The road trip is over, but I do need to fill in the last few days on the road and how I got to this point. So here it is, my last entry from the road trip.

Thursday December 2 - James' father sent me away with homemade energy bars and bean soup. Being so far north from 40, I decided to go diagonally through Oklahoma toward Muskogee on route 62. The road was a pleasant drive and featured numerous historical markers about Native Americans. I could sense the rich heritage, it was overwhelming. The subtle differences were everywhere. I had plans to play at a course in Oklahoma City next to a flower garden, hoping the sun was on my side as the evening crept on. As it happened, I had plenty of time to play 18 holes. These 3 guys waiting at the first tee asked me if I would play skins with them instead of playing by myself. I loved playing along with them, they gave me some pointers and seemed genuinely excited when I had some great drives. After leaving the course I decided to treat myself to Waffle House for dinner. Those damn restaurants were everywhere, I figured I would do my part to support the local cultural flare. I listened to a little football on the radio that night before tucking away into bed.

Friday December 3 - I figured I would average 1 state per day as I made my way back to San Francisco, which meant I would be staying in Texas next. I did not do much besides buy gas in Oklahoma City that morning before I got on the road towards Amarillo. The drive went by rather quick, even though it took most of my day. Once in Amarillo, I took the 40 West loop through the city which also happened to be the old route 66. There were plenty of homages to the rich history of the road and lots of historical signs/buildings adorned with 50s garb. I stopped along the road at a dollar store to buy a can opener and kill some time walking around walmart. The Christmas hoopla had turned that place into a zoo, so I thought it better to leave the cattle to their farm. I didn't feel too tired and Texas just didn't seem like a place I wanted to be very long, so I got back on the road and decided to drive until I found something that felt 'right.' About an hour after leaving Amarillo I pulled into a picnic rest area to cook my dinner for the night. James' bean soup made the cut as well as pasta. At this time, I had a moment a clarity. It was quite improbably, but maybe that's why it happened. Here I was on the side of the road, at night, somewhere in Texas, with the wind howling, big rig trucks passing by in the distance, a metal sign clanging against a fence post somewhere in the distance, bean soup aroma filling the air, the night sky looking so bright. It all came together in a supreme moment of awareness, perspective and peace. I drove a few hundred more miles that night and stayed at a hotel in Tucumcari, New Mexico my belly full of beans.

Saturday - December 4 I figured I would stay in Albuquerque this night so I made my way west on 40, continuing the trek home. High desert vistas and sparse vegetation were beautiful, contrasting to the tall green redwoods of Washington or the small orange/red/yellow trees of New Hampshire. Albuquerque stood out as a beacon of life in the desert. Believe, there is nothing for miles in either direction. I knew that Albuquerque had a couple disc golf courses so I made my way towards the nearest library hoping to find their locations online. Well, the librarians informed me that I had to buy a library card in order to use the computers. No guest pass, nothing. I was never going to use this card except once in my life and only for about 15 minutes. They wanted 3 dollars for their library card and I said fuck that. I picked up my things and decided I didn't want to stay here very long. I didn't need to play their courses or look up cool things to do anyways. I left Albuquerque about 10 minutes later, drove down the road and drank some beers at an Indian Trading Post along the road. The day was winding down and I sat and enjoyed the sunset against a rocky vista. I got back in my car, putting plenty of distance between me and those stupid libraries. Gallup, NM presented itself and I made camp for the night. This night was exceptionally cold, the snow surrounding my car the next morning being little surprise.

Sunday December 5 - I woke up this day knowing I needed to get to Flagstaff so spend the night in preparation for the Grand Canyon. I was not a long drive between the 2 cities but I made use of my day by stopping at the Petrified Forest National Park. Honestly, I didn't know the park layed along 40 and I loved what the park offered in terms of scenery. It only lasted a couple hours (the park is about 27 miles long) but I loved it a lot. Rocks of differing origins painted the sands multiple colors, giving a beautiful background to the multiple petrified wood logs which dotted the landscape. Even though the wood has been victimized by thieves over the years, huge logs are still readily available to touch and admire. Great views are wonderful to behold, but getting your hands on the history is a different, exciting beast altogether. I highly recommend the park as a great alternative to high-priced gimmicky tours. For 10 bucks, petrified wood is the real deal. Flagstaff had plenty of snow when I rolled up later that night, exhausted from hiking all over looking at wood.

Monday December 6 - I had a delicious breakfast that morning and used the map I got in the hotel lobby to find a disc golf course nearby. The 18 holes were quite picturesque and the course offered something I'd never experienced before: snow! Each hole had some snowbanks and the trees buttressed holes quite nicely. I was only one out there and the solitude was reassuring. The Grand Canyon was the big ticket item on the plans and I didn't waste any more time in Flagstaff than I could. What an awesome place, the Grand Canyon is. Wow. I hiked along the rim for hours, venturing down the Bright Angel trail for about a mile before the blisters on my feet and the lack of hydration in my system caught up with me. Experiencing such a landmark, even though alone, gave me great perspective as to the significance of myself as well as the canyon. Mainly, the insignificance of it all arose deep within me. I pondered a lot looking out at that huge hole. And just as soon as I got into my car, I was over it. I drove back towards 40 in silence, peace, at rest, accomplishing what I set out to do. I had a monster with me to keep me awake as I drove on in the night towards SF. I knew I didn't have the capacity to make it all the way home, I didn't have the stamina to drive 12 hours. I blew past Kingman, Needles, Barstow, Boron, the Mojave National Preserve, like it was all happening outside of myself as I drove along the road. I saw it all happening from above, bright lights off in the distance, beckoning to me a horizon which replicated itself constantly. When alcohol and caffeine had done their job of making it this far, Bakersfield seemed as good a place as any to turn in for the night. My eyes in a glaze, my stare used to the constant oncoming lights, the sterility of a stopped car in a parking lot unnerved me. And then I was tired, and the comfort in the back seat was unlike anything else.

Tuesday December 7 - What is there to say? I had driven along 5 north and south hundreds of times, dreading the blandness of it all. But this time it didn't matter. In fact, dare I say it, it was rather enjoyable. I had quiet when I wanted to think, my old familiar sport talk radio stations when I wanted to hear them again, knowing I was only a few hours from finishing the greatest thing I'd done with my life up until this point. The kind of thing I will look back forever from my life and enjoy, relish, miss. Each passing city brought the old familiarity back, except it was tainted somehow by the 'new' which I had been surrounded by for months. The new washed over everything, giving it a new coat of paint, which I can admire, wholly for what it is.

12:30 pm Tuesday December 7 2010 - I arrived back in front of the house I had left 82 days earlier. So much had happened since that moment when I set out, unaware of what lay ahead, hungry for the new, the different, the unexpected. I wanted to know what I didn't know. Along the way I found what I was looking for.

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Okay okay, I know you've all been anxiously waiting for me to update my last leg of the trip through the southwest so don't let me hold you any longer. Lets start from where we left off.

November 26 Friday - Josh's family sent me away with a large goodie-bag filled with muffins, cookies, granola bars, apples and oranges. I snacked life a king while I made my way through Nashville and on to Memphis. Mike V met up with me near his house accompanied by his rommmate (and girlfriend). We walked to a local sushi bar where I ate a very tasty chicken pho bowl. After that we all made our way to a bar that I can't remember the name of (something about lonely...) We all split a pitcher and hung out before they all went back to Carlos' girlfriend's house and I found a nice parking spot next to a school to spend the night.

Saturday - Having the entire day to myself, I decided to go to downtown Memphis to check out the National Civil Rights Museum as well as all of the blues cafes. Touring the museum was a thrill: they did a good job of recreating the timeline of the numerous protests and moments in history which shaped this country. The Martin Luther King jr exhibit was especially insightful into the assassination and recreation of the way it all went down. It was quite moving and I'm glad I stopped by. I toured the blues cafes and many shops filled with Elvis memorabilia (his house was too fucking expensive to visit) and jazz music. After stopping by a piggly wiggly to buy some beer I went back to my favorite parking spot to go to sleep.

Sunday - I woke up early due to the 40* weather and decided to go onto Arkansas without further notice. I crossed the Mississippi and stopped by a welcome center to find the nearest disc golf course. As luck would have it there was a fine 36-hole course in North Little Rock which just happened to be on the way to my next stop. I met these 3 cool guys (one of whom was having a birthday that night) at the first tee and we played both courses together. They were all locals and traded stories about the perils of college life. After leaving Burns Park, I made my way to Fort Smith in order to spend the night.

Monday / Thursday - As has been my custom, I had a wonderful Hampton Inn continental breakfast to start my day. James called me back that morning and I was off to Fayetteville to meet up with my friend I hadn't seen in ages. I played the local disc gold course in town while I waited for him to get off work. That night (abnd for the next 3 days) we played magic and video games together. It had been ages since I was able to play with him and we made the most of the couple days. I visited the Arkansas Razorbacks campus while I was there and enjoyed the scenery. Damn, there were lots of pretty girls, I mean, total babes. Very nice. It was nice to relax for a couple days at his house since it would be the last place I would be able to use a bed for a week. On the last night James and I rode our bikes around a park in the freezing weather but it was still enjoyable as it reminded me of what we used to do in high school before we drove. And for a brief second while hanging out in his room, I forgot that I was in Arkansas, I was just in my buddy's room. James' dad also made me some homemade clif bar type chewy things for me to snack on for the rest of my trip. I drove to Oklahoma City Thursday and spent the night after a big dinner thanks to Waffle House (first time for everything).

I shall finish the next entry tomorrow since the computer I am logged onto in the library here in Flagstaff has 5 minutes left on the time. Be back soon!

So here I am about to make my way to Memphis, but let's take a look at the past week and how I got here. 

Last Sunday the 21st - I left Megan's house with a sack of banana muffins and some sweet coke caps and got on the road to Tennessee. My friend Josh (the brother of Ryan's old roommate Caleb) lives in between Nashville and Knoxville in a town called Cookeville. Just north of Chattanooga were some sprawling hills which were wonderful. Some time that night I rolled into Josh's place which was quite impressive. A lake in the backyard, a swanky bachelor pad in the basement and a comfortable guest bedroom (thanks Caleb) to stay for the night. Josh took me over to a friend's house that night to hangout but it ended up being cut short due to my constant dozing off during conversations. I properly conked out once we got home and (thanks to the time change!) benefitted greatly from the extra hour. 

Monday - Josh took me over to Silas' house so we could all go play disc golf at a park in town. We played for skins and Silas narrowly edged me out 9 to 8 with Josh picking up a lone 1 skin. Afterward, Josh took us for some sweet tea, something I have fallen in love with ever since Georgia. We watched a movie that night while splitting chips and spinach dip. 

Tuesday - Josh had a job interview in Nashville which was nice because I got to hitch a ride with him downtown and then walk around the area while he was busy. I walked around Broadway Street, the home of plenty of bars and lots of musicians trying to make it bigtime. I stopped by the Charlie Daniels Museum and Jack Daniels Museum while listening to the constant blare of honky tonk inside the bars. I bought a few souvenirs and met up with Josh who took me to Murfreesboro for some disc golf on his favorite course in the area. It ended up being cut short due to darkness, in which case we headed back to Nashville to see  the Opryland hotel. The mall next door was closed due to the flooding which ruined hundreds of shops last Spring. The hotel itself was very ritzy and had numerous open expanses inside the building which featured air balloons, waterfalls, boat rides and mountainous wildlife. It was spectaculr and opulent. We made it back to Cookeville late that night and we fell asleep watching Planes Trains and Automobiles. 

Wednesday - Josh met up with Silas again and they took me to Burgess Falls, a state park in town. We hiked down to a secluded waterfall which cast mist all over us in its wake. It was beautiful and its massive weight drowned out our voices. Layers of rocks surrounded the falls, detailing the thousands of years of history all around us. After a few hours we headed back to Silas' house while exchanging some very funny drinking stories. The very best guy talk. My idea for beer pong was supported by everyone and when Silas' girlfriend Erica got home we made our way down to the basement with some Yuengling to play with. The games were very fun with everybody playing well and enjoying the atmosphere. I won a few games and then Josh's friend Ashley came over with some Keystone light and we alternated teams and sides. On a side note, I could not be stopped on a 2-rack. 5 and 0 baby. Overall it was a great night which ended with me again falling asleep on the couch. 

Thursday - Josh was kind enough to let me join him and his family for their non-traditional Thanksgiving festivities. We arrived quite early just outside Knoxville for a plentiful breakfast which was going to setup the Thanksgiving chili coming later. Sausage hash browns, bacon, eggs, biscuits & gravy, grapes and a french toast/blackberry jam concoction all made their way onto my plate. Everything was delicious and went down easily with (you should've guessed it) a big glass of sweet tea. Even though we felt comatose and ready for a nap, Josh and I felt like exploring. After an hour hike into his family's backyard property which included a serene lake viewing, we drove to a nearby disc golf course for a quick 9 holes. A nice guy who ended up playing with us named Andy told us during the round of an even better course only 10 minutes away built on the site of an abandoned golf course. After the quick round of 9 we decided to make the short drive and it was well worth it. There were 4 tees for each hole and they ranged from beginner to super-duper long and hard (that's what she said). The course had lots of sprawling grassland, with the old tree and bunker hazards playing quite well given its new nature. One large water hazard was exciting and some of the wooded holes made for a challenging drive. Like a sav, Josh found a disc lost in the woods which was in very nice condition. We finished the round after a couple hours (Josh's bathroom break at hole 15 at a nearby abandoned putt putt course being the main culprit in extending the round's length) and made our way back for the taco salad and chili. It was delicious, I felt stuffed. We played a little Scrabble before driving back in the rain to Cookeville. 

Today, Friday - Josh's parents have been super nice to me all week and it will be tough leaving this place which has been very cool. 4 disc golf courses, a great night of beer pong and large southern breakfasts are just some of the things which I will take away from the experience. I'm making my way westward and even though the trip is winding down, I still feel the the freedom laid out in front of me. 

Me and Megan hanging out in Georgia.

The wall that still stands by Pitt where Bill Mazeroski hit his World Series-winning home run.

Tea Bags bar located next to David's house. What.

Party People.

Holly's get-together was a rousing success. Thanks to her and her friends for making it wonderful evening.

Tonight, Megan took me out with her family for a nice mexican dinner at Frontera. A nice restaurant they were surprised did not exist where I am from. Her family is very nice and are taking me out tomorrow morning for a jaunt around Atlanta. Apparently there is a lot of civil war history in the area.

Monday I spent the night in Sweetwater, Georgia after driving from Pittsburg through Huntington, WV and Knoxville, TN. I had another free continental breakfast courtesy of the Hampton Inn and Suites. Bacon and eggs and Biscuits/Gravy!

Tuesday afternoon I arrived in Atlanta and killed some time waiting for Megan to get off work by going to a couple malls a nearby disc golf course I found online at the mall Mac store. It was 18 pretty difficult holes in Roswell which wasn't too far. The course was the best kept I'd seen so far: the tee boxes were all clearly labeled and swept, the baskets looked like they were painted yesterday and the OBs were lined with nets to prevent runaways. Each hole also had a sign indicating how the hole played and various notes about the surrounding environment. It was wonderful to see the dedication which went into making the course. Afterwards I napped at a Walmart until my friend called.

I've been staying just outside Atlanta in Conyers, GA with another sg friend. There was a keg of Bud Light Tuesday night which we helped finish. It turned out to be a crazy party, I finally got to sleep in a twin bed again. We've been playing Black Ops and Borderlands which are pretty cool games. I've had some authentic homemade sweet tea along with a heaping helping of birthday lasagna.

On Wednesday night Megan, her boyfriend and 2 friends invited me to an event at this local movie theater called "Bad Movie Night." The movie they showed that night was called Alien Private Eye. What. Go see it now. It had something to do with a black disc broken in 2 which fell to earth and created a drug '1000 times more addictive than heroine.' The movie was extremely unintentionally hilarious and I highly recommend it to everyone as a truly great example of 'so bad it's good' movie-making.

I'm leaving for Nashville tomorrow to spend a few days with Caleb's brother Josh. His house is supposed to be pretty big with lots of land on the property.

I had a wonderful time in Canada!

Mere was a wonderful host and showed me lots of cool places around Montreal. We went to a museum with her tres cool amis, went shopping at the mall, walked with me around multiple dollarama stores, laughed at a bad scary movie (and laughed at some good ones) and she even let me use her salt & pepper. Such kindness does not go unnoticed. I have plenty of souvenirs and even did some international Christmas shopping. Bon Idee!

Last weekend, I drove all day from Montreal to Pittsburgh. I passed through Rochester, Buffalo and even this small town in upstate NY called Mexico. What.

I met up with Holly and David upon arrival at this bar around the corner from his house. The area is ripe with pubs and cheap places to eat.

I've been sleeping in the past week, staying up late drinking and playing video games. David knew of a sweet disc golf course right next to the Pitt campus which we played over the course of a couple hours. I went back several times to play the course because it was very well made. It's been chilly out but no snow in the area and surprisingly warm during the day. We have also played some indoor ultimate frisbee at this complex on campus the past two Saturday nights. The indoor atmosphere has been been very cool and I would love to come back and do it. I've never played inside but seeing as how it was 10 at night and 30 degrees outside, it was a good idea.

This past Tuesday night Holly invited some awesome people over for a potluck and it was a great night. There was homemade Sangria, wine and cheap beer which I made sure made an appearance. Thank you Holly for having us over at your house!

Wednesday night I went to Hambone's for some Obscure board/card games with some cool young people. I even got a deal on my Coors Light. Score!I also got to see David play in a band at this bar called Spin. I smuggled some booze in and felt great with the covers they were playing. I also got to chat with a cool girl named Carly who also plays frisbee and lives in the area. We chatted outside over box wine and beer which I thoroughly enjoyed.

I'm leaving Sunday morning for Huntington, West Virginia where I will be for a couple days. Tuesday night I will be arriving in Atlanta and staying there for who knows how long.

Will be able to post pictures sometime this week of all the shenanigans. I really liked the city and could see myself here in 2011. We'll see...

Outside the NBC studios where I got the full tour.
Katie's wonderful dog which kept me company at night.
Me with some Central Park ultimate dudes.
Next to Strawberry Fields in Central Park.
Time Square.


I made it to Montreal, Canada!


But before that I must catch up on how I got here. I spent last week just across the

Hudson River in Kearny, New Jersey, traveling to New York a few times to visit the

downtown area. Central Park looked amazing and was a joy (if a bit long) to walk through.

I even played frisbee with guys from meetup one evening inside the park. I almost got an

extra seat to watch a taping of the Jimmy Fallon Show at the NBC studios but they didn't

call my number. I could see myself living around the area, depending on how comfortable I

was not having a car. I used the bus system to get around which was surprisingly easy to

use not much of a hassle. I made sure to wear my Giants jersey while walking around Times

Square which prompted a few cops to wish me good luck against the Rangers, which had just

beaten them in the ALCS.


I left New York Friday afternoon to stay in Boston for the night. I arrived at Boston U

around 10pm and quickly made my way towards frat row. I was weary of arriving at the

Canadian-US border with 50+ beers and a batch of mushrooms in my car so I was determined

to find a party and have a good time. I set out in my Mikhail costume (from LOST) and

carrying lots of booze under my arms. I followed some a group of pirates and Waldos into a

house with loud music and blended into the party scene. One of the guys who lived there

met me in the kitchen and, when he saw me depositing a shit-ton of beer into his fridge,

he showed me around the bitchin' party. I played some beer pong (on the shortest table

ever I might add), showed them how to play quarters and finally played some Pro Evo soccer

on the PS3 to close out the night. It was an awesome night and they all enjoyed my Beer 30

lights which littered the kitchen. I stumbled back to my explorer late that night, having

given away my drugs and alcohol and entirely satisfied with passing out in my backseat.


Saturday afternoon at 2 pm I awoke and immediately left Boston. I wound my way through New

Hampshire and Vermont over the next few hours and the countryside was a rolling sea of

oranges and yellows. I got to the border around 7 pm and it turned out to be a sluggish

entrance process. They completely emptied my car and rifled through its contents, messing

up the carefully constructed layout I had lived with the past month+. The immigration

officer asked me lots of questions as to the reason for my arrival and apparently wondered

why I chose to vacation in Canada in the winter with someone I had never met before. After

an eternity I got my passport stamped for the first time and I was back on the road.


The weather seemed to change almost immediately: what was a light rain back in Vermont

became heavy rain/light snow once in Canada. French signs and kilometer speed signs were

an amusing first taste of the country. I pulled my directions out and made my way to

Mere's house in the Verdun district of Montreal. That night we sipped cheap wine with her

neighbor, chatted about various things and stayed up late listening to random music. She

has an extra room which has kept me warm during the light snow outside.


Last night we watched Planet Terror for the first time after episodes of Family Guy were

the only tolerable thing on television. It is chilly here in Montreal, but I managed to

survive walking around downtown. French is everywhere here and Mere has told me that

Quebecers are their own group separate from most of Canada. I plan on being here for a few

more days before going back to Pittsburgh to spend more time with those fine people.


Au revoir pour maintenant mes amis.

David, Lindsey and I
David, Holly and I
A really big waffle.


I left Chicago Friday morning on my way to Pittsburgh. One of my good friends from high school lives out there and teaches at a Pittsburgh University. After driving for 9+ hours I arrived in the city and made my way to a lounge where he was playing music. We saw each other outside and he showed me around to some of the people running the event (it was a fundraiser of some kind with a bike involved). The last band was cool, but once the show ended the bar became a dance hall and that is where the real party started. 70's and 80's dance music got everybody involved and I immediately got my groove on.

After dancing for a few hours David, Holly (the girl running the event, mutual friend of everybody and all-around awesome lady) and I went across the street for some awesome pizza. David's car wouldn't start, so we decided to leave it overnight and tow it in the morning and with that we both left for his house in my explorer, content to finish up the night around 4 am.

David's special friend Lindsey went with us to get it towed (it was actually her car) and we all had a nice chat with the tow-truck driver (apparently he's been around the area a while). We got some breakfast, mused on Burning Man and then I left town around noon headed for New Jersey to stay with my friend Katie. I decided I would spend the rest of October in Jersey and Boston before going to Canada and eventually back to Pittsburgh in November for an extended visit.

Katie and I played some skip-bo, watched the San Francisco Giants win (fuck yeah!!!!!) and talked about sg. I'll be heading into New York a couple times this week to check it all out, so if anyone lives nearby let me know.

I hate toll roads. Stupid roads eating my 80 cents every 20 miles. Frack!

I've been in Chicago since Monday night. My friend Claudine has been extra nice in opening up her apartment with her sisters. Spaghetti, pizza and potatoes are only the beginning to the manly meals I've been feasting upon. And they love Skip-Bo too!

I've managed to make it to a few bars downtown to catch the Giant's games and root my team on from here. Tuesday night I went to one such bar called Cardozo's and watched the Giants whoop that Philly ass. I met and chatted with this nice girl from Kentucky at the bar. Her flight at O'Hare Airport was delayed so she was passing the time at the bar. She had flown in from Winnepeg and was continuing onto Kentucky later that night. We talked about Canada and the treacheries of cross-country travel. She was a bit older and was married, her husband living in Canada. In was a nice little chat with someone I'll probably never see again, but somehow stuck with me.

So far the disc golf has been less than stellar. Two of the parks have been under construction which I didn't know until I got there. And another course was literally on top of a regular golf course which meant every hole was at least 400 feet (what the fuck!) and you had to pay 10 bucks just to play it. Fuck that. Oh well, I snuck onto the back nine for a bit before my arm almost fell off on the par 5s.

Although I didn't get to see a game there, I liked the placement of Wrigley field: very cozy. I could see myself living in the north side of Chicago someday. It has a lot of what I like in an area and a town. The rest of the city has too much damn traffic. I'm leaving tomorrow to stay a night in Pittsburgh for a party and then it'll be a few days in New Jersey.

East Coast here I come.

Chi-town

So I cleaned out some of my pictures I hadn't put on here yet. Lemme get to those.

The 1st picture is of a special kind of Hamm's which I found in a liquor store. When I saw the price tag (10.99 for 30!) I couldn't pass it up. God I'm a sucker for Hamm's.

The 2nd is a 30-rack of beer I bought for hella cheap (9.99!) in Madison called "Beer :30." I could not pass it up.

The 2nd is Kathleen's cats playing in a cardboard fire engine. Meow

The 3rd is a sign I saw posted a couple blocks away from Kristina's house in Seattle. Apparently her neighborhood gets a little shady during the nighttime. Sadly I never came across any pimps or hos in my stay there.

The last one is of Marissa and I outside the highlighter party on frat row in Madison. Marissa, Demetrius and I had a fun time together.

so i got to madison wisconsin thursday night and met up with my cousin daniel. that night i hung out with his rommmate alex and bounced around the area with some other people.

friday morning i woke up and immediately left to walk around the downtown area. it was very pleasant and i spent my afternoon shopping for halloween costumes and looking at all of the wisconsin 'badger' gear. think i got my costume all set. friday night i went to a frat house and spent the night partying with random cool people at a highlighter party. Talked to this cool girl Marissa and the bouncer of the party, Demetrius, outside on the porch for a while.

Saturday - i played frisbee golf in the morning with alex and it went well. i didn't lose any discs but the wind definitely took some way out of the way. i took a nap during the day but woke up in time for the start of the college football game. the badgers were taking on the Ohio State buckeyes and i was there in Chris Farley's bar watching as we dismantled the buckeye offense and dethroned them from the top. High fives were going around the bar. I stayed a bit longer after the game ended to watch the Giants win too. Fuck yeah.

Sunday - played some pickup at noon despite my hangover. Water and v8 definitely made it all better. Going to the bar soon to watch some more football games. Btw, ate 'five guys' burger for lunch. Meh. Wasn't that great, I would much rather have a #1 from jack in the box or an in n out cheeseburger, hands down. mmmmmmm

I'm leaving tomorrow night I'm heading east, towards Chicago and Pittsburgh eventually. Hopefully I can stay with some people from SF state who've migrated out this way. And if all goes according to plan I'll be spending Halloween in Canada at a apartment building party.

Went to the zoo today with my friend from San Francisco Leya who recently moved to St. Paul. It was small (but free) and provided a couple hours of walking around to satisfy the day. Afterward, we played trivial pursuit (90s edition) which I lost and took entirely too long! Apparently I wasn't paying enough attention to stuff in the 90s, oh well. We took some pictures above.

Playing ultimate frisbee tomorrow night at a park before I leave town Thursday afternoon. It's been fun. Onto Wisconsin next.

Some state signs and a really cool looking landscape shot outside Cody, WY.

Picture post of yellowstone state park.

Just got into Minnesota

So allow me to update what's happened since I left Gonzaga Monday afternoon. I stopped at a rest stop just on the border of Idaho and Washington. The area was pristine and I used my outdoor stove for the first time to make some chicken ramen. I left full and continued into Montana territory shortly thereafter. Montana was a little chilly but wonderful to view. The mountains and valleys were carved in a grandiose style, leaving something ever more awesome around each bend. Initially, I was going to stay in Missoula right around U. of Montana, but I ended up staying one town closer to Yellowstone (Butte) so I wouldn't have to drive too long the next morning.

Tuesday morning I woke up in the parking lot of a Best Western and snuck in to have some of their continental breakfast. Eggs, orange juice, yogurt and sausage were some of the things which greeted me and I ate them quickly. Stuffing myself wasa good idea because I ended up not eating until I got well out of the park.

I pulled up to the West Entrance of Yellowstone around noon and left around 7. Within minutes of arriving I saw a couple buffalo grazing by the road. This wasn't like the Golden Gate Park buffalo, these two were ginormous. And there was something about the way they felt natural amongst the setting which added to the giddyness of a 'wild' animal. Geysers were around the next few bends. Seeing smoke and gases coming out of the ground was fascinating, especially when I got to see a closer view of the pools and geysers. Brilliant oranges, soft blues and rich greens occured naturaly from the geothermal activity. Old Faithful roared high into the sky right on schedule at 3:02. I drove around for a few more hours (saw a moose! which was pretty fucking rad), spending some extended time at a lookout over Yellowstone Lake which was empty. What a wonderful park.

The drive out of Yellowstone was amazing as well. I left through the east entrance and went down Sylvan Pass into the Shoshone National Forest. This area had lots of rocky formations which evoked the intense Native American spirit which once thrived here. Indeed, the drive to Cody was the most beautiful drive of the trip so far.

I decided I would stay the night in Buffalo, Wyoming, which meant I needed to take a harrowing path over a 9,000 foot pass to get there. This was a terrible idea. I drove around 25 mph the entire way up the mountain due to winding roads, narrow switchbacks and increasing fog. This seemed to go on forever until I finally made it to the top, only to find things had gotten worse. Signs which read "watch for fallen rocks" and "watch for cattle on the road" greeted me along with more fog and pouring rain. The winding path down the mountain was sketchy at many points and I was a little unnnerved to not see any other cars for the past hour. At one point I rolled down my window to look outside and down to see the yellow line because the rain coming down so hard coupled with the fog made visibility impossible. After what seemed like forever I rolled into Buffalo around 11 and quickly found another hotel parking lot to stay the night.

I awoke early the next morning knowing I had a 12 hour drive from Buffalo, Wyoming to Minneapolis, Minnesota ahead of me. That meant driving across all of South Dakota. Which I did. Before the trip I thought Wyoming would be boring to drive across, but nothing compares to South Dakota. 6 1/2 hours end to end of pairies, rolling hills and small towns. Granted, I never pulled off to see the 2 big cities or Mount Rushmore, but I didn't feel like I was missing much and got through the state as quickly as possible. The drive through Minnesot went quite well and I eventually arrived at my destination around midnight central time (13 hour drive day). My aunt greeted me with enormous hospitality and a grilled cheese sandwich to die for (warm shwoered helped and was probably necessary). I'm not sure how long I'll be in town as there are quite a few things to do here.

I'll post some pictures from the last few days next time, until then...

First off, a big thank you to Rachael & Charles, Kristina and Kathleen for hanging out and showing me the wonderful hospitality of Seattle. You people are awesome!. Before I left Seattle I visited the Gum Wall. Left my mark, of course. Kathleen took me to visit the Troll (sickness!) and the Gas Works Park on Saturday which was awesome. Later on that day we went to a computer science potluck (Kathleen is a grad student) where I proceeded to drink lots of beer while trying all of the dishes people so graciously brought. It was the best eating night of the trip I've had so far. The after party went well too and it was a perfect last night in town.

I took 90 over Snoqualmie Pass, a beautiful passage full of green trees and gorgeous vistas. The mountains were enormous and enveloped me while I continued eastward. Once I left the mountains I was confronted with the endless plains of eastern Washington. Bushes and wind turbines dotted the horizon, turning the landscape an eerie yellow.

I came across a galloping horse sculpture near a river which offered a spectacular view. I climbed the hill and took some horsey pictures. Shortly after my stop I got off US - 90 to go to Soap Lake: a lake so-named for its natural concentration of minerals and nutrient deposits. I arrived, rubed some mud on my face (had to) and got back in the car. I decided to go north and meetup with old highway 2 which took me east to Spokane.

I got into Spokane last night around 6 and drove around looking for some landmarks. I found Gonzaga University (I never actually knew where it was located, now I'm walking on hallowed Adam Morrison territory). A few blocks from campus I parked my car and listened to the football game while making the backseat and trunk area into a bed. It was raining so I didn't go out on foot and ended up just laying in my backseat reading a scary book until I dozed off.

Currently I'm in the Gonzaga student services building using their internet and enjoying the many students passing by rushing to their next class. I'll be here for a few hours and then it's off to Missoula, Montana to stay for the night. Yellowstone will hopefully be on my list tomorrow!

The plethora of conservative/religious/country radio stations has made it convenient for me to enjoy the silent (beyond the Wendell's rattling) breeze greeting me over every hill. At one point I woke up around 2 am in my car and sat up. I had some time to think. I felt like I was the only person awake in the world. Unknown darkness around me, unknown destinations in front of me. Am I running from something? Am I running toward something? Becoming comfortable alone...

So I've had a fun couple of days here in Seattle. Currently I'm staying with my burning man buddy, Kristina Bock, who I met in '07. She has an awesome little house with lots of artsy things going and lots of animal love. Her dogs are adorable and very well-trained.

I went to University of Washington today and walked around the campus and surrounding stores.streets. The area was nice and I got a little sad over the college atmosphere and spirit going on (damn SF State for not having a football team!) all around me.

To finish the day I went and saw a play based on the movie Cannibal: the Musical. If you haven't seen the movie already you are severely missing out. It's Trey Parker and Matt Stone's early genius at work. It was a very funny show and a great little find to finish out my stay here in Seattle.

I'm meeting up with my friend from high school, Kathleen Tuite, in the Fremont district to see some hidden gems in the area and then I'm driving to Spokane and eventually Yellowstone Park. Looking forward to seeing everybody east of the rockies.

So another update of what I've been up to. I left Portland yesterday and got to Seattle around 4 pm to meet up with Rachael (my friend from SF) and stay at her place with her boyfriend. The drive up 5 was beautiful and only took a couple hours. We walked around a sweet looking park called Volunteer Park which had a greenhouse, Asian Art Museum, reservoir, Dahlia gardens and a rock castle/spire thingie which you could walk to the top of. I got some cool pictures around the area before we went to eat dinner at this place called Smith in the Capitol Hill district of Seattle. Here's what I was doing before I left Portland.

Sunday - Played a pickup game Sunday afternoon in the SW part of town. It was a pretty chill group: couple girls, two young brothers and the rest were twenties dudes. I forgot what it was like to get out and run, cut and bid for discs. Especially throwing disc golfs recently it wasn't so easy to throw deep, but it all came back eventually. After a couple hours I went to eat this Hot Cake House which gave me a huge chicken fried steak and hashbrowns meal. Damn it was good!

Monday - I went to karaoke Monday night at ChopsticksII with Nicole and met up with her friend Carsten once we got there. I got up and sang Tom Jones' "It's Not Unusual" in my usual manner. It's pretty much the one song I sing if I ever do karaoke. Nicole sang a song from the Dreamgirls movie and then did a duet with Carsten (don't remember the song name). Carsten finished up the night with Fastball's "The Way." I remember owning the Fastball cd when I was a kid. Wow, so long ago, I don't even know what happened to it.

That cool 'black sun' sculpture (which supposedly inspired soundgarden's black hole sun song)(and also look and see the space needle peeking through the hole!!) was located in the park as well.

I'm going to be in the Olympia/Seattle area for the next few days so if anybody wants to meet up for lunch or to show me some cool sights I would totally be down to hangout. Also, if anybody knows of any cool events going on I would appreciate it before I leave, which will most likely be sometime this weekend. Take care everybody!

Okay, so here is my update for the last week which I nee to catch up on.

So last Monday and Tuesday (20th) I played some pool at this place called Goodfoot.

That's Ryan and Mike up there in the pic. I went to high school with Ryan and have been staying at his house this whole week. I just met Mike this week and we've actually hung out quite a bit this week. We played disc golf Friday and Saturday at Pier Park and Horning's Hideaway respectively, and had a lot of fun. Both the courses were located in beautiful wooded areas rich with the wet smell of a forest....... so cool.

We met up with these 2 guys in front of us and joined them because it was going slowly early on. They were cool dudes: Eric and Dylan. In the 4 guy picture, Eric is the one with no shirt on and Dylan is the other guy next to Mike. After we got done playing the course, Eric tells me he is in a local band and they're playing a show at this house party with 3 other bands in Portland Saturday night. That sounded rad so I got his number and I went out to the party last night. It rocked so hard. All of the bands were great. Some highlights were this cool chick who played the violin (so hot in a rock band), this one band which consisted of 3 bassists and 2 drummers and a random rap battles during the intermission. Apparently the house also has quarterly beer pong tournaments in their basement which looked so cool, I'm just sad that I probably will never get to play there. Did I mention they had a keg of PBR.

On Wednesday night I went bowling with Nicole (Ryan's roommate) and a couple I met back in July: Caleb and Anna. Caleb and Anna get really competitive and so it was great making small wagers on who would win and it made the games so much fun.

The last pic is one of our scores (there's yours truly on top with the big 133, woot!) (also notice the names of the players bowling next to us)

Phew, that was kinda epic-ish. Rock on everyone.