Worst Around the Country

A few weeks ago I wrote about some of the best sights and highlights of my trip! Of course on a 6 and half week trip there are always going to be the low-lights and disappointments.

Warning: Not all of these places are big disappointments or boring! Some of them are disappointments because we spent too much time their, weather, etc.

Some of my friends and I at Corn Palace.

1. The Golden Gate Bridge-The day we were in downtown San Francisco it was very cloudy and overcast. We had cool opportunity to pray at a spot overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge. The only problem was that we couldn't see a thing! (The cool part was that we were praying and standing inside a cloud.) It was very upsetting to not see the iconic bridge up close. We drove across it, but it wasn't' the same. 
2. Albuquerque Hot Air Balloon Museum-Didn't meet my expectations! When I learned that Albuquerque was the host of the largest Hot Air Balloon Festival, I thought we would see some of the cool and colorful balloons that flew in the festival, but no, the museum described the history of hot air balloons which was very boring. 
3. The International Banana Museum in California-Part of Wheels is stopping at quirky attractions that you may not visit because they are in the middle of nowhere. The other two buses visited many quirky places and our bus hadn't stopped at that many. I was very excited to stop at the International Banana Museum. When our staff got back on the bus they told us that we wouldn't be getting off because the guy working there was very rude. (Plus our bus became inhabited by flies for a short time. But, we made a stop at Coachella to use the bathroom.) 
4. Corn Palace in South Dakota-Another quirky stop that was way over-hyped by our staff. The Corn Palace is a place that displays art made of corn. New themes are created out of corn that cover the outside every year or so. I thought the Corn Palace was going to show all of the unique artwork, but there wasn't. The Corn Palace is also a local basketball arena. 
5.  Los Angeles-LA marks the halfway point of Wheels. All of the buses meet in LA for 3-4 days. I found LA to be a bit overrated. I really enjoyed visiting the Hollywood Sign, Disney Land, Santa Monica Pier and the Walk of Fame, but LA wasn't like I expected it to be. (I totally recommend getting Kosher pizza. It was delicious!)
6. Bear Country USA in South Dakota-Bear Country USA is a place where you drive your vehicle through and look at bears and other cute animals. The only problem was that it started to pour shortly after we began and it was hard to see the animals. 
7. Crater Lake in Oregon-Crater Lake was formed by a big super volcano. We only spent a good hour or so actually looking at the lake and scenery. (We slept in a cabin on the property, but arrived at Crater Lake at around 10 pm.) It was slightly cloudy and the water wasn't as blue as it could be.
8. Phoenix-I have been to Phoenix a handful of times to visit my aunt, uncle and cousins usually for family functions. I never really did anything touristy in Phoenix before and I thought we would be doing something fun! In reality we did a scavenger hunt at a local mall and went ice skating. (I do love scavenger hunts though.) I rather of sight-seeded then doing activities we can do back home.
   
   
   
   

Home?

On USY on Wheels there is no such thing as a home. For the most part each, night, we stayed at a new hotel or host home when a synagogue was hosting us. Our staff told us on our first bus ride that our "home" for the next 6 and half weeks would be our Coach USA Bus!

The bus was packed strategically to fit all of the supplies we needed for our journey. All of the overhead bins are filled with snacks, plates, napkins, silverware, condiments for sandwiches, etc. The cereal was stored in the bathroom. Every possible seat was taken. (Each staff member had a row to themselves, the water cooler had a row and the back row of seats was used for storage.) Each person's single suitcase and coolers were stored under the bus. The only space for our personal belongings was under our seat.

Our days were filled with hours on the bus. Our bus rides almost always started with Quiet Hours. (The only time we didn't have quiet hours was when we were sightseeing in a city for an entire day.) Quiet Hours allowed us time to take a nap and catch up on our sleep. I don't really take naps, so I spent my time writing in my journal, trying to catch up, using my phone and looking out the window. I always loved looking out for the signs that said we have entered a new state!

After Quiet Hours ended, we talked with one another. Occasionally we would watch a movie, play music or a game. Sometimes we even had dance parties on the bus which were very fun! My favorite parts about our bus rides was being able to move freely across the bus whenever we wanted, except when we were in traffic.

One of my favorite and funniest memories from our bus rides was when someone requested to play the song "The Wheels on the Bus." Vince, our bus driver, started to do the motions when the song was playing. It was very funny and a memorable moment.

A special tradition on USY on Wheels is decorating the bus whenever there was a birthday. Our bus had lots of birthdays! For each birthday, the ceiling of the bus was decorated with streamers and some signs covered parts of the windows. The bus always looked special and festive when we had a birthday. (Unfortunately my birthday is in September.)

I think our bus truly became a home to me. Unfortunately, I probably will never ride the same bus again. 😢

Best Around the Country

One of my favorite parts about my USY on Wheels trip was going to a new place every day! For the majority of our trip I got to see a new part of America daily which was really cool. (The only repeats was when we were in Philly, Baltimore and DC at the beginning of the trip which was very boring to me!)

I’m going to highlight and rank some of my favorite cities, attractions, places and states I really enjoyed! (This blog post would be very long if I ranked every city, place, etc. I visited. I'm only listing a place I visited on only one top list.)

Top Cities:

1. New Orleans
2. Chicago
3. San Fransisco
4. Charlotte 

Top National Parks:

1. The Grand Canyon
2. Yellowstone National Park
3. Mt. Rushmore
4. Crater Lake

Top Activities:

1. Pink Jeep Tour in Sedona: We got to ride in a Pink Jeep up a reddish mountain in Sedona
2. Disney Land 
3. AT&T Stadium Tour (Dallas Cowboys Stadium)
4. Hinkle Family Fun Center: an activity center in Albuquerque that had go-karts, bumper boats, laser tag, an arcade and much more!
5. Whirlyball: an activity in the Midwest where you are in a car like a bumper car. Each player has a scoop which the players try to throw and catch a wiffle ball and shoot at the goal which is a circular target. (It's a combination of multiple sports.)  
6. Storybook Island: a playground in South Dakota that is themed with fairy tale and other childhood characters. 
7. Iowa Cubs Minor League Baseball game

 Top Places/Landmarks:

Some of my Wheels friends and I staring into our reflection at the Bean.

1. The Bean
2. Cadillac Ranch
3. Hollywood Sign
4. Santa Monica Pier