Heading out to Utah!

So after attempting a visit to Red Rocks to try to catch a sold out concert of the Allman Brothers Saturday night, I packed up and relaxed Sunday before I continued on my journey Monday morning.  While Nathan returned to Red Rocks Sunday to try again at getting in, his niece Drew and I hung out painting and enjoying the day. After a full girls day the day before it was a lot of fun to lay low. Not to mention I have a lot painted rocks to add to my ever expanding collection.  Colorado was a lot of fun. Of course my big complaint would have to be the lack of trees. I know, I know you are saying, its Colorado there are tons of trees! and trust me I got an earful every time I uttered the words, but a New Englander would understand, its just not the same here. I guess many of the areas like the Springs and Parker were farmlands converted to these developments over the years, but little baby trees and a genuine lack for all things landscaped, have caused me to remain unimpressed. Now Boulder was a different story, but of course as I learned from the man running the local pet store Boulder citizens devout themselves to nature and the outdoors, then again I guess they can afford to! It is the glorious land of rich hippies, but beautiful none the less.  Lets hope those comedians on Colfax st I met the other night were right when they told me, "Trees, fuck, just head west there are a shitload of trees. Girl, you're crazy! No trees in Colorado, that's whack." 

  Need I say more. 

 ...to the West I will go!

the zoo

    

The Zoo was a blast! The Cheyenne zoo is built right into the side of the mountains. Although some cages are small, they are very natural and well designed.  There are a variety of animals, of course feeding the giraffes was by far my favorite thing to do!!! Are they not the cutest?!!

  swimming bear...soo cool!

My other favorite was definitely the Gorillas...you were able to get so close to them, it was amazing.

        

colorado fun!

Colorado was super fun! Eliz and I spent a fabulous nite in downtown Denver watching her perform (as well as many others) her standup comedy. You kick ass Eliz!!!! Maybe ill be as brave as you some day! We had a great time and grabbed a bite at an all night diner. The DNC was going on the week i was there so the diner, besides its normal fill of flambouyant gay men, drunken stumblers and comedy junkies, there were well dressed democrats with name badges clogging the doorway.  Unable to be seated right away because all the people weren't there yet i played 'host' and met so many fun people! It was a great cultural experience on Colfax St. :)

       The next day we went to Boulder.  I was told it was fun but full of 'Rich Hippies' ahh i thought...exactly my type! :) Boulder was a lot of fun, if i had a bike of course it could have been more funner! :P Its a place ill return to soon:)

 Shopping in Boulder..boring picture i know!

While in Boulder Eliz and I had to visit the Celestial Seasonings Factory...the only one in the world! The Mint room was the best, an entire room filled with peppermint and spearmint! 

Eliz and I at the Celestial Seasonings Factory.  Hairnet anyone? 

When I returned to the springs I went to a Colbie Calliat Concert at the Fair! (and of course got a carmel apple!) It was awesome, small and amazing! She sounds great live! 

Colbie Callit in concert!!!!!

Colbie up close!

The next day Nate's niece Drew and I went to the Zoo!!!

Welcome to the Cheyenne Zoo!

Welcome to Denver

 There was no 'Welcome to Wyoming' sign, so all I have is the 'state line' (maybe ill get it when i come back through to go to salt lake)

It started out flat but if you look closely you can see mountains in the distance!
 so cool rock formations, like Devils Tower
A town I drove through population 550. elevation 4,165ft. Welcome to Lingle, WY

 This was the best shot I could get of the 'welcome to Colorado' sign...gotta love the rain!

  After about 6 hours and a few pit stops I made it to Denver.  Eliz had gotten called into work so I met her two brothers Ben and Alex and we hung out eating Chinese and watching movies.  Eliz got home round 10 and we stayed up till 2 catching up and gossiping, what girls do best! 

   I left the next afternoon to see Nate in Colorado Springs for a few days and then its back to Denver Tuesday night for Eliz's standup routine and then Wednesday we go to Boulder!! 

Goodbye South Dakota!

          Parts of Hidalgo were filmed in Hot Springs and at the Sanctuary!!

 Our tour bus! 

 Its a baby Hidalgo!! Otherwise known as a medicine hat Mustangs

 One of the many beautiful views!

 A site discovered in the late 1970's where they have excavated hundreds of wooley mammoth bones!

           wooley mammoth bones          the 'real' thing! (Colombian Mammoth)

  After all my adventures in Hot Springs I headed out by noon for the 5 hour drive to Colorado! Yipeee! 

Rushmore and the Park

  

Mount Rushmore 

Some nice family took my picture on the left so I wouldn't have another picture with my head in the corner :) It was a lot of fun. Definitely worth the drive, looked small as I drove up there but once I was in the park it was great.  I took the .6 mile loop with tour guide and visited the sculpture studio too. I needed some form of exercise after driving for so many days.  I stayed till noon did a little shopping in the gift shop and had some lunch. The altitude started to get to me, I didn't realize that I was up almost 6,000ft.  

After Rushmore I headed to Custer National Park it was awesome! I drove the 27 mile 'wildlife loop' at about 25mph.  The first thing I came across was a car stopped in the middle of the road. As I approached I could see furry creatures with their heads inside the car...

                         Its wild ass!!    

I'm sorry i just cant help myself, had to say it! But seriously there were donkeys everywhere! When you drive by, just open your window and they will stick their heads right in! 

                  

Aren't they so cute!!!! I want one! 

I saw other wildlife too...

 Traffic Jam         

          Prong Horns

      Buffaloes

After the animals and Rushmore I headed to Hot Springs, SD. I found a little cabin to stay in that was built in the 1920's.  Then in the morning I would head out to the Wild Horse Sanctuary to see the Mustangs. 

I love South Dakota!!!

I Love South Dakota! Besides the crazy looks I get from people who see my license plate (I did remove my Anti-Bush/Peace sign magnet after I noticed some old people eyeing my car).  It is beautiful out here!!!  I passed fields and fields of sunflowers! It reminded me of Tuscany! All they would need is vineyards! 

I stopped at the Black Hills and drove the 27 mi loop through the park.  It was wonderful, but way too hot to get out and take any of the trails offered.  The loop was awesome, even if I felt lazy driving, hell I have food poisoning remember?!!  I'm weak. 

After the Hills (Hehe Jill I said 'The Hills', Haha this is soooo not like that!) I made my way to the metropolis of Rapid City.  Mount Rushmore was 26 mi away so I figured this was a good place to crash before I ventured there the next morning.  I planned to camp, I called a few places and almost committed, but when I did the drive by i panicked there was water and electric for tent sites, but no camp fires allowed. What is that about? No fires?! No camping. So I found the Big Sky Lodge, up on the top of the town with a beautiful view.  I of course got a reduced price, by explaining that the original was just too expensive. Hehe go me:) Still not that interested in food, I stayed in and slept a lot. 

The next morning I found a car wash first thing, 8 am baby! and gave Fit-Fit a bath.  I decided to do it by hand so I could personally scrub off the bug guts and bird poop I had accumulated through 3 states.  It was really satisfying.  Then with a squeaky clean bright red car, so as to not stand out too much-if my NH plates weren't enough-, I was off to Mount Rushmore! 

Leaving the City

Well it took two more days but I did it! I left Chicago.  It took a lot since we usually stayed up till 2 or 3 in the morning and slept till 11. Having to go to bed to wake up before 10 was crazy!!! :) Thank you to Heath for putting the bolt back on the bike rack so I could leave, I know how hard it was!:) Super big luv and thanks to Julia for housing me for so long, I had a GREAT time and can't wait to visit again! You were a wonderful host, you too Heath! 

So I did a lot of laundry, packed up my mess and packed up Fit-Fit. I left by 9:30! It was a long haul, I worked it out to drive through Wisconsin and Minnesota and sleep in Sioux Falls, SD. That came out to 9 hours, without stops.  As I drove I could clearly see the difference between each state for sure.  Wisconsin although slightly hilly was full of corn, corn, corn. As you entered Minnesota some felt the same but the corn began to lessen and wheat seemed to take over. As I came to cross the South Dakota border the hills started, it became quite a sight! 

Of course during the journey i packed some food. The food I packed was what I had brought to Chicago 2 weeks earlier, Yum!  All I had left was some hummus and carrots to put in my cooler, I'm sorry did I say cooler? I meant insulated bag with NO ice. So food isn't quite refrigerated, but not quite boiling hot form the sun either.  So needless to say, perhaps I should have left it in Julia's clean fridge:) 

But oh no not adventurous me, I ate it! Yeah, a lot of it. Mmmm funny tasting hummus and carrots...Hello food poisoning!  Of course, its about time for something like this to happen and what better a time than as I am getting pulled over for speeding...

"Excuse me ma'am why were you speeding?"

 "Um, well sir I'm about to shit my pants and am trying to make it to that rest stop right there!"

 "Oh ma'am ok ill give you a written warning, shall i meet you at the rest stop?" 

"Um, sure sir thanks!!" and off I zoomed. 

So after that, yes the cop followed me to the rest stop, I haven't been too interested in food other than bread.  I tried yogurt too, maybe some good bacteria would help? :)

I found a lovely room at Microtel hotel in Sioux Falls, thanks to the wonderful coupon book at one of the many visitor's centers along the way. Roomsavers.com I thank you! $44 for the night! and a free continental breakfast!! (not that I could eat much, I packed it for later) I'm learning to appreciate all the free food even if there isn't any fruit, sorry mom!! Ill find some soon I'm sure! :) 

   Off to Rapid City, SD and the Black Hills! 

perhaps ready to leave

So its been about 2 weeks! I am just having too much fun! Wisconsin was fabulous-Madison was really nice an oasis in the corn filled state. Jenni you were right! :) We walked all around town, had some jamba juice-and wheatgrass!- and stopped at a crazy hippie store too! 

After a lovely tour we headed north to the Wisconsin Dels. For those of you that are unfamiliar i would say the place is like Water Country times a thousand sitting next to Hampton beach on crack! Its an experience:) We had a great time at a water park, drinking pina coladas, then stumbling through the water slides and floating down the river. Fabulous!! We returned to the main drag to see it at night, ahh the lights! I purchased an overpriced caramel apple, yum! Then off to a local place for dinner, off the strip, next to Belton Lake-which after the dam broke dried up- We had great burgers and fried cheese curds! 

We returned to Heath's parents house to crash and then woke up to crepes and braut! yummy! We had to buzz out in order to get back to Chicago by 4 so i could catch my flight. We made it-Thanks for the ride Heath!! I flew to DC for my Grandfathers 90th birthday. Although it was a really short visit it was a lot of fun. I reunited with relatives and met even more! Aunt Diane and Uncle Ned's house was lovely and I enjoyed all the wonderful food.  Happy Birthday Grandpa! Pictures to come. 

After a quick flight back to Chicago, Julia and Brenda picked me up and we returned to a wonderful barbecue! Mmmm Heath made burgers! 

So the plan is I do some laundry, pack up, and then Im off to Mount Rushmore hopefully by Wednesday.  Im going to be sad to say goodbye, I have had a fabulous time! Thank you Thank you Thank you to Julia and Heath! Love you!!  

sitting pretty in the city

So after visiting with dad last weekend, i decided to stick around a little while longer.  Julia, Heath and I will be heading to Wisconsin together to see the sights and maybe going camping! Should be fun to see Wisconsin, local style! 

I have had a great time so far-shopping, meeting new people and seeing the city.  Last night we went to the smallest bar in the city! Literally it is just a bar, the whole place is shaped like a triangle.  The bar maybe small but the drinks are intense! 

Off to Wisconsin soon!

The Windy City

Quote of the week: 

  "Heeaath, I feel it would be in your best interest to take out the trash." -Jill

So the last few days have been great. The weather is fabulous and as Jill proclaims the city really is cleaner and nicer than NYC:) Sorry Rachel:) I say that sitting in a cafe listening to people, some who look like they have come right off the street read short stories and poetry as well as preach about their political views....hmm maybe Madison, WI will be different :P

What made the last few days great would have to be my dad coming to visit. I haven't seen him in a while and Im glad he came to visit from Guatemala (he is the crazy one sailing to South America and back). We had a nice time grabbing dinner at the Italian Village, downtown up on the third floor.  It was lovely and I got to take the chocolate mousse home, Yum! We had breakfast this morning before he had to head back home and spend some time on the east coast. 

After the visit, as I said we were to go sing some karaoke. Well in good Blumenthal fashion I cant say it went that smoothly:) When i returned Jill told me that their friend Cannon, who was supposed to be acquiring the limo for the people celebrating, was stuck in Andersonville (lesbian hangout of Chicago:) because the limo had broke down.  So we had to go bring tools and water and rescue him.  So we were off-after a quick 'nature break' of course. Sorry Cannon! :) Yeah, background on the 'Limo': Its circa 1980's, a 'classic' really, complete with a nice rusted blue and dented silver complexion, It comes complete with original 5 inch TV and hand crank sunroof (j/k). Now you ask, Why would they bother to purchase such a piece of art? Well its because it was a picture car! Yup a car used in the show "My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss". Sweet right? I know! 

  So we arrive to find Cannon in the back, alone, with a cooler of Miller High Life.  Spotting the beverage Jill and I 'rested' in the limo as the boys got to work.  Heath had to use my screw driver (thanks Jerry:) to pry open the hood...oooo so ghetto. Fitting the 2x4 just right to hold up the hood they tried their best.  They quickly returned to the back because we were told that we all had to wait for Zhenia.  Now if you ask me or Jill why we were waiting, we couldnt answer-I have no clue-but we did, for a while- We played your classic car ride games-'im going on a picnic' and 'I spy' then it quickly gravitated toward improv games and Jill's question game.  Zhenia arrives on this motorcycle and we explained the problem. Then they went to start it and the battery was dead. So they tried to jump it using the motorcycle battery-no use-we backed Jills car up to the limo and jumped it again- It started! quick close the hood and lets go! 

Everybody gets driving to drop the limo off and get to the party.  We park the limo and i ask the simple question of "hey, where is my screw driver?" "Shit, i dont know-did you check the car?" "yeah not there" "huh, um, im gonna have to guess that, yup its in the hood of the limo" "Son of a *@#$" "How do we get it out if we used it to open the damn thing in the first place?" Well thank god Heath had 3ft long crow bar lying around. Not to mention a thank god the screw driver was still in there and not dropped along the highway! Jerry would have cried at the thought of my being without tools:) 

After that we drove to the bar-i will skip the part about getting lost-im sure you can imagine it:) We finally walk up to the door to find everyone outside hugging and parting. Figures. No drinks, No singing, No Korean. But you know what? I was cool with it-Just not meant to be and besides I was a little too tired to hop up on stage and start whaling it out to Brittnay's "Im a Slave". 

So instead we took pictures of the would be karaoke experience before we headed back home to chillax. So here are some pics:

 Julia 'Jill'  Heath "Heeef"  n Jill 

 Cannon, me, Jill n Heath

Zhenia sneaking beverage

Well stay tuned...

Chicago

Soon after I arrived and had a chance to relax after that long drive, Jill and I headed out to Cleo's one fo the many neighborhood bars to meet up with some friends and celebrate a birthday.  It was fun, though I didnt last long, I soon became addicted to bubble popper, a game on Jill's phone and then was up all night:) 

   The next morning, having reset my clocks-crazy what an hour time change does to you!-We headed out to return some props used on a film Jill was working on.  I have never been to a prop house and I was told this was one of the best! 

But before we could return the props of course we had to put them on and snap a few photos, so here is Jill modeling the rocket launcher and 2 handguns:) 

Knowing what guns in the movies are actually made of, my respect and devotions to violent, shoot'em up films is ruined. :)

After the return we visited Jill's friend Trent's house and I took a few shots of the city view from his roof. 

Then we visited his vintage clothing store call Knee Deep and I contemplated a bright red sequence filled 80's prom dress. Check out the store at www.kneedeepvintage.com

We hung out a a cafe called the Swim Cafe (b/c its across from a swimming pool).  There was a tornado that came through here Monday and knocked out power, so Jill's internet was all busted from the surge.  We had some fabulous panni and updated blogs or searched for jobs, in her case:) 

We came home to chill and watch some fabulous specials on China. Later we went out to a different Cleo's to have $5 pizza! I met a bunch of her friends and we ended up hanging out back at there place till like 4am! Aaa the life! 

Today is Friday and I got my hair cut just a little-gotta keep the ends clean:) Then we got my 'Fit-Fit' Cherry a nice wash and towel dry. Having driven over 1500 mi. she was covered in bug guts and goo...i should have taken a picture! so she is doing much better all shiny and red! 

Tonight we have plans for Karaoke in a Korean bar...it will be my first karaoke experience, wish me luck! Pictures to come of course:)