Day 16 & 17 - Bay Area and Park City UT

Right now, I'm sitting on a hotel bed, with some super yummy pizza, watching a cheesy Agatha Christie movie - a perfect way to end a very exhausting day!

But again, I get ahead of myself. Yesterday was another day catching up with old friends. On my way out of Monterey, I stopped at a little cafe for coffee which ended up being dog friendly so I had a nice little breakfast outside. Then we headed up north to Fremont. I was staying at my friend Chantelle's house and we wanted to get together early to make sure our dogs got along. At first, Rumble and Shea (Chantelle's sweet mixed breed girl) did not get along but we walked them around for awhile, and Rumble's submissive side soon took over and they were getting along famously! Once the pooches were settled, we headed up to Tiburon for brunch. Tina laid out a sumptous spread and we just hung out, catching up which was fantastic since I had not seen either Tina or Chantelle in a few years.

When we got back to Chantelle's, the dogs were still playing strong, which was great since I wanted Rumble exhausted for our trip today. We had dinner, wine, the chocolates from Dave's wedding and brownies for dinner - altogether a very pleasant day!

Today on the other hand was not nearly so relaxing! Today we drove from Fremont to Park City Utah, a 12 hour drive from door to door. Chantelle had packed me snacks, and lunch which helped but it was still a very long day! Not to mention losing an hour with the time difference. We just got to our hotel an hour ago, which is very cute but has a weird dog policy. You have to sign a sheet stating that you will not leave your dog alone in the hotel room or they will call pet services - should make tomorrow entertaining!

Oh well, we are settled in now. And ready for a good nights sleep and a fun day tomorrow!

Day 15 - Marina/Monterey

Today was another jam packed day! We woke early and Rei asked very nicely for french toast so yours truly obliged. Morning was hectic as everyone tried to get out the door for Rei's big game but we all finally made it down there (pictures were today, hence everyone trying to get down there early). The game was so much fun! Imagine a couple of hundred 4 and 5 year olds, all running around, trying to play soccer - so very cute!! Rei and her team did really well and Coach Dan rocks! It was especially cute when Rei decided to not focus on playing and dance in the middle of the field.

After the game, we headed back to the Devlins for a quick lunch and then I was off again. Shortest drive to date (about 20 minutes) to Monterey. Checked into my hotel to get ready for the wedding. Hotel is cute but given how little time I am spending here probably should have gone cheaper but OH WELL. Headed out to the wedding at Hollman Ranch. For those who are not familar with the Monterey Peninsula, the weather is normally slightly foggy, about 65 degrees. Today was close to 90 degrees and hot hot hot! The ranch handed out the little parasols to help keep everyone cool. The wedding was beautiful though with gorgeous views! It was great to catch up with everyone - our table was comedy. I hadn't really spent too much time with some of the people seated with me and we ended up laughing most of the time. The after party plans kinda fell apart though (my being one of the only sober people didn't help) which is why I now have time to type up the blog.

Tomorrow I head up to the bay area for brunch - can't wait to see the girls.

PS: Quick shout out to Tara - thanks so much for my beautiful picture!! Can't wait to get back to Chicago and hang it up and then show it off!

Day 13 & 14 - Marina

I know people are getting sick of hearing about this but another awesome two days! Yesterday went to First Awakenings, one of my favorite restaurants, for breakfast with Tara, Reilly and Elliott. Then we took a nice drive down to Asilomar, enjoying the views and taking some pics. After, T took the girls home to nap and I headed down to the Brit to catch up with Paulie and enjoy more coffee and curry fries. Mmmmm curry fries (and for those who are wondering, YES my clothes are getting tight). After the Brit, tried to go hiking in Point Lobos but pooches are not welcome so I pulled on my big girl panties and drove the twisty road down close to Big Sur. Not much hiking along that road that you can do with a dog but gorgeous views! I took tons and tons of pics. Back down to the Brit for dinner and catching up with old friends. It was so nice being back and seeing so many people.

Today Rumble and I were up early and out to the grocery store. Picked up stuff for big breakfast, which big girl Reilly helped me make for lil sis Elli and T. Then we all packed into the cars and headed to Carmel Beach for Rum's and my big photo shoot!!! We had so much fun - T took over a hundred pics and we ended the morning with Rum and I running into the waves (yours truly fully clothed). And Jen - Rum did so well right up until he realized what he was doing. Then big panic attack and right back out. Oh well, puppy steps.

After the beach, hung out with T while the girls napped and then off to Rei's soccer practice (the big game is tomorrow) and then to Ventana for Dave and Andrea's welcome reception. Not only do I love Ventana wines, but was able to see and catch up with several old co workers. Now just hanging out, waiting for the Devlins to get home.

So two very busy but fantastic days! Tomorrow is another big day. Have Rei's soccer game in the morning, lunch with T's family and then off to the wedding. YAY! And there is still one more week left.

Day 11 & 12 - Tulare and Marina

Another fantastic two days! Yesterday I hung out with Cydney and her new son Ian most of the day. Ian is two and a half months old and so cute with his little chunky legs! It was great to get to know him and catch up with Cydney.

After, went back to my brother's house, swam with the kids and hung out with the family one last time before leaving town. Pizza, pasta and olives stuffed with habanaro peppers. And yes, they were as hot as they sound.

This morning Rum and I got up early and headed out to Marina to Tara's house. Was hard to leave though - Devin just sat there and watched me leave and it pretty much broke my heart. But excited to see T and the girls. Made good time and was there for lunch. Tara, Reilly, Elliott, Rumble and I all walked over to this super cute little restaurant called Coffee Mia - awesome coffee and sandwiches. Came back, took naps and then headed to Carmel by the Sea for dinner with Shary and Linda. Way too long since I saw them and was really good to play catch up.

Currently at Tara's listening to Rei sing songs and watch Elli dance. So far Rum and the girls get along ok. Except when Elli was rubbing Rum's belly and he kicked her in the head. Other than that, they are getting along ok ;-) He's outside right now, much to his dismay.

Tomorrow is another busy day. Catching up with Paulie for lunch and heading down to the Brit for dinner. Yay! But now I have to go so I can watch Rei perform as Arial and Elli as a cowgirl. :-)

Day 10 - T town

First, I can't believe I am only on day 10 - I have so much vacation left!!! Ok - I'm halfway through. Enough rubbing it in ;-)

Today was a good family day but not sure how exciting of a blog it is going to make. We slept in (6:45) and took our time getting ready. Last night my niece told me that Rumble stank - not suprising given that he has spent the last week hiking and playing at the beach. He even fell in the pool last night (COMEDY) but was still a little ripe so we stopped by a groomers first thing this morning and Rum was NOT happy. He put his tail between his legs and the woman basically had to drag him to the back. But an hour later he was good to go, wearing his camoflage bandana with pride. Headed over to my brothers and helped my mom fix her satilite tv (who knew I was that technically adept). Ok - it was just unplugged but I was proud of myself all the same.

When the kids came home we headed over to Adventure Park (basically a big arcade) and had a blast. The kids and I pretty much had the run of the place and spent two hours just running around playing games - Devin and I played a shooting game and I basically shot the people with my eyes closed. Those games are way more realistic than I thought they would be! My brother cooked, my Dad came over with cheesecake (he is selling them now through St John's so if you are in T-town check it out) and we just hung out by the pool. Rumble spent most of the day outside with foodoo and chug (my brother and his girlfriends dogs) so he is wiped out next to me and I'm about ready to call it a night as well.

So all in all, a good day but probably a boring blog.

Day 8 & 9 - Cayucos and Tulare

I'm not going to lie - the last few days have rocked! Friday night we bbq'd at the hotel and just hung out and caught up.

Early Saturday we took the dogs to the beach where Rumble and I did sprints up and down the beach to burn off energy and some general crankiness. Breakfast with the fam, a day trip to Morro Bay, checking out tide pools and then dinner in San Luis Obispo for my brother's 40th birthday. An awesome day all around.

Today has been great as well. Rumble and I hit the beach again and as we were climbing back up, this dog charged down the path towards Rumble , pretty much pulling his owner down the side of the hill - highly entertaining even if I do feel a little guiltly about laughing about it so hard.

Today was my brothers actual birthday so we did breakfast again and then all got on the road to Tulare. After another brawl with the hotel owners. Long story which only makes me cranky so I will tell anyone who cares at another time.

I decided to check into a hotel in Tulare for my sanity and that of my family. My brother has his two kids at his house, his girlfriend, her daughter and my mom. Plus 3 cats and two dogs. My dad and Johna have six cats at their place. Maybe seven. Add my bruiser of a puppy into the mix and we're talking complete chaos. So I got a hotel. With a bigger bathroom than the last place where the shower was so small you better be an expert yogi if you drop the soap.

Anyway - I'm getting off topic. So after we all got back to town, we got together at my brother's place for bbq and some serious pool time. Poor Rumble fell into the pool - yet again, I should feel guilty about laughing so hard but in reality I'm just disappointed no one got pictures.

So I'm back at my hotel for some much needed peace and quiet. The next two days includes catching up with family and friends and spending time at the pool with the kids. Yay! And I still have close to two weeks left of vacation. You all hate me - I know.

Day 6 & 7 - Cayucos

Sorry folks for not posting yesterday. I did log on but the wifi here is not great so I was able to draft everything but not post. Love small towns! Yesterday was the longest drive so far, 11 hours door to door. But we actually did ok and it was worth it when we made it to the beach. My mom, sister and brother in law were already here and checked in so I was able to just throw my stuff in the room and head down to the water with Rumble. He loved playing in the sand and chasing some sea gulls. He keeps trying to eat the seaweed and drink the salt water though - again, no Darwin awards for my pooch. We went to dinner at a cute little place I used to go in college called the Sea Shanty. Good food and by the end we were laughing so hard we were crying! Can't even really remember what was so funny.

Rumble gets along great with my sister's dogs and loves loves loves Louie. He kept trying to crawl in bed with them last night the traitor!

Today was a great day! We got up early and took the dogs down to the beach to burn off some steam. After we went to breakfast and down to the local farmers market. It was small but had great food. We picked up a bunch and had a nice little picnic lunch. From the pier we saw sea otters, sea lions and dolphins - I really miss being this close to the ocean! Later we drove down to Elephant Lion Point and saw all the Elephant sea lions sunning themselves - they are huge but amazing to be so close and just watch. After that, my sister, Mom and I went back to the Sea Shanty and had coffee and pie. Good thing we are doing so much walking and hiking!

My brother, Dad and stepmom get here later tonight. We picked up some tri-tip and are going to bbq and just hang out. Life is pretty good.

Had a slight problem with the hotel and almost got in a brawl with the owners. Apparantly I double booked the room and the woman neglected to tell me when I called to confirm three times!

Oh well - this is too much fun to let that ruin my weekend. Besides, I can always post a bad review online, right? :-)

Ok - off to finish my beer. Tomorrow we are going to head over and check out the tide pools. That is our biggest plan for the day - again, life is good.

Day 5 - Lazy'ish day in Sedona

So today did not start out lazy. We woke up early again and headed out to hike Fay Canyon. Before we left, I saw a news story about a mountain lion spotting. Then, on the road to the trailhead, I saw a coyote. So needless to say, I was just a tad nervous about our morning hike. It's all well and good to pull up my big girl panties but I kept having visions of some animal making a meal of Rumble.

Speaking of Rumble, he was in rare form today as well. It may have been my nervousness or the smoke (there is a wildfire not close but the wind blew in some smoke) but he was all over the place on our hike. Almost at the end, we ran into a couple of hikers who thought there were signs of a mountain lion ahead which didn't help. We decided to finish the hike anyway and met this charming french woman who agreed to take our picture. Rumble promptly tried to eat her walking stick and when that didn't work, tried to kill her by wrapping his leash around her legs as she tried to climb down the rock.

Despite all this, the hike was really pretty. It was shorter and easier than Boyton Canyon but still beautiful. So all in all, if Boyton Canyon was an A, Fay Canyon was a B-.

After the hike, Rumble took a nap while I lounged by the pool and did a load of laundry (sexy, I know). We had a quick lunch next door and it was at this point that the day turned lazy. At first I felt guilty but realized that both of us were probably road tired and just a little cranky so laziness seemed like a good idea. I trekked to this cool little bookstore called "The Well Red Coyote", picked up a new trash fiction book and resigned myself to some quality laziness. Rumble must have agreed with me because he has slept most of the day.

So not an exciting day but a good one nonetheless. I did get some good pictures and will post at some point. Tomorrow we hit the road for our longest drive yet - we will probably be on the road for close to 11 hours but then we settle in for 3 days at the beach with the family.

Can't wait!

Day 4 - Hiking in Sedona

So today was an AMAZING day. Ended up crashing pretty early last night and woke up early - about 5:45 am. Packed up the backpack, had breakfast and was on the road to the trails by 7:30.

Had originally planned to do a nice easy hike to Chimney Rock. Couldn't find a place to park so ended up heading up to Boyton Canyon - which I had planned to do tomorrow. Boyton Canyon is a moderate hike and has multiple personalities. Part of it is hiking up rocks, part is through woods, parts cross a stream, you get the idea. I was nervous but decided once again, to pull up those big girl panties and give it a try. (Thinking of renaming this trip the Big Girl Panties trip).

Anyway, the trail was beautiful! You felt like you were miles away from anywhere and then you would come around a bend, and down below would be these beautiful homes! Must be nice right?

Rumble did really well. He was the perfect guard dog, protecting me from a bunny that obviously had bad intentions. He may not win any Darwin awards though as he kept trying to nibble on the cactus plants.

We only ran into two other people on the first half of the hike - the first was another solo woman. We laughed, took pictures of each other so we had more than the self portraits and then headed our separate ways.

The views were gorgeous and I took tons of pictures which I can't wait to share. We turned back about 1/2 mile from the actual canyon as we had already been hiking over an hour and still had to trek back to the car. I'm glad we decided to turn back at that point as it began to get really really hot and both of us were pretty tired. Rumble's swamp vest was perfect and a big reason we were able to stay out so long so thanks Jen for pointing me towards those. The new backpack was also a great purchase as we went through tons of water! Ended up hiking for over two hours, probably about 3-4 miles total.

So overall, a really good hike. I spent the afternoon grabbing lunch and shopping in this very cute little market place. Came back and we both took a nice long nap.

After naps, we headed to another park and walked down to a stream where Rumble had a blast! I think he was actually ready to swim but slacker mom hadn't brought the long lead.

So the only disappointing part of this whole trip has been the food. I figured Sedona would have some great restaurants but so far the food has been pretty average with the exception of a cute little vegetarian restaurant across the street.

Oh well, can't have it all right?

So early night tonight so we can get up early again for another hike. Going to the same general area tomorrow but trying a different canyon. Total distance is a little shorter and the trail a little easier but the scenary is supposed to be just as nice and I think there may be some old Indian ruins nearby.

Wish us luck!

Day 3 - Texas to Sedona

So we are finally, FINALLY in Sedona AZ. We got here a few hours ago and promptly went for a walk after being in the car for three days.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Overall, another good day driving. We left Texas around 8:20 this morning. About 150 miles outside of Canyon Texas, I realized we had passed by Cadillac Ranch which I had really wanted to see!! Silly Blond - oh well.

I did take some pictures and will upload at some point. They are pretty funny since I didn't really want to stop driving so I took some fun photos just pointing my camera out the window and clicking away. Haven't even looked at them so no clue how they turned out.

New Mexico was pretty but I have so far been blown away by Arizona. I expected flat desert as far as the eye could see but so wrong! I drove through lush hills, and down a very twisty road. And for those who know how much twisty curvy roads scare me, this was huge! I started out at like 10 miles per hour with sweaty palms, etc. And then I decided to pull my big girl panties up and just enjoy it. Not crazy James Bond enjoy it but at least relax enough to enjoy the scenery and even pull over in a few spots for pics. So two big fears in two days - not too shabby!

I've been in beautiful mountains before but Sedona is like nothing I've seen - especially the red rocks. I picked up some maps at the front desk and recommendations as well. We'll hopefully get an early start tomorrow and get a good 2 hour hike in. And then it will be naptime for Rumble and shopping for me. And I promise some pictures tomorrow. I've been taking them, just not dowloading them.

Should have some good pictures and stories tomorrow night!

PS: Rumble is not getting the concept of different time zones and keeps making cranky noise, flopping around on the bed and looking at me like, hellloooo - it's bed time!

Day 2 - Branson to Texas

So after our walk, Rumble relaxed while I enjoyed the 'breakfast' part of the bed and breakfast - which was fantastic! For the non-foodies, skip to the next paragraph. We started with melon balls in honey and crystalized ginger and a small banana nut muffin. Next we had two-berry stuffed french toast, sausage and a hard boiled egg. YUM! Not to mention great fresh juice and coffee. And poor Rumble only had kibble.

We got a late start but it was worth it. From Branson we jumped on the 44, heading towards Oklahoma. We did jump off to route 66 for awhile but I learned something important about myself today - I prefer driving through hills and country much more than driving through small towns. Which means that I drove parallel to route 66 more than on it and had a great time! The scenerary was gorgeous - rolling fields and the prettiest clouds! Oklahoma was nothing like I imagined - so much more green. I better understand what people mean when they say big sky though.

We made a few stops along the way but mostly just drove. Today's drive was a little over 10 hours with stops and we rolled into our hotel a little after 8:30. A quick bite to eat, a little walk around the hotel and here we are. I'm a little sore but overall a good day. Lot's of time to just listen to the quiet.

Tomorrow we are off early, heading to Sedona for a much needed break from the road. A little over 650 miles to go, about 9-10 hours depending. Looking forward to it though - should be pretty road.

Day 2 - Early morning

So Rumble woke us up early today even though this was our day to sleep in. He's not used to the noises in a hotel and kept waking up and trying to bark. So finally at 6:15 this morning, I decided it was time to just get up.

It is a gorgeous morning so we decided to go for a long walk. As we walked out the back door, I promptly walked right through several spider webs. Now for those who know me well, this would usually send me freaking out indoors. But I decided to put on my big girl panties, suck it up and enjoy the day.

We had a great walk, exploring the area and taking some pictures. We have a little extra time this morning so I thought I would jump on and share.

Have a great day and I'll chat some more tonight.

And yes Mom - I wore my bug spray. The bugs out here could carry of Rumble.

Day 1 - Chicago to Missouri

So day 1 is behind me and was an adventure to say the least! It started out slightly hectic, trying to take both puppies out (I was dog sitting Caesar), especially when they conspired to pull me over a small boulder backwards in the dog run! So I started my vacation, in my bright pink pjs, in front of my neighbor, flat on my back, thankfully not in poop!

After that, things went more smoothly. We trekked down route 66 through Joliet, and then hopped on I-55 pretty much to St Louis MO. Route 66 is well marked but we got turned around a few times - part of the adventure, right? After St Louis, I-44 was pretty much built over the old route 66 so we had the best of both worlds - seeing the sites but making pretty good time as well. Had planned to stop at the Meramac caverns but decided at the last minute to just drive on through as we had a good pace/grove going on.

Missouri is a gorgeous state! It is so green and hilly - not what I expected at all! I think that is a big reason why this part of the drive was easier than I expected. I neglected to take many pictures, which I promise to make up for tomorrow. I took a couple which I hope to upload tomorrow.

Rumble, for the most part, did really well. He did not get sick and slept most of the trip but everytime we stopped, didn't really want to get back in the car. Can't blame him much! Right now he is exloring the hotel room, trying to crawl under the bed. For some reason, he is completely fascinated with the space under the bed.

The Inn where we are staying is so cute! Each room has a theme and our room is the dog room - cute little pictures of dogs, even a dog sticker on the toilet paper roll. And there were chocolate cookies waiting for me and dog biscuits for Rumble.

The food thing has been tricky and we will have to plan better tomorrow. Now that we have today under our belt though, I expect it to get easier from here.

So tomorrow is Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. This is supposed to be a very scenic portion of Route 66 so hopefully I'll remember to stop and take some pics this time!

Day 0 - The night before

So I've never done a blog before so I apologize in advance for any newbie errors.

It's about 9pm central the night before Rumble and I head out. For those who are not aware, I decided to drive cross country and back with my dog, Rumble. I decided to do this because a) I was already planning on being in California for my brother's 40th birthday and Dave/Andrea's wedding - each a week apart. And b) I wanted to.

So this trip began to grow in both scope and duration when I was briefly laid off in March. I decided at that point to drive old Route 66 to California and a more norther route back. And instead of compressing everything into 2 crazy weeks, I added a third week so I could actually enjoy myself.

So here I am, trying to get everything packed for a 3 week cross country trek...with my dog. I'm super stoked but nervous as well.

And as promised, I've created a blog so those who care can track my progress. I can promise pictures and stupid stories. I cannot promise that at times I won't whine. But heh, if you don't like it, don't read the blog :-)

Below is a brief itinerary of my adventure to come. Enjoy and I hope to see most of you soon!
Day 1 - Leave Chicago...early. Drive through southern Illinois, St Louis Missouri and stopping for the night in Branson MO. Holla (Jen, that was for you)
Day 2 - Leave Branson to continue down old route 66. Day two will involve trekking through a tiny corner of Kansas, Oklahoma and stopping for the night in Texas. Should have some good pictures from this portion, especially Cadillac Ranch
Day 3-5 - From Texas I continue my trek Southwest for a beautiful three nights in Sedona. Rumble and I will spend a glorious few days hiking the red rocks, exploring vortexs and old Indian Ruins. I promise lots of pictures!
Day 6 - This will be one of the longest drives, leaving Arizona for California. Meeting the family for a long weekend at the coast
Day 7-9 - Family time (and my brother's birthday) at the coast. Will probably include throwing Rumble in the water.
Day 10-11 - After leaving the coast, will spend a couple of days in T-town. Playing with the kids and hanging with Cydney. Can't wait to meet Ian!
Day 12 - Head to Monterey to catch up with friends. Hoping to meet Shary and Linda for dinner.
Day 13-14 - Quality time with T and the girls. Hopefully catching up with her family, Stacey and Dani. And some quality Brit time
Day 15 - Dave and Andrea's wedding. Yay!
Day 16 - Head up north for brunch at Tina's with Chantelle and the gang.
Day 17-18 - Another long day of driving and then two fun and gorgeous nights in Park City Utah. Hopefully more hikes
Day 19 - Head out to Denver CO. Wish I could spend more time here but should be able to see some of the sites
Day 20 - Last leg of the trip. Leave Denver, heading East. One night in Lincoln NE
Day 21 - Leave NE and head home. Home sweet home Chicago.