The End of the Road

A Rough Sketch of the Complete Road Trip

We took this road trip to learn more about the country we live in. Until now, Australia and Western Europe were our areas of expertise. Now we can truly say we know America more than ever! Thank you to everyone who kept up with us and posted comments. It was really exciting to see everyone's interest in the trip. We've vowed to do another trip in the future, so we will be sure to let you know. We are interested in what posts/places were your favorite to read about, and what places in America you would like to see that we didn't get to. Let us know in the comments!

Thanks again!
~Jessica and Orit

Final Day- CA

Our "Coast to Coast" trip would not be complete without a visit to San Francisco. Traffic was backed up on the Nay Bridge, but once we got to the heart of town, everything moved smoothly.

A View of San Francisco

Crossing the Bay Bridge into San Francisco.

It looked like most big cities, with financial, cultural and commercial districts. We looked up a few things to do while we were there. The Italian district had its annual North Beach Festival.

North Beach Festival.

The festival had a bunch of tents set up for local artists to sell their craft. There were alot of paintings, jewelry and homemade soaps being sold. We weren't walking around for that long when we noticed into the Republican table. The gentleman at the table was handing out Schwarzenegger stickers, which Orit refused to put on.

A sign that caught our eye.

After taking a walk to the tower on Telegraph Hill, Orit was determined to see the famous (or infamous) parrots. The birds were around because we could hear them, but seeing them was another story. It took awhile, but finally Orit saw one. We set on the side of the hill for awhile admiring the view of the Bay and the bridge.

We had some time before Orit's flight back to New York, so we took a trip down the cost on California Highway 1. We drove through a couple of small beach towns, even stopping at one to get some ice cream!

We made it from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.

Eventually, we made it to SFO and dropped Orit off for the flight back to her home. Jessica and John made their way back to Davis.

Day Sixteen through Eighteen- CA

We are so thankful to the Chevy Equinox for getting us cross-country with zero problems, no flat tires, no oil leaks, and no empty gas tanks! The next day in California, we decided we would reward it with a carwash. The front of the car looked so disgusting from all the bugs we hit along the way. One day in Idaho it got so bad, we found birds gathering around the car for a free meal!

A much needed car wash!

Driving down the road to Wal-Mart, to pick up a few items for the apartment, we recognized an old familiar sign. We were back on the Lincoln Highway! We had followed the Lincoln Highway from New York all the way to California. This road has become our Mother Road! It's amazing how much history one paved highway can carry with it. For more information on it go to : http://www.lincolnhighwayassoc.org/. We would definitely suggest checking out the history on this road. Now that the roadtrip is coming to an end, we find ourselves looking at every historical marker and sign at the side of the road. You would be amazed at how much stuff is out there (even in your own backyard) if you just look for it!

Our old friend, the Lincoln Highway.

Orit had some friends in nearby Folsom, California, so we decided to have lunch with them and explore the surrounding area. During lunch, we shared stories about the roadtrip and talked about all of our individual travels. It was surprising how many we had! This blog is only the tip of the iceberg.

Orit and David and Heather Hacker

Johnny Cash and his music has always been a 'must have' for any road trip we take together (no matter how small). Folsom is perhaps best known as the location of the famous prison because of Cash. The prison was built in 1880 on private farm land in exchange for prison labor. This labor was used to create a hydro-electric powerhouse for nearby Sacramento. Folsom prison was one of the first maximum security prisons in the United States.

Folson State Prison

"I hear the train acoming, its rolling 'round the bend..."

Like many other small towns in California, Folsom was founded by a handful of gold miners looking for their treasure. After they left, the town prospered through the railroad industry.

A mural in Folsom, CA

As far as the weather goes in Northern California, it is very hot, and the wind that blows only makes things worse. The past couple of days the temperature has been pushing 100 degrees!

California is hot and dry!

San Francisco will be our final stop on the road.

Day Fifteen- ID/NV/CA

We drove out of Twin Falls, Idaho with an open mind about our schedule. There were two options: 1) We see something we like in Nevada and stop; 2) We drive straight through the desert to California. The desert landscape was breathtaking -- seriously it was so hot! Our stopping was limited to pit stops. We used this time to refuel, buy sunflower seeds, diet coke, coffee and alternate who was driving. When we started out the day, we were only 2 hours away from the Nevada/Idaho border. The second we crossed the border, there were tons of casinos and hotels along the side of the road. One border town was even named Jackpot, Nevada! Almost every gas station we stopped at had tons of slot machines lining the walls. Neither of us have much interest in gambling so we were one of the few who got through the state without betting a dime!

Welcome to Nevada sign.

The famous Union Pacific Train and Nevada landscape.

Driving down the road, we see a lot of interesting things. One sign we came across read "Prison Area: Hitchhiking Prohibited." Thanks to the Nevada state government for the warning!

Nevada mountain ranges and a Maximum Security Prison.

After not seeing much along the interstate through Nevada, we finally reached California. We went through Reno, Nevada and Lake Tahoe, California. With us only being two hours from our final destination, we decided to drive until the end!

Welcome to California!

We made it to Davis, California around 6pm on day fifteen of the trip. John was excited to see us both even though we caught him in the middle of finals week. After resting for an hour or so, the unpacking began!

John and Orit unpacking the stuffed car.

One of the many inside jokes between Orit and Jessica was about the importance of Jessica's crock pot. When we left Mount Vernon, NY, the only place the crockpot could fit was at the feet of the passenger. Not good for a long car ride! Orit threatened many times to leave it on the side of the road. It finally found its home in the back of the car once things were packed in properly (say around Indiana or so). We are pleased to report it made its way safely to California. Any respectable Southern lady knows what all the fuss is about!

The Crock Pot has arrived!

Unpacking the car was alot easier than packing it back in New York. No one has a sprained ankle! While we are at our final destination, the roadtrip is not over yet! There are a few days to go before Jessica drops Orit off at the San Francisco Airport for her flight back home to New York. Stay tuned :)

Day Fourteen -- ID

We chose to stay in Idaho Falls because it was the first city in Idaho near the border of the Grand Teton Park. It was to our surprise that we found a hotel right across the street from the Idaho Falls.

Idaho Falls.

Then, there was Arco. A small town that is known in history as the first to be lit by nuclear power.

Arco, Idaho

With our sights set on getting to Ketchum, Idaho -- Hemingway's old stomping ground -- and the fact that there's only mostly farms along the way, we only made stops for pictures and lunch. The first was at the Craters of the Moon National Park where the black rocks stand out among the greener landscape. This was the site of much volcanic activity millions of years ago. It was a fairly clear day so we were able to stay the lone mountain in the distance which -- according to the signs -- is sometimes not visible due to air pollution/smog.

Near Craters of the Moon.

The first thing that one thinks about when in Idaho is potatoes! Since we were not sure what a potato plant looked like, we took this picture to confirm later. Turns out it was!

A potato field in Idaho.

After lunch (and milkshakes to-go) in Carey, we were back on the road to Ketchum. We drove through a few small towns in the Sun Valley area. In the winter, most of these towns are packed with skiers and snowboarders. In the summer, this region is a good place for biking, hiking and rafting. Our first stop in Ketchum was the Vistor's Center to find out what sites where important for the Hemingway enthusiast. Our first stop was Hemingway's grave in Ketchum Cemetary. Here, Hemingway was buried along with his fourth wife and one of his sons, Jack.

Hemingway's grave

Sun Valley was a resort town founded by a man who made his wealth from Union-Pacific railroad ventures. He wanted to create a ski lodge that would rival all the ones in Europe. In the 1930's, celebrities would come to lavish in stardom. Some of the celebrities included Gary Cooper, Marilyn Monroe and Ernest Hemingway. It was here, in Room 206, that he wrote, "For Whom the Bell Tolls." Later, he decided to live and die here. The house where he committed suicide is not open to the public.

Sun Valley Lodge

Room 206 at the Lodge

The restaurant he ate at the night before he committed suicide.

On the drive to south Idaho, Jessica decorated the dashboard with her collection of thimbles and smushed pennies.

Jessica's thimble and smushed penny collection.

Next stop on our trip was Twin Falls, Idaho. This was going to be our last stop for the night. There were beautiful waterfalls in town caused by the Snake River.

Perrine Bridge in Twin Falls, Idaho.


Snake River Canyon.

Jessica and Orit at Shoshone Falls.

Drawing of a Yellow-bellied marmot seen leaving Shoshone Falls.

Day Thirteen- WY/ID

As if being woken up by noisy children wasn't bad enough, we were also freezing because we had forgotten to turn on the heat. (Oops!) But getting up early worked in our favor. We were able to pack up the car and drive into downtown Cody for some breakfast and coffee to-go. While waiting for our breakfast wrap and fresh coffee, the funeral procession for U.S. Senator Craig Thomas drove right by us. There were a lot of people along the route from the airport to the cemetery in Cody, where he grew up, holding up American flags. Then, we drove through Cody and passed by the location of the famous Cody rodeo.

Stampede Park in Cody, Wyoming.

The road to Yellowstone from Cody is about 50 miles and the landscape is beautiful. We made one stop along the way at the Buffalo Bill Dam. It was interesting to learn about the history of the area and its development. Initial deadlines of the dam's completions weren't met. There were many obstacles along the way including extreme weather -- freezing temperatures, snow, and floods -- coupled with financial and managerial problems. At the time of the dam's completion, it was the tallest in the world.

Buffalo Bill Dam.

Jessica demonstrating what not to do on the dam.

The next stop was Yellowstone. Since it was already noon by the time we got the East Entrance we chose to do the Lower Loop. The park's speed limit was 45 mph, which made for slow going around the loop.

Welcome to Yellowstone National Park sign.


A breathtaking view of Yellowstone Lake.


A sign warning us of the dangers ahead.


A buffalo standing beside the road.


An elk resting by a creek.

Yellowstone is the site of the most active geysers in the United States. Around the park, there are numerous basins that emit steam and smell like sulfur.

The North Geyser Basin.

Our last stop in the park was to see Old Faithful erupt. Eruption times vary anywhere from 30 minutes to 1.5 hours, and we lucked out when we showed up 30 minutes before the next expected eruption. It gave us just enough time to grab a sandwich and soda in the lodge and get a front seat. There were tons of people there most of whom were sitting or standing along the semi-circular platform they have set up around the geyser. (If you would like to see the video of the eruption, let us know.)

Old Faithful erupting.

We passed over the Continental Divide three times along our trek through Yellowstone.

Passing the Continental Divide.

The Grand Teton National Park is located just south of Yellowstone. We figured we would drive through it since it was still daylight outside.

The Grand Tetons

Jessica and Orit in front of the Grand Tetons.

Leaving the Grand Teton National Park we entered into the Jackson Hole area -- a popular ski resort. In order to get from this area to Idaho we had to drive through Teton Pass. At first it was a long, steep, winding road up and then it was the same thing but down. It scared us both!

Welcome to Idaho sign.

Day Twelve- WY

Last night, we were at a restaurant in Buffalo, Wyoming. It was like we just stepped into the scene of a movie! Every man's attire consisted of a cowboy hat, belt buckle, and boots. It was amazing. Since we got there kind of late, the middle of the restaurant had been turned into a dance floor. There was a wonderful country band, and a lot of western partner dancing was going on! One guy came up and asked us to dance. We were not familiar with this type of dancing, but Jessica eventually agreed and Orit, too.

We met some people who were in Buffalo to do some fly-fishing. This was a wonderful opportunity and ideal location -- in the heart of the Big Horn Mountains -- for Jessica to learn how to fly-fish! The following morning, we made our way up to their cabin, which was surrounded by evergreens and had a beautiful creek running rapidly right behind it. Jessica stood on the bank for awhile trying to master her cast. Fly-fishing is harder than it looks! Orit didn't want to take part in the fishing, so she did some bird-watching around the area. The hummingbirds weren't timid and in fact there were somewhat aggressive. Often buzzing right by us and singing up a storm. They really wanted the sugar-water that was on the cabin porch. Also of interest were the friendly squirrels who ran alongside the creek and were able to cross very easily on the small metal foot bridge. Jessica finally got restless on the bank, so she decided to get in the water! Due to a pretty hard snow/rain the night before, the creek was cold and extremely swift! Jessica borrowed some 'waders' and felt-bottom boots and got out in the creek. Each step she made took 2 minutes of careful planning so not to fall or be swept away by the rushing water. In the end, Jessica spent more time fixing her pole and line, then actual fishing! People make it look so easy on television.

Jessica fly-fishing in the creek.

Jessica fixing her line.

After we left the cabin, we climbed through the Big Horn Mountains on our trek to Yellowstone National Park. The scenic highway (US-16) did not disappoint us. We saw snow-capped peaks, plenty of dear, lots of trees and cattle.

The Big Horn Mountains

Once we cleared the mountains, we were surprised to see the varying landscapes. It went from snow-capped mountains, to rolling hills, on to clay mounds.

A view from the car of the landscape.

Finally we made it to Cody, the supposed "Rodeo capital of the world." We walked around the downtown area, which had a lot of western-themed shops. On an even higher note, we found a Chinese restaurant! We had been craving it for the past week, so we were extremely happy! We decided to stay in Cody because Yellowstone was asking $200 for a hotel room, and $100 for a cabin. We slept well in our $50 cabin!

Buffalo Bill Cody Hotel

Tomorrow, we make our way to Yellowstone to see Old Faithful, Little Grand Canyon and hopefully a lot of wildlife!