love love love

It was VERY difficult for me to leave Seattle........I tried to handcuff Nina to the car, so that we could stay, but she's too freakishly strong.

But good things may be meeting up in San Francisco on Thursday....

We're getting ready to go out in Portland tonight and I'm VERY excited!

Peace.Love.Hipsters.

<3

Days 5 and 6: Seattle

Pike's Place Market! yummm

The Crab Pot

Space Needle

Pike's Place Fish Market.  Totally brought back memories from Real World Seattle.

Some boys came over and bought Sam and Brittany flowers from the market.  Sadly they didn't buy me any. ;)

One of the many hipster sightings

Adding to the collection of The Gum Wall. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gum_Wall

The second germiest place in the world.  The first was the bar we went to the previous night, the Blarney Stone. :)

AMAZING Seattle bakery and espresso

Enjoying espresso

First Starbucks!

Pier 57

Sam LOVED the fresh flowers all over the market

Love at First Sight

We were strolling around in Seattle, laying by the ocean for a while, when a bystander (who ended up being a hot (per Sam) USC baseball player) handed this to Miss Samantha.....(as described in the love letter, she was wearing a matching white dress and white wedges) 

WE LOVE SEATTLE!!

We LOVE Seattle. I schooled Nina in pool last night at the bar.

Also, Brittany and I drank Nina under the table.

Pictures from Day 4

                                         
                                          On our way up the snow tops of Mt. Rainier

                                          
                                         Straying off the trail to be badasses on a log.

Awww

At the base of Mt. R.

Silver Falls at Mt. Rainier

Working out.

"Nina, stop being such a warden and let me get a pedicure"

Pictures from Day 3

Entering doom.

Practicing my photography

Gorgeous Washington!

 On our way to the Pacific Northwest

Entering Mount Rainier National Park.

We noticed the sign only after Sam rolled around in the wildflowers.

Day 4: Pitching Our Tent

Setting up the tent at Mount Rainier:

Me and Brittany decide to watch, while Nina begins.

Brittany and I join in.

Nina trying to figure out why our tent looks like a POS.

SUCCESS!!

now on to a day of lovely hiking and drinking coors light to keep warm.

Lost at Mt. Rainier

We found our way out 4 hours later. Why wouldn't satellite GPS and 3G networks work in the middle of a national park? Doesn't make sense to the city girls. :)

Sam's Gone Country

Sam missed our duet earlier in the day so we gave her her own solo.

Pictures from Day 2

World's Largest Buffalo

The trio

We covered Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Montana in two days!

Highlights from the First Two Days on the Road

Most picturesque/place we would like to own a cabin one day - Missoula, Montana

Least picturesque/place that had nothing to eat- Dickinson, North Dakota

Coolest moment in Jamestown North Dakota- seeing the albino buffalo, taking pictures underneath the world's largest buffalo

Funny moment #1- Nina being irritated by the cooler making noises "it sounds like someone is tickling the cooler!"

Funny moment #2- "Fargo is reported to be the cleanest city in the U.S." "What?! There was a hair in my oatmeal!"

Scariest moment- driving through a flooded river in North Dakota near Bismarck

Moment we realized we did not get enough sleep- when Nina tried to open our hotel door with the car key clicker :)

Healthiest food choice- blueberries and strawberries and carrots for the car :)

Worst food choice- fast food stops and slim jims

Moment we realized we had been in the car for way too many hours- when Nina and I started making videos of ourselves singing while Sam slept through everything

Moment we'll always remember- the super low clouds and never-ending sunset in North Dakota

Bored on the road in Montana.

                    We couldn't figure out how Sam managed to sleep through our performances.

Getting a feel for the North Dakota floods

No big deal.

And We're Off

I uploaded a couple of our planning emails to give you an idea of our schedule.

We hit the road and finally started on our little adventure today! 10 hours later we've reached our first checkpoint- Fargo, ND.

Watched an amazing sunset around 9:30-10:00 CT. The late sunset felt like we were driving through the longest day ever.

Planning 3

so i am drunk.  alone in an airport because i hate flying anywhere and my flight to boston has been postponed over FOUR HOURS.

So I have been planning more logisitcs for our trip on a calendar printout!  and i'm getting super excited!  I'm looking up cool 4th of july events at places we have been looking at so we are in a beautiful place on the 4th where we can drink all day, watch fireworks, and not have to drive! :)  (im thinking either Newport or the McKerrier beach!!! - im going to find a super fun event for us! :) )

Also - i'm planning the driving logistics.  Definitely cutting out mount st. helens and planning to camp at mount raininer (one of the top 10 camping places in the country - it has mountain goats and wildflowers!! definitely on the white river side there b/c the best time is june/july and the closest from where we are coming from).  And i'm super excited to go to Fargo, North Dakota (definitely hitting up a local bar) and Montana!

And definitely planning to have more time in San Fran since Brittany has never been there!!!!   It's such a fun/pretty city! Totally would love to bike the golden gate as well!

I'm trying to get this pub crawl in seattle to work and a washington winery!!!  But idk if it will with timing (they only have it fri/sat)!  And I dont think the recommended Seattle tour will work with timing - but we can always do a different one or do a short one then explore on our own!  And a day in Portland! :)

Again let me know asap the "must sees"!!

Will send updated (obviously VERY flexible) itinerary once ready.

<3 Samantha

Part 2:

flight delayed ANOTHER HOUR.  I am literally sitting at a bar with my labtop on the counter.

Here is sample itinerary. (attached)

What i'm having trouble with is squeezing everything in!!!!!  I already pushing it back one more day (leave sat)!

The wknd is the trouble  See the 4th of July is in Newport, OR - would be AMAZING.  it's a coastal city with fireworks over the water, big celebrations etc.  So i would LOVE that.  But it's not far enough down the coast - but we would get an amazing drive the next day??!.  Then we get 2 days in Seattle, which is nice, but I would also liek to be in Cali. So anhhhh - let me know what you guys think.  This breaks it out day by day on the calendar.

Planning 2

Hello ladies,

Sam thank you for getting the ball rolling on this- your ideas are awesome! I apologize for being so absent in this whole road trip planning thing, but I know that you girls have already been to a lot of California and the west coast, and I have never really done any of it, so I'm really just down to do whatever you girls are wanting to experience. I know it's going to be quite the adventure no matter what. :)
And in terms of how we travel there, I agree that driving both ways is going to take a long time, and will be quite exhausting since we only have two weeks to squeeze everything in. Additionally the plane ticket prices you found were pretty reasonable. I do still think it would still be cool to drive- maybe driving out west, and then just flying home?
Although, I would like to do whichever is most budget friendly... So looking up rental car prices on Priceline, if we were to rent the car in Chicago, drive over, then drop it off in San Fran it would be an estimated $1,500. Or, if we were to pick up the car in Seattle, then drop it off in San Fran, it would be about $1,000. And I assume that these prices are not including gas? So without gas costs, flying both ways and renting a car is an estimated $830 per person, or driving one way and flying back is an estimated $760 per person... So I'm not sure which would be better to do? I would be content flying both ways, or driving one, whichever seems the most logical. Just thought I'd throw that option out there.
And the activities you found Sam sound awesome! I would definitely like to get in some outdoorsy hiking/exploring national park activities. And of course good food, and the wineries :) I've been doing some researching of California activities in general, but I'm not sure what you girls have already experienced? So I will just throw in a couple that are kinda aligned with Sam's plan, these are on the way down from Oregon to Napa:
As we do drive down the coast from Washington, i think it would be awesome to go to the Redwood National Park-
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g28926-d210214-Reviews-Redwood_National_Park-California.html
MacKerricher State park- has a 10 mile beach trail, tide pools, a glass beach that seems pretty cool :)
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g32400-d103759-Reviews-MacKerricher_State_Park-Fort_Bragg_California.html
Also on the way down before Eureka is Trinidad State beach-
http://www.americansouthwest.net/california/trinidad/state_beach.html
And last if we do go to San Francisco, maybe walking or biking across the Golden Gate bridge? Haha, I've just always wanted to do that. :) Or the Golden Gate Park, Alcatraz, etc pending time.
As for meeting, we definitely should soon! My schedule is very open. I have no current engagements except for studying for my board exam, so let me know when's best for you girls to meet and I can accommodate! The weekend of the 27th seems to be looking good?
Alrighty, have a good night!
-Brittany

Planning 1

Hello girls!

So I have been doing research for our trip ALL morning!  B/c we need to start to figure things out b/c the earlier we plan the cheaper, etc! 

So looking at the travel time to get driving anywhere from Chicago to Washington/Cali it would be multiple days of non-stop driving.  With gas prices, I think we should just take the Amtrak or a flight.  Looking up sample flights to seattle, it is super cheap, as our timing is flexible.  We could easily get a non-stop for $240.  The train to Seattle for example, would take 2 days, and it would be between $270-$300.  So I think we should just fly out to the coast and from there rent a car to take us all over?  I think our biggest $$$ things will just be the flight and car rental, car rental/gas we will split 3 ways.

From there I think:

Seattle

-Space needle observation (that really famous tall thing we can go up to the top and get great views of the city!)
-Pike Place Market (famous flea market/food place/shopping center – lots of culture!)
-2 highly recommended tours – emerald scenic tour (on Mondays and Saturdays) – few hour tour by foot that takes us all over Seattle, and the pub tour (on Friday and Saturdays)!!  They take us to cool bars/breweries around Seattle for a few hours

http://seattlebyfoot.com/
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g60878-Activities-Seattle_Washington.html

Then from there I would suggest some Washington sights - http://www.worldtravelguide.net/united-states-america/washington-state

On the way to our next stop – I suggest taking in a Washinton winery to see what one is like!  http://www.washingtonwine.org/explore/
Washington wine is supposed to be fabulous as well  - and they are all over, so once our stops our solid we can figure out which one we would like to go to.

I would suggest we go to Mount Rainier and Mount Rainier National Park.  It’s supposed to be breathtaking.   It’s only like 2-3 hours away from Seattle.

http://www.visitrainier.com/pg/directions/Driving-Directions-to-Mount-Rainier-National-Park

We can hike, see the mountain – and we can *gasp* either camp or stay in a hotel or a cabin. 

http://www.visitrainier.com/pg/10_summer_experiences/10-Ways-To-Experience-Mt-Rainier-This-Summer

http://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/placestogo.htm

Then possible idea – also visit Mount St. Helens on the way towards Portland.  Another amazing national park and amazing caves, etc. (have to drive 50 miles off interstate but highly recommended)

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g28968-d109354-Reviews-Mount_St_Helens-Washington.html

Olympic national park is another option, but that is farther west, and north of Seattle, so I do not think we could do mount rainier or mount st. Helens.  But it would be closer to Portland.  So we must discuss those.  http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g28968-i73-k3845119-l27913743-Coastal_Drive_from_Olympic_National_Park_to_Portland-Washington.html
http://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/exploring-the-coast.htm

Portland

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g52024-Activities-Portland_Oregon.html

Supposed to be super hipster – but super beautiful, etc.  So I’d like to do some type of tour.  Walking or bike.  And then go to a brewery/distillery and a super cool restaurants.  Lots of suggests on trip advisor.

Then I think we should venture to Newport, Oregon.  Described as a “sleepy little fishing town”

Newport, OR

It’s only about 3 hours from Portland, but it will take us back to the coast, and then we can do the coastal drive from Oregon into Cali.  We will be driving right along the ocean.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g51992-Newport_Oregon-Vacations.html

In Newport we can:

-go to the Yaquina head lighthouse to see that and go walk along the beach
-whale watching or marine discovery cruise http://marinediscovery.com/SLC.html
-eat delicious seafood

Then I say we head back to Cali.  We have a few options. 

The drive from Newport to wine country is a 10 hour drive.  However, that is not along the coast (if we do coastal it would be 12).  Looking at travel guides – people usually drive about 7 hours straight down the Oregon cali coastline to Eureka, CA.  That is about 7 hours - and then you drive all day down the coast.  Then they drive 4 hours the next day from Eureka Sonoma/Napa.

From there, there are about a million recommended wineries and beaches!

So this is what I am thinking:

Fly out Sunday Night - June 26th, or Monday Morning – June 27th
Seattle – 2-3 days (Monday/Tuesday-ish), drive to mount rainier (2-3 hours)
Mount Rainier – 1 day (wed/thurs), drive to mount st. Helens (there is not much out there on the drive btw them, but looking at the map we drive through mid Washington – so we could find some way….guessing about 4 hours)
Mount Saint Helens – 1 day (thurs/fri) – drive to Portland (only 2 hours away)
Portland – 2 days (fri/sat/sun – drive 3 hours to Newport)
Newport – 1 day (sun/mon)  drive on Monday 7 hours down the coast to Eureka
Eureka – (mon/tues)  on Tuesday leave to drive the 4 hours to wine country
Napa/Sonoma (Tuesday-thurs)
Fly back to Chicago from Sacramento or San Francisco on Thursday night/Friday morning.

Looking at costs, we could also get a flight back from san fran/sacramento for about $260.

What do you guys think?!??

I think we should meet at somewhere where we can bring computers to book flights, hotels etc.

My schedule sucks for the next two weeks.  I am at client in rosemont until thurs (that i think will be late hours) then I'm in Boston from thurs night-sunday night late.  Then rosemont again nxt week.  What about next weekend.  Nina - you are the one always out of town.  But the weekend of hte 27th I can meet.  What do you guys think?

Or if you guys are good to go on those dates - we can at least book flights together via email in order to get the cheapest possible.

Ahhh - are there stuff you guys wanted to see??  I was just researching websites and travel sites and what not.

Let me know asap what you guys think and when you can meet!

Thanks! :)

Samantha

Planning

Hello, Hello!

As discussed over phone with y'all,  I will be requesting time off the last week of June and the first week in July. So for those of us that need to take off, we'll need Monday, June 27 - Friday, July 1 off and Tuesday, July 5 - to Friday, July 8 off as Monday is a freebie. I plan on putting my time in Friday so that gives you about a day and a half to brainstorm on the commitment (yes, we're working under my deadlines). I've touched on the timing with all of you and it seems to work well with everyone.

To get an official confirmation, can I get an e-mailed OK-GO from everyone for those weeks?

As soon as our little crew is in, we can start destination planning! (The exciting part)


Thank you much,

-Nina

I am down to request those days off for vacation!!!! 

everyone else?
-Sam

count me in! :)

-Brittany


Sooo we definitely need to start road trip planning.  Like ASAP.

A few things we need to discuss:

Driving – Should we rent a car?  I talked to my Dad and he says that when you rent you pay a certain amount per mile.  So I’m thinking 2 things.  First, I think we should decide the most important things to see.  Then I think we should plan on either a) renting a car in chicago and taking that to Cali/all over b) take the train/plane to washington and rent a car for Cali and take a train/plane home or c) plan on renting a car in Chicago driving out there or as far as we would like (example halfway home if we wanted to add other random places) and then take a train/plane.

Locations – I think we should all do research and look into the MUST SEES that we would like to do on this trip so we can plan our transportation accordingly.  I def think we should spend a few days in wine country.  We should talk to Jen and see what she recommends and see if we need to book ahead of time, etc.  I would like to see some National Parks in Washington/Oregon as well!! J 

http://maps.google.com/maps?rlz=1T4ADFA_enUS415US415&q=map+of+the+state+of+washington&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=Washington&gl=us&ei=SMq1TYDwC4Tm0QG43PTuBA&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=image&resnum=1&ved=0CB4Q8gEwAA

http://traveltips.usatoday.com/plan-road-trip-california-washington-12789.html

Looking at a map of Washington – it might be nice to go to Seattle and Portland and then go down the coast from there?  Pulling in as many national parks as possible?  We could even fly/train it out west somewhere and drive from there?

IDK.  Let’s meet and discuss!  What are you guys thinking?

We officially decided to rent a car one way and take a more northern route then trail down the western coast. Group consensus also decided it'd be better to fly back to Chicago out of San Fran. The three of us would be too burned out to survive a drive back to Chicago. Rental for the two weeks - $1039 split three ways...I'll take it.