Travel Thursday: Top 20 Road Trips

I came across this on Pinterest, however, the link to the original site said it no longer existed so I can't give proper credit.  I thought it was kind of cool because, while we've been racing through our 50 states challenge, we've managed to hit 18 of the 20!

1. I raced in New Orleans and spent the weekend there with Greg.
2. Grand Canyon was a family trip with all four of us (no racing-shocking!). 
3. The family visited Yellowstone the weekend Greg and I ran the Dirty Dash.
4. Greg and I visited Nashville while I was being interviewed by Vanderbilt.
5. Megan and I took a girls trip back in 2001 and spent a couple days in San Diego.
6. Meg and I visited Niagara Fallsin 2001 and I even saved Meg's sweatshirt because she wore it everywhere!
7. All of us have visited Boston for various trips and reasons and would go back there in a heartbeat! I ran a race in Cambridge - it was my first time to wear a costume as well.
8. Washington, D.C.  How can you not love our nation's capitol.  I ran the Marine Corp marathon there and we've taken numerous family trips.
9. New York City.  We celebrated Meg's 11th birthday there and definitely need to introduce Bridget to this amazing city.
10. Las Vegas. Oh yeah, I've been there.  And strangely enough, so has Meg and Bridget.  We have a modern definition of family trips obviously. And yeah, I ran a race there, too.
11. Mount Rushmore was awe-inspiring.  We visited this site while in South Dakota to run a race.
12. Chicago has been our most visited city.  Greg and I used to take weekend trips there when dating. He now finds himself on work trips there often. He competed in his first triathlon in Chicago, so it's also been a race destination for this family.
13. Orlando is magical.  I hate Florida in general, but love Disney World.  What's not to love? I ran the Princess Half Marathon there and, if you ask Megan, it was one of our favorite family vacations.  Bridget keeps asking to go back and I would gladly do it!
14. We have yet to visit the Wisconsin Dells.  I'll have to google why this place is so special.
15. Daytona Beach? Really? Daytona Beach made this list, but San Francisco did not? I have not been to Daytona Beach and I'm not sure I'm even interested.  No, not interested.
16. Portland - I'm assuming this one is Maine and the other one is for Oregon.  I've been to both and prefer Portland, Oregon.  AMAZING city.  You definitely must go there.  Best donuts, fantastic coffee, wonderful vibe, great food, and maybe one of the best race experiences I have had to date.
17. We recently visited Seattle in October and I loved it.  Except for the long plane ride, I would enjoy going back and visiting again. Can't say enough nice things about this city.
18. Austin was awesome.  Greg and I enjoyed a weekend of debauchery at the Austin City Limits festival a few years ago.  We are huge Black Keys fans and Dan Auerbach was playing solo there.  It was also the year of excessive raining so it was a mudfest. We left our shoes in the hotel. No way were we bringing those yucky things home.  And Torchy's Tacos - a must visit site if you ever go to Austin.
19. Portland - see number 16 above.
20. Miami was the location of one of my birthdays and where I got my tattoo. We had great food, wonderful drinks, lots of dancing and truly enjoyed ourselves in a land where it's so fun being an adult.

So many wonderful cities and/or destinations were left off this Road Trip list, but it's nice to know that we've hit the major ones.  And we look forward to wandering around this amazing nation of ours to find some more places to kick back, unwind, and enjoy.

Fort Collins and Laramie

Fort Collins, Colorado may be my favorite weekend getaway spot. I can't say enough good things about this wonderful town! We arrived Thursday afternoon and thought we'd check out Old Town for a lunch spot. As soon as we arrived, we found out that we were 10 minutes away from the start a Reading Flash Mob. So much fun - we grabbed a free book (which we got to take home), popped a squat around the fountain, and read for 15 minutes. Simple enough. So I found a great little Meg Cabot paperback for Bridget and read aloud to her. A photographer from the Coloradian even took our picture. Unfortunately, another picture made it's way into the newspaper the next morning...but we still had great fun!


Headed over to Coopersmith's brewery off the main square and I had the most delicious vegetarian burrito and a great ale.
Settled into the hotel, scouted around the town, then dinner at Uncle's Pizza where B slept on my lap would round out nicely our first day in Fort Collins. 

Friday began with a trip to Firehouse Books for B to get a Fancy Nancy book and to pose in front of Ladybug Girl picture. If you remember, we dressed as Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy for our Albuquerque 10k costume race in 2010. Firehouse Books is also interesting because the gentleman who designed Disneyland's Old Town Main Square used this building as well as Fort Collins as his basis for style and design.


After we drug B out of the bookstore, we headed over to Fort Collins Bike Library and rented fixie bikes so we could enjoy Fort Collins on 2-wheels. We somehow managed to pile on 12 miles with those little legs of B's. We stopped at Cheba Hut on the Colorado State University campus for yummy subs where Greg told me the meaning of 420. What rock have I been under all these years? And George, quit laughing!


After completing all those exhausting miles on a bike with no gears, we decided we needed a beer. Off to New Belgium Brewery we pedaled! The tour was all booked up, but we got lucky when someone didn't show up and got in to the tour within 15 minutes of arriving. Awesome tour with great samples of Abbey Ale and my new favorite, Shift beer in a can. I have seriously become a fan of this brewery.

Since B was such a sport, we then treated her to ice cream at the uber expensive Walrus ice cream store. Greg is still in shock with the $9 price tag for 3 small cones! But the girl earned her ice cream today!

Dinner was at Rio Grande, a mexican restaurant. After an hour wait, we ravaged the chips and salsa like we hadn't been fed in 5 days! I inhaled so much salsa that I was barely hungry enough to enjoy my spinach enchiladas. And poor B was almost asleep from her exhausting day and long restaurant wait. Time to go home, set the alarm and get ready to run!

The drive to Laramie on Saturday was interesting. We both commented on how beautiful the West is when driving. We even saw a gazelle running! Race was simply fantastic (except for the searing lungs) and can be read here. 

I had emailed the race director requesting breakfast spot recommendations and she really delivered. At her request, we tried out Turtle Rock coffee for great coffee and delicious breakfast sandwiches. Greg got the chorizo, eggs and potato wrap and I got the peanut butter crunch wrap with PB, granola, bananas and drizzled honey. Mmmm! I'll definitely try to make this sandwich again at home!

After the race at Bridget's request, we went back to Firehouse Books for another Fancy Nancy book. And at Greg's request, we headed over to Odell's brewery for some sampling. Talk about luck. Instead of a brewery tour, we got there just in time to enjoy Wendy Woo performing while enjoying so many wonderful beverages! Since it was now raining outside, a brewery with a band was a perfect place to plant ourselves.
 

Fort Collins was fantastic and very kid-friendly. We were a little nervous at first wondering if we'd have enough to do over the 3 days, but nicely filled the units. The food, entertainment and people are some of the best we've found in our travels. We couldn't believe our luck in stumbling across a reading flash mob. We loved our time at all three breweries. And, most of all, I loved that we got to enjoy family time on 2-wheels. 

Can't wait for the next adventure!

Love It When A Plan Comes Together

On a whim, and thanks for low airfare out of Pittsburgh, my girls and I will be hitting up the great state of Massacusetts for a weekend 5k. And yes, that will be state #34! But the best part is how we gave this weekend getaway a theme - Boston Authors.

Since the race isn't till Sunday, we'll spend Saturday bouncing around Concord to visit Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House, Nathaniel Hawthorne's Old Manse, and Thoreau's Walden. We'll also check out the Minutemen National Park. Best of all, the weekend we're there is a special reenactment - costumes and everything! Both Meg and Bridget are excited - bonus! The race is in Cambridge, which is truly beautiful in the fall. Can't wait. Oh, and did I mention it's an Oktoberfest race and they award prizes for the best costumes. Looks like I have a little sewing to do...

To prepare for this trip, I've decided to polish up on my Boston Authors. Time to reread Little Women, read Scarlett Letter (for the first time, I know, right?), and reread Civil Disobedience. So much fun.

My 32nd State - Fun Facts About Connecticut

Lots of excitement due to my upcoming race in Connecticut. First, it will mark the 32nd state for this family. Second, I am signed up for a sprint triathlon - a challenge for me with weak Open Water skills. And third, the girls and I will be making a little pit stop along the way to the Punxatawney Phil Groundhog Zoo to break up the monotony of traveling 9 hours along Interstate 80!

As with most of my races, I try to add a little fun trivia - watered down education, if you will. So, here are a few claims to fame for the great state of Connecticut:

1. Issued the first telephone book in New Haven with 50 names in February 1878.
2. They never ratified the 18th amendment (prohibition).
3. Home of the oldest U.S. newspaper still being published, the Hartford Courant, established in 1764. I'll definitely have to pick one up!
4. Home to the first hamburger (1895), Polaroid camera (1934), helicopter (1939), and color TV (1948).
5. First lollipop-making machine opened for business in New Haven in 1908. George Smith named the treat after a popular racehorse (did not know that!).
6. PEZ candy is made in the city of Orange (but they don't allow factory tours-bummer!).

The biking and running have been going quite well. I've been biking to work and pedaling more/coasting less, which is promising. I've been trying to get in an OWS, but each morning I'm free, the weather has not cooperated. Rain today, so Sunday must result in some valuable OWS time followed by a ride along the Towpath and a stop at Szalay's yummy farmer's market!

Hope your holiday weekend is shaping up nicely, too!

Sedona and the Grand Canyon

The United States really has some spectacular natural beauty. Sunday and Monday we visited Sedona and the Grand Canyon. The red rock formations and the amazing panaramic views just took our breath away.

I simply could not believe the vastness of the Grand Canyon and we must have taken several dozen pictures. Each direction you looked, the view just kept getting more and more impressive.






Highlights included staying overnight in Flagstaff. We were so tired, that we ordered a pizza, sat in the lobby and enjoyed Toy Story 2 on Disney. We practically had the lobby to ourselves, with a roaring fire and reminiscent of a ski lodge (but was actually Embassy Suites!). It was like our little traveling pizza and a movie family night. I absolutely loved this. Oh yeah, and I was still in my shorts and flip flops while watching the snow falling in Flagstaff. How freaking cool is that?!

New Hampshire and Vermont Here We Come

Looks like a "girl's weekend" has been confirmed! Me and my little princesses are heading out to New England for a little girly fun, which includes watching Mom run. On the plus side, this little weekend jaunt will also include lots of fun, food, shopping and giggles! Can't wait! I've never been to Vermont and I'm looking forward to having some Ben & Jerry's (in their home state).

So I will leave you with some fun Vermont facts (who says traveling and running can't be educational, too?!):

1. Montpelier, VT is the only state capital without a McDonald's and, until 1996, VT was the only state without a Wal-Mart (I'm loving this state more and more).
2. In ratio of cows to people, VT has the greatest number of dairy cows in the country.
3. And my favorite fun fact: Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream company gives their ice cream waste to the local Vermont farmers who use it to feed their hogs. The hogs seem to like all of the flavors except Mint Oreo (really? I love Mint Oreo).

Now, we can't leave out New Hampshire:

1. In 1833 the first free public library in the United States was established in Peterborough (I love the library).
2. Levi Hutchins of Concord invented the first alarm clock in 1787 (can't say I'm a fan of alarm clocks).
3. New Hampshire adopted the first legal lottery in the twentieth century United States in 1963 (looks like I have to buy at least one lottery ticket while there).

Road trip here we come! Time to put together the iTunes playlist!