2 GIRLS, 1 AMERICA

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Ten Best Things to Pack for a Road Trip

As promised here's a post on the packing and planning of our trip.

First up is the 10 best things we're glad we packed.

Now the first to items are the 2 most helpful for an organization nut, OCD tendancies, semi-type A person like me.

1. Plastic Storage Boxes in Different Sizes: We used these boxes a TON. There were different sizes and each was labeled so we didn't have to lift the box up and out of the trunk to see what was inside. We had about 5 shoe box size ones for 1 for our first aid kit, 2 for small camping gear stuff, 1 snacks, and 1 for everday/in the car use stuff like sunscreen, bug spray, anti-bacterial gel, etc. We had 2 medium size boxes; 1 for our toiletries and 1 for car stuff & tools like a screwdriver, extra oil, funnel, jumper cables, etc. We also had 1 large box that for shoes that was kept in the trunk. While I admit I did over pack with shoes, this box was very helpful for 2 reasons. First it allowed us to have more space in our duffel bags for our clothes. Second because this box held shoes we weren't wearing all the time like our hiking boots, we could leave it in the trunk without having to bring it in each night.

2. Transparent Zipper Pouches: I did start out the trip with only 2 of these and came home with a total of about 10. You may wonder how did that happen? It's a little thing called Marshall's. Rachel and I were in the Marshall's at Mall of America and found a multi-pack of these zipper pouches for $13. They had all different sizes that we ended up using for EVERYTHING. We used it for all of our electronic cords, in the day pack for our sunscreen and other little stuff so it wouldn't get lost, I put my jewelry in a small one, our plastic silverware went in one. There were so many times we used them that I'm glad we found them early on in the trip. It was so handy to just be able to grab one of them for something rather than dig around in the black hole of the car or my tote bag.

3. Wool Socks: Now I'm sure you're thinking "wool socks, but wasn't there extremely hot weather?" or " Are you crazy?" And my answers to those questions are: yes it was really hot but not everywhere we went especially at night and yes I'm crazy and even Rachel thought I was a little too for packing them but hey we all over pack from time to time. So I randomly threw in my pair of wool socks and I'm really glad I did. When we were in Yellowstone it was comfortable during the day but then got really cold once the sun went down so they kept my feet warm while I slept.

4. Bandanas: I can't take credit for packing this one because my mom gave Rachel and I two bandanas each before we left and told us to get them wet, then wrap them around our heads or neck when we were outside. Like any smart daughter I listened to my mother. Her tip did come in handy when we were hiking around the Badlands in the sun. They also were handy for things like a make shift rope for our mini flashlight in the tent and as face towels at the campsites because they only had air dryers.

5. A & D Cream: This was Rachel's idea and I'm glad I listened. When we were packing the first aid kit I asked if we needed it and Rachel said just throw it in since we had room. Well I'm I glad I did because I ended up getting a cold that left my nose raw and sore. This cream literally saved my nose from me wanting to chop it off from the pain.

6. Pouch Water Bottles: Another contribution of Rachel's. She got us two of these pouch water bottles from Whole Foods before the trip. They are my new favorite thing. They're BPA free, they roll up, they freeze, they're lightweight, they clip onto things, and they prevented us from using one of my least favorite things- bottled water. While I do have the metal water bottles these were much more convenient and light-weight when we were out for the day. We would clip them to our bags rolled up and then use them when we wanted.

7. Graphic USA: While we did mention this many times in previous posts I love it so much I have to talk about it. On my Christmas list I asked for a road trip book and Andy really came through. Even though we were only in 6 of the 25 cities listed it was still helpful in giving us different places to go then the typical travel book. Each city in the book has a list of places to eat, stay, see, shop, and experience written by designers who are living/have lived in the city. I can't wait to use it on my next adventure and hope that I visit all of the cities in the book.

8. Let's Go Roadtripping, USA!: This was our most useful "typical" travel book. Nearly every place we visited was listed in here with the exception of Dallas. It's a student travel guide so it was helpful in finding things that were on the less expensive side. It also came in handy when we were in the planning stages of our trip and mapping out our route. In the front of the book is a section of tips for road tripping as well as different road trip movies, playlists, games, and books.

9. Binder: This binder was another organization tool for the trip. Inside we had a binder pouch that held any loose papers, articles, or map that we needed for the trip. What else did we keep in there? Here's a list below:

A list of addresses of people we wanted to send postcards to.
A list Rachel made of Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives for the cities we would/could be visiting.
A list of important phone numbers in case of any emergency. (Thankfully we never had to look at this list).
A list of our medical and healthcare information. (Again thankfully we never had to use this list).
All of our hotel/campsite conformation emails.
A list of our shared expenses

10. Binder Pouches: Are you sensing we liked pouches? Maybe a little too much. A week or so into the trip we soon were collecting a lot of S.W.A.G.(stuff. we. all. get.) from the places we had seen. It was getting everywhere and damaged. So we each picked up another binder pouch to keep our maps, tickets, postcards, etc. in one spot.

Two things that are not pictured but still very handy on a roadtrip: A book-light and a small notebook. The book-light we used inside our tent so that we could read at night. It gave off enough light but it wasn't so bright that it attracted a lot of bugs. The small notebook we used to keep track of license plates we saw, how many miles we drove, who payed for gas and how much.

So there ya have it, a list of the best things we're glad we packed for the road trip.

-Cassie

Sunday, July 29, 2012

WE'RE BACK!!!

Total Mileage: 7844

License Plate Total: 50

Sorry for the delayed last post. My computer decided to stop having a working backlight so I have been without my laptop. Also Rachel and I wanted a break from blogging for a few days when we got home.

We woke up early Sunday morning to see the Kentucky sunrise. The 10 hour drive home went faster than expected. There really was nothing to exciting about the day. We didn't hit much traffic until the afternoon when we got to Maryland. We then reached my house around 5pm and were greeted by and excited Bodie...and family.

After sharing stories of our journey we decided that a good final blog post or two would be a list of each of our favorites/dislikes/must-see's etc. As promised in the start I will write about the packing and planning part of the trip.

While this isn't our last post we just want to thank all of our readers for checking out our blog. Once our other posts are done we'll most likely take a break from blogging until our next adventure together. On the trip we did discuss places we wanted to come back to and other places we want to see. Since we're both Olympics fans, we also discussed how it would be cool to see the Olympics in Rio in 2016.....but we'll definitely have to save our pennies for a trip like that.

-Cassie

(After about 10 mins on the road and thinking we were the only ones we got stuck in this road blockade. We were crawling for a few miles before they decided to just let us loose. At least there was a pretty sunrise for us to look at)

(Later in the morning a heavy fog set in and stuck with us for most of the morning)

(Driving through West Virginia and Kentucky with views like this made us think of Katniss)

(We were really excited to see these signs, especially since it was only 90 mins from home)

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Total Mileage: TBD

License Plate Total: 50 (we finally saw Delaware in Kentucky!)

Today was our last sightseeing day as we begin the final leg of our trip, the drive home. We packed up the car and checked out of the hotel and went to Benton Cafe for breakfast since it was near the Anheuser-Busch Brewery. After breakfast we went on a free brewery tour. Our guides walked us through the Clydesdale stables where we saw a few horses and two dalmatians. Then we were taken through the brewing process where we saw mash tanks, brew kettles, barrels where the beer becomes naturally carbonated and on to the bottling process. Today they were bottling and canning Bud Light. At the end of the tour we were taken to the hospitality room where everyone over 21 was given two samples of beer. Cassie and I both sampled Shock Top Lemon Shandy. We didn't take advantage of the second sample since we couldnt afford to be tired or intoxicated for the days driving.

After the brewery tour we went to the Goodwill Outlet. It was was HOT MESS! Everything was in bins that you have to rummage through. It was a collection of all the things other Goodwills didn't sell so it was an eclectic mix of items to say the least. Nothing has a price tag because you pay by weight. Glass and books are 39 cents a pound and all other items are 79 cents a pound. I wanted to find either a chain belt or a bag with a chain strap that I can use on the bag I found in Dallas since the strap it has is too short. I did find a bag with a chain strap. It's not the ideal gold tone but for 47 cents I figured it could work for the time being.

The Goodwill was our last stop before heading to Lexington, Kentucky for the night. We have 10 more hours between now and home tomorrow. Tonight is bittersweet.

-Rachel

(Our ticket, each tour time is a different beer)

(Clydesdales)

(The retired Dalmatian)

(The mom and puppy! They made us miss our dogs)

(The famous clock tower, it's the second most photographed landmark in St. Louis after the Arch)

(All the pipes have beer in them!)

(Mash center)

(Product packaging)

(Inside the Goodwill....)

(Louisville, KY)

(The name of this KFC YUM! Center made us laugh)

Friday, July 27, 2012

Total Mileage: approx. 6600

License Plate Total: 49

Today was our last full day of sightseeing on our road trip(It’s a little sad to write that). We got to the Gateway Arch by 10am after reading that the lines become really long. They weren’t kidding! While we didn’t have to wait long but by the time we were up in the Arch the lines were really long outside. To get up to the top you ride in a little capsule that is so tiny the door into it is four feet high and you can’t sit up straight inside. Thankfully it’s only a 4-minute trip up. The views from the top are amazing and it was crazy to think that we were not only inside the Arch but also at the top. Afterwards we headed down the block to Chili Mac's Diner for breakfast. It was a cute little place and the employees are really nice.

Our next stop was City Museum aka the coolest place ever! Traveling around the city we used the Downtown Trolley, which is $2 for a 1-day pass. It’s a great deal considering how many stops they make and it’s really easy to use. The City Museum is the coolest place because it’s a huge indoor/outdoor jungle gym. Outside there are so many places to climb around on including old airplanes. There is also a huge ball pit outside to play in. Besides the outdoor jungle gym there are also a ton of places to climb around. They have a slide that goes from the 3^rd floor to the 1^st. On the 3^rd floor there is an indoor skate park but without the skateboards to run around on and slide on. Besides all the awesome stuff inside and outside there is also a rooftop area too. Up there they have more slides and a Ferris wheel. They have a bus that is cantilevering over the edge of the building that you can climb in. We spent a lot of time up there because it had a nice breeze in the hot weather but also watching people ride down the one slide was really entertaining.

After we finished at the City Museum we drove over to Treasure Aisle Antique Market that was in my Graphic USA book. It was a great place to root around in, but don’t be put off by the words “antique,” a lot of things were definitely not antiques especially not the Target coffee mug I saw. We also check out Big Bend Antique Gallery, which is across the parking lot. It didn’t have as good of finds but that could have been our lack of energy from the building not having AC on a 100-degree day. Afterwards we headed to dinner at Pappy's Smokehouse. Pappy’s food was ok. I had a pulled pork sandwich which fried corn on the cob and sweet potato fries. The meat was good but the corn was too soft and the fries were too sweet. We ate dinner a little early so that we could make it back to the hotel in time to see the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympics.

Go Team USA!

-Cassie