Invert Your What??

Before we left on our East Coast adventure, we purchased a power inverter for the car. While KJ didn't really understand what the benefits would be, Chunk praised the use of one of these. As it turns out, Chunk was right. Power inverters are a lifesaver. You can not only charge things in the car using the regular car chargers, but the power inverter also has a regular plug on it. This was especially helpful in keeping Chunk's iPhone up and running.
We bought the Black & Decker 200w power inverter (shout out to KJs dad's company!). It works pretty well, and while not aesthetically that appealing it's definitely a useful gadget. So if you're going on a long trip, get one of these things. You'll thank us later!

Dlugach at Bat

Yesterday we joined our friends S and R, along with some youngins for another trip to the Indy Zoo. Good times- we even saw the dolphin show this time. Good show, and not cheesy like some we've seen (read: Shed Aquarium Fantasea show...what's up with the crazy ladies in colorful toilet paper style outfits...good, but truly cheesy).

We did however see some more stupidity...


We then headed to and Indianapolis Indians game where we met up with A. KJ hadn't been to a game since she was 12 or so, and so unsure of what to expect, we were pleasantly surprise. Yeah, the Indians are minor league, but the stadium is pretty nice and our seats we close to the players.

And get this- the most expensive ticket is $14. That's awesome if you're looking for something cheap to do. The beers are pricier, but that's to be expected at a baseball game. As Cubs fans, we still thought it was all a good deal.

We were also entertained by the enormous amount of mascots that were there. Not only was the Indians mascot, Rowdy (a giant red bear), there, but there were about 12 others that ranged from a giant Dunkin Donuts donut to Chester Cheetah to a giant gumby/gingerbread man. Yes! Nothing like a giant onslaught of mascots to make a night fun!

Lions, Tigers, and Bears...

Yesterday we had a mini adventure to the Indianapolis Zoo. We'd been there before, but since the weather has been amazing we decided that it'd be a great time to go. What's really cool about the Indy Zoo is that it's run 100% on green power. That, and the fact that it's a nice zoo, made us feel good about signing up for the year long membership (which, after 3 visits, pays for itself).

We've never had a membership like this, so that's pretty exciting. Plus, the Zoo is always trying to get new animals and make itself better. For instance, Memorial Day Weekend, they'll be opening the new Cheetah exhibit. Rawr! They even half a tank where you can pet dog sharks - which KJ did (Chunk has also done it, but decided to not this time). Sharks don't feel like one might think. You'll just have to have you own adventure to experience it yourself.

So while it seemed like the parents at the Indy Zoo were smarter than those we saw at the National Zoo, we did observe some obnoxious things...

• When entering the underwater Dolphin dome, there's a sign on the doors that says no strollers- obviously, we saw multiple mom's taking their SUV strollers into it.
• A woman decided to hold her child over the railing of the brown bear exhibit. Ok lady, that's why people get attacked at zoos. Genius.
• We passed by a younger dad who proclaimed he, "ain't giving one more dollar to this place", because he felt, "ripped off. There ain't even any animals out". First of all, yes there were- you were just standing in front of 5 giraffes. Second of all, they aren't going to shock the animals into standing in a crate so that your stupid face can look at them.

We're not exaggerating. Next time you have your own adventure, check out the people around you. We had a great time though (those people were just amusement we could use for our blog).

We also stopped over at the White River Gardens (included with you Zoo entrance). Pretty neat!

We even took a train ride around the plains area of the zoo (fun, even though the train seats are made for kids), and we saw baby lemurs! Super cute, and one of Chunk's favorites!

Don't Forget The...

While on our East Coast adventure we both ended up getting sinus colds, and had to spend some of our budgeted vacation money on meds. It then occurred to us that we should come up with a list of things to bring on your adventures, so that you don't have to spend your fun money on something so mundane as cough medicine.

Here are a few things you'll be happy to remember on your next trip (trust us, it's worth it):

• cough medicine - it might be bulky, but you'll be happy to have it with you
• cough drops
• Emergen-C - one of our favorites and a true life saver
• Airborne - great for when you feel like you might get sick
• pain killers - we prefer ibuprofen
• Band Aids - for pesky blisters that might pop up
• antacids
• A + D Ointment - everyone can get chafed, not just babies

Healthy adventures to all!

Love Your Driving Music

Good music is essential to a good road trip. Without it, one might go nuts. It's also key to mix it up, so that you don't end up getting sick of your favorite driving songs. Here is a partial list of the driving music we listened to on our East Coast adventure:

Lady Gaga
Owl City
Dropkick Murphys - especially while driving to Boston
David Bowie
Coheed and Cambria
Muse
Julian Casablancas
Lily Allen
Me First and the Gimmee Gimmees
Lucky Boys Confusion
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Kanye West

Obviously there were various other artists, but really, who has time to list them all on such a gorgeous day!

Go have a music adventure!

The State(s) of the Union

When we set out on our East Coast adventure, we decided to see how many different state license plates we could spot. Surprisingly, we saw quite a few...

Texas
Indiana
Nebraska
Illinois
Ohio
Maryland
Minnesota
Colorado
Missouri
Kentucky
Tennessee
New York
Kansas
Ontario
Quebec
Massachusetts
Vermont
New Jersey
Iowa
Maine
Rhode Island
Georgia
Pennsylvania
Connecticut
Florida
California
US Government
Mississippi
Arkansas
Delaware
Oregon
Nevada
Diplomatic
Washington DC
New Mexico
Wisconsin
North Carolina
Michigan
West Virginia
South Carolina

How Far is Far?

Sorry about our hiatus from the blog- recouping from the trip has taken a few days! So, some of you might be wondering how far we traveled, so check out the map to see how our trip looked to us.


View Larger Map

Total miles driven: aprox. 2,332
Total hours driven: aprox. 1 day 17 hours

No wonder we're tired!