Day 4: Atkins, AR to Santa Rosa, NM

Miles driven- 701
Miles to go- 898
Lesson of the day: TA trucker stops are fantastic and everything really is bigger in Texas!

Open roads of Texas

Well, yesterday’s storm was certainly the craziest thing to have happened to us during this entire trip. After spending the night in Atkins, AR and having the storm scare the beejesus out of me, we left Arkansas and entered Oklahoma.
 

The drive through Oklahoma uneventful. We started in Ozark (we definitely did not have the proper attire in these small towns, everyone has those hunting jackets with the forest scenery printed on them, available at your local Wal Mart of course) and continued heading westward. The scenery was endless miles of farmland and open fields. I was so exhausted from the previous night that I spent most of my time dozing off and gazing into the distance. When we stopped at a gas station, some man told me something which I understood to be, “Don’t say no,” in a thick southern accent. He reminded me of the guy in Water Boy who when he speaks Cajun, people just smile and nod, which is exactly what I did. I just smiled, laughed and walked away, smart move I think.
 

Goat!

The first highlight of the day came when we passed through Oklahoma City     and made our way over to the TA Travel Lodge truck stop. It was there that Josh and I managed to take our first shower since we’d left Baltimore and I could not have been more thankful for it. For the record, the showers at this particular TA stop are AMAZING. After you pay for your shower, you punch in your code outside your assigned stall and inside that room is a beautiful site: marble walls, clean toilet, fresh towels, soap, flowers, a mint and spacious shower. I felt like I’d stepped inside a new world and I definitely enjoyed my time there. I emerged brand new and was ready to jump back into driving. Before we left though, Josh told me to come check out a dog that was hanging out in the parking lot. Well, that “dog” turned out to be a baby goat! It was tied up to a car just hanging out on the sidewalk, roaming around and grazing on some nearby bushes. If only my cat Toe-B needed a friend, that goat would be riding home with us in an instant…

Our next stop was Texas. Driving through Virginia definitely prepared us for the amount f roadkill that we saw while driving through the lone star state. There weren’t any signs warning drivers that the highway was a deer crossing area yet we saw at least 20 or more deer on the side of the road. It was definitely a sad site to see.

Before we got to Amarillo, we stopped to get gas in McLean. Driving through there was like driving through a ghost town; it was an eerie sight of abandoned homes and business. I wish I could have stayed longer to snap more photos but the town had a “House of Wax” feeling and we didn’t want to stay too long.

A few hours later we were finally in Amarillo and ready to feast on some Texas BBQ. We  looked into a few spots and The Big Texan: Home of the Free 72 oz steak, popped up on Food Network’s list of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives website so we knew we’d be in for a treat. Stepping into the restaurant was like stepping into an amusement park; it felt liked I’d walked into a ride from Disneyland’s Frontier Land. It’s definitely a tourist spot but well worth it.

As I mentioned, The Big Texan is famous for its free 72 oz steak meal. Their challenge is: if a person can eat 72 oz’s of sirloin steak along with a baked potato, salad, dinner roll and a shrimp cocktail all within one hour, then they get a free meal and are forever commemorated on the Hall of Fame wall of The Big Texan (you have to eat the meal on a stage in front of the entire restaurant and if you lose then you have to pay for your meal which is $72 for a dollar an oz). There were no challengers that night but if Josh and I ever make it out to Amarillo again, we will definitely be up for the challenge.
 

Sirloin steak = demolished

 We had such a great time at that restaurant and hope to visit it again sometime. To say I went into a food coma after my 8 oz sirloin is an understatement. While Josh drove us through the pitch black darkness of New Mexico I was soundly asleep in the passenger seat.

 

 We’d hoped on making it to Albuquerque that night but we were wiped after a long day and ended up staying a trucker stop in Santa Rosa where we quickly realized that the temperature in our RV was steadily decreasing. Thank goodness for the blankets in the car because we were frozen popsicles that night!

Another great day and a few hundred miles clocked in. Our adventure is almost done but the memories we’ve made along the way will last us forever! 

I drive in style, wearing two sets of glasses 

 

 

McLean, TX

Everything, I mean everything is bigger in Texas

Thanks Big Texan!

Day 3: Johnson City, TN to Atkins, AR

Miles driven- 688
Miles to go- 1598
McDonald’s visited- too many to count
Lesson of the day- Be thankful for McDonald's because it's always busy keeping the US employed and it's a great haven from thunder storms. 

Monday morning, we started at around 10:30 AM and left Johnson City, TN where we stayed our first night in the camper. The drive was rather calm and there wasn’t much to see. Most of our time was spent singing and sleeping and as Josh pointed out, road trips are where one can truly develop their singing voice. Thank goodness no one heard us because we have a long way to go before we start sounding like vocal virtuosos. One interesting thing that I did see on the drive is that the interstate I-40 passing through Tennessee has just as many advertisements for “Adult Superstores” as it does for gas stations. What else can you do when you’re bored with hunting and eating at Mickey Dee’s? 

Gen. Wayne Wright (right)

We didn’t get to see anything in Nashville or Memphis as we’d planned because the rain outside was making it rather difficult to navigate on the freeway and the few times we did stop we were met by some shady characters so we thought it best to pass on through. Our last stop before leaving Tennessee was at a McDonald’s where we had the pleasure of meeting General Wayne Wright and Phillip and Eva Stiles. 

Phillip and Eva Stiles 

They visit the local McDonald's about once a day to grab a bite to eat and just relax and they quickly struck up a conversation with Josh while I frantically tried to send off a homework assignment (I thought I wouldn’t have to worry about any projects but the on road but the one project I did drop off is now lost and technology has managed to find every which way to  delay me sending an electronic copy….). Wayne and Phillip were chatting away telling us about their lives and sharing some of their own traveling experiences. It was great to meet such nice locals and that brief break from driving was a welcome relief.

After that great experience came the drive from hell… well at least in my opinion. Our goal for the day was to make it to Oklahoma City but that plan was quickly put to bed when Mother Nature decided to thrust us into the middle of a storm. Passing through Arkansas, the rain really picked up and that’s when shit got real. What had once been manageable rain turned into pouring rain coming straight at our car. Dante’s poor wipers could barely clear the windshield and the Big Rig Truckers flying past us at 70-80 mph made it impossible to navigate the road. The car’s light did nothing to light up the road ahead, the only time we got a good view of the highway was when a huge lightning bolt brightened the sky.

The last two miles until Atkins, AR were some of the scariest I’ve experienced while driving. I don’t think I’ve ever been more thankful to see the golden arches of McDonald’s than I was that night. Josh has driven like a champ and we felt relived to be off the road. We pulled into the parking lot and got settled for bed; the rain outside was pouring pretty hard but I managed to fall asleep. It was only 45 minutes or so later that I awoke to our RV rocking from side to side and hearing lightning crashing outside. I thought Josh was the one making the car shake but I realized it was the gusts of wind that were hitting the car. I was too scared to sleep in the bed above the driver cockpit because I had these images of a huge tornado coming through and flipping the RV. I called Josh’s parents and they checked the weather forecast for us and thankfully, they told us we were at the tail end of some “severe weather” that was passing through Oklahoma and Arkansas. The rain eventually died down and I felt safer but I hope I never have to deal with a storm like that ever again. 

Thanks McDonald's for saving us!

Just a few days away from being back in California and I cannot wait to be back home, away from Big Rigs and thunder storms! 

One of the many seen driving through Tennessee 

This was the chaos we saw while driving in the storm. It was AWFUL!

DAY 2: Baltimore to Tennessee

Miles driven - 500 

Miles left to go - 2500

Wal Mart’s visited - 2

Lesson of the Day- when dropping something at Wal Mart, run away as quickly as possible, you feel less guilty that way. 

Song of the drive: NWA’s Express Yourself 

Dante the Dolphin

Today’s the day! The real adventure begins and as I write this, it’s currently 6:34 PM but outside it’s as dark as midnight. I feel like we should be in bed rather than driving and to think that people are out and about in the sunshine of California is a bizarre feeling. 

Our day got started around 7:30; no need for an alarm when you have 4 dogs barking at your door telling you they want to go outside. I definitely savored the shower as I have a feeling we’re going to be a little funky for a day or two. I’m not sure how I’ll do with that aspect of traveling. 

Josh and Edith

We packed our bags and took little Rosie out for a quick walk down by the woods. After we got the RV situated, we said our goodbyes to the dogs and headed out to brunch at the Severn Inn right across from the Naval Academy in Annapolis. The view was beautiful, the food even better and the bottomless mimosa’s the cherry on top to a perfect afternoon. Our visit with Oma came to an early end and we went our separate ways. Our first stop: Washington D.C. at my request. I just wanted to say to Obama and wave to the white house; clearly I’m a child still who thinks that by driving by, the President will know that I was there. 

The Capitol

Washington DC is beautiful. I’ve never been so appreciative of history before but seeing the capitol and Washington monument left an impression. I hope to make it out there for another trip and actually get to enjoy the city rather than from the inside of the RV but I’m grateful I was at least able to see where US history really started. 

Once we drove through the capitol, the real drive began. It’s been pitch black for hours and I’m a terrible co-pilot because the dark sky, warm air and reggae toons are a perfect cocktail for lulling me to sleep. We’ve had our first Wal Mart experience in Virginia and while I was expecting to see some interesting townsfolk, it was actually a, dare I say, classy Wal Mart? My ability to knock to things over really came through at that stop; I know I know Mami, you would have been giving me the death stare and glaring me into submission. Within the span of 5 minutes I managed to drop a bottle of Windex causing the nozzle shatter and blue liquid to run everywhere, take another person’s shopping cart and wander through an aisle, and knock over a 60” TV when returning the stolen cart. The looks I received made me painfully self-conscious and I could not have run away from the scene any faster. To say that that was a memorable Wal Mart experience is an under statement but then again, we still have 8 more states to travel through and leaves me plenty of time to top that escapade. 

It’s now 9:53 PM in Virginia and we’re still going strong traveling down the I-80 deep in the Appalachian mountains. Hopefully we don’t have to make any stops at the Appalachian emergency unit…  We’ve seen about 20 dead deers on the side of the road (definitely a sad sight so Luisa, sorry but your animal activist side would not enjoy this drive). I’m keeping a lookout for the town names because they are just too good to make up. So far we’ve passed: Christiansburg, Lynchburg, Hillsburg, and Blacksburg to name a few. Josh and I our hand at naming a few new cities, just add a “burgs” or “ville” to any object and you’re bound to find a town name that in the Appalachians. Oh and did I mention you take a hike over on Creeper trail? That sounds promising.

It’s getting dark and I’ve gotta save my laptop battery so that we can watch National Lampoon’s Vacation  (it  was on top of the $5 movie pile at Wal Mart and it was too perfect to pass by) and see what kind of shenanigans we can get ourselves into on this road trip. 

Signing off, 

Mariana, Josh and Dante the Dolphin RV

Borden Dog Haven 

Lisa the hound

Fall leaves 

Overlooking Annapolis

Bridge on the way to Annapolis

 

Washington, D.C.

     

Off we go!

11/20/11

And so it begins! Josh and I are on the road and making our way back to California. We’re hoping to make it back by Thursday afternoon for Thanksgiving so let’s keep our fingers crossed. 

Per usual, LAX was a pain to get to; running late and slightly hungover, we were rushing to get to our gate on time. The pain of having to pass through security was enough to get us both at our wits end but we made it through and our first order of business was to get a drink, eat and relax before our flight. I’m not sure that in any other normal circumstance that having a bloody mary with a bagel and cream cheese would make for an appetizing meal but I was desperate and hey, I love my bloody mary’s. 

6 hours in the air later, we finally arrived in Baltimore last night around 9. Having spent the last 4 hours listening to a doctor talk about the best herbal remedies and his “oh so fantastic” travels to Brazil, we were ready to get off that plane. 

Edith, Josh’s grandma, picked us up and we grabbed a bite at the Honey Bee Diner. It was a welcome sight as we hadn’t eaten anything since LAX. It’s miserable to fly for hours and not even have a little pack of peanuts to keep you going. I sincerely miss those packets.  Once at Oma’s house, we were greeted by a crescendo of dogs barks and howls. Patches, Rosie, Joshyko, Lisa, and Jacky were curious who their new guests were. Oma loved her new photo album of the Borden family and I was thankful for a bed. 

See you in the AM and goodnight everybody!