2008 - Saturday, July 19

MEM-DEN
Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming
July 12 - July 19, 2008

• Made it back to Denver and checked into the Hampton Inn downtown. We got settled then made our way to the Denver Art Museum. The museum is home to a very large collection of Native American artwork, and has a collection of about 68,000 pieces.
• After the museum, we headed to the Great Divide Brewery, had several beers and took a tour of the brewery. Sufficiently tipsy, we walked down to Coors Field for a Rockies game. After the game we walked (stumbled?) toward the hotel, hit up bar or two and ended up back at the hotel. Somehow. No one knows, and it is a mystery to this day, one that haunts the citizens of Denver.
• The next day, seeing that we had survived the evening, we were proud of ourselves. And then left for the airport to go back to Memphis.

2008 - Friday, July 18

MEM-DEN
Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming
July 12 - July 19, 2008

• Was very cold last night - mid to low 40s. We were up around 7 AM and headed back into the park. We hiked the Fern Lake Trail, about 4 miles. Very scenic hike along rushing stream.
• Went to the Moraine Park Museum which schooled us on glaciers and moraines. Back through Estes Park to Estes Park Brewery for a tour, but they didn't have tours, so it was just for a bite (and a beer of course). We tried some samples and walked over to a miniature golf course next door. Brad won by a couple strokes (he calls it a slaughter).
• Took Hwy 7 south to find camping - the first 3 places were full. Woman at the Pawnee Recreation Area told us we could camp off-road in Roosevelt National Forest, but we would be "roughing it". This is after we offended her by saying we didn't want to be near old people or RVs (she presumably belonged to the latter group, certainly to the former). We found a really nice, secluded spot about 1/4 mile down a (very) primitive dirt/rocky road. Tons of HUGE mosquitos, but they are less annoying than screaming children.
• Tried to use the rest of the food and beer (tomorrow headed to Denver). Dinner consisted of chicken drumsticks, beans and grilled corn. BOD: Estes Park Pale Ale, Red, Raspberry Wheat; Bud Light, and misc remaining beers
• Mileage: 1779 total/60 today.

2008 - Thursday, July 17

MEM-DEN
Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming
July 12 - July 19, 2008

• Departed camp around 10:30 via Hwy 230 toward Colorado. Stopped in Walden, CO for lunch, which was pretty shitty. Within 10 minutes of leaving town, we FINALLY saw a MOOSE! This was the first moose we had seen on any of our vacations, and to be able to finally know that they weren't really a myth was priceless. Unfortunately the camera was in the console, and the thing took off, like it had something to hide (hello, sasquatch). But it did look like all the other meese we'd seen in photos, so...
• Went to Stanley, CO and entered Rocky Mountain National Park from the west. It was a really pretty drive, but no wildlife. HUGE mountains!! Did a one mile hike at the top of one peak through tundra. All the campgrounds in the park were full so we drove through the park and on to Long's Peak campground. By far, the crappiest spot this whole trip (perhaps ever?), but we were pretty tired anyway. It started raining as soon as we put up the tent and didn't appear to be stopping any time soon, so we drove back to Estes Park (~ 9 miles away) to eat. Ended up dining at a pizzeria (salad bar!).
• Back at camp, and we were in bed by 8:30 (sad).
• Elevation here is about 10,000 feet. Neither of us drank anything all day (!!!) so there was no BOD. This could be another first.
• Mileage: 1719 total/231 today

2008 - Wednesday, July 16

MEM-DEN
Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming
July 12 - July 19, 2008

• Got up and ate the "continental breakfast" at the Showboat Motel. It was the kind of breakfast setup that would most likely house families of cockroaches. We ended up leaving Casper around 9:30.
• Drove south through the Shirley Mountains and stopped in Hanna, WY to check out a museum. We ate lunch at Hanna's Wild Wonder Cafè. Both of us had the Janet chicken sandwich. The museum was actually closed so we headed south toward Medicine Bow National Forest.
• We stopped in Saratoga, a nice little western town. We bought a few things at a couple gift shops and walked around the town a bit. On the way out of town, we stopped at the NFS office for camping ideas. We were told to head south to Encampment, WY.
• We passed through the suggested campground and went farther into the Sierra Madre Mountains. There was a very secluded campground that we found called Lost Creek, where we set up camp. Elevation here is 9,ooo feet. There was snow on the side of the roads. There was lots of firewood in the campground due to a beetle infestation (the forest service had to cut them down).
• BOD: Grand Teton IPA (Jackson Hole) and New Belgium Brewing Co Abbey Ale (Ft Collins), PBR
• Mileage: 1488 total/238 today.

2008 - Tuesday, July 15

MEM-DEN
Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming
July 12 - July 19, 2008

• Departed camp around 10 AM and headed north on 14 - very scenic drive up to I-9o.
• Made our way to Devils Tower in northeast Wyoming. It's essentially a giant pillar of a rock, rising about 1200 feet off the ground. Sioux Indian folklore tells of a group of girls chased by bears. The Great Spirit felt sorry for them and raised the ground under them, saving their lives. The bears scratched at the side of the tower, creating the vertical marks on the side. Ate lunch here, which consisted of leftover chicken shoved into wraps.
• Heading back on I-90, Nick got pulled over by the Wyoming state highway patrol going 88 in a 75. Shady cop took the ticket payment in cash, after following us to an ATM up the highway.
• Took highway 50 south but turned the wrong way and ended up back on 59. Drove to Douglas, then on to Casper. We thought it would be a cool western town, but no, not so much. Downtown wasn't so bad, but there weren't any hotels. We found the LAST hotel. room in the city at the Showboat National 9 Motel - the sort of place of you would find a dead hooker - all for just $95 a night.
• Dinner: some brewery/pub downtown Casper. Our waitress was fun and chatty. She told us all about Mormon crickets and prairie dogs.
• BOD: wheat and pale ales from the brewery (they were so-so).
• Mileage: 1250 total/377 today

2008 - Monday, July 14

MEM-DEN
Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming
July 12 - July 19, 2008

• Departed camp around 8:30 and drove to Mt Rushmore, outside Keystone. We were in and out within 30 minutes, but it was already very full of tourists. We explored the interpretive center, and looked at the monument, and that was the extent of the visit. It was impressive, but less so than either of us expected. It seemed smaller, less grand than we had envisioned. In fact, the nearby Crazy Horse Memorial was massive in size in comparison to Rushmore.
• After Rushmore, we drove to Sitting Bull Crystal Caverns - home to the world's largest intact collection of dogtooth spar crystals. We were with a small group led by a young, fairly knowledgeable guide who took us through part of the cave and its extensive passages, explaining some of the underground formations and the science behind their creation. About 45 minutes later, we emerged from underground and made our way back to the highway.
• We stopped at a Ruby Tuesday's in Rapid City, the second-largest city in SD (at ~60,000 people). Had a shitty quesadilla and a couple salads, all for the low, low price of $30!
  
• We then made the trek to the Badlands from there. Badlands National Park is pretty cool - it reminded us quite a bit of Bryce Canyon National Park (click link for 2007 entry). It was HOT! Temps were in the 90s. We wanted to camp here, but there was nothing - just desert and RVs. And no fires were allowed, even in the limited amount of campspace available at the park. We don't tend to enjoy camping at a national park anyway, so we returned west via I-90, which is the longest interstate in the country.
• After driving (and driving) we found a place to camp back in the Black Hills at Roubaix Lake, about 15 miles outside of Deadwood. We were the only campers in this area of the national forest, but camping was the most expensive we've experienced so far, at $19/night. It's fairly quiet and peaceful here.
• Filled up gas tank in Rapid City for $75 (at just $3.99/gallon!). BOD: Breckenridge Amber, Boulevard Wheat (KS City), and PBR. Dinner: BBQ chicken, with grilled potatoes and onions. Mileage: 873 total/309 today.

2008 - Sunday, July 13

MEM-DEN
Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming
July 12 - July 19, 2008

• Got up around 8, left Crawford, Nebraska by 9 AM or so. Drove to South Dakota via US 385 through Buffalo Gap National Grassland. Stopped at Mammoth Site in Hot Springs, SD. It's essentially a museum dedicated to...mammoths, which were very common in this area of the country a couple years ago. Refueled for $90 and went to Custer, SD. Had lunch and Dairy Queen (blizzards!)
• Went to Wind Cave before going into Custer but decided to tour Jewel Cave instead. After leaving Custer, we drove to the Crazy Horse Memorial. We did not, however, agree with paying the gate attendant $20 to enter the parking lot, so we drove over all the cars with our tank, AKA Chevy Suburban. No, we did not do that. We simply took a few pictures from where we were and left.
• Stopped at Jewel Cave, but the tour we wanted was not starting for another hour and a half or so. Decided to begin the hunt for camping instead. Drove through Black Hills National Forest and got a bit turned around - a couple ATV riders helped us find our way through the forest...there are very extensive dirt roads that are pretty confusing, even (especially?) with a map.
• After finding, then rejecting a few campgrounds in the forest, we decided on Custer Trail campground, on Deerfield Lake (elev 5,700 ft). Camping = $12. There were lots of boaters, but by 7 PM or so the place cleared out
• Dinner: Chicken sausage and corn. BOD: Moose Drool (a favorite each year) and PBR. Mileage: 564 total/190 today

2008 - Sat, July 12

MEM-DEN
Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming
July 12 - July 19, 2008

• Arrived in Denver around 10 AM and picked up the rental "car". No compacts were available (think 2008 = insane gas prices) so the rental car company gave us the next best thing they had - a MASSIVE Chevy Suburban. They agreed to provide us with a tank of gas...which we would soon learn was very valuable.
• Hit up the Super Target in Brighton, CO outside of Denver for supplies - once again, we forgot to bring the cooking/grilling grate...and then forgot to get one at Target. So we stopped at a Wal-Mart (gasp!) in Sterling. This town seems to be a meth-town with lots of, shall we say, mouth-breathers. Ate at Arby's (anything will do at this point). Beer was secured at Nick's Liquors.
• Everything ready to go, we finally hit the (wide) open road. Got into Nebraska via Hwy 113 to 385 - it's the Gold Rush Scenic Byway north through the NE panhandle to the northwest corner of the state. After a bit of driving through the rolling Nebraska hills. YES! there are hills in this state. On through to Oglala National Grasslands to Toadstool National Geologic Park to camp for the night, but there was no firewood and there were people there. The scenery there was pretty odd - lots of sandstone and rock formations. Click the link for more info.
  
• We drove a bit more and then went a couple miles out of the way to go to a place called Carhenge. Carhenge is a car monument, replicating Stonehenge, built in 1987. Bizarre thing to find in the middle of the prairie, for sure (see satellite map). Other sculptures have been erected since, including dinosaurs and giant salmon.
• Continuing on our way, a woman at a gas station outside the N.G. recommends Soldier Creek National Wilderness Refuge, which we promptly found (in Nebraska National Forest - YES! there is forest in NE) and claimed a great camping spot in the middle of...well, nowhere.
• We discovered that this land was clearly used for cattle at one time. We explored some cattle pens, which we referred to as "Cowschwitz". We thought this was the funniest thing...at least all week. (Nick is allowed to say this due to his ethnicity). The cows were led up ramps, into cattle trucks, never to be heard from again. And no one said anything.
• Beer of the Day (BOD): New Belgium Skinny Dip Ale, *Odell 5-Barrel Pale, and PBR
• Mileage: 373

Indianapolis, Indiana

MEM-IND
June 16-19, 2008

• We flew from Memphis to Indianapolis, arriving in the afternoon on the 16th. Picked up the rental car (a kickass bright blue Chrysler Sebring convertible) and made our way to the Homewood Suites, downtown in the Wholesale District. The hotel was really nice - it was a renovated warehouse space with exposed brick walls and tall ceilings.
• Got settled then went to Claddagh Irish Pub, across Meridian Street for lunch. After eating we played some pool at the hotel and had a couple drinks, courtesy of the wonderful Homewood Suites.
• Heather met up with us at the hotel and played a few games of pool. After a while, we decided to go to a bar called Howl at the Moon, around the corner on Georgia St, for a couple drinks. We hung out there for a while then called it a night.
• The next day we went around the downtown area. We checked out Circle Center mall (seven different hotels connect to the mall, including 2 Hilton hotels), Monument Circle and the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument, which was built in 1902 and is just 21 feet shorter than the Statue of Liberty. We also explored Mass Ave (one of the few streets running on an angle from Delaware St downtown to the northeast), went to the State Capital, Union Station, and went for a long walk along the Indianapolis Canal Walk.
• Later that day, we went to Fishers, a suburb on the northeast side, to visit Heather. She had a good laugh at our car - mainly because the top was down at Brad's insistence. We went to Zionsville to see Heather's parents. Dianne gave Nick some great Indiana souvenirs - a couple Indiana University mugs.
• After leaving Zionsville, we went back downtown to the hotel. It was raining, so we didn't really feel like doing too much. We decided to have dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory. We stuffed ourselves and then crashed for the night.
• The next day we woke up and headed to Bloomington, which is about 45 minutes south of the city. We toured part of the Indiana University campus as well as Kirkwood Ave. After that we went to Yogi's (yes, the bar that our dog is named after) and had lunch and played pool, then went to Upland Brewery and had a couple pints. Heading north on IN 37 that afternoon, we stopped at Oliver Winery for wine tasting and bought a couple bottles.
• Arriving back in Indy, we went to Jillian's and played lots of games - racing, skee-ball, and air hockey. With our winnings, we bought some tattoos and punching balloons.
• We had tickets for the Indianapolis Indians game that evening. We went to Alcatraz Brewery on Maryland St before heading to the stadium and met up with Heather and had a few beers. Went to Victory Field and watched the game.
• The next day was Sunday, the last day of our visit. We had a pretty early flight so we took it easy Saturday evening and in the morning, Brad, Nick, the Sebring, and a parking ticket headed to the airport and back to Memphis.
  

New Orleans, Louisiana

Memphis - New Orleans via Amtrak (City of New Orleans route)
Brad's birthday
April 24-27, 2008

• Nick, Brad, Amanda, and Erica took the train from Memphis to New Orleans. Drove to downtown Memphis to Central Station, where we checked in, got our tickets, and boarded a bus to an area near President's Island, off Riverport Road, due to an 18 foot deep sinkhole that forced Amtrak to detour train service around the city. We arrived at the train around 6:30 AM in what appeared to be a shipping/rail yard and boarded.
• Train departed and for the next 10 hours we were riding. Surprisingly, there was plenty of good food on board. As we rode through the Mississippi Delta and into Louisiana, we kept ourselves entertained by reading, chatting, eating, and watching the woman behind us interact with her child. And the conductors. This lady felt it was her god-given right to disembark and smoke at each stop (whether she was allowed to or not). She was pretty vocal about her rights as a smoker.
• Arriving in New Orleans around 4 pm, we left the train station via taxi and went to the hotel (Doubletree) downtown. We checked into the hotel and started walking, mainly looking to hit up some bars and score a couple drinks - sorely needed after being on the train all day.
• Harrah's casino was located across the street from the hotel - we made our way into the casino at some point and played a few games. Well, Nick and Brad played (Nick's first go at Roulette banked him about $200) while Erica and Amanda got something to eat. They were both wasting away from starvation. We saw Amy Lavere play a set that evening.
• The next day saw more drinking, hanging out in the French Quarter at bars, playing air hockey, darts, pool. One of Erica's happiest moments of the trip came when she realized that her Coor's Light bottle changed colors once the beer was no longer cold. Amanda said that this was when Erica would know when to start chugging her beer. One of Amanda's meals that day consisted of a chili dog from a greasy spoon, topped with slices of cheese FRIED on a FLAT GRILL. A picture of health, this woman.
• Erica, Amanda, and Brad took an afternoon trip to the Garden District. They visited a cemetery and had some phenomenal pizza. Nick met up with them once back downtown and everyone went to the market to look at junk. We also took a walk along the river.
  
• That evening we all went to dinner at a nice restaurant in the French Quarter and while Amanda was dressed to the nines, she was not wearing the most comfortable pair of hooker shoes...so much so that she had to make a trip into the Walgreen's to get a pair of flip flops. We stopped at a few more bars, had a few more drinks then headed back to the hotel.
• The following morning, we all packed up and got a cab to the train station (NOUPT). Checked in, waited, then boarded the train. Once into Mississippi, the conductor asked us (each, sitting alone with no one next to us) to consolidate since we were together and take up 1 full row because there were several more passengers getting on at the next stop. And one of them just happened to be our lovely carmate from the trip down, just a few days before. And she was still concerned about when/where she was going to be able to smoke her cigarettes. Classy.
  

Phoenix, Arizona

MEM-PHX
Feb 29-Mar 2, 2008
Baseball Spring Training

• Flew from Memphis to Phoenix. Arrived on the afternoon of the 29th and checked into the Homewood Suites in Chandler, a suburb.
• Settled in then made our way to the Spring Training game. We had tickets for 3 Cubs games in 3 days. Cubs play in the Cactus League of MLB Spring Training.
  
• Friday - Game 1: Cubs vs Giants at HoHoKam Park in Mesa. Gametime weather is perfect - sunny and not a cloud in the sky. Nick bought a new Cubs hat and Brad got a new Cubs t-shirt. Cubs lose.
• A banner advertising a place called Culver's in the outfield bragged about something called 'butter burgers'. This is something that can clog arteries just reading/learning about. It is a burger on a bun that has been buttered so generously that the sandwich itself sits in a deep pool of melted butter on the plate. A Google Image search turned up some interesting-looking burgers.
• Went to a bar in the area and had a few beers after the game. Ate dinner then went back to the hotel.
• The next day we went for a hike in South Mountain Park/Preserve. It took some effort to get to the park where the trail starts, off the Maricopa Freeway. It was hard as hell to find. When we arrived, there was nowhere to park, so we essentially had to go to the other side of the park and come in from the north, which ended up working out well anyway, since there was nobody hiking in the area we went. The highest mountain in the park (opened in 1924) is a little over 2,500 elevation. On the hike, we came across some great scenery and lots of wildflowers.
• Saturday - Game 2: Cubs vs Angels at Tempe Diablo Stadium. This stadium is easier to access, but was a bit smaller than HoHoKam. Good game, but...Cubs lose.
• That evening we were in Chandler and drove around looking for a place to eat. Ended up stopping at a Greek restaurant called My Big Fat Greek Restaurant (a chain restaurant that clearly had no sense of originality...we ate there anyway). Good food. Annoying belly dancers all over the place.
  
• Sunday - Game 3: Cubs vs Giants at HoHoKam. Entertaining crowd...including the drunk guy in front of us, yelling and waving around a Miller Chill (duh, it's a light lime beer with only 100 calories). Met a couple fans from Chicago visiting Phoenix for Spring Training. Cubs lose.
• After the game, we trek 10 minutes to the PHX Airport and back to Memphis.