No Tell Motel or the Holiday Inn?

I blame the W Chicago for my affinity for nice hotels. It was by far the nicest hotel I'd ever been in and had the best perks. We were there for Hildoug's birthday in '09 and the W helped her celebrate with comped champagne one night and a free candle the other night. Hildoug and I were also entranced by the super fragrant flowers in the lobby and the fact that they changed out the welcome mats bidding us Good Morning, Afternoon, or Evening. How cute is that?

I love a good value and bidding for hotels on priceline gives me a little rush when I get a great hotel for a discount. I didn't go the priceline route on my roadtrip, b/c I wanted some more leeway in case my plans changed along the way. Instead, I went with Holiday Inn Express. Free internet and free breakfast? Sign me up! I thought that I'd also made reservations at a HIE in Yakima, but it turned out to be a regular Holiday Inn. At first, I was bummed I wouldn't be getting a free breakfast, but the super nice decor of the hotel (and free wifi) totally made up for it. I realized that I want ammenities for my dollar, but will do with a few less perks for a nicer hotel room. Hotels I hate are the big chains (i.e. conference hotels where I'm forced to stay in order to be able to run up to my room between sessions). They are the worst! Sure, the room is a bit nicer, but they charge you for everything! Give me free wifi or give me death!

What's your bottom line?

Home at Last!

The road-trip ended up being super fun, as were my stops along the way. It was great to get to see places that wouldn’t have normally made my must visit list (Moab & Yakima). I got in Wednesday night and as of Friday mid-day I am already a little lonely and bored. I spent the first day cleaning up the house and making room for my stuff and started the major unloading today, and if you’ll remember I’m in WA, so of course it was raining. The flooded front tile steps and my flip flops were not friends and I ended up falling on my booty twice while loaded down with bags. Needless to say, I’m delaying the rest of my unloading until they dry out, which let’s face it, could be next summer. :] It’s been crazy to see how little stuff I actually brought with me. I don’t think it will be a problem to find a place for everything, which is nice. I’m now in the process of re-claiming the guest room as my own so I’ll be comfortable during my as-of-yet undetermined length of stay at the lake.

Things I like so far:

1) The smell of WA. It’s so distinctive, I know I’m home when I smell it.

2) Waking up to see water out my front window. Heavenly

3) Access to WE, Style, Oxygen, and HBO. Ahhh.

Things I don’t like so far:

1) I realize I could go a long time without talking to anyone unless I come up with some creative ways to meet people (my mom’s in Cali until early October).

2) Accessing the internet from the lake might require a tinfoil hat and some yoga poses.

3) It’s a little weird to see people I knew back in the day without knowing if they remember me and therefore whether or not I should say hello.

4) The temptation to buy comfy/ugly shoes is getting stronger and stronger. I see a pair of Uggs in my future!

Uh Oh! My ox done died and Ma's got dysentery.

In the 11.5 hours I drove today I passed through 4 states (ok, maybe not a feat for East Coasters, but a way bigger deal for us West Coasters). Much of today's drive was also along the Oregon Trail. I really tried to see the road through the eyes of the pioneers who made the harrowing trek across the country (although I wasn't willing to give up my AC or ipod). I can only imagine how happy they would have been as they crested the mountain and saw the lush green banks of this river.

Oh, how things have changed over the years. My joy now comes from things like this (seen at the Arrowhead Truckstop just before Pendleton, OR):

~ I'm settled in for the night in my cushy hotel room in Yakima, WA. I made it into town with enough time to pick up some pizza before tuning into some season premieres. Only one short day of driving left between me and unpacking Tobey! Look out PA, here I come!

Utah: The dance state

As I contemplated how to condense my four days of Utah fun times into one blog post, a them emerged: dance.

Friday~Megan had some professor things to take care of on Friday so we met up for lunch in Provo at Spark. It was a pretty trendy place and they had some cool mocktails. She then gave me a tour of her office and we stopped to say hello to Roy. She also showed me around the student union where my mind was literally blown when we rounded a corner to see a group of kids swing dancing in an attempt to get others to join their club. No one else seemed to find this odd, which I found odd. I snapped this picture of them dancing as other students studied/finished up lunch.

There were also two dance classes going on in the ballroom. Alright, I admit it I was jealous. I leap at any chance to shake my booty. To show my solidarity I bought myself a BYU dance t-shirt.

Later that night Megan and I went to the Salt Lake Temple (and took the requisite self photo) before hitting up Anthropolgie and grabbing dinner at the Gateway. I fell madly in love with this coat (in purple) and will be stalking it until it goes on sale.

Saturday~ Megan also introduced me to Cafe Zupas. Amazing. Wish there were some closer to any of the major cities I visit, but alas, no such luck. Megan took me with her to her brother-in-laws surprise birthday party. We passed this along the way: the spot where Rusty learns to dance!

We then went to a Colors concert (Utah based band that does one reunion show a year) at the Sandy Amphitheatre. A very cool venue and a great concert. We then hit up In-N-Out for a little late night nosh.

Sunday~ Who knew people went to Church at 10 AM? I'm so used to late evening church I was a bit overwhelmed with all the extra downtime in my PJs. We smartly filled it with viewings of The American President and Shall We Dance.

Monday~ Started the day with breakfast and catch-up with Roy (former awesome Tech MFT faculty, still awesome just no longer at Tech). Megan had to put her professor hat on again while I cruised around town hitting up my favorite places: the mall and IKEA. I also drove up Provo Canyon to Sundance Resort. Beautiful scenery, but unfortunately no Robert Redford sighting. Megan and I met up at the end of the day to check out Park City (site of the Sundance Film Festival which I would give my right arm to attend and wouldn't mind hitting the slopes there as well).

We did some shopping at the outlet mall and had dinner in town. Dinner was tasty, but also taught us a lesson. Never ever tell someone you are a therapist. The chef started to talking to us about the food (which was yummy) and when he found out what we did he started peppering us with questions (for like 10 minutes). Questions that people usually sign consent forms and pay money for us to help them figure out the answer that works best for them. Megan did an amazing job of keeping us out of legal trouble by sidestepping his questions without sounding cold or uncaring. Well played Megan, well played.

Thanks for the good times, Megan!

Arch-tastic

I started my day with a tour through Arches National Park. Amazing. I'm already in the pre-planning stages of my next trip which will hopefully include family and must include some quality ATV time. I was blown away by the beauty of the park. The contrast between the sky and the striations in the rock was just awesome. It was super crowded for a Thursday in September. I can't imagine what spring/early summer is like.

Yours truly at Park Ave

Delicate Arch. It looked to me a little like a scene out of Star Wars

Balanced Rock not only balances precariously. It also shoots laser beams out of its head!

Today's drive was only about 3 hours. I enjoyed seeing the change in scenery along the way. The coloring of the rock formations quickly turned drab, then I encountered some small hills, larger hills with brush, then the mountains that say Utah to me. Megan and I hit up a quintessential BYU place "Cafe Rio" for some delicious burritos. I was also impressed with their drink selection. I got to indulge my predilection for Diet Coke without the nasty caffeine buzz that would keep me up all night. Thanks Utah!

The only thing good about New Mexico.....

is the speed limit. Lovin' 75 mph. You know what else I love about New Mexico? Leaving it. How is it that the entire state of New Mexico is undergoing road construction? Lame. I made it safely to Moab tonight after enduring a pretty nasty rain storm through the corner of Colorado. I saw the storm from New Mexico and it was pretty daunting.

Things learned on the roadtrip so far:

1) A variety of snacks purchased at the Walmarts before the trip cuts down on stop-along-the-way time.

2) Books on tape are pretty awesome. This is my first roadtrip alone and my first opportunity to try them out. Michelle gave me "The Mermaid Chair" audiobook quite a few years back and before now I've always forgotten to take it with me.

I'm super glad it was saved until now b/c it's a welcome break from the monotony of long stretches of Navajo reservation.

3) Driving alone lends itself to lots of singing out loud. So what? Who cares?

4) Always save some upbeat, sing at the top of your lungs music for the last hour or two. It helps keep the lead foot in check.

Saw this on the way into Moab (I believe it was near Canyonlands). I see Moab's appeal: super cute downtown and lots of rugged outdoor types. :] Headed to Arches National Park tomorrow for some more sight-seeing before heading up to Megan's.

Say a little prayer my hotel is bedbug free.

Amarillo Fun Times

The Mercados were nice enough to host me for a few nights in Amarillo. There was movie watching, shopping, and some fashion magazine reading with Cadence. Oh, and lots and lots of Braums runs. I really wish I would have gotten a picture of Cadence perusing InStyle while on my lap, but alas, I didn't pull out my camera. This iphone photo of Cadence mooching Daddy's drink will have to suffice.

A big thanks to Thomas for checking on my tires and finding that my driver side tire was at 60 psi. Thanks for nothing Discount Tires! They put my new tires on and when I told them that the check tire light was still on they told me that I needed to drive it around for awhile before it would go off. Lies! As much as I love Tobey, the idea of never having to deal with shady car repair people is enough to make me want to switch to public transportation...except for buses, 'cuz they're just gross.