Country Roads Take Me Home

Best pizza I've ever had

The Windy City

Hello All!
Well, I finally made it back to West Virginia with my family. We left Luke's and headed for Chicago where we ate the best pizza either of us had ever had in our lives. We also walked around near the water, but we were so exhausted and didn't really have much time to fully experience Chicago. Perhaps, some other time...
Then we headed to our best friend, Anthony's, where we visited with him and his wonderful mother. Gabrielle is flying out to Turkey today to spend some time with her dad for a few weeks, and I'm home for a few days before Samuel and I head out August 1 to tackle the New England states.

I know that there was a lot that we missed including while we were on the road, so here's a bit of road trip recap for you:
Total Miles Covered: 13, 322 (still haven't quite hit the 100,000 mile mark on my car yet)
States Visited or Passed Through: Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Maryland
My Favorite Recommendations of Places to Visit:
North Carolina--
*Topsail Island; It's a beautiful beach that's not very commercialized or overly busy.
*Turtleback Falls; Our friend, Beth, took us to this really fun place where you can climb and slide down the waterfalls. It's a great place to spend a day.
South Carolina--
*Charleston; It's a cute city with lots of history and charm.
Georgia--
*Skidaway Island State Park; We camped here, and it was so quiet and peaceful. Plus, it's a great location because it's close to Savannah and the beach.
*Tybee Island; lovely beach not far from Savannah
*Savannah; It's a beautiful, unique city.
Louisiana--
*New Orleans; We were primarily in the French Quarter, and I loved it. It was great to just be able to walk around and experience so much great music, food, and atmosphere. We stayed at Joe and Flo's Candlelight Hostel which was nice enough and was primarily great because of its location within walking distance of the French Quarter.
Texas--
*Austin; Most Texans think that Austin is weird, and for Texas, it is definitely unusual since it is liberal and full of hippies. But, that's probably precisely why I loved it. It was a shame we only stayed one night there because we would have loved to experience more. We stayed at a Hostelling International hostel that is located on the banks of town lake. It was a truly beautiful location, and the staff was very helpful and friendly.
New Mexico--
*Carlsbad Caverns; They are huge and were such a cool experience! We did a self-guided tour through them and were able to escape the heat. If you're wanting to visit the caverns and camp, Brantley Lake State Park is a great location that is peaceful and close to the caverns and the town of Carlsbad. The town of Carlsbad is so cute as well. We ate at a local cafe, and the people were so friendly.
Colorado--
I just love this state in general. It is absolutely gorgeous.
*Garden of the Gods; If you're going to be in Colorado Springs, I feel like this place is a must. The scenery was so beautiful, and it's open to the public.
*Manitou Springs; This town was really cool--so cool that we visited twice during our time in Colorado. They have great restaurants and shops, and it's just a fun environment.
Utah--
*Moab; For whatever reason, I'm drawn to little, hippie towns. This is a another great one.
*Canyonlands National Park--the Mesa Arch, especially; We almost didn't go to Utah, but we were so glad that we did because we saw some of the most breath-taking views in this national park. The canyons are absolutely phenomenal, and it's easier to get up close and personal with them than it is at the Grand Canyon.
Arizona--
*Flagstaff; While it wasn't as nice as some of the other small cities we staying in, it was still a quirky place with its outdoor dance classes, good restaurants, and fun characters. We stayed at the Grand Canyon International Hostel which was one of my favorite hostels. They provide free breakfast; the staff is wonderfully friendly; and the accommodations were so comfortable.
*Grand Canyon; Do I really need to explain this one? It's massive and still blows my mind with its untamed beauty.
California--
This is another one of our favorite states just because it has so much to offer!
*San Diego; This city is one of my new favorites. It is just as happening and exciting as New York, but the social atmosphere is much more laid back, friendly, and less hurried. Within San Diego, Seaport Village is very cute and was a fun place to visit. We also visited some of the beaches which were gorgeous! My only gripe about San Diego is that parking is horrendous.
*San Francisco; Fishermans' Wharf was a great area. We stayed at another Hostelling International hostel, and for the 4th of July, it was an amazing place to be. It was located right along the water which was so convenient especially for not having to battle parking during a holiday. We wandered down to Pier 39 to watch the fireworks. We didn't get to explore too much, but I'm still glad we got to visit.
*Yosemite National Park; This park is absolutely amazing. The falls are beautiful and refreshing, and there is so many opportunities for hiking, picture taking, and exploring the great outdoors. This was one of our favorite national parks and a must for a California visit.
*Redwood National Parks; This is pretty self-explanatory. The redwoods really are huge, and it's absolutely recommended to take the Pacific Highway for some of the best views of the Pacific Ocean.
Nevada--
*Lake Tahoe; There are a lot of options of where to stay around Lake Tahoe. We were near Zephyr Cove which was a fun town. It's amazing to sit on the beach at Lake Tahoe across blue, waving waters to see snow-capped mountains.
Oregon--
*Portland; Big, hippie city. It was very unique, and Powell's Books nurtured my addiction to books. So hooray for that! We mainly hung out in the Hawthorne District. I recommend it.
*Eugene; I love the Saturday market in Eugene. I wish we would have had more time to spend there. It's an ideal place for people watching. Eugene Whiteaker Hostel is a quirky, fun place to stay. The staff was so nice.
Washington--
*Seattle; I loved Pike Street Market even though it's definitely a tourist spot. Seattle in general is a beautiful city.
Montana--
Another beautiful state!
*Missoula; it's another hippie place with lots of farmer's markets. It seemed quieter than a lot of other hippie cities we visited. It's a beautiful city nestled in rolling hills and open skies.
*Glacier National Park; I'm told it's a great place for active explorers. For those of us short on time, Going-to-the-Sun Road provides amazing views. I loved this national park mainly because at the time of year when we went, it just felt like the whole place was teeming with life. So much water was trickling off the rocks, and flowers were blooming everywhere. Beautiful!
Wyoming--
Gorgeous state!
*Yellowstone National Park; The United States' first national park lives up to its reputation. It was full of watchable wildlife, gurgling mud pots, brightly colored and steamy hot springs, and gushing geysers. This was another one of my favorite national parks.
South Dakota--
*Mount Rushmore; Self-explanatory...
*Keystone, South Dakota; I say this mainly because it was close to Mount Rushmore, but also because it has so much character. It has a western, down-home feel to it, and it seemed like a pleasant place.
*Badlands National Park; While I'm sure geologists would gasp at my making this comparison, but if you can't make it to the Grand Canyon, the Badlands is a bit like a mini Grand Canyon. It's also pretty easy to pass through the Badlands by taking the scenic loop off of I-90.
Minnesota--
*Minneapolis; While I must confess we only drove through Minneapolis, we saw enough that we'd like to go back at some point.
Illinois--
*Chicago; While it was the only city where we didn't feel completely safe (and we didn't get to spend a lot of time there), it had a unique feel to it. We'd like to visit there again someday.

Food Favorites:We had so much delicious food during this trip! Here are some of my personal favorites:
*Champa Sushi and Thai Restaurant, Hendersonville, North Carolina--some of the best sushi I've had in my life with so many unique varieties. The Green Dragon roll was our favorite.
*Kayak Kafe, Savannah, Georgia--They have great Tex-Mex, fresh tacos, and our waitress was so friendly that she started our tradition of writing a thank you note on our receipts to whoever served us.
*Waldo's, Vero Beach, Florida--Our friends, Melvin and Macayla, took us to this place. The food was good, but I primarily recommend it for the atmosphere. They play live music, and it's right along the water. It was a fun place.
*Pere Antoine, New Orleans, Louisiana; The New Orleans Sampler is great although being the simple girl that I am, rice and beans were my absolute favorite.
*Cafe Du Monde, New Orleans, Louisiana; This place is famous in New Orleans and rightfully so. They have great coffee, and their signature beignets (French doughnuts) are delicious.
*Honduras Maya Cafe, Houston, Texas; This restaurant basically stole my heart. It's the only place where I have been able to find authentic Honduran food in the US. It was just like eating at home. So delicious and so reasonably priced as well.
*Shady Grove, Austin, Texas; We had their unique hippie sandwiches on their homemade bread. They were so good. Plus, the atmosphere was unlike any other restaurant I've been to.
*Yellow Brix, Carlsbad, New Mexico; Great gelato! This cafe was really cute, and the staff was so friendly. I loved the small town atmosphere.
*The Heart of Jerusalem Cafe, Manitou Springs, Colorado; The food was so delicious! The waitress was so kind especially when we were one of her last customers, and they have this cool deal where they give you free tea and baklava if you pay with cash.
*The Peace Tree Cafe, Moab, Utah; Great health food, hippie kind of cafe. I had the beet salad and a Desert Nectar smoothie. It was so good, and they had so many options it took us forever to choose what to order.
*Mountain Oasis International Food, Flagstaff, Arizona; This place was a bit pricey, but the Southwest Pasta was delicious.
*J Wok, San Diego, California; The food was a modern blend of Asian food. They had great curry and lots of fun options for smaller, tapas plates. The prices were also some of the most reasonable in the Gaslamp District.
*Sushi Pier, Zephyr Cove, Nevada; Amazing sushi! I recommend the Ava roll.
*Voodoo Donuts, Eugene (and Portland), Oregon; They pretty much have a cult following in Oregon. They're definitely an eccentric place, but they're doughnuts do live up to their fame.
*Azteca Mexican Restaurant, Spokane, Washington; I include this primarily because I had chicken mole there that was as good as the mole I had in Cuernavaca, Mexico.
*Giardano's, Chicago, Illinois; As previously mentioned, their stuffed pizza (Chicago deep dish) was the best pizza I've ever had.

She doesn't actually know this right now, but I had a bit of a cry between Gabrielle's house and reaching my grandmother's house. It was the first night we'd spend apart in over two months, and while everyone asks us if we hate each other, we had such a wonderful time together. I am so grateful that she went with me and that we had that time to share all of those amazing experiences. As I listened to "All the Way My Savior Leads Me" by Rich Mullins, I couldn't help but be so unspeakably grateful. We had near perfect weather during the entire trip. We never had a single flat tire and never broke down. In fact, we made it back to West Virginia with the same tires the guy in San Diego said we absolutely had to replace immediately. God always provided all of our needs and protected us in ways I'm sure we're unaware of. I am so thankful.

Meanwhile, I'm resting until I hit the road again with my brother.

Lots of love,
Sarah