O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Brother's Family Restaurant, our last stop in Illinois
Visiting Tom, in Naperville, IL
The Naperville Riverwalk
We stopped at bummers in Sterling, CO because we couldn't resist the name. Or maybe it was just the only restaraunt we could find.
Tracy looks a little suspicious. Does she have something in her bag?
We needed a glass to remember the restaurant by.
Winter Park wasn't in our original plan, but we decided to make a detour there because Scott wanted breakfast at Carver's. Unfortunately by the time we got there, they weren't serving breakfast...so we had to stay the night and go the next day!
Tracy poses with the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Bear while waiting for the salesperson to return from a break.
We found this miniature town in someone's backyard as we were exploring Winter Park.
Hmm... Foreshadowing? I think so.
This is where we got engaged. And that, of course, calls for a picture. Thus, after many attempts to balance the camera on a rock, this picture.
And another by hand, just in case.
We stayed at Gasthaus Eichler, a cozy inn (and good restaurant) right on the main street through town.
Taking a break from driving along the Colorado River
This lake was once a town, or so the signs said.
Independence Pass wasn't the fastest way to get to Aspen, but it was the most scenic.
We visited Tyson in Aspen, CO.
Tyson's boss was a nice guy--he let us stay the night in his huge house.
Grand Junction, CO had the Shake, Rattle and Roll diner.
A place like this just cries out for dancing.
Arches National Park was another unplanned stop, but we were so close that we had to spend a few hours there. This is the broken wall.
A baby arch--can you see it?
Balancing Rock
Tracy in the Garden of Eden...not sure why they call it that. It's just as hot and dry as it looks!
The March of Elephants
The North Window
Our campsite at the Grand Canyon
A bird's eye view of Bright Angel Trail
A California Condor
This is us before heading down the trail. It was still pretty chilly at 8:00am, but that didn't last long...
Every time a line of mules passes, you have to squeeze to one side. And then watch where you step afterwards.
So, the day we got to the Grand Canyon was the last day they were allowing campfires before the burn ban went into effect for the summer. But, lucky us, it was so windy that they started the ban early. After we had bought wood, mind you. So we stowed the wood in the trunk, and broke out the candle...
Every road trip needs a picture with the car. I think this is the only one we got.
Parts of Arizona are still in the Stone Age, apparently.
We did wind from Chicago to LA, but this lunch was our only foray onto Route 66.
Our third brother stop was a visit to Toby in Scottsdale, AZ. While we were there we climbed Camelback Mountain.
Camelback Mountain is a weird place. It's not a big mountain; in fact, it's small enough that it's contained within the city of Scottsdale. Apparently fitness enthusiasts of the southwest use it as a place to run on their lunch hour, so we were passed by people going either direction the entire time we were hiking.
It also gets good cell reception.
Monopoly was played. Brightly colored money changed hands, most of it ending up in Tracy's.
Wind farms en route to LA
This is as close as we could get to the Hollywood sign. We don't make very good tourists.
Our final brother visit was Tim in Morro Bay, CA. We took a tour of the brewery he worked at.
Highway 1 would take us up the Pacific coast for almost the rest of our trip. Don't ask about the bullet holes.
Don't eat at the Whale Watcher's Cafe. Their food's not that good, and it's really expensive. Possibly because it's the only restaurant between LA and San Fran.
Scott, too, could have a hit TV show.
The San Francisco skyline, from our lunch spot on Treasure Island.
We splurged and stayed at the Radisson Miyako hotel in San Francisco's Japantown.
A view from our hotel room.
And the same at night.
We head across the Golden Gate Bridge, and on with our trip.
The most important stop of our trip was Moonstruck Chocolates in Portland. The first one we went to was closed, but fortunately we found another that was open.
We had the dubious pleasure of being in town for Portland's gay pride parade...
...where we learned to always use protection.
Let this be a warning to all you bicyclists out there: Portland is out to get you.
Powell's is possibly the best bookstore ever. It fills a city block and has something like four floors.
Remember that wood that we dumped in the trunk at the Grand Canyon? This is were we finally used it, camping in the fine town of Butteville, OR.
And we finally made it to our destination: Seattle, WA.
Once Illinoians, now Seattlites.