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Archive for the ‘Travel’ Category

On the Mighty Mississippi

22 Apr

Well, it’s been a while since I’ve updated this thing! Sorry about that.

Actually, I’m not sure who I’m saying sorry to. I don’t think anyone actually reads this thing. (–_–;

I’ve been pretty busy with work, which is actually a blessing in my line of work. I kind of depend on being able to travel so that I can make some more monies (other than what I make of course). The last time I was on site was when I was sent to Bryan, OH back in January. So it’s definitely been a while.

A lot has happened since then (which, I’ll need to write about at some point. I’m actually working on this huge thing, but having some writers block. Hate that.), but it’s finally nice to be on the road. Well, sort of. I love being on the road, but I miss my loves like crazy. I’m so lucky to have them in my life, so when I’m away from them, it’s such a crime. True story.

This time around, I’ve been sent to Burlington, IA which is right on the Mississippi River. Although my time here is coming to a close (my last day is tomorrow), it hasn’t been a completely horrible experience. It’s a neat little town, but doesn’t have a lot to offer. Situated about 1 1/2 hours southwest of Moline, IL (where I flew into),  Burlington is basically known for trains and the rail yard. Ever heard of a little line called the Burlington North Santa Fe (BNSF) railway? It’s only the biggest freight rail in the entire country and runs all over the Midwest-to-West regions.

The rail yard just so happens to be situated directly behind the newspaper I’ve been working at for the past two weeks. I don’t know how people here can be so used to having to stop at the railroad every few hours! These trains are 100+ cars and they go at a snails pace through the city since there are so many curves on the tracks. You could be sitting and waiting for up to 20 minutes!

Regardless, I’ve been able to see some really pretty and interesting things while I’ve been here. I mean, I figure I need to make the most of any place I go – I’m stuck there for two weeks, which includes a weekend.


This is the Great River Bridge. In case you didn’t know, this mighty river separates the Illinois and Iowa. I love bridges though. I love all kinds of architecture and structures. It makes me wonder why I didn’t go into engineering.

…oh yeah. I hate math.


Have I mentioned I like night photography? I was determined to get a shot of the bridge at night because I love when structures are all lit up. It’s just fascinating. On top of that, anyone who frequents my Flickr account knows my whole thing with reflections (thanks to my amazing photographer uncle). This was a no brainer.

Front St. is right along the river and has a few restaurants, a walking area and really nice views of the river and this bridge. It’s definitively an area a lot of locals go to for evening walks. Or so I could see.

Over the weekend I wasn’t sure what I should do. Someone at the paper suggested I make a visit to Snake Alley. It’s apparently the country’s most crooked street. However, the one in San Francisco gets more credit and tourism probably because 1). it’s longer and 2). it’s a more notable city than Burlington, IA (or so the same person at the paper said to me).


Make a trip out to this road though. Incidentally, it’s still being used! I figured it was a historical marker or something, since it was all “old-looking” [translation: I think anything brick or cobblestone means unusable apparently]. However, I saw a truck with extended cab make their way down this road. Crazy!


Remember how I said love structures? I mean, look at this! For one thing, I love Cam because he was able to capture this for me, but I also just love how raised parts of the road are. It just shows how old it is and how sturdy it still is.



See what I mean? I found this street so interesting.

The unfortunate thing about Burlington is that there aren’t that many good places to eat. There was one place, ritzy Martini bar on the fourth floor of some corporate building and it overlooked the Mississippi River. It’s a good place with a LOT of martinis ranging from $8-12. Not bad actually, considering I’ve had martinis that were more than that (and not worth it mind you). It also has decent food. Lots of expensive entrees, but their appetizers are where it is at!

The other place I went to that was pretty good was a local Italian restaurant called La Travola.



The restaurant is super tiny. I counted a total of 7 tables. This is probably why the front desk at the hotel told me to call ahead to make a reservation (o_O) But in any case, it was a very small place with huge portions and friendly service. It wasn’t horribly priced either. The seafood dishes with mussels and all that stuff were over $20, but I think the most expensive thing on the menu was about $25. The average price was between $10-12.


I have a third of this amazing dish left in my hotel fridge. It was one of the biggest portions of pasta I’ve ever had! It’s the Cavatelli with broccoli and it’s in this amazing white wine sauce. A little on the oily side, but very flavorful nonetheless. And like I said, it was clearly enough for 3 or 4 people.

So yeah, overall, this place isn’t HORRIBLE, but I probably wouldn’t come here on a family vacation or anything. It’s a neat little town with a lot of local history and a very active railroad.

I have met some really nice people though. I run into all kinds of people with this job. Up-tight-nose-for-news type newsies and super fun, laid back newsies (mostly in the sports department).



I know these past two weeks haven’t been easy for them, and I know a lot of them really hate that I came in and told them “Yeah, your current system is going to change. Sorry ’bout that.”, but they worked through it and they’re using it and I’m satisfied with how I’m leaving things.

Burlington may be a neat little town, but I’m very anxious to get home to my loves. Like that one chick once said: there’s no place like home! …And I can’t wait to get there.

 
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Posted in Photography, Travel

 

Hidden Treasure

28 Jan

For the past 10 days, I made a 9.5.-mile commute to the paper I was working at. Every time I drove there, I noticed this sign for a winery 2 miles off the county road. Turns out, it just might be the biggest hidden treasure located in Bryan, OH.

Tonight, I actually went there with two of the ladies at the paper, and they bought a bottle for all of us to share. I was in heaven! Everything about that little winery was wonderful, quaint and lovely. Their bottles of wine were very reasonably priced too! So much so, I walked out with three to take home with me.

Located about two miles off Highway 15, Stoneyridge Winery is welcoming and offers an array of whites, reds and fruit wine. I only tried the sweeter wines, as that’s my wine of choice.  It’s locally owned and offers 4 wine tastings for $1. Talk about a steal of a price!

Driving off Highway 15 down to the winery. It was a gorgeous winter day. This was probably one of the only days it wasn’t cloudy and the sun made an appearance.

This is the perfect way to unwind after a long day. Ah, the perfect treat.

These three ladies are three of the nicest ladies I’ve come to meet. The two ladies on the outside work at the paper and have made these past two weeks as sane as they could be. The lady in the middle is a close friend of theirs and used to work at the paper. I heard all sorts of stories over two bottles of wine. Good times.

The cheese had sun dried tomatoes in it and complemented the focaccia crackers quite nicely. Nom nom.

We were sitting on the second floor of the winery and this is what is saw while sipping on the sweet white the girls had purchased. Beautiful.

Like I said, I ended up buying three bottles to take home with me. Two sweet whites and a sweet red. Mm mm!

Yup. I give it my official seal of approval.

 
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Posted in Food, Travel

 

I'm no Dum Dum

27 Jan

I’m coming to you live from Bryan, OH. Please, stop cheering. It’s not that exciting.

The rural city of Bryan, OH may not have a lot to offer in terms of rest and relaxation. To be honest, the local hang out for the high school kids is to cause a ruckus at the local Wal-Mart. But when you’re 45 minutes west of Toledo, and 45 minutes east of Fort Wayne, and you’re here for two weeks and don’t own a dairy farm, you have to find something to do so you won’t go insane.

Unfortunately, it took me 11 days to realize that Bryan, OH, as boring as it may be, is home to a Spangler Candy Company, the factory that makes Dum Dum lollipops and other sweet treats!

In 1906, Arthur Spangler bought the Gold Leaf Baking Powder Company for only $450. Doesn’t seem like much, but back then, you had to be a pretty wealthy person to have that kind of loot. Especially to buy a company of your own. After his brothers joined the venture, the name was changed to Spangler Candy Company in 1920 after the decision was made to make candies and sweet treats.

Now, after more than 100 years, this business is the second largest employer in Bryan, OH (the first being the hospital) and still produces over two billion pieces of candy each year. Although now it’s run by non-family management professionals, it still has long-time employees, one of which who has been there for 61 years working on the factory line.

If you’re ever in the area, or taking a cheesy cross-country road trip, make a pit stop in Bryan and take a tour of the factory. It costs just $5 and you get to ride in a little trolley around the factory to learn about the history of Dum Dums, Spangler candy canes and other candies produced by the company.

Unfortunately due to FDA regulations, visitors aren’t allowed in the kitchen area where the the Dums Dums are born, but you do get to ride through the packing area and watch them fall off the conveyor belts into the packages to be boxed up and shipped.

The summer time is their busiest season, which means you should call ahead to make sure they can have a spot for you to take the tour. The tours only last about a half hour and run on the hour. Since it’s winter now when I went to the factory, I didn’t have to call head or anything. It’s a lot slower for them so I was able to walk in and have a private tour…because I was the only person there.

Cutest little trolley ever! Along the tour, as you ride through the various parts of the factory, you’ll take stops to watch videos that show how the candies are made.

I know how jealous you are of my sexy hair net (-_-; Everyone’s required to wear one when on the tour, though. The little old guy who gave me my tour, insisted on a photo so I could “show my family”. Gotta respect those elders, right?

Another downside is that aside from this trolley area and the gift shop, photography is not allowed, which can kind of suck when you’re a photog like myself. But that’s OK. The trolley is cute and more than makes up for it.

Make sure you stop into the gift shop to take a look at the glass cases, which highlight some of the fun candies they’ve discontinued and have other memorabilia. And of course, you can buy lots and lots of Dum Dums and other candies!

Enjoy a free Dum Dum while you walk around the gift shop.

I almost bought this. Cream Soda is my favorite Dum Dum flavor and they make candles in various smells (Butterscotch, Chocolate, Cream Soda and Watermelon). However, they cost $12 a pop (no pun intended)

Fun Facts:
•The Mystery flavor? It’s created during the flavoring process. When they run out of one flavor and start with a new one, the part of the two flavors that blend together..? That’s the mystery flavor. Now you know, and knowing is half the battle.

•Dum Dums currently have 25-30 flavors. I thought they had more! Their Quality/Assurance department is always developing new flavors, but a lot of them never make it past the first round of tasting. Can you imagine if your job was to test candy?

•First introduced in 1966, the Dum Dum Drum Man became the mascot and friendly face of Spangler Candy Company. The actual costume didn’t come until 20 years later. I was told that the Spangler men have dressed up as the Drum Man for parades and other public appearances. He’s pretty cute, isn’t it?

It might be silly and lame, but I actually had an OK time. The tour was cheap, interesting and really cute. It sure beats just spending another night watching TV int he hotel room!

So don’t be a Dum Dum! Go check it out for yourself!

 
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Posted in Food, Travel

 

Adventures in the Southwest

31 Aug

Most people know that my job takes me all over the U.S. and parts of Canada (I haven’t been lucky enough to be sent overseas…yet). Although travel has been slower this year than the previous year, I was able to travel to New England (one of my favorite areas of the U.S.), and to the south (meh – Kentucky). One area my company seems to never want to send me is the west (California, Oregon, Washington), but they do like to send me to the southwest. Last year, I went to Arizona twice.

I’ve been sent back to the southwest, this time to New Mexico. But not a big, huge city like Albuquerque or Santa Fe. Nope. I’ve been sent to Roswell, NM aka UFO Country. I somehow got sent in the middle of the week again, so I’m here over a weekend. This is becoming a common pattern now, it seems.

Regardless, I went around and around about what I should do over the weekend. I had originally planned on driving to Albuquerque to see a friend and go up this mountain in a tramway, even though I’d already done that. Since I’d been there before, and it’s almost 4 hours away, I decided to stay put in the Roswell area. The problem with Roswell is that it’s sort of in the middle of no where and the nearest city is at least 1 1/2 hours in any direction.

I was able to entertain myself though. I scoped out all the amazing signs and memorabilia in Roswell that deals with aliens and UFO’s. It’s unreal how people eat this up! I went searching for the sign that lets you know you’re near or at the crash site of 1947 when the whole UFO craze began. No such luck. It’s apparently on private property and is inaccessible to public.

However, this weekend I went to Ruidoso, NM. It’s a small ski area in the mountains about 75 miles west of Roswell. I must say it’s absolutely beautiful! It apparently thrives more in the winter time when the ski lodges are in business, but it’s still a neat little town with shops, galleries, restaurants, and a scenic byway to drive through in the mountains. Although I didn’t spend a lot of time there, I feel like I spent enough time to see what it had to offer.

There is a lot to see and do there. For one thing, there’s free parking every where. I didn’t see a single meter, which was a huge plus. The main attraction of the downtown area is a stretch of about 6-8 blocks. It doesn’t seem like a lot, but there are so many little shops to stop into and see all the local artists works. I saw so many local artists’ work including crafts, jewelry, clothes, paintings, etc. Also, stop into Noisy Water Artwear and go into the back of the store. You can do free cheese tasting and for $5, do a wine tasting of local wines from New Mexico vineyards. I was able to try some unbelievably good wines, including one that was infused with green chilies. If you hop into your car and drive around, you can take advantage of the pull-offs on the highway to see spectacular views of the mountains.

If anyone is ever in this region, I’d recommend going to Ruidoso.

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On the way to Ruidoso, I took a detour through two little towns, Lincoln and Capitan. This is Capitan Mountain. It can be seen from Roswell if you look west.

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That’s the same mountain seen from Roswell.

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Driving to Ruidoso is a series of turns as you go through the mountainous region.

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You’ll see many fruit stands on the side of the road traveling to and from Ruidoso. Except, you won’t find any fruit there. You’ll just see lots and lots of hanging chilies.

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Posted in Travel

 

Greetings from 25,000 feet in the air

25 Aug

I have to travel to Albuquerque, NM today. It wouldn’t be so bad except my itinerary is absolute shit. My flight out of DTW departed at 6:40 a.m., which meant I was picked up by the sedan service at 4:45 a.m. That meant getting up at 4:10 a.m., so I could make sure I had everything packed and ready to go. Good thing I got up early because the driver came at 4:30 a.m. Awful.

It gets better. My 1 1/2 hour flight to ATL arrived early so reaching at 8:30 a.m., which extended my layover by a half hour. You wouldn’t think that’s bad, but I hate the Atlanta airport. I guess time flew by since I had to take the Tram to a different concourse to be at the gate for my next departing flight.

There is an upside to all this. Apparently my Delta flight has GoGo Wifi. You’re supposed to get charged for it, but when I launched my browser it told me it was my “lucky day” and I didn’t need to pay (I noticed other passengers seeing this same message). Score! I plan on running my battery to death, but at least I can do something on the plane while this 2 hour, 36 minute flight takes me across the country. You know, important things like checking my email, writing this blog entry, checking Facebook and Twitter, and talking to friends on AIM and Gmail.

Once I’m in Albuquerque, and hopefully my bag makes it there too, I’ll “endure” a 4 hour drive to Alien City, USA (Roswell).

But for now, I’m going to sit back, relax, maybe watch a TV show on Netflix and enjoy my mini pretzels.

Photo 355

Pardon my haggish-ness. That’s what waking up at 4 a.m. will do to you.

 
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Posted in Travel, Uncategorized

 

Some things never change: A weekend in NASTville

09 Feb

I went to Nashville over the weekend since I’m in Kentucky working for two weeks and needed something to do. My friends Allison and Max came up from Oxford, MS to visit me. Their drive is what I consider the equivalent of driving from my parents house to my sister’s place in Chicago: long, not exciting, but the end result is always a good time. Nashville is not a city I’d ever want to live in, or even vacation to, but since it was the closest city to me, and I hadn’t been there in about 12 years or so (and really, we had driven through it I think), I figured it’d be a “good” place to be.

As much as Nashville was horrendous and had nothing to really offer, I had the most amazing time with my friends. We met up with another former classmate who attends Vanderbilt University, Courtenay. I swear, it’s like the four of us just picked up right where we left off all those years ago. I saw Allison and Max about 2 1/2 years ago when I visited my friends in Oxford, but I figured we’d all changed a lot since we’re real-world monkeys and all. Not a chance. Courtenay hasn’t changed a bit and I loved it. We still had the same jokes and new ones and had more in common now than we did in middle school; and we were all great friends in middle school.

It amazes me the friends I have. It amazes me that I have friends in another state whom I feel more close to than some of my friends in Michigan. I love that we’re all still friends and can talk on a somewhat daily basis to make sure we’re alive and doing well. I couldn’t get enough of hearing what they all had been up to, what they’re studying, what they’re working on, where their travel plans will take them over the summer.

It made me think: What would have happened if I never moved to Michigan?

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I would have attended OHS (Go Chargers!) and probably would have had Dr. Murchison for AP English just like my sister did (because the regular English class was a joke there). My parents would have probably moved out of the Faculty Row house and found another one because my dad would have most likely become tenured, and I probably would not have gone to a college out of state, like MSU. I probably would have attended Ole Miss and saved costs by living at home. It makes me wonder what kind of life I would lead. Would I have worked for a newspaper down there..? Or gone to a grad school in TN, LA, AL, or GA..? Would I have gone to grad school at all? I mean, I didn’t go to grad school here, but would I have because there are some great ones down south? Would I have studied journalism, or would I have done something like engineering because my dad teaches it and I’m exposed to it all the time?

I wonder if I would have stayed friends with all of them throughout high school. I’d like to think I would have because the people in Oxford weren’t the type to lose touch with friends they had in middle school. I think a lot of them are still friends with the people they knew in middle school when I was there. I know some other girls I knew in middle school are still friends with each other now, after all these years. It’s so cool to see the photos of them together during holidays when they all go back home and meet up for a drink or dinner or something.

It makes me almost sad that I never had the chance to do that because I moved so much as a kid. I don’t know why I feel so much closer to Oxford than I do to Columbus OH; Pullman, WA; or even Houghton, MI. Maybe because I was getting older and learned to appreciate friendships more and I honestly thought we’d never move from Oxford. People give MS a bad name, but Oxford is a really beautiful town with incredibly nice people and the things that mattered to the girls I went to high school with in Michigan, just didn’t matter to the girls down in MS. I think i would have had different morals about certain things, because you grow up around people with different morals and ideals.

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The point is, they didn’t change. Or at least, it doesn’t feel like they’ve changed. It feels like we were the same people who used to sit in the courtyard before 1st period at OMS, finishing homework or talking about what we did the night before. Or complaining about Mrs. DeWees or Ms. Donald and how terrible they were at teaching math. I used to talk to Allison via three-way calling every day after school with another one of our friends whom I’ve lost touch with.

It was just weird to talk about how we were in middle school, and how they were in high school and how I was in high school. I was this awkward kid who moved to Grand Blanc, and I still was awkward through high school I think. I probably would have been just as awkward there in Oxford until I went to college and realized who I was.  I know that’s super cliche, but you do learn a lot about yourself in college, there isn’t any denying that.

I can’t believe it took me 6 years before I started talking to Allison again once I had moved. We weren’t that close in middle school, but we were in the same friends group and always hung out around the same people, ate lunch at the same table, had band together, our older sisters were in the same grade in high school and also in the same friends group, etc. We definitely were friends, but we are so much closer now and I am incredibly thankful for that. In fact, I can honestly say that she’s probably one of my closest and best friends I have, even though I only see her about once every 2-10 years (haha). But we make an effort to talk to each other and when we talk, we don’t miss a beat.

We’ve all grown up and changed. But we’re the same.
It’s weird and cool like that.

The gang

 
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Posted in Life, Travel

 

I travel all the time

11 Sep

I decided to steal this idea from my dear friend Michelle “Brownie” Brown (that’s brown like the crayon). I travel basically every two weeks for my job, so I thought I’d share some photos of the places I’ve been. These are mostly from places I travel to for the weekend while on a two week site.

I’m doing this mostly because I’m bored in my hotel room in Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada. That’s right kiddies – I be on the road right now ;-)

(Not pictured and journaled: Chanute, KS; Elizabethton, TN; Youngstown, OH)

St. Louis, MO

I met up with a high school buddy who now lives in St. Louis!

Peachtree City, GA
It’s a golf carting community and this is how everyone gets around. No joke.

I met up with one of my best friends Valerie, who moved near the paper I was upgrading!

Hannibal, MO
Mark Twain was born here

Knoxville, TN


St. Augustine, FL




Canandaigua, NY
While I was in Canandaigua, I drove 2 1/2 hours west to Niagara Falls


I did the Maid of the Mist and got really wet

I also did the Cave of the Winds where you go to the base of the falls. I got really wet doing that!

Asheville, NC – Biltmore Estate



Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest, Painted Desert, Salt River Canyon
I did a lot during the time I was in Arizona. I was there twice in one month



Coworker and I went to the Grand Canyon and it was amazing




Wyoming


A small tornado seen outside the newspaper in Gillette, WY

Drove two hours east into South Dakota for the weekend

Random Roo Ranch in Deadwood, SD

Devil’s Tower


Then we went to Spearfish Canyon which was beautiful

New England
Newburyport, MA

Boston, MA

Newport, Rhode Island

Where will they send me next..?!?
G’night! :)

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