Utah Salt Flats

June 6, 2009

So we didn't really GO to the Utah salt flats so much as we just drove through them, but still cool to see. A whole lot of flat white nothing with mountains all around the rim. There's a weird mirage effect going on near the base of the mountains as you look out across the flats. Looks like there's water reflecting the mountains and sky even though there's really nothing there. It's a trip! And of course there's the 'Tree of Life' sticking out like a sore thumb in the middle of it all. How tennis ball looking orbs on a giant antenna represent the tree of life, I will never understand, but there it is... I must apologize for the quality of pictures though...they were taken from the car...some through the window. Maybe someday I'll have time to get out and explore the area.

'Tree of Life'

Stormy

That's a loooong straight road

Just before hitting Salt Lake City

'A Christmas Story House' - Cleveland, OH

June 10, 2009

roadsideamerica.com has got to be the best website ever! I would have never known about this place without it! The story is that big fans of the movie bought the house with profits from recreating the leg lamp and selling them. They then replicated the inside and started giving tours. From those profits they also bought two houses across the street and turned them into a giftshop, ticket booth, and museum with memorabilia from the movie. Unfortunately, we didn't get there until after it was closed, but we of course had to snap some shots with the house and the lamp anyways. My aunt says they also rent out the house on Christmas and you can spend your whole holiday there! I wonder if they even supply the neighbor's dogs....

Just the house

I'm so excited to be here!

Ann and the House

Look! It's really the leg!!

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame - Cleveland, OH

June 10, 2009

So much cool stuff in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!! Seven floors of stuff in fact. Unfortunately, no cameras allowed except at the entrance...lame... Ann and I spent about 4 hours there and that didn't even feel like enough time! We started by having lunch (because we were starving after our drive from Indiana) and we knew it was going to be a good day as we ate and listened to Freebird playing over the museum speakers! Then we headed out to explore.

They had tons of old outfits from the Beatles, Temptations, Michael Jackson, etc. It was interesting to see the quality of the clothes 'stars' used to wear back in the day; most of it looked like it was hand sewn by their mom! Quite a contrast to the designer label wear of today.I really liked the two walls covered by old Rolling Stone magazines, which included letters to the magazine by artists an others featured in the magazine. A really interesting one was a letter from Charles Manson regarding a story that was written about him; he offered to do a short interview in exchange for a free subscription to the magazine. The 'Video Killed the Radio Star' exhibit was also a favorite 'cause it was basically a bunch of different size TVs with clips from classic music videos. It was the only part that was like a flashback to my childhood! Other cool stuff included: Jim Morrison's death certificate and boy scout uniform, drawings by Bob Marley when he was a kid, the Evolution of Audiotechonology, 500 Songs that Shaped Rock & Roll (interactive kiosks...could have played with that all day!), and all the Beatles stuff. The one thing that I'm really sad wasn't there was Janis Joplin's car. It was on loan to the Henry Ford Museum in Michigan....I couldn't convince Ann to go up there though...

The museum

The only pictures I could take inside the museum

Mount Rushmore - South Dakota

June 8, 2009

On the second day of our cross-country road trip, Ann and I hit the Black Hills around 5:30. And at the same time we hit a nice wall of fog. Our plans to see the mountain that night were foiled and things looked bleak when we talked to a lady at the hotel who told us the weather had been like that for 3 days. But when we woke the next day the sun was shining through the clouds, so we headed back to see if we could get a glimpse. Lucky us it was bright and shining and in full view! This was my third visit to the monument, but Ann's first, so she was extra excited. After taking a few fun pictures, we walked the trail around the amphitheater at the base of the mountain where we got to see a mama and baby mountain goat, which made me extra excited since I've never seen one before! As with everything on this road trip, our visit was quick, but as always the monument was an amazing sight!

First glimpse of the mountain

Walking into the park

Me and the mountain

Ann and the mountain

Giving my cousin bunny ears

Picking Lincoln's nose

A sculpture of the sculptor

From the cave

Washington and Lincoln

Roosevelt and Jefferson

Mountain goats!!!

Tee Pees

The Field of Dreams - Dyersville, IA

June 9, 2009

The two previous times that I drove across country I begged my parents to go to the Field of Dreams. But we were always too far away... So when Ann and I were planning our road trip and she said "every time I go to Iowa, I want to go to Field of Dreams, but we're always so far away..." I knew we had to go! So after an overnight stop in Hawarden, Iowa to visit Ann's grandmas and aunt, we headed out on Highway 20 (not the greatest highway I've driven on) through endless farms to Dyersville, Iowa. A dinky little town like all the rest of them, but the field totally makes it worth the drive. There were only a few other people there, but apparently there's a constant stream of people year-round. One couple from just a few towns away were on a date for their anniversary and had brought a glove, softballs, and a bat to play with. They were taking pictures and hitting balls while we walked around in the outfield. We started chatting with them and they told us we had to hit a few balls, so they let us use all their gear. Neither of us had played baseball in a while, so we pretty much sucked, but we hit a few and it was such a blast to be playing on the Field of Dreams! The farm is actually private land and a family lives in the home, so you can't go inside, but the bleachers are there and the corn grows around the field (even though it was still short while we were there) just like in the movie. I of course had to pick up a magnet at the souvenir stand that said "Is this Heaven? No, it's Iowa"

The field

The house

The corn hasn't grown up yet...

Sittin' in the bleachers

Posing

I'm a very serious ball player...

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History - Washington D.C.

June 13, 2009

Three hours is NOT enough time to spend in one of the Smithsonian museums! There's so much to see! The National Museum of National History had two floors of exhibits that twisted and turned so much that you didn't know where you were until you ended up back in the middle of the museum. The Oceans Hall is new and pretty sweet. The Hall of Mammals didn't do much for me...guess I'd rather see live animals...although there were some cool ones I had never heard of before. The hall of live plants and butterflies was disappointing because it was more focused on insects and the only live plants were in a walk-through butterfly thing that you had to pay for. There were some cool live insects though...I'd never seen locusts before and those things are huge! My favorite part of the museum was the Hall of Geology, Gems, and Minerals and the Soil exhibit. There were some AMAZING rocks and minerals in every color imaginable and they had the Hope Diamond on display. The soil exhibit had a soil profile from every U.S. state and all kinds of other fun stuff. I think I need to spend some more time there to brush up on my soil science for work! And the best part of it all? It was free!! Apparently all of the museums in D.C. are...I had no idea... Anyhow, we definitely needed more time, but we had already walked around most of the D.C. monuments and Ann and I were both ready to cut off our feet. Someday I shall return!

The museum!!

Elephant in the middle of the 1st floor

These pictures were taken by...

My marine science professor!!!

Hall of Oceans

The Hope Diamond

Fun signs from the soil exhibit

Sugar glider (just for Jeni)

Giraffe (for mom)

Rawr!

Monarch (not real...haha!)