Thank You

We would like to thank the following people. Without them our trip would not have been possible:

Dick and Jeanne Davis
Pete and Mary Margaret Sexauer
Wally
The Fitzs
Kevin Walker
Aaron Nesbitt
The Boston Red Sox
The good people at the Residence Inn, Cleveland OH
The Cleveland Indians
Bertha Balthaser
Jesus











Pat Easterling
The Cincinnati Reds
Parrish, the Gino's East waiter
The Chicago White Sox
The good people at the Sheraton Towers, Seattle WA
The Seattle Mariners
Rich and Chris Fisher
In-N-Out Burger
John E and B-Man
Route 66
Sonic Drive In
Steak
Kitsch
Elvis
Interstate Bar-B-Que
The good people at Comfort Suites, Nashville TN
The good people at Comfort Inn, Arlington VA
The following outstanding support staff at Virginia Hospital Center:
Wanda
Dabo
Lamonica
Boston Nurse Lynn
Dr. Leonard

The following KOA franchises:
Kankakee, IL
Sioux Falls, SD
Rapid City, SD
Cody, WY
West Yelllowstone, MT
Spokane, WA
Astoria, OR
Grants Pass, OR
Manchester, CA
Petaluma, CA
Williams, NM
Albuquerque, AZ
Oklahoma City, OK

And finally YOU, our loyal readers.

Thank you.

In Summary & In Conclusion

After we were discharged from the good services of the Virginia Hospital Center of Arlington, Virginia at around 2:00 in the afternoon, we high-tailed it out of there and made our way home, regardless of what time we would pull in. And during our journey home through familiar territory we had time to reminisce, contemplate and ponder that which our course had taken us through.

In summary:

America; there is alot of it.

A lot of it is flat. A lot of it is bumpy and pointy.

By and large, most Americans are not attractive. Even in California.

"Creature Features" which we hope to see on our trips to Maine, be it a deer or a porcupine or even moose, have now been trumped by anything we've seen in the wild and won't be as impressive. Unless we see a porcupine riding a moose.

Nice people are nice. And alot of Americans are nice. We like nice Americans.

New England does have the worst drivers, followed closely by Arkansas and Tennessee.

In-N-Out is really what a hamburger is all about. White Castle isn't.

Red Sox Nation may be touted as the most obnoxious fans in major league sports in other places, but they make for exciting baseball.

KOA is the place to stay and hit the hay.

Life begs simplicity. You don't really need that much.

All you need is love. Love is all you need.

It's not worth trying to diet on a trip like that. Save it for home.


BY THE NUMBERS

0 - The number of times we ate at McDonald's
1 - Number of Massachusetts license plates we saw between New York state and Arlington, VA
7 - Number of Major Leage Baseball games we took in
9 - Number of different Major Leage ballclubs we saw play (Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians, Cincinnati Reds, Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago White Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, Seattle Mariners, San Francisco Giants, Washington Nationals)
27 - Number of different states we traveled through (New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnessota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Virginia, (D.C.), Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, & Connecticut).
$2.59 - The cheapest price of gas per gallon we paid on our trip (Front Royal, VA & Jessup, MD)
$3.99 - The highest price of gas per gallon we paid on our trip (Westport, CA)
258.37 - Total number of gallons of gasoline purchased
$749.69 - Total spent on gasoline
9,764 - Total miles traveling

Please click here to see a detailed log of our cross country gasoline intake!


SOUNDTRACK FOR A ROAD TRIP

Many of you may have wondered "What are Matt and Kate listening to on their trip?" Well, we took care of that on a daily basis by nominating a song of the day for each major leg of our trip. Most of these can be found on iTunes if you're at all curious. For your consideration:

Maynard, Massachusetts > Brockport, New York
"Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think)", as recorded by Todd Snider

Brockport, New York > Cleveland, OH
"Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think)", as recorded by Todd Snider

Cleveland, OH > Middleton, OH
"Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think)", as recorded by Todd Snider

Middletown, OH > Chicago, Illinois
"Conservative Christian Right Wing Republican Straight White American Male", Todd Snider

Chicago, Illinois > Sioux Falls, SD
"My Kind of Town", Frank Sinatra

Sioiux Fallls, SD > Rapid City, SD
Theme from "Dances with Wolves", John Barry

Rapid City, SD > Cody, WY
"Rocky Raccoon", The Beatles

Cody, WY > West Yellowstone, MT
"Hoedown", Aaron Copland, as recorded by Bela Fleck and the Flecktones

West Yellowstone, MT > Spokane, WA
"Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think)", as recorded by Todd Snider

Spokane, WA > Seattle, WA
"Talking Seattle Grunge Blues", Todd Snider
"The Day I Tried to Live", Soundgarden
"Even Flow", Pearl Jam
"Come As You Are", Nirvana
"Up From the Skies", Jimi Hendrix

Seattle, WA > Astoria, OR
"18 Wheels on a Big Rig", Trout Fishing in America

Astoria, OR > Central Point, OR
"Seaside Rendezvous", Queen

Central Point, OR > Manchester, CA
"Going to California", Led Zeppelin

Manchester, CA > Petaluma, CA
"Lumberjack Song". Monty Python

Petaluma, CA > Riverside, CA
"Surfbound", Wave Invasion

Riverside day trip to Hollywood, CA
"Celluloid Heroes", The Kinks

Riverside, CA > Las Vegas, NV
"Viva Las Vegas", Elvis Presley

Las Vegas, NV> Williams, AZ
"Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think)", as recorded by Todd Snider

Williams, AZ > Albuquerque, NM
"Take It Easy", The Eagles

Albuquerque, NM > Oklahoma City, OK
"I'm So Tired", The Beatles

Oklahoma City, OK > Nashville, TN
"Nashville", Todd Snider

Nashville, TN > Arlington, VA
"Truckin'", Grateful Dead

Arlington, VA > Maynard, MA
"Big Bottom", Spinal Tap
"Home At Last", Soundtrack from the motion picture "Labyrinth"
"Home At Last", Steely Dan
"Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think)", as recorded by Todd Snider

In conclusion:

As I type this we have been home for a week. I have been busy at marching band camp and Kate has been busy recouperating. Every now and then we'll mention to each other "hey remember __________" and our minds will start reeling as to the myriad of things we've seen over the past five weeks. It was truly the trip of a lifetime.

We certainly hope if you ever take a trip across this great nation of ours that you perhaps use this blog as a guide, inspiration or even a warning of things to come along your travels. But there is alot out there and it could easily change your life.


...and that's the view from Maynard, Massachusetts.

Elvis and Kate's Spinal Fluid Have Left the Building!

Oklahome City is the world headquarters for Sonic Drive-In restaurants. Kate loves Sonic.












We departed Oklahoma City after one night and made our way towards Tennessee. We were ready for an easy day of driving until we forgot that Arkansas stood in our way. So that added an unexpected 3 hours of driving time. Leave it to Arkansas....



Here we are at the Arkansas state border. Kate is yawning because Arkansas is boring. I am giving the "Bill Clinton Talking Thumb".

This was the only time we set foot in Arkansas.

Following Arkansas, crossing the Mississippi River you immediately enter Memphis. Home of Elivs and the ancient Greeks.


Graceland. Elvis' shrine, home, and final resting place. You walk through it using the self guided audio tour which is very well produced and tells alot of interesting information using interviews of Elvis and his family members. All of his Grammys, gold records, military uniforms, jump suits and personal affects can be found there as well as the dozens of rooms that he would entertain people in, including a TV room with three running TVs, a billiard room and a jungle themed room.











The tour rounds out at Elvis' gravesite. He's buried alongside his parents, grandmother and a memorial marker for his twin brother who died at childbirth.




After the Graceland tour we did what any other cross country tripper would do while in Memphis. Eat ribs. Greatest ribs I've ever eaten. Hands down. Interstate Bar-B-Que has been touted as the greatest of Memphis barbecue joints. And we agree.

After that we drove another 2 1/2 hours to Nashville for the night.

The next day our plan was to drive all the way to Washington, D.C. That's a long hike indeed, but if you're going to do it, you just have to put your head down and gun for it; which is what we did. We arrived in Arlington, VA at around 12:00 midnight.

Now, ever since Vegas Kate had been feeling like a sinus infection was coming on, but she also had these sharp headache pains on the right side of her head. As we approached D.C. the pains became more and more intense. She decided to sleep it off that night but the next day it was unbearable. So off to the Emergency Room we went. They gave her a CAT scan and found no major problems, although they did find a small benign pocket of space in her cranium which classifies her as a medically diagnosed air head.

So they released her with a prescription for Zithromax and Afrin for the siunusitis and Oxycodone for the headaches. Even before she had time to take these medications she was overtaken by dizzy spells and sweating, or what we'll call a vertigo attack. We returned to the hotel room and Kate went back to bed, occasionally experiencing these dizzy spells again a few more times. Not wanting me to be cooped up at her expense she urged me to go out and find something to do. Turns out the U.S. Marine Band was playing at the west steps of the Capitol Building, so I took that in. Great band, great performance. I have the performance bug again.

When I returned to the hotel, her vertigo attacks hadn't subsided despite her nap. So we thought maybe some dinner would help but on the way to a restaurant she experienced a very intense attack. So we decided to rush her to the Emergency Room once more.

By this time it was around 11:00 at night and we were taken in around 12:30. The ER was jumpin' that night. The doctor eventually came in and gave Kate some basic neurological tests to make sure her motor skills weren't affected. It was suggested then that they give her a lumbar puncture, better known as a spinal tap. This was suggested earlier in the day for her first ER visit, but she opted out of it. This time it seemed necessary.

WARNING For the squeamish : skip this next paragraph.

A spinal tap procedure is probably the coolest thing I have ever seen done to someone. First off, may I say that I could never endure this procedure personally and I have the utmost respect for my wife and I now truly see how strong of a woman she is. The doctor marked a spot on her lower back using a pen and then inserted a needle to inject lidocane or some sort of numbing agent. Then the spinal tap needle is placed in and cerebospinal fluid begins pouring out. The doctor collects it in vials for testing.


Kate's fluid came out very clear which is a good sign. Any discoloration would suggest cerebral hemmoraging or infection in the brain. So that could be ruled out immediately. The doctor also said that the symptoms sounded like meningitis, but had it been bacterial meningitis she probably wouldn't have made it to the hospital alive by that point. So he ruled that out as well. His best guess would have been what he called a "benign positional vertigo" which means she can experience vertigo in any position; standing, lying down, on her head, whatever. So for this they gave her something called alavert. But I thought that was an over the counter seasonal allergy deterrent. But I'm not a doctor. I just play one on TV.

Initial test results came back to the surprise of the attending ER doctor: viral meningitis. So this meant that they had to keep the sample and have it cultured for certain attributes. This would take, at the very leas,t 24 hours. We were in the comfort and care of the Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington VA for 60 hours. Two nights, three days, 8 bags of intravenous antibiotics later and all test results came back negative. The only thing Kate can now do is wait it out. No cure for viral meningitis, but she's not contageous. Plus she's had so much antibiotics running through her body that I'll be surprised if she ever gets a sinus infection again.

While we were in Arlington I took advantage of being near the Arlington National Cemetery. Here I made sure to check out the Arlington House, home of General Robert E. Lee, the Kennedy gravesite and the tomb of the unknown soldier including the changing of the guard.

Don't Freak Out

Sure, we haven't blogged in a while. Well, that's because we've been held up in Arlington, Virginia for a few days. Kate's been admitted to the hospital with some pesky viral meningitis she picked up somewhere along the way. But don't freak out. She will be just fine.



Well, to be honest with you, our funds have been becoming increasingly slim since Vegas and we were tired of having to pay for meals, hotel rooms, camping sites and intravenous antibiotics. So we said; "Hell with it! Let Harvard Pilgrim Health Plan pay for it!"

We will make sure that you all get caught up with our trip from Oklahoma through our travel home.

Don't freak out.

There Once Was A Man From Two Guns, AZ...

After our stay in Las Vegas for two days
We had to change our west and south route ways
It will sure be a beast
As we start our trip east
Now it’s time for our “Route 40” phase.

Now I would be quite the approver
For the Colorado River water mover
It’s tall and it’s grey
The largest in the world, they say
Yes, I speak of the dam they call Hoover





















If you go there, use much sunscreen please
From your forehead and down past your knees
It’s the best advice I’ve got
‘Cause it can get wicked hot
It boiled up to 126 degrees.











Into Arizona we carried our load
Switching from freeway to a two-laner mode
They say “you’ll get your kicks
On Route sixty-six”
It’s the stretch they call the “Mother Road”.
















On this road about which I’ve just spoken
You could take your time peering and pokin’
But it’s cool just to see
Most things here are kitschy
Even though it’s all run down and broken.


















Give the Colorado River a hand
For the job it’s done changing the land
Not through powerful explosion
But long time erosion
And making the Grand Canyon grand

















So we traveled out there on a whim
And we walked all along the South Rim
Your footing you must keep
For it can be a mile deep
And a slip off the edge would be grim




















For these next couple nights we would stay
At the Williams, Arizona KOA
No hotel rooms with keys
Or luxurious amenities
It’s tent camping when we hit the hay

For dinner that night; Steak and Brews
So many restaurants in Williams to chose
Outside all the hotels and bars
Lined up old vintage cars
For the Route 66 Saturday Night Cruise

















So from here we decided to go
To a town in A-Z called Winslow
It was kitchiness gold
And we did what we were told
By The Eagles song you might already know (Take it Easy)

















Down Route 40 our car was flyin’
While the Arizona sun was fryin’
We pulled over our ride
To a Route 66 roadside
That advertised live Mountain Lions

















For the traveling Mr. or Ms.
66 is the place for old-timey biz
If you’re searching for that or this
It is quite hard to miss
The big jackrabbit sign “Here it Is”

















Now dear reader, did you ever know
That in the U.S. there’s a new Mexico?
Though it wouldn’t be right
To drive through the night
Albuquerque is as far as we’d go

It was quite late when we got in there
Tired, hungry, and worse for the wear
So we went in half way
To the Church Street Café
And ate the best of their Mexican fare

















Be you a seasoned traveler or not
There is one thing we both forgot
It was a rough night we spent
Lying there in the tent
New Mexico really gets hot

We woke up at this morning’s dawn’s crack
We packed up the car and we made tracks
To a sight really great
In the old Lone Star State
To see Technicolor Cadillacs

















So on any long trip headed east
Where just could anyone feast?
Where one person could take
A 72 ounce steak?
The Big Texan Steak Ranch, not in the least!

















Now our car ride is taking a while
As we’re going down mile after mile
There’s just one thing I say
To make traveling okay
And that’s update your blog limerick style

Backlogue: Wagons East!

We left SoCal Tuesday morning, having taken in most of the Golden State's fruits and nuts. Our next destination was to Las Vegas, Nevada to take in their wonderful offerings of volumes and volumes of books in their numerous libraries. Then we would awake early to go to church and then help the less fortunate and volunteer to walk three-legged dogs being saved from euthenasia. It would go on to be a truly soul-cleansing experience.

In order to get there we had to take route 15 from California across the Nevada border. And although 15 doesn't claim to be the mecca of kitsch that, say, route 66 can be it does have its share of attractions, such as:



The world's largest thermometer.













107! Wow! Good thing we were in the middle of the desert, or that reading would be something to be concerned about!


And Zzyzx Road!









What a name! Zzyzx! It's a road that takes you to the Mojave Desert Natural Preserve.


It was simply a 4 hour drive, quite refreshing after the numerous 9 or more hour days of driving we've had in the past.


So long, California!

Viva Las Vegas

Two nights ago we checked into a hotel in Las Vegas.


The rest, they say, stays in Las Vegas.