Chicago

For our time in Chicago we were lucky enough to be able to stay with family who live in Oak Park. This meant it was a short walk to the L (or maybe it's "El" I'm not sure) which we took into the city. Compared to Boston public transportation it seemed really fast. The fact that Chicago is laid out on a grid rather than using archaic cow paths for city planning (Boston is really cutting edge for these things) made it so easy to find our way.

We started off walking to the former Sears tower, now the Willis tower, to do the Skydeck tower. It was great to get to see Chicago from the top, and we went out on the glass viewing ledges where there's just some glass separating you and a 110-story drop, eek!
Next we worked our way on to Grant Park where we enjoyed the beautiful fountain, then on to Millennium Park. I loved the Lurie Garden there, shown above, which is this great wild looking prarie garden, in the middle of the city. There was just such great use of space there and interesting contrasts between the natural and the constructed. Millennium park also has "the bean" (shown below) which is a great piece of sculpture, an outdoor auditorium, some fantastic modern sculpture and fountains, and a wonderful curving footbridge.
We made it all the way to Navy Pier, walking along the river at some points, before taking the train back out to Oak Park and ending the day with a wonderful family dinner. I had thought before that I'd experienced Chicago but R and I covered so much on foot and I was able to see so many new things. I love the architecture, the sculpture, the public gardens, and the great green space. It was such a treat to walk around, especially on a beautiful day!

Catching Up

I am currently sitting in my Aunt and Uncle's home in Minneapolis, Minnesota. R and I are pretty pooped but we both enjoyed a delicious meal, have showered, and are even doing a load of laundry (we will not be the stinky people in South Dakota, go us!). Obviously I have some catching up to do and have to fill in the blanks between Southbend Indiana were I last left off, and Minnesota.

We started our time visiting Notre Dame so we could see the "legendary" Touchdown Jesus. So named because he is on the wall of the library behind the uprights on the football field and his arms held aloft mirror the lines of the football uprights.
I'll be frank with y'all. Southbend, Indiana is not worth you going out of your way for. However if you're going across the country anyways it's not a bad stopping point and there's enough to amuse you for an hour or two. The above squirrel is proof that I have regained my dominance over the rodent world after that brief incident in Niagara. Just to make sure though I have been approaching squirrels at each of our destinations to make sure they're afraid of me.
In addition to Touchdown Jesus at Notre Dame, we found out there was a Southbend Chocolate Factory with free tours. We got there a little early and waited till the tour started by sipping some pretty amazing hot chocolate. We got not only the history of chocolate but a nifty little tour of the factory.
It was definitely the day of serendipitous travel finds, since we next ran across the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and did a brief detour to hike Mt. Baldy, one of the many sand dunes on Lake Michigan. The view was fun and it was nice to stretch our legs. Plus you have to love free entertainment on a trip.
The last part before we hit Oak Park, Illinois was what I thought would be a scenic tour of Gary, Indiana. Ever watch The Music Man? Remember that part where he sings a song about Gary Indiana and how awesome it is? I'm a musical nerd and thought it would be fun but the image above shows about all Gary has to offer. This is one of the better parts of town, in the worse part of town Rick and I were stuck waiting for a train to move off the tracks for about 20 minutes and I got the scenic view of a drug deal or two although we managed to avoid the adventure of being car-jacked. The moral is- musicals lie.

Niagara Falls

We started the morning off at Niagara Falls. We were able to get free parking and then walk onto Goat Island. From there we walked over to the falls and were able to see the main falls from Luna Island along with the Bridal Veil Falls. We were still in awe with the speed of the water and got our first view of the massive Horseshoe Falls from Terrapin Point.
At first we were thinking about just viewing the falls from the top but finally decided that we had to do the Cave of the Winds Tour to see the falls from below. For $11 each we got ponchos and shoes, and got to take an elevator down to the base of the falls. I'm so glad we did it and got our "falls experience," not only were the views amazing but we got to actually be in the falls (without taking a barrel ride of course). The water was so cold it gave me an "ice cream" headache, and as the Indian man next to us said "my fingers are numbing."
My poncho managed to keep me and my bag dry, however R was pretty soaked by the end of it and I tried not to laugh at him too much since I had insisted on the tour. He got a chance to laugh at me soon enough though since on our way out of the park I spotted one of the black squirrels of Ottawa. I started to walk towards it with evil schemes of giving chase, however this was one tough squirrel, instead of being scared of me it was soon chasing me up the sidewalk while I yelled to Rick "it's not afraid, why is it not afraid" while onlooking Japanese tourists recorded the whole scene and laughed hysterically.
The rest of the day was spent driving to Southbend Indiana via Cleveland Ohio. We had been thinking of stopping to see the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (just the outside, we're not big enough music fans to warrant paying the $20-something each) but it started pouring rain outside the city and we decided to instead pay tribute by singing "Cleveland Rocks" while we drove through. I owe the Drew Carey show for the fact that I know any of the words to that song.

Tomorrow is Notre Dame, then perhaps a tour of a chocolate factory and if I get my way we'll stop at Gary, Indiana for a brief photo-op (I'm a big Music Man fan) before we continue on to visit family in Chicago.

Road Trip- Day 1

We got on the road this morning, starting with a trip to Dunkin Donuts, because in my family every road trip has to start there. The car is loaded with snacks and water. We have hours and hours of audio books and we started with the first Harry Potter, maybe we'll make it to the last one by the time we hit Wyoming. Plus we wrote out all the states in alphabetical order and have already scored 16 states on the license plate game.
We started off going on the Mohawk Trail (Route 2) through the Berkshires. The drive was beautiful, we got to go up and down the hills through scenic little towns and even saw two deer just hanging out in a creek at one point. Lunch was leftover pasta which we enjoyed sitting on the tailgate of the Subaru while sitting in the parking lot of the Brunswick Community Library. R has done most of the planning for this trip so I got to sip my coffee and start flipping through the guide book, planning some of our adventures and booking our hotel for the night. Once we got to Grand Island NY we checked into the room (and were upgraded which is always a good start to a trip) and enjoyed relaxing a little.
R had to pull me up off the bed and out the door so that we could see the falls at night but as soon as we got out of the car I forgot about being sleepy. We got there right as the sun was setting and the lights started to come on, quite the view, even with all the development in the background.
Anyone for a barrel ride? Tomorrow morning we'll get an early start and start off with a trip to Goat Island to see the falls in the daylight. Then we'll be off to Cleveland for a quick stop at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, then on to Southbend, IN where R is very excited to see the "Touch Down Jesus" on the Notre Dame campus.

American Road Trip

Tomorrow morning my fiancee and I leave on our cross-country road trip. The car is packed and all I have to do tomorrow is roll out of bed and into my travel clothes and we're ready.

This trip is a celebration of our recent engagement and my graduation from grad school and just because we love road trips!

We have a lot of fun adventures planned, like Niagra Falls, Touchdown Jesus, Mt. Rushmore, Yellowstone, and so much more! Stay tuned for regular updates!