By the Numbers

Road Trip U.S.A. - 151 Days, 7 Hours, and 13 minutes - July 19th, 2010 to December 17th 2010

CAR

• Miles Driven - 23,106.4 (Average of 152 miles per day)
• Longest one day drive - 925.9 miles between Miami, FL and Southern VA on 12/16
• Number of states visited or driven through - 35 states and 1 Canadian province
• Times slept in car - 17 (11% of total trip)
• Number of times stopped for gas - 59
• Money spent on fuel for car - $1886.89 (Split gas from 10/18 - 11/23 - Total cost of fuel for car = $2135.83)
• Total cost for car repairs/oil changes - $762.23 (two oil changes, new exhaust system/muffler, three coolant hoses)
• Car Insurance - $105 (5 months)
• Total I spent to drive, maintain, and insure car - $2,754

Hiking

• Total miles hiked - 366
• Number of National Parks, Lake shores, and recreation areas visited - 25
• Number of nights slept in tent - 57 (38% of total trip)
• Number of nights slept in hammock - 5 (3% of total trip)

4 Walled Sleeping

• Number of nights in a hotel - 27 (18% of total trip)
• Favorite hotel - Wawona Inn - Yosemite National Park
• Number of nights in a hostel - 6 (4% of total trip)
• Number of nights in someone's home - 39 (26% of total trip)

Miscellaneous

• Total spent on sleeping (camping, hotels, etc.) - $1775.15 (Avg. of $11.76 per night)
• State I spent the most days in -
• 1. California (32 days - 21% of total trip)
• 2. Idaho (14 days)
• 3. Utah (13 days)
• States visited on 3 separate occasions during course of trip (came in and left three different times) - Utah and Colorado
• Most crucial item brought on the trip - Victorninox Down Jacket and Car GPS
• Worst items brought on trip - Small camping grill along with 5 gas canisters - Never used once
• Number of continental breakfasts raided - Sadly I didn't keep track - but I'd venture to guess around 30.
• The best - Holiday Inn Express

What's next for Destination Nowhere? - A five month tour through Mexico and Central America - Departing January 5th, 2011 - I'll continue to blog - Happy New Year everyone!!

How to solo drive from Miami to Connecticut in 30 hours

Authors note: This was supposed to be how to drive from Miami to CT in 24 hours, but in the interest of not dying I slept for about 5 hours.

Left Miami Beach, Florida on Thursday, 12.16.10 at 9:17 AM and arrived in Niantic, CT at 3:30 PM on Friday 12.17.10

Distance: 1500 miles (2400 km)

1. First off, why would one do such a thing? Simple, to see if you can do it.

2. Food: All eating takes place in the car. It is preferable to pack and have all found prepared prior to time zero, but I started with three hard boiled eggs (still shelled) and a banana and made all other food purchases when filling up for gas. The food won't be good, but you'll manage. I completed the trip with the aforementioned food and a bag of chips and salsa. I recommend you chose food equally as easy to eat while driving.

3. Drink: You should always have water to sip on if your thirsty, but be careful, water must exit once it enters. You must also be a caffeine drinker. I drank two 16 ounce sugar free Rockstar's, two 20 ounce gas station coffee's and one venti coffee from Starbucks. Each caffeine drink lasts a couple hours. Sip and put down, sip and put down. You should always have a steady stream of caffein bursting through your veins.

4. Bathroom: It is important not to make unnecessary stops so try to use the bathroom when you stop for gas. There will be other times when you have to go and you've already filled the gas tank. At these times the stop has to be quick. Highway rest stops are perfect. If there is no rest stop in sight get off the highway and immediately get back on the on ramp to go back on the highway. Using your right blinker pull off to the right into the grass of the onramp. Keep your right blinker on and go to the passenger side of the car away from traffic, open the back door and the front passenger door and pretend to be looking for something as you blissfully relieve yourself in the privacy of the two open doors. Don't ever go off an exit and go driving around looking for a phantom place to go to the bathroom when nature is all around you. Although not so safe, the fastest way is to go while driving. Those 20 ounce coffee cups will come in handy, don't throw those away and make sure to keep the lids. Number 2? Make sure to take care of that when you have a toilet available or have tp in the glove box and perform the double door method.

5. Entertainment: Talking to yourself is OK. Books on CD, learning language CD's, music CD's are all important. Smile when a cute girl drives by. Drive up along side her and wave. Let her go ahead and then try to catch up. This should kill about 30 minutes and although you're an idiot you'll feel pretty cool and be refreshed with energy.

6. Navigation: GPS is a must. Not really because you need it. You're driving straight up Interstate 95 - what the hell do you need a GPS for? However, GPS's have the ability to keep trip data. Reset all old trip data and start fresh. This will give you the ability to keep track of your trip time, overall speed, average moving speed, and time stopped. Keeping track of these things as your trip progresses is exciting and can boost morale.

7. Speeds: Try not to speed. Being pulled over will waste time and upset you. I stayed about 4 mph over the speed limit always. If the traffic was moving a bit quicker I got in behind the faster driver and drafted for awhile, but always be mindful of your speed. Up until Richmond, VA I was able to maintain an average moving speed of 70 mph and 65 mph overall including stops. Aim for close to that. After Richmond, I-95, to put it frankly, blows. You won't be able to maintain a moving speed of 70 because of tolls, cities, and traffic, but aim for 50 mph and an overall speed of 45 mph. This should be possible.

8. Rest time: Other than when you sleep a few hours aim to stop for 10% of the total time. This gives you 6 minutes every hour. During your 10% allotment you should get gas, use bathroom, stretch, and perform pushups to stay loose and fresh. Unless you're taking prescription medicine or other drugs to keep yourself awake you're going to need to sleep during the night at some point. Find a dark place in a 24 hour gas station and get comfy. By using a gas station to nap you give yourself the chance to start the final leg of your trip with a full tank of gas, fresh cup of coffee, and empty bowels - four birds with one stone.

9. Gas: Have everything ready when you stop for gas and don't waste time. Pay with credit and have the card ready. Fill up, do your business inside and get out. My car holds 15 gallons and gets around 33 miles per gallon. I needed to make four gas stops and spent $170 at the pump.

10. Conclusion: When you get to NYC and are sitting in traffic until New Haven don't fret, your almost home! Smile, pull down your pants, and make a refill of that Columbian gas station coffee.

La La Land

Longest stay in one place in four months - 10 Days - Ocean Beach, San Diego, California - 11.22-12.1. Roofs aren't so bad. Everything is nothing, nothing is everything. Did you know that 'if' is in the middle of 'life'? Apocalypse Now. Riding solo again. My cars coolant hose went out on me when I left San Diego. Make that three coolant hoses. It wasn't the first time I was chilling under the hood on the high way with cars brushing me by. $320 later and I'm fine today. I wanted to ski Utah powder, but now I'm not sure. Everyone says DO IT, but will my piece car make it? I'm going to drive highway 15 through Vegas into Utah and decide spur of the moment if I should continue north to Salt Lake City or take a left onto my old friend I-70. Homeward bound will feature mostly major interstates. I hate em, but speed is a priority now. I'll be back in Connecticut on December 18th until January 5th. I have to detour to Miami first. It's right on the way. I have 17 days to do it. From LA to Miami I'm going to rely on my instincts. Other than my pre-mentioned initial route I don't know where I care to stop. Oklahoma is a must so I can tick it off the list. Na'lins? I don't know. Is there anything else even in between? I don't even know if I'm leaving today. May stay in LA again tonight. Keep pushing it.

UPDATE: Staying in LA tonight. Leaving Friday the 3rd. 16 Days to ski Utah powder, lounge in Miami, and kick it CT by the evening of the 18th? 5,000 miles - 96 hours of driving time? Depends on the snow gods. Depends on Last Chance. Depends on the man and his plan. But I'm a numbers guy and the odds are in my favor. I'd bet on it happening.

"Sorry I'm late. I was taking a crap."

I'm trying to grow a mustache. After watching Paul Newman in the "The Sting" and Robert Redford in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" it's all I want to do. Unforunately, both Newman and Redford accompany their mustache's with beautiful full heads of hair. A mustache accompanied by male pattern baldness just doesn't have the same stylistic touch. So all you folks cringing at the thought of me with a mustache can relax knowing it is simply a Road Trip stache. When the road trip ends - the stache will go too - but until then I'll work effortlessly in the mirror tapering the edges of my mustache just like Newman.

Since my muffler fell off back in Wyoming this past August my car has been perfect. Yes, the engine revs when I'm in neutral, the car shakes when I break, and the front fender rattles uncontrollably, but as I've said before - she runs! Luck ended when Scott and I came out from the back country office in the Grand Canyon to see my back tire was low with air. I tried to use Fix a Flat, but it was just spraying foam all over the place and when I tried taking the can off the air valve the entire valve ripped off. My tire wasn't low any more, it was completely flat. It was a $10 fix for a new valve. Hardly a problem to gripe about. I told "Last Chance" she only had to make it until November. I hope I'm not asking too much to get her to take me into December now.

So Scott and I ended up doing 27.8 miles in two nights and three days in the Grand Canyon. Unbelievable. I don't think you can ever get tired of looking at the Grand Canyon. I hope I get to go there twenty more times - its so damn beautiful. However, both nights on the trip were slightly tainted by greenhorns being loud and disturbing my peace and tranquility.

NIGHT 1 - As we neared our first nights campsite we gained steadily on a group of two guys wearing jeans and flashy new packs. They were concerned they had passed the campsite and seemed pretty anxious. We assured them we were close, but there is no way we passed it. See, we hikers carry maps. We left them behind and shortly encountered the third member of the group of four. I cheerily told him we'd see him at the campsite. He sat on a rock unsure if he would be able to make the final mile to camp. The last member of the group was only a quarter mile from the campsite when he yelled to us "Are you familiar with the area??!!" UHH noo, but the campsite's just ahead. These assholes. As the two final stragglers came into camp 45 minutes later the two that already made it thought it was necessary to yell as loud as possible back and forth giving them the final directions to the camp. Keep in mind, there is a trail to follow. You don't need to yell! "WE'RE JUST UP HERE!" "JUST ALITTLE BIT MORE!!" "YOU'RE ALMOST THERE!". How bout shut the fuck up please! I think they were just a group of those loud talkers. The next morning I could clearly distinguish their entire conversations despite the fact they were set up fifty meters away from us.

NIGHT 2

So to be fair, it was Saturday night and we were in the most popular back country campsite on the most popular trail in all of the Grand Canyon. This place seemed more like a small town then a campsite though. Indian Garden is located 4.5 miles into the canyon on the Bright Angel Trail. There's probably about 10 campsites there and eight were filled. I'm a sun guy when I camp. I get in my tent when the sun goes down and I get up when the sun comes up. This has become more a problem as we get later into November and especially since Day Light Savings Time has ended, but I still do it. I usually read from 6 until 8 or so and then get a glorious night of sleep until sunrise. Not this night. The Weekend Warriors where in full force and don't seem to abide by my sun clock. Nor did any of them seem to think there were other campers in the near vicinity. EVERYONE was yelling and laughing like it was New Year's Eve nearing midnight. I don't mean to get angry at anyone laughing and having a good time, but I was just upset I couldn't even focus enough to read in my tent. Where's a machine gun when you need it?

All in all the hike was great though. Hiking out was grueling, but gorging myself on pizza while watching the Patriots dominate the Steelers later that night erased any pain my body was feeling.

From the Grand Canyon we drove back through Utah to Nevada's Great Basin National Park. I didn't even know there was a cave in this park, but it was spectacular. I enjoyed it more than Carlsbad Caverns, which is 1000 times more popular.

My journey with Scott is nearing an end - we plan on being back into San Diego Monday the 22nd and when I next write I'll probably be enjoying time with my mom and brother and enjoying Thanksgiving in sunny SoCal. Keeping to my personal believe to try and live in the moment - we still have 5 days left to explore together - and I believe we intend to live up our last few days to the maximum.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Breaking Developments

I had a plan - there was really nothing that could break it. I've kept these plans secret because well, I guess maybe I knew they'd change. Maybe deep down I knew something crazy would happen that would not let these plans take place...but anyways...this is what I was GOING to do: I was traveling around the United States until Thanksgiving. I would spend Thanksgiving with my brother and mom in San Diego, California. I would sell my car to some poor sap for a couple hundred or get a couple of hundred from a junk yard. I would leave some of my gear at my brothers and send home some of the more expensive things I don't want to leave in San Diego back to my mom's in Connecticut. Then once in Mexico, I'd be car free and joyously tramp south eventually into South America. From Argentina I'd hop on a freighter (yes a freighter) and take about 10 days to get to South Africa cheaply over the Atlantic Ocean. I would hang in South Africa and then fly to Egypt or Morocco. From Egypt (or Morocco) I'd take a boat through the Mediterranean Sea to Italy where I'd meet my Mom and my brother next July. Then I'd stay in Europe - hope to teach English in Spain - I don't know. This plan, as crazy as it might sound, was exactly what I thought I was going to do. What could break this plan??? Well. I cannot tell you what broke the plan yet. But the plan is broken. I will now be driving home from San Diego back to Connecticut - completing the loop and quite possibly complete one of the greatest road trips ever accomplished. Yah that's right. But this plan could change too - so I should just keep my damn mouth shut about what I'm GOING to do. That's the new plan and it could still change; To spend the holidays with friends and family back in Connecticut and then fly to Mexico after New Years where I'll have four months to tour around. The main reason I'm going to drive back is because I don't want to get rid of my car just yet - I'm planning on needing it again, for yes, another road trip in May!! If this is confusing you, don't worry - I'm still a bit confused myself.

So on to my current road trip. Roswell, New Mexico, although a hole, made me believe in aliens. That was sweet. Scott and I drove on to check out Carlsbad Caverns. That place is unbelievable. Sometimes I just cannot believe some of the places Earth has designed over the past few billion years. Just a beautiful beautiful cavern. Go there some time - do yourself a favor. Just south of Carlsbad is Guadalupe National Park where the highest point in Texas sits at around 8,700 feet. We climbed it. We drove on into El Paso where we were the only white people and the only people within 50 miles who didn't speak spanish. From that point on we've been kind of winging it from day to day. We've done and seen some odd things these last few days - but nothing terribly crazy or exciting. In Grant, New Mexico last Sunday we spent 10 hours in a Holiday Inn express to score breakfast and then watch the first round of NFL games. We hiked a couple miles to this "cave" where the temperature stays a constant 31 degrees Fahrenheit and the ice is about 12 feet thick. In Gallup, New Mexico after several camping and car nights we decided to get a motel. The sign saying "$23.95 for two" caught our attention. Sold. We should have known the town was just a little sketchy by this price, but we were confirmed of its sketchyness when the motel owner had to "buzz" us into the locked lobby at 1 in the afternoon. Later that afternoon an extremely drunk big boned woman smashed a bottle in the parking lot of the motel and proceeded to scream and rip of her shirt and bra. It was quite a show. Sadly it all ended when she slugged a cop and was forced into the drunk tank of a police van right outside our motel window. Show over - back to the TV. Scott and I drove into Navajo Nation - the huge portion of land in the north east corner of Arizona owned by the Navajos. We immediately noticed dogs all over the place. It was almost like another country. Animal control anyone? We slept in our cars last night and when we pulled into the Hampton Inn for breakfast this freezing dog came up to our car with the most desperate looking eyes. He jumped in the car and didn't want to leave. We almost took him - I mean - it's friggin freezing up here - he's probably going to die if someone doesn't bring him inside at night. I brought him some sausage and we had to say good bye. Sucks... We drove through Monument Valley and another dog greeted us upon opening the door. This one was just a puppy. Shivering with his tale between his legs. There were houses near by and a store owner said they come down here to beg from tourists from the houses up the hill, but I mean, what the hell - do these dogs really have owners? It was sad. I didn't like leaving these dogs behind, but I felt like I couldn't do anything about it...ahh..it kills me though. It's freezing cold here in Flagstaff now so we're staying in a Walmart parking lot tonight - car is much warmer. Off to the Grand Canyon tomorrow and back into the wild for a couple nights. Cheers all.

LAST OF THE WALDEN QUOTES - Henry D. Thoreau

"Nay, Be a Columbus to whole new continents and worlds within you, opening new channels, not of trade, but of thought."

"I left the woods for as good a reason as I went there. Perhaps it seemed to me that I had several more lives to live, and could not spare any more time for that one."

"It is remarkable how easily and insensibly we fall into a particular route, and make a beaten track for ourselves."

"The surface of the earth is soft and impressible by the feet of men; and so with the paths that the mind travels. How worn and dusty, then, must be the highways of the world, how deep the ruts of tradition and conformity?"

"I learned this, at least by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with success unexpected in common hours..."

"While England endeavors to cure the potato-rot, will not any endeavor to cure the brain-rot, which prevails so much more widely and fatally?"

"Why should we be in such desperate haste to succeed and in such desperate enterprises? If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer."

What I Do.

"I should not talk so much about myself if there was anybody else whom I knew as well." Walden - Henry David Thoreau

I've been on the road for 108 days. Three and a half times longer than any previous road trip. I have over 250,000 miles on my 1992 Honda Accord. It has a laundry list of faults, but the engine turns when I put in the key and the wheels spin - so it's all good. On this trip I've driven less than 500 miles on any major interstate. I enjoy roads which lay straight to the horizon with no cars in sight. This trip becomes less of a "trip" everyday - I'm just living - L-I-V-I-N. Take Tuesday, November 2nd for instance. I was camping with Scott in the Sante Fe National Forest. While you were working, voting, and watching 24 hour news to find out what new idiots will be working in our government, I was waking up with the sun, reading my book until I felt like wrestling out of my sleeping bag. For the remainder of the day I watched wood turn to flame and ash, watched ravens and crows talk to each other, ate food when I felt like it, peed in the grass when I had to and watched the sun dip down to fill the night sky with a billion stars and a creamy milky way - a great day. Every day is a great day. These past three and half months have been the greatest of my life. I don't mean to boast or brag - I really try to keep my pride in check - but then I'd be proud of doing that - so there's little point in trying to hide it. I mean, shit, this is so awesome. I have no one to answer to, nothing to worry about, everyday I'm outside 90% of the time. There's no stress in what I'm doing. A "bad" day on the road is better than any good day I may have as an employee. If I have to blow my nose I do so on my hand. I use Newton's 1st law to get the snot off. Any remaining goop on my hand? I wipe it on my jeans. If I need water and I'm at a gas station I use the bathroom tap. If I need water and I'm outside I use a stream. I shower when I can, but have no problem going as long as necessary. Between showers I bathe in a stream or a bathroom to wash the essential areas. There are days when I don't touch my cell phone or log into Facebook, but I still do both far more often then should ever be necessary. I wear a watch. I like to know the time. I drive with one hand on the wheel. Sometimes I drive with two, always ten and two. I'll rip open a can of sardines and eat it. I don't care what's going on in the news, but I'll read a paper every few days or so. My goals on a daily basis are to read as much as possible, eat, and find a safe place to sleep. I try to stretch and do pushups every day, but don't always. I think about what I'm doing and where I'm going and most days I don't really know. Yes, one day this will all be over and I'll be back in the "real" world, but right now I'm not sure why I would ever do that. I'm not sure why so many people are doing that. I don't understand a lot - I know this, but I'm trying. I don't know where my future leads and I don't care. I'm living for the moment - today - right now. A year from now doesn't matter - it will come - I'll probably teach again - hopefully I'll find a good girl and have a family some day, but that doesn't matter right now. This is it - this is everything.

Scott and I spent a total of nine days in Utah, three in Colorado, and are now cruising around New Mexico for a while. Everything is great. I hope all is great with you. Thanks for reading - I really do appreciate it and it's nice to know someone cares to know what I'm doing. I'm doing just fine. Happy November.

Walden Quotes I was feeling...

"Most men, even in this comparatively free country, through mere ignorance and mistake, are so occupied with the factitious cares and superfluously coarse labors of life that its finer fruits cannot be plucked by them."

"The head monkey in Paris puts on a traveler's cap, and all the monkey's in America do the same."

"And when the farmer has got his house, he may not be the richer but the poorer for it, and it may be the house that got him."

"How could youths better learn to live than by at once trying the experiment of living?"

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived."

"And I'm sure that I never read any memorable news in a newspaper. If we read of one man robbed, or murdered, or killed by accident, or one house burned, or one vessel wrecked, or one steamboat blown up, or one cow run over on the Western Railroad, or one mad dog killed, or one lot of grasshoppers in the winter, - we never need read of another."

"Not till we are lost, in other words not till we have lost the world, do we begin to find ourselves, and realize where we are and the infinite extent of out relations."

"The greatest gains and values are furthest from being appreciated. We easily come to doubt if they exist. We soon forget them. They are the highest reality."

"While I enjoy the friendship of the seasons I trust that nothing can make life a burden to me."

It's Another One of Those 'Great Day to be Alive' Kind of Days...

I don't mean the irony in the title of this blog. Tragedy hit home when two close friends of my brother and acquaintances of mine died in a car crash, Sunday, October 17th. I was with my brother in San Diego when the news came - pure Tragedy. It put a whole new spin into my head. How easily you could be gone tomorrow. So damn easily. Everyday is a miracle as far as I'm concerned. Miracle after miracle - a thousand a day.

So...as for my trip - Santa Barbara to Riverside to Los Angeles back to Riverside to San Diego.

I now have a permanent driving buddy - A UConn geologist grad with an equally probing mind to myself. Scott's with me until Thanksgiving. We hit up Joshua Tree National Park then straight up to Zion National Park in southeast Utah. A life list hike of mine is to hike the sixteen miles through "The Narrows" of Zion. A thin canyon still being carved by the Virgin River. That was our plan.

Zero campgrounds available night one so we managed to find the worst motel in Utah. Picture the stinkiest, nastiest, funked up room you can. That's our room. Zion is such a great park, but another one of those crowded popular parks. If I read a book for every person I see with a massive camera the size of my head and a lens the size of Pinnochio's nose, accompanied by a professional size tripod hoisted over his shoulder like a skier walking toward the slopes - I'd be a scholar.

"How's that camera? Do you work for National Geographic? Oh...Just taking shitty pictures with expensive gear you don't know how to use, which will use up massive amounts of space on your computer in folders you will never again look at? I got it!"

I hate people. Most of you anyways...Reminds me when I tried to order Dominoes Pizza to my hotel in Stockton, CA. I called up...said I was at the America's Best Value Inn in town and I'd like delivery to room 112.

"What's the address?"

"Uh...I'm not sure, I guess I'll have to call you back." (1 minute later) "

"Hey, I just called I have the address, it's 72 Stockton Ave., America's Best Value Inn, Room 112.

"What's the cross street?"

"Cross street? What is that? You have the name of the hotel in this town, with an address and a room number. I don't know the cross street. I don't know this area. I'm not from around here, that's why I'm in a hotel!"

"I need the cross street."

"Are you a moron!!?? Forget it." -click-

So as it turns out rain washed out the access road to the start of The Narrows, so the hike will have to wait for another year. It's rained every damn day on this journey through the desert. Yes - rained at some point everyday we've been in the desert, sometimes very hard, and to a point of annoyance.

I did knock of Angels Landing for a second time in Zion. Backpacker Magazine ranked it one of the "Top 10 Most Dangerous (well trafficked) Hikes". Yah, I'm a badass. Complete with handrails and chains the last half mile is pretty intense, 1000 foot shear cliffs on both sides of a four foot rock fin.

Zion led to Capitol Reef National Park where we did a ten mile canyon hike and camped overnight in the middle. Yellow leaves littered the sandy canyon floor when we weren't hand and footing it over large boulders strewn in the way by yearly floods. We walked through the canyon where the sand stone cliffs stand 500 feet above you on both sides. We camped on a rock slab just above the canyon bottom. The moon woke me up when it was setting between the canyon in the west around 7 am. Best campsite I ever had? Maybe. We hitchhiked the ten road miles needed to get back to the car. It took only the 5th car, not bad! Scott was a regular hitcher when he worked and hiked in the White Mountains of New Hampshire this summer. I had only done it once before and would love to hitchhike more often. Easy way to meet good people.

From Capitol Reef we went to Arches National Park in Moab. Camped in the park. Our tents were being blasted with 40-50 mile per hour winds, accompanied by sand blasting in my tent at all angles at the same speed. Scott was in the car by 11, I made it 5:30 a.m. Worst night of sleep ever? Maybe. Little sleep was had because the wind, sand, rain mixture never once let up. Holiday Inn Express breakfast cheered us up at 6 a.m. Now to complete our Utah national park tour we're in Canyonlands National Park south of Moab in east central Utah. The sun is finally shining among some puffy white clouds. As I write this (not type this) its 5:50 P.M. and I'm sitting on a rock cluster at around 5,000 feet. The sun is setting behind the obviously named Needle portion of the park. Snow capped peaks can be scene in the distance, along with an infinite number of odd shaped sandstone structures....All carved out over the effort of millions of years of flowing water. How infinitely miniscule must I seem to these ancient rocks? The wise sandstone. The wind is whipping and it's in the 50's, will be in 20's tonight. Last time I was in the park of Utah it was August and 100 degrees. My girlfriend was getting heat rash. Now its October and I have a fleece hat and down jacket on. The coolest thing about these places is every season it's different - there's always a reason and excuse to go back. Which of course I will.

Words of Wisdom from Phoenix the Israeli pirate

"There's a tribe in South America where they don't need to eat anymore. They don't need it."

Book Quotes and poems I've recently read

"A master in the art of living draws no sharp distinction between his work and his play; his labour and his leisure; his mind and his body; his education and his recreation. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence through whatever he is doing, and leaves others to determine whether he is working or playing. To himself, he always appears to be doing both." - Francois Auguste Rene Chateaubriand in Let My People Go Surfing- Yvon Chouinard

"The 48 percent of the American population who don't believe in the process of evolution, the Evangelical conservatives who believe the Earth and its creatures where created by God only ten thousand years ago, see change as a threat rather than an opportunity to grow and evolve to a higher level?" Let My People Go Surfing - Yvon Chouinard

"If you want to die the richest man, then just stay sharp. Keep investing, don't spend anything. don't eat any of the capital. Don't have a good time. Don't get to know yourself. Don't give anything away. Keep it all. Die as rich as you can. But you know? I heard an expression that puts it well: There's no pocket on that last shirt." - Suse Tompkins Buell, Let My People Go Surfing - Yvon Chouinard

"O Truth of the Earth! I am determined to press my way toward you; Sound your voice! I scale mountains, or dive in the sea after you!" - Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass

"Stranger! If you, passing, meet me, and desire to speak to me, why should you not speak to me? Any why should I not speak to you? - Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass

"Don't you find it odd that people will put more work into choosing their mechanic or house contractor than they will into choosing the person who grows their food?" Joel Salatin in The Omnivore's Dilemma By Michael Pollan

PCH 1

After the Thursday and Friday when I picked up two hitchhikers who shifted my thinking and understanding in a revolutionary kind of way and before I drove 200 miles back north to find my camera unharmed by a red wood, I spent two wonderful nights in San Fran with good friends. My buddy Bryant who is more like a big brother and my good good friend Todd. Intermittently meeting up and staying with friends on this trip has been very necessary.

My college buddy Jeff was flying in from Boston to Frisco the following weekend. Jeff will be joining me for a week as I take him down the coast eventually to Riverside, east of Los Angeles, where he is the best man at a wedding. I had a week to kill before he joined me so I hopped off to Yosemite.

...Yosemite...I think I might need another year to explore that place. I checked Half Dome and hiking through sequoias off my life list. Saw a coyote in the Mariposa Grove - we starred each other down - then I went after him on foot, but he nimble footed off and lost me. 2,000 year old GIANT trees in the rain, sat by a fire in a museum cabin as the sky opened up to sun - an epic day. The Wawona Inn was an unexpected but fantastic decision. I went in for the live music, but was sucked into staying the night - by my own doing. The dinner menu was outrageously priced so instead I bought $35 worth of booze as I sat grinning and listening to piano. I then put on my complimentary bath robe and strutted around the top balcony of the hotel. Yet another place added to my list of places to bring future lady friends.

Went back to SF and stayed with Todd again - just a great time. Had a rough Friday when I spent $385 on travel shots and my wonderful, beautiful, completely awesome Dahon fold up bike was stolen. Yes it was locked...but to no avail. I prayed for the damn fool who thinks it necessary to steal...fuck him. I was over it quickly - more room in the car now.

So now my boy Jeff is with me. Before he joined me I had driven 11,524 miles around the country solo. An average of 142 miles a day. That doesn't seem right, but it is. I've been zig zagging, pulling U-ey's, and getting lost for the last 80 days , so I guess it makes sense.

Jeff flew into San Francisco the same weekend as the annual "Fleet Week", so the city was unbelievably packet with touristas checking out the sailors, aircraft carriers, fighter boats, and the Blue Angels pulling off amazing ariel maneuvers. We peeped seals and mobs of foreigners on Pier 39 down by Fisherman's Wharf then I escorted Jeff to his first hostel experience located literally down an alley in downtown San Fran and next to a suspicious "Massage Parlor" with red neon lights. The place would not have been so bad if I could have muzzled the dude snoring all night or if I didn't sleep in jeans and a belt, or if I knew how to put sheets on a top bunk without them becoming a clump in the middle of my bed an hour after I went to sleep.

We hit the road early in order to beat the 7 a.m. meter and rode over the Golden Gate Bridge "Full House" style. Then I went off to corrupt Jeff by taking him out to eat at a Best Western. During WWII the U.S. built bunkers and coastal defenses all around the bluffs on the north end of the GG bridge in anticipation of a Japanese attack. Why did I never know that? What else don't I know? Tons.

We cruised the coast down to Big Sur via Monterey Bay for some Mexican. Camped at Limekiln and now Pismo Beach. I'm stretching the nylon on the hammock and Jeff's got the tent.

"Last Chance" lost her front license plate somewhere in San Fran - good riddance - thing was all dented and bent up anyways. Rock hounded what I hope is large chunks of jade from Sand Dollar Beach.

My journey with Jeff has been perfect so far and unfortunately, as I could have predicted, it's going to be far too short. Santa Barbara Wendesday - L.A. Thursday....phase II is off and running!

WORDS OF WISDOM FROM PHOENIX THE ISRAELI PIRATE

"If the devil knew he was the devil, he wouldn't be the devil - so God is the devil - they're the same."

Wawona

People playing chess - sipping martinis, wine, and fine beer - why not me?

Listening to piano - 1919 - It could be 1919...oh to go back and see.

This is what you do when you're retired and rich;

listen to music, talk wall street, but I'm 26

With no job- here at the Wawona Hotel and I might never come back

So why not now?

Money will come and go...but time...it only goes.

So get off your bum - go to the front desk and book a room.

Finish your Pyramid Audacious Apricot Ale and stay for the night.

Time will go by and tomorrow will come, but this music!

This God damn music! It echos from the past...

What am I doing?

But the music is beautiful - music from heaven, warm fire, smiling, laughing, gentle conversations all about -

If this is heaven one day I'll see

Everyone so happy, music does it to me.

Ever experience a lifetime in two days? I think I just did.

How does this story get told? How can I possibly convince you that everything in this story is the truth? That it all happened - and all happened within a short 48 hour period? I don't really know how to start it. I know its going to take me a long time to write it and if you want to read this you're going to need a solid 20-30 minutes to get through it. Some may not be able to handle a blog of this length - but I think it'll be worth it. I've heard truth is stranger than fiction and I think my boy Twain was spitting that line back in the day - and this is evidence number one to prove truth to that statement. I guess all I can do is start from the beginning. Thursday afternoon about 20 miles south of the Sand Dunes of coastal Oregon. It was there - off the 101 around 11 AM that I picked up my first hitchhiker on this road trip.

I'll do my best to give you a visual of this guy for I never did take a picture of him. He had long past shoulder length hair. I long scraggly beard. Deep eyes - nice loving eyes I guess you could say. He had no front teeth and was conscious of that and hoped to get them fixed. His name was Papa Aka. Wow..I don't even really know how to continue this story....

(Hour 1/48) I'll try....Aka wouldn't stop talking. He had just left his second wife and he was going to stay with his son and Dad. I was the first person to hear the story about his breakup. I felt for this guy. He had a lot to say and I kept my mouth shut and listened. He had grown up on a hippy commune outside of Los Angeles in the sixties. He couldn't read and he couldn't write. He felt blessed by this. Aka lived in Hawaii for about ten years - in the woods, in the jungle, on people's couches. He was homeless there, but loved by the locals because he would hand out food and pick up trash. I felt a strong connection with Aka. Two hours into the ride the fact that we had the same birthday of May 18th came out. Aka is deep into astrology and he had a whole lot to say about this - he had a lot to tell me about our date of birth and it all seemed to ring true. What the hell is going on here? Is this a divine moment? I bring Aka to his father's home in Brookings, Oregon. I decide to hang out for awhile; I had no where to go and no where to be. His father is 80 and despite the fact this guy smokes an ounce of marijuana a month he was sharp as a fiddle and not at all crazy sounding. I talked with him about my astrology reading and read some literature he had on it. His 26 year old son was a spitting image of Aka, just cleaner looking - and a cool quiet guy - his name was Micah. The talk goes into past lives and energy and all kinds of crazy shit that you really need to be willing to listen too in order to really hear it. These people were not crazy - just different.

Hour 4/48 - (side story #1) So Aka and I go for a walk to a thrift store in town. I'd been feeling like getting a nice soft leather hat for a long time - so I went looking. Aka found it first though. This hat was great. Soft leather, flimsy, intricate but subtle flower imprints embroidered into the leather. The hat was old though and not in great shape. I fell in love with it. Aka found it first though - so it was his call. If he wanted it - it was his. I kept my mouth closed about how badly I wanted the hat out of respect for him to decide first, but inside I was cringing in hopes he wouldn't want it. For about ten minutes Aka kept it on his head and we walked around the store. I found a nice camera case for only fifty cents - perfect - I had lost my camera case why back in Idaho and had been rolling with out. (Remember the fact that I just bought a camera case - it's good to know for what happens to me over the next 48 hours.) So finally Aka takes the hat in his hand - standing next to me - says "It's yours man - you have it." I was so happy. I explained how much I wanted it and was excited to decorate it with stuff I could find along the trip. I'd maybe string a cloth or leather strip around it - use beads, flowers, or whatever to make this hat awesome. I'd shape the brim nice, oil it up maybe to soften the leather and clean it up. It was going to be my new hat. Up I walk to the register.

"How are you doing Ma'am? - I'd like this hat which doesn't have a price on it and this camera case - it says .50 cents. The other hats are around $10-$15 so does that sound OK for the hat?

"Hmmmm....there's no price on the hat? Hmmmmm....(silence, cold starring off to side, zero compassion). I cannot sell you that hat then."

"(Me confused and perplexed, but smiling because I assume she is crazy and joking) OK - well how bout I give you $20 for the camera case and the hat?" I hold out the $20 to her - willing her to take the money - so I could take the hat.

"WHOA, don't pay $20 for that hat man" - says another guy up near the register - Aka too is like - "man that hat isn't worth $20 dude."

"I don't care - I really want this hat and to me its worth $20 - will you please take this $20 and you give ME THE HAT??"

silence......silence....

"Is there someone you can talk too at least to possibly put a price on this hat?"

So the woman gets her supervisor to go into the back room with the hat - which I assumed would be mine. What the hell is going on here? This is a THRIFT STORE - I give you money - you give me merchandise..money - merchandise, money - merchandise...is this so fucking complicated? Am I in the twilight zone?? Where is Rod Serling??? I know he's gotta be around here somewhere. The lady comes back 5 minutes later not even looking at me or talking to me - just saying to the air.

"This hat isn't in the system, it won't be back on the shelves for a couple days." No 'I'm sorry about this sir' - no fucking common sense. When they finally sell that hat - they will get $10 for it. TOPS. I was handing them a $20 saying take it! Aka went on to say that "man you don't want this hat anymore anyways." But I still did...I let it go though..it was over. I tried to say I'm just traveling through - I won't be here in two days - I really want the hat - can you please please sell me the hat - but I was talking to morons - literal morons.

So on I walk with Aka to a health food store. The store was closed, but right by the entrance to the store is a Passion Plant with beautiful flowers I had never seen before. Aka gave me one. I saved it carefully in my bag. As we continued our walk we walked right by three beautiful beautiful girls. They had a sign up asking for gas money. Where do three beautiful girls come from asking for gas money? I'm still in the twilight zone apparently. I was saving the flower for another time - but rather than give these girls money I decided I'd give one a flower. The girl I had handed it too had just been reading about this plant in the library while looking through a Medicinal Herbs book. I fell in love with this girl. They went back to Aka's family with us and we ate a meal and enjoyed company. I wanted to travel with these girls..they were great - but it didn't happen. No crazy sex story here. They had other guys in their crew they had to meet up with and I felt depressed and rejected - so I said goodbye to Aka, and his dad, and his son and hit the road around 8:00 at night - I didn't know where I was going.

(Hour 13/48) I wanted to just drive straight to San Francisco...I was going too. Like Dean Moriarty style - just roll and roll through the night and show up at Frisco's doorstep. I smartened up though - I got a motel in Eureka around midnight and stopped at a Denny's trying to digest what the hell just happened today. It's a school night and there is this kid - like 13 ordering food by himself at midnight. Half way through my meal I walk up to the waitress - and hush her down the counter out of hearing of the boy - she was a bit freaked out about why I couldn't ask the question from where she was originally standing. "I know I'm being a bit creepy, but I just need to ask you something down here in private." I decided to pay for this kids meal, but I didn't want him to know I did. "If you need cheering up yourself - cheer someone else up" - Mark Twain. I needed it - and I got it.

Hour 24/48 - So I leave Eureka - heading down the 101 - 5 hours from San Fran. Pull off to get a coffee - get back on the highway - another hitch hiker. I pick him up. Now this guy....shit. Well he looked like a pirate. Name was Phoenix. He had a pirate hat, a thick wool coat - piratey looking - yellow/black checkered pants. He wore a goatee with a mustache. He was carrying a long hollowed out wooden tube - it was a musical instrument. Phoenix was Israli - born and raised - but has been in the USA for about three years mostly wondering and traveling. He had a lot of drugs on him. Shortly into our trip we stopped to admire some of the giant redwoods we were driving through. Phoenix played his instrument too the redwoods. Yes he was playing too the redwoods - talking to them through his instrument. He was spitting all kinds of knowledge about energy and auras and 2012. Ridiculous shit like you need to sniff glue in order to time travel. I'll say that again and capitalize it for you if you read through that last sentence quickly. YOU NEED TO SNIFF GLUE TO TIME TRAVEL. I couldn't make that up man. Sniff glue and you can time travel - that's what he said. I hope you realize that I cannot possible say every detail of all the conversations I had with first Aka and now Phoenix. First off there was so much I just cannot remember it all and second off your head might explode...or you might think I was the one sniffing glue and this never actually happened and I just woke up under a giant redwood tree or its still Thursday and I never left Monroe and I'd just passed out on the couch watching "Ancient Aliens" on the history channel. What is happening? Oh yah...forgot...still in the Twilight Zone.

(Hour 29/42) I needed gas. Phoenix was passed out in my front seat. He had taken a bunch of mushrooms. Offered me some, but I politely declined - I was the driver you see. After talking like a rasta, and then in some other accent I didn't quiet recognize he thankfully fell asleep. So I'm filling up my gas. I'd filled up gas many times before, but this was the first time the gas decided NOT to shut off once the tank was filled up. Or even to shut off when I let go of the latch that keeps the gas flowing. Yes folks - gas was spilling all over the gas station, it wasn't turning off, and I have a hitch hiker from Israeli in my front seat dressed like a pirate, talking about time travel, and aura cameras the government knows about, passed out in my front seat. An older lady sees the gas flowing and wants to help. I thought there should have been an emergency shut up around the pump somewhere...but of course not. I kept stepping toward the market part of the gas station then turning back thinking I shouldn't leave gas spilling everywhere. So this lady gets up to go inside to have the gas shut off. She doesn't make it. The lady runs, slips, smashes into the wall of the market, hits her head on hard rock and is laying in a heap on the ground moaning. Now do I go help her or do I attend to the gas that by the way is still pouring out all over the place? I leave her a minute and run inside. Finally - the gas attendant comes out and hits the emergency shut off for the gas. Two minutes go by and I look over and still see this woman laying in clump against the wall - moaning. She's hurt pretty bad. I call 911 and speak with paramedics to please get to the Quick Mart off Highway 20 a couple miles from the 101. The lady was "coming too", but had a dislocated shoulder and hurting head. I took off as soon as the ambulance arrived because I swear I saw Rod Serling walking down the street speaking into a video camera.

(Hour 33/48) So Phoenix finally wakes from his stupor - I decided to take highway 20 to the coast - then ran up 128 back to 101. I was rolling into San Francisco around 7 that night. Phoenix was supposed to be going to SoulFest - a music festival that we learned actually happened last weekend. So he was rolling with me to Frisco apparently. He wanted to hang with me - but I had to let him go - I just dropped him on the street in SF. I don't know what street, but he had to go. He's a hitcher and a traveler, he'll be alright.

It was at this time I realized my camera was gone. I lost my camera...or my camera was stolen by either Phoenix or one of the two hippies I gave a ride to a campground too on one of me and Phoenix's many road side stops. To shorten this up a bit around hour 50/48 two days after I had left the camera under that giant redwood I drive four hours north from San Fran and find my camera sitting there. There is so much I left out of this tale - so much that just cannot be said or cannot be remembered - I have my camera, and now I have Aka and Phoenix immortalized in my brain. I'm still 150 miles north of SF. Not sure where the hell I'm going - but I'll get there.

God I Love Music

*Blog written 9.29.10 While watching sunset into the Pacific at Oregon Dunes National Recreational Site

Mount Rainier is ridiculous - majestic, powerful, unforgiving, and mysterious. Utterly beautiful in its grander. Mount St. Helens is tragic, destructive, heart-stopping, and awe inspiring.

These mountains are beasts. Part of an active volcano chain in North America and part of the larger Pacific ocean surrounding "Ring of Fire". They will no doubt one day cause the tragic deaths of thousands and thousands of people. Yes...these were some wonderful thoughts to be having as I drove nearer to St. Helens - eyeing ominously its giant blast zone which leveled nearly one whole side of the mountain in 1980. My geology professor at UConn told me he lost two close friends on that May 18th. He said at the time they represented half the worlds volcanologists - a field people still know relatively little about. Four years later I was born on the same date. I've always wanted to see this mountain; partly for the coincidence of its most recent blast and my date of birth and partly for my love of geology. I decided I didn't want to fully experience this mountain alone though, so I hesitantly left - intent to go back and summit its blast crater another day...another year.

As I drove away I knew I made the right decision. It was Saturday and I was only an hour from Portland, Oregon where cold beers and the company of old high school friends were waiting. Portland is a city I'd never seen, but I always seem to meet people whom have been or live there. I'd never heard a negative word mentioned about it....and you're not going to hear a negative word about it from me. Four nights and five days I spent in Portland. My longest stay in any single place on this trip. My buddy Craig who I stayed with plays in a successful band called "Quiet Life" and my visit fell perfectly in line with one of their shows. For four nights I was entertained by live music...God I forgot how good it makes me feel. The first night we saw the record release show of a group called "Pancake Breakfast". Then for two nights I was spoiled as the lone guest of "Quiet Life" practices. Finally on my last night I heard "Quiet Life" kill it live, followed up by Carl Hayes who at moments during his show either left me starring with mouth slightly ajar in awe or grinning from ear to ear uncontrollably. Music has such a powerful hold over me. In times of joy it keeps me up - in times of sadness it consoles. It levels my heart and vibrates my soul - OH when I saw "Quiet Life" play did I wish I could make a guitar talk like they do. The talent needed to make music is unbelievable.

As I left Portland I blasted the radio, trying to recreate the "live effect", but despite the noise, the silence was deafening. I need to find some good live music as I continue on this journey...

I just sat and watched another Pacific sunset....This whole experience, this trip, the people, the places, where I wake up every morning....it's all just so unreal....

Where'd you learn to climb a tree like that??!! THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST!

Border Patrol Man (upon coming back into the U.S.) - "What are you doing up here?"

Me - "I quit my job to travel around the country for a few months"

Border Patrol Man - "What are you rreeaallyy doing up here??"

Can a police officer or someone of authority please explain to me why you're such an asshole?? God damn it...

So...before I had to recross back into America I was in Vancouver...my bike ride around the city ranks as one of the best days on my trip thus far. The city is beautiful and what was supposed to be a rainy miserable day turned out to be blue skied and sunny. That same Friday evening, Celeste, my couch surfing host, took me to the top of a local ski mountain (Mount Seymour) and then out to some of her favorite pubs downtown. Late night we went to a wine bar/art studio and made a hideous piece of art work late into the night. The next day I left Celeste but decided to explore around Vancouver one last day. I happened upon a group of demonstrators holding large flags. The flags either featured the Canadian flag with a marijuana leaf in place of the maple leaf or said "Free Marc" featuring a man smoking. I'd be a damn fool to pass up this opportunity. I grabbed a flag, listened to some speeches, and then marched several blocks chanting "Free Marc." I didn't even know who Marc was. I learned he is a Cannabis advocate and known world wide for is opposition toward marijuana laws. He sold cannabis seeds over the internet and the United States DEA finally convinced Canada to help have him departed to the U.S. for charges. He is now in a Seattle prison and on September 18th there were rallies in over 80 countries around the world for his freedom and release back to Canada. I felt a bit funny and uneasy about being part of the whole thing. I'm a product of a society brought to believe marijuana is an evil, harmful, illegal gateway drug. But this trip is about truth. TRUTH. Much of what we're told as children, much of everything...from Columbus to Marijunana is bullshit. Us prideful Americans have a hard time admitting when we're wrong. Not that the U.S. should release this man - for yes he did commit a crime - but perhaps it would be wise to adopt a law which actually reflects the perceptions of the people then the absurd hope that a law will create a perfect utopian society of lawful citizens. Is marijuana so bad? Should I even be talking about this? In 1727 Benjamin Franklin created the Junto Club - A club with the intention of members improving themselves and others. In order to be accepted you needed to repeat and answer yes to the following: "Do you love truth for truth's sake, and will you endeavor impartially to find and receive it for yourself, and communicate it to others." Yes Franklin, I will try...but often truth is so hard to come by and so hard to communicate.

I didn't know where I was going from Vancouver, but I found my way to the port and within a half an hour I was on the ferry. I'd say about 50% of the time I don't really know where I'm going to be sleeping when I wake up in the morning, but I always mange to find a place. Using my phone I looked up Hostels in the area and decided I'd be heading to Courtenay, British Columbia. I biked around Denman Island - it was deserted around this time of year and rained - but I found I love biking and need to do it more often. I was anxious to move on from BC so after four nights in Canada I left to be back with my brethren in the USA. I spent two glorious nights sleeping on the beach in Olympic National Park and saw an amazing Pacific sunset. I missed the ocean. I believe these last two months are the longest of my entire life that I have not at least gazed at the Atlantic or Pacific. I'll be getting a good look at the Pacific for the next three weeks or so before I head back east from Southern Cali for the desert portion of my road trip. I'm reading some Mark Twain at the moment. This is guy is so fucking hilarious I love it. He may be the man I'd most want to meet. Yes I know he is dead but its one of those hypothetical questions anyways. Well..I've had a splitting headache the last two days - don't know what's up with that....no worries though..making moves to Mt. Rainier...

Smoked Salmon on Denman Island

I'm taking that slow walk;

Echoing and vibrating,

Thoughts bouncing off needles to the stars.

Do you stare at the same moon I do?

Do you see the sun rise and hold your breathe?

Are you looking as I am?

Are you that distant cloud on the horizon?

Or that creaking floor outside my door?

Alas.....Our paths destined to cross;

A wave set across a long distant sea,

Awaiting smooth white sands.

I move on...

Couch Surfing

-This blog was written at a coffee shop in Vancouver, British Columbia around noon PST on 9/17-

My first couch surfing experience was in Yakima, Washington with an older retired man. He had a lot to teach me and I listened with great interest. I work on keeping my mouth closed when meeting others. I have so much to learn. It's crazy how much I don't know. I've gotten exponentially better at stepping outside my comfort zone, but I will forever have work to do. I enjoy learning from people and hearing their stories - the main reason I'm so excited about surfing couches.

For those with no idea what I'm talking about when I say "Couch Surfing", it's a website where people make profiles like on Facebook and open up their homes to travelers. You request a stay on their couch, or floor, or extra room and they then decide if they want or can host you for the requested nights. I'm done with motels - hostels, couch surfing, or friends and family - or of course camping - will be my modes of sleep from here on out.

I'm lucky enough to have family living north of Seattle and I spent three nights there. My cousin Sarah and her boyfriend Dusty live in Marysville, Washington and her brother Doug was visiting from Connecticut. A nice little family reunion. It's difficult living in such lavish conditions and then hitting the road again. I ate delicious meals, sampled wines at local vineyards, saw the Red Sox win thanks to a David Ortiz home run at Safeco, and spent quality hours catching up and sharing time with my cousins. Sarah and Dusty have a beautiful new home and it's one of the many things on this road trip I'm grateful for. If I was back in CT teaching I would not have been in Washington...I would not have seen Sarah...and to much time would have spanned between our seeing each other.

On the last day of my stay Doug and I spent the whole day checking out Seattle. We took an underground tour to learn some history of Seattle, ate some goodies in Pike's Place Market, rode to the top of the Space Needle, and enjoyed jamming out in the "Experimental Music Project" museum. We did it all in the best weather for experiencing Seattle....rain.

I left Marysville late that same night, heading north with a heavy heart and hope the wait isn't too long before I see Doug and Sarah again.

I had trouble at the border. Canada has no interest for unemployed bums entering their country and apparently they keep immaculate never disappearing records. Five years prior me and my college friends were denied access to Canada for having "insufficient funds". I laughed when I was told in this current drama we had only $35 between the three of us at the time. Canada had not forgotten and even though five years had passed they still assumed (correctly) that I was a poor bum and deserved interrogation before being allowed into their country. I went inside the border office and needed to explain what I was doing. My answers didn't help my cause...

"What do you do for work Matt?"

"I'm unemployed - I quit my job to travel."

"Who are you staying with in Canada?"

"My friend Celeste."

"Celeste who?

"Uhhhh...I don't know I just met her yesterday on a website called "Couch Surfing"."

"Couch what???"

After some explaining by me and lecturing by her I was granted access to British Columbia, Canada. She told me to plan for extra time next time I enter their country. Apparently since I was denied access in 2005 for not having enough money I will forever be assumed to be crossing the border with no money and made to go into the office to explain myself. That makes a whole lot of sense. At least when the third time comes around I'll know it's coming.

Celeste is an obsessive traveler like myself and I was fortunate to catch her while she's home working for a few months. She practically jumped out of her seat to plan a bike route for me through Vancouver. A bike route I'm currently on.

Canada was unplanned - I'm not sure what I'm doing up here....but for me - this is perfect.

-Celeste was my tour guide for two nights - I will need a lot more white space to detail my Vancouver stay - Until next blog....

Finding the Path

I got pulled over for the first time on any road trip I've ever taken. I was going 69 in a 65 (the police man told me so). No worries - after I was asked where I came from, where I was going, if I had any knifes, guns, narcotics, drugs, cocaine, heroin, small amounts of marijuana, large amounts of cash (I wish), opened alcohol containers, pets, diabetes, blisters on my feet, or #2 pencils I was let go with just a warning. I continued to drive toward Craters of the Moon National Park going the appropriate speed of 64 mph. Craters of the Moon was cool - but that was all. The sun was setting and I didn't have anybody to fight, curse, and contend with on the short seven mile loop road which cuts through the young lava flows of the park. I've realized that if I don't find myself a campsite prior to seven o'clock I turn lazy and stop looking for a place to camp and start looking for a motel. I've gotten lazy about my money the last couple weeks. I've been eating out too much. Staying in motels too many times. I don't mind it so much, but I'm going against the principles I've started out with on this trip. To go as cheap as humanely possible - without going insane or turning into a permanent bum. I need to work on that. The one correct thing I did in the last week was spend a night with my friend and her family in Caldwell, Idaho. Their place was gorgeous with beautiful views of the mountains to the south east. I was treated to a wonderful dinner and extremely enjoyable company. When I do eventually settle down I hope to emulate some of their practices of growing my own vegetables, canning and preserving them, and owning and caring for farm animals. The only key requirement that I'll have trouble with in that equation is the settling down. Where will this settling down take place? When will it happen? How will it happen? I don't know!

I left Idaho with a heavy heart and entered into Oregon through Hell's Canyon. I hoped to do a two or three night hike into the canyon, but as I said before I only did one correct thing this past week. I needed to go to the tiny town of Imnaha and after a four hour drive I discovered the south entrance road to the town was closed. A gate stretched across the road. Often times this means a simple short detour, but not when you're dealing with the largest river gorge in the United States. This road closure required me to detour three more hours around to the north. I finally made it to Imnaha and was heading down the access road to the trailhead around six at night (PST) when I had left that morning around nine (MST). I bumped and swerved around giant ruts and rocks and screeched to a halt on the tiny dirt road fit enough for only one car. The road ahead of me was no more. It was strewn with rocks and impassable. Awesome! I looked to my left and saw a friendly sign - "NO TRESPASSING. SURVIVORS WILL BE PROSECUTED". Now I'm just speculating, but I'm pretty sure this guy dynamited the road to keep visitors away. JUST A HUNCH! I took my car in reverse - I'd been defeated. Again - it was getting to be after seven. Lazy Matt emerged and I sulked with head down to find a motel. I love these small towns though. I stayed in Enterprise, Oregon for the night. The Wallowa Mountains are located to the south and the high peaks loom snow capped off in the distance. So Hell's Canyon was out - but these mountains....can I get up there?! The next day I set off to find out with no map (STUPID). I had a chance to look at a map and figured I couldn't mess up the nine mile one way hike to a mountain lake (Key word "figured"). After hiking for an hour though - each step knowing I was going in the wrong direction of my intended destination I again gave up defeated. I kept hoping the trail would turn the way it was supposed to go but it didn't and I turned back knowing I was in fact going the wrong way. I turned around and slumped back to my car - it was now too late in the afternoon to make the nine mile up hill hike to the camp I hoped to make. No motel this time though - I stayed at Wallowa's lake side campground. I'm in a Best Western outside Enterprise now - helping myself greedily to food and coffee and plan to retry my hike today. Hopefully my errors have passed and I'll be able to enjoy and tramp over the white capped mountains I saw from my car. Time will tell!