Annmaries Take on the Trip

December 5th, 2006 Warrick, Myself, Sweetie and La Poo set out for greener pastures. Our blog was titled USA or Burst. We left Las Vegas with a car full of suitcases, dog food, dog toys, computers and cameras. Our first destination was The Grand Canyon, Arizona. There wasn’t a whole lot to see on the way to the Grand Canyon it was a mirror image of Vegas to California so we waited until morning to see the spectacular hole in the ground that has everyone has talked about. I didn’t sleep very well the first night because Sweetie kept snoring ( I knew it was going to be like this but I lover her anyways) so I was a bit cranky when Warrick woke me up at 6am like a child on Christmas morning saying “lets go see the Grand Canyon!” bless his heart, I was cold and so tired but gathered myself and we set out for what was to be the best vacation ever and when we arrived at that “hole in the ground” it was the most amazing site I have ever seen. There it was this spectacular wonder that was so breathtaking words cannot describe it, you have to see it and it will speak to you in a way that only you can understand. I know that’s sounds ridiculously deep but what can I say. Mother Earth knows how to put on a show. After two days we left The Grand Canyon and drove to Meteor Crater City and there was nothing out there for miles and it was great, just prairie land with flowing wheat colored fields. We arrived at the Crater and all you could see was this wall of dirt and rock. We paid our admission and entered the building which led you out to another “hole in the ground”. This one was a bit different, this one looked liked a big rock slammed into the ground, it was round and deep! Not much else to say about it but I loved it! It is wild to know that a rock the size of an SUV could cause so much damage. We kept on that day and cruised through “The Petrified Forrest”…We saw some Petrified stumps and trees that fell and split into pieces but there really wasn’t a whole lot unless we missed a road or something but hey it was neat to see up close at the ones we did see and Sweets finally pooped next to one so we were quite happy the strike was over so we plugged along to “The Painted Desert” and wow, colorfully simple with a vortex feeling. That was the first day I felt I could finally slow down, relax and unwind and I knew I had to grasp it because I knew New Mexico was next and I knew that “nothing for miles” feeling would be soon filled with the City once again. I have heard a lot about New Mexico so I was really looking forward to seeing Albuquerque. On our way we saw tons and tons of Indian Jewelry stands, empty, due to the season except for Chief Yellow horse he was having a year end clearance! We were not able to see much of New Mexico, we arrived at night so all we saw was the Starbucks the next morning which was always a good thing. Well, this was our three in one day, New Mexico, Amarillo, Texas and Oklahoma. We had plan to stop off in the Panhandle of Texas but as two Vegetarians it wasn’t the best idea and the way Warrick was feeling I didn’t want to end up on the 11 o’clock news. I think Warrick cracked at some point and assumed all of Texas was like this and refuses ever to go to Texas and I know for a fact that Dallas, Houston and San Antonio are great places…Amarillo is small and all livestock farms and when you are driving on the 40 highway you cannot expect to see the best of the States because the well known Cities are usually in the center. Amarillo was unfortunately disappointing and the billboard which read “Home of the 72 oz Steak” didn’t help. Although Amarillo had the Cadillac Ranch, a bunch of Cadillac’s sticking out of the ground in a row and they encourage people to come by and put their own graffiti on them. Amarillo also offered the largest Christian Cross in the Western Hemisphere and it was huge! Ahhhhhh, the Bible belt begins! Oklahoma, Oklahoma, what to say about it???? Pretty flat, it was the first time I noticed Water Towers! After that I noticed really unique Water Towers all over our trip thanks to Oklahoma! We also found a restaurant that we haven’t stop talking about not because of how delicious everything was but because to us it was just down right poofy! It was called the Waffle House and they are everywhere like Water Towers! They offer really cheap grub and are open 365 days a year even Christmas and New Years…Our bill came to $4.80.….! Something like that. It was right next to our Hotel so it sufficed. At this point on our trip we did notice one thing in common with the States we had traveled through…each entrance to each State is unique. Each State has a big “Welcome” sign with their own special saying which was really cool. I mean I have seen them going to California and all but not like these. We entered Arkansas which announced “Welcome to Arkansas” “the Natural State”. Oh my Gosh it was so gorgeous! We stopped off at a rest stop where we let the dogs play for a bit and La Poo took to Arkansas like a duck to water! She found out that sticks are way better then tennis balls and trying to pry one from her she knew she would not let go of her new found toy. We have pictures of Warrick trying desperately to get it from her because we needed to get on the road but no way the stick came with us and was chewed into toothpicks by the time we reached our destination, Little Rock Arkansas which we only stayed the night. The next morning took us to Memphis, Tennessee, home of the late King Elvis Presley. We set up at the Days Inn across from Graceland. Warrick and I were not too impressed with Graceland at first, the area was so run down and I guessed I expected it to have been kept up like Hollywood or something . The tour was nice but it just seemed downright haunting. I expected Graceland to be bigger then it was and I thought his Home was in a better place but then again he bought it when he was 21 and the world has changed so much since then. Instead of carrying on to Nashville and getting more excited to get to the Gulf Coast to see our friends Mark and Bonnie, we headed out to Alabama. We drove through parts of Mississippi which looked just like a picture out of the Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn Novels driving over the great Mississippi River. After passing through Mississippi, we had our longest driving day which was about 6 hours and it was long so we would stop more often which leads me to this funny story. I was in line at a “Piggley Wiggely” Grocery Store and I heard a man and his wife having a conversation that went like this….(the husband) “why you don’t like him? Whad de ever done to you? (the wife) “he lies like a yeller dawg” it was a crack up, you had to hear their heavy Alabama accents to get the whole gist of it. That was also the day I found the “Alabama Pickle”, it was a huge Dill Pickle you could buy all packaged in its juice and it was good! Alabama was gorgeous, very lush with Churches everywhere on every corner and no exaggeration. The competition was Methodist and Baptist. They were on every single corner! It was a beautiful thing because my whole life I heard of the Bible belt and when I saw it, it was truly amazing! Some Churches were small and some had huge steeples and when you were stumbling upon a Methodist Church you would see a St. George Cross Shield about a block before the Church. “Jesus Loves You” Jesus Saves” Jesus Cares” you name it he was the salvation to the South and I mean that in a good way. One thing Alabama had on their side and they were not going to back down from was when you walked up to them they were just downright friendly and when you walked away it was “MERRY CHRISTMAS” they will not say Happy Holidays! They are people with strict Christian values and they don’t mess aroundJ We liked Alabama, we learned things like “Sweet Tea”, Sweet Tea is just sweetened tea. I laughed at first like “we already have that its called Arizona Tea” but no, Sweet Tea is a Southern Tea, and it comes with sugar not like they make it in California…o.k. can’t argue with themJ From Cotton Fields to Florida Oranges we made our way through to Lakeland Florida. Lakeland Florida was a bit bleak but we were able to catch up with some very close friends of ours Mark and Bonnie who had moved there over two years ago. It was great to see them but we really wanted to keep moving so we left after two days and went to Sarasota Florida and met up with friends of ours Brandi and Nick who are from Las Vegas and had moved to Sarasota over two years ago and they seemed to love it. We had dinner with them one evening and then the next morning we went to Siesta Beach which has the whitest sand and it was very bright on your eyes. The consistency was like flour, you just wanted to eat it! As we walked along the Gulf Shores we saw schools of baby stingrays going back and forth, they were very sweet. Well, although Sarasota was nice we set out to Cocoa Beach and this is where Warrick found a new Wave Ski, he is having it designed and sent out to Las Vegas when ready. After two days in Cocoa Beach we drove up to St. Augustine. Apparently St. Augustine is very haunted so we took in the tours at Ripley’s Mansion and then the Castillo De San Marcos Fort. This town was filled with History and they had a Pub that served Castle Lager ( a South African Beer) which Warrick loved. Christmas is getting closer so at this point we are trying to get to New York by New Years Eve so we had Georgia on our mind and on our way through Georgia we stopped at the smallest Church in the US and it was tiny! It was “deeded “ to Jesus Christ himself, took some photos and ended up driving through the grandest entrance a State could have made and it said “smiling faces and beautiful places” Welcome to South Carolina! And it was! Warrick and I were amazed how beautiful it was, We ended up in Hilton Head Island…it was so clean and the beaches and bays were gorgeous! Its where we saw our first Alligator, he was just lying in the sun hanging out. They are everywhere and they will eat your dog! Not really funny! It‘s Christmas Eve, December 24th..Heading up to North Carolina was a lot of fun, we stopped off at Myrtle Beach for a couple of rounds of Miniature Golf. Christmas Day, December 25th, it rained all day really hard so we spent Christmas on another Island named Morehead Island, a very, very small island, you could hear the waves right outside your door. We had a “Christmas Story” dinner down at the local Chinese Restaurant and we were glad because everything was closed. The next day was sunny so we took a ferry to the Outer Banks right off of NC. It took two hours and the ride was smooth. When we arrive at the other end we noticed that the Outer Banks was a two lane highway with the Ocean on both sides. It was eerie, kind of like Morehead Island. We got to see Kitty Hawk where the Wright Brothers flew their first plane and it wasn’t anything like I thought, I thought it would have been right on the Ocean but it wasn’t it was inland a bit. The Carolinas by far were the prettiest States, driving through North Carolina was everything I thought it would be, trees lining the towns and very pretty scenery. Arriving in Virginia you can see why it is for Lovers. The Colonial Homes and Brick Banks are so gorgeous it sends you back in time. We decided to go straight through so we could drive over the Chesapeake Bridge during the day, which sends you through a tunnel underneath the ocean and then we drove 20 miles on the bridge over the ocean to get to Maryland which we stayed for the night. The next morning it took us about 6 hours to get to North East Maryland which was basically a truck stop for truckers and hunters so it wasn’t one of our finest moments on our trip so we left the next day and headed through the New Jersey Turnpike and for the next couple of hours I watched Warrick’s blood pressure rise. There were a lot of toll roads and we must of paid up to $30 by the time we reached Connecticut. Going through the New Jersey Turnpike was interesting, you could see the change of pace starting to take place. People were driving faster the rest stops were full of people and it started to get very crowded. So crowed by the time we hit New York and looked over at Manhattan we knew where everyone was going. We sat in traffic for the first time in 25 days. The Manhattan skyline was breathtaking to say the least. We made it out of New York within an hour which brings us to Stamford, Connecticut. We only had one night so we were not able to see it really but the Homes were amazing! Mansion City! Most of the homes started in the millions. December 30th, New York, New York, we finally made it to the Marmara Hotel. Pizza guy’s walking the streets delivering pizza’s on foot…corner grocery stores with flowers and lots of different accents from all over. The place was alive and buzzing! Our room overlooked 94th street and below was a coffee house that sold the best Turkish Delights…Today is Saturday, December 30th , we walked down to the Metropolitan Museum and spent a couple hours there and then strolled through NYC to Trump Towers, Tiffany’s and Rockefeller Center. December 31st, New Years Eve…We have been preparing for this night for about 3 months. I remember Warrick and I in November saying “we couldn’t even think about New York unless we sold our home” and here we were. Warrick dressed in a suit and looked very handsome, I wore a long Purple, velvet gown and all I could think about how cold I was going to be. We arrived at Bob and Dolores’ 6 story Manhattan Home and we were greeted by a clown welcoming all the guests. Upon arrival our coats were taken and we were given a number and immediately given a glass of champagne and there was Dolores, she looked amazing and happy. The party was so elegant yet fun. They had 15 servants, a Palm Reader, a guy who would write your life story just by talking to him for 60 seconds and write it up like a news headline, and a Caricature Artist and what’s a party without a bit of drama? Dolores hairdresser (guy) dresses up like Elizabeth Taylor every year was as dramatic as they come and Dolores told me as long as he doesn’t drink we won’t have a scene! As the night went on we drank Champagne and chatted with people from all over and finally 12 midnight hit and most of us gathered around the television to watch the ball drop in Times Square. It was great, New York Style! (if anyone knows me of course all I could keep thinking is that it was really 9:00pm on the West Coast) I am fixated on my own time zone. Well, it was over! Just like that, 2007 was here and I actually made it through without shedding a tear. 2006 was a horrible year for me and a New Year sounded good. We stayed in NYC one more night and caught up with one of Warrick’s long time school South African friend named John Chappie. He lives in NY and was loving it. We went to a very swanky bar and then ate dinner at one of the best Indian Restaurants ever! After dinner we ended up at a cozy bar with candles and glasses of wine. January 2nd, 2007...we are headed to Virginia Beach so its time for a bit of backtracking and it took us 1 day and we found a Days Inn right on Virginia Beach’s Boardwalk. Virginia is so beautiful even in the winter. People were walking the boardwalk all through the day and night. Ships passing in the night and Cargo Ships that you cannot imagine can even float. Its January 5th and Warrick is going to head back to Vegas to get our things and when he returned home there was a change of plans. Edward Jones had contacted him, an Investment Company out of Hilton Head Island South Carolina and wanted an interview with him and it meant I needed to get back to Vegas because we wouldn’t be living in Virginia at this time. So after spending a week in Virginia I was able to drive around and spend some time getting to know it. I had a massage, Pedicure and went to my favorite Fondue Restaurant. I drove to all the Malls and then LaPoo came down with a bladder infection and we rushed to the Emergency Vet , she is fine now but later that night my Television flashed a Tornado watch for the VB Hampton areas and so I called the front desk only for him to say don’t worry unless it’s a Tornado warning which it did turn into a warning and then we were instructed to get into the bath tub with pillows….! I have been through plenty of Earthquakes and I had a feeling this was going to be different. Obviously it all worked out ok, I’m still here. January 12th I am ready to drive to North Carolina to meet up with Warrick. It was easier for him to fly into Greensboro and then drive home from there. We spent the night in Greensboro and headed on the highway 40 which takes you straight to the West. Through the extraordinary winding roads of the Smokey Mountains, waterfalls and rivers running below the huge grey mountains stopping off in Memphis for the night. One thing Warrick and I did on our trip was hit an Indian Restaurant every chance we could. Memphis had a great spot called Bombay. After leaving Memphis I had a different take on it. I guess we were so hyped up for Graceland in Memphis on our way through and having been able to stop somewhere else in Memphis it was a great town. Most of the pit stops we stopped at were just that…pit stops! You really cannot figure a place out in its entirety unless you have been able to enjoy driving around the whole State and being able to see their Metropolitan areas or what they have to offer. Just driving through an area is absolutely not a way to judge a place and its an unfair evaluation. There is so much to see here in America and so many beautiful places, despite bad areas or unkempt neighborhoods, there were a lot of gorgeous homes along the coastal areas and even Washington DC had unbelievable homes, not everyone in the world is as fortunate to live on the west coast or east coast where it is pricey and very alive and Im not saying the middle of America is bad at all Im just used to Coastal areas or living in Tourist spots. Most people are simple and work just to make a living. Its been raining all day as we drove through Arkansas and on our approach to Oklahoma we had stopped for lunch at a Subway only to notice an Ambulance with ice all over, the antenna was iced and there were icicles hanging off its sides. One minute it was raining and the next we noticed the scenery looking very glassy ahead and as we got closer to Shawnee Oklahoma there were icicles everywhere! The freeway was lined with ice and the grass was all iced over and there were power lines down and trees smashed down to the ground and it looks like we had just missed one of the worst ice storms to have ever hit Oklahoma. We thought it was so amazing we pulled over and took photographs and the most incredible thing to see was each blade of grass was iced over to the size of a pinky! It was a winter wonderland and one of God’s most amazing piece of work. The night was starting to set in and we found ourselves kind of sliding around on the highway and also a the freeway was a bit empty it was time to pull over for the night. The next morning we set out for New Mexico and took our time through Oklahoma and it looked like a scene out of a movie….cars stuck on the side, trucks jack knifed and some turned over. It wasn’t a pretty sight and at the end of it I think a lot of people got hurt. Driving a steady speed through lovely Amarillo Texas, Warrick’s favorite State so far….NOT! We saw the New Mexico border and took a deep breath and cruised on through at a mere 6 degrees F. The chilliest State so far but winter had finally arrived, Colorado got the worst of it. Actually, Amarillo wasn’t so bad, its just a very small farm town with lots of cows everywhere. Its not the whole of Texas, Texas has a lot of Metropolitan areas such as Houston, San Antonio and of course Dallas! We missed all of Texas but that’s why they call it the Panhandle, its just a little piece of this huge “country of it’s own”.It’s like driving through Alice Springs Australia and saying this is Australia without having seen Sydney. Warming up in a La Quinta in New Mexico we had dinner at Fuddruckers, a great al American hamburger joint that served every kind of burger even a Portobello Mushroom to Veggie and it was just the best! Well, the trip is coming to an end. Leaving New Mexico behind us and Arizona is all that is left we drove the last part of our journey through Flagstaff, pine trees and snow to Kingman AZ and finally the bright lights of Las Vegas. Its all good. It was a eye opening adventure with lots of new memories and a spiritual journey that will remain in our hearts forever. Throughout the trip, the people were pleasant all the way to New York. But to sum it up and make a long story short….We literally were on a mission to get to Florida for Christmas and we did just that and we liked driving so much we drove to New York for New Years. There is so much more to see not just the view from the rear view window and truck stops here and there. People were happy . The weather was great and we made it safely to all our destinations without any problems. 40 days and 40 nights, I’m homesick for America but not Las Vegas. Go figure! There is a whole lot more to see and many more States to conquer as well as a whole world out there beyond Great America. We drove from the desert through the Mountains to the Ocean it all a wonder at the end of the day its all how you take life in.
THE END