planetkris

Sit back, relax, and enjoy the crash…

We had a blast with all our friends and family!
Don’t worry - I’ll link a gallery or two here when we return.
Maybe I’ll share a story or two… More likely it will be on the brides site - sunmoonstarsgirl.com

Last week my buddy KC (from Rhode Island) asked me if I lived close to San Diego. “Very close. Why?” “SCCA Autocross National Tour San Diego!” Christine and I have been wanting to take a trip down there, so we planned to make a stop at Qualcomm Stadium and visit with KC and the rest of the crazy autocross guys for the day.

Besides the traffic on the I-5 after a tour bus got crushed, it was a fun trip. We spent about 5 hours in the parking lot of the stadium watching some fast drivers fight for hundreths of a second. I’ve been to an SCCA National Tour event before in Massachusetts and you don’t get to see cars like the Lotus Elise, or Caterham 7’s. “Lot’s of fair weather cars out here.” KC remarked.

I got to use my new lenses to their limit. I received a telephoto and wide angle lens for Christmas. (thanks mom & dad) I personally love the “close up / giant wide lens” look. I had the tripod and it was fairly sunny out - so my 6X shots are pretty crisp. Check them out in the gallery!

In the afternoon Tine and I went out to Coronado. Spent a nice relaxing evening walking around the island. Then we drove around downtown. It reminds me a lot of Portland, Maine… On a sunny summer day in June.

So much has happened in the last two weeks that it would be impossible and tiring to document all that has happened. So I will focus on the “highlights” and let you piece it together. The trip looked like this: Went East for Christmas. Picked up the rallycar and drove it to Maine. Stopped for tires and tax free shopping in New Hampster. Spent a few days in Maine then drove back to Jersey. Celebrated Christmas. Packed up and left for Irvine with the rallycar. Cape May ferry. Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. Stop in South Carolina. Stop in Mississippi. Stop in Texas (twice). Six Flags over Texas. New years in Tucson, AZ. New years day we got home to Irvine, CA.

Don’t take a ferry when there is a 40 knot crosswind and 8 foot seas. Halfway to Delaware we start lashing port and starboard. I want to say 30 degrees but I’m not sure if that would be too much or too little exaggeration. When we hit a big wave the tables and chairs that they have setup all slid left. At that moment I could see nothing but sky from the windows on the right and nothing but Atlantic to my left. Little kids puking. Gift shop destroyed. Christine and I were doing okay. Having rode the T in Boston for most of my life I have my “sea” legs. I crossed the deck and grabbed a fistful of napkins for the father of the little girl that hoarked all over him. “I’ve never seen it this bad” mumbled one of the ferry operators. The rocking started to subside and soon we were protected by the breakers and then the jetty. First ferry ride for me… Check.

I think I know why Texas is so wide. Louisiana is mostly flat. Very fertile. That fertile earth dies off when you get into Texas. Arid petroleum wastelands. Once the elevation changes and you begin to see mountains, you are in New Mexico. There is almost nothing in between. Just about every town on I-10 is there because of oil. Just the following would not constitute hating it. No, I would need a better reason than that - and a diagram.

Why I hate Texas: Here is every intersection off every highway in Texas. You’ll notice that they took time to build an over pass but not the exit ramps. When you exit the interstate you are greeted by on-coming traffic. You are then hit with a two or four way stop roughly 30 yards later. An intersection where stopping is optional - apparently. Then to get back onto the highway you must swerve into on-coming traffic again. Wind your way to the on ramp that tightens right at the end. This slows you down to about 22MPH. A good speed to merge onto a highway with a daytime speed limit of 75 don’t you think?

The Neon was not happy above 2,000 feet. It would cruise fine, but when we stopped for refueling she would stutter and run really rich. Crappy Texas gas didn’t help this. I still don’t understand why the one place in the US where refineries and oil wells outnumber people they have 85 octane gas. So I bought 87 which is “mid-grade” gas in Texas and “swamp gas” everywhere else. Then dumped a bottle of octane booster in.

Six Flags Over Texas was an added downer. They had literally like 4 rides open. The thing that sucks is they post this big board outside stating that A LOT of the rides will be closed during the Christmas season. Yet no mention of it on the website. We were able to ride Titan and the train that goes around the park… I have never spent only 3 hours at a Six Flags.

We celebrated the new year in Tucson. We lucked out with a room that had a hot tub. Filled the tub, pressed the button, and nothing happened. I picked up the phone to try and get some help with the lack of water jets. “Did you press the button on the back of the tub?” “Yes.” I explained that the only reason we upgraded was because of the hot tub. They took the $119 room off the bill. Drinking bad pre-mixed Long Island Ice Tea in a huge bathtub is rather anti-romantic. Taking the complimentary soda, popcorn and bath items from our free room was the next order of business.

Saturday we made the dash from Tucson to Irvine. I was excited to be home. Felt good to have the Neon in Cali. I have a lot of projects ahead of me and taking Sunday to do nothing was just what the doctor ordered. It could have been better. It also could have been a lot worse. Drive across the country again - check.

Location: Irvine, California
Miles traveled: 3727
Cost of gas: $2.13 / gal
Weather: hot / muggy
Mood: stoked
Tunes: F.Y.C.

We arrived in Irvine on Friday. It took us a minute to find the housing office and get keys, but we made it. Our new apartment is fantastic. Two bedrooms, two floors, and a patio with outside storage. It’s not as big as some of the other apartments here, but we love the layout (open kitchen with half wall).

On Saturday we went exploring on the bikes. Found the Cyber Cafe, found the laundry, found campus, etc. We picked up some essential items at Trader Joe’s and took a break, as we would need all our energy for when the “Door to Door” storage boxes arrived.

Sunday I get a call at 7:05 AM telling me our stuff is on it’s way. The shipping containers arrive and we finagle some spots up front. The condition of the containers wasn’t too bad. One of the locks got sheared off in shipping and the other container was vandalized with the word “ATOMICK” in silver spraypaint… Whatever that means. The contents of both were intact and dry. We began the slow march inside with box after box. Leaving the heavy stuff and furniture for later when we booked a cart from the Cyber Cafe.

We kept up a good pace. When I got tired I would open boxes while drinking my body weight in Gatorade. When Christine got tired she would start putting stuff away in the kitchen. Once we had the cart, we made quick work of the last container. All of our stuff inside. Time for dinner. We treated ourselves to “The Olive Garden” (Thanks Ray!) and filled up on pasta.

Monday I got a lot of the unpacking and moving done. Now it’s the little things. Finding a place for everything, hanging artwork, setting up the bar, and getting the PS2 hooked up to the intarweb. Christine went off to orintation in the morning and starts school right away. (This explains the lack of updates for the last few days.)

So, Road Trip USA is now over. We had a GREAT time crossing the country! We got like 10 things checked off our “lifetime to-do” list. We couldn’t have done it without the huge support from friends and family. This may be the end of one adventure, but my never ending adventure with Christine continues. Now to find a job and get that rallycar of mine out here.

Stay tuned for our next thrilling adventure!

Friday morning we got the hell out of Vegas and planned a stop in Primm, Nevada for one more coaster. Desperado was the worlds tallest coaster back in 96, and is still on the list. The timing worked out perfectly and we were the first riders of the day. It’s a fantastic coaster and quite a rush in the morning. There are no other coasters to work your way up to this one. So, it’s a quick lift hill into a 225 foot drop.

I just looked at the record book and on this trip alone we have hit 3 of the worlds top coasters. Goliath in Magic Mountain is sure to be checked off soon. I always wanted to go to Japan.

Location: Las Vegas, NV
Miles traveled: 3400
Cost of gas: $1.87 / gal
Weather: raining! in Nevada???
Mood: agrivated
Tunes: Bush - Razorblade Suitcase

After traveling to Lake Havasu and waking up in the hot, sweltery desert we traveled north (east) along Route 66 onto this really exciting windy mountain portion of the road. Onto the Hoover Dam. The greeting was friendly enough - leave the knife in the car, go through the x-ray/metal detector, $20 admission, and the grumpiest guy in Nevada giving the tour. His star quotes: “Don’t bother going over the the Arizona side.” “We don’t sell power here [to California].” “That’s another myth you heard on PBS” (about both the concrete not being cured, and men buried alive in the dam).

After the “parexcellance” powerpoint presentation, we were hearded like cattle into a stuffy elevator down to the generator room. Our bithcy schoolteacher guide reminded us not to piss off the guys with the guns, food was not allowed, and not to chew gum, even though she, herself, was clacking away loudly. Her star quotes: “Does anyone want to volunteer to see what happens if you act up in front of the armed guards?” “I can chew gum because I’m not going to put it on the walls or ceiling, because I’m the one who has to clean it up.” The ten-minute movie was provided to us on a 19-inch telecorder.

This obviously helped to sour the dam experience. It is an awesome technological feat. One that is not to be missed on a drive out west. For security and traffic reasons they are building an even bigger bridge across the canyon, hopefully to be completed by 2008. In the meantime, watch out for lengthy lines at security checkpoints.

More rain in the desert as we got into Las Vegas, Nevada. Rain in Nevada is like snow in North Carolina. People have no idea what to do. The sidewalks get oil slick and all the outdoor shows get cancelled. I’m honestly surprised the Bellagio “Water Fountain Show” wasn’t cancelled. We stayed at the Mirage. Pretty fancy. Pretty close to stuff.

Las Vegas is not my idea of a walking city. It would take you hours to walk up and down the strip. Every sidewalk is diverted into a casino or littered with sketchy people trying to give you porno flyers. Nothing is “free.” Even the free shows are blatent advertisments for the casinos. We got back to The Mirage and I grabbed the small amount of “alloted” casino spending money: $50. Then I dragged Christine downstairs with me. We played a handfull of machines. Christine won $6.50 on a nickel machine. (Up about 400% on our $2 worth of nickels.) I lost about $4 on a video poker machine and then on the last hand got 3 of a kind. I pressed the “cash out” button and we headed back to our room. We played for about an hour and only lost 50 cents.

Location: Lake Havasu City, AZ
Miles traveled: 3132
Cost of gas: $1.92 / gal
Weather: stormy
Mood: tired
Tunes: K90

Sedona is outstanding. Really beautiful country. We got into town and I started to convince Christine that we needed two days in Sedona. She wasn’t hard to convince. It was just a matter of re-planning the last 5 days of our trip. No camping in the Grand Canyon, maybe pass through Lake Havasu, etc. Less time for this, more time for that…

We came from Flagstaff down 89A. This is quite a driver’s road. You drop about 1000 feet in elevation while winding around the front of the Colorado Plateau. We had no idea the road was going to be like this and Christine was driving at the time. A few hairpins down the road and I was nominated for driving duty again.

We made good time from Four Corners. We had a night booked at The Graham Inn. We arrived at what I thought was 3:00PM. But you see Arizona decided not to do that whole “daylight savings time” thing. So it’s about 7:30 on my watch and the Innkeeper and staff were still around. “Hmm. I remember Brian telling me that parts of AZ don’t do the time change…” I muttered as we looked at a clock that was set to 6:30. “This may be a strange question - but what time is it here??” Turns out that we are now in Californian time. We were looking forward to one more time zone change in Nevada, not expecting it this soon.

The next morning we booked a Pink Jeep tour. What an awesome way to see the lansdcape. We traveled down Diamond Back Gultch, and over to the Paleo-Indian Ruins. We got a much better appreciation for the land and what happened over the last 2000 years. The Pink Jeep is one of the oldest tour companies and is the only way to see that country. Unlike the six people we saw trying to navigate the trail in a minivan, I wouldn’t take the Neon down these roads…

One more relaxing night in Sedona. Star gazing off the deck, enjoying the pool, etc. We’re glad we took a break from our vacation. Wednesday morning we got up, enjoyed breakfast, said goodbye to Sedona, and headed up to thje Grand Canyon. The views are spectacular, but I think there is a lot more to discover here. Christine and I will probably make a trip back to do a tour or camp here.

Down out of the mountains headed for Lake Havasu. A huge storm rolls in. 40+ MPH winds, rain, hail, etc. We make it all the way down to Lake Havasu City on good time. Camping seems out of the question as it’s hot here… Like 106 hot. Now that it’s rained it’s muggy and hot. Like New England on that really bad muggy hot day in August. We have the AC in the hotel cranked.

Thursday, we’re up and headed to Vegas, baby!

Location: Sedona, AZ
Miles traveled: 2757
Cost of gas: $1.78 / gal
Weather: sunny and cool
Mood: better
Tunes: Layo & Bushwacka

This morning we balled all the way up to Four Corners. It was a little further away then I wanted, but we made good time up and out of there. Four Corners monument is where Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico meet. So it is possible to drive / walk in all four states in under a minute.

The Malibu got outstanding gas mileage today. I think we were getting shit gas in Texas. It’s Bush country - what do you expect. I had 180 miles at the half tank mark. Well into 26+ MPG. Unlike Friday where I think I was at 130 on the half. (about 20 miles per gallon)

Location: Bloomfield, NM
Miles traveled: 2439
Cost of gas: $1.86 / gal
Weather: A dry heat
Mood: bloated
Tunes: Swedish Engil

Out of Tucumcari and into the high desert. We stopped at the “Blue Hole” in Santa Rosa. It’s a natural fresh water pool that’s 61 degrees and 80 feet deep. Our roadtripusa.com guide suggested that it was too cold for “casual” swimming. Growing up swimming in the North Atlantic I decided to cool off and go for a polar swim.

Further South into Albuquerque We wound into town and stopped at the Route 66 Diner. The upkeep of this diner was a lot better then some of the other stops we’ve seen. It has a more “theme resturant” type feel.

We were planning to head all the way to Four Corners (This is the place where Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico meet.) It was getting late and the sun was directly in my eyes. Christine was hoping to camp here - but without the AAA camping guide we’d have to be quick to find a place before the sun set. Back about 10 miles we found a KOA Campground right off the highway in Bloomfield. With about 4 minutes to spare we booked space 16.

This is the first time we’ve camped along the trip. We have a lot of the trunk devoted to camping stuff, so it makes sense to use it. We were able to find an outlet to inflate the air mattress. It takes up most of the tent. Besides the domestic dispute from a few campsites over - we were really comfy.

Location: Tucumcari, New Mexico
Miles traveled: 2050
Cost of gas: $1.74 / gal
Weather: sunny
Mood: still tired
Tunes: Talking Heads - Road to Nowhere

Out at 8:00 in the morning and off to the National Route 66 Museum in Elk City, OK. Learned about some more of the route’s history. We visited the Post Office in Texola, OK - on the border of (get this) Texas and Oklahoma.

Now the Texas pan-handle looks huge on every US map I’ve ever seen. Big huge Texas. Big distorted map making. It’s only 175 miles across. It’s still a big pan, but it’s only the length of NJ. Smaller then PA. Yet on all the distorted maps I grew up with, it’s huge!

Texas was a downer. Run down towns. No gas. No food. No town. 10 Caddys stuffed in the ground. The “World Famous” Midpoint Cafe was closed for some reason. Only a few signs marked it as “Old 66.” (Unlike “Historic Route 66″ in all the other states we’ve seen it.) It was sad that Texas came off as uncaring. We pulled on 40 and moved onto New Mexico.

Tucumcari Tonight! Having a lot more time then we planned, Christine suggested that we take a look at the Mesalands Dinosaur Museum. “Sure… I guess.” I spoke apprehensively. Turns out that it’s a pretty neat place. They have bronze replicas of various species. Rather intellectual.

Ate at La Cita - Best Mexican in town. Grabbed some groceries for the next leg of the trip: Four Corners in New Mexico. Where Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah meet. Internet hotels will be scarce for the next few days, so don’t worry if we don’t post.