The time is near.  Michelle and I began planning this trip around February 2017.  We had been bitten by the travel bug after returning from our cruise.  With my job, every 5 years I qualify for a 1 month sabbatical so we decided that we should do a cool trip during that time.  At first, we were talking about an international trip.  I mean, that sounded perfect since it is almost impossible to do a trip abroad with the traditional vacation time of 7-9 days.  We bounced ideas off of each other until we finally came to the conclusion that neither of us had seen enough of the U.S. yet.  So we then started looking at local trips.  One that stood out is the trip across the U.S. via railway.  You may have seen it.  It said something like “Travel the U.S. for $300”.  We were sold…for about 2 days.  Then we saw a post that said “What that train trip doesn’t tell you”.  It detailed how difficult it is to travel via train.  The hygiene, the sleeping arrangements, you don’t get to get off of the train to really see stuff…it started to sound miserable.  So in one of our conversations, we realized that I have a Ford F-150 Supercrew.  The back seat is the size of a day bed.  Why don’t we just road trip it?  We were geniuses.So we started talking.  Even though Michelle’s dad was in the Navy and she had seen much more of the world than I thought I would ever see, there were still many places that she wanted to visit: The Grand Canyon, Alcatraz, Seattle, etc.  I confided in her that I had always wanted to visit all 50 state capital buildings (I’m a bit of a nerd).  So the plan was: visit all 50 states, their capital buildings, and all of the cool stuff along the way.  So now that we had the basic plan, we needed to actually map it out and see what we could do on the first trip.The original plan was a little ambitious and had us gone for 3 weeks.  We were also originally set to take this trip September of 2017.  But life happened.  Michelle had some family issues and I was presented with an opportunity at work that required me to move 9 hours to Corpus Christi, TX.  So we decided to temporarily postpone our trip.  But here it is, July 2018, and we are ready to go.The trip is 11 days, 12 state capitals, lots of cool sights, and many unforgettable memories.  We leave Tuesday the 10th and return Friday the 20th.  Below is a screenshot from the Roadtrippers app.  If you’re looking to do a road trip, no matter how big or small, I would recommend this app.  It’s easy to use.  My favorite part is that I have edited the trip many times.  All I had to do was delete or add a stop and it would calculate it on the map for me.  Below are screenshots of the itinerary.  If you would like a printable version, click Epic Road Trip 2018.

 

A few things to note about our trip:

1. We only have hotel stay planned for one city and family/friend stay in two cities.  In the places that we will be “camping”, we will be sleeping in the truck.  I’ve done it several times and we decided that my truck was the safest and most comfortable.  Think about it, would you rather put up and take down a tent just to sleep on the ground and be vulnerable to bears and serial killers?  I would rather sleep in the truck.  Other times we will take turns driving and sleeping.
2. We are not seeing everything we could possibly see.  Some places just didn’t make the cut.  Some examples would be Yosemite, The Redwood Forest, and Canon Beach.  For some reason or another, these places just weren’t able to be done.  Usually it was because they were too far off of our route to make the detour.  We know we want to see some of these places, but that is what other trips are for.  We both have other family and friends that we like to do stuff with, so these places will be reserved for them.
3. Yes, we know you had fun on your 2 week trip along the Pacific Coast Highway, and we know YOU think we should spend more time in California, but the fact is, California is a big state.  We could spend the entire 11 days there and still not see everything.  The point is, if you have a recommendation, thank you.  If we have time, we will give it a try.  But what is important and a “must do” for one is not for another.  Michelle and I each put in our non-negotiables before we finalized this.
4. We will be safe.  I just purchased a newer truck with a warranty.  I have allowed some time to get an oil change halfway through if needed.  We have an emergency credit card should anything go wrong.  I have roadside assistance on my truck,  and I have a fancy roadside kit.  We both have health insurance that is accepted at most hospitals.  Michelle is bringing a lifetime supply of Benadryl.  We will be fully armed with several different types of weapons.  And lastly, we are not naive.  We know the dangers and we know there are evil people in the world.

You read that I mentioned that we each had some non-negotiables.  Here are most of them:Michelle

1. The Grand Canyon
2. Alcatraz
3. The Space Needle
4. JFK tour in Dallas

Laura

1. The Grand Canyon
2. The state capitals
3. Bus tour in L.A.
4. Multnomah Falls

We have both signed off on the final itinerary.  I’m pretty sure by the time it was done, Michelle was willing to agree to anything just to shut me up, lol.Some other cool mentionables:

1. We will not be buying souvenirs.  We will be taking a lot of pictures and, of course, posting on here along the way.  Souvenirs get expensive and take up room.
2. I’m working on making some signs to hold up in front of each of the capital buildings that include the city, population, etc.  We thought something like that would be fun.
3. We have small 1oz. apothecary bottles that we will be filling with dirt or sand from each state.  So when this is all over, we will each have 50 bottles.
4. We have this blog.  We decided on this space for sharing because we didn’t want to flood people’s timelines.  We wanted people to be able to see our fun on their time.  Also, unlike our Facebook pages, this is something that Michelle and I both can contribute to.  Please keep in mind though, we are not professional bloggers.  We have an app on our phones that we can post from and I will have my laptop, but I’m just going to go ahead and apologize for any mis–spellings or poor grammar.
5. We want to take a fun picture in each state, print a copy for each of us, cut that picture to the shape of that state, and glue it to a large map of the U.S.  We saw that idea on Facebook or Pinterest.  It looks fun and is way more memorable than a magnet on our fridge.

We are excited to share this adventure with our friends and family.  If you know someone that would like to follow us, please share this page with them.  You can comment on a post, send us a message on FB, or text us as most of you probably have our cell numbers. Laura

This was our second stop on the Best Friend Cruise 2016.For our excursion, we did a river tour that stopped at a local restaurant for us to have lunch, and then took us on to Altun Ha.  Altun Ha is the location of several Mayan ruins.At the beginning of the tour, we actually had to get a boat from the ship to the port because the large ships can disrupt the ecosystem and the water gets shallow.

Then we got on a tour boat that took us around the bay and up the Belize River.Below are the pics from this river tour.  We saw many animals including manatees, monkeys, and alligators.  The animals aren’t easy to see.I also have to mention that the native language in Belize is Creole.  Since Michelle lives in Louisiana and I was living there at the time, it was really cool to hear the guides talk.  It was like being at home.  We were some of the few that understood them when they talked to each other.We didn’t get pictures of our lunch, but it included chicken and a rice dish that was similar to dirty rice that you get in New Orleans.We then got on a bus that took us the rest of the way to Altun Ha.  I fell asleep on the bus. Anyone that knows me knows that I can actually sleep any where.The ruins were breathtaking, literally.  I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it up those steps.  Then afterwards, I wasn’t exactly sure if I was going to make it down.  In summary, you can get to the top if you aren’t in shape, but it would hurt a lot less if you hit the gym a few months before.  There was something awe inspiring about being in such an ancient place.  To hear about the market activities and sports that went on there was truly special.I chose to feature the following picture separate because if you look closely, you can see Michelle and me at the top.  I am standing with my arms up in victory.  Y’all, I’m not kidding.  There was a point I thought I might be getting real close with Jesus that day.Once we got back to the boat pick up area, we shopped a bit.  At the last minute, I remembered that we didn’t get our passports stamped.  So I took both of the passports while Michelle kept our place in line for the boat.  People were nice and pointed me to the passport office.  It looked a little sketch though.  It was behind the shops in a shed type of building and there was no one around.  I will admit that I was a little scared.  But the guy was nice and stamped both passports for me and I made it safely to Michelle just in time to get on the boat.

So when I tell y’all I have the best, best-friend in the world, I am not exaggerating.  The full story on how we ended up on this cruise goes a little something like this:

Michelle’s daughter, Brittany, got married Summer of 2016.  I helped as much as I could and enjoyed every minute of it.  I won’t go into too much detail, but let’s just say there was a lot printing, researching, planning, spray painting, and just general freak out avoiding.  The groom’s ring may or may not have been misplaced for 30 minutes, and she and I both racked up some credit card charges.

As per tradition, Michelle thought it was important to get a thank you gift for me.  She knows me better than anyone and knew that a material item like a designer purse would not be right for me.  Since she is a veteran cruiser, she gets good deals on cruises.  She was able to a 2 person cruise for close to what something like a purse would cost.  She even upgraded to a balcony room!  All I had to provide was spending money.

The 3 ports we visited were Roatán, Belize, and Cozumel.  Those ports are detailed individually on other posts.  Below are some general pictures from the ship.

 

Here is the picture of our state room.  I had heard these rooms were quite small, however, I think it was just right.  It’s not like we spent a lot of time there anyway.

 

 

And, of course, the staff delights in making towel animals.

The first 2 days were spent traveling from New Orleans to Mahogany Bay.  We basically relaxed, ate, and explored the ship.  This was my first time on such a large boat and my first time in the open water.  I was concerned that I might get sea sick, but it never bothered me.  The pictures of the moon do NOT do it justice.  I cannot put into words the serenity I felt looking out at the water in the moonlight.

 

We enjoyed many activities on board the ship that included a musical show, bingo, a comedy show, and a really entertaining break dancing show.  We also enjoyed some time at the casino.

 

And last, but certainly not least, we enjoyed the food.  Lots of food.  There is literally food everywhere on a cruise ship.  I’m a little surprised that we didn’t take more pictures of the food.  It was pretty good, too.  Michelle and I both prefer a lot of seasoning so some items were a bit bland, but when you’re trying to accommodate an entire ship, that is to be expected.  Below is a picture of our first nightly dinner.  There were six of us.  The two in the front were a mother-daughter duo.  This was the only dinner that they had with us.  Was it something we said?  Lol.  The middle two were friends.  They were really cool and we enjoyed eating with them.  I kind of wish we had gotten their contact information so we could have kept in touch.  And then Michelle and I are in the back.

Overall it was an amazing experience.  I think of it often and think that I cannot wait to get on a ship.  But before we do that, Michelle and I have a few other adventures lined up.  We are delighted to share those with you.

The first stop on our Best Friend Cruise 2016 was Mahongany Bay, Roatán, Honduras.

The view from the ship was beautiful.

 

 

 

For our shore excursion, we chose the Carambola Gardens and Island Tour.  This provided some great views of the streets and locals.

 

The actual tour of Carambola Gardens was outstanding.  Bill Brady, the owner, was our tour guide.  How lucky are we?  I can’t remember the exact story, but basically, he is from the U.S. and made his home there.  He is passionate about his gardens and he was really entertaining.  Many fruits are grown there and towards the end of the tour they cut them up and let us try them.  The pineapple was delicious.  It was interesting the hear about all of the different species of trees, plants, and animals in the gardens.  At one point, Bill pointed out a cinnamon tree (or as Michelle calls it, the tree of death, as she is allergic to cinnamon).  He peeled a piece of the bark and let us smell it.  There was also a chicken that was sort of the garden mascot.

 

Afterwards, we took the bus to West Bay.  We wanted to put our feet in the water and get a bite to eat.  The little restaurant we visited, Beachers, was authentic and fun.  We had chips and salsa and fried plantain chips.  Michelle got her Diet Coke and I had a pineapple soda.

 

 

We then went back to the tourist village to wait to board the ship.  We some time so we explored, shopped, and got some drinks.  I had a coffee and Michelle had a beer.  I was also able to get some Honduran money.  I think foreign currency is cool even if it has no value in the states.

 

 

What a blast.

This was our final stop on the Best Friend Cruise 2016

So we did not get a lot of pictures in Cozumel.  We were more concerned with shopping and eating than touristy sight-seeing.

There is, however, a pretty funny story about our trip to Cozumel.  For most of the day, I had a bit of a sinus issue.  I had to blow my nose a couple of times…you get the picture.  So after our day, we headed back to the cruise ship.  We were almost to the ship when we decided to sit down for a minute to readjust our bags, rest our feet, etc.  On the side of the walkway to the ship was a raised edge; about 1 foot high.  We sat on it, and yes, it was over the water.  As I begin to look for my kleenex to blow my nose, a security guard approaches us and tells us that we cannot sit on the edge.  Now this is where the stories differ…I sternly said to the man that I needed a second because I was having a medical emergency.  Michelle claims that I yelled, but that is not accurate.  Once the man walked away she begins laughing at me and telling me that I am NOT experiencing a medical emergency.  That a runny nose is not that serious.  Now, if you have ever felt snot begin to run from your nose and not had a tissue handy, you can relate to how I was feeling.  #medicalemergency

Above is one of the shops we visited.  We got almost all of our souvenirs in Cozumel.

This is the signature mascot of Señior Frogs.  We had a delicious and entertaining lunch here.  The servers were kind enough to exchange a couple of U.S. dollars for pesos.  I am pretty sure they thought I was weird for that request, but I really like to bring a little foreign money home when I visit another country.

 

We also got some pics of the water from the walkway.  Some other pics of Cozumel are below.

Laura