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.