June 22nd - Shakira, Shaqiri.

The West Coast time zone is a blessing in that it lets us watch all the World Cup games and still gives us most of the day to travel. But it remains a curse as 5am alarm clocks are slowly becoming the soundtrack of this trip.

Brazil played Costa Rica entering the 90^th minute still tied 0-0, but ultimately the Sons of Samba finished the game as 2-0 victors. Miguel and I then went to a local breakfast spot and watched Nigeria beat Iceland 2-0. Iceland may be the “Cinderella Story” of the World Cup, but I still find it difficult to cheer against any African nation.

Before leaving Phoenix we watched Switzerland play Serbia. With only seconds left in the game, Serbia was in a great spot, tied 1-1 and looking likely to advance to the next round. But with one of the final touches of the match Swiss winger Shaqiri gave Switzerland a 2-1 lead. His hips don’t lie and neither does the score line which now suggests Serbia have only a very slim chance of advancing to the next round.

We then set off on our final stint of driving from coast to coast. But before we arrived in San Diego we encountered yet another hidden gem. One of my favorite experiences on the trip so far was watching the dirt and brush of the Arizona planes turn to sand dunes in California. My first time experiencing a desert in person and one I won’t forget any time soon. The sun and heat kept us from lingering, but it was yet another reminder of the miraculous and beautiful country we live in. A place I routinely under-appreciate in search of foreign destinations. A place I will certainly return to again in this life.

See you tomorrow,

Elwood

June 21st - A Break From Living On the Road

One of my favorite parts of traveling is having an overall destination but no defined idea of how to get their or what the adventure will become.  We can very easily get sucked into the day to day routines of being productive and getting something done, but on these trips Peter and I have a special ability of letting the day come to us.  We are documenting our travels as a way to celebrate the awesome opportunity we have to experience our massive country, as well as share a bit our travels with others.  We started Thursday morning knowing we were going to watch all three World Cup matches and then find our way down towards Phoenix and spend a day in the area. However, we did not know how we were going to fill the day.  

Our experience over the last 24 hours in Phoenix were amazing largely due to two specific people and I want to tell each of them Thank you. My first thank you goes to Matt Clines.  I knew Matt had moved out to AZ a few months ago and I sent him a text message out of the blue on the off chance that we would be able to catch up or grab a drink at a local bar.  Matt greatly exceeded common hospitality and offered us his apartment.  He lives in an amazing apartment, in a perfect location and with a pool that could not have been more relaxing.  After several nights of staying in motel after motel, it was a refreshing break to stay in a house and feel like we weren’t living out of a suitcase for a day.  Seeing good friends during a long trip always has a way of bringing a smile to your face, so Matt thank you for everything. 

The other thank you we want to give is for Keenan Gagliardo.  Keenan is a good friend that I know from my college days who I had not seen in years but he saw a photo I had posted from the Grand Canyon and reached out asking if I was in AZ.  On a random Thursday night during the summer, he accompanied Peter and I on an epic night of bars, adventures and overall good times.  The good times van would be proud.  Thank you for being an awesome friend. 

Arizona is a magical place that has countless adventures awaiting full of natural beauty.  I would highly recommend anyone interested in traveling, hiking or the outdoors in general to visit AZ.  You will not be disappointed with what this state has to offer.  

- Miguel

June 20th – A Big Ol' Ditch in Arizona

We woke up at 5:30am, I found myself thankful that we crossed two time zones yesterday so that it felt closer to 7:30am. Two hours later we arrived in Grand Canyon National Park. Basically a ghost town at that morning hour, it was a surreal experience being seemingly alone in one of America’s biggest tourist attractions.

Our day began at the South Kaibab trailhead. The longest and most difficult day hike the Grand Canyon has to offer, it comes with a warning to not complete the hike during the summer months (a warning I only saw that morning ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ). Miguel and I have both completed hikes far longer and at greater elevation than the South Kaibab trail, but it’s hard to account for the other environmental factors. With no shade on the trail and 90-95 degree heat all day, even the simplest tasks become draining.

We hiked to Skeleton Point, the halfway point of our trip. Eating lunch in view of the Colorado River, we were feeling great and ready to begin the return leg. Some mixture of positivity, self-confidence, and testosterone led me to begin a grueling pace back up the canyon which we regretted within the first 10 minutes of our ascent.

Despite the difficulties we made it back to the top tired, thirsty and sore; but still in awe of the beauty that surrounded us. I’ve heard from friends who’ve visited the Grand Canyon that pictures don’t give you a sense of its size and beauty. That’s so true. But I spent the entire day in the canyon and I’m not sure if I have a sense of its size or beauty either.

This was the first day that we missed all of the World Cup matches but I couldn’t be any happier about that decision. I'm sure we'll catch the games tomorrow.

- Elwood

June 19th - Two Time Zones, 14 Hours, And 777 Miles

1am - Finally arrived from St. Louis and got to bed. 

6:30 - Wake up...

7am - That nap was way too short, what happened Colombia?  and I think we can see the Rockies in the distance?!?

8am - Feeling good on the road and streaming Colombia in the car.  What an equalizer! 

9am - Tough loss Colombia. Peter almost spit out his janky-ass motel coffee. 

10am - Peter takes over driving and it’s time for Mané to shine. 

11am - I’m definitely falling asleep...That’s better.  Senegal up 2-0!! 

12am - Still no rockies... they were definitely clouds.

1pm - Taking a stop in Albuquerque NM to watch the second half of the Egypt game. 

2pm - (moment of silence for what just happened)

3pm - DQ BLIZZARDS for the win @ the Route 66 Travel Center!

4pm - New Mexico is Gorgeous

5pm - And REALLY wide...Its kind of like the feeling you get after running on the treadmill for a few hours and thinking to yourself, "I didn’t move."

6pm - 20oz Red Bull while blasting music...I think I can see the road perfectly straight 100miles ahead of us.

7pm - With the two time changes I really don’t know what time it is but we’re here. Celebrations!!!

8pm - Walmart run to stock up on provision for our Grand Canyon day tomorrow 

9pm - Sushi sounds like the perfect way to end the day.  Finally made it. 

Goodnight world.

- Miguel

June 18th - Golden Arches and Frosted Tips

SLEEEEEEEEEP.  The long night sleep was very needed as our already loose grasp on sanity was quickly slipping away. I’ve already lost my knowledge of what day we left, where we’ve been so far, and I’m not even sure where we’re going anymore. I’m not sure how travelers made it through the Oregon Trail, but I am now certain I would have died of whooping cough on day #1.

Our morning began with watching Miguel’s Swedish relatives pull of a surprising but very deserved victory against South Korea. From there we got our tourist on by visiting the St. Louis Arch. Beautiful views but no Big Mac makes this definitely my second favorite Arch.

Speaking of food, we headed back to our hotel to continue our lavish lifestyle; ordering room service and watching Belgium vs. Panama. Belgium shouldn’t get too excited just yet but a commanding 3-0 victory is the perfect way to start the tournament for the perennial dark horse. Dries Merten’s goal in particular stood out as the type of brilliance that they’ll need to go far this summer. At 5’6’’ what the winger lacks in height he makes up for in footballing acumen and frosted tips.

Okay so at this point I need to make a correction on a point I made in an earlier post. So remember how I said there was no A/C in the van? Yeah so about that… Turns out Dodge Grand Caravan’s have this crazy system where to turn on the A/C you have to turn the “power button” on. So yeah…A/C’s not a problem anymore. This whole saga should be embarrassing for me, but honestly I’m just thrilled to have a cool car for the rest of our trip.

The day ended with a drive from St. Louis to Oklahoma City. Miguel called 12 hotels before finally finding an open room. Say what you want about goal celebrations throughout this World Cup, but the scenes in the car after finally finding a place to sleep could rival any soccer celebrations. Music blasting, seated dancing, shirt off, we pull into the parking lot at 12:30am, knowing we have an early start in the morning.

See you tomorrow,

- Elwood

June 17th - Missing Midfield Leads To Seismic Celebrations

Well the morning could have started off better.  It began with a botched Starbucks order, Peter’s incessant nagging and a strike from Aleksandar Kolarov’s hammer of a left foot defeating the Pure Vida of Costa Rica.  The good news was we had seven hours of Ohio and Indiana’s beautiful landscape to save the day.  The strategy for the day was to get to a major city (I.E. Cincinatti, Indianapolis) in time for the major World Cup game of the day.  One could argue this adds unneeded time to an already long trip, but its the World Cup.  Where is your dedication? 

First stop: Cincinnati for the afternoon game. Germany vs. Mexico: Umm.. Where was the German midfield?  Did they forget to come off the bus??  Mexico counterattacked so fast it rivaled the speed I passed out in the passengers seat after handing driving responsibilities over to Peter somewhere between Indianapolis and St. Louis.  Not only did Germany disappoint, but Mexico came to play.  Their incessant counterattacks brought back pleasant feelings of watching Salah and Mane and Firmino descend upon their opponents goal at top speed.   This was such as massive victory that the people of Mexico registered seismic activity in Mexico City due to their jumping and celebrating.  Only in the World Cup. 

Our second stop was Indianapolis.  Neymar got hit anytime he touched the ball, not a bad strategy if you’re Switzerland, Coutinho scored his standard “Coutinho goal” and free headers = tie game. Enough said.  

Finally, the real winner for today was Ralph Teetor for inventing cruise control. We are forever thankful for your ingenious invention. 

-Miguel

June 16th - Ohio’s In The World Cup?

The 3^rd day of the World Cup marks the 1^st day of our road trip. I began the day in the Dirty Jerz watching France play the mighty Socceroos of Australia. France, a powerhouse of international football underwhelmed but eventually managed to break down a stubborn Australian side winning 2-1.

Afterwards I drove down to Baltimore which was the official starting point of our cross-country excursion. And we’re off: Maryland to Pennsylvania, to West Virginia, back through Pennsylvania for some reason, and finally into Ohio where we spent our first night. We drove past mountains, valleys, and rivers, but when we reached Ohio all we encountered were long stretches of flat. Just the road, large fields, and maybe a tree or two to mix things up.

I’m aware that traveling is often glamorous. And yet, at times vacations can temporarily edge towards boring or tedious. Miguel and I have our sights set on the splendor of the Grand Canyon, the beaches of Southern California, the wilderness of Olympic National Park. But to get there we must be patient, we must trek through these Ohio cornfields together. Who knows, these dull moments may make the reward at the end even sweeter.

Similarly I recognize that while soccer truly is the beautiful game, watching France, the 7^th best team in the world fail to impress against 36^th ranked Australia somehow symbolizes the nature of the World Cup. For all of its beauty, its unbridled passion, and unparalleled skill, there are games like today. Games that at times seem a bit tedious. But to get to the Final you must be patient, you might have to sit through an occasional boring game. But who knows, these dull moments may make the reward at the end even sweeter.

See you tomorrow,

- Elwood