Thursday, November 20, 2008

also.

i am going to miss this trip when it's gone.


lumos.

new orleans is where you go to live out the rest of your life.

i'm drunk
you're drunk
we're allllll drunk in NEW ORLEANS!

this town is wild.
WILD, i tell you.

we've been hit on up and down for hours now.
this place is a mess.
i love it.

live blues and jazz everwhere you turn.
crazies and incredibles on every corner.
lizzie and i did cherry bombs.
we'll tell you what that means in the morning.
wait i'll tell you now: cherries soaked in everclear.
gross. GROSS!

the other three lumoses are still out.
i am all kinds of tired.
listen.
i've been drunk since 5pm.

I LOVE IT HEREEEEEEEE!

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Stev, your dreams are soon reality.

Hello Readers!

Well, last night we stayed in the sketchiest (and cheapest at $42) hotel to date. The boys checked us in. They talked to the receptionist through a double sided mirror and slid the money through a slot. The room had one working light and as I sit here writing to you, still warming up from the frigid shower I just took, I am noticing some sort of unidentifiable staining on the box spring where dear Kimberly rests her head. On the flip side, we found a pair of lumos-lovely calvin klein jeans circa 1992 in the dresser and a little package of sample items (asprin, tampons, deodorant) on the counter.

I'm going to just give you bullet points, okay?

- We're in Roswell, New Mexico and are about to go investigate this cities UFO claims. There's a free museum and hopefully some locals willing to give us their insight. Real Blair Witch style stuff here, except aliens.

-Saturday we left San Diego and spent one last day at the beach in Encenitas with Allie, Shaunna and Katie, Allie's roomie. It was a lovely day. Sean had his best surfing day AND he and I had the best swim with the warmest water to date.

-Saturday night was VEGAS! We found free parking, which in itself was like winning big, we felt. We wandered around the strip and were surprised by just how, what's the word I'm looking for, trashy vegas was. I mean, most of the people there that were our age were hoochie mamas and papas. We stayed for about 4 hours just wandering aroud casinos, playing nickel slots and enjoying the absurdity of things like old woman with full ashtrays and a pile of change perched for the night in front of a machine. I lost about $7 and had a rip roaring good time all night. Mikey lost about the same, Seany won $5 on a slot machine, but also spent $11 on a hero from Subway. Kimberly was a big player and played some black jack and a neat dice game (zonked-friends, obviously she played all 1s and 5s). She was up, she was down, she was allowing makin' friends and learning the rules. It was lovely. Guys, if you ever want a naked girl to your house in twenty minutes, there's no place to go like Vegas. When walking down the street, we couldn't go more than a few steps without being given a flyer.

-So, we left Vegas at around 2am. Mike and I, having slept all afternoon, geared up for the overnight drive to the Grand Canyon. About fourty minutes into the trip we realized we would be driving right across the Hoover Dam! What an unexpected surprise that was! It was so dark, so we didn't see much. However, their were some ginormous spot lights on this bridge that they are building and that was a-mazingly cool. Just this HUGE bridge not connected through most of the center. There are pictures. It was neat.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Saturday, November 8, 2008

You stay classy, San Diego.


Here are all the reasons you have not heard from the Road Trippers since arriving in San Diego:

1. We have two Kayaks as part of our rental with the house here
2. We have three beach cruisers
3. We live 15 steps to the bay
4. We live 1 block from the ocean
5. We have 2 boogie boards
6. It's been 70 degrees plus every day
7. San Diego has a poppin' night life
8. We live down the street from a big coney island type of carnival (think wooden roller coaster)

That's just a brief run down of how wonderful San Diego has been. We've been waking up at about 9am and going to bed before midnight. It's great to have a full morning! Get ready for some Bronzed Babes on Thanksgiving. Bronzed like ya' turkey, I say.

Last Saturday we drove from San Fran to Santa Monica (approx. a 12 hour drive) to spend the night with Allie. BOY OH BOY. I fell in love with Santa Monica (and Allie). She took us to the Main Street where we made friends at a pub and another bar. The next Rauch on our list of Rauch's to see on this road trip me up with us, Mel Rauch. She lives fairly close to Allie and entertained us with a wonderful rendition of a song from Joseph and the Technicolor Dream coat with Mike Rauch. For those Familiar with Friday Night Lights, here is a snippet of my conversation with her:

Me: So, what were you for Halloween?
Mel: Oh, I had a Tim Riggins jersey, so I was him. I wore the jersey and carried a football and a bottle of beer.
Me: THAT'S great. But, why in the world do you have a Tim Riggins jersey?
Mel: I think the question is why don't you have a Riggins jersey.

True, right?

Though it was the day after Halloween, many a character was still in costume. We met Ghostbusters! They quickly became friends and entertained us for a good thirty minutes. The next morning we woke-up and went to an AMAZING farmer's market where I had the best omelet known to man. No kidding. The people at the market were beachy and obama-pride and full of free samples. Next was Venice Beach. Why did no one tell me how much I was going to love Venice Beach? There were performers along the boardwalk and other such boardwalk entertainment. Allie then brought us to her favorite frozen yogurt places (marshmallow yogurt with half gummy bears and half jelly beans was a good choice).

Yesterday morning we woke-up and headed to LA/West Hollywood to see the one and only Shaunna Murphy, three days into her living in LA. Her apartment is a barbie dream house. Everything is Pink -- her roommate has a thing for pink. Pink walls, framed photos of barbies, fuzzy pink rugs, pink curtains, and fake cupcakes all over. all over. We drove to the Elliott Smith Memorial Wall which was great. I've been excited to see that wall for years and years now. It was cool. I didn't realize till afterwards that we should have stayed longer. Anywhoooo, we walked to The Grove which was absurd! Do you know about The Grove? I can't explain it. It's pretty much a blend of Disney World (think main street in magic kingdom) and a mall. It was huge and outdoor and comprised of expensive stores and music playing from somewhere I have yet to figure out. We found a farmer's market, had some lunch (and later dinner) then headed to a live band/club/bar that was having 80's night where we were met again by the lovely Allie.

We woke-up this morning and drove back to San Diego with Allie and Shaunna. They spent the afternoon at the beach with us and kayaks and surf boards. Now we are getting ready to be treated to a dinner made by Allie and then a new area of San Diego to explore and make some friends in.

I've been sick for the past week and a half. Kitty was here and sick, so I may have contracted this illness from her. It's just a cough, but the kind that keeps me up at night (and the other three people who sleep within ten feet of me) and makes me sound like a bear or a dying bird. something. It's not right to have a cold/cough at the beach!

20 days till we are home. Last night we were trying to plan out or last 12 days, days when we will be driving and exploring, and realized it is going to be a long and adventure packed time. Grand Canyon, Dollywood, Vegas, Grace Land and some other possibly less Fabulous places. Stories to come friends.

Friday, October 31, 2008



We are ready to go to Castro.

(I'm really tired and would be perfectly content to stay home and not go to a party)

(Is this really going to be anything compared to the halloweens of past with all of our friends out there on the east coast. I'm thinking no.)

We're gonna go meet this dude we've met, Thomas, and then have fun.

Phillies won!

HALLOWEEEEEEEEEEEN!

Hey y'all!

Sorry, Paula Dean is on the television and I can't resist.

So it's our last day in San Francisco and I'm packing to leave! Awesome. But tonight is Halloween and we're going out out out! Actually, I don't think we know what exactly we're doing or being so that's a big question mark. I think we're going to just wear silly outfits and walk around and revel in the general craziness. We went out last Saturday and it wasn't even Halloween and people were out and about, many in costumes so I'm expecting the crazy.

Anyway, then we get to wake up early and leave! No, it won't be fun, but it does mean I'm that much closer to a good old fashioned Allie Gevarter dinner, which, for those of you in the know, is a big deal. That last sentence had five commas. I am King of the Clauses.

Now for the real reason I posted this: a new video! Once again I am amazing and clicked here and clicked there and have another mini-retrospective of our adventures. This one is heavy on the Chicago since we filmed everything there because it was Day 1. Which was two months ago. Again, crazy.

Finally, I suggest clicking on the video to get over to the video's youtube page because now you can click "watch in high quality" directly underneath the video. So if you're computer can handle that, it's a much better watch.

I'll post the info later because I have more stuff to do. KHAN!

Saturday, October 25, 2008

because my childhood friend carolyn's opinion is important.

sometimes i get excited and don't want to use periods. or commas. or sentence structure.
i redid that section, for reading ease.

lumos.

hollaaaaaaa!

i just caught myself up on L, S, and M's posts, and laughed, and then read all your comments, and cried.

i didn't really cry, but i thought it would sound good.
i miss you all! airen, expect a postcard soon. and by that i mean, today i'm going to buy one and then hopefully mail it out in the next two days.

shout outs to the tamm's, fortunato's, and townsend's, who are faithful readers of these here words from what i'm hearing. hey, townsends, you guys wanna get a place together when i get home? how about on stokes avenue? across from that place with the treehouse in the back, mayhaps?

ya'll, we are loving san francisco. as we loved portland. i can't speak for the team, so i won't, but these two cities have been my tops so far.

portland was BeAuTiFul. there's some sort of statistic connected to biking that's impressive, something along the lines of it being the most biker friendly city in the country. wait that might actually be it. listen, i just woke up, so i'm tired. anyway, we biked and walked our life away in portland. because we could. also, we reunited with my buddy jared who moved out there a year ago, and he showed us the town, man! it was great to see him. he came over for a family dinner one night, then we all went out dancing on goth night. it was weird. the thrift stores in portland were off the hooook, guys. so super cheap, so super quality. i bought a dress that would plant me right in the middle of all those hip indie kids in new york city. and a crazy gold wallet! the portland community was overwhelmingly friendly. what else? OH, they showed the presidential and vice presidential debates all OVER! the city is so politically conscious. incredible. we watched the second prez debate on a huge move screen, surrounded by drunks who hated McShutUp and loved our man.

yoga. yoga yoga yoga. lizz sean and kimbly got so into it in good ol portland. i started doing double sessions some days. the hot yogas ROCK. the intense stretching ROCKS. the centered feeling you walk away with MORE than rocks. i had spattered around with yoga in the past, but had not practiced as regularly as this till now. i fell in love, and i'ma stay in love. i think they other two will as well. i think mike's jumping on in frisco, too.

what else? OH! i played in an open mic that i found out post-set was a competition, and i won second place! i won an hour set that i could not play, as i am now 18 nauseaus hours away, but (it's 11:11. i always see it. AlWaYs.) i'm entered in a showcase now for this March. it's with 23 other singer/songwriters, and the winner walks away with $1,000, 10 hours of free studio time, and radio airplay! sick, right?! it all took place at this completely cooky bar that was filled with friends of Lizz's and kind kind hippies.

kitty posted this link in a comment. i just read it and it's so poignant and passionate. i'ma pass it on to ya'll:
http://www.lordtonymackenzie.com/desiderata.html

speaking of poignant and passionate, conor was the shiz. he cried while he sang. he talked to us like we were his straight up buddies. he loved his bandmates. SUCH A GREAT SET. long, too. like two hours, man. i guess i brought myself into san francisco without even realizing it. post-conor, i met up with some kids i know at an art gallery roller rink! san francisco dressed to the nines for this guy -- the costumes were out of control absurd. all around. we all skated our butts off, sweated our i don't even know what off, and had a great time. "dancing queen" came on and we lost our shit, obviously. gem of the night = i spotted a familiar face, and realized after a bit it was ankur from season one of beauty and the geek. i yelled his name to be sure, and when he came over it was confirmed. nice guy. he was super interested in the details of what we were doing so far from new york/jersey, and we were in the middle of some story about travel when thriller came on and he DROPPED to the floor. he then proceeded to dance the ENTIRE song out, along with half of san francisco. those f&kkers know jackson's dance. all of it. ALL OF IT. we were impressed, and we plan on learning it in entirety as well.

let's backtrack, because we can.
we got into san francisco late after day two of driving, and hit the ground running, man (keep the carrr ruunniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin!). our first stop in this beautiful city was the vesuvio cafe, which carolyn and i fell in love with on our visit here. i had an irish car bomb (hey mom), because i had my first one there two years ago (hey dad).

there is so much to tell about frisco. so much, guys.
the hills are alive, that's for sure, but not with music -- with hardcore ass-shaping incline. so intense so great / if you go to pier 39 at fisherman's wharf you will fall in love with the 200-500 sea lions that hang out there barking and sleeping and competing for the best spot to lay out / i played an hour set at a bar where i competed with boisterious fun drunks taking vodka shots. luckily i was tipsy so it was super fun. at one point i said raise your hand if you can hear me -- it was a semi-rewarding experiment. after awhile i just started yelling SHOTS! and GO PHILS! after my songs. let me tell you a man who did not speak a lick of english bought my cd afterwards and THEN gave me an extra dollar just because. the bartender was sexy he had an english accent so i was obviously in / i bought a new journal cause the one i started on this trip is full LUMOS! / city lights is still incredible, we wanted to go the first night after vesuvio but it was closed. we went the next day though and believe you me i could stay in that beat literature room for days on end. so into their writing. kate if you are reading this it's so tough that you are not here with me for all the beat history here. it would be awesome to be seeing this with you through jerry's teaching eyes. god damn that man is great / we took a trolly ride all through the city, mikey passed though and met us at the end where we had 16 minues to explore before getting back in the car and parking somewhere else. the parking here is SILLY expensive ($1 for 24 minutes), so we try our best to either get free parking or get the eff out / golden gate park is the gosh darned greatest. mike and i spent some stereotypical time on hippie hill and made friends with toothless chris, who was looking out for us like her life depended on it. she was great, just like hippie hill just like san francisco just like this trip. there are some Serious thompkins square crazies in and around golden gate park. if i lived here i would sit in that park and people watch my hours away.

there are parks on every other block in SF. it felt the same in portland. green everywhere is a beautiful thing.

listen. 1/5 of me wants to stop everything i'm doing and park it permanently in san francisco. i know this was my plan over a year ago, and being here only solidifies it further. in actuality, there are a plethora things i want to do before moving my body here, but believe you me, it's going to happen.

mike is awake now, too, and sitting across from me eating some apple jacks. lizzie is reading upstairs. let me clarify: in the bed lofted above the bathroom and closet. sean, i believe, is still sleeping. but he could be playing a game of hide and seek and waiting for me to find him, and that's why he's being so quiet. on this trip i have learned anything is possible.

we're planning on going to a beach today. there's a clothing optional beach that we are wanting to hit as well maybe, and we want to bike/walk across the golden gate bridge. also these guys need to see the san fran bush man. they know he is in the fisherman's wharf vacinity, but who he is is a suprise to them (carolyn, i'ma take video). are all these things happening today? no. no they are not.

last night we found out about a silly string party at the toxic tire beach. something like that. it's shady and we're intrigued.

my fingers are tired of typing and your eyes may or may not be tired of reading.
i love you all a lot a lot a lot. especially you. and You.
shaunna -- see you So Soon! can you not wait? are you freaking? i think you know how we feel.
most other readers -- see you November 28!
M, D, J -- see you at our dinner table on the 27th!

Friday, October 24, 2008

LUMOS!

hi, guys! it's me. that girl on the trip who threw blogging to the wayside post-denver.

go phils!

i have made a promise to my very own self that i will not leave this house tomorrow until i post pictures online for the first time since london. following that, i will be writing in bessy's last stand. this guy, right here.

go phils!

tonight i'm going to see conor oberst sing his poetry all night long!
after that, i'm meeting up with the family at a crazy costume roller skating party situation.
i don't know the details, but i think it's going to be wild.

go phils!

time to go walk around san francisco for the day. i'm really into taking long walks in this city. the hills are a joke. straight up vertical sometimes. almost.

peace, love, etc etc etc.
!

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

This is me stealing Mike's thunder (and one of the best photos)

So, I know that at any moment Mike is putting the zillions of pictures we have onto facebook, but I can't wait any longer to show you all this one (click to enlarge):

For those that couldn't tell, this is the world's largest frying pan. For those who also did not know, I'm from Long Beach, NY and this is Long Beach, Washington. Both cities are little beach towns. LB Washington has a Kite Shop. Along the west coast we have run into many a quaint kite shop I have had us stop in and love. I'll save the details for the photos, but a kite has been purchased.

Yes, it is true, my little Kitty is here. She's lovely and being a great addition to the group. She did the TWO DAY drive from Portland to San Fran. It was a trek of a drive, I tell you. We thought it would take 18 hours, but it took 24 hours and was divided into two 12 hour days. On top of it, for about the last 8 hours of day two's drive, we were all nauseous because of the windy, windy, windy and tiny, tiny, tiny cliff-side Highway 1 and 101. The views were fantastic, fantastic, fantastic. Ginormous rocks in the ocean! Small little towns! Roads of nothing but cliffs and no bathrooms for miles and miles and miles. We also found a giant T-Rex at about 10pm the first night.


The group has pulled it together and we are going to go get some Mexican for lunch, then groceries. We've been doing quite well with eating in. Aside from when we are on the road we really do not eat out. Go us! After lunch, we are going to City Lights, the big ol' bookstore owned my Lawrence Ferlinghetti!


love. love. love. and more to come.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Goodbye Portland, Hello Kitty!

So we said goodbye to Portland this morning, a little later than we probably should have. We're currently sitting in a Super 8 Motel room in Arcata, California on our way to SAN FRANCISCO. Basically we've been driving all day (a good 12 hours) and we're super tired. Today we saw the Oregon Coast and tomorrow is super big redwood trees!

Also, Miss Kitty Tooher has joined our group, turning our foursome into a fearsome fivesome, and she drove Bessy for about 90% of the day's journey, quickly establishing her awesomeness.

I'll reflect more on Portland later. I just wanted to check in and say hello. Hello!

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Roadtrip Moments Part 1

"tell everyone to bring headphones to work tomorrow!" - Lizz, wanting you all to prepare for this video

So I actually totally really finally put some clips together and made a little clipshow. It's a simple gathering of clips I hobbled together, so don't expect "Ellen video" levels of production value though it's still highly enjoyable. Afterwards, I'll give the info of each clip.



1. Me trying to sleep in the car after Lizz took us to dutch windmill.
2. Visiting "The Keeper of the Flame" - Wichita.
3. Hedwig dies - Rocky Mountain National Park
4. Sean and Kim's "Ugly Sweater and Mustache" bicycle ride - Denver.
5. At the Sizzler, Kim tries clam chowder for the first time - Omaha.
6. Yellowstone gorgeousity.
7. Downtown Wichita has a lovely water feature and occasional drum circles.
8. At a park in Omaha, I ran into a girl's cross country team and said hello.
9. Out dancing with Jack, Lizz's first "roatrip crazy." Shout out to Shannon and Amanda!- Chicago
10. Our entrance into Chicago was quite adorable.
11. Driving to Yellowstone? Not sure. Somewhere awesome in Colorado. Also notice the blatant corporate sponsorship.
12. Kim wanted to stretch, so she did some cartwheels at a rest stop - Indiana
13. Who can resist "Dancing Queen?"
14. Lost our minds from cabin fever whilst driving into Omaha
15. Aunt Mo took us to this atmosphere museum, which was super interesting. You can make tornadoes!
16. Going out for dinner with Stephen in Chicago. This was Day 1 of the roadtrip.
17. Cousin Brad took us for a ride on his golf cart around Uncle Jim's house. Sean and Lizz had to jump off because we were all too heavy. But they forgot their lumos. Thankfully, I left one and they made it back to safety.
18. A friend stops by and says hello.

Hope you all enjoyed! LUMOS!

Friday, October 10, 2008

we suck

Yes, we are in Portland, and yes, we do suck. Something must have happened to us in Seattle, wherein we all started sleeping in until at least 11:30, taking a very long time to get our acts together, and not figuring out what we were going to do that day until about 10 minutes before we did it. Actually, that's exactly what started happening and it looks like it may continue here in Portland. But before you start thinking we're wasting this trip just sitting around, know that we are doing stuff, like today we went to an apple tasting at the local Portland Nursery, where we sampled over 25 kinds of apples and pears (Asia has some excellent pears, I'd suggest the "20th Century" pear, which doesn't really taste like a pear). You see, the hard part with visiting these cities is that we don't really know what the cool things to do are or where to find them. Thankfully, we've met some people (some old friends, some new) who've helped us on our journey.

So what did we do in Seattle?

(Note, everything above was written last night, and I was set to keep going, but then those three other losers I have to cohabitate with made me go out and drink beers. Actually, we went to a lovely alehouse and played cards. I got the sampler of 8 beers and got tipsy. Then we went to another bar (the first one closed at 11? what?) and played pooool! Fact: None of us are good at the game of pool, but our lack of skill entertained some of the other patrons. Anyway, let's keep going on with Seattle).

So what did we do in Seattle? Well our first day was absolutely lovely, we went to Pike's Place Market, which was INTENSE, and then sat in some grass and read and called people. I actually think Lizz already wrote about this.

Alright, this isn't working. I'm going to list things we did:
1.) Befriended 8 Canadians
2.) Befriended three different groups of two male friends. Stephen and Raphael, Peter and Adam, and Josh and Kyle
3.) Josh and Kyle were actually met in Vancouver, which was a day trip from Seattle.
4.) Vancouver is the shiz.
5.) Hung out with one Leah Stavely, older sister of Elyse and April Stavely. She showed us where boats (and salmon!) leave and enter Seattle. Another day, she and Drew treated us to a lovely BBQ. Drew can cook. Leah likes spinach and artichoke dip. They live by lovely Green Lake, which is reminiscent of Cooper River, but less disgusting.
6.) Went to a few museums (if you visit Seattle, go around the first Thursday of the month as many of the museums are open for free!).
7.) Watched a lot of The Rachel Zoe Project and contemplated being the cast for Halloween (I think I might be Captain Planet now and paint myself blue).
8.) Other stuff.

We did other stuff, but I can't really remember. OH!, that park Lizz posted about below (Gasworks) was totally awesome, they basically took an old industrial gas factory and put in grass and hills and a kite flying area and we loved it. Overall, Seattle was fun, but very spread it. It's mostly a lot of different neighborhoods that are very disjointed and it wasn't until about a week into our stay that we found the cooler areas to hang out in (like where Leah and Drew live). Totes worth visiting though and the weather wasn't awful awful.

Anyway anyway, we're in Portland now and we're finally staying in a nicer area, which means we've been running and taking walks in the morning (the gang is actually out doing yoga right now, I'm staying home to watch a Top Model Modelthon (finally catching some cycle 10 CBus!) and going to make dinner (I'm going to roast a slab of beef with mashed potatoes and gravy and veggies!)).

I'm noticing I like to write things in parenthesis (they're awesome right!?).

Alright, I'm done yo. Sorry we haven't written more. Maybe this post will entice some of the other trippers to do something. And I have crazy amounts of photos to post. JESUS! Wait, I mean CHEESE US!

bye.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

we're in portland.

we sleep till noon every day.

fin.

Sunday, September 28, 2008

"Double bag, drop of half and half, and three splenda." -?


Who can tell me where this quote is coming from? I'm looking to L.Rauch, C.Busa, and the like for this one.

Today, Lizz and Sean and Michael Francis are going to this:

Gas Works Park, in South Wallingford, reflects this area’s eclectic regard for the environment. Overlooking Lake Union, the 19-acre park is home to a former
gas manufacturing plant that was closed down in 1956. The old compressor building and adjoining chimneys have been preserved as part of the recreational area. There is a children’s park area, as well as a kite-flying hill on site.


Kimberly is staying home to work on her music career.


There is a lot more to fill you in on. Well, not that much. Seattle is pretty low key.

Fall is coming. The weather here is very autumnal. It has us talking about pumpkin pie and jack-o-lanterns. Not to mention, a sadder Halloween without all of you in your well-planned, silly, witty, and cleaver costumes. Make us proud. (especially you, friendie)

Hey, leave your address for a postcard!

For now, I leave you with this Thoreau quote in the book Sean and I are currently reading, Into The Wild,

If the day and the night are such that you greet them with joy, and life emits a fragrence like flowers and sweet-scented herbs, is more elastic, more starry, more immortal, -- that is your success.

The greatest gains and values are farthest from being appreciated. We easily come to doubt if they exist. We soon forget them. They are the highest reality. . . . The true harvest of my daily life is somewhat as intangible and indescribable as the tints of morning or evening. It is a little star-dust caught, a segment of the rainbow which I have clutched.


love love love.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Helllllloooooo Seattle!

So now we're in Seattle. Last week was full of driving and camping and nature seeing and we stopped in this place that has these four giant faces carved into the side of the mountain. I think they were presidents or something? I'm not really sure, but there were a lot of old people there. Actually, there were a lot of old people at most of the places we stopped at last week (Rocky Mountain National Park and Yellowstone). I guess you either see this crap when you're our age, or after you retire. Makes me not very excited for the next 40+ years of my life.

And speaking of Mount Rushmore, Gutzom Borglum's original full design was much more compelling. In case you're wondering, Lincoln was originally supposed to have like a full chest and flowy hair, but he ended up getting barely a face. Also, Jefferson was supposed to have a cautious hand reaching around G. Washington. There must have been cracks in the mountain or something. Anywho, it was still an impressive sight to see. Word to the wise, if you visit it, go close to 8:00 because that's when they do the light show, which we didn't get to see. Also, our $10 ticket is good for the whole year so feel free to borrow it. Actually, we probably threw it out.

Good news, I posted another album and a half recently. I added more to the Omaha album
and did another super album with Denver/Boulder/Rocky Mountain/Mount Rushmore pics

Omaha+: http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2368620&l=e09ab&id=810544
Denver+: http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2373291&l=f595b&id=810544

Expect some more pics soon, and maybe some video. We went out last night, so I think we're staying in tonight, but what we will be doing instead hasn't really been decided. Who knows? The world is our oyster or something right? Are oysters fun to play with our something? Or is the world as delicious as an oyster? Where does that phrase come from? Google!

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Strummin' on streeeeet lights

In Seattle, after a 14 hour drive yesterday. It went well. Is it surprising to anyone else that we have been getting along on all these drives? We have. It's impressive. And surprising, I think. Not having more time in Yellowstone was a bummer. We saw old faithful erupt! We drank expensive wine (obtained by John Smart) from out of the bottle, had a massive (but safe!) fire going with fire that we collected and chopped (sean chopped) ourselves, and I read Dobby's death scene aloud (harry potter, for those not in the know) around said fire and we wept like babies. We hit many a, for lack of a more PC word, hick town the past few days. I'll save those stories for the other road trippers to post on.

We spent the day wandering around a farmer's market and then reading in the park. It was one of my favorite afternoons thus far on the road trip. Bold statement, but quite true. It's hard not to think about post-road trip life and become stressed, but I'm keeping it at a minimum as best I can. Anyway, there were quite a few Thompkin Square types around which was well welcomed by yours truly, as always (the crazies have found me in full force on this road trip, friends).

Kim and I are almost done with Harry Potter. FINALLY. We both also spend a good amount of time talking about missing claire and luke, respectively.

Grocery shopping this evening was a much more fluid event than last time. none of you care about this.

While Mikey and I made dinner, Kim and Sean befriended the eight Canadians that are living in the upstairs of our house here. We are going to spend the night with them. They're all married to one another and in their 30's. Apparently they really enjoyed Kim and Sean and have welcomed us into the top half of the home for the evening. (If nothing else, they have a washer and dryer that we have already received permission to use tonight).

PAUL! The mints. I don't think you could know how much we enjoy them. The bag itself is only half empty, which is a bit of a mystery to me. All we do is eat them. When someone is given a mint, the giver yells a number and that is the amount thrown at the recipient. For example, while I am sitting shotgun while Mike drives, if he asks me to grab him a mint, I will also yell "SEVEN" and thrown them to Kim and Sean in the back who will quickly grab at them while the rest hide themselves in the crevices of Ol' Bessy.

The team is waiting for me to head up to the Canadians, so I must depart. Michael is planning on posting photos tomorrow, tentatively. Did I tell everyone I dropped my camera in a swamp we were climbing over. I was so angry with myself. I fished it out, but it's simply a very expensive paper weight now.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

bits and pieces from custer, south dakota

We have left denver. and boulder. wished we had way more time in boulder. now, we are camping all week. last night was rocky mountain national park ($40! what a rip off). tomorrow is, I think somewhere in yellowstone. I just realized I don't know where else we are staying all week. exhaustion is setting in, I suppose.

In any case, last night we saw and heard elk bugling all night. It was a really cool sound, something like a moose tryin' to get some. Kim was brave. Sean was cold. we had a rad fire going where we (mainly michael) made some delicious stew/soup and then some traditional Rauch popcorn. In the morning, sean made us some lovely oats and hard boiled eggs.

So, tonight we drove too late to get a camp set-up so we are satying in an econolodge. The team is here. Boys are watching some Man vs. Wild (hopefully learning some tips for us) and Kim is reading Harry Potter.

we're tired. and we've finished all of the gifts in our PB (Patty Bag) and all the cookies in the SRST (steven rauch senior tin). But, Aunt Laurie's Bear Box (tent) kept us warm last night and ....I don't know what else we have names for that I haven't shared yet. Lumos!

more soon, friends, more soon.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Bikes and beers.

Denver/Colorado is doing it to me. Hard.

My grandparents lived here years ago and has never had a negative word to say about this place. I am so happy to finally being able to get to visit this place. There's a lot to do city-wise and you are a stone's throw from any number of wilderness activities, of which we have unfortunately had little time to take advantage. But, we'll be in boulder by Sunday(?) and will hopefully get down and dirty.

We pulled into this burg late, late on Sunday after another long, long day on the road. The house is very nice and comfortable, but we were instructed that we ought keep the door locked at all times and telling locals of where we live has provoked a few concerned "Eghhh". Since then, as its been with the other cities, we hit the ground running and we haven't really stopped moving since.

This last Wednesday, Kim and I went on this excursion with a band of biking misfits known as the Denver Cruisers. It is a lot like Critical Mass, for those of you who know of it. But the difference here is that every week they have a different theme and everyone dresses up in costume for this bar-hopping bike ride through downtown Denver. This weeks theme was 'Ugly Sweaters and Moustaches', so Kim and I hit the local Salvation Army (which Lizz commented had a very picked over feel to it) and armed ourselves with eyebrow pencils, and headed down to the Ginn Mill. We got there at 7 and NO ONE was there. We thought we had been tricked, but Kim went inside and ask the bartender and he assured us that S was going D. So we walked around for a little while and headed back at 8 and the bar was filled wall to wall with biker kids wearing priceless gems of the 70s, 80s, and 90s and sporting their various takes on what it meant to be a moustache. After a little drinking and some friend-making (CHRIS HUDSON!) we hit the streets with the more than 75-100 other bikers.



From there we hit a few bars with the brigade. More friend-making ensued (MICHELLE, CAYENNE, AND ILYANA!)








This is a photo of some of the hooli-est of hooligans that we came in contact.









After the second bar Kim split off to go explore the club scene with Michael and Lizz went to go read a little HP. So I suited up solo and inquired of the other riders where our next stop was and they're reply was "THE CIRCLE OF DEATH". Having no idea what this meant but being very excited to find out I followed. As it turned out it was an amphitheater in Civic Center Park, in which it seemed to be the common practice for people to ride in one direction around the circle while others rode around in the opposite direction making for a lot of crash ups and carnage. There was a man hanging out in the center of all this with a homemade speaker box carriage that was pumping some tunes, so as I have been known to do in situations I do not fully understand I decided dancing was my only recourse. This quickly caught on and in no-time the circle was a dance floor. It was a very fun time, my favorite of all that I've had in Denver.






This isn't a picture of the week I was there, but this gives some idea of what was going on. There were WAY more people the week I was there.






The rest of the crew is now waking, Kim and I are going to Red Rocks Amphitheater today to see the Monolith Festival (Vampire Weekend, The Fratellis, Devotchka, Dressy Bessy, and mucho more.) Lizz and Mike are coming along and we're all going to do a little hike before the show.

Love you all. Hope you are all very well.

Friday, September 12, 2008

Friends from the Road Part 1

This is a feature I hope to continue throughout the trip as we continue to meet really great people. This way, people back home can see who we're hanging out with, and the people themselves can feel good about being a part of our blog. Here are some family members we've recently hung out with.

AUNT MO

Name: Maureen Tooher
Relation: Lizz's Aunt
Location: Denver, CO
Likes: Living by the mountains, giving accurate driving directions, paying money to almost die rafting down the Grand Canyon
Dislikes: Boulder hippies, the idea of driving three hours to a balloon festival, meteorology.
Reasons to love: will show you mountains and scenic panoramic lookouts, has done more trips in the past 5 years than you have in your lifetime, will treat you to a round of the strongest margaritas this side of the Mississippi


UNCLE JIM
Name: James Rauch
Relation: Mike's uncle
Location: Omaha, Nebraska
Likes: going to the local Y, National Geographic, popcorn, and other things all Rauch's enjoy
Dislikes: Kim's liberalism, hangovers, music that is too loud
Reasons to love: will leave food and all other necessary items out for you, has a well stocked liquor cabinet, is friends with someone called "The Judge."

Cousin Brad
Name: Bradley Rauch (not sure if it actually is Bradley or just Brad, but it's fun to say)
Relation: Mike's cousin
Location: Omaha, Nebraska
Likes: supporting musicians, his children, collecting unusual insects that happen across his path
Dislikes: bands who's music makes your body vibrate, getting up to work, shaving
Reasons to love: will find music festivals for you to play at, has excellent golf cart driving skills, will give you his camping equipment



I've also just posted some pics from our stay in Omaha. I'm slowly getting my act together. Check em out here: http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2368620&l=e09ab&id=810544

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

LIzz and Mike's Omaha Adventure!

Our first day in Omaha, Lizz and I went on an adventure around Uncle Jim's house. Watch as we hike through trees, sneak onto other people's property, and get up close with some of Omaha's finest fauna.


Denver Denver Denver

Let me provide some visuals to balance Lizz's excellent summary of yesterday.

Well actually, she didn't talk about the 20 mile bike ride Kim and I did ALL around the city we did yesterday. We visited no less than three parks (City, Cheesman, and Washington), did some project abs in one, ate carrots, rode by Cherry Creek, and were not tired at all until the final home stretch down Martin Luther King Blvd.


Here's Kim by some fountain in City Park. This was stop one on our bicycle tour of Denver.



Here are "The Dancers" outside of that building. I think it's the Wells Fargo Theatre. Wells Fargo is all OVER Denver, CO.



We came home from our bike ride to see these two practicing their target practice with Sean's new BB gun.



Here we are enjoying family dinner #2. Lizz and Sean made steak and salad and well Lizz told you what she made in the post immediately below.



Here is Lizz and I with Michael Tiger Barack Felippe Twyne. Not his God given name.


I'll be Elyse right now and tell you what we're having for breakfast, Sean made us eggs with peppers and mushrooms with toast and cantaloupe. Shout out to Kathy and Steve Rauch - we're having corn for dinner (like Lizz said). I will give you a full report on the quality of Colorado corn. Maybe it's worth the 2000 mile drive??

Oh wait, Norm the homeowner just showed up and is telling us where to go around Denver. Oh wow, he's still here. Oh wow he can talk. Oh wow.

Shower!

Dedicated to Jonesy

Mrs. Rauch requested a new post several days ago, while we were in Omaha. We have all been saying that the next one is going to be dedicated to her, Jonesy. I'm coming through on it right here. right now.

11am here and my fellow road trippers are all sound asleep in their beds. We had a late night last night exploring Denver's nightlife (which comes to an abrupt end at 2am) followed by chatting into the wee hours of the morn in our chic little home here.

For those who know what these means, there are potential Lizz's Gang members all over. Last night Mike and I split off from Kim and Sean so we could better evaluate the scene. We wound up in the back of one of those bike-taxis. $10 and the kind bicyclist dropped off right in front of a great area. As we dismounted our ride, I befriended a man who we at first thought was homeless, but then invited him around with us and reffered to all night as Felipe after he told a bad joke from a Cheer's episode about Woody and Felipe and stealing Mike's girlfriend (me). We also called him Barac and Tiger for he spoke much like Mr. Obama and had the face of Mr. Woods.

Yesterday Sean and I shot cans and water bottles (with his new BB gun) off a makeshift wall made of wood and paint cans.

The past two nights we've made each other surprise dinners in teams of 2. Not eating at crappy diners everyday where fruit salads consist of either mooshy fruit or fruit cocktail from a can has been nice. Night 1 kim and mike made a stir fry filled with veggie and chicken and mashed potatoes on the side. Last night sean and I made steak, some over-the-top salad, and roasted potatoes. So far, tonights menu consists of burgers and corn on othe cob.

In Omaha, at MAMF (Mid Atlantic Music Festival, where kim played her big set), we all got paper wristbands to grant us full access to all the venues. The next morning, we decided to create a challenge with them: Ehoever still has their wristband on when we get to Collingswood wins whatever is left in the Kitty. (The Kitty must at all times have at least $40).
Sean's band has quickly become severely discolored, Mike is just about ready to cut his off and kim and I are going strong.

Talking about games, we've all decided to have new names when we go out. Mike is Kyle, Sean is Rudy, Kim is going with Kimberly, and I'm Birdie.

Though it's died down slightly since our delerium has lessened, we've come to give everything a nickname. Here is an abridged version:
SRSB - Steven Rauch Senior Bag (where the computer and all wires are)
NYUB - Mike's NYU blanket
PSB - Purple Satin Bag (our main lifeline for supplies in the car)
James - the radio ipod thinger
Motha' - The ginormous box of goldfish (soon to be replaced by Mother II)
Lumos - this is used in many ways, but originated as, most obviously, a flashlight.
HW - Hand Woven. As in the hand woven basket of Mrs. T's that we have and are continually careful of.
SRSC - Steven Rauch Senior


we've also all adopted a thick long island accent that has yet to get old.

At 1am on our way into Denver (where the only radio station was playing music box music), it took an eternal amount of time and many virtually-abandoned towns to find a Denny's (or anything that hadn't been abandoned for ten years) to enjoy the french fries and pancakey goodness it offered.There was a serious Madonna induced dance party in the parking lot afterwards. A leftover pancake was much appreciated as a weapon during said dance party. Three days later, said pancake is still a grand weapon, now hard as a rock and still smelling of denny's.

11:36 and with a groggy "hhello," Michael is the next awake.

Day 10 and the only thing on the agenda is a bike ride tonight with some sort of themed bike team. Tonight is mustaches and ugly sweaters. Later this week is a roller derby, meeting up with relatives, balloon festivals, natural amphitheatres, and WHATEVER WE WANT!

11:46 and now everyone is awake and (not) rarin' to go.

Monday, September 8, 2008

one week in!

aloooooooohamora!

i'ma update on the music front, since everything else has been summed up pretty nicely by other team members. the mid-american musical festival just Happened to be in full swing in omaha the second night of our stay. i went into the main office, gave them my rundown, and they gave me a timeslot! a musician had cancelled, so i played a 45 minute set. it was such an awesome energy -- a few blocks completely filled with a variety of venues, and 160 bands and their listeners were pouring out from all over. afterwards, i sold two cd's! score. satisfaction.

the rauch family, in case it was not clear from previous entries, Rocked. so generous. so kind.

sean just told us about THIS:
http://www.denvercruisers.com/
i think you know we are in.

today we are going to mail absentee ballots (we love you, elyse), and other silly errands, and then explooooooore!


p.s. i'm halfway through book six. things have yet to get bonkers, but i know it's only a matter of time. katie, today i'm starting chapter fifteen: the unbreakable vow.

Hello from Denver!

So so so so so so so much to discuss with everyone. We got into Denver late last night and finally feel like we can slow down. And that we're on vacation. We've got a full on house here with a basement and grill and a backyard. It's the largest of the places we've rented, so we better not get used to it.

Speaking of housing, we've been so super spoiled so far with our hosts in the various cities. Stephen and Kimi and Shannon and Amanda hooked it up in Chicago and Uncle Jim and Brad in Omaha. We've only done one shady hotel in Wichita (the aforementioned Motel 6), so we don't feel like we're roughing it hardcore roadtrip style, at least not yet. And we're thankful for that.

Chicago - Feels like we were there a month ago, or maybe just 1000 miles ago. I'm downloading all my pictures and videos from everything as we speak, or as I speak, so that will help me remember all of our adventures. Here's a video from world famous Wrigley Field! We went to a Cubs game! They lost.


Alright, there's a lot of media to go through here, let me get a little organized and then I'll slam them all in your faces.

But I will explain the "Suck my lumos" since my mother asked me to. One day, whilst walking around Chicago, Kim, Lizz and I discovered that it is extremely fun to shout Harry Potter spells in thick, Long Island accents, "Lumos!" being a particular favorite, along with "Alohamora!" Later, as sleep deprivation set in, we started speaking almost completely in these accents, which you will see in future videos, and started using "Lumos" as all parts of speech in all sorts of phrases, including the new insult "Suck my lumos!" If you don't get this, go read Harry Potter, or ask someone that has. Also, we might be speaking in tongues by the time we return.

Have a fun Monday!

UPDATE: I just put some photos on Flickr, but haven't finished captioning. Check out my little Chicago set here: http://flickr.com/photos/30252772@N05/sets/72157607185221157/detail/

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Suck my lumos!

Hey y'all! We're in Wichita y'all! Sorry we haven't been postin, but we been a wee bit busy out in Chicago and Omaha and Wichita. We've got our last big ride tomorrow into Denver and I promise to get some of our media out onto the interweb once things slow down a bit. Know that we're having a great time (tonight we went to Club Rodeo, which is simultaneously a country dance club and a live rodeo!) We've got pics pics and more pics and you'll see them soon, but right now it's bedtime.

So goodnight from Motel 6!

Wichita, we will hardly know ya.


Hey everyone,

My first post. Yay!

I am writing on behalf of the team. Sorry for no posts. We've been internet-less. But we have many stories to tell and will be writing much soon. Lots of love, be well in the meantime.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Goooooodnight, chicago.

Our first night here Mike and Lizz noticed a drag show ad for wednesday night. we were bummer because wednesday night would not work for us. THEN we HAPPENED UPON ONE tuesday night. We entered the bar a mere 3 minutes before it began. This girl was my girl. Then, the tranny hosted loved sean and brought him on stage. if you are interested in the more explicit details, ask.









She wanted to see that bod.

This is Kim's first open mic. It's not the most crotch-sensitive. sorry, kim. check back for videos of this event soon!



Our first bike ride (sean is in front of kim). It was a tough one due to 90 degree heat. so far, the bike rack and roof rack have been working great.

We just took our last walk around chicago, Andersonville neighborhood. Shannon, Amanda, Lizz, Kim, Sean, Mike, and Thomas. We practiced drolling and peeped in windows.

Things that RT08 all agree on:

1. we love chicago so much. we're continually blown away.
2. these first three days have felt like a month. in a good way. but we've done SO MUCH. in reality, it's only been a three day weekend.
3. saying harry potter spells with a long island accent is entertaining when you are overtired.
4. we aren't sick on each other yet.

Talk to you in Omaha, bloggers!

some pictures while we unwind before the drive to Omaha


This is Cleveland. It makes it look a lot more interesting than it actually is. Here you see 3 members of the team outside the rock and roll hall of fame (to the right). As you read, we hung out on that round thing and kim played a song.


This is our second great lake. Lake Michigan. Hi Sean and Mikey! The first was Lake Erie in Cleveland. Lake Michigan is in THE CENTER of Chicago. as is wrigley field.

Deep dish pizza funded by michael's brother, Steven. Lipenta, this is our scavenger hunt solution or chicago.

First night in Chicago. We played on the swings in a park on Belmont Harbor. Well, I did and kim tried to photograph us both.

This is a very poor representation of the spiders that are all over Chicago. "Guys, they were on my bike when I came home." -Sean.
tired. TIRED!

last night was long but super worth it. drag queens and boystown and dancing OH MY!

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

oh, here's a thing we haven't mentioned yet:

there are spiders. like, a lot. along a fence last night, there were -- i'm going to say hundreds. just aallllllll along the lake, those spiders were hanging out for the evening, marking their territory.




holla to the blogs belonging to katie and lipenta and shaunna and paul! and lisa lacey, who may or may not be straight up spam. i'm looking into it.


(later we're going dancing!)

Cleveland rocks!

Chicago SUCKS!!

No that's not true. It's pretty sweet. At least in the summertime. Did you know that Chicago is a shore town? Because there's beaches and Lake Michigan and boats.

But enough at Chica, here are some pics of the trip to Cleveland (the worst city so far)....

These were the only people we saw in Cleveland. Other than the man who laughed at us when we asked him where to have breakfast.

Here's the gang in front of the (not open til 10) Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. No one was around so Kim played her song in the plaza out front.


We finally stopped at Bob and Sherri's Fortyniner Restaurant. Eggs and toast cost $1.89. The toilets don't flush.


More to come, dear readers.

chicago is where it's AT, man!

hey, guess what city is awesome?
carolyn, i can't believe you didn't freak out when you came home from this place. i guess you did.

we stuffed deep dish through our throats down into our stomaches and it was GOOD. then we spent last night walking through the city to belmont harbour and lincoln park with shannon and amanda, where we parked ourselves in front of lake michigan on these Huge cement steps. i played the g and sang songs and a guy on a bike stopped and recorded me on his phone. we hung out with thomas. mikey and i danced around pretending to be aladdin and the genie. and i kartwheeled a lot.

plans: bike everywere. buy breakfast and bring it to shannon's. go to the art museaum. bike to the beach (read hp 6!). play my guitar with an open case in front of me in wicker and millenium park. check out boystown, andersonville, a drag show, etc.

tonight the boys are going to the cub game, and lizzie and i are going to ________ .
that means we have yet to decide.

guys, chicago has a lot to offer. and it's wild beautiful. this is a place to live, fo sho.

Monday, September 1, 2008

All things go, All things go

The trip started off grand. By 6am we had all taken turns driving, co-piloting, and sleeping in the back.
We have seen some shady rest stops and friendly people. We've seen farm land and sprawling fields with grass that looks like water as it blows in the wind.
The van has been very cold and so damn hot.

First Forgotten Item: Kim's guitar tuner.
When Forgotten Item was realized: Haddon Ave (the main street in collingswood)

Our first sunrise, watched by Mike and Lizz and slept through by Sean and Kim, consisted of: 65 mph on I-76 with mist over lakes and fields, Here Comes The Sun coming out of our speakers, a few cows, and friendly toot from a truckers air horn.
We just left Cleveland. First stop at Lake Erie, where the Rock 'N Roll Hall of Fame was. Kim played a song outside on a weird structure thing. Downtown Cleveland: ugly. big buildings. no people. pretty water. good breeze.
Breakfast in Cleveland was a success. We stopped at a Mom and Pop luncheonette. Construction paper taped to the windows told us that eggs with bacon and toast cost $1.99. I had issues pulling in to the parking lot and was judged by locals. We rolled into the place with sunglasses on and our Jersey plates. "You guys come all the way from Jersey?" said the cook. He talked us up. I thought he asked if we wanted to see a "Titty Bar," he said "Kiddie Park."
Mike is sleeping, he drove most of the wee hours of the morning. Kim is shotgun, Sean driving. He's introducing Kim and I to Teegan and Sarah. We're both into "Underwater".

We've already seen Lake Erie and Lake Michigan.

We're at Steven's, Mike's older brother's apartment. It took 16 hours to get here, Chicago. We're all tired and hungry and sweaty and looking for camera wires to upload photos.

"We have Tostitos and I think some cheese dip." -Steven Rauch
"Cheese dip! Sounds like a Rauch!" -Michael Rauch

Chicago

We're in Chicago. Better post later. Tired. Cleveland is a greasy city. With no people. Or places to eat breakfast.

You're all the best.

Saturday, August 30, 2008

here's what.

i'm stressed. you're stressed. we're all stressed.
we're getting down to the nitty gritty, and it feels like there is So Much to do.

things that will be nice:
taking a three month vacation
obama becoming president
getting to know the country we live within
fame, in general

Friday, August 29, 2008

Blast off!

This post is mostly a test. Mostly.