Picture Citations

Day Five:

"BUDGET INN." Yahoo Local. Yahoo. Web. 06 Mar. 2012. <http://local.yahoo.com/info-12928673-budget-inn-princeton?tab=photos>.


"Capital City Publishing Home Page." Capital City Publishing. Capital City Publishing. Web. 06 Mar. 2012. http://www.capitalcitypublishing.com/.


Lemberg, Emi S. All Interstate Roads Closed. 2012. Photograph.


Lemberg, Emi S. Kyle as Police Officer. 2012. Photograph. San Rafael, California.




 "You Spend Over Two Full Days a Year Stuck in Traffic on Your Commute." Sunny 106.9.
Americom Broadcasting. Web. 06 Mar. 2012.
http://www.sunny1069.com/healthandfamily/Story.aspx?ID=1641256.

Day Four:

"2001 Ford Escort ZX2 Id 8253 | Motortopia." Motortopia. Motertopia. Web. 24 Feb. 2012. http://www.motortopia.com/cars/2001-ford-escort-8253.

Elm, Tyler. "Foster's Family Foods." Foster's Family Food. 17 Aug. 2004. Web. 24 Feb. 2012. <https://www.google.com/search?

 

Johnson, Kristin. "Little Boy on the 'bus'" Travel Blogs, Photos, Videos and Maps. Web. 24 Feb. 2012. http://www.travelblog.org/Photos/6100115.

Lackson, Brian C. "Future Nostalgia: 05/24/07 - Olympia Greyhound Bus Terminal." Future Nostalgia: 02/01/12. Greyhound Bus Terminal, 4 May 2007. Web. 24 Feb. 2012. http://www.futurenostalgia.org/index.php?showimage=210.

"TIGER.LIM™." Toyota Lexus ES300. TIGER.LMT. Web. 24 Feb. 2012. http://www.tigerlim.com/2010/08/toyota-lexus-es300.html.





Day Three:


Bergen, Paul L. "FDA Logo Images." FDA Public Health. FDA, 23 Sept. 2008. Web. 24 Feb. 2012. <http://smokles.wordpress.com/2010/09/22/fda-and-public-health-at-cross-purposes/>.


"Bite the Bullet." Iowa Girl Eats. Iowa Girl Eats. Web. 24 Feb. 2012. <http://iowagirleats.com/2009/11/10/bite-the-bullet/>.

Cngodles. "Welcome to Nebraska Sign." Flickr. Yahoo!, 19 June 2007. Web. 19 Feb. 2012. http://www.flickr.com/photos/cngodles/1408121029/.


Kwik Stop." Petromarket.net. Petrosoft Inc. Web. 24 Feb. 2012. <http://www.petromarket.net/gas-stations-convenience-stores-on-sale/st.-joseph-missouri-kwik-stop>.


Lemberg, Emi S. FDA Shuts Down McDonalds. Photograph.

Lemberg, Emi S. Kyle in Nebraska. 2012. Photograph.


Marler, Bill. "Mcdonald's Lawsuit." Marler Blog. 2 July 2009. Web. 24 Feb. 2012. <http://www.marlerblog.com/2009/07/>.


"Police Station." Cornelius . Web. 24 Feb. 2012. <http://www.ci.cornelius.or.us/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC>.

"NY Apple Country Idared Apple." NY Apple Country Home Page. New York State Apple Country. Web. 24 Feb. 2012. <http://www.nyapplecountry.com/idared.htm>.

Day Two:
Lemberg, Emi S. Increasing Toll Roads Eating Up Budgets. 2012. Photograph.


"Rock Springs Wyoming." Destination 360. Destination 360. Web. 24 Feb. 2012. <http://www.destination360.com/north-america/us/wyoming/rock-springs>.


"Snore Defense Testimonials." Snore Defense - Snore No More. Snore Defense. Web. 24 Feb. 2012. <http://snoredefense.com/en/testimonials.php>.


"Tony's Deli Riverside." Tony's Deli Riverside. Web. 24 
Feb. 2012. <http://www.tonysdeli.net/>.

Day One:
"Gary's Garage Mural." James Shepard's Murals and Portraits. James Shepard. Web. 16 Feb. 2012. <http://muralsandportraits.com/murals/garys%20garage%20mural.jpg>.


"Knights Inn." Photos and Videos of Wendover. Web. 16 Feb. 2012. <http://www.knightsinn.com/hotels/utah/wendover/knights-inn-wendover/photos-video?partner_id=>.


McClements, Jordan. "Sunrise Ards Peninsula." Ireland Photos / Desktop Backgrounds / Irish Wallpaper. Web. 16 Feb. 2012. <http://www.irishviews.com/sunrise-ards-peninsula.jpg>.


"Extra Value Meals." McDonalds. McDonalds. Web. 16 Feb. 2012. <http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/food/meal_bundles/extra_value_meals.html>.

Mercury, Linda E. "Greg's Garage Logo." Greg's Garage. Triple A. Web. 16 Feb. 2012. <http://www.gregsgarageinc.com/blog/>.

We Did Not Make It: Day Five

     Kyle and I did not make it to Richmond today.  We needed to make it to Richmond today because we both had job interviews today, but we are still 248 miles away.  However, there was nothing we could do to make it today.

     To start off the day, the interstate roads were shut down today.  I am not sure why they were closed - the article we read did not say - but this news did us in.  We were forced to use US 460 today, a slower, non-interstate road.  The good news was that we have our car back.
     The car theft from yesterday had unknowingly taken the same route we had.  The theft obviously did not know how much gas was in the car, because he and the car were found in a ditch twenty miles away from Carlyle.  The man escaped capture, I am not sure how, but the car was returned to us without a scratch on it.  I had not realized how much I missed that car until I saw it in the parking lot outside our hotel room. It was so nice to know that we can travel without stopping and not have to play Snag a Chair for the duration of the ride.

    The policemen had kindly filled up the car tank, so we were able to start driving right away.  The ride was very tense because Kyle and I knew we needed to make it to Richmond today.  I was driving and Kyle frequently called his parents, as well as mine, to see if we would make it in time for our interviews.  Kyle had an interview with the Richmond Police Department, and I had one with the Capital City Book publishing company.  Kyle graduated from the San Francisco Community Police Academy last September.  My mother's friend works at the Capital City Book publishing company and, because I love reading so much, set up an interview for me to join the company.  Both our interviews were scheduled around 6 pm, so we though we might have a chance of getting to Richmond, taking quick showers, and making it to our interviews.  However, we had no such luck.

     The main problem was the road.  It was covered in enormous potholes that shocked my spine that, despite my best efforts, we could not avoid.  To add to this misery, the road was jam packed with people also avoiding the interstate roads.  The traffic was so slow that Kyle actually got out of the car and introduced himself to the people in the car in front of us.  They introduced themselves as Nora and John and they were juniors at UC San Diego.  Nora and John were also taking a road trip to the east coast because they live in Washington, North Carolina and wanted to spend their spring break at home.  We all agreed that if the traffic did not clear up, Nora and John would just have to turn right around when they got home in order to make it back to school in time.
     Around noon, we reached the town of Hanover, Illinois.  This was worrisome because we still had 595 miles before we would reach Richmond, and at that point, the traffic was still horrible.  We ate lunch with Nora and John at a Subway in Hanover.  We had a great time chatting with  them, but left soon after we ate.  We quickly filled up the car at a Circle K gas station and headed back on the road.
     Thankfully the roads cleared up after lunch, and we drove quickly our of Illinois.  Our interview times were coming closer and closer and the stress of making it on time made the car ride very quiet.  Every so often, I would look at the clock.  It appeared as though time was flying while our car was stock still on the road.

     We made some headway, but at 5 pm we sadly had to accept defeat.  We were only in Princeton and were still 268 miles away from Richmond.  Once we booked a room at the Budget Inn, we called our parents, who were sad for us but understanding.  We only hoped that our interviewers would have the same feelings.  From what I could hear from the snippets of Kyle's conversation, the police department was not very understanding.  However, they said that if he made it to the station before 8 am tomorrow, they would still interview him.  The Capital Book Company was very understanding, but told me that they would not be able to interview me until next month.  Although these times are not ideal, Kyle and I are happy to get an interview at all.
     We are going to set off early tomorrow and pray that we make it on time for Kyle's interview.  Wish us luck! :)
   


Route:  We took US 460 all the way to Princeton because the interstate roads were closed.

Food:
Breakfast: apples

Lunch: Subway Veggie Delite and two drinks - $3.25+$2.78= $6.03
241 West Main Street
Hanover, IN 47243
(812) 866-1722

Dinner:
Angelo's Pizza Insalata Caprese Salad - $9.45
1211 Strafford Drive
Princeton, WV 24740

Gas:
Circle K - $27.30
319 West Lagrange Road
Hanover, IN 47243
(812) 866-36666

Lodging:
Budget Inn - $44
409 Thorn Street
Princeton WV 24740
(304) 425-3583

Money spent: $86.78

Money left: $286.76

We are Toast: Day Four

      I thought yesterday was bad, what with Kyle becoming lost, but today topped it.  Our car was stolen.
     I do not know what happened.  Kyle and I were staying the night at Windmill State Park in the tent we had brought with us.  We put the apples into the wooden cabinet, threw our suitcase into the tent, and locked up the car before falling into a deep sleep.  It must have been deep, because we certainly did not hear a person break into our car and drive away.

     I had planned never to see Mr. Brown, the policeman, again in my life.  However, because of the car theft, I was in his company again at 7 the next morning.  When he saw me come into the station, he gave me a small grimace-smile that clearly said "Dear God, she lost Kyle again?"  When I told him that our car was stolen, he nodded sympathetically.  He said he would keep an eye out for our car, but he would not be able to do much.  The thief may have stolen the car in the middle of the night, which meant that he could be in Wyoming by now, for all we knew.  We settled for creating a missing car poster for Mr. Brown to publish.
     The question we now had to ask was how were we going to travel the rest of our road trip? We still had all of our money, food, and belongings we had packed (my books were safe, thank heavens!).  We only needed a way to travel.  After conferring with Mr. Choi (Mr. Brown was copying our poster) we discovered that there was a bus line that traveled the same route we were traveling.  The train was going to leave at 9:30, so we had an hour and a half to worry about our lost car dilemma.

     I had done enough worrying to last me a lifetime yesterday, so I decided to distract myself by buying food to sustain us during the long, painful bus ride ahead of us.  We found a small grocery store called Foster's Family Food that had gorgeous looking food in every row.  Kyle and I decided to buy a three foot long BLT sandwich to sustain us on the bus.  We still had half a bag of apples left, so we figured that would be enough for us to eat during the day.

     After an excruciating wait, the Greyhound bus that was only means of transportation finally arrived.  The bus was jam packed and had a smell of human sweat in the air.  However, it was clean and Kyle and I managed to find seats next to each other.  We attempted to sit comfortably, and waited for the torturous journey that was bus riding to begin.
     The journey was horrible.  Every twenty minutes, we stopped to let people onto the bus.  It felt as though thousands of people were coming onto the bus, but no one was getting off.  Kyle was sitting in the window seat, listening to music and looking out the window, so I read Harry Potter to pass the time.  Thankfully, I am easily immersed into my book, so for the hour and a half that I read, time seemed to fly by.  I managed to finish reading Chamber of Secrets before I became aware of my painful surroundings again.  At that point, Kyle had fallen asleep, and I entertained myself by taking some pictures of him.
     Around 12, a mother with a little boy came onto the bus.  There were no seats open, and all the other people on the bus were jealously holding onto their seats. Kyle generously gave up his seat to the mother needing a rest, because that is the caring person that he is.  After a half an hour of gallantly standing on his feet as the mother rested, I switched spots with Kyle so that he could sit down.

     The moment Kyle sat down, the little child was entranced by him.  Every few moments, the little boy would peak up at Kyle, catch his eye, and dash behind his mother's arm again.  After fifteen minutes of coaxing from his mother, the little boy whispered "hi" to Kyle.  When Kyle smiled and said "hi" back, the little boy became much more out going.  Five minutes later, he was sitting between the two seats laughing as Kyle played games with him.
     As Kyle and the little boy played, I fought a vicious battle with the other members of the bus.  I called it...Snag a Chair.  Every time a person got off the bus, a mad rush to get the vacant seat occurred.  Snag a Chair is a very brutal game; just because you sit in the seat for a moment does not mean you get it.  I managed to battle my way into a seat, only to be pushed (PUSHED!) out of it.  After twenty-five minutes of Snag a Chair, I finally managed to snag one of the seats.  And although myriads of people later came onto the bus, I refused to give up the seat I had battled so hard for.
     The rest of the bus ride moved agonizingly slow.  We finally reached Carlyle Illinois, our destination for the day, at 7:45.  We were exhausted from our crazy bus ride, and just wanted to go to sleep.  We walked to Sunset Motel downtown and happily collapsed into bed.



Route: We took I-80 East out of Wyoming, then started on I-29 South once we crossed Illinois' boarder.  From I-29 East, we traveled on State Highways J and A, I-64 East, I-70 East, and US 50 East.  We also took many small streets in towns as the bus dropped people off, but there were so many of those I cannot remember a single one.

Food:
Foster's Family Food, Three foot long BLT sandwich $6.14 (Our breakfast, lunch dinner, and snacks - it was so long!)
30 Labarre St
Gibbon, NE 68840
(308)468-5333


Where we stayed:
Sunset Motel - $54
1631 Franklin Street
Carlyle, Illinois 62231
(618)594-4838

Transportation:
Cost to get to Carlyle - $36.78
Greyhound Buses
3231 Ramada Road ste 1
Grand Island, NE 68801
(308)382-1810


Money spent today: $96.92


Money left: $373.54

Nerve Wracking Day Three

     Apparently, I did not wish hard enough the other day for good luck on our trip.
     To start the day off, I woke up at 8:30 with a splitting headache.  It hurt so badly, all I wanted to do was go back to bed and sleep it off.  However, Kyle and I needed to make some headway today, so I packed up the car and cleaned the room up.  Before we headed off, I stopped by the Danlitskis one more time to thank them for last night.

     When I poked my head into their room, they had the morning news playing on the TV.  As I watched, the announcer stated that the FDA had shut down all the fast food companies across USA, including McDonald's, Jack in the Box, and Burger King.  When I heard this information, I greeted it with a smile.  I have disliked those greasy fast food places for years, and was happy to see that their nutritional problems were finally being addressed.  In the back of my mind, I recognized that this would make it harder for Kyle and me to find cheap food on our road trip.  However, my glee over the demise of fast foods surmounted this concern.
     Kyle and I still felt stuffed from our dinner last night (the half of our lunch from yesterday was huge!) so we decided to start driving without eating breakfast.  Before we could hit the road, we had to fill up our gas guzzling car again. As Kyle filled up the car, my headache intensified suddenly.  I pulled some Advil out of the first aid kit I had packed, but it did not seem to do any good.
     When the car was filled up, Kyle and I decided to drive as far as Kansas City today.  However, due to the circumstances I will relay, that goal was not reached.

     At 9am, we took I-80 out of Cheyenne and drove smoothly for several hours.  My head still throbbed, but I did not want to bother Kyle, so I did not mention it. Happily oblivious, he blasted music from the speakers and drove with the windows down.  Almost forty-five minutes into our drive,we crossed the Nebraska border - the fourth border on our road trip!
     Around 11, Kyle and I realized we were slightly hungry.  We opened up the bag of Skittles Kyle had packed in his suitcase, and they sustained for another forty-five minutes.  However, we decided to stop at the Ogallala Safeway to buy some snacks for the car.  We bought a bursting three pound bag of bright, red, shining apples.
     Chomping on the shining apples, we hit the road again.  Thankfully, my headache seemed to die down at this point in our journey.  To help pass the time, I took random pictures of Kyle as he drove (do not worry, I did not distract him). With my headache gone, I now enjoyed the blasting music and wind blowing in from the windows.  A very quick two hours later, we arrived in the town of Gibbon.
     Although we had eaten several juicy apples, Kyle and I were still hungry.  We filled up the car quickly at the R and R mini-mart and then decided to buy sandwiches at Subway.  The Subway was jam packed with people and I was nearly pushed out of the line several times.  One time, I was shoved directly into an older lady standing right behind me.  As I apologized profoundly to the lady, Kyle tapped me on the shoulder, saying something about a bathroom.  I nodded to him and then turned back to the woman I ran into.  She was very understanding and we chatted for the twenty minutes it took before we were allowed to order.  I ordered a Veggie Delite sandwich for Kyle and I to split, and sat at a table waiting for him to get out of the bathroom.
     After fifteen minutes, Kyle was still in the bathroom.  I decided to grab my Harry Potter book from the car and read while I waited for Kyle to come back.  I read the first five chapters falling deeply into my favorite world of Harry Potter.  At this point, it had been a half an hour since Kyle had left for the bathroom.  I know people occasionally have bad stomach aches, but a half an hour seemed a long time to be in the bathroom.  I could not figure out which would be ruder; check the bathroom or calling him on his cell.
     I decided to check the bathroom.  I stood by the door of the bathroom until the next male came by.  When he did, I politely asked him to see if Kyle was in there.  Moments later, the man came out again, saying that no one was in the bathroom except for him.  Bewildered, I thanked the man and returned to my table.
     I had no idea where Kyle could have gone.  He would have had to pass my table in order to leave the building.  Granted, he could have slipped out while I was reading my book, but I would have thought that he would stop at the table once and talk to me.  I called Kyle's cell, but it went straight to voice mail.
     Although confused, I knew Kyle would return from wherever he was so I went to sit in the car.  I opened my half of the sandwich and started reading again, looking up every few pages searching for Kyle.  When Harry, Ron and Hermione were about to go after the Philosopher's Stone, I took a quick glance at the clock. It was 4:30.   It had been three and a half hours since I had seen Kyle last.  Cursing my love for reading in my head, I called Kyle's cell one more time.  It went straight to voice mail again.  I was filled with terror.  WHAT HAPPENED TO KYLE?

     Mind on hyper-drive, I thought of kidnappers, robbers, serial killers, thugs.  I had no idea where to start looking for my missing road trip buddy.  And then, like a light in a dark room, the answer came to me.  The police.
     I rushed into the Subway and begged the cashier for directions to the nearest police station.  I must have looked distressed out of my mind, because the poor teenager hurriedly told me where the police station was.  When I got back into the car, I called Kyle one more time.  Voice mail again.  Fear mounting, I rushed to the police station two blocks away.
     Upon arriving, I tried to calm my racing heart enough to explain to the police what had happen.  The man, Mr. Brown, was very sympathetic, and calmly listened to my story.  When I finished, he asked me if I would call Kyle one more time.  Slightly calmed, I dialed the number.   Once again, it went to voice mail.  Mr. Brown asked if I had any other way of contacting Kyle.  When I told him I did not, he and his partner Mr. Choi decided that they would walk around town for a little while and look for him.  At this point, it was 5:45 and Mr. Brown told me that they would most likely walk around for an hour or so.  He suggested that I stayed at the station until they returned.  As the left, I felt some of the anxiousness disappear.  I was doing something to find Kyle, and that calmed me down greatly despite my rather unpleasant surroundings.  The station smelled horrible; smoke reeked from the holding cell,  the smell of rotting food on one of the officer's desks snaked through the air, and sweat seemed to emanate from every person.  Moreover, it was one of the loudest places I have ever been in, with the police radio on non-stop and a baseball game blaring from a TV in the back room.
     I decided to sit outside on a bench in front of the station.  The wind teased the strands of hair coming out of my pony tail, causing them to dance in my face.  As I sat there breathing in the cool, sweet air, I realized that my headache had returned stronger than ever.  However, I ignored it and watched the people walking by. My heart surged at the sight of every man walking by, praying that it was Kyle.  None of them were.
     By 6:30, I thought I would have a heart attack if I continued to search for Kyle in the crowd walking around me.  I grabbed my book and tried to immerse once more into my book.  I could not do it.  By the time Mr. Brown and Mr. Choi returned, I was once more a nervous wreck.
     They had not found Kyle, which I had expected.  We reentered the station and Mr. Brown called the local radio station to announce Kyle as a missing person.  I called Kyle again, and once more it went straight to voice mail.  Mr. Brown told me that the announcement for Kyle would be on the radio ever half an hour.  I thanked him and went out to the car to wait and see if anyone would call in about Kyle.
     I could not bear to think what I would have to tell Kyle's parents in the morning if he was not found tonight. How can a person explain that their friend has gone missing on a road trip?  To take my mind off these troublesome thoughts, I looked for a place to sleep tonight.  I finally found Windmill State Park in Gibbon that had a campground I could pitch a tent in.  My sleeping arrangements settled, I started reading Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.  As I read about Ms. Norris becoming petrified, I saw Mr. Brown walking towards my car.  I opened the door with trembling fingers and got out of the car.  The wind bit at my bare arms as Mr. Brown came up to me.

     He smiled and told me that Kyle had been found.  I staggered into the car with relief.  He was at the gas station where we had filled up our car.  I did not care where he was, I was just relieved that he was safe.  I thanked Mr. Brown and Mr. Choi and speedily drove to the gas station.
     I was so happy that Kyle was safe and exhausted from worrying that I did not even ask him where he was.  Maybe I will ask him tomorrow.  Right now, all I want to do is sleep off my headache and fear from the day.

Route: We took US 85 South out of Wyoming, and then took I-80 until we reached Gibbon, Nebraska.

Food:

Breakfast: none, not hungry

Lunch: Subway Veggie Delite $3.25

704 Highway 30

Gibbon, NE 68840

(308) 468-5708

Snacks: Safeway three pound bag of apples - $3.99
611 N Spruce St
Ogallala, NE 69153
(308) 248 - 3670

Dinner: None for me, too worried about Kyle missing.

Police Department:

Gibbon Police Department
17 Gilmore St.
Gibbon, Ne 68840
(308) 468 - 5554

Lodging: 
Windmill State Park - $11

2625 Lowell Road

Gibbon, NE 68840

Gas:

Kum & Go - $27.65

215 East Lincoln Way

Cheyenne, WY 82001

R and R mini-mart - $44.10

1110 Highway 30

Gibbon, NE 68840

(308) 468-5823

Money spent today: $89.99

Money remaining: $470.46

Lost on day three

        We pulled into the Subway in Gibbon for lunch  and I desperately needed to go to the bathroom. Upon return, exhausted from sitting in the car I decided to take a short walk in Kearney park to give myself a break.  I saw Emi reading at the table, but I figured I would be back before she noticed, so I did not stop and talk.  I turned my phone off and enjoyed the sweet serenity of the peaceful park. I took a brief power nap consisting of about 25 minutes and had been gone for a total of about 40 minutes.
     As I was planning to get back to Emi I noticed there were art activities taking place in the park. I suspected Emi to be fine, possible eating the food we had gotten at Subway. I took part in the art and decided to paint myself a beautiful dog which would reminded me of my dog as well as the rest of my family which are now enjoying their new lives in Richmond.
     By now the sun was setting, and my nap and quick walk had turned from 40 minutes into 2 and a half hours. I figured I would adjourn my walk and return to Emi and the car awaiting me at the Subway. I returned to Subway only to find an empty lot. I assumed Emi had gone to a store to pick up some necessities for the remainder of the ride. So I decided to go into the mini mart of the gas station nearby and kick it with the gas attendant. We delightedly watched the last 20 minutes of the game which turned into more like 40 minutes due to timeouts and delays in play.
     I became so consumed with the game that I had forgotten that Emi had not returned yet. I was still hopeful that Emi would come back shortly so I stayed there waiting and hoping this would not turn into some great big fiasco. I unknowingly had kept my phone off throughout my time away from Emi, probably not the best idea. By the time the game was over it was 7:30, and I turned on my phone to see the 12 missed calls all from Emi. Now I thought something bad was happening to her, she seemed in a state of distress, my phone battery was almost dead, and I was not sure if it would last me this urgent call. I had not been in contact with her for a little under five hours.
     Without food, the friendly employee decided he would give me a free candy bar and water I ate a twix and had a cup of water. it was now 8:00pm and with no form of communication, I had to remain at the gas station. we continued to watch more tv because area was deserted, there was no one in sight. Flipping through the channels finding something interesting to watch, we decided to play a game of cards. We played a few rounds of kings corners and the time was nearing 9:00. It has been about seven hours, and finally a slight bit of hope was given to me although I was not extremely worried. The local radio station that the attendant was playing in the mini mart gave out word of a missing persons alert. When my name was said over the radio I knew it was Emi trying to get a hold of me.
     I told the man that the missing person was me, and he contacted the police station for me. When Emi and two policemen arrived they were relieved to find that I had been in no danger the whole time. The policemen immediately left, and I began to talk to Emi about how filing a missing person report may have been over-excessive. Well, at least I'm back with Emi and we will be able to safely continue the rest of out journey tomorrow.

Smooth Sailing Day Two

     My wish from the other day came true!  We had no disasters today...It was all smooth sailing.

     Kyle and I woke up at 8:30 this morning and quickly ate breakfast, eager to get back on the road.  Kyle grabbed a newspaper as we walked out the door.  The main story for the day was "Increasing Road Tolls Eating up Budgets."  As I drove the car to a nearby Shell gas station, Kyle read the article out loud.  "The state of Utah," he read, " has decided to increase the road tolls 25% in order to repair Salt Lake City's downtown streets..."  Thankfully, we did not go on any toll roads today...it would have damaged our budget so badly!
     It was 9am by the time we got back on I-80, the car running smoothly and our spirits high.  We cruised down the highway, entertaining ourselves by trying to find a Utah radio station that played good music (we never did find one).  Around 11:15, we came to Salt Lake City.  We were ahead of schedule for today, so decided to stop there and have lunch.

     As we drove down the streets of Salt Lake City looking for a parking spot, I realized that, had we gone on a toll road, I would have paid the toll gladly - the roads were horrible!  After ten minutes of bumpy driving, we finally found a parking spot on 300 West Street.  Kyle and I walked around town, laughing as the cars in the road bounced around in potholes, glad we were not in those cars ourselves.  Around 12:30 we became hungry, so decided to eat lunch at Tony Caputo's Deli.  The food was somewhat expensive, but heavenly delicious.  The servings were so large, we could not eat it all in one sitting.  Instead, we boxed what we did not eat and saved it for later.  By 1:30, however, Kyle and I were anxious to get back on the road again.

     We drove as far as Rock Springs, Wyoming before we needed to refill our tank. We found a small gas station called Kum and Go to refill our car.  As I waited for the car to fill up, I absorbed the scenery before me.  Rock Springs is a beautiful place.  If we had more time, I would have loved to stay and look around more.  I spent at least half an hour taking pictures of the stunning landscapes.  When Kyle finally managed to pull me back in the car, we decided to drive a little further and stay in Cheyenne tonight. As I drove, Kyle searched the web for a place we could stay.  He finally found a place called Smith Manor.  Smith Manor is a free housing building, so we were able to "borrow" a room for one night.  Halfway to Smith Manor, Kyle and I parked the car to eat dinner...the other half of our lunch. (I must say, it still tasted delicious cold!)
     By the time we got to Smith Manor, it was 9pm. The room we are staying in smells dank and musky, and there are strange stains on the wall I do not want to investigate.  However, considering that this is free lodging that has been used by multiple families before us, it isn't so bad.  Our neighbors, a couple named Dan and Jess Danlitski, are absolute angels.  They invited us into their room for a drink of water when we first came in, and we became fast friends.
     The Danlitski's have been living in Smith Manor for four months now.  They explained to us that, although they both have jobs, they do not have enough money to buy a house or rent an apartment.  Kyle and I noticed, however, that they did have enough money to buy a large TV that covered one side of their room.  Kyle had been checking the score of the LA Clippers vs. the Portland Trail Blazers game since 8pm and was ecstatic that he would actually be able to watch it.  As Dan and Kyle watched the game, I explained to Jess that Kyle and I were driving across the country to meet our families in Richmond.  Jess reminisced about the road trip she took when she graduated from college where her friend left her in a small, nameless town and she had to hitchhike back to her hometown.
     When the game ended at 10, Kyle and I thanked Dan and Jess for the drinks and conversation and returned to our room.  I now have Jess and Dan's phone number in my phone and cannot wait to meet back up with them sometime in the near future.

     However, it is late now and I have no idea what time Kyle wants to hit the road again. (I hope not too early!)

     We had a great day today and traveled 482 miles...I  hope the rest of our road trip is just as smooth sailing as today was (knock on wood)!



Route: From Wendover, we took I-80 East until we hit Cheyenne, stopping along the way at Salt Lake City and Rock Springs.

Food:

Breakfast: came with the hotel room - Prepaid

Lunch: Tony Caputo's Deli All American Sandwich, Penne with Meat Sauce $8.95 + $6.95 = $15.90
314 West 300 South
Salt Lake City, Utah
84101 USA
(801) 539-8669

Dinner: Delicious leftovers!

Snacks: None today (just water with the Danlitskis)

Where we stayed:
Community Action of Laramie County - Smith Manor - Free!
200 W 17th Street
Cheyenne, WY 82001
(307)635-9591

Gas:

Shell Gas Station - $41.30
80 East Wendover Blvd.
Wendover, Utah 84083

Kum and Go Gas Station - $36.35
104 Desert Blvd.
Rock Springs, WY
(307)362-7525

Total spent today: $93.55

Amount left: $560.45

Disaster on Day One

     The first day of our road trip was a disaster.  I have never known so many things to go wrong in one day!

     Kyle and I woke up at 5:30 am, an hour before the sun came up.  We ate breakfast, packed up the car and were on the road at 6:30.  Kyle was driving, and I sat back sleepily watching the sunrise.  Once we were more awake, we plugged Kyle's phone into the car and listened to the road trip playlist we had created the day before.  With the music pounding in our ears, we quickly crossed the California border into Nevada around 11:30.
     Kyle stopped the car in Reno and we hopped out for a quick bathroom  break.  When we returned to the car, it would not start.  For twenty minutes Kyle and I looked at the car, trying to figure out what was wrong. The car did not smell funny or appear overheated...It just would not start.  Finally, we decided we would have to take the car to a garage to have it examined.  Thankfully, a garage named Greg's Garage was right down the block on 4th West Street.  I stayed by the car while Kyle went to the garage to look for assistance.  When Kyle came back, Kyle, a mechanic, and I laboriously pushed the car to the garage to have it examined.  Half an hour later, Kyle and I were sitting in the garage waiting for Jim, the mechanic helping us, to tell us what was wrong with our car.  Jim explained to us that our water pump had broken and our car could not start because of it.  He said that he could fix the car by 2:45, but it would cost us $500.  We need the car for the road trip, so Kyle and I agreed to the cost and decided to wander around Reno until it was time to pick up the car.
     Our wanderings lead us to a Starbucks, where we decided to sit for a while and discuss our funds for the trip.  Our parents had given us $600 each, giving us a total of $1,200 to make it to Richmond in five days.  The broken water pump, however, left us with only $700 for the next four days of our trip.  Pulling gas and food money out of that amount, we had roughly $235 left.  With these disconcerting thoughts, we left the Starbucks and returned to Greg's Garage.
     Jim had done a great job fixing the car, so we decided to continue driving, leaving Reno at 3. We traveled for an hour or so before we had to fill up our tank.  We stopped at the quaint town of Lovelock and quickly filled up the car at PJ's Food and Gas.   At 8, we reached the town of Wendover, Utah, which is just across the Nevada border.  Searching frantically on Kyle's phone, I looked for a cheap hotel to spend the night at.  I finally found a place called the Knight Inn, which was not only extremely cheap, $30 a night, but also included breakfast.
     Once we set up our room, Kyle and I walked to the McDonald's for dinner. It is not the healthiest place to eat, but we were tired and greatly troubled by our low funds, so we ate the greasy food.  I hope that we can find a cheap grocery store somewhere to buy our food for the rest of the trip...
     It is now extremely late, and we are going to leave early again tomorrow morning.  Despite our hardships, we managed to travel 600 miles today....That's not too bad for the first day.

  I sincerely hope that the rest of our road trip runs more smoothly than today did!


Route: We took 101 South to 80 East which took us over the Bay Bridge out of San Francisco.  We stayed on I-80 East until we reached Reno, Nevada.  After our mishap in Reno, we got back on I-80 East until we hit Wendover, Utah.

Where our car was fixed:
Greg's Garage
410 East 6th Street
Reno, NV 89512-3323
(775) 324-0911

Where we ate:

Breakfast: We ate at home before we left - No cost.

Lunch: None, we were too worried about the car.

Dinner: McDonald's, two drinks, one side salad and one McDouble 4x$1=$4
1120 W Wendover Blvd 
Wendover, NV 89883
(775) 664-3633


Snacks: None, not that hungry today. We did sit at Starbucks for a while when our car was broken though.

400 West Fifth Street

Suite 101

Reno, NV 895034446 US

775-348-7800

Where we stayed:
Knight Inn
505 E Wendover Blvd
Wendover, UT
(435) 665-7744
Cost: $30 (Yes!)


Gas:  
We filled up the tank with 12 gallons today - $42
PJ's Food and Gas
1455 Cornell Avenue
Lovelock, NV 89419
(775) 273-1222 

Total spent today: $546

Budget Remaining:  $654 (Yikes!) ‎

They Tried to Make Me Leave the Wigwam...

     The longest road trip I have ever been on was one my family took in Arizona.  Our journey started at the Grand Canyon and made a large loop throughout the state. We flew into Phoenix, rented a car, and began our three week journey that very night. 

      Our first stop was the Grand Canyon, which was blanketed in snow.  My sister and I disturbed the quiet of the winter landscape in our Stitch-shaped beanies as we ran around making snow angels and mini snowmen companions.   After several days at the Grand Canyon, we bundled into the car and drove for hours...and hours...and hours....or at least it seemed that long! 

     My sister and I were very active children, so sitting in the car for hours was a torturous challenge.   In an attempt to keep ourselves occupied, we listened to music, played games, read books, looked outside, and drove our parents up the wall with questions such as "When are we stopping next?" and "Can we eat? I am hungry!" 

     Our next destination was the Petrified Forest National Park.  I recall being thoroughly confused when I heard where we were going. Petrified Forest...Was the forest so scared it was frozen still?  My parents attempted to explain that petrified wood was wood that had turned to stone, and that we were going to see a forest of it.  I could not understand how wood could turn into stone. My imagination turned to witches and wizards bewitching the wood to transform into stones.  It was only when we got out of the car and touched the tree-stones that I understood what they were saying.  The logs looked like trees, but were rock solid.  

     That night, we did not stay in a hotel.  We stayed in a wigwam. The wigwam was the shape of a tee-pee, but made entirely out of cement. Despite the beautiful natural wonders we saw on the trip, the night we spent in the wigwam was the highlight of the trip for my sister and me.  The room was tiny and cramped with the four of us in it, but my family had a blast pretending that we lived in the wigwam. The next morning when we had to leave, my sister and I ran around the wigwam singing our own version of Amy Winehouse's Rehab song: "They tried to make me leave the wigwam," we shouted, "but I said NO, NO, NO!"  Several hours later, we reluctantly climbed back into the car and continued on our trip.  

     We continued traveling around Arizona, visiting so many different places I can hardly remember them.  Montezuma Castle, however, I can remember quite clearly.  Chiseled into the mountain side, Montezuma loomed above us like a magical place we had read about in a book.  Hours later when we left, I continued to look behind me at the castle. One funky shaped rock, however, caused me to stop looking back at Montezuma.  This rock looked exactly like Snoopy from the Peanuts comic strip!  As a family who adores the Peanuts, we spent a good hour or so attempting to take pictures of the rock so it looked like we were holding Snoopy in our hands.

     Far too soon, we looped back near the Grand Canyon, ending our road trip.  As we boarded the plane heading home, my sister and I sang, "They tried to make me leave Arizona, but I said NO, NO, NO!"

The last longest trip I went on was when I was in Second grade and I went to Disney land with my family. It was an eight our car drive in our 1989 Chevy suburban. I managed to get the very back of our car where we compiled our trash bags full of clothes. This was very beneficial to me, because I was able to lay down on the trash bags and fall asleep for six and a half hours of the trip. This was with out a doubt the easiest part of the trip for me. Awakening from my deep sleep I realized I was hungry, as was the rest of the inhabitants of the car. We decide to stop at a Subway but I would remain in the car due to the fact that I was still dreary from my slumber. I respectfully and politely told my mother what I would like to eat, she nodded and walked away. I was infuriated when my mom had returned with the wrong order. I had to excruciatingly engulf the foot long subway pastrami on sourdough, when my stomach yearned for a Chicken bacon ranch on Italian bread. The remaining hour drive to Disney land was now officially ruined, this was definitely the most difficult part of my trek to Disney land.

My Suitcase

For this five day road trip, I will only pack the things I cannot spend a day without.  So, naturally, the first thing in my suitcase will be my British set of the Harry Potter books. (Yes, I love the American version too, but my BRITISH version reigns supreme...and yes, it's all seven books).  Even with the books, there is still plenty of space left.  I am only packing the clothes I will need for the trip - a couple of pairs of jeans, a few shirts, and pajamas.  A first aid kit, a flashlight, and extra batteries are going into the suitcase in case we run into problems on the trip.  I sincerely hope, however, that neither Kyle nor I will injure ourselves so badly that we need something more than what is in the little first aid kit.  Toiletries, a necessity on any trip, are also being packed.  To comfort me on the road, my mini stuffed animal KK the koala is journeying with me.  KK, a seasoned traveler, has already traveled halfway around the world (from Australia to Hong Kong to California and now to wherever this road trip takes us).  I always become thirsty on long car trips, so my water bottle is a necessity.  Lastly, I am bringing my camera.  You simply cannot have a road trip if you do not have a camera to record it! (Funny pictures of Kyle coming soon…)

Suitcase

Kyle: On the journey we are about to commence on, I will take with me only the necessities for having a successful and healthy life in our soon to be new home. I am going to pack an abundance of clothes in order to remain warm. I am also going to pack my phone so I may remain in touch with my old friends here in California. I'm going to bring my favorite pillow to make my sleeping conditions more suitable. I also plan on bringing skittles, due to the fact that when I'm feeling sad the taste of the rainbow will make the day more enjoyable. I have the intention of bringing my favorite blanket which will give me a sense of comfort during the rough occasions that we will confront throughout our journey. The items would be what I consider the essentials that I would bring along with me in my limited sized suitcase.

The Blue Ford Escort

Our car is a 2001 Ford Escort. It gets 26 mpg and has a tank size of 12.8. It is a small car, so we are going to have to pitch a tent to sleep at night.

Road trip here we come! =)