Alex's Trek

Ann Arbor, Lansing, Grand Rapids, MI and Chicago, IL and the fateful end...

2011-05-19T21:11:00.000-07:00

The Bean!!!

God's left handprint

The capitol babeee
do you see me? :)

Let me start this blog with the big news... It's over... Maander died and we aren't paying to get him fixed so thus our trip is over. We will either leave by train or plane to return to Sacramento. We are stuck in the city of DeKalb, Illinois. I never planned on staying in this town and so far it just seems like a normal random town off the beaten path. There is a college here though.

Cactus that looks like it is on fire
at the botanical gardens

Now lets throw back to where I left off and round out this blog with some sad optimism.

From Cleveland we went to Ann Arbor. It was my birthday and the night before we saw Bridesmaids which was excellent. We went to a breakfast place that had high reviews and I had the seafood omelet and Anna had eggs benedict. It was OK nothing special. We walked around the town which seemed nice. It was a college town with University of Michigan being there. People here are very proud of their colleges and either you are a big U of M fan or a Michigan State U fan. We went to a farmers market and after seeing stuff that didn't look all that tempting to buy we kept walking and soon found ourselves back at Maander and on our way to Lansing. The weather was nuts and was blowing us around quite a bit.

Looking cute gurl

this thing is carnivorous! weird

I found Michigan to be much more green than most places and the green was more vibrant than what one typically finds in California in the forest. Lots of dead deer on the side of the road and not too many towns gave us a feel that Michigan was not very populated. In Lansing we went to the capitol and found it closed on weekends and we quickly headed to a coffee spot where we basically spent the rest of the day because it was so cold there and didn't seem to have too much to do. The next day would be Grand Rapids and spending time with Kevin's parents at their home.

Tropical section

Magical beard tree
touch it and you get a beautiful beard
this is my secret

When we rolled into Grand Rapids we met Linda and Dave and their two daughters. We started talking it up and getting to know each other. It was a great little time out from being on our own and just having a place to stay that was a bed with some heat. We discussed good places to go in Grand Rapids and places we have been and some of the highlights. I felt a little bad because I felt a little worn out and wanted to just keep to myself in the room instead of being so social. I hope they don't feel like I wasn't very social, I was just in a funk.

Grandpa! Grandpa!

Quite large eh?

The dinner was amazing and I definitely ate my fill. The next day we went to the Botanical Gardens, a popular brewery and walked around a cool spot on Wealthy Street. The Botanical Gardens were expensive but very good. They had sculptures there and the greenhouses were well kept with interesting plants. The brewery was very good. We walked around Wealthy street and checked out an Antique Store and Anna had a Boba Tea that she really enjoyed at a coffee shop. We got home in time for dinner and had another amazing meal. We said goodbye to Linda and Dave and in the morning we left for Chicago.

What will this have besides many toll roads?

Before we made it to Chicago we stopped by the town of Holland where our former pastors Doug and Steve live and we visited with Doug. He took us out to lunch and we talked about everything we are doing and how we got there. It was a great time reminiscing and just talking about things we have realized thus far on the trip. Our time together was short and we hugged and were on our way for a long drive to Chicago.

Baha'i temple
only one in North America

Chicago cityscape

We made it through some traffic and to my Mother's Cousin's house in Wilmette, IL. This was an absolutely beautiful neighborhood that had brick roads and every house looked exquisite. Mary Beth and John welcomed us into their home and provided so much for us it was almost overwhelming. Once we got settled, we quickly started strategizing how to see Chicago during our very brief stay there. They ran and got us Lou Manelli's Pizza which is supposed to be top notch Chicago style pizza while we worked everything out. It did not disappoint and we once again ate more than what our body needs :) Mary Beth did a great job of getting things for our time in Chicago ahead of time so Anna and I didn't have to scramble to buy things like tickets for the train into town. This was an incredible help. Before the night was over we all headed down into the heart of Chicago to pick up her daughter Alexandra. This was a great way to preview the town and just get the general lay of the land.

having fun with the bean

more fun with bean

underneath bean this is what it looks like

In the morning we started early and jumped on the Metra for Downtown. The trip was relatively stress less and we soon found ourselves walking the street of Chicago. It was very drizzly so the weather just wasn't very conducive to what we were doing but we were determined to have a good time. First stop the Art Institute of Chicago. We got there too early, they don't open till 10:30 :) so we had to meander awhile before we headed in. Once in we enjoyed the art and I had never see any Van Gogh in my life before and I have really enjoyed his work when I studied art. When we were done with the Museum the weather had cleared up and we began to walk the streets of the city without nature posing a threat. With the clouds thick though it still wasn't practical to go to the Sear's tower and go to the top because all we would end up seeing is clouds. We decided that that was just a good excuse to give us a reason to return to Chicago sometime in the future.

Van Gogh - Drinkers
I liked this a lot and have never
seen it before

Folk Art I particularly enjoyed

It is official I have been to ^^^

Some of the mandatory things you have to do in Chicago is eat a Chicago dog, have an Italian Beef, Deep dish and go to the sculpture park. Glad we did all those things. We went to Portillo's for the Chicago dog and Italian beef. We decided one would get the dog the other the beef and we would eat half and trade. I was very disappointed when I finished my half of the Italian Beef and had to hand it over to Anna. It is like a Philly Cheesesteak without the cheese and with much more flavorful spices. It was simply amazing. The sculpture park has this one sculpture which is this chrome bean that is huge and it was tons of fun taking pictures with it.

Cool!

Wig or hat you be the judge

After walking awhile and doing some shopping, for me, shoes, for Anna, something else, we were pretty exhausted. I thought we would be going till late at night but we ended up crashing out and found ourselves on the Metra back to Wilmette by 6:30pm. We were happy with Chicago and ready to call it a day. Reflecting on Chicago I feel like it is much like NYC just not quite as crazy and bigger than life. I felt like it was analogous to Miami and Key West, similar feel just one has the volume turned waaaayyy up.

Now the downfall of Maander... you ready. :(

Maander in Intensive Care

We left Mary Beth's in the morning and after many hugs and gifts, I was pleasantly surprised by her generosity, we were out the door. We were going from Wilmette (North of Chicago) to Des Moines, Iowa. I expected the trip to be the longest yet on our journey. We hoped to get across the great plain as quickly as possible mainly because I am pretty sure there isn't much there and it is tornado season. Well we were rolling along just fine and dandy until about 1.5 hours into the drive there was a snap and the bus lost all power. This was the first time that Maander stranded us on the side of the freeway. I went through and tried to trouble shoot everything I could but Maander wouldn't come to life. I called Tony, who helped me build the engine, and everything he told me to do didn't get Maander going either. We called the tow truck and after 2 hours beside the road we were in a tow truck and to a mechanic.

His heart... Dead

They took a look at Maander pretty quickly and the mechanic voiced his concern that it may be compression. I knew that if the bus had no compression that there was no chance we could afford the type of repair it would require. I hoped that it wasn't compression and we waited in the waiting room. Pretty quickly he came back in with a look that told me that it was indeed the compression. He brought us out and showed zero compression ... the trip has ended.

The cam is broken and I called Tony to let him know and what he thinks. He said it was likely from using crappy oil and the poor performance leading up to this is likely a sign that the cam was wearing down. Sucks but this is reality and facts are facts what you gonna do? I would like to think of myself as knowledgeable about cars but I truly don't have a deep knowledge and I suppose this cements it in. I think I am done with old cars for awhile.

Now I sit in a Best Western with all of our possessions here and in our rental car. I decided before leaving on the trip that I wouldn't cut my hair the entire trip and once the trip was over it all would come off and I mean all off!:

I must begin anew
what did I get myself into??

Evidence of my sasquatchiness

shaver ran out of batteries at this point so I had some fun while
it charged

Weeeeeeee

So a dramatic change and now I wait for a train to come and pick us up and take us over the Rockies, the desert, and finally the Sierras. Our lives will begin again. Anna will look for a nursing job and I will look for??? either schooling for x-ray tech, or college again or who knows there may be a job out there that I may find interesting and someone will be willing to take a risk on me. The future is wide open and I hope and pray that it is nothing but good things. The pessimist in me loathes that which lies ahead of me but I wish to push through and make a life for myself that I can be happy with.

After we got our room at the hotel we headed out to get some food. We went to a highly rated sports bar and we ordered whatever we felt like and didn't hold back. We received our mound of food and bowed our heads to bless the food. As I prayed I prayed that God blesses us as we start our lives again, I prayed that we wouldn't see this as a defeat but merely part of the story of our journey. I prayed for many things and as I prayed for these things tears came to my eyes and I got all choked up. Here I sit, in a freakin' sports bar, praying, crying and mourning the end of the trip. This has been an emotional day and truly feels like a death. I must be honest and say that right now it feels like we have failed or we are defeated. I imagined coming over the Sierras and just coasting Maander down the foothills triumphant as we made our way to Sacramento. I wanted a party and a celebration and a triumphant entry. This will not be and probably for good reason. God constantly humbles and I am in constant need of that.

The goal wasn't the destination. We will never reach our destination till our lives expire. We must live life and live it to the full as we make our way to the destination. I pray I don't get so consumed by different ultimately empty goals in life that I rob myself any joy in the present. Life is about the present so live! I must scream that at myself continually and I hope this trip has etched that into my soul. I know falling back into routine and how life once was is so easy and I fear that snare the most at this point. If you have followed this blog or know me personally I exhort you to remind me of these truths that I have uncovered. If you must slap me or scream at me do it, I want the difficult truth presented to me. So many hide their honesty from us for fear of change or hurt feelings when ultimately it will bring us even closer together or a deeper appreciation of the friendship.

There have been peaks and valleys on this trip geographically, emotionally, and relationally. I pray the valleys that have lingering sourness in our mouths fade quickly and we are left with a beautiful memory. I have heard of studies that your memory usually only remembers the good stuff in general so that gives me some encouragement :) heh me nerding it up sheesh.

This ugly mug is coming your way Sacramento!

Pittsburgh, PA Home, and Cleveland, OH

2011-05-13T11:01:00.000-07:00

Sisters reunited!!

Last day in Niagara dealing
with 60 mph winds

Long break but that was because I was back in Sacramento for Anna's sister's wedding. I hope I saw all you who have diligently been reading my blog :)

Lake Erie

It was great getting back to the city I call home and the State that I can say is the most amazing with strong conviction. With Anna and I sick for home this was a much needed reminder of why we want to be back so badly and a slight satiation till we roll in with Maander.

Good 'ol Sacratamato

We didn't explore Pittsburgh at all when we were waiting there before the flight. We stayed around this commercial area close to the airport and just surfed the net and ate poorly. I had the oil changed on Maander by Firestone. I explained to them that it should take 7 quarts of oil. I officially switched from 20w-50 to 10w-40, a lighter weight which means I don't have to warm up the bus every time we turn it on. We just zipped around not very far at all from the Firestone and parked and after seeing a movie walked over to Maander and he had a significant oil leak underneath! Crap I thought. I could tell from where it was leaking was the valve cover which is a brand new place for this bus. I thought that likely the thinner oil was able to seep through the gasket and that is whats causing it. I checked the oil while the engine was running and the levels were good so I was just like I will keep an eye on it.

Bride and some of the Bridesmaids

The rest of the time which was about 3 days in Pittsburgh I kept an eye out and there would be varying degrees of leakage but nothing catastrophic. We drove to the airport and were off to Sacramento. I will continue with Sacramento but allow me to finish this thought. When we drove back from the airport with Maander it was late evening and the oil got hotter than it had ever before got quite quickly. I was very concerned. I turned the car off and checked the oil and found that it was waaaaayyyyy over filled and knew that was the issue. I brought Maander back to where I had it worked on and explained the situation. It really pissed me off how defensive the guy was about the work that was performed. I said that I told them it should take 7 quarts and they must not of checked their own work. Anyways it all got situated but they were still really dumb about it and wanted me to seem like I was the unknowledgable one. I vented to Anna for quite sometime after that.

Pittsburgh 3 rivers so lots of bridges

Staring contest Anna lost

Sacramento was as I remembered except maybe about a point or two better. The weather was amazing and it was great not having to reference a map to get places all the time. Anna and I were just go go go the whole time because we didn't have much time but wanted to see a lot of people while we were in town. Elizabeth's wedding was very nice and being with friends was a great break from exploring this country.

Notable building in Pitts

Courthouse that used to
be the jail as well

When we got back to Pittsburgh and situated with Maander we went to the Cultural District. This was basically the downtown area where people go for business or what have you. We walked the streets and got a feel for the city. The stadiums there are very prominent and everyone has a great deal of pride for their teams and I don't blame them they are championship teams. We got some food and walked around. After walking around for a few hours we decided we wanted to see a movie. We went across the river and ended up in a neighborhood that felt a great deal like midtown/downtown in Sacramento. There was a long road where everything was really happening and lots of young people were walking and eating at the various venues. After the movie we went to a restaurant there and had some good food. We walked around that area after getting a dessert, we really enjoyed that area in particular.

We all know what you mean ;)

In the morning we left for Cleveland planning on staying a day or two there. The only thing I know about Ohio or Cleveland is that it has the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Besides seeing episodes of Cleveland on the First 48 where they document homicides in the area. We got to Cleveland earlier than I expected and we had enough time to go the the HOF. The HOF was really interesting. They had a lot of multi media and we easily took 3.5 hours there. It inspired me to look into some of the music that pioneered rock and roll music.

Carson right by Pittsburgh, nice area
We really liked how the houses climbed up
the very green hill

Creamy goodness
the real challenge was not getting it in
my beard

The weather started to change and we headed to the local Walmart. It was stupid hot and humid so trying to get to bed was not fun. At about 1 am the security guard started honking his horn and I knew we were about to get the boot :(. We had to drive a few miles down the way to another Walmart

Cleveland and the Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame
can't take pics inside though

Kinda confusing pic...
building on top that is the HOF
then harbor that goes out into Lake Erie

Boston, MA Troy, and Niagara NY

2011-04-27T15:34:00.000-07:00

Me and the American Falls

Boston streets
to the left is Paul Revere's House

We left Springfield Mass. and said goodbye to Noah, Chiala, and a comfortable bed. We spent about 5 days straight where we got to stay in comfy beds (3 nights in NYC and 2 days at Noah/Chiala's place). We did not want to go back to the way we have been living :).

Some of the streets of the North End

Driving over to Boston wasn't too bad though we did have to deal with some mellow rain. We started our stay in Boston by just going to a Starbuck's kinda by Harvard and just chilling recuperating and figuring out where we can do. We worked on our blogs and ate some subway. Unfortunately, As the day progressed I became more and more sick. Seems that NYC had some diseases I couldn't escape. By the time we were done and we needed to go find a place to camp for the night I was feeling horrible. Deep in the city there were no Wal-Marts so we had to embark on a longer than desired lame drive avoiding Toll roads, which by the way are wayyyy too many in New England and the roads still suck. We got out to a suburb and rolled on in. I hated the feel of the neighborhood.

Scenery of Upstate New York

Didn't get a pic of this before

The Walmart wasn't 24 hour so after 10pm we wouldn't be able to go inside for the bathroom and there is a certain amount of safety you get when the place is 24 hours. I told Anna I had zero desire to spend the night there and I suspect she eagerly looked for a hotel/motel. We found a cheapish Hotel and I went to go take a warm shower to try and clear up my sinuses. Well the place didn't have what one would call, "hot" water. The inability to have an enjoyable shower really put a damper on the stay. I then spent the rest of the night attempting to go sleep but I was unable to breath and my nose was like a faucet. After tossing and turning till about 4 am I passed out for about 3 hours then we went to Church because it was Easter!! Wow a major holiday and we would not spend it with family. We were already incredibly homesick and here we are at a church we have never been to with everyone dressed especially nice and us in jeans and t-shirts. It was a nice church, traditional, hymns, OK message but nothing stuck out and soon we were out of the door.

Driving and more driving

Lots of these along the way

We headed to the North End, where all the historical stuff is and shops and restaurants. It was hell trying to find parking but finally did and started to meander. Almost all the places are cash only and we didn't have cash nor a chase ATM anywhere. We weren't wanting to pay a fee and this ended up making our lunch a bit more complicated. We did however end up at this open mall type place and they had a food stand where they had chowder, lobster roll, and soda. We both got ours and it was quite delicious. We sat at our table for awhile and we were basically sulking not really loving Boston all that much either. The plan was 3 days in Boston then Portland, Maine then start making our way to Niagara. Thinking about going in the opposite direction as Sacramento, CA really created sadness in us. I told Anna, "You know I really am OK with not going to Portland, its a place I would like to go but really don't care that much if we don't make it there."

Weather got crazy while we drived

looking over the falls

She said she wasn't all that attached to Portland either and it felt like we would only get to colder places going in the direction of Maine. I said you know lets just stay in Boston for a day then put in some big driving hours in and go to Niagara then get to Pittsburgh early and just chill till it was time to get on the plane. We decided this was the best idea.

Here are my observations about Boston. Bostonians are very proud to be Bostonians, there is an insane number of Red Sox fans. People stare, especially at people with big beards. There are a lot of Italians there and they are Very proud of being Italian, they put little reflector stickers on their cars of the Italian flag. In our travel book it describes Boston as a labyrinth of streets, I agree. The cityscape that looks so beautiful in the movie The Town looks nothing close to as good from the ground/inside the city. If you go out to eat it is either, Italian, Pizza, or Subs.

Still some snow surrounding the falls though
it was hot outside

Horseshoe falls which is the more
famous of the falls
supposedly you can see them much better from the
Canada side
the mist makes it almost impossible to see the base though

Alright I will get on with it. Put in some big miles going from Worcester where we spent the night at a Walmart and took a scenic route to get to Albany, NY. We actually ended up driving through the town of Troy which had a cool feel to it and I had a slight inclination to check it out but we were eyes on the prize lets get on with it. Shockingly, the sickness that I had began to recover from was spread to Anna. She began feeling horrible and expressed the desire to stay at a Hotel. I complied thinking about how nice it could have been if I stayed at a nice place in Boston. We booked this very nicely priced hotel that ended up being a good stay with some very good breakfast.

up above the Horse shoe falls this is where
the crazies launch their vessels to go over the falls

More Horse shoe

Yesterday was basically just driving more and more and more. We took yet another scenic route, why you ask? well because we would have driven over 300 miles on a Toll road and we didn't want to pay that and we wanted to see the country off the beaten path. Turned out upstate New York is quite beautiful. There were tons of old buildings and barns. Some stuff was really pretty and there were quite a few deteriorating barns or homes which were actually pretty interesting. I was wondering if we would drive around the Appalachian mountains. Don't know if we went over them exactly but Maander did have to tackle some big hills. The whole east coast is pretty inhabited and for a long while we have felt close to civilization for the most part. There have been stretches that seem pretty rural.

From the observatory
now I notice that this is
out of focus a bit meh ;\

Basically as soon as we rolled into Buffalo the scenery took a nose dive and has looked like a combination south sac/Stockton look to it. We drove through some ghettos that were way bigger than I expected. I thought for sure that if you get close to the falls there would be a nice neighborhood or something. Nope everything we have seen has been pretty gross. We spent the night at Walmart and today we visited the falls. I'm tired of writing so I will say Niagara falls was huge, awesome, surreal. We walked around and just experienced it. We knew that half a mile away was a very ugly town but right here right now this, this was nice :) On the Canada side Niagara looked really nice. Lots of Casinos and touristy stuff. We debating walking or driving over there but decided meh not that interested and were off.

So now we are laying low and some really big storms are supposed to roll in so I'm at a Barnes and Nobles hanging out. We plan on heading on down to Pittsburgh when the weather seems to be stabilized and just staying there till the time to fly to Sacramento!! wooo hooo bye bye enjoy the pics...

Philadelphia, PA New York City, NY and Springfield/NorthHampton, MAA

2011-04-23T14:14:00.000-07:00

Ode to Rollerblading

There is the Liberty Bell through the glass

Recently we have hit some major cities here in the US. Anna and I have been pretty burned out so I hoped that these places could serve as a place to recharge and regain a sense of vigor for the road. In New York we had booked a few days at a Hotel so I knew we would have some good accommodations while we explored the Big Apple.

Streets of Philly kiid

More Philly ya hear?

First we must address Philadelphia. We had planned on going to Baltimore, Maryland but the weather was horrible and we had no idea what would be good to see in Baltimore. We ended up just zipping by and seeing what the city looked like, nothing special. onward up to Pennsylvania. As we made our way up the Fresh Prince of Bel Air theme song kept popping into our heads and we would spontaneously just start singing it over and over. I've noticed if there are some type of song or saying associated with a location that I am close to or on the way to I often will find myself muttering it over over just to occupy myself. It was fun and who doesn't like singing that song?

Cutie being cute

Ben Franklin was assigned that spot
at the church

I was hoping that Philadelphia would be a great experience. I really don't know much about the town but know that a lot has happened there. They have the Liberty Bell there and apparently Ben Franklin called it home and was buried there. They are known for their Philly Cheese steaks hence being named after the town. We knew we had to see the Liberty Bell, go to Love Park and get a Cheese steak, other than that anything could happen.

Ben Franklin's Grave

Nom Nom on dem
Tasty Kakes

We parked and started to make our way around the town. Anna and I agreed that the feel and look of the town was exactly what we imagined Philly to be like. We first headed to the Liberty Bell. Turned out everyone goes to the Liberty Bell. The line to go see it was huge! So long I knew I had no desire to wait. We could see the Bell through a window anyways. You couldn't see the crack very well but enough where I was satiated. We took a pic and were on our way. From here we mostly meandered. We ended up walking down a street and getting to the River that separated Pennsylvania from New Jersey. At a park right by the water was a memorial that commemorated all the struggles Irish emigrants went through. It described the potato famine and all the challenges they had in the new world. The Irish were mistreated basically. We headed back and now our destination was to go see Ben Franklin's grave and Love Park.

There Lady Liberty be!

Streets of Manhattan

We saw the church where Ben Franklin attended and then walked over to Love Park which is right by City Hall. This has a special place in my heart because there has been a lot of footage shot here from rollerblading. I wanted to see all the skate spots see how big they are and get a pic with the Love sign. Once we got to the park I texted Buddy to let him know and then he told me he always wanted to go there and try Tasty Kakes, Water Ice, and a Cheese Steak. I had no idea what were Tasty Kakes and Water Ice. I felt like I had to experience those so we went on the hunt. Tasty Kakes is a brand that makes different baked goods like donuts, pasteries, etc. Bought that and then Water Ice is just a snow cone and it was cold so I didn't feel the need to get that. Before we left the town we of course got ourselves that Cheese Steak. According to Yelp there was a really great spot towards the North West part of Philly so that is where we headed. The place was just a corner store pretty compact and it was sooooooo good. They had a bunch of things you could add to it but you don't want to over do it with those things. Anna and I each got one and they were quite large. With bellies full and satisfied we found a Wal-Mart to spend the night at.

From the Jewish Deli
Smoked Salmon, Cream Cheese
on an everything Bagel

Wall Street where our economy
fell to it's knees!

The weather ended up being horrible. There were severe weather warnings for tornadoes but according to my weather program we fell outside the danger zone. The rain was dumping and the lightning would strike ever so often. Then the sirens started to go off. I was stressing badly on what exactly those meant. In Sacramento we don't have those so I didn't know how severe or the type of warning it was. The warnings we had on the weather program were possible flooding from higher than normal tides, which I was pretty sure we were in an area where we were ok from that. Then the warning about tornadoes but that didn't extend to Philadelphia. I doubted they would ring the sirens if it was the flood thing so I was worried that it was referring to tornadoes. I went inside the Wal-Mart and asked a guy saying, "Ummm, I'm not from around here... What are those sirens about? Do I need to be worried?"

Memorializing the FDNY and NYPD of
the Sept 11 disaster

Time Square playboy!

He responded with, "Usually they are because of fires." .... great.... I know it has nothing to do with fires the rain was absolutely dumping. I go up to some other employees on break outside I approach them and ask the same question and the just turn away and don't say anything, ignoring me.... yeaaahh customer service. Nothing came of the sirens except for me stressing for most of the night and Anna not being too worried about it. It is funny how a couple can balance each other. In Raleigh she was worried about the warnings and I was chill and in Philly vice versa. Turns out we got out of North Carolina just in time. Don't know if all you know but they had like 150 tornadoes about a week and a half after we left and there has been tons of damage.

This is GE's building which is 30 Rock

Anna and I have had to deal with a bunch of severe weather over here which is not something we are used to. It is actually really draining on us during the trip. As I have said before rain really gets in the way and these past few weeks have been on and off really bad weather. Without a warm bed and a fresh shower everyday you really just long for Sunny California and home. Yea sure we could snuggle and try and keep each other warm but with us being together always we are constantly butting heads. Not to say we are having relationship troubles it is just that not only do we have to deal with environmental challenges but the challenges of working together to accomplish the task of traveling to a location and everything that goes along with it. Since a lot of this trip is improvisational we can have different ideas of how to go about something and that can lead to some bruised egos. Anna and I are getting to know each other in a different way than before. We were married for 3 years before this yet I feel like I am gaining access deeper into her psychy than ever before.

On the Ferry to Staten Island

Grand Central Station

Finally to New York. I was really excited about this place. We had a long list of must sees here and we would be spending 3 days here. Luckily Anna's cousin lives in NYC. We knew he could give us some suggestions and kinda serve as a crutch while we meandered NYC. We rolled into Staten Island about noon after paying 16 bucks worth of tolls rolling through New Jersey and New York. In this part of the country it is unavoidable to escape tolls. The roads are just as crappy if not more crappy and you also have to pay to drive on em. Necessary evil but we check in get situated and then their shuttle took us to the Staten Island Ferry which dumps ya right into Manhattan. Navigating initially was stressful and we were kinda like chickens with our heads cut off. Eventually we made it to Anna's cousin's Apt in the East Village. He was watching his fiance's son for the day so he met us outside and we headed to a park. He got us familiar to the different parts of NYC and good places to check out. We ended up hitting up a Jewish Deli and getting some Ukranian coffee. The streets of NY are so close to the way they are portrayed in movies. You have hot dog carts all over cars/taxis zipping by honking and tons of people walking. It was an exciting experience. We got out of the dreary weather and headed inside Noah's Apt till his fiance got off work. We socialized for awhile then it was time to jump back on the subway to jump on the ferry then meet up our shuttle to the hotel. About an hour and a half of traveling to get to the shuttle finally and we passed out in a luxurious bed.

Water Reseviour in Central Park shot towards the West Side
of Manhattan

The second day is where we hit up the big sites. We went to Central park, the World Trade Center, Wall Street, 30 Rock, The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Time Square. When we got to Time Square, which is a huge tourist area, a guy succeeded in selling us some comedy show tickets. No prob we knew it would end up being quite a bit of money but as long as I laugh I am cool. After hitting some of the big things we laid low at Noah's until it was time to jump on the subway to where the comedy club was. Pretty late in the second day we soon felt like pro's navigating the town. The show was funny and we had some nice drinks but for 4 drinks the bill was $53! ouch and now back to the hotel at midnight. We got to Staten Island too late for the shuttle to pick us up, so we had to go by Taxi which was $24 when all said and done. I calculated and just making the decision to go to the Comedy Club was an extra $100 bucks for the day. I knew we would end up spending quite a bit in NY so I wasn't too mad at myself for that though it is always nice to have money :) Food wise we had a NY Slice, and I had an Italian Sausage dog from a cart and we had a Knish oustide The Met. All the food was very good.

On the third day we didn't feel so obligated to see things. We hadn't seen the Empire state building so we wanted to do that and maybe check out Central park more but that was it nothing more we stressed about. We got to the Empire state building after stopping by Grand Central Station and headed inside. $21 to go to the top and we decided that looking up at it was good enough for us instead of looking down. Went to Macy's on 34th Street which is the biggest store in the world apparently. Then we jumped on the subway and headed to Harlem which is on the north part of Central park. We walked along Central park and saw Harlem then headed down Central Park more on the Eastside. We did a ton of walking and once we finally got to the bottom we were both starving. We knew we wanted to get a Kabob, a Falafel and another NY Slice. We finally tracked down a cart that had a Kabob and Falafel. We were so hungry that after eating those we were still very hungry. Time to get a NY Slice. On our way to a hole in the wall place we saw a nicer Pizza joint that would serve full sized pizza instead of by the slice. We decided to go for the whole pie. The pie was great and we were happy. From there we headed back to Staten Island and were quite happy with our time in NYC.

Reseviour again towards the East Side of Manhattan

Belvidere Castle in Central Park

From NYC we followed Noah to their place in Springfield, MA. Drove through Connecticut and the scenery is changing once again. We haven't had mountains in the longest time but there were actually some hills. It was stupid windy on the way there and Maander was getting pushed really badly. We finally made it and made ourselves at home at Noah's and Chiala's. Yesterday we spent most of the day in a place called North Hampton which was recommended to us by Chiala, a native of Massachusetts. It was a nice place with a bohemian feel to it. We went to some Antique stores which was really interesting because there is so much history in this area.

North Hampton, MA
not the most scenic view of the town, sorry

We just rolled into Boston and the rain is going like crazy. It is supposed to rain the whole time we are here and Anna isn't happy about it. It looks like once we get back from our week in Sacramento we will just be zipping back home as best we can. This has been an amazing experience even though we feel like we have now, "experienced" the road. When we get back to Pittsburgh on May 10th I hope that the weather has decided to stay summer and there isn't any severe weather we have to deal with. Getting back to the wilderness will be interesting and I hope we can appreciate it even though we want to be home.

Raleigh, NC, Petersburg, Richmond, Williamsburg, VA Washington DC and Annapolis, MD

2011-04-15T18:08:00.000-07:00

Lincoln and me

NC Capitol

She's in a boat!

I have truly neglected you. I planned on once a week but this past Sunday didn't give me an opportunity to write so I pushed it off farther. All of a sudden here we are 12 days later! I have seen a lot and at the very least I have a ton of stuff to talk about. Hope you guys enjoy I will try not to be long winded.

Govornor's mansion in Raleigh

some clothes you could try on at the battle field

The last I left off I was feeling down in the dumps and sick for home. I can't say I don't desire to go home but I truly feel refreshed after what I have been through. Our first stop after Wilmington was Raleigh. The poor weather had been plaguing us a ton and that was no different in Raleigh. The great part about Raleigh was that the history museum was free. Turns out a lot of museums in this part of the country are free. We have been overwhelmed with history thus far. We saw the capitol which was interesting because there were nuances like divots in the stone stairs from when the slaves in the 1840-50s used metal wheeled wheel-barrows to take wood up to the furnace to keep the legislators warm while they were in the senate debating. The building had a mix of architecture because the in style architecture changed midway through the 8 year build and they ended up going with a different style on the inside on the 3rd story. They had some great preserved historical artifacts that were interesting to see.

Pulling a carriage

Across the street from the Capitol was the history museum which we were able to go in for free. It was a pretty impressive museum for being free. We saw things that honored North Carolinian athletes, WWII things, Some early activist photojournalism that shed light on child labor in North Carolina circa 1905. After a night where there were tornado warning which Anna got pretty nervous about we were on our way. We stayed a night at a KOA in Roanoke Rapids, NC which is just south of Virginia then onto Petersburg.

Looked amazing

reproduction cabin found in Civil war era

what a fort looked like back then

We got to Petersburg and saw that there was a park that preserved where a Civil War Battle had happened. We decided to make our way there and check it out. Once again we got a reasonable charge on exploring the are, $5 per car. This park is actually quite large and has places where both Confederate and Union armies created forts. There were major battles there where the Union tried to get to Richmond, Petersburg is just a bit below Richmond. There were many earthworks where the soldiers built up the land so they could better defend. They had cannons all over and recreated some things from the war. On this site they had the battle place where the Union effectively won the war. It was amazing because the Union built a mine underneath the Confederates then loaded it with ammunition and blew it up!

Cooking up some good stuff

What is hilarious about the story is that they blew it at about 4:30am then the Union rushed in after the explosion, however, they didn't have much of a plan. What ended up happening was the Union soldiers would rush in see the crater and just start staring in awe of what they were able to do. The Confederates regrouped and send a counter attack and Union soldiers ran into the crater for cover and ended up getting messed up pretty bad. While apparently the Confederates won that battle overall it was able to bring ultimately a surrender from the Confederates apparently... I'm no historian, just going on what was told to me. The placards and stone memorials all around the area were interesting. People truly treasure the past in this area. They are very proud of different occurrences and want everyone to know about them.

the mine where union dug to blow em up

the crater

I was happy I was able to see where the Civil War began, Fort Sumter, and where is ended, Petersburg at the Battle of Crater Hill. We ended up going to a pub after seeing all of that history and had some excellent food. As I have stated before the buildings and towns are just much much older than what I am used to. We are talking 1600s here. We meandered around the historic district which wasn't too much then were off to Richmond.

petersburg old building unlabeled

Richmond Capitol

Richmond felt big and industrial. It was difficult to navigate for the most part and we found another episode where trying to navigate and get to places we wanted to had Anna and I at each other's throats. The weather wasn't good at all and we spent a day where we saw a movie then got some food then quickly got to a Walmart to chill for a few. For the most part the weather was not good here and we were lamenting our situation. We did however go to the Historical Society's Museum. It was ranked really high on things to see in Richmond and it too was free. This place was actually an information overload. All the exhibits were excellent and pretty soon we were wore out from all of the information they were providing for us. We spent a good portion of the day working our way through the museum and after were pretty exhausted. Anna was able to contact her cousin who lives and works in New York at the time and he gave us all these suggestions and is available to hang with us some when we are there so we were getting very excited about getting to New York. We decided we will stay in the city in a hotel for a couple days and those few days will likely be pretty expensive. I look forward to it a ton though.

Williamsburg we were best of buds

Governor's Palace

After Richmond it was time to go to Williamsburg. It was one of the first cities here from England. We planned on meeting Micah and Rachelle here and seeing the sites. Williamsburg was actually restored in about 1920-30 by one of the Rockefeller's. Here they are all decked out in their colonial gear giving you a very 1600s to 1700s feel. It was great seeing and being with family after feeling so homesick. Micah and Rachelle had already booked a Hotel that had two beds and they invited us to stay with them! We spent two nights there and it felt like we got a reset from all of the travel and sleeping in Maander. We spent much more money in Williamsburg than we typically would have if we were by ourselves but we definitely felt like we got to know the town and experience everything it had to offer. We left Williamsburg for Washington DC agreeing to meet up with Micah and Rachelle there.

Micah getting to work

Inside the Palace

Oxen

This guy did an awesome speech where he pretended he was a frenchman
coming to fight in the revolutionary war

DC is really busy and really hard to navigate. So conflict was present here but we made due. Parking was impossible and the Bus was hard to switch lanes. We finally found a parking spot and walked a bit and saw the Lincoln memorial. Seeing all the sites here that I have seen in pictures were quite surreal. I never thought I would see these places. I never really had a huge urge to come to DC. I was very glad I did reflecting on the experience. The weather got bad and we snapped a few pics then we were off to a Starbucks to figure out where was the best place to lay our head. We made arrangements to see our friend Jami who we haven't seen in like 3 years. She is now this really important Lawyer for a big firm and soon will be moving to New York. I was happy she was willing to give us peons the time of day :).

Washington's Monument booom

Abe's hat

Jefferson's memorial, the neglected one

We met up at a bar and immediately it was good times. We were laughing and joking. It was cool seeing her and catching up because there were so many things to catch up on. We talked about our journeys and this is probably the first person we have really known well that we have shared with now that we have been on the road quite some time. We reflected on a bunch of places we have been what we enjoyed and what we thought was lame. We joked about going to Dollywood because she worked there for a summer. We got to know all about how hard she has worked to get to where she is at. I hope all she seeks she gets and that she doesn't have to sacrifice parts of her where she would feel like she is being fake. We laughed and joked and had a beer and some calamari and talked more. We ended up staying and talking till the bar closed which was at 11 for whatever reason. We hugged and said goodbye with hopes of meeting up the next day or the day after. Unfortunately, we were unable to meet again so this sweet meeting will have to suffice. She was able to give us tips with getting around DC which ended up being very helpful.

Natural history museum

White house... no Obama

We went to the Holocaust Museum the last day in DC. This was an experience I won't forget. I know that the atrocities that happened there were unthinkable but man when confronted with photos and video of it it is sickening. We must not forget this tragedy and we must not allow this to happen. I felt so sad but felt that in a way I was trying to memorialize these victims whose lives were cut short for no valid reason. It is unthinkable that humans are capable of doing what had happened. The evil man is capable of is so extreme and so disgusting. I filled with anger at points and felt helpless at others. I remember seeing video of when the army was liberating a concentration camp and one of the prisoners started hitting and attacking one of the German army men that was now under arrest. I felt like the prisoner should have been given an opportunity to torture and kill his captors. I quickly recoiled however. This feels like an appropriate response but is it truly? More killing and more torture will only beget more pain and death and evil. These people need to be punished but we must do it civilly. I have conflict in my heart still thinking about this situation. I pray and I hope that I can sift through the spin that my own government puts on issues and come to a clear understanding. I pray and hope that all information on controversial subjects I am able to see the clear true information and make a good decision on it. This world is filled with bias. I often want to reject all news or expository text because I feel it is strife with half truths and leanings I don't desire to let enter my brain.

Top of Jefferson's monument pretty cool

Emotionally exhausted and feeling generally done with DC we left for Annapolis Maryland. Here we enjoyed a 24 hour fitness and today walked around the downtown area. It is a beautiful town and used to be the Nation's Capital very briefly. The Treaty of Paris which ended the Revolutionary War was signed there. We ate at this delicious joint that specialized in corned beef. We walked the town and got some ice cream. We basically made a day trip out of Annapolis and now we are just south of Baltimore in a suburb.

Annapolis

Nom Noming

State house Treaty of Paris signed here!

Myrtle Beach, SC and Wilmington, NC

2011-04-03T15:00:00.000-07:00

Nice Pier in Myrtle

Cheesin'

We are slowing it down right now. One of the things that we abhor is snow so we are doing our best to pace ourselves and let the north get warm. We also hope to meet up with Anna's brother and his wife, Micah and Rachelle, in the DC area. They will be rolling into that area around April 12th. We could possibly meet up with a friend from what feels like long ago Jamie as well!

This is what surrounds you in Myrtle Beach

I am just going to be honest here and tell you this past week has not been good. These are places I never really felt the need to go to. I have never heard great things about them and I never thought to myself, "One day I am going to South Carolina!"

Beach and Motels of Myrtle

We are doing our best to keep to a budget and we haven't behaved ourselves in the month of March much like every other month we have been on this trip. We decided to hunker down and just go on bare bones mode and just spend the absolute minimum until the end of the month. We ended up having only 40 bucks for the last 3 days of March. Let me tell you about the few things we did see in the places we went to.

Enter North Carolina!

We rolled out of Columbia amidst the dreary rain and headed to Myrtle Beach. Man on the way there, there were at least 5, "Welcome" centers for Myrtle Beach. They were trying to get you to stop with free soda and popcorn and they had wifi. We didn't need any of that so we just kept on. These stores were as far out as like 50 miles from Myrtle Beach!?! We went to a KOA there to get a much needed shower and were shocked to find out that it was only 30 bucks in this resort town. The facility was beautiful and we got a good relaxation in on the property. Disaster struck in the morning when we went to turn Maander on and immediately an oil spill occurred. It wasn't very cold at all and I didn't feel like I revved the engine more than normal and it just popped. Well we cleaned it up and I went and got more oil and a filter. I have officially changed to 10w-40 now and hope that'll solve this problem without damaging the engine or overheating it.

We walked all over Myrtle Beach. We walked a ton.... We didn't see too much, however. Myrtle Beach is apparently known as having the most miniature golf courses in one place. This has had the effect of influencing the hotels to design their pool areas like miniature gold courses. It felt kinda gimmicky. I imagined this would be a locale for a family where the kids are all below 10 and just running around having a blast and the parents are sitting around eating at buffets, of which are plenty.

Entrance of the college UNCW

We spent a few days there. After the walk we stayed mostly in this developed part of town that had a mall and a Walmart. We just hunkered down went and spent copious amounts of time in coffee shops and tried not to spend money. After 2 days we left for Wilmington.

At the College
the camera actually didn't fall in this time!

We rolled into Wilmington and stopped at a Starbucks by the college. We then spent the next day walking the campus of UNCW. There wasn't too much to the campus but it was nice and it was fun to people watch. Last night we stayed at a KOA and went to church this morning. Everyone was nice but we didn't end up hanging with anyone after the service. We finally headed down to the historic part of the town by the river and Wilmington ended up having some charm to it. There were many placards noting historic happenings around town. All in all it was a nice walk and some good scenery but nothing that charmed the pants off me like Savannah did.

Cardinal

Thought it looked pretty interesting in Wilmington

I feel like I am running on fumes right now. I think I am very home sick or that I am done traveling. I have a big desire just to stay in one spot and do nothing really. I suppose I am sick of the constant moving but that may just be because the towns in my immediate future hold little interest to me. Savannah was a happy accident and I hope to have another one of those experiences soon. These past few days of Anna and I just laying low has had us debating shooting across the country back to Cali very quickly. Our options are wide open and I want to get a great experience from this but sometimes you got to get back to work. I think I may even enjoy getting a job again or going to school and having some work to do. I will unquestionably go to New York, Philadelphia, and Boston but other places on the east coast we will just have to see what happens. We will come back to Sacramento on May 4th leaving from Pittsburgh. We will then finish up the trip on after May 10th. We may just stop in Chicago then pedal to the metal to Rushmore then Denver and home. I look forward to what is ahead but I also want to see some familiar faces. Peace

By the river in Wilmington

Charleston, Ft. Sumter, and Columbia, SC

2011-03-27T10:55:00.000-07:00

This blog should be short and sweet so enjoy...

Yet another state woweee

When you have to go......

We got out of Savannah and spent the night at a KOA near Charleston the next day we walked the town of Charleston and saw everything. While we heard good things about this town it didn't live up to how we felt about Savannah. We saw buildings from the 1600s and there were plaques that told us all about the history around the town which was cool but the place didn't have the charm Savannah did. Tons of Civil War relics and the mosquitoes here suck big time. They are tiny and tons of them leaving a bunch of tiny bites on you all over the place.

Here is the actual fountain
the kids can play in it:)

Old houses from the Rainbow district
that is the historic section not
a gay enclave

The next day we headed on over to Ft. Sumter. This is where the Civil War began. It was great to hear the history and to see the awesome artifacts from the war. 150 years ago feels like eons yet it truly wasn't that long ago. To think that we have history from 2000 years ago is amazing. There are a ton of statues and memorials in this town that relate to the Civil War as well as the Revolution.

from circa 1680

Anna has been loving the Wisteria

A big awesome surprise that happened was that my cousin, Daniel, and his wife, Laura, happened to be in Charleston for a wedding! The day after Ft. Sumter we met up and walked the town. Since Anna and I had walked the town already we kinda gave them a guided tour of all the highlights we thought were worth revisiting. We had delicious sandwiches at Firehouse then Anna, Daniel, and Laura decided to sneak up to a guest floor at a historic hotel. They asked the cleaning ladies if they could look at the rooms and they obliged. I guess they got a kick out of that while I just kinda hung at the park across the street enjoying the view :)

On the boat to Ft. Sumter

Inside this was used to kill people!

Inner courtyard of the fort

Some of the wreckage from war

After they snuck some sweet tea (complimentary for guests) they headed out and we parted ways. Laura was busy with wedding stuff so we hoped to see them again soon. Friday we met up with Daniel at a pub had some pub food and drinks and then said good bye this would be the last we saw of them we planned on heading to Columbia after seeing Sucker Punch the movie.

State Capital building in Columbia

We went to a place that has a full restaurant and bar at the theatre but since we had just ate we declined any food or drink and enjoyed the movie. I heard a criticism of the movie that it was basically eye candy with no story. I would basically agree with that criticism. The visuals were amazing, from the maker of 300 and The Watchmen. This was his first movie where he wasn't going off of a graphic novel or anything so he wrote it and I guess it showed in that the different fantasies and visuals seemed not to link up to the overall narrative very well. I liked it for the most part but wouldn't recommend it unless you have a blueray player and surround sound in your home to rent.

During the Civil War they were "Brick Batting" this statue, whatever
that means, and as a result Washington's
cane got knocked off

So far Columbia has been pretty basic of a town. It has been raining pretty hard but the times when it has let up we walked the capital. The town has a Sacramento feeling to it in the sense that there doesn't seem to have too much going on but there is probably some good times to be had if you knew what to look for. We have been keeping it low key to save money and pace ourselves so we don't throw ourselves into the snow or super cold. It is actually decently cold now which is a first after being in Florida for so long.

Well enjoy the pics. We plan on going to Myrtle Beach then North... Peace

Relic from the Cold War.
This was on the Senate building

Crazy looking statue that commemorated the Women of the Confederacy

St. Augustine, Jacksonville, FL, Ft. Frederica, Brunswick, and Savannah, GA

2011-03-20T15:25:00.000-07:00

this is my concerned face

the house isn't amazing looking but it is amazing

they had a bunch of drugs they used to sell
in the 1800s weird

Seems like once a week blog posts have become the norm for me. Let me know if I need to step up my game and post more. I feel like this is a decent pattern for now and there are probably a majority of people with enough free time on Sundays to read my sometimes lengthy blog posts.

One of the Touristy historic streets of St. Augustine

Oldest wooden school

A mill

After Disney World we slept and were too exhausted to go to church the following day. We started slow and headed downtown where we went to the pub that we had been to before and got the brunch there. I got the traditional Irish breakfast and it was very good. Sausage, beans, eggs, potatoes. Everything was great and I had a Mimosa to go with it, I know that is girly but they are hella good and I am not going to apologize for the :). We made our way back to the coast where we traveled to Titusville. We thought maybe this would be a stopping point but the town was super small and there just was nothing there at all. We headed up A1A to see what we would run into. The drive was fantastic. Unlike PCH on the west coast, A1A is a very easy drive that brought us by some fantastic looking houses and wasn't right up against the ocean.

The fort at St. Augustine that is where the moat was
too just no water now. pretty sick
imagine laying siege on that?
yea i can't either

This is where they kept their balls warm...
their cannon balls you sickos

We rolled into St. Augustine and planned on going to a popular coffee joint there. Parking wasn't easy to find and we were fiending for some wifi and some down time so we headed just a bit south to a starbucks. We didn't do much the first day and just got our bearings. When we drove through the historic district the city seemed to have tons of character so we were excited to see the first successful European settlement in the new world. We stayed at a Walmart that according to my app I have on my phone didn't allow camping there but when we rolled into the parking lot it had about 8 RVs in there already parked for the night. We decided to risk it and had no problems.

Me trying to kick down the door
of the oldest building

St. Augustine's Lighthouse

We got going the next day and found a free parking space that required just a bit of walking to get to the historic part. As we walked we drove by a guy who embodies the moniker, "Rainbow Person" He was looking like a hippy straight out of 1969. He was walking down the street with his small dog and had a drum that he would make some beats with as he meandered around. We parked and started walking to the places of interest and he happened to be going down the same street as us. He noticed us and stopped and waited. We introduced ourselves, his name is Bo and his dogs name is Merlin. We walked and talked for awhile and we just asked if he was a local and if he knew good places to go. He said that when he becomes an old man he will live in St. Augustine but now it is just a place he enjoys to visit. Gave us a couple suggestions and we were off.

Yarrrrr in in Amelie Island

Anna took this probably 5 feet away
after she did this about 5 ppl walked over and
did the same. She is such a trend setter

Shipping and what not

We walked the streets of St. Augustine and it was an amazing feeling. In California you will rarely if ever see a building that is from 1850 or older and here we had homes from the early 1800s. The streets were very touristy which took away from the experience some but nothing to ruin our fun. We found that the fort was the most awe inspiring. For the time it was built I am sure it was basically impenitrable. Everything that looked the most interesting to see, such as the oldest wooden schoolroom in America cost money so while we were able to see the things we did not get to have a tour. After a long meander around the town we walked to the coffee shop we had planned on going to the day before. Lo and behold we saw Bo there hanging out so we got our coffee and grabbed a slice of Key Lime Pie since we hadn't yet here in Florida and sat by him. We talked of our travels and it turned out he is a traveler as well. He is originally from Ohio and heads down south during the winter. He is a true traveler on account of it looked like he had a small bag and that was it. He told us of "Festivuls" to check out. These gatherings were just where a bunch of rainbow children get together and hang. He likely thought we were those types mainly because of my massive beard and our VW. Those gatherings sound good and all but I would imagine a lot of drug use goes on there.

We ended the day at the beach and just kept it lazy in general.

We headed North to Jacksonville up A1A yet again. We rolled into town saw a movie cuz that was what we were in the mood for and then did some laundry. We spent the night there and then started driving through the town the next day. Jacksonville seemed pretty lame and there was nothing there that looked attractive to go see or walk around. We made an executive decision just to keep on keepin' on to Georgia! We passed the boarder and then found an RV camp site to shower up and get some R & R. This one was great. It was the cheapest we ever stayed at the grounds were beautiful and in the morning they had a free Waffle Breakfast. We headed on to Brunswick after that hey it was March 17th! St. Paddy's day. We planned on getting into trouble.

The barracks of Ft. Frederica
this is about 280 years old

This is the candlestick makers house

Our first stop was to go to St. Simon's Island where there was supposed to be a lot of history and a Fort there. It was beautiful and seemed like a pretty rich area. We rolled into Fort Frederica and got the tour. The price was reasonable and the history was amazing. The reason Georgia is here is because of this nobleman Oglethorpe. He went to settle here and he built the fort because to the south of them was the Spanish and they were disputing the boundaries. Well a famous battle called the Battle of Bloody Marsh happened on this island so we learned all about it and battle is what kept the Spanish from fighting for anymore land up any farther north of St. Augustine. Oglethorpe even led a party to try and fight the fort down in St. Augustine which was a huge failure which isn't surprising to me.

Beautiful spanish moss

The park had the original town Frederica there uncovered. It was the foundations of a bunch of houses that were there in the early to mid 1700s. The historians had found a town map that laid out all the properties and who they belonged to so it was great seeing all these unique foundation plans of these buildling then seeing a sign that described the people that lived there what they did and any interesting things that went on. One of the most amazing things was that John Wesley used to have a church in the town. They met in a storehouse that held supplies for the town. Needless to say Wesley is a prominent figure in the surrounding area with lots of Methodist churches about. It was great to see the history there, something you can never see in California because European settlement just wasn't happening out there yet.

Getting my Paddy's on
wangs and Guinees

Celebratin in Savannah now

We got into Brunswick and found a shopping center that had a Starbucks a Pub and a burger joint. This was perfect for everything we needed for the rest of the day. We hung at Starbucks a long while then got some food then headed to the Pub to celebrate St. Paddy's day. At the Pub it was packed but we eventually found a spot by the bar and ordered our drinks. We started talking to this old couple next to us and the lady was starting to get sloppy drunk and it ended up being hilarious. As we nommed on all you can eat hot wings and I was having my Guiness she started getting silly. The husband was just along for the ride and was just as hilarious but a little more subdued. Well we laughed and joked and talked about travels the rest of the night. The lady used to live in Alameda and had experienced an earthquake so she was convinced California was falling off the earth and that the forest was continually burning. She said she worked at the Walmart Subway and would be there in the morning and to come by the next morning. We did just that and she hooked us up on some breakfast sandwiches that had us paying $1.07 for a decent breakfast. Onward to Savannah. My mom had called that day and said Savannah was supposed to be amazing and beautiful we were looking forward to it.

Streets of Savannah

Savannah has the second largest St. Paddy's day celebration in the world and the Paddy's day spirit was still going strong the friday following the official day. There was lots of people walking the streets sporting their green and getting stupid. The whole town was laid out beautifully and every building looked to be from the 1830s. The river walk was where all the things happening were going on. Live music and tons of people whoopin and hollering. It would have been nice to have another day of celebration but we just couldnt swing the cost. We enjoyed the scenery and were absolutely captivated by the sites the history and the people. It seemed to have a bohemian feel to it and every single park and big house had some plaque on it where a famous event from either the Civil War or the Revolutionary War happened. We have spent the last 3 days here and thoroughly enjoyed it. If we were to get stuck in this town I would not be disappointed. Of course we haven't experiences the humidity which I hear is the worst though.

the most recent grave here is from 1850 wow

Live music I was scared this old rocker would fall and break a hip

I have been feeling sick ever since the Pub in Brunswick so I am fighting that off right now. We are keeping it easy today which is Sunday. We went to church and it was a really big one. We didn't meet anyone which is ok we didn't expect to just hoped to. The plan is to go to Tybee Island which is directly east of Savannah. The weather is getting warmer and we feel confident that we can pace ourselves as we go north and not have to worry about the snow. Both Anna and I are incredibly homesick but we know this is a trip of a lifetime. We will do our best to enjoy ourselves and just look forward to the things we love about Sacramento. Peaces and kisses.

Buildings that are on the river walk

Law enforcement is much more lax during St. Paddy's day

Anna really liked this house and I think its great too

Green fountain!

The biggest Art and Design school is scattered all over Savannah

Green fountain again!

Miami, Key West, The Everglades, and DisneyWorld!!, FL

2011-03-13T17:23:00.000-07:00

I see this at a the beginning of a bunch
of movies!

Very big blog this go round. Sorry that I didn't keep on top of this more than I have. As a result I have a blog that is jammed back full of major stopping points on our journey. Shall we dive in? .. We shall

Maander with Monastery in background

Impressions of Miami are, international, bright colors, really busy, scooters, huge amounts of luxury/super cars, beach, nudity, sex, youth, and partying. I hope to dive into these things all but if not a few highlights and an observation while I was amidst these Miamians.

This is the Keys

Peacocking... This is what Miami is all about. What is Peacocking you say? Well when a man or woman wants to attract someone, usually of the opposite sex, they may engage in peacocking. The people of Miami take this to extremes. If they are wearing shirts they are bright colors and their shades are of a fluorescent color. Everyone is in shorts or in bikinis. Tons of people have their very expensive cars, seriously I have never seen so many Bentley's, Lamghorinis, or Ferrari's. In a sense these are the "bros" of Southern Florida. Everyone is desperate to be noticed and they are all trying to exude sex appeal, youth, and money. While I was entranced by all of the goings on, especially all the women walking around not gonna lie, I did not feel I was apart of this scene at all. I felt myself feeling defensive, like I didn't want to be apart of them. I would like to think it is because I am much more enlightened than them, or that I have realized much more important things. The reality is I cannot compete in this scene that is South Beach Miami. I do not have the ability to procure all the money to drive these cars and I don't have the six pack abs and unfortunately, I no longer am capable of exuding the youth. Now I am not sad that I cannot be part of this scene. I do understand the superficiality and destructive hedonism that is this culture. I am glad I am not like them but to say I do not want to be like them would be denying myself my true feelings. I feel like the top 1 or 2% in this society are enjoying themselves while the rest are desperately pretending and feeling a huge vacuum as they clamour for this fleeting attention.

Anna and I spent our first day in Miami in the North Beach part. We woke up and we met a gentleman named Alex who had a Eurovan, basically a more modern version of what we have. We made a connection because of the similar cars and we were both travelers. We were from Sacramento while he was from Chicago. He wanted to spend the day together and we were all for it but we had to take care of some business before hitting the beach. We did laundry then went across the street to this fast food joint that was Cuban called Pollo Tropical. Oh man was it so good. I had the grilled chicken with rice and beans and all the sauces you can get with it were so good. We ended up going there again before we left the area we liked that place so much.

Monastery walls

Before heading to the beach where we would meet Alex we went to a monastery that was imported in from Spain. the monastery was made in the 12th century! It was a beautiful building and it felt very old. It was going to be imported to Hearst's Castle but once it made it to Florida it had to be quarantined because of some disease breakout from it's origin and they burnt all the organic stuff it was packed in and they forgot to label the 30,000 bricks! Well due to the depression Hearst couldn't afford to bring it over to the west and figure it all out. It stayed in the east and in 1952 someone finally assembled it all. The statues were great not as refined as in some of the Missions we have seen but that is to be expected. We saw a girl getting her quincenera photos there too, however, Anna was too embarrassed to sneak a pic of her.

We went to the beach in North Miami named Halover and waited for Alex to make his way to the beach as well. We had some mis communication and he ended up at the far side of the beach from us which was too far for him to walk realistically and he wanted to be by the nude beach I suppose :). The beach was beautiful and the water was warm. We got some rays and played in the water it was a great rest of the day.

Hallway

We woke from our slumber at a nearby Walmart and decided that today we would discover what South Beach is all about. We meandered down A1A and got into the heart of Miami Beach. People everywhere loud noises and just a sensory overload. I felt like I was seeing characatures walk by. Stereotypes like two super muscular men holding hands, girls who looked like they had every conceivable plastic surgery done to them, and scooters weaving in and out of the cars. Taxis everywhere and just a sea of people. It was impossible to find parking and trying to find parking completely stressed Anna and I out. I almost hit another car when I cut them off and that was one of the things that just made Anna and I at each others throats. Before I had even walked around South Beach I was disenchanted with it because of the situation. We said eff it and lets go to north beach and if it is not too far to walk we will walk down there and check it out. We found a really great spot to park up there after probably an hour of bouncing around in South Beach. We headed to the beach with our supplies which included a platter of shrimp we got from Walmart :).

At the beach we were able to finally relax. This is where we noticed that the tops on girls were optional. Now don't think it was every girl. Out of all the people we saw, and there was a lot, there were probably 4 girls that were walking around without a top. You may think this was quite the coup by me being able to sneak a peek however in this context it was not very sexual. They weren't trying to be sexy and I wasn't taking it as sexy. None of the girls really had that much boobage to show off anyways :) Anna joked about going topless and I called her on her bluff by telling her to do it. I did warn her that she would probably break peoples' necks if she did because of all the bouncing they would have to endure looking at her goods :) It truly is a different culture down in Miami. This is a very international locale and I heard so many different languages being spoken while we were there.

Streets of Miami Beach
not the busiest in the
pic

Once we got enough sun we packed up and started walking down to the very busy part of South Beach. It is a street where they have a ton of restaurants and hotels then a park then the beach. This is where it is all going on. People trying to be seen and to be at the coolest places. I think I would have recognized some celebrities if I was more in tune with the NFL and NBA. I saw a lot of black guys in Lambos or Range Rovers with entourages that I assume they likely came into that money by way of sports. Is that racist of me? Well after walking for awhile we were overwhelmed and ready to head back to Maander and call it a day. We went to a 24 hour fitness south of Miami Beach which was in a busy part as well which had us stressed out again. The day ended with us exhausted and I just felt done with the whole experience.

Before the road to Key West
they had a bridge for trains to
Key West

Now to Key West, the southernmost part of the continental US which is an island.... OK. The trip down there is pretty long. About 120 miles from Homestead, the city furthest south on the mainland, to the island of Key West. We drove and drove and went across all these bridges. As soon as we hit water it was some of the most beautiful scenery we have seen on our trip. The water was such a light and lovely blue and the islands were green with white beaches. This is where Captain Jack Sparrow calls home. There were many people fishing and lots of boats all over. Every island on the trek has its own personality. Some spots are more for local business and others are more touristy. As I acclimated I got a sense that the locals had kind of a hick feeling to them and they had just happened to live in a place that became very touristy. They were like, "Oh, dang, I should try and make money off these people" so they have these hooky attempts at trying to attract people to whatever restaurant or scuba place or what have you. We made it down to Key West and walked around Duvall St. which is the main drag there. We made it to the southern most tip of the US with the marker. We walked around and saw the house used by presidents as a vacation home and where Kennedy stayed during the Cuban Missile Crisis. It was cool had a little Miami feeling but with the volume turned down a couple notches. Instead of spending a good sum to spend the night in Key West we drove back at night and stayed in Homestead.

Can you see Cuba its out there!

No US south of here

Dessert we had in Key West called:
Better than Sex
(It wasn't)

Alex met up with us in Homestead and we talked about our experiences in Key West. He wanted to head down but he was worried about costs and he wanted to spend a couple days down there. I told him what I observed and everything and he hemmed and hawed as we got ready for the day. We had the intention of spending some time with Alex when we first met but now we were planning on going to the everglades then north and he still was going to keep his home base as Miami area. Without saying it we both understood we wouldn't be seeing each other again and we said good bye and we were on our ways.

It is official

Made it baby
and got a sticker :)

We heard of bad weather for the day and we figured if it was bad we would just drive around the Everglades and look and if it was alright then we wold possibly go on this bike ride. The Everglades is essential a massive swamp that everyone thinks of when they think of Florida. Instead of a delta like in Cali the water just leaks out of Lake Okeechobee and creates a huge wetlands. Essentially it is a shallow river that is 50 miles wide leading to the ocean. This is where the Alligators as well as a lot of birds, all kinds of wildlife. It was really interesting and I was glad we went. We couldn't afford an air boat ride which looked like a ton of fun but the bike ride we took was great/hard. We headed out on a 15 mile bike ride that went through the Everglades that brought us right next to Alligators. We were warned of potential rain and we understood that when we left. I put my phone in my backpack thinking it would be safe. Well it began to pour down rain when we were 6 miles into the ride and ... just watch the movie clip. My phone didn't make it and the next day I had to fork out a lot of $$$ to get going again. Good thing I have an iPhone 4 now! bad is I am much poorer now because of it.

She is having fun little did she know...

So um...
You think a storm is coming?

Yea thats real
Yea it was like 15ft away

After taking care of business (spending a ton of $). We headed to north made it back to Melbourne to spend the night and saw a movie. We saw Red Riding Hood and I cringed through most of the movie. Horrible dialogue and I suggest to all of you skip it.

We planned on going to Disney World! Being in Florida and not going there must be some kind of crime so we decided we would carve out the money necessary to enjoy a day at the Happiest place on earth. After spending the night in Melbourne we headed to Orlando. Disney World opens at 8am so we wanted to get there by then so after all was said and done we left at about 8:30am... wait what? Yea we can not get up early anymore :) we rolled into the park at about 10:30am and got going. The day was non stop going on rides. The park was so much fun and the 80 dollar per person price tag was worth it reflecting on it. I splurged and got a burger with fries with all the fixings. I nom nommed and we were on our way. Then I saw a guy munching on a turkey leg. Wow that looked amazing I want a turkey leg. I had to have it so about 1 hour after having a very good sized lunch I was chowing on a turkey leg. Do I regret it? Yes I do!

I will try and let the pictures tell most of the story from here. We probably sat down 3 times at most, we went on every ride we wanted to go on. The electrical parade was great, the Monsters Inc. Laugh Factory was great, Space Mountain was 10x better than I remembered. Lots of great times and Anna and I didn't get mad at each other really the whole day. It was a good time and we were completely beat. We ended the day at a Denny's

We just rolled into St. Augustine now, the first successful settlement in North America. We have already driven through the historic district and I look forward to checking it out tomorrow. We will be out of Florida finally here in the next couple days and I can't wait to make it all the way up the East Coast.

Peace

Orlando, Melbourne, Jupiter, and West Palm Beach, FL

2011-03-06T16:09:00.000-08:00

I'm a hairy beast
The only reason I include this is
to show off the weight I've lost :)

We found a coconut on our walk along the beach!

Anna enjoying some mochii in Orlando

My friend Herman once lived in Orlando. He lived there briefly while he worked as a stewardess. Well no longer and now it is my turn to experience it. When one thinks of Orlando they think of ??.... Disney World of course!! Well we didn't go :( That stupid money thing is getting in the way again but we would probably enjoy it even more when we have children and we will experience it then. We have to leave some stuff to do still in the future otherwise we will just be bored in Sacramento ;).

Downtown Orlando

Lake Eola Park in Orlando it was nice

I received a text from by friend who said Orlando is a horrible place that felt like a shady part of South Sacramento everywhere he went. Unfortunately, we did not experience this part of Orlando. For whatever reason we just ended up in more affluent neighborhoods for the most part. I too have heard that there are some shady places in Orlando but they were hidden from us and that is OK by me. With no Disney World activities we just meandered around the downtown area. We busted out the bikes and went in to a pub there. We got this thing called Irish Nachos. They were stupid good but the calorie count had to be in the 4 figures. We indulged in some yogurt afterwards and saw the sights. Nothing too much to see but it did seem to have a nice vibe to it. We rode our bikes back to Maander and headed to 24 hour fitness which is the first one we have gone to since Texas. There is only one in Orlando but we were happy we were able to get our work out on and a shower. When we were in Baton Rouge some of the people we met said the way you have to experience The South is by what you eat. I think we took that to heart because of our diets lately. We hopped on the scales at 24 and weren't too pleased with the results. I now feel like Anna and I are back on the wagon in terms of diet and we have been able to make sacrifices and just pay more attention to what we eat.

This is what covered the beach
we didn't see too many in the water
but didn't want to risk it

Seagulls yea

We ended up in a theatre for the night where they have the full restaurant menu and we watched a movie called Blue Valentine which I heard had great reviews. The movie was OK but depressing and the food was good as well. We really enjoyed our time there and I am convinced that a venue like this would be a big hit in Sacramento. If I had capital and know-how I would def start a theatre/restaurant.

Scenery and you can see all
the jellyfish on the beach

We made our peace with Orlando with the knowledge that we can come back. We are going to the Keyes first so we could swing back around if we are so inclined. We headed back towards the Atlantic where we went to Melbourne beach. We drove A1A for awhile as well. The beach was super windy so we didn't last long at the beach. We went to Fort Pierce beach where there was tons of sea shells on the beach. They were so beautiful and they already had holes in them Anna and I got the idea of making necklaces with them. We started collecting the ones that stood out to us and we just couldn't stop and ended up collecting more than enough. On the beach they had washed up jellyfish. The lifeguard stand said that if you got in the water there was a risk of getting stung with a "medium" warning level. The water was at an amazing 70 degrees and I got my feet in but was not willing to immerse myself in because I wanted to avoid the Jellyfish, they were Man-O-War as well and I believe those are some of the worst jellyfish.

Me with my beach booty

This isn't the season for sea turtles
apparently. This guy washed
ashore and was just about dead, sad.

Anna and I worked on our tans and walked the beaches it was nice and relaxing and we truly feel like we are on vacation. Lot of people are here for the winter as well, you can tell. License plates from all over are here and there are a ton of old people. I don't blame them though because the weather has been great and the scenery beautiful.

Jupiter Lighthouse

Banyan tree at the base of the
Lighthouse

After staying in Saint Lucie we headed down to Jupiter. The only reason I knew of Jupiter was that a professional poker player who is actually pretty young is from this town. We kept trucking down A1A and the buildings and homes became more elaborate and we really got into some very rich area. Jupiter had a lighthouse so we decided to stop by and check it out. This is our first lighthouse on the East coast and it was well maintained. The area has a very rich history in regards to Indians and European early settlement. Because of the river that comes to the ocean here and weather it is a cradle of abundance for food. There were mounds by the inlet that now just look like normal hills but used to be hills as tall as 20 feet of shells because for thousands of years Indians would hunt the sea life and just throw all the shells in the same spots just piling up. The guide also informed us that a barrier island right by the lighthouse was, until recently, considered the community with the richest people. Apparently, there are a ton of celebrities that live there or have homes. I don't blame them this is an amazing area.

Anna in the doorway
showing off her new sun dress

Atop the Lighthouse.
Way out there is the Atlantic then Locksahachee river
to the left far side of river is the very rich neighborhood

We drove through Palm Beach and this is going to get redundant so I will just say that there is a lot of wealth in this area of Florida. We checked out the places we could, a lot of places are closed because the rich own it including beaches. The cost of normal items were much more and the average car that drove by was very nice. Maybe I haven't spent enough time in Socal but the luxury car dealerships here are all over the place and that isn't something I am used to. Anna and I have just been finding parks to chill and make meals it has been relaxing and we have been eating better. Our money situation is tight if we want to actually make it all the way back home so we are making sacrifices that area bit disappointing.

The Lighthouse lense looking out

Another view out of the Lighthouse

Kiteboarding is popular here and we got to see that. We went to another beach and chilled and I had the intention of doing some serious swimming because of the warm water but this time it had even more Man-O-War and the Lifeguard stand said there was a "High" degree of danger. I am making sure that I get in the water at least once though while down here I'm sure it will clear up. We went to church this morning and Anna thought it was boring. The pastor just gave the congregation an update on a missions trip that he went on to Peru that he had just gotten back from. It was interesting to me but I spent most of the time imagining myself exploring the rural areas he went to. The people were nice and all but none welcoming enough to really get to know us. That's OK though it is always nice when people really get to know you. Shout out to Tommy, Rachel, and Jake :)

We just rolled into Fort Lauderdale. We went to the gym after church then headed south on Hwy 1. The rain was crazy today and there was lots of Lightning. We will probably hang here for a day or two hit up Miami and then get down the Keyes. Peace and excuse my pic with my shirt off :)

In West Palm Beach Nom Noming

Pensacola, Panama Beach City, Tallahassee, Gainesville, and Daytona Beach, FL

2011-02-27T15:22:00.000-08:00

Sunshine State yeaaaa

Pensacola - Hell YEAA

UUUUGGGGHHHHH kiiddd. We made it! My feet have touched the Atlantic ocean. We have officially traversed the great US of A. Allow me to reflect and tell you of these towns in Florida, a very fine state of this union.

Pretty in Pensy

Boom Boom Pow!! We were out of Alabama just like that and into Florida. MMmmm the coast was soo close but knew we needed to pace ourselves and experience that which was present. We headed on into Pensacola and after much needed laundry we headed downtown. We walked the streets and it had a very Sacramento feel to it. Mardi Gras was in full swing so there were Mardi Gras Balls going on so we saw many people dressed up very fancy in Tuxes and dresses. I thought that these balls were interesting because it allows adults to have a Prom type experience still. People really get into it and seems to be an important part of the culture. Some of the Balls are Masquerades while others are just dances or they have musical performances. We ended up filling our bellies in a place called McGuire's Pub which has the signature of people writing their names on dollar bills and stapling them to the ceiling. Supposedly, they have more than a million dollars on the walls. They are still tax liable for that right??

Git me dat money B!

We so happy here

Well they were having a special on drinks where I was getting my whiskey sours for 2 bucks a pop and they were delicious. Needless to say I may have imbibed a mortal sins worth. Anna enjoyed her cider responsibly but I was definitely feeling it. The wait was long and you could order at the bar so that is what Anna and I decided to do. We shared a delicious Shepard's Pie. McGuire's was actually a little ways out of downtown and we walked there so to get back to Maander we stumbled/walked back for a decent walk and found a coffee joint to hang at till I sobered up. Good times and the places were still popping when we were just enjoying our coffee, oh and we succumbed to some delish desert as well. Sleepy at Walmart and then to church the next day to confess my sins.

The church was big and we didn't really meet anyone. Shockingly, the Baptist church was preaching on Romans!! :) it was a solid service and all but afterwards we were pretty quickly on our way. We headed to the beach and spent most of the daylight left there just relaxing and working on our tans. The beaches on the panhandle were absolutely beautiful. The beaches are actually more beautiful than the ones in California no lie. The water was very blue and the water was still pretty cold so I just kinda dunked my feet in.

Sunset and Gulf of Mexico, dat pretty!

Maander it has been fun now
we need to get to bed k?

We drove down the island that is on the Gulf. I don't know exactly what they are called but there is mainland then a channel then island then Gulf. It goes like that for a ways on the coast. We took a very scenic drive down to Panama Beach. It really felt tropical and it was a very easy drive enjoying the sites. We rolled into Panama which was quite touristy. We spent more time on the beach and had lunch there. All of Panama's Walmarts don't allow camping so we stayed at a RV site and got some showers and kinda just enjoyed the weather. It has been very mild and the humidity hasn't been too bad at all. For those people who, "Winter" in warmer climates I have no idea why they are driving to Yuma instead of going to the Emerald Coast. Suppose if you hate humidity that would be a reason.

Itz a hippy thang

From Panama we took the long way around Tate's Hell State Forest, horrible name imo, to Tallahassee. This kept us right up against the Gulf and we saw beautiful scenery for most of the trip. Houses that are literally on the beach were going for 200gs too so yeaa, different from Cali. I won't speak much about Tallahassee. It was didn't have a good vibe to it. We went to the Capitol but for the most part it was meh. Anna and I were not jiving very well during that time (we're cool now though) and we just wanted to get on the road after a nights stay.

White beach and White um Anna!

Thats blue

A real seagull
apparently in Cali they are, "Gulls"

We left the Capitol for Gainesville which we heard was a cool college town. That is the home of the University of Florida, the Gators Football champs over and over. They are very proud of their school it is huge and their team is very good. We may have been frequenting places that weren't so collegy but it didn't have the typical college town feel we were used to. It mainly felt like just a normal biggish town that really liked Alligators. It was hilarious to see that the big thing there is to ride around town on a scooter. Not a motorcycle or moped or a vespa. A new scooter. The college kids were zipping around all over on them. We went for a walk on campus and just saw rows upon rows of scooters. We visited the stadium where the Gators play and there were many kids working out on the benches doing plyometrics.

In Tallahassee we met a guy with a very nice bus who informed us of Winterjam in Daytona which is a big VW car show there. We had planned on leaving on Thursday to get there for when the events began. The first thing was a welcome party at a Winghouse. Well before we left Gainesville I wanted to get the oil changed, valves adjusted and a good look over by a knowledgeable VW shop. I found a reputable shop named Hugo's and I talked to Hugo. Well he could do everything I was looking for but he couldn't get to it till the next day. Well we didn't plan on it but we decided we would stay another day in Gainesville. We went to the mall and then went on a hike in a neighboring park reserve. It was a good hike that didn't have particularly spectacular views we may have seen in Humboldt but very nice. After getting out of the desert and into foresty type places from Texas eastward they foliage is much denser and skinnier than in California. California has the massive trees that reach so high and navigating among them isn't too bad. Here it is super dense skinny trees that get up to maybe 30ft and there is a ton of foliage all around almost impossible to pass unless someone has already burned a path.

Itz a backwoods kinda thang

I told her that wasn't the right direction

Young Cardinal

Hugo's work took most of the day on Friday. Anna was a bit annoyed but he did a great job and he also explained some things to me that were very helpful for the road. He took a look at my old distributor and confirmed that the points were completely fried. He showed me how to switch them out some tricks of the trade and some adjustment I may choose to make to the carburetor. We got to Daytona and headed to Walmart to turn in for the night.

Another Adventurewagen!
The interior was kinda lame though
Plus Sgt. Peppers lonely heart club!! Cool

Daytona is famous for it's racetrack and for bike week. Because of this there is a huge amount of motorcycles in the area and white trash, apparently bike week will be there next week so people may be coming down early. The beach area is very developed and had the 50s vibe that isn't so charming to myself particularly. The beaches were great and this was the moment I was able to put my feet in the Atlantic ocean for the first time. I claimed victory when I did that. If Maander bites the dust from here on out I won't fret too bad. I made it across the country in a VW!

Me claiming victory!

A Fridolin. They're old Mail trucks

It was Saturday so we went on over to the area where WinterJam was occurring and registered. The price was a bit steep and I didn't know how it would compete with my typical car show I go to, Bug-o-Rama. Saturday was just a precursor to Sunday and not as big. We talked to the guy we met in Tallahassee and saw what they had. We headed to a mall after and saw the movie Hall Pass which was solidly funny but nothing amazing.

Daytona Beach promenade

Today is Sunday and we are done with WinterJam. It didn't live up to the price tag. I paid 5 bucks more for this show and it didn't have the quality of VWs as compared to my home show and no drag strip. The best part of it was that I was able to see a Fridolin which I have never seen in real life before. We went to the beach at about 12 and stayed till 3 and got some sun.

Probably the most rare thing at the show

We are now almost to Orlando. Apparently, Orlando is experiencing record high temperatures for this time of year and because of this Maander has gotten hotter than I would like. We are about 20 miles out at a Starbucks and giving him a break. 87 degrees is predicted for tomorrow and I don't know about the humidity. Turns out humidity sucks!! We are spoiled in California in that regard. I am becoming more and more convinced why California really is that great of a place and subsequently so expensive.

We finally get to go to a 24 hour fitness since Fort Worth here in Orlando! I am excited to get back on the treadmill, stair climber and bike! I think I have maintained my weight maybe gained a lb or two but plan on getting back on the wagon here. Down in Miami they have a bunch of 24s too so we will utilize them extensively. I am having a battle in my head whether to drop the cash for Disney World and all those places, possibly Cirque du Soliel. You will find out next blog :) Peace

'Nawleans, LA, Biloxi, MS and Mobile, AL

2011-02-19T12:08:00.000-08:00

They use actual gas lamps in the French Quarter

Mardi Gras yeaaahh. Apparently Mardi Gras is a celebration before the beginning of Lint where everyone just sins it up and does whatever because once Lint comes around then you got to be on the straight and narrow... How effed up is that? Well in the south and particularly in Louisiana Mardi Gras is a big celebration and a big hoop-de-hay. After Katrina I heard "spiritual" people hypothesize that because of this debauchery that is Mardi Gras God forsook them. Yea I don't buy into that but the whole premise of Mardi Gras seems suspect.

The Mississippi River

Getting the vibe of 'Nawleans

We rolled into 'Nawleans, as the locals call it, and went straight to the French Quarter. From our tourist guide it said that it is basically the only touristy place there. We rolled into and stopped at a coffee shop to recharge our batteries and get situated for our time in NO. As soon as we get out of Maander there is a guy who is working on his car in front of his apartment and takes a moment to compliment our bus and we start talking to him. He gives us some suggestions of where to go and what you will run into when there. I get inspired to ask him if there are any places to avoid. I asked him this because I have heard through media that the cops can be corrupt and that there are some very shady places in NO. He said yea and basically laid out the places we really shouldn't wander into. Cool we are off to a good start. We say goodbye and he offers to sell us some weed and we kindly decline and are on our way :)

Secret Garden??

Narrow streets with many things to do

We head on into the coffee shop which had a nice vibe to it and the people that were patronizing the establishment were very bohemian. There was a lady there that looked like she had grown her dreads for over 10 years and everyone there looked to have lots of style and apple products :). I start surfing the net and sipping java and after the convo with the gentleman I get inspired to type into google: "what are the bad parts of New Orleans?" This was a mistake. I read page after page of horror stories and crime and how there isn't one redeemable part of NO that exists. I started becoming fearful, hell I think anyone would after reading this and this. This gave me great anxiety and I became paranoid. For the rest of our time in NO I was on edge, this kind of ruined the experience of the town.

Examples of some pretty cool
Mausoleums

We were debating staying in the vicinity till Saturday which would be the beginning of Mardi Gras and as previously mentioned, a very big deal here. After the paranoia there wasn't a chance. We walked the streets of Bourbon St, and Decatur St. All the roads were very narrow and everything felt old. The French Quarter of NO actually wasn't effected by Katrina because it is actually higher than sea level. All I can say about this area is that the culture and eclecticism was palpable. You could tell that this was a Mecca for artists of all kinds to come and just be. Not even a destination to necessarily become famous at but, to live and be with like minded people. Here in the south there seems to be a great deal more of diversity in terms of black and white. In Cali we get Mexican and many different ethnicity's and we are quite diverse. In the south you have many African-Americans of varying classes and lifestyle choices. You have the artist and musician of all different backgrounds and it feels like this colors this part of NO a great deal and in a good way.

Beignet yeaaaa gooood

We push on and experience the, "Quarter" and see the Mississippi and grab a bite. Since Bourbon St is known for Mardi Gras either it always is pushing a Mardi Gras feeling all year long or they were warming up for it in just a week. People were acting loud and stupid. In the restaurant that we were at this group of cougars were stupid drunk and acting like asses and it was only 5pm. One of them that was just sloppy drunk was announcing to the room that this was the best turkey club she has ever eaten. This inspired Anna to order that turkey club and was then disappointed after she got it. I had a good chuckle that she based her decision on the drunkard in the back. We walked around till a little after dark and then decide we would find the place to stay the night. I decided on a Walmart outside the city to try and make sure we are safe and have a quiet rest of the night.

In the morning, we went to the Metairie Cemetery. Why a cemetery? well since LA is below sea level for the most part most people aren't buried in the ground but in mausoleums. This cemetery was particularly regarded for the elaborate family mausoleums. We spent time walking the grounds and saw the beautiful monuments. It almost seems narcissistic to get such elaborate things made for the dead. In their defense it will house their entire family in all likelihood and will last probably a thousand years to commemorate those there. From there we left for Biloxi.

On the way to Biloxi

On the bike ride

All this talk of NO reminds me of a conversation I had with Tommy. When we discussed hurricanes in the area. I asked him if he had been through any or what they typically do and all that. Tommy said he likes staying for hurricanes, he said it was part of the culture. He described his experiences with Katrina and with Gustaf. From him they didn't sound like that big of a deal for the area he lived in. He said what really messed up NO was that the levees broke. Lots of people in the media commented about why were so many people still in the town when the hurricane came and were the poor people too poor to get out or be informed. I now believe that many people stayed because it was cultural and they were showing in a very real way, "We are stronger than this storm" turned out they weren't stronger but this isn't the first hurricane in the area. What the media says and what is reality is always a much different story.

The Gulf Coast

Sorry this blog is so long winded :) onward yo to Biloxi

I will keep Biloxi short. It is on the Gulf and it was cool to see. Anna will likely say that the water looked oily and nasty. This is a complete lie and misunderstanding. The water was muddy and the water was really flat. No oil. And last I checked Oil and water don't mix so it can't be somewhat oily, either there is oil present or its not. The beach was white and beautiful and the weather has been great ever since we got out of Houston. We didn't do much in Biloxi and it seems the only reason to go there is if you want to go to a casino. We saw a movie and just got some relaxation there. That hiccup with Maander I told you about has been getting worse and it made it so Maander wouldn't start. As I said before I suspect it to be the distributor so I start investigating and confirm the coil is in working order etc etc. I end up replacing the distributor and also changed out the generator pulley belt because it had some fraying which was cool to nip that in the butt before we had to change it out on the freeway. So far so good with the new distributor though the timing could be fine tuned.

The beach niiice

Mobile hasn't been much but we haven't explored much either. Last night we stayed at a Motel 6 because we were desperate for some showers. I won't be going to one of those again because we get there and pretty soon we get word that some "Police Activity" is going outside and I peak out my window and see cops with guns drawn peering around corners. I get pretty nervous and Anna and I kinda stay towards the back of the room in case some gunfire starts happening. Apparently, a bank robber from Kentucky had stayed the night at the Motel 6 and the US Marshals had tracked him down. They caught him luckily and he was only 3 doors down from us. So we get freaked out by that then when we turn in for the night neighbors are being loud and obnoxious throughout the night. I have only stayed at Best Westerns for the past 3 years and before that would rarely if ever stay at hotels. This crap was not what I was used to and it pissed me off. In the morning the neighbors were once again loud and obnoxious grrrrrrrrr. I will spend the extra 40 bucks or more to have respectful neighbors and a hotel that had nice beds with a mediocre breakfast.

Some big houses in Mobile

Beautiful Spanish Moss

I'm now in a coffee shop in Mobile after a bike ride. We had planned on going to this coffee shop and just hanging out but when we showed up there was a bike gathering. Turned out they had a get together where we would ride the historic districts of Mobile and this Architect would talk about the homes and history of the area. It was a lot of fun and there were a ton of people. This area is truly beautiful and has a Sacramento feel to it with how old the neighborhood is and the trees.

Cool old Oak

We will be heading to Pensacola, FL later today and just finally get ourselves to that east coast. My uncle may be able to hook us up with a weeks stay at a camp site in Florida. We will be hanging out all over Florida till the east coast is ready to be explored with Maander. Love you all and miss you a ton. No matter what we will be back in Sacramento the end of June because Anna has some obligations. I am sure it will come sooner than I realize. Peace y'all.

Getting ready to go on the ride

Austin's return, Houston, TX and Baton Rouge, LA

2011-02-14T13:02:00.000-08:00

Anna munching on a Beignet

I must apologize... I feel this blog has slipped into uninspired jankiness. This thing has degraded into a I went here then did this now over here blah, blah, blah. This is unacceptable to me for my audience and I will do what I can to right the ship. Please permit me to at least attempt a quasi-entertaining blog. I may fail but I am human...

I realized that I didn't end up reflecting on the portion of Walden I read while in Austin. I felt lazy and didn't edit my post to do that either and I suppose this exemplifies where I am in my effort. This has changed I promise you and now for the inner workings of the man we call, "douche" .. I mean "Alex" :)

Me and the Mississippi River

I didn't read Walden for awhile and I think it was because I hit a bit of a dry spot and wasn't eager to go back to the book. I pushed through and this is what I found. In this section of, "economy" he laid out his expenditures and his income during the first year he squatted on his land in rural New England. Not too exciting right? right. Well he did this to illustrate that you can live on very little money provided you sought to provide for yourself. He worked the soil around his property and was able to feed himself sans a few products he couldn't make himself. After a year he spent a bit more than what a typical man at that time made in 6 weeks. He then philosophized about a lifestyle that consisted of a man taking 6 weeks out of his life a year to work for another so that he may be completely unencumbered the rest of the year. Thoreau said the only truly free man is the day laborer. Quite a radical statement in my opinion. He says the day laborer does that which needs to be done for the day and once complete and all accounts settled he no longer needs to worry about the work or the industry or what have you. The owner must engross himself in the industry he chooses to try and make a living at and is subject to the boom times and famine of that industry. The owner takes on liability and must invest greatly solely in a single market that may have a great deal of volatility to it.

So what did this communicate to me? To me this spoke to simplicity. Outside of these readings I have found people bring up Thoreau and his writings and I understand that he was an advocate of minimalism and self sustainability. I understand that those many people we saw and met up in Humboldt county are seeking the things he advocated. I agree that we do need to strip our lives of the many distractions we unknowingly heap on ourselves. We need to re tune ourselves to what creates happiness and what can add to happiness but not create it. We need to redefine how we assess a, "Successful life." I must find how I want my life to be what I do daily or weekly that I find true value in and what I may strive for but not be so committed to that it can affect the joy in my life. I still have feelings of how to make at least XXXX amount of money a year and all the different things I want. I need to fight that and write down the things that have true value and the steps I will take to make sure those stay in important places in my life.

In Austin a Black Swan!! and some White ones!!!

The bedrock of the river and me

Now more of our tour:

As I said in my previous post Austin was too cool and we had to go back. This time around in Austin we didn't end up going downtown much but we did experience the wilderness around it. The park that we enjoyed when we first arrived, Zilker Park, really turns out to be a hot spot of activity in Austin. We went on a very long walk around the park and river there. It was great to get the exercise and feel the brisk air. We then went to a part of the park that is much denser in foliage. We first had lunch then busted out the bikes to ride the trails. Well really quickly we realized that the trails were not conducive bike riding. I thought we could find a trail but Anna wasn't having it and we ended up parking the bikes and heading out on foot with me a little butt hurt from getting turned down on the bike ride. In retrospect, walking was definitely the best choice though. The trails were somewhat maintained but there were difficult parts to it. The river was dried up and there were parts where you cross over the bedrock to get to the main trail on the other side. The walk was moderately difficult. We some some people bouldering and doing some rock climbing. All in all it was a good time and we felt like we worked off some of the food that we have been splurging on lately.

Our trail on our hike

A cold front moved in once again and really created a lame situation yet again. We found ourselves chilling in a Barnes and Nobles staying warm and doing not much. We heard reports of freezing rain in Houston which was our next stop :(. I spoke with my Uncle who lives in Houston and he gave us the latest on the conditions. At about 5:00pm we got a call from him that the conditions were good and we should have a go at making it there. I said alright and we were on our way. This drive ended up being very sketchy. It got dark somewhat quickly, which is something I don't want to drive in for the most part. The wind was pretty bad in some places and pushed Maander around quite a bit. Lastly, the road sometimes appeared to be wet and it was so cold outside I feared that ice may develop on the road. I just couldn't stop imagining getting hit by a strong wind right when we go over a bridge that has ice on it and that sends us into a spin or something. I just started praying that God would let us know if we needed to stop and abort the trip. We rolled into a town called Gidding about 60 miles into the trip and we decided that if we drive by a Walmart we would stop for the night. About a half mile down the road lo and behold a Walmart! God's way of saying chill for the rest of the night :)

The temp was supposed to get down to like 20 and with wind chill about 13 so we knew it would be a rough time. We busted out our sleeping bag that is rated to 20 degrees and we piled on the blankets as well. Turned out my biggest problem was sweating too much during the night :). I woke up in the middle of the night with my long john t-shirt soaked from my sweat and I had to peel it off. We slept in late and waited for the warmest part of the day to continue our travels to Houston.

Me and Uncle Gary at the races

We rolled into Houston at about 3pm and went downtown before meeting up with my Uncle. We ate at this excellent Cuban/Mexican joint where Anna got some great tacos and I had an average torta. We walked the streets downtown and there just wasn't much going on. I guess the people were all working stiffs in their offices downtown. I called my Uncle after a bit and headed to his apartment. My uncle was kind enough to let Anna and I use his bed and his apartment was so small he went and spent the night at a friends house. We had free reign and we raided his cupboards for food and drink. We caught up on all the TV we missed on hulu and nbc.com. You know I gotsta have my Office and Parks and Rec, and Community :).

Some horses crossing the finish!!!
I didn't win this race :(

We went to this nice steakhouse with my Uncle that night and the next day after being lazy for most of it we went to the mall to see what people are like in Houston. Houston is nice and all, really big, but it just didn't charm to it. From my understanding Houston is big and there is a lot to do there but you have to know what you want to do and where. That makes it difficult for us. Well when we were chilling at my uncle's Anna spotted a thing for some horse racing that was going on and it had 50 cent beers and 1.50 wine! That's great lets go and my Uncle was excited to go as well. This was the first time I really spent time at a racetrack and it turned out good. It would make a great guys' night out or something. We saw the thoroughbreds race and I started to put money on them. My first race I chose a winner and ended up winning 10 bucks woohoo. Well I shoulda stopped there because that's as high as I got up. By the end of the night I was down 6 bucks but it was a good time. We had good food and some beautiful horses.

We left the next day and this would be the longest drive yet for Maander. About 280 miles to Baton Rouge. We want to get to Florida but we don't want to miss out on some of the great southern history and sites. For the most part Maander handled the trip like a champ. He has been doing this thing lately where he will like hiccup. As if the engine isn't getting a spark for just like a half second then spark up again as if nothing every happened. I suspect it to be either the distributor, points, spark plug wires, or coil. I have replacement parts for all of those except the coil so I am not too stressed provided we stay safe. Oh the joys of an old car :)

We got into LA and soon saw swamps
for the first time

Baton Rouge has been pretty cool. It is a big college town and everyone is very proud of LSU. You see purple and gold everywhere and it is like the town revolves around the college. We hung out at a coffeehouse by campus when we rolled in then stayed at a Walmart. It was a Saturday night and we parked somewhat towards the IHOP that was in the complex. This was a mistake because near 2 am everyone decided that's where they wanted to be so the parking lot got really loud and we had to get up and dressed and re park the bus away from all the people. We later found out that that spot wasn't very good because there have been shootings in the past there because of all the young people starting drama.

This looks like some propaganda pic
for the LSU mascot Mike.
Its not just an accident
cute ain't he :)

The bronze Mike
LSU is very proud of their mascot

We woke up on Sunday and had these things called Beignets. They are unique to Louisiana from my understanding and they are basically fried dough with powder sugar on them. Nom Nom Nom and I had a bunch of powdered sugar on my jacket. We went to University Baptist Church and got there early enough to go to the College group. I can't decide if I am the weird old dude that shows up to college group but I am just going to forget that and be around people I enjoy and seem to be a little more fun loving than those people that are sticks in the mud that are around my age. We met the people there and told them about our journeys. We heard their Bible Study and it turned out to be a book I have read a long time ago hehe. Before big church I chit-chatted with a guy named Tommy and he invited us to get some southern food afterwards at this place called Chimes. It was really good food. We had Boudin and Alligator, and Fried Catfish. It was great and we even got a tour of the LSU campus by Tommy, he used to be a student ambassador so he knew a ton about the college.

The original Capitol building

After the meal Anna and I went down to where the Govornor's mansion was and the State capitol. We got invited by Tommy to go to this worship service at this other church at 7 and in the meantime we looked at the great architecture in Baton Rouge. We are now getting to the parts of the US where it is really old. Some of the buildings have been around for almost 200 years and the styles of buildings are very unique and cool. The current Capitol is the tallest of all of the US's Capitols and was built in the 1930s. It really looked great and had an Empire State building feel to it. Not sure of the name of the style of building. We walked in but they closed at 4:30pm and it was 4:20. we saw the lobby and that was basically it then just chilled on the lawn for awhile and enjoyed the great weather we were having.

Current Capitol I like it a lot

We went to the worship service Tommy invited us to and he said it was cool if we spent the night at his apartment with his 3 other room mates. We were able to shower up and play on his Kinect. That was fun and we just talked to Tommy and just let him know about some of our journey's and some of the things we have realized on the trip. He is planning a trip around the world once he graduates so he talked about the fund raising he is doing for that and the details with that.

Looking down the steps into downtown Baton Rouge

It was great meeting Tommy and all the people at University Baptist and we felt very welcomed. I guess Mardi Gras is going to start on Saturday so we are thinking about just hanging out in Louisiana until then. If it is this close we have to right? Well we are in New Orleans now hanging in a Coffeehouse in the French Quarter. The cemeteries look crazy here because they don't bury people they just have mausoleums if that is the correct name for them. We haven't seen too much desolation or damage here yet. We parked Maander and a guy name Gabriel complimented us on the bus then we just started talking about the town. He gave us some suggestions on places to check out. I asked him if there were places we should avoid and he gave us a run down of the seedier areas so we will be sure to avoid those places.

Pray for us and we hope to continue to Florida and just keep this journey going. I am getting pretty homesick and I miss all you guys back in Sacramento. Maybe I will have a Skype night and see if anyone wants to talk over Skype

Peace

Austin, San Antonio, Snow, and Austin, TX

2011-02-07T13:07:00.000-08:00

Took a small sabbatical from writing. Not because I have become sick of it but because of the circumstances. We ran into some really lame weather and when that happens things tend not to occur and I don't think you want to hear about the television shows I have been watching lately.

Austin State Capitol
I like how it looks

We left Melody and Stephen's and got to Austin. We went straight to Zilker park and made some lunch. This is a big park on the edge of downtown. The weather was terrific and we met some very nice people that gave us some suggestions on where to go. The park had tons of people there recreating and just felt great. We grabbed our Mexican blanket and laid out on the grass and watched the people play with their dogs or throw the frisbee. Shockingly, I started read Walden. I will discuss that later.

Austin Cityscape
from Zilker Park

Me gettin my chill on and
my Walden on

Once we were done relaxing, we did a walk along the river. There is a hot spring that apparently is what the indians and white folk fought over in this area to then establish the town. we walked around there and we saw some awesome wildlife. I didn't expect to see turtles in this stream but we saw multiple and they were pretty good sized. We saw 4 chillin' on a log and had to get a pic. Anna took a pic from a distance and I wanted one pretty close up. I went down this steep incline and then I go to have Anna hand me the camera. Fumbled!! the camera bounces out of my hand and rolls right into the river where the turtles freak out and jump in the water. I rush down and get the camera. We were a bit panicked and in the process Anna tried turning the camera on while it was soaking. Well who knows whether it would have been ok without it being turned on but we were unable to revive the camera after days of trying ways of fixing it. Big bummer and now we are out another 100+ bucks getting a new camera, which is waterproof :). Those of you who were very sad that we would be gone for a year don't worry, we ain't making it that long.

Edge of park looking to Austin

What we took a pic of moments before the camera
went into the drink

We always keep an eye on our weather which is very important to us. According to all the weather news sources it said that the night we got into Austin the temp would drop really rapidly and there would be 20-30mph winds. Kinda savage weather even though at the moment the weather was ideal. We camped out in a Walmart and were woken up at 3am with the wind just going nuts. It was pushing Maander from side to side and we started thinking we may have to reposition or something to try and make it through. I get to a window and see that Maander is actually already in the ideal position to reduce the effects of the wind. We just had to deal with the whipping back and forth. I thought it felt crazier than it actually was and though it took us awhile to fall back asleep because of nerves, we made it through the night. From there on out the temp was stupid cold. We went to a Barnes & Nobles in the morning getting out of the cold and chilled there for a really long time. The next two days had us just trying to stay out of the temperature. We got a night in a Best Western using the last of my points I accrued and in the morning the hot water didn't work. We were able to parle the non working hot water into a reduced price for the next night and they got the water working about mid day. We just chilled in the hotel and watched tv.

very cold

effing cold!!
me showing of my jacket prowess in the hotel

Snow was coming and to try and stay out of it or to reduce the effects of it we headed down to San Antonio where we would meet up with Micah, Anna's brother. We spent our last night in a hotel down there and Micah stayed in the room too because he didn't have to report for duty at the Fort he was stationed at till the next day.

Our view when we woke up
after the snow San Antonio

Right by the hotel.
Thought it was interesting looking

We woke up to a thin layer of snow all over. There looked to be no cars on the freeways but the surface streets seemed ok. We stayed as long as we could in the hotel then left for a coffee shop till the snow got done melting. The coffee house we chose was downtown which turned out not to be the best idea. The tall buildings kept the streets from receiving sun so there was still snow covered street where cars were slipping and sliding. I was very careful with Maander and we did fine but there were a couple of people driving as if they were brain dead.

The Alamo!!

The riverwalk

San Antonio's downtown is really expensive to park in and there are no hidden spots for free parking as best we can tell. We ended up going outside downtown and parking and then walking in. We saw the Alamo and Riverwalk. San Antonio seemed like an alright place but didn't have the charm Austin did. We saw what we saw then went to a Walmart and spent the night just outside the main city.

For the Superbowl we met up with someone Anna knew from CFO named Jonah. He is in the army like her brother and he was having a little Superbowl party. He said we could stay the night so we gladly accepted. We got to know him, his wife and their really cute 3 year old Caleb. We went to the church they were checking out in the morning then just hung around till the game got started. It was funny because it started at 5:30 which sounds really late to me because I am used to California start time of like 2 or 3. We pigged out and watched the game good times.

Anna and I decided that we would return to Austin because it seemed like such a cool town and we barely got to experience it. After spending the night at Jonah and Brandy's we headed back to Austin. We just got here this morning and we went straight to the Capitol building. they have free guided tours there which is pretty sweet so we went on that and ate at their cafeteria which had good food for a reasonable price. We are just chilling at a coffee shop now and the barista has given me a bunch of places to check out here in Austin so we will have to discover the Austin that natives know. Peace out and I am happy in Austin :) so far if I were to live anywhere except Cali it would be Austin. We will be heading to Houston and visiting my Uncle Gary!!!

These steps don't seem safe

At the japanese
botanical gardens

GQ?

Abilene, Fort Worth, Arlington, Mansfield and Melody and Stephen's, TX

2011-01-31T11:48:00.000-08:00

Everything is big in Texas!!!

Wow so many American made trucks and SUVs you can't even shake a stick at. I tell you what, these guys with their 10 gallon hats and their Ford Duallies are happier than a ground hog in soft dirt!

Cool painting we saw

Now some of these phrases may seem foreign to you but I just learned them in Abilene. Now that we are in the heart of Texas, the Texas Twang is much more common. People are saying y'all and just have that southern way about them. It feels like I am in a very different land now that the majority of people have a different dialect as I do. Though it does feel different, I have enjoyed my time in Texas so far. When we were in Abilene we headed to the older historic part of the town and walked around getting to know the town. We went into an All Things Texas store, which is basically a tourist's stop to get novelty items relating to Texas. I found this funny book that explained all the nuances of Texas and got a good chuckle. I then noticed they had a stuffed animal of an armadillo and realized they had those here. I went to the cashier who was this sweet young southern belle and asked here where I might find an armadillo. She responded, (With a very Texan accent) "Gosh, dead on the side of the road I guess!"

Pondering the art

Some of the Architecture at the Museum

We laughed then she told me a good road to drive down to possibly see some armadillo road kill. She asked where we were from and I said Sacramento, California. I then hesitated then asked her, "If I just said Sacramento would you know where I was from?"

She said at least she would and thought most people in Texas would. I suppose I am a little paranoid that we are so far away from Cali now and that possibly Sacramento isn't all that well known that they would be clueless as to where I originate.

Well we walked around Abilene and about the time I started warming up to the city Anna was ready to go. You see I was kinda in the mood just to get on the road and get to Fort Worth after waking up in Abilene but she wanted to see the sites. We left for Fort Worth on a country road hoping to see some armadillo. We filled up and they had 93 octane! Maander was very happy with the upgrade in cuisine for himself. As we made our way to Fort Worth we didn't see any armadillo though.

Cool church in downtown FW

Cityscape of FW

We rolled into Fort Worth and headed for the Museum of Modern Art. We drove through Texas Christian University (TCU) and saw a sea of students. We soon realized that colleges were really important in Texas. TCU won the Rose Bowl just a few weeks ago and the area around TCU was all decked out in their TCU pride. We got through all those young people and made it to the Museum which is just a little out of downtown in an area that looks to like it is being developed. Fort Worth had a very familiar feel to it. Big City with lots of diversity and the twang was not very apparent in a lot of peoples speech.

Variety of buildings in FW

We meandered around the Museum and saw the art. They had some very prominent artists such as Andy Warhol. It was nice seeing the Art but we left the Museum feeling like the 10 dollar price tag was not quite worth it. We don't plan on going to anymore art museums unless there is a particular reason to go. The building itself was very interesting and everything was really well done but it just didn't float our fancy.

We then explored downtown Fort Worth. We first stopped in a coffee shop that seemed hip and had a cool coffee house feel to it as you would find in Sacramento or any other California major city. Downtown was full of different kinds of styles in architecture. We saw a lot of tempting restaurants to go to and read many historical plaques all about Fort Worth. It got cold and we decided to head back to a Walmart and shack up for the night, the nights looked to be getting colder and colder now :(

On the trail

We woke up and knew it was a lazy day. We got our laundry done and settled on going on a bike ride. We found a park with a nice long trail and first made lunch then headed out for a longish 11 mile bike ride. The weather was very nice and the scenery was beautiful. It had a winter feel to it without any snow. Texas is pretty flat so the ride was easy and we just trucked along. We saw and heard a russeling in some leaves just off the bike trail and slammed on our brakes!! It was an Armadillo!! We tried to get a picture but he quickly jumped into the bushes to escape. We hoped to see more. Oh and we did. We ended seeing probably 5 armadillos total. I was very happy we went on the bike ride.

OMG OMG an Armadillo!!

It felt good to get back to riding bikes after a long hiatus. Ever since Tucson we have been somewhat in a hurry to just get across the country. Now that we have arrived in Fort Worth it has been a bit more laid back and we haven't had to worry about extreme weather with the safety of a big city within reach. We hit up 24 hour fitness the whole week until we got to Melody and Stephen's house in Mansfield.

At Melody and Stephen's chillin'

In Mansfield we visited Melody and Stephen's church. First we went to the youth group on Thursday the first night we were there. It was a lot of fun to interact with them and they had some free pizza and I am all about that. We spent Friday in Waxahachie with Melody while Stephen was at work. It is this cool town with houses one would imagine would be in a Midwest country town. We visited the courthouse and walked around downtown Waxahachie. We stopped at a pub and had a pint which hit the spot proper. Friday was night the girls went to a girls function at the church and Stephen and I just stayed home and played video games. Saturday was the Botanical Gardens where we just stared at plants' private areas all day. We started acting silly and getting into trouble grabbing a cart meant for the staff there. We ended the night with some Settlers of Catan and passed out, Melody and Stephen were very kind and allowed us to use their bed while we stayed with them.

Melody and I getting into trouble

Cuuuuuute

Waxahachie courthouse

Waxahachie Museum
Anna like phone booths for some reason

They didn't answer

Sunday was church and the fast that Melody and Stephen were on was over so we had some Chinese food afterwards. This food was great and we ended it with some ice cream at this fast food joint called Braum's. We hung out with their family afterwards and ended the night with a rematch of Settlers where I was able to pull of a W.

Taking a little sippy sip
of the Holy Grail water

In the tropical greenhouse at the botanicals

They are way more in love than Anna and I are :)

.... NOT!

We are in Austin now and the 93 octane has turned Maander into a well performing beast who is gnashing at the bit to be driven. We got excellent gas mileage from Mansfield to Austin. I estimate the mpg to be at least in the 20 mile/gallon range. We have only heard good things about Austin and we plan on staying in Austin for 3 days if the weather permits. Looks like we will have to be strategic about how long and where we stay while we are in Central Texas because the weather can change quick and it can have snow or freezing rain. All stuff we want Maander not to be close to. We have a place to party for the Superbowl in San Antonio and hopefully my Uncle will shack us up in Houston. I gotta call him though :/

Las Cruces, Carlsbad Caverns, NM and El Paso, TX

2011-01-23T15:46:00.000-08:00

Maander and the sea of nothingness
where we parked before entering
Carlsbad Caverns

So the people we have met warned us about west Texas. They said there is nothing there. You want to blow your brains out because there just isn't anything to see and you have to drive... and keep driving and keep driving. Guess what? They were right! Our trip that took us from El Paso to Carlsbad was barren. It was insane how straight a road can go for so long and for there to be nothing, absolutely nothing. But before that lets talk about Las Cruces!

Actually beautiful sights on our
way to Carlsbad

New Mexico. I have never been here and had really no expectations. I knew we wouldn't hit Santa Fe or Albuquerque and those are the only towns I know of in New Mexico and even those I have little knowledge of. We arrived in Las Cruces after a short little jaunt from Deming. Lately, we have really been hitting the road hard and getting east as quick as we can. We want to avoid the cold that is in central Texas and get to the Gulf Coast to help regulate the temperature. Las Cruces is a good in between as we trek slowly but surely. We chilled at Starbucks for a longtime and watched all the new NBC comedies from the night before (The Office, Community, etc etc) Afterwards we went to explore the town. Turned out NMSU was there and we have had fun walking around colleges in the past so we said how bout it.

Las Cruces had a good vibe to it. According to Wikipedia its main industry is the federal Government which has some military test facilities nearby. We walked the campus of NMSU saw the peeps and just tried to get an idea of what NMSU student life was like. We saw some ROTC people and looked at some bulletin boards to see what activities went on. It was a Thursday and it said they had a Improv show from 9-11pm. We said we would try and make it cuz that just sounded like a cool way to see a different side of Las Cruces.

ROTC Ooh rahh!

Nifty!

We walked a bit more around campus then headed back to Maander to go find some grub. The site Yelp.com has been a great help on our journey. It is a bunch of reviews by people who go to these places and rate them and write up a short review. You find all the local hang outs and if a place has some unique nuance to it they let you know. A highly reviewed place was Ziffaro's Pizza. We headed downtown to see what was up. It looked like Las Cruces did a half-hearted attempt and making a downtown walk that didn't really work out. We found Ziffaro's after a bit of searching and proceeded to nom. The food was excellent and the atmosphere had a very midtown Sacramento feel to it. I liked it and I over ate the food was so good. Not many young people at all at the restaurant but it was popping.

After dinner we headed on over to the Improv. When we went inside it was only 2 other people. We introduced ourselves and asked if it was a performance or something you participated in. They said either or and Anna said earlier she wasn't interested in trying improv. I said I would try one little thing then we would be on our way. A couple more people showed up and we began. They had to explain every improv game they had but it was easy to catch on and I did my best. I couldn't say I did a great job but I was able to get a couple laughs. I found the way you get the best laugh is if you reference something they are familiar with. So my Seinfeld quote went over well. I have been watching a lot of Arrested Development on Netflix lately and I noticed they used lines from that show a lot. I participated for probably 40 minutes then excused myself, it was a cool experience.

Only Steers and ____s come from Texas!!
Jk Jk :)

Las Cruces to Carlsbad would be the longest drive in a single day we have ever done so far. Maander has been strong and I was confident. Our plan was to stop in El Paso, TX get some good grub, we heard their Mexican there is really good. The road you take you have to swing into Texas then back up into New Mexico. Getting to El Paso was no problem and I realized I hadn't been to a big city in awhile. El Paso has 600k people there. We went into the predominantly Mexican area, though we are unsure if possibly the whole town is the Mexican area, and went to a highly rated Mexican hole in the wall joint. Anna and I succumbed to our temptations and we ordered way too much food. I have not eaten so much in a long time. The food was great but did not warrant me gorging myself.

Nom Nom

From El Paso to Carlsbad was when I realized what all those people said was true. We drove, and kept driving. There just was nothing. Absolutely nothing. There were little cafes or gas stations along the road that tried to capitalize on the 120 miles of nothing in between El Paso and Carlsbad yet every single one of them was shut down and looked to have been out of business for many many years. It had an eerie feel to it and I just wanted this leg of the trip to be over with but it didn't want to be over with. The caverns are a bit before the city so we stopped at the information booth and got info for the caverns with the day almost over the caverns were closing and we would hit them the next day. We rolled into Carlsbad exhausted and the weather was this blustery cold that made you feel like crap. The town of Carlsbad is a complete pit of garbage nastiness. Never ever go there by choice. If you see the caverns make sure you are way the hell away by the time you rest your head. The roads were the crappiest I have ever seen in a city. Every building looked like it was falling apart and the highest octane of gas they had was 90. I was pissed and this city felt like garbage, Anna suggested just getting a hotel and I gladly agreed. I didn't want to experience this town at all. We ended up in a Best Western and tried to recharge our batteries. Late at night it sounded like some drama was happening outside and it was hard to go back to sleep which just made me have an even worse taste in my mouth in regards to Carlsbad. Blaaahhh now the caverns

Just before we enter the Cavern

Carlsbad caverns is way bigger than Kartchner. We walked probably 3 or more miles into the cave and into a depth of about 800 ft. When I compared the two caverns I found that Carlsbad is like a typical American meal and Kartchner was like a decadent Gourmet meal. Both are good in their own right but very different. Kartchner is much smaller but it has much more color and the formations or decorations that are found in the cavern are rarer and more intricate. Carlsbad doesn't have big differences in color but it is just big, really big. It has solid decorations some awe inspiring things it just is lots and lots. Carlsbad is significantly cheaper than Kartchner (6 bucks compared to 22) but it is self guided and not as well lit. Carlsbad allowed photography in the cavern so we took many pics, enjoy:

Looking out as we descend into the Cavern

Column

Listening to the recordings as
we see the decorations

Extreme close up of a stalagmite

Thats a tall one

Draperies

Some parts were quite low
imagine myself, couple close
calls in bumping my head

Get your mind out of the gutter

Not pointing at the pic above me
Just being amazed at some of the formations

A pool inside

We now are just trying to get across Texas and get to Fort Worth Dallas area. We aren't doing the 600 miles in a day thing so we have stopped in a couple of smallish towns. We stayed the night in the town of Hobbs, NM which is right on the border of NM and TX. Nothing there and is mainly there because of the oil fields that surround it. We didn't do much just hung out at the Chili's. We had some adult beverages at the bar as we waited for our table to be ready. I got the bill for a beer and a Long Island Iced Tea and it was 15 bucks! I was like ouch but the friendly dude next to us popped down a 20 and said, "On me, the casino treated me well today" hehehe I knew there was something good about a casino.

That night we spent at Wal-mart where in the middle of the night we were awoken by some more drama outside but it sounded like a cop rolled up quickly. We then awoke to find that someone threw an egg at Maander during the night. Dang 'ol dang children, I shake my fist at you! Now I find myself in a Starbucks which are increasingly rare here in the middle of this nothingness in a town called Abilene. We just finished the longest drive we have ever done, about 200 miles. Maander is mighty and eager to take us to our destinations. Tomorrow we plan to do another long haul and roll into Fort Worth. We will bounce around that metropolitan area till Thursday where Anna and I will spend sometime with her friend Melody in Mansfield, a little south of Dallas.

Kisses and I thought this would be short but I now realize when things suck there is more to write because I can just complain a ton. I wonder if there are more negative adjectives in the English language than positive ones. Someone look that up?

Tucson/Sahaurita, Tombstone, Kartchner Caverns, AZ and Deming, NM

2011-01-20T11:47:00.000-08:00

Well hello there...

Our journey continues and many exciting things have occurred. We head east into lands we have never trekked.

Jonah and I at the park!

After spending time with Lyle in Tempe we spent the night in Gilbert. We started the day nice and slow and eventually jumped on the road to Tucson. We were going to meet my old Pastor Dusty and his wife Jamie! As we drove, Maander seemed to keep at a nice temperature at about 60 mphs. This is OK just the only problem is that in Arizona the trucks can drive just as fast as the rest of the traffic and the speed limit was 75. So we got whizzed by all day long by big trucks. The cactus began to become more and more common and the scenery became more and more redundant. Soon I grew weary of the desert. The desert is a new experience for myself but I believe I have achieved the point of now knowing what the desert is like and so some of the appeal has worn off.

Seriouz

Dusty's Church
My Church- that's the name

Dusty lives in a suburb of Tucson a few miles south of Tucson called Sahaurita. I would liken it to the Laguna area of Elk Grove because it is mostly large home developments. We rolled up to Dusty's house with the kids playing in the cauldesack and Dusty making sure they were all safe. He hasn't changed much. We parked and we greeted each other with a hug. We got our bags and made our way into the house. Soon Jamie got home from the store with supplies for the weekend. We talked and caught up. We got to know the kids. The last time I saw them were when they were babies. The oldest was Josiah then Jonah and lastly Sophia. All the kids have tons of energy and it was fun to see the trouble they got into ;P. Dusty cooked up some amazing shish kabobs and we just got settled in. The next day was Sunday and I would get to see if Dusty still had it. We ended the night just chilling playing the guitar. I am quite a bit out of practice :(

Sunday was nice I got to see what Dusty is like as a Senior Pastor and see how his congregation was. It looked like Dusty knew what was up and that he truly had a heart for the people of Sahaurita. When starting the church they met outside for 2 years! Now you know that takes heart. After church we went to the park and threw Frisbees and Dusty had one of those cool kites where you can make it do all kinds of maneuvers. Just before heading to bed Dusty got a call from a friend inviting him to go dirt bike/quad riding the next day. He said I could come too and Dusty said he was so excited he didn't think he would be able to go to sleep that night. I thought to myself that it sounded fun but I was nowhere near being too excited.

Our view while Quadding and Dirt Biking

I look so beautiful

We woke up early and made our way out to where we would ride. Dusty got a dirt bike I got a quad. His friend was on a quad and his friend's friend was on a dirt bike.... you follow? We took off down these trails and as soon as I gunned the throttle I was like, "OOOhhhhhh Daaammnnnn this is awesome!!" Way way way better than I expected. They warned me not to try and keep up and I wasn't pushing myself too hard but I was happy that I wasn't left way behind. The first little stint was difficult and I was just getting used to it but soon I was willing to get a little crazy. As we rode the trails we saw some evidence, some clothing and a blanket, of an illegal alien making his crossing into the US. We were riding somewhat close to the border and in some rural hills. I loved every minute of riding and I found myself yelling things like, "Get on it!!"

I don't like this pic but one of a few of Dusty and I

Taking a short break between shredding

I felt like I did a good job riding but near the tail end I started to fatigue and the part that just started pooping out was actually my thumb that controlled the throttle. Going up the rocky steep hills you have to feather the gas just right and with my thumb exhausted it made for some difficult travels there. Atop some of the hills had some amazing views. Once we got down and were near the tail end of our 3 hour adventure we hit the main dirt road. This one wasn't difficult to navigate at all and it was just pedal to the metal. The quad had a speedometer and I topped out at 65 mph!! It was so amazing to ride these things. I realized why all those bros that are super into dirt bikes are into them. Dang it now I can't hate on those bros anymore either :P

Farmer Fam with us minus Josiah :(

We ended the night at Chuck E. Cheese's, you know for the kids. Pizza was OK, I drank soda and tried to make some ticket dough. Wasn't too successful in making the tickets but it was whatevs. Making our way to Cheese's we saw some cool planes as we drove by the Air Force Base. Apparently, it was in the movie Transformers.

Mission de Xavier

Mission de Xavier was super beautiful. It looked to be kept up as well as if not more so than the Mission in Carmel. We went through the museum portion quickly then saw the sanctuary. Wow. It was awe inspiring. As we walked around I heard a person challenge all of this decadence with what they could have accomplished for the poor if they did not spend so much money and time in making these elaborate missions and sanctuaries. It is nice to make something that will last that will inspire, that is beautiful. But it is true there is a point where you are neglecting something so that you continue building this thing that when reduced down is merely a building. I certainly don't disagree with a congregation wanting a nice building or wanting some stained glass or what have you. How does one determine when certain moneys should be spent on aesthetics or charity?

The Three Altars?
Not sure what they are called

Narrow Hallways

We went through the town of Tucson but it didn't seem to have free parking nor that much appeal to walk around. We stopped at an In-N-Out for fear that it would be the last one we would see and then left to go visit Tombstone. Tombstone has turned into a tourist town as its major revenue generator. It was cool to see the old graveyard then walk down the main street where everything was happening. There were tons of cowboys there. I think they were paid just to walk around the town with their six shooters and give it a more western feel. We stopped in the Big Nose Kate's Saloon and had a beverage. The band was playing a bunch of Johnny Cash which is never a bad a thing. We meandered some more then wen to Benson and spent the night in a Walmart.

Rocking out with a Whiskey Sour

Mean streets of Tombstone

Near the edge of town some buildings
that aren't restored and look
really old

When we were hanging we read reviews of Kartchner caverns which were less than 10 miles where we were at. It was named in the top ten most beautiful caverns in the world. We decided that was too good to skip so in the morning we headed there. The tour cost a lot and we weren't allowed to take pictures in the caverns. Inside the caverns it was 72 degrees with 99% humidity. We were quite toasty and the different formations were amazing to see. The guys who found the cavern found a sink hole then followed it more than 1000 feet under ground where it was insanely tight fitting to get through. You would not catch me doing that in a million years. They then got to the cavern portion and it opened up into this huge room where all these different formations have occurred. They discovered it in 1975 and it took from then to 2003 to get funding and to build the various pathways and what not to experience the caverns. Basically this is a recent cavern a regular person could experience.

That's a sloth they found in the caverns

The entrance into the caverns

This is what they had to squeeze through for 1000 ft
to get to the caverns, they are crazy
(this is a model btw)

Just models of stuff we saw in the cavern

Since then we have just been on the road going east. We are trying to avoid the cold and it looks like Thursday will be quite chilly. We decided that if it ever gets too cold we will get a hotel room. I think we want to try and get to the Houston area pretty quick to try and avoid any snow or very cold temperatures. We have made it to New Mexico and basically just stopping in towns to rest and then keep on keepin on. It seems that New Mexico is more yellow in color than Arizona though quite flat and desert like still. There are many Firework stores along the freeway and I am tempted to get some serious fireworks for some good times. Peace out y'all

What will we experience here???!!??

The Center of the World, Yuma, Phoenix, and Tempe, AZ

2011-01-15T10:42:00.000-08:00

Tha Dunes!!!

We are out of the dang ol' dang state of Cali. Finally, it took us 2 months to get out of that state sheesh. Now that we are out I am just raring to get on the road and just keep moving. But wait! There are things to see still :)

I was the 59 thousandth and change
who has been here!

Very proud

After our crazy journey into the wasteland that is the Salton Sea we trucked down towards the Arizona border. We have heard people say Yuma isn't that spectacular of a place but on my bucket list is to be able to say I have at least been to Yuma. Before we made it to Yuma, we stopped by the city of Felicity. A city of only 4 people and touts being able to say they are the, "official" center of the world. Recognized by several governments they have a plaque inside a pyramid that denotes the center of the world and then they have a ton of granite slabs all around that basically list world history and how we understand the world at this place in time. They seem to be planning on making this thing so that if disaster strikes and some foriegn people find these ruins thousands of years from now they will be able to see how we saw the world. We got a certificate and walked around. They have a nice church on a hill and we visited that as well. Soon we were off to Yuma.

Original stairs from the Eiffel tower

AAAAHHH Yeaaaa

Before making it to Yuma we passed the Sand dunes that people said we had to see. We didn't get out because I was nervous about the bus not starting after a long drive. It would have been nice to sink our feet into the sand that seemingly doesn't stop but, I have felt sand beneath my toes before so meh.

Colorado River by Yuma

By the Prison

We rolled into Yuma and recharged our batteries for awhile at a Starbucks. We then headed to the downtown area where a farmers' market was taking place. We walked around and went into an antique store. They had some very interested things inside but we weren't about to buy anything. The downtown area was falling apart for the most part. They did have some stores and restaurants but there were a lot of empty falling apart buildings. Surprisingly, many of the historic buildings are marked for preservation but they just have not started on it yet and I think it has been that way for awhile. We then visited the historic prison there then spent the night at a casino that had an area for people to park their RVs at.

Petroglyphs

Not only are we tree huggers
We are Cactus huggers!

Our plan after Yuma was to go to Gila Bend which would be a stopping point before going to Phoenix. A site to see on the way was the Petroglyphs. It is called painted rock and about 600 years ago some native americans made some etchings in the rocks. It was a ways off the freeway and we meandered down there then admired the rocks. I was worried the bus wouldn't start and after our tourism I go to turn Maander on and sure enough the starter isn't clicking on. Aaahhh, it was in gravel and it was no chance of getting a push start. I climb underneath Maander to take a look and see if I can figure anything out. Tony, the guy who helped me build Maander, gave me a suggestion awhile ago where you use a screwdriver to connect these two wires on the starter to bypass a solenoid that sometimes sticks. Well previously working on Maander I saw 2 wires hanging off the starter that I just assumed the old owner used for power to something like a radio. On closer inspection I see that the wires are connected to the two wires Tony said you connect to get the starter to go. So I make sure the car is in neutral and I connect them - Boom - big spark. I jumped and had no idea what happened. We turns out it worked and it does turn the starter. We go over to the ignition and the starter works again! Now I don't have to stress about being stranded because of the starter. The generator has been acting great and the engine heat has been fine here in Arizona. I am so confident with Maander right now it's crazy.

Maander will live!
Too many pics of me like this grrr

So off we go and we roll into Gila Bend at about 3. We go to the museum and drive down the main drag. Well, thats about it. We asked the lady at the museum things to do/see or great places to eat. She was basically stumped on that question but did suggest a Mexican joint. Anna and I soon realize it is completely pointless to stay in Gila Bend and I am really confident with Maander so lets keep trucking. We get that Mexican food then off to Phoenix. In total we drove about 200 miles that day which is the most I have driven with Maander and he handled it like a champion. I know we have some long trek's ahead of us so I am glad we got some preliminary long ones out of the way.

At the Museum in Gila Bend

You see a lot of this in the desert
wonder what an Otel is?

We walked all over downtown Phoenix which feels a lot like Sacramento because of the many state workers walking about. We visited the capitol and looked at all the history they have there. We found out that the camera was out of batteries so all my pics of Phoenix are with my iPhone :) Once it got dark we headed to a 24 hour fitness worked out for awhile then spent the night at a Walmart. We met up with our friends Andrea and JP and they were kind enough to let us spend the night there as well. We then met up with a relative of Anna's in Tempe and we experienced that. Tempe is a really cool town where tons of young people go to school at Arizona State University. They have a lot of creative modern architecture there and Lyle showed us that and told us all about the history around the parts of Tempe.

That's Arizona's seal kid

Capitol building

We are about to head on down to Tucson and see my old youth pastor and his wife, Dusty and Jamie. I am excited to see them because we haven't spoke in probably 4 years. It will be interesting to see them and the all that goes on in Tucson. The weather has been amazing in Arizona. We have enjoyed 70 degree weather and sunshine. I understand why all the people from colder climates come down here to vacation for the winter.

Some architecture in Phoenix

At the miners museum.
Didn't realize how big some of
their equipment is

The Desert Tower, El Centro, Salton Sea, Slab City, and Salvation Mountain, CA

2011-01-10T21:02:00.000-08:00

Me and Salvation Mountain

It is truly the desert now. Before this I don't think I have ever been in the desert except maybe driving through Nevada. I have never spent time in the desert and it is an adjustment for me. The people here are different, the scenery is different, and the feeling of civilization is different.

Scenery as we make our way to Campo

Two of my biggest loves

We left SD and finally began our trek eastward. Our first stop on our way to Arizona was Campo. On our drive we came so close to the Mexican border that my phone actually thought I was in Mexico! The road was windy and there were some significant downhills and uphills. Fortunately, I had seen much worse as we traveled Highway 1. Maander tackled it like a champion as we headed deeper and deeper into the desert. The terrain became more and more foreboding. We sent off some post cards in Campo and I started to speak to a local. I asked him what there was to do in Campo for fun and to site see. He said well the railroad museum the observatory and a casino down the way was basically it. Well, the railroad museum was only open on weekends and I couldn't find the observatory. We weren't interested in a casino so off we went to our campsite.

Some of our view on our hike
around Sacred Rock

The Desert Tower

We stayed at Sacred Rock Reserve. It is a nice RV park and seemed to have many campers there that were staying for quite awhile. The man who welcomed us was a camper earning his stay there working the counter. He told us about all the different hikes around the camp and gave us a site that he thought was nice. We went on a hike and this was our first real foray into the desert. The plants and rock formations were very unfamiliar. We saw some great sites and the hike was pretty easy. From there we basically hung out and enjoyed our food.

Amazing View

Maander chillin' while we
are at the top of the
tower

Climbing through the caves

We kept going east after our stay at Sacred Rock and first on our itinerary was to go by The Desert Tower. It is supposed to be this huge lookout/monument where you can see a ton of the desert. We had to take this back road to get to it and some of the people that seemed to be camping or living out there were very eccentric. When we got to the tower we started talking to the owner. He was unquestionably unique. We talked about where we have been where we plan to go. He suggested that we go see the Chocolate Mountains and some Sand dunes out a little north of Yuma. We said OK but didn't really plan to go because it wasn't on our planned route and we don't want to take a route we don't know anything about and then find ourselves in a predicament.

Hey I found this bandanna on our
hike I like it :)

Very weird, eccentric, crazy people
live out in the desert

Sup?

The Desert Tower was pretty cool. We climbed to the top looked over the desert. I just imagined the pioneers or the explorers in the 17 and 1800s going through there. There would be no chance I would risk trekking into a land where all I could see is desolation, desert, nothingness. It seemed like nothing lived there or should live there. We then took this other hike that brought us through these caves then to these, "hot springs." Turned out the hot springs were actually metal springs set out in the sun. The owner of tower and caves is quite the jokester.

These are the Chocolate Mountains
We actually got to see them
We should pass the dunes as well

Onward to El Centro. We knew there would likely be nothing in El Centro and it would merely be a place to rest our head as we go to Yuma. That is basically what it was. There was a Walmart there that allowed camping and that is where we stayed. We saw a movie while in El Centro called Country Song which was excellent. After our long drive from The Desert Tower to El Centro, Maander never really got hot but when we tried to restart him the starter wasn't activating. We ended up push starting Maander when a gentleman helped me push Maander while Anna popped the clutch. We have noticed this pattern, I am now convinced that the transmission is what gets hot on these longer drives and that has an effect on the starter. I don't know exactly how to fix this problem. Not sure if I need to get a brand new starter or if there is a trick I can do to get the starter to work after a long drive.

Me fooling around in the downtown area of El Centro. The downtown are is basically a ghost town. Very depressing to go through there.

Anna and the Salton Sea
You may see dead fish on the ground if you look closely

While marinating in El Centro we started looking at our maps and decided we would take a slight detour and go up to the Salton Sea and see what that is like spend the night at a KOA and head back to El Centro afterwards. It was Sunday so we went to a church in Brawley

Once the service ended, one of the gentleman from the congregation was admiring Maander. I said, "I see you have found our humble home :)"

He said he was into VWs as well. We talked car talk for awhile and he offered his garage and tools if I needed anything. I wasn't in need of anything I knew of at the time so I just thanked him. We got to talking about the city and the surrounding area. He told me about Slab City and Salvation Mountain. He mentioned that both were in the movie Into the Wild. I immediately knew what he was talking about and was very excited to see them. They were near the town of Niland just about 20 miles north of Brawley. We shook hands were on our way.

Land around the Sea

I guess development never took off
in Niland

As we went to the KOA we passed Niland but saw nothing that suggested a route to Slab City or Salvation Mountain. We knew we would pass by there the next day so we just said lets get to the campsite. The campsite was nice and we showered up and washed our dirty clothes. We enjoyed the free Internet and basically made it a simple pit stop. They had a pool and hot springs but we decided not to enjoy them.

First stop the next day was to Bombay Beach. This was right on the Salton Sea. As we headed into the town we were absolutely struck by the conditions in the town. Ever since we got north of Brawley it seemed the preferred way to live was in a RV. At Bombay Beach the home were mobile homes with most being in complete disrepair. It truly looked like a third world country. I realized that in my little bubble that I live in I always thought that everywhere in America it was relatively developed. This place was in worse shape than villages I have been to in Mexico.

Some more of the ground around the Sea

These littered the shore

We kept on and parked Maander to go to the edge of the Salton Sea. As we made our way a gentleman with his dog were walking just a bit behind us. I decided to say hello and asked if he was a local. He responded, "No, what do you need?"

I was like, "Oh, well I don't need anything just wondering." Well the conversation went on from there. He is somewhat of a traveler as well. He had traveled to this area before and knew tons of information about the Salton Sea, it was amazing to hear. So this Sea did not exist until the 1910s when a levy on the Colorado River broke and the overflow came to what was then called, "Salton Sink" it is below sea level and the run off just went to the lowest point. It took 2 years to fix the levy and now the sea doesn't have a feeder river so it is just shrinking slowly. They put some fish in that flourished but I believe they aren't good for fishing because of all the Salt and sediment that exist in the sea. As the sea dries up the fish have no where to go and the shore is absolutely littered with dead fishes. While its not a pretty site it is really captivating. The salt also crystallizes into these barnacle like structures on the beach.

Talking with the gentleman (named Dave) was great. He wanted to know all about the places we have been and gave us tons of suggestions on what to see. He talked about some of his travels as well it was great. We told him about our blog and he said he had a website as well similar in purpose to ours. A link is here if you want to see who we met and his travels.

I wish we had a better picture of Slab City

Onto Niland and Slab City and Salvation Rock. The night before we went online and found the exact road to get to the places. We went through the town of Niland which was another town where most homes were mobile homes that were breaking down and it just felt like another land. The sheriff's jail looked to be from the 1880s. Slab City was a ways out of town and is right next to Salvation Mountain. Salvation Mountain was great to see but was even more amazing was Leonard, the guy who built it. He has been working on it for 30 years. He landed in Slab City because his car broke down and he said he liked the weather, and the people so he stayed. He said he had only planned to make a small monument to Jesus until he got his car fixed but that never happened and he just kept making more and more. We took pictures and I just asked him about his life and how he came to be where he was.

Leonard was painting earlier and
Anna fell victim :)

Slab City is a community that exists where a military camp used to be. Apparently during World War 2 the army used all of this desert to train millions of troops for battle. After the war they didn't need the area anymore so they tore down all the building and all that are left are slabs. People camp here for a living and they don't have to pay a dime. You will find many eccentric people there. I can't decide whether it is white trash or just people looking for a different way of life. I started theorizing with Anna and I think if you choose to come way out here in the middle of nowhere it just feels like you are running away from something. Whether psychological or some action it just seems like you are trying to escape something. There is basically no police not anything out here so it feels lawless and I just wasn't sure how truly safe someone could feel out there. People seemed friendly as we drove through many waved at us but we never stopped to walk around. It was an experience I will never forget and I love that I got to experience it. I never imagined seeing something like this and it seemed like it was by accident.

Me and Leonard
I won't forget this

Now we are back in Brawley camping out in a Walmart ready to make our exit to Yuma tomorrow. Finally we will get out of California and onward. We will see friends in Phoenix and Tucson. I was looking over just a general idea of all the places we will go on the trip God willing and it seems pretty dope. I know I haven't spoke about Walden in a long time. I haven't been reading and I will try and find time to do that. I don't want to force anything and if that book just doesn't end up getting read so be it. Love all y'all Peace :)

Bakersfield, Grapevine, Bakersfield, Tahachapi Pass, Vista, and San Diego, CA

2011-01-06T17:46:00.000-08:00

Focusing Qi, however, did not levitate

The trip back to Maander was much longer and arduous than we expected. After the ride from Sac to Bakersfield we jumped on the bus and trucked down with the intention of going to LA. We get to the Grapevine and the is traffic there completely stopped. The wind is blowing so hard the rain and snow is going horizontal. Later we found out the winds were 50-60mphs with gusts of 90. Pretty crazy. Well we probably waited 1.5 hours till we started moving and we see that the CHP has closed down the highway and turning everyone around. We get word that the alternate route is shut down too and we are going back to Bakersfield. We thought we would have to stay the night in Bakersfield but luckily the alternate route opened up and we were able to make it through after 8 hours of being on a bus. Anna and I had our snacks in the luggage compartment and were absolutely starving by the time we got to LA. We eventually made it and Peggy came and picked us up in Oceanside and we quickly went to bed.

This is what we went through to
get back here

I started getting sick the day before our return and it was in full swing by the time we were in Vista. I laid low for the day while Anna and Peggy went shopping and did some other things that girls tend to do that I never seem to remember. The rain was coming down just as hard as it did right before we left and we were feeling discouraged about the weather. It seems to be following us. After dinner we went to a friend of Peggy's house. The O'Dashes were a very funny group. Everyone was there for Dan's B-day party and we just dropped in to say hi and Peggy gave Dan a gift. It was fun meeting them and Dan talked about how when his youngest son was getting to be 20 he encouraged him to hitchhike route 66. I thought that that was pretty crazy and that Dan is definitely much different from my parents were actually aren't excited about our trip. I hope to encourage my children to explore this crazy world we have when they get to a good age.

First stop La Jolla

Anna was happy she could
wear sandals again

Pretty cool cove we saw when we first got there

The sun came out the next day and we were on our way. We went and got the oil changed and valves adjusted before we left Vista for San Diego. We walked all over Old Town which I have never been to and it was a really awesome experience. It seems the San Diegans really treasure their history. When I got my oil changed the mechanic warned me about the suspension going out on Maander. I didn't think much of it and thought we could probably neglect it for our trip. Well I got to looking at the abnormal wear on the tire and it was actually pretty bad. I knew we couldn't last long with the suspension in the shape it was in. And on top of that the brake pedal was beginning to stick. I thought that the repairs were actually really likely to be expensive and Anna and I started stressing. We thought about our options and the amount of money we would be willing to spend to keep Maander on the road. We even debated temporarily moving here to SD while we save up and let the bad weather pass.

Been walking a long time
had to take a seat and rest

This guy was playing by the Botanical Gardens. Thought he was good and he looked way too unique.

I never even imagined something like this.
This is absolutely insane tree/cactus.
trectus?

I brought Maander to a shop today to see what the damage was. Luckily, the gentleman said my ball-joints weren't bad and that it just was in need of an alignment. The brake just turned out to be a little sticky and with some WD-40 that was fixed. In all it set me back 52 bucks and I was really happy about that.

Maander going to the doctor

I have been using this application on my phone that tells you different camping sites, supply stores, and Walmarts for camping. It will tell you whether a Walmart will allow camping or not. Well up in Northern California basically all of them don't allow camping. I started looking around down here and more and more do allow camping! I went over to Arizona and a ton of Walmarts allow camping! I am excited to utilize the Walmarts which will help us save on costs.

Quilt making uughh

Even in an old town I gotsta get my
gamble on!!!

Tomorrow is the official day we head east now instead of south. It will be somewhat of a change getting out of this state. I am a bit nervous but look forward to the sites we will see. Hopefully we will meet good people and have an experience of a lifetime.

Anna gave her some tuppons

Museum of Man

Close up of Museum of Man

Cheeeeeeessseeeeeee!!

Rain, Laguna Beach, San Clemente, Vista, Xmas, and NYE

2011-01-02T23:15:00.000-08:00

Our View Amazazing

Right now I am on the train back to Southern California ready to resume our trip that will hopefully take us around the US. Being home has been a great time with family and friends this past week and change. I had some adventures back in Sacramento and even got to do some traveling while up here. It is sad to go but an adventure awaits us. We will once again have to acclimate ourselves to living out of a VW Bus and hunting down camping spots and everything that goes along with this road trip. It is a little surreal that we are about to embark once again on this journey.

On the train cityscape of LA *Vomit*

Before coming home for Christmas, the rain had not stopped dumping since my last blog entry. After freshening up at Jacob and Rachel's we went to Laguna Beach. Talking with them we found out that it is more of an art town. When we got into the city, it really did seem to have a nice feel to it. It was unfortunate that it was raining so badly. We found this highly rated coffee shop there using Yelp. We now check Yelp all the time to find the cool places to go in the area we are in. The coffee shop had a good vibe and we just hid from the forbidding weather there. We made it down to a Mexican joint that was popular too. It was unpleasant walking in the wind and the rain but we enjoyed the food and felt like Laguna is a place we need to return to when conditions are better.

Delish coffee

This is a Portabella and Tofu burger, decent

We planned on staying the night in San Clemente and getting a shower and working out at a local 24hour fitness there. After the work out and shower we went to the local Walmart to camp for the night. Now we have been staying in a lot of Walmart parking lots on this trip. Some allow camping no problem, they are usually 24hours, and the ones that say they prohibit over night parking/camping usually don't enforce it. In fact we have never been kicked out of a parking lot we have decided to stay in. Well that ended in San Clemente :(. We parked by another RV in the Walmart parking lot and thought for sure it was a good spot, at least I thought it was. We were close to the building itself but it was tucked away. It looked like it was where there was employee parking. Well we fell asleep but then got a knock on the door at about midnight. The guy was nice and just said no overnight parking and I said ok and were on our way. Anna gave me a, "I told you so." that was not well received and we went exploring for a place to camp while we were half asleep. We ended up on a residential street and had no problems. We just struggled to go to sleep because the rain was falling so hard on the roof of Maander.

Playin' wit my hurrr

We met the Marinellos in Vista at probably 1pm the next day after doing laundry and stopping at a bagel shop in San Clemente. We talked for the rest of the day. Peggy had a lot of great stories to tell and Len shared some great ones too. When we went to bed the rain was coming down so hard I just couldn't imagine how bad it would have been in Maander.

Our train ride up to Sacramento was crazy. 3 transfers and the weather was making everything late. We eventually made it and I quickly switched into socialize mode.

Steph and Anna

Our 10 days in Sacramento had me going to Bodega Bay for crabbing, 2 Christmas dinners and Lake Tahoe with Emmett and Stephanie for New Years Eve.

Christmas was interesting because since we don't have a house to put things in it really hinders the type of gifts people can give us. Some of the things we received I was thinking, "Man, there is no place to put that in the bus."

Sistas

Don't get me wrong, I loved all the gifts I received but we just can't have that many things. Both Christmases with the Hattons and the Fast/Danns were great. I ate a ton and had many laughs. I guess it is nice when you see family you haven't seen in awhile and you have this adventure you can talk to them about. Many of our relatives were interested and just gave suggestions and enjoyed (hopefully) our stories.

Of course we said hi to Titus

Thanks Micah and Rachelle for
letting us use your Rav4

Emmett invited me to go crabbing on the first Sunday I was back in town. I was excited to go and looked forward to being with friends and possibly catching crabs. Instead of San Francisco like usual, we went to Bodega Bay because of the great crabbing spots I saw while traveling. At first we had a full car about to leave Sacramento but unfortunately people kept flaking as we got closer and closer to leaving. In the end it was just Me, Emmett and his friend Greg. On the way to Bodega Bay we got in a discussion about demons and the occult. We were driving the two lane highways in between Petaluma and Bodega Bay and it had this really eerie feel to it. I decided that is what Christians do when they want to tell ghost stories :P. In Bodega we caught crab but none big enough to keep. On one drop of the pot, we dropped it then jumped in the car and drove to Bodega Head quickly because I wanted to show them it. It was 1 am and the moon light illuminated the water enough where we could see the waves. These waves were absolutely huge. Waves just as big as the ones we saw in Big Sur! There were huge rocks where the waves didn't come close to coming over on my last visit and with Emmett and Greg they were being completely engulfed.

Biggest one of the night, meh

On the way back we thought we would get gas in Bodega Bay they have a 76 station there. Well it was closed and the next gas station was in Petaluma. The fuel light was on and had been on. I thought there was absolutely no chance we were going to make it to Petaluma without running out of gas. We said, "Well I guess we don't have much of a choice" and we relied on the fact that I had a AAA card. Oh wait, basically no cell reception on the drive back so that doesn't do us much good... We drove cautiously and anytime we went downhill we went into neutral to try and preserve gas. We prayed for a Hanukah type miracle and it happened. We rolled into the Shell station on the edge of Petaluma and filled 'er up. We then had to swing by SF to get Buddy who was supposed to come crabbing but due to some miscommunication and poor planning by us had to stay in SF with Jonny O and miss out. This made me sad because Buddy and I never got a chance to hang out while I was back for Christmas.

Sophisticated

For New Years Emmett and Steph invited both Anna and I up to their grandparents' cabin in Homewood. Lots of their family were supposed to be up there and it looked promising for a good time. The first night it was just Emmett, Steph, Anna, me and Janice and Chris with their kids-relatives of Steph. The first night was mellow and in the morning we went to Reno to gamble. We quickly lost the money we allowed ourselves to gamble with and headed to a restaurant in a casino that promised good food with a low price. It was tasty and we promptly left Reno after that. Reno does not seem like a nice place to live or really to visit.

PDA

In forest jail

OMGOMGOMG
sooo much fun

Once we got back to the cabin, most of the family was there and we introduced ourselves and the NYE party began. We met Betty and Milt who are the owners of the amazing cabin. Everyone was extremely welcoming. Betty made some amazing food and we all sat down at their big table and laughed and ate and drank some amazing wine. The party just got better from there and about 11pm we went walking around the neighborhood where we found a family that had made a huge bon fire in the snow. They lit a huge amount of roman candles as well. We were back in the cabin by the time the clock struck 12 and we kissed our wives and some what soon after that we headed to bed.

NYE night, this is how much it snowed

Fun with family... NYE

Hizzaa

In the morning we played in the freshly fallen snow. Phil, Steph's brother, had his snowboard so we made a jump and some kids from the neighborhood used their sleds on the jump. We had joked the entire time we were up in the snow about tree tipping. I won't explain exactly what it is but I will show you a video of it. Yes, it was me that finally decided the conditions were right and found the perfect tree to perform a tree tip. Enjoy:

Consequence of a Tree Tip

After the snow we packed and headed down the mountain before the conditions got any worse. While we have enjoyed all of this excitement in Sacramento and the places we traveled to while up here, we were tired. Once we got back to my parents' home we have just been recharging and getting ready for the ride back. Its been fun people, but now we are to strike out alone again! We will be going to San Diego and then trying to keep as warm as possible while we head east into Arizona and beyond. Wish us good luck and if you know anyone in our general direction let us know, we would love to meet them. If you know of great places to see let us know as well. We are basically just heading East now so it is pretty easy to guess where our next stops will be. And we don't mind detours ;)

WE LUV EACH OTHER AND THE SNOW!!!
And 2011
And fun
and
and
....
Peace

Ventura/Oxnard, Santa Monica, Hollyweird, LA, Manhattan Beach, and Huntington Beach, CA

2010-12-19T23:48:00.000-08:00

To SoCal we go.

When I think of Southern California I think of lifted obnoxious trucks, flat billed hats, tattoo fads, and general douche baggery... I was not disappointed ;) For whatever reason when I think of SoCal I think, "Bro's proliferate there." I was shocked to hear that Dennis Marinello who originates from San Diego thinks Bro's come from Northern California!!!

I had an epiphany though. When I walked down the beach in Pismo I saw that there was a spot where you can actually drive your car out on the beach to kinda tailgate while you surf or recreate. Wow, there is an application for these lifted trucks with their huge monster truck tires. This made me think that those cars were not as obnoxious as I once thought. I also came to realize that when I see some flat billed cap wearing, neck tattoo having, raked chopper riding dude he may be a Bro to me but to someone like Dennis he is Charlie the guy he went to elementary school with. I know it is some type of phobia we are both suffering from but I can't think of the proper name... And Emmett it's not Broaphobia.

In the background Malibu

We left Santa Barbara planning to go to Ventura. We actually saw some very nice scenery on the way that was different from the north coast. Of course the north coast you expect the shoreline to be rocky and beautiful in that regard. Socal you think sandy beaches. We saw some great places that looked perfect for hanging out on the beach.

Anna lookin good as we rest from our bike ride

Once we got to Ventura we started driving around the town trying to find a good place where we could park for free and see the sites. We kept driving and kept driving and really didn't like the vibe we were getting. I didn't really see a good place to park and we ended up in a Vons parking lot. We loaded up on supplies and made some bomb sammiches. I really didn't want to go back to downtown Ventura because it just didn't appeal to me. I said lets have our sandwiches at the beach. We drove there and the spot where there was beach access was pretty lame. Many business had shut down there was a bunch of graffiti people were homeless people camping on the beach and shady looking characters in the parking lot. I decided to keep on keepin on and we ended up chilling out beside a state park beach front. We enjoyed our sandwiches and just got close in the bus. The weather wasn't spectacular so we just made a lazy day out of it.

Right by Ventura is Oxnard and a 24 hour fitness there and a Walmart. We went and worked out then got a shower. We then spent the night in the Oxnard Walmart's parking lot. No problems and we had a good rest. We planned on going to Malibu the next day. When we were in Ventura Anna was pretty cranky and I got the sense that she was a bit burnt out on the living conditions so I thought to myself that I would treat her to a Hotel either that night or the next.

Malibu ... oh Malibu... every time I think of Malibu I think of this

When we got to Malibu we of course saw huge houses and could only guess as to which celebrities lived in them. As we continued along we didn't really find a place where people like us could hang out see the sites and people watch. We tried to find a public beach but soon gave up. They did have some big beaches eventually that we found but they were completely empty and looked like they would be boring to hang out at. Onward yo

This one is for you Heather

We got to Santa Monica and had lots of fun there. This is where we decided to get a hotel at a Best Western. I was so happy that I had earned enough points with my former work to get a free nights stay there. I was hoping to use the points later in our trip and for a little bit more important reason but felt like it was still a good usage of them. We parked inland where it was free then took our bikes to the beach where they have a huge long bike trail to ride. We rode that for at least 6 or 7 miles and looked at the ocean and saw a bunch of rollerbladers go down the trail. We chilled out on this bench where we could have a view of Malibu and actually spotted a pod of dolphins. We weren't quick enough to get pictures of them but we tried.

This guy was playing on the Santa Monica pier and we thought he was pretty good.

That night we saw Black Swan which was excellent then shared some food at a pub. We headed to bed afterwards and the bed was so huge I didn't even have to be constantly touching Anna!

Keeping it gangsta

Note: this section got deleted somehow I will try and recreate it.

The next day in Santa Monica we drove around without much of a plan. We had hoped to see some sites and possibly go where celebrities would be. Well when it is raining pretty bad I dont think the celebrities come out to play... :/ We meandered around until we said lets go to Universal City. We paid the 15 bucks in parking then walked to the theme park. Unfortunately, it was way to expensive. 75 bucks for each of us and we just couldn't swing that cost. On the way back to the bus we saw this wind tunnel where it simulates skydiving. I really wanted to try it but the next class was in 3 hours and I wasn't willing to wait that long. I hear in Las Vegas they have one and then I will check out. It was a shame we had to drop the 15 bucks on parking though. Anna got pretty upset that we didn't go to Universal Studios. It wasn't me saying we can't go though, she agreed that the cost was just absolutely ridiculous. She was sad that we can't do everything we want on this trip because we have to be money conscious. IMO that is life. Hopefully this won't be a continuing problem. We are spending more than we anticipated though. This likely won't be a year trip but more like 8-10 month trip.

Universal Tree

Globe

Well we ended up walking around Hollyweird. We saw the stars and the Hollywood sign. We went to the Hollywood Museum which was ok. I am not that familiar with old movies so that memorabilia wasn't all that exciting to me. After Hollywood the weather was getting worse and worse. We started driving and the LA traffic was lame. Take a normal commute in Sacramento and x it by 3 to get the time it takes to cover the same distance. We went down HWY 1 and ended up in Manhattan Beach. This actually seemed like a nice place that had a very San Francisco feel to it. We got some coffee and just recharged our batteries. The pier had these awesome lights and I really wanted to go check it out. We went and got absolutely drenched walking the streets. We then spent the night at Walmart in Torrance.

We loved that show!!

At the mall that was by the walk of fame

Hollywood sign yeaa

Now we are in Huntington Beach. Yesterday it was raining all day and we basically drove around for a bit and then spent most of our day in the bus. We surfed the Internet and were bored. Anna is becoming very proficient at Solitaire on her phone. I haven't been reading which is something I need to get back to. I feel like we are falling into negative routines while we are in this very urban setting.

Manhattan Beach the specs are actually rain drops
pic came out cool

Manhattan Beach all lit up

This is the pier looks nice. we walked to the end

Church today was great! We went to Calvary Baptist Church. We showed up just a bit early and got some donuts and coffee. We met a gentleman there named Chris. He talked with us for awhile and we got to know each other. He invited us to Taco Bell and we had planned on going. Once service started, we happened to seat ourselves where all the young married people sat. The church was a good sized church with 2 services. We did our meet and greet and the guy next to me named Jacob introduced himself and his wife, Rachel. We got to talking and it was a pleasant conversation. He seemed interested in our travels and after the service continued talking. Eventually he invited us for lunch at his place and we eagerly accepted. We were very excited and thought that this church is quite welcoming. I am actually finishing up my blog here at Jacob's home. At lunch we have talked about practically everything. We have talked about our different ministries we have been involved in, marriage, travels, work, just a bunch of things. When we walked into the Sanctuary I thought to myself this is a place I could see myself going to more than once. With the people at the church I know that it would be a great congregation to be apart of... Now I feel bad about all the bro comments at the beginning of this blog :) Jacob forgive me.

Chillin' in the Peet's coffee acting dumm

So, from Jacob's house we went back to the church because there was a group of people that were going to go to Riverside and see Fernando Ortega perform at The Harvest Church who has Greg Laurie preach there. This was a huge church and the performances had huge production to them. I am not used to a Mega-Church atmosphere but it was an enjoyable experience. Laurie really brought a good message and the music was great.

Harvest church sanctuary before the service

We got to know all the people on the bus and ended up at a Thai restaurant after the performance. We exchanged stories and had many laughs. The people that we were talking to had a lot of missionary experience especially in Indonesia, Thailand, and China. When we ordered the Thai food the person who actually works as a missionary in Thailand ordered for us. We were pretty confident we would get the best stuff available. We ate till we couldn't eat anymore and it was soooo good. Jake was kind enough to let us sleep over for the night. I have been amazed at how welcoming the people have been at Calvary Baptist Church. They seem to love the Lord and want to share his love to many many people. This day has been so great. Exactly what we needed while the weather is so bad... God will provide.

All of our great new friends Nom noming on some Thai food

Weather has been awful and it doesn't look like it is going to let up till we leave. I feel like we are jogging in place waiting for the time to jump on the train. The way our trip is, when it rains it really hinders our travels and site seeing. Anna and I got to talking and we need to go from a tourist mentality to one where we live our lives as travelers. Hunkering down for a day or two to wait out the storm needs to be done sometimes. We need to find valuable things to do in the meantime. I know Anna thought about knitting. I have my guitar to practice and we both have good books that we need to explore. I pray we make our time usage constructive. Few pics but the weather has been lame :( we will change that as soon as the weather changes :)

Onto Laguna Beach then Oceanside then a vacation from this vacation!!! Peace

SLO, Pismo Beach, Solvang, and Santa Barbara, CA

2010-12-15T10:54:00.000-08:00

I felt like last blog post was just a we did this... then this.... then this...

Nothing where I shared any emotions or thoughts on this trip. This entry I will make an attempt at sharing a little deeper.

You will notice that as look down at the pictures there aren't anymore pictures of SLO. That's because it just didn't feel picture worthy. Not to say that SLO is a lame place. It is actually a really fun place with lots of young people and things to do. The reason it just isn't photogenic is because it doesn't feel unique. We walked around downtown a bunch and they had shops that every major city has and we stopped at a pub which most cities have etc. We never really saw a view or place where we were wowed.

Our last night in SLO we did see a caroling competition though that was put on by the historical society of SLO. It was at this historic house that has a beautiful garden in the back where they held the competition. It wasn't a very big crowd but a good sized one. The performers were amateurs who did a relatively good job. There was a local hip-hop artist that performed an original Christmas rap that stole the show. Yeah I know you would be like silly cracker from SLO but he was actually African-American! Yes black people exist in SLO! I had a hard time believing it too.

The event had some appetizers which included Splash Cafe clam chowder which is one of the things my friend who went to college here said I had to try out. So I got some super good chowder for free baby. We probably ate too much there, they had pasta and lasagna as well but it made for a great meal for 5 bucks and we got entertainment.

From the beginning of he pier

After the caroling we headed down towards Pismo Beach to stay at a RV place. Every RV place down here isn't cheap so it hurt quite a bit forking over the money to stay but we were both eager to get showers and chill out for the night. Next morning it was The Lord's Day so we did a quick search on the net for a church and found Bethel Baptist Church in nearby Avila Beach. Across the street from this church is another one that looked to have probably 1.5k+ members. We went with the small humble church. I really liked our decision because the congregation was small and super friendly. We practically met everyone there and shared our story. The pastor was super jealous. The service was nice and afterwards the Pastor asked if he could pray for us. I thought that was pretty cool and very encouraging.

The beaches were perfect for walking

Another self Cheese

We have now gotten to the climate where I don't think winter truly exists. We went to Pismo Beach and walked the pier. We decided it was so warm that we would go change into our shorts and swimsuit and chill out on the beach. Anna was in love with the idea of sun bathing and I was looking forward just to chilling on the beach for a long while. The waves at Pismo seem to be absolutely perfect for surfing and there were a ton of them hitting the waves. They were the perfect size. That was fun watching them.

Me looking over my should and saying
Heeeyyyy!

Just before sunset some spiderwebs

Sunset in Pismo

Once it got dark we went and saw the movie 127 hours. Very good movie. We then went to the local Walmart and spent the night there. The next day was time to go to the city of Solvang. Before we got to Solvang we stopped at Andersen's Pea Soup Restaurant. The drive from Pismo to Solvang was pretty far and we left mid day when it was about 75 degrees or more. Unfortunately, Maander started getting hotter than he has previously. Not into the red zone where I would have had to stop and let him cool down but just hotter than I would have preferred. We also connected that on long drives where Maander gets pretty hot usually the next time we try and start him the starter doesn't work. Well we had some great food over at Andersen's and went to start the bus. Sure enough the starter wasn't working. Luckily, I had anticipated this and parked on a hill. I coasted down the hill and did a push start. Then the generator light was on :( Lately, Maander has been doing this but I would just turn him off then on again and everything would be cool. Well we couldn't do that right there. I had to drive up the hill again and coast down and push start again and again. Every time the generator light would be on. I started stressing. I knew there wasn't anything I could immediately do so I was like well lets go the 5 miles to Solvang and hopefully not kill the battery going there. I figured if Maander died we would just get him towed to a shop and then we would replace the alternator and if necessary the starter. We made it there and just crossed our fingers everything would be cool. Anna asked me what we should do and I said, "Well, there isn't anything we can do right now so we need to just forget about it and enjoy this city" I feel like we succeeded in enjoying the city.

At Andersen's. Anna way too
excited for it :)

SolvangMaander Anna and I were praying that Maander would start right up and everything would be kosher. It was! So with all that in mind I now have to decide whether I want to get the parts down here in Socal where there is a very healthy VW scene or get the parts when I get back up to Sac. I think if we make it down to San Diego I could do the work at our friends place.

Solvang babay

Sup?

This would be a sick tat

Awesome Sanctuary

I don't want to seem disrespectful but isn't this
totally Baby Buddy Jesus?

We had planned on staying the night in Solvang but it was so touristy and what not it just wasn't conducive to boondocking. We made our way to our next stop Santa Barbara. Another long drive and in total on the day I believe I drove about 120 miles. This time the engine didn't get very hot and it was evening. We went into the downtown area and walked around State Street which is the main street where they have all kinds of restaurants and shops. We did a ton of walking and Anna got tired but I wasn't. I wanted to keep going and she was just like done with the experience. She got cranky and I got frustrated and it just felt like we were getting sick of each other. I could feel the tension but we just kept on. There is a 24 hour fitness here so we went and worked out and got some showers. Next day we biked around the beach then headed inland to State Street again. My bike had a badly bent axle on the rear and it would make the tire rub against the frame. This made it feel like I was going uphill on flat ground. I became absolutely exhausted while Anna was just fine. I got really pissed at my bike and just said we had to take it to a shop. Luckily, I got it fixed for just 20 bucks and now I am very happy with my bike.

HC Andersen
Lonely dude

This may be Titus' dad

OK way too long wrapping up :(

Had dinner with Anna's friend who lives in town Sarah. We had Mexican it was OK. We went to 24 hour again and this time I chilled in the hot tub :) then took a shower boy are we spoiled have a shower 2 days in a row :P.

On our bike ride in SB
never seen these kinds of birds before

Brother of Maander!

Don't think thats the best spot to look at a
canon

From SB's pier

So here is a crazy story I have to tell you before I go.

When we were in Big Sur looking at that waterfall there was a young man there probably 20-23 years old. He looked like a traveler and it looked like he was hiking everywhere he was going. When we were at the waterfall he was seated at a bench just chillin reading a book. I thought this guy knows whats up and it traveling in a really minimal way. When we were having lunch there he walked by and asked us the what the day of the week it was. I was like yeaaaa he definitely has been doing this awhile if he has forgotten the day of the week and then I didn't think much of him after that. Well we saw him walking down a street in SLO. I was like what??!?!? Anna and I agreed if we saw him again we would introduce ourselves to him. Well yesterday walking around Santa Barbara we see him in the window of a coffee shop. Again I was like whaaaa??!?!?! But this time we chickened out in introducing ourselves. We then agreed that if we saw him again we would have to introduce ourselves or the trip was over. Boom this morning on the beach we see him walking away from a motorcycle. Aaah that's how he has been keeping up with us. We shook his hand introduced ourselves. He told us he kinda has been meandering around the Socal beach towns for the most part. We told him our plans. It was cool I didn't catch his name though.

The rest of SC, Monterey, Big Sur, Hearst Castle, and a little San Luis Obispo, CA

2010-12-11T10:56:00.000-08:00

Well we have seen some beautiful things. The last day in Santa Cruz was particularly nice out and we walked around where the surfers' museum was and the pier. Had some good food on the pier and watched the surfers hit some huge waves.

Some Sea Lions chillin under the pier

Surfers' Museum

Anna probably won't like me posting this one :)

From Santa Cruz it was a quick little ride over to Monterey. I have made this trip many times when I was working with Walton Engineering. For awhile, once a week I would spend the night in Monterey. We arrived about mid-day and decided to go straight to 17mile drive. You have to pay to go down the road but if you stop at one of the shops on the road you can get a refund if you spend more than 25 bucks. We decided that was a good idea. We stopped and meandered around the beaches and checked out the awesome sites. The lone Cypress tree was particularly cool. Its amazing to see how powerful the ocean can be.

This is on a beach near Pebble Beach
it was a good walk

Anna with the Lone Cypress in the background

We chilled on a terrace at the Pebble Beach Golf Course
Anna and I shared an appetizer and I had a cigar

We headed back to Monterey and went to the major shopping plaza there. We walked around and then went and saw the movie Tangled. Excellent movie btw. We then went and shacked up for the night near the hotel I used to stay at all the time.

Next morning we had some Denny's because it was right by us then took the bikes down to the wharf. When we went to lock up the bikes we spotted this big jellyfish in the water. Wow I thought, then I continued to look and found an insane amount of jellyfish in the harbor. I ran out on the launch ramp dock and was just looking at all the wildlife. As I stared at the jellyfish, a school of sardines swam by really quickly followed by a bird underwater! The bird eventually caught a couple and had a meal it was awesome to see.

Not close to how cool it was in real life

We walked a ton on the wharf then to Cannery Row then all the way down to Pacific Grove. There was a wildlife refuge on the way to Pacific Grove where tons of sea lions were just sleeping. We watched them for quite awhile before heading on.

See that huge one sleeping on the seaweed?!

Showing affection at the Maritime Museum

We eventually headed home after a really long day of walking. We hung out at a Safeway Starbucks had some soup and bread and surfed the net. Next day we planned on going to the Carmel Mission then to Big Sur. On the way we saw some huge waves

The Mission was beautiful and it is still used by the Catholic church so the Sanctuary was in full Catholic splendor. It is amazing to see the artistry that exists in the Catholic church. It's nice to have but I know we heathen Protestants aren't into all the pomp and circumstance. I guess I am happy that these commissioned art pieces exist though.

Some of the cool merchandise in their store.
They had a St. Christopher necklace with
a rollerblader on it so I had to get it :)
St. Christopher is the patron Saint of traveling
btw

Some Holy Water

The Sanctuary amazing

Very cool sketch of what an artist
thinks Jesus looks like

The cemetery with tons of abalone shells around the graves

Onto Big Sur.

I never knew much about Big Sur and I didn't know what to expect. Anna just told me there would be 2000 ft cliffs we would be driving along. This didn't make me and Maander happy. Well it was all good and the views were amazing. I seriously saw some of the biggest waves I have ever seen. We went to one of the very few RV camping spots in Big Sur. It had few amenities and you had to pay for the showers and it also costs 45 bucks! Rip off but I think they know they are basically the only place within 30 miles in either direction. We rented a movie from their store, Brothers, it was good then headed to bed.

We enjoyed the views

We think this is supposed to be the famous bridge in Big Sur

Maander enjoying the view too

In the morning we went and saw the only waterfall that falls directly into the ocean in California, here is a picture:

What was that? You can't see anything? You say it's too foggy? .... Oh yea that's right it was ridiculously foggy. Hell, it was hard for us to see it as well. We hung out and walked the trails around Pfieffer State Park in hopes that the fog would burn off and we could get a better view. We didn't get a better shot.

I found a walking stick and here I am utilizing it.
Amazing!

Some people lived by the waterfall in the 1930s and 40s.
The lady gave the land to the state and ordered they
get rid of her house.

Anna doing a self Cheese

Onward ho to Hearst's Castle. The tour wasn't cheap but it was a must see. Here are some photo's

Huge outside pool they rebuilt 3 times before they were happy with it.

One of the guest house rooms

The main house Casa Grande

The dark brown is wood with some intricate carvings

The inside pool. What I would give to be able to dive off that platform

It was foggy all day and we got some amazing pictures when we were high enough where we were above the fog. It was as if we were flying above the clouds.

On our way to Hearst's Castle

This is from Hearst's Castle looking towards San Simeon.

So originally we planned on staying in San Simeon for the night but it was actually a pretty small town and felt that it would have been better just to keep on keepin' on down to San Luis Obispo. By the time we were done with the tour it was dark and the fog was pretty bad. I did not want to drive in this fog but by the time we started trucking along a ways is when it got really bad and I was regretting it a bit. We made it to Morro Bay and stayed the night there grabbing some coffee before we headed to bed. The next day I successfully fixed the inverter and we explored a bit. It didn't last long because everywhere we went looked like this:

To San Luis Obispo! Or if you are in the know it is actually called SLO. My friend who is an alumni of Cal Poly suggested some places to check out so we went to Firestone Grill and I had the must have Tri-tip sandwich which was amazing. We just explored the rest of the day and visited the mission that is in town as well. The mission here isn't quite as amazing as in Carmel though.

Well we are going to explore some more here in SLO and go to a caroling thing tonight. Then it is off to a KOA down the road a ways and then Pismo Beach see ya later peeps! Peace

Anna acting like an alcoholic at Frog and Peaches
with her pear cider

Half Moon Bay, Pescadero, Pigeon Point, and Santa Cruz, CA

2010-12-06T08:40:00.000-08:00

So some of you missed my prose. Thank you... I think

The video recording was so easy I hope to include a little video blog with every blog as long as it is very brief and hopefully funny :P.

OK I realize it is quiet still. I was in a public place kinda embarrassed. I promise next time will be loud and proud.

I realized that my last blog had no pics of Hayward or Isleton, sorry bout that. Guess there is a reason why there weren't any pictures taken there hehe. Though we definitely love Aunt Linda and here hospitality.

Morning walk going towards Mavericks but we never made it there

For those who couldn't hear my blog very well we decided to go to Half Moon Bay instead of Pacifica because Hwy 92 took us right there and we would have had to go north on 1 for a little while to get to Pacifica. We took some long walks and had a very good sandwich there and Crab. We stayed in a Safeway parking lot the first night and were just about to get booted by the cops when we opened the curtain and started up the bus. The guy just kinda chuckled and started walking the other way. The second night we stayed in this other parking lot where we could tell an RV had been camping there for awhile. That spot we had no problems and when we woke up we found like 3 other RVs with their pop outs out so we knew it was a common and good spot for an overnighter.

Old Jail no longer in use

Mean Muggin'

Really interesting house that was on our walk

Sooo rural not even the postman make it there!!

Now residing on my dash

Yea we are so reckless totally taking
unnecessary risks hehe

Forgotten keys that I thought looked particularly interesting

When we went to the visitor center the lady recommended visiting this town called San Gregorio and to check out Pescadero which is a little south of Half Moon. We got the same recommendation from the waitress at the place where we had some bomb crab. So we went... San Gregorio basically only has a general store but it is a very unique one that has a saloon, bookstore, and general store there. We got there right at opening which wasn't ideal to get the full effect of the store so we basically browsed then were on our way. We took this road that led to Pescadero which wasn't Hwy 1 and it turned out to be a pretty crazy road, lots of twists and turns uphills and downhills and super bumpy. Maander threw it down and treated us right and we got to Pescadero alright.

Pescadero started out as a resort town and basically has stayed that way. Just a single street with some nice markets, shops, and bars. Go there if you want a nice lunch or to get a drink. Other than those things Pescadero is basically pointless. We weren't looking to spend money there so we just meandered briefly and were on our way.

Chillin' bike

One of the nice markets in Pescadero

Now next stop was Pigeon Point Lighthouse. This was the stop of the day. We heard it had a youth hostel there and thought that was interesting. It was in a pretty rural area no big towns nearby. We explored the lighthouse exhibit, unfortunately, there were no tours of this lighthouse just signs. We then descended down to the beach where there were a crazy amount of tide pools. I was set on finding some sea urchins and a starfish. I found both! Anna had the camera so I was unable to get a photo of the starfish though. So the exploration was tons of fun and when we were done we had lunch then headed to camp at a KOA a few miles down the road.

Us with the Lighthouse being a total attention whore

Driftwood, house, and Anna

Maander having a grand ol' time chillin'

Tide pool w/ Sea Urchin

Next day, we made our way to Santa Cruz to spend a few days. On entering the city there was a farmers' market so we said lets check it out. Had a slice and checked out the produce. Natural bridges park was right by there so we headed over there. It is right by the University. Turns out that during the winter months Monarch butterflies migrate to the eucalyptus trees of Santa Cruz. They had a butterfly sanctuary there and it was amazing. You can get about one tenth of how amazing it is by the video below. To keep warm they will all gather on a branch together in a huge cluster and when they do that it looks like a bunch of dead leaves hanging. We found a butterfly that was either injured or too cold to fly on the ground. It was pretty sweet holding it in my hand.

Nom Noming

Guess the neighborhood wasn't as nice as it looked

A pond at the sanctuary

Double date with a fifth wheel

Still wondering why they call the park natural bridges

We then headed to downtown and walked the street. Tons of stores and clothing stores with the most interesting clothes I have seen in a long time. No wonder people are so well dressed in Santa Cruz. We then headed to the Beach Boardwalk. The weather was not conducive for beach type activities but we did have tons of fun playing in the arcade. We then found another Safeway to shack up for the night had some soup and rented a movie from one of those kiosks.

In the morning we went to the church which was right next to the Safeway. It was a Presbyterian church that had a lot of choral reading and had a choir and sung hymns. Not what I was used to but still a good service. They also had a woman speak behind the pulpit which I know for some is unusual. They had coffee hour afterwards so we partook and met some of the congregation. We ended up talking at length to a gentleman named Roy, if I remember correctly. He really seemed interested in our journey and gave us some advice and just offered some of his well wishes with us.

Its supposed to get crazy windy here on the coast for the rest of the day and it is raining so we are just hanging out in this coffee house that is part of a church. It is called The Abbey and definitely looks like where all the young people hang out. I guess our future will be people gathered all around each other with each person looking at a computer screen. All together but all isolated.