6.24.09

Towering Trees and the Coast that Wins Hearts.

I'd love to take some time to tell you about the trees that are wider than elephants and taller than any man made structure in Central Illinois. I'd love to tell you about the ancient Redwood forests and how incredibly powerless you'll feel in the presence of these erect and colossal towers.
I suppose I could go into further detail, but this is really something you should witness for yourself. Seeing these trees up close and personal will change your perspective of the world. You might decide that you believe in Sasquatch too.

What else...


I'd love to go into detail about camping on the northern California beach or driving along 341 miles of rugged coast, speckled by evergreen trees and jungle-like foliage.
I'd like to tell you more about the massive boulders that project from the waters and how these statue-like mounds evoke geological curiosity and awe. (one of the reoccurring visual highlights of the coast).
The beaches seem as vast as the ocean; they go on for a great distance until fading out into a haze of gentle mist.
Sea Lions hunt crustaceans in the surf-tide during sunset and I sit in the sand with a bag of fresh picked cherries and 40 ounces of PBR. It is all very much a paradise.













Without argument, the 101 is the finest highway you'll ever drive. Don't argue!

I'd love to tell you much much more, but I've traveled a much further distances since those days and have fallen on more crucial times that you will probably find more entertaining than the ongoing beauty of the west coast. So I must get caught up.

... More to come. In the mean time enjoy these photos.

6.17.09

With or Without Flowers In Your Hair.

We hadn't got any sleep on the train. There were too many friends and cocktails being made. Then we got in my car and drove off into the night. We hadn't slept much at the rest stop either. Somebody should probably film a horror movie there. Every time I'd doze off, I would wake up in a startle. So we shared driving duties. One passed out while the other stared blankly at the 500 miles of highway ahead.
We were overcome with anticipation,
and also disappointment every time we'd pass a new road sign.
San Francisco 320 miles.
San Francisco 180 miles.
San Francisco 70 miles.
We seemed to only inch closer, and we'd been in the car for nearly half a day.
But finally the traffic grew thicker, the lanes wider and the vehicles faster.

San Franscisco might be one of the most memorable places you'll ever drive into.
I recall coming around a long curvy highway and thinking we had to be close. And all within an instant we came into an opening and were confronted by the bays glinting blue water all of 20 feet from the road. Fresh cool air blows in through the window. You see the outline of a large coastal city and in the hazy distance stands a far but gargantuan silhouette of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Our first steps out of the car are through the nations largest China Town. I tower like a walking light post, asian girls gawk and I see a young black man get beat to the ground by two other thugs. I watch this unfold in front of me but don't feel a thing, yet I watch intently and can't seem to pull my eye's away from it. The stimulation of being in a new place has made me numb and I just seem to absorb everything weather it's beautiful or violent.

We only stay two days in San Francisco but explore nearly every corner of the city. It certainly wasn't enough time to discover any sort of impressive nightlife so we created our own.

For a cheap and adventurous evening I recommend hitting up happy hour at the Elbow Room in the mission district. It's has about 10 really affordable local brews and you're likely to be the only one in the joint. It's daylight outside but once you get through the front curtain, you'll drink by candlelight.

Then take the BART (the underground train) back up to the North Beach and have a ride on the vintage trolley cars. It's really affordable (like a couple dollars) and there's one that follows along the North Beach Piers. Good views. Fresh sea air.

You can walk across the golden gate bridge and drink wine. This is totally free. You should probably wait til it's dark before popping the cork. If you get there before dark, you'll have a good opportunity for some skyline photos. This is one of the most beautiful views in all of San Fran. The whole city is viewable and sometimes moon lit. When you reach the middle of the bridge, look over the edge and think about how terrifying it most have been for all the people who have jumped. Oh, and don't jump, you'll be killed.

When you've had enough of the bridge you can go sit along the beach and finish your Merlot or open another one. Watch out for the cops! they like to come around with their spotlights and even flash their cherries a bit, but they don't actually walk onto the beach. Hide behind a sand dune until they drive off, it's worth it. From this beach you'll have the golden gate to your left and Alcatraz prison to you right.

When you leave San Francisco make sure to take Highway 1 until the 101 reaches the coast. Don't forget.

...TBC

6.14.09

I've been going, going...

This has been the longest I've gone without posting anything. I've been on somewhat of a constant move and have covered a lot of ground since we last talked. So what the hell have I been doing?
A lot of exploring, throughout 8 different states.
Let me catch you up.

After being in Carbondale, IL for three weeks and growing old and restless, and my funds slumping lower than ever, I decided to get back on the good foot and head west for one last hurrah. I wasn't ready to be finished with my adventures quite yet, and was eager to find out how much further a couple hundred dollars could take me. Also, I thought it would be in my best interest to retrieve my car and the few other belongings I left parked on the side of a Salt Lake City street for the last month.

I boarded a northbound Amtrak train in Southern Illinois. This time I had a travel companion with me. It was after vaguely mentioning my travel plans to her, when Suzanne made a spontaneous decision to hop the #431 and adventure along with me for a few days.
Finally someone to share the experience with. Where are all the rest of the people in the world who will just "up and go"?
It's really the only way to do it.
I could be wrong, but I think spontaneity grants good fortune.

Two half bottles of dry gin and spiced rum and 6 hours later, we arrived at Chicago's Union Station. This was only the beginning of our long and saturating 34-hour adventure out west. We transferred onto another train heading towards San Francisco, but we'd ride only as far as Salt Lake City.

We stepped aboard the train as two traveling companions, mildly drunk, without sleep and seemingly alone. But by the time we we're cutting through the early-morning-rocky-mountains and slowly snaking along the very same river I had encountered a month ago at the bottom of the grand canyon, we began meeting a variety of new people and accumulating new friends. I met many individuals much like myself, traveling for the sake of traveling, going places for the sake of going places. Among them, was a guy named, Jaden whom had been traveling and writing for most of his life. We talked through many of the states we passed. He gave me a homemade button that he occasionally offers to other travelers. It's a plain white button that says nothing more than "GO!" To me however, it says quite a lot more. And to him, it might describe a lifetime. I plan to stay in touch with this man. And we should all find inspiration from his button.

Later, as the lounge car became full, I asked an older man who closely resembled my father if I could share his table with him. Initially we had both been committed to our reading materials and the scenic beauty of the western Colorado landscape, but inevitably our silence erupted into long conversations. We talked of foreign policy, the Vietnam war, the Kennedy administration and world travel. He filled my head with aged wisdom and when he stepped off the train at Aspen Colorado he told me I was on the right path and said, "A traveler may not know where he's going, but a tourist doesn't know where he's been." He then thanked me for making his trip complete.

The day had grown long and the sun had fallen. The conductor called out for the upcoming Salt Lake stop. By this time we had amassed into a group of about seven or eight people, all huddled around one small table. We shouted and shared each others liquor, played cards and board games, had hysterical conversations and became less like strangers and more like friends. But our stop approached and Suzanne and I would soon getting off the train.
In parting from our new friends on the Salt Lake Depot boardwalk, there was an exchange of phone numbers, handshakes and hugs. As we stepped away with our luggage It was hard to say goodbye. I wanted to keep riding... but adventure called out somewhere else.

(Let me quickly say) if you've never traveled by train, it is certainly one of the best ways to experience a long and scenic distance. I will from now on consider the train before I book a flight.

We made it to my car around 11:00pm on the streets of Salt Lake. It appeared to be untouched by weather or man. A thin dusting of dirt had settled over the entire surface and the stale interior seemed to gasp for fresh air when i opened the door. We decided to drive through the night towards San Francisco but within an hour or two found ourselves pulled at a dilapidated rest stop somewhere in the middle of Nevada. We needed some serious sleep and it would be another six hour before we'd reach the bay area.

...TBC