We made it!

Quick update for you East Coasters before you go to bed and have to go to work tomorrow. Ha ha! We are in San Diego! But after a long day of driving, we are wicked starving and heading out to the Gaslamp District for the night. It is definitely a nice feeling to finally be here. You stay classy ...

What a difference a day makes ...

From the snow-capped mountain view driving in to Flagstaff from the Grand Canyon ...

To the desert foothills along I-8 in southern Arizona ...

To the Imperial Dunes just across the California border ...

Welcome to California!

So says the sign that you can't hardly see here ...

Final facial hair update

Technical difficulties all day yesterday prevented probably the most anticipated update of them all. Yes, I was sporting a recurrence of my ever so popular pedophile mustache. You may have noticed it in Moy Moy's pictures from the previous post (and might I say they are fantastic, but no pictures can do the Canyon justice), but here is the up close and personal version that sent the women and children running for the hills. I must say the highlight of Flagstaff for me was two nights in the hot tub in single digit temperatures. I had never experienced it before, but I am sure it will not be the last time. You just can't beat that feeling. That being said, the hospitality from the related Moy Moys (specifically the Clarks) was amazing. The meals and conversation were beyond enjoyable, but alas the German settlement of San Diago awaits, and I am excited.

Wonders of the World

It's been a bit since you heard from us. Rest assured, we've been very much enjoying the company, sites and generous hospitality of Flagstaff, AZ.

Last night we had dinner with a good number of the AZ Moyer (and related) clan -- Aunt Roz, Uncle Richard, Grandma Myrtle, Shannon, Jack, Ellie and a brief appearance by Phil. The food was wonderful (Rich made lasagna with green chiles and Shannon homemade Caesar dressing -- yum!) and the company even better.

We spend this morning with my Grandma (for those of you keeping score, I beat her in dominoes -- for the first time in at least 8 years), who was happy to give Andy the guided tour of her four kids. I did notice that there weren't any pictures of me in her entire apartment -- we'll have to do something about that soon.

After visiting with Myrtle, we drove up to the Grand Canyon. Being so close, how could we not? I'm trying to resist the very strong urge to post all of the many, many pictures we took between us, but I will resist, and post only a few. (Ok, I just posted them. I lack discretion (shocker) and there are more than a few. That's what the internet is for, right??)

PS - Weighing in only briefly (I can't resist) on breakfast in Albuquerque: Andy missed out in not opting for the carne adovada with his eggs. Shredded pork with a lot of sauce -- excellent red chile flavor (spicy!) that dyed my fingers a lovely bright orange, and fresh tortillas to sop it up with (A did have those). I seriously considered buying in bulk, and I will be back.

Hoos/Hokies rivalry alive out west

Moy Moy's got us cruising along 40 West in Arizona when who should we run up on but an Infiniti with Virginia tags and a Virginia Tech license plate holder. Well she latched onto their back bumper, and I scrambled to make the sign pictured above. Once complete, Moy Moy hopped out into the left lane, pulled up along side them, and honked. I had the sign displayed proudly in the window. Confusion quickly turned to disgust in their faces as they realized what was happening. Moy Moy then sped up and slid over in front of them. Lo and behold, here they come right back alongside us holding a Tech sweatshirt in the window. This is not over Hokies ...

I'm dreaming of a white 5th of January

This morning we ate at another Roadfood-recommended establishment, Frontier Restaurant in Albuquerque. It is right across the street from UNM. You wait in line to order and then a flashing green light tells you which register to report to, you receive a number, and an electronic board displays when your order is ready. The food was delicious. I had scrambled eggs, hash browns, and tortillas. One of my tortillas I filled with strawberry jam. With the other I braved their chili. It was very good and awfully spicy, but I survived. If you know me, you know this is an accomplishment.

We're rapidly approaching the Arizona border, and everything is covered in snow. Today so far has had the best scenery, and I have been snapping pictures at a rapid clip. It will be interesting to see how many actually turn out. More snow and very cold temperatures await us in Flagstaff. Little do they know, my fu manchu without soul (patch) awaits them. I think the lack of soul is an upgrade, but let's face it a fu looks good regardless.

The Land of Enchantment

After the very lengthy trip from Dallas to Albuquerque, we managed to squeeze in a fair amount of stuff tonight. We started at El Pinto (recommended to Moy Moy by a friend), a Mexican (and I use the term loosely) restaurant. It was very good, but I can't vouch for its authenticity as there was a picture of the owners (Jim and John Thomas) on the front of the menu. Also, my meal came with a side of French Fries, which was fantastic, but probably not a transplant from the heart of Mexico City. The food was good though, and my margarita was basically pure alcohol. My only complaint would be not enough rice.

Then we ran over to the casino at the Indian reservation we had to drive through to get to the restaurant. I managed to convert the $40 I had into $130 (picture is me admiring my winnings) in the course of about 30-45 minutes through a perfectly executed strategy of quarter slots and Blackjack. I knew it was a sign when the dealer was wearing a Philip Rivers jersey. From there, we decided to celebrate my instant fortune by heading to Kelly's Brewery, but apparently it doubles as a dance school on Sunday nights. While I was ready to practice my Samba, Megan suggested we try Two Fools Tavern across the street. There we enjoyed pints of the local pale ale and tried to learn the rules of rugby watching the London Wasps take on the Harlequins but to no avail. Sightseeing in the city and the relatively short drive to Flagstaff await us tomorrow. Until then ...

Overdue pictures

The first picture is the inside of the limo from my phone. It is quite realistic as the blurriness is representative of the way I saw it.

The second picture is the fu with a little bit of soul. Face, I just don't think I can pull it off anywhere near as well as you.

Clear Eyes, Full Hearts

First, a programming note: We were a bit light with the blogging today, due to technical difficulties (by 'technical difficulties', I mean the computer was on and unplugged all night, and had no juice left). We'll try to be better the rest of the way.

And be sure to check out the edited version of the last post for the obligatory Andy's Facial Hair shot of the day!

Andy's already covered football, beer and women (what else is there, really?), so just a couple of notes on how we spent the rest of our time in Dallas ...

After sleeping in a bit yesterday morning, we headed to Cuba Libre for chips and drinks for lunch. As A promised, the plantain chips were delicious. I wouldn't have guessed that something dusted with cinnamon and sugar would taste good with avocado ranch, but I would have been wrong!

Next, we headed out to Fort Worth, to visit the Stockyard. Let's just say that Fort Worth is a bit further away than it looks on the map ...

About the only landmark of note along the drive was Texas Stadium (unimpressive). Alas, we missed the Stockyards cattle drive, but we did sneak around back to check out the long horns, and caught a couple of them locking horns.

All cowboyed out (it doesn't take much), we rushed back to Dallas proper for dinner at Javier's, A's favorite restaurant anywhere. To be honest, I can't tell you anymore what Andy or his dad had for dinner -- I was too distracted by my mole poblano. Not terribly spicy (darn), but a lovely dark red sauce over tender bone-in skinless chicken. Good stuff all around! (And thank you for dinner, Mr. Radford!)

Most of the day today was spent driving through west Texas, and it was about as exciting as you might expect. I took the first shift, then dozed while Andy rolled us through Amarillo. Only thing worth commenting on were the cotton fields. I've never seen them before. The harvested fields are dotted with gigantic cubes of cotton, similar to hay bails (I'm a midwesterner, after all, that is my nearest point of reference). Anyone know how they're made?

We're in Albuquerque now, settling in to the hotel and getting ready for dinner. Tomorrow morning will be a bit of site seeing in Albuquerque before we head for Flagstaff, snow, and the Clarks, who have generously agreed to host us.

Have a good night, y'all!

San Diego Super Chargers!

On the road again, and Moy Moy is driving because I'm still drunk from the victory celebration.

What a game!

The elder Fjord (in town for a company meeting) met us out for dinner and then accompanied us to McKinney Avenue Tavern for the big game. I was drastically outnumbered as there were Colts fans everywhere, and I was the only identified Bolts fan. Baggy and Wiggle met us at the bar after flying in from Colorado, and it was good to see them after what seems like quite a while. After several Miller Lites and excessive table pounding, the little big man Darren Sproles broke loose.

Post game Moy and the future Bagdens went home, and I was given strict instructions that we were to leave at 8:30 in the morning (remarkably I was ready to leave before 9, so I consider that a victory).

But the night was young and Norv's genius needed to be celebrated. The Radford men were left to fend for themselves. In looking for our next stop, I believe we walked nearly every square foot of Dallas. We finally settled on West End Pub (ironic). The guy playing guitar then played the worst rendition of "Hey Jude" we've ever heard, and it sent us scrambling for the door. At this point it was quite late and I was disappointed that I had found no other Chargers fans to share in the glory, so we went to the most sensible place - Hooters.

We shut that place down and tried to get into House of Blues, but they said it was exit only at that point. I think they were Manning sympathizers, so it was back to my dad's hotel where I dropped him off and then I hitched a ride in a stretch Hummer limo back to Baggy's (nothing but the best). The two young ladies I shared it with were much better dressed than me and did not seem to be too interested in conversing with me. Upon returning to Baggy's, I luckily was able to sneak through the gate behind a car right before I was about to scale the fence.

A great night all around!

Albuquerque here we come, and you better be ready for the fu!

I love big D

Not too much change on the beard front, I just lost the chops. I think it legitimizes the goatee because let's face it I can't pull off the sideburns.

Today is a huge day. We are about to head to Cuba Libre for the best plantain chips you can find. Followed by some sightseeing at the Fort Worth Stockyards to try to take advantage of the beautiful 76 degree sunny weather. Then it's off to my favorite restaurant anywhere - Javier's. Of course at 7 our time, the event of all events. Your, my, America's Super Chargers take the field, and I will be ready. I hope you will be too and cheering on those powder blues!

As a side note, this post was made markedly more difficult as Baggy's cat has been lying on the keyboard and cozying up to my hand the whole time. She's quite the little blogger.

A day filled with disappointments

I believe today is the longest leg of the trip, and unfortunately there have been a couple of downers along the way:
- As Moy Moy mentioned, we drove by Graceland, but I would have much rather seen JT's home. We did not even see one mention of the greatest entertainer of our generation in his hometown
- Arkansas has to be one of the dullest places I've seen lately, and it was also foggy the whole way through
- I had very much been looking forward to finding original Coors in Texarkana while singing "East Bound and Down" only to find it is in a dry county

Luckily we are cruising through Texas now with their nighttime speed limit (seems odd) en route to one of my favorite places - Dallas. Many great things I'm sure await us, and tomorrow there is no driving!

Memphi-Q

A & R Bar-B-Que: "Anyone can put the heat 2 the meat but only a few can bar-b-que."

We stopped for lunch in Memphis, and finally made it to a Roadfood-recommended eatery: A&R Bar-B-Que. Straightforward but delicious slow-cooked barbecue. We both had the pork sandwich (me hot with slaw, Andy mild without). No-frills place, friendly but efficient staff. And A managed to find some kin folk -- or at least kindred spirits -- in a couple of Kentucky fans from his Pa's home town. Good times.

We did a quick Graceland drive-by before we headed back to the highway. At $10 to park, though, we weren't able to snap a pic (and I certainly wasn't ready to fork over the $28 to walk around!).

Andy's driving again now; headed for Texarkana and the coveted Coors (little does he know Texarkana TX is in a dry county ...).

Oh, and a note to our anonymous commenters: Sign you comments so we know who you are! And keep 'em coming.

Wheels

Next time we drive cross country, this is the way we'll do it. Only question is who'll be driving and who'll be in the sidecar ...

What a good look

The long-awaited first facial hair update is here. Ladies, don't worry what you're feeling is perfectly natural, but please don't do anything impulsive with your significant others. Stay tuned as the beard continues to get trimmed down.

Nashville: Better than Milwaukee

By all accounts our night in Nashville was a successful one. The whole team enjoyed the amenities at the Courtyard, with free parking and breakfast courtesy of Andy's gold status. Good location, too -- it was great to get out of the car and walk around after a long day on the road.

First stop was, of course, food. We put in calls to a number of the dives, BBQ and soul food joints recommended by Roadfood, but we were once again foiled by the holiday. Instead we turned to the list of 10 Best Bars in Nashville, and hit up number two on the list, Broadway Brewhouse (and Mojo). Good call. A sign the front door declared "This is a smoking establishment", and with nearly 40 beers on draft, this was my kind of dive bar.

Anxious to try out the local suds, we ordered from the selection of Yazoo Brewing Company, straight outta Nashville. Both enjoyed the Pale Ale. Andy then stumbled in picking the sub-par Hefeweizen, while I sipped on the tasty Mexican-style Dos Perros.

Turning to food, both were happy with our choices. Andy checked out the Chicken Queso (grilled chicken over rice and -- of course -- cheese). Three of his favorite things on one plate. I ordered up the Sante Fe Chicken Sandwich. Shredded smoked chicken with a bit of a kick and vaguely southwestern pepper sauce on the side. I was impressed with how tender and flavorful the meet was.

This was also, it should be noted, the point in the evening when -- after scoring on their first drive -- it looked like Cincinnati might be able to stick it to VT. Times were good. Alas, the Cincy QB started throwing to Tech as often as to his own team, and it was all down hill from there. Andy did, however, develop a well-deserved crush on the Bearcats' Mardy Galyard. He's a WR; maybe the Lions'll take him in the draft next year.

After our fill of Broadway, we headed out in search of the Tin Roof, which advertised live music 6 days a week. Sadly, this was not one of those days, and the bar wasn't even open.

On the way over to Music Row, though, we ran across Buddy Killen Circle. A warned me to get back -- we better not both be in the circle at the same time or it's anything goes. All kidding aside, we shouldn't make fun of the man's name. He produced a lot of great songs in Nashville, not the least of which is "Ain't Gonna Bump No More (w/ No Big Fat Woman)".

After striking out at the Tin Roof we ended the night at Dan McGuinness' drowning our Orange Bowl sorrows in Smithwick's (me) and Woodchuck Cider (Andy).

On the road again now. Next stop: Memphis.

Day 2

Good morning!

We're still in Nashville, fixin' to get out of here soon. (As Andy said, "Beauty is hard work." We're a little slow getting started this morning.)

More on our night in Nashville (with pictures!) from the road, but a quick technical note: Some of you were having trouble leaving comments, and we want to hear from you all we can. I changed the settings so that one does not have to be registered in order to leave a comment. Hopefully that'll solve the problem.

And while I'm here, a quick question: Smokey and the Bandit. Heard of it? Shocked that I haven't? Discuss.

See y'all (virtually) on the road!

Fail.

Sun setting on 40 West

We are about 2 hours from the completion of our first day. Whether you are envious of our journey or think we're crazy, you may be asking yourself, "What does it look like out there on the road?"

The first picture is my perspective while driving that I snapped as the road led directly towards a very scenic mountain. I am not sure my cameraphone fully captured the moment.

The second picture represents my UK pride and is the more tasteful of my gestures captured on film. Fear not though, we have left the Axis of Exil (Knoxville and Blacksburg) far behind.

Our latest diversion involved my abrupt demand to exit because I saw a sign for Frozen Head State Park. Upon exiting, we encountered a hitchhiker with a large duffel bag heading in the park's direction. Unfortunately, I found on the GPS that it was 13 miles away, so I was not that interested in learning the story behind the name. Also, I have no idea as to whether that guy was on his way to collect a frozen head or deposit one.

Peace, Virginia

Tennessee welcomes us!


And we both made it!

So far so good ... we're headed in the right direction (west, for those of you keeping score at home), and have only heard "at the first opportunity, make a legal u-turn" a couple of times.

For our first restaurant review, A would like to report that the wheat bread from the Subway in Troutville VA was a bit to crumbly (the Mazda agrees, but the first mess of many over the next couple of days, I'm sure), and the ham was mediocre. Service was top notch (and well-decorated -- the baby feet tattoos on his forearm were adorable), though.

We hope to do better for dinner. The plan is to stop for an early meal in Knoxville at Litton's Market & Restaurant. Roadside Food reports that it is "the most famous hamburger restaurant in the mid-South." Sounds good to me!

If we're making good time perhaps we'll take a quick swing through Knoxville and the UT campus, where the Web site advises us that Knoxville gets 47" of rain a year, and we'd best bring along a bumbershoot. I take it that's an umbrella 'round these parts. Looks like sunny skies all the way today, though.

Oh, and in case you were concerned, our faithful companion is still hanging in there. Here his is mugging with an honor-our-troops art piece at the Welcome to Tennessee Center.

On the road!

All right ladies and gentle skin, we are off and running, Moy Moy with her coffee and me with my Gatorade. Despite lots of fun at Wally's last night, we were able to leave at a decent time. The GPS lady targets our arrival in Cashville at 8:07, and nothing but blue sky ahead ...