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12/24: Philadelphia @ Arizona
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Week One: Orange County to San Francisco

Week Two: San Francisco to Seattle

Took off in the gray mist of morning to make the long haul to Portland. Jason stopped in "town" for a cup of joe (it turns out that you can't brew and drive, as he learned our first day out when he fried our coffeemaker!), but was disappointed to find nothing was open. Still, somehow we managed to log more than 700 miles and reach our next campground, the RV Park of Portland, where a clean and comfy campsite was waiting for us conveniently just off I-5. Portland to Olympia... Nice, quick drive through some of the most beautiful cities of the Pacific Northwest. The Olympia Campground was waiting for us, snuggled into a dense Olympic forest. It was the perfect place to spend our "days off" preparing for Saturday's Cougar and Sunday's Seahawk tailgating events! Our neighbors and our hosts were so friendly, and full of questions about the Tour. They promised to follow us online, and are looking forward to receiving their cookbooks in January! In Seattle, we had fun visiting old friends and making new ones, got in a couple of poker games (sorry about taking your $$ guys!) and discovered that the ol' Cougar spirit is just as strong on this side of the Cascades. And, in keeping with our tradition, Seattle delivered uncharacteristically blue skies for us during our entire stay, just as it always does. (We're beginning to think that whole "rain" thing is just a story intended to keep outsiders away from this beautiful city!) Check out the pictures from the game... you'll see what we mean!

Week Three: Seattle to Minnesota

Blazed across 2/3 of the country (and another 6 states) through some of the most spectacular scenery imaginable. Through the Rockies in the Idaho panhandle, beneath the Big Skies of Montana, past the grazing elk and sprawling ranches of Wyoming and across the rolling plains of South Dakota, and finally coming to a rest in the fertile farmland of Minnesota... All the while I couldn't help but hear the tune "America the Beautiful" inside my head. We sampled Rocky Mountain Oysters and fished the Little Bighorn River, we followed in Custer's final footsteps and shopped at the famous Wall Drug. We had "Breakfast with the Presidents" at Mt. Rushmore, and stopped by the Crazy Horse Monument to see history in the making. And at the end of each day we had a great campsite run by friendly people waiting just down the road for us to call home. Even when our days didn't end until well into the night! Laurie, Lana and the gals at Grandview Campground offered us their hospitality and an incredible sunset at thier place in Hardin, Montana. Just down the highway from the Little Bighorn Battlefield and minutes from the best trout fishing river in the world, it was the perfect place to experience Big Sky Country. The only thing that could come close to the sunset in Hardin, Montana was the breathtaking view of the moonrise over Rapid City, South Dakota from our campsite at the Lazy J RV Park. Perched on a hill overlooking the city, our site featured a vista you'd pay millions for back home in So Cal. Just a short drive from Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse Monument, with all the conveniences of the city close by, the Lazy J is a great place to stay while exploring South Dakota's Black Hills. Our last (and longest) leg this week landed us at Kiesler's RV Resort after midnight. We pushed through the night, stopping only briefly to say hello to our favorite resident of Blue Earth (how could we not stop to show the kids the Jolly Green Giant?) and pulled into Kiesler's well after closing. We were glad we did! A helpful night watchman found our reservation and showed us to our site, making sure that we were all hooked-up and settled in before leaving us. When we woke the next morning we found ourselves in a great, family campground with a fun, community atmoshpere and every convenience and activity imaginable. We were happy to have a day with no driving, and took full advantage of the camp store, cafe, and laundromat!

Week Four: Minnesota to Washington

Busy week again, lots of miles, lots of states: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and D.C. We left Kiesler's on a blue-sky fall morning, making it hard to leave the sparkling lake ringed by rustling trees. On our way out of Minnesota, we passed a billboard along the highway for the Spam Museum. Yes, Spam. As in the canned meat. Who could resist? We stopped an snapped a few pics, but were sad to find the Museum was closed (Monday). We'll definately add that to our list of return trips! By the end of the day, we had passed through the Chicago area and made our way back out into the countryside, and back in time it seemed. Quaint, rural Amish town Shipshewana would be our home for the night. In the morning the sun came up over the Shipshewana South Campground, as we visited with our camp hosts and watched the horse and buggies clop down the road. We took the scenic route through Indiana and Ohio, following State Routes past small farms and charming old houses and down Main Streets lined with "mom & pop" shops. ...each scene that unfolded more picturesque than the last... We spent the night at Countryside Campground, a hilly, treed cluster of campsites in Mogadore, Ohio. The next day, the Pro Football Hall of Fame lay just minutes away in Canton. It was not on our itinerary for the day, but we couldn't help but stop buy for a quick peek. Can't wait to return in a few weeks, when we can spend more time! It was a long day of driving, and not the easiest place to find (thanks to bogus directions from Streets and Trips!) but when we finally arrived at Chestnut Ridge Campground in West Virginia it was worth it. The scenery was spectacular at this State Park, where they have bluegrass concerts in the summer and sledding in the winter. We could have stayed a week, fishing in the pond and exporing the dense forests. But the remote location made for a poor work environment... no phones or internet! In the morning, we decided to push on to D.C. The quick drive to Cherry Hill allowed us a chance to catch up on some work before heading into the district for a "quick" drive-by tour! Billed as "the closest RV campground to Washington D.C.", Cherry Hill proved to be the place to stay while visiting our Nation's capital. Far more than a "campground", this was a full-service resort. Besides recreational facilities that included two swimming pools, sauna, and spa, miniature golf, and an arcade, Cherry Hill has it's own restaurant and a cafeteria, TV lounge, a huge laundromat and a store... but the greatest thing they've got going are their daily seminars that help travelers plan their excursion into the city, and the convenient bus depot where you can purchase passes and catch the metro right on site. Couldn't be easier!

Week Five: Washington to St. Louis

It was a good thing that the drive from D.C. to Gettysburg was so short, because as it was we didn't get into our campsite at Drummer Boy Campground until dusk. We got caught up in the history of the amazing place, and spent most of the afternoon wandering around battlefields that still feel like they're inhabited by the men who fought and died there nearly 150 years ago. It is not a thing that can be rushed. There are woods to be explored, rocks to be climbed, trails to be hiked, and views to be seen. There are monuments to be read, cannons to be touched, and the voices from long ago whispering in the winds that blow through reddening leaves. There are lessons to be learned. And at the end of the day, as the sun dipped nearer the horizon, we left this quiet place for a wooded campsite just outside of town, where it was easy to imagine the sound of a lone drummer boy echoing through the trees. It could be the tunnels carved straight through the surrounding mountains, or that this West Virginia mining town perched anongside the Ohio River once boasted the world's longest suspension bridge, but on our second time through we had to confirm that "We LOVE Wheeling!" We spent the next night at the Cross Creek Campground in Delaware Ohio, and wished we could have stayed longer. They were gearing up for their annual "Haunted Hayride", which from the looks of things promised to be a good time! At our next stop, Sundermeir RV Park in St. Charles, we took advantage of their wide-open, paved spaces to reorganize our trailer (aka "the booty"). After weeks of grabbing prizes and give-aways, it had become a jumbled mess. Our fellow campers really enjoyed strolling by to check out all the cool cooking gear from Camp Chef.

Week Six: St. Louis to Detroit

After a great game in St. Louis, we spent a couple of days exploring some great sites around the area. We stopped by the famed St. Louis Arch, to try and get a picture of the Tour Coach in front of it. But the thing is so huge we couldn't get much of it into the photo! Then we headed east to check out the ancient Cahokia Mounds, which features the largest prehistoric earthen construction in the New World. A World Heritage Site (like the Great Wall of China and the Pyramids of Egypt) we couldn't pass it by without stopping to see it and wonder... Why? We extended our stay in St. Charles an extra day (perhaps, in part, because of the hospitality of our camp hosts Carolyn and Jim and the proximity of their great Pub & Grill, Beef Eaters!) The Sundermeir RV Park was a great place to stay while we explored historic old downtown St. Charles (accessible by trolley from the campground) and ventured north on our pilgrimage to Hannibal. As a couple of English majors, we couldn't wait to pay homage to one of our favorite American writers by visiting his hometown. We toured Twain's Boyhood Home and caught grasshoppers on the banks of the Mississippi, as tourists boarded riverboats that looked just like the ones from his stories. A tiny town that somehow didn't grow much despite the international fame of its favorite son, our afternoon in Hannibal was a quiet step back into a much simpler time. On our way out of town, we stopped for a photo with the statue of the town's most famous fictional residents, Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. Our excursion forced a long drive the next day, all the way to Shipshewana, IN. But it was worth it.

Week Seven: Detroit to Philadelphia

Sunday after the game, we tried to drive to our campground, Woodside Lake Park, past Cleveland, Ohio. But after a long weekend of some great tailgating, we were wipe out. And as the sun started to set and our stomaches started to grumble, we gave up and pulled off the highway in Sandusky. It was as if we tripped and fell into heaven. Cold Creek Trout Camp with its quaint little lodge, Adirondak clad dock, and outside bar beside a raging bonfire, beckoned us to come, sit down and visit with the locals. And that's exactly what we did. Manager Mike, and owners Lance and Cindy extended the kind of hospitality that seemed to match their vintage camp, where Lance promises it will be "1950 forever". In the morning, we spent some time fishing from their docks, and though we didn't have much luck it was perhaps the best way to spend a Monday morning that we have ever found. We spent the day driving around Lake Erie, catching glimpses now and then and having to remind ourselves that immense expanse of water is a lake! By that evening, we were at our campground, Sleepy Hollow Lake Campground in Akron, NY, just outside Buffalo. Set amongst woods glowing with fall colors, it was hard to imagine the place buried in white just a few weeks from now. In the morning we made a short drive to Niagara Falls, which despite seeing them so often in photos and movies, still amazed us. The sheer volume of the water, dropping over the edge with such sudden ferocity, takes your breath away. Our next stop was in Mexico, PA, not far from the campus of Penn State. We stayed at the charming Buttonwood Campground, where they have the coolest train to play on! We wrapped up the week at 81/80 RV Park in Drums, PA. Joe and his staff made sure we were comfortable, even helping out with some maintenance repairs before sending off on our way to Philly Friday morning.

Week Eight: Philadelphia to New York Giants

Our sightseeing day in Philadelphia was spoiled by heavy rains, and after waiting in line to get through security to see the Liberty Bell, we made a hurried tour of our nation's birthplace. The weather, combined with a city much more suited to the horse-drawn carriages that line its cobbled streets than to our 36' RV, prevented us from seeing as much as we'd hoped to see before getting too cold and too wet to continue. But the sunshine that arrived for the game allowed us a second chance, and we took advantage of a beautiful Sunday afternoon to visit some more of Philadelphia's rich historic treasures, including stopping by the Edgar Allen Poe house to see what he had hiding in his basement (and floorboards!) Our campsite at Timberlane, just across the river in New Jersey, was convenient and close to make our multiple trips into Philadelphia as easy as possible. After leaving Philadelphia, we drove north, to spend the week exploring New England. We used Normandy Farms in Foxboro Massachusettes (home of the Patriots!) as our base while we took day trips to Salem and Boston. The weather, again, proved uncooperative, as a nor'easter blew in to spoil our sightseeing fun and strip all the trees of their spectacular fall foliage. We were happy to be staying at Normandy Farms, where we could take refuge from the storm inside their immense lodge, complete with separate lofts for adults and kids filled with games, couches, televisions and fireplaces. In the evenings, we warmed up and relaxed in the indoor heated pool, spa, and sauna. It was easy to see why so many people love to spend thier vacations at this wonderful campground resort all year 'round. We can't wait to go back again next year! On Friday, we left the quiet countryside of New England for the dazzling lights of New York City, and went to sleep that night at Liberty Harbor RV Park in Jersey City beneath the watchful eye of Lady Liberty, whose torch could be seen glowing across the water from the windows of the Tailgating Tour Coach.

Week Nine: New York Giants to Green Bay

Busy week, lots of driving, with great places to stay along the way. We stayed in Jersey Monday to spend Halloween in New York City, even though we knew we had a long drive to Green Bay waiting for us. We took the morning ferry from Liberty Harbor to Pier 11, then walked and took the subway the rest of the day.We tried to cram in as much as we could, and still there is so much we didn't get to do. But the people were fantastic, going out of their way to help us. Highlights of our day included Wall Street, Rockefeller Plaza, Ground Zero, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, Times Square, and the Greenwich Village Halloween Parade. We woke Tuesday morning completely exhausted by our day in the city, and almost glad to have a whole day's drive ahead. That evening, when we pulled into our campground in Milton, PA it seemed a whole world away. Shangri-La on the Creek, all dressed up in autumn colors, offered a welcome rest. And we had fun playing on their awesome Pirate Ship playground! The next day we drove to Streetsboro, OH to Woodside Lake Campground, which was technically closed for the season. Still, they were kind enough to let us stay for the night and use their restrooms and showers, since we were without water. We soon learned that most campgrounds in the midwest have shut-off their water in the couple of weeks since we were last in the area, and finding somewhere that was still open and where we could hook-up the RV proved to be quite a challenge. Eventually, we found Sky High Campground in Portage, WI, where they cater to hunters during the Fall. While their hookups were shut-off too, they did have great little cabins available with bathrooms and kitchenettes. And our neighbors, while they didn't have any luck hunting the morning that we were there, did share with us some venison sausage they'd had processed from last year. Our campground for the weekend was Pine Grove Campground near Shawano, about 40 miles west of Green Bay. With a rural country setting, the campground boasts two small lakes, ducks and deer and dense forests all around, and one of the coolest playgrounds we've seen! We spent hours climbing, spinning, and swinging despite the cold, grey weather. Then warmed up around our campfire while cooking pizzas in our Rome Pie Irons.

Week Ten: Green Bay to Chicago

The short drive to South Bend allowed us to take our time at Pine Grove before heading out of the Green Bay area. We spent the morning catching up on business, arranging with El Monte's Roadside Assistance to schedule some maintanance and repairs on the Tailgating Tour Coach, and exploring the campground, which recently added this lakeside cabin to its' variety of camping accommodations. We drove as far as the Wisconsin State Fairgrounds in Milwaukee, where we had a clean, convenient place (with full hook-ups!) to rest for the night. In the morning, we drove to Elkhart, IN to have the Coach serviced at Total Value RV. The people were great, and everything went smoothly. We waited the afternoon in their comfortable waiting room while the work was done, and by evening we were settled into our KOA campground just outside South Bend. The closest campground to Notre Dame University, it was a quiet oasis of rustling leaves and rustic Kamping Kabins... until the weekend approached. (Then this little village started to fill, car by car, to capacity.) In the evening, we walked down the road to the Granger Tap to watch some football and drink some beer with a handful of locals, then spent the night listening to the winds howl through the trees in the campground. The next morning, we decided we'd had enough of the cold, and hopped on a plane to Bermuda! Just kidding, of course. That's the sand dunes at Indiana Dunes State Park, on the southern tip of Lake Michigan. And though the sand was soft and white, the water blue and the sun bright in a clear sky, there wasn't a bikini in sight... Because it was COLD! Not just chilly, the kind of cold that hurts your eardrums and doesn't leave your cheeks for at least a half hour after you go inside. But, it was also beautiful. We didn't expect the waves -- actual surf -- and the vast expanse of water that seems to go on forever. Until you look, very hard, and can spot on the horizon, rising out of the pink glow of the setting sun, the outline of what might be a mythical city, like Atlantis, or El Dorado, or... Chicago. We watched how the slanting rays of the sun scribble across the sloping dunes, and searched the foaming waves for a glimpse of the legendary Diana of the Dunes, a ghost said to haunt these shores and swim in the waters nude. But it seems that she, too, thought the day was too cold for swimming. We left for our campground again without meeting the dunes most famous resident, but understanding better why a person might have a hard time leaving the place, even after death.

Week Eleven: Chicago to Atlanta

We were excited to be in one of our favorite cities, with it's great history and amazing sights. On driving into the downtown area, we could already taste the deep-dish from Pizzeria Uno! On Sunday after the tailgate, we were anxious to get a view from the Sears Tower Skydeck. So despite the locals warnings about the building swaying on windy days, we headed over. When we got there, we found that the Skydeck had in fact been closed down due to the high winds, so we had to wait until Monday. On Monday we left Paradise RV Park and headed back into the city. The winds had died down, but they'd been replaced by a thick grey cloud cover that threatened rain. We decided that with such poor visability, we'd wait until night in hopes that we'd at least be able to see the city lights. So we spent the afternoon taking advantage of one of Chicago's greatest treats, a Free Day (usually on Monday or Tuesday) at the many museums and cultural attractions. We visited the Adler Planetarium (for FREE!) and saw the current Liberty Bell Lost Spacecraft exhibit, which included a USAF Flight Simulator ride. Then we walked down to the Shedd Aquarium (for FREE!), where we watched, up close, with only a handful of others visitors as the trainers fed and played with the dolphins in the Oceanarium. We chatted with the beautiful beluga whales, who were as friendly and playful as a bunch of puppies. We saw penguins and turtles and fish and corals, and when they finally pushed us out the doors for closing, we hopped on a city bus for a quick trip over to the Sears Tower. This time, the Skydeck was open, and we went straight up without having to wait in any lines at all. Despite the rain, the view was spectacular, and we had fun learning some things we didn't know before about Chicago, it's history, and the people who made it such an interesting city. The rain discouraged us from going very far to find dinner, so we grabbed a pie just across the street at Giordano's. It's not Uno's, but it was good, and the server was great. The atmoshpere was very "Chicago", and on this night it was a quiet place to unwind after a very busy day. On leaving Chicago, we headed south for our next tailgate party in Atlanta. The drive took us across three states in two days. Having spent alot of time already in Indiana, we blew on through and didn't stop until we saw a sign off the side of the highway for Lincoln's Birthplace. Can't drive past that, now, can you? So we stopped to see the legendery humble abode of this country's 16th President, amid the rolling hills of the Kentucky countryside. The log cabin (which inspired one of the greatest toys ever!) has been reassembled inside a "monument" built through local efforts and funded entirely by private contributions (averaging 36 cents each) from citizens and schoolchildren. The Birthplace is a National Historic Site, and is currently being rennovated with new museum exhibits in preparation for the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth. The entire day, as we made our way through Kentucky and into Tennessee, we listened to weather reports of severe thunderstorms and tornado watches that seemed to be "chasing" us. As we did a quick tour of Nashville, driving by the honkytonks on Broadway and Music Row (among other famous Nashville sites), we grew increasingly nervous and headed for our campground. Traffic was heavy with people leaving work early to beat the weather home, and we arrived at River Road RV and Horsecamp just as the rain and the wind started to kick-up. We spent the evening watching the tornado watch reports on tv, and hoping that Chapel Hill didn't come up on the lists. The next morning, we were happy to see clear skies, and headed south again toward Atlanta. Along the way we just had to stop for a tour of the Jack Daniel's Distillery. The oldest registered distillery in the United States, it's still operating on the same land, drawing water out of the same spring, and using the same methods as they did when Jack Daniel himself started making his whiskey at the age of 13. With only 6 master distillers in their entire history, and employees who work at the distillery not for years, but for generations, you can almost smell the history in the air, hanging between the Tennessee hills and mingling with hints of sourmash like the scent of baking bread.

Week Twelve: Atlanta to Dallas to Tampa Bay

Nearly 2000 miles and 4 tailgate parties in one week... Whew! No wonder we're tired! We left early Monday morning for our killer drive to Dallas for Turkey Day, blazing through Birmingham, Jackson, and Shreveport along the way. We spent Monday night at Springridge RV Park in Clinton, MS and made it to All Seasons in Arlington, TX by Tuesday night. We had a chance to enjoy the warm weather, unwind by the campfire and prepare for our big Turkey Cookout hosted by the great people at All Seasons. We cooked six turkeys; two in the Keg Roaster, two in the Ultimate Turkey Roaster, and two on the Turkey Cannons. They were all amazing, and everyone loved sampling the different flavors which included one seasoned with coffee and cinnamon, one cooked with Sunkist soda, chili, garlic and lime, and one with beer and Frank's RedHot. While everyone had their favorite, Jay liked his Frank's Turkey cooked on the Keg Roaster the best. Karen, on the other hand, was sold on the Turkey Cannons. The turkeys turned out so moist and beautiful... and the best part is you don't have to turn the bird over to brown it all around! After sharing a great meal, we had fun giving away some products and giveaways from our sponsors in door prize drawings. We met some fantastic people and enjoyed all the park's amenities, especially the great private shower rooms each with a sink, toilet, bench, counters... it was almost like home! The next day when the tailgate was over, we returned to the campground briefly to clean up and gear up for our even longer drive back to Tampa Bay for Sunday's game. We got a jump on the drive and made it to Shallow Creek Campground in Kilgore, TX that night. The next morning, we watched the sunrise over the immaculate campground and adjacent golf course before heading off on the road again. On Friday we made it as far as the Gulf Pines KOA in Milton, FL. We enjoyed a round of mini-golf and a complimentary newspaper (delivered to our site by golf cart!) in the morning, then drove the final leg through Tampa to our campsite at Hide-a-way RV Park in Ruskin, FL. Even though it was dark when we arrived, we were happy to find the swimming pool still open. After so many days of driving such long hours, it was a great way to burn off some energy! While the week was our toughest yet, it was well worth the drive to Dallas for Thankgiving to be a part of a great NFL tradition! (And, we're glad to have it behind us!)

Week Thirteen: Tampa Bay to Carolina

Week Fourteen:
Carolina to New Orleans sponsored by... (sponsor this leg)

Week Fifteen:
New Orleans to Arizona sponsored by... (sponsor this leg)

After leaving the campus of LSU following the Saints' tailgate on Sunday, we drove down to River Road, an area between Baton Rouge and New Orleans famous for it's many old plantations. We stopped to tour the Laura Plantation -- who could resist a sign like that? Nothing like the grand, pillared mansions we had pictured, this was a working house, one built for practicality and function. A creole sugar plantation, still in operation until the 1980's, it was acquired and restored as a historic attraction, but was recently all but destroyed by a fire. It is currently being rebuilt, and should have been completed this December, if the hurricanes had not stolen all their workers. Still, with a rich history documented by the last of four geneations of women to head up the sugar cane operation in her memoir,  Memories of the Old Plantation Home, the Laura Plantation offers an intriging glimpse into 300 yeas of life along the Mississippi. As we left, we spotted many of the traditional Christmas Eve Bonfires in varying stages of construction. Families build these triangular wooden structures all along the top of the levee, then set them on fire on Christmas Eve to light the way for Papa Noel. Towering above us in their strange, symmetrical glory, they were an unmistakeable reminder to us that Christmas Eve was very near, and home was still very far away. We hit the road again and headed west, toward the other temoprary home of the Saints, the Alamo Dome in San Antonio, Texas.

Week Sixteen:
Arizona to Orange County sponsored by... (sponsor this leg)

RoadBlog...

Photo of the Week...
Amazing shots of America the Beautiful!

A local who stopped by to join our sunset cocktail party on Summerland Key.

Where on the Road???

Unconditional Surrender

The famous cover photo from Life Magazine depicting a sailor kissing a nurse in Times Square on VJ Day has been recreated here in a massive 25 foot sculpture!

A plaque nearby explains:

At a time when 1200 people of the WWII generation are lost daily, Johnson honors their courage and spirit of survival with this work.

Where is it?