Before we got started on our adventure, we headed back to Pennsylvania to visit family and friends one last time. Moving across the country makes it a little more challenging to take a weekend trip to visit our loved ones. We all got together for one last picnic and a little silliness.
Our cross country travels feel like a lifetime ago, even though it has only been six months since we left Washington, DC. Our journey took us though fourteen states (if I counted correctly), and gave us the opportunity to see so much of the country.
Taliesin Spring Green, Wisconsin Our first stop, after visiting family, was Taliesin in Spring Green, Wisconsin. Taliesin is just outside of Madison near the Lowery Creek. We arrived at the visitor's center a bit before our tour so that we could enjoy the landscape and peruse the gift shop. Frank Lloyd Wright built this house for his mistress, Mamah Borthwick. The house, although beautiful, is in constant need of restoration. Completely worth the visit. We had both recently read Loving Frank by Nancy Horan. If you haven't read this book, pick it up!
Mt. Rushmore
| | Our next stop was Mt. Rushmore and the Badlands in South Dakota. Of course we also had to make a stop at Wall Drug too. Between each day of sight seeing, we would drive the next leg of our trip. These days ranged from 6 hours to 13 hours depending on how far we wanted to go. We stopped at hotels along the way and when possible we stayed with friends. Our little dog accompanied us too which limited our stops. We were lucky to find pet friendly hotels at each location. |
We made it to Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. Despite the rainy weather, we ventured to the top and stopped along the way to check out the gorgeous views and the Continental Divide.
We left Rocky Mountain and headed out to Fruita. We stayed with some friends and spent a day hiking. We were so glad to visit with some friends and actually have time to enjoy our beautiful surroundings. Colorado National Monument was just 20 minutes from Fruita and offered gorgeous views and some excellent wildlife sightings. Fruita is also home to Mike the Headless Chicken. Make sure you google search him!
From Fruita we headed to Arches National Park and then Salt Lake City. We were lucky enough to have some kind friends to stay with once again. We hung out overnight, chatting about artists' books and prints with the talented Michael and Lily Sharp and their little baby.
Did I mention Lola came with us on almost all of our adventures? She's a trooper! She weathered the travels like a pro. Most parks allow you to bring a dog with you in the car but forbid visitors from hiking with their animal. Of course this makes perfect sense when the temperature is over 100 degrees and there is wildlife roaming about. Don't worry—we NEVER left Lola alone in the car. One of us always stayed with her with the air on so that she would be safe.
Did I mention Lola came with us on almost all of our adventures? She's a trooper! She weathered the travels like a pro. Most parks allow you to bring a dog with you in the car but forbid visitors from hiking with their animal. Of course this makes perfect sense when the temperature is over 100 degrees and there is wildlife roaming about. Don't worry—we NEVER left Lola alone in the car. One of us always stayed with her with the air on so that she would be safe.
After Salt Lake City we finally headed to Reno. It took us about 9 days total but we enjoyed so many sights along the way. When we arrived it turned out to be Hot Summer Nights, which meant that there were no hotels available in the downtown area. We actually had to stay about an hour outside of the city. Thankfully, it didn't take us too long to find a place to live. Within four days we had rented a cute little house that overlooks the city. Our neighborhood is very quiet and has some great views of the mountains.
Of course we immediately took a trip to Lake Tahoe during our first weekend here. The views are spectacular and so are the hiking trails! But more on that later.
Of course we immediately took a trip to Lake Tahoe during our first weekend here. The views are spectacular and so are the hiking trails! But more on that later.
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