Seattle, WA

 El Fin!  


30 days 
26 states
9,900 miles 
0 Accidents
0 Tickets 
Infinite Memories 


Thank you family and friends for your love and support along the way.  Thank you for taking the time to read our blog and stay tuned for future adventures.  

Adventure awaits...

Yellowstone National Forest, WY

Day 28-29:  Our final destination in practically the most beautiful place we visited all month.  After entering the park and taking a beautiful scenic drive through colorful Wyoming, we discovered our first bison, walking in the middle of the road causing us to pause in it's massive beauty.  Shortly after viewing the bison and a five minute drive later, we saw a grizzly bear just off the road.  Yellowstone is full of amazing wildlife.  We also caught many glimpses of elk, hawks, and a variety of other birds.  While visiting the park, we took a short hike through the backcountry, visited hot springs, and stood over waterfalls.  This was the perfect conclusion to our long trip.

If you look hard enough, you will see the grizzly :) 

Garrett, Marcia, Kimmy

Mt. Rushmore, SD

Day 27:  On our way to Yellowstone, we stopped at virtually the only tourist attraction that lives in South Dakota.  After paying the eleven dollar entry fee, we spent a solid 30 minutes viewing the mountain and learning about how the monument was created. We bought kitschy Mt. Rushmore baseball hats to seal the memory and the American spirit.  

Chicago, IL

Day 25-26:  The heat wave that we narrowly avoided finally caught up with us in Chicago.  Across the city, people were finding every way possible to cool off by jumping in fountains, misters, and fire hydrants that had been unleashed.  Because of the heat, we found refuge in the amazing Art Institute of Chicago Museum, walked around Millennium Park, and explored the downtown area.  We also had the chance to walk along Lake Michigan and watch the locals swim and play on the beach.  

Mill Run, PA - Fallingwater

Day 24: The Frank Lloyd Wright phenomenon, Fallingwater, is in the middle of nowhere, but if you find yourself driving from NYC to Chicago through PA (for some reason) this is a must-see.   Learning about the breadth of influence that Wright had on design, art history, modernism, and the fusion of the east and the west was incredibly inspiring.  Unfortunately, we were not able to take any pictures of the interior but just know, it’s a super swanky, happening place- in a very 1930’s-1960’s-retro king of way.  We loved it.     

New York, NY

Day 21-23: Take a bite out of this big apple.  One, you are always dirty.  Two, your feet always hurt.  Three, you will want to cry a little at the end of the day. Yes, we did wear on tennis shoes, jean shorts, and white socks.  But no, we did not ride any tour buses or pay extraneous amounts of money for gifts from the gift shops.  Here were some of the highlights: dining at Whole Foods in Columbus Circle every day, watching Harry Potter at the AMC in Times Square, visiting the Guggenheim/ MoMa/ the Met, enjoying a flourless chocolate cake from Magnolia Bakery in Rockefeller square, shopping in Soho, prancing around Greenwich Village, and people-watching in Central Park. 

 

Philadelphia, PA

Day 20: Philly, why do we love it?  Well we didn’t at first… it’s not exactly the prettiest city on the map.  In fact, its rather grungy.  But once you get past the hokey American history like the Liberty Bell (which we did see through a window and no we did not wait 2 hours in line) and all the old buildings, you remember that Philly is the mecca (home office) for Anthropologie ;). We loved walking the shops on Walnut street and enjoyed the biggest bowl of guacamole paired fabulous margaritas.  Philly, it was short but sweet.

Washington D.C.

Day 18 and 19: And this is where it all began… not just our nation’s history but also the non-stop journey through busy cities that never sleep.  We spent two days exploring DC, which we loved for its incredible monuments, museums, and most importantly, the first time we ever laid eyes on FIREFLIES.  We visited the Washington monument, WWII memorial, Vietnam memorial, Lincoln memorial, the White House (from very far away), Arlington Cemetery, the Smithsonians (The National History museum, National Gallery, and Freer Gallery), the Capitol Building, and still had time to spare to enjoy some amazing sushi with the locals.  Are you impressed?

 

Louisville, KY

Louisville, Kentucky is one of our new favorite places on the road.  This city is filled with beautiful history, architecture, and sprawling green spaces.  Kimmy's dad and grandparents lived right outside of downtown Louisville until Kimmy's dad reached high school.  In light of family history, we visited the house where John was raised, in an adorable neighborhood and quaint community.  We also ventured out to the countryside to visit one of the oldest bourbon distilleries in the world, Maker's Mark, in Loretto, KY.  After sipping bourbon, we braved one of the biggest thunderstorms either of us had ever experienced in our lives.  Driving through the heart of a thunderstorm in the south means flash flood warnings, lightening, and winds up to 45 mph.  Here were some of the highlights: