Romping and Nguyening

Heading South

Posted on November 27, 2014 by Jean Nguyen

Not only was I thrilled with the lowest gas prices I’ve seen in about 7 years, my heart was captured by the adorable Southern accents that are nonexistent on the west coast.

Geographically, Virginia and West Virginia sit along the east coast, but culturally, they embrace the South. I had no idea that the faint hint of a southern drawl spanned from Texas all the way to Virginia. Because I’ve only heard the charming accent in movies and media, I found myself focusing more on the sound of their voices rather than their words.

In any case, we made a brief stop to Richmond, Virginia to visit some friends. I even managed to get a quick bike ride in with my former coach before eating the tastiest brussels sprouts I’ve ever had in Carytown, the happenin’ shopping district of Richmond.

Weather determined our next destination; we would either venture south for Great Smoky National Park in North Carolina or west to visit my aunt and uncle in the countryside of Kentucky. Rain and snow forced us to skip the national park, so we headed west (no more driving east, which meant we were finally homeward bound!!!).

Between Virginia and Kentucky, we spent a night in West Virginia.

Along the way, we passed by walls of icicles that gleamed in the sunlight, something we never see in California.

We camped not far from the river city of Charleston, West Virginia, along a small, riverside park. St. Albans Roadside Park offered free camping, bathrooms, electric hookups, and a dump/water for the summer. It was too easy to fall in love with this local park; we spent the rest of the evening lamenting the U.S. for not having more public sites like this.

A couple other RVs were parked nearby; we engaged in a long, friendly conversation with a local who often frequented this special place. “Where ya’ll from?” he asked. When we told him San Francisco, he had to ask the question again because he wasn’t sure he heard correctly. San Francisco was so far! “We was just at a beach in Virginia,” he replied when I asked of his whereabouts. “Ya’ll have a safe trip!” he said when we parted ways.

Sighs of delight, comfort, and satisfaction escaped my breath as I appreciated the combination of the clear sunset, late autumn foliage, riverside, and free amenities. To top it off, we celebrated Scromp’s 2nd birthday with chocolate and red velvet cupcakes that my friend bought for me in Virginia.

In the morning I peeped out from our window and was instantly fascinated by the small paddle wheel tug pushing a barge down the river. The Virginian local we spoke with the previous night told us this river was lively with jet skis, tugs, barges, and paddle wheel boats during the heat of the summer.

Not long after the barge disappeared down the river, we packed up and headed northwest for Kentucky.

My aunt and uncle have a countryside house tucked away in the rolling hills of northern Kentucky, between Louisville and Cincinnati, Ohio. We parked Scromp in their front yard and got a glimpse of Louisville the following day.

We walked across The Big Four Bridge (once a railroad) to Indiana and back, where the small-town Louisville skyline could be observed. Apparently this bridge was only completed on May 20th of this year; we came just in time!

I actually have no idea what this building is. I just found its name fairly amusing.

We had to snap a picture of the world’s largest baseball bat in front of the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory. Yep, all their bats are designed and produced here!

Within the museum sat this giant limestone glove sculpture, another amazing work of art.

To our amusement, about a block or two down the street from the Louisville Slugger Museum was another giant bat on a wall. A different kind of bat. Har, har.

And after a comforting lunch of southern fried chicken with honey and cheesy grits, we got the ultimate Kentucky experience–bourbon tasting. To be honest, I’m not a huge fan of liquor, but I appreciated the tingling warmth of bourbon in my belly amidst a chilly day.

Oh, I also fulfilled a lifelong childhood dream by eating KFC in Kentucky. It met my low expectations, but at least I was served by and dined among a crowd of Southern hospitality while consuming the cheap, artificial-tasting chicken. We made up for the somewhat foul meal by devouring the gourmet fried chicken with honey and grits in downtown Louisville I mentioned earlier. Family. Baseball. Fried chicken. Bourbon. And that about sums up my brief Kentucky experience before heading further south into Memphis.

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Washington

Posted on November 24, 2014 by Jean Nguyen

It wasn’t possible to tour the U.S. without seeing our nation’s capital. Chris had never been, and my recollection of the capital only exist as fragments of memories from a lame tour bus over a decade ago. During the planning stage of our east coast tour, our scheduled route was NYC -> Philadelphia -> Washington. And now, here we were.

We had the fortune of staying with my friend’s brother outside of Washington in Germantown, Maryland. From there we took the metro (which by the way was perhaps the cleanest metro I’ve ever seen in the U.S.) in and out of Washington for the two days we spent there. The National Mall was much more massive than I remembered and we might have covered the same distances we hiked in the national parks.

Albeit an incredibly windy day with a high of 32ºF, we spent our first full day outdoors, walking from memorial park to memorial park.

According to our friends, the chances of scoring tickets to ride the elevator to the top of Washington Monument are slim. Wait times exceed several hours, with the day’s tickets often completely distributed first thing in the morning. Thanks to the off-season (a November Monday) and an unusual freezing chill, we simply showed up and were able to tour the Washington Monument immediately. YAY!

West view from the top of the Washington Monument (toward the Lincoln Memorial):

The Washington Monument as seen from the Lincoln Memorial:

Other sites included the Vietnam War Memorial:

The Lincoln Memorial:

The Korean War Memorial:

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial:

The Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial:

And the Jefferson Memorial:

Both the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials were paired with a modest museum and a number of wordy plaques. Between these museums, lengthy plaques, long walks, and a late lunch, we hardly had any daylight left in the late afternoon. We speed walked all the way to the Capitol Building, which was an eyesore under renovation.

The Smithsonian Castle (the Institution’s first building and headquarters) glowed in the fading sunlight.

And with a bit of sunlight remaining, we hurried over to the White House and managed to capture a lovely photo.

Two museums devoured our time the following day. First we took a free tour in the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, where all our crisp bills are made. Imagine your lifetime salary being printed out in a matter of minutes!

We then spent 4 hours at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, but we were only able to explore about half of it! Without charging its annual 30 million visitors any admission fee and housing the world’s largest collection of aircraft (including the first lunar space capsules, first “plane” or flyer, first planes to fly across the U.S., etc.), the Smithsonian Institution is in my opinion the world’s best collection of museums. Our final day in Washington was spent soaking our brain with knowledge, marveling at artifacts, and embracing current and historical navigation, space, technology, and exploration.

One of my favorite artifacts in the Smithsonian’s permanent collection was the original Wright Flyer from 1903:

Staying an extra day in Washington to explore more of the Smithsonian was considered, but the desire to get back on the road was greater. Our time spent at our nation’s capital was not only educational but also inspirational; the thirst for adventure, exploration, and advancement is engrained in American culture. With a revived national pride ignited in our spirits, we continued our journey to a part of America I’ve never seen: the South.

Posted in D.C. | Tagged national mall, washington monument | Leave a comment

Philadelphia

Posted on November 21, 2014 by Jean Nguyen

***Just a heads up: those who don’t know anything about or give the slightest shit about U.S. history will find tourism in Philadelphia and this blog entry to be a total bore. Just sayin’!***

After embracing two consecutive weekends of fancy drinks, gourmet food, and beautiful sites in the big cities of Chicago and New York, we braced ourselves for a taste of historical America–Philadelphia, the capital of the U.S. from 1790-1800.

Fortunately my uncle’s house in the outskirts of Philadelphia was our campground for the next two nights, rather than another sketchy freeway bridge. Not only was being conspicuous no longer a requirement, we had the luxury of eating homemade Vietnamese food everyday for breakfast and lunch. Yay, another perk of being Vietnamese-American!

During our brief time in Philly, we visited a number of historical sites. Having seen the Liberty Bell over a decade ago, I knew it wasn’t worth seeing so we skipped it. Our favorite activity was touring the inside of Independence Hall, the place where it all happened. Did you know this is the building pictured on the back of the $100 bill?

Within Independence Hall are two significant historic rooms. First, the Supreme Court room where heated debates took place:

Second, the Assembly Room where the Constitution and Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776. Did you know that the Assembly Room is pictured on the $2 bill? I stood in both rooms and imagined over two centuries ago our Founding Fathers debating, drafting, finalizing, and signing the doctrines of what our nation stands by today (mostly). This isn’t a movie set, I thought to myself. This is the real thing. This is the setting of U.S. history we learned about repeatedly as children and adults. A spark of eery fascination washed over me as we wandered throughout the hall.

An authentic printed copy of the Declaration of Independence that was distributed to citizens at the time was also on display.

Along with the printed Declaration was an ink stand most likely used for signing the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution.

Other historical buildings and sites we visited included the first U.S. bank:

The second U.S. bank:

The Carpenter’s Company:

The Franklin Court Printing Office, built by Benjamin Franklin:

And my favorite site of them all, Elfreth’s Alley, the nation’s oldest continually occupied residential street. The charming neighborhood currently houses 32 homes built between 1728 and 1836, with several available properties going for $500k-$900k.

Between visits, we, of course, devoured an authentic Philly cheesesteak. Yum!

We also visited the U.S. Mint, where coins are designed, produced, and distributed. Only three U.S. Mints exist in the U.S.: San Francisco, Denver, and Philadelphia, but only the Mints in Denver and Philadelphia offer free public tours. During our visit to Denver, we learned that advanced reservations were required to tour Denver’s Mint; Philadelphia’s Mint did not require reservations as it was a self-guided walking tour. No photos from the Mint will be posted here (photography is forbidden in the U.S. Mint) but it is worth touring and is conveniently located in the historical center of Philadelphia.

Philadelphia, where it all happened, was a great stopover after New York City, where it all currently happens. We’ve spent the majority of our childhood burning the history of our country and its leaders into our brains. Having learned it all from California and being away from it all, these moments in history were merely illustrated stories I barely glossed over in textbooks. For some odd reason, being here helped me solidify these former classroom “stories” into historical incidents. We knew we couldn’t explore our nation’s current capital of Washington, which was our next destination, without an educational visit to Philadelphia.

Posted in Pennsylvania | Tagged independence hall, philadelphia | Leave a comment

New York City

Posted on November 20, 2014 by Jean Nguyen

Before entering Chicago, we had the fortune of dropping off Scromp in the burbs. I was hoping we would have the same sort of luck during our stay in the city…perhaps a friend or friend of a friend who lived in the outskirts of NYC would have been kind enough to take in Scromp while we toured NYC.

Instead, a friend told me the story of the time when he spent a summer camping on Long Island. “There’s this free parking lot under the freeway bridge in Brooklyn on Meeker and Graham,” he wrote to me. “I slept in that parking lot for three weeks, and I know I wasn’t the only one who did. Street sweeping times are sane, it’s super close to the metro station, and it’s FREE! I’d consider bringing the trailer there.”

Although Chris and I weren’t totally gung-ho about the idea of sleeping under a freeway bridge in Brooklyn, we at least got a kick out of it and decided to go for it. Our Plan B was to seek refuge at a Walmart parking lot east on Long Island if the cops made us move, and then drive daily to this free parking lot to take the metro into Manhattan.

And that is how we ended up paying $37.50 in tolls (for 3 axles) to cross the bridges into Manhattan and Brooklyn the morning after Niagara Falls. I’ll never bitch about the $6 Golden Gate Bridge toll in San Francisco again.

We arrived at the recommended parking lot in Brooklyn on Wednesday afternoon. Loads of parking space–unbelievable!

Street sweeping was on Thursday morning, so we ended up moving the trailer across the street where street sweeping took place on Wednesday mornings. Instead of sleeping under the freeway bridge, we ended up sleeping beside it. Unlike Chicago and San Francisco, parking was plentiful in this safe neighborhood. Scromp remained parked here for the duration of our stay in New York, Wednesday through Saturday. And to make the situation even funnier, it turned out that my cousin lived just a 10 minute walk away. We definitely hung out at her condo more than once! 😉

In order to avoid the possibility of having someone knock on our door in the middle of the night, we hung up towels over the windows with binder clips to block the light. You couldn’t even tell if someone was inside the trailer from the outside!

After spectating the parking lot and validating the safety of the neighborhood, we took the metro into Manhattan. We hurriedly scarfed down a slice of pizza and sauntered to the southern tip of the island where we rode a ferry to the Statue of Liberty.

We had about an hour until sunset, and the view of Manhattan from the ferry was picture perfect as the sinking sun illuminated the skyline.

After viewing the Statue of Liberty, we walked through Wall Street on our way to the 9/11 Memorial. I was all about the bull with giant balls.

The first time I visited New York was just two years before the 9/11 attacks. My family and I had toured the World Trade Center, and even observed NYC from the WTC’s overlooks. This time, we stood before the 9/11 Memorial, which was an incredibly beautiful and sobering experience.

Whew. Not bad for a first day in New York. The following day was even more jam-packed with sites and activities.

We started off by going to the Empire State Building, but because we were turned off by the insane $29 admission fee, we quickly made our way over to Grand Central Station.

Then we hurried over to the Rockefeller Center ice skating rink, where holiday preparation was taking place. Scaffolding had been already constructed and people were busy assembling the giant Christmas tree in time for Thanksgiving. This made Rockefeller quite an eyesore, so no pictures of it will be posted here! After a glimpse of NBC filming down the street, we made our way over to Times Square.

Avoiding NYC assholes in Times Square turned out to be a combat sport even in the day time, and we quickly headed south toward Chelsea Market to get a sample of unique gourmet food for lunch.

A long, late lunch break recharged our bodies with energy, and we scurried over to a rooftop bar I visited 2 years ago. The rooftop bar on 230 Fifth Street is known for its stunning view of the Empire State Building.

Two glasses of red wine later, I led Chris through Times Square again to be dazzled by the amount of wasted electricity and to battle the combat sport of Rush Hour In Times Square. Not only was it Asshole Central, there didn’t seem to be a scarcity of hideous tourist-hungry costumed characters hustling to make a quick buck.

We concluded our second night in NYC with a lovely home-cooked dinner at my cousin’s in Brooklyn. The next day was a bit more chill since we planned on conserving our energy for some bar-hopping and dancing that night with a friend from SF. We returned to Chelsea Market again for breakfast, followed by a stroll down High Line, the newest and perhaps trendiest park currently in the works in West Manhattan. Trees and neatly planted shrubs were lined along a stretch of an elevated historic railroad once used until the 1960s.

Later that afternoon, we crossed the Brooklyn Bridge as pedestrians. A friend recommended this as a must-do in NYC, and we ended up enjoying it more than we anticipated. It was a remarkable structure during its time when it was completed in 1883, and we still found the architecture and design extraordinary today. Each overlook, skyline, and perspective from every angle provided a different composition for the artistic eye. Like a tourist on San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, we paused and snapped dozens of photos on New York’s Brooklyn Bridge.

The beautiful day ended with dinner, drinks, and dancing with friends in the City That Never Sleeps on a Friday night. Amazing food, great company, endless laughter, new fantastic memories. This is what life is all about!

The 4-day, 3-night adventure in one of the world’s most renowned cities could not have been better. Our short-lived abode beside the freeway bridge worked out for us and Scromp. We devoured delicious gourmet meals, slurped hot beverages at local cafes, and sipped wine at lounges and bars. We knocked out a number of the touristy must-do’s: Statue of Liberty, Wall Street, 9/11 Memorial, Empire State Building, Grand Central, Rockefeller Center, Times Square, Chelsea Market, a rooftop bar, High Line, and Brooklyn Bridge. We enjoyed drinks and dancing on a Friday night. We got in some family time with my cousin, and we even managed to hang out with a couple friends from San Francisco. It was an action-packed several days in perhaps America’s wildest city, and we looked forward to learning about the history and foundation of America in our next two destinations: Philadelphia and Washington.

Posted in New York | Tagged 9/11 memorial, new york city, statue of liberty | Leave a comment

Niagara Falls

Posted on November 18, 2014 by Jean Nguyen

Rather than driving across the painfully wide state of Pennsylvania straight to New York City, we opted for a shorter route north into New York for a glimpse of Niagara Falls.

I had visited Niagara Falls with my family almost 15 years ago during the summer, and I couldn’t wait to hear the power of water and gravity again. Horseshoe Falls, American Falls, and Bridal Veil Falls make up the Niagara Falls that flow between the international border of Ontario, Canada and New York, U.S.A. The water flow of the combined falls is the strongest of any waterfall anywhere in the world, with its waters flowing from Lake Erie into Lake Ontario. Like my last visit, I unfortunately did not have my U.S. passport and as a result I was only permitted to marvel at Niagara Falls from the U.S. side. Kind of a bummer, but Niagara Falls was gorgeous nonetheless.

As soon as we arrived, something felt a bit fishy. Niagara Falls State Park is the most touristy state park I have ever visited even during the off-season, and its commercialism and cheap marketing was reminiscent of deceitful Southeast Asia. We paid $10 to park our car and trailer and made the mistake by entering the Welcome Center, which I mistakenly confused for the Visitor Center. Layers of chipped paint peeled away from the concrete walls while a tattered American flag flaccidly waved from the the roof of the drab building. It looked like this:

Note that the far banner on the right spells out: Observation Tower FREE. Well, the observation tower is normally free; if not, I think it may be at most $1.

Immediately upon approaching the Welcome Desk, the lady behind the counter thrust a $40 per person bus package in our faces, where we would be taken on a “10 mile” tour around the park. Having never been offered a tour package up front at a state park, I asked her a couple questions.

“Is this the Visitor Center?” I inquired. All national and state parks have visitor centers.

“Yes, this is the Visitor Center.”

“Oh okay…” I pondered for a bit. A 10 mile hike would be no problem for Chris and I, but I considered riding our bikes. “Are there bike paths in the park?”

“Bike paths? I don’t know.”

What the hell? You work at the visitor center! How could you not answer that question? We thanked her and left, knowing there was no way we were going to spend a cumulative $80 just to see Niagara Falls. Before heading out on the supposedly 10 mile hike, I returned to the Welcome Center to fill my water bottle.

“Are there water fountains around here?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” she replied, dumbfounded.

“Will there be water fountains in the park?” I clarified.

“Maybe. I don’t know,” she shrugged.

Annoyed, I literally walked about five meters past her desk and found two water fountains in the building’s “international food court” which was a vacant, depressing cafeteria aimed to rip off tourists and sell unpalatable food. I filled my water bottle and returned to her desk to let her know where the water fountains were located. She thanked me.

Within minutes of setting foot in the park, we discovered the real state park visitor center, an official looking building void of cheesy advertisements (photo taken from foit-albert.com):

There, my questions were answered appropriately, and we set off to Niagara Falls which turned out to be just about a 10-minute walk away. 10 miles my ass! It was the last day of outrageous warmth in the North Central States (~62ºF), and we took advantage of the weather by enjoying the morning at Niagara Falls.

Below is the view from American Falls with the Rainbow Bridge in the distance. This bridge connects Canada (on the left) with the U.S (on the right).

Hudson Falls, the largest of them all:

The famous Maid of the Mist Boat tours had already concluded for the season, so the least we could do was pay $7 each to take the elevator down to Bridal Veil Falls.

Niagara Falls is designed for the tourist to spectate the largest waterfalls in the world from manmade overlooks. Hiking trails are nonexistent; only sidewalks lined along Goat Island serve as a friendly pedestrian path for people to saunter through the park. Walking from the parking lot to the visitor center, to each of the three waterfalls, and to the observation deck and back only took about 2 hours, so we were quickly on our way east again toward New York City.

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Chicago to Pennsylvania

Posted on November 17, 2014 by Jean Nguyen

I asked three of my native Michigan friends what the hell there was to do in Michigan and all three responded with the same, dismal answer: Nothing. Well, nothing compared to everything else we had seen. Because there was apparently nothing to do there, I decided at the last minute to extend our road trip into New York City, stopping by Presque Isle State Park and Niagara Falls State Park along the way. Chris had never visited The City That Never Sleeps so we were stoked to spend our next weekend in NYC after hanging out in Chicago the past weekend–WHOO!

We left Chicago on a Sunday afternoon and blasted through Indiana and soon found ourselves in Michigan.

Our evening arrival in East Lansing granted us just enough time to enjoy a quick dinner with my brother before passing out in Scromp in the parking lot of his apartment complex.

Since our goal was to arrive in Presque Isle State Park, PA with some daylight left, we woke up before sunrise to embark on our next leg east through Ohio and into Pennsylvania. We skimmed by Detroit, Ann Arbor, and Toledo and ventured into Ohio.

I had even asked a friend who lived in Ohio for a few years if there was anything worth seeing. “Unless you enjoy looking at smokestacks, just skip it,” was his response. So we blew through Cleveland and the smoke stacks.

The northern coast of Ohio quickly passed us by, as we hugged Lake Erie the entire way into Pennsylvania.

We rolled into Presque Isle at 2:30pm, which gave us a whole 2 hours to explore the park during the remaining hours of sunlight. Hiking trails there were practically nonexistent, and we didn’t want to be lame and tour the park from our car, so we put on our cycling gear and pedaled along the lakeshore during Pennsylvania’s final warm days of autumn.

After cycling around the tiny park, I strolled out to Crystal Point and Misery Bay. There, I observed the Perry Monument and read about the historical significance of the isle, Commodore Perry, and the Battle at Lake Erie. The calm shores and waters of Presque Isle Bay proved to be the perfect spot for the construction of Perry’s fleet and eventually became a site for one of the biggest naval battles of the War of 1812.

An epic sunset all to ourselves:

Presque Isle is truly one of those hidden gems quietly tucked away in a historical city once bustling during the Industrial Revolution. Its calm lakeshore beaches and incredible sunsets are unknown to the faraway Californian like myself, but is considered a magical place by its locals, especially since it boasts Pennsylvania’s only “seashore.”

I actually only discovered this park by accident. In my quest for finding a halfway point between Chicago and New York City, I simply studied close-up maps between Ohio and Pennsylvania. While studying the maps, an unique land formation caught my eye:

Upon zooming in on Erie, I spotted this:

WOW! I had thought. This is probably manmade, but it looks awesome. Turned out that it was in fact all natural, and is constantly changing due to the winds and waves. A quick Google search led me to a number of amazing aerial photos (both from Wikimedia):

This isle once protected Perry’s fleet during the U.S. war against the British, and now serves as a scenic park, beach, and historical site for locals and tourists. I highly recommend a visit to this park if you are in the area, especially in the warmer months. And to add more icing on the cake–there is no admission fee! This was probably the first state park we’ve ever visited that did not have a visitor or vehicle fee. No joke.

I was slightly disheartened that we could only enjoy a couple hours at this gem of a park, but my spirits lifted knowing that Niagara Falls was our next destination!

Posted in Pennsylvania | Tagged lake erie, presque isle | 1 Comment

Chicago

Posted on November 11, 2014 by Jean Nguyen

Between breathtaking South Dakota and bustling Chicago, we made a stop to sleepy Iowa. Since most of the corn fields were harvested, we couldn’t witness endless fields of swaying wispy, golden corn stalks, but I at least had the opportunity to cuddle with barn animals at Chris’ twin brother’s farm.

Monty, the gentle horse. Despite their size, I learned that horses are kinda like dogs.

Pinwheel, the apathetic cow. She, like all other cows, ate and shat perpetually.

Petunia, the fun-loving pig. She had another pig companion, but it got away and was hit by a car, so it was roasted and devoured. Bacon is fresh in Iowa.

Boomer, the naughty goat. He likes to pee on his face. No joke.

And then we were off to Chicago!

We didn’t dare bring the trailer into the city. After dropping off Scromp in Joliet, a neighboring suburb, we continued on to the heart of Chicago, where we luckily had a place to stay for the next 4 nights: Chris’ brother’s condo. His roof deck had a pretty sweet view:

Throughout the end of the week we thoroughly enjoyed the Midwest’s largest city and America’s third most populous city, the international hub for finance, tech, and transportation, the cultural mecca for art, music, and cuisine. November probably wasn’t the best time to visit this beautiful city; due to the unforgiving cold we couldn’t appreciate the numerous beaches along Lake Michigan, but we were able to eat some of America’s finest foods, ogle at the famous skyline from various points of views, gape at intricate architecture and art, and more importantly be in the great company of friends.

Chicago is famous for its classic deep-dish pizza and hot dogs. We chowed down at Lou Malnati’s and The Wiener Circle.

Call me stupid if you want, but we even waited 3.5 hours to eat Au Cheval‘s famous cheeseburger, fries with mornay sauce, garlic aioli, and fried farm egg, and thick cut peppered bacon. It was the carnivore’s dream. I hate to admit it was worth it. 😉

When we weren’t eating and seeking shelter from the cold, we fulfilled our tourist duties by marveling at the photo-obligatory Cloud Gate (which all locals and I call the Bean) at Millennium Park.

We strolled down Michigan Ave., the touristy shopping downtown district. As people who despise shopping, we primarily enjoyed the displays of horse statues and botanical art along the streets. The lively colors of the art brightened up the lackluster gray tones of the buildings, skies, and city blocks.

We observed Chicago from the 95th floor of the Signature Room at the Hancock Building, where there is no admission fee. Food and drinks are expensive, but we managed to avoid buying anything since it was incredibly crowded–too crowded for immediate seating. The view of downtown Chicago and Lake Michigan from the women’s bathroom was worth the search for downtown parking and the long elevator line.

Driving on LSD (Lakeshore Drive) was brief but scenic.

We even drove past Wrigley Field. Chicagoans are clearly proud of their professional sports teams; it isn’t difficult to spot Bulls, Blackhawks, Bears, and Cubs paraphernalia.

I took advantage of a gorgeous morning by making a quick jog to Soldier Field. Chicago’s skyline caught my eye, along with this pleasing message scrawled across a lamp post.

A long, concrete wall across the street from our condo served as the urban artist’s dream canvas. I found myself drawn to Chicago’s diverse palette of street art.

We also got a taste of Chicago’s cultural gems by eating and drinking in the West Loop, Wicker Park, and Lakeview hipster/yuppy neighborhoods. A Chicago-native friend told me, “A key understanding most visitors don’t have is that it’s the neighborhoods that make Chicago fun, not the loop downtown.” As a first timer to Chicago, I was obliged to see the downtown sites, but I appreciated the local neighborhoods even more. I can’t remember how many bars or which bars we went to, but the venues were unique, vibes were awesome, company was great, and the Midwest hospitality was genuinely sanguine.

With our hearts and bellies full, we left Chicago knowing we would someday return in the summer months so we can enjoy the skyline with our feet covered in sand and soaked in Lake Michigan’s waters. After indulging the Midwest’s unique rock formations and forests, simple-living agricultural life, and thriving Windy City, we continued east on our road trip, just barely escaping the predicted polar vortex.

Posted in Illinois | Tagged chicago | Leave a comment

Black Hills and Badlands

Posted on November 5, 2014 by Jean Nguyen

It was still dark and nibbling cold when we left Colorado Tuesday morning, but we had a full day of driving ahead of us: north into Wyoming, and then east into South Dakota.

Our plans entailed a full day in Black Hills National Forest and a full day in Badlands National Park the day after just in time to arrive in Des Moines, Iowa for Halloween and Chris’ 36th birthday. Although the 13,000+ acre Black Hills wilderness is filled with campgrounds, the Wrinkled Rock Climbing Trailhead is the only dispersed campground also open all year round. Obviously, that was where we spent the night:

And coincidentally, the campground was only a mere 2 miles away from Mount Rushmore! Since we had already visited Mount Rushmore a couple years back, we had not planned on spectating the notorious granite faces of the Four Presidents for this trip. With just a few more hours of fleeting sunlight, we decided at the last minute to go for a run toward the national monument (which ended up saving us a $15 parking fee).

At the entrance we stumbled upon Fluffy, the mountain goat, and her kid:

Mount Rushmore!

From our sunrise start in the outskirts of Denver, to the road trip into South Dakota, to the quick late-afternoon jog in the Black Hills to loosen up our leg muscles, and to the unexpected sojourn in Mount Rushmore, our travel day from Colorado to South Dakota turned out to be more eventful than anticipated. Additionally, the following day enthralled us with even more unexpected amazement.

In the not-so-long-ago days when I worked in an office, I would half-jokingly give advice on efficiency and maximizing time. “Wanna know how to make every weekend feel like a 3-day weekend?” I would ask. “Wake up every morning at 6am from Friday through Sunday.” I wasn’t kidding. It was productivity at its max; not only was I able to complete necessary errands and obligations, I was also able to accomplish all the fun I didn’t want to miss out on.

Traveling can be the same. If I wanted to relax, I wouldn’t need to travel. I would simply sit remotely, perhaps curled up with a novel or cookbook. While I’m traveling, I want to see as much of the world as I can within the short amount of time that I have.

So again, we were up by sunrise. We hit the Sylvan Lake Trailhead by early morning and hiked the highlight of Black Hills National Forest: Harney Peak, the tallest peak east of the Rockies sitting at 7,242 ft. above sea level. It only took about 1 hour 15 minutes to hike 3.5 miles to the summit, which displayed epic views of granite cliffs and rock formations, and panoramic views of South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Montana. The historic watch tower at the summit was icing on the cake.

On our way up, the lighting on the granite formations was magical:

As we approached the watch tower, we climbed several sets of manmade steps and stairs:

And finally, we entered the watch tower. We spent quite a bit of time here, taking in the breathtaking views and feeling like a kid again while romping around the pretend fortress:

After climbing a narrow set of stairs, we accessed the very top of the watch tower:

Harney Peak is a generally popular site during the warmer summer months. This early fall Wednesday morning bequeathed the hike and watch tower all to ourselves. The return hike down was brief, and after lunch, we were on the road again heading eastward to Badlands.

Another epic boondocking site awaited us just outside of Badlands, thanks to my discovery of the dispersed camping area in the Buffalo Gap National Grasslands. We parked and unhitched along the edge of a cliff overlooking the grand badlands. Not another person was in site, and we ridiculously twirled around with our arms outstretched against the wind like Julie Andrews on the cover of The Sound of Music. Okay, maybe we didn’t, but we sure felt like doing it.

The view from our door:

It was only 4:00pm when we unhitched–there was ample time to drive the scenic highway 240 Badlands Loop and hike some of the shorter trails at sunset! We quickly rushed into the park and oohed and aahed over the spectacular landscape.

Sunset was scheduled for sooner than expected–5:45pm. We swiftly toured the Window and Door “trails”, both under a mile roundtrip. The lighting and clouds could not have been more phenomenal for this glorious sunset. It was even 60ºF!

Window Trail:

Door Trail:

Darkness quickly swept the valley and we again drove through the moonlit 240 SD back toward camp with our hearts filled with satisfaction from a full day’s adventure. Not bad for a single day: we hiked Harney’s Peak in Black Hills, found an incredible boondocking site in South Dakota, drove the scenic highway 240 SD, and marveled at a colorful sunset within Badlands.

Sunrises and sunsets are memorable within landscapes such as this, so we woke up the next morning before sunrise to peek out from the curtains. Soon enough the wall was flooded with light. Gazing at views like below from our trailer’s warm bed is the very reason why we love boondocking.

After lunch we returned to Badlands via 240 SD again to hike the trails we missed out on the night before. We stopped along 240 SD so I could snap a photo:

Our first hike was Notch Trail, which toured us through the formations via ladder.

And we finished off our Badlands experience with the longest trail within the park: the easy 12-mile long Castle Trail that guided us through the flat deserts, prairies, and formations.

Due to a slightly late start, the sunlight quickly faded during the last mile of our hike. Our subtle shivers and vapors of warm breath indicated the rapidly decreasing temperature drop, and by the time we pulled out of the parking lot, darkness had taken over. The foul wind and cold dragged out our journey to Sioux Falls, where we found a Walmart to camp for the night. Des Moines, Iowa was our next destination, where we would spend the next several days taking a break from outdoor adventures.

Posted in South Dakota | Tagged badlands, Black Hills National Forest, Harney Peak, Mount Rushmore | Leave a comment

Colorado in 3 Days

Posted on November 3, 2014 by Jean Nguyen

Tuesday, October 28th was our arrival goal for Black Hills National Forest, South Dakota, which gave us 3 whole days to spend in Northern Colorado. Having never been to Colorado before, we were both eager to check out the mile-high city highly regarded by outdoor adventurers. We evenly divided our time between Rocky Mountain National Park, Boulder, and Denver for a taste of the Rockies and well-missed metropolitan city life.

Perhaps it was the last warm autumn Saturday before daylight savings time could begin, but the crowded Rocky Mountain National Park was a culture shock after arriving from the deserted Yellowstone National Park. Like Zion, Rocky Mountain offered shuttle services and park and ride areas in order to minimize parking mayhem. Even with the surprisingly large number of crowds, we enjoyed the beauty of the Rockies and the challenging, oxygen-depriving hikes between 9,000-10,000 ft.

After spending a picture-perfect day in Rocky Mountain National Park, we made our way over to Longmont where we stayed with friends through the weekend. (Boondocking on friends’ property = flushing toilets, unlimited water and power, and awesome company!) Their autumn-kissed patio provided a homey comfort we’ve been deprived of for so long.

Sunday was a quick preview of Boulder: a brief hike along the Flat Irons and some shopping and strolling through Pearl Street Mall.

Our brief visit into Denver unfortunately fell on a dreary day, which is apparently rare for the state that receives 300 sunny days out of the year. The chilly rain prevented us from exploring the streets and our boredom led us on a historic tour through the capital building.

Outside the capital building was a mile-high marker.

The view-boasting 27th floor bar I looked forward to lounging in was closed due to a private event (doh!) so we ended up at our friend’s office instead–Left Hand Brewery, one of many Colorado’s brew-pubs. Our final evening in Colorado concluded with tap beers on the house along with a home-cooked meal shared with friends. Although short-lived, our time in Northern Colorado was a well-spent getaway from the remote backcountry, allowing us to rekindle our spirits with company and recharge our souls with the energy of the city.

Posted in Colorado | Tagged Boulder, Denver, Rocky Mountain National Park | 2 Comments

Yellowstone

Posted on October 29, 2014 by Jean Nguyen

Yellowstone is the suburbia of national parks; its vastness spreads across more than one state and the substantial distance between the sites, trailheads, and camping grounds make me wonder if its visitors spend more time in their cars or the wilderness.

When we arrived during the last half of October, two roads had already shut down for the winter and all campgrounds but one near the far southern entrance remained open. Had we camped in Yellowstone, it would have been a 2-hour+ drive to Old Faithful, Yellowstone’s most famed geyser. Due to the prohibition of boondocking within the park and its vicinity, we ended up boondocking at Bill Frome County Park in Idaho, a 20-mile drive from the West Yellowstone entrance. To get there, we drove from Wyoming through Montana and into Idaho!

We didn’t mind the drive at all. There, we camped for free along a placid lake surrounded by crunchy autumn leaves with snow-dusted mountains in the distance. We were embraced with serenity.

For the following four days, we drove to and from Yellowstone Park. Yellowstone’s wilderness is perhaps the largest wilderness I’ve ever visited. A couple cars pulled off along the side of the road would easily trigger a chain reaction of multiple cars pulling over, with drivers and passengers excitedly scanning the wilderness for wild animals to photograph. Bucks, elk, antelope, and bison were common.

Fortunately we were able to take advantage of an unusual, warm day for our first day by cycling to Old Faithful from Madison. We stopped by several geysers and “paint pots” along the way. As a geyser virgin, I was in awe of the gurgling mud holes, hissing steam, sizzling pools, and spurting geysers–truly some of Earth’s rarest geological treasures. I often joked about bubble and smoke machines being placed beneath the surface as a special effect; it felt too surreal to be an act of nature.

Then we eventually made our way over to Old Faithful. Our jaws dropped when we saw the size of the empty parking lot; it was probably as big as Walmart’s. We again muttered to each other how thankful we were for coming not only on a Monday, but during the off-season. Even Old Faithful’s geyser was treated like a live orchestra. Benches lined the south western perimeter of the geyser and park visitors (mostly retired couples) scattered here and there waited patiently with their SLRs or iPads clutched in their hands. The eruption itself was overhyped and short-lived (perhaps under a minute), but pretty cool nonetheless. If we were there in the summer shoulder-to-shoulder with aggressive tourists and their children, we probably would have felt differently. Immediately after the eruption there was a short applause and the audience dispersed to escape the early evening chill.

The plan was to explore Old Faithful’s surrounding pools after the eruption but we could see thunderclouds slowly creeping in from a distance. We knew from experience that cycling in the rain and cold can be miserably painful so we quickly headed back to Madison and decided to return to the Old Faithful area another day.

Hail, freezing cold, and prevailing winds forced us to dwell as hermits the next day. Though the storm’s frigid remnants lingered the next several days, rain did not fall, and so we explored Yellowstone some more. Due to the winter road closures, we were unable to hike Mt. Washburn, one of Yellowstone’s longer, epic hikes. Yellowstone ended up resembling more of a museum filled with Earth’s picture-worthy natural gems than a national park filled with scenic hikes.

We spent an afternoon scoping out the geysers and “paint pots” between Norris and Madison.

And we spent another day revisiting Old Faithful, this time checking out additional sites between Madison and Old Faithful.

Midway Geyser Basin:

Fairy Falls, Yellowstone’s tallest waterfall (200 ft.):

A crystal, clear pool near Old Faithful:

Old Faithful erupting from another perspective:

Beehive Geyser, which happened to erupt during Old Faithful, apparently erupts anywhere from 8-24 hours. We lucked out with this one:

And just for fun, a coyote scrummaging for food:

Due to the weather and Yellowstone’s limitations and road closures, we only spent a total of four days at the park which was ample time to ogle over the attractions. Since Yellowstone’s geological features are the rarest in the world, a visit to this park would be a treat for anyone, old and young. But after spending 1.5 weeks boondocking in the wilderness, we were ready for our next metropolitan destination filled with diversity and fine dining and booze: Denver.

Posted in Wyoming | Tagged geyser, Old Faithful, yellowstone | 1 Comment