Denver, CO

Well everyone we have come to the end of our travels!

We are settled in and packed up, spending our last night in Denver, CO

before hitting the road tomorrow morning and heading back home.

Only 2 more states, 15 hours and 1000 miles stand between us and home!

Nebraska, Iowa & I80 East,

here we come.

Charlie Sheen
our fuzzy little baby friend
5/14/12

Our first day in Denver we spent wandering around the area our hotel was closest to, known as Lower Downtown, LoDo as the Denvernites call it.

We took some great pictures, enjoyed the fabulous weather and sampled a few local breweries.

Not to mention harassing the locals with cute puppy dogs we came across on the streets.

Callie almost cried when we came across this cute little Old English Bulldog, 9 weeks old and named Charlie Sheen.

Denver Chophouse
best happy hour in town!

We were lucky enough during our travels to stumble across the Denver Chophouse and make friends with two locals, Matt & Adam.

They were nice enough to take us out, show us a fabulous happy hour 

and hike our exhausted little legs off in the altitude.

Denver train station

view of Denver from Coors field

 Denver has been a wonderful way to end our road trip.

The weather is beautiful, the locals are friendly and the beer is delicious!

We've come to the conclusion we could not have picked a better way to end our travels.

Chatauqau Park
5/16/12

View from the (almost) top of the Royal Arch trail

another shot from Chatauqau Park
Boulder, Co
5/16/12

As perviously mentioned we spent out last day here hiking in Boulder.

It was quite the work out for us Chicagoland girls, 

while the hike was fabulous, the elevation difference became really apparent as we basically ascended rock faces to reach the Royal Arch.

Which, by the way, we were not able to actually achieve due to a closure for wildlife conservation.

We spent a very relaxed, nature loving day in Boulder, thanks to Adam Engle!

After two miles of hiking uphill we were pooped!

Theresa  & Callista
hiking in Boulder, Co
5/16/12

Our trip has really been a blessing.
The people we have meet and the time we have spent exploring some of what our country has to offer has been exceptional and a gift we could not have been happier to share.
Traveling truly is the spice of life and something we implore you all to do!
It's not as difficult as many would think
and worth every penny.
After a month on the road, 16 states & 6000 miles in total, we are more than excited to return home.
Much love goes out to you all who followed us on this journey.
We can only hope you have enjoyed following us as much as we have enjoyed documenting it.
Much love and look forward to seeing you all at home!
<3
C&T

the Last Leg

Well everyone...

We've come to the last leg of our travels,

after being on the road for 3 and a half weeks we are finally settled in our last location; 

Denver, Colorado!

After driving through Nevada, Arizona and Utah into Colorado

 we've officially traveled through 14 states! 

and have 2 more to go before we're settled back in Chicago.

Callista, Megha & Theresa
Las Vegas
Mirage
5/11/12

Las Vegas was an interesting stop to add to our travels.

We both found it to be a tiresome and slightly overwhelming.

We were so happy to get to spend a weekend with Megha Patel and it was nice to catch up,

but overall we both don't know if Vegas is somewhere we will ever return.

The conclusion has been made that we would rather spend that kinda money on an all inclusive weekend in Mexico or Hawaii.

Too many false pretenses for us wholesome mid-west girls ;)

Palazzo & Venetian

Encore & Wynn

The Venetian

 The drive out of Las Vegas was absolutely stunning,

Utah is hands down is one of the most beautiful states in our country.

We took many opportunities to stop and enjoy scenic outlooks.

A little bit of melancholy washed over us as we realized we will no longer see the coast, the desert, or the lush greenery of the north western territory on this vacation.

After our stay in Denver the mountains are over too..

from here on out prairie land is our only friend.

Nebraska and Iowa into Illinois down 80 East,

longest 15 hours of our lives?

Most likely!

Utah
5/13/12

view of 70 East
Utah
5/13/12

first sight of the Rockies

We got into Denver last night around roughly 9pm Mountain time,

and went out for a glass of happy hour wine.

Gotta love a $3 Cab!

We plan on spending a day in the city, visit a few breweries and spend some time hiking

before we hit the road and make the trek home!

Last stretch of mountains to transcend,
bittersweet beauty
Colorado
5/13/12

 Thanks again to everyone who has been following along,

we miss you all so much and can't wait to see some friendly faces this time next week.

much love

C&T

Wine Country

Hey Everyone!

Sorry about the delay in recent posting, we took a trip back to the 90's 

(AKA Riverpointe Vacation Club) 

where wi-fi wasn't rampant and easily accessible. 

Our recent travels allowed us to spend the past week in Napa Valley

and we both absolutely LOVED it.

Theresa & Nadia
5/6/12
Sterling Vineyard

The first day in Napa we spent with Nadia Gilbert & Grant Dobson

at Sterling Vineyard & Grgich Vineyard doing tastings and tours.

We're not sure if it is our beautiful smiles or fabulous disposition, but the kind sir at Grgich was nice enough not to charge the 5 of us for a tasting.

Gotta love free wine not to mention 85 degree weather!

Rose's outside of Sterling

A cool little fun fact we learned in our travels is that many vineyards grow roses along their grapes as a way of telling how healthy the crops are.

It is similar to a canary in a mine shaft.

If the roses aren't doing well most likely neither are the grapes.

Not only an intriguing way of maintaing grape health but also makes for a beautiful landscaping.

Riverpointe Vacation Club
our "street"

 Our home away from home was quite an interesting stay. These lovely trailers do come equipped, however, with Comcast TV, dishwasher, oven/microwave all in one and are fully furnished. They also had a fantastic concierge service, which helped us map out our week.

It was nice to spend a week on the road away from home 

living life with all the amenities of being home!

We even took turns making home cooked dinners and did our laundry.

Ehlers Estate
(a personal favorite of both of ours)

 While in Napa we visited many wonderful wineries recommended to us by friends,

one of which was Ehlers Estate.

We both absolutely loved this particular winery.

Not only does the wine taste wonderful but 100% of the profit goes to cardiovascular research!

100%!!

It is truly something special to see such a beautiful estate donating all of their funds to a great cause.

Their Cabernet is even called 120/80.

Definitely hit a sweet spot with us two recently graduated doctors!

Schweiger's Grape fields

 Another cool thing we have really enjoyed about spending these last 3 weeks covering the Northern West Coast is the amount of dog friendly areas there are!

Every where from outdoor restaurants, coffee shops and clothing stores in WA & OR to wineries that have pets roaming the grounds in CA!

Being dog lover's, we found this a huge plus.

We are also proud to say we not only drank our way through Napa, 

but we did partake in a 20 mile bike ride!

(& we have the sun burn to prove it)

So Mom & Dad,

we're not totally letting ourselves go ;)

We did treat ourselves in Yountville at the Bouchon Bakery, where we split a sandwich and their specialty, a homemade ho-ho!

The last leg of the bike ride did get a bit dramatic, when Theresa, who is deathly afraid of snakes, ran over an innocent Gopher snake, sunning himself on the bike path. Sorry lil' guy! 

Far Niente

Special Welcome's at Far Niente

Theresa & Callista
Far Niente's cellar
5/9/12

Far Niente
Chardonnay and Cabernet barrels

 We spent the last day in Napa the best way we knew how! 

Blowing some money on a full tour and tasting at Far Niente.

The tour was wonderful and our guide was kind enough to take pictures of us all along the way. 

We also got to enjoy a sit down tasting and cheese pairing.

The time in Napa Valley ended with a wonderful home cooked dinner thanks to Theresa! 

Kyle Pischel & Grant Dobson joined us for dinner and wine.

Being on the road for so long really makes you appreciate spending time with friends 

over a home cooked meal.

Traveling, while a complete and total blessing, really can take its toll on you

so we were very grateful to have friends to spend quality time with!

Trains in the Mojave Desert
driving to Las Vegas
5/10/12

Bill' Gamblin' Hall, Las Vegas Blvd
(this ones for you Becky Thomas!)

We are now all settled in at the Imperial Palace in Las Vegas, spending time with 

(also recent fellow graduate) 

Megha Patel

It's Theresa's first time here and we are determined to show her a good time!!

After calculating the grand total of states traveled through, we have now reached 11 and the grand total of miles is roughly 4,000!

This time next week we will be home again and look forward to seeing all of our friends and family

much love,

C&T

Sonoma & San Francisco

California has been absolutely gorgeous and essentially what we've been waiting for.

Sunshine!!!

The temperature has been roughly 68-72 degrees and the weather has been fabulous.

We've spent the last two days in San Rafael and will be making our way to Napa Valley tomorrow.

Callista
5/4/12
Driving the 1 South

As many of you may have heard we had a difficult situation with our reservations in Napa, 

however that was not the only mishap we came across! 

Shortly after we left Northern Cali to head down the coast our Maintenance Required light came on in the Yaris and we had to stop in Eureka, CA to exchange our rental car.

We are now cruising in style with a white Nissan Altima!

Luckily it was an easy exchange and the rental car company was located right off the 101 South, adding a mere 20 minutes to our journey.

We thought better to be safe then sorry,

wouldn't want to be in the desert when the car's engine drops out on us!

another gorgeous view from the coastal 1

The drive down the coast is breath taking

 and every opportunity to stop for photos looks like a postcard.

We feel truly blessed we got to take this trip together and have been having a wonderful time sharing it with all of you.

The beauty our country has to offer is really a special treat, especially for two midwest girls!

We still have to say though...

"I'm from a city in the midwest, best city in the whole wide wide world"

We have mad Chicago love, and we're both starting to miss it!

But a longing heart is nothing some wine in Napa Valley can't fix ;)

View of the Ocean

Theresa
5/4/12
Beach off the 1 South

Downtown Sonoma

We got into our hotel last night and ventured out to Sonoma, CA 

to meet up with the wonderful Doctor Grant Dobson

for a beautiful dinner and delicious glass of Petite Syrah.

Grant's new home is now in Sonoma and he will begin practicing shortly.

It was really special to get to spend his first night in town with him and we were very kindly welcomed by his family for some wine and cheese after dinner.

(too much cheese due to a serious self control problem we both seem to have)

Thank you so much again to Grant and his family for a wonderful evening in Sonoma

General Hooker's home
(yes THE General Hooker)
Sonoma, CA

 We spent today in San Francisco visiting with Anna Henry & Nathaniel Moore

We checked out a beautiful section of the city known as the Mission.

Anna informed us it is a largely hispanic populated area of town 

full of alley ways done up with colorful murals.

We capped the day off with some fantastic mexican food and a Cinco De Mayo festival. 

San Francisco was very beautiful but a little too crazy for Callie's taste as she complained the whole time she was driving around.

Fun Fact for those of you who are not aware:

Nudity is decriminalized in San Francisco and if you are driving around Castro 

you will most likely see a naked man, full frontal.

Theresa was lucky enough to witness.

Theresa, Callista & Anna
Mission, San Francisco CA
5/5/12

Callista & Theresa
Downtown San Francisco view from Crissy Field

The next few days we will spend drinking wine and relaxing in the sunshine

 before heading to Las Vegas!

The second week of our trip is over and we look very much forward to what the next two weeks have to bring us.

much love

C&T

California Waiting

Major mishap & crisis adverted today!
We left Portland and hit the road at 7am expecting a beautiful drive down the coast only to find out our reservation's for Napa Valley are NOT in fact til Sunday, May 6th!
Mary Pat Lay came to the rescue and booked us a last minute hotel in Northern Cali after many frantic phone calls and last minute ideas for make shift plans.
Holiday Inn Express has once again become our home.
Also thanks to Anne Osmer & Kate Osmer for our next two evenings accommodations.
So happy to have Mommies and Sissies who love us :)
However it seems everything does happen for a reason, we will be able to catch up on some much needed sleep and enjoy a beautiful (hopefully sunny) drive down the California coast at a leisurely pace tomorrow.

Northern California

 California is beautiful and we are so stoked to be spending the next week here.

It's essentially what we've been waiting for 

and hitting California marks the half way point of our travels.

Two weeks on the road already :)

Two more to go!

Giant Redwoods
Theresa
5/3/12

Giant Red woods are in fact GIANT

Cruisin' down the 101

 How Phantom Planet of us 

(nerds, we know)

Callista
playing at the ocean, rain or shine
5/3/12

Theresa being a model

 Many opportunities for photo breaks all along the coast, too bad it has been so gloomy out.

We are beginning to wonder if the north western weather is following us.

All we want is a little sunshine!

But beggars can't be choosers and we'd rather travel in the fog then have no travels at all :)

Right outside of Eureka, CA

Well we are pooped! So tuckered out from the days stresses and much looking forward to a quite dinner, a nice beer and a good sleep.

much love

C&T

Portlandia

Portland has been a fabulous time, Thanks to Melissa Zappa :) 

The first night here we went to a variety show at Dante's Inferno 

and got a taste of Portland night life

followed by a taste of sleeping in til 5pm pacific time,

apparently we're getting old.

Melissa Zappa
5/1/12
May Day @ the Japanese Gardens

Callista & Theresa

view of downtown Portland from the Japanese Gardens

 We spent the other day at the Japanese Garden's and Portland's famous International Rose Garden, however the rose's were not in bloom.

And it rained on our parade all day,

but the gardens were still beautiful and we got to spend a nice afternoon hanging out.

We capped the afternoon off by a wine flight at Vino Vixens and a shout out from some locals who played "Key to the Highway" for us as a gift to celebrate our graduation and travels!

Portlanders are so friendly :)

Melissa and some new friends, Brynn Sladky & Justin Kaye, took us out for a night of Metal bowling in which we got to watch Justin make an Epic Turkey, 3 strikes in a row not only once, but twice!

 Theresa also got to practice her french on Melissa's french friend Jean.

He told her she's a little too formal...

Who's surprised?

Romanticals!

Tomorrow morning, 6:30 AM pacific time

 we're gonna depart for Napa Valley and make the 14 hour drive down the California coast.

The Northern USA has shown us a wonderful time but we are in major need of some sunshine and ocean air,

not to mention wine!

Wine Country here we come!

XOXO 

C&T

Jesse Morrow & the Band

Jesse Morrow & the Band preforming "This Air" 

Our last night in Bellingham, WA was a success thanks to Jesse and all of his wonderful friends who entertained us. This video is a clip from his show and is just a taste of what this very talented musician has to offer. Please check him out at: 

Jesse Morrow

The Gum Wall in Seattle, WA

On our way to the next destination, we stopped in Seattle to see some friends and check out the Pike Place Market. We got to see flying fish, sample fresh produce and buy coffee from the "Original Starbucks". Alas, we received yet another ticket for parking in downtown Seattle. Washington has been great, but we were ready to get outta there!

We're all settled in Portland, OR now. 

We had an amazing night at a variety show at Dante's Inferno last night.

Thanks to Melissa Zappa we were able to meet a few new people and see just why they want to 

"keep Portland weird"

We'll be here for a few days and post more after we've racked up some adventures

much love <3

C&T