Well "Allison and Leah's Awesome Road Trip" is officially over, because I've flown home and Leah is continuing the rest of the road trip as a family road trip with her parents. But I still have a few days I need to catch you up on!
Thursday morning we drove from Maine back down to Massachusetts to get the car seat fixed now that the part was there waiting for us. We met up with Leah's parents at the dealership, and we tried to figure out how to return their rental car. After that, we made our way over to Leah's cousins in Newton. They made dinner for us and we spent the evening talking with them, and planning our day in Boston.
Friday morning, the rental car was dropped off, then we made our way out to Boston. We parked in the lot under the Boston Commons and grabbed a quick breakfast, then walked over to the other side of the park to catch our hop-on/hop-off tour bus. We took the two-hour tour around the town, saw the sights, learned some history. Our tour included a harbor cruise, so we rode a boat out around the harbor, then got back on the tour bus and got off close to the public gardens so we could walk through them. We tried to get lunch in Boston, but instead we got gelato and drove back to Newton and had Italian food there. Then we called it a night and went back to the house.
The next morning, we condensed our luggage so that I could fly home with most of my stuff and an extra suitcase of clothes the family had over-packed. By the time we left Newton, it was around noon because Leah's mom went to temple in the morning. We drove to Salem and walked around the city. It was very interesting, very hokey. With witches and broomsticks everywhere you looked, it was hard to get passed the Salem witch trials despite the fact that the National Parks Services in the area tried not to focus on the witch trails, and tried to focus more on Salem's maritime past. After that, we got an early dinner and then I was dropped off at the airport. We all said good byes, and Leah helped me into the airport then we hugged good bye, and that was the official end of our awesome road trip.
My flight home was long and not too interesting. I started reading Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie in the terminal and finished it during the flight. Then my mom and my brother picked me up at the airport and took me home.
I can't believe I went to 22 states in 24 days, and I can't believe I'm finally home! My bed is the best bed in the country, and nothing compares to California Mexican food.
So in conclusion, Allison and Leah's Awesome Road Trip is over. We visited 22 states in 24 days and we had so much fun along the way!
Thanks for reading! I'm going to go back and edit all of this eventually, so for now, thanks for putting up with all my errors and for the lazy writing style. It's a rough draft!
<3 Allison
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Friday, July 29, 2011
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Day 22: South Portland, ME
We're out of Rockland, MA! Sure, tomorrow we will be back (probably) but for today we are out of Massachusetts, and in Maine.
This morning we woke up, waited for the dealership to call about the part we ordered, and grabbed a quick breakfast, but the dealership never called, so Leah phoned and they said they forgot to order the part, so at about 12, we hopped into the car and headed north to New Hampshire and Maine!
We have officially seen 22 states on this trip (including California and D.C.).
(List of all of the states: California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, D.C., Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine.)
It's crazy! This is about as far away as we can get within the continental US from home! (we could technically drive further north in Maine, but we need to get back to Boston tomorrow afternoon)
We tried to stop for lunch in New Hampshire, but there was no parking and the roads were pretty confusing where we tried to stop, and we were going through such a small part of NH we decided to just continue north to Maine. In Maine we drove up to Old Port Portland where we found Italian food for lunch, then we walked around the city for a bit. After that, we found a hotel in South Portland for the night (very proud of ourselves, we found our hotel around 5 pm, rather than 8 pm as we have the past few nights). We dropped our luggage off at the hotel, then drove to see three of Maine's famous lighthouses. Leah faced her fears of lighthouses, and decided they weren't all that scary. We watched the sun set across the river and I stuck my toes back into the ocean at a cobble stone beach.
After that, we made our way to the hotel, stopping at Sea Dog for some beer. They were having trivia night in the bar area of the restaurant, so we stayed for a little over half of the game. We didn't do amazingly, but we did get quite a few points that we were proud to have earned.
All in all, a wonderful and exciting day!
Tomorrow's plans are to wake up, shower, load up the car, eat breakfast, drive back down to Boston to meet up with Leah's parents in the afternoon. Hopefully during that time, the Toyota dealership will call and let us know what is going on with the part we ordered.
Just a few more days of the trip left! It's so sad. I'll be flying home from Boston on Saturday and Leah will be driving back with her parents.
Good night, <3 Al
After that, we drove back down to
This morning we woke up, waited for the dealership to call about the part we ordered, and grabbed a quick breakfast, but the dealership never called, so Leah phoned and they said they forgot to order the part, so at about 12, we hopped into the car and headed north to New Hampshire and Maine!
We have officially seen 22 states on this trip (including California and D.C.).
(List of all of the states: California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, D.C., Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine.)
It's crazy! This is about as far away as we can get within the continental US from home! (we could technically drive further north in Maine, but we need to get back to Boston tomorrow afternoon)
We tried to stop for lunch in New Hampshire, but there was no parking and the roads were pretty confusing where we tried to stop, and we were going through such a small part of NH we decided to just continue north to Maine. In Maine we drove up to Old Port Portland where we found Italian food for lunch, then we walked around the city for a bit. After that, we found a hotel in South Portland for the night (very proud of ourselves, we found our hotel around 5 pm, rather than 8 pm as we have the past few nights). We dropped our luggage off at the hotel, then drove to see three of Maine's famous lighthouses. Leah faced her fears of lighthouses, and decided they weren't all that scary. We watched the sun set across the river and I stuck my toes back into the ocean at a cobble stone beach.
After that, we made our way to the hotel, stopping at Sea Dog for some beer. They were having trivia night in the bar area of the restaurant, so we stayed for a little over half of the game. We didn't do amazingly, but we did get quite a few points that we were proud to have earned.
All in all, a wonderful and exciting day!
Tomorrow's plans are to wake up, shower, load up the car, eat breakfast, drive back down to Boston to meet up with Leah's parents in the afternoon. Hopefully during that time, the Toyota dealership will call and let us know what is going on with the part we ordered.
Just a few more days of the trip left! It's so sad. I'll be flying home from Boston on Saturday and Leah will be driving back with her parents.
Good night, <3 Al
After that, we drove back down to
Day 21: Rockland, MA
Still haven't moved on from where we are as we wait for the car to get the lumbar motor in the seat fixed (it's a special feature of the car, we were in no danger with that broken as we drove). The dealership ordered the part and now we are just waiting for them to call to confirm that they have it and that we can come in to get it fixed, so we're just waiting in the hotel for now.
Yesterday we got breakfast at a breakfast place in Milton, MA--the main difference between California breakfast and Boston breakfast is the fish, there is tons of fish and lobster in their morning food, it was a little overwhelming that early in the morning. Then we tried to see Harvard, but the parking was terrible, and there was so much construction, we were unable to park the car to walk around. Plus, Boston-area streets are laid out in a very confusing way. After that we drove through MIT and we stopped to walk around for a little bit.
By the time we finished with that, it was almost 2, so we drove to the dealership for our appointment and sat around there for an hour while they looked at the car. After, we found a sports bar with delicious food to soak in some Boston flair, then we found a hotel across the street from the one we stayed in last night.
That's about it <3 Al
Yesterday we got breakfast at a breakfast place in Milton, MA--the main difference between California breakfast and Boston breakfast is the fish, there is tons of fish and lobster in their morning food, it was a little overwhelming that early in the morning. Then we tried to see Harvard, but the parking was terrible, and there was so much construction, we were unable to park the car to walk around. Plus, Boston-area streets are laid out in a very confusing way. After that we drove through MIT and we stopped to walk around for a little bit.
By the time we finished with that, it was almost 2, so we drove to the dealership for our appointment and sat around there for an hour while they looked at the car. After, we found a sports bar with delicious food to soak in some Boston flair, then we found a hotel across the street from the one we stayed in last night.
That's about it <3 Al
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Day 20: Rockland, MA
Sorry for the morning update, I was so tired last night, I went to bed before Leah!
Anyway, we woke up and took the car to get an oil change. They didn't do window repairs there, but they looked at the window and said we were fine for now. After that, we tried to do some sight seeing in Cape Cod, but everything was either closed (Scargo Tower, Ocean Spray Cranberry Tour) or impossibly difficult for us to find that early in the day. We got some coffee and drove up to Plymouth where we saw the Mayflower II and Plymouth Rock, which, after all the downplaying I gave to the rock itself, was actually almost impressive.
Then we drove up to Lexington/Concord to see the Minute Men Historic National Park (or Monument, we can't remember). It was a nice drive/walk, but overall we weren't too enthralled with the history as it was laid out for us to soak in.
After that we sat in the car for a few hours in a parking lot trying to figure out a warranty issue with Leah's dad about the car, the resolve is that we can't go to New Hampshire or Maine until this is fixed, so we are stuck in Boston, which we can't tour until Leah's parents join us.
We stopped at the Cheesecake Factory for a light dinner, and we were surprised to learn that happy hour is illegal in Massachusetts! Instead, they have food discounts for happy hour rather than drink discounts, so we took advantage of that.
We slept in this morning, and now we're going to get breakfast! Bye, <3 Al
Anyway, we woke up and took the car to get an oil change. They didn't do window repairs there, but they looked at the window and said we were fine for now. After that, we tried to do some sight seeing in Cape Cod, but everything was either closed (Scargo Tower, Ocean Spray Cranberry Tour) or impossibly difficult for us to find that early in the day. We got some coffee and drove up to Plymouth where we saw the Mayflower II and Plymouth Rock, which, after all the downplaying I gave to the rock itself, was actually almost impressive.
Then we drove up to Lexington/Concord to see the Minute Men Historic National Park (or Monument, we can't remember). It was a nice drive/walk, but overall we weren't too enthralled with the history as it was laid out for us to soak in.
After that we sat in the car for a few hours in a parking lot trying to figure out a warranty issue with Leah's dad about the car, the resolve is that we can't go to New Hampshire or Maine until this is fixed, so we are stuck in Boston, which we can't tour until Leah's parents join us.
We stopped at the Cheesecake Factory for a light dinner, and we were surprised to learn that happy hour is illegal in Massachusetts! Instead, they have food discounts for happy hour rather than drink discounts, so we took advantage of that.
We slept in this morning, and now we're going to get breakfast! Bye, <3 Al
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Day 19: West Yarmouth, MA (Nantucket, MA)
Today we took a ferry out to Nantucket to spend the day with Leah's friend Michelle!
We started the day with a heavy rainstorm right before breakfast as we took our suitcases to the car. After breakfast, the rain had pretty much stopped, so we felt silly for running into the rain blindly. We next drove to Cape Cod and quickly found parking and ran to the ferry before it left without us. The ferry ride lasted about two hours and we had a nice time drinking coffee and playing a "Draw a map of the U.S. and name the states" game, followed by Leah trying to think of all of the state capitals (we still need to grade that one). Then we docked at Nantucket and found Michelle waiting for us to lead us to her living quarters for the summer. We stayed there for a bit and got a quick tour of the telescope she is working with, and she explained the project she is working on, then we went back to the house to change for the beach.
I was really excited about the beach. The water was warm, but not hot like it was in Myrtle Beach, it was nice. There was a long sand bar that went almost a quarter of a mile out into the water, but Michelle and I stayed on the sand bar the whole time we swam in the water. While we were there, we got to examine Atlantic Ocean sea life when I spotted a large sea snail and found dismembered crabs.
After the sky started to get too cloudy to justify staying at the beach, we walked back to the house. On the way I tripped and fell, scraping my leg up a bit. I'm fine, but I just wanted to show that Leah is not the only clumsy one on our trip. My knees are scratched, and they bled a bit, but I can walk fine, and everything has stopped bleeding for now.
When we got back to the house, we stayed there for the rest of the afternoon catching up with Michelle, because according to her, there isn't much to do on the island that is affordable. One of her roommates made us dinner, then we walked over to a juice bar to get ice cream, then we got back on the ferry and found our hotel that we had made reservations for the night before. Now it is bed time, Leah is climbing into bed, and I am ready to do the same.
Good night! <3 Al
p.s. Tomorrow we explore Cape Cod and Plymouth
We started the day with a heavy rainstorm right before breakfast as we took our suitcases to the car. After breakfast, the rain had pretty much stopped, so we felt silly for running into the rain blindly. We next drove to Cape Cod and quickly found parking and ran to the ferry before it left without us. The ferry ride lasted about two hours and we had a nice time drinking coffee and playing a "Draw a map of the U.S. and name the states" game, followed by Leah trying to think of all of the state capitals (we still need to grade that one). Then we docked at Nantucket and found Michelle waiting for us to lead us to her living quarters for the summer. We stayed there for a bit and got a quick tour of the telescope she is working with, and she explained the project she is working on, then we went back to the house to change for the beach.
I was really excited about the beach. The water was warm, but not hot like it was in Myrtle Beach, it was nice. There was a long sand bar that went almost a quarter of a mile out into the water, but Michelle and I stayed on the sand bar the whole time we swam in the water. While we were there, we got to examine Atlantic Ocean sea life when I spotted a large sea snail and found dismembered crabs.
After the sky started to get too cloudy to justify staying at the beach, we walked back to the house. On the way I tripped and fell, scraping my leg up a bit. I'm fine, but I just wanted to show that Leah is not the only clumsy one on our trip. My knees are scratched, and they bled a bit, but I can walk fine, and everything has stopped bleeding for now.
When we got back to the house, we stayed there for the rest of the afternoon catching up with Michelle, because according to her, there isn't much to do on the island that is affordable. One of her roommates made us dinner, then we walked over to a juice bar to get ice cream, then we got back on the ferry and found our hotel that we had made reservations for the night before. Now it is bed time, Leah is climbing into bed, and I am ready to do the same.
Good night! <3 Al
p.s. Tomorrow we explore Cape Cod and Plymouth
Columbia, SC to Wilmington, NC
The historic Fort Sumter. The first shots of the Civil War!
CANNON
Boone Plantation in Charleston, SC
The ATLANTIC OCEAN!!!!!!!!!!
Evening in North Carolina, no big deal :)
CANNON
Boone Plantation in Charleston, SC
The ATLANTIC OCEAN!!!!!!!!!!
Evening in North Carolina, no big deal :)
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