Life with Mary and Jay
Documenting our adventures and enjoying time in the not-so-fast lane.
Tag: travel
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Route 66, Day 8: Kingman, AZ to Las Vegas, NV
We woke up in Kingman and reset the truck as we prepped for later tonight, Las Vegas. We filled up with gas at a surprisingly decent price, $4.35, and grabbed a quick breakfast at McDonald’s so we could get on the road- and we quickly realized we were seeing west coast prices! An Egg…
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Route 66, Day 7: Gallup, NM to Kingman, AZ
We started the morning in Gallup, NM. We grabbed some coffee and immediately headed towards the Petrified Forest National Park. We have stopped here before but it’s one of my absolutely favorite National Parks, so we are making the stop again. It’s so amazing to me that wood, over millions of years, petrified to now…
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Route 66, Day 6: Tucumcari to Gallup, NM
We started the day in Tucumcari, and checked out a few iconic places along Route 66. We stopped at the Blue Swallow Motel, which was just adorable, and the gentleman working was such a delight. He mentioned he was raised in the suburbs of Chicago, but loves New Mexico; and he even chuckled when he…
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Route 66, Day 5: Edmond, OK to Tucumcari, NM
We started the day off in Edmond, OK and visited Pop’s Soda Ranch in Acadia. It’s basically a fun and silly convenience store with lots of random sodas and snacks. They also have a 66 ft soda the statue outside that I’ve heard looks beautiful when it is lit up in the evening. We made…
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Route 66, Day 4: Springfield, Missouri to Edmond, Oklahoma
Day 4 of our Route 66 adventure was packed with iconic stops, friendly faces, and some of the most memorable roadside attractions we’ve seen so far! We started our morning in Springfield, Missouri, with a visit to the Springfield Route 66 Visitor Center. Before hitting the road, we continued our painted rock tradition by leaving…
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Route 66, Day 3: St. Louis to Springfield, Missouri
Day 3 on our Route 66 adventure was packed with iconic stops, unexpected discoveries, and plenty of laughs as we made our way from St. Louis to Springfield, Missouri. We started the morning at the Gateway Arch (and the Arch’s museum) in St. Louis, taking in the incredible views of this engineering feat and reflecting…
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Route 66, Day 2: Joliet to St. Louis
Yesterday was Day 2 of our Route 66 adventure! We began in Joliet and made our way to St. Louis, packing in plenty of stops along the way. We started the morning with visits to the Illinois Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Museum on Route 66 and the Joliet Area Historical Museum. I’m going…
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Discovering Illinois Rock History at the Illinois Rock & Roll Museum on Route 66
For music lovers, history enthusiasts, and anyone fascinated by the stories behind the artists who shaped generations, the Illinois Rock & Roll Museum on Route 66 offers a remarkable journey through the state’s rich musical heritage. Located in the heart of Joliet, the museum celebrates the performers, venues, radio personalities, and cultural moments that helped…
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Route 66 – Day 1!
We kicked off this trip by checking another National Park off our list with a stop at Indiana Dunes National Park. From there, we continued on to Chicago, where we officially picked up Route 66. After snapping a quick photo to commemorate the moment, we headed west toward Joliet. Before checking into our hotel, we…
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Second Anniversary: Florida, Bern’s Steakhouse, Family, & back to Virginia!
July 1, 2023 July 3 is our anniversary! So, what better way to celebrate than with some of our favorite family members (and one of our favorite restaurants) in Florida! Florida has always held a special place in my heart, but not because of the weather or heat, nor Disney or the beach. But, instead…
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8,000 miles!
As of Feb. 4, 2023, when we arrived at Little Rock Central High, we hit 8,000 miles that we have traveled by truck since we began our journey, Aug. 15, 2022. And in seven days from today, we will hit six-months since we have been traveling, and in this time we: And, we have seen:…
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Crater of Diamonds
As soon as we saw that Arkansas had a place where you could dig for your own diamonds and precious gems we knew we had to go and we had the chance to go, Jan. 21. Crater of Diamonds State Park is located in Murfreesboro, Arkansas and is about an hour from where we are…
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Grand Canyon (North Rim)
Sept. 22, 2022 As we continued making our way out west, we made a plan to stop at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. This was a bucket list item for both of us. On our way, we passed Las Vegas – although, this was much to my dismay. ha! If you aren’t familiar…
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Utah or bust!
We drove from Lower Burrell, Pennsylvania to Salt Lake City, Utah over three days, Sept. 15-17, 2022. Over those three days, we drove 1,915 miles through eight states! PennsylvaniaOhioIndianaIllinoisIowaNebraskaWyomingUtah Whew! It was wonderful seeing the country – but we drove the entire 1,915 miles over three days – and most of these miles were on…
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Pittsburgh wrap-up
We stayed in Pittsburgh for one month. During our time, we rented an Airbnb in Lower Burrell, PA and had lots of great experiences. While there, we shopped at the Giant Eagle, which is a great grocery store! I’ll miss the Eagle! haha! It was very clean, the employees were helpful, and the store had…
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Loss and grief
If you have been following along, you may have noticed that we were posting to this blog quite regularly in Pennsylvania, but then we suddenly stopped. Unfortunately, our family experienced a loss and everything that came along with it, and it took us time to grieve the loss, and help the immediate family members with…
Life with Mary and Jay 