Road Trip USA: Atlanta to St. Louis

On July first, 2013 Hannah and I drove across America from Atlanta, Georgia to Portland, Oregon. Here's our adventure! There are pictures after the text; I promise! 

The first leg of our epic road trip across America was an eight and a half drive from Atlanta, Georgia to St. Louis, Missouri on July first. I've never been to St. Louis, so I was pretty pumped to see the city and go up the St. Louis Arch!

We ended up getting up around 6 AM so we could leave by 7 AM. The night before we said goodbye to people (and Hannah's wonderful cat, Tippy, whom I miss terribly), packed up the cars, and cleaned out Hannah's apartment. In the morning we said goodbye to the house and headed for the highway! Getting on the road so early was a huge help--there wasn't much traffic, and it meant we had a lot more time in St. Louis then we expected. 

We had all been to Nashville before, so the beginning of the drive wasn't too exciting. There were lots of trees, and the road is pretty mountainous, but it's also easy driving. We headed up I-75 N before switching to I-24 W around Chattanooga. We arrived in Nashville around 10:30 AM local time (one hour behind Atlanta), and stopped at The Pharmacy, a tasty burger joint Hannah and I had been to before. One of my friends from Emory, Kathryn, lives in Nashville, so she met up with us for lunch. We totally forgot about the time change, and we ended up being there 30 minutes before the restaurant even opened (at 11 AM)! It worked out nicely, though, because we got to relax a little. Seeing Kathryn was great, and the food was awesome--I got a falafel burger with a chickpea patty, yogurt raita, onion, and local goat cheese, along with their tasty potato fries. It really hit the spot! 

After our lunch we hit the road again around 12 PM. The drive to Nashville took a little under four hours, and we had about four and a half hours left to drive. The drive wasn't too exciting--we drove into Kentucky and Illinois for a little while and then passed into Missouri--and we came into St. Louis around 4:30 PM off of I-64, which gave us some great views of the Arch! Our first stop was our hotel, the Days in St. Louis North. It wasn't the nicest, but the staff were friendly, we got free breakfast, and it was only $60 for the night. At the hotel we "freshened up" a little, relaxed for a hot second, and headed back out around 5:30 PM to go see the Arch, which was an amazing experience. The structure was really impressive, and I loved being able to learn about some of St. Louis's history. We ended up going to the top, where we got an awesome view of the city from 630 feet up! You go up in these tiny little windowless pods that can only fit 4 people, which was a bit weird, but totally worth it.

After going up we walked around outside the Arch for a few minutes before heading to dinner. We drove to the Delmar Loop area of the city, near Washington University in St. Louis (WashU, Emory's self proclaimed "rival" school!). The city was incredibly beautiful, and not at all what I expected--very green, well lit, well kept up. For dinner we tried to go to Blueberry Hill restaurant because a friend of mine from St. Louis had recommended it to us. Unfortunately, we arrived too late and all they had was the bar menu (which wasn't supper veggie friendly), so we waked down the street to Seoul Taco, which was random but actually super delicious (and it was crazy late, so we were starving!). I ended up getting a burrito with kimchi fried rice, lettuce, cheese, carrots, sour cream, tofu, and seoul sauce inside, which was delicious. 

Our final destination for the night was Ted Drewes, a famous frozen custard shop in St. Louis. Even though we arrived kind of late, the place was still absolutely packed, and we were lucky to find a parking space! I ended up getting cookie dough, which was absolutely delicious. I can totally see why it's famous! The thing I love the most about frozen custard is how creamy it is. It's definitely one of the things I miss a lot from summers at the Jersey Shore (where you can find the original Kohr Brother's frozen custard on the beach boardwalk). 

It was a long day, but it was also full of awesome food and great new adventures! It was great to see Nashville one last time before leaving the south, and I'm super glad we made it to St. Louis. I could totally see myself going back there someday!

Arabia Mountain

One of the last places Hannah and I visited in Georgia was Arabia Mountain, which is about a 45 minute drive southeast of Atlanta. The mountain is only about 170 feet tall, but we had some great views from the top! One of my favorite things about Arabia were the beautiful stagnent pools of water on top of the mountain--Hannah and I even found tadpoles swimming in one of them. It was totally worth the drive!


The mountain was quarried for decades before becoming a Dekalb County Park, and you can still see a lot of evidence of the work done on the mountainside. At the base of the mountain is a large lake, where Hannah and I ate a picnic lunch before tackling the trail around the water. It was a ton of fun, but I definitely recommend close-toed footwear; there were loads of red ants!


My favorite thing about the hike was probably the wild blackberries growing everywhere. They were so tasty, and there were tons of them! There was also a really cool abandoned house along the trail, which was really fun to see. All in all, it was an amazing trip, and it was so nice to get out of the city for a little while!

June, according to my iphone...

June has been full of checking off my Atlanta bucket-list and saying goodbye to people (and places!) before Hannah and I move out to Portland. 

At the beginning of June my best friend from home, Marie, came to visit me in the ATL! We explored the city (including Little Five Points, whose mural is pictured), climbed Stone Mountain, and spent a night "out on the town"!

I went to Augusta, Georgia, to visit my cousin Anna and her husband Spencer. We ate a ton of awesome food, spent a day kayaking down the Savannah River, and I shot my first gun! I also worked a lot this month--I totally lived for my peaceful lunch breaks spent reading outside.

Hannah and I went to Gainesville, Georgia, to visit her family. It was super pretty, and a lot of fun! We also went to the Red Stripe Midsummer Music and Food Festival, where we ate funnel cake and saw Edward Sharp and the Magnetic Zeros for free!

Hannah and I went to see a movie at the famous Fox Theater in Atlanta (we saw 42, which was amazing) because Hannah has always wanted to see a show at the Fox! We also went to Arabia Mountain and hiked around the mountain and lake. It was absolutely beautiful!

I can't wait for July--it's going to be such an exciting month! We'll be road tripping across America, settling into a new apartment, and exploring our new home; Portland, Oregon. I can't wait for all of the upcoming adventures!

May, according to my iPhone...

May was a big month. I finished my last finals as an undergraduate, and graduated from Emory University with a BA in environmental studies and anthropology. I also started working at the Emory campus gym, saw my whole family for the first time in months, and started to plan my move (and cross country road trip) to Oregon! 

Here's life, according to my iphone...

-Hannah and I celebrated Cinco de Mayo in style; with margaritas with friends!

-My family and I got graduation weekend brunch at The Flying Biscuit in Atlanta.

-My parents, Hannah, and I went to Fernbank Museum, where we visited the rose garden.

-We ate a yummy dinner at Wahoo Grill in Decatur to celebrate graduation.

-I've been taking long summer walks, which are a great way to explore!

-Hannah and I visited Oakland Cemetery, where we saw Margaret Mitchell's grave.

-My family and I went to Red Brick Brewery in Atlanta.

-Hannah and I hiked Providence Canyon in southwest Georgia.

-I totally been living for my peaceful lunch breaks on campus during work.

Providence Canyon

Over Memorial Day Weekend my girlfriend Hannah and I took a day trip to Providence Canyon, in Southwest Georgia. It was about a two an a half hour drive from Atlanta, but it was totally worth it! The canyon was beautiful; Hannah had described it to me as the "Grand Canyon of Georgia", and her description totally fit! The site is also considered one of the "seven natural wonders of Georgia", of which I've visited four. Looking back at the pictures, it's easy to see why.

The 150 foot gullies are actually the result of poor farming practices in the 19th century, which resulted in massive erosion. The resulting exposed geology--Georgia red clay, white kaolin clay, and flecks of mica--descends into the canyon in a beautiful gradient pattern. Unfortunately, we decided to do part of the longer hike (around four and a half miles total--the trail itself is over seven miles long), which was much less scenic than the other, shorter, route. We still had a ton of fun though, and we got to see an armadillo up close! They're actually an invasive species in the canyon, but they're just so gosh darn cute. After our hike we still got to see some great views of the canyon from the overlooks along the canyon's rim. Overall, it was a wonderful day. It was great to get outside, and on the drive home Hannah and I treated ourselves to breakfast-for-dinner at IHOP. I can't think of a better way to end the trip!

Graduation

It's strange to think that I'm done with my time as an undergraduate. On May thirteenth I graduated from Emory University with a bachelors of arts in environmental studies and anthropology. Now that I'm done with school I feel a little at a loss of what to do with myself. I'm in an awkward liminal stage--not quiet yet a graduate student, not quiet still an undergrad--and it makes me realize how much of my identity has been based around my schooling.

I've been working on campus to pass the time until I move to Portland, Oregon, with my girlfriend. It's minimum wage, earned by spending my days in a windowless basement handing people towels and basketballs. But its a job, and I really can't complain about a steady paycheck. I have Fridays and weekends off, and today, after a busy morning spent running a week's worth of errands, I took a walk through Lullwater Park, on Emory' campus. It was wonderful to get outside, stretch my legs, and take it all in. There's nothing on earth quite like the smell of honeysuckle on a warm summer evening. I don't know where the time went, but two hours later I found myself back at my front door, feeling a sort of happy exhaustion that comes from time spent exploring outside. It also felt good to have my camera back in my hands; I've been missing it more than I realized.

April, according to my iPhone...

April was a fun, but crazy busy, month! In early April I traveled to Sacramento, California, to visit UC Davis to make a decision about graduate school. I'll actually be spending the next 2+ years in Portland, Oregon, getting a Masters in Geography at Portland State University (PSU), and I'm incredibly excited! 

Here's life, according to my (brand new!) iphone...

-Spring finally arrived in Atlanta! It took forever, but the flowers were worth the wait.

-We went camping at Amicalola Falls for Hannah's birthday, which was a ton of fun.

-We went to Ria's Bluebird for a tasty brunch the day after Hannah's birthday; I got a biscuit, veggie "sausage" patty, scrambled eggs, and roasted potatoes.

-Hannah and I walked around Grant Park and Oakland Cemetery (pictured) in Atlanta. 

-I tried my first Cheerwine cherry soda in Helen, GA!

-Hannah and I went on a weeknd getaway to Unicoi State Park, where we camped out!

-Emory Seniors at Sweetwater gave us one last tipsy night of fun before graduation.

-UC Davis in California; there were bikes everywhere!

-Gamma Phi formal, themed the"roaring twenties" in honor of the new Gatsby movie.

Feel free to follow me on Instagram - my username is gwynethmanser. 

Stone Mountain, GA

Over the weekend my sorority, Gamma Phi Beta, went on a chapter retreat to Stone Mountain, Georgia, to have fun and bond with the new members. I absolutely LOVE hiking the mountain, so while everyone else played team building games my friend Megan and I snuck away to go on a hiking adventure (because, you know, YOLO or whatever). We had a total blast taking silly pictures and hiking the trail! Afterwards I went with a bunch of friends to Doc Chey's, by Emory, for some yummy sweet and spicy veggie stir fry, which was pretty much the perfect end to the day.

GPhiB Bid Day 2013

The last two weeks have been totally consumed with sorority recruitment (aka "rush")! It's a pretty grueling process--lots of long hours and way too much girl flirting--but it was also a lot of fun, and I had a great time getting to better know some of the girls in my sorority. I did get to miss one day of recruitment to go to Nashville with my girlfriend Hannah; we saw Augustana (one of my favorite bands ever!) play a live acoustic set, which was amazing! And pretty much the best Christmas gift ever.

On Sunday we had "bid day", where new members get bids from the sororities. Gamma Phi Beta gave out 72 bids, which is absolutely huge (we currently have about 100 members)! That afternoon we picked up our new members and took them to Sky Zone, which is basically paradise if you love trampolines. Afterwards we came back to Emory to take bid day pictures and eat pizza. It was a long day, but a total blast, and I loved our theme: "lucky you, lucky me, lucky to be a GPhiB"!