South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio

South Dakota

Shortly after entering South Dakota we arrived at the famous Mount Rushmore. Mount Rushmore is a mountain in which the faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt have been engraved. The mountain is an international tourist location, and is extremely commercialized. In my opinion Mount Rushmore is overrated and over exaggerated. The mountain is worth stopping by if one is already passing by, but not worth a trip by itself.

After Mount Rushmore we drove down the road to the Crazy Horse monument. Crazy Horse was a Native American chief who had gained much respect from the locals. The statue when finished will be the world’s biggest statue. Sadly, the statue has been under construction for the past sixty-five years, and has no end in sight. Once again, this memorial is not worth a trip in and of itself.

We were extremely let down by the monuments, and were starting to realize the reason that the plain states had very low populations. We decided to continue on our way to the Badlands towards the end of the day hoping to have a better end to a disappointing day.

The Badlands received its name because of its inhabitability. In all languages, including the local Native American language, it is call the Bad Lands. The terrain has stone spires that rise from the ground making it hard to walk around. At the edge of the spire’s area begins the grassy plains where wild deer and goats eat. According to the park information signs several settlers tried to inhabit the grassy plain, but could not grow crops in the ground. Eventually the settlers abandoned the Badlands, like everyone before them.

While in the Badlands we met two Hassid guys, and an engineer from North Dakota.  The engineer is planning to have spent a week in every state by next October finishing his several year hobby. We exchanged experiences about our trips. The Hassids didn’t talk much, so we couldn’t really connect with them.

We continued our trip towards Minneapolis in Minnesota, and slept in the car once we were exhausted and could not go further.

Minnesota

We stopped at a gas station in the morning to go to the bathroom, and wash up. Tani bought himself a cookie. While Tani was eating his cookie he put the car into reverse in order to start pulling out of the gas station. While backing up he didn’t realize the eighteen wheeler right behind us, and backed up into it. He jumped out of the car to assess to the damage, and once he saw that there was none began to return to the car. A State Trooper who was filling up on gas saw Tani returning, and told him to wait for the truck driver to return before driving away as required by law. The driver returned, and thought that his truck had been ruined, because of the commotion. Once he had assessed the damage himself, and realized that there was none he told us to drive off. This was the only time we were approached by law enforcement.

We drove into Minneapolis, and spent the afternoon in the Mall of America. The Mall of America is the world’s biggest mall with hundreds of stores and an amusement park in the center. There are nice hotels all around the mall.

Wisconsin

We crossed over to Wisconsin, during the day. I would write where we slept every night, but at this point we were sleeping in the car and I do not remember the exact places. We tried to find things to do in Wisconsin, but from what we understood from the internet there is not much to do. We just passed through.

Illinois

We Arrived in Chicago at around noon, and made the mistake of driving Downtown. The City is amazing, but extremely congested. Its citizens have no sense of pedestrian safety, and walk in front of moving vehicles.

We drove to the Bean and next to America’s tallest building. Tani wanted to go to the top of the tower, but I have a fear of heights. The Freedom Tower in New York City will be the tallest tower, but it is not completely finished at the moment. The Chicago Olympic Park is full of great art and structure, including the bean.

We decided to spend the afternoon at a beach on the great lakes so we continued our drive out of the city.

Indiana

Being back near the east coast meant being back with the toll roads, which was a bummer for me. We drove through Indiana until we reached Michigan.

Michigan

We drove into Michigan and spent a half an hour on the beach before we got bored and started driving again. We started driving towards Detroit, as Waze was directing us. We realized that Waze was taking us through Canada to Niagara Falls. I didn’t want to go through customs with our whole car, so I personally refused to let us go. Tani was not too thrilled about my irrational decision, but respected it. So we changed our route, and came down towards Ohio.

Ohio

Now we were intent on arriving in Niagara Falls as quickly as possible, because being in the car and the trip as a whole was becoming psychologically hard on me. We passed next to Cleveland, and continued driving until we decided to sleep.

Nevada Again, Holy Mormon Utah, Potatoe Idaho, and Yellow Wyoming

Nevada

 

On the way back across the country we once again drove through Nevada. Being back in Desert Nevada was a big difference to Green California. This time, though, through the north. We drove through Reno, but were not too impressed after being in Las Vegas for a week.

 

It was Friday, and we were worried we would not make it to Salt Lake City before the Sabbath. The afternoon was reaching its end, so we pulled over in Battle Mountain Nevada and spent the Sabbath in a motel there. We didn’t leave the room, and slept through most of it. After the Sabbath we continued to Salt Lake City.

 

Utah

 

The next morning we toured the Temple Square. The Mormon Temple is treated as their Holy Temple, so we were not allowed to enter. We learned about Mormonism, and its prophet Joseph Smith who died in the mid nineteenth century. They had many paintings and statues of Jesus Christ, and in the downstairs of the visitor center there is an explanation about the Book of Mormon (the Mormon expansion to the Holy Bible).

 

There are many free tours and guides that explain Mormonism to you as you walk through the Temple Square. They have representatives in many different languages, and each representative has a flag of the country that they originate from. Around sixty four percent of Utah is Mormon, so the religion is a fundamental part of Utahan history.

 

At the end of our tour we wanted to take a Book of Mormon in Hebrew as a souvenir, because they hand them out in different languages for free. Unfortunately, they have not translated it to Hebrew yet, and according to the guides it is one of the few languages that doesn’t have a translation of the Book of Mormon. We took an English copy.

 

Idaho

 

After the deserts of Nevada and Utah Idaho was a beautiful change in scenery. We passed through the state on our way north towards Yellowstone National Park. The state was extremely hilly because of the Rockies that pass through it. We were glad to find out that the state is known for its potatoes.

 

Wyoming

 

After many hours of driving from Salt Lake City, through Idaho, all the way to Yellowstone we finally made it. On the way we had already ordered a campsite, and we arrived there with around two hours of daylight to spare.

 

We checked in at the campground, and received our weather warnings and bear safety guidelines. We had been told that as recently as the night before they had spotted a bear running through the campground.

 

We decided to take advantage of our extra two hours, and went to see Old Faithful. On the way down we passed through different geyser areas. Geysers give this strange feeling of being on a different planet because of the way their bubbling and spraying, and they reek of Methane. We missed Old Faithful by around five minutes, and had to wait an hour and a half until the next one. Old Faithful shoots around nine meters into the air and it is actually very fun to watch.

 

We returned to the campsite after it was already dark. We set up the tent quickly, and ate a beautiful dinner of what we hadn’t eaten yet from my Aunt Wynne. After dinner we switched into our thermal clothing knowing that it was going to be literally freezing at night. I woke up several times at night because my sleeping bag was wet at the bottom, and the cold was hurting my feet. In the morning we woke to find that our tent had a sheet of ice over it.

 

After packing our supplies in the car we began our drive around Yellowstone. We drove through forests, over rivers, and on the sides of mountains. We saw herds of bison, and even came right up to a buffalo that was standing on the side of the road. We also learned that bison and buffalo are the same exact animal. Many people were fly fishing, and others hiking or taking pictures. We drove to the top of Yellowstone, and then came down on the eastern side. We drove through snowcapped mountains, and saw the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. Once reaching the bottom of Yellowstone we sat by the lake for a little while, and skipped stones over the water.

 

We decided to continue our drive after spending the day in Yellowstone. On our way out of Yellowstone we saw the saddest forest ever. The whole area had been burnt in a forest fire years prior leaving behind nothing, except for miles upon miles of black burnt trees.

 

Once we left Yellowstone we began our actual drive through Wyoming. This was our first exposure to the Plains. Wyoming is one of America’s bigger states, but it has the nation’s smallest population with only half a million residents. We passed through a town of only ten people, or so said its town sign. We drove through Wyoming until we arrived at a town, and stayed in a cottage. This would be our final time sleeping in a bed until we reached Maine.

 

The next morning we continued our drive through the plains towards South Dakota to go to Mount Rushmore.

Golden California

California

We saw many different places in California, so this article will be set up in a more orderly way.

Death Valley

We don’t know the exact point where we crossed into California, but once we entered Death Valley we understood that we already had. Death Valley is the hottest area we have entered yet at one hundred and fifteen degrees Fahrenheit. The valley is the lowest point in the United States, while the Dead Sea is the lowest in the world. The Dead Sea is around five times deeper than Death Valley. There are almost no animals, plants, or any kind of life in the valley because of its extreme heat and dryness.

Death Valley is extremely spacious, and it took us most the day to drive through it. We saw its beautiful viewpoints from the mountain tops and the salt beds on its valley floor.

The only problem with Death Valley is the fact that all the prices in the stores and gas stations within it are double if not triple the normal price everywhere else in the states. Tani was so angry at the gas station he started making comments loud enough so the clerk can hear about the outrages gas prices.

On the way out of Death Valley we passed through the town of Trona. It is probably the saddest place on Earth. The town is a modern ghost town. Eighty percent of Trona have moved down to the bigger town of Ridgecrest, and left behind everything. They couldn’t sell their homes, so they just boarded the houses up and left.

We spent the night in Ridgecrest. While we were in Ridgecrest Tani asked the local clerk how to get to Sequoia. He didn’t know how to explain the directions exactly, and the man behind Tani in line was inpatient about buying his rolling paper for his joint. At a certain point the man could not wait any longer, and told Tani that Sequoia was a few minutes up the street to get him to leave. We knew this was a lie because it was a several hour drive.  

Sequoia

Sequoia was a nice change to the deserts we had been spending time in for the previous weeks. The park has a beautiful river and an amazing forest filled with the biggest trees we have ever seen.

The Sequoia Tree is the world’s largest tree. It’s shorter than the Red Wood trees, but its trunk is so wide that in volume it’s much bigger and weighs a lot more. After seeing the Sequoia Trees I feel like all other trees are miniature in comparison.

Los Angeles

We spent the night of Sequoia in Los Angeles.

Los Angeles is a very modern and amazing city, and we spent four days there. On the first night we just went to sleep, but the rest of the time we toured. We decided to use public transportation after experiencing the “lovely” drive down the 405, which is in a perpetual standstill no matter what hour of the day.

On the second day we walked the Walk of Fame, and saw the stars of entertainers engraved into the ground. We passed by the Chinese Theater, and saw the hand prints of the same entertainers. At six-thirty we went on a tour of Hollywood, and of the stars’ homes in Beverly Hills. Our tour guide was hilarious, and extremely friendly. We probably took the worst and cheapest tour there, but it was still worth it.

On the way back to our hotel room at the Marriott Courtyard of Sherman Oaks, which we received as a gift from Danny Shimoff for two nights, we stopped at Universal City. The shopping center is filled with neon lights and is very nice.

On the third day Tani and I split up. Tani went to Venice Beach, and I went to visit my old sergeant Tal Shani in UCLA. My sergeant is living his American Pie dream in a fraternity house on campus, even though he doe not actually learn there. We ate lunch together, and caught up on current events in the unit.

At four o’clock Tani and I met up back at the hotel and relaxed for a bit before setting out again. That evening met up with Batel Pessach who was in Sheirut Leumi in Los Angeles and we went out for dinner.

On our last day in LA we went to Venice Beach. The beach is packed with Dr. Green shops where a real doctor finds a medical problem in order to issue you your medicinal marijuana permit. There are street performers, homeless people, singers, and artists all along the boardwalk.

We watched a show of street dancers which was hilarious, because the MC constantly made fun of white people. The performers brought up volunteers from the audience, and had them dancing in ridiculous ways. The MC constantly reminded us to tip them so they won’t end up either in the poorhouse or in our house.

 We then watched a man walk on glass shards, as he made fun of all the audience watching him. He was constantly making fun of the German and Asian in the audience. After he walked the glass there was blood on the ground see he obviously was hurt from the stunt. I felt sorry for the man that this was how he had to make a living.

Route 1

The Pacific Ocean is extremely cold which makes it a bit difficult to swim, but that does not mean that it doesn’t have amazing sights. Many areas of the road are cliffs overlooking the ocean. The Big Spur is probably one of the most beautiful areas in all of America, so far. You can look down to the ocean, and see the natural beaches with rocks and boulders.

The trip up to San Francisco is very long so we had to split the drive into two, so we slept in San Luis Obispo.

San Francisco

We stayed by my amazing Aunt Wynne in Atherton, right outside of San Francisco. She took us on tours of San Francisco everyday. As we arrived we went for a swim in her pool, watched a movie in my Uncle Mark’s personal home movie theater (which beats an actual movie theater in audio and image quality), and then prepared for the Sabbath. During the Sabbath we rested, but the second it ended we hit up Palo Alto. We were surprised, but it did actually have bars.

On Sunday we entered for the first time into San Fran, as we have come to call it. The city is extremely diverse, and has been so since it came to be. It is the result of a melting pot of many different people and cultures that came to seek their fortunes during the Californian Gold Rush. San Francisco accepted everyone, and discriminated against none.

We saw the wealthy areas of Pacific Heights, and had a beer in the homosexual section of Castro Street.  We saw bison at the Central Park of San Fran, and ate lunch at a Farmers’ Market by the bay. We drove across the Golden Gate Bridge, and even walked across part of it.

To end the perfect day we ate an amazing dinner prepared by my aunt, and watched an episode of Naked and Afraid with my Aunt Wynne and Uncle Mark. The show is about a couple, man and woman, that have never met, and they need to survive for twenty one days together naked in the wilderness (don’t worry it’s censored).

On Monday we toured Silicon Valley. We saw Google, Facebook, and Apple’s main facilities. Each place has a unique feel to it which you wouldn’t think a job would have. Google looks more like a resort than a workplace.

While at Facebook Tani really had to go to the bathroom, so he tried to enter the building. The guard at the entrance told Tani that there are no bathrooms in the building. It’s amazing in my opinion that Facebook surgically modifies their workers not to go to the bathroom.

We also went to an Apple store for the first time. We found it slightly funny that they use I-Pads in order to advertise their I-Pads. We also went to a computer history museum, but unfortunately it was closed so we only walked around the lobby which was still interesting.

 At the end of the day once again we had an amazing meal, and watched an episode of Married at First Sight. The show is about three couples that agree to a social experiment in which they are married without ever having met their spouses.

On Tuesday we went to Alcatraz Prison. The prison is on an island, so the only access is by boat. The prison looks a terrible place to have to spend your sentence, and it was home to some of the worst criminals of the twentieth century. We took the audio tour, which was surprisingly good. We learned of the different inmates, and of their escape attempts. We learned how the guards dealt with the inmates.

On Wednesday we went for a ride with my Uncle Mark in his Ferrari, which was one of the coolest things I have ever done. The acceleration could literally cause someone to pass out. The car is built so the driver has no reason to take his hand off of the steering wheel because at such high speeds it is too dangerous.

Afterwards we went with my Aunt Wynne to do some last minute shopping before we drove out the next day.

Yosemite

On Thursday we drove to Yosemite. We saw its half-dome, and drove through the valley. It has tons of forest, and its views beat any park we have been to so far.

We spent the night in a campground next to Lake Lundy right outside of Yosemite.

Lake Tahoe

We woke up early, and drove to Lake Tahoe. Lake Tahoe is extremely clear, and if it’s not too deep you can see right through it. We hiked down to the beach of Emerald Bay, and took some pictures. After around an hour we continued on our way to Salt Lake City Utah.

Navajo Arizona, Heavenly Utah, and Sin City Nevada

Arizona

Arizona is a very interesting state. Sadly, we only stayed in northern Arizona which is known as the Indian Country for the many native Navajo Indians that live there. On the first night we stayed in a town called Holbrook, Arizona.

Arizona has no reception so we had to navigate with maps, like in the army. We only got lost twice, so it wasn’t too bad.

Arizona is the only place in the USA, and probably in the world, that doesn’t do daylight savings time. We did not know this fact when we entered, so we had a bit of a problem on the first night. After being confused by all the clocks showing different times we went and asked the front desk what time it is. They explained how Arizona works.

The next day we drove to the Petrified Forest. On the way we were lost due to the GPS bringing us on unpaved dirt roads that do not exist anymore. After an hour we found the correct route and continued. The Petrified Forest is not actually a forest, but it is still pretty cool. It has wooden logs that are over three hundred million years old, and with time were coated in minerals that preserved and petrified the wood.

After the Petrified Forest we continued to Monument Valley on the border with Utah. This park has many tourists, and it is run by the Navajo Indians. It has spires and mountain tops in different beautiful formations. These forms are not sculpted, and are completely natural. It felt like being in an episode of Coyote and Road Runner. The path is seventeen miles long and can only be done by car.

We continued the drive that night towards Antelope Canyon. We stopped at a gas station to ask for directions and we met our first Native American drug addict. He was standing in front of the gas station bumming money off of passers by, while high. Tani asked him how to get to Antelope Canyon. He told us it was thirty five miles farther north, but that because he told us we owe him a ride. We didn’t take him we had no room, but his directions were correct.

We arrived in Page, Arizona at around nine thirty and began our motel hunt. After an hour and a half we found out that the Navajo Indians are money hungry people worse than the Jews. Even the Motel Six was one hundred and thirty dollars a night (usually it’s between forty to sixty). So we decided to stay at a nearby campsite. We passed the front gate and paid the fifteen dollars entrance fee understanding that this was also the camping fee. We arrived at the campsites and found out that we owe another twenty six dollars to camp, so we left and slept in our car in a Denny’s parking lot.

When we arrived the next morning at Antelope Canyon we were once again attacked by the evil money hungry Navajos. They wanted eight dollars to enter the park, and another forty dollars for a tour. We told them that we’ll just walk around on our own and don’t want a tour, so they told us we can’t walk around. We had the same experience at all the entrances to the Canyon, and at one entrance they forced the tourists to buy Navajo tribal passes because it’s part of their tradition. We decided we don’t want to help the Navajos and continued our drive to Bryce Canyon in Utah.

Utah

Bryce Canyon is a wonderful non-Navajo park, with many trails and beautiful sights. It is a cross between the red dessert and a forest with many animals. It has rock formations like Monument Valley. We drove all the way through the park, and went on a short hike at its end.

Arizona Again

To top off the night we drove down to the Grand Canyon. We stopped during dusk at probably the best point in the world to watch it. Right on the border of Utah and Arizona it had to be the most beautiful place we have seen on the trip yet. If Tani wasn’t so manly I may have found it romantic.

We camped in the Demontte Campgrounds right outside the northern rim of the canyon. In order to reach the northern rim we had to pass it anyways, so it was very convenient to sleep there.

The Grand Canyon is nowhere as beautiful as Shenandoah, or even as Bryce Canyon in my opinion. But what it lacks in beauty it makes up in size. Just looking into the Grand Canyon can be a bit overwhelming if not scary. Its viewpoints are set on high cliffs, and protruding boulders. If one wrong step is taken on its “handicap accessible” paths a person may plummet to his death. At first I was scared to finish the path we did there, but then I saw a group of young girls finishing it. I put my hands in my pants and found my manhood, and continued the trail. I can do anything as long as heights are not involved.

Nevada

Nevada doesn’t have a “welcome to Nevada” sign, so we aren’t a hundred percent sure where the border was. At a certain point we needed to fill up on gas. At the gas station I asked the clerk if we had already entered Nevada. The customer next to me answered, “Welcome to Nevada, now gambling and prostitution is legal.”

This may sound funny, but for our stay in Las Vegas we stayed at the Hooters Hotel and Casino. It is actually the most modest hotel on the strip (not joking). The other resorts have their workers work in their underwear, and Hooters has a dress code. On the first night in Las Vegas we walked up and down the Strip. The Strip is full of tourists and workers handing out flyers for escorts. Vegas seems to be overrun with strip clubs, as everyone tried to convince us to go to theirs.

The second night we stayed in Hooters at the bar. We began to drink, and then decided to gamble a buck on the video poker. Because we played so slowly the bartender thought we had gambled at least ten dollars each so she brought us a second drink free. That’s when we formed the plan; if we continue to play extremely slowly we could get more beer and lose less. In the end we gambled twenty dollars together, but drank thirty dollars worth of beer each.

On the third day we were sitting outside when a man walked over to us and offered us party favors. Not knowing what party favors are we asked him what he meant. It took me several seconds to realize he wasn’t talking about Coca-Cola, but about coke (cocaine) and weed. We politely declined.

On the third night we decided to see downtown, because we had already been through the Strip. Downtown on the outside looks very rundown and gross, but it is totally different on the inside. It is filled with street performers, dancers, magicians, and musicians. It is extremely lively, and filled with people. There is a rooftop over Fremont Street that is also a screen that shows advertisements, announcements, shows, and even has a zip line across it with people zooming by.

For the Sabbath we stayed by a religious Jewish family we found on Shabbat.com. They were very nice and welcoming, and we found out that many people stay by them on their way across the states. We prayed at the Chabbad of Summerlin. More or less the Sabbath was very uneventful. At the house they were celebrating the Shabbat Hatan of a sixty year old couple. That was a bit different for Tani and I.

On Saturday night we went back downtown for one last time before leaving for good. We walked up and down Fremont Street, and listened to Deadpool (heavy metal band). Tani almost lost his hearing. We returned to the car after an hour, and continued on our journey.

We drove until we reached the entrance to Death Valley. We pulled up to a hotel there, but when we found out there was no reception at the hotel at two in the morning we just slept in the car.

Summary

Arizona has no reception, so cell phones are useless there. The city of Page is extremely expansive, so I don’t advise staying there. Other than for these problems Arizona has its own sort of desert beauty. The Grand Canyon is a must.

Utah is extremely Beautiful with its cross between desert and forest, it has a unique mix between the two. It is a state that must be visited.

I can’t say too much about Nevada as a whole, but I can talk about Las Vegas. Many people have only heard of the Strip, and not spent time downtown, which is a shame. Downtown is just as, if not more lively, than the Strip, and the hotels are a lot cheaper. There are live bands on the street every night. So for a true Las Vegas experience both the Downtown and the Strip must be visited.

Wild Texas and New Mexico

Texas

At around eleven o’clock pm we pulled into Houston, Texas. It is one of the biggest cities we have ever seen.

We pulled into a gas station in the beginning of Houston. As I got out of the car I was approached by an extremely scrawny addict who looked like he hadn’t eaten in days, and he begged me for some money. I shrugged him off, and entered the store to purchase the gas. Once entering the store I received the full picture of where I had just entered. This woman who looks like a prostitute comes out of a room labeled the amusement room, and asks the clerk for quarters. I purchase the gas, but the clerk is nervous to take my credit card. He was probably nervous because everyone there uses stolen cards.

I returned to the car, and told Tani not to leave my side because this area is obviously dangerous. While filling the tank another man approached and asked me for money because his dog, his dad, and he were recently evicted from their home. I told him to wait until I was done filling and I would see what I can do, but I was not really going to help. I think he was just another addict.

We finished filling the car, and went in to go to the bathroom. The toilets were nasty and overflowing. On the way from the bathroom I saw the amusement room, and decided to peak in to see what it was. The room was lined with slot machines. Men and woman filled the room just pouring their quarters into the machines. This was a massive gambling addiction at its best.

While walking back to the car to leave, a woman with unnaturally red hair pulled into the gas station with her young son. While her husband, or baby-daddy, filled the tank she rooted her son on as he busted some dance moves in the middle of the gas station, in the middle of the night, and in the middle of the worst neighborhood in Houston. At which point Mr. Nobel came and awarded her the Nobel Parenting Prize for the best parent in the world. Not.

We reached our friend, Barel Maayan’s, apartment at around midnight. Barel lives with three other roommates, and all of them are in the same exact situation as us.

They are working and touring the US form Israel. We had a couple of beers with them on the balcony, and talked. After around an hour we all went to sleep. Barel placed an air mattress on the floor for us, so Tani slept on the mattress and I slept on the couch.

We woke up early the next morning, in contrast to what we had been doing in New Orleans. We decided to visit the NASA space station in Houston. It was pretty interesting, but uneventful. Just about the only really cool thing was that this was the Houston from “Houston, we’ve got a problem.” Also seeing their training facilities was pretty nice.

After NASA we set off for Dallas. We stayed at a hostel in Irving, Texas right in between Fort Worth and Dallas. We decided to stay at the hostel, because Yishai the traveler we had met in New Orleans said it was a way to make our trip more exciting and to meet new people.

In the hostel we met two nice British med students who had a flight layover in Dallas on their way to Guatemala. Upon hearing that they want to see the city but don’t have a way to get around we offered them to join us for the next day.

The next morning we set up the car. It was like playing Tetris, because we have so much equipment. We squeezed the two girls into the back where they sat with their bags on top of them. We drove down to the Fort Worth Stockyards because we have seen a bunch of cities already, and this was our chance at a real cowboy experience. The Stockyards were not nearly as active and engaging as we had hoped, but it was still fun. The girls probably think Americans are crazy as this was their first visit in the States. We saw longhorn cows, and horses. We smelled weird spices at a spice shop, which had spices like beer powder that smells like beer. The store next door had flavored crickets and scorpions for sale.

After the cattle drive we drove the girls down to the train station, so they can make it to their flight.

From there we drove down to Austin and tried to find another hostel as the first was a very good experience for us. After getting lost around one hundred times in Austin we finally found a hostel that had a vacancy. After receiving our beds we realized that the clerk had made a terrible mistake and double booked our beds. So we continued our drive to a campsite at the Emma Long City Park.

The next morning we drove to the Hamilton Pool spring which was rated as one of America’s Top Tens. It was very nice, but not nearly as beautiful as expected. After two hours we left.

We drove down to San Antonio to see the Alamo. On the way I read the history of the Alamo out loud to Tani as he drove. The Alamo is very small, but the history behind it is extensive. Tani didn’t relate to the Alamo as much as I did, but I believe that is because I read the history and understood what it meant, while Tani had to drive.

It was a place where at first they fought for freedom, and then they tried to surrender. The Mexicans under Santa Anna’s rule were told to give no quarter, so they refused to accept the surrender. In the end the battle was not only about freedom. It was a battle for life and friends. It was what separated heroes from cowards. When Sam Houston’s troops screamed “Remember the Alamo” it meant remember how they fought like heroes when given no quarter.

That night we stayed in a campsite in Kerrville, Texas. We fished until dark, and continued in the morning. The smartass fish ate all of our bait, and were never caught on the hook.

At around noon we continued our drive to New Mexico. Western Texas is a desert like in the movies. Its climate is much like Israel’s, and a lot more bearable than the humid South. We made sure to stay properly hydrated, so we wouldn’t pass out. We drove for hours without seeing any humans that day.

The Alamo

New Mexico

That first day we drove for thirteen hours and eight hundred and twenty one kilometers until the middle of the night. New Mexico for the most part is empty with almost no towns or homes. It is very big compared to other places in the world, but has a population of only two million people. At around midnight after not being able to locate a motel, hotel, hostel, or campsite we pulled into a gas station where we saw a bunch of trucks parked, and went to sleep in the car like the truck drivers next to us.

The next morning we continued to Taos Pueblo. Taos Pueblo is an ancient Native American Village in the mountains of New Mexico. The village has been through much since the time it was discovered by the Spanish Conquistadors. It is worth it to visit, but it is far away from everything.

After calling the Chabad of Taos, and finding out that the synagogue is only open one Sabbath a month, we decided to stay in Espanola, New Mexico. We stayed at the Motel Six for the Sabbath.

Early on Sunday morning we awoke, and began our five hour drive to the Petrified Forest National Preserve in Arizona. On the way we decided to drive through Albuquerque just to see it. The city was much smaller than I expected, with almost no tall buildings.

We stopped at a gas station to refuel. While inside the clerk saw that my shirt had Hebrew writing on it, and asked if we were from abroad. We told him we were form Israel, and he became extremely interested. He told us that he is from Massachusetts, and drove over six years ago to visit his brother in the air force stationed in Albuquerque. He fell in love with New Mexico and never left. He then began to ask about Israel and its security issues. When we told him that Israel has no allies in the region he said (word for word), “That must make some real badass Israelis, you guys must be hardcore as shit!”

Taos Publo

Summary

Texas is the second most populated state in the USA after California. Most of the population lives in eastern Texas, and you can feel that fact because of its six or seven lane highways which are heavily trafficked. Eastern Texas is also like the rest of the
South with forests and lakes, while western Texas is more of a sub-savannah region, with very little towns and people. In western Texas the street signs are riddled with bullet holes.

Texas’ architecture gives it a feel of its Mexican past and American present. When we entered Texas I felt as if we had crossed the border into another country.

New Mexico is properly named. When you enter into New Mexico it feels like Mexico with an American twist. If you don’t speak Spanish there is not much for you there, even the Native Americans here speak Spanish. There are many Native American Reservations in New Mexico. As understood where there’s Indians there are casinos. New Mexico is full of huge casinos at every place possible, but unlike Louisiana these casinos look like respectable resorts.

New Mexico is filled with open fields and beautiful mountain ranges. Sadly it looks like a state with much unused potential. Its mountains may not be forested or green, but their beauty can give the Shenandoah of Virginia a run for its money.

I highly recommend touring both states.

Cajun Louisiana

Louisiana

We pulled into New Orleans at around seven thirty pm. At nine o’clock we met up with our friend from the army preparatory, Michael Perl. We stayed by Michael for around five days, and forced him to be our tribal guide, named Gashash, through New Orleans.  Michael drafted the same time as me in March 2011. He was a tank driver in the armored core of the IDF, but he didn't serve with me.

Michael lives in a warehouse downtown next to the French quarter among all of the high class hotels. The warehouse has four floors.  His family renovated the fourth floor into a home. The third and second floors are filled with supplies and boxes, while the first is only an entrance room. The entrance room has the steepest and scariest steps I have ever seen or climbed.

On the first night we had our first New Orleans experience, which was very different. We walked through Bourbon Street, which is packed with strip clubs (we did not and will not enter!), bars, and restaurants. Michael referred to Bourbon Street as “the Disney world for perverted adults”.  The whole street is lined with strippers and bouncers standing at the front of the clubs trying to convince pedestrians to enter. After Bourbon Street we walked down to Frenchman Street which was very interesting. Frenchman street was filled with weird jazz dance bars, and all the people dancing inside are definitely high.

On the second night in New Orleans we once again hit the town. We went through Jackson Square down to a couple of shops where Michael has friends. Jackson Square is filled with psychics and fortune tellers who will tell you your future for a buck or two. We walked into a cigar shop run by an Israeli woman, named Esther, where she, like any Israeli would, forcefully sold me a cigar. We chatted with her for a bit, and then walked next door to another store. Jonathan the clerk at the store next door, apparently also an adept psychic, pulled out a deck of tarot cards. He placed the cards on the table and asked me to slice the deck. After arranging the top five cards on the table he begins to explain what each card means, represents, and  how it affects me in my life. We learned that the tarot cards are based heavily on Kabala and Judaism, and even has Hebrew on the cards. I don’t believe in all the Voodoo magic that New Orleans is so famous for, but it was still fun.

On Friday we met an amazing fellow traveler from Israel by the name of Yishai Schuchalter. He is of American decent, and speaks fluent English. He finished his military service, and went on a trip just like us. But unlike us he was at his trip’s end and we are only in the beginning. He stayed with us until we left New Orleans.

For Shabbos we went to the Chabad house of New Orleans. We surprisingly found out that for a city of its size there not many religious Jews there. We stayed by an Israeli Chabbadnik by the name of Uzi. Uzi’s wife is an amazing cook, and I overate. Overall Shabbos was pretty much uneventful which is nice and relaxing.

After Shabbos we hit the streets again, entering a couple of college bars in the university district. By the end of the night I was feeling sick from overeating on Shabbos, and had to go home.

We woke up on Sunday morning and decided to continue our drive to Houston, Texas. Yishai gave us tips for our trip, and Michael wished us luck. Then we were off to continue on our adventure.

Louisiana has many swamps, bayous, and rivers. The state has extremely long bridges that carry you over its endless swamplands. We decided to stop at a bayou on the way in order to find an alligator. We believe we did, but we could only see its eyes sticking out of the water while it was swimming.

Summary

Louisiana is extremely beautiful and mysterious at the same time. New Orleans properly portrays the feeling of the colonization of the area with its diverse architecture. New Orleans is heavily influenced by many different styles including Caribbean, French, English, Spanish, and even African architecture. New Orleans has its own culture called Cajun, and has an aura feeling quite like Jerusalem’s. Between the Voodoo, tarot cards, Bourbon, and Frenchmen Street it was an amazing experience. I recommend everyone to go to Louisiana, because there is no place like it on Earth.

Country Tennessee, Sweet Home Alabama, and the Great Mississippi

Tennessee

The first night we spent in Lynchburg, Tennessee at an inn called the Lynchburg Country Inn. It was very nice compared to the other motels we've stayed in. I accidentally insulted the innkeeper by asking if the room stinks. The other motels had terrible smells, as if a smoking drug addict starting vomiting in the room then died. To which he answered that he can refund my money and we can stay somewhere else, but in Lynchburg there are no other motels. The room thankfully smelled amazing.

In the morning we went to the Jack Daniels Distillery. It is actually extremely interesting and free. The tour is around an hour and ten minutes long. The distillery has its own natural spring which is pretty cool.

After that we started on our way to Nashville we stopped at a War of Northern Aggression (Civil War’s true name) park called Stone Park. We listened to a speech by the park ranger telling the story of a young Confederate officer from the nearby town of Murfreesboro who was killed during the battle. It’s sad to learn how a country could rip it self to shreds like the way that the United States did back then.

In the evening we had already made it to Nashville, Tennessee. We stayed at the Knight’s Inn which is a crappy hotel, but still worth it for the price. We took a cab to Broadway St. not to be confused with the one in New York this Broadway is all country music. We went from country bar to country bar, and had a very positive experience of the real Nashville. My favorite bar there was the Tin Roof.

The next morning we woke up and started driving towards Alabama. We stopped at a plantation called Traveler’s Rest in order to see how life was back then. We learned of how the plantations and towns were affected by the war and it’s after effects.

Us at the Jack Daniels distillery

Alabama

When we entered Alabama we stopped at the welcome center in order to find something to do there. We asked the attendants at the desk what there is to do in Alabama at which they looked at us as if we were crazy. More or less we found out that there is nothing in Alabama other than for farms. We also found out that Alabama has no reception, and the place is completely backwards. It feels like going to a third world country in the middle of the United States.

We pulled into a town called Selma, Alabama and stayed at an inn there. The town has around five different motels it seems. The same Indian woman, from India, or her sister was in every motel working as the clerk.

The next morning we went to a ghost town called Old Cahawba, and it is exactly that a ghost town. There are very few ruins remaining of what used to be Alabama’s first capitol city. The town was abandoned shortly after the War of Northern Aggression (true name of the Civil War). It has a grave yard that is mostly filled with the graves of infants and small children, which is heart breaking. After the ghost town we continued on our way to New Orleans.

Mississippi

We only stopped in Mississippi in order to eat lunch at the welcome center. Mississippi seems a lot more populated than Alabama, and it has reception.

Summary

Overall Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi we very fun. Each state has its own unique feel to it. Right now we are in New Orleans, Louisiana. We will write about it when we leave, this trip is getting more exciting with everyday that passes.

Washington DC, Old Virginia, Southern North Carolina, Peaceful South Carolina, and Lovely Georgia

Washington DC

The trip started horribly, because Washington DC is very complicated to navigate through. Tani got lost trying to drive to the Union Train Station, and the battery in his phone died . After twenty minutes of waiting for him, when he was supposed to be there two hours earlier,  we drove to the Alamo car rental station in Reagan National Airport to figure out why they overcharged us by four hundred dollars. We started the trip around four hours late.

Virginia

We went to a Walmart in Luray,  Virginia to pick up our supplies. Driving through the countryside was our real first exposure to the South. 

On the first night we drove down Skyline Drive in the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia to Loft Mountain Campgrounds, which is beautiful by the way. We arrived at around midnight, and set up camp fast. We set up the site in complete silence in order not to wake up the other campers in the vicinty. We'ld set up the campsite by twelve thirty. We stayed awake in order to talk then went to sleep around one thirty.

When we awoke in the morning we went on an hour long hike on a trail through the mountains. It was probably the greenest hike I have ever been on. In the middle of the hike we spotted a deer with huge antlers. We stood silently watching him, and trying not to frighten it. It was extremely cute. 

After the trail we continued our drive down Blue Ridge Parkway. Skyline Drive and Blue Ridge Parkway are the most beautiful roads I have ever been on,  and have amazing views and outlook points. 

At a certain point we pulled off Blue Ridge Parkway and continued to North Carolina.

North Carolina

We arrived in Pilot Mountain National Park around nine pm and set up camp. After our first real day real driving I was very agiagitated and cranky. It's funny because Tani does all the driving,  but I am the most tired out of the two of us. Sitting and riding along is not easy. Especially because I have nothing to do all day, and go stir crazy. 

I bashed my finger in the door while setting everything up, and it hurt for three days. It's still blackish. 

Pilot Mountain was not that nice so we continued on our journey down towards Charlotte. On the way to Charlotte we stopped at a Racing Museum dedicated to Dale Earnhardt, which was a lot of fun.  It was also Tani's first real exposure to the true American sport of NASCAR.

Once arriving in Charlotte we got a bit lost,  and could not find the Chabbad there. We went around trying to find a motel. First we pulled into a motel that I swear had a meth lab.  We saw three huge ghetto guys get into a black SUV,  and a bunch of girls with a questionable occupation in the area. We moved on. Then we accidentally entered a clinic for addictive illnesses thinking it was a motel. As we were walking into the clinivlc a ghetto girl from the hood started singing and dancing like a retard in her car. We only realized it was a clinic once we entered and saw cops and drug addicts. We finally arrived at our less dangerous but still dangerous motel. 

We spent Shabbos in the motel,  and almost died of boredom, hotdogs, and cold chicken. After Shabbos we hit the streets of Charlotte which is beautiful. The city has tons to do for all ages and it is amazing. I recommend going there. 

We left early Sunday morning to Georgia.

South Carolina

We basically just passed through on the way to Atlanta, looks amazing though. Fireworks everywhere.
We did stop at a Revolutionary War battle field and went to it's museum which was interesting. It had a Hald hour movie about the battles in the area. 

Georgia

We arrived in Atlanta around noon,  and went to the Georgia Aquarium. I got to see my sharks, and we went to a dolphin show which was really cool. We drove by
Martin Luther King Jr.'s home, and went to the Olympic Park. 

Summary

We've been pulling off the highways randomly and driving through the boondocks and going to just about every old battlefield that we see on the way. We are really enjoying the trip, but still miss home!!!!

Sorry I can't blog more often either we don't have reception or internet or we're just too tired.

Getting Ready to Leave and Bumps Along the Way

As everyone probably already knows Israel has entered Operation Protective Edge in Gaza. There has been non-stop missile fire on us in Israel. Israel has ordered 40,000 reservists to be drafted. If we are called up we will have to postpone the trip, because our country comes first.

But other than for that...
Tani is flying next week! And I'm flying the week after!

We decided that we wanted to buy a dash-cam for the car, so we can film the drive. I remembered that a certain gas station at the Shimshon intersection sold the dash-cam for cheap.

We walked into the gas station, and asked to see the dash-cam. As I'm looking at the camera the cashier tells me that it's the last one they have, so it's on sale at the price of 100 Shekels. After checking the camera I requested that he go into the ware-room to check if there are any other ones left. Around five minutes pass before he comes back with a different camera, but says it will cost 250 Shekel for this one since its a more advanced model. I requested to open it in order to compare it the first, and the cashier allowed. Once opening it I realized this dash-cam was the same exact model as the first, just in a different box. I confronted the cashier about the fact that he just tried to trick and rip us off. The manager of the branch not wanting Tani and I to cause trouble offered us both cameras for 100 Shekel each. In the end we saved 150 shekels, and bought two dash-cams.

We've been going through some of our equipment at home to see what we wanted to bring.
So here they are:

Tent: Sleeps two

Mickey cleaning the tent

Equipment:

1. 2 Dash-cams + Parts

2. 2 digital cameras

3. Solar Lighter

4. 2 Sleeping Bags

5. Tent

By Mickey Polevoy

The Car - Problems to Take into Consideration

Tani and I had a huge debate over how we would actually get across the US. We talked about ideas from buying an RV to riding a bike, and from riding a motorcycle to buying a SUV. We even once talked about backpacking it by foot. As you can understand some ideas were more sane than others.

We looked into buying a car for the trip, and even found a friend who had done it over the summer. Our friend had bought a car just for the trip, and when he reached his final destination he sold it for a profit. He told us that we could do the trip within a budget of two thousand dollars (not including the car), but upon closer investigation we found out that he'd either been eating dry pasta for five weeks, or his calculations were very off.

That's when we began looking into the more expansive alternative of renting a car. The idea behind renting is that you get a nice car in good shape, and you have less worries. If you buy the car and it breaks down you're screwed, which may happen with a cheap POS. If it's rented and it broke down,  but not because of you then your alright. They may even switch it for you. Also, you don't have to worry about selling it again before you leave the states. The main downside is that it is very expensive, and you don't get your money back.

We looked into different rental companies, even calling them up and comparing. All of the fees were jumped up because we are under twenty-five. Luckily, since I do not have a license at the moment, don't ask it's a long story, the price was lower than it would have been if we had to pay for a second driver.

We sought advice from Tani's father's corporate travel agent. We would constantly badger him about what we should/shouldn't do, or how to get the best deals. He offered us a deal for a Kia Sedona for six thousand and six hundred dollars, but that was a bit too step and we couldn't exactly afford it.

One day the travel agent calls Tani down to his office. Tani not knowing exactly how this will play out, and feeling slightly guilty for badgering the poor man goes to pay him a visit. The second Tani walks in the travel agent starts offering him the deal of the century. He offered us a Ford Escape which is a mini-SUV for the same price as renting a small economic car, and for a two month lease being under twenty-five that's amazing.

We took the deal, and now we're just waiting to pick it up in Baltimore, Maryland.

Mickey Polevoy

How it All Came to Be

Tani and I are not professional travelers, and we have not traveled much. We don't have the first clue as  how to do this, but we're doing it anyway.

So it all started during our time in the military (Tani and I did not serve together) we'd sit and talk on our vacations off, and we would constantly go on about how we would go on a trip we'd tell our kids about. About how we'd do crazy things like hiking, hunting, and fishing. I even suggested we shoot a drug dealer just for shits and giggles, but Tani decided that that would have to wait til next time. We talked about buying an RV and driving around like an old married couple, and other ridiculous ideas. Finally, Tani's mother being fed up with listening to us go on about the trip for hours at a time told me that she'll pay me fifty bucks at the airport if we actually go, and that's when we bought our tickets.

Just to spite his mother and all of our friends who sadly did not believe in us Tani and I went straight to the internet and bought plane tickets to the US. My dates are from July 23, 2014 until October 21, 2014.

We began the debate of where we would go, and after much brotherly debating (calling each other atrocious names you wouldn't call your worst enemy) we decided that we'd travel from Washington D.C. to California and back. We looked up and researched parks and attractions for days if not weeks. Constantly debating whether certain sites were to far out of the way, or if we could afford it.

Money is a huge issue as we are on a very limited budget of eight thousand dollars each. I know that sounds like more than enough, but it really isn't. Just the car, gas, food, motels, and supplies costs around five thousand each, and that doesn't include attractions and sight seeing.

We found an amazing site that helped us plan our trip and it can be seen in the picture that I am attaching to here.

There is so much to say so you'll have to follow my other posts as well, I hope that I'll be able to properly document it all.
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Sincerely,
Mickey Polevoy