I Have No Words To Describe
Why didn't he stop with Knight Rider?
Why didn't he stop with Knight Rider?
California knows how to party. In short … L.A. traffic is bad enough that you might consider selling your favorite child just to avoid it. San Diego apparently killed off most of the seals in Mission Bay, leaving only one seal that appeared to be on it's last freaky fin-like leg. Still cool, but seemingly a gross, but amazing, freak of nature. Disneyland, a city within a city, meet all expectations. My inner child came out and frolicked with many other's outer children. We enjoyed a cream cheese filled pretzel on the It's a Small World ride, as my theme song played in the background. The world gets smaller every day.
The journey is still going well. I saw Cami, the field director from my time in Sierra Leone, and my teammate Ben last Wednesday and enjoyed a good time of fellowship and prayer. I crashed with Jason Sandifer in Redondo Beach. I walked down Venice Beach and saw many interesting things. I believe it might be the only place in the world where you can see an effeminate Malaysian body builder in a leopard skin speedo using his mad karate skills to beat up an older, mocking, overweight white guy … oh yeah, and later seeing the Malaysian guy arrested. God Bless America.
San Diego was filled with good friends and good food. I saw Amy Morris, and in turn, she showed me the town. It is a beautiful place. She and her friends also chaperoned me on my visit to Disneyland. Good times were had by all, even if the times were quite wet.
I'm about to head out for breakfast in Pasadena with my good friend Douglas Zukunft, a student at Fuller Seminary. I'm looking forward to the theological conversation over egg salad. After that I'll make a jaunt down Hollywood Blvd, just to make sure that they don't need a bearded mountain man for the next big Hollywood blockbuster. Heck, while I'm in town I might as well try. After my 15 minutes I'll head up the PCH and ultimately end up at Yosemite this evening. An adventure awaits.
After a brief rest and good time spent with old friends, I'm planning to head out yet again on the road. Peter Von Tobel's guest bed has provided better nights of sleep than I've had in a long time. Yet I must move on.
While I claim to be on a road trip, I must confess that I've been without a substantive amount of jerky since my ascent out of the Grand Canyon. The unwritten rules of the road trip require that I refer to my trip as "seemingly aimless wandering" until which time I can secure another bag of jerky. I'll pick up new supplies tonight so that I'll yet again be official before I hit the road tomorrow to go to L.A.
Good times ahead. Good times behind.
EVENING UPDATE: One pound of recently acquired teriyaki jerky bumps my travel status back up to "road trip."
I apologize for the silence over this past week. I forgot my laptop power adapter in Santa Fe, rendering my web presence silent. This was probably for the best, as the situation kept me out of the digital world, and firmly in the physical world. And the physical world required my full attention this past week.
Over the past week (or so) I've travelled through Colorado Springs, Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Flagstaff, the Grand Canyon, Sedona, and Phoenix. I wasn't planning to stay in Colorado Springs, but after spending 4-5 hours on top of Pikes Peak reading, journaling, playing guitar, and praying. I enjoyed the amazing views as the temperature dropped 20 degrees.
The next stop was Santa Fe, a town that I just didn't get. Perhaps it's because I'm not all that into viewing art alone, perhaps it's because I'm under 40 (the over-40 population was well represented with smiles on their faces). In any regards, I wasn't so impressed, despite some cool buildings and a nifty downtown arena of shops. I'd give it another chance some day.
The visit to Albuquerque is a technicality. I stopped off to pick up some equipment at REI. The sales associate gave me some great ideas for the Sedona area, so I'm counting it as a stop.
On the way to Flagstaff I stopped off at the Painted Forest and Petrified Forest National Park. Beautiful stuff, and a great opportunity to make the most of my National Park Pass.
Once in Flagstaff I enjoyed the ski town ambiance of this little burg in the mountains. I took what turned out to be a 10+ mile practice hike in the Arizona snow bowl. Regrettably, I forgot to bring a frisbee and could not play the frisbee golf course at 9,000 feet. I contemplated using my shoe, thus making it the shoe golf course, but decided against it when the hail began to fall.
All previous sites were dwarfed when I took a short drive north of Flagstaff and fell into a large hole. Well, it wasn't so much as a fall, but a steady descent. Despite my previous reservations to hiking the Grand Canyon solo, I decided not to pass up this opportunity to enjoy some of God's beautiful creation. Packed with eight PB's (no J – it permeates the bread when stored for a long time), jerky and other salted snacks, and almost eight pounds of water in my 40 lb pack, I began my descent. The views were breathtaking. I took over 130 photos on the way down, though none can properly capture what I saw.
At the bottom I camped at the Bright Angel campground, though I frequented the Phantom Ranch cantina to escape the 102 degree heat and to enjoy a from scratch stew for dinner. I met several quality people there and was welcomed by a couple groups. Mark and Emma from Chicago, the entire Hall clan, and Liz and Jeremy were great travel companions. I am very grateful to the Hall clan for welcoming me during their ascent the following day during which I was made an honorary member of Team Hydration (pictured right, minus one member). If you don't take hydration seriously, you die … or at least become another story for park rangers to tell to others.
After a few days at the cayon, I travelled down to Sedona, stopping by Bun Huggers in Flagstaff for the best burger I've had in a long time. Sedona was beautiful, though there were a few too many tourists seeking spiritual experiences at the well-known, oft-experienced, though still strange earth energy vortexes. I took the advice of Kristin Nunery and hiked Cathedral Rock
one morning. I spent a few hours up in the saddle between the rocks to read and view the local wildlife (check the video of the spider in the gallery). I met up with a Pam Roberts (a former co-worker) and her husband for brunch at Tlaquepaque, a quaint grouping of art, shops, and restaurants. The night before I backed my car into a tree there resulting in minor damage. The trip will continue! I wasn't very upset … maybe the energy vortexes do work.
After enjoying Sedona I travelled down to Phoenix, a city that is redefining the word "hot" for me. I thought after living in Seville, Spain, and West Africa that I knew what "hot" was. Apparently not. The one and only Peter Von Tobel has been a wonderful host. It's been good to catch up with my former roommate and to see his town. He was also so kind as to let me have the Santa Fe hotel ship my misplaced power supply to his house. I hope it comes today so I can get back up and running on my laptop. However, I'm not exactly slumming it on Pete's Mac Mini.
Good times behind. Good times ahead. Stay tuned for more …
Dateline: New Mexico Visitor's Center
Good times are being had by most. Thankfully most includes me this time. I hit up Rocky Mountain National Park two days ago and hiked to Loch Lake. There I had a good hour to read before having to hike the three miles back to the car. The scenery was absolutely beautiful.
I left Denver yesterday to head down to Santa Fe. I didn't make it – Pikes Peak got in my way. I drove the hour up the mountain to take in the spectacular views. I found a nook in which to read, pray, and journal. The temperature dropped 15-20 degrees while I was at the Peak. On the way down I stopped on a pull-off to play guitar and enjoy a raging thunderstorm only a few miles away, almost at eye level. When I could no longer feel my fingers I continued down the hill. I was quite thankful that I left my winter gloves in the glove compartment (appropriately).
Good times to continue … stay tuned.
Rocky Mountain National Park
Pikes Peak
The long hours of practice have finally paid off. Today I played my first concert at Red Rocks. Lucas and I visited, hiked, learned at the visitor's center that a visit to higher altitude should not begin with a beer and followed up the following morning with a run (oops), and played guitar at the world-renowned concert arena. This place is so loved by musicians that it won the musician's venue award umpteen times in a row. It won so many times, in fact, that they took it off the ballot and renamed the award the Red Rocks Award. So you can imagine my excitement to "finally" get some playtime there.
Lucas and I quickly became an attraction for fellow visitors. We obliged by performing "Rocky Mountain High" (RIP John Denver) … well, we sang the chorus several times. We enjoyed our first concert at Red Rocks. Maybe I'll be back some day.
We followed up our concert with a (free) cold one at the Coors Brewery. The tour was quite interesting. The set up at the brewery reminded me a lot of the pharmaceutical manufacturing process I love so much. Unfortunately, the tour guide didn't know the answers to my beer testing and laboratory information management system questions. She was great otherwise, but I guess she missed that day in tour guide training.
I'm writing this entry from Boulder, having paid another visit to this beautiful town to see friends. Hopefully I'll figure out how to get back up the hill to snap a picture of the breathtaking view I toolishly was unable to get two days ago.
Day four was fairly laid back. I'm learning that I should not be trying to entertain myself or even to fill all the time in with music, people, books, etc. The good road trip will be a mix of all of the above, mixed together with a healthy dose of time to think.
This day was an attempt to be alone outside of the car and to still have it be a road trip worthy day. I came close. I'll get better. The day was filled mostly with an adventure into downtown Denver. I took the Denver light rail system into town and then rode the free bus to the end of the line and back, just to see my options. I ended up walking through the Lower Downtown District (LoDo) to crash at the Metropolitan Mudd Coffee Co.. After a spell there I walked by Coors Field to grab dinner at the Breckenridge Ball Park Brew Pub. The Brew Pub had really good milk.
Eating dinner alone, even if there is good food, is a little sad, but to be expected. I took the time to soak in the sunset over Coors Field and read Death by Suburb, a book that I would highly recommend for anyone that attends a church in the United States.
So yeah, not too exciting a day, but there were some good thoughts and readings to make it worthwhile. Oh, and Lucas and I threw a glow in the dark disc around just before midnight. I hope Lucas' dream of a glow in the dark ultimate frisbee game will one day become a reality.
Waking up at 6:30 in the a.m. was not in the plans, but when I saw the beauty of the Rockies foothills in the new light of day I decided that my day had begun. Kino, a Siberian Husky, kept me company as I enjoyed a fresh cup of daily brew and some good books.
I joined Lucas for the first part of his mid-morning run. He reminded me of the elevation. "I don't really notice the elevation," I responded. My thought sounded strangely like famous last words. After Lucas left me in the dust (he is training for the Pikes Peak Marathon after all) and my headache began, I took it easy so as not to end up being found by the side of the trail. All in all, it was a good run, but I'm feeling it the day after seeing as I was stagnant for almost three weeks due to throwing out my back.
The evening hours were spent in the wonderful presence of Amy Nixon, and Tara McVeigh and her boyfriend. We dined at the Southern Sun Pub, a family-owned Boulder pub and brewery. I recommend the FYI IPA. We caught up on the last six months of life, I shared about my trip during dinner. Afterward Amy and I proceeded to a coffee shop on Pearl Street, the nation's first outdoor street mall. God Bless America. There I showed pictures of my experience in Sierra Leone and chatted about our similar experiences. Amy spent six months with Mercy Ships in Liberia, Sierra Leone's neighbor to the east. Our conversation was rich, full of similar memories and experiences. After coffee she took me to an overlook to see Boulder at night. Good times. Sadly, like a tool I forgot my camera so I have no pictures to remember the view.
The scenery out here is blowing me away. The blue sky, open air, mountains, moonlit clouds in the distance … it's all breathtaking. Maybe that's the elevation, but anyway, it's all amazing.
Dateline: Denver, CO
In the wee hours of day two I pulled into a rest area west of Omaha, NE. Facing west, my entire field of vision was filled with a majestic thunderstorm. I slept there for about five and a half hours before hitting the road. I stopped at two other Nebraskan rest areas to take naps throughout the morning.
I eased my way across Nebraska and into Colorado. I stopped at the "Welcome to Colorful Colorado" sign again, six months after doing so for the first time. I've determined that the Colorado state board of tourism is flat out lying about the colorful part … unless colorful means a dull mix of green and grey. It's beautiful, breathtakingly so, but to say it's colorful is misleading at best.
Catching up with my 'ole buddy Lucas has been very good. We went to the Scum of the Earth, a church in downtown Denver. Afterward we proceeded to a local pub to philosophize and quench our thirst. It's been a good first stop.
Dateline: Davenport, IA
And so it begins … later than expected. I hit the road around noon today. The morning passed quickly as I installed the iPod, cleaned the car, and packed the trunk. After seventy miles I felt it was time for a short rest. The last few days have been chock full of preparations and unforeseen events. I wish that I was writing this somewhere in Nebraska, but Davenport will have to do.
In true road trip fashion, I called a friend a few hours ahead and was able to get together for coffee. Kate Oates was kind enough to meet on short notice to catch up and passionately describe places to visit in California, the state she's lived for the past three years. I'm excited to check out Yosemite and the surrounding area.
I'm packed to the gills, having stuffed more, uh, stuff in my car for six weeks than I took with me to Africa for four months. I think there is some law that the amount of crap you pack is proportional to the amount of space that is available. My back seat still has many cubic feet of empty space, but I have seven or eight states ahead of me to remedy that.
I'm off to hit the road after a quick nap. I've yet to decide where to sleep tonight … motel, hotel, holiday inn … truck stop … I'll let you know.