No Jersey love on this visit

Have I ever expressed my general disdain for the area known as 'New Jersey?'

Pennsylvania shares a rather large eastern border with it, and some very fine people live and work in that part of PA. It's thoroughly baffling to me how much difference a river can make. I don't trust NJ because I can't trust any place that doesn't trust you enough to pump your own gas.

That being said, I was able to reconnect with my good friends and former roommates last night. And, surprisingly enough, they are the same people! We rescued the new mom from her domestic duties for a couple of hours and enjoyed a full dinner, and talked endlessly. I do feel a little bad, because I know I tend to talk... a lot... and I hope that I get to hear more about the new houses and the kids- either Erin's daughter or Ken's "one-night stand" treasures.

It's always good to see them, and as with everyone, it's hard not to be able to see them on a more regular basis. Sometimes it feels like the years have just disappeared. This was proven when Erin showed me a picture of her niece- she was just barely 7 or 8 the last time I'd even heard about her- and there she was, 15, and right then the last 8 years hit me like a sledgehammer. Inside I cried a little, it was one of those emotional/sentimental things I tend to suppress because I'm a guy, dammit, but for those of you in the know, in crossing over memories of the last eight years, some points in particular are extremely hard. I think about those times I was in grad school, or looking for a job, or in my euphemistic hell.

I survived. I won. I overcame. But life did not stop. And that's what grieves me the most. I lost, not my life, but being a part of my friends' and families' lives. Who knows, maybe it was a good thing for some of them. Life keeps moving on, though.

And finally, I got the Christmas present of which I've been asking from God for five years.

Enough of the sentimental crap.

And add another state to the total number set foot in since the start of the trip. Since starting, that makes it IL, MO, OK, TX, NM, AZ, CA, VA, MD, PA, and now DE... and there will be more to add. Rough estimation, that's about 3200 miles on the ground and 3000 miles in the air. If you want to get -REALLY- crazy and add from the time of my sister's wedding cruise, it would be something like 3500 miles on the ground, 1100 miles at sea, and 5400 miles in the air.

No, Brian, not one second of it has been "unnecessary travel." That comes later.

SFO, PHX, ORD, IAD... OMG

I changed the blog to allow anonymous commenting. Not that anyone reading would. But to sign up to a site just to make fun of me is kind of pointless, agreed?

So, one trip complete, I thought I'd take a long, relaxing break and travel again!

For reasons too lengthy to describe, I flew out Friday from San Francisco at 0400 PST, to Phoenix and changed flights. Left there at 0930 MST, and arrived at Chicago to catch a plane at 1700 CST to Dulles, where I arrived at 2000 EST and was escorted home by the Geezer Livery Service (thanks, Dad!)

So now I'm here in Maryland. And for those of you that know me well enough, you know that means my arrival in MD means I'm out the door as soon as I put my suitcase down. Saturday morning my parents and I hopped in the Family Roadster and went to Altoona for my Aunt Terry's graduation party.

Altoona is about three hours away, and it's where about half of my father's family lives. So the trip is familiar, but I haven't made it much lately. It's always nice to see the familiar sites along with the improvements- of which Altoona has and still needs many. Nevertheless, it's home of a sense, and comfortable and friendly.

Several of my family was there, a few of my cousins that I rarely get to see- not like I ever saw much of any of my cousins, but these guys I've watched grow up. Now they're in college, and they're super-cool cats. It's fun to hang around with them. We played Halo 2 on XBox live and reinforced that while I may be good enough at the game to kick HBill's ass on a regular, routine, and consistent basis because he sucks at it, I still have a long way to go. Denny spent most of the night sleeping and I think that it (this is for Adam and Jason) was because of the letdown following a roid rage kind of event. (Was the Steelers game a little too close for you boys?)

We went out to dinner and harassed another one of my cousins by going to the restaurant where she worked and forcing her to wait our table, then giving her grief the whole evening. I think, in the end, we made it worth her while.

Spent the rest of the evening talking with my parents and grandparents, of whom I do not see enough either. This is all a function of the fact that they now live 3,000 miles away, but it's neat all the same, and on occasion the stories that come out are ones really worth hearing. My grandfather informed me that they made the same trip down Route 66... back in the 40's! Missouri was just as easy on their car as it was on my truck, and they rolled into Texas with 10 cents to their name! (If YOU ever thought you had it bad...)

Oh well, it's cold up there in the Appalachians, and I slept in a nice, warm house in a high bed (about 4 feet off the floor) too long. I woke up just in time to get a small bite to eat and hop in the Roadster. We're celebrating my brother-in-law's birthday tonight, so we have to be back in Virginia for an 8:00 reservation.....

I promise, Ken and Erin, I will be up to see you soon!!

We're here! .. did the glasses make the trip?

Albany, CA

2393 miles into the trip, 38 hours total travel time (Trip 1 is complete)


The view from my new home.

I made it!!! Wow is California boring!

At least, I-5 is. I-5 exists, I believe, to allow snooty rich people from LA to drive, without much hassle, straight to Sacramento, really really fast, probably to argue about how much tax they don’t have to pay. Barstow to Bakersfield was an off-the-beaten path road, strange considering how the interstate system pretty much can get you anywhere. In order to get from Barstow to Bakersfield by interstate highways, you’d have to drive to Los Angeles. So you can understand why I wouldn’t do that.

Driving through the Mojave Desert, very near Death Valley. Having made the gradual transition across America, it’s hard to say that the desert looked much like a desert, as it was fairly green. Probably had something to do with time of year. I started seeing tumble weeds in Oklahoma, so they weren’t new. I started seeing cacti in Texas, in the ‘grasslands’, so they weren’t new either. The sun sure as hell wasn’t new. I hadn’t seen a cloud in the sky since the MO-OK border.

Coming over the next ridge of the Sierra Nevada, it was beautiful and green. And then… it stretched out as long as the eye could see. Fog. I was over it, and began driving down the side of the mountain into the gray crap.

I should mention here that California doesn't have mile marker/post signs along the interstates. So not only is it long and boring, but you can't even placate yourself with 'it's only 80 more miles... 79... 78...'

All I could see from that point on was within a half mile visibility, and all that existed within a half mile of the road were farms. Farms of every type. Mostly orange and lemons, but sometimes almonds and cherries, olives, dates, lettuce, strawberries, all sorts of produce. And, funny enough, the largest stockyard was along I-5 and not in Texas. I saw more cows crowded in this one pen area than in all of the free range areas I saw the rest of the way combined. And that, like I said, was within 1/2 mile of the road.

I called Brian during the trip to talk fantasy football, and it looks like we both are going to lose. Not a surprise, we’ve been losing all year. I finally managed to find football games on the radio, and listened to that the rest of the way. Boring, because the teams stunk. But it was better than figuring out how many state names are or are based from Indian tribes (20), how many feet over ground level the peak of the mountain I saw on Saturday was (about 7,500), and counting down the miles until I was 3 hours, 2 hours, and 1 hour away.

Once I made in to Oakland, the trip was much quicker than I expected. It might have to do something with the fact that a truck, with as much mass as the one I was driving, can as a result hold a lot of momentum (momentum = mass times velocity) and so it didn’t take much energy to keep it at about 70 the rest of the way. Jenny had a nice parking spot on the street waiting for me, I pulled in with no hassle and cooled down, turned on the boob tube and vegged until dinner.

I wanted to go to a restaurant that we really liked called the Black Diamond. It wasn’t far from where we used to live in Walnut Creek, and was about 20 minutes away by car. We made the trip, only to find out they were closed. For good. I was heartbroken, and I’m sure Jenny was too. It was a local microbrewery, and they had really good food. The sign said they had moved somewhere up the road, but I was too tired to find it. We settled on a barbeque place, and drove home.

This morning I started bringing up stuff from the truck, only to find the security staff watching the elevators. See, they have a policy about using the elevators to move in or something, and we were going to cheat and try to avoid as much of that hassle as possible. But it looks like we’ll have to wait until after Jenny gets home to start unloading in earnest. At least I had my priorities right and hooked up the surround sound, the Xbox, and Christmas tree. I need to bring up more stuff…

Dead Leg Valley

Barstow, CA

2010 miles into the trip, 31 hours 50 minutes total travel time

This isn’t a typo- I drove over fifteen hours today. More on that later.

The Big Texan was exactly what you’d expect from a Texas steak house- big, all wood, lots of tables set up in long rows, some grilling done on the floor, and of course, everything is big. As I walked in, they asked where I was from. I told them, and I broke some kind of streak they had going, because everyone else in the restaurant was from Texas. Go figure. Two waiters walked by and I overheard one say “I didn’t think the little guy could hold it down. Anyway, I had some rattlesnake (dry and tastes like chicken) before my steak.


That's a mighty big sign...

...and that's no bull.

I started to look around for “the little guy,” figuring somebody tried to down the 72 oz. steak. It turns out the kid was 18-19 max, 120 lbs soaking wet, and he… didn’t hold it down, but at least he made it to the bathroom. But the steak went for something like $50, and they naturally couldn’t afford it, so there was then a big brouhaha over payment. Some very generous folks chipped in some money. I got a picture by the giant bull in the parking lot.

I woke up very early today. It was still dark. I hoped I could get a fair amount of travel, so I gassed up and went. Short version- 960 miles, two time zones, four states, and one leg that couldn’t push the accelerator.

Nueva Mexico was much flatter than advertised, and outside of a giant hill near Albuquerque, it was grassland. There was noticeable smog around Albuquerque. … impending rant …

Whatever idiot designed the traffic patterns and refueling abilities of people driving through town on a major interstate should be forced to get gas at the gas station I went to everyday until they quit and run screaming from dementia. The only places to get gas without taking an in-town exit and navigating an unfamiliar city were on the outskirts. All exits were “exit only” and didn’t have gas anyway, except on the outskirts. So as a result the average passer-by only had two options to get gas- before town and after town. Since the average passer-by doesn’t realize they can’t get gas easily until through town, they wait until after town. Just like everyone else. The semi gas line was three deep for all pumps. In the car lanes, though, something else. People would park in front of a pump, and… not pump. They were out begging for gas money. I was hit up twice for cash, once while pumping gas, once while eating.

Arizona wasn’t much different. The first mountain I saw was the biggest mountain in Arizona, and I saw the snow-capped peak over 50 miles away. That was interesting. But like I said, not much going on if you’re not heading for a tourist attraction.

I made it out of Texas before sunrise, and out of Arizona just after sunset.

Now I had been driving so long, my leg was starting to twitch. I noticed that I couldn’t go over 55 mph on a flat stretch of road, then I realized my leg muscles (calf and quad) hurt like hell. I shifted my weight and realized I wasn’t going to make Bakersfield. So I pulled in to Barstow, ordered a pizza, and started planning the home stretch.

High Plains Grifter

Amarillo, TX

1042 miles into the trip, 16 hours 40 minutes total travel time

Moving south has given me benefits in the travel, most notably the large increase in daylight. I got an extra hour moving southwest. So here I am, rest in the western ghost town of Amarillo.


And for just $10, you too can see... oh wait...

Missouri was hilly most of the way, and that was hard on the truck. Gas mileage dropped. It was cloudy and dank the rest of the way as well. And I ran out of battery juice for the camera.

Oklahoma was everything I expected it to be and more. Flat, uninteresting, covered in OU and OSU propaganda, lots of beef cattle, and very friendly people. I was hesitant about taking the toll road, but it was much better than I anticipated. Number one, traffic was light. Number two, I only had to pay two tolls. Number three, the roads were good. Except through cities, but then, they aren't tollways through the city.

I couldn't help but notice, at least in Missouri, the number of Adult Superstores next to churches. It was this advertising war of guilt- adult store ads, then within a mile, a giant billboard saying "pornography kills kids/families/everyone". The punchline, of course, were the multiple billboards leaving MO and into OK that boldly asked "NEED A VASECTOMY REVERSAL?" Add to this that MO and OK have some of the highest divorce rates in the U.S. and... alot of unhappy, confused, frustrated Christians. That's rural America, I guess.

After passing Oklahoma City, I turned west. Boy did things get scary flat. There was 35 mph wind because there was nothing to stop the air. Anywhere. That's when I started seeing the ads for "The BIG TEXAN," which advertises a free 72 oz. steak. (in fine print: If eaten in 1 hr.) That makes it a 4 1/2 pound steak. I'm curious, even if just to see the place. But I was hoping for a good BBQ!... oh well. I'll try to take pictures.

It is Friday night, after all, and I have to see Texan nightlife :)

I don't know what you want to "Show Me..."

Rolla, MO

400 miles into the trip, 6 hours 20 minutes total travel time


The Regal waits while the traveller hits the road.

I can't honestly believe the amount of hesitation I felt before getting in the truck. I was scared. But. "Get in the damn truck!" I transferred my stuff into the truck, and tried to take a picture- only to find out I had no juice in the batteries. Figures :)

Onward! The first part of the trip took seemingly a very long time as it got dark almost immediately after the start, the first mental waypoint was Bloomington, IL. I breezed by and saw a traffic jam not unlike one in Chicago- at least 10 miles long, all lanes full, people being rude. I was fortunate that wasn't in my direction.

After that, Jenny called and that helped speed up the trip quite a bit. Before I knew it, I was past Springfield, and I was on to St. Louis. I could see the arch about 6 miles away, then -BLAM- I was past St. Louis in the suburbs.

I noticed Missouri liked to cut in the sides of mountains to put roads through the 'pristine' countryside. Granted, it's dark, but egads there's a lot of hills in eastern MO. Had to stop for gas, and did so in Eureka, MO. Yikes- I took a wrong turn.

Now. Imagine. I'm in a moving truck. I turn on the wrong street, then I'm in a residential neighborhood, in the dark, and there's big hills, then I don't know where to turn and nowhere to turn around, and... a big sign that says NO TRUCKS but still nowhere to turn around. The road is now a ledge, 1 1/2 lanes wide. Guard rail, dark drop to tree-impailing death. And if that isn't enough... a one lane bridge, and a sign that says- you guessed it- NO TRUCKS!!! Eventually, I turned left and Eureka!! found the gas stations and was all okay. The town is aptly named.

The hills grew in intensity, and the truck strained to handle them for some time. But eventually, I roll on into Rolla. It's a low key place, the motels line the road like a beach community. I think it was a stop along Route 66. In fact, I think I am following the spirit of old Route 66 nearly the entire way. Guess I should read The Grapes of Wrath again.

No internet access, so I'm writing this at night and will post... tomorrow night? Hold on a minute or so, I need to plan the route.

The logical end to the route is a town called Tucumcari, NM... but I'd like to stop somewhere with more than 1,000 people. So Amarillo it is.

The start of the trip... or not...

Crest Hill, IL

It figures that the keyboard would act up right when I decide to write a blog. See, the g, h, ‘, and backspace keys just conked out on my keyboard. So I‘m typing this in Word, and replacing number placeholders with the appropriate letters.

Hello and welcome to the start of my journey.

Right now I’m sitting in my apartment near Joliet, waiting for a call. I have one last piece of business to wrap up before I leave, and it’s important enough that I have to wait. So you can appreciate my current frustration. To add to that frustration, the business is two hours away in the opposite direction of the move.

I took my leftover food to the Salvation Army this morning. It’s quite a dilemma. I would like to give to charities, and I would like to give to the church, but I was short for time and didn’t realize just how much food I had. I took my freezer foods there, and it was scary just how little food they had. So it made me feel good, and hopefully someone will enjoy the food this year. I just wish I knew a little more about giving to charity. It’s not a position I’ve been in lately.

The apartment packed up quickly, and I thought it would. There are little things, though, that remain and remind me that I have to return. Odds and ends, small things, and that I need to clean the apartment well before vacating.

In the fervor of packing, I packed my digital camera. So there won’t be any pictures for the first couple of posts. Those of you that know me realize this is more disturbing than I would like; that camera has been a great way for me to capture life over the last three years. Fortunately, this should be the shortest part of the relocation, so you‘ll have to live with words for now.

Maybe by then I’ll have the g, h, ‘, and backspace keys back....