A Look Back on 2009

I hope this holiday season is treating you well and you received all the goodies you asked for this year, be it for Hanukkah, Christmas, or Kwanzaa.

I had originally planned on writing on a totally different topic for this post, but since it will be my last post of 2009, I thought it would more appropriate to look back on the year and those things I am most thankful for.

To start, this has been a pretty eventful year for me in general.

Last winter I began my final semester at Syracuse, seemingly counting down the minutes as my friends and I squeezed every last drop of enjoyment and fun out of our time in Cuse. We went to all of the Big East basketball games at the Carrier Dome, even camping out several hours for a few of them just to ensure we would have good seats. We played beer pong almost religiously, used Halo as the best way to procrastinate from doing work or studying, and played Rock Band to get ourselves ready for a night out. We were second semester seniors, living the dream, and we made sure to do it all.

Syracuse had an outstanding season, earning a high seed in the NCAA tournament and convincingly made their way into the Sweet 16. They were set to play in Memphis against Oklahoma, and it was sure to be a good game. When the Orange beat Arizona State, the talk began about taking a road trip to Memphis to watch the boys play. It started with about 10 of us, and within a week and a half had dwindled to 3: Linz, Susan, and I. But 3 was enough so we made plans and set our course. It was my first true road trip and that was just as exciting as going to see Syracuse play in the NCAA tourney. While the game was forgettable, the experience was awesome, and the three of us really became close over those three days and had a great time together, though it’s tough not to get close when you spend close to 100 hours together.

In March my two best friends and I, who all attend different universities, happened to have the same spring break and spent a week in Key West, Fla. It was a great time. We fooled around like we usually do, shared many laughs, and of course did stupid things as we always do when we’re together. We spent our last night of spring break glued to the television as Syracuse and UConn battled in what can only be described as the most epic college basketball game of the year, if not the decade. By the time the game ended it was so late, we didn’t even attempt to go out. Instead we celebrated with a handle of Jack and 2 liters of Coke.

The spring of senior year came and went and life was good then. I had my friends, my girlfriend, and the one place I never wanted to leave. I got to walk across the stage and hear my name called in front of my family who had come up to Cuse, and listen to Vice President Joe Biden give a passionate key note speech at Commencement in the Carrier Dome. I sat with my friends inside the Carrier Dome, and finally got to take part in graduation traditions such as writing on an orange ribbon and tying it around a tree in the Orange Grove.

I was fortunate to find an internship in NYC for the summer, rebuilding my bank account a little bit in time for my big adventure and gaining valuable experience to help me land my first full time job. I became close friends with the people I worked with over those two months and still keep in touch with some of them.

After much anticipation, the calendar finally turned to August and you know what that means, my cross country road trip with Lucille (my car) to San Diego, Cali. and back. I won’t go into detail about the trip since I’m guessing if you’re reading this you know about everything on my trip. I’ll just say it was one of the most incredible experiences of my life, and something I will absolutely never forget. I got the chance to see places and things in this country I might never see again and that some people dream of going to; a Redwood Forest, driving up the California Coast, hiking both sides of the Grand Canyon, and I could go on. I got to experience a little piece of Americana, as my dad would say, and it wouldn’t have been possible without my awesome parents and amazing girlfriend.

In October I awoke one morning to a phone call from someone claiming they were in HR with Porter Novelli and asked me if I was interested in coming in for an interview. Three weeks later I received a formal offer to join the company and had a start date to began my first full time job. I am now almost two months in and enjoying working with my team, meeting new people, and growing professionally. I am working in the field I studied at Syracuse and in the industry focus I have wanted to work in for a while now. I couldn’t have asked for anything more in a first job and know how lucky I am I even got the opportunity.

At the end of October I got to fly out to Arizona for what has become the annual Father-Son baseball tournament with my dad. It’s a blast getting to play alongside him on the field with the rest of fathers and sons on the team. I try to cherish each time we are there together because not only do other fathers and sons not get the chance to have the same experience, you never know what next year will bring and it we’ll be able to go again. Between trips like there and traveling cross country with him in four days, and the following note, this year has been a big year for my dad and I to spend time together.

In November, the Yankees advanced to the World Series and by sheer luck, my father and I had tickets to Game 6 and watched the Yankees celebrate in their new stadium in the Bronx. I had begun work a mere two days beforehand and didn’t get to bed that night until about 1:30, waking up to my alarm clock a very short 4 hours later, but it did not matter. I was wide awake the following day, running on adrenaline and trying to relive a moment that I will probably never get to be part of again.

In mid-November I celebrated my one year anniversary with Susan, an impressive milestone considering we are no longer in college and able to see each other as easily. Granted we are still only about an hour away, but now life has begun, and between looking for jobs, hanging with friends, and being with family, it is tough to juggle everything. Thankfully we have made it work and have a great thing going. We meet in the city frequently, and try to make special plans around things we both enjoy (usually food).

And now I’ve celebrated the holidays with loved ones and am about to go to the Poconos to celebrate New Year's Eve with my group of friends and hopefully break in my new skis on a mountain out there. Not a bad way to cap off an incredible and memorable year, if I do say so myself.

After writing all this down, I realize this has really been a great year for me. I’m not sure how to compare it to years past, but I’m confident it contains the most adventures and plenty of things I will remember for many years to come. I’d say it was better than the past few years I can recall, and I am optimistic it will only get better from here.

I only hope 2010 brings as many new challenges and adventures.

Merry Christmas Everyone

No real post this week as per the holidays. Haven't had much time to sit down and write things down. I'll be back next week with what I hope will be another clever post for your enjoyment.

Have a great holiday season and a Happy New Year!

-Jesse

Syracuse Anonymous

I’ve heard people get the shakes. Others who have done it warned me not to go cold turkey; they said the body can’t handle withdrawal from something it knew for years. They warned me I wouldn’t make it a week without falling off the wagon.

One of my friends recommended me to a meeting he knew. They are every Wednesday night at the local Knights of Columbus.

Hello, my name is Jesse Caputo, and I am an Orange addict…

I guess I’ve been an addicted now for about three years. My freshman year at Syracuse I was happy to be there, but I didn’t “love” it. I didn’t need to be there or miss it whenever I went without it for a couple days. When people asked me if I loved it, I danced around the question with BS answers like “I don’t know if I love it, but can you love it? It’s just a school and none of my friends are here blah blah blah…” I was in a long-distance relationship and hadn’t had a complete freshman experience.

Sophomore year everything changed. Second semester I changed majors, was single again, and found a great group of friends to paint my face with every week at basketball games and party with afterwards. We would get to games a minimum of three hours early, and we practically had a reserved spot in one of the front rows which we claimed for most of the big games. We celebrated after wins and commiserated after loses together. I didn’t have a care in the world and for the first time was truly relaxed and comfortable at school. I think the moment that really got me on board was Valentines Day. We had two feet of snow and classes were cancelled for the first time in 13 years. My friends and I played in the snow all afternoon and then ate chocolate and watched movies all evening. It didn’t get much better. I became an addict.

Junior year things got hot and heavy. I couldn’t stand to go a couple days without a hit of ‘Cuse, or else I’d get uneven, a chance of the shakes, and irritable. I was close to my friends, had my own room in my on campus apartment, and was rooming with my best friend. Things were great. I was skiing on nights during the weekend, at basketball games at The Dome (which had become a given at this point), enjoying life, and making lasting connections with friends. My roommate and I sophomore year had our ups and downs, sometimes getting along and sometimes hating each other. But now, junior year, we were becoming the best of friends. Second semester we were going out together every weekend, having a blast, and dare I say it, becoming best friends? I was addicted to Syracuse, and everything that went along with it.

Senior year was just amazing. My best friends and I all lived in the same building and things couldn’t have been better. Halo, Rock Band, Gears Of War 2, and beer pong were mainstays. Friday and Saturday nights usually went something like this…. Basketball, beer pong, and then Chucks for a night of mayhem and stupidity. It was crazy and the greatest of things at all times. Walking in to Chucks and seeing your friends, hanging out together, sharing stories, and laughing are things I got so used to, I guess you can say I became addicted to them. I had to have my fix of crazy nights at least once a week. Basketball games were classic. Face paint was still a mainstay. We showed up for the Georgetown game 5 hours early and had a regular crew of friends who were down for being up at 8 am for 12 pm games. I met an amazing girl who I’m still dating, and became really close friends with her roommates. I experienced my first true road trip in a whirlwind weekend trip to Memphis and back for the Sweet 16 to watch Syracuse get stomped by Blake Griffin and Oklahoma. The game was terrible, but the trip was something I’ll never forget. I gave weekly tours of campus to prospective students, giving them a taste of my four amazing years on campus and what the future could hold for them. I was an addict, refusing to give up my friends, my life style, and everything I had come to know the last four years.

This past summer was still college-like, with lots of fooling around and serious working was only for a short time. But now I’m working full time, and can only watch Syracuse basketball when it’s being carried by SNY or on ESPN. I was at a bar last week watched ‘Cuse beat Florida in a thriller in a bar filled with orange-clad alum filling the bar with “Lets Go Orange!” cheers. It was great…for what it was. An alumni event. Sitting at the bar, listening to the cheers, I was happy and sad at the same time.

I missed Syracuse so much at that moment. I missed being there, jumping up and down in the stands, losing my voice yelling like a maniac, celebrating after games, and spending days after class in front of the TV playing video games and laughing with my friends. Now we are dispersed around the country all trying to begin the next phase of our lives. Luckily I still get to see the Orange run the court live every once in a while when they come to their second home, Madison Square Garden, and treat thousands of Syracuse alum and fans to a treat. I watched them romp Cal and UNC a few weeks ago, and there was nothing better. Thankfully I made my dad a Syracuse fan so he has no problem going to games. We even have tickets for the Villanova game back in Syracuse.

My sister warned me about withdrawal from college. She said she knew people from Syracuse and heard it took months for them to get over graduation. I brushed off what she said, thinking that wouldn’t be me. I was stronger than that. I loved ‘Cuse, but I was going to be fine. When this summer came and went and I was still fine, I thought,”pft, that was a breeze.” But no! It wasn’t over. Now that I’m back in the real world, and not the Wild West it has hit me like a ton of bricks. I miss everything at once and have moments when I’m so lost in memory I almost become depressed, but then I bring myself out of it when I think of the fun times, and I’m glad I got to experience them.

There are people who go to school and want nothing more than to be done with it and go on with their lives. They count down the days from freshman orientation to graduation and just try to make it there. They don’t keep in touch with friends, and they certainly don’t show school pride. While I miss school like anything, I feel fortunate I got to experience it at all and am part of such a passionate, knowledgeable and school-loving alumni group.

I still wear Syracuse gear at least once a week, but now I don’t wear it with the knowledge that I’m going back tomorrow, the next day, or next week to Paradise. I’ve traded in the daily school garb for business casual and 9 to 5. Instead, I now pull on my eye-blinding, spot-you-anywhere-in-a-crowd orange to remind myself of all the fun I had with all my friends and memories of time past.

You Lied To Us, Jesse!

Yes, I did. I’m sorry and regret those transgressions. (Thanks, Tiger)

First of all, I hope you all had a happy and delicious Thanksgiving.

Now, onto the news!

So since the last time I posted a lot has happened to say the least. First and foremost, the Yankees won the 2009 World Series, beating the Philadelphia Phillies in 6 games. (Sorry, Rollins) Because of sheer luck, I just happened to be at the clinching game of the World Series, something very few have gotten to ever experience. It was the second day of my new job, but that wasn’t as important as being sure I made it to the Bronx in plenty of time to soak in the atmosphere (Yes, I’ll come back to the job mention later). It was incredible to say the least. What an opportunity. We were lucky enough to have the opportunity to buy tickets, and because no one could go to Game 1 or 2, we bought two tickets for Game 6 and hoped for the best. Well, luckily the best happened and I got the chance to be at the game of a lifetime.

Before going to the World Series, I was in Phoenix, AZ for a week hanging out and playing baseball for a week. I was only played baseball for a guaranteed two days, but since I didn’t have much else going on so I figured “Why not?” I was down there for a Father-Son baseball tournament and shared a week of fun and laughs with my pops. We got a lot of playing time, and I even got the chance to pitch a little bit. My limited time on the hill didn’t go as well as I imagined it in my head, but all that means is I have to work harder for next year. The trip to AZ with my dad to play is something I look forward to every year.

But before I went off to sunny Arizona, I was awoken one morning after spending the night in Jersey with Susan by a HR woman from Porter Novelli, a PR agency in New York City which I interviewed with earlier for a summer internship. I was skeptical when she asked me if I was available to come in for an interview since they didn’t offer me the internship. Anyway, I went in, interviewed, and then flew off to Arizona. After warming up before our first Father-Son game, I got a call from the woman again offering me the job. I accepted of course, and started off my tournament in pretty good style.

So I came back from AZ and started almost immediately. I had two days to learn everything from the woman whose place I was taking, and then pretty much thrown into the deep end. The next two weeks were chaotic. There was a major medical conference our client was at and a study that generated a lot of press. I worked Saturday and Sunday that weekend, as well as non-stop all week. It was the craziest two weeks I’m pretty sure anyone has ever had at a new job. I’m finally finding my groove and place within my team, getting into a daily routine and understand what’s expected from me on a daily basis.

Starting a job is exciting. I’m embarking on the next stage of my life. Getting a paycheck every two weeks for more than a two month period is sweet. It’s not to have money of my own and be able to spend it if I wish, though now that I understand what’s required to earn that money, I’m not so willing to spend it. In addition, while making money is nice, I’m not so sure I understand what’s wrong with spending the parents money. It’s just as fun…In fact, I’d contend that spending money I didn’t have to work for is MORE fun!

Luckily I have been staying in the city during the week thanks to my grandmother, because I had to be up at 5:30 every day when commuting from home because I have to be in the office by about 7:30 every morning. I will admit, as the train sped into the city and I sat around other people stuck in the daily grind, watching the sunrise out the window, I couldn’t help but reflect on this past summer and the amazing time I had in SoCal and the adventure home. Some times I couldn’t help but think how it felt so long ago, and how much I want to go back. I just hope I get to experience something like that again, and get to spend some more time out West. It turned out to be perfect timing actually, a perfect transition into the next stage of my life, and that’s not such a bad thing to keep.

Also since my last post, Susan and I have broken the one-year mark for our relationship (you thought I was going to say broken up, didn’t you). Pretty cool right? We still liked each other after traveling cross country and spending almost 400 hours straight together, which I think impressed everyone haha. We still spends as much time together as we can, and always have fun.

Well that’s a lot to take in. I already have my next post ready, I promise! So stay tuned.

Making the New Old Again

As I've previously posted, I was lucky enough to be at Yankee Stadium for Game 1 of the ALDS and ALCS this year. It was great to be back in the Bronx in October creating new memories and tradition at the new Stadium.

The games were fun and the atmosphere exciting, but it wasn't like past playoffs I've been to at Yankee Stadium. I have been to Game 1 at Yankee Stadium of each playoff series since 1995. That puts me at at least 7 series and 6 World Series Games. While that may not be as extensive experience as some, it is more playoffs games than some will be at in a lifetime, and I know how lucky I am.

It pains me to say it, but the new Yankee Stadium does not have the intensity, electricity, and overall craziness of the old one. Going to the old Stadium was like going on a pilgrimage to the holy land, a religious experience that took on its own meaning. The parking areas were packed 2 hours before first-pitch, grills blazing, footballs being thrown, and cool crisp air surrounding you. Of course me and my sister spent half the time in the car doing our homework, but you felt how special being there was.

Now it seems like there is little of the overall tradition going on. I know there are people who grill at games, but now the parking lots are dispersed all over with the new mall and construction in the area. There is no unity, no throngs of people walking down River Ave in Yankee jerseys, bringing their passion and excitement with them.

At Game 1 of the ALCS this year, there was one fan who was constantly yelling at everyone to get up. cheer, clap their hands, and make noise. Granted, it became pretty annoying after a while, but no one reacted. Me and my dad stood a couple times, but not as many as the man would have liked. All this apathy would then drive the man to say "You all suck! What kind of fans are you!?" And while I am i die-hard Yankee fan who resented his statement, he did open my eyes to something.

When the game was at critical points, such as when the Yankees had two runners on with two outs, the crowd remained seated and quiet. It was not until later in the count, say 3-0 against the batter, when the crowd finally woke up and got on their feet. I mentioned something to my dad, and he said "Yeah, they are waiting for something to happen."

At the old Stadium there was no such thing as "waiting for something to happen." The fans made it happen. If there were two runners on and even a hint the pitcher was on the ropes, fans got loud. I remember getting up as soon as a batter came to the plate, and with every pitch we lived and died. We sighed for called strikes and foul balls or cheered for each ball out of the strike zone. We urged our team on, helping as much as fans could. Now they wait, and hope, rising only when things seem the most promising.

It was discouraging, and somewhat saddening to see the transformation. Maybe it is connected to the ridiculous price of tickets at the new Stadium. I know that suggests fans who can afford more expensive tickets are not as passionate, which I do not subscribe to, but it begs the question: if that's not the reason, then what has caused this change? Could it be the new open air design, letting more sound out instead of keeping it in the Stadium?

I doubt it. If there was noise then maybe, but my complaint is about the total lack of noise and awareness in the Stadium. From watching Game 6 on TV last night, I became a little more encouraged and hopeful. The fans seemed pretty excited and into it, getting rather loud at several points. It was certainly closer to the old way of the Bronx.

Maybe it is just the fact I was at two early games in each series. They weren't pivotal games, full of build-up, intensity, and pressure. I'm hoping things pick up at The Stadium as the Yankees welcome the Phillies for the World Series.

Beyond the great moments which took place at the old House that Ruth Built, Yankee Stadium was a fan haven, a tough place to play, and an even tougher place to win in the playoffs. I hope this new Stadium can offer the same as we begin the first World Series in 6 years and try to celebrate on our new field.

I know some will read this and say, "Wait a second, he doesn't know anything! The Yankees boast the best home-record in baseball this year!" And they're right. The Yankees have been stellar at home this year and undefeated in the playoffs there (knock on wood). I only submit that we, as fans of our team, can do better, make it tougher for opposing players. We want them to come into the Stadium feeling like they are already at a disadvantage, as they used to at the Old Stadium.

Some may say, well that was the old way, this is the new way. Maybe so, but the old Stadium had a lot of winners and championships. There are a lot worse traditions we could try to carry on.

Playoffs!? Playoffs!?

Alright New York, here we go.

After a one year hiatus from October baseball, the Yankees are back on the stage and looking like they never left. I was fortunate enough to be at Game 1 against the Twins last week and the team looked good. The stadium was packed, the air cool, and crisp. There is something about a night game in October that makes it so unique and unlike any regular season game under the lights. Maybe it's the difference in weather, or just the electricity in the air, I'm not sure, but it felt great to experience it once more. (And I'm happy to report there were no Wave spottings) C.C. delivered what we expected for a man being paid $23 million a year, and A-Rod looked like the A-Rod of April-September, which can only mean good things for the Bronx Bombers. His two-run homerun in the bottom of the ninth of Game 2 was a booming, majestic shot deep into the Bronx night and if he keeps it up Yankee fans are going to erect a statue to the post season A-Rod, or Alex 2.0 if you will.

What really made me happy last Wednesday was watching The Captain do his thing. Each year someone writes a column about Jeter being finished, washed-up, deteriorating, and in the twilight of his career, but this year has certainly been one of his finest. He ended the regular season batting .334, the fourth highest of his career (.349 in '99, .339 in '00, .343 in '06), tied for the third most stolen bases in his career (30), and committed the least amount of fielding errors ever in his career (8). He certainly picked up right where he left of and did exactly what Yankee fans everywhere expected, get hits and make plays. He got key hits in games 1 and 2 to ignite the Yanks and came up with head-up plays in games 2 and 3 to keep the Twins off the board, kill their momentum, and give the Yankees a chance to win the game.

This Yankees team looks like they have a legitimate chance to win it all this year. They have a solid bullpen now bolstered by the addition of Joba Chamberlain, and with Rodriguez hitting like he is, the toughest line up still in the playoffs. The only problem is the Yankees now have to go through the second-best team in all the land, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (I feel ridiculous even writing it out). The Angels are a tough and scrappy bunch, and for anyone who doubts that, you need only watch their amazing comeback against Papelbon and the Red Sox to steal Game 3 at Fenway this past weekend.

As much as I enjoyed watching the Red Sox, especially Papelbon, crash and burn this weekend as Boston's World Series hopes came to a screeching halt and Sawks fans everywhere thought of taking that leap out their window, I was sad they lost so early. If for no other reason than I wanted the Yankees to be the ones to end the Red Sox postseason run. I was confident the Yankees would do it, and I knew they would be a much easier opponent than Los Angeles.

But if you want to be the best, then you have to beat the best, right? It can be argued the Yankees are the best team in baseball, but now they have to show all the Yankee-haters what the Bombers can do. The Division Series were all rather boring, with only Colorado putting up somewhat of a fight. I was so hoping for them to win on Monday night and push it to Game 5, but unfortunately Houston Street imploded, whether it was because of the near-freezing temperatures or melted nerves, but whatever the case, Philadelphia pulled it out in four games.

I'm expecting the Championship round to be good on both sides, especially in the American League. These two perennial contenders are in for a dog fight and I'm praying the series is exciting and lives up to the billing (though if it's a Yankee sweep I won't complain either).

It's going to be a great week of baseball, and hopefully more will follow.

Either way, there is nothing quite like the Fall Classic.

Will the Real Slim Shady Please Sit Down

Hi everyone. I know i promised posts once I returned home and it's been a tad too long. I've been busy trying to get things in order here at home, though I'll admit it didn't take too long since I'm still unemployed. But better late than never, right? Well, I hope so. Enjoy my little rant and I'm going to try to be more consistent from now on.

___________________________________________________________

There is a crime being committed.

It is taking place in every major city of this country and at every major sporting event.

The Wave corrupts fans, both young and old, who think it is actually fun to stand up in unison as this nebulous entity circles a giant arena through tens of thousands of fans. If you think the Wave is fun, exciting, or remotely entertaining, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but you are sadly mistaken.

The Wave seems to have its roots in the 1980s, though there is contention of the origins of this 20th century terror. The Wave has survived these past three decades hiding in the shadowy corners of ballparks, hockey arenas, and football stadiums, only emerging for major events where fans, whipped into a frenzy and in utter pandemonium, are susceptible to its lure. Cheering, jumping up and down, screaming, shouting, and drinking practically scream out "Open Season" on fans, and the Wave takes advantage every time.

How else could you explain the appearance of the Wave at basketball games when the home team is only up by 7 points, or at a baseball game the home team has a 2 run lead? These are completely unacceptable moments for the Wave to begin. Do people not pay hundreds to be entertained? To cheer on their team to victory? To live and die by every action on the playing field? Or would they rather flail their arms and make a little noise, cheering when the Wave reaches back to the beginning, as if this historic feat has never occurred before and never will again. And then there is the one guy who's brilliant idea it was to begin the wave, and who never takes "no" for an answer. If the Wave doesn't get going the first three times he tries, he tries three more times to get people involved until one of two things happen: 1) the Wave catches on, or 2) someone says "Down in front!"

As a die-hard Syracuse Orange, I did not miss a single home game while I was at school. Going to The Dome with the congregation of 30,000 devout followers was something I refused to miss, choosing Big East basketball over class if the two conflicted. But I remember games with 25,000+ plus being audience to hotly contested games and witnessing the thing I feared most…The Wave.

It always started in the 300 section and with one usher in particular. I know his heart was in the right place. He was trying to make sure fans enjoyed their night inside the Carrier Dome before setting out into the blistering cold, but his timing couldn’t be worse. I could never justify the Wave going around when there was still 10 minutes to play in the second half and ‘Cuse held a single-digit lead over the opposition. I would have remained sitting, if not for the student code which says we stand the whole game. Instead, I was sure to keep my hands at my side and keep my eyes fixed on the game at hand.

Yes, I am angry. For too long I have sat quietly by and let the Wave do its thing. It's distracting, annoying, and a joke. People complain about how much tickets are to sporting events, but then do not pay attention when they are there. Isn't the point to watch your favorite athletes, cheer them on, or even boo them? There is nothing more disheartening to me than seeing the fans around me care so little about the game going on in front of them. Is it not also a diss to your team, saying "Yeah, we know you are playing, but hell, it’s not exciting enough for us so we are just going do our own thing...WooOOOoooOO."

Frankly, I doubt they care very little, if at all. They are getting paid millions whether you watch or not, and since you've already bought a ticket and contributed to their endless cash flow, your of little more use to them, unless you plan on buying lots of food and souvenirs. But with that said, don't you think, as a fan, you are entitled to the most out of your money?

The only way I know how to accomplish this is to sit down, eat some fan-fare, cheer on the home team, scream until my lungs give out, and boo the enemy till they go home with their tail between their legs.

So take a stand with me, and remain seated the next time the Wave tries to overtake your body and mind. Be strong, stay the course, and we will prevail.

Highway Ends 1/4 Mile

"It's a dangerous business, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no telling where you might be swept off to"

At the beginning of this summer I listened to Susan as she told me all about the trip she and her girlfriends were taking out West, the stops they were making, and the sights they were seeing. It made me upset to know I wasn't experiencing the same things, or going to get the chance to do something similar. As I spoke later with a friend about the trip, driving across this country is one of those romantic, Americana experiences, one of the ones everyone longs to do and dreams of how great it will be. Well, I wanted the chance. After talking with my family and Susan about it, we came up with how I could get my trip. My dad volunteered himself for a gruling 4 day trek across, and Susan offered to drive home with me, knowing how much I wanted to.

After four full days on the road and behind the wheel, we reached our destination. The trip out West wasn't nearly as bad as everyone told me it would be, perhaps because I was at this point expecting something similar to hell contained within a 4-door sedan setting.

We went each day in California like it was the first and last, never setting an agenda and doing whatever we pleased. We'd wake up to a beautiful sky and only want to enjoy the entire day on the beach. The most perfect part about it way, 90% of the time, that's exactly what we did. I couldn't have asked for anything more from a vacation than 3 weeks or relaxation on the beach with my friends.

We went to Disney, surfed, swam, played paddle ball, and ate more tacos over the course of three weeks than I've had in the past 6 months. We kayaked around La Jolla Cove, walked along sandy shores, went to a world famous zoo, and ate some of the greasiest and most delicious food I've had in a while.

San Diego was so different from being on Long Island, or even in New York. If you're on the sidewalk and even begin leaning into the street, cars come to a halt there. They only stop here if it's a certainty they will hit you, and even then they may keep their foot on the gas. Everything happens at a slower pace. People are less uptight, more relaxed and have a "just go with the flow" sort of attitude. It was the perfect place to kick back, enjoy the sun, and forget the fact I was coming back to unemployment.

But Sept. 1 the SoCal experience came to a close, and the adventure of traveling cross country began. The trip was everything I dreamed it would be, and more. Susan was a great travel-buddy, not only because she is my girlfriend, but because she was always open to refining our plan, doing something different, or going somewhere that made totally no sense geographically. Her attitude rubbed off on me over the course of our time in San Diego, so by the time we hit the road I was not going crazy when we didn't have a completed itinerary or chose to roll up to hotels without a reservation almost every night.

For the longest time, I have begged my parents to take me to California, not only because it is a fun place, but because I really wanted to go see the Redwoods. Susan really wanted to drive up the coast and when she brought the idea up, I really wanted to do it to as well. As we planned the trip, I said, "This makes no sense! We are crazy! We are going 8 hours North and then coming back South only two days later. It's not worth it, it's just crazy."

Her only response was, "So what?"

Well thank goodness for her. After driving through the winding, hairpin turns of Big Sur with heart-stopping views of the Pacific Ocean and getting to stand amongst some of the tallest trees in the world, I can't imagine doing the trip any differently. Those two stops were definitely in my top favorites.

Outside of those two stops, I'd have to say my other favorite was the Grand Canyon. I'm not sure if it's on the same level or higher that the other two. It is extremely close and a pretty impressive list of top things seen on a trip if you ask me.

We had a few major things we wanted to do on this trip: 1) Go to the Grand Canyon, 2) Stop in Atlanta, 3) Go to Cedar Point (too soon!). We accomplished the first two and decided the rest with a flip of a coin or a passing glance at a map and a "What can we do there..?" question.

In the past 41 days I have traveled a whopping 8,930 estimated miles. On our 16 day Odyssey-like trip home, Susan and I covered a minimum of 5,043 miles and at an average speed of 70 mph, that's 72 hours spent together just in the car. I've been through or stopped in 22 different states (13 Westbound, 9 Eastbound).

Susan always referred to this summer as her "transition period" between college and joining the work force. I never thought of it that way really, but looking back I think that's exactly what this trip was to me. I came out of college restless, unhappy to be back home, working every day, and wanting freedom a bit longer. I would be lying if I said I no longer desire to have that freedom and independence, but I feel more at ease with myself. I have taken a journey of a lifetime and one years from now I will recall in conversations with friends and family.

What I've seen and where I've been over the past month plus has truly been incredible, a once-in-a-lifetime adventure, and something I wouldn't trade for anything in the world. I would be remiss if I did not thank my incredible parents, who had no qualms with me going and tried to help me in anyway, and my amazing girl, Susan, for always being patient with me, encouraging me, and putting up with my craziness. Without you three, this trip would have never been possible.

I hope you all have enjoyed reading my posts, following the trip, supporting me, and taking part in the experience with me. I have enjoyed sharing my thoughts with you all. From here I begin the much more arduous task of trying to find a job (since I haven't figured out a way to continue traveling and getting paid for it), but I am going to try to keep the blog going since I like the writing it lets me do. It'll hopefully become more topical and probably less frequent, perhaps only once a week.

Thanks everybody!

The Last March of the Ents

I am sorry to report my epic adventure is almost at an end. I write to you tonight from my bed in the guestroom of Susan's house in Cresskill, NJ. According to Google Maps, that puts me less than 40 miles from my final destination.

It's a scary realization knowing where we started, but like I said, I'll save reflection for the final trip post. Expect it tomorrow night, or most likely, Friday.

Today we explored the Old City district of Philadelphia for the better part of the afternoon. We saw the Liberty Bell, toured Independence Hall, stood next to the final resting place of Benjamin Franklin, and took a self guided tour of the U.S. Coin Mint.

It was a pretty busy, exhausting afternoon with a lot of walking. By the end we were pretty tired. I think the mileage and lack of sleep are finally catching up to us. But it was cool to walk around the place where it could be argued this country was born. Before visiting, I can't say I was fully aware of the city's extensive history or role it played in the first years of the United States. It was inside Independence Hall the Declaration of Independence was first conceived and brought to fruition, as well as the creation of the Constitution of the United States of America as a replacement for the Articles of Confederation.

I will admit it made me feel quite patriotic, stepping through the same building which played host to Ban Franklin, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams among others. Susan described it as powerful history and awe-inspiring that we were even standing in the same place as the founding fathers of this country. On the tour we saw a chair, which the tour guide informed us they are sure is an original and there since the 1770s and had been sat in by George Washington himself. That's a pretty incredible thing, to stand before a simple piece of furniture, yet know it has been there over since America was born.

I knew the Liberty Bell was in Philly, but I never really understood what the big deal about it was or why people really cared about it. I can't say seeing it in person has changed my perspective completely, but I do believe I have a new take on it. We walked through a building dedicated to it, full of history on the bell and how the crack running through it came to be. It was basically because the bell was made of a metal mixture and was rather fragile, like other bells of the time. There was a small crack in it which the city tried to repair several times over the years. In the early 1900s, one of these attempts actually made it worse, thus creating the fissure running through it today.

There were videos and texts discussing the powerful symbol of liberty in the bell, the American spirit, and how the bell has been adopted world wide for the same purpose. After getting a chance to look at it, I thing I may finally begin to see where this fascination and iconic status comes from. The break is huge, running the entire length, yet the bell still stands as one, together. I see it more as a testament to the resiliency and toughness of America than anything else.

It would have been a sin to be in Philly and not get some authentic cheese steaks for a meal, so we decided to grab a couple as dinner after our walk around before packing into Lucille. I will admit, they were much better than any ones I've had at home or anywhere else. The bread was soft, and the sandwich was hearty. The steak was almost like real steak, it wasn't chopped into a million little pieces like the ones you get on the island and the cheese was in good balance, not lazily laid over the top of it. It was delicious and writing about it kind of makes me want another one.

I think that's a pretty good summary of our final stop on the long road home and my thoughts on a pretty historic place.

Don't worry though, I still have more thoughts and photos to come.

Ok. No real update tonight because the hotel we are in...check that...motel 6 charges for internet! Those thieves. But because tonight it my second to last night on the road and i know you all want to see what we are up to, im up at 1 am writing a crazy long text message from my phone for the blog.

We drove a long way today, stopping in Hershey, PA on our way to Philadelphia. It was a fun stop, but a relatively quick one. We went on a short tour, got free chocolate, and then went a little crazy in the candy store. But we did have fun, and the smell of chocolate in that place was completely overwhelming and made me want to eat a lot of candy. After, we grabbed some food in town and hit the road.

Now we are about 20 miles outside Philly and plan on seeing some of the historic sites downtown. Im pretty excited about it and the plan is to meet up with a friend from high school for lunch.

Unfortunately, tomorrow is our last day on the road and tmrw night we will be at Susans house for the night, just about bringing our trip to a close. Ill have more reflections on everything from a real computer.

Hope this text thing works!

Just call me Santa Claus

Because I'm in a giving modd.

I put up photos from Atlanta, including World of Coca-Cola, Georgia Aquarium, and the few from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. I also added some commentary to one of the photos from the Grand Canyon so you can get a sense of where me and Susan were standing when we were on the ledge taking the photos. It'll be obvious which photo is the new one. Plus, there are some others of the same area from different angles, so look for them so you can get a real feel for just how far we went and what was around us!

Damn You, Cedar Point (Cleveland Rock)

So after posting my blog last night, I decided to check the time Cedar Point opened today... And wouldn't you believe it, it's CLOSED. Apparently starting today it is only open on weekends. To say I was upset last night is a bit of an understatement. After about an hour-plus of anger management control issues, somehow I got myself to sleep.

This morning I woke up just as angry as I fell asleep and didn't start the day too well. In an attempt to salvage our dash North, we headed into Cleveland a day early (the original plan was Cedar Point today, Cleveland tomorrow) and went to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. We ended up spending about 4.5 hours walking around the place. There is just so much to see in there. We spent almost two hours just on the bottom floor looking at the exhibits. Fortunately, it is shaped like the pyramid it is in and the exhibits became smaller as we went upward.

I only have a few pictures from the place because they don't allow photos inside the museum. We had a nice afternoon there though, and the day wasn't quite as bad as it started. After the museum, we met up with a friend of mine who lives in Cleveland. He is nice enough to let us crash at his place for the night, and even treated us to a nice, delicious dinner in the city.

Since everything got moved up a day for the Cleveland area, Susan and I began thinking about ways to fill in the extra day on our way home (obviously we are trying to milk each day we have left on the road). After a suggestion from my friend, we decided on heading to Hershey, PA and then stopping in Philly for the night. Both of us love chocolate, so that wasn't an issue, and we thought it might be fun to see some of the sights in Philly.

So that about does it for me tonight. Hope the update suffices and you're enjoying the photos. I'll try to get the rest of what I have up tonight or tomorrow.

Battery about to d-

For Your Viewing Pleasure

Hey everyone. It's late Sunday night and we've been on the road all afternoon. I know I sucked this past weekend with the blog updates on what we were up to down in Atlanta, so as a way of saying sorry I posted a bunch more pictures. The new additions cover the North and South Rim of the Grand Canyon, the drive afterward, and our stop at the Cadillac Ranch. I took a bunch of pics in Atlanta, but alas I forgot the camera in the car.

Hotlanta was a real nice stop for us and let us catch our breath a little bit before going into the back stretch. We finally got to sleep late, had a comfortable place to stay (compliments of my uncle), and saw some family. While down in Georgia, I got to see two of my cousins as well. We went to Jill's (cousin #1 and older sister) house one night for dinner, and met up with Molly (cousin #2 and the younger sis) the next afternoon for lunch. We ended up going to the resturant she works at for dinner as well, which was a nice way to cap our time in the city before shoving off today.

The rest of the two days was spent relaxing, taking it easy, and seeing some sights in the city.

Friday we went to Coca-Cola World downtown. I had no idea Coke was invented in Atlanta. Did you? Anyway, they have this big beautiful building where you can see the history of Coke and see how incredible and ridiculously good they are at marketing and getting the brand placed just about anywhere. They also own a ton of brands. Even more than I was expecting. If you are unsure who owns a soft drink, there's a pretty good chance it's Coke.

We got to take meet the 7-foot-tall Coke bear everyone is familiar with. He tried to kick me out of the photo and steal Susan away from me. We also got to see the whole bottling process of the soda and at the end they give each person a Coca-Cola in the classic glass bottle. The coolest part was getting to try as many as 62 different Coke products. Upstairs they had 5 areas, one for each continent Coke is on, and at each station you could try different soda drinks sold in those areas. The absolute worst was Beverly, sold in Italy. You wanted to spit it out the minute you tasted it. There were some other funky ones too, as well as some pretty delicious ones. We capped it off with North America so we could end with some good tastes in our mouths.

Saturday we went to the Georgia Aquarium, the largest aquarium in the country. Susan and I both agree, it did not disappoint. We were really impressed as soon as we walked in, from the main lobby to the individual exhibits and halls. They had touch pools in a certain area where you could touch the stingrays and baby sharks as they swam by. They had some really cool stuff, including tanks on the ceilings so you would be looking up as you walked through and were looking at the bottom of the fish. They had sea Totters, which were a lot of fun to see running around and swimming. It's pretty incredible how fast they go under water. There was a beluga whale exhibit and that's something I don't remember seeing at any other aquarium. They were playful, swimming around the tank, getting up close the glass, and were generally cool to see.

The most incredible part of the place was the huge tank which had 4 whale sharks (which grow to about 30 feet), two manarays (which they expect to grow to between 20-25 feet), a hammerhead shark, some smaller sharks, rays, and a boatload of fish. It was just a stunning sight to see, the really awesome. The glass alone is about as thick as my forearm is long. The exhibit contains 6.3 million gallons of water! We just sat there in awe for a while, trying to take everything in watching all the fish swin on the other side. I got some good photos of it, so I'll be sure to post them soon.

Hotlanta

After nine days of driving, spending nights in hotels, getting up by 8:30 to ensure time for continental breakfast, and changing time zones we have finally reached Eastern Time and a bed to sleep in for more than one night.

Let me tell you...It is sweet.

We made it through Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Alabama the last two days and are now settled in Atlanta for the weekend at my uncle's place. I'll highlight for you a couple of the major things on our road here.

Before leaving Texas, we turned around and headed back West so we could go see the Cadillac Ranch just outside the city. I don't know if you all have heard of it, but its a public art display in the middle of a piece of farm land with 10 old Caddys burried hood first into the ground. It is open to the public and strongly encouraged to bring spray paint or paint and write something of your own on the cars. Every now and again the cars will be repainted in different colors so as to give a "clean canvas".

Luckily, it looks like we arrived there not too soon after a fresh coat had been applied, because there was plenty of open space on the cars. We didn't buy spray paint to bring, but while wandering around and looking at the cars, we found half-full cans left by others we could use. Walking around and taking pictures with the cars was alright, but after we started spraypainting, it was a lot of fun and a really good stop. I got some photos of some of our masterpieces, so be sure to check them out.

Next, we decided to head to Oklahoma City because there was a place from the Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives list in OKC which was supposed to have some really good BBQ. Yes, that is really how we made our decision, I wasn't lying in my last post! So we drove the 3+ hours there, all the while trying to stave off hunger and keep our appitite. We arrived at Leo's Bar-B-Que about 3:30, starving, and ready to eat. Well this place was a perfect canidate for Triple D, but the food was pretty good. Susan and I agreed it wasn't the best BBQ either of us had ever had, but it was very good. What was even better was their bananna-strawberry cake for desert.

From there we headed to Little Rock, AR and stayed in about the dankest, crappiest place I've ever had the misfortune of spending a night in. If every other building withing 500 miles was burned to the ground and I had to find shelter or else risk dying, I probably still wouldn't set foot back inside this hotel. The side doors to the place didn't even have locks. Neither one of us was daring enough to try the shower, or for that matter not sleep fully clothed. As in, I stayed in all my clothes I drove in that day...Yeah. Well, the next morning my alarm went off and we were happy to be able to open our eyes on another day. We left about as quickly as possible and hit the road. The best part of the morning, besides still being alive, was stopping at Waffle House for breakfast.

Another hard day of driving and we made it to Atlanta and some home comforts for a couple days. It looks like there is a lot to do here in the city and we are looking forward to getting out and exploring. As I write this though, I see that my uncle only has wireless and he has no idea what the password is...So I probably won't be able to use my computer and upload photos.

Oh, and for kicks last night, Susan mapped out our journey so far and the distance we've traveled. From San Diego to Atlanta, it looks like we've gone at least 3,784 highway miles, along with a couple driving around the cities we've been in, and we still got more to go!

Albuq...Ah, forget it.

After another rather bleak continental breakfast this morning and a fresh waffle, Susan and I headed off for Albuquerque to spend some time.

The city wasn't a very far drive, only about two hours from Gallup. After looking up potential things to do the night before, we decided to try the local aquarium and botanical gardens. Both played out exactly as I figured they would, but lets just say I wouldn't go again to either if I had the chance. The good news is admission was only $7 for each of us and it got you into both places.

The aquarium was lacking when it came to information on the fish in the tanks, and placards in general to describe things. Most of the time we were left guessing on which fish where which and how they lived, which generally opened the door to me just making things up as we went along. Don't get me wrong, it all sounded pretty good, but I have no idea if I was remotely close to the target.

The bright spot of the visit to the aquarium was happening to catch feeding time in the shark tank by sheer luck. Unfortunately the sharks were fed earlier in the day, but we saw huge sting rays with wing spans as long as my own, sea turtles, and some big fish all going crazy when the divers entered the tank and going crazy for some fish and squid.

Afterward we headed to the botanical garden for a quick glimpse of things. We came across a butterfly enclosure we could walk in and around which was pretty cool. The place was filled with about a dozen different butterflies all fluttering about, sitting on plants, and trying to find places to land. Next we walked around some of the gardens, including a cactus garden. This time though, Susan steered clear of the plants and we left that part rather quickly.

By the time that was all done, we were hungry and wanted to grab some food before hitting the road. We walked around old town Albuquerque, which is filled with plenty of touristy shops, jewelry, hats, and cowboy attire but didn't find anything we liked. We wandered around a little bit more, gave up and started to make our way back to the car. By chance, we stumbled across a small restaurant on the way back and Susan decided we should eat there because she was getting "good vibes."

Whatever it was, she made a good call.

The place was in an adobe style building, with the support beams and ceiling beams visible, giving the place an authentic feel and an old suntanned women whom I was afraid might keel over while showing us to our table. The food was really good, and big portions as well. We shared one dish, steak fajitas between us, and it was plenty. We also tried some traditional Mexican desert, which was essentially triangle-shaped fried dough resembling turnovers. You then drizzle honey on top of it and eat it (which instantly made me enjoy it due to my unquenchable love for honey).

Overall we had a really enjoyable experience there and were glad we took a chance instead of grabbing Subway as to our original plan.

On the way to Texas we hit some major storms, as has become the norm for our drives. The best part about it was leading up driving into the cloud, the sun behind us and the rain in front of us created massive rainbows in the sky. At first they were faint, but as we continued to drive, more became present until we could see the entire semi circle. The colors were vibrant and spectacular. It was pretty special to look at.

Now we are set up in Amarillo, Texas for the night, crossing into central time and inching closer to New York/New Jersey. Tomorrow we plan to stop at the Cadillac Ranch and then either head south through Dallas or due East through Oklahoma City and Little Rock. Part of our decision making process lies in recommended places to eat from food.com...Seriously...

But it all starts tomorrow with what the woman at the front desk calls a "big" breakfast tomorrow. I quickly became interested due to the lack of options the past couple mornings and I'm ready for something other than waffles.

We've only been in the state a couple hours, but from what the woman said, it sounds like it's already evident that everything is bigger in Texas.

Big Hole in the Ground: Part II

So after going to bed with another chance of rain in the forecast, we awoke in Flagstaff to another beautiful day and no rain until night. We decided to take full advantage of the weather and headed back north to the Grand Canyon for another day, but this time on the South Rim.

To put it simply, it was another spectacular day in one of the most stunning places in the country, if not the world. We got to the park at about 11:30, and it was already more crowded than the North Rim was for the entire day. (We did read that only 10% of Grand Canyon visitors go to the North Rim, so it's pretty special we discovered both in two days.

Today we saw more of the typical Grand Canyon sights, the stuff people imagine when you mention the place to them. Long sight lines, expansive views, and plenty of breathtaking looks into the canyon. After riding mules through the North Kaibab Trail yesterday, we decided to try our luck on foot on the South Kaibab Trail. The two are connected by a suspension bridge over the Colorado River, but it's easily a 4 hour hike down to the bridge, so we didn't do it due to time restrictions.

Instead, we settled for Cedar Ridge, a 1.5 mile hike into the canyon that descends just over 1,000 feet. We unpacked our snacks and rested on the edge of a rock outcrop that overlooked a vast area of the canyon and had about a 40 foot drop to the rocks below. I took some pictures from far away so you all can see the place I'm talking about. Sitting on the ledge, eating our food, we were simply amazed by where we were. Hiking back up was much tougher than going down, obviously, but we powered through it and did it in only an hour (our hike down took an hour as well, so we made good time going up).

Being in the canyon the past two days, I had to continuously remind myself where I was. Susan and I agreed it didn't seem quite real that we were hiking around the Grand Canyon, in the middle of Arizona. Looking around us on the trail or at rest points, nothing looks quite real. We kept saying it looked like backdrops out of movies. The sky is the bluest I've ever seen, and the air cool and refreshing.

One of the other things which surprised me about the Canyon was just how much plant life there is there. I'm not sure about all of you, but when I think of the Grand Canyon, I imagine a desert leading up to huge cliffs and a mile of sheer rockface to the bottom. Boy, was I wrong. The North Rim is covered in trees, including a lot of evergreens. The South Rim trees were smaller, but there were still plenty of them and a lot of smaller shrubs covering the top and the cliff sides.

In addition, I prepared myself for a tough, hot, arid climate. I expected 90+ both days.

Wrong again.

Both days the thermometer only read about 75 at mid day, and there was a rather constant, cool breeze blowing through the canyon which helped keep us cool and dry during our hikes. In other words, it was almost perfect.

Hiking in the canyon today, Susan and I reflected on our experience of riding the mules down the North Rim and back. We enjoyed it a lot, and after doing the hike on foot today we appreciated how hard the mules work going up and down those steep cliffs. My mount, Big Mac, was pretty good. He didn't give me too much trouble and only stopped to try and eat a couple times. A quick pull on the reigns and we kept moving. On the way back up from the bottom, he impressed me, moving quicker than he had on the way down.

Susan's ride on the other hand, Woodrow, was a bit of a pain and Susan had some difficulty getting him to listen to her. Woodrow constantly liked to walk near the edge of the trails, either putting Susan right on the edge of a cliff overlooking everything or right up against the rocks. He also loved to eat, stopping several times and even sneaking in a few bites while still walking. His favorite placed to snack seemed to be on the cliff side, bending over so Susan was forced to lean forward and get a real good view of what laid below her at the bottom of the cliff. Thankfully, on the way up he was much better, but he moved as slow as molasses. Woodrow just kind of took his time, holding up about half of us since we were in line behind them and the guide pulled up to wait for us several times.

Today, it was a lot funnier looking back on it, and as we walked back up 1,000 feet of canyon we said, "man, I wish I can a mule here to ride us back up to the top."

Tonight we are in Gallup, New Mexico. Tomorrow we might head to Santa Fe for the day and explore the city a little bit. On the way here tonight, we watched an incredible lightening storm for about 80 miles. Clouds were on both sides of the highway and the lightening bolts seemed thick, sticking the same place multiple times in each flash. At times, it seemed like the whole sky became illuminated with the lightening strikes. It was just awesome to watch, topping the storm we saw while driving in Colorado easy.

Sorry for the extended post, but had a lot to say about the Grand Canyon experience. Lot of photos from the past two days, I'll sort through them and try to post soon.

The Big Hole In the Ground

We got up early this morning and set out for the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. We were supposed to go on a mule ride down the canyon trail and were supposed to be there no later than 12 PM. On our way there I checked the time on my phone, only to find it said it was 12 PM and we were still about 30 miles away. Meanwhile, we had thought we were now on Mountain time and had changed my car clock to it, so it read 11 AM. And then we had my watch, still on West Coast which read 10 AM. We were effectively in three different time zones, and had no inkling to what time it really was.

We pulled into the parking lot by the visitors center at 11:50. Susan ran off to the lodge to sign us up, and I packed my bag for the day. I asked four people what time it was while she was gone. Two said Noon, and two said 11 AM so that didn't even help, and my phone was still tweaking out. Turns out it was only 11, as Arizona is on West Coast time for the moment. I have no idea, but we were an hour early, so we got to relax and eat before setting out on our trek.

Riding the mules down was pretty intense. They told us how to make the mules go, stop, and steer. I'm pretty sure none of it matters though, as the mules pretty much go at the pace they want. On the way up the canyon, I don't think I pulled on the reigns more than half a dozen times (the ride is about an hour plus each way). It was impressive how well they are trained though, navigating tight turns and steep climbs or descents with rather large verticals on the cliff side and rocks on the other. Of course, I took plenty of photos so I'll try to get those up soon.

By the end of the journey my legs and back were killing me from being up in the saddle for about 2.5 hours but it was fun and definitely an experience. Unfortunately, you don't get to see the Colorado River from the North Rim, so our plan for tomorrow is to head to the South Rim. We did drive over the river on our way down to Flagstaff for the night, and stopped on the bridge for a couple minutes to snap photos, but it's not quite the same.

So tomorrow the plan is to go to the South Rim, and then head into New Mexico, with our final destination as Albuquerque if we aren't too wiped out. The original plan was to head to New Orleans and hang out with a friend from school for a couple days, but it doesn't look like that is happening anymore and instead we'll look to make from big progress getting back East. The next couple days look like the following:

Monday - South Rim of Grand Canyon and New Mexico
Tuesday - Driving through New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma
Wednesday - Driving through Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, and reaching Atlanta, GA

Oh! I forgot to mention. It didn't rain on us today in the park, so thanks to everyone who helped out and did a little boogie for us. I appreciate it!

I'm feeling ambitious, so I'll post so new photos now. They'll cover stops in Napa Valley, Lake Tahoe, Vegas, and Zion National Park. Enjoy!

I was informed by one reader to keep my posts shorter, since that's what readers prefer. Don't know how much shorter this is, but hey, I tried.

Why Yes, I Am Still Alive

Hey everyone. Sorry for no update recently. Apparently in Tahoe the hotel didn't believe in having power outlets with ground plugs, and Vegas charges for wireless internet. Yeah.

Anyway, I'm sitting in a hotel in St. George, Utah now. It's late, has been a long day, and tomorrow is going to be just as long, so I'll give you all the cliff note version of what we've been up to.

Thursday:

We left Sunnyvale and headed north to wine country. Susan found a vineyard with some big castle, lots of wines, and we decided since we were already up that way, why not. We spent the first half of the day there, taking a tour and doing wine tastings. It turned out to be a lot of fun and we were both glad we decided to do it.

After that, we piled back into our car and finally headed in an eastward direction toward Lake Tahoe. We got there late, ate some dinner, and passed out.

Friday:

We got up, ate some breakfast, and took a walk around the lake a bit. We decided to stay an extra couple hours and went out kayaking on the lake for a bit. After driving all that way, it would have been a waste to skip town so quickly. Kayaking was fun, the weather was pretty nice, but the wind was in our faces on the way back to the dock and it was rather challenging.

After finishing there, hitting the atm, and getting some lunch, we turned south for Las Vegas. Patty (my GPS), took us on some ridiculous roads. We wound up and down through the Sierra Nevadas, going as high has 8,000 feet, drove through nothingness for miles upon miles, and wound through a part of the Nevada desert where I couldn't go over 40 and I felt for sure I was about to live out the movie "The Hills Has Eyes."

Luckily, that didn't happen and we made it to Sin City A-OK. After that, it went downhill. We stayed at the Stratosphere and the guy who checked us in was apparently incompetent. He checked us into one room, but gave me key cards which worked for a different room..twice. Yeah. After that I got killed on the black jack tables.

Saturday:

We got up early at headed to Zion National Park 2.5 hours away and just in Utah. I had heard a lot of hype about the park so I was pretty excited to go. It was a beautiful day and walking around the canyon was pretty surreal. Driving to Vegas, we saw a huge storm and Susan pointed out that it was moments like that which made her feel we are pretty insignificant in the bigger picture. Hiking through the canyon, staring up at stone walls a couple hundred feet high that were cut into over the course of thousands of years, I felt pretty insignificant.

It was a pretty hot day when we parked in the town right outside the park, but as soon as we got into the canyon the temperature dropped dramatically and I think I barely broke a sweat. I had been worried about sun tan lotion, but the sun hardly crept into the whole canyon. As we walked along waterfalls and the river, you could feel the sudden change in temperature as you got closer and further away from the water source. Watching the sun move through the canyon was awesome as we saw a few select peaks highlighted as the sun settled in the West.

Tonight we are in St. George and the plan for tomorrow is to get up and head to the Grand Canyon for the day. We are planning on taking a mule trip for 3 hours around the canyon, but there is a chance of rain so keep your fingers crossed for us!

I haven't put up the pictures from the past couple days, but I'm banking of the massive amount I put online the other day holding you all over for a little longer. Hopefully tomorrow night, so check back then.

And don't forget your (non) rain dance!

Red-What? Redwood!

Day two we headed to Big Basin State Park, which we heard was a pretty good place to see some Redwood trees.

The drive up to the park was a lot of fun as I navigated Lucille around tight turns and narrow bends climbing up the mountain. It was pretty intense, but I enjoyed it. Heading back down the mountain in the afternoon was easier after having been on the road a bit already and I barely had to press the gas; Lucille was picked up speed around every bend.

But back to the forest. I've always wanted to see the famous tree stands and it certainly didn't disappoint. As we climbed the mountain, we started seeing the trees, and even the parking lot had huge Redwoods hanging over it. We took a short easy hike which let us see some of the biggest trees in the park, including "Mother of the Forest," which stands an eye-popping 329. We also got to see "Father of the Forest," which was the widest tree in the park (16 ft, 10 in diameter and 66 ft, 9 in circumference!).

After we were done with that, Susan and I went off on a 2 mile hike in the park. It was a pretty challenging hike for the two of us, even though it was the second easiest in the park, only to the one we had already done. Keep in mind I was in corduroy shorts, while Susan was in jeans and converse. Anyway, we got explore the park a little more, see some more Redwoods, and see them scattered throughout a forest with other trees. By the end we were wiped out, but we were happy we had gone on the hikes and see all the trees.

After we got back to the park HQ, Susan went to the car to take off her sneakers and let her feet relax a little bit while I wandered around and went to the bathroom.Unfortunately, she got so relaxed that after winding down the mountain and making the drive home, Susan realized she had taken off her kicks and left them outside the car. This put them currently sitting in the park on top of a mountain an hour away at 4:50. The ranger station in the park closed at 5...So yeah, we didn't get to go back for them.

Thankfully, Susan's aunt (who we've been spending the past day-plus with) took us to the mall so she could get some new sneakers for the rest of the trip. She also was nice enough to treat us to a super market visit so we could load up on more snacks and drinks for our adventure home.

After many discussions and some research, we've decided to bypass Yosemite tomorrow, and instead, are going to Napa to spend some time at a winery. We figure we are going to at least Zion and Grand Canyon, so we got the national park thing covered, and while we are up here so close to wine country, why not, right? From there, we'll head to Lake Tahoe for the night before heading to Vegas.

Anyway, there is a quick update on the journey, and I've put up a bunch of new pictures for you all to look at. Plenty of stuff to look at: Surfing, wiping out, beach wackiness, San Diego Zoo, Disney, La Jolla*, Big Sur*, and Big Basin*. Apparently I've exceeded the number of photos allowable in one album, so I've made a new one with the * next to them to look at. So both albums have new photos to look at. Enjoy!

I made sure to take plenty of pictures today of Redwoods, since Derek specifically asked for them. You better look at all of them.

And So It Begins

So It's Tuesday night and Susan and I are in Sunnyvale, CA. For those of you keeping track at home, that's about an hour south of San Francisco. So we've gone from an hour south of L.A. to an hour south of San Fran.

Yesterday we spent the afternoon cleaning the house after receiving some unexpected visitors...mainly the woman who live there and her children. We weren't expecting them till today, until there was a knock at the door at 12:30. So we spent the next 2.5 hours cleaning the house, packing up our lives, and throwing it into my car.

Maryann came up big again for us and let us crash in Carlsbad for the night. So after hurrying out of San Diego, we relaxed in Carlsbad, went food shopping, and got a gift for Maryann to thank her for all her help on this trip.

Today started early when the alarm went off at 7:15 and we crawled out of bed at about 7:30. Our estimated time of departure was 8 AM, but we really rolled onto the highway at 8:30. It could have been worse. The day was spectacular, even though we spent about 12 hours on the road. Winding along on Highway 1 in Big Sur was just incredible. We ended up taking about 5 hours to get through all of Big Sur since we were were driving slow so we could get to see everything in addition to constantly stopping to admire the sights and take pictures.

It was awesome, and we were so happy we took the drive. Susan had been talking about going to Big Sur all summer long, and when we planned the drive home it was a top destination. She made a great selection, and we really had a great time.

There were a few things we forgot to check out along the way, but we take solace in the fact we took plenty of time going through and enjoyed our time. Taking the twisting turns through the mountains, Susan and I realized just how amazing what we were doing was. We were literally as far west within the contential United States as you could go. 50 feet more West and you'd be in the Pacific Ocean. We were making our way to Northern California on a road cut into the side of a mountain on the edge of the continent. When you stop to think about it, it's pretty cool.

We took a lot of great pictures, but unfortunately my computer is being tempermental so I'll try again tomorrow. The craziness the past two days is also why I haven't put up photos yet like I promised. So no, it's not that I've forgotten or been lazy. As soon as I'm able to, rest assured, they'll be up.

Last weekend in Paradise

Howdy everyone.

So I am totally wiped out for some reason and am ready to call it an early night, but I know all of you are itching to learn about what I did this past weekend. Unfortunately, I don't have a whole lot of exciting details to share with you.

Saturday Susan and I spent the morning looking for hotels and beginning to plot our trip home. We've plotted out about a week so far, and tomorrow we are going to be a little bit more. This beginning part is tougher because we are stopping in a few major vacation spots and national parks. Our trip to this point looks like this:

Tuesday - Drive up Coastal Highway 1 to San Francisco
Wednesday - See the Redwoods and spend time in San Fran
Thursday - Visit Yosemite (if the fires have been put out) & spend the night in Lake Tahoe
Friday - Head to Vegas for the night
Saturday - Go to Zion National Park
Sunday - Grand Canyon National Park and then hitting the road again

So that only gets us about a 1/3 or so across the country, and it's looking pretty eventful already.

Beyond that, we played some mini golf (which we tied), and fooled around in a small arcade after. Today, we spent the morning at the beach, taking in some last rays, sand, and surf while we still can. This afternoon we ran around, take care of some errands and began cleaning the house.

While at lunch today, a TV with ESPN was on. On the screen the boys from Chula Vista, CA (30 minutes from us) celebrated after winning the Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA. As many of you know, I worked there last summer covering games and writing feature stories before going back to school. Until last summer I usually loathed those 10 days in August where ESPN is taken over by little boys playing on miniature diamonds in some town in the middle of nowhere, Pennsylvania. But last summer completely changed my outlook, and I really enjoyed my time there and watching the kids play a different brand of ball I was used to watching.

Seeing the games on ESPN this past week has reminded me of that incredible week in Williamsport and the great people I met during my time there. Being in a city which has a team contending in the Series adds perspective and showed me how important the event is to the whole community. At the Padres game last weekend, they showed highlights of the game on the jumbo screen and the fans erupted with applause and cheers when the final score of 12-0 Chula Vista flashed on the screen. While eating dinner the other night at Phils BBQ, Chula Vista staged a massive comeback, coming back to win 11-10 in extra innings after being down 10-5 in the 4th. People cheered with each run crossing home plate, and the restaurant announced over the loud speaker the final result of the game.

It was another cool piece to be a part of, and something I've never experienced before. Of course, a team from Staten Island also made it to the Series this year, but since I wasn't home I can't comment on how that was covered or paid attention to by locals. Luckily though, I happen to be in another city with a contender.

After being in Williamsport, I feel it is something every baseball fan should experience. It is a nice, quaint, small town where everyone and their grandmother turn out for Little League games. The tradition of sitting in the hill behind Lamade Stadium, or sliding down the hill on cardboard are things everyone should see and do in person, not just hear about from Orel Hershiser and Brent Musburger.

Anyway, that's my $.02 on the subject, since you asked and all.

Tomorrow we plan on hitting the beach one last time and then heading downtown for lunch at Blue Water Seafood, a place I have been dying to go to since I got here because I saw it on Dinners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. So it has to be good, right!?

I know I mentioned I have a bunch of photos waiting to go online. I'm going to do my best to get them up tomorrow so I can start with a clean slate one we hit the road.

And Then There Were Two

Yay for almost being back on schedule.

Yesterday Susan, Linz, and I headed to the beach for Linz's last day in San Diego. We decided to rent some surf boards one last time and caught some waves for an hour or so. I did much better this time around, and Linz picked up right where she left off, catching waves and riding them in. A couple times we tried to catch a buddy wave, and it usually ended in one of two ways, 1) I wiped out, or 2) We both wiped out.

Beyond that, we didn't do too much on the beach. We also made sure to do some final photo shoots on the beach. The waves were pretty sweet once again and I was sure to take advantage of them. I caught some good waves, and got pretty tired being thrown around in the ocean and diving through some big swells.

We ended the day with what we knew would be a great dinner, Phils BBQ. It was just as good as the last time, and there was a 30 minute line at 6:30 on a Thursday! We couldn't believe it. But anyway, we had a really good meal.

Today Susan and I visited La Jolla again to go kayaking around the caves in La Jolla Cove. It said we would "explore the caves," but that wasn't exactly what happened. Being in a two person kayak, it took us some time to figure out how to get the kayak going in a relative straight line as we made our way around, and frequently ended with hits into strangers or being hit by them. We got to look into the little caves, but didn't get to go kayaking through them, so that was unfortunate.

The coolest part of the tour was seeing leopard sharks on our way back into shore. There were a whole bunch of them right under the kayaks and you could see them swimming this way and that. After the tour ended, we grabbed some lunch and went down to La Jolla Cove to see some seals. Unfortunately, there were only two seals floating around in the cove and we only spotted them every couple of minutes.

Linz left us today to head back to Massachusetts for a couple weeks before moving to Minneapolis. We were all sad to see her go. It had been a lot of fun hanging out with her again the past two plus weeks, reminding me of days at school again. Depending on when we get back East we might see her again before she heads to Minnesota, else I'm sure we will see her again soon, if not at Homecoming to say the least. Have a safe trip home, Linz. We miss you.

The weather here has been scorching, even by SoCal standards. It has been in the 90s the past couple days, so hopefully it'll break soon. Susan and I are starting to plan our trip home, and it looks like it's going to be a looong one. We are starting out going north on the Cali Coast, spending some time up North and seeing the Redwoods. The complicated part is trying to get from the San Francisco area to the Grand Canyon without completely double-backing through Cali like Google Maps wants us to.

Any suggestions on paths and way points are encouraged.

The Most Magical Place on Earth

Wednesday:

8 AM - estimated departure for Disneyland

8:15 AM - Linz knocks on the door to the bedroom and I hear "Are you guys coming?"

8:16 AM - I curse very loudly, waking up Susan and mayhem ensues.

8:25 AM - Actual departure for Disneyland, but of course we had to make a couple stops (breakfast, money, gas) so we didn't actually hit the road till about 8:45. The good part about all this is that was the worst part of the day.

10:25 AM - We pull into the parking structure and instantly I become a 5 year old again. I was jumping all over the place, smiling ear to ear, and was generally silly. We met up with Linz's friend Danny to complete our quartet and we headed for California Adventure.

I was nervous about the park, since I hadn't been there in about 5 years and I was unsure if everyone else would like it, or even if I still would. But the good thing is we had an absolute blast. I talked about California Screamin', the roller coaster there, and it didn't disappoint. Everyone really enjoyed it.

The highlight of our time in the park was Toy Story Mania. It was by far the best ride we did in the park. In each car you sit four, with two facing each direction, so you are back to back. Each person gets a pair of 3D goggles and has a mounted gun in front of them on the ride. As you go through, there are different themed areas, from the little green aliens with three eyes that you have to shoot rings around, a cowboy roundup where you shoot suction cup darts, and others (all 3D and not real, obviously). And it's a competition between you and the person sitting next to you. Susan kept it close for the majority of the ride, but in the end I was able to persevere and be victorious. (She let me win)

Later on we decided to go on a Monsters, Inc. ride. It was terrible, for more than one reason. It turned out to be just a summation of the movie with animatronics, which we had all seen already. But the best part was the ride broke down in the middle! At first we thought it was part of it, but then the lights came up, the robots stopped moving, the cars stopped moving, and we heard voices over the intercom. A couple minutes later someone came around, rounded us up, and led us out of the ride on foot. I snapped a couple quick pictures before the man lightly mentioned "no photos please", which you can see with the rest of my new photos very soon.

We also went on the Tower of Terror with some teenage girls who almost made our ears bleed, Muppet Vision 3D, and Grizzly River Rapids.

3:00 PM - We decide we've done all we wanted to in California Adventure and walk across the way to Disneyland. At this point I became even more giddy, if that was possible. We walked down Main Street, and set off for Tomorrowland and Space Mountain. The line was pretty short, and we went on Buzz Lightyear's Adventure, which was a weaker version of Toy Story Mania.

By this point, it was 5:30 and I needed to have the one thing I had been talking about all week: a smoked turkey leg. After searching around and becoming thoroughly cranky in the process, I found my food of choice and quickly found a bench to enjoy it on. Shortly there after I trashed the almost completely cleaned turkey leg bone, and was content to go about our evening in Disney.

We went on a bunch of stuff including Pirates of the Caribbean, Thunder Mountain Railroad, Indiana Jones Adventure, King Arthur's Carousel, Honey I Shrunk the Audience, and Sleeping Beauty's Castle.

9:00 PM - Hands down the best part of the whole day starts at this point. Disney's nightly Fantasmic. The show took place right on the River of America, with choreography, boats on the river, dancers, a projection screen on the water, some fireworks, a live orchestra, and of course, Mickey himself. Somehow, Linz and Danny found a great place for us to stand almost dead center, so we got a great view of everything going on. It was pretty special, and served to remind us all how unbelievable Disney is and how when they decide to do something, they go all the way. They even dimmed the lights so we could see the show more easily. It made me feel like a kid again as the movies of my childhood appeared before me: Peter Pan, Beauty and the Beast, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and The Little Mermaid. It seemed like everyone in the park was on the River to watch the show.

9:25 PM - To cap off the event, a fireworks display followed Fantasmic and we had a great view of it all. Some people cleared out after the first part, so we sat down, and looked to the sky as the music continued and fireworks lit up the sky synchronized to several Disney movie songs. It was really cool, and they had some great fireworks. I tried to get some pictures of it, but they don't do it justice. The display lasted about 20 minutes, which we all thought was pretty impressive considering the park is putting on this same show every night for at least the summer, maybe even the whole year.

We capped off the night walking around Sleeping Beauty's Castle, and taking in how amazing the park looked lit up at night. The park closed at 11 PM and we didn't end up leaving the park till 11 PM. So we had a long day inside the wide world of Disney to say the least.

It was an incredible day though, and I'm really glad we got the chance to go. Many thanks to Maryann Ford.

On our way back to the car, I couldn't help but think, "In the world of Disney, anything is possible."

Sea Lions, Tigers, and Gorillas, Oh My

Tuesday:

Susan and I wandered over to the world famous San Diego Zoo. It was an awesome and exhausting day. We walked all over that place and saw all the animals we wanted to catch, plus a few extras.

We started off the day by seeing the reptile exhibit. Some of those things are HUGE. There were pythons, an anaconda, cobras, vipers, and a whole mess of others. It was sad though because some of the snakes didn't look like they could even fit in their tanks if there were laid out straight, as opposed to the coiled shaped they were in. We also took notice of the size of the exhibits for some of the animals. While I will admit they were generally much bigger and well designed than other zoos I have visited, even a "big" area for a tiger, lion, or wolf in a zoo is still pretty small compared to the vast amounts of land they cover in the wild.

After the reptile exhibit, we saw a sea lion show in a small amphitheater. We couldn't figure out why no one was sitting around us, until the show started and we were sweating instantly...Everyone else had found a spot to sit in the shade on the side bleachers. But the show was fun, and the sea lion and its trainer were great. In the show they also brought out a white wolf, an Andean condor, and macaws. The birds flew up and down the arena, swooping right over the audiences' heads. Seeing the condor was really cool. The bird is so big, but it was surprisingly agile and quick once it landed, hoping around and jumping back into the air.

On really hot days, like the one we chose to go on, a lot of the animals hide out in the shade or their caves to escape the heat until the late afternoon. Fortunately we caught a few of them before they disappeared for a while. Susan really wanted to see the gorillas, apparently she really likes them. When we got over to the viewing area, three of them were just hanging out, leaning on the glass in the shade. But we got lucky and got to see them do some pretty funny stuff. One of the gorillas had a baby in its arms, and another one came over to take the baby for a while. It was really funny watching the gorilla hold its baby, with it slowly falling to sleep and head gradually tilting back till its head was just above the ground. Then another gorilla decided to say "hello" to everyone by turning around to face the spectators, and throwing its hands over its head and pressing its whole body against the glass, essentially flashing everyone there.

I really wanted to see the tigers, but the first time we stopped by they were at the very top of their exhibit, hiding under a tree to escape the heat. We stopped by again later and after a couple minutes of just sitting around, the tigers started playing and chasing each other around their area. They ran over to another part and we tried to follow them, just somehow they disappeared and we couldn't seem to find them again.

We couldn't go to the San Diego Zoo without seeing the famous panda exhibit. The zoo is well renowned for their panda research, and one of their pandas even gave birth just about a month ago. Unfortunately the newest panda or its mother were in the exhibit, but two others were. The funniest part was the second panda in the exhibit was actually sleeping in its tree! But this wasn't sleeping, like propped up, or laying across a branch kind of thing. This dude was straight-up hanging over a single branch right across her stomach. On either side her arms and legs were dangling down out of the tree. I tried to get a good photo of it, so be sure to check it out.

We saw scores of animals throughout the day, and I got a little trigger happy with the camera, so I'll slim it down to just the good ones before I put them up for you all to look at. We got to see meerkats, polar bears chomping on some snacks, a grizzly bear taking a nice afternoon dip, zebras, giraffes, elephants, rhinos, hippos, and a bunch of birds.

Once you walk around the zoo a little bit you realize how much better it is than a vast majority of the zoos out there, and it has some really cool environments to both walk through and for the animals. I really enjoyed the day there.

After that, we came home and collapsed on the couch for a little bit, trying to recoup and get ourselves ready for taco Tuesday. We didn't eat much at the zoo, saving our appetite and cash for delicious $2 tacos instead. The Memphis Crew went to Fred's, the girls favorite Tuesday night stop, and got a couple tacos and some large 20 oz margaritas to wash it down with. After a long day of walking around in the heat, it was just what my body needed.

Definitely another good day in the books, and making some headway on our list of things to do before we depart SoCal.

Wipe Out

Hey everyone. Sorry for the major time lapse between posts. I kept saying to myself "post something tomorrow" and each day I came home more tired than the last, so I just kept putting it off. But here we go.

OK. Well there is a lot to catch you all up on. To make it a little easier, I'll break it down into three different posts, one for each day.

Monday:

We went to to the beach for the day, but the exciting part was Linz and I tried to do
some surfing. I haven't been on a surf board in about 10 years, and she had only done it once before about three weeks prior, so not a whole lot of experience to speak of. After about an hour of complete failure, I started making progress and eventually got a couple good rides. The funny part is the camera died before I got better, so there only pictures are me wiping out. Linz picked it back up faster and we got some good shots of her hanging ten. I think we are going back to try it one more time today, so hopefully I'll have some better luck.

One of the scariest parts when we first got out in the water was trying to control the surf board through big waves. I'm used to a little boogie board, and if there is a big wave you just dive under and let the water thrash the board, no problemo. But a big, hard, 8 foot surf board is a little more of a hazard to both yourself and other surfers around you. To complicate the issue more, there were some BIG waves coming in on Monday, and trying to navigate through and around them was definitely challenging. When we finally regained some energy later and went for a swim, the swells were still big, and since I was now on foot I had a better perspective of them. They were easily 8 to 10 foot swells. Swimming in them was a blast, but for a very inexperienced surfer, not so much.

That night the three of us claimed one of the fire pits on the beach, got a couple bundles of fire wood, and just chilled as the fire lit up the area and kept us warm. It was really nice being on the beach at night and it was unbelievable how many stars we could see. We walked down by the water and played catch with the light-up frisbee. It was a little challenging for me to catch though because I lost my contacts swimming earlier. Staying at the beach all day gave us the opportunity to see something which is apparently pretty rare in San Diego:

An actual sunset.

There are usually big cloud banks that swallow up the sun as it makes it way down and it is never seen or heard from again, or least for a couple hours. But this day the cloud bank was a little higher, and there was space between it and the water, so we got to see the sun disappear into the ocean. It was something I was determined to see since I got here, and it was well worth it. I even mustered up enough energy in my camera for two good shots of it going down before the camera totally gave out on me.

Welcome to the Hotel California

Howdy everyone.

Sorry no post last night. It has certainly been a packed weekend and we had a lot of fun.

Yesterday we changed up our beach scene a little bit and went to Del Mar for the day. Susan told me I would like it, and she was right. It was beautiful, and was definitely a more unique place than OB or PB. We drove toward the beach from the top of a hill, and going down it, the beach just off to the left of the highway looked spectacular. The sun was shining, the sand looked bright, and the water had an incredible green hue to it. We parked on a windy downhill street, and took some beaten path under the bridge down to the beach. We cut through shrubs, up rocks, and by the end of it I felt like I had just illegally crossed the border into Mexico.

The cool part about driving through the area, which included the Torrey Pines golf course and is pretty classy, was how many bicyclers were in the area. It was a beautiful Saturday morning, and the bike lanes were filled with groups of men and women riding up and down these intense hills. No where on Long Island or in the tri-state area have I ever seen so many bikers together, besides maybe for a major ride or competition. I also see runners all up and down the beach when we go. I'm not sure if it's just that I'm paying attention to it more out here, or if it is really just more prevalent here on the West Coast. I tend to think the latter.

Well anyway, back to Del Mar Beach. We ended up at what apparently was the surfer end of the beach. The waves were pretty close together, the breeze was strong, and the current in the ocean was intense, so it was pretty rough in the ocean. Susan and I took a long walk down the beach, taking in all the sights around. It was a real pretty walk, as we wandered down the beach, with 20 foot cliffs on one side and the ocean on the other. On the way back to the blanket and Linz, we got to walk on the upper path and look out over everything. The whole trek took about two hours and we took some nice photos along the way you can check out.

Last night I convinced the girls to go with me to a Padres game after quitting the beach for the day. We left late to go downtown, and wouldn't ya know it, there was actually traffic getting to the game. Everyone told me how easy it was to get tickets, how they never sell out, blah blah blah. Well apparently this time none of that applied. Of course, it was a Saturday night against the Cardinals, so we actually had to pay some money for seats. I felt bad for the girls, but they let me have my fun. I can't complain too much though. For $34, we were on the lower level. We were down in the right field corner right next to the foul pole, but we were still on the lower level. A hell of a lot cheaper than that would be at a game in the Bronx. Unfortunately, Chris Carpenter was on the mound for the Cards and was dealing. The Padres only had 3 hits for the night I think, and they lost 7-0.

After the game we tried to find a place to go out downtown, but finding parking was IMPOSSIBLE. I honestly could not find a thing in the area of downtown we wanted to go out in. Thirty minutes in, I said "to hell with it," and we gave up. We ended up at Gordon Beirsch for a couple drinks before calling it a night.

Today was another packed day.

To start things off, we went down to Don Tommy's, a Mexican place the girls swear by. The food was cooked fresh and was pretty delicious. The tortillas were homemade, soft, and a delicious addition that made the tacos and burritos even better. Then we headed for Balboa Park and had no idea what to expect. The park is huge and beautiful. Within the park are about 8 museums, 10 gardens, and beautiful buildings to house everything. The famous San Diego Zoo is also within the confines of Balboa Park (another stop on our list this week).

The Memphis Crew spent the afternoon walking around the park, checking out gardens, taking pictures, and having fun. We saw cactus, rose, and tropical gardens, and a bunch of other stuff I've left out. Susan and I had a bit of an unfortunate run in with a cactus, but we won't go into it...And yes, we're fine. Linz said all afternoon she wanted face paint and luckily we happen to come across one. Susan and her decided to get some "tattoos". It was another sunny day and a nice break from being on the beach every day. By the end we were exhausted, and threw down a blanket on the grass and rested our legs for a bit.

Linz and I decided tonight would be a good night to fulfill our sushi craving in San Diego, so we set off for a place that knew how to roll raw fish in rice well (not the easiest thing to search for in a city which is a major port and restaurants everywhere). We ended up over the bridge in Coronado for some dinner, and ice cream at Moo Time. In between we headed over to one of the most famous hotels in California, if not America:

The Hotel Del Coronado.

It was built in about 1888 I believe and is an old fashion, wooden, aged, and beautiful hotel. We walked all over the place. Down by the beach, in the lobby, through the stores in the basement, we checked the whole place out. My grandparents suggested I be sure and visit the hotel, and I'm definitely glad we did. It is a pretty spectacular place. The accommodations and rooms they offer are just unbelievable. If only I had enough money to stay there and enjoy that place. A boy can dream, right?

The night was capped off with some ice cream from Moo Time and then a trip home after a very full day.

I put up some new photos from the past couple days, mostly because certain people threatened me *cough* Derek *cough* to "add some more excitement" to the photo album. Hope these work for you, D Rock. I'll have some captions up tomorrow, so if you want, hold off on looking and there will be more context soon.

Hope ya'll enjoy them!

Quick Hits
*****
Congratulation to Greg for hitting more cars than hit him. He won his demolition derby this week and is advancing on to the finals! The car apparently only needs a few fixes and it would still be drivable. Nice going.

D Rock passed the first part of his CPA exam. Congratz, bro. It almost makes spending the whole summer "studying" and not taking a road trip to California with me worth it...Almost. Only two more parts to go.

How about them Yankees? Another good series against the Sawks. Guess those first eight didn't really matter, eh? I expected more from A.J., but I guess C.C. did enough. Lets keep on rolling and take this into the playoffs. They are playing great ball right now.

Lastly, another good episode of Entourage this week. I love the stuff about buying guns and knives. Drama is ridiculous.