Friday, August 5, 2011
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Surfin' in the USA/Homeward Bound
Yesterday I tried surfing for the first time. It's slightly easier than I imagined it would be, although I wasn't able to stand up all the way on the board. At least I got the feeling of starting to catch a wave. I spent just $25 to rent a board and a wetsuit, which was well worth it.
Hollywood wrote earlier that wetsuits are surprisingly effective. They are, which is great because the Pacific Ocean is much colder than it looks. I'm pretty sure the wetsuit that I rented fit more tightly than my actual skin, but I can safely say there is no way I would have willingly submerged myself in water that cold without it.
The beach marks the midpoint of our journey. From now on, we'll be headed eastward. I'm beginning to miss the rolling hills of Pennsylvania, so it's good to know we're on our way home. Next up, we'll visit Hollywood's uncle and aunt, then the Hoover Dam, and then the Grand Canyon. Metric out.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Road Trip 101: Lessons Learned
We've arrived safely in Ventura, CA. It's cooler than I expected. Much cooler than, say, the Badlands in South Dakota. Which, by the way, were absolutely incredible. If it weren't so hot, it'd be a great place to live. If it weren't so hot, I guess it wouldn't be the Badlands.
In the course of life, learning never ceases if you're open to it. We've already learned a lot, and we're not even halfway through the trip. For instance, find out everything you can about a place before you go. The Badlands was incredible. Mount Rushmore, on the other hand, was really just kind of ok. The Crazy Horse monument is going to be amazing, but it's NOWHERE near done yet, and the National Parks Pass didn't mean anything there, so we spent 30 bucks to walk through a little Native American museum. Probably the worst 30 bucks I've ever spent. All that's currently near done is the face, and it isn't even chiseled to the point of being recognizable as a Native American face, much less a specific person's face.
Yesterday we went to Yosemite and climbed a mountain. Just one. Climbed it, then ran around on top of it for probably an hour. It was like a rock, but there were probably 10 plus acres on top of this one rock... it was pretty awesome. The views were absolutely incredible. If I ever have a month of free time and extra cash to blow, I'm DEFINITELY gonna go camp at/hike/explore/climb Yosemite. 5 million acres of land, and we only planned part of one afternoon for it. THAT was poor planning. But I guess it was a learning experience.
Ventura is nice. We didn't really hit traffic until today going to the surf shop, and that was partly because the California State Fair started today. Also, they have parking on the medians here... which is different, but not a bad idea for saving space. Of course, if you've ever seen skid marks across medians, you know why more states don't park people there... I guess they figure, if you live in CA, you have enough money to afford a new car every couple months. *shrug*
Surfing. In California. In freezing cold water. We wore wetsuits, though, and I *totally* underestimated how well those work. In addition to buying a surf board, I'm gonna have to pick up a wetsuit. That water was probably around 40 degrees, and there wasn't even an initial shock to getting in the water. Totally awesome.
What else have we learned? Oh. Gas can vary as much as 30 cents from block to block. It's worth driving around. Also, just because it *looks* hot outside doesn't mean it *is* hot outside. Sometimes it's even cooler than it is in the air-conditioned vehicle. Of course, there are also times when it *is* as hot as it looks outside. Water is a good way to plan ahead. Keeping your water *cold* is an even better way to plan ahead. Walking through the desert for an hour and a half and coming back to hot water is probably one of the worst feelings. Ever.
The other thing we learned... or rather, validated... was that we wouldn't have time to do everything we wanted. On that note, I'm signing off, so that we can... do... more of the things... we wanted. -Hollywood
In the course of life, learning never ceases if you're open to it. We've already learned a lot, and we're not even halfway through the trip. For instance, find out everything you can about a place before you go. The Badlands was incredible. Mount Rushmore, on the other hand, was really just kind of ok. The Crazy Horse monument is going to be amazing, but it's NOWHERE near done yet, and the National Parks Pass didn't mean anything there, so we spent 30 bucks to walk through a little Native American museum. Probably the worst 30 bucks I've ever spent. All that's currently near done is the face, and it isn't even chiseled to the point of being recognizable as a Native American face, much less a specific person's face.
Yesterday we went to Yosemite and climbed a mountain. Just one. Climbed it, then ran around on top of it for probably an hour. It was like a rock, but there were probably 10 plus acres on top of this one rock... it was pretty awesome. The views were absolutely incredible. If I ever have a month of free time and extra cash to blow, I'm DEFINITELY gonna go camp at/hike/explore/climb Yosemite. 5 million acres of land, and we only planned part of one afternoon for it. THAT was poor planning. But I guess it was a learning experience.
Ventura is nice. We didn't really hit traffic until today going to the surf shop, and that was partly because the California State Fair started today. Also, they have parking on the medians here... which is different, but not a bad idea for saving space. Of course, if you've ever seen skid marks across medians, you know why more states don't park people there... I guess they figure, if you live in CA, you have enough money to afford a new car every couple months. *shrug*
Surfing. In California. In freezing cold water. We wore wetsuits, though, and I *totally* underestimated how well those work. In addition to buying a surf board, I'm gonna have to pick up a wetsuit. That water was probably around 40 degrees, and there wasn't even an initial shock to getting in the water. Totally awesome.
What else have we learned? Oh. Gas can vary as much as 30 cents from block to block. It's worth driving around. Also, just because it *looks* hot outside doesn't mean it *is* hot outside. Sometimes it's even cooler than it is in the air-conditioned vehicle. Of course, there are also times when it *is* as hot as it looks outside. Water is a good way to plan ahead. Keeping your water *cold* is an even better way to plan ahead. Walking through the desert for an hour and a half and coming back to hot water is probably one of the worst feelings. Ever.
The other thing we learned... or rather, validated... was that we wouldn't have time to do everything we wanted. On that note, I'm signing off, so that we can... do... more of the things... we wanted. -Hollywood
California
I've been to this state three or four times, and it never fails. I am always blown away by the sheer awesomeness of the landscape. Utah and Nevada had some really cool, even beautiful deserts, but there is simply no way to compete with California. Deserts? Got it. Beaches? Yup. Mountains made of solid rock rising over pine forests? Yosemite is all over that. (Or should I say that the mountains are all over Yosemite?) We climbed one of those mountains, and the view from the top was incredible. I don't think I've ever seen a better 360 degrees. I'm guessing we were close to 10,000 feet above sea level, and a quick climb up a steep hill makes it apparent that there's less oxygen up there than I'm used to.
I'm fortunate enough to have a very hospitable aunt and uncle that live in Ventura, which is about an hour long drive away from Los Angeles. We're staying at their house for two nights. We get to sleep in beds, take showers, and drink lattes. (Well, I got to drink a latte. Hollywood and Record have some sort of disorder that involves not being addicted to coffee.) After sleeping in the car and the tent and drinking gas station coffee, this feels like paradise.
Don't forget to check out our videos. Metric out.
I'm fortunate enough to have a very hospitable aunt and uncle that live in Ventura, which is about an hour long drive away from Los Angeles. We're staying at their house for two nights. We get to sleep in beds, take showers, and drink lattes. (Well, I got to drink a latte. Hollywood and Record have some sort of disorder that involves not being addicted to coffee.) After sleeping in the car and the tent and drinking gas station coffee, this feels like paradise.
Don't forget to check out our videos. Metric out.
Vlog! - Day 02
Sorry we're behind in posting on here. We've had some trouble charging computers and finding wi-fi. We'll try to catch up today!
Monday, August 1, 2011
Dynamite and Mountain Majesty
Metric here. As I write, we are stopped on Route 34 in Wyoming, waiting for a construction crew to blow stuff up. With dynamite. Apparently that’s what they do here.
They’re going to make the road wider, although I’m not sure why they need to. It’s only two lanes wide, but we’ve been here for half an hour and only eight cars are lined up behind us. It’s actually a peaceful experience. There are just enough clouds in the sky to make sure the sun is warm instead of hot, and there’s a light breeze blowing through the car. We’re making conversation with the flag person, and we found out that he plays drums in a Mexican band.
Another construction worker has just given a go ahead, so we’re on our way again. We only had to wait forty-five minutes, which is lucky. The flag person said he was at one blast that stopped traffic for nearly two hours.
The landscape has been consistently awesome since we passed through the badlands in South Dakota. The mountains here are mountains. They assert themselves over the rest of the landscape, and allow only a few trees and some grasses to grow over them. Rock ledges jut from the mountains in some places, almost giving the impression that they are actively pushing themselves out of the earth. The authoritative, unforgiving majesty hasn’t stopped for a few hundred miles, and it doesn’t show any signs of letting up soon.
That’s all for now. It’s time to drive past some more mountains!
They’re going to make the road wider, although I’m not sure why they need to. It’s only two lanes wide, but we’ve been here for half an hour and only eight cars are lined up behind us. It’s actually a peaceful experience. There are just enough clouds in the sky to make sure the sun is warm instead of hot, and there’s a light breeze blowing through the car. We’re making conversation with the flag person, and we found out that he plays drums in a Mexican band.
Another construction worker has just given a go ahead, so we’re on our way again. We only had to wait forty-five minutes, which is lucky. The flag person said he was at one blast that stopped traffic for nearly two hours.
The landscape has been consistently awesome since we passed through the badlands in South Dakota. The mountains here are mountains. They assert themselves over the rest of the landscape, and allow only a few trees and some grasses to grow over them. Rock ledges jut from the mountains in some places, almost giving the impression that they are actively pushing themselves out of the earth. The authoritative, unforgiving majesty hasn’t stopped for a few hundred miles, and it doesn’t show any signs of letting up soon.
That’s all for now. It’s time to drive past some more mountains!
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