From Niagara to the Prairie (A Brief Review)

Something became clear to me recently.  Plans can change in an instant.  We had so many things planned to happen at specific times that just did not take place.  Whether it be road construction or bad weather, things just did not happen according to plan.  So here we are in Cody, Wyoming waiting to see Yellowstone tomorrow and we are about a day or two behind schedule.  Something else became clear to me though.  I don't care.  Cassie and I have had a blast going with the flow.  I have also appreciated the challenges and the opportunity to face them using whatever resources I could.  I have realized I am much more capable than I previously thought.  Many fears have been realized on this trip only to be conquered with much prayer and quick thinking.  At the end of this day, I am still excited that we did this insane trip. 

With all that said, I do realize it has been several days and road trip stops since the last post.  Let me try to catch you up on what has happened from Niagara to the prairie lands of Wyoming.

Niagara was our next stop from New York City and we were to meet Cassie's family there.  Don, her amazing dad, met us with Marcus her dog.  Although our original plan had been to meet there for lunch, we hit bad weather and didn't roll in until 5pm.  Don and Marcus held out until our arrival and we had a blast looking at the amazing falls.  We even had a much deserved margarita at Margaritaville.  From Niagara, Cassie and I drove to Erie, PA where we waited out a huge thunderstorm.  While it was a beautiful display of God's power, we were thankful to be off of the road.  It had been a long day.

The original plan had been to drive from Niagara to stay in Chicago but the previous night's storm had stopped us very short of that goal.  So, leaving Erie, we drove through Chicago and stayed in La Crosse, Wisconsin right next to the great Mississippi River.  It was a nice stay but a LONG day of driving with no real sight-seeing opportunities.  During this day of driving we did find an Amish restaurant with Uh-Mazing food! 

After our pleasant stay in Wisconsin, we drove another long day to Custer, South Dakota.  Cassie and I have decided that our two favorite states are now Wisconsin and South Dakota for three reasons: high speed limit with no highway patrol officers, no toll booths, and no road construction!  We blazed through these two states so that we could get to Mt. Rushmore faster.  On our way to Custer, we hit yet another storm and it was a doozy!  The winds on the prairie are insane.  We made it safely up the hill and ended up five minutes away from the national monument we had waited so long to see.  When we woke up today, we left our hotel and made a quick stop to visit the presidents.  From there we took up a 500 mile drive to our present location of Cody, Wyoming. 

We are less than 70 miles away from Yellowstone, which we shall tackle tomorrow morning.  Sadly, Yellowstone is our last major attraction stop of our trip.  The great adventure is drawing to a close.  Cassie and I arrived in Cody well before the sun went down (a first for us so far) and pulled into our very nice hotel: the Cody Legacy.  Anyone planning on coming here, stay at this location!  Our wonderful manager helped us find excellent dinner and dancing options as well as entertained us with her great sense of humor.  Her suggested dinner location was the Irma hotel and restaurant.  This establishment was constructed by Buffalo Bill in the late 1800's for his daughter.  It is the original building and restaurant.  I loved it!  From there we went to a honky tonk called Cassie's!  It was a great time watching all of the local folks cut a rug to a live country band. 

And that, dear friends, is a quick and dirty look at the last several days of our adventure.  Tomorrow we conquer Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons.  Then we go to meet our dear friend Ranae and her dashing husband in Utah for much needed rest and catching up.  Goodnight readers!

Give Our Regards to Broadway (NYC Part II)

Our second day in New York City seemed dedicated entirely to Broadway.  We woke up a bit late today and hit the subway at 36th in Brooklyn just before noon.  We managed to walk around and have lunch before getting in line for discounted Broadway tickets.  Our mission: cheap tickets to Phantom of the Opera.  We got into line about an hour before they opened and we weren't the only ones.  There were a good hundred people before us at least.  Yet, when the time came to be opened for business, the lines moved quickly.  We had been instructed to have at least three options ready for shows we wanted to see in case our first choice was sold out.  While there were some tempting alternatives such as How to Succeed in Business featuring my favorite Daniel Radcliffe, our hearts were set on Phantom.  Our patience paid off and we were able to secure orchestra seats for half off the regular price!

Knowing that we were going to be seeing one of the most famous and long running shows on Broadway that night, we went in search of more sight-seeing.  Our first object was Central Park.  We walked a long time to reach the oasis in the middle of Manhattan.  Once we arrived though, the view was spectacular.  It seemed a peaceful place in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the city.  As we looked at the time, we realized it was time to head back to the room so we could get beautiful for tonight's show.

By this point in our stay in New York, we had become very familiar with the subway.  In fact, you might say we felt like natives.  Unfortunately, we had misjudged the time a bit.  What normally was a 20 minute ride back to our hotel, took about 45 instead.  When we got off the subway Cassie and I had 45 minutes to shower, dress, and return to Broadway by our 7pm showtime.  Could we do it?  There was no question as to if we had to.  Walking around today was humid and it would be an understatement to say we were less than fresh.  So we practically ran back to our hotel and got ready.  Please be impressed when I tell you that both of us were able to shower and get beautiful within 45 minutes.  Are you impressed?  It should be a record in Guinness.  We ran back to the subway and prayed we had enough time to get to our destination.  Each minute was agony.  When we were still on the train and the clock hit 7pm I almost cried.  I had been told that to arrive late to a Broadway show meant that you couldn't get in.  Cassie rallied and was sure we had a chance.  We got off the subway at 7:10 and ran in our high heels and dresses down Times Square.  It was quite the spectacle.  Two blocks up and a quick left we found the Majestic Theater and the usher led us right in!  Yes, we had missed the first 15 minutes of the show...but we were inside!  The show that followed was nothing short of amazing.  With our seats in the third row of the orchestra we couldn't have been more pleased!

When the show ended Cassie and I went to a famous restaurant outside of the Majestic and had a late dinner.  Our waiter was super funny and we felt like classy New Yorkers.  It was the perfect end to a perfect night.  We go to sleep knowing we will have to leave the beautiful city tomorrow.  Niagara Falls is calling!

It's The Big Apple Baby! (NYC Part 1)

NYC!!!!  We made it to our biggest destinations.  Blessings and answered prayers continue to be evident in all parts of our trip as we arrived safely to our hotel in Brooklyn and traveled the subway systems of New York.

Our original plan for today was to see a Broadway play but we missed out on the discounted tickets, so we are saving that for tomorrow.  Instead we went to the Empire State building and saw beautiful vistas of New York and surrounding areas.  We also spent a lot of time in Times Square.  I couldn't wait to share some of our pictures with you all, so here you go!  More to come tomorrow!

How To Eat Your Way Through Philly

Philadelphia, PA is the well-known home of the great Philly Cheese Steak.  Did you know that the cheese was Cheez Whiz?  I did not.  What did we do as soon as we arrived at our dear friend Luke's house?  Eat a cheese steak, duh!  It really didn't matter that it was after midnight.  Where is the world's best cheese steak you may ask?  At Jim's Place on South Street.  Now, let me warn you, South Street is not for the feint of heart.  We arrived in the middle of a pretty hard-core night life, but man that sandwich was worth it!

Food seemed to be the theme of our day and a half visit to historic Philly.  Our friend and guide Luke showed us all of the best spots in town and we ate more than our weight in amazing, authentic Philly food.  One of the of the many great places we ate at was Koch's Deli on Locust.  Although we waited a good bit for our sandwiches, they were out of this world.  As I placed my order, the owner approved of my choice.  A conversation was struck, one thing lead to another, and he proposed!  He was sad to learn that I was already happily married.  His reply to this sad news?  "You'll never go hungry with me!"  He was a riot and we definitely recommend you eat there if you every pass through Philly.

Another theme of our trip so far has been construction.  Whether it be on the interstates or national monuments...it's all being renovated during our trip!  In D.C., the reflecting pool had been drained and dug up.  Nice and brown...not pretty.  The Independence Hall in Philly?  Completely covered by scaffold for repairs.  We still took photos and took in the historic moment, but really U.S?  All at the same time?  During the busiest vacation time of the year?  Not cool.

A major highlight of the trip was visiting the famous museum where Rocky ran all of those steps.  I sure enjoyed watching Cassie and Luke run all the way up and back.  In fact, Chow got a great video of the recreation.  As soon as we get it, I'll try to post it.  For now, check out these action shots:

We had such an amazing time in Philadelphia.  If only there were more time!  Thank you to Luke and his family for being such gracious hosts and guides.  We owe our weight gain and fabulous memories to you!