The End Has Come... and Gone!

Dear friends,

For those of you who were worried by our lack of blogging, we did make it home safe and sound. If anyone is still checking this, we have been very busy due to the beginning of the school year and it has taken us until now to give our final update on the last leg of the trip.

When we left off, we were on our way to Victoria, Vancouver Island, to visit Aaron's friend, Maria. Maria welcomed us with her trademarked exuberance and was a wonderful host. She treated us to gourmet breakfasts every day and, believing us to be avid hikers, proceeded to show us the beauty of her fair island on foot! Every day was spent outdoors enjoying the woods and the lakes and a lot of good food. Another thing about Maria is that, as she is quite outgoing and has an intellectual mind, she can draw a debate out of anyone! Aaron doesn't typically get into debating this or that about politics or theology (He usually stays hidden in the safety of his mind and judges others to himself ;) This fact is much to Jillian's chagrin; she loves to play Devil's Advocate; He'd rather not go there...) Nevertheless, the majority of the four days we spent together we were involved with arguing the finer points of justice/violence/roles of the Christian in government/the Israel-Palestine conflict/Zionism/pacifism/cultural and racial reconciliation/even the spiritual messages coming out of Hollywood as of late. We had a great time!

Enter pictures:

Next we went to Seattle and visited our friends from college, Megan and Hannah. We spent time downtown, seeing Pike's Place Market, the original Starbucks, and other sights. It was a lot of fun to visit with Wheaton friends. Jillian and Hannah even got to help with the preparations for Laura Wilcox's bridal shower! Aaron made himself scarce...

We went to church and relaxed at a park, playing a few hours (yes you read that right--hours) of that "ha ha" game where you put your head on the other person's stomach and have to say "ha" without laughing. Maybe some of you know what I'm talking about. The rest will just think we're weird.

The Bubblegum Wall in Seattle

The "Ha" Game

After Seattle, we began the long but scenic drive to Montana, stopping at a wayside convenience store/bar that houses more than 50,000 silver dollars, including one dedicated to Grandma Joanna and Aaron's cousin Ashley. Our destination was Bozeman, where long-time family friends, the Hogues, hosted us. We enjoyed talking with them and taking an evening hike up a mountain to see the city. The next day we set out for Yellowstone National Park, but not until reading the newspaper headlines about a killer bear who had attacked campers in the park who were asleep in their beds. So with fear and trepidation, we drove into Yellowstone. That day we hiked around Lake Jenny at Grand Teton National Park (just south of Yellowstone) and had burgers in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Then we spent our last night of camping together! Having survived the night with no bear sightings, we explored the painted pots and geysers of Yellowstone and waited with hundreds of others to see Old Faithful erupt, right on time. Then we drove back up to Bozeman and saw the Hogues' new property, where a small herd of elegant horses came to greet us in the midst of the surrounding mountains. We had truly gotten the Montana experience.

On that note, we made our final long drive to North Dakota, where we had a short but sweet stay with Great Aunt Sylvia and Uncle Roger. We ate homemade pizza, had good conversations, saw Uncle Roger's gun collection, and Jillian got to sing with Aunt Sylvia in the church choir the next day. On the way out we got to visit with Great Uncle Charles and his family in Fargo. They gave us a delicious lunch, and we even snuck out before Josh made us pay for it!

Our road trip came to a close at Aaron's family's house in Wisconsin. Our time there was packed with a birthday dinner, bonfire at Ben and Abby's, volleyball club, episodes of the Bachelorette (Aaron would like to think he made himself scarce), getting ready for Kyle's graduation party and a leisurely riverboat cruise down the St. Croix with Scott's safety engineer friends. Unfortunately, Jillian had to fly back to Connecticut earlier than planned due to the death of a family friend, Larry McCurdy. Aaron stayed in Wisconsin, gaining fame by winning the longest underwater swimming competition at the Fosterling's pool party. He went on to camp in Michigan with Wheaton friends Colin, Harrison, Matt Higashi and Matt Jantzen. Finally, after ten days apart (after seven weeks of constantly being together!) Aaron drove home and we were reunited once more!

Well, after ten thousand miles and two months of driving, we made it around the country! America is pretty cool. We hope you've enjoyed our sporadic blog. Stay tuned for more of A&J's future adventures! Thanks for reading!

- A & J

A couple things...

Ok, so it was late and I was tired when I wrote the last update and I forgot to add a few things we wanted to mention. First off, we wanted to add a picture of Lucas and his girlfriend Jessica who so graciously hosted us in Portland.

Secondly, I forgot to mention that as we drove up the west coast of Washington we stopped in a little town for a pizza lunch. As we sat there we realized that we were in the small town of Forks, which is the setting for the Twilight movies! OMG TWILIGHT!!!! Yes, they are very proud of that fact and celebrate it with Twilight paraphernalia shops, "Twilight tours" and even a Twilight ale at the pizza pub that I enjoyed. It was a pretty funny experience. Go Forks!

Jillian is going to write an update about Victoria that will be posted shortly.

- A

Oregon & Washington

Hello again everyone! Once again, we’ve got a lot to catch you all up on! We are now in Seattle. Seattle is one of those cities that everyone who’s from here loves it and we decided to find out why. But we just got here so we’ll have to tell you how it was a little later…

Rewind nine days. We left wine country and headed into the wild. The Redwood National Park was our destination. We camped at the campground and hiked several miles into the Tall Trees Grove, home to some of the tallest trees in the world. After two nights in the Redwoods, we left California once and for all! California was a long state but we much enjoyed it!

In Oregon, we hadn’t made many specific plans so we just drove up the coast until we could find vacancy at a campground on the beach. We found a campsite at Oregon Dunes National Beach and stayed there for the night. The hills of sand extend to the horizon and were incredible! We walked along a ridge, enjoying the views.

The next day on our way to Portland, we stopped at a Youth With A Mission base in Salem and we got to meet up with some people, Josie and Matt, that I had met while I did YWAM three years ago in New Zealand. Talk about a small world… We had good conversation and it was great to see them again!

Jillian and I loved Portland! After getting a much-needed oil change and spending quite a few hours (and dollars) at Powell’s Books We ended up staying with Jillian’s high school friend, Lucas (thanks Lucas, you were a great host!). He showed us around the city, bringing us to the famous (infamous?) Voodoo Donuts, coffee shops, and parks. It was a great time! The next night, once again not planning ahead for this part, we were able to stay with Josie. We were so glad for the generosity of our friends.

Leaving Portland, we hit the woods again; this time at the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. Olympic National Park is one of the most diverse ecosystems in the entire U.S.; it even has a rainforest!

We camped one night at Kalaloch campground near the ocean and the next night in Altair campground in the highlands near the Olympic Mountains. We visited the Hoh Rainforest and hiked through giant trees covered with moss, reminding us of Narnia, or at the very least Fern Gully.

After Olympic, we took a detour from the US of A and took a ferry to Victoria on Vancouver Island. We will update you on Victoria and Seattle on our next entry. You can look forward to a timely update this time!

- A

Pictures

You may have already read this updated post, but we've added pictures!

California

Be warned: due to our lack of recent blogging (which in turn is due to our sketchy internet access over the past several days), we have a lot to cover in this entry. It will be long, perhaps tedious, and by the end you may feel that you’ve been pulled by the hand through a winding forest with little chance to catch your breath and look around. With that being said, we do promise that should you embark on this journey with us, you will find yourself being told tales of wonderful lands, harrowing accounts of danger and adventure, and fantastic yarns full of intriguing characters. Let us begin… (Jillian wants to alert you that, in case you haven’t guessed, Aaron is currently reading Tolkien’s The Hobbit. Apparently she wants to distance herself from this literary madness.)

Last you heard we had hiked the Grand Canyon with Meghan and Taylor. Upon our successful completion of that challenge, we continued west stopping in Las Vegas for the night. Las Vegas pretty much lives up to its reputation. We stayed in the famous Flamingo Resort & Hotel, one of the earliest hotels to be built in Vegas. It’s located in the middle of The Strip, across the street from the Bellagio, Caesar’s Palace, and the Mirage, making for excellent gaming, dining, and even better people watching. After naps and a refreshing dip in the pool, we dressed up and went out on the town. We figured we’re in Vegas, we gotta live it up right?!? Our version of “living it up” meant getting dinner at Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville, checking out the finer hotel/casinos, and playing a few hands of blackjack. We really know how to party :)

Waiting for dinner at Margaritaville

We gotta pay for this trip somehow!

The next day was Aaron’s birthday! Thanks for all the birthday wishes! We celebrated with a feast at the hotel’s breakfast buffet and then headed to San Diego, our next stop. The drive through the desert and mountains between LV and SD is treacherous; we had to drive slowly with the heater on to keep the temperature of the car down. Not fun.

In San Diego, we visited Jillian’s aunt and cousin, Sylvia and Nicholas. They were great hosts, cooking a delicious birthday meal of barbequed chicken and beef tacos, fresh guacamole, colorful fruit salad, and a mouthwatering red velvet cake. I’m getting hungry while I write this! After dinner we walked around La Jolla cove and beach and saw some sea lions. It must be mentioned here that it was at this fateful moment that Taylor took his first baby-steps into the mighty Pacific Ocean; we shed tears of delight.

One small step for man, one giant leap for Taylor

The following day we visited San Diego’s historic district, Old Town, seeing some of the early architecture and lifestyles of the Spanish missions. We visited street markets, listened to live Native American music, and bought saltwater taffy. We also went to Coronado Island and saw the world famous Hotel del Coronado. How we wish we could have stayed there! If only one of us had become a doctor. Aunt Sylvia generously bought us drinks on the veranda and we saw how the other side lives.

A school house in Old Town

Our group on Coronado Island

San Diego was also the location of another first: In-N-Out. Aaron had eaten at In-N-Out several years ago on a trip to Los Angeles and had been craving it ever since. In-N-Out is a burger chain based in Southern California that uses only the freshest of ingredients, creating one of the best cheeseburgers I’ve ever tasted. If you haven’t had the opportunity to try this gastronomical delight, it’s worth buying the $400+ plane ticket to get to California. Seriously, do it. Anyways, we had our first of several visits to In-N-Out in San Diego.

Everyone's happy after eating In-N-Out!

After our short but sweet visit with Sylvia and Nicholas, we traveled north to the Los Angeles area. Our happy clan resided with a good friend Ryan at his apartment in Costa Mesa. Ryan and Aaron go way back (about three years) when they were traveling companions throughout New Zealand, Africa, and Europe with YWAM.

The night we arrived we went out on the town and had a rude welcome to the fast-paced SoCal party culture when we witnessed a collision between man and machine. Yes, that’s right, while walking around Newport Pier, we saw a man get completely rundown by a taxicab. The unfortunate man (shirtless and intoxicated at the time) flew quite a few yards into the air, flipping over the cab’s windshield and landed in a crumpled heap on the road. Our first thoughts were of a tragic nature, however the man surprised us all by shaking it off and walking over to sit down on the curb. His friends were not quite as composed. Shouting obscenities, they attempted to kick in the cabby’s door. Authorities arrived quickly to assess the scene; their arrival proved to be the most surprising sight of this adventure when up pulled an unmarked mini-van and multiple cops jumped out of the side-doors clown-style. That’s right, your typical dodge grocery-getter. California—what a funny place.

The next day was the Fourth of July! We began the Fourth by going to church and going out to Taco Beach for lunch with Ryan and some friends. After that we went to a barbeque (an American tradition) and watched fireworks on the beach.

From here on out, California did not prove herself to be the sunshine state. We spent the day playing games (Scrabble and Blackjack) and going to a coffee shop. That night we made dinner at Sheryl & Laura’s (more YWAM friends of Aaron).

We spent our last day in LA visiting Hollywood. We saw the Chinese Theater and the hand and footprints of all the greats. We drove down Sunset Boulevard and through Beverly Hills to see the ritzy mansions until our car felt self-conscious for being the only domestic make in the area.

It's hard to see because of the fog

but that little white smear is the Hollywood sign.

Jillian walks with the stars!

While in Hollywood, we had the chance to meet up with a Hudson friend, Jake Feyereisen, who works as an up-and-coming screenwriter. It was a lot of fun to hear about the inside view of the movie biz and talk with an artist who is passionate about making movies.

The next morning, we said our sad farewells to our traveling buddies, Meghan and Taylor. We were so glad they joined us for the past week and a half and we’ve made such good memories with them! Before saying goodbye to Los Angeles we quickly stopped off at Venice and saw Muscle Beach, where Arnold Schwarzenegger once toned his abs all the way to (begin guttural Austrian voice here) winning Mr. Universe seven times in a row ;). And then we were off to drive up Highway 1!

Some socially-motivated "art" in Venice, CA

Checking out the beach

We've eaten a LOT of peanut butter & jelly!

Our first stop on the 1 was Morro Bay, near Cayucos. We camped there for one night, and the next morning we visited a coffee shop and a cookie bakery that Aaron had read about when this trip was in its planning stages. Then we drove north, heading for San Francisco. The drive up the coast is breathtaking! We hadn’t planned on stopping, but we had to stop multiple times to take pictures and hike in a state park because we didn’t want to hurry past the beautiful views (the kind that encourage impromptu belting of the Sound of Music).

Our first campsite on the 1!

Jillian has become a tree-hugger :)

I was inside this tree!

One of many beautiful views

We did eventually make it to San Francisco though, after eleven hours of travel. Our first day there was pretty chill because we realized how exhausted we both were. However, the next day (my birthday) had many adventures in store. Aaron kindly allowed me to sleep in and presented me with birthday decorations and gifts and a scrumptious IHOP breakfast. Then we set out to follow the 49-mile scenic drive of San Fran. In fact, we saw much more of the city than 49 miles, due to a lack of signs in some key intersections. We felt quite accomplished once we had completed the drive, however it should be noted by others interested in cross-country road tripping that adding a 49-mile drive to the day can seem like a bit much. We really enjoyed seeing the city though, and we spent the evening walking around Fisherman’s Wharf.

San Francisco's Exploratorium

Aaron pondering the meaning of life along with "The Thinker"

A typical San Fran street

The Golden Gate Bridge

The Bay Bridge

The next morning we rode a Cable Car, beating the system by getting on at the first stop, which was about a minute walking distance from the ridiculously long line at the starting point. Then we drove over the Golden Gate Bridge and said goodbye to San Francisco!

The streetcar we rode on

San Francisco's "Painted Ladies"

We spent that day leisurely in beautiful wine country, getting a taste (hehe) of Sonoma and Napa Valleys. In Sonoma, we had quite a classy olive oil tasting, not wanting to offend any vineyard owners with my negative reaction to wine. We got to walk in the vineyard and see how the olive oil was made, then taste the various “varietals” of oil. Warning: you do, in fact, drink the oil plain before you can sample it on the delicious food. You have to try not to think about texture. Before checking in for the night, Aaron got to complete his wine country experience by actually tasting some wines. We left feeling a little less hungry, a little more educated about olives, and a lot classier.

Round Pond Estate's vineyard & olive grove

Yes, after a month on the road we still love each other!

- J & A