Day 36

Slept in a little bit because we were definitely really tired from the last couple of days. Then we finally got up got going and started heading down to Chicago. The drive wasn't bad and was a lot shorter than the last couple we had made. There was, however, a lot more traffic and road construction and we remembered why we don't like big city traffic. Finally made it into Chicago and checked into our hotel which is right off Michigan Ave also known as the Magnificent Mile. After we got settled in we went to dinner at a local pizza place (sorry can't spell or really say the name so not gonna try). We met some girls in the bar there from Ohio and big surprise they knew all about Hilton Head. Ended up talking to them until our table was ready then went and ate. After dinner we went out to a local bar called Pippens because Joseph looked it up before we left and found out they had a Golden Tee Live machine. We ended up playing 3-4 rounds of golf on it then just hung out for a while before we headed back to the hotel to call it a night.

Day 35

We were supposed to wake up and be ready to go at 9am but Joseph miscalculated when he set the alarm and set it for 9:30. Needless to say we weren't ready but it was alright because what we were supposed to do was entirely optional and Eric figured we wouldn't actually be awake to go anyway. We did however wake up a little later in time to go fishing. Eric picked us up and took us to lunch again along with one of the guys that went out with us the night before. After that we went and met up with the fishing guides and hit the river. We started out fishing for Musky which is known as the fish of 10,000 casts. We ended up catching a couple of them but not any that were really big. We did however cast so many times that our arms actually got sore. At 3 Eric our salesman had to go so the other guy from the night before came and took his place. After that we started fishing for Walleye which is a lot easier cause all you do is drop the line to the bottom and wait. We caught a bunch of Walleye but only 3 that were of legal size. We then went to a local bar/restaurant on the river and took a little break and got some snacks. After that we went back out on the river to try for some more Walleye and Musky. Joseph ended up catching a 20" small mouth bass which is apparently a really big bass. That was about it though so we ended up going in at about 9 pm and heading back to the bar/restaurant for dinner. For dinner we ate our freshly caught fish and a few sides similar to what we do down in Hilton Head. Once we were done there we went back to one of the bars from the night before that is actually named The Bar and once again hung out there till closing.

Day 34

Well this day we went to the Greenheck factory for the whole day. And I mean the whole day. Left the hotel at 7:30 and left Greenheck for dinner at 6. We started with a little presentation that told us about the company, its products, its history, and its size. The most interesting thing about the makeup of the company is that it is entirely owned by the employees. They all get stock options when they are employed there but are required to sell out when they retire. After the presentation we went on a tour of the main plant. This was very interesting because of all the machines that we got to watch actually make the pieces for assembly. The most interesting were the fully automated punches and laser cutters. They also had an automated spinning machine that spun the metal, shaped it, and finally cut it to the correct size. After that we went to a product showroom and saw all the things we had just watched them make. We then took a break for lunch and ate with Eric and a few other Greenheck people. Then we started with the industrial stuff and basically did the exact same thing again but with different products and larger machines in the factory. After all that we still weren't done and joined in with another group and went back to the product showroom to learn about louvers, dampers, and modular air handlers. Everything we went over and learned about was very interesting and impressive, but at this point we were glad it was over so we could get off our feet. We then went to dinner with Eric at a local steak place that also brewed their own beer. We then went back to the hotel and took a short break and changed before going out to the local bars with a couple of the younger guys from Greenheck. We ended up going to 4 different bars and seeing a lot of the locals. Joseph and I had a really good time while remaining controlled, but one of the guys that went with us could barely stand at the end of the night. We ended up closing down the last bar at 2am before we went back to the hotel and went to bed.

Day 33

Today we drove to Wisconsin, hadn't had an exhilarating drive like that since west Texas. Tomorrow we spend the day with one of our big suppliers Greenheck, so business all day tomorrow and in typical business style we begin at 7:30am, the guy said he'd give us a break and let us sleep in the next day... yeah... all the way till 9am! Guess I'll finally get some sleep when I get home.

Day 32

Drove pretty much accross the entire state of South Dakota, which is as exciting as it always is. Our views of corn were only obstructed by the seemingly constant road construction, guess they have to do it while the weather is warm. For those who have never seen it, stop in Mitchell and see the Corn Palace Casino. They change the look of the exterior every year by changing the design made by corn... hence the name. Almost stopped off and saw the people we hunt with out here but decided against it after wasting time with my credit card hunt after lunch. Really if you've never been before you should take the back roads from Rapid City to Mitchell, you see alot prettier country that way as well as seeing all of the VERY small towns such as "Gregory, the ground zero of Pheasantdom." That is where we hunt every year for those who don't know. Tomorrow, on to Wisconsin.

Day 31

Spent the day in Keystone which is the town closest to Mt. Rushmore. Of course went and saw Rushmore which is impressive in person, really not alot to do there other than to go see it. Keystone is a neat mountain town, but like most towns in South Dakota not a whole lot to do. We of course found the only two bars in town! The restaraunt we ate at had an interesting setup, to get a cocktail you have to order from a seperate waitress which gets drinks from the bar next door. The restaraunt and bar are under seperate management so you have to pay seperately. This invaribly led to me leaving my card there which I discovered at lunch on the way to Sioux Falls, luckily we were only 20 min out so we went back and got it.

We reccomend staying at Sturgis, the home of a HUGE motorcycle rally in August, and driving the hour to Rushmore to visit then drive back. Would deffinately be worth the drive to see Rushmore.

Day 30

Drove to Mt. Rushmore, which is in South Dakota in the Black Hills area despite where more than a few others have thought it was. Arkansas being the worst guess to date.

few more

Yellowstone

park city pics

Day 29

Today we drove to Sheridan Wyoming, this is our 1/2 way stop to Mt Rushmore. We'll pick this drive up tomorrow. Made it one more day w/o any speeding tickets! Montana is a beuatiful state in the summer. Don't know why anyone would stay here during the winter though.

Days 27 & 28

These days we drove through Yellowstone. Hard to really describe you'll just have to look at the pictures, we're working on them but there's alot. We hit the main things like the Hot Springs, Old Faithful, Paint Pot, Tower Falls, and petrified tree. We also saw buffalo, elk, deer, and other assorted wildlife. We covered almost all of the roads that you can drive in a car but that of course is a small percentage of the park. With all of the volcanic activity, geysers, and hot springs the rivers were not nearly as cold as you would think. Before I come back I need to learn how to fly fish. Other than that all you can really say is that it is a beautiful place.... in the summer.

Day 26

Today we drove to Yellowstone. Pretty uneventful drive except that Jeffrey has now tied me with his first speeding ticket of the trip. A whole whopping 10 over. I guess it is slightly cooler than my 5 over but oh well. When in state tags are blue, its pretty easy to spot the out of state white one. Cop walks up "you know I clocked you at 75 in a 65?" Jeffrey- "yup" Cop stands there for a second, apparently awaiting an apology that he never recieved, then asked for license. Obviously unimpressed by our lack of caring that he thinks 10 over is too fast.

Tomorrow we'll be in the park, if the internet speeds up we'll post some pictures, right now it would take all night.

Day 25

Today we went to the Olympic Park in Park City. Interesting being at a ski park with no snow. They had an interesting idea, install rides at the park to generate attendance by people other than professional snow skiers. They also have a training facility to train people to freestyle ski, jumps spins and flips, by landing in a pool.

The first ride we went on was called the Comet. Basically they take you down the olympic bobsled run in a bobsled on wheels. Professional driver of course. We hit speeds of over 60 mph and felt more than 4g's through the corners. It was a BLAST! I will say that it is a very violent ride, you are wearing a helmet but your head bangs into the sides and your body slams around as well. Deffinately a great experience and I reccomend it to anyone... that is anyone who doesn't have serious back problems. After that we rode a HUGE zipline from the top of the big ski jumps to the bottom, also a lot of fun but a little unnerving at first if you are afraid of heights like myself. Lastly we rode what is basically a luge down a metal run. Was fun but not as fast as I wanted to go, guess thats so idiots like me don't fly off and die.

Had dinner on main street again, this time is the No Name Saloon, which is really designated a bar but had good food. Because Utah is Mormon and has wierd laws, to be a "bar" it has to be a private club. To get around that they make you sign a visitors card to come in... another effective law. That law is only topped by the other stupid law... that being that the most liquor they can pour into a liquor drink is one oz. So to get by this law you order a $3 liquor drink and a $2 "sidecar" which is another 1oz shot served on the side in a shot glass that you pour into your drink yourself. Also effective. Man I miss my free pouring dive bars in the south!

Tomorrow we go to Yellowstone. We have some pics that we will post sometime.

Drive to Reno, Reno, and drive to Utah pics

Golden Gate and Napa pics

Day 24

Ok well today we got up and left Reno for our long treck across Nevada and to Park City, Utah. It was a pretty boring ride through Nevada cause there's not really much to look at. We did have one new experience for the trip though.... We got pulled over. Joseph got a speeding ticket going 5 over in a work zone. So 1 ticket for 4600 miles not to bad. Especially since both our friends were creating pools on how many tickets we would get. Anyway after that we continued on and finally got to Park City. We are staying in a very nice place thats actually a bunch of little condos. This is really good for us cause we have a washer and dryer for laundry and we each get our own bedroom. Basically this means I'll sleep better cause I won't have to listen the freight train in the other bed. Well thats all for now except the pictures.

Day 23

The next day in Reno we woke up, got some lunch, and then went to an auto museum that we read about in the hotel brochures. We figured it would be a small museum with maybe 50 or so cars in it. We were very wrong. The museum was almost entirely donated by the founder of Harrah's casino. He donated a total of 175 cars and there were many more that were on loan from other private collectors. They had cars dating from 1896 all the way through 1994 hot rod. Once again no pictures because we figured we wouldn't be allowed to take any because every other car museum hadn't let us. Anyway a few of our favorite cars they had were a beautiful copper bodied Rolls Royce, a 1933 Cadillac 16, a Hemi Belvedere, a 1973 Cadillac Eldorado that belonged to Elvis, a 1953 Corvette that belonged to John Wayne (all original survivor), and a Don Garlits dragster. Needless to say it was a great museum. After that we went back to the hotel and played some more blackjack in the main casino this time. We both lost a little bit more money again then we went to dinner. After dinner we went back to the casino and started playing again. This time I played blackjack and Joseph played craps. We had a lot better luck this time and in the end I cashed out with $1000 and Joseph cashed out with a little over $1200 (see pictures). So once again the casino actually lost money to us. After that we called it a night and went to bed.

Day 22

Yeah we know we fell behind in posting but better late than never. Anyway we got up and left San Francisco and drove across the golden gate bridge to a little town on the bay on the other side called Sausilito. It was a very neat little town. We ate lunch there at a restaurant right on the water. Also saw a guy on the shore on the way back to the car that was stacking rocks. I know it doesn't sound like anything special but he was balancing some pretty good sized rocks on top of each other using only a few smaller stones to help hold em up (sorry left the camera in the car so no pictures of this).

After that we left Sausilito and drove to Napa. Joseph had called a friend of his and gotten some recommendations on a few different wineries we should go to. The first one was a few miles from the main road where all the other wineries are, but it was one we were told we shouldn't miss. It was called Darioush. They had a really cool building that looked very Mediterranean. It was a very nice place and we bought a couple bottles after we walked around inside and looked around (they had a few Barcelona chairs by the way). After that we went to another one that was recommended to us. This won was Peju. There we actually did a full tasting. We were only supposed to taste four wines but once the guy that was running our tasting group found out we were a couple brothers on a road trip he just kept on pouring. We ended up "tasting" about 10 different wines. All of them were very good so we got a few more bottles. Then we went to mom's favorite which is Cakebread. They were much lower key but still very nice. After that we drove on to Reno.

Once in Reno we checked into the hotel, got some dinner, and then hit the tables to see what we could do. We, however, didn't know we weren't in the main casino but actually in the area they call the "party room". It was just a little bit different because our dealers were wearing bikinis. Anyway me and Joseph both lost $100 then went to bed.

News Flash...

The boys have in fact not fallen off the edge of the earth. They've just entered Utah according to a very reliable source.

The boys left San Fran on Sat, driving across the Golden Gate bridge and on to Napa....where they visited some wineries and did some tasting & buying.....they arrived in Reno late Sat. and spent Sunday there. They leave today for very long drive to Park City......and I don't think they have internet connection there.....so we may not see them blog for a while.

There you have it. The boys went on a wine tasting... and then headed off to the land of the Great Salt Lake (with a quick pit stop in Reno of course).

Day 21

Well today we went to Alcatraz as you can see from the pictures in the post below. Anyway started out by getting clam chowder in a bread bowl at Fisherman's Wharf on the way to the catch the ferry. Caught the ferry and took a little 10 minute ride across the bay which was pretty cool. Then we toured Alcatraz. When we first got there we watched a video presentation about the history of the island and San Francisco. Then we went on a self guided audio tour through the cell block which was really neat. That way we got to hear the sounds of the prison and everything as we were going through it. Also learned a lot of history that I didn't know. One thing in particular was that Indians occupied for almost two years as a protest about the government putting them on reservations. Afterwards we came back and went back to the hotel to relax and get away from the crowds a little bit. Getting ready to go back to Pier 39 for our last dinner in San Francisco and on the west coast before we start heading back east.

Alcatraz pics

Day 20

Well today we went out in San Francisco and wandered around. Started by eating at an In-n-Out Burger which is kinda like a cross between Johnny Rockets and the Varsity. Then we went to the North Face store and bought new jackets cause to be honest its pretty cold here considering its June. Then we went to the store across the street called Gumps. Mom recommended it cause she gets a catalog. They had some really cool stuff and we ended up getting a book that shows you how to make over 1000 different drinks and a couple of oyster shucking kit things. However, when we checked out we were helped by the gayest person me or Joseph had ever met. He proceeded to talk to us for a while about why we were there, if we were brothers, where we were from, how conservative the South is, and why Joseph and I should buy a house in San Francisco. And he told us about his "partner". Needless to say we got out of there as fast as we could. We then went and walked around China Town. Definitely different because didn't hear any English and the stuff in the stores was really weird. After that we went for a drive around San Francisco and needless to say the roads are nuts and the people just walk out into traffic. Needless to say Joseph got a little bit frustrated. Well we are off to dinner now so we will post more later.

PCH and San Francisco pics

Hollywood and Beverly Hills pics

Vegas and Marina del Rey pics

Day 19

We are now in San Francisco. The drive up the PCH today was beautiful. This is the part that people think of when looking at pictures. We stopped off a few times to take pictures and will post them. It is by far the longest way to get up the coast, it took us over 5 hours to go a little over 200 miles. By the way we have now traveled over 4,000 miles since leaving home. We ate dinner tonight on Pier 39, which is absolutely huge and is the home of the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co, although we did not eat there tonight. Had a small world moment though, our waiter was from Gainesville, Ga. Tomorrow we explore SF, maybe go to Alcatraz tomorrow, if not we'll go to China Town.

I know we are behind on the pictures thing, will try to add some tonight.

Day 18

Today drove up the Pacific Coast Highway to halfway from LA to San Francisco. We stopped at the Dunes Rec park and watched some guys kiteboard in the frigid water for awhile. Something I would like to try but in a warmer environment. We had to dig out our jackets to keep from shivering, I thought southern California was supposed to be at least WARM!

Day 17

Had lunch with Dick Smith for our second business meeting. Had business lunch at a place where the waitresses wear roller skates. Dad is this what you call work? Had to call him Mr Smith, couldn't bring myself to call him by his first name. We tried to go to the Peterson auto museum but they are closed on Mondays so we missed that. After that we finished up our laundry and then had dinner with an old friend of Jeffreys at a place in LA. We did twice as much laundry as last time for 1/2 the price of sending it out through the hotel. I will say that a laundromat near Venice beach is almost as interesting as the beach itself.

Day 16

Today we drove into LA and walked down Rodeo drive. Tons of stores with ridiculously priced things. We went into a Porsche store, where I saw a fleece that I liked, but for $500 they can keep it, guess I'll have to find another replacement for my tired old Northface. After that we drove around the hills of Beverly Hills. Some amazing houses to say the least, but go figure why when it rains they fall into the canyon. They perch these houses that make the one we're building look tiny on these sheer cliffs... just amazing. GPS makes winding around that maze of roads a breeze. Very easy to get lost up there.

After that we drove into Hollywood and walked around Hollywood Blvd. Unbelievable amount of people, again lots of shops etc. We didn't get a chance to take a studio tour today, maybe tomorrow after our business meeting. We still have to do some laundry tomorrow before we can leave. Ate dinner in Santa Monica. Near the beach along 4th street is another area with lots of places to eat and shops, another tourist hole... but hey that's what we are after all.

Day 15

Today we rented a boat and rode around Marina Del Rey. The harbor is absolutely HUGE, it took us over an hour to motor around through it. Interesting mix of boats, everything from 150' 25 million yacht with a helicopter on the back to these strange floating houses, kind of like if we stacked our two hunting campers on top of each other and put them on a dock, then tied them to a dock, but with more windows. Will try to take a picture somehow to post. We forgot the camera.

Then we drove over to Venice beach and walked around. It's an ummm unusual place to say the least and quite a mix of people. It is also the largest beach that I have ever seen as far as how much sand there is between the water and where the sand ends. Aside from the slight buzz we got from everyone smoking pot it was uneventful. Interesting to see but not my idea of the beach.

Ate dinner at the Chart House. Part of the same chain that used to have a restaurant in Hilton Head. I think there still is one in Savannah. Was very good.

Day 14

Well went back to the tables yesterday and I turned $75 into over $1000 so all total gains minus losses I made a little over $600. This time it was Jeffrey who lost it all. I made my big comeback on craps not blackjack. Apparently when you gain and lose thousands of dollars you make their radar. At the craps table the pit boss called me Mr Mingledorff even though I don't have a players card. Jeffrey had a similar experience at the blackjack table, one pitboss even asked where I was saying "don't you usually play with your brother?" They watch everything! Then we went to Cirque Du Soleil at the Bellagio. It was fascinating what these people can do and the way they turned the stage into a pool was amazing. If anyone ever gets the chance to see one of their shows it is a don't miss. Getting in the car now to go to Marina Del Rey.

Day 13

Well after the night before we slept in a little bit then got up and started to explore. We walked down the strip past the Bellagio and Paris and ate at the Harley Cafe. It was really cool and had a bunch of bikes suspended going around the room on a track. Was pretty glad we weren't sitting under them though. After that we walked down to New York New York and explored a little bit. Its definitely a very neat place. Lots and lots of cool but very cheesy atmosphere. We played a little blackjack there and figured out that we both hate the electronic shuffling machines. Anyway after that we walked back to Caesars relaxed for a while then went downstairs and started playing blackjack again. Stopped a little later and went to dinner and at that point I was still even and Joseph was up around a $1000. After dinner we went back to the room for a while then went to the Bellagio to watch the fountain show. That was very very impressive and really cool to watch especially since we are both very easily entertained. After that we went back and started playing blackjack again. By the end of the night I was up around $100 from where I started and Joseph lost everything. So yeah we'll see how we do today.

Day 12

Well today we got up really early (6:20am) to go on our tour of the Ping golf factory and get fitted for clubs. The club fitting was really neat and more in depth than I thought it would be. Some of it was static like your height and the length of your fingers. However, there was also a dynamic part that involved actually swinging the club to see how the club face actually hit the ground. It was really great though and I think when I order a set of clubs now that I will really like them. After the fitting we went on a tour of the factory which was also really cool. The guy who started Ping started by heat treating putters in the oven in his house and doing everything else in his garage. Now there are over 800 employees and Ping is one of the most respected names in the industry. Also the company is privately owned, has not taken a loan since its first and only for $1200, and is the only golf club manufacturer that still makes its clubs in the USA.

After the tour we drove to Las Vegas. We ended up in the middle of nowhere again and didn't eat before we got there. The GPS couldn't find anything within 50 miles of us to eat so we ended up driving for quite a while before we actually found anything other than bushes, rocks, and dirt. Later we drove across the Hoover Dam which was really neat. We got a few pictures but didn't actually stop because it was really crowded, really hot, and the parking lots were about 1/2 a mile from the dam. We then finished our drive into Vegas and got to see a good bit of the strip, which by the way is really cool in a tacky overdone sort of way.

Finally got to the hotel (Caesar's Palace) and figured out the place could have its own zip code. Got checked in and settled then went exploring for a few hours. After that we started gambling. We stuck with blackjack and overall did pretty well. At this point Joseph is up almost $1000 and I'm sitting about even (first little bit was just learning so I lost a good bit but gained it back by the end). Anyway off to bed now so we can get up and explore some more tomorrow.

Grand Canyon

Sedona pics

Day 11

Well today we went to the Grand Canyon. It was nothing like we have ever seen. It was absolutely incredible. We got some really really good pictures as it was a beautiful day. Luckily it never got very hot so walking around wasn't bad at all. We were on the South rim so we were where the best views and pictures were. We walked to a few of the good overlooks and rode the bus to a few more. I'm still amazed when I look at the pictures as to just how wide, long, and deep the canyon really was. There were actually only a few places where you could see the river cause of how far down it was.

After we left we drove back to Phoenix because we are touring the Ping golf factory tomorrow. Oh and on the way for some reason the AZ DOT decided today of all days was a good day to shut down a lane on the main interstate to Phoenix. Brilliant let me tell you...

Day 10

Well we drove to Sedona and got there about 1pm so we could go on a Jeep tour. They normally only let people do 1 trail but considering they let us do two. The Jeep was pretty much stock with no lockers so we had to take it easy on it so we didn't have to buy anything like a rearend. It was a lot of fun though and we definitely got to see a lot more scenery than if we hadn't done the Jeep ride. The first trail was pretty easy with only a few tricky spots. The second trail was a lot more fun and also had a lot better scenery. The guides running the guided tours got a kick out of us doing all the obstacles and not skipping anything. But all things considered it was a lot easier than the stuff in GA. We did take some good pictures that we will post a little later.

After the Jeep ride (which we still finished early despite doing two trails) we ate in Sedona and then headed for the Grand Canyon. On the way out traffic going into Sedona was backed up for 8-10 miles on the little two lane road headed south. It was absolutely unbelievable. We were definitely glad we were headed the other direction.

Day 9

Last night went to the Rusty Spur. Good outlaw country band played. My hick sounding accent is finally paying off, not sure how many girls first question was "where are you from" but the response of "Georgia" usually netted a big hug. Never been hit on in a bar so many times in any town. Looking forward to LA!

Today we took a 4 wheeler tour in the desert around Phoenix for a couple of hours. Had a great time and saw lots of beautiful scenery. Happily the guide was cool and let me and Jeffrey tear around and have fun instead of staying behind him and riding slow. Stereotypes visit me again... the other two people in our group were an Asian couple. The Asian female almost flipped over backwards once and later almost drove off a cliff. Her husband didn't have any close calls but was far from impressive. We let them get a head start in the car before we left.

We spent the rest of the day exploring the town and visited a Ferrari dealer to drool and another dealer with old muscle cars... if I do well in Vegas I may have to come back and pick up this beautiful Oldsmobile 442 coupe... red of course. Wish me luck!

Fixing to go eat dinner... tomorrow we drive to Sedona and then on to Grand Canyon.

Day 8

We drove from El Paso to Scottsdale Az. I only thought driving through west Texas sucked, New Mexico is even worse! No scenery till Arizona. The highlight was Jeffrey passing his first ethnicity test with flying colors. Temp is over 100 degrees but with no humidity. Similar to opening the door of a blast furnace. Going to Rusty Spur Saloon tonight.

Drive pics