Photos

biting our nails

Mom and I are waiting on pins and needles for word from Rand McNally to see if we are one of the 5 finalist teams for Best of the Road 2012.

I wish Mom was closer, or on the same works schedule as me so we could be making these videos together, but we are 1,000 miles away from each other today, so you just get my mug:

Thank goodness for cell phones, email, social media and Skype! At least Mom and I have been connected through those technology mediums during this rally. What a blast we have had! Funny how even if you are super close with someone and have traveled or spent a ton of time with them before- teaming up with that same person on a project makes you like or respect them even more.

I hope Rand McNally and USA TODAY see the genuine spirit of Mom and I and how much of a great asset and total fun we would be for this rally. Through this initial rally part we have worked hard to show who we are and what we are about.

It is my dream, my happy place and my most favorite thing to be on the road encouraging others to get out and explore. My believe that travel makes you a better person will always stay at the core of my soul and that will never change. I love being on the road more than anything. Mom has fallen in love with travel too over the past few years as she’s adventured to visit all of  us Peacock kids around the country where we’ve lived. It’s been fun for me to watch her see things while traveling for the first time, finally taking time for herself after working so hard  for years raising us. It’s pretty amazing as a “kid” to see your parent’s eyes light up the same way I’m sure she watched mine when I was a little girl finding new exciting things to learn about and explore.

For you kids of any age out there who want to do something, anything that is your big dream, the one that might seem unreachable, unreasonable, or unrealistic- it’s not. Mom Peacock always told me and still tells me to “go for it”. Reach for the stars, work hard and you will get it, keep a smile on your face when you fall down, jump right up- wipe that dirt off and try again because you can do anything you set your mind to.

She’s right.

So to Blue Lollipop Road readers and followers:

What’s your Rand McNally Best of the Road?- That thing you so badly want to be a part of or create for yourself? Jump in and tell them or yourself why you want it so badly. Show them who you are and what you’re made of. You might not be chosen or succeed the first time, or even the 22nd time, but keep plugging, work hard, and stay true to your passion and eventually someone will listen.

Mom and I hope Rand McNally is listening to us, because Team Blue Lollipop Road was born for this rally!

 

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inspired by best of the road

After these past few weeks of talking about, reviewing, voting on, and dreaming of America’s most:

*Beautiful
*Patriotic
*Friendly
*Fun
*Best for food

…small town spots. Team Blue Lollipop Road was inspired to dive into our photo archives and pull out some of our snap shots that reminded us of each category.

*Beautiful

Sitting on a lawn during sunset in Cape Elizabeth, Maine:

Cape Elizabeth Maine sunset

Morning grapevines and hot air balloons after a run in Napa:

Napa morning hot air balloons

Hiking near Hood River, Oregon:

Hiking near Hood River, OR

On a boat ride and fishing trip in Juneau, Alaska

on the water in Juneau, AK

*Patriotic

Driving through Poland Springs, Maine

Flag on firetruck in Poland Springs Maine

On the back roads of Sandgate, Vermont:

The BLR-Mobile in Vermont at covered bridge

The town square in Bath, Maine:

Town sidewalk in Bath, ME

*Friendly

With Ferry Manager in Swan Quarter, North Carolina:

Swan Quarter, NC Ferry Manager

The staff at Mainely Custard in Freeport, Maine said- “Come on in!” when I told them I was a big ice cream fan:

Staff at Mainely Custard

The Popcorn Man in St. Helena, California:

The Popcorn Man in St. Helena, CA

3 gents I met at Alaska Brewing Company in Juneau, Alaska:

Friends in Juneau, AK

*Fun

Our hilarious rafting guide near Hood River, Oregon:

Rafting guide in Hood River, OR

Staff on a Beatles themed  food bus in Virginia:

Staff on the Yellow Submarine Food Bus

Dancing Pedro at a country bar in Illinois:

Diane dancing with Pedro in Illinois

Concert goers dancing the night away with us in Wilmington, NC:

Fun concert friends in Wilmington, NC

*Best for food

Me noshing on a whoopie pie in Maine:

Diane noshing on a Maine whoopie pie

Dessert at Dano’s on Seneca, Hector NY

Dessert at Dano's on seneca Lake

Breakfast crepes in Madison, Wisconsin:

Crepe at the Bradbury in Wisconsin

Fresh veggie quesadillas in Illinois:

Quesadilla in Illinos

Dessert crepes in Charlottesville, Virginia

Diane noshing on Crepe in Charlottesville, VA

(Clearly we are not afraid to dive right in!)

So many amazing people, place and things in America to enjoy. We love that when you travel, all you have to do is be your interested, open, and curious self- and people invite you right in to join anything!

There is always plenty of adventure around every corner…

Here’s to the road!

 

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voting ends tomorrow!

Have you put in your reviews for Best of the Road yet? Where do you like to adventure, eat, drink, play, go? See some of Team Blue Lollipop Road’s favorites here and pipe in with your own reviews, then vote for us here so we can be a finalist team in the 2012 rally!

If you need some travel inspiration for yourself or to vote for us, here are a few photos from “there road”s I’ve taken the past couple years.

Driving down the Pacific Coast Highway, CA:

Pacific Coast Highway CA

Sitting on the side of the road at sunset in Sitka, AK:

Sunset Sitka, AK

Stopping to take in the mountains in Yukon, Canada:

Yukon, Canada BC

Relaxing at sunset at Seneca Lake, NY:

Sunset over Seneca Lake, Finger Lakes, NY

Sitting on the beach in Outer Banks, NC:

OBX, NC

During a bike ride outside Cafayate, Argentina:

Road outside Cafayate, Argentina

Looking up at the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, NC:

Cape Hatteras, NC

Ferrying into Juneau, AK:

Ferrying into Juneau, AK

Kneeling by the water at the Taj Mahal:

Taj Mahal, India

Hiking near Hood River, OR:

Hiking near Hood River, OR

From the walking trails at Iguazu Falls, Argentina:

Iguazu Falls, Argentina

Parked on the side of the road looking at the Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau AK:

Mendenhall Glacier Juneau, AK

Driving through Central Canada:

Down the road in central Canada

So where are you getting inspired to go this summer?

There’s a whole big world out there ready for the taking. Let’s hit the road together!

 

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yay for hometown support!

We just found out that our local paper in Vermont, the Bennington Banner is going to put information about Team Blue Lollipop Road and the Best of the Road Rally in this Saturday’s paper. (Tomorrow 5/12.) Arts & Entertainment section!

Mom and I were both born and raised in the Bennington area and are super excited that our town is rallying for us and nominating some must see spots in Vermont for Best of the Road!

Look at this gorgeous place we are from:

View of Mount Anthony, Bennington VT

Bennington Monument, Bennington Vt

Bennington, VT

Thanks to everyone in the Green Mountain State for being so good to us!

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help us climb…

…all over some of America’s signs! Oh how fun it’s been to look through travel photo albums. Check out a few places Team Blue Lollipop Road has been:

Diane Peacock at Colorado state line

Diane Peacock at Zion National Park

Ann, Diane and Erin Peacock at Grand Canyon

Diane Peacock on Texas sign

Diane Peacock in Canyonlands National Park

Want to see us snap a photo near a sign where you live, or want to be in a photos with us? Vote HERE for Team Blue Lollipop Road, and submit your favorite places HERE for Rand McNally and USA TODAY Best of the Road Rally 2012.

We can’t wait to see the places  you love!

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we are your team…

…for the Rand McNally/USA TODAY Best of the Road rally 2012!

Why?

Because we can finish a Ben & Jerry’s Vermonster no problem!

The Peacock's at Ben & Jerry's

Talk about being able to hang!

Welcome to the world of the Peacock’s. Sure, Mom and I had some help on this giant bucket o’ goodness, but we are not afraid and we like a good challenge! We finished:

20 scoops of ice cream

4 bananas

4 cookies

4 brownies

Nuts

Various chocolate toppings and tidbits

Hot fudge

Whipped cream

Boo-yah!

Mamma Peacock and I are ready to take on whatever other buckets of goodness are out there in Small Town America, so VOTE FOR US! Team Blue Lollipop Road!

Where do you want to send us to find the good treats?

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the real deal

It’s been about 10 days since the good madness began for Team Blue Lollipop Road soliciting votes in hopes to be chosen for the Rand McNally/USA TODAY Best of the Road 2012. I have worked my tail off already and can barely sleep at night because I want so badly to go on this trip with my Mom. The anticipation and excitement of it all (and we are not even on the trip yet!)- is the energy I live for. I love it. I love “meeting” new travelers on social media, I love watching the videos from last years competitors, I love reading about small towns I have never been to and daydreaming about going to to them.

This competition and rally is particularly important to me because it’s about Small Town America. The people, the food, the fun, the everyday life. This is what I have always traveled for and what the whole point of Blue Lollipop Road is: It’s about spending time with interesting and fun people in regular everyday places. My favorite travel memories are the ones where I’ve done nothing big or “important”, just the times enjoying coffee shop chats with people like Jack Burrows:

Jack Burrows- road people

Jack sat down beside me as I typed away at my computer in July of 2010 and told me about his Inn that he owned on a little Island where I was in NC. Just a happy smiley guy excited to have a visitor to his town. (How could you not love that face?) Another one of my most favorite road times was meeting these little cuties near the VT/NH border in September 2011 when I stopped at their lemonade stand:

Cutie-pies at a lemonade stand

(It’s as if this was staged it was so incredibly adorable, but it was totally random.)

I was quite the lemonade stand entrepreneur myself when I was little. (Mom will tell you stories on that and how I tried to sell “rock pictures” at my lemonade stands too.) I always have to stop to support my fellow business ladies like these, and naturally I couldn’t leave without a photo, so I asked the moms and dads if I could take one and give the girls a blue lollipop which they happily agreed. I didn’t even have to ask these 4 to stick out their blue tongues. They were giggling and loving it:

Blue lollipop tongues!

This picture is one of my favorite I have ever taken in the thousands I have. The pure joy of a simple sunny day with a lemonade stand and a lollipop.

These are the kinds of moments I live for, and why I stay curious and travel. These are moments you can’t buy, force to make, or get anywhere else but on the road. That is why I want to go on this Best of the Road rally with my Mom. I want to share with her moments like these that are out there to be had because she is a huge reason why I’ve made such a rich and full life of adventure. She’s always encouraged me to go, do and be exactly what I want with no expectation or rule other than to work hard and follow my heart and that’s exactly what I am doing here.

So? In all the moments of butt-busting to get votes, vying for social media attention and nuzzling Team Blue Lollipop Road into a spot in the lead to be chosen as one of the finalists, my hope is that the authenticity of Mom, myself and the spirit of Blue Lollipop Road will always shine through more than anything else. Spending time in Small Town America and moments with people are where my heart and soul are. If I could choose how to spend a dream day, or a million dollars if I had it- being in a car on a x-country trip in the USA like the one that I am competing to get in on now, would be my absolute first choice.

Here’s to the road!

 

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reason #478 to vote for team blue lollipop road

for the Best of the Road Rally 2012:

We find slabs of pizza and aren’t afraid to chow down!

Sicilian slab at Miccuci's

Welcome to the “sicilian slab” I found at Miccuci’s Grocery in Portland, Maine:

Micucci's Sicillian Slab

This slab was one of the freshest, most delicious, piping hot, squishy amazing melt in your mouth things I have ever eaten. (Translate: hosed.) Up close and personal when I was halfway through:

Micucci's Sicillian Slab

Mmmm….so, so good. This slab didn’t have a chance and was gone in 4 minutes or less. I actually stood up and ate the entire thing.

Want to feed me some of your best small town food? This girl is not afraid to eat…bring it! Vote for your town and maybe we will see you there.

VOTE FORE TEAM BLUE LOLLIPOP ROAD and put us on the tour of the best eats across the USA!

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