El Paso

Last night with Renee felt like we were back in France- good wine, chocolate fondue, great company- the only thing missing was the language and the snobby waiter. It was tough to say goodbye.

The drive from Phoenix to El Paso was pretty uneventful, except for maybe the tumbleweeds across the highway, the 10 miles of dairy farms that smelled like cow manure (really shouldn’t have left the top down today) and being in 3 states in 6 hours.
Nothing exciting to say about New Mexico except that I was there. In El Paso I met up Lyle and Carol, parents of my friend Cathy. I’d never met them before but without question they took me in, gave me a place to stay, showed me around El Paso, and took me out for Mexican cuisine. They’re full of life and adventure- we talked for quite awhile about my trips, past, present, and future, as well as their journeys outside of the states. I can’t thank them enough for bringing me into their home and taking such good care of me without knowing anything about me. So, now it’s bedtime, even if it’s only 9pm (really 8pm Phoenix time but whatever) and rest up for another epic day on the road.

"This is what we do everyday. We take our scattered thoughts and inconstant sensations and we bind them into something solid. The self invents itself"

It's my last night in Phoenix before I head off to El Paso, TX. Last night I had to pleasure of having dinner with Renee's parents- it was so wonderful to see them again. We went to a classy steakhouse that reminded us somehow of a cruise. The doors were open to the outside air, we drank champagne, and we got the man behind the piano to play "Red red wine", mine and Renee's song from France. After dinner we went to a great martini bar next to her house. Typically I go for beer but it was a nice change for the night. This afternoon I went on a run through a park close by- there were families everywhere, having picnics, playing soccer, fishing, and spending time together. I was impressed by the mass amounts of people out and about- it was refreshing to see that many families together enjoying each others company. At sunset, I sat on the porch and finished my book, "Proust was a Neuroscientist." I would recommend it to anyone. Here are my favorite quotes-

~“The mind is always ‘merging and flowing and creating’… change is it’s only constant.”

~“This is life as it’s lived… our epiphanies inseparable from our chores, our poetry intermingled with the prose of ordinary existence.”

~“Love defies all calculation. We are not ‘judicious’ in love; we do not select those whom we ‘ought to love,’ but those whom we cannot help loving.”

Free Fallin'

I WENT SKYDIVING!!!! so amazing! Renee and her brother Chris had both gone before so they were both excited to do it again. The place we went was almost had a summer camp feel to it- people were from all over, jumping about 5 times a day, hanging out in the sun between jumps- I think I could get real use to that.
The guy I jumped with was very cool- definitely made me feel as ease. I didn't really get nervous until we were at about 5 thousand feet. Jumping out of the plane was absolutely incredible! My stomach jumped and I lost my breath right away, but shortly after that I started to get into it.
I looked around, or at least tried to in the beginning, although there wasn't to much to see, just lots of flat ground. We spun around like crazy, then once the chute was pulled we swung back and forth. The sky was incredibly clear so we could see so far. The landing was smooth, but once I stood up I almost fell over because my legs were so shaky. Something I've always wanted to do and now I can say I've flown the air!

Phoenix

Before leaving SD I was able to lay on the beach with my feet in the sand staring up at the stars- amazing. Mike and I went to Balboa park and saw the Body Worlds exhibit. It was kinda creepy but great. The drive to Phoenix was pretty great- besides getting pulled over for a speeding ticket. Luckily he let me off with a warning.

Seeing Renee in Phoenix was absolutely great- I haven't seen her since we lived with each other in France. We definitely hit the ground running- today we went to Four Peaks brewery, then A Dodgers Cubs spring training game. The wind was insane but we had free food and beer so I didn't complain. From the game we went to the bars- eventful for sure. Long day, pretty exhausting, but tomorrow can only get better.

Drink it up, Cause that's the good stuff

I'm currently in San Diego and so far, I'm pretty sure this is my favorite place. It was cloudy my first day but after that it's been 75 and sunny, not a cloud in the sky. It's much more hilly than I thought it would be, so that's a definite plus for me. Yesterday I hung out with Mike and Matt for a bit at their place, which is literally 100 yards if that from the beach, went to Phil's (the most amazing BBQ place that exists) and drank good beer. Today Marc and I drove to Mount Soledad, which is the highest point in San Diego, and the view was incredible- pics don't do it justice. We drove through La Jolla which is also amazing, and I just got home from watching the twins play basketball. I'm currently sitting on the balcony, in a tank top (still warm out) and looking up at the stars. I will say, anywhere else I'm headed is going to have a very hard time beating the beauty and peacefulness of this place.

March Madness begins

My last day in SLO was awesome- I hiked Bishop's peak and was surrounded by jasmine all day. I left with the top down and drove the PCH to Santa Barbara. SB was pretty misty, but still amazing. I hung out with Leana and Z, drank beer (of course!), put my feet in the sand, went to a wine tasting, and began march madness. I had a blast with Zach, really my big brother who I haven't seen in almost 2 years.


The drive to San Diego was full of LA traffic and a lack of sunshine (since SLO the clouds have been following me) but I made it in time to watch Matt and Mike play baseball. I miss the game so much!!
So, with Matt, Mike, and Marc (brothers from AK) and 2 friends of theirs from Alaska, we went to a bar, watched the Gonzaga game, and drank alaskan amber- a very weird situation for me. Beerpong was next at their house (on the beach)- we always used to play at my house in AK so playing here was a blast. And I won.

St Patty's day in SLO

My last day in San Fran was great- drove into town, drank all day (but not a lot, no worries) at 21st amendment brewery, and met up with my friend Adrien from ATL. I really think by the time I get to the east coast I'm going to be quite the beer connoisseur. From San Jose I went to SLO, Cal Poly. On St. Patty's day they open the bars at 6am, so we (Steph, a few other AXOs and myself) got up at 4 to pre-game for the bars and went downtown just before 6am. It was ridiculous- we made green pancakes. there was an awesome band at the first bar, we drank green beer (that was actually pretty bad, but it was green!), made friends with many bartenders and doormen, and drank for 12 hours. We played beach volleyball, which I'm horrible at, and proceeded to get a sunburn (totally worth it!). It was one of the best drinking days I think I have ever had- none of us got very drunk but we saw a lot, hung out with some awesome people, and never felt hungover or tired. Impressive, I know. One thing to remember, when Steph and I get together, we're something to be reckoned with.

My new whip!

I bought a car! BMW convertible, very exciting. I got into San Jose Friday afternoon to see my brother, and by the end of the say I had this car. To celebrate we went out to a few bars that night with Katie, my bro's girlfriend. I won a few games of darts and lost several games of pool. Saturday we got out to San Fran early in the morning, watched part of the St. Patties day parade and proceeded to celebrate as best we could all afternoon.

Played lots of dice, met a lot of my brother's good friends, and drank in typical st. patties fashion. We had a great time, and my legs are killing me from all the hills we walked. More fun is to be had with my brother in san jose.

Sac-Town

10 hours on the road was interesting- sunflower seeds, redbull, MickyD's, and the Spice Girls can really make time fly. I will admit, I rocked out quite a bit- I'm sure a few fellow road trippers were amused by my dancing. A saw llamas by the side of the road- I wasn't aware they were native to central Oregon. This drive was much simpler than my last so I was quite happy about that. Once in Sacramento I found Lena and Massey, friends from Alaska, quite easily and they quickly helped me feel human again after 10 hours driving. We had an awesome dinner in, got to talk and catch up, and I slept a good 10 hours (I think I was so tired from all the car-dancing). Today, Thursday, has been awesome. Lena and I drove around Sacramento, and went to see the Tent City, where many homeless people live next to the railroad tracks. We didn't wander around too much, in fear of offending or upsetting anyone, but I got a few good pics. It was very humbling to see- people that 2 months ago had homes and normal lives, and now are sleeping on the ground under a tarp. Makes me wonder if that could happen to me, to my friends, or to my family. For dinner we went to Pyramid brewing company and drank great beer. It was just the top-off I needed to a great visit of rest and relaxation. My hosts were more than amazing and I can't thank them enough.

Stumptown

Getting from Seattle to Portland may not have been too far, but what an ordeal. Between almost losing my truck bed cover, snow and rain, 25 car/tanker army convoy, and a hangover, I was more than thankful when I pulled up to Jenn's apartment. My stay got better right away- a nap, shower, and out to Karaoke. Never have a sung before, so only after much persuasion and a few beers did I agree. "Down on the Corner" by CCR was a duet with Jenn, then "Life is a Highway" solo. Fitting. Next, Sunday was Rollerskating at SkateWorld for Jenn's birthday. Even after not touching skates for 15 years I didn't fall once, although turning around during the hokie pokie was tough. Monday we went to the Kennedy School, an old elementary school renovated into having hotel rooms, a soaking bath, movie theatre, and (my fav) many many bars. It was the coolest thing. All the different bars had different character, but my fav was detention.

Portland was great- easy to get around, walkable, eclectic, comfortable, and (besides the snow) pretty enjoyable to look at. Jenn and I got to catch up (mostly in French) after not seeing each other since we left France 2 years ago. It's surprising how everything comes back so quick- not only the language, but remembering things about each other that we hadn't thought about in years. I think the visit was very therapeutic for both of us. and HAPPY BIRTHDAY JENN!!!!

First stop- the coffee capitol

Seattle is beautiful- not in a clean kind of way, but in a crowded, colorful city way. The people are trendy, retro, emo looking and brighten the streets up for sure. The skyscrapers are plentiful but I didn’t feel like a tiny little person amongst a crowd. Pike place market is awesome- crazy colorful and interesting. The images of the neon signs of pike place against the gray city and blue water were beautiful. The Seattle Aquarium was wonderful-made friends with a few otters. When I left I walked by about 10 cops with a guy down on the ground- not sure if he was drunk, homeless, or running from something. As I walked by again, about 10 more cops, an ambulance, and a fire truck came over. Intense! Too bad I didn’t get a picture. Again on the way home with Stacy, Cory and Kesha, we were in the neighborhood where a car chase was going on. A bank robbery gone bad. Somehow we never saw the robber but maybe that’s ok.



I stayed with Stacy, a friend I've had since I was 3 years old, but also got to see Will (a friend from middle school) and Tristan (from High school).

Commencing countdown, engines on

So, my first day- shock more than anything else. Am I really doing this? No definite plans, no direction from anyone or anything else… At least I’m realizing I’m fine on my own- walking around town, eating, sight-seeing and looking like a tourist. At this point the only thing that scares me is trying to navigate around town. Where I live things are very straight forward, no complicated intersections or stops. Even here I’d have a hard time navigating. Will it only get harder? Will I figure it out and it’ll be easier? Only time will tell really. I’m excited for the new places, new feelings of each town- I’m nervous for sure (mostly about buying my car right now) but no matter how aggregating or hard it may be, it’ll happen and I’ll continue. It’s not like I’m on a deadline or have to be anywhere at any time- I’m free. Only 10 weeks on the road ahead of me.