Mr. and Mrs. Maxwell
We are now married and the real fun begins. We had no real plan for the honeymoon and went off into the sunset on a wing and a prayer.
Mark & Dawn's
Love StoryWedding Day
Some of our favorite wedding photos
These are just a few photos from the wedding and sets the stage for the beginning of our honeymoon adventure. Scroll down and see the whole story.
Happy Couple
The wedding was an absolute blast. Thanks to all of you who were there to celebrate with us!
Wedding Video
If you missed the wedding, here is a copy of the Facebook Live event. Sorry for the bad lighting, my first time using Facebook.
Honeymoon
The Big Map
Here was our first test as a married couple. We made no firm plans for our honeymoon and had spent all of our energy planning the wedding. With all the covid restrictions we were leery of traveling out of the country. So... we bought a big map at Staples and started talking about where to go first. It had always been Dawn's dream to be in Vermont for the fall colors so we decided to take a road trip on the northern route and see what struck our fancy as we traveled. No real plans, no hotel reservations, just flying by the seat of our pants. After some wedding cleanup at home we began our journey on October 5th. Our first stop was in Sunnyvale to see Dawn's mom at her nursing home. Then we headed to South Lake Tahoe. Our trip would turn out to be a 30 day honeymoon, traveling nearly 8,000 miles (7,950.3). Click here to view our travel map.
First Adventure - Virginia City
We were staying in Tahoe but didn't take any pictures there. Seems we spent a couple days just unwinding. I wish we had taken more pictures of Virginia City. There were so many cool things we saw in the old west mining town but did get a few nice shots of the first church in Nevada.
Virginia City Churches
Saint Mary's Catholic church
Saint Mary in the Mountains Catholic church is said to be the first church built in the State of Nevada and is always open.
Saint Paul's Episcopal Church
The Saint Paul's Episcopal Church next door pales in comparison and was closed.
Elko Nevada
Pucker-Up baby!
On our way to Elko, we stopped at a random gas station in the middle of nowhere and found this little jewel. Population 28.
Dinner at Garibaldi's
We stopped in Elko Nevada for the night and thought Garibaldi's would be a nice Italian restaurant for dinner. Mr. Garibaldi must have married into a Mexican family. It was good :-)
Elko Nevada
After leaving Tahoe and finding a hotel for the night, we found that Elko was a cool little town. Of course it was kind of a last stop for gambling and... other things... but still had some old west charm.
Diddling?
There were three or four brothels on this side street in Elko. Inez's even had a convenient handicap ramp!
Salt Lake City
Mormon Temple Salt Lake
The temple was quite an elaborate structure, complete with full under ground parking and private entrance below the temple. There was a wedding in process when we arrived and another wedding waiting in the wings for their turn. Dawn educated me on the significance of such a wedding and the Mormon view of a wife's place in heaven being dependant on being "called up" by her husband.
Salt Lake City
The weather was a little damp so I didn't get too many pictures of Salt Lake City. We did manage to see Brigham Young University and duck pond park just below the campus dorms.
Provo Utah
Grand American Hotel Salt Lake
We stayed in Salt Lake but drove down to Provo for the comedy show. Grand America Hotel was beautiful.
Dry Bar Comedy Club
We went to Provo a little early. "Bridal Veil Falls" was just outside of town and we took a few pictures. Nice backdrop for a picture of my beautiful bride :-) . We watch alot of clean "Dry Bar" comedy on YouTube, so we bought tickets to a live event in Provo! Looking forward to seeing it on YouTube someday. Click here for Dry Bar Comedy on YouTube.
Heading to the Falls
Wyoming
The rest stop at the Pine Bluff Trail was a welcome sight in Wyoming. Took a lot of coaxing to get Dawn to stand in the freezing wind for a photo!
Maxwell
How could we not stop at Maxwell, Iowa (or at least the road sign). Maxwell 2!
Notre Dame Indiana
Had to stop and see this famous campus in person.
Middlefield Ohio
This cute little Amish town was nearby and is the 4th largest Amish settlement in the US. We learned a great deal about the origins of the Amish and all their strange prohibitions (with numerous loop holes!)
Lake Erie
Lake Erie is like an ocean. Presque Island Park was beautiful and had many places to camp. There seemed to be miles of sandy beaches. It would be nice to go back and spend some time camping there.
Presque Isle Lighthouse
The Presque Isle Lighthouse is one of 3 lighthouses on Lake Erie. Good excuse to take another cute picture of my sweetie.
Niagara Falls
Trendy Hotel
Dawn found us this cute little hotel right downtown next to the Falls. It even had an espresso machine in the room.
American Falls
Niagara Falls is breathtaking. This was our first up close view from the American Falls.
Maid of the Mist
Nothing like seeing Horseshoe Falls up close and personal. We bought tickets for the Maid of the Mist. Standing in line, we watched as everyone who got off the boat was soaking wet! Those pink trash bag ponchos didn't stand a chance against the power of 600,000 gallons of water per second at base of the Falls.
Soaked!
So we spent the rest of the day in wet cloths and squishy shoes. It was a blast!
Stowe Vermont
Downtown
We arrived toward the end of the tourist season but the town was still very busy. We went to the Stowe Community Church on Sunday before we left town.
Fall Colors
The maple trees of Vermont are gorgeous in the fall. Our stay at the Fiddler's Green Inn bed and breakfast was fantastic. It sat right next to a babbling brook and had an awesome cabin feel. The owner was a wonderful host and great cook.
Onward to Maine
New Hampshire
We passed through so many small towns on our way to Maine. There are few freeways in the north east states. There are only 2 lane country roads that connect one historic town to another. Many buildings were 200-300 years old. Lancaster was incorporated in 1742 and one of the oldest inland towns. Timing didn't all for stopping at them all, but this is a photo of Lancaster New Hampshire.
Portland Maine
We made it to the tip of the East Coast! First thing we had to try out was the Maine Lobster. We went to Bob's Seafood.
Boston
Old Town Trolley Bus Tour
The bus tour in Boston is the way to go. One fare and you hop on and off wherever you want to visit. The bus driver was fantastic and gave us all the history as we toured historic sites in Boston. Funny, we only hopped off at Cheers and didn't really take any other pictures. We would like to go back and spend more time there.
Westbrook Connecticut
Barefoot in the Atlantic
We waited until we got to Connecticut before we made it to an Atlantic Ocean beach. Waves of the Atlantic are WAY smaller than the Pacific.
Private Beach
We were in an expensive beachfront community off of Old Mail Trail in Westbrook CT. I'm pretty sure we were trespassing but we made it to the water and back without incident.
New York
A Room With A View
WOW! I was so surprised by our first impression the city when we checked into our room. Dawn found us this great room on the 48th floor, right downtown next to the Twin Towers Memorial. This was like a $500 dollar a night room she booked for $137. Only God could have arranged such stunning accommodations in New York. This is probably our most memorable destination on the honeymoon road trip.
New York Harbor
From our room it was a short walk down to the waterfront of the Harbor. That's New Jersey on the other side. Hard to describe how beautiful and romantic it was to walk the pathway along the water. God is good!
Twin Towers Memorial
We were surprised how small a footprint the towers occupied for how tall they were. Still there was a strong emotion for what the memorial represented. Click Here for the World Trade Center Memorial website.
Walking in Manhattan
It was so cool to walk just a few blocks and see so many of the iconic places New York City is known for.
Times Square
For all of the stories I had heard of downtown Manhattan, it was actually pretty calm and clean. It was not as overcrowded as you would expect. Click here for Times Square history.
Empire State Building
Not the best shot of the Empire State Building, but was different to see it from the street level.
Central Park
It was funny to walk through Central park after dark and it didn't feel weird or dangerous. Later on we took a tour on a horse drawn carriage. It was actually much bigger than I expected. We only saw the south end of the park. Such a contrast to the forest of tall buildings all around it.
Statue of Liberty
Lady Liberty
She was breathtaking in person. What a sight to see after being on a long ocean voyage coming to America. Most passengers would break into tears as they came into the harbor. Click here for a little history.
Washington DC
White House
The lights are on but there's nobody home.
Saint Patrick's
This church was built in 1809 to replace the original wooden structure of 1794. This church ministered to the stone masons as they built the White House.
Video Call
Got a video call from Dawn's daughter, Bethany. We tried to "PhotoShop" her into our selfie but without success. The attempt was hilarious.
Washington Monument
Martin Luther King Jr.
Arlington Cemetery
The Tomb
Our Marines take the guarding of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier seriously. Those in the crowd who would make noise during their duties were admonished immediately in a most aggressive tone.
Respect
There really was a serious and respectful spirit present here.
Tennessee
Beautiful
My beautiful bride and God's creation go well together. Click here to learn more about the Great Smokey Mountains National Park.
Great Smokey Mountains
Tennessee had even more beautiful scenery than Vermont. We were impressed.
Nashville
Andrew Jackson's Hermitage
We stopped by Andrew Jackson's house but no one was home.
Gotta a Bad Boss?
This downtown Nashville native says he has the answer to your employer problem. Pretty creative. I couldn't stop laughing.
Nashville Nights
The downtown has a Mardi Gras flavor after dark. We did our best to find a quieter place where we could enjoy each other's company.
Nashville Nights
Downtown just after dark but before things started getting loud and crazy.
Memphis
Bass Pro Shop
After lunch at Elwood's, head on over to this Bass Pro Shop. It was built inside the original Memphis Pyramid stadium. It was huge!
Arkansas
Arkansas Family
It was a nice rest from hotels to be with family for a couple days. Mom, Frank and my sister Kim live in the Bryant/Benton area outside Little Rock. Pictured left to right are; Meghan (niece) and her children Jaime & Chloe; Kim (sister); Brenda Fundaro (mom); Trisha (aunt) and Jerry (uncle); Frank Fundaro (Dad-2).
The Girls
Everybody loved Dawn. We all had a great time.
Hot Springs
Childhood home town of President Bill Clinton. It was also a safe haven and hotbed of organized crime in the 1930's.
My Little Cupcake
One of the hot spots in Hot Springs.
Clinton House
The childhood home of President Bill Clinton was for sale. $275,000 but no offers..
Headstone
Maybe it's the headstone in the front yard that is putting off potential buyers.
Little Rock
Really is named after this "little rock" on the shore of the Arkansas River.
Junction Bridge
This bridge in the park takes you to the other side of the Arkansas River. It was once a draw bridge and roadway. It was raised permanently and converted to a pedestrian bridge in 2008.
Old Mill Park
There was this cool little park in the middle of Little Rock. Shots of the Old Mill were used in the opening scene of the movie "Gone With The Wind" in 1939.
Old Mill Park
Click on this picture for more detail.
Winslow Arizona
Standing on the Corner
We were intending to make it to Flagstaff but it was getting late. We stopped in Winslow for the night. We went downtown and saw this memorial to the famous Eagles song.
"Take it Easy"
Grand Canyon
Canyon at dusk
The Grand Canyon was incredible. We took a ton of pictures but these 2 are may favorites. We even saw 2 wild Rams just off of the road. The tour bus driver said they are rarely seen this close. God was just reminding us that He had given us favor on this trip.
I'm a lucky man
Sedona Arizona
Chapel of the Holy Cross
Sedona is a gorgeous area of Arizona. Just the drive down the canyon going into town was worth the trip.
Chapel of the Holy Cross
Drive back to Town
The red sandstone and pine trees were beautiful.
Lunch at The Hudson
We found this great little restaurant on our way out of town. We had patio seating and beautiful weather. We kept looking at that mountain and it looked like a giant Black Bear was climbing up the side. Click the photo and zoom in. What do you think?
Homeward Bound
Lunch in Barstow
Our last relaxing stop on the way home was at the Barstow Station for lunch. Looking forward to getting home.
CHEERS!
We celebrated the "Road Trip Honeymoon" with a glass of champagne left over from our wedding. It really was a gift from God I wish everyone could experience. We are already planning round 2!