Red Leaves

Since I'm obsessed with Fall, I had to post these! Fall was extra special around here since Jeff and I have been missing out on fall leaves, pumpkins, apple cider, and chilly sunny days while living in California. These red trees were right outside of our window. So we enjoyed them for a few weeks before we left for Europe for T-giving. Pics and a Top 10 from London and Rome coming soon.

State College

Here are some pics I took from around town. You know, family keeps asking for pics of where we live. So here ya go! We live in family housing on campus. The complex sits on the edge of campus right next to the university golf course. We have found a pretty trail that circles the entire golf course and ends right in front of our place. I have also included some pics from the farmers market that is downtown on Fridays. I have really enjoyed going to that and getting some good stuff! We enjoyed the produce in California. But we would have to say that the vegetables here are far better than the fruit in California. Go figure! I don't know what it is, but everything from the apples to the bell peppers just a very bright taste here.


The view of the golf course from our living room window.














Our apartment building. Our Honda Fit (grey) has a friend in the parking lot (blue).














Fall leaves on the sidewalk.














Amish Farmers



















This is my favorite farmer to get vegetables from.



















Other produce.

FALL LEAVES!

So we are definitely on the other side of the peak on the fall leaves here. I really like driving down this one road to get to the grocery store, because the falling leaves just swirl all around you. I really wish I had my camera with me yesterday when I was driving to and from Pittsburgh. The leaves were prime and the sun was just right. But for now, I will just have to leave you with ones from our drive to DC a couple of weekends ago.


One from DC....
















On the drive back from DC. This barn is cool. A little flavor of the area we are in. This is about 5 miles from State College.
















Leaves and corn.

Washington DC to see Rich

A couple of weeks ago, we went to DC to visit our friend Rich. It was our first time visiting, and we really enjoyed the monuments and Rich's personal tour of the mall. It just so happens that the Solar Decathlon was on display on the mall lawn the weekend we were there. So one of my favorite parts of the weekend was touring the house from the University of Colorado. Unfortunately, they didn't win this year, nor did Penn State. The German's decided to show up and blow all the Americans out of the water. But the houses each school built were pretty cool. The other funny fact about the Solar Decathlon is that we figured out where the milk bottles from the local dairy had gone. Since we have moved here, the Meyer Dairy has posted signs on the entrance to inform customers to bring in their empty glass bottles for milk because they were running low. Well, FOUND THEM!...... Apparently, they were being used as a water heating system in the Penn State house. Check it out....Look in the window.

Anyway, here are some more pics from our weekend away. Oh yeah, also, we are hoping to continue to add to our collection of pics of Segway tours across America. We have some from San Diego and our short stay in Chicago. This one is from DC. So awesome.

Way Fruit Farm

This past weekend, we went to a local farm to celebrate the beginnings of fall. The leaves are starting to change here, which is really exciting! We had tons of fun and got to take a hay ride out to a pumpkin patch, sling shot apples, pick our own apples, and enjoy the cool crisp air!

Part 1 of 6 EPIC ROAD TRIP!!!!

Day One: “Goodbye” (Scratch that) “See you soon Santa Barbara!” (07/30/2007)

Monday, July 30th will be a memorable day in the Herrick house. It was the day that we said “See you soon,” to a place that we enjoyed our first 2 years of marriage and to people we grew very close to. It was also the first day of our EPIC road trip across the US to our new home in PA.

Nothin’ really to show here. We drove 11 hours straight from Santa Barbara down the coast through LA, through the desert up I-15, through Vegas and St. George, to set up camp in the dark at Zion NP. Don’t they tell you not to do that?

State Count: 4 (CA, NV, AZ, UT)

Day Two: “D*$#, it feels good to be a gangsta.” (07/31/2007)

That’s right, 3 National Parks in one day. Oh yeah. The best part about it was that we milked every penny out of that Annual National Parks pass we bought last year to go to Grand Canyon on the day of expiration!

Jeff got a quick hike in at Zion NP before we drove up to Bryce Canyon for a quick look before dropping down into Arizona to camp at Lake Powell (Glen Canyon National Recreation Area).



Best scenery to wake-up to: Zion

Krista’s vote for Cool-er than Grand Canyon: Bryce Canyon















Best campground of the trip: Lake Powell

State Count: 4 (CA, NV, AZ, UT)

Day Three: “For only $3, you too can vacation in 4 states in ONE DAY!” (08/01/2007)

So after taking a quick dip in Lake Powell that morning, we drove through Northern Arizona to 4 corners, and continued on to Durango, CO, our favorite destination on last year’s summer road trip. Last year, we didn’t stop for the 4 corners monument when we learned that it would be $3 pp to visit the “4 corners.” But this year, we couldn’t pass it up. We went back to our favorite campground from last year’s road trip in Durango and enjoyed a night on the town in Historic Downtown Durango.

Best $3 spent on the trip: 4 corners (The best $2 spent was to feed a cow in Springdale, UT)

Part 2

Day 4: “It doesn’t get any better than this.” (08/02/2007)

I could go on about Durango, but I will save that for some other post. It is truly a beautiful place that I wish I had invested in about 3 years ago. Jeff and I got our last glimpses of D-town while on a morning hike that overlooks town and the Animas River. We found out later that it was also a stretch of the Colorado Trail that spans the whole entire state. We then drove the BEST/MOST BEAUTIFUL/EVERYTHING STRETCH OF ROAD that goes from Durango through Silverton up to Ouray. It is called the Million Dollar Highway, and it truly does live up to the name. We made this drive last year and hope to make it a yearly event. We also dropped down into Telluride to ride the Gondola before camping at Ridgeway State Park. Before I move on to Salida, I want to let you in on a little secret of ours. We LOVE it when we work the system or find some tricks that “make life better for us.” So the least that we can do is share these “tips” with you guys. Say, you are on a road trip or in a resort town, and you really need ice to cool down the milk in your ice chest but the ice is $3 and you really don’t want to pay that considering it will melt eventually. Note: There is always a hotel nearby. Remember how your mom always sent you down the hall to get ice? I did too. And it worked out perfectly in Telluride! One of our favorite moments was when we happened to stumble upon the 4-star Ice Hotel about the same time we were in need of some ice. Oh yeah. How ironic. Also, if you need a bathroom break on the road, don’t go to the gas station! There is always a hotel lobby nearby that has WAY better bathrooms.



Place that keeps us smilin’: Durango















Watch out Yosemite, most beautiful stretch of road in the US: From Durango to Ouray






























Best Gondola ride/Good place to enjoy views while sipping a nice brew: Telluride

Days 5 and 6: “Welcome to River-Rat Country.” (08/03/2007-08/04/2007)

We met Jeff’s parents in Salida, CO and spent two days exploring one of our favorite “little-known” places in CO. Many young people live there during the summer months to raft/kayak the Arkansas. It is where my roommate/best friend, Katie, grew up, and I always enjoy visiting to soak up the lively spirit of the town. We got to hang out with Katie’s parents while there too! Jeff also hiked a 14-er, Mt Shavano, with his dad on Saturday. Great views of the Continental Divide from the top! We left Saturday night to head into Denver and to have a quick visit with Katie and Mark in Golden.

Best Pizza of the trip: Amica’s in Salida

Best view from the top: Shavano