5.11.10 // MOVIN' RIGHT ALONG

It seems like forever since my last blog entry..probably because it has been forever. This isn't for lack of inspiration. I've been busy driving cross-country with my friend Hayley for the past few weeks and haven't been able to set much time aside for all of the internet antics that I usually partake in. I do have some free time at the moment, so I wanted to post some photos that highlight our trip so far. We're currently in Portland, Oregon and will be heading down the coast of California over the next week or so until we hit our final destination. So without further adieu.. May I present to you, a collection of (very) random photos:

It seemed appropriate that our first tank of gas would be the number of contiguous states in America!

best . home fries . ever

Our first official stop was in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The way the Amish live is so simple and focused. It was nice to be around it.

We checked out Pigeon Forge, Tennessee - the homes of Dollywood!

While Hayley and I were driving in Memphis, my steering wheel suddenly became a million times more difficult than usual to move. Turns out that my power steering belt snapped! It was late and dark and we were on our way to Beale Street (the happening downtown part of Memphis) and eager to get our dance on, so we GPSed the nearest mechanic. We should have known that a shop called "Thong's" was going to be trouble.

Mr. Thong got the job done, but the experience was more than a little frightening.

Folks in New Orleans have style for miles..

After New Orleans we drove to Austin, Texas. I LOVE it there. Such a great vibe with all the music and creativity and young people.

My cousin works at an awesome barbershop in Austin called Birds. I made sure to visit there while visiting her!

We made sure to eat A LOT on our trip. One of the most unique foods I tried was fried avocado. Sounds.. well, it sounded delicious to me (but probably gross to a lot of people).. The fried avocado was served out of a food cart in an area where there were a bunch of food carts serving all types of food. One of them even served cupcakes, which pretty much made my entire week.

My cousin, Jessica (she's the one of the right making the "oh..hey!" pose) took Hayley and I to see a concert at a venue called The Moose Lodge. It was one of those fraternity/elk/old men playing cards type of places.. and the music was excellent.
From Austin we headed to Marfa, Texas.. a little artist community in the middle of nowhere. We stayed in a teepee at a place called El Cosmico. We also saw the Marfa Lights, which are just outrageously weird. The only thing that I forgot to pack for my move was my camera charger, which I ended up needing after my camera died in Austin. Thus, I have no pictures of the quirkiness of Marfa. All I can say is that it's worth the drive through nothing to visit. After Marfa we visited the Grand Canyon (which I also sadly have no pictures of). It was my second time visiting and I was just as blown away by it's beauty as I was on my first visit. Next stop.. Vegas!

We visited The Neon Museum - I like to call it "The Neon Graveyard"- which is home to a bunch of old Vegas signs.. in case you didn't guess that.. It was pretty incredible and definitely a fun place to take pictures (especially since I got my charger by the time we got to town).
From Vegas we headed up to Portland, Oregon. What a thrift shoppers dream that place is! I'm also pretty sure that my car-loving soulmates all live in Portland. Everyone drove a Volvo station wagon, VW Vanagon, or an old Mercedes. I loved it! Here's a guy who travels around singing for money. I thought he was pretty awesome.. not to mention well dressed!We drove down to the Oregon dunes in Florence, Oregon after visiting Portland. It was so beautiful! I've decided that I'm going to become a professional sandboarder.

From Oregon, we took the drive down to California. California photos will be coming soon.. Until then, MORE FASHION!