Corn Palace...A-Maizing

Monday, September 25, 2006
Mitchell, South Dakota

This page will be updated shortly...we are a little behind due to a lack of internet accessibility on the road.

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Mt. Rushmore

Sunday, September 24, 2006

Mt. Rushmore

This page will be updated shortly...we are a little behind due to a lack of internet accessibility on the road.

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Rosh Hashanah at Bubba's

Saturday, September 23, 2006
Cody, Wyoming

Rosh Hashanah at Bubba's

Since we couldn't find gefilte fish and luxen kugel to celebrate the New Year, we settled for Bubba's Bar-B-Que! Real cowboy hospitality and finger looking racks of BBQ ribs and crispy skinned chicken.

Yellowstone National Park

Saturday, September 18 & 23, 2006

Yes...we are actually this close to a Buffalo!

This page will be updated shortly...due to difficulty with Internet hookup we are slightly behind.

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Jackson Hole...aka The Jac

Saturday, September 16-22, 2006

This page will be updated shortly...due to difficulty with Internet hookup we are slightly behind.

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Hoodoo You Love?

Bryce Canyon, Utah
Friday, September 15, 2006

OK, Zion is cool, but Bryce Canyon is UNBELIEVABLE!!!! Everything seemed unbelievable today, including th that the temperature this morning registered 95 degrees and by nightfall it was just barely 50 degrees. When the elevation gets near 10,000 feet above sea level, 50 degrees seems sooo much colder! We didn't think it could get better than Zion, but we had a sneaking suspicion, based on all those who urged us to see Bryce, that Bryce just might be more fabulous.

The pièce de résistance of this 37-mile round-trip drive are the Hoodoos which are thousands of delicately carved spires that rise in brilliant color from the amphitheaters of Bryce. Millions of years of wind, water and geologic mayhem have shaped and etched the pink cliffs. Doesn't seem fair that when my face is exposed to the elements that it only gets craggier! The Hoodoos got their name because for hundred of years, the Blackfoot Indians believed that this amazing place was sacred and the home of spirits.

Zion

Utah

September 14- September 16, 2006

After Las Vegas we were free to roam and that's just what we did. Next Stop YEWTAH!!!! We continued on Route 15 crossing briefly through Arizona and just under three hours we found ourselves in Utah's famous Zion National Park. However, we arrived a tad too late to enter Zion so we found the closest town to catch 40 winks. The only negative about this area was the lack of Roadfood recommendations so we had to settle for one of the way too many fast food chains that dot our highways. We selected the TravelLodge because it provided a "Continental" Breakfast, but when Tom saw the meager offerings, he questioned what Continent the hotel owners could possibly be from...

Zion (ancient Hebrew word meaning a place of refuge or sanctuary) Canyon consists of amazing formations of reddish and tan-colored Navajo Sandstone which towered 2,000 to 3,000 feet above our car. The landscape of unmatched beauty and diversity encompasses some 150,000 acres. The sites are endless, however the highlights include a spectacular gorge, the The Narrows, with walls 100 feet wide and 1000 tall, the multicolored Kolob Canyons, which includes the world's largest arch - Kolob Arch - with a span that measures 310 feet, and the Checkerboard Mesa.

We waited in line to pass through the Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel (when it was built in the early 1930s, it was the longest of its type in the world). Note the picture of our tiny BMW compared to the SUV...we really miss the Blazer). The difference about waiting in line to go through a tunnel in Zion versus, say, a tunnel in any city in the USA, is that all the drivers get out for a stretch and enjoy profound conversations about their travels sharing their thoughts on the best routes, tips, and sites to take in.

Zion was discovered by Mormons in 1858 (remember this is UTAH), but was established as a National Park in 1909.

Blue Man Group

Las Vegas, Nevada

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Thanks to my wonderful Godhusband Jim (not to be confused with fiance...you see, Jim is my Godhusband because he is the Godfather to my Godsons Connor and Jimmy, sons of Jim's sister Dorian, my best friend, and Mitch. Confused? Don't worry, so is everyone else).

Anyway, thanks to my well connected Godhusband, we were dazzled and delighted by the performance of the Blue Man Group, especially with near front row seats. Although Thea had seen them perform at the Luxor when she came with her family five years ago, she was impressed with the changes to the show and now they were at the Venetian which is a much better venue. Thank you dear Godhusband!

September 11th

September 11, 2005

This page is devoted to all those who lost their lives and to those who lost their loved ones on September 11, 2001. Today is the five year anniversary and not a moment goes by when I don't think of my friends that lost their lives at The World Trade Center and American Flight 77 on that dreadful day.

Ted Luckett

Doug Cherry

Barbara Olson
Mark Schurmeier

Viva Las Vegas

Las Vegas, Nevada

September 9 - September 14, 2006

Arriving into the cacophony of Las Vegas after the serenity of Newport Beach took a bit getting used to. Since the cardiology symposium Tom was covering was at the Bellagio, we were delighted to learn that our accommodations were there as well, especially since the meetings started at 7 a.m.

The Bellagio is known for its dancing fountains set to music, grandiose swimming pools, famous restaurants (Cirque, Prime and Michael Mina), as well as Cirque de Soleil's water extravaganza "O". Our first night in Vegas we settled on the more casual restaurant Fix because Thea had read about their chicken wings. We shared a batch of wings, some fries and a beer and $30 later were quite disappointed. However, in all fairness, we believe no other wings will ever compare to Clyde's in DC.

We walked the strip through Paris, Monte Carlo, New York, and Venice. Who knew you could be in so many cities in one night!

We owe a big thanks to Tom's Mom for rummaging through the boxes in her basement to find and then ship Tom attire appropriate for the conference. Remember, we are still using the clothes from the one suitcase we packed back in July.

Since I'm not a gambler and it was too hot to laze around the pool (well, one day maybe) and shopping was not an option as our car was filled to the sunroof, I was thrilled to find I could sit in on the conference. I sat in awe as dozens of the world's top cardiovascular surgeons discussed break through procedures for heart surgery in addition to the technical and moral significance of it all. The FDA spoke to the difficulty of getting new technology passed and surgeons performed live surgeries via satellite form top hospitals around North America. I normally flinch at the sight of a scrape on the knee but I was entranced as I viewed these doctors perform life saving surgeries as they do each and every day.

Hasta La Vista California

Corona Del Mar
Saturday, September 9, 2006

As our days came to a close in charming Newport Beach, we came to a few conclusions and that was mostly that we weren't cut out for LA. More so than ever we realized that open space and short commutes were always going to be on our priority list in order for us to call a place home. We might not have spent as much time as we should have exploring the West Coast, but we also decided to take the freedom that we had at this moment of being completely unencumbered (no rent, utilities or houseplants) to continue exploring the USA.

For the past several months Tom (who graduated from college pre-med way back when), has been assisting with medical research for a start-up Internet company called cvPipeline.com. This new online database solution keeps up to date with emerging products and companies in the fast changing CardioVascular (CV) market. As it turned out Tom was asked to cover the largest cardiovascular conferences in Las Vegas right at the time we were set to leave Newport Beach. The timing was perfect.

Knowing we were going to travel more, we realized that Tom's good Ol' Chevy Blazer, as great as it was getting us out west, was just not going to make the 4,000+ miles we planned to travel. So, sadly we sold it to a local dealer. Of course, we then realized that all that we arrived with in California two months earlier was not going to fit into my BMW. We found ourselves once again purging stuff from our lives and packing more boxes to ship back to Tom's Mom's basement.

We took a final tour of the neighborhood that we had called home the past two months, packed up our car, and headed north east on Route 15 for Las Vegas.

Sharon Returns Home

Corona Del Mar

September 1-September 8, 2006

The first week of September brought Sharon back to her home in Corona Del Mar (CDM) after a long recovery from her accident in Connecticut. We were delighted to see her looking so great. We stayed on an additional week to assist in her transition back to California and fill her in on what happened in Newport Beach during her absence (mostly it was that Time Warner took over Comcast as the cable provider!). Sharon gave us the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval and Thea was able pay it forward by helping Sharon blow dry her hair, as so many had helped Thea during her hip recovery.

We spent one last day in LA, checking for the final time on our Hollywood house and playing with our friend Sheri who took us to the annual Labor Day Fiesta Hermosa. Thousands flock to the Pier of this picture perfect town of Hermosa Beach to pick up a trinket or craft from the hundreds of artisans selling their wares, gorge on really good grub from the bountiful food stands (we tried 12-inch long spicy sausages, grilled corn on the cob, Italian ice, popcorn, and god knows what else (do I hear Plop! Plop! Fizz! Fizz?) and listen to excellent music. We caught a great Jimi Hendrix tribute band that would have made the real guitar genius proud. We've always loved attending festivals (Taste Of Bethesda, Adams Morgan Day back in DC) but the biggest difference between the ones we've been to vs Hermosa...the lack of clothing. Thong bikinis were the norm on rollerblading California girls! We figure we walked off the chow from meandering some seven solid miles between Manhattan and Hermosa Beach and back again. The landscape appeared so different to me than it did 14 yeas ago when I first visited Sheri. It seems to be the norm to tear down and rebuild bigger homes in California. It's as if home owners are keeping up with the ebb and flow of the ocean, the landscape of the homes changes as quickly as the changing tides.

Another night during Labor Day weekend, Thea visited again with her cousin Jaymes, this time at Mosun, a hip Japanese restaurant (which transforms into an uber hip nightclub after hours) in Laguna Beach. Jaymes, her friend Lori, and I had a great girls night out...that was until we found out that Lori's brand spanking new Lexus was towed from the parking space. (Note to readers, don't park at a grocery store parking lot if not food shopping!). So we spent the wee hours of the night navigating the windy Laguna Beach roads to the towing lot where we had the rather nasty experience of retrieving her car.

While Thea was out with her cousin, Tom and Sharon dined with Sharon's good friends at their magnificent house in Huntington Beach. Tom was delighted to find that her friend happened to be the inventor of his all time favorite gadget, the Z' fogless shower mirror (and the one inanimate item he has missed most on our trip).

For our final night, Klaus, Sharon's beau, crafted a farewell dinner that still has us licking our lips. They invited their neighbors Pam and Mark (who adopted us during our stay in CDM, not to mention lent us their Boogie Boards) and we feasted on appetizers of stuffed mushroom caps followed by a plate that would intimidate any professional chef. The center piece was an amazing beef roulade, and due to Thea's disdain for bleu cheese, Klaus was kind enough to accommodate her by making German Roulade (made without bleu cheese) as well as the Italian version (with bleu) for everyone else. Broccoli, potatoes, and perfectly cooked red cabbage (the only one comparable to Thea's Mom's) painted the plate with color and wonderful flavor. Dessert consisted of a cleansing sorbet and exotic cheese plate which ensured we were sated.

Our parting gift from Klaus was a batch of homemade Biscotti...Shear heaven!