Hello? Is anyone out there?
If you are still reading this after two months of inactivity, I commend you. And question the amount of time on your hands. In any case, I feel that I should actually go ahead and complete this for the sake of tieing up all loose ends.
So, on July 28th (almost one year exactly since I made the exact trip), I left San Bruno (where I rgew up) and drove up to Spokane (my current home). This trip was a little different, as I had less crap crammed in my car, knew where I was going, and was going to tackle the 16 hour drive in one day.
I woke up at 5am, both by my alarm and also my dad alarm clock - thanks pop! I said goodbye to my groggy parents, loaded the last few things in my car, and set off on the road. The first few hours were pretty nice on the road, as there were relatively few cars around and I missed any sort of Bay Area traffic. It was also spent trying to figure out how to work the new CD player that my dad had installed in my car. After 16 hours I (sort of) figured it out.
Anyway, I drove up through the East Bay and into inland California on I-80. I then got onto I-5 and shot up California. This part of the drive is super boring, as you are just coasting along in a valley, going by some small towns (Zamora, Williams) and not much else. I finally made it to some beautiful scenery courtesy of Mount Shasta and Lake Shasta. The lake was formed in a large crater that was left by Shasta's last eruption, and so there are all these pockets and weird waterways that you can see driving by (and plenty you can't, I'm sure).
After Shasta, I quickly made my way into Oregon. I stopped at a rest stop in southern Oregon, got out of the car, and heard...absolutely nothing. It was pretty awesome! I was taking the eastern Oregon route, which means I was not going on the main roads, but still, pretty cool. I also had to remember to contain my excitment about seeing cars with Washington license plates, as we were now a state away.
I made it to Bend by around 1pm. Bend is this smaller town (but big for eastern Oregon) that is surrounded by national forests (and is only 2.5 hours from Crater Lake). Very pretty place and about a half way point for me. I stopped and got lunch here (I think - I am fuzzy on the details). I also loaded up on caffeine. I am not much of a caffeine drinker in real life, but that day was certainly an exception.
One quick side note about Oregon - every gas station there is full service. Meaning that self-serve gas is against the law. It is a little weird to get used to, especially when the people helping you are in their 70's and are clearly tired from the long day of pumping gas. And it is also against the law for those people to accept tips! Crazy.
After Bend, I made my way through Eastern Oregon. More smaller towns, more boring stuff that I quickly erased from my memory. I finally made it to The Dalles and the Columbia River, which I got to travel eastbound next to for a couple hours - so freakin' beautiful. This was also the trail that Lewis and Clark took out west.
Due to this being a rather unpopulated area, and due to me drinking lots of caffeine, I arrived at the Tri-Cities in southeastern Washington at around 6:30pm having to pee as badly as I can ever remember. I'm sure you wanted to know that! I gased up here again, caffeinated myself, and got back on the road!
The last part of this drive from the Tri-Cities (Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland) to Spokane is no doubt some of the most boring country to drive through. I think what made it even more unbearable was that I was tired and so close to getting back home. And I thought about calling someone to pass the time, but my phone was on one bar and I had lost my car charger! Whoops. So I was pretty crabby at this point - good thing no one was there to see me.
Finally made it back around 9pm into Spokane. Such a glorious sight! I love driving on 90 east into the city of Spokane. You see all the lights and buildings along with evergreens everywhere and it just looks awesome! I got off the freeway exit that I had gotten onto 59 days ago and headed east from there- crazy to think about! Anyway, went and got my keys from Nicola, stayed and chatted for awhile, then went back to my apt and passed out!
I will post some of the few pictures I took on my trip later (and ones people gave me). Then some final reflections and that's it!
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Monday, July 19, 2010
Host Superlatives
Based on the advice of Adrienne, awards for all my hosts are below!
Best Glimspe into Her World Award: Jenny (Omaha)
Based on my weekend in Omaha I have a real feel for how Jenny lives! We went to Hy-Vee, bought some half-priced books, watched some Ice Road Truckers, BBQed some food, and overall had a good time!
Most "Not like a guest, more like a roommate" Award: Pat (Baltimore)
My 5 days and 5 nights in Baltimore made me feel like I really wasn't even a guest at Pat's at all - it just felt like I was a roommate there for awhile.
Most Accomodating Award: Megan (Dayton)
Seriously, I spent a total of 8 nights over three weeks in Dayton. I stored a lot of my crap there, I left my bed unmade in the living room, I was in and out at very odd hours, and yet Megan was more than happy to have me!
Hated being a Host, but Stuck with it Admirably Award: Jack (Corpus Christi)
I am pretty sure Jack was not thrilled with having 5 guests staying in his one bedroom apartment for 4 days, and yet he did well with putting a grin on and giving us a fun 4th of July weekend.
Nicest Guest Accomodations Award: Amanda (Nashville)
My own bedroom, nice big bed, and lots of free air conditioning in the sweltering southern humidity? The best three nights of sleep in awhile!
Who would have thought in Milwaukee there was so much to do? A softball game that had action, suspense, and romance, a spy restaurant lunch, car parking adventure, Brewers game, and best of all, Club Paragon! A very fun time with very funny friends of Adrienne's too!
Most Whirlwind Hosting Experience Award: Vilija (New Orleans)
Vil had so much planned for me to do in New Orleans, and we jam packed it all into about 40 hours! We went through so many parts of the city and saw so much (incuding the swamp), and I was impressed with how she kept us touring without tiring us out!
Coolest Apt Award: Bowen and Spoon (DC)
A top floor apartment on Capitol Hill, just blocks from the Capitol, with a porch, nice new amenities, and lots of unprotected wireless accounts to steal - I don't think it can be beat!
Best Storytelling Host Award: Clare (San Antonio)
Sorry but no one else has Clare beat on her stories. She has an uptight mother from Long Island (complete with accent), a penchant for dating Latino men, and she is a Zumba instructor. You just can't compete with that.
Shortest Stay Award: Kelly (Santa Monica)
I was only in her presence for about 12 hours, but it was still a fun trip with my cousin and in LA.
Thanks to all my hosts - I am appreciative of them giving their space and time to me as I dumped my way into their lives for a short period of time. I can return the favor if you are ever in Eastern Washington and need a bed for a night or two.
Best Glimspe into Her World Award: Jenny (Omaha)
Based on my weekend in Omaha I have a real feel for how Jenny lives! We went to Hy-Vee, bought some half-priced books, watched some Ice Road Truckers, BBQed some food, and overall had a good time!
Most "Not like a guest, more like a roommate" Award: Pat (Baltimore)
My 5 days and 5 nights in Baltimore made me feel like I really wasn't even a guest at Pat's at all - it just felt like I was a roommate there for awhile.
Most Accomodating Award: Megan (Dayton)
Seriously, I spent a total of 8 nights over three weeks in Dayton. I stored a lot of my crap there, I left my bed unmade in the living room, I was in and out at very odd hours, and yet Megan was more than happy to have me!
Hated being a Host, but Stuck with it Admirably Award: Jack (Corpus Christi)
I am pretty sure Jack was not thrilled with having 5 guests staying in his one bedroom apartment for 4 days, and yet he did well with putting a grin on and giving us a fun 4th of July weekend.
Nicest Guest Accomodations Award: Amanda (Nashville)
My own bedroom, nice big bed, and lots of free air conditioning in the sweltering southern humidity? The best three nights of sleep in awhile!
Best Planned Activities Award: Adrienne (Milwaukee)
Who would have thought in Milwaukee there was so much to do? A softball game that had action, suspense, and romance, a spy restaurant lunch, car parking adventure, Brewers game, and best of all, Club Paragon! A very fun time with very funny friends of Adrienne's too!
Most Whirlwind Hosting Experience Award: Vilija (New Orleans)
Vil had so much planned for me to do in New Orleans, and we jam packed it all into about 40 hours! We went through so many parts of the city and saw so much (incuding the swamp), and I was impressed with how she kept us touring without tiring us out!
Coolest Apt Award: Bowen and Spoon (DC)
A top floor apartment on Capitol Hill, just blocks from the Capitol, with a porch, nice new amenities, and lots of unprotected wireless accounts to steal - I don't think it can be beat!
Best Storytelling Host Award: Clare (San Antonio)
Sorry but no one else has Clare beat on her stories. She has an uptight mother from Long Island (complete with accent), a penchant for dating Latino men, and she is a Zumba instructor. You just can't compete with that.
Shortest Stay Award: Kelly (Santa Monica)
I was only in her presence for about 12 hours, but it was still a fun trip with my cousin and in LA.
Thanks to all my hosts - I am appreciative of them giving their space and time to me as I dumped my way into their lives for a short period of time. I can return the favor if you are ever in Eastern Washington and need a bed for a night or two.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
My thoughts on driving
During my roadtrip, I got a lot of questions concerning driving - "Are you sick of it?", "Are you going alone?", "How are you doing with it?", etc. And while I am no expert in driving, I thought I could share my opinion on driving over 9500 miles in about 40 days.
First off, I have to say that I never got sick of driving. There were points in the second half of the trip that I got bored, but overall I got used to spending days in the car. I had a total of 15 "driving days" with an average of 550 miles and about 9 hours each day. I think this helped to break up the days, as I only spent what is considered a working day on the road, and depending on what time in the morning I left a certain space, I could be assured to be at my destination in time for dinner.
My car was essentially jam-packed and ready for the trip. I had my trusty huge snack bag which I managed to pick through for the entire trip (note for future road trips: don't buy things like trail mix or power bars that have chocolate in them when you are driving through super humid areas). I also had a 5 gallon container full of water which was more of a saving grace than I thought; it was convenient to be able to fill up my nalgene whenever I wanted to.
I ended up really enjoying driving by myself. While the company would have been welcomed at points, it was also very nice to travel alone, because that meant that I got to decide everything (I really am quite stubborn). When I stopped for food/gas/bathroom/random journey or not was entirely up to me!
Music turned out to be a bit of a problem. Nana does not have an antenna, as it blew off in Kansas last summer when driving from Ohio to California. As well, Nana likes to eat CDs that are put in the cd player. So my music selection consisted of select radio stations when located near a city (I got really good at seeing a skyscraper and instantly searching for stations) and the music on my ipod. While I enjoyed my music for the first couple of weeks, it got pretty monotomous after awhile (as did radio actually too).
I thought that I could pass my time in the car by talking to people on the phone, but that didn't always work out, because who knew that northeastern Wyoming doesn't have perfect cell phone reception? Boo. Whenever I did get a chance to talk to someone while driving, it was a good way to pass the time but also a distraction from noticing my surroundings.
And I know it is illegal in many states, but I have found an effective (and somewhat safe) way to text while driving. I take the phone (I have a flip phone) and hold with both my index fingers and thumbs at the top of my wheel. This way, my other 6 fingers are on the wheel and steering the car, and my vision is facing the road and I can still pay attention to driving (as much attention as can be expected).
I have also come to several realizations about driving on this trip.
-The best way to describe my driving is "absent-minded". In the past, I have been called "bad", "aggressive", "speedy", etc. But really, it's that I just don't pay a lot of attention to the driving process and all of my surroundings.
- Every state has bad drivers. While every state likes to brag (or not) at having terrible drivers, I can attest that they are everywhere. Bad drivers might look different in different parts of the country, but they are there!
- There are many lifesavers to a long drive - rest stops, travel plazas, cruise control, and funny signs at the end of the highway. And air conditioning.
- It says something about our country's dependence on oil when driving across the country for 5 weeks was much more economical and feasible than taking the train, bus, an airplane, etc. Seriously, I did the math, and I would have spent way more if I had flown everywhere, needed a lot more time to take the bus, and would have had to cut out certain cities if I took the train. If our highways are the veins of our nation (and from the amount of work I saw on them this summer due to the National Reinvestment and Recovery Act, they are), then we have to go back to the drawing boards to figure out how to wean off of our oil addiction.
That's enough rambling from me - if you read that all, you are a good person!
Joey
First off, I have to say that I never got sick of driving. There were points in the second half of the trip that I got bored, but overall I got used to spending days in the car. I had a total of 15 "driving days" with an average of 550 miles and about 9 hours each day. I think this helped to break up the days, as I only spent what is considered a working day on the road, and depending on what time in the morning I left a certain space, I could be assured to be at my destination in time for dinner.
My car was essentially jam-packed and ready for the trip. I had my trusty huge snack bag which I managed to pick through for the entire trip (note for future road trips: don't buy things like trail mix or power bars that have chocolate in them when you are driving through super humid areas). I also had a 5 gallon container full of water which was more of a saving grace than I thought; it was convenient to be able to fill up my nalgene whenever I wanted to.
I ended up really enjoying driving by myself. While the company would have been welcomed at points, it was also very nice to travel alone, because that meant that I got to decide everything (I really am quite stubborn). When I stopped for food/gas/bathroom/random journey or not was entirely up to me!
Music turned out to be a bit of a problem. Nana does not have an antenna, as it blew off in Kansas last summer when driving from Ohio to California. As well, Nana likes to eat CDs that are put in the cd player. So my music selection consisted of select radio stations when located near a city (I got really good at seeing a skyscraper and instantly searching for stations) and the music on my ipod. While I enjoyed my music for the first couple of weeks, it got pretty monotomous after awhile (as did radio actually too).
I thought that I could pass my time in the car by talking to people on the phone, but that didn't always work out, because who knew that northeastern Wyoming doesn't have perfect cell phone reception? Boo. Whenever I did get a chance to talk to someone while driving, it was a good way to pass the time but also a distraction from noticing my surroundings.
And I know it is illegal in many states, but I have found an effective (and somewhat safe) way to text while driving. I take the phone (I have a flip phone) and hold with both my index fingers and thumbs at the top of my wheel. This way, my other 6 fingers are on the wheel and steering the car, and my vision is facing the road and I can still pay attention to driving (as much attention as can be expected).
I have also come to several realizations about driving on this trip.
-The best way to describe my driving is "absent-minded". In the past, I have been called "bad", "aggressive", "speedy", etc. But really, it's that I just don't pay a lot of attention to the driving process and all of my surroundings.
- Every state has bad drivers. While every state likes to brag (or not) at having terrible drivers, I can attest that they are everywhere. Bad drivers might look different in different parts of the country, but they are there!
- There are many lifesavers to a long drive - rest stops, travel plazas, cruise control, and funny signs at the end of the highway. And air conditioning.
- It says something about our country's dependence on oil when driving across the country for 5 weeks was much more economical and feasible than taking the train, bus, an airplane, etc. Seriously, I did the math, and I would have spent way more if I had flown everywhere, needed a lot more time to take the bus, and would have had to cut out certain cities if I took the train. If our highways are the veins of our nation (and from the amount of work I saw on them this summer due to the National Reinvestment and Recovery Act, they are), then we have to go back to the drawing boards to figure out how to wean off of our oil addiction.
That's enough rambling from me - if you read that all, you are a good person!
Joey
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Day ??: In the Bay Area
I have been back at my parents' house for a little over a week now (I have to refrain from using "home", as I firmly do believe that Spokane is my home now, even though San Bruno used to be!). I haven't updated this, mainly because I haven't done enough to warrent a post. I have been alternating being very lazy (sitting around, reading, watching tv, scaring the dogs) and seeing friends and family members. It has been nice to see old friends and reconnect, even if it does remind me that they are living their real lives here and I am the guy who pops in and out throughout the year. I guess I need to be ok with that since I chose to live in Spokane!
It goes against my nature to try and schedule time to see lots of different people, but I've really had to do it since I have been home in order to see everyone I want/need to see and still stay sane! I feel more organized that I do at work even.
Anyway, I do promise to update later with some overall ramblings about my journey and some other interesting things, I swear!
It goes against my nature to try and schedule time to see lots of different people, but I've really had to do it since I have been home in order to see everyone I want/need to see and still stay sane! I feel more organized that I do at work even.
Anyway, I do promise to update later with some overall ramblings about my journey and some other interesting things, I swear!
Monday, July 12, 2010
Day 39: Santa Monica, CA to Forestville, CA
Hi again! I am very late in updating this (even though the only people that read this are my aunt and uncle and parents, and I have seen them a bunch).
Woke up early on Friday (earlier than cousin Kelly at least, she sleeps late) and went out to the Novel Cafe in Westwood to meet my buddy Jeff Callaghan for lunch. Jeff and I went to high school together and also worked at camp together. He works as a Development Coordinator for a theater company down in LA, and he is one of the most hysterical people I have ever met - very sarcastic, witty, and quick. Since he lives in LA, we only get to see each other during holiday times (I guess that is deal with most of my friends), and it was good to see him.
After that, I went to the Santa Monica Nissan dealership to get my car looked at one more time (see entry from day before). They were able to diagnose the problem this time, but they couldn't fix it, so it was a little for naught. Oh well!
It was finally around noon that I got on the road. My itinerary for the day was simple - drive up to Northern California and surprise my folks! They had thought I was coming back on Monday (today) from my trip, but instead I was coming back before the weekend. I drove up I-5 and through the middle of California (aka boring) for a long while. I then went through the Bay Area and was on my way up 101 to my parent's cabin at the Russian River.
At this point no one knew I was coming home early except my brother, aunt, and uncle. My mom was already at the cabin, and my dad was coming up later in the night. As I was driving up 101, I was near Santa Rosa (only about a half hour away) and got into the left hand lane quickly. I saw a car coming up behind me and thought they must have been pissed that I sort of cut them off. Then I realized that the car, license plate, driver, and dog in the passenger seat looked awfully familiar. It was my dad! I decided to call him since the surprise was up. Our conversation is below.
Dad: Hi joey!
Me: Surprise!
Dad: What surprise? Where are you?
Me: Uh, look ahead of you.
Dad: That's you?? I was just cussing you out for being out-of-state and cutting me off.
Gotta love it. Anyway, he followed me into the cabin, and I was able to surprise my mother (she cried in the driveway, of course).
So now I am at home and am on "vacation" for the next two and a half or so weeks! Will update this periodically if I do anything fun (or want to recount any particularly memorable parts of the trip).
Woke up early on Friday (earlier than cousin Kelly at least, she sleeps late) and went out to the Novel Cafe in Westwood to meet my buddy Jeff Callaghan for lunch. Jeff and I went to high school together and also worked at camp together. He works as a Development Coordinator for a theater company down in LA, and he is one of the most hysterical people I have ever met - very sarcastic, witty, and quick. Since he lives in LA, we only get to see each other during holiday times (I guess that is deal with most of my friends), and it was good to see him.
After that, I went to the Santa Monica Nissan dealership to get my car looked at one more time (see entry from day before). They were able to diagnose the problem this time, but they couldn't fix it, so it was a little for naught. Oh well!
It was finally around noon that I got on the road. My itinerary for the day was simple - drive up to Northern California and surprise my folks! They had thought I was coming back on Monday (today) from my trip, but instead I was coming back before the weekend. I drove up I-5 and through the middle of California (aka boring) for a long while. I then went through the Bay Area and was on my way up 101 to my parent's cabin at the Russian River.
At this point no one knew I was coming home early except my brother, aunt, and uncle. My mom was already at the cabin, and my dad was coming up later in the night. As I was driving up 101, I was near Santa Rosa (only about a half hour away) and got into the left hand lane quickly. I saw a car coming up behind me and thought they must have been pissed that I sort of cut them off. Then I realized that the car, license plate, driver, and dog in the passenger seat looked awfully familiar. It was my dad! I decided to call him since the surprise was up. Our conversation is below.
Dad: Hi joey!
Me: Surprise!
Dad: What surprise? Where are you?
Me: Uh, look ahead of you.
Dad: That's you?? I was just cussing you out for being out-of-state and cutting me off.
Gotta love it. Anyway, he followed me into the cabin, and I was able to surprise my mother (she cried in the driveway, of course).
So now I am at home and am on "vacation" for the next two and a half or so weeks! Will update this periodically if I do anything fun (or want to recount any particularly memorable parts of the trip).
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Day 38: Williams, AZ to Santa Monica, CA
So sorry that I didn't post in a few days! You will find out why for reasons below. I will update about Thursday and then Friday.
So, Thursday I woke up at 5:30am, thanks to both the desert sun and the kids at the camp site next to me who were already up and playing around. I tossed around for a bit, then decided the hell with it and got up and started my day. I put my tent away (much better than the day before, and I even got it to fit into the bag it came in - success in my book) and cleaned up my camping area. Was packed up and out of there by 7am - impressive for a 26 year old male, right??
The plan today was to get to LA. I was staying in LA with my cousin Kelly, and she didn't get off of work until 7pm, so I had about 12 hours to do a 7.5 hour drive. My plan was to take the scenic route, stop whenever I needed or wanted to, and not fret about not having enough time to get there. I started first by getting some breakfast at a diner in Williams (on historic route 66 no less) and then hit the road. The pine forests and quaintess of Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon gave way quickly again to the desert and boringness.
I soon made it to California, and there I was stopped (as was every car on the road) by a state inspection person. The exchange kind of went like this:
State Inspection Lady: Where are you coming from?
Me: (looking kind of confused, since we are less than a mile into CA from the AZ border). Uh, Arizona. Isn't that where everyone is coming from?
State Inspection Lady: Yes, but where are you off to? You are from Washington, have you been visiting Arizona?
Me: Well, I've kind of been everywhere in the past month...
State Inspection Lady: Just go through. Have a nice day
I did not understand the whole point of the conversation! It was longer too than the Border Inspection stop I had to go through in New Mexico ("Are you a citizen? Go ahead..." So foolproof!) but still funny nonetheless.
Anyway, my day was going well...until my check engine light came on when going through Needles, CA. In hindsight, this was the best place theoretically that the light could have gone off, as it was in a town right before I got into the Mojave desert, and it was during working hours so I could do something about it. I found a service shop who said they would diagnose it for 60 bucks - a little steep, but how can I haggle in the middle of the desert? Two hours later, and they are forced to admit that their machines can read what is wrong with my car. Two hours of me sitting in 110 degree weather, all for naught! In those two hours though, I did the following things:
- sweat through my t-shirt (that one was a given)
- walked to an AM/PM and bought a drink (just like in the old days walking to swim practice at the San Bruno pool)
- stole wireless internet from the hotel across the street
- talked to an old cowboy trucker man who was getting his truck worked on (his job was to take all the empty Miller Lite cans manufactured in Torrance, CA, and drive them to Milwaukee so they could be filled with beer)
- almost feel asleep
Anyway, it was now 3pm, and I still had no idea what was wrong with my car. I conferred with my dad via phone, who said (and I agreed) that I should get a second opinion. So I drove around and found another repair shop. This one took ten minutes, and the guy said that I had a leaky valve on the rear differential, so I should be fine getting to LA. And he didn't even charge me. Thanks Big O Tires Guy!
So, after a long day in Needles, I started on the road again. Drove through the desert, where it got as hot as 115 degrees (or so my car said). Whatever leisurely pace I took BN (Before Needles) was shoved aside to drive a bit more frantically so that I could still get to LA on time. I have never been a speeder though, and I didn't start then!
Finally got to some civilization and drove through the scenic San Bernadino Mountains and National Forest - such a pretty sight! Until I realized that the haziness was smog. Oh well - such is life in Southern California I guess. After the mountains, the massive-ness of suburbs hits you smack in the face, and while I was happy to see more civilization, I soon had to try and survive the process known as "getting around LA on a lot of freeways". Luckily the GPS helped!
I did love having a bit of cold weather, as LA was overcast that day (real overcast, not smog). And I did hit some traffic, but not too much. And I have to say, I enjoy LA drivers, as they are experts at driving in traffic and know what they are doing - you keep moving as fast as you can and for the most part just stay in your lane.
Made it to Kelly's apt in Santa Monica at around 8pm. Kelly works at Interscope Records and has lived in LA since she graduated from LMU in 2008. Her place is so nice - off a small courtyard, all hardwood floors, newly redone kitchen, nice furniture. And two tv screens to boot! Living the LA lifestyle to the finest. Anyway, I took a quick shower since I had sweat so much the day before, and then we were off to dinner with her friend Rob. I was the first one in the family to meet Rob, and he seems like a nice guy. Since we had gone to dinner so late, we got done around 11pm, and I was whooped after a long day! It was back to Kelly's and I was quickly asleep on the couch...
More to come about yesterday!
Joey
So, Thursday I woke up at 5:30am, thanks to both the desert sun and the kids at the camp site next to me who were already up and playing around. I tossed around for a bit, then decided the hell with it and got up and started my day. I put my tent away (much better than the day before, and I even got it to fit into the bag it came in - success in my book) and cleaned up my camping area. Was packed up and out of there by 7am - impressive for a 26 year old male, right??
The plan today was to get to LA. I was staying in LA with my cousin Kelly, and she didn't get off of work until 7pm, so I had about 12 hours to do a 7.5 hour drive. My plan was to take the scenic route, stop whenever I needed or wanted to, and not fret about not having enough time to get there. I started first by getting some breakfast at a diner in Williams (on historic route 66 no less) and then hit the road. The pine forests and quaintess of Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon gave way quickly again to the desert and boringness.
I soon made it to California, and there I was stopped (as was every car on the road) by a state inspection person. The exchange kind of went like this:
State Inspection Lady: Where are you coming from?
Me: (looking kind of confused, since we are less than a mile into CA from the AZ border). Uh, Arizona. Isn't that where everyone is coming from?
State Inspection Lady: Yes, but where are you off to? You are from Washington, have you been visiting Arizona?
Me: Well, I've kind of been everywhere in the past month...
State Inspection Lady: Just go through. Have a nice day
I did not understand the whole point of the conversation! It was longer too than the Border Inspection stop I had to go through in New Mexico ("Are you a citizen? Go ahead..." So foolproof!) but still funny nonetheless.
Anyway, my day was going well...until my check engine light came on when going through Needles, CA. In hindsight, this was the best place theoretically that the light could have gone off, as it was in a town right before I got into the Mojave desert, and it was during working hours so I could do something about it. I found a service shop who said they would diagnose it for 60 bucks - a little steep, but how can I haggle in the middle of the desert? Two hours later, and they are forced to admit that their machines can read what is wrong with my car. Two hours of me sitting in 110 degree weather, all for naught! In those two hours though, I did the following things:
- sweat through my t-shirt (that one was a given)
- walked to an AM/PM and bought a drink (just like in the old days walking to swim practice at the San Bruno pool)
- stole wireless internet from the hotel across the street
- talked to an old cowboy trucker man who was getting his truck worked on (his job was to take all the empty Miller Lite cans manufactured in Torrance, CA, and drive them to Milwaukee so they could be filled with beer)
- almost feel asleep
Anyway, it was now 3pm, and I still had no idea what was wrong with my car. I conferred with my dad via phone, who said (and I agreed) that I should get a second opinion. So I drove around and found another repair shop. This one took ten minutes, and the guy said that I had a leaky valve on the rear differential, so I should be fine getting to LA. And he didn't even charge me. Thanks Big O Tires Guy!
So, after a long day in Needles, I started on the road again. Drove through the desert, where it got as hot as 115 degrees (or so my car said). Whatever leisurely pace I took BN (Before Needles) was shoved aside to drive a bit more frantically so that I could still get to LA on time. I have never been a speeder though, and I didn't start then!
Finally got to some civilization and drove through the scenic San Bernadino Mountains and National Forest - such a pretty sight! Until I realized that the haziness was smog. Oh well - such is life in Southern California I guess. After the mountains, the massive-ness of suburbs hits you smack in the face, and while I was happy to see more civilization, I soon had to try and survive the process known as "getting around LA on a lot of freeways". Luckily the GPS helped!
I did love having a bit of cold weather, as LA was overcast that day (real overcast, not smog). And I did hit some traffic, but not too much. And I have to say, I enjoy LA drivers, as they are experts at driving in traffic and know what they are doing - you keep moving as fast as you can and for the most part just stay in your lane.
Made it to Kelly's apt in Santa Monica at around 8pm. Kelly works at Interscope Records and has lived in LA since she graduated from LMU in 2008. Her place is so nice - off a small courtyard, all hardwood floors, newly redone kitchen, nice furniture. And two tv screens to boot! Living the LA lifestyle to the finest. Anyway, I took a quick shower since I had sweat so much the day before, and then we were off to dinner with her friend Rob. I was the first one in the family to meet Rob, and he seems like a nice guy. Since we had gone to dinner so late, we got done around 11pm, and I was whooped after a long day! It was back to Kelly's and I was quickly asleep on the couch...
More to come about yesterday!
Joey
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Day 37: Grants, NM to Williams, AZ
Let's see, what to say about yesterday?
Woke up and left grants and the campsite. It was super windy in the morning. Have you ever tried to take down and fold a tent by yourself when it's windy? Don't- it is terrible! I finally gave up and threw the thing in my car.
Drove across nothern NM into northern Arizona. I ended up getting a little lost and drove through flagstaff which seems like a cool mountain city. It has lots of pine trees surrounding it and doesn't seem to fit into the rest of the arizona desert motif.
Finally around 1pm made it to my destination for the day- the grand canyon! I am not sure that words or pictures can accurately describe the thing. It is immense, and awe-inspiring, and breathtaking, and many other large positive adjectives I have yet to think of. I wish I had remembered more from my History Of National Parks class! I spent around 4 hours there, and I wish i could have been better prepared to spend more time there. Still, it was amazing.
After that I got set up at my tentsite, then I drove into downtown Williams to find some food and see the town. It is a part of historic route 66 and has a lot of memorabilia to see (and to purchase if you are so inclined). Very cool little town!
Gotta pack up and get on my way. Not sure if i will have Internet access the next couple of days to update this thing-we shall see!
Joey
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