Day 10 - Eugene to the Coast

This morning Rogue Ale House/Eugene city Brewery had a "bailout package." As long as we wore our pajamas, we got brunch for free. We had a Kobe Scramble which was Kobe beef, eggs, black beans, tomatoes and cheese. It was delicious! Drew washed his down with their Mocha Porter. Can we get that Rogue beer in NC? It is one of our favorites.

We finally made it all the way to the West! We are on the Oregon Coast. We stopped to see the sea lion caves. There was an amazing number of sea lions both in the cave and out on the bank. I think one of them may have been Riley's dad. They sound the same when they grunt.

Then, we looked for tidal pools along the low tide line just beneath the Heceta Lighthouse. The dogs fetched sticks in the ocean.

We had clam chowder 3 times today! We are trying to find the best. So far our favorite is from a fish market we found last year in Newport. They also have an amazing Dungeness crab served with cheesy, garlic bread! We also stopped in at the Rogue Brewery.

Day 9 - Eugene

Today started with a run and biking on the greenway. Then, we let the dogs cool off in the river.

Trent gave us a mission to find the best coffee in the U.S., so we went to Theo's Coffeehouse because they get their beans from a local coffee roaster. The coffee was okay but the coffeehouse was huge. It did not have the small, cozy feeling of most coffeehouses.

Eugene's Saturday Market is the oldest continously operating market in the U.S. There were 3 blocks of vendors. Most were local artists. We got some garden art, earrings, baby clothes, a flower vase and CDs from a local band.

We headed to Cottage Grove to see 7 covered bridges. Lane County is known for all their covered bridges.

We took a back way to Eugene and saw King Estate Winery. Ashleigh had seen their pinot noir listed as one of the best for under $30 a bottle so we stopped. Drew tasted and bought Ashleigh 2 bottles that she can have after the baby comes. It is hard to find less expensive pinot noir in Oregon because all the wineries are boutique wineries meaning their production is limited. The pinot noir is wonderful though!

We ended the day with a walk through the Univeristy of Oregon's campus and got frozen yogurt from a restuarant on campus. The campus is beautiful! Just what you would expect of a college campus, old, ivy covered buildings.

Day 9 - Portland to Eugene

We started our day in the same neighborhood that we ended our evening yesterday. We had coffee at a French bistro and walked through the shops that were not open last night. There was a really cool mural on the bike shop building.

Only a 2 hour drive today! Yeah! The drive was beautiful through vineyards and orchards. We also saw fields of iris in bloom. Eugene is the home of the Oregon Ducks and Track and Field USA. (It is also the home of Nike.) The greenway follows along the river just like in Boise. We took a walk with the dogs and let them swim in the river to cool off.

We headed over to Eugene City/Rogue Ale House brewery for happy hour. Drew had Rogue's Mocha Porter which is awesome! Ashleigh had the house root beer which was good. Then, we went to a local fish market for dinner. We are only 60 miles from the Oregon Coast so they bring the fish in fresh daily. We had clam chowder and Dungeness crab. There is an awesome beer shop in town. It has 12 coolers full of beer! We picked up an assortment and will let you know if we find any good ones. Once again, Ashleigh is becoming a root beer and ginger ale connoisseur.

Day 8 - Boise to Portland

We rode 5 miles on the greenway in Boise with the dogs before loading up and heading to Oregon. We were going to go through Bend to Eugene but decided at the last minute to head north for Walla Walla, WA. The tour books could not say enough nice things about Walla Walla but we did not like it at all so we turned around and headed for Portland.

We went through the entire Columbia River Gorge on our way to Portland. The landscape changes dramatically in The Dalles. The Indians call The Dalles "where the sun meets the clouds." It is also where the desert stops and the trees begin.

When we got to Portland, we stopped at Lucky Labrador Brewing. Drew had a black IPA and a super hoppy IPA called Super Dog. You have probably seen him wear the shirt that we got last summer. Thank goodness they also brew their own ginger ale and root beer. We ordered a pizza called Dog's Breath. It was full of garlic and delicious but we could not eat it all so we let the dogs have a slice.

Then, we headed over to the largest street festival we have ever been to on the northeast side of town. It was about 17 blocks of local artists and musicians. Drew said that he had never seen so many freaks in his life but we had a great time! The neighborhood was very much like Wilmore and NoDa combined.

Tomorrow we are supposed to head for Eugene but we are having a hard time leaving Portland.

Day 7 - Stanley to Boise

We were supposed to take a 7 mile float trip this morning in duckies down the Salmon River but the river was running very high and fast and cold so we bailed out. On our drive to Boise, we spotted a hot spring running down the side of a mountain. The geothermal activity here is just amazing. The capital building is even geothermally heated.

Boise is beautiful! There is no doubt why it has been voted as one of the top 10 places to live in the U.S. There is a greenway that runs for 9 miles up and down the river. Boise State is right on the river and greenway.

We ate lunch from a Mexican truck on the lawn near the capital. Then, we found a great little convience store that sold ice cream right across from a school. What a great marketing idea!

There is alfresco dining at almost every restaurant. We ate at a Basque restaurant on the patio with the dogs. (Basque is the region between France and Spain. There is a Basque area in Boise.) Tomorrow we are going to ride our bikes on the greenway with the dogs and then head for Bend, OR.

Day 6 - Hailey to Stanley, ID

Idaho has the cleanest roads of any state we have ever been too. We have not seen one single piece of trash.

We left Hailey and headed up to Ketchum/Sun Valley where we walked along a creek with the dogs. Sun Valley is the ski resort in the area.

Then, we headed into Sawtooth National Recreational Area. It was a beautiful wilderness area with tons of creeks, 13 alpine lakes, fishing, whitewater rafting/kayaking, camping and hot springs galore.

We found the most amazing hot spring. It was a wooden tube in the middle of a river. You filled the tub with the hot spring water and cooled it with the cold river water.

We camped at Riverside Campground right along the Salmon River. The dogs got to eat hot dogs and marshmallows for dinner. It got REALLY cold during the night so we all slept in the car. The stars were AMAZING. You could see so many of them. It was like we had seen the bright ones before but not the dimmer ones.

Day 5 - Jackson to Hailey, ID

"Life is a journey, not a destination."

Today, we went mountain biking at Cache Creek. The altitude was killing us. It felt like there was no oxygen to be had out there, but the trials were great single track.

We headed up to Teton Village which is the main ski resort. We had buffalo burgers at the Mangy Moose. They were fantastic! Then, we played 9 holes of disc golf. One of the holes was in the snow leftover from a jump. Riley ate his weight in snow.

We drove through most of Idaho. We passed the Snake River and Drew had a beer at Brownstone Brewing in Idaho Falls. We ended up in Hailey which is the perfect western town. We are just 11 miles from Sun Valley ski resort. Drew had some great beers at Sun Valley Brewing last night.

We will head for the hot springs and ski resort tomorrow.

Day 4 - Jackson Hole

"College degree. Full-time job. Big house. We all make mistakes." That was a quote on one of the t-shirts in Jackson.

Today was a VERY busy day. We started out taking photos at the Elk Antler Arches in Town Square.

Then, we had a huge breakfast at Jedediah's. They make sour jack pancakes which is kind of like sourdough bread. It was the perfect breakfast before an 8.5 mile hike at Cache Creek. There was snow on the Tetons in the background and still snow near the creek. The creek was high because of the snow runoff.

We saw lots of "droppings" while hiking. We even saw a moose hoof print.

Next, we were off to Grand Teton National Park. We saw Jackson Lake at the base of the Tetons. We were supposed to camp here but it rained every night that we were in Jackson and the evenings were in 30s.

After Grand Teton National Park, we headed north to Yellowstone National Park. We saw Old Faithful, the Old Faithful Lodge, bison, elk, and the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone which has the highest waterfall in the park at 308 ft.

Another beautiful sunset leaving Yellowstone.

Day 3 - Laramie to Jackson

"The mountains are calling, and I must go." - John Muir

Today was a much easier travel day. It only took 8 hours to get from Laramie to Jackson with stops along the way.

As soon as we left Laramie, we could see mountains. It was a welcome site since yesterday all we saw was flat farmland. You can see a fence that catches the snow drifts to keep them off the roads in the winter.

We visited two brewpubs yesterday. The first one was Bitter Creek in Rock Springs, WY and the second was Snake River Brewing in Jackson, WY. Drew had a great porter at Bitter Creek and Ashleigh had their Root Beer which was awesome. At Snake River, Drew had the OB-1 which was cask conditioned and their Pale Ale.

Zoe and Riley travelled so well getting out here. We decided to stop at the Forks River and let them fetch sticks. Yes, that is Riley with the stick in his mouth. He only fetches sticks and prefers to be swimming when fetching. The water was not nearly as cold as we expected being that it is run off from the snow.

The Grand Tetons are the snow covered mountains in the background. Jackson is at 10, 450 ft so we drink plenty of water and take Tylenol for the altitude headaches.

When we got into Jackson, they were having Old West Days. We got a corn cob that was coated in butter, dry parmesan cheese, and cajun seasoning. It was delicious!

Day 2 - Paducah, KY to Laramie, WY

Last night we were going to stay at a Holiday Inn Express but they wanted to charge a pet fee "by the pound." (Zoe weighs 55 lbs and Riley weighs 75 lbs.) I can only imagine what the charge could have been! We were "smarter" for not staying there.

Leaving Paducah. Our first stop: Kansas City for B-B-Q! We stopped at Oklahoma Joe's B-B-Q. The restaurant is located in the back of a gas station. Drew got The Z Man which has beef brisket, provolone cheese, 2 onion rings and b-b-q sauce on a kaiser bun. It is the best b-b-q sandwich we have ever had! Zoe and Riley enjoyed eating the leftovers.

We did two very Americana things today. 1. We stopped in a small town to get gas and the local firefighters were having a B-B-Q fundraiser so we bought a plate. 2. When we entered Iowa, there was a sign for a soda fountain in an old drug store so we stopped for root beer floats.

Has anyone seen Zoe? She is sleeping on top of all the gear in the back. Riley is afraid of the rumble strips on the side of the road. He insists upon sitting in your lap when one is hit. He also got a little car sick and threw up after being in the car for 17 hours. No worries, the mommy-to-be was a little sick and had very sore legs as well. Ashleigh's comment as we pulled into Laramie, WY to spend the night: "Boy, that was fun!"

We have no idea why everyone keeps saying the US is overpopulated. There is plenty of space in Missouri, Nebraska and Wyoming. In fact, in Nebraska, they can shutdown two lanes of the interstate for construction and still not cause a traffic jam on the Friday before Memorial Day.

Tomorrow, we will leave Laramie and drive the final 8 hours to Jackson Hole, WY. We cannot wait to get out of the car!

P.S. Drew is being sweet and decided to stop drinking while I am pregnant. That was the worst 15 minutes of his life! He is tasting beer tomorrow in Jackson.

Day 1

Charlotte to Paducah, KY
















We left on Thursday, May 21 at 4PM with 233,900 miles on the Tahoe and 2260 miles to our first destination of Jackson Hole, WY.
















Sunset outside of Nashville, TN. The best sunset of our trip, so far.






















General Lee's B-B-Q was in a gas station that was also an Amish Store and a Discount Boot Store. Not in Charlotte anymore?

We made it as far a Paducah, KY. It took 9 hours to get there.

Day 2: We will head for Wyoming. 24 more hours on the road!