planetkris

Sit back, relax, and enjoy the crash…

Sothern California is car heaven. All the latest designs are created here, all the greatest cars in the world can be found here. I’ve seen more GT3’s then Boxsters. More 911’s then Cayennes. This is first class “car guy” land, where after eating at Macaroni Grill you can hop into your 1957 Porsche 356 1600 Speedster. No one else semed to notice the piece of iconic motoring history parked off to the side between an 02 Maxima and a AMG Mercedes. I stood paralyzed as I looked at one of the first cars to break the 100MPH barrier in the 50’s. It woudn’t suprise me to discover that it was original and not a kit. It was clean, well worn leather seats, with slightly faded chrome. Not to shabby a car to add to your collection for a mere $70-100K.

After that, the middle-aged guy driving the beat up 80’s Ferrari 308 Quatrovalve did nothing for me. I mean - “Get off Miami Vice! Buy a real Ferrari!” At least a 355, or for you sophisticate speed freaks: The Maserati Coupe’ - “Shit, I saw two of those at IKEA…”

And then there’s driving in so-cal. The speed limit is 50 everywhere! Two lane traffic, on coming traffic, non-divided, school zone - FIFTY! I’ve been honked at for going - get this - slow… Yeah, me - Mr. Rally. I’m coasting along at 40, thinking, ‘I’m doing my God given 5 over’ and BEEP! “Oh - the speed limit is WHAT?!” People do drive different out here. It reminds me of Vermont drivers because they are always totally random, but just a bit more aggressive.

Nothing a kid that grew up driving into Boston and a girl from Jersey can’t handle.

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.

I’m quite creative and imaginative at times. The problem is you can never quite tell when it’s going to happen. I’ve gotten used to sitting around waiting for creativity to strike. Sometimes I can induce it with music, or mood, but mostly it comes on it’s own.

The downside is I struggle through things until the magic imagination starts. I’ve worked on things for hours or days, only to tear up what I started and wail down something a hundred times better in about 10 minutes.

Our “Road Trip USA” is putting me on the spot. It’s turned up the heat. Create quality entertaining content while you upload 300 pictures, get gas, find food, oh - and drive across the country! Preview, crop, size, tag, upload, email, publish. I’m getting in the swing of typing posts while on the road. Tine is a lot better at it. I would say that my best work is in the photos. I’m really trying to capture some great shots. About 10% of what I take doesn’t make the cut.

For example: I re-worked Postcard number 7 about 4 times. Then I deleted it and started again. This is tough when you have one night to create and upload.

So I say: “Content shouldn’t matter so much.” We are having the time of our lives. A great adventure. One that I’ll tell stories about forever. Look for more from myself and Christine as we finish up our trip across country. Time for me to get some more sleep.

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.

Location: OK City, Oklahoma
Miles traveled: 1787 (and rolling)
Cost of gas: $1.67 / gal
Weather: sunny
Mood: nostalgic
Tunes: Route 66 - Asleep At The Wheel

Up early and off to Kansas. We pre-packed our stuff last night. Christine will explain our show mix up in Branson from yesterday - because of that we had a little more time to be 100% ready for today. Enjoy the pool, take more silly tourist pictures, etc.

I took the wheel this morning and headed us back to 44. Tine and I decided to keep to the old 66 route through Kansas. I parked outside the hotel lobby and we went in to ‘check out’, plus look at the breakfast buffet. “Ooh, this looks good - we should sit down.” Ten minutes into breakfast I realize the car is still out front. “We should hit the road - we’re double parked,” I said to Tine. “Kris… We’re not in Manhattan.” “Oh… yeah.” Then I dug back into the eggs.

Out of the Ozark hills and into a little town called Carthage, Missouri. Carthage was the insperation for “Hill Valley” in the “Back to the Future” movies. It was a small detour and Tine was worried if it would be worth the stop. As we turned down W. Main St. I gaped. “Woah, creepy.” They have a huge ornate courthouse with a big clock tower. The wide sidewalks and road design are identical. I have some videos of downtown that will be up at some point. In the meantime here are the pictures.

Into Joplin, Missouri (For those of you who know the song lyrics - Joplin is mentioned.) Parts of the old road are intact here. As I-44 doesn’t bother heading into Kansas. An original concrete arch bridge, painted road surfaces, etc. Blink and you’ll miss Kansas.

In Tulsa, Oklahoma we made a stop at the Metro Diner. Great food - a blast from the past. We both think it’s worth it to find uniqe places to eat on this road trip. From authentic Mexican to toasted sandwiches, anything’s better then a Big Mac w/fries.

We finished the day outside of Oklahoma City. Both of us are pretty beat now. I didn’t even have the time or the energy to finish this post last night. We did however edit and upload pictures. Tomorrow - Another 3 state day; Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico. Woot.