Adventures From Our Cross-Country Road Trip -- A Little Video!

So, I've been wanting to make a little video from our cross-country road trip for a while now... and I finally got around to doing it!  Watching this brings back so many awesome memories.  This was definitely one of the best experiences of our lives!  I highly suggest that everyone takes at least one cross-country road trip in their lives.  It is sooo worth it!

Enjoy!*

Ah, so much fun!  I want to do it again! :)

Our Great Adventure -- One Year Later...

Last year on this very day, May 8th 2013, Brett and I pulled out of the driveway of our house in Pittsburgh to embark on one of the most amazing experiences of our lives.  Our Great Adventure!  We spent the entire month of May living on the road traveling on the greatest cross-country trip we could have ever imagined.  We explored and adventured around the United States with complete freedom and excitement, making up our journey as we traveled along.  I love looking back at photos and thinking of all the amazing memories we created during this time...

I am certain that this trip will always be one of my most favorite memories of my entire life.  I am so happy we plunged in and took the risks that we did to do this.  I am a changed person because of the things we did.  I will forever be grateful.  I can't believe it has already been a year since this crazy adventure began.  And all that has happened since then... spending a month on the road living out of our car having some of the best experiences ever, moving across the entire country to California: a place completely different and new to us, making some of the most amazing memories as Californians and learning so much about ourselves in the process, and then completing a second cross-country road trip to move back home to Pittsburgh to start a new chapter of our wild lives.  What a whirlwind!

And now I sit here today, thinking back on this amazing time and can't help but get extremely nostalgic.  I am so thankful that Brett and I are able to do things like this.  To trust each other to take risks, jump out of our comfort zone, explore new places, and always say yes to adventures.  I wouldn't want it any other way.  We only get one of these awesome things called life and we are determined to make ours count!

This is not the end.  We will never stop exploring.  Never.

Here's to many more amazing adventures to come!*

Hey, let's drive across the country in 5 days! (Said no smart person ever...)

5 days, 4 nights

10 states

2,425 miles

There was a lot of caffeine, a lot of truck stops, and a lot of snow, but we did it!  We successfully drove a 16 foot moving truck towing our car across the country in 5 days.  We left California on the evening of Dec. 20th and made it home to Pittsburgh on Christmas Eve.  It was crazy, hectic, frustrating, and exciting all rolled into one...

Bye bye tiny expensive California apartment

Here we go!

(If you're wondering, yes we are in fact insane...)

Adios California, it's been real!

Arizona: No sign of snow yet...

New Mexico: First encounter with snow and freeezing cold weather

Texas: More snow, but awesome tortillas & free cake!

Oklahoma: Ice storms and terrible roads, but I got MMMHOPS!

Thanks Hanson ;)

Missouri: Uneventful with the exception of spotting the (blurry & dark) St. Louis arch

Illinois: Blurry signs, but pleasant driving

Indiana: Getting closer...

Ohio: Getting really close!

West Virginia: Only one more state to go!

PENNSYLVANIA!!

Totally blurry, but too excited... we made it!

And as soon as we walked into my parent's house,

we had a celebratory Mmmhops! ;)

What a wild trip.  Most of the credit has to go to Brett for driving the entire way.  I could barely see over the steering wheel, so there was no way I could drive that gigantic truck with our car attached.  Some days we put in 14 hours of straight driving.  He is a rockstar.  This trip was definitely nothing like our amazing cross-country trip to California in May, that's for sure. ;)  If you're going to drive across the country, I definitely recommend doing it that way, not this way.  For obvious reasons. :)  But we did it and now we are home in Pittsburgh and we couldn't be happier.

More updates to come!

Hope your new year is off to an amazing start!*

CALIFORNIA!! {Our Great Adventure}

CALIFORNIA!!

We made it!  After driving through 14 states in 25 days, our cross-country road trip is officially complete.  Funny story: our goal of the trip was to take a picture of every state sign while crossing into the state.  We got every single state EXCEPT California.  Once we realized that we missed it, I made Brett turn around and drive by it again so I could get the picture.  Mission accomplished.  :)

We've now been in California for about 3 weeks.  We are still getting settled and adjusted to all the differences of the west coast compared to the east coast.  And there are a lot of differences.  :)  But we've been taking advantage of the beach being so close and checking out all the outdoorsy activities in the area.  Lots to explore and discover.

And now that I am finished with all of my cross-country trip posts -- It's back to blogging about our daily lives (but now in California instead of Pittsburgh).  Enjoy!

PS --

Happy First Day of SUMMER!!

Nevada {Our Great Adventure}

Nevada!

Las Vegas was just a really hilarious experience.  We weren't originally planning on stopping in Vegas, but our route went right through, so why not!  Neither of us had ever been.  We stayed for two nights in two different hotels: The Hard Rock Hotel and Treasure Island (to which they upgraded us to an insanely gigantic suite for FREE).  We spent the days by the party pools, drinking and people watching (which was SO entertaining!).  And we spent the nights roaming around the Vegas Strip, drinking our cheap beers from CVS.  I never knew that Las Vegas had no 'open container' law and that you could just walk anywhere you'd like with alcohol.  Amazing.  It was actually really weird being in Las Vegas.  After spending a month pretty much solely in the outdoors, it was such a culture shock/sensory overload being in Vegas with all the neon lights and hustle and bustle.  We had a blast but Vegas isn't exactly our cup of tea. :)

Arizona {Our Great Adventure}

Arizona!

We drove into Arizona and right out the same way in the same day just to see one thing: The Grand Canyon!  We went to the North Rim, since that was the easiest side to visit without having to drive around the entire thing to get to the South Rim.  The North Rim seemed to be much more laid-back than the South Rim.  The tourist area is way smaller, there are way less people, and it's just more quiet compared to the South Rim (so I hear...).  We didn't do any real hiking while at the Grand Canyon (our legs were tired and needed a day off after Zion!) but still roamed around and checked out all the cool look-outs.  The Grand Canyon was pretty cool, but if I'm being honest, I've experienced other outdoor areas that I think are way more spectacular.  I'm still completely glad we visited though because no cross-country trip is complete without a stop at the Grand Canyon!

Utah {Our Great Adventure}

Utah!

We only spent one night in Colorado and then headed straight on to Moab, UT.  We were getting into Memorial Day weekend and knew that we'd have to get there early if we wanted to secure a campsite.  We arrived Friday afternoon and literally got the last campsite at a 150 site campground.  Hallelujah!  And what a campsite it was!  The view was amazing.  And Brett was overly ecstatic because we were now in the mountain biking mecca of the west.

When we weren't enjoying the town of Moab (and sneaking into the local recreation center for showers), we were exploring Arches National Park!  It was only about 10 minutes outside of Moab, so we went back and forth a couple times.  We loved hiking around and checking out all the amazing arches.  It was so very hot though.  We got lots of funky tan lines from our time in Utah. :)

After spending Memorial Day weekend in Moab, we continued on the road towards Zion National Park.  It was a bit of a drive between the two points, so we stayed overnight in the town of Cedar City and had a surprisingly delicious meal at this little Italian restaurant, Centro.  And in the morning, it was back on the road to Zion!

We made it to Zion National Park mid-morning and again, got the very last campsite available.  This is becoming a trend, no?  Another campsite, another amazing view.  We did a few hikes during our time in Zion and they were all amazing and equally terrifying.  We were hiking trails that you had to hold onto chains on the side of the mountain so you don't fall off and plumet to your death.  The best/most terrifying hike we did in Zion was Angel's Landing.  We hiked up an extremely steep trail and then out onto a narrow ridge (holding onto chains for balance and to avoid death...).  But oh it was so worth it.  The views at the end of the ridge were incredible.  We only spent one night in Zion (because all the campsites were full) but definitely got our worth while there.