Joshua Tree and Palm Springs, CA

Pee-Wee Herman dinosaurs!

Cabazon dinosaurs

Cholla Cactus Garden

joshua tree

palm trees in Palm Springs

Frank Sinatra's star on the sidewalk

....the little guy

Day 9, 10 & 11

  Another drive further into the desert.  The GPS guided us right through the middle of Joshua Tree National Park and we stopped to check out all of the strange plants and critters.  We didn't even listen to one U2 song along the way either.  Next, we headed to Palm Springs for some old Hollywood charm.  We walked past many great stars like Frank Sinatra, Elvis, Ginger Rogers and Elizabeth Taylor...just to name a few.  After spending the afternoon in this resort style town in the middle of the desert we got the vibe that it would probably be a place where the golden girls would love to vacation.  Outside of Palm Springs we stumbled upon the Cabazon Dinosaurs that you might recognize from Pee-Wee's Big Adventure.  Stay tuned for Santa Barbara and San Francisco!

Jerome and Sedona, AZ

Time Travel is in fact possible

view from Jerome

house of outrageous junk

seriously, world's best potato skins ever

seriously, world's best burritos and tacos ever

Maynard James Keenan from the band Tool has a vineyard

Wine flight

view from our hotel in Sedona

Day 7 & 8 - Drove to Arizona, where iced tea comes from. Just like everyone said texas took forever to drive through. We eventually spent the night in Tuscon, and woke up the next day to drive a few hours to Jerome, AZ. Its hard to completely capture Jerome in a photograph, the town and its shops are very unique, and its a historic town 5000 feet up from the desert.  We had some awesome mexican food, bought some funky jewelry and did a wine tasting to get a little sophisticated.  Hats off to you Maynard!  We were trying all day to figure out what the connection was to Jerome for a wine spot but our guess its as good as any.  After the day in Jerome, we headed down the mountain to Sedona.  We were pleasantly surprised when we got to our beautiful Hyatt resort with a balcony overlooking the red rocks (thank you Hyatt points!).  We took the evening to relax, drink a bottle of white wine and watch the sunset from our balcony.  It doesn't get much better than this!  Well...maybe...on to California!

San Antonio

Blue Moon, Tequila, and fresh OJ - Frozen Pomegranate Margarita

Don't forget to remember there is no basement in the Alamo. 

Our room for the night

Riverwalk

Finally met the undertaker

Day 6- Woke up in our shady motel and took a short drive to San Antonio. We spent most of the day  eating really good mexican food, drinking margaritas, being hassled by evangelicals, and trying to find the basement of the Alamo.

Austin

The Sword melts faces

                                         

The roasted habanero peppers on these sandwiches melts faces

                                           Video of the Sword, not from our show however


Day 5: Drove through the bayous of Louisiana and the rolling nothingness of Texas to get to Austin.  We previously had discovered The Sword was playing a show, and decided it was worth the stop. Austin is a welcomed reprieve from the rest of Texas. Less cattle, cowboy hats, guns, and rodeos.. Instead, its tattoo shops, metal heads, and veggie sandwiches with Misfits on the jukebox. We felt right at home. The Sword ruled. 60 minutes of riffs and no frills rock & roll. The only downside of this stop was the "hotel room" we stayed in, which looked like it was from a cop's episode.

New Orleans

                                   Zattarans

                                       Nicole loves clowns

                                         Voodoo Tomb

                     Seriously, Nicholas Cage pre-purchased his grave. This is it.

                                                   Voodoo Queen

                                              St. Somebody's Cathedral

Day 3 & 4: Drove 10 hours to New Orleans, and met up with Mike's maniac friends who were in town for a bachelor party. Hung out at a Metal bar, and drank on Bourbon street with toothless cab drivers, drug dealers, cross-dressers, sailors, pirates, and transvestites. We took a cemetery tour, visited a voodoo temple, ate Gumbo, Shrimp and Grits, and took a sketchy Ferry to nowhere. All this, without getting pick-pocketed.... P.S. I like your shoes, and I know where you got em.

Nashville

Day 1 & 2   Drove 15 hours straight to Nashville, only stopped 3 times: Twice for gas and once for a speeding ticket. Mike met Elvis, we listened to a street band with instruments made out of household goods, ate, drank, enjoyed the weather, and square-danced. All of that is true, except for the part about square-dancing. Tomorrow we drive to New Orleans. Later!

Day 0 : -Quit your boring cubicle job.
             -Spontaneously plan a cross country road trip
             - Buy snacks
             -Get a sun burn and a flat tire before even leaving
Itinerary (pending): Nashville, New Orleans, Austin, San Antonio, El Paso, Sedona, Palm Springs, LA, Santa Barbara, San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Chicago

We'll be posting pictures of Places, Food, walmart folk, and other worthwhile sightings along the way.
Feel free to check in and leave messages in the comments section. See you in three weeks.