Tuesday, July 15, 2008

10 on Tuesday - Top 10 Vacation Moments

Hey, here it is, Tuesday again. This week's "1o on Tuesday" topic was easy for me: Top 10 Vacation Moments. I originally was going to do the entire roadtrip in one post, but there were just too many pictures to do it all at once. So this is "Top 10 Vacation Moments - Part 1". Part 2 will be later this week.

As many of you have seen me write here before, I have never been anywhere. Well, at least not before I met Steven. And this summer, THIS roadtrip, I have now definitely been a few places! I went to 13 states in 17 days! Here are the top 10 moments of the first 8 days:

Day 1 - Steven picked me up in Indianapolis. I was really glad to see him because we hadn't seen in each other in over 2 weeks! Lots of hugs and kisses, all around! We only drove as far as Crawfordsville, IN. since Steven had already driven all day and was very tired.

Day 2 - We left Indiana, drove across Illinois, and Iowa (new state #1).

Vacation Moment #1: Iowa 80, the World's Largest Truck Stop.
This truck stop is huge. It could put most small-town malls to shame. In the women's bathroom, they had cute signs stating the world's largest this or that. Of course, I had to take a picture of the sign about the world's largest cup of coffee.
Later that day we drove into Nebraska (new state #2).












Day 3 - We drove the rest of the way across Nebraska and into Wyoming. Stopped for the night in Rawlins, Wyoming. (new state #3)
Vacation Moment #2 - The beautiful hills of Nebraska and Wyoming, and the beautiful sunset that evening as we took a walk.














Day 4 - We drove the rest of the way across Wyoming and into Utah. (new state #4)
Vacation Moment #3 - The awesome rocks and valleys of Wyoming and Utah. I saw my first wild prarie dog at a scenic overlook in Wyoming.












Day 5 - We delivered the load in Salt Lake City and parked right on the edge of the Great Salt Lake!
Vacation Moment #4 - The Great Salt Lake.













Day 6 - Another day in Salt Lake City. We have dinner with Sushiboy and Superwoman.
Vacation Moment #5 - Meeting fellow bloggers and having a great time!!!
This was also the first team Steven and I had been out socially with another couple. It was really great fun!












Day 7 - We finally leave Salt Lake City and head to Colorado(drove there once in college, so doesn't count as a NEW state!).



Vacation Moment #6: Rock climbing up to Wilson's Arch and all the amazing desert views!














This is Wilson's Arch.












We had parked for the night on the edge of an Indian reservation, at the Ute Nation Casino. Vacation Moment #8 - For breakfast we had real Indian fry bread, served in the travel center, and I saw real native Americans for the first time (sorry, not too much ethnic diversity in Southern Indiana).


Day 8 - We drove the rest of the way through Colorado, into New Mexico (new state #5), back into Colorado. Drove through the Rocky Mountains!
Vacation Moment #9 - We drove up through the mountains, saw some breathtaking views, stopped at a waterfall AND to touch the snow. I was kissed by the man I love in the Rocky Mountains, surrounded by the most beautiful scenery.



























Vacation Moment #10 - I bought Indian sand paintings and a beaded hair barrette (for Rachael) from a real Navajo gift shop in New Mexico!


Pictures of wild flowers from the Rocky Mountains:















That's all for the first "top 10" moments. I had never been out west before (except for a brief trip to Colorado in college, which didn't really count as "out west"). I was totally amazed by actually seeing things I had only read about in books, like prarie dogs, cactus, mesas, and deserts! It was hard to believe it was all real. I felt like Dorothy in Oz! I hope you have enjoyed these first few pictures and highlights. I have much, much more but I don't want to overload you. Thanks for reading and viewing the pictures.

Happy Tuesday!
J.

19 comments:

Sushiboy said...

I love fry bread. MMMM... Out here we have something called a Navajo Taco. Its basically taco filler (seasoned meat, lettuce, tomato cheese & salsa) on top of a piece of fry bread. Nummers.

yorksdevil said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
yorksdevil said...

Wyoming actually exists?! I thought it was a fictional place, invented purely for entertainment purposes, like Gotham City, Metropolis and Pittsburgh.

Me said...

I really enjoyed looking at all your vacation pictures--some really pretty sights. You all sure covered a lot ground during your trip!

Jan said...

Your vacation memories were wonderful! I had a mood swing and deleted my blog. Could you please update my site? The link is different. Sorry for being a PITA. LOL I'm happy I found you again!
Thanks!
~Jan

Jay said...

The expanse and beauty of the American West is just breathtaking. That was a pretty cool trip you took!

Teena in Toronto said...

Wow! Great pictures!

I played too :)

e.Craig Crawford said...

Some breathtaking photos there, J. Nature provides the most wondrous sights.

Superwoman said...

lol you make me giggle, I loved the real live prairie dogs and native americans. I guess it's all the same to me! I'm glad you had a great time, you even got to meet some of those crazy mormons!

Joyce said...

That all sounds wonderful.

I would like to try fry bread.

And I love the Rocky Mountains, though I've only seen them in Canada, not in the States. :)

trkndude299 said...

Awee,
Good post sweetie.

It was fun and an adventure in it's own right.

Just think; you met Utes, Navajos, and - and crazy Mormons!
Oh, forgot. We learned that those Utes were a thieving bunch once and they were nearly wiped out by the Navajos.

Hmmn. Was just thinking, were those Mormons we had dinner with? And to think they let us leave in peace, even after getting to know us.

(just jabbing at HG, SB + SW.)

Bottom line; Good times!

Brother Dave said...

w0w… AWESOME!

Sayre said...

I love trips out west - and it has been FAR too long since I made one. With the price of gas these days, it will probably be a while longer...

Waiting for part two!

Jodi said...

Sushiboy - I want one! I guess I'll just have to come back so I can try one. Maybe I'll come back after the baby is born so I can hold him/her.

York - Up until this summer I would have agreed with you. I STILL have to see NYC for myself.

Tuppence - Well, I was in a fast-moving semi truck, so it isn't hard to cover a lot of ground. Thanks for stopping by.

Tookie - Yay, you're back! Of course I'll change your link. What's a PITA?

Jay - I think so, too. Glad you like the pictures. And a lot of them were taken from a moving truck!

Teena - Thanks! I'll stop by your place soon.

E.Craig - I'm glad you liked them, but I think I seriously have an obsession for rocks and rock formations.

Superwoman - Meeting the "real live Mormons" was the BEST part of the trip! Even if they WERE a little crazy.

Joyce - I had it with butter and honey. Thanks for visiting.

T-dude - I am so glad you liked it. Yes, it was an adventure, and I loved sharing it with you. "Good times" is right! Let's do it again, as soon as we both lose some weight! Luv you!

Brother Dave - Our "next" trip will be out to see YOU! (smile)

J.

Jodi said...

Sayre - I only got to enjoy my road trip because someone one else was paying for the diesel. It turned out to be a very expensive trip for T-dude, because the work just wasn't there, AND he was feeding an extra person! Next time we road-trip it will be a budget trip. Besides, my next trip will be to Florida!!

J.

PJD said...

Some beautiful photos. I like the Salt Lake basin--beautiful mountains around it. I remember some of my first trips and seeing things in person I'd only seen in books or movies. It is a thrill.

Just Dave said...

Nice pics. I feel lucky to live in the area and see many of those sights every day. Not so lucky about the prairie dogs, which can be a pain in the neck, believe me. Soory I missed you guys. Maybe next time.

Shen-Shen said...

I love the pics! My faves are the ones of Wilson's Arch... How cool!

Your trip looks like it was so much fun.. I wish I could take a road trip, but my not being licensed and the insane gas prices are in the way of that!

Elizabeth Harper said...

It looks like you have a wonderful time...happy for you! I have terrible wonderlust and love to visit new places. I just got back from a little road trip myself. I had been watching your site to hear how it went and missed your post. Glad things are going so well with your sweetie.