Day 6
We got up early and began the drive up Highway 101 through lots of vineyards and fog, eventually making our way to Route 1 with the gorgeous view of the coast, where we aptly started listening to the Beach Boys. At this point everyone perked up and remained alert to admire the view, which never ceased to be incredible. We stopped periodically at lookout points to take pictures and felt grateful we'd decided to drive during the day so we could appreciate it.
Among other places, we passed through Big Sur, which I'd been looking forward to since I'd heard it was beautiful, though I had no idea what to expect. I was expecting beach, but apparently it's in the mountains, so more of a hiking/camping area, thus we didn't see much of it. Santa Cruz was a cute little colorful town that looked like it was made for surfers - kind of like O'ahu's North Shore but with nicer houses.
We made it to San Francisco late in the afternoon, and everyone instantly fell in love with it. We drove around aimlessly, debating whether to go to Haight-Ashbury, downtown, or elsewhere, and wound up stumbling upon the famed Green Tortoise hostel. We parked down the street and just walked around downtown, went to Rasputin music, considered riding the trolley for kicks until finding out how much it cost. Instead we went up Nob Hill by foot, took a bunch of pictures, and asked for directions from a nice older couple from Seattle who gave us a lot of suggestions on places to stop on our drive up, none of which we'd have time for unfortunately. They gave us an extra city map and we decided to walk around Chinatown next. The decision was unanimous that it was the best of all Chinatowns.
We headed back towards the car, parked in the strip club district which was now all lit up and full of people. It felt less seedy than it did during the day when it was relatively dead.
All afternoon we debated on whether we should stay in the city overnight since we liked it so much. We decided to stop by the Green Tortoise, which was booked up for Labor Day weekend, but wound up hanging out there a while after seeing how awesome it was. Unlike Arlington House, it was everything a hostel should be. It had character. It had a communal feel and encouraged socializing with its big lounge/bar/eating area, which held open mic nights and other events. It had a cute-looking large kitchen with a supply of free food for cooking. It had a wall full of info on free or cheap activities for every day of the week. It had awesome, reasonably-priced bus tours around North America. It had free internet. Couldn't get any better.
Sadly we couldn't find a place to stay at the last minute, with the hostel booked, my sister being gone for the weekend, and Lisa'a ex being a douche. So we moved on. Kyle drove for several hours til he got tired and found a spot to pull off and park down a windy road near the beach. I woke up when we arrived to find us in a mysterious spot where it was pitch black. All we knew was that there was the ocean ahead, a mountain behind; all you could see were stars. This spot surpassed the Arches as having the most stars I'd ever seen at once. We must've been pretty far from civilization.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Saturday, 8/30 - LA
Day 5
We slept in on the nice comfy sofabed, our first actual 'bed' in six days. After lounging around with the cats a while we went to the supermarket and picked up stuff so Lisa and I (mostly Lisa) could make everyone a kickass breakfast of Denver omelettes with bacon, potatoes, cantaloupe, orange juice, and horchata. After slaving in the kitchen we ate while watching a marathon of Women's Ninja Warrior on G4.
Eventually we managed to push ourselves out the door to go to Venice Beach. This was my first real view of LA, and I decided it was kind of ugly. The apartments near Jen/Juan's place looked like all the LA apartment complexes you typically see in movies, so it was oddly familiar despite having never really been there. The rest of the city was pretty blah - architecture didn't look more than 50 years old..there were some buildings with big murals on the sides, but aside from that they lacked any real character. It had an overall manufactured feel to it. The other major attraction was all the billboards, which were often digitized or three-dimensional - more elaborate than any I'd ever seen.
After spending most of the afternoon just trying to get to the beach, I got a first hand view of everyone's complaints about LA - too hot, too sprawled out, too hard to get around, too much traffic. I would still come back for more time to get a real LA experience, but my lasting impression is that it was like Vegas - something you do once to get it out of your system.
However, the beach was nice once we finally got there late in the afternoon. We had fun wave-hopping for a while, then walked down to the area where the shops and street performers usually are, but by then it was late in the day so there wasn't a whole lot to see.
Thankfully we managed to get back to Jen's faster once we figured out where we were going. After showering/changing we went out for a late dinner. On the way to Korea Town we got a bit more of a whirlwind tour of the city, passing through the famous Hollywood & Vine, past a number of exclusive-looking clubs that were almost too stereotypical - lines down the block of late 20-somethings dressed to the nines, literally all of the women waifishly thin and in short dresses with stiletto heels.
We met up with Lisa's friend Tressie at a Korean BBQ place that was open late, had a filling meal of meat and squid, and after some debate, decided to return to Jen's to sleep instead of driving through the night. Juan was still up watching a movie when we returned, so we wound up sleeping on the floor in our clothes. Still better than the car...
We slept in on the nice comfy sofabed, our first actual 'bed' in six days. After lounging around with the cats a while we went to the supermarket and picked up stuff so Lisa and I (mostly Lisa) could make everyone a kickass breakfast of Denver omelettes with bacon, potatoes, cantaloupe, orange juice, and horchata. After slaving in the kitchen we ate while watching a marathon of Women's Ninja Warrior on G4.
Eventually we managed to push ourselves out the door to go to Venice Beach. This was my first real view of LA, and I decided it was kind of ugly. The apartments near Jen/Juan's place looked like all the LA apartment complexes you typically see in movies, so it was oddly familiar despite having never really been there. The rest of the city was pretty blah - architecture didn't look more than 50 years old..there were some buildings with big murals on the sides, but aside from that they lacked any real character. It had an overall manufactured feel to it. The other major attraction was all the billboards, which were often digitized or three-dimensional - more elaborate than any I'd ever seen.
After spending most of the afternoon just trying to get to the beach, I got a first hand view of everyone's complaints about LA - too hot, too sprawled out, too hard to get around, too much traffic. I would still come back for more time to get a real LA experience, but my lasting impression is that it was like Vegas - something you do once to get it out of your system.
However, the beach was nice once we finally got there late in the afternoon. We had fun wave-hopping for a while, then walked down to the area where the shops and street performers usually are, but by then it was late in the day so there wasn't a whole lot to see.
Thankfully we managed to get back to Jen's faster once we figured out where we were going. After showering/changing we went out for a late dinner. On the way to Korea Town we got a bit more of a whirlwind tour of the city, passing through the famous Hollywood & Vine, past a number of exclusive-looking clubs that were almost too stereotypical - lines down the block of late 20-somethings dressed to the nines, literally all of the women waifishly thin and in short dresses with stiletto heels.
We met up with Lisa's friend Tressie at a Korean BBQ place that was open late, had a filling meal of meat and squid, and after some debate, decided to return to Jen's to sleep instead of driving through the night. Juan was still up watching a movie when we returned, so we wound up sleeping on the floor in our clothes. Still better than the car...
Friday, October 10, 2008
Friday, 8/29 - Grand Canyon, Los Angeles
Day 4
We woke up poorly rested after sleeping on the rock bed. So we managed to pack up pretty early and head over to the Grand Canyon lookout. We didn't stay too long but it was well worth the journey. I hadn't seen it since I was 3 years old so it felt like the first time. It's definitely something that needs to be experienced in person - such a vast, quiet, peaceful space millions of years in the making. I took tons of pictures, despite knowing they would never do it justice.
Due to lack of time we decided to bypass Vegas and Death Valley, so we drove straight through to LA. We finally arrived around sunset, and Kyle was hit with the sudden inspiration to put on some Creedence, go to In & Out Burger and get some white russians a la The Big Lebowski. Sadly we never got around to the latter two.
Our first stop was Jina's family's house. She showed up at their doorstep unannounced, first going in solo. Lisa managed to catch her dad's surprise on camera but aside from that we just assumed they were excited behind the scenes. The rest of us went in shortly after, and her parents and brother were incredibly kind in letting us swim in the condo complex pool, letting us take some much-needed showers, and even picking up some Carl's Jr. for dinner. I'd never had their massive burgers but after driving all day having eaten only a Subway sandwich and our stash of snacks, it was very satisfying.
They sent us off with lots of fruit and water before we moved on to Lisa's friends' place. We didn't arrive til about 1am, but the three roommates - Jen, Juan, and Lori - were still up watching part 6 of a Nightmare on Elm Street marathon. We stayed up to watch the second half, which was entertaining for the horrendous acting and bad gimmicky effects made for the 3D version.
We woke up poorly rested after sleeping on the rock bed. So we managed to pack up pretty early and head over to the Grand Canyon lookout. We didn't stay too long but it was well worth the journey. I hadn't seen it since I was 3 years old so it felt like the first time. It's definitely something that needs to be experienced in person - such a vast, quiet, peaceful space millions of years in the making. I took tons of pictures, despite knowing they would never do it justice.
Due to lack of time we decided to bypass Vegas and Death Valley, so we drove straight through to LA. We finally arrived around sunset, and Kyle was hit with the sudden inspiration to put on some Creedence, go to In & Out Burger and get some white russians a la The Big Lebowski. Sadly we never got around to the latter two.
Our first stop was Jina's family's house. She showed up at their doorstep unannounced, first going in solo. Lisa managed to catch her dad's surprise on camera but aside from that we just assumed they were excited behind the scenes. The rest of us went in shortly after, and her parents and brother were incredibly kind in letting us swim in the condo complex pool, letting us take some much-needed showers, and even picking up some Carl's Jr. for dinner. I'd never had their massive burgers but after driving all day having eaten only a Subway sandwich and our stash of snacks, it was very satisfying.
They sent us off with lots of fruit and water before we moved on to Lisa's friends' place. We didn't arrive til about 1am, but the three roommates - Jen, Juan, and Lori - were still up watching part 6 of a Nightmare on Elm Street marathon. We stayed up to watch the second half, which was entertaining for the horrendous acting and bad gimmicky effects made for the 3D version.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Thursday 8/28 - Utah, Arizona
Day 3
We woke up early to pack up our things and go see the rest of the Arches.
It was exceptionally hot. We drove up to the next hiking trail and walked through to see several more arch formations, all gorgeous and mind blowing. The landscape almost made you feel as though you were on Mars - reddish orange rocks on sand, small shrubs and tumbleweed. First thing that came to mind was actually the opening scenes of Total Recall, which I'd seen for the first time weeks before.
After making our way through the park we stopped in the nearby town of Moab for some groceries to make sandwiches for lunch - salami, cheese, mustard, parmasean bread, some giant juicy nectarines, and lemonade - yum.
After sitting in air conditioning at the gas station to map out our route, we continued on and stumbled across a lake where we considered bathing again. Pretty setting, however the water was still so we decided relative cleanliness was not worth the risk of catching the brain parasites Kyle had heard were present in lakes in that very region.
Most of the rest of the day involved a long, hot drive through the desert to the Grand Canyon. In southern Utah we passed the Mexican Hat Rock, somewhere called "The Hole in the Rock" though at the time we saw no apparent attraction to be seen, and near the border, the Kayenta Navajo Reservation, which was sadly pretty impoverished-looking. We stopped by a little roadside stand in the middle of nowhere where some Navajo were selling handmade jewelry - all of them were very friendly and interested in where we were from, where we were going...
Once we entered Arizona, the landscape took a number of different forms, many unexpected - throughout the northern part of the state, it shifted from desert, rocky mesas, and colorful sandy hills, eventually to forests, mountains, and green pastures. It's no wonder Native Americans are so in tune with their surroundings and treat the land as sacred. Living in an area where you're surrounded by so much awe-inspiring beauty, it's so humbling that it seems only natural to be spiritually affected by it.
We arrived at the Grand Canyon camp site shortly after sunset, thus got to evade paying the entrance/camping fee since no one was at the gate and the campsite pay system was automated. It was pretty much pitch black by the time we found a spot, except for other camper's fires and RV lights. They'd stopped selling firewood by then so we went around asking whoever was out if they had any extra we could buy so we could grill our corn, but no luck. So we gave up and just snacked on more crackers/peanut butter and carrots before going to sleep. At least we were now experienced tent-pitchers, so setting up with the car headlights blaring wasn't so difficult. But it was a far cry from the night before - the air was warm and the ground was hard and rocky, so no one got much sleep. Aside from some crows (or ravens?), no spirit animal sightings this time.
We woke up early to pack up our things and go see the rest of the Arches.
It was exceptionally hot. We drove up to the next hiking trail and walked through to see several more arch formations, all gorgeous and mind blowing. The landscape almost made you feel as though you were on Mars - reddish orange rocks on sand, small shrubs and tumbleweed. First thing that came to mind was actually the opening scenes of Total Recall, which I'd seen for the first time weeks before.
After making our way through the park we stopped in the nearby town of Moab for some groceries to make sandwiches for lunch - salami, cheese, mustard, parmasean bread, some giant juicy nectarines, and lemonade - yum.
After sitting in air conditioning at the gas station to map out our route, we continued on and stumbled across a lake where we considered bathing again. Pretty setting, however the water was still so we decided relative cleanliness was not worth the risk of catching the brain parasites Kyle had heard were present in lakes in that very region.
Most of the rest of the day involved a long, hot drive through the desert to the Grand Canyon. In southern Utah we passed the Mexican Hat Rock, somewhere called "The Hole in the Rock" though at the time we saw no apparent attraction to be seen, and near the border, the Kayenta Navajo Reservation, which was sadly pretty impoverished-looking. We stopped by a little roadside stand in the middle of nowhere where some Navajo were selling handmade jewelry - all of them were very friendly and interested in where we were from, where we were going...
Once we entered Arizona, the landscape took a number of different forms, many unexpected - throughout the northern part of the state, it shifted from desert, rocky mesas, and colorful sandy hills, eventually to forests, mountains, and green pastures. It's no wonder Native Americans are so in tune with their surroundings and treat the land as sacred. Living in an area where you're surrounded by so much awe-inspiring beauty, it's so humbling that it seems only natural to be spiritually affected by it.
We arrived at the Grand Canyon camp site shortly after sunset, thus got to evade paying the entrance/camping fee since no one was at the gate and the campsite pay system was automated. It was pretty much pitch black by the time we found a spot, except for other camper's fires and RV lights. They'd stopped selling firewood by then so we went around asking whoever was out if they had any extra we could buy so we could grill our corn, but no luck. So we gave up and just snacked on more crackers/peanut butter and carrots before going to sleep. At least we were now experienced tent-pitchers, so setting up with the car headlights blaring wasn't so difficult. But it was a far cry from the night before - the air was warm and the ground was hard and rocky, so no one got much sleep. Aside from some crows (or ravens?), no spirit animal sightings this time.
Wednesday 8/27 - Colorado, Utah
Day 2
We woke up early after not much sleep and started driving through the little town of Idaho Springs, which we were seeing for the first time in the daylight. It was adorable, almost like the little old mountain towns you only see replicated in movies or theme parks. We decided to stop at a cute little diner called Jiggie's Cafe for breakfast, where I aptly had my first ever Denver omlette, though technically we were no longer in Denver.
While on the road, our stops needed to kill several birds with one stone. Grocery stores were a lucky find amongst gas stations/rest stops with nothing but junk food. Sleeping in the car was a last resort, so camping or knowing people to stay with would help plan out where to stop. Bathrooms were obviously the most essential. Toilets and places to wash up were few and far between, so finding one or the other made it important to plan out when and where to poop, which thus would have to be done when it's convenient more so than when it's necessary.
Bathing was the most difficult thing. Some rest stops do have showers, but we never ended up using them. But roughly 36 hours into the trip, mostly sitting in a cramped car in the heat, having gone at least 2 days without a shower, we were getting overdue. Fortunately, driving through the gorgeous Colorado Rockies, we happened upon a branch of the Colorado River just off the highway and got the notion to stop for a swim and a 'bath'. We parked, grabbed our bathing suits and shampoo/soap, and walked down to the relatively easiest part where we could climb down to the water. It couldn't have been more refreshing. Rafters would pass and wave periodically, a few guys making row-by passes at us. But at least we were in bathing suits.
We continued on driving through the mountains, passing Frisco, Vail, some mountain goats, and a bunch of other little ski towns along the way.
Eventually we made it to Utah and Arches National Park shortly before sundown. It was the perfect time to be there, with the air cooling down to a more tolerable degree and the sun low in the sky, making the red rocks even redder. We sat at the first lookout for at least 30-45 minutes, mostly just reflecting on the beauty and history of the site. We headed over to the camp site just as the sun set, luckily finding a spot despite their claim that it was full.
We pitched the tent in an open sandy spot, and as it got dark, started a fire to grill the corn we'd bought earlier from a roadside stand. This, the Ritz/Triscuit crackers with peanut butter, and some mushrooms Kyle had brought made up our dinner. The corn was perfect and surprisingly filling..the peanut butter and crackers never failed to keep us satisfied throughout the trip.
We spend much of the night staring up at the stars, millions of which were visible now that we were a fair distance from light pollution. Lisa got the most energized out of anyone, hallucinating about moving stars, doing yoga, breaking out the hula hoop tied to the roof of the car. She'd theorized that the stars could actually be a canopy of giant glowworms waiting to secrete their saliva and catch us for prey.
Fearing we were being louder than we realized, we eventually went to sleep in our cozy tent on a comfy bed of sand, fortunately with no snakes or scorpions to disturb us. However, Jina got up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, after which Kyle got up to check on her and spotted a coyote by our tent. I was too out of it to take it seriously or worry, but apparently it sniffed around the tent for a while and went over to the burnt-out fire to steal our burnt corn cobs. We later figured this was Kyle's spirit coyote.
We woke up early after not much sleep and started driving through the little town of Idaho Springs, which we were seeing for the first time in the daylight. It was adorable, almost like the little old mountain towns you only see replicated in movies or theme parks. We decided to stop at a cute little diner called Jiggie's Cafe for breakfast, where I aptly had my first ever Denver omlette, though technically we were no longer in Denver.
While on the road, our stops needed to kill several birds with one stone. Grocery stores were a lucky find amongst gas stations/rest stops with nothing but junk food. Sleeping in the car was a last resort, so camping or knowing people to stay with would help plan out where to stop. Bathrooms were obviously the most essential. Toilets and places to wash up were few and far between, so finding one or the other made it important to plan out when and where to poop, which thus would have to be done when it's convenient more so than when it's necessary.
Bathing was the most difficult thing. Some rest stops do have showers, but we never ended up using them. But roughly 36 hours into the trip, mostly sitting in a cramped car in the heat, having gone at least 2 days without a shower, we were getting overdue. Fortunately, driving through the gorgeous Colorado Rockies, we happened upon a branch of the Colorado River just off the highway and got the notion to stop for a swim and a 'bath'. We parked, grabbed our bathing suits and shampoo/soap, and walked down to the relatively easiest part where we could climb down to the water. It couldn't have been more refreshing. Rafters would pass and wave periodically, a few guys making row-by passes at us. But at least we were in bathing suits.
We continued on driving through the mountains, passing Frisco, Vail, some mountain goats, and a bunch of other little ski towns along the way.
Eventually we made it to Utah and Arches National Park shortly before sundown. It was the perfect time to be there, with the air cooling down to a more tolerable degree and the sun low in the sky, making the red rocks even redder. We sat at the first lookout for at least 30-45 minutes, mostly just reflecting on the beauty and history of the site. We headed over to the camp site just as the sun set, luckily finding a spot despite their claim that it was full.
We pitched the tent in an open sandy spot, and as it got dark, started a fire to grill the corn we'd bought earlier from a roadside stand. This, the Ritz/Triscuit crackers with peanut butter, and some mushrooms Kyle had brought made up our dinner. The corn was perfect and surprisingly filling..the peanut butter and crackers never failed to keep us satisfied throughout the trip.
We spend much of the night staring up at the stars, millions of which were visible now that we were a fair distance from light pollution. Lisa got the most energized out of anyone, hallucinating about moving stars, doing yoga, breaking out the hula hoop tied to the roof of the car. She'd theorized that the stars could actually be a canopy of giant glowworms waiting to secrete their saliva and catch us for prey.
Fearing we were being louder than we realized, we eventually went to sleep in our cozy tent on a comfy bed of sand, fortunately with no snakes or scorpions to disturb us. However, Jina got up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, after which Kyle got up to check on her and spotted a coyote by our tent. I was too out of it to take it seriously or worry, but apparently it sniffed around the tent for a while and went over to the burnt-out fire to steal our burnt corn cobs. We later figured this was Kyle's spirit coyote.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Tuesday 8/26 - Iowa, Nebraska, Denver
Day 1
Early in the morning we woke up to a surprisingly gorgeous view of Iowa farmlands, with the sun rising over hills lined with wind turbines. After stopping at a gas station for some fuel in both gas and caffeine form, Lisa took over driving into Nebraska. It was literally nothing but corn fields, and lots of them. As soon as we crossed the border to Colorado, the scenery immediately changed to rolling hills full of bright yellow flowers.
We continued straight on to Denver, amazed we were able to cross 3.5 states in just over half a day. We arrived in the afternoon, a bit aimless at first, and decided to find out where the Democratic National Convention was taking place. Our first encounter with a local was a pleasant one - he was the first of many people we'd meet along the trip who was happy to give us detailed directions when asked.
We parked and walked down the 16th Street Mall near the site of the convention, which was the most we could experience since we average civilians weren't allowed in. Had the DNC not been in town, the city might have been fairly ordinary. But the street was full of activists and protesters, mostly liberals and Obama supporters, but a few conservative crazies as well, including a small group for McCain, and a larger group of crazy religious people protesting homosexuals and general heathens.
We walked around and stopped at a Starbucks to use wifi and bathrooms, where we met a very chatty journalist who tried to give us tips on crashing some press parties. Tempting, but aside from the fact that we were seriously underdressed and hadn't showered, I don't think we would've had the guts to try it anyway. So we walked down the street to Rock Bottom for dinner and decided to seek out some hot springs in the area.
We found one in nearby Idaho Springs - the guy at the desk was nice enough to let us look around. We went into one of the springs in this cave-like tunnel - as soon as I stepped inside I was soaked with water droplets in the air and too hot to stick around. I'd never been to one, but the general consensus was that the place was sub-par, so we decided to just park at the nearby campground and sleep in the car since it was too dark to try and set up the tent. I was in the driver's seat - that plus the cold made it the most uncomfortable night of sleep on the trip.
Early in the morning we woke up to a surprisingly gorgeous view of Iowa farmlands, with the sun rising over hills lined with wind turbines. After stopping at a gas station for some fuel in both gas and caffeine form, Lisa took over driving into Nebraska. It was literally nothing but corn fields, and lots of them. As soon as we crossed the border to Colorado, the scenery immediately changed to rolling hills full of bright yellow flowers.
We continued straight on to Denver, amazed we were able to cross 3.5 states in just over half a day. We arrived in the afternoon, a bit aimless at first, and decided to find out where the Democratic National Convention was taking place. Our first encounter with a local was a pleasant one - he was the first of many people we'd meet along the trip who was happy to give us detailed directions when asked.
We parked and walked down the 16th Street Mall near the site of the convention, which was the most we could experience since we average civilians weren't allowed in. Had the DNC not been in town, the city might have been fairly ordinary. But the street was full of activists and protesters, mostly liberals and Obama supporters, but a few conservative crazies as well, including a small group for McCain, and a larger group of crazy religious people protesting homosexuals and general heathens.
We walked around and stopped at a Starbucks to use wifi and bathrooms, where we met a very chatty journalist who tried to give us tips on crashing some press parties. Tempting, but aside from the fact that we were seriously underdressed and hadn't showered, I don't think we would've had the guts to try it anyway. So we walked down the street to Rock Bottom for dinner and decided to seek out some hot springs in the area.
We found one in nearby Idaho Springs - the guy at the desk was nice enough to let us look around. We went into one of the springs in this cave-like tunnel - as soon as I stepped inside I was soaked with water droplets in the air and too hot to stick around. I'd never been to one, but the general consensus was that the place was sub-par, so we decided to just park at the nearby campground and sleep in the car since it was too dark to try and set up the tent. I was in the driver's seat - that plus the cold made it the most uncomfortable night of sleep on the trip.
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