A Whole Lot of Nostalgia, Coupled With a Healthy Dose of Narcissism

Well, folks.  That's about it for us and this road trip.  We had a great day of being home bodies and had our first home-cooked meal in our new place (and the first in quite some time since we had been on the road).  Before we officially close the book on this adventure, though, we thought that we might do a wrap-up to give you feel for the best and worst and loveliest of the trip.

BEST DRIVERS

Madie says:  Texas (They Drive Friendly, The Texas Way)

Lauren says:  Wyoming (They let you book it without getting in your way)

WORST DRIVERS

M:  Tennessee

L:  New York (and that's where I learned to drive!)

FRIENDLIEST PEOPLE:

M:  Iowa (except for that one family at the restaurant)

L:  Arkansas

MOST BEAUTIFUL

M:  Cape Cod

L:  Cape Cod

BEST VIBE:

M:  Arkansas

L:  Nauvoo

PLACE I WILL NEVER LIVE:

M:  Tennessee (hill people are scary) or Iowa

L:  Niagara Falls

PLACE I WANT TO TRAVEL TO AGAIN:

M:  Washington, DC

L:  Wyoming (I would love to see a buffalo!)

BEST TOURIST-Y STUFF

M:  Washington, DC

L:  Manhattan, NY

BIGGEST SURPRISE OF THE TRIP

M:  How many trees are on the east coast

L:  How many people travel thousands of miles to see Niagara Falls

FAVORITE SOLO PICTURES OF THE TRIP

Madie:

Lauren:

MOST UNDERWHELMING EXPERIENCE:

M:  Albuquerque

L:  Washington, DC

MOST UNLIKELY GOOD PICTURE:

Madie:

Lauren:

MOST OVERWHELMING EXPERIENCE:

M:  Graceland...or seeing Harry Potter 2 in Syracuse, NY

L:  Saying goodbye to my mom in Syracuse, NY

BEST MEMORY HANDS DOWN:

M:  (in no particular order)  Finding Petit Jean State Park in Arkansas, Swimming in the Atlantic Ocean and Lauren's grandmother telling the story where she laid down in a grave to scare her children

L:  The feeling of arriving on the east coast and how much more "me" I felt in Church in Manhattan

BEST FOOD:

M:  Clams in Cape Cod

L:  Clams in Cape Cod *gasp*

FAVORITE OUTFIT (IN PICTURES):

Madie:

Lauren:

FAVORITE HOTEL:

M and L:  The Crowne Plaza in Syracuse, NY (they had ahhhhhh-mazing beds!)

BEST PURCHASE:

M:  Champagne colored dress picture above (from H&M)

L:  FM transmitter for iPhone/iPod (also known as the Best Invention Ever)

FAVORITE PICTURES OF US TOGETHER:
Madie:

Lauren:

THINGS I WISH WERE IN UTAH:

M:  Washington, DC's Metro system, DC fashion, the ocean and Mishel

L:  New York City style, the liberals and the Wyoming sky

WHAT I APPRECIATE MORE ABOUT UTAH NOW:

M:  My family

L:  I love that there's no humidity and the mountains in Utah look totally different from the mountains anywhere else

THINGS I AM GRATEFUL FOR:

M:  I am grateful for having seen the diversity in America and to start gaining a greater understanding unity as a nation comprised of so many different kinds of people that also call themselves American.

L:  I'm grateful that I was able to find pieces of my heart buried all over this country and that so many places feel like home.

And, lastly, a few words from Mr. Mark Twain:

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.”