The trip was a lot of fun, although we had our fair share of fights, we saw a lot of the country we hadn’t seen before, had a lot of good laughs, and had our first cross country road trip together. Im pretty grateful that I was able to do this trip, and I’m glad that I got to do one last thing with Sara before she moves to Germany and lives the married life. It was quite an experience and definitely something I would be up for doing again. Id love to take an even further southern route or a northern route, going through Montana (check out Yellowstone), Colorado and all of those states that im sure are beautiful but we don’t pay any attention to.
After this trip I can say I have no desire to go to Arkansas, Oklahoma or Texas again (although ive promised some id give dallas a chance) but I wouldn’t mind spending more time in New Mexico and Tennessee.
After thinking about all the songs that we heard, I think our soundtrack for this trip would have to be:
1. Zac Brown Band- Toes
2. Ke$ha – Tic Tock
3. Taylor Swift- You Belong with me
4. Tim Mcgraw- Live like you were dying
5. George Straight- Carrying your love with me
6. Carrie Underwood- The More Boys I Meet
7. Carrie Underwood- I Aint in Checotah Anymore
8. Miley Cyrus- Party in the USA
9. Train- Soul Sister
10. And various other country hits.
And to recap, the Southern places we ate were:
1. The Cookout
2. Cubbies (hushpuppies and frozen custard)
3. Bojangles
4. Jersey Mikes
5. J. Alexander
6. Shlotzky’s Deli
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Arizona & the Grandest Canyon of all
December 15, 2009
I woke up this day a bit more excited than most of the other days because today was the day that we were going to the Grand Canyon. I’d had never been before and had been looking forward to it all week. I was also really excited because of the snow everywhere. It was kind of refreshing to see the snow because id been so used to just sun or a little bit of rain. Living in California is like living in a bubble when it comes to weather. It rains but definitely not as much as other states and the weather is definitely better in California than most other places.
So we left the hotel relatively early and drove up towards the south rim of the Grand Canyon. The north Rim was closed because of the snow storm. On the way to the Grand Canyon we saw a bunch of Indian reservations. It had never occurred to me that I haven’t seen many native Americans in real life or an actual reservation. So seeing them from the high way was pretty cool. Although the reservations do seem to fit the stereotype of being rundown, lots of broken down cars in the front yard etc etc. It took us about an hour to get up there and an hour back but it was well worth it.
Everyone had described the Grand Canyon to me as amazing, gorgeous, breathtaking, and don’t get me wrong, it was gorgeous…it was vast, gorgeous (even more so with the snow) and a lot to take in…but I wasn’t amazed by it. When I was in Rome and I saw the Colessum for the first time, I was a bit taken back by how epic it was. I was amazed and fell completely in love with it. I was half expecting to feel the same way about the Grand Canyon but that feeling wasn’t there. But don’t get me wrong, it was beautiful, a definite must see and I want to go back and like go camping, hike, spend some time there and really try to take it all in. It was beautiful and I think everyone should go and see it.
After the Grand Canyon drove the hour back down to the I-40 and set the GPS for home. On the way we saw a place off to side having to do with the Flinstones. They apparently had campsites in the back and a restaurant called Freds Diner. Obviously this wasn’t something we could just drive by. Sara make a U turn and we went back and checked it out. The place was really weird. Really really weird. We walked into Fred’s Diner and the first thing we saw was a cut out of BamBam and a Moose head on the wall. We walked further into a shop selling Flinstones merchandise, native American jewelry and a lot of other random stuff. Sara and I walked towards the back and saw a couple of tables set up, which we assumed was Fred’s Diner. After walking around for a bit, we both started to feel dirty, it smelled so bad in there and we were surrounded by so much crap we needed to get out. Lisa stayed in for a bit and shopped around while Sara and I walked around the outside area to see what else this place had to offer. Once Lisa was done, we left.
The rest of the drive was rough, because we all knew the only thing to look forward to now was getting home. Towards the end of it, like by the time we reached Bakersfield, we all get a little restless. All of our phones were dying, we still had two more hours and we all just wanted to get out of Sara’s car and into our beds. We finally got home that night around 10 pm.
I woke up this day a bit more excited than most of the other days because today was the day that we were going to the Grand Canyon. I’d had never been before and had been looking forward to it all week. I was also really excited because of the snow everywhere. It was kind of refreshing to see the snow because id been so used to just sun or a little bit of rain. Living in California is like living in a bubble when it comes to weather. It rains but definitely not as much as other states and the weather is definitely better in California than most other places.
So we left the hotel relatively early and drove up towards the south rim of the Grand Canyon. The north Rim was closed because of the snow storm. On the way to the Grand Canyon we saw a bunch of Indian reservations. It had never occurred to me that I haven’t seen many native Americans in real life or an actual reservation. So seeing them from the high way was pretty cool. Although the reservations do seem to fit the stereotype of being rundown, lots of broken down cars in the front yard etc etc. It took us about an hour to get up there and an hour back but it was well worth it.
Everyone had described the Grand Canyon to me as amazing, gorgeous, breathtaking, and don’t get me wrong, it was gorgeous…it was vast, gorgeous (even more so with the snow) and a lot to take in…but I wasn’t amazed by it. When I was in Rome and I saw the Colessum for the first time, I was a bit taken back by how epic it was. I was amazed and fell completely in love with it. I was half expecting to feel the same way about the Grand Canyon but that feeling wasn’t there. But don’t get me wrong, it was beautiful, a definite must see and I want to go back and like go camping, hike, spend some time there and really try to take it all in. It was beautiful and I think everyone should go and see it.
After the Grand Canyon drove the hour back down to the I-40 and set the GPS for home. On the way we saw a place off to side having to do with the Flinstones. They apparently had campsites in the back and a restaurant called Freds Diner. Obviously this wasn’t something we could just drive by. Sara make a U turn and we went back and checked it out. The place was really weird. Really really weird. We walked into Fred’s Diner and the first thing we saw was a cut out of BamBam and a Moose head on the wall. We walked further into a shop selling Flinstones merchandise, native American jewelry and a lot of other random stuff. Sara and I walked towards the back and saw a couple of tables set up, which we assumed was Fred’s Diner. After walking around for a bit, we both started to feel dirty, it smelled so bad in there and we were surrounded by so much crap we needed to get out. Lisa stayed in for a bit and shopped around while Sara and I walked around the outside area to see what else this place had to offer. Once Lisa was done, we left.
The rest of the drive was rough, because we all knew the only thing to look forward to now was getting home. Towards the end of it, like by the time we reached Bakersfield, we all get a little restless. All of our phones were dying, we still had two more hours and we all just wanted to get out of Sara’s car and into our beds. We finally got home that night around 10 pm.
Bye Oklahoma..Hello Texas, New Mexico and Arizona
December 14, 2009
We woke up early that morning and started to make our way through Texas. This was probably the worst part of the drive. It was the longest day and we covered the most states. We started in Oklahoma, drove through the tip of Texas and stopped in Amarillo, TX.
Amarillo was supposed to be our destination the night before but since we lost a few hours we didn’t make it and thank god for that. Before visiting Amarillo, I thought Barstow, CA was the worst city I have ever been to…then I went to Amarillo. This town was like a ghost town. It was empty, bare and dead. We were trying to find this healthy food place to eat and ended up getting lost in a residential area. This residential area was worse than any ghetto I have seen. A lot of the houses were boarded up, with trash in front of the yards and just really really rundown.
We finally managed to find the restaurant and it was anything but a restaurant. It was like a health foods store with a back section that served food. So we went in and ordered three sandwiches and we got our sandwiches came in plastic to go containers. Each piece of food: the bread, turkey, cheese, lettuce were individually wrapped in saran wrap. The girls and I looked at each other when we got our sandwiches but we stayed positive. The sandwiches weren’t THAT bad…but it felt like I was chewing on a rock. It was horrible.
After we ate, we got back on the road, we wanted out of Amarillo. We drove through the rest of Texas and to New Mexico. After spending hours driving through Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas…New Mexico was like a breath of fresh air. There were red rocks, cacti, and just more things to look at.
In New Mexico, on the way to Albuquerque we passed by a tour bus that had Gene Simons written on it.
Sara being the curious girl that she is, wanted to know why the Gene Simmons tour bus was on the I-40 and whether he was playing a concert in Albuquerque…this is how the conversation went:
Sara: “Why is there a Gene Simons tour bus driving in New Mexico? Does he have a concert tonight?”
Cha Cha: Gene Simmons will be performing in Canada Tomorrow
Sara: “So then why is his tour bus in New Mexico?”
Cha Cha: For more questions, please text Lulu by beginning your question with Lulu”
Sara: Lulu, why would Gene Simons tour bus be driving in New Mexico when he has an event tomorrow in Canada?
Lulu: Patrick Stump may have wanted to drive somewhere alone. He had an IL license plate and did not know he was break the law
Sara:…..Lulu, who is Patrick stump?
Lulu: Patrick Stump is an American musician who occasionally plays keyboard for Fall out Boy
Sara: Lulu: what does Patrick Stump have to do with gene?
Lulu: Patrick Vaughn Stump is an American singer, he has heterochromia
Sara: Lulu, What is Heterochromia?
Lulu: Heterochromia is…
Then to check the facts Sara asks: Lulu, Does Patrick Stump have Heterochromia?
Lulu sends the same message about heterochromia.
Sara: LULU, Why is Gene Simmons driving on the I-40?
Haha, then after one of our several mini fights. We find out that Sara also asks cha cha
“Lulu, when arguing is it a good idea to call someone names?”
Lulu: You shouldn’t stay with someone you don’t get along with
Haha. So that text chat is what basically kept us entertained throughout the drive to New Mexico. When we got to Albuquerque we stopped at a restaurant by the university and got some dinner. Albuquerque was also the first big city that we had in since Memphis. It was nice to see a big city, full of life and not completely deserted. We didn’t get to spend much time there but that’s a place that seems like it would be fun to check out sometime. Our goal was to get to Flagstaff, Arizona. After several more hours of driving, we finally got there and to a hotel. Pulling into the hotel we saw that there was snow on the ground.
A week before a huge storm had hit and it left about 3 inches of snow on the ground. I was super excited about the snow because I had wanted to see it throughout our entire trip but we had missed all of the storms (which was a good thing). We checked in and went straight to bed, we were going to wake up early the next day and head to the Grand Canyon before going home.
We woke up early that morning and started to make our way through Texas. This was probably the worst part of the drive. It was the longest day and we covered the most states. We started in Oklahoma, drove through the tip of Texas and stopped in Amarillo, TX.
Amarillo was supposed to be our destination the night before but since we lost a few hours we didn’t make it and thank god for that. Before visiting Amarillo, I thought Barstow, CA was the worst city I have ever been to…then I went to Amarillo. This town was like a ghost town. It was empty, bare and dead. We were trying to find this healthy food place to eat and ended up getting lost in a residential area. This residential area was worse than any ghetto I have seen. A lot of the houses were boarded up, with trash in front of the yards and just really really rundown.
We finally managed to find the restaurant and it was anything but a restaurant. It was like a health foods store with a back section that served food. So we went in and ordered three sandwiches and we got our sandwiches came in plastic to go containers. Each piece of food: the bread, turkey, cheese, lettuce were individually wrapped in saran wrap. The girls and I looked at each other when we got our sandwiches but we stayed positive. The sandwiches weren’t THAT bad…but it felt like I was chewing on a rock. It was horrible.
After we ate, we got back on the road, we wanted out of Amarillo. We drove through the rest of Texas and to New Mexico. After spending hours driving through Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas…New Mexico was like a breath of fresh air. There were red rocks, cacti, and just more things to look at.
In New Mexico, on the way to Albuquerque we passed by a tour bus that had Gene Simons written on it.
Sara being the curious girl that she is, wanted to know why the Gene Simmons tour bus was on the I-40 and whether he was playing a concert in Albuquerque…this is how the conversation went:
Sara: “Why is there a Gene Simons tour bus driving in New Mexico? Does he have a concert tonight?”
Cha Cha: Gene Simmons will be performing in Canada Tomorrow
Sara: “So then why is his tour bus in New Mexico?”
Cha Cha: For more questions, please text Lulu by beginning your question with Lulu”
Sara: Lulu, why would Gene Simons tour bus be driving in New Mexico when he has an event tomorrow in Canada?
Lulu: Patrick Stump may have wanted to drive somewhere alone. He had an IL license plate and did not know he was break the law
Sara:…..Lulu, who is Patrick stump?
Lulu: Patrick Stump is an American musician who occasionally plays keyboard for Fall out Boy
Sara: Lulu: what does Patrick Stump have to do with gene?
Lulu: Patrick Vaughn Stump is an American singer, he has heterochromia
Sara: Lulu, What is Heterochromia?
Lulu: Heterochromia is…
Then to check the facts Sara asks: Lulu, Does Patrick Stump have Heterochromia?
Lulu sends the same message about heterochromia.
Sara: LULU, Why is Gene Simmons driving on the I-40?
Haha, then after one of our several mini fights. We find out that Sara also asks cha cha
“Lulu, when arguing is it a good idea to call someone names?”
Lulu: You shouldn’t stay with someone you don’t get along with
Haha. So that text chat is what basically kept us entertained throughout the drive to New Mexico. When we got to Albuquerque we stopped at a restaurant by the university and got some dinner. Albuquerque was also the first big city that we had in since Memphis. It was nice to see a big city, full of life and not completely deserted. We didn’t get to spend much time there but that’s a place that seems like it would be fun to check out sometime. Our goal was to get to Flagstaff, Arizona. After several more hours of driving, we finally got there and to a hotel. Pulling into the hotel we saw that there was snow on the ground.
A week before a huge storm had hit and it left about 3 inches of snow on the ground. I was super excited about the snow because I had wanted to see it throughout our entire trip but we had missed all of the storms (which was a good thing). We checked in and went straight to bed, we were going to wake up early the next day and head to the Grand Canyon before going home.
Last bit of Tennessee, Arkansas and Oklahoma
December 13, 2009
We set our alarms for 6:30 but no one got up till after 730. We got a late start and didn't leave Franklin until like 10. We drove into Nashville, drove through the downtown area. We had to be quick since we lost a couple hours of driving time, but we were able to stop and pick up some souvenirs and check out some shops.
We left Nashville and started driving towards Memphis. Although Tennessee was gorgeous, with hills and mountains, it made me appreciate how green California really is.
On the way to Memphis we stopped at Graceland, we couldn't figure out a way to get out of paying for it so we went to all the different gift shops and saw The Heartbreak Hotel.
After Graceland we drove straight to Little Rock, Arkansas. To get there we had to cross the Mississippi River.
At this point of the trip, Arkansas was probably my least favorite state. It was so bare, no trees…it was ugly.
In Little Rock we ate dinner at a placed called Schlotzsky's Deli. Lisa and I wanted to get postcards so we drove about 10 minutes to a Walmart, only to find that they don't carry postcards. We did meet a very cute Arkansas boy with the cutest accent. We asked how to get to Toad Suck Park, because out of everywhere, that's where Sara wanted to go. However the guy had no idea on how to get there. So we got back on the road and started driving to Oklahoma. On the way we stopped at a Sonics because Sara needed limeade and Lisa wanted cheese fries. We get there and order our food and I go to the bathroom. I thought I had locked the door but really…I hadn't and Lisa walked in on me…imagine if that hadn't been Lisa… haha
We left Sonics and on the way to Oklahoma City we saw a sign that said Checotah was coming up, which we all kind of knew that's where Carrie Underwood is from. 
Checotah, Oklahoma is probably one of the smallest towns I've ever been to. It's pretty much the size of Tres Pinos if not maybe smaller. And in her song "I Aint in Checotah Anymore" she describes it perfectly. We drove in and the first thing we saw was a Sonics. I made Sara stop there so I could ask them for things to see that is Carrie Underwood related. The girls were laughing at the fact that I was actually asking this so it made it hard for me to get the question out. The lady kept asking me to repeat myself then finally said "Mam, I cannot understand you" and then Sara reversed and left before I could say anything else to the lady. We started driving through the town and saw a drive through convenience store.
We drove up and saw an older man, kinda grungy looking, and wearing denim on denim and he had a mullet. Sara described his as the "epitome of white trash," but anyway, he was standing at the entrance so I pull in and I asked him how it worked and he was like "I don't know I usually just walk up her and grab what I want" Then I saw another man a little further down standing inside a booth. I drove forward and realized that the man standing in the booth was an actual employee and the grungy man did NOT work there. As this began to sit in, the three of started laughing and couldn't stop. The young, attractive employee looked at us and laughed to. One of the first things he said was "ladies…ladies...get yourself together" haha
The conversation with the employee was pretty hilarious.
Snippets from the conversation:
"I'm not gonna deny a lady her licorice"- to Lisa
"I'm confused on how this works" – Me
"I'm pretty perplexed too"- the guy
"we're gonna do this? Let's do this" – the guy
Haha, it was just one of the funniest moments of the trip. All the while Lisa starts to feel sick from the licorice, the cheese fries and from being challenged to a little Debbie brownie challenge. (We told her she couldn't eat two and she said she could...and later regretted it)
After the convenience store, we drove through the single stop light and headed back to the I-40 and stopped for the night in Shawnee, Oklahoma.
more checotah
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Tennessee…is really the only ten I see
December 12, 2009
We woke up super early and left Raeford at 6 AM heading towards Knoxville, Tennessee. We stopped at Bojangles for breakfast. Bojangles is apparently super popular in the south and another MUST eat at place. It was good, but super heavy for a breakfast meal. I got a biscuit sandwich and "botato" circles. My meal only cost like $3-4 which is relatively cheap for fast food now a days.
So after stopping to eat, we continued on our journey. It's funny because in California I complain about how cold I am and how it's "freezing" outside but after only being on the east cost for two days; my definition of cold had changed. Cold to me now is having to wear layers of clothing, gloves, hates, scarves and still feeling like your body is going to go numb! Haha
The drive to Knoxville was a bit longer than expected. The different between North Carolina and Tennessee is evident as soon as you cross the border. We said goodbye to dead fields of nothing to gorgeous mountains. 
The I-40 (our home for the next four days) was closed because of a rockslide so we had to take a different route which was longer. This route, however took us through Ashville, Where the Biltmore is. We figured since we were already here we might as well go and check it out, so we drive up there and find out that it cost $60 and takes three hours to see. So we give up and head back down the road…After many stops we finally reach Pigeon Forge, TN.
Pigeon Forge is the MOST random city, I have ever…ever seen. It consisted of 15 miles of different themed mini golf courses, helicopter rides, movie theaters, and billboards for all of the random shows that they have.
It was like the Vegas strip in Bizzaro world. Near the end of the strip is where you find Dollywood, which was our destination.
When we got there we were worried that we wouldn't be able to get in because we'd have to pay but the parking attendant informed us of a shoppers pass. The Shopper's pass lets you into the amusement park for free for only an hour. So we went in for an hour, bought souvenirs really fast and then walked around the place quickly checking out the sights then left.
After Dollywood we drove through Knoxville straight to Franklin to Lisa's cousin's house. Driving through Tennessee I noticed that it's not over populated like California. There just aren't that many people everywhere or on the roads. It's less busy and less stressful. Tennessee is one of the prettiest states I've been in so far. It's definitely cold but not as cold as Wilmington or Denver. I'm glad that we went to Lisa's cousin's house because it allows us to a less touristy part of Tennessee. Their house was huge and GORGEOUS. Lisa's cousins husband is a producer for a Christian record company. The basement of this house was a recording studio, it was amazing.
They suggest we go eat at this place called J Alexander. They say they've seen Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood Tim McGraw and Faith Hill there, but we didn't see anyone. The girls and I splurged for dinner and it was delicious. J Alexander is like your standard restaurant but a bit nicer than chilis or Applebee's. . The portions were big, I got a half chicken which wasn't dry and was very flavorable. It came with mashed potatoes. We wanted to see more of Tennessee and go out in Nashville but we were just too tired, so we headed back to her cousins house and went to bed.
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