Day 5: Colorado Springs to Santa Fe

Day 5: Colorado Springs to Santa Fe

 

Day 5: Colorado Springs, CO to Santa Fe, NM

After leaving Colorado Springs, we opted to take a windy route through the Rockies to take in the Colorado feel. Here is one of many cool delapitated frontier ranches we saw on the way...








Here's a view of the little town of Beuna Vista, nestled way way way inside the Rockies. The valleys and passes from Colorado Springs, over the Platte river, to this town were beyond dramatic.









Here's another picture of the Buena Vista valley.










Here's Cole in his namesake park, where we ate lunch after completing a 60-80 mile stretch of the 'famous' UFO highway. The road and terrain was definately eerie and mysterious, and it just so happened we listened to Tom Waits during the stretch. Anyone that knows his music could get a good image of the area just listening. Therefore, we renamed the highway, the Tom Waits highway. 

Day 4: Topeka, KS to Colorado Springs, CO

Day 4: Topeka, KS to Colorado Springs, CO

The day started with a quick run from Topeka, to Junction City...




















We stopped off to see Beth (Cole's sister), and her twins, Julian, and Sophie in Junction City, KS. It was really awesome being able to check in. What are the chances the Constantineaus would have a reunion in the exact middle of the lower 48!




















Here's a classic shot of the Kansas countryside, provided by Kansas' finest. The only state trooper seen for at least 600 miles didn't approve of our northeast driving habits. He was very polite, and if it wasn't for the money we have to pay to Kansas, it would have left the state in a better light.





















Into western Kansas, the scenery started getting even more expansive, this shot really doesn't do justice to the great plains, but it gives an idea. The Kansas terrain is beautiful in its rolling praries and raw size; just wish we saw more buffalo out there (we did see a few!)!







The terrain slowly shifted, and we noticed the road had a slight upward tilt to it..driving up to the plateau in Colorado...

Day 3: Chicago, IL to Topeka, KS

A field of corn in western Illinois...



















This is the town of Hannibal, the first town west of the Mississippi. Also the "boyhood home" of Mark Twain (along the road from Illinois through Missouri to Kansas, there were a ton of "boyhood homes". Where are all the "girlhood homes"?). The town seemed to be thriving on Mark Twain's fame, but really it was very cool to be there. The town was sleepy, run down, but charming, and there was an interesting mix of the south and west that we hadn't felt before. We were really getting into frontier land...



















We should have got a close up here of the Mississippi, which you can make out in the distance in this one. A huge barge carrying all kinds of water-travelled goods passed by. There was a quaint Mark Twain ferry pulling out of a dock to give visitors a taste of Tom and Huck's river ride, we guessed. After Hannibal, we took a meandering route through Missouri. Same feel of west and south, and again more frontier...we ran into many spots that Lois and Clark had first "discovered"...



















And here is our lovely view from our hotel in Topeka, Kansas. Topeka was by and large the sleepiest and most deserted city we stopped by. We only spotted one actual restauarant, which was open, but completely empty. We almost went in the doors, but it seemed too strange to eat in a huge deserted restuarant on an empty street. It felt like ghosts haunted the main street! We found signs of life (and our only dinner option) at Sonic. This dinner continued our growing trend of bad eating habits (beginning the day before with Taco Bell, carrying over to Peqoud's deep dish pizza in Chicago, combined with some pretty sorry breakfasts at our hotels) and while it was interesting to view one of the social centers of Topeka, it left our stomachs a little achy.

Day 2: Erie, PA to Chicago, IL

 

Day 2: Erie, PA to Chicago, IL

 

Day 1: Newton, MA to Erie, PA

With a whirlwind of emotion, the big trip is finally underway. We started the day with a big sendoff from Alex and David's place in Newton Center, and we're typing now from the Microtel in Erie, PA, which was just about the only place in town with availability... I guess Erie is a weekend spot for people in the Ohio-PA area...

Off we go!
Time to head west!
A shot of Utica, NY, our chosen lunch town, based entirely on our stomachs of course.
Here's the 5 star diner we found at the edge of town, we had a couple of decent sandwiches with that local flair. 

Day 1: Newton, MA to Erie, PA contd.

Probably the coolest random stop on the first day was in Seneca Falls, NY, right in the heart of the finger lakes. Alex recommended stopping by, saying how much aura the place has; and sure enough she was spot on. We made a last minute turn off the highway, and drove the 5 miles into the town center. We drove over a really neat truss bridge (circa 1930's?), and eventually found this old wool mill that was still standing. While we stood there admiring it, we met a nice local woman who happened to be a docent at the womans suffrage museum in town. We talked for a bit and she gave us a ton of information about the town (that truss bridge in town was the inspiration for the bridge in "Its a Wonderful Life")










Can't go By Buffalo, NY without dropping by the falls.









Pictures definately don't do Niagra falls justice; while its a tourist trap, its still worth dropping by to check out!











For the Cytyc peoples out there... Its a pretty run down bar in Erie, PA....

The Big Crunch

The big day has finally arrived. Time to move out of 151 Park Dr. for good! We grouped all of our essential things into a big pile in the middle of the main room, hoping to fit them all in the small confines of the bimmer. Johanna was pessimistic about our chances; and Cole was foolhardy enough to believe they would actually all fit. Cole's mother, Ellie, sister, Cammie, father, Jeff, and family friend Linda all came in to give a hand. Fourtunately, we had already moved the big one the night before (Johanna's harp), and were ready to go with the lighter, less expensive stuff.











The moving crew from left: Jeff, Johanna, Cammie, Ellie, and Linda. Johanna packed the little red car to the max, and believe it or not we had room to spare!



Before:












After: