On day four, we had rested up from our big drive into South Dakota, we headed downtown Rapid City.
Rapid City has statues of 43 presidents on each of the street corners that covers the main part of downtown. It is a fairly cool to turn a corner and come across a president. We grabbed a map, so that we could spot some of our favorites.
FDR
JFK and John Jr.
Jackson
LBJ
Downtown Rapid City
Grabbing Starbucks, we soon headed up into the Black Hills to see Mount Rushmore. When we finally turned the corner, and it came into view, it was real sight to see!
We parked and then walked around for about an hour. You can't get super close, but there are plenty of viewing opportunities to stare up at the four presidents. There is also a small exhibit about how they carved each of the presidents.
Mount Rushmore
As we left Mount Rushmore and ultimately South Dakota, we took the drive through the Black Hills rather than immediately jumping back on the Interstate. I highly recommend this to anyone. Sure, you go slower, drive through villages, and get stuck behind a logging truck (true story), but how many times do you get to hang out in the Black Hills?
Once we entered Wyoming, we headed to Devil's Tower.
Viewpoint from Devil's Tower
Devil's Tower
Devil's Tower
I first heard of Devil's Tower when I was a little kid playing the Oregon Trail game. From there, being a history lover, I read numerous accounts of those traveling West coming across the rock structure.
It was truly an incredible sight to view. We walked around the base of it via the trail. Each side has a different appearance due to nature's elements.
As Mount Rushmore and Devil's Tower took up quite some time, we didn't stop again until Cheyenne except for gas and Lost Springs. Lost Springs is considered a city in Wyoming. It is one of the smallest in the USA, had a population of one in 2000, and has one bar! What a true obscene roadside attraction. We had other stops planned, but it was better that we pushed on to make it to Denver this day.
Population of 4
Wyoming
Wyoming State Capitol
We got into Denver around 10pm this day. We were staying at a Doubletree, so we were very excited about those cookies waiting for us after another long day of driving!
On the second day of the road trip across the USA, Nicola and I started our day taking a slight detour.
As most of my readers know, I'm a member of Pi Phi. The location of where Pi Phi was founded is in Monmouth, Illinois. So, rather than continue to drive straight into Iowa, we headed down to Monmouth.
From the moment, we turned onto the street, I felt at "home." I met with Denise, a fellow Pi Phi, for a tour of Holt House. Two of the founders had rented a room in the boarding house at the time of the founding. After a quick tour, Nicola and I drove to the cemetery nearby where I was able to find the graves of five of the founders.
Holt House
To get to Iowa, we did manage to take some single lane highways for a bit. But, soon, we were crossing the Mississippi River! We stopped in Burlington, Iowa for a few brief moments to see the flooding that had occurred only the week prior.
Mississippi River
Iowa
Downtown Burlington, Iowa
The real gem of this day was finding the American Gothic House. One of the best things we did throughout the entire road trip was to take the roads that ran parallel to the Interstates. The speed limits are the same, there is less traffic, and we found some true gems. We were so surprised to see the American Gothic House advertised that we immediately turned around at the next exit to come back!
American Gothic House
If you get a chance to visit, make sure to try on the costumes and put your own take on the famous painting!
Cruising down the road, we passed a lot of corn and soybeans before we got to Des Moines. We did a quick detour to stretch our legs and see the State Capitol!
Iowa State Capitol
Des Moines
Our final stop before reaching Omaha, Nebraska that evening was in Council Bluffs to see the Golden Spike Monument.
Last Wednesday, I set off from my home in upstate New York to start driving across the country to Las Vegas. For those who haven't caught up, I've relocated to Las Vegas for a job.
Instead of flying to Vegas, I decided to get my car in New York and drive out. I also had an amazing co-pilot for four out of the six days which lessened the driving time behind the wheel each day. My good friend, Nicola, joined in.
Wednesday was a day of driving for the most part. I left New York, traveled through Pennsylvania, and into Cleveland where Nicola lives. From there, we traveled through Indiana and stopped outside Chicago that evening.
The highlights of the first day included seeing Lake Erie, lots of corn, and getting to see one of my closest sorority sisters from Syracuse!
I know that is has been over two weeks since I've last updated the blog.
From packing and getting ready to move to driving across the country, something had to be cut off the to-do list! But, never fear...I'll this back up and running this week!
First up are re-caps of my days driving across the United States!
Not only is this the start of the next chapter of my life, but I can also finally cross something off my bucket list. Forever, I have dreamed of road-tripping across the United States. I've been to quite a few states, but there are the gems hidden around the US that most rarely get to see.
Rather than speeding through to Las Vegas, I'm taking my time to see those hidden gems across this great country.
Today, I pick up my friend, Nicola, in Cleveland, Ohio before we reach the suburbs of Chicago for our evening pit-stop. This evening, I get to be reunited with two sorority sisters at dinner as well!
Tomorrow, Nicola and I start to add in tourist activities to our driving adventures. We will be stopping to see Holt House, where Pi Beta Phi, was founded. We also get to see the Iowa State Capitol, several railroad monuments, and the Lewis and Clark Monument before reaching Omaha, Nebraska for the pit-stop.
On July 11th, we head to Lincoln, Nebraska passing by Chimney Rock, Ash Hollow, Fort Kearney, and the Gothenburg Pony Express Station before reaching Rapid City, South Dakota for the evening.
On July 12th, we see Mount Rushmore in the morning before heading to Devil's Tower in Wyoming. Cutting down through Wyoming, we see Fort Laramie, Register Cliff Monument, and the Wyoming State Capitol. We pit-stop in Denver for the evening where we get to have dinner with a few mutual friends.
Nicola leaves me on the 13th to head back to Cleveland. I continue on through the Rocky Mountains into Utah on the 13th. I'll stop and see Grand Junction, the Colorado National Monument, and the Arches National Park before getting to St. George, Utah for the evening.
And, on July 14th, I'll leave fairly early and arrive in my new home, Las Vegas!!
It's going to be a whirlwind of a drive, but I wanted to make sure I got to see as many things as possible! I'll be posting on Instagram throughout the entire road-trip!
As some of you know, I was a history major at Syracuse. Part of the history major requirements was to take a senior seminar course in a subject area and produce an original thesis. My subject area was Britain during the War, and I chose to write on the use of the Underground (tube) during the Blitz. I specifically looked at how sheltering in the tube did not break down social classes, but rather reinforced them. It was an interesting subject area, and one that I continue to read about.
At the same time, when I studied abroad in 2010, I became very interested in the tube. I spent tons of time reading about closed tube stations, the history of the tube, and interesting facts. For example, at Sloane Square, there is a tunnel that runs above the tracks that houses a small river that feeds into the Thames. There are also two disused platforms at Holborn Station. I could go on and on... I've done the London Transport Museum several times, and I've even read the ghost stories about the tube!
So, what does this all have to do with a blog post?
A few weeks ago, I got to tour the disused Aldwych Tube Station with a few friends! Aldwych Station closed to the public in 1994, and it is rarely open for tours. We grabbed tickets as soon as we saw it was announced. I had been trying to get a tour of a disused station for years!
Old Ticket Hall
Aldwych initially opened in 1907 named the Strand. It was later renamed Aldwych once Charing Cross received the name Strand as well. For the most part, the Station served as a shuttle train to Holborn station. Even during construction, there were parts of the station never completed due to the fact that the initial passenger numbers were so low. Eventually, the shuttle service was only used during peak-hours. Aldwych closed in 1994 due to the expensive repairs the station required.
The first part of the tour led us down the spiral staircase to where the lift shafts were. We were able to see that one entire lift shaft was never completed during construction.
Elevator Shaft
From there, we were taken to the only operational station platform. If need be, it could still run today after a few minor repairs.
Platform
Next Train Sign
The platform was holding an old Northern Line train for us to peak into. As for this platform, it is the one commonly used for filming. The posters on this platform were used for old films. Some famous films that have been shot in Aldwych include Atonement and Mr. Selfridge.
We were then quickly ushered to the other platform. This platform had been out of use for longer than when the station used in 1994. Some parts of the track still remain due to the quality of wood used.
Time Standing Still
Much of this platform is used for testing by Transport for London, now. There were a variety of tile patterns visible as well as paint schemes.
This platform was heavily used during the Blitz. This platform could shelter between 3000-6000 people on any given night.
This platform also allowed us to see some posters from days gone by as well as how Aldwych was initially known as the Strand.
We completed the tour by climbing the stairs back up to the street level to see the elevators (lifts) that were once used in the station.
This was one of the biggest things on my London Bucket List, and I was so glad to cross it off before I left!
While I was in Bulgaria, I got to take a day trip to the countryside! One of my favorite things to do is being able to observe the way people live throughout an entire country. And, at the same time, there are some real gems hidden across the Bulgarian county-side!
The morning was an early one. I grabbed some breakfast at the hotel before the tour company picked me up. Luckily, the group was fairly small that day. Myself and three other women plus the tour guide. It got to be much more customizable due to the small group!
About two hours post being picked up, we started up the curvy mountain roads to Rila Monastery. When I say curvy, I mean the type that caused me to get motion sickness. I ended up having to put my sunglasses on, closed my eyes, and then chugged a bottle of water. But, the drive was worth it!
Rila Monastery
Rila Monastery is listed on UNESCO's World Heritage List. Built in the 10th century, Rila Monastery is known as largest Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria. At one time, there were more monks than there were rooms. However, today, there are only nine monks in residence.
Oldest Part of the Monastery
Say Cheese!
We toured as much as we were allowed to see. Inside the main building, there were numerous relics from the original building of the monastery.
While we were there, we also tried the "famous" bread made at the monastery. Sadly, I likened it to fried dough from a state fair. Still had to try it though!
Post viewing the monastery, we stopped at local "famous" restaurant. Known for their access to a fresh water stream from the mountain ranges, we all dined on the trout.
Re-engergized, we headed to Melnik for our last stop of the day.
Melnik used to be a huge city and served as a seat of the Ottoman Empire at one point. It is roughly 15 km from the Greek border (no small trip, that day). Apart from the fact that only 450 people now live in the city, Melnik is famous for its wine. We got to tour a wine cellar, sample our way around the city, and see how people live in the town. It has to be one of my favorite memories of Bulgaria.
Wine Cellar
Sampling...Check!
Melnik
Old Ottoman Empire Building
It was an amazing day trip to the country-side. If you're in Bulgaria, make sure to get outside of Sofia!
On Saturday, I finally got to the Lake District in England. It's been on my 101 in 1001 list as well as my bucket list for as long as I can remember.
So, I finally bit the bullet and bought a day trip. I went with the day trip as I truthfully had no time to plan a trip as well as figure out transportation. Because we all need to be honest...me driving on the other side of the road sounds like a disaster in the making.
My day started off bright and early at Euston Station. My tour group caught a train to Oxenholme Station. Thankfully, I slept on the train to make up for those few hours I missed.
On our arrival, our guide shuttled us to Lake Windemere.
We also got to see Wray Castle. Unfortunately, as I soon learned... it's not actually a castle. It was just called that based off a man building it for his wife. I didn't get a chance to go inside, but it still took on the Medieval appearance from the outside.
Nearby, there was also the memorial that Beatrice Potter built for Norman Warne following his death.
From there, the tour group headed to Hill Top. Hill Top was the home of Beatrix Potter, and the area was a source of inspiration for her stories.
Gardens of Hill Top
Hill Top
The house was preserved and had numerous exhibits of her drawings and writings.
I also checked out the backyard and houses down the street to find a few treasures. And, I did manage to see one bunny rabbit, so maybe it was Peter?
Post Office Box from Peter Rabbit's Almanac
Anvil Cottage from the Tale of Samuel Whiskers
Tom Kitten's Gate
For lunch, we visited Hawkshead. William Wandsworth spent a period of his life in the town.
Hawkshead
Post lunch, the group was ushered off to Lake Coniston for a cruise. This area truly reminded me of the Finger Lakes in Central New York.
Lake Coniston
Lake Coniston
And, finally, we ended the last bit of our touring at the famous Tarn Hows. It was an amazing overlook spot for the Lake District. Next time, I would love to wander around the trails.
It was a very long day of touring, but it was well worth it. I know I only saw a bit of the splendor of the Lake District, but I know I'll be back. If you're in London and haven't been, I completely support your decision for taking the same tour that I did!
