Better Late Than Never

So even though Labor Day was last week, how about I share some pics from our long weekend with you? Yes? Okay. We decided to go to St. Louis for the holiday weekend as a kind of mini getaway before we have kids and it's a lot more difficult to get away together. Much thanks to Stephen's parents for watching Bailey while we were gone. Fortunately she is loved greatly by both my and Stephen's parents, and if they love our dog, we have no doubt they'll love our baby even more. :)

Stephen scored a pretty good deal on a hotel for us on Priceline, and we stayed at the Hyatt Regency at the Arch.

We could see the arch from our room!



We ended up having TWO rooms at the hotel due to some unfortunate circumstances I won't get into here, but our second room was a junior suite and super nice, so it worked out okay.

Before we checked into our hotel, we stopped by the St. Louis Zoo. Even though it took over an HOUR just to get to a place where we could park our car, we enjoyed our time there. We saw a very cute sea lion show:



We attempted to take a picture of ourselves without cutting out some portion of one of our heads. As always, we were somewhat successful.



We also saw these Wild Somali A*ses (I promise that really is their name, but I'm throwing in the asterisk so as not to steer perverts here), who were posed so oddly that we couldn't resist taking a picture.



Saturday night we walked down to the nearest MetroLink station and went to Union Station, which just so happens to house the hotel where we stayed on our last trip in May 2008. I was also delighted to find that the Hogwarts Express sign was still there, so of course I had to take a picture. Check out the difference between me now and me then!

Erin circa May 2008



Erin circa Sept. 2010 (and pregnant, too!)



Our hotel had a Starbucks in it, so Stephen had his first taste of Starbucks! Neither of us drinks coffee, but I used to frequent Starbucks quite a bit for the white chocolate mochas and the frappuccinos. Stephen had decided before our trip that it was time he sampled something, so he tried the vanilla latte and thought it was okay but not great. I got a decaf nonfat Java Chip Frappuccino, which is delicious and which I used to have FAR too often in grad school (and you better believe I got the full fat variety back then), but he didn't love that either. We went back on Monday morning, and he thoroughly enjoyed his hot chocolate (no coffee in that, haha) while I had my white chocolate mocha. Yum!

Sunday was the big event of our trip--seeing a Cardinals game at Busch Stadium! But before that, we had to make a stop by THE St. Louis landmark-the Arch. Stephen is quite dwarfed by it in this picture.





After some sightseeing in the wonderfully cool, breezy air, it was off to the Stadium, which was also within walking distance. I had been to the old stadium once before many years ago but didn't care a lick about baseball at that time. I still don't care a ton about baseball, but I love the way my husband loves the Cardinals, and I was excited to experience a live game with him. Plus, ballparks have great food! :) We had seats behind third base, and we had a really good view of the whole field!



Fortunately for us, the Cardinals actually managed to win a game, which is a rarity these days. It was a really fun game, and I'm so glad we got to go.

For our last outing, we took the MetroLink once again out to the Delmar Loop area and had dinner at Pi Pizzeria. We ordered the thin crust with pepperoni and extra fresh mozzarella, and it was very different from other pizzas I've had but completely delicious. (Sorry, I didn't take a picture!)

Monday we stopped by Stephen's parents for a quick visit and lunch at Subway, and after a very brief visit with Stephen's grandma, it was back to Jackson for us. It was a very quick trip, but I'm glad we were able to get away and spend some time together.

Now, I must know: what is the best trip you've ever been on?

Weekend Recap

I don't normally write weekend recaps because honestly, writing about the shows I watched on HGTV and Food Network and the workouts I did does not seem like the most exciting recap, but this weekend was different. Stephen and I decided to make an impromptu trip to southern Illinois to visit his parents, and so after he got off work, we left on Thursday around 6:30 p.m. We made it to his parents' house by 11 p.m., and after visiting for a bit, went to bed. The next day we made a trip to the local recreation center, where Stephen and I swam, Stephen's mom walked 3 miles (how awesome is she??), and Stephen's dad read. I tried to stay moving the entire time we were in the pool, and I even did some pull-ups using the handles of the ladder that gets one in and out of the pool. After about an hour, we both felt like we'd gotten a good workout. This visit to the rec center in Illinois was much better than the last time when my knee was all messed up. I am so glad to have that pain behind me!

The best day was on Saturday. I got in a good 30 minutes of running and then we drove about an hour away to visit Stephen's grandmother. We had lunch with her and his aunt and uncle and his uncle's dad at Golden Corral. Yes, it's a buffet, and yes I ate too much, but it was tasty (it's a really good thing we don't have one near us)! And I tried a new way of eating a cupcake that I'd seen on the show The Best Thing I Ever Ate on the Food Network. This one chef talked about how she liked to take off the bottoms of cupcakes and put them on the top, so the frosting is in the middle, like a sandwich. I tried this method, and I'm definitely a fan.

After lunch, we got to go out on a boat! Stephen's aunt and uncle were kind enough to take us out on their boat, so we spent a several hours cruising around the lake. We took our dog Bailey with us, and while she had an accidental encounter in the water, overall I think she really enjoyed the experience, as did we. Witness the photographic proof:






It was such a fun day! I've only been on a boat a few times in my life, and that was a long time ago, so I loved every minute we spent on the water. The day ended with a trip to Dairy Queen and some time relaxing at Stephen's parents' house.

Sunday we had to leave bright and early so Stephen could get back in time to work that afternoon. It was a quick trip, but a great one. I'm thankful to have married into such a welcoming family!

How was your weekend?

Friday Five: Dream Vacations

Places I would love to visit at least once in my lifetime. Choosing only five was quite the challenge.

1. Italy. Ideally, I'd go on a month-long tour of the whole country, but as my millions haven't started rolling in yet, I would settle for going to Rome and Venice. And Florence. And Milan. :)

2. New York City. Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, Times Square, Central Park, all kinds of shops with clothes I can't afford. What more could I want? It would be especially amazing to go during Christmas season.

3. Prince Edward Island. I blame my desire to visit this little country on Anne of Green Gables. Plus, it's gorgeous.

4. Queensland, Australia. I have wanted to go snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef for years. I hope it happens someday.

5. Chiang Mai and Phuket, Thailand. I loved Thailand when I visited Bangkok six years ago, and I think it would be fun to see northern Thailand and also one of the islands.

Honorable mentions:
Hawaii, Paris, San Diego, and London.

What are your dream destinations?

Back Home

I'm home. I have to say, I'm rather glad to be out of the car for a while. The trip was fun (a LOT of fun, actually), but it was getting old toward the end, probably because the last two days of the trip (yesterday and this morning, actually) were really boring. Not a lot to see in Oklahoma and Arkansas, plus none of the landscapes are as pretty as what we saw in California and Oregon. I really want to go back and spend some real time in Oregon because I just couldn't get over how beautiful and serene and poetic and mystical it is.

As soon as I upload my 160 pictures and select the best ones, I'll share them with you all. It will be hard to pick my favorites, though. So much beautiful scenery was captured.

A little overview of the trip:
10 states visited(WA, OR, CA, NV, AZ, NM, TX, OK, AR, TN)
3000 miles driven (more or less)
$300 of gas purchased (Emily's car gets amazing mileage, and we ended up only spending half of that total because people gave her gift cards. Hooray for generosity!)
2 books read (DaVinci Code and Dive From Clausen's Pier)
800 songs listened to (It was probably more than that, but I'm just giving a rough estimate.)
$16 gambled (of which $1 was out of pocket)
1 movie seen (The Lake House, which I loved and which caused me to cry like a baby)
5 hotels slept in (McBee Cottage in Cannon Beach, OR; guest housing at Golden Gate Seminary; The Luxor in Vegas; the LaQuinta in Albuquerque; the Motel 6 in Ft. Smith, AR)
lots of fast food consumed (I've definitely had enough of that for a looooong time)

Basically, it was great! The only thing that would have made it better was getting to spend more time in each place, since we hardly got to see anything in San Francisco or Albuquerque. I definitely recommend a road trip like this, and take lots of time so you can stop and enjoy everything. I hope to make a trip along the Eastern coast next. That would be fabulous!

On the Road Again

Today we got to drive across the Hoover Dam! It was really beautiful, as was Lake Mead. We took several pictures. (So far I've taken over 160 pictures on our trip.) I've been continually amazed at the splendor of God's creation as we've been experiencing a plethora of different landscapes, and it's just amazing that He lets us enjoy it all.

We also got to visit the Museum of the Americas at the International Petrified Forest and Dinosaur Park in the lovely, deserted town of Holbrook, Arizona. I'm not sure who thought up this genius idea, but there are just random dinosaurs scattered about the desert terrain, and then the museum had a bunch of artifacts "supposedly" from ancient to modern times. I took pictures of some of the typos found on the placards accompanying the displays, which was fun. (Yes, I'm a grammar snob. Someone has to be.) We got several hilarious photos with the dinosaurs, and I can't wait to upload them and share them with you all. It was truly worth the $5 we paid to get in.

Tomorrow we're off for Oklahoma, which I do believe will be our 8th state. We've already covered over 2000 miles of the U.S. That's pretty amazing, isn't it? It's been such a fun trip. I highly recommend a cross-country road trip to anyone. There's so much that God has created that we haven't seen!

Walking in Vegas

Even though no one apparently cares about my Vegas adventures, I'm updating anyway. I have an illness, clearly.

Highlights from today:

1. Eating New York pizza in the New York New York casino.
2. Playing the slots. We got $15 of free slot play at our hotel, and I came away with a whopping $3.10. Woohoo.
3. Seeing dolphins about two inches away at The Mirage.
4. Seeing white lions and tigers.
5. Seeing said white lions and tigers engage in some Brokeback Lion action. I'm not kidding. (When it started happening, we walked away, but everyone else just took more pictures.)
6. Eating in Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville and having one of the best margaritas I've ever tasted.
7. Finding fun souvenirs for my family.
8. Buying some pretty jewelry.
9. Spotting two Elvi and seeing Kristin get her picture taken with them.

The negatives:

1. Sex is everywhere. Not literal sex, but sexiness. It's disgusting. You can't walk two feet without seeing nearly naked or scantily clad women. This really is Sin City.
2. The Strip is loooong. Our feet are killing us.
3. We wanted to come back to the hotel and go swimming, but the pool closed at 7pm. That's pretty much the lamest closing time ever.

Overall, it's been a wonderful, if not tiring day. Tomorrow we head to Albuquerque!

On the Road Again

Yes, as Susan commented in my last entry, even on vacation I can't get away from Xanga! Guess where I am now. Give up? Las Vegas!! We arrived around 11:00 pm, and it is just completely unbelievable. It's so overwhelming because everything really is as big and bright as it looks in the movies and on TV. We're staying in this awesome hotel called The Luxor, and it's a pyramid (it's prettier than the Memphis pyramid, I must say), and there are like 10 restaurants inside it, a bunch of shows, and 800 pools. (That might be a slight exaggeration. We didn't have a chance to see them all tonight.)

The road trip has been fun, if not slightly exhausting. We're clipping along at a rather fast pace so we can make it home for Father's Day, which means that yesterday and today we were driving for 12 hours. Good thing we're fun gals and enjoy each other's company, or it would be miserable! But instead we've laughed hysterically about something pretty much every other minute, and we've had lots of good music to entertain us.

The one dark spot on the trip occurred in the small town of Hawthorne, Nevada. I was driving, and we had just stopped for gas and were headed toward the highway when I look up and see flashing lights in the rearview mirror. Yes, that's right. I got pulled over. We were all very confused because we honestly couldn't figure out why the cop was pulling us over, but then he came to the window and asked if I'd "observed" the speed limit. I told him I actually hadn't seen any signs in the two minutes I'd been on the road, and so he wanted to clarify that I hadn't "observed" the speed limit. I said no again, and he said he'd clocked me going 11 miles over. Do you know how fast I was going? Not 70. Not 80. THIRTY-SIX. Apparently the speed limit was 25 mph, but none of us had seen a sign. The cop was nice about it and knocked it down to a 5 mph violation, so I'll be "donating" $47 to the hideous town of Hawthorne, Nevada. Perhaps it can go toward repairing the door panel of the Shell station, which looked as though someone had put a bullet through it. At the time I was a little upset about it because this will be the first ticket to actually go on my record and I just really had no idea I was doing anything wrong, but it could be a lot worse, so I'm thankful. It's kind of funny now. I guess. :)

Well, it's getting rather late here and we have a full day of sight-seeing in Vegas planned, so I'm going to head to bed. I hope everyone's having a lovely week, and I'm sure I'll be updating tomorrow as well, since we paid $10.99 for this internet service. (You'd think if Holiday Inn could provide free internet the Luxor could, but whatever.)

Happy trails!

One-Way Streets Are Evil

EDIT:  I made straight As!  Yay me!  Life has been so good lately, the pessimist in me can't help but wonder when the bad is going to hit.  But the hopeful part of me likes to think that whatever bad may come, life will still be good.

I was going to ask if you all have missed me, but since Xanga was down a good portion of yesterday, you probably didn't know I had gone anywhere.  But I did in fact go to Atlanta yesterday to see Jason Mraz in concert with Diana (yes, we did just see him in December).  On the way there we passed a billboard advertising the latest lottery total (100 million) and decided that if we won the lottery, we would follow Jason Mraz to all of his concerts because he is simply amazing.  So talented, and so entertaining, and so cute.  When he dances around, it's just adorable.

Here are a few pictures from our trip.  We were seated on the lower balcony, but The Tabernacle is designed so well that we were still really close to the stage.

 

He sang some of my favorites ("Life is Wonderful," "Unfold," "Please Don't Tell Her," "You and I Both," "The Boy is Gone"), but he didn't sing "Absolutely Zero" or "Plane," both of which I love.  Oh well, can't have it all, I suppose.  I was really glad he sang "Life is Wonderful" because he didn't last time, and I was bummed.  This time he even had t-shirts for that song, and Diana and I both bought one.  We wore them on the way home and stopped at Cracker Barrel for lunch, where I relaxed in one of the fabulous rocking chairs (I think I was laughing when Diana took this):

All in all, a very fun trip, despite the fact that last night after the concert we got lost and spent an hour trying to find our way back to our hotel.  I had gotten directions to the venue from the hotel, but I hadn't thought about the one-way streets, so we couldn't just reverse them to get back.  Oops.  We even asked three different people for directions, and they told us three different times how to get where we needed to go, and all three times their directions put us in rather sketchy parts of midtown.  Fun times.  So let that be a lesson to all you: one-way streets are evil!  I don't understand why practically every large city in America has them.  Are they really that more efficient?  I'm not so sure.  But what do I know?  I'm just an English major. :happy: 

I'm off to pack to go home tomorrow (I get to see Stephen! Yay!) and later tonight I'm going to a party with other English majors to celebrate the end of the semester.  I still can't believe I'm through with my first year of grad school.  I deserve a pat on the back.  Any takers?

British Accents Are Fun, or, Adventures in ATL

For whatever reason, my fellow traveling companions and I thought it would be fun if we adopted British accents for the duration of the weekend. I was at first a bit resistant because I don't do accents well, but I finally said, "Hang it all!" and embraced my inner Brit. I have to say, it was a lot of fun. I think it made everything more enjoyable. Only problem is now I can't stop talking like that. I catch myself slipping back into the accent when I'm talking to people at school, and I can just see their minds whirring, thinking "What is going on with Erin's accent?" Oh well.

I have 3 pages of my 10-page paper written. That's pretty good, since I've only put in about an hour and a half of actual work. I should be working on it right now, but I needed a break. Without further ado, here's a rundown of my trip:

First, we stayed at this really posh hotel right in the middle of everything. It is called The Georgian Terrace, it has 18 floors, and it was lovely. So lovely, in fact, that our suite had a full-sized kitchen (complete with dishwasher) as well as a washer and dryer. I wish I had brought my laundry becuase I could have saved some money. Of course, we didn't exactly have time to do laundry and weren't even in our room long enough, so I suppose it worked out for the best. Anywho, after arriving late afternoon on Friday, we gawked over our accomodations and then prepared to go out to dinner. We went to this fun little place called Strip Steaks and Sushi (and I sure wasn't thinking about how googling "The Strip" would bring up a host of different results, some of which were definitely not food-related), located in Atlantic Station, which is basically several blocks of shops and restaurants and a movie theater, and it's really nice and clean.

After this we roamed around and shopped a little before returning around 11 or so. We then got locked out of our hotel room because I didn't realize that putting my room key in with my credit cards would de-magnetize it. Oops. The problem was quickly resolved, fortunately, and now I know to put the room key in a separate place. Let that be a lesson to us all. We wanted to go up on the roof to look at the view, but they closed the stairs leading to the roof at sunset, for whatever reason.

The next morning came bright and early, as we had the Georgia Aquarium to visit. It is a good thing we went early because there were swarms of people every where. The aquarium is apparently the largest in the world, and the setup was really neat, but not all that conducive to effective crowd control. At the aquarium we saw really large sea turtles, sea lions and otters, a myriad of fish, and (this is my favorite) beluga whales! They are just the cutest creatures ever, and I think I particularly love them because their noses remind me of that of dolphins, except that belugas have shorter ones. They were just really majestic and lovely. I also had the chance to touch a sting ray, and it was surprisingly soft and smooth, if not a little slimey. Aside from the crowds, it was a really enjoyable experience.

After the aquarium we grabbed a bite to eat at the Cheesecake Factory, and I have never had such a yummy meal, excepting the last time I was at the Cheesecake Factory. I do believe it is my favorite restaurant ever because they not only have amazingly scrumptious desserts, but they also have amazingly scrumptious entrees. (I probably gained back the 5 pounds I've lost, but I won't dwell on that.) We then went to the spa, where all four of us were scheduled for hour massages. There was one male masseuse, and as none of the other girls were particularly eager to have him be their masseuse, I said that I would even though I was secretly freaking out. He was extremely nice, though, and I do believe it was the best massage I have ever had. And really, after I quit wondering what he thought about all of my flabby skin, it was simply wonderful.

We were so relaxed after the massages that we decided to chill and see a movie. We saw American Dreamz, and it was hysterical. I haven't laughed that much during a movie in a while. I want to see it again, it was that good. Hugh Grant did a great job as Simon Cowell. Two thumbs up!

After the movie, we were starving, so we made a Wendy's run and then headed back to our hotel. We came back to our cleaned room, and I headed to the bathroom, where I saw something I've never seen before:

In case you're wondering, that is in fact a penny in the toilet.  I have no idea how it got there, and I'm not sure I want to know. Very curious.

Sunday we slept in and then headed out to go do some shopping.  I want all of you to meet my new best friend:

IKEA is surely the happiest place on earth. We only spent two hours there, but you really could spend the better part of a day there. It is just oh-so-much fun. I made several fun purchases for very little money. I do love a bargain!

Then we ate lunch at the California Pizza Kitchen, and I had the thai chicken pizza. Even though it sounds a little weird, it was awesome. After browsing the shops of Atlantic Station some more, we were on our way back to Knoxville and back to the reality of schoolwork. Sad. But even though I won't be sleeping until sometime Thursday afternoon, it was all worth it.

If you made it through this entire post, congratulations! I'd give you a prize, but I'm broke now.

I'm Baaack!

Atlanta was fabulous. I couldn't have asked for a better weekend. Too bad it's over now and I have two papers, a syllabus, and a philosophy of teaching. I've done none of it. Basically, I rule. Details (and pictures!) about my trip forthcoming. I just wanted to update to appease the masses who were experiencing withdrawals. Have a lovely Monday.

I'm Back!

I arrived in Knoxville last night at 3:30 am.  Fun times.  I was so wired that it was around 5 before I fell asleep, so needless to say I didn't wake up until almost noon.  Oh well. 

The Switchfoot concert was kind of weird.  The opening band was someone called Athlete, and I think they were British.  They were okay, but they tried to hard to be like Coldplay, and it didn't always work.  We felt old because there were a lot of younger people there who were on the floor jumping up and down, and all of the more "sedate" adults were all on the second tier with us.  The music was good, but they had these really annoying light shows that used strobe lights, and I was just glad I didn't have epilepsy because it would have been dangerous.  Overall it felt like Switchfoot was just trying too hard or something.  I can't really explain it, but after seeing Jason Mraz, who is a natural performer and entertainer, Switchfoot definitely didn't measure up.  Still, live music is always fun, so it wasn't a total bust. 

For all two of you who were wondering about my new toy (hi Stef and Lynette!), here it is:

In case you can't tell, I got a new iPod! It's one of the 30 GB models that plays videos.  I used some of my tax refund money to buy it, and so far I'm loving it!  My mini was almost two years old, and it has been acting up, so I recycled it at the Apple store and got 10% off this new one.  Now I don't have to pick and choose what songs to have on the iPod; I can upload all of them!  Yay!  (Diana also got a "new" iPod to replace hers because it broke and she was under warranty.) 

I have pictures from the weekend that you can see in this nifty Photobucket photostrip:

If you want to see an individual picture, just click on it and it should take you to my album.  Enjoy!  I'm off to play around with this whole new profile thing that looks suspiciously like a facebook profile thing.  Hmm...

 

Cheesecake, Camers, and Cappuccinos

How do you like my alliterative title? Aren't I clever? (Don't answer that.) I know you've all felt terribly bereft since I haven't updated in over 24 hours, but I'm hear to allay your sadness. :) Diana and I are at a coffee house that we are using solely for its free wireless, and there just so happens to be a guy giving a concert on his guitar. Pretty sure Diana and I are the youngest people here, except for the guy's daughter. Oh well, he's singing all of these great old tunes, and it's fun. I'm currently enjoying a yummy cappuccino chip muffin. It sounds weird, but don't knock it until you've tried it.

So far we've had a blast. We've been trying to document each aspect of our trip, and unfortunately I didn't bring my USB cable or I'd upload the pictures we've taken so far. My memory card can hold about 570 pictures, and we were going to try and take all of them, but as of right now we've only taken 24, so I guess we're not going to reach our goal, huh? But don't worry, rest assured that the ones we've taken will be up here soon enough for all of your mocking pleasure.

Cheesecake Factory didn't disappoint; our meals were delicious, and the cheesecake was scrumptious. Diana had white chocolate raspberry, and I got cheesecake called something like chocolate oreo mudslide. Suffice it to say it was divine. (Or close to it, anyway.)

The mall the Cheesecake Factory is in, Green Hills Mall, is probably the swankiest mall I've ever been in. There's a Tiffany's and a Louis Vitton in there, for crying out loud! I'm just glad we weren't wearing t-shirts, or we would have been slightly under-dressed. I bought a very fun toy in the mall, but I'm going to wait until I can show you the picture before I tell you what it is. Try and guess what it is. It's pretty awesome, I must say. Yay for tax refund money!!

Well, that's all for now, folks. Switchfoot tomorrow! I love concerts.

On the Road Again

After three days of research, it's time for fun! Diana and I are heading to Nashville today to hang out until the Switchfoot concert on Saturday. I am probably most excited about that, but one other thing also has me very excited. Cheesecake Factory. Yummy!

The only glitch in this is the snow prediction. We'll get there before it snows, but we're driving back Saturday after the concert, and if it doesn't warm up, the Cumberland plateau will be a bit of a hazard. I'd rather not have a repeat of the car-in-the-ditch incident, so say a little prayer for us Saturday night, okay?

I'm sure I'll update since we all know Xanga is like some sort of extension of myself.

Good

Hello, friends!  I had the world's most perfect Saturday.  I went to Chattanooga (one of my favorite cities) with three girls, and we had such a blast!  (Two of the girls are from Florida and had never been, so it was fun to show them around.  One of them kept calling Chattanooga "Chattahootchie" because apparently that's the name of a mental hospital that's close to where she lived in Florida.)  I haven't laughed that much in a loooong time, and it felt so good.  It was my first time to meet one of the girls, and we really hit it off, and I feel like I made a new friend.  I also was introduced to all kinds of great music, like Amos Lee, Missy Higgins, Buddy Guy, Marc Broussard, to name a few.  We also rocked out to Creedence Clearwater Revival, which was fabulous.  To end our day, we went back to her apartment (which is uber-cute and made me completely envious) and ate tons of junk food and watched Pride and Prejudice.  (The newer version.  Sorry, Kathleen and Jessica, but I like it.)  The weather was lovely, Chattanooga was lovely, the company was lovely.  Lovely.

I feel like I am in such a wonderful place right now.  God is beyond good.

EDIT:  I thought I'd provide a visual depiction of yesterday's travels for your enjoyment.

This is downtown Chattanooga.  It's really beautiful, and aren't these trees gorgeous?  (I think they're Bradford pear trees, but I'm not sure so if anyone knows, let me know!)

After we went through Ruby Falls, there was an observation deck, and that's where I took this picture.  The letters are blurry, but it says "Lookout Mountain."

A nice little panoramic shot of the valley.

Chattanooga from a distance.  Everyone should visit Lookout Mountain in the fall because the view of the city and the trees is spectacular.

On our way back downtown, I yelled and said that we must pull over and visit this place:

I kid you not, there is a tow truck museum on the outskirts of town.  Not only that, but it's an international museum:

 

 

 

That's the rest of the sign.  I couldn't fit all of it in one frame, but it says "International Towing and Recovery Hall of Fame and Musem."  We really wanted to go inside, but it was closed.  Can't imagine why; I woud have thought people would be coming to visit the museum in droves!