Employed!

Y'all will be happy to know that I've now found a job. Weeks of searching out here in the Seattle area, and where am I going now? To work for Con Edison, New York City's gas, steam and electric utility. That's right, I drove my ass all the way out here, and I'm heading right back.

Unfortunately, since it is the dead of winter, I will not be driving back out there, and will be leaving my car out here. But come summertime, you might see me taking another trip, so stay in touch and until then, you can always check out my pics! Thanks again to all of y'all that put up with me on my trip, I had lots of fun, and I hope y'all did too!

Numbers

Since some of you have been asking, here are some interesting numbers regarding my trip:

• Days spent on the trip: 33
• Approximate miles driven: 7770
• Oil Changes: 2
• Breakdowns: 0
• Money spent on gas: Unknown - Far too much
• Speeding tickets: 0 (I know!)
• Nights at a motel: 3 (all in New Mexico)
• Cities visited: 12

Second of all, I still have no job yet--I've spent a bit of time just relaxing with the folks, and catching up with old friends; So, I'm only starting my search now, but will update once I have a job/location, to move to, and thus continue my road trip extravaganza. And lastly, since most of y'all back East have never met any of my high school friends, here are some pics of us at the Seahawks/Texans game this last Sunday. Good times!

Homecoming - LA to San Fran to home in 2 days

I'm home now! I got back late on Thursday night after about 12 hours of driving. Coupled with my drive from LA to San Fran on Wednesday that took roughly the same amount of time, I was exhausted and took some time to relax with the folks, so I haven't really had a chance to post until now; here's what happened:

I left LA pretty early on Wednesday, and picked up the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) after Santa Barbara. I then stopped at Hearst Castle for a tour. Hearst was just some dude with lots of money, both earned and inherited, and built a huge 'ranch' on the coast to play with his celebrity friends and mistress. The castle was incredible. From the grounds, to the pools, to the rooms inside and the building itself, this dude knew how to live in luxury. Must be nice to have gobs of cash.

After leaving Hearst Castle, I drove along the coast up to Monterey. I had been looking forward to this the entire trip, and let me tell you, the sights were astonishing. The highway winded through lots of hills along the rocky coastline, so the going was a bit slow. There were lots of viewpoints along the way, and I made sure to stop and take it all in. The drive was great...just cruising along in the mountains, windows open, 70 degrees, sunny, and a nice cool breeze coming off the ocean. I couldn't have asked for anything more.

After winding my way up the PCH, I got to San Fran Wednesday night around 7 PM last night, and stayed with another fraternity brother, Andy Berkheimer, who just moved out there from Boston a little over a month ago. We hung out a bit and grabbed some good food at a trendy pan-asian place, but other than that we just crashed. I didn't do any sightseeing there, as I've been there a few times, and seeing the home stretch, I just wanted to make it back to Kent, WA in time for dinner

Then, after a month of great weather and no car breakdown, something happened on my very last day driving - my driver-side window got dislodge from its track and wouldn't go up all the way. Just my luck. But I plugged onward, figuring I'll just drive straight home. I drove all day, stopping only for gas--yes, there were things I wanted to see, but most of them I've seen before, and given they're a one day drive from home, I could always come back. I even ate while driving, trying to finish off my crackers and peanut butter in my cooler. And after driving through the mountains in northern CA and Oregon all day, I finally hit Portland...and it started raining. With my window down, the last few hours of driving were a bit wet and miserable, but I made it! Mom and Dad were waiting with dinner at the ready, and I was sure to fill up on some good eatin.

And that's pretty much it. I haven't seen my friends yet, and I'm going to start looking for a job now. SO: I'll update with my job search, and with pics of me partying with friends. Once I figure out where I'm going to end up living, I'll have to make another road trip--this time to get my stuff from North Attleboro to my final destination. Since there's more to my travels, stay tuned, and check out the pics of Hearst Castle and the PCH, both below and in the Photo Album. And, I want to thank everyone for supporting me, from those I crashed with to those well-wishers I left behind--you've all been great!

Hearst Castle

Pacific Coast Highway

Southern Cali - San Diego and Los Angeles

Before I get into my latest travels, just an FYI--I changed my Photo Album a bit to make it a bit more navigable. I also put the links in my city list, and cleaned it up a bit. So, without further ado...

The drive from Phoenix was a bit long and...well, dry. There was nothing but desert in-between. So, the first thing I did when I got to San Diego was drive straight toward the beach--there were even signs on the freeway that said "To Beaches". Sweet! It felt great dipping my feet into the Pacific again, and since it was a warm sunny afternoon, I sat on the beach and napped a bit...ah, the life of the unemployed man.

I then met up with my friend Rebecca, who went to church with me back out in Boston. She's an English teacher here now (it seems like every other friend I have is a teacher of sorts), and we had dinner in the Old Town area of San Diego. It was cool to catch up with her, as she was really helpful to me in figuring out my spirituality. A few years ago, I never would've figured me for being religious at all--not that I'm all that pure, but hey, we all should try.

Today I took a stroll in Balboa Park. It's a gorgeous area with well-maintained gardens and fountains, and some great spanish-style architecture (not sure if that's the right term). Then I spent the next 4 hours at the San Diego Zoo--I saw lions, and tigers, and bears (oh my!). I also saw the polar bears, panda bears, koala bears, giraffes...well, you get the idea. Pics down below and in the album, of course. Overall I liked San Diego--there was a very laid-back atmosphere among the people, and just life. I think I would be a beach bum if I moved here though, so we'll scratch it off the list.

 After lunch I headed up to Los Angeles while listening to the Red Sox take a beating. I drove along Sunset Boulevard and Mulholland Drive. Now, I was never a big fan of LA before, and after tooling around town for a couple of hours, my opinion is unchaged--LA sucks. There's nothing really cool to see here, except for the celebs. And I care more about seeing my ass in a mirror than I do about seeing celebs. In fact, the only reason I wanted to stay here was to visit my friends Thad and Gargi from college, who I hadn't seen in years and are now married. It was great to catch up with them and reminisce about the good 'ole days. In fact, the best parts of my trip have all been about seeing all my old friends again. That and the random hookup, of course. :)

I've been on the road for a month now, and I'm starting to get antsy to get home. So for the final stretch, I'm going up to San Fran tomorrow, and then straight home from there. I'm electing to pass on wine country--with gas prices as they are, my wallet's been taking a beating anyways. And, I'm starting to miss the feeling of having a home. I'll update with San Fran tomorrow or Thursday morn, then I should be home! Until then, take a look at the pics of animals from the San Diego Zoo below and in my Photo Album!

Arizona - Painted Desert, Grand Canyon, and Mario P. Gonzalez (YES!)

I've done a lot over the weekend, so this may be a bit long...After leaving New Mexico early on Friday morning, I stopped by the Petrified Forest National Park across the border in Arizona. I wasn't too impressed with the Petrified Forest (just a bunch of broken-up petrified logs). I was, however, impressed with the northern part of the Park, which was a scenic drive by the Painted Desert.

And I thought New Mexico was breathtaking.

I was stunned by some of the vistas I came upon, which sent shivers down my spine and had me yelling obscenities at their sight (which the elderly tourists around me didn't appreciate). Every time I stopped, I was amazed more and more, even though the stops could be a half-mile apart. Just freakin incredible.

I then swung over to the Grand Canyon. And again, my jaw dropped at the immensity of the scenery. Seeing these places undisturbed by mankind really makes you appreciate the beauty of the natural world. It's something you don't get back East, and let me tell y'all, you're missing out. As with New Mexico, the pics below and in the Album don't do the views justice. I highly recommend that everyone get out here sometime in their lifetime and spend a few days touring the numerous parks around here. Trust me, you will not regret it.

That evening, I drove down to Phoenix, where I stayed with an old fraternity brother, Mario P. Gonzalez (YES!). He works for Honeywell doing mathematical modeling on Aerospace-related stuff--I told him he should tell people he does government contract work that will help send people to Mars (which might or might not be a lie, but is definitely a better pick-up line). We watched the Sox beat the Yanks at happy hour, and over the weekend we went to the ASU/USC game (where I got him pretty hammered before the game), drinking with his friends at a huge bar/club called Sugar Daddy's, to a Beer/Jazz festival in Scottsdale, and then out to dinner for some good Southwestern food. Good nightlife times, although I couldn't get Mario hooked up with a girl like I promised.

I had lots of fun in Phoenix--there was an active nightlife, food was good, lots of places to go and things to do, and just like Austin, girls in skimpy clothes and fake breasts. My only beef with the area is that it's hot. Real hot. 100 degrees-is-normal hot. Apparently they break out the parkas around here at their 50-degree winters. But no place is perfect. I think I'd actually move down here if the job was right (yet another place for me to look for a job). But until then, it's off to San Diego to visit my friend Rebecca, so check out some of these pics of the Painted Desert and the Grand Canyon below and in my Photo Album, and wish me luck on the last legs of my trip!

Scenic New Mexico

I always thought New Mexico was full of sand and rocks, and not much else. I didn't expect much out of this part of the trip, but I was floored by some of the natural wonders I saw. The pictures I've taken do absolutely no justice whatsoever to the beauty and magnificence of the vast landscapes. I highly recommend taking a week's vacation sometime and coming down here to drive around to see all the sights--I wish I could spend more time (and money) here!

After leaving Austin on Tuesday, I headed west and cut across Texas. Let me tell ya, there is *nothing* in West Texas--vast plains, no mountains, abandoned oil pumps. I turned north at Ft. Stockton and headed to Carlsbad, where I stayed and saw the Carlsbad Caverns the next morning. The caverns were awesome--I only toured the 'Big Room', but if I had the time I would've taken one of the 3-hour guided tours to one of the closed-off caverns. Pictures below and more in my Album, but again, the pictures don't do them justice.

Then I visited White Sands National Monument near Alamagordo. It was stunning. It's a park with dunes as far as the eye can see of white sand. The sands are from the gypsum layers in the surrounding mountains, and thousands of years of rain and crystal formation created this white desert. I started to hike the 4.5 mile trail to the Alkali Salt Flats which I really wanted to see, but it started to get dark, and being alone and lost in the middle of the desert was not what I wanted to experience on this trip (maybe next time), so I headed back.

I also met and got to know a fellow wanderer out here. Carol (pictured right) flew in from DC to Tuscon, rented a car, and was touring the Southwest for a couple of weeks. She was doing this on her own, so we had a bit in common and swapped stories of all our travels. We took a sunset tour of the dunes, got to know each other over dinner, and even headed West together the next day and saw some lava flows on the way to Socorro, where we parted ways to continue our trips. It was really cool to meet someone who could appreciate the beauty of the sights, sounds, and smells of just being out in the open, surrounded by mountains, and under a big blue sky. That she travelled out here from DC just to see and experience it all gave her lots of points in my book...that and being attractive :)

The drive through New Mexico was worth it. I saw mountains backdropped by a blue sky, a lightening storm in the New Mexico plains, immense caverns, a unique desert, and met a cool gal. Couldn't ask for anything more given I expected almost nothing. But that's all for New Mexico, I'm off to Arizona to see the Grand Canyon and other stuff, and hopefully I'll be in Phoenix by Friday night. Until then, here are some pics from Carlsbad Caverns, and again, you can find more in my Photo Album.

Austin

My visit in Austin has been filled with great food and lots of fun! It's a beautiful (but relatively spread out) city nestled in hills surrounding the Colorado river, with lots of surrounding trees, parks, and nature preserves. Not quite the brown and arid image I had of the place. Of course, I chose the worst weekend to come--with Houston refugees here, as well as the Austin City Limits music fest (where 150+ groups play over 3 days, drawing hundreds of thousands), traffic was a nightmare. And damn it was hot!! It broke 100 degrees for three days straight while I was here--and not a single drop of rain from Rita!

I stayed with Mike Mills and Matt Powell, fraternity brothers from MIT. Because of the huge letdown of the non-hurricane, Mike decided to throw a Hurricane Party at his place, with hurricane cocktails and all--ah the tasteless humor of it. I'm glad some people never change. We also sat around on Sunday watching all the games, which made me realize how much I miss watching football. I also got to visit my friend Liz while I was down here, who was one of my best friends in school--congrats to her on just getting married!

While I was here, I took advantage of some of the best BBQ in the land. Portions here are definitely big--they're not kidding about everything being bigger down here. And the Tex-Mex is awesome--between the beef ribs at the County Line, baby backs at Artz Rib House, enchiladas at Guero's, the carne asada at Fonda San Miguel, this has been by and far some of the best food I've had on this trip.

What I loved about Austin is that it's comprised mostly of young people (think Boston) and they sure know how to have fun down here. On Friday and Saturday nights, 4th and 6th streets are jam packed with people; these streets are just lined with bar after bar after bar--they even shut down traffic on 6th street every weekend to handle the pedestrian traffic. Even Sunday night was fun--I went to an 80's night at a punk-rock bar (Emily Simmons you would've loved it!) And let me comment about the women--everything I heard about them was all true. Friendly, outgoing...and fake breasts. Lots of 'em. If Rita did flood this place, there would be life preservers everywhere. And with hot weather, little clothing was to be seen...I think I've found my new favorite city :)

So, that's all for Austin. Unfortunately, because of the hurricane, my plans got screwed and I won't be able to visit my friend Pitt in Houston, so it's westward bound for me--I'll be wandering through New Mexico and Arizona for the next few days, but I'll update once I get to Phoenix!