One Sweet (Presidential) World

10.29.2009: Hail Traveler! Still in Richmond, VA. After briefly seeing some of the sites of the town yesterday with Aunt Anita we decided to return to Agecroft Hall. Agecroft Hall, pictured below, is a 15th century English Tudor estate. In 1920, a wealthy U.S. businessman, T.C. Williams, purchased Agecroft which was then located in England. The hall was then dismantled and shipped to the United States where one quarter of the hall was re-assembled in Richmond, VA. Being that we were the only people there, we spent nearly two hours on a private tour with a very knowledgeable guide. We loved touring the house and gardens and seeing so much authentic 15th and 16th century art and furniture.



After running a couple of errands around town we headed to the Patrick Henry pub for a pint of beer. Both of the beers we tried were locally brewed but the highlight of our visit was a tasty kale and artichoke dip that the chef made just for us.



We returned back to Aunt Anita's for the evening where we had quite a feast. For dinner she served her "best crab cakes in the world" which were truly magnificent! Along with the crab cakes we enjoyed a starter pea soup, beans, squash and spinach salad. With barely enough room in our tummies, we had rum fried bananas and whipped cream. We enjoyed a lively post dinner conversation over coffee and Bailey's Irish Cream. A most enjoyable evening as Anita would say!

10.30.2009: Our morning began with homemade French toast with strawberries and coffee. We helped Anita complete her crossword puzzle. The clue was nannies and she was thinking nanny goat instead of au pair, which we were able to figure out. We sadly said our good-byes and headed on our way. We traveled backwards yet again, this time to Charlottesville, VA, home to three U.S. Presidents - Jefferson, Madison and Monroe. We stopped at Monticello, Thomas Jefferson,s incredible plantation and mansion (see the back of a nickel). Monticello means "little mountain" in Italian, which we huffed and puffed up as we were passed by bus loads of school children. We toured the house and grounds and saw the burial site of Thomas Jefferson and his family.



After all that history and walking up and down the mountain, we needed a drink! So we stopped at Jefferson Vineyards to taste wine - though we were skeptical this would be nothing more than a tourist trap, the wine was excellent! Next we briefly stopped at Ash Lawn-Highland, the estate of President James Monroe.

Charlottesville, VA is also the birthplace of the Dave Matthews Band. Dave Matthews was a bartender at Millers when his band began. We of course had to go and visit Millers. :) David enjoyed a local beer and a Rx burger while Katrina, also drinking a local beer, enjoyed a Hotlanta burger. There were no signs at Millers referencing the band, only two DMB themed license plates pictured below.

We headed to Ft. Eustis, VA to visit our cousins Stacy and Joe and their daughter Tessa. We arrived almost around Tessa's bed time (7:30 PM) and spent the evening catching up.

10.31.2009: Happy Halloween! After a lovely mid morning brunch, we headed to Pumpkinville! We walked through the pumpkin patch looking for pumpkins to carve. David had a lot of fun pulling Tessa around in a red wagon. David and Joe took Tessa on a hay ride around the pumpkin patch. We left with four pumpkins - three orange and one green!

After changing out of our pumpkin patch clothes, we spent the afternoon at a study group with friends of Stacy and Joe's. It was a great afternoon of conversation and fellowship. Returning back to Stacy and Joe's we went trick-or-treating with Tessa. She was a beautiful mermaid! It was a lot of fun to watch her at each door and see her learn how to trick-0r-treat.

After trick-0r-treating we returned home where Tessa looked through all of her candy and selected the two pieces she ate. Gummy bears and a Now and Later, in case you were wondering... We carved pumpkins - pictured below, from left to right - Stacy's pumpkin, Joe's pumpkin, Tessa's pumpkin, David's pumpkin and Katrina's pumpkin (along with Stacy, Joe, David and Katrina).

After much deliberation, David decided to carve his pumpkin in the image of a drawing that Tessa did of her pet guinea pig, Oatmeal. Take a close look at both the pumpkin and Tessa's drawing below. We do believe this could be one of the most creatively carved pumpkins this Halloween!

Again, a very happy and safe Halloween to all! And happy birthday to our sister Theresa!

Virginia is for Lovers!

10.27.2009: We left Elkton, MD on a dreary, rainy morning. No complaints though, we have had beautiful weather for most of our travels so far!

We drove into Baltimore, MD and spent a few moments driving around seeing the stadiums of the Baltimore Orioles and Ravens, which are located in the Camden Park area. We both thought that it looked like a very fun area - with a sandwich place called Potbellies and a pub called Pickles.



We stopped for a few minutes on the Frederick County Wine Trail in Maryland at a vineyard called Elk Run. After tasting their select wines, we chose a bottle that was cleverly labeled Maryland Merlot (the label has the famous image of Marilyn Monroe from the Seven Year Itch...). They were just finishing their harvesting of their Cabernet Franc grapes. We also finally found another bottle of Wine Away (blatant product endorsement), which is a magical spray that takes stains of red wine, strawberries, and all things red out of everything (we have yet to find a situation where it hasn't worked).



We entered the 15th state of our journey - Virginia. See sign below.



The reason that we have very little to stay about Virginia, is that we were there for only a very short time, and never actually got out of our car.

We were on a mission to visit Harper's Ferry, WV, which is a significant historical site. Of course, before we got to Harper's Ferry, WV, we were sidetracked by a Bavarian restaurant which our book said was the best Bavarian restaurant outside of Bavaria, Germany, with an actual chef from Germany. Being that one of us is of German descent, and that David had never had spaetzle noodles, we had to stop.



We started with a Bavarian Sausage Sampler - with Weisswurst, Knockwurst, and Bratwurst along with sauerkraut and curried crab soup (yes, we realize that curried crab soup is not really German, but it sounded tasty). Our entrees included the traditional Wiener Schnitzel along with red cabbage and spaetzle and a wild game meatloaf of venison, wild boar and elk along with whipped potatoes and asparagus, along with real German beer. Delicious! And, of course, our inside out German chocolate cake topped everything off nicely!

We did then however continue on to our destination of Harper's Ferry, WV - which is the location of John Brown's attempted raid of an arsenal to arm slaves in hopes of a rebellion to end slavery. We were quite impressed with John Brown's ability to grow the incredible beard that he had in one year! (Look it up if you've never seen a picture of him - it is a sight!)

Above is a picture of where the original arsenal stood, as well as the sign describing the events that took place. As part of the National Park Service, the whole area was very well signed and we really enjoyed the John Brown museum. We saw the location of John Brown's fort, where Lewis and Clark purchased supplies for their expedition, walked a bit on the Appalachian trail (and saw a through-hiker who had clearly traveled further on foot that day than we did!), and saw the preserved 1800's village.

On the road again, we headed back to Virginia toward Richmond, VA, where we were to stay with great aunt Anita. We arrived around 8 PM, were greeted with glasses of wine and dinner waiting for us. Aunt Anita is quite spunky and we enjoyed a great time of conversation with her.

10.28.2009: Our day started deliciously with coffee and Sunday Morning Eggs (even though it was Wednesday, aunt Anita still made them for us). We toured much of Richmond, VA with Anita as our guide. She drove us all over the city, showing us Saint John's church (where Patrick Henry delivered his famous "Give me liberty or give me death" speech and where Edgar Allan Poe's mother is buried), Carytown (a hot spot for university students), civil war memorials and statues, and many incredible viewpoints of the city and river.

We toured the State Capitol and learned much about Virginia's history. We also saw a life size marble statue of George Washington (pictured below from the balcony), which is considered to be the most valuable marble statue in the country. The statue shows him exactly as he looked - a plaster mask was made of his face and all his dimensions were measured (in case you are curious, he was 6'2" and weighed 210 pounds). We also toured the Governor's mansion and saw the old city hall building.

Aunt Anita then took us to a restaurant - The Hill Cafe - which she claims has the best burgers in town. Below, a picture of David's Hill Burger.

We took a lovely walk to Pony Pasture, about 3/4 of a mile from Aunt Anita's, where actual Civil War ponies were pastured to rest. It is a beautiful park running alongside a fairly wide and shallow river with big rocks. We sat on the rocks overlooking the James River for a while and enjoyed the beautiful stars before headed back to Aunt Anita's for dinner and to watch Game 1 of the World Series.

10.29.2009: Today we realized that staying at Aunt Anita's is like a homey bed and breakfast. She believes that we should be spoiled, and she is doing a great job of spoiling us! This morning we had country ham with baked apples slices and homemade crepes. We looked at our wedding pictures with Aunt Anita and then we were tantalized with the upcoming homemade crab cakes that were going to be made for dinner. We didn't think that she could top the pork with marmalade, spinach and squash from night one, or the ravioli and Italian sausage with fresh salad and avocado from night two... We sure are excited for tonight (and we get to have a copy of her famous recipe too!)

And, we would like to wish our brother-in-law Dave and our good friend Simone very happy birthdays today!! :)

White House to White House (and the Philly cheese steak challenge)

10.25.2009: After leaving the Faith Community house in Brigantine, NJ, we stopped at a Atlantic City, NJ landmark - White House. In this small restaurant, you can often expect to wait a long time (either for take-out or for a booth) for their submarine sandwiches.





Late morning, we enjoyed the "White House Special" - a submarine filled with Italian meats, cheeses, fresh veggies, oil and vinegar, and spicy/sweet pepper relish. The picture below is of a whole submarine sandwich, which spans more than two paper plates.




After grabbing organic Peruvian coffee at Wawa, we were on our way to Philadelphia, PA. We visited the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, the old Supreme Court building, and the City Tavern (where, yes, we had Alexander Hamilton Federalist Ale!).








Then, it began - the Philly cheese steak challenge. First, let's introduce our contenders. Everyone knows Pat's King of Steaks and Geno's. Our friend Colleen (a Philly native) told us that we also must try Jim's Steaks. We, of course, decided to visit all three (in less than an hour, we did have to make it to Washington, D.C. by the end of the day!). The first stop - Jim's Steaks.






Above, a Jim's cheese steak, with Cheese Whiz and onions (or as native Philadelphians say, Whiz wit'). We decided to have identical sandwiches at all three places, so as to best compare each cheese steak. Jim's is located on South Street, and we waited on line for about half an hour to order and pick up our cheese steak. Inside, pictures of celebrities who have eaten at Jim's span from Lou Rawls from Billy Joel to modern day athletes. We were able to watch as our cheese steak was made, Whiz applied to bread then steak was placed on the bread and pushed face down on the grill, then add onions and sliced peppers. We enjoyed Jim's as we walked down South Street, headed to competitor number two - Geno's.



Above is a picture of a cheese steak from Geno's. We had the shortest wait at Geno's and were able to order and pick up our cheese steak within a matter of minutes. There were no pictures on the walls of any celebrities, but the exterior was the brightest and most elaborate with lots of neon lights. We were handed our order almost immediately after it was placed, and there was no option to add peppers - spicy cherry peppers were available on the side condiment bar. After Geno's, we headed to Pat's, who has the claim as the originator of the Philly cheese steak.





Above, a cheese steak from Pat's King of Steaks. At Pat's we waited in line the longest, and again had to add our own spicy cherry peppers from the condiment bar. One can see their sandwich being made, and there are plenty of celebrity pictures to look at while waiting in line, such as of Joan Jett. This was definitely the cheesiest of all of the three places.

The verdict...

David preferred (in order) Pat's, then Jim's, then Geno's.

Katrina preferred (in order) Jim's, then Pat's, then Geno's.


Three cheese steaks and many historic sites down, we headed to the home of the next White House - Washington, D.C.


We arrived at the Young's house in Northeast Washington, D.C., and spent some time chatting and catching up. It was great to see Shannon and Jonathan and hear of Jonathan's stories about his second grade class and Shannon's masters classes.

10.26.2009: We awoke to Paige (who is 2) singing "Twinkle, twinkle, little star," at the top of her lungs. SO precious. We had bagels and coffee with Shannon and Paige before heading out for the day to explore Washington, D.C. Paige got a hold of our digital camera, and it took her less than a minute to figure out how to take pictures. We now have more than 50 pictures of the Young's hardwood floor!


After hopping on the Metro, we rode to Union Station. From there we toured the Capitol Building, where the Senate and House of Representatives (the Legislative branch of the US government) meet. The tour took us through the rotunda, the old Supreme Court chambers, and the room with all the statues (there are two from each state, and, in addition, there are statues submitted by the State Legislatures). It was great to learn all about the Capitol, its history, and all the people who have played a role in shaping our country into what it is today. Below is us in front of the Capitol building.

After the Capitol building, we walked through the tunnel to the Library of Congress. The paintings were incredible. Next stop - the United States Supreme Court. Since there were no arguments being heard by the court today, we were not able to enter the building, but instead enjoyed its beautiful facade.

From there, we headed down Pennsylvania Avenue, and saw many significant Washington, D.C. buildings, such as Department of Justice, the FBI headquarters, the Ronald Reagan building, the Treasury Department and many others.

We had lunch at the Old Ebbitt Grill, which dates back to 1856. The raw oysters were incredible, and we enjoyed a very nice lunch on our one month anniversary of marriage.

After lunch we headed to the White House. We arrived just after a big pink ribbon was placed in front of the White House for Breast Cancer awareness month.



After the White House we toured many of the monuments and the National Mall. We walked across the Ellipse to the Washington Monument. From there we walked around the Tidal Basin to the Jefferson Memorial. After the Jefferson Memorial we walked through one of the newer memorials in Washington, D.C., the FDR Memorial. The FDR Memorial has a much different feel from many of the other memorials - waterfalls and granite instead of marble and pillars. From the FDR Memorial we walked to the Lincoln Memorial and looked down at the reflecting pool from famous steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

Our last two stops in Washington, D.C were the Vietnam Memorial and the George Washington University, where David went to school for two years. We left Washington, D.C. around 5:30 PM. We rode the Washington, D.C Metro to the Takoma stop and walked back to the Young's house. After hanging out with the Young's for a while we hit the road and headed north to Maryland for dinner.



We ate at the Seaside Crab Shack in Glen Burnie, MD. It was a dumpy little place but the food was delicious. We had five large crabs (which were placed on brown paper on the table). We were given mallets to crack open the shells and paper bag was placed on the floor for us to discard them. The crabs were served with melted butter, Old Bay seasoning and melted butter. We also ordered a Maryland crab cake. The crab cake was the size of a baseball and heaping with chunks of crab. Very good eats!

After dinner we drove back to Delaware, where Katrina was able successfully take a small picture of the Welcome to Delaware sign (we missed it on the way in). After we weren't able to find a hotel in Delaware we headed to Elkton, MD for the evening.

10.27.2009: Today we are off to Harper's Ferry, WV to visit the historical sites there. We will then head to Richmond, VA to stay with Aunt Anita for a couple of days.

You almost did us "Rom"

10.24.2009: The first 25 miles of our trip was quite steamy - literally! I mean after all, this is a honeymoon ;) Before you all stop reading, we are talking about our car and it overheating on the Verrazano Bridge. Yes, of all places our car decided to hit the dangerous red zone on the temperature gauge just as we were getting on the bridge. We drove across - in the danger zone - and stopped on the side of the road where we thought of how lame we would look if our next blog was, well, our car died. We were thinking of clever phrases such as "Stranded in Staten" and that is all we came up with... Back to the car - long story short, when we got our oil changed prior to departing, our mechanic Rom forgot to put the radiator cap back on our radiator and we were driving with absolutely zero coolant in our engine. Luckily Paul (pronounced Pawwlly with a heavy Staten Island accent) was able to fix the problem by pouring two full containers of coolant into our car for about $15. After about 20 minutes we were on our way again.

Our destination - Atlantic City, NJ:

No stop to South NJ is complete without visiting two Jersey landmarks. Lucy the Elephant and Wawa, done and done! Our first stop was visiting Lucy, a giant elephant shaped structure that was once a hotel in Margate, NJ. After a couple of pictures of Lucy we headed to the real jewel of New Jersey and one of our favorite places, Wawa! There was enjoyed a Wawa Made to Order (MTO) hoagie and a cup of fresh Wawa coffee.

We walked around the boardwalk on a very windy night. We stopped in a couple of casinos which all looked the same to us. Although we feel very lucky in life (obviously, we found each other) we did not even gamble a nickel. For those of you who have never been to Atlantic City, the board game Monopoly is named after some of the streets in Atlantic City and we stopped and took pictures with some of the street signs displayed as Monopoly game pieces.

We stopped by both the Covenant House Crisis Center and the brand new Rights of Passage building to say hello to the Faith Community volunteers who were working. David started with Covenant House in Atlantic City in 2005 where he was a Youth Advisor. Coming back to visit, David felt right at home and enjoyed talking about the agency with current Faith Community volunteers.

We headed to the Faith Community house in beautiful Brigantine, NJ - where we stayed for the evening. No night in Brigantine, NJ is complete without a visit to the Rod and Reel (the R&R) for some fried bar food, cheap pitchers of beer and quite possibly the worlds worst (or best) karaoke. We really enjoyed hanging out at the R&R with Renee, a current Faith Community volunteer.

10.25.2009: Awaking to a beautiful sunrise in Brigantine, NJ we shared in morning prayer with the Faith Community volunteers. Harry, one of the Faith Community volunteers, led a very thoughtful time of reflection on the idea of compassion. Today we head south to Philadelphia, PA for a cheese steak challenge - how many can David and Katrina eat? Which Philly cheese steak will be crowned the best? Then we head through Delaware and Maryland with our final destination of the evening being Washington, D.C. where we will be staying with the Young family.

Road Trip Part One Recap

Hello friends, family and fans of newlyweds!

As so many people have wanted to know the details of our honeymoon adventure so far and to follow us as we continue to travel, we have decided to start this blog. Today we leave for part two of our road trip, but first a recap of part one...

12 states - 4,278 miles - 12 days

10.05.2009: We left Valley Stream, NY. Our first stop was Rutt's Hut in Clifton, NJ where we ate deep fried hot dogs, or "Rippers," and a bowl of chili which is a wonderful way to begin a honeymoon! Surprisingly we both enjoyed our deep fried dogs. (This was just the beginning of a fried food frenzy!) We drove through Hershey, PA (yes, you really can smell chocolate as you drive on roads such as Cocoa Drive and Chocolate Avenue) and made it to Pittsburgh, PA for the evening. Toured the city with our friend Candice and her boyfriend Dave. Rode the incline, checked out the view of the city from Mount Washington and ate famous sandwiches from Primanti Brothers (with the fries and coleslaw right in the sandwich). Stayed with the Farrow family in Ambridge, PA - wonderfully hospitable and were making home made apple butter when we arrived.

10.06.2009: John Farrow made us fresh buttermilk biscuits with the apple butter. Mmmm, mmmm what a delicious breakfast! Toured the Old Economy Village and headed to Wheeling, WV. Once in Wheeling, WV we ate at Coleman's Fish Market where we ordered their famous fried fish sandwiches. The sandwiches were great, the devil crab, not so much.... Spent time taking pictures of Wheeling and on to Ohio! Stayed with the Ely family in Columbus, OH. We both lived with Hannah when we volunteered with Covenant House in New York and it was great to spend time with her, her husband Caleb and their adorable baby Lulu.

10.07.2009: Had breakfast with the Ely's at Jack and Benny's diner, toured Caleb's bike shop and on a recommendation from the Ely's stopped at a coffee shop called Yeah, Me Too. It was very strong and delicious French press coffee - and the first time you come your coffee is free! Headed north out of Columbus and went 105 feet deep into the Olentangy Indian Caverns. Spent time looking for Rutherford B. Hayes' birthplace - found it, but it was a Shell gas station... Stopped in Waldo, OH for a famous fried bologna sandwich. Headed toward Fort Wayne, IN with a quick stop in Van Wert, OH at Balyeat's Coffee Shop for a slice of Old Fashioned - or OF - pie. Upon arrival in Fort Wayne, IN headed straight to dinner with our friend and host for the evening, Steve Davis, at Oley's Pizza for double crust vegetarian pizza. Later the evening we committed our first marital misdemeanor, you will have to ask us what it was....

10.08.2009: Left Fort Wayne, IN and headed north for a drive through Amish Country. Saw a horse and buggy on the road. Made a quick stop at Notre Dame and saw the golden dome, the basilica, the grotto and touchdown Jesus (or the giant mosaic of Jesus on the library as Katrina likes to call it). Tried to stop at Phil Schmidt and Son's in Hammond, IN, but it was out of business. Drove through Chicago, IL and headed to Wisconsin for some cheese. Stopped at Baumgartners Cheese Shop in Monroe, WI where we had Limburger cheese sandwiches with raw onion and mustard on rye bread (for those of you who have never had Limburger cheese, it tastes like feet!). Arrived late in Minneapolis, MN and stayed with our friend Darcy.

10.09.2009: Met our friend Teresa for breakfast at Maria's Cafe. Pablo's Omelette and Huevos Pericos - yum yum! Drove by the Metrodome and headed to the Mall of America where our marriage was first tested. Oh yes, the Sponge Bob Squarepants Rock Bottom roller coaster! We survived. The drive from Minneapolis, MN to Fargo, ND was absolutely beautiful and we contemplated buying a lake the was for sale. Arrived in Fargo, ND checked into the hotel and ate a Famous Daves BBQ with dad and Sue. Later the evening met up with cousins Tina, Tonya and Becky at Dempsey's Irish Pub where we heard the band Butter Tongue perform. Named our car Prince after the band sang "We're gonna party like it's 1999." We drive a '99 Subaru Forester.

10.10.2009: Spent the morning preparing for the afternoon reception/family get together at the hotel. Toured North Dakota State University (dads alma mater) and saw the first house that Katrina's parents lived in after they were married. Family arrived in the afternoon and we spent the rest of the day hanging out, playing games and enjoying the company of family. It was fun for David to meet everyone. A big thanks to Aunt Bev and Aunt Donna for all they did!

10.11.2009: Got up and had breakfast with the family. Said good-byes and left the hotel in the early afternoon. Went to Kroll's Diner for some knoephla soup, fleischkeikla and blueberry kuchen (yes, it was a German diner, and yes, Katrina's mom made everything better.) Left North Dakota and headed to Minneapolis, MN. Met up with our friend Teresa again at Matt's Bar, home of the Jucy Lucy burger! Imagine a burger stuffed with tasty cheese which oozes out with every bite. If you are ever in Minneapolis, Teresa is the person to ask for food recommendations. Left Minneapolis, MN and headed south along the Mississippi River, which was beautiful. Stopped for some tasty Caribou Coffee. Crossed into Wisconsin and saw a badger (yes, a real one, and our first wildlife sighting, unless you count the bunny rabbit we saw in the Mall of America parking lot). Arrived in Windsor, WI, just outside of Madison, WI, and stopped for the evening.

10.12.2009: Woke up and drove into Madison, WI, where we saw the beautiful capital building. Got organic coffee at Mother Fool's Coffee House, which was a cute and funky place. Went for a walk in James Madison Park, right next to the lake. Headed to the Plaza Tavern for a Plaza Burger and some munchers. The tavern claims that over 2.5 million Plaza Burgers have been sold to date - with how tasty the burger was, we believe they must have sold that many! It is quite possibly our favorite food experience so far, with a creamy garlicky sauce on the burger that is unlike anything that we have had before. Our bartender was really nice, and gave us some great suggestions for a bakery in Madison, WI (Greenbush Bakery, which sadly was closed) and places in Chicago, IL. Picked up some doughnuts for our friend Bridget at People's Bakery, and headed toward Chicago, IL. Arrived at Bridget's house and hopped on the "El" train to head to downtown Chicago, IL to explore. Walked around the Loop area, saw the Chicago River, Wrigley building, Chicago Tribune, great architecture, Millenium Park and "the Bean", the amphitheatre, Chicago Library, Grant Park, and the Chicago Institute of Art. Headed back to meet Bridget for some super tasty deep dish pizza at Lou Malnati's and then for some local Goose Island beer at Tommy Nevin's pub.

10.13.2009: Got up and had breakfast with Bridget at Walker Bros. Original Pancake House. Our Dutch baby and pumpkin pancakes were excellent. Drove to Wrigley Field and walked around and explored the neighborhood. Went to The Weiners Circle, recommended by Bridget, for some authentic Chicago hot dogs - on a poppyseed bun with mustard, relish, onion, tomato slices, pickle spears, celery salt and sport peppers on the side. Yummy! Headed south to Springfield, IL to visit the home of Abraham Lincoln's family and his tomb. Drove past the State House of Illinois, Abraham Lincoln's Presidential Library, and Abraham Lincoln's Museum. Stopped for a Cozy Dog at the Cozy Inn Drive, along with some coleslaw and bean soup. Kept on driving to Carbondale, IL, and stayed with the Thomas family - Ryan, Vanessa, and their new precious baby Hannah.

10.14.2009: Enjoyed an exceptional breakfast of a vegetable frittata and huevos rancheros with ranch potatoes at Harbaugh's Cafe along with Vanessa and Hannah. One of Vanessa's favorite places - wonderful! Drove to Kentucky and stopped at the Maker's Mark distillery in Bardstown, KY, which is the oldest working distillery in the country. Saw a lot of other bourbon distilleries along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, and headed toward Louisville, KY. Stopped for a few minutes to see Paris (Katrina's old supervisor from Covenant House Ft. Lauderdale), and ate at Lynn's Paradise Cafe, where we had our first Mint Julep and a Hot Brown (sourdough bread, turkey, cheese, tomatoes, and bacon broiled in a bowl). Went from Lousiville, KY to Cincinnati, OH to the Stonelick State Park, where we stayed Dan and Brenda Reed's camper for the evening (which was larger than David's apartment in New York!). It was great to see them, and Brenda sent us along with some very tasty homemade salsa!

10.15.2009: Oh yes, on this day we had chili for breakfast. We couldn't possibly be in Cincinnati, OH without tasting famous Cincinnati chili, so we woke up and headed straight toward Camp Washington Chili, for a 5-way. A 5-way includes spaghetti noodles, chili, onions, beans and cheese - what a hearty way to start our morning! Headed to Marietta, OH to see old covered bridges from the 1800's. The trees throughout Ohio were incredible! Headed into West Virginia and picked up a sampling of several bourbons for a taste test later in the evening at our hotel. While in West Virginia, at a gas station, we pet a couple's pet raccoon. The raccoon's name was Levi, and he had very soft feet. Drove through Maryland and into Pennsylvania where we stopped in Licksville, PA, after a very long day of driving. We had our bourbon taste test, with Maker's Mark coming out on top.

10.16.2009: Went to Pottsville, PA for an excellent tour of the Yuengling brewery, which is the oldest brewery in the country. We got to go down into the old caves where they used to store beer, and see the Prohibition walls that were put up during Prohibition. Ate lunch at the White Haven Family Diner, and had "chipped beef" which is possibly our least favorite dish of the road trip. Drove back through New Jersey into New York, and arrived in Valley Stream, NY mid-afternoon. With our first 4,278 miles completed, we were excited about our week of rest and relaxation ahead.

10.17.2009 - 10.24.2009: During the past week, we have spent much time with many family and friends here in the New York area. We have had dinner at our friend Mary Beth's partment, attended the wedding of our friends Kathy and Todd, went to our church for the last time until we come back, returned to Covenant House to stop in and say hello to our former co-workers, visited family (great, great aunt Frita) in Connecticut, spent a fun 80's evening with our friends Kathleen and Brian, and saw our friend Jorge play live at the Starving Artist Cafe in City Island of the Bronx. We have repacked everything and are all ready for part two of our road trip!

So we head out this morning, and the next part of our road trip will take us down the east coast to Florida and then we will travel across the southern part of the United States. Once we hit California we will travel north to our final destination of the Portland, OR area. After that, we will be heading to South and Central America for awhile. We look forward to seeing many more family and friends, and keeping in touch with everyone through this blog as our adventure continues!