Pioneer Day - - July 24

Pioneer Day is an official holiday celebrated in Utah each year on July 24th.  It commemorates the entry of Brigham Young and the first group of Mormon pioneers into the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847, where the Latter-day Saints settled after being forced from  other locations in the eastern United States.   Parades, fireworks, and other festivities help commemorate the event.  Logan and each of its surrounding towns all have their own celebrations and all-day events.  Recently moving to North Logan, we decided to partake in their celebration.  Susan went to the parade while Jeff was working and both of us got out for the fireworks.  Since we live in a flat valley, we were able to not only see North Logan’s fireworks display, but also many others in the area.

A few cute pioneers

It’s hard to see the scale here, but that’s a miniature horse towing a miniature wagon with children in it

Gymnasts flipping on a trampolines on a moving truck.. yikes!
&
Each of the area towns had their own beauty queens in matching dresses.  Here’s Wellsville’s beauties.


Caged children?

Lots of candy to collect!

North Logan Fire Department finishes up the parade!

Us right outside our apartment about to walk around the neighborhood to view the firework shows.

Another town’s display to our left

Part of North Logan’s display

And the grand finale!  I think I may have had my shutter open a bit long on this one..

Introduction to Cache Valley, UT

After a prolonged period of being vagabonds, Susan and I finally arrived in the Cache Valley and its largest city, Logan.  For the first couple days, we lived out of a Best Western so obviously made finding a permanent residence our priority. 

Our first full day in Logan, we setup some tours of apartments and townhomes.  We also attempted to look at some houses for rent, but they were harder to coordinate.  However, none of this mattered since we jumped on the first visit and decided to forego our search and just move in as soon as possible.  What made this site such a slam dunk in our minds was a combination of factors: the flashiness of a brand new (and still under construction) complex, the packaging of cable and internet making it available as soon as we moved in (good for my work), and the views available in ready to move in units.  Oh yeah, and they threw in a free 42” flat screen TV which filled another need we had before getting settled.  By Friday, less than 2 days after our arrival, we were moved in to our new digs.  If only we had furniture. 

Our new home

The complex is not quite finished

To fill the furnishing need, we hit garage sales, Wal-Mart, and thrift stores hard and had almost all the essentials covered by the end of the weekend.  We also began cooking again (it’s been so long) with our new open kitchen.  The rest of the weekend was spent taking in the views of the Bear River mountain range staring at us through the window/on the balcony. 

From our balcony

Jeff & Derby looking out at the mountains

On Sunday, I went to a hike with the Logan Hiking Club and took in some of the scenery available in the Logan Canyon.  Unfortunately Susan was not feeling 100% so sat this trip out.  However she made it up later (and made me jealous) by attending a midweek hike while I was working.  Luckily, she actually remembered to take her camera AND memory card so I got to enjoy the pictures.  Other activities for our first full week in Logan included the Cache Valley Gardener’s Market (Saturday), celebrating a holiday we previously were unaware of—Pioneer Day, with a parade and fireworks (Tuesday), dinner at a local brew-pub and seeing The Dark Knight Rises (Wednesday), and attending That Famous Preston Night Rodeo in Idaho (Thursday).  We will be covering some of these activities in separate posts which will be far more picture heavy.

To catch up to the present, we joined in the Olympic fun this weekend watching the opening ceremonies and watching our friend compete in women’s rowing.  She will be rowing again on Wednesday and we will be awake SUPER early to watch her race for gold (Go Sara(h)s!).  Otherwise, the weekend was spent relaxing, trail running and biking (for Jeff), and trip to the Willow Park Zoo.  We crammed in as much as possible to our first week or so since Susan starts work in the middle of this week.

Our pool/outdoor area

Go Sara(h)s!!  Projecting NBC online to our new TV

Road Trip USA – A Circuitous Route to Logan

Monday morning we left Lawrence and headed west north.  Obviously Utah was to the west, but we decided to take a leisurely route across the US and keep on sight-seeing (if only we could make a living doing this).  I had never seen the Midwestern strip of states from North Dakota to Texas, so we decided to remedy that by hitting as many of the states in the area as reasonably possible. 

Monday’s drive    &    Derby behind his divider

Our Monday drive took us through small towns in NE Kansas, then into Nebraska where we stopped for lunch at Omaha.  The old town area we stopped made Omaha seem appealing enough from a glance, but we obviously didn’t spend much time there.  From Omaha, we continued north straddling the Iowa/Nebraska border before hitting South Dakota.  There we hit Sioux Falls and turned West for real.  Then we drove along rolling prairie for a LONG time, taking breaks with amusing sideshows like the Porter sculpture garden and the world famous Corn Palace.  After making our way just more than halfway across the state we stopped in the small town of Murdo for the night.  We realized that evening that I had left my glasses in Lawrence…they would have to meet us in Utah.

Sculpture Park    &   The Corn Palace

Our view throughout the entire eastern half of South Dakota

Tuesday was more of a sightseeing day since we were now near the Badlands and the Black Hills in SW South Dakota.  A drive on the scenic route of the Badlands with plenty of stops gave us ample opportunity to take in the strange, pointed rock formations throughout this region.  Supposedly they are being quickly eroded by the White river, but the river resembled a dried creek bed at this time of year.  As we returned to the interstate, we made a stop at the “famous” Wall Drug general store.  This place barrages you billboards for about 400 miles until you are brainwashed into having to visit.  The store is amusing though, so was a good stop. 

Badlands

Susan and Derby   &   Jeff and our car

A question we asked several times throughout the drive

Jeff and a jackrabbit    &   A view inside Wall Drug

Another hour on the road and we reached Rapid City and the Black Hills.  Here we started moving S/SW through the hills.  Sightseeing included Mount Rushmore, Wind Cave National Park, and Custer State Park and Wildlife Reserve before moving on to Wyoming for the night.  I was very impressed by the scale of Mount Rushmore having finally seen it in person.  Unfortunately, the evening did not go smoothly since the first town we planned to stop had no vacant hotels and we realized my wallet had been left at a Dairy Queen in Hot Springs, SD (apparently I wanted to leave breadcrumbs).  Finally though, we came to rest in Casper, WY.

Derby had to stay in the parking lot but he was there!

Crazy Horse Monument.. far from completion

Herd of buffalos

More buffalo   &   One of the many prairie dogs in the area

The dusty back road we took out of Custer State Park

On to Wyoming

Wednesday we were close enough to Logan to taste it so decided to drive straight through.  We approached from the Northeast so crossed much of ranchland Wyoming before finally seeing some substantial rock formations.  After a mountain pass in Utah we emerged along the shores of Bear Lake, a notable lake getaway only 45 minutes from Logan.  It was impressive to say the least with its turquoise blue waters.  However, wanting to complete the drive we bypassed the lake and drove into the Logan Canyon.  Mid-afternoon we emerged from the canyon in the Cache Valley…our trek complete.  Logan was a welcoming site as we descended to our hotel. 

The final stretch!

Now to find a more permanent residence and settle in here.

Road Trip USA - - A slow start to a long trip

Upon our return to the United States, we still had time available without commitments so we decided to recover from the European adventure with a few days of R&R at the lake.  We arrived Monday evening and spent some time with family.  Our 5-year-old nephew Henry was especially excited to see us but concerned about our upcoming move.  At one point, he said, “Utah is 26 hours away… I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to move that far.”  After some reassurance that we will come visit and see him already in only four Saturdays, he reluctantly departed to head back home with his parents and siblings.  After the Hohman family departure, we were privileged to entertain some good friends who visited throughout the rest of the week (thanks to the Tullbanes and Jenna for coming up).

Derby and Susan driving the boat

A non-holiday week at the lake was just what we were looking for after our busy trip. We spent a lot of time lounging around, reading books, chatting with friends and family, and skiing on the glassy lake surface.   Before we knew it, it was Friday and time for us to move on.

Officially on the road

We crammed all of our belongings with us in the Hyundai and went to St. Louis for the weekend.   Here we spent the weekend with Jeff’s family, attended a bridal showing for Jeff’s sister, and participated in a triathlon Sunday morning that no one seemed 100% ready for. 

Jeff (sans trisuit which accidentally was left behind in Louisville)

After a largely successful race, we continued our journey westward in earnest.   Our first pit stop Sunday evening was in Lawrence, Kansas with a friend of ours and classmate of Susan’s.  By the time we arrived in town, Jeff was pretty beat from the weekend so he had an early night giving Susan time to catch up with her friend.   The plan was to depart the next morning for some long days of driving…

Derby excited about the road trip!

European Adventure Recap–Fun Facts and Figures

Now that we’ve come to the conclusion of another (mostly) successful vacation and our officially impoverished and road-weary…it’s time to look back at what we’ve accomplished with some summarizing:

Behind the Numbers:

• Number of Countries Visited: 8 (England, Hungary, Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, France, Belgium, & The Netherlands)
• Number of Cities Visited/Stayed in: 12 (London, Budapest, Vienna, Brno, Prague, Berlin, Paris, Dinant, Namur, Brugge, Amsterdam, & Downham Market)
• Number of trains boarded: 14
• Number of miles covered via train: 2381 miles (approximately the driving distance from New York City to Phoenix)
• Number of currencies used: 4 (Hungarian Forint, Euros, Czech Koruna, and British Pounds)
• Approximate distance walked: 140.64 miles (7.4 miles per day)
• Number of languages we didn’t understand: 6 (Brit English, Hungarian, German, Czech, French, & Dutch)
• Forms of transportation used: 10 (Foot, Plane, Train, Car/Taxi, Metro/Subway, Funicular, Bicycle, Boat, Bus, and Tram)

Our travel map (as Illustrated by me on our Eurail Map):

London (flew to) –> Budapest –> Vienna –> Brno –> Prague –> Berlin –> Paris –> Dinant –> Namur –> Brugge –> Amsterdam –> London –> Downham Market –> London

Personal Highlights:

• Favorite City:  Budapest
  • The dramatic difference between the mountainous Buda with its castle and cliffsides compared to the flat and more modern and active Pest offered a nice variety.
  • The Magyar culture is an isolated and unique culture much different than most of those in Central and Western Europe
  • Budapest has yet to be completely overrun by tourists, so there is still plenty of authenticity in the hubs of the city…plus prices are lower.
• Favorite Hostel/B&B:  The Loft (Budapest)
  • The hostel also likely contributed to our fondness for Budapest.  This was mostly driven by the unique character of the hostel, the involvement of our hosts in making sure we saw as much of the real Hungarian culture as possible, and the community atmosphere of the hostel.  It was definitely not the most luxurious or comfortable stay, considering it had no A/C.
• Favorite area:  Belgium
  • The timing of our stay in Belgium is likely the cause of our love for it.  We had already travelled to London, Budapest, Vienna, Prague, Berlin, and Paris and were ready to not be in a big city.  Dinant was exactly what we needed.  Seeing le tour was another amazing highlight our of Belgium stay.
• Favorite meal:  Malabar (London)
• Though we enjoyed the local cuisine of the various countries we visited, our best meal overall was our Indian food lunch at Malabar in London.  This restaurant came highly recommended by our London hosts and lived up to our expectations.  A close second to Malabar was a small bier garden just outside Vienna where we enjoyed wiener schnitzel, spinach dumplings, and a great atmosphere.
• Favorite money saver:  Picnics
• To save a little money and time, we enjoyed grabbing some food from groceries to take with us for a picnic.  We did this on a hill in Prague, at the citadel in Namur during Le Tour, and on the Seine in Paris.  We were able to have low cost meals with fantastic views that would otherwise drive up prices at a restaurant.  Bringing a book along too made for a relaxing (and nearly free) afternoon.

European Adventure Looking Back–Tips, Tricks, and Lessons Learned Along the Way

With this being a different kind of vacation for us there was a lot we learned on the go.  Some of the things we picked up on that may help other travellers looking to do a similar trip (or for our future selves) are listed below:

• If travelling with a companion, each bring a book the other would enjoy as well.  That way, you can each read both and save space for these luxury items.
• If your train requires a reservation (such as high speed trains, overnight trains, and trains going anywhere in France), buy those tickets at a train station in advance of when you wish to depart – preferably early morning before the crowds hit – and expect to wait a while.
• Do laundry whenever you can.  Also, carry small packs of detergent to wash clothes in the sink for those emergency times when no washing machine is in sight.  Shout wipes are good to have around, too.
• Pack your bags so that you have room to grow.  You (or your companion) will buy things and you will need to put those things somewhere.
• Picking up some food at the grocery is a nice way to take in the local cuisine, save some money, and make a little picnic in a different setting than restaurants can provide.  But if you do go grocery shopping…
• Don’t forget to bring your own bags.  They do not provide them from free and sometimes don’t even have them for purchase.
• Carry cash (preferably a lot of change and small bills).  People don’t like giving you change for 50 Euro notes (though many ATMs only give out 50’s).  Machines (such as ticket kiosks and vending machines) often require exact change but most don’t have nearby change machines (this is how we got trapped across town in Prague without use of the metro).  Also, we were surprised by the amount of places that didn’t accept credit cards.  Additionally, our credit cards work differently from theirs so sometimes places accept credit cards but not if you don’t have a “chip” like theirs have.
• Bring a refillable water bottle.  Water is not free at restaurants and can cost you 2-5 Euros.  All the places we went had drinkable tap water which we gladly took advantage of.  Which brings me to my next point..
• Always use free bathrooms when available – at your accommodations, at restaurants you purchase food/drinks, and on trains.  Using public restrooms (which typically range from 30-50 cents but up to 1 Euro per use) can really add up. 
• Go some place where no one speaks English.  This is another way of saying, try somewhere that’s not touristy and/or a big city.  Some of our nicest days on this vacation where in out of the way places where being an American was more of a novelty than a nuisance. 

In general, expect things to go wrong, but keep in mind that a bad day on vacation is probably still better than a good day at work.

European Adventure Day 19–Welcoming the Olympics before Preparing to Leave

Saturday morning we slept in and then just took it easy in the morning for once.  After catching up on American television for a while with the Armed Forces Network, we finally got around for the day at noon.  Mike and Melissa were taking us to a lunch cookout being hosted by some co-workers, basically all Americans from the base.  There was a good crowd and the kids at the party would cycle between inside and out as the rain allowed.

America!

After some good food at the party, everyone packed up and moved over the Newmarket, a city nearby to watch the Olympic torch be run through town.  There were some vendors selling British flags and plenty of police patrolling the street to keep the crowd back before the event.  Once the torch parade started, there were more police motorcycles followed by some support vehicles and a couple sponsor vehicles.  Another small break later, the torch runner came through surrounded by a couple other escorts.  We didn’t know who the runner was, but he was nice enough to slow down to a walk right in front of us so Susan could snap some good pictures.  The procession started and ended at the edges of town before loading onto a bus and moving on to the next town.  I had (maybe romantically) imagined that the relay continued from town to town on foot, but logistically I’m sure that would be a nightmare nowadays.  It’s really more of a travelling parade.  Susan’s cousin Mike also took a video of the torch runner going by us.

The BBC interviewing our group    &    Part of the parade

Stopped for a photo op

…and back to running by!

The crew in Newmarket

Video of the Olympic torch relay in Newmarket, UK on July 7, 2012 (Thanks, Mike!)

Once the torch relay was complete it was back to the car and onto Cambridge.  Mike and Melissa took us to Cambridge to grab dinner and to catch the train back to London for the night.  The final stop of the day for the torch was Cambridge so the town was buzzing.  Luckily we beat the dinner rush since we sat to eat while others were out watching the torch parade, then we caught the first available train back to London.

The rest of the evening was spent getting back to the apartment and getting ourselves ready to fly back to the states tomorrow.