Posts From Home.

Well, as most of you know, Adam Aaron and I are home. There's a tremendous amount for us to update you all on, and while we won't be doing it from the road, I'll try my best not to leave out anything I find worthy. I just wanted to let you all know that we will be continuing in the updates, but for now, there are people that I miss and things I need to do. I love home, maybe a little less than I love the road more, but they're probably equal. I like to think so anyway.
Till then, I got Colorado rocks on my desk, a glass bottle of coke from Atlanta next to my computer, and a million stories in my mind.
From home,

Andrew

What the hell are we doing in Texas?

Other than melting I mean. The South West is a billion degrees.
Time for another quick run through of what we've done and I'll try not to leave out the good parts.
The second day we were in Irvine we went to a house party that was full of drama. Aaron, Adam, and I avoided it, enjoyed the night the best we could while people yelled at each other and at least one person got smacked in the face. Awesome.
The next day we went to Hollywood, Venice Beach, and then Long Beach for the night. I fell in love, we drank too much, invented the words Friggie Back Rides, Trippie Back Rides, and I lounged in a bush. Then we went to Oliver and Brittany's place for dancing and wine and it was awesome.
The next day we went to the San Diego zoo. I want to eat a zebra. Yes, I know I'm not very good at not eating meat if that's the case. We then went to San Diego for some awesome Italian food at a place I can't remember the name of. I head some awesome eggplant Parmesan. It was nice to but full. We headed back to Long Beach and watched the Hangover. The next day we were going to Vegas, it seemed fitting.
But Vegas turned out to be mostly dead. We all left losers and we didn't really sin with the best of them. I realize now we did it all wrong. We aren't millionaires, we should've gotten drunk and went to a club, we would've saved money that way. Instead all I have are a bunch of cars with naked ladies and their numbers on them. it bust be weird to be a thirty-five dollar special though.
The next day we drove to the north rim of the Grand Canyon. I got a speeding ticket on the way, go out of state plates. The Grand Canyon is beyond words though. I would explain, but go, see it. Drink in the width with your eyes and if you have words enough to explain it than you are far better with words than I. I will say only this though, the colors are beyond what I would have imagined from rocks. We live in kaleidoscopes from time to time.
After that we drove to Flagstaff Arizona and slept at a Walmart parking lot. No place like home. In the morning I would be given a magazine called awake. Never trusted a pretty blond woman with blue eyes in a Walmart parking lot at ten am. They're only going to give you Christian propaganda.
We went to Slide Rock in Sedona. We jumped off rocks into water for the second time this trip, it felt good and right and I was happy to do it again. I'm no long afraid to do flips off of twenty or so high jumps. In face I prefer it. It feels awesome.
After that we went to my cousin Jake's place in Tempe. It had been in the neighborhood of thirteen years since we'd seen each other. It was good to catch up. We had BBQ for the fourth of July and he took us for a ride in his M3 and I think I finally understand the appeal of Techno music, though I still don't like it usually. He, his roommate Cody, and his other roommate John were more than nice to us. His house is ludicrous as well, it has two projection screens and that just doesn't make sense to me. We watched into the Blue and fireworks from his rooftop. I was tired and went to sleep early, but Adam has a story to tell if he ever feels like it. I'll leave that to him.
The next day, after breakfast, we went to Salt River rafting with Cody. I was upset that Jake didn't come but such is his prerogative (did I really just use that word? What kind of asshole am I?). it was a good time, we floated down river and drank a couple of beers and we were all brown by the end of it. A man yelled at me that a rag is not a hat, and he thought I was Arab. I told him it was my shirt. People are miracles.
After that we went to a guys place who I've forgotten the name of. It was swanky as hell, but I don't care too much for that sort of stuff. I can see how it's appealing though, I don't know. I'm of a million minds on everything, I don't think that'll ever change.
We left for a dead bar and then I ate at a In n Out for the first time in my life. Awesome.
Following Tempe we drove to Roswell. Roswell is all about it's aliens, as well it should be. We checked out the museum for UFOs and then we went to what we thought would be an alien themed cafe called Out Of This World. The world Heavenly was underneath it though, and there's something about Christianity that doesn't make sense to me in Roswell.
After Roswell we went to Carlsbad to go to the Carlsbad caverns. We walked through it and caves are amazing. I tried to take photographs without flash and that didn't go so hot. We watched the bats spill out of the cave and chaos never seemed more orderly. All those bodies moving in the same motion and you would expect to hear the noise of wings but it's silent. It's quiet like church mice.
After Carlsbad we headed for Austin. We slept again in a Walmart parking lot. In the morning we got an oil change and headed on to Austin. We went into a movie theater to see Transformers 2, which sucked, and then snuck into Public Enemy, which also sucked. But we spent three fifty per movie, and that's awesome. Afterwards we went to Ruby's BBQ where they had okay jambalaya and played Jawbreaker. It was awesome.
After that we went to Sixth street. We had a beer each. Then we left. Austin would be fun but I think we were all just out of it.
And then yesterday we went to Dallas. It was hot. On the way we took a shower for the first time since Tempe. I was glad to be clean. In Dallas we went to a sculpture park and Aaron decided that he would leave in New Orleans. I'm sad to know he'll be leaving, but it's his decision. It just means that we really need to pack the week before he leaves full of awesome. After the sculpture park we went to a place called Jake's. Not my cousin's. It was full of pretty girls, just like the rest of the South West. We had three dollar Margaritas, then we went and played pool for the rest of the night. We had cheap Mexican food and afterward we left towards Oklahoma City. I pulled the car off at a picnic area and we spent the morning there. It was nice and shaded and what I wanted. Then we left and here we are in a Starbucks somewhere between Dallas and Oklahoma city and I miss every a lot and I can't wait to be home, but I also never want this trip to end.
And that's what's happened so far. I think i got most everything, but I'm hyped up on caffeine and antsy and ready for another great adventure today.
Take car everyone.
With love from the road.
Signed,

Andrew

Happy Fifth of July Everyone!

Yeah, maybe missed that update by one day. It happens.
So, Adam had intended to let you know what we were doing when we were in California, while we were there. Instead we got sucked into situation and activity after situation and activity. California is a busy place.
We never made it to the Monterey Aquarium like we had intended. We couldn't get a hold of our friend back home Busher for the potential hook up there, and we also had to be at a party for Adam's childhood friend that started in as much time it would take to get there. So we decided against it. I'm okay with the decision, we'd later get to go to the San Diego zoo.
We made it to the party a bit after it had started. They were playing a game called Sloshball, which to condense, is drinking kickball with a waterslide. You drink, you kick, you run, you drink, you run, you slide. Water balloons and kegs included.
AFter the game of Sloshball and an eventless run in with the cops, we headed back to Pat and Megan's place, two of Adam's three childhood best friends. We hung out there for a long while, talked with the two of them, Jodi, their mother, Brittany, the third of three childhood best friends, Oliver, Brittany's boyfriend, and I believe Gorin (though I have absolutely no clue how the hell you would spell that).
Afterward Brittany, Oliver, Adam, Aaron and I went to get Megan a birthday cake. She wouldn't remember it, but it was fucking delicious.
We got to the bar the party had moved to, a place called the Dubliner. We would drink a bit and celebrate Megan's birthday, and I would wind up stuck to the face of a cute girl at the bar. Her name was Ida, it was perfectly innocent (probably TMI, huh mom?).
We headed home after that and I slept like a log.
The next day Megan and Brittany would take us to a pool. We sat around a hot pool in the hot California sun and got hot sun burns while surrounded by lots of hot girls.
But now I'm being called to go to dinner. So I'll try to do this a bit quicker.
After the pool we hung out at Megan and Pat's, then later went to a party full of drama. The kind of drama we weren't involved in at all, so it was almost comical.
The following day we went to Hollywood. We saw the stars and went for a walk, and did you know that Marilyn Monroe had just the tiniest feet?
We then went to Venice beach and I think I fell in love with it. If all goes wrong and I become a bum I at least know where I'm going.
And I'll tell more later. Dinner time.
Love from the road.
Signed,

Andrew

Aaron does not like I Love College

It's been awhile since I have had anything to say... Too much has been actually going on for be to sit still and write on the blog. This morning, I have a moment so I will give you a quick glance at last night.
Yesterday we woke up in a Wal-Mart parking lot in Gilroy, CA. We drove straight through to Irvine, CA. This is where I grew up. We were meeting up with my three bestfriends from back then, I hadn't seen them or even really talked to them in over 11 years. I had no idea what to expect or what they expected from me. Needless to say I was a bit nervous/apprehensive about the whole situation.

Andddd now we're going to a pool party, where Eric has a pool, a jacuzzi, and a mini golf course in his back yard. "Welcome to Cali Guys."

Too much fun, The stories will all come later.

Much Love, (from my hometown),

Adam

So A Week Is A Long Time

To not update what we've done, especially when the last thing I wrote about was Yellowstone. So, in favor of keeping most of you up to date with what's happening on this trip, I'll call this the abridged version.
We left Yellowstone for Jackson's Hole. We hit a bar, slept in the car. We met a very pretty waitress.
We left Jackson's Hole after seeing a female moose in a river. We made it to some hot springs outside of Salmon Idaho. We hiked for two miles but the view was worth it, and so were the hot springs. The earth is a strange place and I'm in love with it.
We got food at a brew pub and then made our way to Wagonhammer campgrounds. We met the owners, Abner and Shirley.
We left there and headed for Glacier National park. We stayed with Aaron's friend Nick at his place. We would spend two days there, hike to a beautiful lake, go to a riotous club, and I'm told get fucked with by the natives. I might not have been completely there for that.
We left Glacier and headed to Seattle. We stayed with Mark Reppi. If you live in the Seattle area and want an awesome friend, I suggest you find him before he disappears to Wenatchee, however that's spelt. We saw naked bike riders, ate massive burritos, went to two dead bars, danced in a graveyard, got tattoos, and watched Blindness.
We left for Vancouver after that and stayed with Adam's friend Alex. We had home made dinner, went to a bar where I was hit on by a crazy dancing girl and a mother. Then we barbecued the next day and drove to Portland. We had a blowout on the way. It was awesome but completely normal.
Portland we stayed with Adam's friends Alex's family. His brother Simon showed us around and showed us a good time. We had awesome indian food and went to a massive bookstore. We then saw Cursive that night before driving out to the Oregon Coastline.
We Drove to Crater lakes, saw it, and then kept going. We stopped for mexican food at a tiny place with a cute waitress, and why are there so many of them inthe world?, and continued on to Lake Tahoe to stay with our friend from high school Alex (and I'm not gonna try to spell his last name, I think it's Glazier. Okay so I did try. Damn.)
We spent two nights in Tahoe, and during the day we were there we swam in three lakes, and Alex and I jumped off of around sixty or seventy foot cliffs into water. Aaron and Adam did forty footers or so.
And then yesterday we were in San Francisco. I didn't like it till we got away from the piers, we met a couple named Shane and Amy. They proceeded to treat us for the rest of the night and tell us about Shane's roadtrip.
And now I'm in a starbucks rushing this before we go to an aquarium and then to a party for one of Adam's childhood friends.
Till I have more time, take care. The road is home.
Signed,

Andrew

There's No Way We'll Ever Update This Enough

...but here's to trying.
Today is day twenty-one. I'm sitting in a nice house in Seattle with a stomach full of raisin english muffin and coffee. Aaron and Mark are awake in the kitchen, I think Adam is still asleep downstairs.
So, In the last update, I got everyone caught up to Yellowstone. We spent the entirety of the next day exploring the park. We talked to a man named Gordon and another named Eugene Tennessee. Gordon told us about a place called Interstate Roadhouse in Tennessee, and Eugene told us what to do around the park. He had been to Danbury before, said he was a bread deliverer for a couple of years when he was a younger man. He suggested we take two days to see the park. We would do it in one.
We went to a mud pit called Dragon's Mouth or something of the sort, and it was more than adequately named. There were three buffalo on and around the path. We wound up getting as close as five feet away, and there was nothing more than a wooden fence between us. It was awesome and I was ready to run the entire time. I would like to ride a buffalo though, no one fucks with a man on a buffalo I bet.
We made our way through the sulfur steam and around the wooden path. There were tons of people, but that's what's going to happen when you're at a national park. Yogi was right, no one goes there anymore because of the crowd. I didn't realize I was so much a misanthrope, I suppose I always expected though.
After that, we headed to a museum in the park. It talked about how it was formed, about the processes that happen underground to form geysers, mud pits, hot springs, and steam vents. We're all nerds for that stuff, and I would tell you, but you'd be better off with google. Turns out though that Yellowstone is a hot volcano. As in, it could literally go off at any moment. Hell yes.
After that, we made our way to the trail head for Mt. Washburn. It was an eighty minute hike through a cloud that was raining. Also, snow. Everywhere. And we walked on it. Snow in June doesn't even seem odd to me anymore, and that's a thought that kinda terrifies me. Aaron had a water proof jacket, Adam and I were in hoodies. Adam had boots. Aaron and I wore shoes. I'm not going to say we were wet by the end. We were swimming. The top of the mountain was thick with fog, we could see at the most fifteen feet in front of us. That's fine though, I don't expect every view to be breathtaking. That wouldn't be real. There was a couple at the top, they were tall and we'd see them again later.
We left for the bottom, and I can imagine my parents holding their breath while we went some passes that were less than safe. It's okay though, life is more interesting when you might die. Speaking of which, we saw a bear soon after that.
We headed towards food after that. We ate at Roosevelt's, some kitschy feeling lodge with waitresses all in denim. The rustic look was sold more than felt, and it bothered me, but I was hungry. We spent the time people watching and I could smell a pipe wafting through the front door. There was a family all dressed in Red and Black striped shirts. It reminded me of camp. I remember everyone from Little Thinkers wearing the same colored shirts at water parks and amusement parks. It made sense, but damn if it's not creepy.
We went towards a waterfall following that. We left the beaten path in hopes of a better view, but it wound up ending rather abruptly in a washout. We hung around and tried to keep moving, but it wasn't to any avail. I don't know why they shut off the trail though, seems like most people would see that it was more or less impassable and would turn around. But then, perhaps 'm giving people the benefit of the doubt when they don't deserve it. I've yet to encounter a time on this trip that wouldn't support that though.
After that we made our way around the park and to Old Faithful. We stopped to almost see a bear for a bit, saw more elk and more buffalo and I'm sorry but I don't think I could ever look at buffalo enough. Also, turns out you can never have too many pictures of buffalo, or so Adam thinks anyhow.
We made it to Old Faithful just after it went off. Adam and I proceeded to sit on the benches and wait for it. Yes, it was going to be a hour, but dedication is important. We didn't really wait the whole time, instead Aaron Adam and I headed to the car to make PB&Js and listen to music. I had though we saw Gordon again, but we didn't. Perhaps it was folly to hope.
After Old Faithful went, an event that wasn't smelly in the least and much to my surprise, we headed to the Grand Tetons. It was getting dark by this point, and we couldn't see much of the view. We made it to Jackson Hole, went to a bar with quite possibly the prettiest girl in the world, then fell asleep in the car a bit out of Jackson. Adam woke up the next day confused, and Aaron and I had shitty sleeps in the front seat.
And that was Yellowstone. And it was what I wanted.

Catching Up: From Mt Rushmore to Yellowstone

So, I believe the last time you heard from us was somewhere around the base of Mt. Rushmore. At least, that’s what Adam says. The last time you heard from me was a lot earlier for that. Sorry for the lack of updates in general though, this leg of the trip dragged us out into the great big nothing that are the western states. Entire towns out here are created out of tourist traps and by taking advantage of beautiful naturally occurring rock formations and the like.
Right now, I’m writing you from Jackson Hole Wyoming. Only, recently, they dropped the Hole, apparently it made this place a bit more undesirable to live in. I suppose that’s the largest detriment to this place, I can’t imagine that living this close to the Grand Tetons would take much convincing on my part.
Anyhow, we left the camping lodge for horses back on Sunday morning. The lady there only charged us ten dollars to pitch a tent there, and even then she said she only charged us for the showers that each of us took. She looked a bit like my mom, I think they shared a nose and a certain love for the wildlife.
This entire trip has been like that though. Everywhere we’ve gone I’ve met people I’m convinced I already know. As though there are only a certain amount of people in the world, and there are only a certain amount of people you could possibly be. But then that’s a silly thought, and I’m a silly person.
We headed out first for crazy horse. We saw it, in all of it’s unfinished glory. We didn’t pay to get in, nine bucks a head is a bit pricy and we would learn more than enough about it form the people we were yet to meet on the trip. We turned around and headed for Mt. Rushmore.
On the way, we stopped at a place called Cosmos. I’ll save the nitty gritty details and say only this: It fuck’s with your perceptions. And well. Adam was happier than a kid on Christmas in anticipation for it, and Aaron and I left both skeptics. I suppose it’s just in my nature not to believe. I don’t know Aaron’s reason. But it was interesting.
We made it to Mt. Rushmore after that. Perhaps it’s a joke that I’m not privy to, or maybe the people that knew we were going to see the Faces wanted us to be even more impressed, but to anyone that told us they’re tiny, they’re not fucking tiny. We walked on the paved paths around the bottom of the faces, took silly pictures, and then found buried treasure. Thank you Mark Reppi. And I’m still of two minds about the whole thing. I understand the good it’s done, the business it brings, the work it creates, the tourist money garnered by a state with little else to go on but that, farm land, and the bad lands. Still, I wonder why we feel the urge to blow up mountains and reconstruct entire forests and hills to our liking. I worry about the touch of human hands I guess, but perhaps that’s a rant better saved for a a time I have a more formed opinion on it.
We left Mt Rushmore and headed for a swimming hole we never found. We did find an unpaved road and a river though, and I enjoyed both. We then headed for Sturgis; we were looking for The Road Kill café. I doubt they would have put the accent over the e though. We found, instead, a street almost completely devoid of business and life. We left the street a bit disappointed, but then we filled up on cheap Chinese food and made tracks for Yellowstone. It would be a long trip, we found ourselves smack dab in the middle of the Rockies at sunset. All the words and all the pictures we could take would pale in comparison to what we saw. I’d try, but I’ve been trying to learn this days when to fight and when to give, some losing fights are worth fighting and there are ones you could win that you ought not to bother. This is a losing one that I shouldn’t.
How could I forget? On the way to Yellowstone, we stopped on a route called Powder Keg Pass, we wound up climbing a mountain next to a turn off.It gave a view I dono't think I've ever seen the equal of with my own eyes, at least of nature. It was a rocky climb to the top, I dropped my lens cap twice into small crevices, and I can imagine the look of horror that would be one Aaron or Adam's face if they saw me contorting my body to get it. Sometimes I take dumb risks, but I know that. I think I'm okay with it. We waited on the top for a bit, then took off in search of Yellowstone. Oh, and there was snow on the ground. In June. Head-trip.
We made it to a Yellowstone campground that closed at ten at nine fifty-nine. We then met a man who would lay out the rest of our trip around Yellowstone for us, though we would do it at an accelerated pace. His name was Eugene Tennessee, and he was as bad ass as his name would suggest.
But I’ll save that for the next update. The road is treating us well, we’ve dealt with the rain, learned to live in the car, and I’ve become quite certain by now that the North East of America is probably the least friendly place I’ve been to thusfar. I’m ready for the rest to prove me wrong, though I hope it doesn’t.
From the road.
Signed,

Andrew