Justen on Cheez-Its [TCP: VLOG 1]
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3/4/2012 : Boise Idaho to Portland Oregon
This was it; the home stretch. After four days of playing the road warrior we packed up our car and headed out of the hotel parking lot for the last time. With the hotel’s luxurious complimentary breakfast under our belts, it seemed like this was going to be a good day.
We were not disappointed. For the first time of the trip, we had absolutely gorgeous weather. One of those perfect spring days when the sun shines and a gentle breeze keeps you refreshed. We shed our jackets and continued our trip westward into Oregon.
The first thing we noticed about our new home state was the immense abundance of foliage. Trees stretched out in either direction as far as the eye could see. This, however, was just the first stage of the natural beauty that Oregon would bestow upon us. Next the forests opened up into vast rolling meadows set against pure blue skies and silhouetted mountains on the horizon. Here we stopped at a scenic overlook placed atop a giant hill to look out at our new surroundings. “America is changing. Don’t be scared to talk to each other,” was scrawled in marker on one of the overlook’s walls. As we gazed out over the infinite stretches of land before us, it was hard not to think about how profound something as seemingly inconsequential as graffiti on a rest stop wall could be.
As we continued our trek, we soon met up with the Columbia River as we wound our way through increasingly larger foothills. This was the beginning of the third part of the day’s trip, and it would be by far the most impacting. Eventually, the quiet mountain stream that we had originally seen opened up into a massive river and the foothills we’d been traversing turned to gorgeous mountains and valleys. Both the road we were on and the river beside us made their way into what is known as the Columbia River Gorge.
Standing atop the gorge at Twin Falls, Idaho was indeed a grand spectacle. Driving through the bottom of a gorge was a whole other experience. Canyon walls rose up on either side of the car and scenic bridges spanning the great Columbia River were plentiful. As the sun began to set, the vibrant colors of our surroundings really began to pop. Oranges and yellows within the rock walls became more and more saturated as the sky began to turn a spectrum of colors ranging from blue to pink to purple. We were finishing our trip in the most picturesque manner possible. Lucky for us, we had an $1800 camera in our possession. Throughout the day we snapped over 200 photos. I also developed what seemed to be an unhealthy obsession with taking dramatic pictures of dilapidated shacks, a condition that we have dubbed the Shack Pack Attack.
As the sun disappeared behind the mountains for good, we capped the camera’s lens and settled in for our final leg into downtown Portland. It’s always exhilarating seeing a new city, especially at night with its bright sea of lights. This was heightened even more by the thought that this was our new home. A true sight for sore eyes. Five days, six states, and over 2,200 miles later and we were home. The driving may be over, but the journey has just begun.
-Kyle
3/3/2012 : Ogden Utah to Boise Idaho
After the exhilarating excitement of the previous night the rest was well needed. With that said, the morning in Ogden Utah couldn’t of been any more refreshing. The weather was just warm enough not to wear a winter jacket and our surroundings were draped in snow-covered mountains. A delicious meal at Jeremiahs put us over the top with positivity for the day.
We hit the road headed for the Snake River Gorge to see some incredible things. It was a necessity though that we get gas before making the trek. The gas station in which we stopped at was literally in the middle of nowhere and upon our arrival we were greeted by a wild surprise… some alpacas or as they are better known as, llamas. This was part of the reason we left home, we wanted a culture filled experience and that was exactly what we were getting at this moment. After making a 25-cent investment at the gumball machine that dispensed some sort of mystery pellets labeled “Alpaca Treats” I knew this was something I would never forget. The llamas came running to eat this oversized hamster food right from my hand. It was thoroughly entertaining and needed to emotionally overcome the sign on the gas stations door that read, “be back in 10 minutes”.
This day was off to a great start and was still on the rise. We eventually got to the Snake River Gorge and feasted our eyes on two things of wonder. The first of these were some waterfalls called the Shoshone Falls, which is actually higher than Niagara Falls. We honestly were blown away by its sheer size. Heights generally aren’t something that frightens either of us too much but at this next experience we were both shaking in our boots a little bit. A bridge, the tallest location in the country that you can base-jump without a permit is where we now stood. The rock walls that guarded us from certain death were filled with names and dates of people that had unfortunately lost their lives in this very spot. This majestic gorge so beautiful was also the place of much sadness. I definitely realized at this time that we were and are doing this for something bigger than ourselves. Truly, we are not the center.
After soaking up all that the gorge had to offer we set sail for Boise Idaho in our 1998 Hyundai Elantra. Driving by this point had become quite the chore but this evening was a bit different, we were able to watch a wonderful sunset over the ever so beautiful Rocky Mountains. This caused the time to pass rather quickly as Boise Idaho was just around the corner.
Instantly the city caught our attention, it was rather modern, clean, and alive; contrary to what some people might think. There were people out and lights shining. The first hotel we stopped at had astronomical rates so we moved on to the next one down. Hilton, this would be our best hotel stay of the trip. I managed to charm our rate from 119 dollars to 89 dollars. As if this wasn’t enough, I also managed to obtain complementary meal tickets that would have cost us close to 30 dollars. Next, I shared an awkward moment with the hotel concierge and the neighboring BBQ restaurants hostess and it was then that we decided we would eat at that same restaurant. This would be our last meal out before arriving in Portland so we would, indeed, celebrate a little bit. To say the least Kyle ended up writing a close near 3 page positive review for the restaurant on some website. To say it was amazing would be an understatement. Also, it would be this night that Kyle had a relaxing couple hours in the hotel hot-tub where he shared a great conversation with a family about The Copernicus Project. It was priceless. Idaho blessed us with great human experiences, generosity, kindness, and hospitality. Boise has got to be this country’s best-kept secret. This was our biggest surprise yet. Boise does things right.
-Justen
3/2/2012 : Cheyenne Wyoming to Ogden Utah
It was only day three of our trip, but it honestly felt like we had been on the road for weeks. If anyone ever tells you that sitting in a car for eight hours a day isn’t physically taxing on your body, then they have clearly never driven through Iowa and Nebraska. A huge part of our hotel selections revolved around the inclusion of a free breakfast, and we had definitely seen the value of a good hot meal from our morning in Omaha. But this morning, it just wasn’t enough incentive to drag us out of bed. Our alarms broke the silence of our room at 8:15 AM since breakfast ended at nine. And although not a single word was spoken, we both knew what the other was thinking. “Screw that.” And back to sleep we went.
So it was on empty stomachs that we hit the road once more, this time heading through the state of Wyoming and into our nightly destination of Ogden, Utah. We should have realized that sleeping through breakfast was an indication of how the rest of our day would turn out.
Not to say that it was all terrible, though. We actually experienced our first taste of some truly scenic landscapes. Vast rolling fields and sun-drenched plateaus were a much appreciated change from the corn, corn, and more corn of the last three states. We even stopped at an overly-ambitious rest stop called Little America for a fill up and 50 cent ice cream cones. But even this victory was short-lived. Within a few hours of driving, the vibrant surroundings turned to flat open stretches of snow-covered plains. The wind beat against our tiny car and kicked up so much snow onto the road that it occasionally disappeared altogether. The going got even rougher when the snowy plains started to become snowy mountains. With the car packed to its gills, there were times when we had to cross our fingers and simply hope that the vehicle would make it up the next incline. And although it never completely died on us, there were still casualties. The speedometer went rogue and decided that it was going to start wavering back and forth from 60 to 90 miles per hour arbitrarily instead of telling us what speed we were actually traveling. Perfect.
After crossing into Utah, the mountains had become even bigger, which would have made for great scenery if it hadn’t been in the dark of night. So all they really provided us with was some challenging driving through twisting roads that seemed like they were taken straight from the hardest levels of a “Need for Speed” racing videogame. And with the way our fellow drivers were handling themselves, it might as well have been. The speed limit was a mind-boggling 75 miles per hour, a less-than-modest amount for even the straightest and flattest of roads, let alone a winding mountain passageway. And no matter how fast we dared to drive, there was a constant stream of other vehicles cruising past us as if it were the Autobahn. To make matters worse, we had lost my phone somewhere in the car earlier on in the day. Not a big deal, right? Well, it wouldn’t have been if we weren’t also using my phone as our GPS.
With a lot of patience and a little luck, we finally made it in to Ogden, but our night was far from over. Let me just say that if we had to give out a “Sketchiest-Stop-of-the-Trip” award, Ogden would be the winner by a mile. We somehow ended up in a poorly lit, shoddy looking part of the already-questionable city. While trying to navigate our way back to safety, we got stopped at a red light. For over ten minutes. It seriously would not turn green for us, and since we did not want to turn back into Shadyville, USA, we made sure our doors were locked and decided to wait it out. And that’s when we almost got hit by a train. A lone set of tracks ran through the middle of this intersection with no crossing gates or lights of any sort; not an uncommon sight seeing as that we were in a more industrial-looking area. It almost even made sense. The light was staying red because maybe a train was coming our way. So after waiting for what seemed like an eternity, Justen rolled down his window and stuck out his head to peer past some nearby trees to see if he could spot the aforementioned train. He soon reported that yes, there was something coming down the tracks. At that very moment, the light miraculously turned green. “GO!” he said. “What about the train,” I asked. “You can make it! We don’t want to be stuck here longer!” So after a split-second of contemplation, I hit the gas and we flew over the tracks. I was driving, so I didn’t get a good look, but I do know that as we crossed those tracks, a bright headlight was a lot closer to us than what you’d ever want something like that to be.
So overall, we spent the day battling hunger, fatigue, the weather, the terrain, a grimy city, and our own speedometer. Oh yea, and a stoplight tried to kill us. After those experiences we hit our beds and were quick to put this day behind us.
-Kyle
3/1/2012 : Omaha Nebraska to Cheyenne Wyoming
Our second day on the road took us from Omaha Nebraska to Cheyenne Wyoming. Having filled our gas tank the previous night we were up early to hit the open road. There were huge hopes for the day, the infamous Area 51. I was ecstatic to be able to cross this one off my bucket list and looking forward to this day more than most.
After the harsh realization that Area 51 was not even remotely close to us due to a mapping error, the day took a dramatic change. Now with our emotions on the floor we needed to devise a new plan and the only way to do that seemed to be a discussion over the hotels incredible breakfast. Our alternative adventure for the day would now be… Hold your breath… The Kool Aid Museum, a place near and dear to Kyle’s heart.
Now the opportunity for the days new adventure was born. After pulling our camera out of the box for the first time the previous night we realized that we had a lot more work ahead of us, to say the least, we were finally starting to grasp the enormity of the project at hand. The 500 miles we would travel this day would basically be a needle in a haystack in the bigger picture. After catching a glance at the hotels 1500 gallon shark tank we hit the road.
It didn’t take us long to once again have our hopes dashed. The Kool Aid Museum was actually undergoing renovations. We were now in a scramble for something to do and came across a 64 million dollar road-spanning monument that had a museum inside of it that was all about the history of the western frontier. This now seemed like destiny that the other things had fallen through. We spent the time in the museum learning all about the pioneers that had made the exact same journey we were now making, paying our respects if you will. The bridge was located on some of the grounds of the original Oregon Trail, which also just so happened to be where we were heading… Oregon. We just couldn’t help but draw the connections to our countries first adventurers to our own journey. We are all just looking for a grand adventure.
After the museum we came across this bizarre car graveyard. It was a riverbank that had probably 25 rusty old cars stuck in its banks. It was slightly eerie and creepy but was just the type of thing that we enjoy coming across. We didn’t stay to long at the car graveyard before we hit the road again.
We spent the remainder of this drive reminiscing and discussing the previous day. The semi trucks were still abundant and plenty for our driving entertainment. Dinner for us would be at a tiny one of a kind restaurant known as The Pink Poodle, it was a 1950’s diner that encompassed exactly what you would expect. Checkerboard pattern floor and chrome metal everywhere. The jukebox in the corner didn’t hurt the vibe at all.
The evening capped off with a rather quiet drive to our days destination of Cheyenne Wyoming where we would spend the night.
-Justen
2/29/2012 : Chicago Illinois to Omaha Nebraska
February 29th was a bittersweet day. Despite clear skies in the morning, the afternoon ended up being chilly with a stiff wind. Chicago was saying goodbye. After a night of frantic last-minute packing, Justen and I loaded up his 98 Hyundai Elantra to its utmost maximum. You don’t realize how much crap you own until it all has to fit into the backseat of a tiny sedan. It was the eleventh hour. With families present, tears were shed and goodbyes were said. Bittersweet; the end of an era was upon us. As we pulled away and left our childhood residences behind us, the gravity of our situation began to sink in. “When will I see this place again?” “Who will still be here when I do?” These and many other questions lent a very surreal atmosphere to the occasion. But amidst the uncertainties, one truth remained. We were on our way. A new city, a new life, and a new slew of adversities and adventures lay right on our horizon.
As we chased the sun westward, our surroundings became less and less recognizable. Crowded suburban neighborhoods quickly turned into sparsely populated farmlands. And the trucks. Holy crap. The trucks. I never knew such a variety of them even existed until I spent six hours driving the interstate through Iowa. We even passed “The World’s Largest Truck Stop.” Seriously, that’s what the sign said. And I believe it, too. Imagine an anthill, teeming with activity, with each ant carrying about their business, seemingly oblivious to all the others, yet still part of a larger whole. Now replace the ants with 18-wheelers and the anthill with a massive expanse of concrete in the middle of nowhere. That’s what we witnessed.
Aside from the “interesting” scenery, the drive itself was not too bad. We found various ways of entertaining ourselves over the course of the 440-mile, seven-hour trek. Music from our ipods took up most of the time we weren’t using to discuss various project-related topics. I think we were just too anxious to finally be on the road to even be bored. Although, with a couple hours left in the day’s driving, I succumbed to my instincts and did the one thing that every person longs to do when nothing else is available… I pulled out my gameboy.
We spent the night in Omaha, Nebraska, a city that surprised us with its sheer size after hours of seeing tiny farming communities. Using the TripAdvisor app on my phone, we navigated our way to a Quality Inn location that boasted having a 1,500 gallon shark on the premises. Our room overlooked the hotel’s indoor pool, which made its presence prominently known by the overwhelming smell of chlorine. Swimming was not in our plans for the night, however, as we had work to do with our brand new camera. As we unboxed it, it became clear for the first time that we were in this for real. The $1,800 piece of equipment’s instruction manual could easily be confused with a Tolkien novel. Or a paperweight. It’s seriously a brick; the newest addition to our ever-growing list of challenges to overcome. And this was just day one.
-Kyle
These pictures come from our last day of the drive to Portland. The day was filled with a bizarre obsession with decrepit shacks and mountain trains and we got some great pictures because of it. Anyways, We are now in Portland and are absolutely pumped to start the steak and potatoes of this adventure.
-TCP Crew
Todays photos from the road come from Idaho. To say the least we found some awesome stuff. Waterfalls, Llamas, Bridges, and neat houses. We are calling it a night in Boise Idaho where we are absolutely enjoying the city. Day 4 was great!
-TCP Crew
This is just a quick update from the road to give you guys a little sneak peak of what we are seeing. There will be some videos coming of all this before you know it. These are our favorite shots from Nebraska and Wyoming. We are having a blast!
-TCP Crew
Today our cross-country trek continued through Nebraska and into Wyoming. The reality of our situation is becoming more and more apparent the farther we get from Chicago. This is our time. Our adventure; an opportunity to go and do whatever we want. So along the way we stopped at a state-of-the-art museum and monument dedicated to the pioneers that traveled along the Platte River towards the western frontier… The same trail that we are blazing now. It was actually an interesting and relevant experience. Other highlights from the day included stopping to eat at a 50s’ themed diner called The Pink Poodle, discovering a watery car graveyard, and seeing the largest flock of birds in the history of the world.
We’re crashing tonight in Cheyenne, WY, and then hitting the road tomorrow as our journey takes us into the Rocky Mountains and a whole new slew of adventures.
-Kyle
Well, yesterday was day one of the grand adventure. We packed the car to its outer most limits and hit the road. There wasn’t much excitement going on most of the time since we basically only drove through Iowa (aka the most boring state ever). It was snowing for a good portion of it which at least gave the drive a little bit of character.
We ended the first day in Omaha Nebraska which for the most part was the first sign of life since leaving home. Our hotel has a 1500 gallon shark tank that is pretty cool, but all we did was sleep here really. I am down with Omaha from what I know of it and wouldnt mind coming back here sometime down the road to really explore it.
Today we will be going to a Kool Aid Museum exhibit and also heading for Cheyenne Wyoming on what is sure to be a more interesting day than Day 1 was.
-Justen
- After spending $2,000 today the last of our camera gear is on its way and will be arriving on Tuesday.
- Last night we had our going away party. It was seriously a blast! We got to say some goodbyes and spend one last night with the people we love the most, our friends and family. It was filled with all sorts of fun and memories.
- I am absolutely stoked on driving through the Columbia River Gorge next week.
-Justen
We are relocating from Chicago Illinois to Portland Oregon and the journey west officially begins Wednesday February 29th. It is the launch of The Copernicus Project and this is a map of the route we will be taking to our new home!
Day 1: Chicago IL to Omaha NE = 440 Miles
Day 2: Omaha NE to Cheyenne WY = 500 Miles
Day 3: Cheyenne WY to Twin Falls ID = 583 miles
Day 4: Twin Falls ID to Portland OR = 611 miles
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Chicago Illinois to Portland Oregon = 2,134 miles
Let the adventure begin.
-TCP Crew
