We have more pictures to come, but I had to share this one!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
My Favorite Marsupial
We didn't see any of these in the wild, but I did see a bunch of wallabies at the zoo. And I've got to tell you--the only thing cuter than a wallaby is a wallababy! See below for proof.
We have more pictures to come, but I had to share this one!
We have more pictures to come, but I had to share this one!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Photos from the Road
I've finally managed to get my pictures on my computer and semi-reasonable internet access (though I'm still paying by the megabyte, just less than usual). Here are a few shots from the trip so far.
Zak in Auckland with the Sky Tower in the background
Hanging out with the Pirate City Rollers in Auckland
Zak made some friends, too!
Love from Wellington
The view out our window in Nelson. When we arrived yesterday, we had a glorious sunset, then it started raining for the first time since we've been in New Zealand and hasn't stopped since.
Our current plan is to go north and west tomorrow and spend the morning hiking. If the rain hasn't stopped by then, we'll need a new plan. Keep your fingers crossed, though I don't expect much sympathy from those in the Northeast!
Zak in Auckland with the Sky Tower in the background
Hanging out with the Pirate City Rollers in Auckland
Zak made some friends, too!
Love from Wellington
The view out our window in Nelson. When we arrived yesterday, we had a glorious sunset, then it started raining for the first time since we've been in New Zealand and hasn't stopped since.
Our current plan is to go north and west tomorrow and spend the morning hiking. If the rain hasn't stopped by then, we'll need a new plan. Keep your fingers crossed, though I don't expect much sympathy from those in the Northeast!
Monday, January 17, 2011
Well, Well, Wellington
Zak and I left New Plymouth on Friday morning (yes, skipping ahead again--our internet access has been incredibly limited. We're paying per megabyte in most places, which is ridiculous. I had no idea how to gauge how much a megabyte of internet was until this trip.) We drove towards Mt. Egmont, and about half an hour south of New Plymouth, we turned off the main road and drove towards the mountain. We ended up hiking along a path called the Kamahi Walk, or the Goblin Forest.
It was as if we had stepped into a different world. Lichen dripped off the trees, and the forest floor was dense and spongy, curving up hills and down again, the path gnarled with tree roots. We saw a few different birds that we recognized, and heard many more. There was a giant black and white bird whose wings made an incredible sound, almost mechanical, if you can believe it, and it called out in a loud cry, deeper than most bird cries. I believe it was this guy:
And OK, yes, it's a pigeon, but they apparently get to be about twenty inches high, according to Wikipedia.
I want to write about the forest at greater length later, and nothing I can say will truly do it justice. I really hope the pictures came out well.
After that, we drove up to a scenic area so we could see the mountain and look out over the surrounding area. We considered hiking more, but the hike we wanted to do would have taken us about eight hours, and we weren't equipped for that at all.
We drove for most of the rest of the day, getting into Wellington at around 4:45. The city was gleaming and spotless and...completely empty. There were tons of fancy, upscale stores...and they were all closed. Restaurants, pubs, everything--completely closed. We barely saw any people on the streets. It was really unsettling to be in a city that looked so much like a big American city (a lot like Seattle, or like downtown Frankfurt, actually) with almost no people in it.
We walked for a mile or two trying to find an internet cafe so we could find a hotel. No dice. We tried standing on the street with Zak's netbook, attempting to steal access to an open wireless network, but apparently Wellingtonians, if there actually are any, are too smart for that.
After my feet were starting to hurt and we had almost given up and gone back to the car so we could cover ground faster, we found a convenience store with a few computers in the back. We were incredibly relieved to book our hotel and get out of that unsettling, abandoned part of town. Or, at least, I was. Zak didn't seem as put off by it as I was. Then again, he didn't have to pee as badly as I did.
We freshened up at the hotel and read our books for a few hours, then decided to try to find some dinner. The hotel was on The Terrace Street, which is apparently not as centrally located as I thought it was. We walked another mile before we started to get into a more densely populated area where restaurants were actually open.
Unfortunately, we had waited too long at the hotel, so it was almost ten pm. And to be fair, that's a bit late to start looking for dinner, even by New York standards. We passed dozens of delicious looking restaurants, but most of them were closed. We finally decided on an upscale pizza place that was mostly empty, though we promised ourselves we would try a Thai/Indian fusion place called Monsoon Poon some other time. We hopped a cab back to the hotel, because it was two miles away and it was after 11 pm, and darn it, our feet hurt.
On Saturday, we woke up late and packed all of our stuff up and left it in the car. The hotel was nice, but too far away from everything we wanted to see, so we decided to find a new one for Saturday night. We walked around for a while, looking for breakfast, but we were still in a bizarre, unpopulated part of Wellington, and we were also being picky. On our way, we found a game store that Zak wanted to check out, and it was incredible. We spent an hour or so there looking at all these games we'd never seen before and talking to the incredibly helpful shopkeeper. We ended up buying just one game--New Zealand prices are very high, and our suitcases were pretty full already when we brought them over here.
After brunch, we set off to find the museum. We didn't particularly take the most direct route...in fact, there's a strong possibility that we took the least direct route. We walked along the waterfront for half a mile or a mile, then looped back around behind all the restaurants, galleries, and stores, then crossed a bridge that I'm pretty sure didn't need to be crossed, then consulted a map and discovered that we had only been about 200 yards from the museum when we started our quest. Oh well.
The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa was huge by New Zealand standards. It was like a combination of the Museum of Natural History and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. There were some really interesting interactive displays--I got to pick up rocks from the earth's crust (heavy), the mantle (heavier), and the core (it's just a giant block of steel). I walked over touch-sensitive screens embedded in the floor which displayed a natural map of the two islands of New Zealand. The map lit up when I stepped on it, and I showed Zak the route we had taken so far, and what our upcoming plans were. Without roads labeled or anything. The road atlas that Suzy Hotrod's boyfriend Andy lent us has been well-used this trip.
There were a lot of earthquake-related exhibits, including a tiny house that simulated what it feels like to be in an earthquake. I was kind of hoping it would be more drastic, but I guess when the whole world is moving, it's pretty alarming. While we waited in line for that one, we watched a bunch of kids jumping on a platform, trying to make a level 10 earthquake. It was like one of those strong-man attractions at a sideshow, with a bar up the side showing how strong you are. I'm proud (mostly) to declare that I was able to create a level 10 earthquake, using the deep-squat/jump that our speed skating coach taught us at derby practice. So what if I had sixty pounds on those kids?
We returned to Monsoon Poon for dinner, and had a really incredible meal. After that, we wandered around for a while. I found a cool playground and swung on the swingset for a while, but Zak didn't think the set was pro-rated for someone of his size. He did, however, test out the slidey platform that was set on a semi-circular metal bar--like a skateboard bolted to a metal halfpipe. I almost injured myself on that, so I decided to skip the climbing wall.
This morning, we discovered that the Wellington police are nothing if not thorough. Zak went down to the car this morning to put money in the meter. When we got back to the car a few hours later, apparently the time had run out about 15 minutes beforehand. We had not one, but two tickets on the winshield: one for parking there without having a valid ticket, and one for having a not-valid ticket on our dashboard. I sputtered indignantly for about ten minutes until I finally decided that two $12 tickets were nothing to get that worked up over.
We grabbed lunch to go, then waited in a line of cars at the ferry terminal. There was a white, vintage, convertible Rolls Royce a few cars behind us. It looked kind of like this, except without the bride and groom.
The ferry ride was mostly uneventful, though after we could see the south island, Zak and I went outside to look around. I still can't believe it, but after five or ten minutes of staring at trees and mountains, we saw a whole school (flock? gaggle?) of dolphins, leaping out of the water and swimming alongside the ferry. When my family went to the Galapagos, I saw a few dolphins, but I've never seen so many before. There must have been forty of them. Again, hoping the pictures came out. Not mine--my camera was completely not up to the task, so I just put it away and stared with my eyes wide and my mouth hanging open. Zak jumped into action, switching lenses like a pro on his super-fancy camera, so hopefully he has one or two cool shots of them.
After we drove off the ferry, our (mostly) trusty GPS unit was baffled and took us down a weird road about a mile out of our way. Fortunate for us, because the route he guided us on took us past Oyster Bay Vineyards, which has become one of my favorites over the last few months. Their sauvignon blanc is incredible, and their chardonnay isn't half-bad, either. We didn't actually stop there, but it was neat to drive by.
I thought we might stop for the night in an old gold mining town, but apparently there's nothing left--we arrived in the town and were out the other side before I even had a chance to look around. I think the entire town was just one hotel, and not a very interesting-looking one at that. So we soldiered onward to Nelson, an artsy town on the north shore of the south island. And that is where we are right now.
I am sure I will go back and write about the missing pieces of the trip at some later date, but not tonight. Until next time (we have internet access).
It was as if we had stepped into a different world. Lichen dripped off the trees, and the forest floor was dense and spongy, curving up hills and down again, the path gnarled with tree roots. We saw a few different birds that we recognized, and heard many more. There was a giant black and white bird whose wings made an incredible sound, almost mechanical, if you can believe it, and it called out in a loud cry, deeper than most bird cries. I believe it was this guy:
And OK, yes, it's a pigeon, but they apparently get to be about twenty inches high, according to Wikipedia.I want to write about the forest at greater length later, and nothing I can say will truly do it justice. I really hope the pictures came out well.
After that, we drove up to a scenic area so we could see the mountain and look out over the surrounding area. We considered hiking more, but the hike we wanted to do would have taken us about eight hours, and we weren't equipped for that at all.
We drove for most of the rest of the day, getting into Wellington at around 4:45. The city was gleaming and spotless and...completely empty. There were tons of fancy, upscale stores...and they were all closed. Restaurants, pubs, everything--completely closed. We barely saw any people on the streets. It was really unsettling to be in a city that looked so much like a big American city (a lot like Seattle, or like downtown Frankfurt, actually) with almost no people in it.
We walked for a mile or two trying to find an internet cafe so we could find a hotel. No dice. We tried standing on the street with Zak's netbook, attempting to steal access to an open wireless network, but apparently Wellingtonians, if there actually are any, are too smart for that.
After my feet were starting to hurt and we had almost given up and gone back to the car so we could cover ground faster, we found a convenience store with a few computers in the back. We were incredibly relieved to book our hotel and get out of that unsettling, abandoned part of town. Or, at least, I was. Zak didn't seem as put off by it as I was. Then again, he didn't have to pee as badly as I did.
We freshened up at the hotel and read our books for a few hours, then decided to try to find some dinner. The hotel was on The Terrace Street, which is apparently not as centrally located as I thought it was. We walked another mile before we started to get into a more densely populated area where restaurants were actually open.
Unfortunately, we had waited too long at the hotel, so it was almost ten pm. And to be fair, that's a bit late to start looking for dinner, even by New York standards. We passed dozens of delicious looking restaurants, but most of them were closed. We finally decided on an upscale pizza place that was mostly empty, though we promised ourselves we would try a Thai/Indian fusion place called Monsoon Poon some other time. We hopped a cab back to the hotel, because it was two miles away and it was after 11 pm, and darn it, our feet hurt.
On Saturday, we woke up late and packed all of our stuff up and left it in the car. The hotel was nice, but too far away from everything we wanted to see, so we decided to find a new one for Saturday night. We walked around for a while, looking for breakfast, but we were still in a bizarre, unpopulated part of Wellington, and we were also being picky. On our way, we found a game store that Zak wanted to check out, and it was incredible. We spent an hour or so there looking at all these games we'd never seen before and talking to the incredibly helpful shopkeeper. We ended up buying just one game--New Zealand prices are very high, and our suitcases were pretty full already when we brought them over here.
After brunch, we set off to find the museum. We didn't particularly take the most direct route...in fact, there's a strong possibility that we took the least direct route. We walked along the waterfront for half a mile or a mile, then looped back around behind all the restaurants, galleries, and stores, then crossed a bridge that I'm pretty sure didn't need to be crossed, then consulted a map and discovered that we had only been about 200 yards from the museum when we started our quest. Oh well.
The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa was huge by New Zealand standards. It was like a combination of the Museum of Natural History and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. There were some really interesting interactive displays--I got to pick up rocks from the earth's crust (heavy), the mantle (heavier), and the core (it's just a giant block of steel). I walked over touch-sensitive screens embedded in the floor which displayed a natural map of the two islands of New Zealand. The map lit up when I stepped on it, and I showed Zak the route we had taken so far, and what our upcoming plans were. Without roads labeled or anything. The road atlas that Suzy Hotrod's boyfriend Andy lent us has been well-used this trip.
There were a lot of earthquake-related exhibits, including a tiny house that simulated what it feels like to be in an earthquake. I was kind of hoping it would be more drastic, but I guess when the whole world is moving, it's pretty alarming. While we waited in line for that one, we watched a bunch of kids jumping on a platform, trying to make a level 10 earthquake. It was like one of those strong-man attractions at a sideshow, with a bar up the side showing how strong you are. I'm proud (mostly) to declare that I was able to create a level 10 earthquake, using the deep-squat/jump that our speed skating coach taught us at derby practice. So what if I had sixty pounds on those kids?
We returned to Monsoon Poon for dinner, and had a really incredible meal. After that, we wandered around for a while. I found a cool playground and swung on the swingset for a while, but Zak didn't think the set was pro-rated for someone of his size. He did, however, test out the slidey platform that was set on a semi-circular metal bar--like a skateboard bolted to a metal halfpipe. I almost injured myself on that, so I decided to skip the climbing wall.
This morning, we discovered that the Wellington police are nothing if not thorough. Zak went down to the car this morning to put money in the meter. When we got back to the car a few hours later, apparently the time had run out about 15 minutes beforehand. We had not one, but two tickets on the winshield: one for parking there without having a valid ticket, and one for having a not-valid ticket on our dashboard. I sputtered indignantly for about ten minutes until I finally decided that two $12 tickets were nothing to get that worked up over.
We grabbed lunch to go, then waited in a line of cars at the ferry terminal. There was a white, vintage, convertible Rolls Royce a few cars behind us. It looked kind of like this, except without the bride and groom.
The ferry ride was mostly uneventful, though after we could see the south island, Zak and I went outside to look around. I still can't believe it, but after five or ten minutes of staring at trees and mountains, we saw a whole school (flock? gaggle?) of dolphins, leaping out of the water and swimming alongside the ferry. When my family went to the Galapagos, I saw a few dolphins, but I've never seen so many before. There must have been forty of them. Again, hoping the pictures came out. Not mine--my camera was completely not up to the task, so I just put it away and stared with my eyes wide and my mouth hanging open. Zak jumped into action, switching lenses like a pro on his super-fancy camera, so hopefully he has one or two cool shots of them.
After we drove off the ferry, our (mostly) trusty GPS unit was baffled and took us down a weird road about a mile out of our way. Fortunate for us, because the route he guided us on took us past Oyster Bay Vineyards, which has become one of my favorites over the last few months. Their sauvignon blanc is incredible, and their chardonnay isn't half-bad, either. We didn't actually stop there, but it was neat to drive by.
I thought we might stop for the night in an old gold mining town, but apparently there's nothing left--we arrived in the town and were out the other side before I even had a chance to look around. I think the entire town was just one hotel, and not a very interesting-looking one at that. So we soldiered onward to Nelson, an artsy town on the north shore of the south island. And that is where we are right now.
I am sure I will go back and write about the missing pieces of the trip at some later date, but not tonight. Until next time (we have internet access).
Thursday, January 13, 2011
The Kiwi: A Fruit AND A Bird
So, apparently I'm not very good at being thorough. But what I lack in consistency, I'll make up for in punctuation!!!!!?!
Today, we woke up in Auckland, where we had crashed at our old friend, the Rendezvous Hotel, last night after leaving Opononi and driving for about four hours. Our original plan was to drive most of the way to Rotorua, but what can I say? It's a vacation, we're allowed to be fickle.
Yesterday was mostly a driving day, though we stopped and saw the Biggest Tree Ever(TM).
(Those people are not us. But that was the tree.) We stopped at SheepWorld, which was home to dyed-pink sheep (you'll have to take my word for it til I can upload the pictures.) We also hiked a little bit, and ate lunch at the Swinging Cow cafe, where we were treated to what Zak claims were the worst burgers we have ever eaten. That was part of what prompted the unplanned stopover in Auckland--the opportunity to eat a decent meal.
Which we absolutely got. We were walking along a ritzy strip near the waterfront after checking out the Skytower Casino and finding it was pretty much a casino. While trying to figure out what to do, we ducked into a small alley, where we smelled--could it be?--spices. The delicious smell was coming from a tiny Chinese noodle shop down a flight of stairs, and after almost no hesitation, we decided to eat there. The shop was almost empty, but the food we got was delicious. I got spicy pork and bamboo shoots over rice, which was delicious and so spicy I could barely eat it. After dinner, we walked around K Street, then back to the hotel. I swam for a little while, lounged in the sauna, then went to bed.
Today, we got up late then ate at a cafe in Auckland before hitting the road. We've been terrible road-trippers, and barely cover any ground. First, we stopped at Candyland and bought way more candy than two people pushing 30 should have been legally allowed to buy. After that, we drove for a bit then stopped at Kiwi House, a zoo that exclusively featured birds. We got to see real live kiwis! They're bigger than I would have imagined--maybe eighteen or twenty inches high. We got to see a lot of other New Zealand birds, too. I had seen a lot of them already in our journeys along the roads and marshes of Northland.
This guy is still one of my favorites, even though he is pretty creepy-looking. New Zealand has a lot of really cool flightless predatory birds, because it doesn't have a lot of native mammals.
We got to New Plymouth at about 8 pm, and ended up at the Bella Vista Motel, which is pretty nice and near the water. They're willing to let us use their bikes to bike along the waterfront tomorrow. Though it's a generous offer, I'll probably decline and
skate along the waterfront. I haven't gotten in touch with the derby league here, but we'll probably stay another day, so I might end up calling them.
After we checked into the hotel, we went to Pukekura Park, which has a festival of lights for all of January. They lit up the park with a combination of large colored bulbs and artistically placed colored lights which illuminated the trees and pond beautifully. There was a band called The Mamaku Project, with an energetic female vocalist and ska undertones.
It gets dark so late here--after 9 pm. It's very confusing after being in New York, where the light dies at 5 o'clock every day. I can't honestly say that I'm homesick, but give me time. We're here for another two weeks, which will probably be long enough.
Today, we woke up in Auckland, where we had crashed at our old friend, the Rendezvous Hotel, last night after leaving Opononi and driving for about four hours. Our original plan was to drive most of the way to Rotorua, but what can I say? It's a vacation, we're allowed to be fickle.
Yesterday was mostly a driving day, though we stopped and saw the Biggest Tree Ever(TM).
(Those people are not us. But that was the tree.) We stopped at SheepWorld, which was home to dyed-pink sheep (you'll have to take my word for it til I can upload the pictures.) We also hiked a little bit, and ate lunch at the Swinging Cow cafe, where we were treated to what Zak claims were the worst burgers we have ever eaten. That was part of what prompted the unplanned stopover in Auckland--the opportunity to eat a decent meal.
Which we absolutely got. We were walking along a ritzy strip near the waterfront after checking out the Skytower Casino and finding it was pretty much a casino. While trying to figure out what to do, we ducked into a small alley, where we smelled--could it be?--spices. The delicious smell was coming from a tiny Chinese noodle shop down a flight of stairs, and after almost no hesitation, we decided to eat there. The shop was almost empty, but the food we got was delicious. I got spicy pork and bamboo shoots over rice, which was delicious and so spicy I could barely eat it. After dinner, we walked around K Street, then back to the hotel. I swam for a little while, lounged in the sauna, then went to bed.
Today, we got up late then ate at a cafe in Auckland before hitting the road. We've been terrible road-trippers, and barely cover any ground. First, we stopped at Candyland and bought way more candy than two people pushing 30 should have been legally allowed to buy. After that, we drove for a bit then stopped at Kiwi House, a zoo that exclusively featured birds. We got to see real live kiwis! They're bigger than I would have imagined--maybe eighteen or twenty inches high. We got to see a lot of other New Zealand birds, too. I had seen a lot of them already in our journeys along the roads and marshes of Northland.
This guy is still one of my favorites, even though he is pretty creepy-looking. New Zealand has a lot of really cool flightless predatory birds, because it doesn't have a lot of native mammals. We got to New Plymouth at about 8 pm, and ended up at the Bella Vista Motel, which is pretty nice and near the water. They're willing to let us use their bikes to bike along the waterfront tomorrow. Though it's a generous offer, I'll probably decline and
skate along the waterfront. I haven't gotten in touch with the derby league here, but we'll probably stay another day, so I might end up calling them.
After we checked into the hotel, we went to Pukekura Park, which has a festival of lights for all of January. They lit up the park with a combination of large colored bulbs and artistically placed colored lights which illuminated the trees and pond beautifully. There was a band called The Mamaku Project, with an energetic female vocalist and ska undertones.
It gets dark so late here--after 9 pm. It's very confusing after being in New York, where the light dies at 5 o'clock every day. I can't honestly say that I'm homesick, but give me time. We're here for another two weeks, which will probably be long enough.
Monday, January 10, 2011
I drove on the left side of the road!
We're five days into our incredible New Zealand trip, and yesterday, for the first time, I got behind the wheel of our rental car and set off by myself in search of groceries.
We were staying at the Opononi Lighthouse Motel, which is right on an inlet that leads out to the ocean. The motel has a full mini kitchen with a barbecue outside, and I thought it might be a nice change from fish, chips, and other British-inspired food. However, apparently, we're so remote up here in Northland that 6:45 pm is much too late to purchase groceries. I drove about 30 kilometers (haha, kilometers) down the road and all I found was a petrol station that would sell me a small container of milk. Nothing to grill, though.
Driving on the left side wasn't as hard as I expected, although all the dashboard elements are reversed, too. Every time I tried to indicate a turn, I washed my windshield.
We ended up having dinner at a hamburger stand about a mile down the beach. (Yes, it DID include chips, why do you ask?) Just as we were finishing our meal, the sun began to set behind a mountain that overlooked our lake (inlet? river?). We sat on a driftwood log to watch the most beautiful sunset I've ever seen. I'll post pictures once I find my camera cord.
Today, we're going to spend another day here so we can go dune riding and check out a forest nearby.
I'll probably go back and backfill our previous adventures as I have time and internet access.
We were staying at the Opononi Lighthouse Motel, which is right on an inlet that leads out to the ocean. The motel has a full mini kitchen with a barbecue outside, and I thought it might be a nice change from fish, chips, and other British-inspired food. However, apparently, we're so remote up here in Northland that 6:45 pm is much too late to purchase groceries. I drove about 30 kilometers (haha, kilometers) down the road and all I found was a petrol station that would sell me a small container of milk. Nothing to grill, though.
Driving on the left side wasn't as hard as I expected, although all the dashboard elements are reversed, too. Every time I tried to indicate a turn, I washed my windshield.
We ended up having dinner at a hamburger stand about a mile down the beach. (Yes, it DID include chips, why do you ask?) Just as we were finishing our meal, the sun began to set behind a mountain that overlooked our lake (inlet? river?). We sat on a driftwood log to watch the most beautiful sunset I've ever seen. I'll post pictures once I find my camera cord.
Today, we're going to spend another day here so we can go dune riding and check out a forest nearby.
I'll probably go back and backfill our previous adventures as I have time and internet access.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Delaware is for lovers!
Actually, I'm not sure what Delaware is for, since we stopped at a hotel right after we crossed over the border. We spent the whole day in New Jersey, and ended up on the Jersey shore at Bradley Beach, which I visited this summer with the Gotham Girls. We hiked around Island Beach State Park, and took a lot of pictures of funny signs. I found several entries for our "Best Nativity Scene" quest item, including a nativity scene bumper sticker, which is awesome, and blurry, and linked below.
Here are some other pictures of us from this morning:
"What gives?"
Nice try, Zak.
We tried to visit our friend Andrew in Philadelphia, but he admitted under duress that he's not actually IN Philadelphia. So much for that.
Onward!
Here are some other pictures of us from this morning:
"What gives?"
Nice try, Zak.
We tried to visit our friend Andrew in Philadelphia, but he admitted under duress that he's not actually IN Philadelphia. So much for that.
Onward!
Saturday, December 27, 2008
THE LIST!
Here it is, ladies and gents. The list that will be governing our actions over the next two weeks. Thanks for all your great suggestions. We're throwing a few final things into the car, then we'll be on our way. We'll keep you posted!
Love,
Margot and Zak
1 Take a picture with a "mascot" for a company e.g. the burger king
junior whopper kid, or a chicken for kfc
2 Bury a time capsule of a few souvenirs from your trip
3 Find someone willing to swap an item of clothing
4 Go to a restaurant, order drinks and leave a 50%+ tip for a
waiter/waitress who looks like s/he could really use it.
5 Do a firedrill at a red light
6 Flirt with a u.s. postal employee
7 Give $5 to someone on the street.
8 Sing a britney spears song with a stranger
9 Skip holding hands
10 Best/Most Stylish Mullet. It must be a genuine mullet, sported with
the right attitude -- business in front, party in back -- and with a
certain joie de vivre.
11 Take a photo with/in waterfall
12 Take a photo from top of mountain
13 Best used bookstore
14 Best local roadside food
15 Visit a religious shrine
16 Skate in as many local skating rinks as possible
17 Play mechanical prize "claw" game (extra points for winning)
18 4 words: truck stop condom machine
19 Get pickles (plural) served to one of you (a dollop of relish and
pickle slices count, but only if they are served in a stand alone dish
unprompted)
20 Take a photo of a sign with a typo
21 Pet or feed a non-normal household animal (petting zoo, freakish
pet, pigeon, lizard etc.)
22 See a covered bridge and kiss each other near/on/in/under/whatever it
23 Do donuts in a parking lot (the dough kind are acceptable as long
as there are photos)
24 Name *at least* 10 dogs - theme is your choice for the trip.
25 Try on a Halloween costume at a thrift store
26 Moon a walmart (not illegal if they don't see you. extra points for
photos, though)
27 Buy a hat and/or string tie.
28 Participate in some form of bluegrass music.
29 Bull ride.
30 Anything related to nascar or nascar paraphernalia.
31 Drive on the Lincoln Highway
32 Go to a local bar and spend a minimum of two hours interacting with
the patrons in such a way that you thoroughly convince them that
you're tourists from another country.
33 Eat at places advertising "The City/World's Best...." and taking pictures of
you and Zak eating whatever best food product that is (i.e. eating a
slice of pizza in front of a sign that says "New York's Best Pizza" or
34 Take a picture in front of a civil war monument
35 Buy a cherry bomb
36 Eat the best crab cake in Maryland
37 Take a picture of a sunset in the Blue Mountains
38 Take a picture with a Confederate flag.
39 Go to South of the Border in South Carolina
40 Post zombie fliers in libraries of 3 towns, spaced at least 50 mi apart
41 Take photograph of over sized roadside attractions (giant banana
sculpture, food-shaped restaurants, etc)
42 Find most non-liberal Christmas/Americana themed church sign
43 Best nativity yard display
44 Go to authors' homes
45 Try to get 15 souvenir pressed pennies
46 Find/eat at a jack in the box- get a jack Styrofoam head and put on antenna
47 Find a local wearing a shirt that boasts a mythical creature
48 Eat at a cracker barrel- bring dinah home rock candy
49 Hug a complete stranger with or without a costume
50 Find marine life away from a coast
51 Find someone with a tattoo they regret
52 Photograph the most interesting vehicle
53 Check out Andersonville
54 Visit a Civil War battlefield
55 Wear a silly hat or wig
56 Eat Stew & Que
57 Document gas prices under $1.50/gallon
58 Get a pen from a chain hotel
59 Soak in a hot tub
60 Climb on a dam
61 Visit an island
62 Interview an old crotchety person
63 Enter a contest
64 Find the best barbecue
65 Find the best Cajun or French food
66 Pick up a hitchhiker
67 Find the best local microbrew beer
68 Play skee ball
69 Make a preposterous wager
70 Go laser bowling!
Love,
Margot and Zak
1 Take a picture with a "mascot" for a company e.g. the burger king
junior whopper kid, or a chicken for kfc
2 Bury a time capsule of a few souvenirs from your trip
3 Find someone willing to swap an item of clothing
4 Go to a restaurant, order drinks and leave a 50%+ tip for a
waiter/waitress who looks like s/he could really use it.
5 Do a firedrill at a red light
6 Flirt with a u.s. postal employee
7 Give $5 to someone on the street.
8 Sing a britney spears song with a stranger
9 Skip holding hands
10 Best/Most Stylish Mullet. It must be a genuine mullet, sported with
the right attitude -- business in front, party in back -- and with a
certain joie de vivre.
11 Take a photo with/in waterfall
12 Take a photo from top of mountain
13 Best used bookstore
14 Best local roadside food
15 Visit a religious shrine
16 Skate in as many local skating rinks as possible
17 Play mechanical prize "claw" game (extra points for winning)
18 4 words: truck stop condom machine
19 Get pickles (plural) served to one of you (a dollop of relish and
pickle slices count, but only if they are served in a stand alone dish
unprompted)
20 Take a photo of a sign with a typo
21 Pet or feed a non-normal household animal (petting zoo, freakish
pet, pigeon, lizard etc.)
22 See a covered bridge and kiss each other near/on/in/under/whatever it
23 Do donuts in a parking lot (the dough kind are acceptable as long
as there are photos)
24 Name *at least* 10 dogs - theme is your choice for the trip.
25 Try on a Halloween costume at a thrift store
26 Moon a walmart (not illegal if they don't see you. extra points for
photos, though)
27 Buy a hat and/or string tie.
28 Participate in some form of bluegrass music.
29 Bull ride.
30 Anything related to nascar or nascar paraphernalia.
31 Drive on the Lincoln Highway
32 Go to a local bar and spend a minimum of two hours interacting with
the patrons in such a way that you thoroughly convince them that
you're tourists from another country.
33 Eat at places advertising "The City/World's Best...." and taking pictures of
you and Zak eating whatever best food product that is (i.e. eating a
slice of pizza in front of a sign that says "New York's Best Pizza" or
34 Take a picture in front of a civil war monument
35 Buy a cherry bomb
36 Eat the best crab cake in Maryland
37 Take a picture of a sunset in the Blue Mountains
38 Take a picture with a Confederate flag.
39 Go to South of the Border in South Carolina
40 Post zombie fliers in libraries of 3 towns, spaced at least 50 mi apart
41 Take photograph of over sized roadside attractions (giant banana
sculpture, food-shaped restaurants, etc)
42 Find most non-liberal Christmas/Americana themed church sign
43 Best nativity yard display
44 Go to authors' homes
45 Try to get 15 souvenir pressed pennies
46 Find/eat at a jack in the box- get a jack Styrofoam head and put on antenna
47 Find a local wearing a shirt that boasts a mythical creature
48 Eat at a cracker barrel- bring dinah home rock candy
49 Hug a complete stranger with or without a costume
50 Find marine life away from a coast
51 Find someone with a tattoo they regret
52 Photograph the most interesting vehicle
53 Check out Andersonville
54 Visit a Civil War battlefield
55 Wear a silly hat or wig
56 Eat Stew & Que
57 Document gas prices under $1.50/gallon
58 Get a pen from a chain hotel
59 Soak in a hot tub
60 Climb on a dam
61 Visit an island
62 Interview an old crotchety person
63 Enter a contest
64 Find the best barbecue
65 Find the best Cajun or French food
66 Pick up a hitchhiker
67 Find the best local microbrew beer
68 Play skee ball
69 Make a preposterous wager
70 Go laser bowling!
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