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!