We made a 45-minute detour to check out things like “The World’s Largest Rocking Chair” and the “World’s Largest Wind Chimes.” There are eight items in the Guinness Book of World Records and several other pieces that are enormous but do not meet the criteria for being the largest. The majority can be seen near the main square, but others require a little driving and can be discovered using this map. For a complete list click here.

We enjoyed a picnic lunch on a bench downtown and hopped back in the car to finish out the drive. We always go through Rockford, Illinois and driving into Milwaukee from the west side–this avoids the traffic which always plagues Chicago. Since Michelle and Reed were still busy when we arrived, we grabbed some food and beer at The Explorium Brewpub near their house. They had an orange creamsicle beer, which was fantastic! After eating, we headed to the house to unpack and catch up.

Milwaukee Public Market

Saturday was packed with activities. We started the morning at the Milwaukee Public Market to get breakfast poutine made with Milwaukee’s famous cheese curds. I accidentally got just the regular poutine, but can you really go wrong with french fries, cheese, and gravy? The market is packed with different stalls offering everything Milwaukee has to offer: foods, spices, beer, and cheese. You can order food and take it upstairs to eat while overlooking the bustling market.

Clock Shadow Creamery

We left the market and headed to Clock Shadow Creamery to see how the curds were made. The creamery is one of the few urban creameries where the cows are offsite and the milk must be transported to the factory. Unfortunately, they were not making fresh cheese that day. But for $3 you can tour the factory, learn about the cheese-making process and even sample some of the goods.

Polish Fest

After the factory, we made our way back toward the waterfront to attend Milwaukee’s Polish Fest, the largest celebration of the Polish culture, food, and music in the United States. We ate delicious Polish food including pierogis (dumplings filled mashed potatoes and cheese) and placki ziemniaczane (potato pancakes with applesauce). There were multiple stages where people were singing and dancing, as well as Polish Tatra Sheepdogs for petting. We wanted to stay longer, but it was too windy and cold (55 and windy in mid-June felt like early fall), so we headed back to the house to warm up before our next activity: Ax throwing!

AXE MKE (Milwaukee)

AXE MKE is a newer ax-throwing place in Milwaukee which also has a bar inside. It seems crazy that somebody would try to combine alcohol and sharp objects, but have no fear! There are a lot of rules which are reviewed before you are even able to get your hands on the axes. The staff members are always walking around to make sure everybody is doing this correctly, and safety is a top priority. We had an hour and a half to complete as many rounds as we could and even managed to a few bullseyes! We all did pretty well, considering it was our first time (and by well I mean no one was impaled with an ax)!

Food Options

After ax-throwing, we worked up quite an appetite. We popped into Merge, a bar with games for a quick snack and to figure out where we were going to eat dinner. We nibbled on boneless chicken in a spicy gochujang sauce and truffle tots. After much discussion, we finally settled on dinner at Merriment Social because. . .brussel sprouts.

Potawatomi Casino

As if we hadn’t already packed the day activities, after dinner, we headed to Potawatomi Hotel & Casino to try our hand at gambling, again. This time we were a little more successful and even managed to win some money! Gambling stresses me out though so I cashed out immediately after. Ha!

Packing up and heading home

The next morning we slept in, enjoyed a fantastic breakfast made by Reed and Michelle, then headed back home. Of course, we couldn’t leave the state without picking up some beer from New Glarus Brewing and some cheese curds for the road!

April 9 2019

That’s it. We’re done with brunch.

Since we’re doing the whole long distance thing, Dave and I often meet somewhere in the middle. Chattanooga, Tennessee is one of our favorite stops (mostly because it’s the closest to halfway). We headed there this weekend to stay with our favorite Airbnb host, Loretta; however, she ended up having to leave town. We had great time, nonetheless.

Since we both had to work, we didn’t arrive until a little after 7 PM. We settled in and headed straight to dinner at Hi-Fi Clyde’s. Although it was really busy, we were able to get a table almost immediately.

After dinner we walked around the Southside. We checked out the Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel, one of Chattanooga’s most famous landmarks, and ended the night with some delicious Clumpies ice cream.

On Saturday, we ate breakfast at the house and then made our way to the Grand Junction Station and Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum. For $18 we boarded the Missionary Ridge Train, pulled by a steam engine built in 1911. The ride allowed us to look into the past. The train took us through a tunnel to the East Chattanooga station where we were able to see a demonstration of an old turntable, which would turn the engine around, and a workshop where they do maintenance on the trains. We then headed back to Grand Junction.

For lunch, we stopped for tacos and margs at Taco Jalisco Ania. The food was great; however, they recently expanded their restaurant and had quite a few kinks to work out.

We headed back to the house after lunch. I took a nap (ahh…the benefits of vacation) while Dave worked on grading some papers. We had plans to head to the Chattanooga Lookouts vs. Montgomery Biscuits baseball game, but the sun came out and we decided to check out Coolidge Park instead. The weather was amazing so the park was filled with people playing various games, kids learning to ride bikes, and prom pictures. We walked down a few paths, discovering a few remnants from both the Trail of Tears and the Civil War. We even saw a bunch of people sliding down the side of a hill on CARDBOARD!!! No need for snow in south! Haha!

We made our way back to the park, stopping at Brewhaus for a couple beers (and the end of a very intense NCAA basketball game between Virginia and Auburn), grabbed some great, Neapolitan style, pizza from FIAMMA pizza company for dinner, and walked across the beautiful Walnut Street bridge before calling it a night.

Every vacation needs to end with a great brunch, right? We agree! Brunch combines all of the best things, indulgent breakfast food, morning booze, and happiness. Or so we’ve heard. We’re VERY bad at brunch. Every time we say we’re going to make reservations and… we… do not. Brunch in Chattanooga was no exception. We decide to go to The Daily Ration because it was slightly out of town (less people, right?) and the menu looked good. The place was packed. We waited 35 minutes before being seated (not an issue). We were told after ordering there would be at least a 30 minute wait before receiving food (very hungry, but still okay). After waiting 50 minutes, our food finally arrived (yay!!), but it was so COLD! Like, not even a little warm. I asked the waiter if he could warm it up and he came back saying they were making another. After replying that I didn’t really want to wait another 50 minutes for food, he said they were already making another– which he then proceeded to bring out three minutes later…COLD! WHAT?!? How did it come out of the pan cold?! They were nice enough to take it off the bill and we left the restaurant.

We made a stop back at the Airbnb to grab our stuff and drove to Glens Falls (*important tip* search Glens Falls trailhead on google maps) for a quick hike before heading back to our respective homes. Another great #meetmeinthemiddle weekend in the books.

March 22 2019

Everything is bigger in Texas

On Friday morning we headed out for the last leg of our road trip. We had only five hours left, and we would finally reach our destination in Witchita Falls, Texas, to visit some of my family: my stepsister’s husband is in the military and they are currently stationed there.

We hit the road stopping for breakfast at Southern Maid donuts, a Shreveport staple. They had warm, fresh glazed donuts, similar to Krispie Kreme, which were delicious.

Food in Dallas

After making a quick stop at Walmart to pick up a few things, we headed to Dallas. Our plans for the day were food, food, and . . . more food! We stopped at Royal China, a dim sum place in Dallas for lunch. They offer Xiao long bao (soup dumplings) one of my favorite meals, and handmade Dan-Dan Mian noodles, which was named one of the best 100 foods to eat in Dallas by the Dallas Observer. Since I picked lunch, Dave got to choose dessert. We planned to let our food digest and then pick up some more donuts filled with ice cream (a new trend) at Milk Creme; however we were too full and too tired, so we proceeded to make our way north. **Heads up if you’re traveling on the highways in Texas the tolls are all automatically deducted from a toll tag (ie. E-ZPass) automatically. I never saw any actual toll booths or signs saying when I actually had to pay tolls so I was pretty surprised when I got a bill in the mail.

We arrived in Witchita Falls around dinner time and enjoyed an excellent homemade Texas BBQ meal: BBQ chicken, hotdogs, beers, and corn on the cob. We spent the rest of the evening catching up with my stepsister, her husband, and his friend.

Things to do in Witchita Falls

Saturday was spent exploring the area, but not before breakfast at Jimmy’s Egg (we never did get to meet Jimmy or figure out why he only had one egg, but the food was delicious). We then stopped at the World’s Littlest Skyscraper, checked hand painted murals on the walls downtown, and saw The Falls at Lucy Park. We even stopped at 8th St. Coffee House for smoothies. We finished the afternoon by driving into Oklahoma to go to Kiowa Casino where none of us were able to win any money.

The end of a great trip

Too much Mexican food for dinner and a lazy night at the house finished out the end of a great road trip. We headed to the Dallas-Fort Worth airport early the next morning, discovered that In & Out further east than we thought, dropped off the rental car (note: if you’re ever returning a rental car to the DFW airport well . . . don’t, but seriously, if you have to, give yourself plenty of time. The rental return is several miles away from the airport) and made our way back to our respective states. Two thousand five hundred miles, hundreds of pictures, ten days, six states, and countless laughs rounded out a great trip!

March 21 2019

Tour de Louisiana

St. Louis Cemetery #2

For some reason, our Airbnb host asked us to check out early. Since we woke up early anyway, we packed up our things and made our way back downtown to check out the cemeteries while they were open. We spent about an hour walking through each block of St. Louis Cemetery #2. For more info about the cemeteries in New Orleans, click here. It was odd to see crumbling tombs side by side with brand new, gleaming ones and palm trees growing out of the rubble. Although the sun was shining and it was a beautiful day, there was still an eerie feeling.

Vietnamese Breakfast

Best Thing I Ever Ate is one of my favorite shows on the Cooking Channel. Conveniently, I watched an episode right before we left where Emeril LaGasse raves about a Vietnamese restaurant named Pho Tao Bay. The restaurant is located between Tulane Medical and Louisiana State University. Due to time constraints, we were unable to make it there for dinner the day before, but they open at 1000, so I dragged Dave there for…let’s call it brunch. The restaurant is set up cafeteria style with long tables and you order at the front. I ordered the Pho Ga (rice noodle soup with chicken) with a side of Goi Guon (pork and shrimp rolls wrapped in rice paper), and Dave got a Banh Mi sandwich. The food filled and warmed our bellies for the long drive to Shreveport, Louisiana.

Baton Rouge

I felt like we couldn’t really leave Louisiana without making a stop in the capital; in reality, it was because I had forced Dave to listen to Callin’ Baton Rouge by Garth Brooks about 14,000 times on the trip. Have a listen. You’ll love it! Haha

We looked into a number of parks but ended up settling on the Baton Rouge Zoo. Although it’s fairly small, the zoo only costs $8.75 and was a great stop to stretch our legs and see some animals. We even FINALLY got a chance to see the elusive alligator which had evaded us the entire trip!

Shreveport

The drive from New Orleans to Wichita Falls, Texas mapped out to about 10 hours without stops. Ten hours (especially this late in the trip) is way too long for one day of driving so we broke it up by stopping halfway in Shreveport, LA. This was basically just a sleep stop so we didn’t plan for too many activities. We arrived around dinner time and enjoyed a backyard picnic underneath another gigantic Live Oak tree. Betty Virginia Park was only a couple of blocks away on foot. The park is surrounded by beautiful homes and was a great place to watch the sunset. After returning to the house, we took advantage of the free washer and dryer which were made available by our Airbnb hosts and watched Netflix until bedtime.

The next morning we set out for the last leg of our trip.

May 27 2019

A different kind of vacation

In the last five to ten years I’ve been very fortunate to do a lot of traveling. I’ve been on a few international trips, but I’ve also had the opportunity to explore a lot of the United States. When Dave got the job in South Carolina, although not optimal, we embraced it as a chance to see and do more. These trips have always been planned the same way. See and do…EVERYTHING! “I have to do this now because who knows if/when I will be back” is the theme of my life. Don’t get me wrong–I love it, but I’ve recently discovered there are other ways to travel.

This past weekend, Dave and I took a trip to Western Pennsylvania to see his family. We had a loose itinerary of places to see: the neighborhood where he grew up, where he went to undergrad, and his grandparents house, but mostly spent the time relaxing and enjoying time with his family.

Pennsylvania here we come!

We began our trip Tuesday afternoon after I #escapedtheOR. After finishing up a Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery (CABG) in the morning, I ran home to grab my bag and we set off for St. Louis. Our flight was at 0700 and it is a two hour drive to the airport. We dropped our bags off at the Sleep Inn St Louis- Airport and headed out. I had some errands in Creve Coeur (If you need a new camera I highly recommend the Creve Coeur Camera Superstore) and was super hungry by the time we were done. We decided to grab a snack at Granite City Brewery. When we arrived it was happy hour and we ended up eating too many appetizers. A tornado in the area kept us on lock down for an hour and we headed back to the hotel to watch the St. Louis Blues hockey team beat the San Jose Sharks to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Because our flight was at 7 AM, we got up at 4 (it came really early) and headed to the airport for an easy trip to Pittsburgh. After grabbing our rental car from the airport we jumped right into the nostalgia by stopping at Eat n’ Park for lunch, since Dave used to work there. We were easily the youngest patrons by at least 30 years. The food was fine, but the strawberry pie was delicious and we picked up some smiley face cookies to go. We spent the rest of the day walking through the neighborhood, driving through the area, and eating Vocelli’s Pizza with Dave’s Mom. We ended the night at the Harmony Inn with a drink and some live music.

Thursday was another low key day. The weather was supposed to be bad, but it ended up being sunny and warm. We hung out at the house in the morning, looking at old pictures, and waiting for Dave’s sister, niece, and nephew to come over. Since it was Dave’s mom’s birthday, we all went out for dinner at Ichiban.

On Friday we headed to Slippery Rock, the home of Dave’s Alma Mater, Slippery Rock University. We split an M-T-O (made-to-order) sandwich for lunch from Sheetz (a convenience store chain) and walked around the campus. We grabbed a beer at North Country Brewing before heading to the Grove City Outlets for quick shopping and mini-donuts from Peace, Love, and Little Donuts. I actually have family that lives in Western Pennsylvania and had been to the outlets before. Imagine Dave’s surprise when I knew something about the area that he didn’t. Heh! The shop is a little tiny cabin between two of the outlet buildings near Columbia. The donuts are hand made to order and are still warm when you eat them. Highly recommend! We finished off the day with dinner at his sister’s house.

Saturday consisted of more relaxation and family time. We spent the afternoon and evening visiting with grandparents, cousins, aunts, and uncles. We received a text around mid-afternoon that our flight for Sunday evening had been canceled. After calling Southwest, we had to re-book on a much earlier flight for Sunday and ended up not being able to visit with my family (I have an aunt and uncl that in nearby Wexford); however, this made getting home and settling in a lot easier! Check another state off the list!

I should vacation like this more often. Although I still don’t like mornings…it made the return to work a whole lot easier.

March 21 2019

Wasn’t Mardi Gras last week?

Somehow when we woke up on Wednesday morning we were already halfway through our road trip. Wow! Time really does fly when you’re having fun! After a slow morning, we packed up our things and headed back into the neighborhood for fancy coffee. One of us (not me..heh) needs coffee to function. Sneaky Beans didn’t disappoint. On the way back to the car we ran into a guy we had passed while walking to dinner the evening before. He mentioned that he hadn’t seen us before and welcomed us to the neighborhood (did I mention that this was one of my favorite stops?!)

Fortunately, we had another short drive on our side. New Orleans was a mere two and a half hours away! We hopped in the car and kept our eyes peeled for another picnic stop. Our first opportunity arrived at the Louisiana Welcome Center. The bathrooms were a little creepy and I managed to scare a few years off my life and the life of this adorable older woman who had no idea I was in there. We hauled the cooler back out and enjoyed a quick lunch before finishing the drive to New Orleans.

We were able to find an Airbnb for really cheap, but it was a couple miles outside of town. Fortunately, for a few dollars we were able to take the local bus straight to the French Quarter. We jumped off at a random stop and headed in search of dessert. It’s cool. Remember we ate lunch on the road? Our goal was to try both Café Beignet and Café du Monde in one day, but we were going to need a big break in between.

Café Beignet

Café Beignet was up first. We ordered one helping (You get three per order!) of beignets and a chickory coffee. We were just about to cash out when Dave panic ordered a mimosa (be prepared..it was pricey). The beignets were delicious: a little crispy on the outside while still being soft and pillow-y on the inside. And don’t forget all the powdered sugar! Since I’m not really a coffee drinker, the chickory was okay. It didn’t seem all that different than regular coffee, but it might have actually been more bitter (Is that even possible?). The mimosa was…a mimosa. Heh. Dave enjoyed it–that’s all that really matters 😉

St. Louis Cemetery

Strangely enough, we spend a decent amount of time during our travels walking through cemeteries. I breezed over it briefly in the first post of this trip, but it’s a good way to get a little exercise, learn about the history of an area, and the cemeteries are usually beautiful (in a kind of odd and sad way). New Orleans is different from a lot of places because the water table is so high. If they were to bury their dead underground, the caskets would float. Because of this, they use above ground tombs.

St. Louis Cemetery #1 is the most popular. We encountered this one first. Due to vandalism, it has been closed. Tours are offered for a fee. St. Louis Cemetery #2, however, is open for self-guided tours daily from 0900-1500 (click here for information about some of the tombs inside). Unfortunately, we were there too late to tour, but snapped some pictures through the gates. We met a pair of middle-aged women who were college roommates like 20 years ago: they keep in touch and still road trip together–how cool is that? They were very entertaining as one appeared nervous about everything and the other kept telling her everything was fine (we joked that they kind of reminded us of ourselves–me the spontaneous one and Dave the worrier). They walked with us to #2. Cemetery #3 is huge, but it is quite a bit further away from the French Quarter. There are other cemeteries within the city, but the St. Louis ones seem to be the most wellknown.

Bourbon Street

Leaving the café, we were conveniently already on Bourbon Street, but because went to the cemetery first, we had to make our way back. Even though it was only 3:45-4 ish in the afternoon, the area was already teeming with people. One of my favorite things about New Orleans are the beautifully colored buildings with ornately styled balcony railings. To make things even more festive, the railings were still decorated for Mardi Gras. Bourbon Street is one of the most famous streets in New Orleans. The street runs for thirteen blocks and is packed with bars and strip clubs, with a few restaurants in between. It turns out it is packed with tourists at all times.

Scavenger Hunt

We made our way down Bourbon Street stopping to grab a Hand Grenade at Tropical Isle (NOLA is well-known for two drinks: the hurricane and the hand grenade) before starting a scavenger hunt (since there is no law against open containers you can drink while you walk!).

While researching for this trip I ran into a website called scavengerhunt.com where you can download an app which gives you different photo challenges and activities to help explore a city. They have 200+ different cities that you can choose from and it cost about $10.00 per person. The hunt required us to take silly pictures, videos of us dancing in public, and answer trivia questions about the city along the way. We started at Jackson Square, making our way through the streets, down towards the waterfront and aquarium before making our way back towards Bourbon Street. Upon arrival, we suddenly realized that we were super hungry. We chose Remoulade, a restaurant which served classic Creole dishes, and sat down to enjoy our food. The family seated next to us was from Texas and the oldest son was REALLY excited to talk to Dave about philosophy. It was adorable.

After dinner, we finished the scavenger hunt. It directed us back towards Jackson Square, finally putting us in front of…you guessed it! Café du Monde.

Hop on the Steamboat Natchez for a tour of the
Mississippi River
St. Louis Cathedral from Jackson Square

Café du Monde

Café du Monde is the more well-known of the two beignet shops in New Orleans. You can either sit or line up at the take out window outside. Either way…there’s probably going to be a line. The shop is open 24 hours a day and serves up a smaller menu than Café Beignet. Again, we split another order (still three!) of beignets. After tasting both, Dave and I were split on which were the best. I preferred Café Beignet, because they were crispier on the outside, while Dave enjoyed the fluffiness of the Café du Monde ones. Despite this, they were both delicious!

We strolled through some touristy souvenir shops to burn off some calories while waiting for the bus and headed back to the house to sleep before the next leg of our trip.