The Great Piano Trip

Beefy and I spent the last 10 days driving across the country with an enormous antique piano. We took the scenic route, visiting family, friends, and restaurants featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.

Over the course of the trip, I wore:

2 dresses
1 tunic
1 button-down shirt
1 pair of leggings
1 pair of jeggings
1 long-sleeved tee
1 short-sleeved tee
1 knit vest
1 hoodie
1 lightweight jacket
2 belts
1 hat
1 scarf
1 pair of gloves
4 pairs of tights
1 pair of earrings
And my cowboy boots

Saturday

- Flew stand-by to Seattle
- Rode the light rail and monorail
- Visited Pike Place Market
- Watched people at a nearby park
- Ate at Ivar’s with a friend from work
- Visited the Space Needle


Sunday


- Ate at the Mecca Café (which isn’t on Diner, Drive-ins, and Dives, but should be!)
- Explored The Mediterranean Inn Hotel’s rooftop
- Picked up our 16-foot moving truck
- Checked out the state capital campus
- Witnessed a blind man move my piano onto the truck
- Met an old friend at Starbuck’s
- Picnicked (with Burgerville take-out) at my elementary school



Monday


- Played with my niece and nephew at Lake Sacajawea
- Ate at Pok Pok (our first triple-D stop!)
- Drove to Medford, OR
- Stocked up on car snacks at WinCo Foods


Tuesday


- Entered California (and the truck was inspected)
- Saw a skunk (well, Beefy saw it, but I smelled it)
- Was suitably impressed by Mt Shasta, Lake Shasta, and the Shasta Dam
- Ate at The Squeeze Inn (DDD)
- Watched the facebook movie


Wednesday


- Crossed the Sierra Nevadas
- Glimpsed Lake Tahoe
- Watched Beefy bet on the Reds at the Siena in Reno
- Ate at Dish Cafe (DDD)
- Slept in the armpit of America


Thursday


- Crossed The Bonneville Salt Flats
- Ate at the Red Iguana (DDD)
- Drove on US Route 6 from Spanish Fork to Green River – one of the deadliest roads in the country – during a torrential downpour
- Scored a room with a spa tub at the Green River Super 8

Friday


- Entered the Rocky Mountains
- Ate lunch at the Red Canyon Café
- Got naked in the back of the truck to change into my Blogoversary outfit
- Froze my ass off at Vail Pass
- Drove over the continental divide
- Ate at The Cherry Cricket (featured on The Best Thing I Ever Ate and Man vs Food)



Saturday


- Ate at Benedict’s with my family
- Made the longest drive of the trip (from Denver, CO to Manhattan, KS)
- Saw the giant Van Gogh in Goodland
- Defiled the Buffalo Bill statue in Oakley
- Ate some incredible pizza from Pizza Shuttle


Sunday


- Ate at Grinder’s (DDD and my favorite atmosphere of all the DDD locations we visited)
- Loaded up at the Brass Armadillo Antique Mall
- Pushed on through to St Louis

Monday


- Rose at 4 am to make it home for the appointment with the piano movers
- Stared in disbelief at the enormous piano now sitting in my living room
- Played said piano

Beefy and I had a wonderful time and will be taking more road trips in the future – minus the giant truck and huge-ass piano. A journey like this can make or break a relationship and I’m happy to say that we can both still stand one another. Thank goodness the two of us like singing showtunes and playing with the cameras.


If you'd like a more detailed account of the trip, visit Beefy's blog. He's doing a day-by-day chronicle of the journey.

Photos by Beefy Muchacho