US tour recap, what a beautiful country we live in!

Hey all, had some technical problems with my blog lately, but now alas I am back in the habit.

So the cross country tour took me from New York, through New Jersey and Pennsylvania and Ohio to Michigan. We stayed for a week or so in Michigan, saw my family and some friends, went to Mackinac, Canoeing, barbeques, etc. as is the norm in the warm Michigan summers.
We also saw a Detroit Tiger's game, the team I have been loyal to my entire life. It was a blessing to see them actually on top of the league, and to see the new Comerica Park with more than 500 people in it!


Then we switched cars and headed out west with my brother. As was told below, we went through Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, and settled again in Colorado for an overnight near Boulder (now famous for the whole Jean-Benet Ramsey, as well as the University of Colorado and beautiful landscape).

The following night we took the best part of our trip (unanimous), camping in Rocky Mountain National Park!


In addition to camping we went hiking, saw an incredible waterfall, secluded lake, and some nice mountains. After killing ourselves with miles and miles of uphill hiking, we retired to our campsight for a nice bonfire, smores, and friendly talk with our cubscout neighbors from Texas.

After that we headed out west for an incredible 14 hour drive from the park, through an old Salon/Mining town called Central City, through the mountains, along the colorado river, had lunch in Vail, and across the endless stretch of mountaineous desert (with no service stations) of Utah, and settled for two nights in Las Vegas.

In Vegas, well I guess it is supposed to stay in Vegas and I am not supposed to talk about it. We basically just chilled and saw the sights, a show, and had some good food! Man, been there three times and I still can't get enough of the Bellagio fountain show. I also heard this time around that Vegas is the number 1 tourist destination in the world, can anyone prove/disprove this?

Finally we hit the road for our final road trip, a small 8 hour trip to San Diego, back to beautiful, normal summer weather. Hana spent 1 day there and flew out back to Dubai. My brother moved there to start his masters. And I flew off to visit a friend and job hunt in San Francisco/Silicon Valley.

And that my friend is one hell of a trip. Two weeks, 2500 miles, two cars, two great friends/family members, and stops whenever we felt like seeing something. I'd do it again in a heartbeat...maybe I should consider being a trucker :).

Cross Country trip; Colorado

When I returned to the US on July 28th, I changed my usual arrival destination of Michigan for New York. I then called up Hana, a Salaam intern through AIESEC who just finished her internship, and had her meet me in New York with her car she used for work.

We then embarked upon the begining of a 13 state, 3 week cross country trip with substantial stops in New York, Michigan, Colorado, Nevada, Arizona and California.

So far to date we did the New York thing for 4 days, which included seeing friends, hanging out, and hitting up some of the tourist spots (namely the 2 hour lines at the Empire State Buidling). We then spent a little over a week finishing up last minute details in Michigan, while taking advantage of the weather and going canoeing, to Mackinac Island, to a Detroit Tigers game, and around to my family/friends.

In Michigan we hoped in with my brother on his way to San Diego, California and set off across the rest of the country.

We made stops overnight in Boulder Colorado, then in Rocky Mountain national park we camped overnight. After that we drove straight through to Vegas with a quick stop in Central City, Vail and on the Colorado river for a quick dip. We spent 2 nights in Vegas relaxing and enjoying the lights, after which we departed for San Diego, California.

After 3400 Miles and nearly 2 weeks, Hana and I made it from NY to CA with pictures, stories, and a well kept journal. She just left for Michigan, and then Dubai, but my brother and I are here getting situated in San Diego. I will take a one way flight to San Fransisco in a few days, where I hope to find a job!

I will post pictures and some detailed stories once I get the chance. For now, know that this country is amazing and we have more than we would ever realize without having to create or change a thing. With just a drive across Colorado you can see everything from gasping mountains to endless coloured desert to flat praries. It is a state I will never forget and will visit again shortly.