abby try again

you can't remember your name

 

 

 

 

 

(Of course you must listen to this song as you read this post. Appropriate, no?)

Everything you hear about the desert is true.

I tend to not believe hype-but yeah, desert hype is true.

It's hot, there are miles and miles where you don't see any sign of life and you can go a bit crazy.

I love the desert.

I've driven through the Nevada desert a few times, been through the mojave desert, grew up in a place that felt like a desert so I thought I knew what the desert was all about.

But Arizona and New Mexico are a different kind of desert. They are the deserts of legend.

Almost as soon as we crossed from the California border the landscape changed. Enormous cacti sprouted up along the hillsides and it made for the most interesting silhouettes. I was surprised by both the enormity and randomness of the cacti-they almost looked like alien life forms.

It's funny-I mean-I've seen cacti before but....I don't know. In their natural habitat they seemed to be anything but natural.

We rested our heads in Tucson and were pleasantly surprised by how neat that place is! We were able to get up early and walk around the El Presidio district which is full of neat buildings and bursting with color. I would have never guessed that I would fall in love with Tucson-but I did. I can't wait to go back and explore.

* * * *

Our journey through New Mexico was a strange one.

I think it definitely proved the "oh people can go crazy here" point. Not that I'm saying people from New Mexico are crazy-I'm just saying if you aren't used to miles and miles of vast land before you it can be a little jarring.

We stopped at an *interesting* gas station-that no longer had any gas, but did have a lot fireworks. The three structures that surrounded the place were all in disrepair and seemed to hint at better days. I bought a crazy crystal paper weight and a 62 cent painted mug.

After that the miles and miles of desert just seemed never ending.

As we pulled into Las Cruces I remembered Ansel Adam's photograph of the moonrise. And I saw the beauty in that place.

* * * *

I can see why many people flock to the desert to "find themselves". I'd love to go back and stay awhile and see what happens...

* * * *

Have you been to the desert? What do you think about it?

On the Road with Julia

(Good morning! Well, there's a reason people say "save the best for last", right? Today I am featuring a post written by one of my lovely friends, Julia of the minecreations blog. Julia is one of those people that shines in all that she does-I feel lucky to count her as a friend. Be sure to spend some time at her flickr, too-this baker, knitter, photographer and all around awesome gal will win your heart. There's been such a great response to the guest bloggers that I may bring some on board as a regular feature. We shall see...for now-I hope you enjoy this fun post. Thanks, Julia!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hey Everyone, Julia here!  I'm so psyched that Abby asked me to guest blog for her while she and James are on their big drive down to Texas.  I wish them both the best down there, and I can't wait to follow along as you explore Austin and the entire Southwest, Abby!

Almost four years ago, my boyfriend Jared and I made a big drive from San Francisco (where we were living then) to Minneapolis (where we live now).  I had never taken a big road trip before and was really excited to get to see some of "the middle" of this huge country we live in.  Jared grew up in MN and had made the drive back and forth to San Francisco quite a few times so it was slightly less exciting for him, but we had a great time.

To start out, we cashed in a gift certificate that my old boss had given me to Harbin Hot Springs.  What better way to start out a big road trip than to spend a few days at a hippie hot springs?  It was perfect.  We got all nice and relaxed, cooked up a bunch of travel food in the communal kitchen, and hit the road.  It was mid-October and my big idea was that we would camp along the way, unfortunately it was pretty cold so even though we camped two out of the three nights, it wasn't very enjoyable.

Another big challenge we faced was that our 1983 Mercedes station wagon runs on biodiesel (though it can run on regular diesel if necessary) and we were determined to find as much biodiesel along the way as we possibly could.  We had three 5-gallon jugs that we carried with us and always filled up an extra tankful in the jugs whenever we hit a gas station with biodiesel.  Since we were mostly along trucking routes, there was actually a lot to be found, though most of it was just B5 (5% biodiesel and 95% regular diesel), which is the minimum required in some states.  Along the way, we ate a lot of rice cakes with peanut butter and raisins, made our own coffee at the gas stations, and supplemented our snacking with bean burritos from Taco Bell (there's very little vegetarian, and even less vegan food available at those rest stops!).  Since our car is so old, it doesn't have a CD player.  We got an old school tape adapter for the ipod, but when the battery died we reverted to listening to my middle school mix tapes and the soundtrack to Free To Be You And Me.  When we got tired of that, we read out loud to each other.

The first day after leaving the hot springs in Northern California, we headed straight for Salt Lake City, where my freshman year college roommate and her husband were living at the time.  We had a few technical difficulties getting there, but we made it and it was great to see some old friends and have a nice bed to sleep in that first night.  The next day we headed towards a state park in Wyoming where we set up our tent in a completely empty campground and shivered all night long.

The third day, we headed towards the Badlands.  This place was incredible, seriously.  I don't think I'll ever make it to the moon in my lifetime, but the Badlands is a pretty close second.  There were a few other folks at the campground there, but it was so cold and dark that by the time we got there to set up the tent, we both just looked at each other and decided to sleep in the car.  Since we were moving to Minneapolis, the back of the car was packed full with my stuff.  So we just slept sitting up in our seats and piled on the sleeping bags.  In the middle of the night, we even started up the car to heat it up a little bit! (I don't think the other campers appreciated that, oops!).  In the morning, when we were driving out of the park, it was quite early and all the bison were out and about.  As we were driving along the road, a pack of bison started running alongside the car.  I made Jared stop the car so I could take a photo and when he did, the bison stopped running.  When we started to drive, they started to run.  We kept on like this for a few more minutes.  It was like magic.

I'm not sure what it is that's so special about road trips, or how they've become such a central part of the experience of growing up, especially--though not only--in this country.  Especially when the trip is because you are moving your home, that journey can mean so much.  The journey home is the best journey of all.

On the Road with Jen

(Happy Saturday! I realized yesterday that I hadn't scheduled my guest posts quite right and I had a few more road trip posts from friends to share with all of you. Today's post features photos from Jen Causey. Jen is a Brooklyn based photographer and author of simply photo and simply breakfast blogs. She has a nice etsy shop here and a very sweet new kid's site here. Today she shares with us a visual trip to Asheville. Thanks, Jen!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

On the Road with Cori

(Happy Thursday! Today's guest blogger is my very dear friend, Cori Kindred. Cori has many talents; she is one of the best Polaroid photographers, makes beautiful hand made creations and finds the neatest vintage goodies for her online shop mushroom and moss. You can read all about her adventures over at her journal. Thanks, Cori!) 

 

 

 

 

 

i rode along side till you lost me there in the open road

like abby, i *love* a little (or big!) road trip.  there's nothing better than a change of scenery to get inspired.  the majority of my favorite polaroids were taken on trips!  

this past winter my boyfriend jeremy and i drove 1000 miles south to ventura, california to meet my family at a beach house for new years.  mind you, none of us actually live in california so this was a pretty big deal.  we played on the beach, cooked each other amazing food, stayed up late watching old movies and fell asleep to the sound of the waves.  plus i got to welcome in 2010 with my favorite people! 

ps - don't miss two of my favorite road trips abby and i took together: bosky dell and st. john's
 
 

On the Road with Eva

(Hello out there! Today's guest post in a peek back in time of Eva's life. Eva is one half of the duo behind Sycamore Street Press. She is the author of a fun blog of the same name. You can check out her cute and quirky letterpress goods at her shop. Thanks, Eva!) 

 

 

 

 

 
I found an old scrapbook with photos from my very first road trip. 

I was only 2 months old when my parents and I drove from Redondo Beach in Southern California to meet up with my grandparents and aunt in the Bay area. San Francisco is still one of my very favorite road trip destinations! 

Kirk and I are having our first baby this November, and I think that the city by the bay will be one of the first places we take the little one. 

(Eva!! Congratulations on the baby :) and thanks for this peek back in time, xo Abby)
 
 
 

On the Road with Rachel

(Hello and happy Tuesday! As we pull into west Texas today I am excited to introduce this post from Rachel of Buttons Magee blog. Rachel is a Texan herself! She is also a talented photographer, mom, wife, and all around awesome homemaker. Thanks for the post, Rachel.)

  
 
 

When is taking a road trip NOT a good idea?  That's always been my theory.  Ever since childhood, the best memories happen while en route.  When you live in Texas, every trip involves at least a three hour drive.  I can't even count the times I've traveled the road between Austin and Houston, or San Antonio to South Padre, and each of them has some kind of crazy moment.  

Those trips to the beach will probably be my favorites.  Over the years the people changed, but the sense of adventure and freedom always had a seat in our car.  From a very young age we took family trips to South Padre Island, long before girls went wild and people threw patio furniture into the pools.  I still can feel the prick of my grandmother's rattan travel bag against my arms as my cousin and I sat packed in the back of a rental station wagon along with the luggage.  Over and over I convinced my 4-year-old cousin to sing the same song, a song she recalls to this very day.  

I remember driving home from the beach with an awful smell permeating the car only to find that all of the miniature muscles my brother has collected along the shore were shoved into the trunk and now completely dead in the 100ºF weather.

In all honesty, I probably remember more moments of the road trips than the actual vacations.  Fighting over who got to lay down.  Singing along with my walkman so loud my parents had to yell at me to be quiet.  Family sing-a-longs that would go on for hours.  Oh, and the gas station stops!  When does a store full of junk food ever look as good as when you are traveling?  My snack of choice has always been Potato chips con limn (a south texas treat) and slim Jims.  

As I got older the trips usually involved my husband and a car full of our friends, doing those rights of passage all teenagers love.  Those usually involved many gas station stops, sometimes for things we shouldn't have been buying,  Music booming our of sub-woofers, and jokes that really were only funny to us.  

Maybe it was the knowledge that we were embarking on a week of sun and surf.  Maybe it was the dense humid air of South Texas.  I don't know.  All I know is the minute our car hits the road toward the south I always feel like live can't get any better. ..that this is where I belong.

On the Road with Chelsea

(Good morning and happy Monday to you all! James and I are in the middle of Arizona...just puttering along with our moving truck. I love all of the desert scenery-the cacti here are astounding. I'll be sharing more of our journey with you next week. Today I have a beautiful post from my pal Chelsea. She's the writer/editor/stylist behind the frolic! blog and one of the creators of Urban Weeds.)

  

 

 

 

 
 
 
The last road trip I took was last fall, in a rented Fiat, around Crete, with three girlfriends. 

It was an absolute blast! 

We ate greek yogurt, stole amazingly delicious oranges from fresh orange groves, swam in secret beaches, had run ins with gun clad soldiers, held a raki drinking contest with a cute waiter and had an entire town run out of their homes to our rescue when we were a bit lost. 

(What a fun adventure! I love that you and your friends made such great memories. Thanks, Chelsea xo, Abby)

 

On the Road with Jena

(Today's guest blogger is the lovely Jena of Modish Blog fame. Jena is the creator/writer/editor extraordinaire behind the super awesome Modish Blog and also has a cute vintage shop called Miss Modish. Jena is also just the sweetest soul and a pretty goof photographer to boot. Thanks for the post, Jena!)

One of my favorite road trip memories was with my boyfriend, Justin, for my 25th birthday (3 years ago.) We drove from Reno, where we lived at the time, to Mendocino and stayed there for a couple days and went camping in the surrounding redwoods for a couple more. The trees, the ocean, the breeze, the colors- looking at these pics makes me miss it all so much. I need to go on another road trip, and soon!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

  

  

  

 

On the Road with Susan

(I am happy to introduce my first guest blogger, Susan of Sulu Design. Susan is a talented gal she makes beautiful jewelery and has a beautiful home. Thanks for sharing a bit about your past road trip with us, Susan!)

When I first heard that Abby was making the jump from Portland to Austin, my first thought was that I would really miss my talented friend and former co-worker.  But Austin is one awesome city, and Abby is one awesome gal... so it'll be a good fit.  

News of the move got thinking about the jump my husband and I made ourselves, from New York City to Portland a little less than three years ago.  The coast to coast road trip we made in the summer of 2007 was one of the best trips of my life.  Knowing that Abby has a similar road trip ahead of her and an exciting new life in Austin makes the sting of her move a little easier to bear.  Knowing she's going to have some amazing photos to share when she gets settled helps, too.  I know I get trigger happy when we set out on the road.  My favorite part about road trips?

 
 

 

 
hitting as many national parks as possible along the way (I have an undying love of the United States' National Parks System)


 

funky old motels, the creepier the better.

(Thanks, Susan! Your post got me all excited about the many sites we may see and gave me confidence to make a cross country move! xo, Abby)