Arriving in Los Angeles

This entry is going to be postdated, so here it is:

8/22/09 8:37 AM

Now we can get on to the good stuff. Yesterday was our last day on the road. We left St. George with a hearty McDonald’s breakfast. There was still a lot of interesting formations to see, but the landscape was beginning to flatten out into a bare desert. We had a few too many close calls, as well. I almost sideswiped a guy who was in my blind spot; especially large given all the luggage I have in the back. About an hour later, a guy almost sideswiped me as I dodged a truck tire. We also stopped at a particularly scary rest area that Dad and I were both happy to leave behind us.

Rolling into LA, I learned quickly that driving here is going to take some learning. I think my apprehension was similar to what I would feel swimming with sharks. The GPS wrapped us around downtown a little, but with a little intuition we found the hotel. The first room they gave us was on the Penthouse floor, but we never got to see that room because there was already someone inside. They gave us another about halfway up the building, and fortunately that one was actually empty.

We headed on to the Dodger’s game, which fortunately required no freeways to reach. It was a very nice stadium, particularly for its age, and Dad and I were glad to find that they had very good hot dogs (or Super Dodger Dogs as they call them). About halfway through, Jess and David showed up. I hadn’t met David yet, so it was good to get to know someone else from the program. After the game they had Friday Night Fireworks, where they let all the fans come down into the outfield and watch the show from there. It was a fun little event.

I’m just about to move into my apartment. We’re packing out of a hotel for the last time in our long journey, but I’m excited to know that the journey for me is just beginning. I’ve got a lot to learn about this big city, and I’m ready for the lessons to begin.

Welcome to Zion

While Jess decided to head the whole 12 hour trip to L.A. from Grand Junction, Dad and I made plans to stop in St. George, Utah and visit Zion National Park. After a good breakfast at the Marriot and some Starbucks, we headed out. I was surprised with a call from Justin! The road ahead ended up being just as beautiful as the evening before. There were so many bluffs, gorges, canyons, and mesas all along the route! Dad and I stopped at every view point. There were probably ten in all.

I finished up No Country for Old Men. It made the movie make much more sense, and also included more detail that fleshed out some of the characters much more. I put in the Hobbit to listen to for the remainder of the trip, though I doubt I'll finish it.

When we hit I-15 in Utah, we saw so many control burns. It was like the mountains were all on fire! (Oh yeah, I guess they were). The interstate became much less steep there and much easier to drive on. We took the Zion National Park exit and headed to the small town of Springdale to park my car. We took Dad's into the park. All along the way the cliffs rose higher and the landscape became more and more impressive. The park itself was its own kind of wonder. The cliffs were very high and quite impressive to look on. The sun was setting, so we got to see some really amazing light and color play. On the way back out of the canyon, we saw so many animals, mostly deer (including bucks with huge racks) and turkeys. We stopped and took a quick two mile hike with what light we had left in the day. The trail ended at the Zion lodge, where we sat down for some dinner. It was a great finisher. At the end of the day, I was once again very ready to hit that hotel bed.

Today is our last leg. We'll be shooting across Nevada, through Las Vegas, and into California to catch the Dodgers-Cubs game tonight at 7:00! Hopefully we'll make it in time to drive around a little and get familiar with my part of the city. It all begins tomorrow!!!

Colorful Colorado

As Dad and I were about to leave Hoyt, Kansas, I got in contact with Jess, who was leaving from Ohio for LA the day after we left Virginia. She ended up only being an hour and a half ahead of us, so we decided to meet up at a rest area. On the way, we saw the beautiful Kansas plains, many fields of sunflowers, and a lot of other random sights. Dad started worrying about his oil level when his console was telling him that it was too high, but we eventually agreed that it was just the higher elevation causing the oil to expand.

When we met Jess, she had been driving for about 24 hours straight! I was duly impressed, but she was willing to go four more hours to Grand Junction, Colorado with us. Fortunately, other than Denver traffic and some scary trucks in the mountains, it was a delightful and very beautiful drive. I had finished The DaVinci Code, so I put in No Country for Old Men, which I have been amazed to see how faithfully the Coen brothers preserved it in their film version. We timed it out perfectly, as we pulled into the hotel right at sunset. We went to a neat restaurant for a dinner that was a bit too big for any of us. We went back to the hotel room and enjoyed an awesome night of sleep in big beds with LOTS of comfy pillows. It was welcome rest, probably for Jess in particular.

Today, we've got a short trip over to St. George, Utah, where we plan to visit Zion National Park, which we missed out on when we were vacationing here in the summer of 1999. The trip from there to LA isn't too bad, either. I just hope I can finish No Country and The Hobbit in those two trips!

I don't think we're in Kansas anymore...

Actually, Kansas is exactly where we are: Hoyt, Kansas. After another long day of driving, Dad and I got here just before midnight last night. Our relatively late start from St. Louis didn't help our arrival time, and neither did our extended stop in Kansas City. That's not to say it wasn't worth while. We stopped by the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum to explore a little history. Dad read the David McCullough biography and knew their was some interesting history surrounding our former president, and after our trip there, I agreed. He seemed to be a principled man, intelligent, and most of all, genuinely concerned about using his position to better America instead of just as a grab for power. He had some pretty great quotes and seemed to be pretty witty behind the podium.

Since we hadn't eaten lunch, we decided to get a genuine Kansas City steak dinner. We used the wonderful power of Blackberry to find a highly regarded restaurant. We settled on Jess & Jim's, a long standing family owned restaurant on the edge of town. It was certainly worth the trip out of our way! Dad and I both got a huge ribeye and an amazing (and also huge) twice baked potato. My stomach was hurting afterward, but in the good "I just ate a big dinner" way.

Our last leg of travel seemed pretty long. Most of it was after dark, which always makes travel a little more boring. However, as we neared our destination, we began to see lightning in the distance. Also, we came over a hill and saw a see of flashing red lights in the distance. It took us a long time to get to them, and all the while I wondered what they might be from. Even as I was in the midst of them, I was still at a loss as to what they were from. Then the lightning flashed, and it was at once a beautiful and yet haunting sight, kind of in that way that nightmares come in mysterious flashes. Against the flashing lights of the sky, I saw the silhouettes of hundreds of wind turbines spinning in the stormy night. It was certainly one of the most amazing sights I have ever seen. I think it will stick in my memory for years to come.

Meet Me in St. Louis

After a long morning of vehicular repair and maintenance, Dad and I finally got on the road. We went down I-40 through Nashville, then north up toward St. Louis. Originally we were going to stop by my grandparents' house in Vandalia, Illinois, but they were in Chattanooga, so we went on the extra hour to St. Louis. Apart from on and off rain and hail storms, relatively rough road conditions, and a late night close call with a coyote, it wasn't a bad drive. The worst part was getting in at 2 a.m. to our hotel after about 10 hours of travel. However, we made it all right with the help of McDonald's coffee (though I swear mine must have been decaf.)

This morning we went to the Mini Cooper Service Center here in St. Louis to get my brakes fixed. We're just waiting around now until that gets taken care of. We may go by the arch museum or Harry Truman's home.

Tonight, we were going to go to Kansas City, but we may go on to Salina, KS to take a bit off the drive tomorrow. We bought Dodger's tickets for Friday night, so now we've got a deadline. It should be easy so long as we don't have any more trouble...

(101) Days of Summer

I figured I'd be on the road by now, but since I'm not, I might as well update my blog.

We brought Dad's new car in to have them look at the faulty A/C system. Fortunately, it was only a problem with the freon charge. We decided to get the Mini looked at while we were stalled anyway. It needed an oil change before the trip and some silicone to pin down that annoying piece of trim that keeps flapping and hitting the top of the car. The mechanic discovered I needed new brake pads all around and new front rotors. I guess that explains the "Check Brakes" light that's been on the past few weeks. They're about done with both cars, but I'll have to go without fresh brakes for a while. I may stop in one of the dealerships in the towns we're staying at, or I might just have a new friend drive me to a dealership in L.A. I guess we'll just play it by ear.... or I guess by total brake failure. Nothing I'm not used to.

My semester's belongings are in a heap at the base of the stairs. I can't believe I can fit it all in the Mini Cooper! Normally I have two van-loads. It kinda feels good, though, this whole living light thing. Maybe I'd have been better off if my college were too far away for multiple trips.

I'm just biding my time now, listening to the (500) Days of Summer soundtrack and that really awesome Coheed cover of "Under the Milky Way". I really hope they record that; it's beautiful! I'm looking forward to getting on the road. I've got five books on tape, plus the entirety of my iPod. I can't decide which I should start with: Wicked, No Country for Old Men, or The DaVinci Code (yeah, i didn't read it when it was big. I wanted to evade the hype.) That (500) Days soundtrack has me thinking I should definitely pick up a Regina Spektor album on the way, as well.

I guess that does it for the posts from home. My next should be from somewhere between here and LA, provided my hotels have free internet.

T-minus Seven Days

Work is finally done. Friday was my last day on the roof, so this week is entirely devoted to preparing for my journey to L.A. I went to Milligan this morning and wrapped up the last bits of paperwork necessary for the semester on their end. The were installing a big buffalo statue, which surely spells certain doom for that poor thing. Buffalos don't last long at Milligan.

I still have yet to do any packing. Over the next couple days I'll probably just straighten up my room and other things around the house. I have washed my car (well, the outside, at least), but she still needs a trip to the shop. I hope we get that done in time. Dad and I are going to Banner Elk to pick up the new car he bought on eBay. It's a pretty slick Mercedes 500 SL. He figured the convertible hard-top made it the perfect California car, so he and I will be forming a two-man caravan cross country.

It's funny: up until today, I was really bummed about not being at Milligan for my final fall semester. Thinking about past falls made me miss the fun and adventure I had in them. However, being on campus today, the thought of being there again almost turned stale for me. There were a few things I still missed: the familiar smell of Derthick Hall and the prospect of warm evenings on the longboard. But as for the rest, it seemed to much like I was trying to recreate my past, which is always a disappointing endeavor: it's never as good the second (or third) time around. The real adventure lies ahead, 2300 miles west of here and everywhere in between. The journey begins in one week.