Houston

I got into Houston and met up with my Godmother Jennifer and her husband. We had a good Tex-mex dinner and enjoyed conversation into the evening. She sent me off in the morning with a great breakfast and a cooler full of snacks and drinks! Long driving day...all the way to Atlanta (~850 miles).

OK, so you gotta love my friends. On my long drive from Houston to ATL, which is a KILLER drive considering all the traffic I hit from accidents....I get a text message that reads "hi HO hi HO, it's back to work you GO." Messed up! ha ha.

I get into Atlanta at 1:30am after driving up through some of the hurricane damaged areas of Texas, waiting 30 minutes in a line for gas, and working my way through several traffic jams. Tired, but safe, which is good after 16 hours in the car (with only 3 stops for gas and one for food)!!

Austin

Sunday, Sept 25 - Guest blogger Britta Schumann (9/23-9/25)

Sunday morning again came too soon and there was a rush to get Jeff to the airport. After getting lost in the Texas countryside with no sign of the airport, we pulled into a roadside piñata stand to ask for directions and were amazed to find the owner drunk and useless at 11 a.m. Jeff did miss his flight, but rumor has it he is home safe and sound in Atlanta.

Laura also headed home, so the four of us left standing grabbed a quick bite at IHOP to start the day. Adam and John headed back to the concert and Tucker and I decided to further explore Lake Travis. We found a nice park shaded by tall cottonwood tress to relax in for a bit, but the temperature was 109 degrees, so getting out on the water was crucial. We had hoped to rent a sailboat, but the wind was slow, so we opted for a wave runner instead. I couldn’t tell you the amount of horses under its hood, but it was a powerful ride. We were fired up to see what it could do and after racing around the lake for a bit, the G-forces got the best of us and we both went flying off into the lake!!

Back on land, Tucker and I enjoyed a 4 hour dinner back at the Oasis, watched the sun set over the lake, and listened to some good live music (this is Austin after all). It was a great way to wrap up the amazing weekend in Austin!

Saturday, Sept 24

The next morning we were a little slow to get moving. In the process of picking up the next days concert tickets, Adam knocked his wheel cover loose and we ended up pulling into a random tire garage for help. The mechanics got quite a kick out of the five of us all pilling out of a little VW Golf! After getting it tied on again, we were starving until we finally found a Mexican restaurant without an hour plus wait for breakfast/lunch at 2:30 pm. It was a good thing too, because one of us (Tucker) gets a little grumpy when he is hungry! Of course, Jeff managed to spill salsa on his pants which added a little comic relief. I just met Jeff this weekend, but for those of you who know Jeff, I was told this is NOT a surprise.

Adam is an international food connoisseur and after lunch, he announced that he had a surprise for us and pulled into Amy’s Ice Cream. This place serves homemade ice cream with toppings crushed into it and they have loads of fun doing it! The guys behind the counter wear goofy hats and bang on the ice cream with drum beats to soften it up. I was impressed by the guy tossing the ice cream up in the air from under his leg and catching it over his shoulder. Tucker even got his topping for free because the guy flung it across the room to him and he caught it in a bowl. Nicely done Tucker!

After Amy’s, we drove out west of Austin to the Oasis Restaurant which sits atop a limestone cliff 450 above Lake Travis. It has a series of wooden decks that hang out over the lake. My friend from high school, Laura, came down from Dallas to join us there and we all relaxed in the shade and had a couple margaritas while we enjoyed the view.

Back at the concert again, we were surprised to discover there was even more dust than the day before. The clouds were so thick that from one stage we could not see across the field to the others, and the photos we took at night look like we are in a snow storm. That night we got to see Jet, the Drive-By Truckers, Oasis and Widespread Panic. I can’t speak for the group, but personally, I thought widespread panic was hot. They mixed jazz drums, salsa beats, cowbells and congas for a great set!

It is interesting how certain songs make you think of certain places in your life or memories you have, kind of like a theme song. This trip, our theme song was The Killers “All Things That I’ve Done”. We played it often and sang it loud, but the highlight was Adam standing up on the bus on the ride home from the concert and singing “I got soul, but I’m not a soldier” while dancing in the aisle. Apparently, he lost a bet with Laura!

After the concert, we headed out to 6th street to meet up with a couple of John’s friends and celebrated John’s birthday. After some pint slinging and swing dancing, we called it a night and went to grab a cab. The Austin cab scene is like nothing else I have ever seen. You can stand in the street waving cash at an empty cab with the light on and the cabbie will look right at you, pull away and then pick up someone else 200 feet down the block!! UNBELIEVABLE!

Friday, Sept 23

Tucker picked me up in downtown Dallas, and after surveying all the damages he has done to the X-Terra since the last time I’ve seen it, we headed south to Austin. We had been a bit nervous that the hurricane would hit Houston and barrel inland dumping rain on us, but luckily this was no longer likely. The sun was out and it was over 100 degrees…welcome to an Indian summer in Texas!

In Austin we met up with Tucker’s friend Jeff Weekly again (whom you might remember as the last guest blogger) and his friend Adam Spigel from Dallas. Adam has platinum status at the Marriott and hooked us up with a room for the weekend which we packed full. This was huge considering any open rooms in Austin were full of hurricane Rita evacuees. (Thanks again Adam!)

Austin is a huge music oriented city, so to kick off the weekend we headed to Threadgill’s Home Cookin’ Restaurant which was an old gas station famous for live music. It is said that this is where Janis Joplin developed her country and blues rock-n-roll style and became famous. We had chicken fried chicken, cornbread, red beans and rice and $1 Lone Star beers to wash it all down.

This weekend was the Austin City Limits Music Festival in Zilker Park. The line-up was really solid, check it out! http://www.aclfestival.com/ Zilker Park was set up with eight stages as well as loads of bar tents, shops and food. We got there in time to catch the end of the Allman Brothers, Keane and The Black Crowes. Due to the lack of hearty grass in Texas and the wind from hurricane Rita, the festival air was incredibly dusty. Just before the show ended we sprinted out to join thousands of others in line to board the shuttles back to downtown. They had a huge caravan of coach buses waiting outside for fans, and the line to board the buses snaked back and forth for at least a mile through a huge maze of fencing. The only problem was, for those of us who had had a beer or two, snagging your shirt on the fence was easy to do!

Jeff was feeling the need to freshen up, so Tucker and I headed out to 6th Street ahead of the group. We found Maggie Mae’s, a great chill bar with live music and a rooftop deck to hang out at while Jeff showered and changed into his legendary “Journey” T-shirt. I have to admit, we gave him a hard time for having to prep before coming out, but having girls sing “ Don’t stop believin’… Hold on to that feelin’!!!” at him across the bar was worth it!!

When we walked back out onto the street when we left, I was amazed at the number of people partying in the streets. We headed to get a cab and strolled into a club pumping out dance music and thought “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em”… so we did!

Santa Fe

Monday, Sept 19

Mark took the afternoon off work, so we went out on another great ride (nearly 3 hours). Beautiful country for riding. Then we got back just in time to watch the Redskins game!! An amazing come from behind 14-13 victory over the hated Dallas Cowboys...wwhhhooooo whooooo!!

Sunday, Sept 18

My uncle (Mark Ish) and I spent some time doing bike repairs/tune-ups in the morning. Then we headed over to his ranch in NM (I was hoping to get in his Cessna and fly up to his ranch in CO, but it didn't work out). No worries, we had a great 2+ hour ride in NM, and saw elk, wild turkey, and a BEAR PRINT!! Pretty cool place. We met up with his kids and wife for a picnic, then played around with the paintball guns for a while. After that, we grabbed some authentic mexican food, and I got the best enchiladas EVER!!

Sat, Sept 17

Long day of driving from Flagstaff to Santa Fe. I stopped along the way at Sky City (Acomo Pueblo) and spent a few hours taking a tour and exploring. This pueblo is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the United States. The Pueblo was built on a 70-acre site of the massive sandstone mesa which rises 367 feet above the valley and approximately 7,000 feet above sea level. VERY COOL! I got to my uncle's house in Santa Fe that evening.

Dallas/Fort Worth

Thursday, Sept 22

In the morning, headed over to Speedzone and spent over an hour acting like a kid. Go-karts were great, but the real treat was a drag race car that went 0-70 mph then back to 0 in under 4 seconds!! This was unreal scary, as you drove the car and shifted (it was on a rail so you couldn't crash it). Awesome fun. I then headed over to the Fort Worth Stockyards, had the steak of the year from H3 steakhouse, and check out Billy Bob's (one of the biggest bars in the world, indoor rodeo, can hold 7,000 people)!!

I then met up with Jeff Weekly (again) and his friend Adam for a night out in Dallas.

Off to lower Greenville for somesuper cheap drink specials at The Billiard Bar. Jeff started off by saying,ah lets just have maybe 2 beers tonight and save our energy for ACL..(Austin City Limits 2005). Well those drinks we pretty darn cheap, $3.50 for 2 drafts and one vodka tonic. Famous last words of Jeff "you can't those kind of specials in Atlanta. CRAZY. REDICLULOUS" We then head to Adams favorite after hour dining spot anauthentic Mexican Restaurant for some authentic fajitas. Beef Fajitas on fresh white corn tortillas.

Wednesday, Sept. 21

Found a pretty cool mountain bike trail around a lake...much better riding than I thought I would find in Dallas. Only problem? About 103 degrees with high humidity. After I got back from my ride I quickly heard that it was a code red day...no bueno! Home cooked ribs for dinner, good stuff!!

Tuesday, Sept. 20

Long driving day from Santa Fe to Dallas. Grabbed Mexican dinner in Dallas with my uncle Lanse and my cousins.

Sedona/Flagstaff

Friday, Sept 16

I found the best spot for a breakfast in the morning. For $2.99 you got French toast, 2 eggs, bacon, and home fries. This was most desirable, I will be back tomorrow! Sara had the day off from work, and took me to a really cool lava pipe (aka “cave”). It was amazing. After driving out on a dirt road for about 15 minutes, we dropped into this small opening in the ground, the temperature dropped 20 degrees, and we kicked on the lantern. After entering the cave, it is pitch black. I am thinking…maybe I should have brought some back-up batteries, b/c we won’t make it out of here if they die. It is a ¾ mile hike to the end of the lava pipe, and it is amazing. It takes nearly 45 minutes each way b/c some of the openings are so small and the rock is so loose that you are walking on (or climbing down). One of the coolest things I have done on my trip…glad I met a local to help me find it…I could not have found the lava pipe on my own.

I hit up some local trails, got in a good ride, and then went out downtown. Off to NM tomorrow, long driving day.

Thursday, Sept 15

Awesome day at the Grand Canyon. The feeling when I first saw it was unreal. It really takes your breath away with the beauty of what was created. I hiked down into the Canyon for a few hours, then back out (a little tougher on the way out). I met some really neat travelers during my hike.

I got back into Flagstaff and met up with my friend Sara. We grabbed dinner, and then went to some of the local hot spots (and won some serious games of foosball), good times!

Wednesday, Sept 14
Off to Sedona I go. After a short 1.5 hour ride I arrive, and it is beautiful. Huge red rock formations everywhere. I decide the best way to explore and get good views will be to hit the local bike trails. I get in a great 2+ hour ride over VERY technical terrain (I am lovin the full-suspension bike now!). Then I go meet up with the jeep tour company. I was promised it would be a pretty aggressive Jeep tour, but I was skeptical. About 15 minutes into the adventure, I was having an awesome time. The views were spectacular, but even better, we were going through some gnarly jeep trails (lucky these Jeeps had upgraded suspensions and tires). This is awesome, and we were hitting some climbs/descents at 45 degree angles (WAY STEEP)….EXTREME jeeping!! Ha ha. You jeep guys (James and Matty) would have loved this jeep trail! Off to Flagstaff to crash at a hostel (catch up on some much needed sleep) and rest up to hike the Grand Canyon. Update: met a couple Irish guys at the hostel (where the 8 person room stunk horribly with some funky dudes staying there), played some foosball/pool at the hostel, then hit the town Irish-style (this could delay my departure time in the morning)…

Phoenix

Tuesday, Sept 13

I hit a few local bike shops in the morning. I need to find a new stem for my bike, b/c the stem on it is too small and I don’t have the control I should have on the downhills. Unfortunately, I can’t find anything that will work. I head out for another ride, and get roasted for over 2 hours. Then I meet up with Tara to hike Squaw Peak…a very technical and somewhat challenging hike, but it sure was amazing once we got to the top and were overlooking Scottsdale and Phoenix. We watched the sun set over the city, then trekked back down as quickly as we could so we didn’t have to break out the flashlights. After our hike we grabbed a late dinner at a very cool fusion Asian restaurant…good times.

Monday, Sept 12

After an awesome pancake breakfast at my friend Mikki’s house, it is time to start heading East again. This is a big moment in my trip, and I may add, a very depressing one. I am down to only 3 weeks remaining on my big adventure, and have started the trek back to reality. Before I started my trip, I knew at this point I would either really want to get back home to DC, or be totally bumming that my trip was coming to an end. The reality is the latter. Oh well.

So, off I go to Phoenix/Scottsdale. I get into the city in the afternoon, hit up a bike shop and find a really cool trail that is close by. After a great ride on the new rig (which is SO amazing), I head to Tara’s house (friend of a friend)…and we head to this really cool bar/restaurant to grab some food. The place is way cool, and has a full beach, pool, and cabanas. I love the atmosphere.
Oh, did I mention that it is scorching hot during the day? I am not sure why Phoenix is the 5th largest city in the US, it is WAY too hot here. Everyone is talking about how nice the weather is right now and how it has cooled down…well, it was 100 degrees today!!

Newport Beach update

Ok, so when I wrote up the Newport/LA section of the blog, I was about 2 weeks behind and didn't put enough effort into it. Here are my feelings about Newport:

Newport was in fact the best place on the planet, I never thought I could have so much fun and I am still reeling from all the excitement!!

Oh, and if this sounds cool to anyone, Alicia has stated that she has an open door policy for visitors. She enjoyed having me around so much that she decided to create an account with http://www.couchsurfing.com/ to let other vagabonds visit!!

San Diego/Encinitas

Sunday, September 11th -- Guest blogger – Jeff Weekley (9/7-9/11)

Part of the uniqueness of staying in a hostile is that you get to meet a lot of diverse people from all over the world. Unfortunately, our roommate this night is from the country of LOUD ALARM CLOCKS! The first wake up call went off at 8am. (Not good when you stumble in at 3am). This kid had his alarm clock set on loud rock and roll, and I mean LOUD. And it DOESN’T WAKE HIM!!! It does wake Tucker and myself. Tucker is really mad. He’s on the top bunk, and loud alarm clock kid is on the bottom. Tucker starts screaming “hey buddy, turn that off…hey rockstar, turn it off, then he starts shaking the bunk bed uncontrollably until the guy gets up and turns it off. Of course this dude decides to hit the snooze button, why wouldn’t he? 15 minutes later, we are once again in the front row of a Van Halen concert. Déjà vu….this guy doesn’t wake up, and now Tucker is furious! Luckily I’m able to fall back to sleep, but not Tucker. Of course, the alarm clock guy is still asleep when we leave at 10:30. Thanks buddy. It’s your world.

With a bit of a fuzzy head, and some definite sleep deprivation, it’s time to head out to the SAN DIEGO CHARGERS/DALLAS COWBOYS game!! It’s opening day in the NFL, and I’m so excited. I’m really looking forward to this. We take the trolley to the game and get there right at kickoff time. The only problem is that we don’t have tickets and need to find a scalper. We begin to get nervous when we walk half way around the stadium and don’t see anyone selling tickets, but with plenty of people looking for them. Luckily we find some, and pay about $30 over face value. I don’t care, we’re in! Our seats are some serious nose bleeds in the end zone. Still a decent view though. It is an awesome game. It goes back and forth until the very end. The Chargers have a chance to win it, and have 1st and goal with one minute left in the game. They failed, and the Cowboys win the game. We learn why the Cowboys are America’s team, b/c there were more Cowboys fans in the upper deck of the game then there were Chargers fans. I seriously felt like it was a home game for Dallas! After the game, we sprint as fast as we can to the Trolley. Seriously, San Diego had the WORST transit system in America. They have 70,000 fans taking the trolley to the game, and there wasn’t even 1 trolley there waiting for fans after the game. It shows up 5 minutes later. By then, the line for the trolley was out of control. Good thing we sprinted!!!!

This day just decides to keep getting better. We’re off to Tijuana, Mexico for dinner! We literally crossed the border for some authentic Mexican food and Coronas. What’s better then Mexican food and Coronas in Mexico? FREE CORONAS IN MEXICO! Tucker’s meal came out so late that they gave us 2 on the house. Of course, Coronas in Mexico are only $1, so we saved a whopping $2. But still, it’s the principal of free coronas in mexico!!!!

With our belly’s full, we decide to explore the main drag. We are in for a culture shock. This place is very sleazy and trashy. It’s shocking that a place like this is only a few miles from the mecca that is San Diego. We have 3 year old boys beg us for money, and when Tucker tries to take a picture of one of them, he informs us that the picture will cost us $1. We decide to pass. After picking up some good bottles of Tequila (dirt cheap in Mexico), we head back to the States. All we have to do is flash our license to get back in. It’s got to make you feel good about our border control system.

Now its time to head to the airport. I’m sad. I had the most amazing 4 day vacation. Not to mention it felt like a week! Not much rest, lots of play. Would you expect anything less when you hang out with Tucker? My flight is at 10:30pm. This is a true red eye flight. I land back home in Atlanta at 5:30am. I maybe get 1 hour of sleep. I get home, shower, and head to work. This is going to be a REALLY LONG DAY!!!! But so worth it….

Thoughts on San Diego: Best weather in the world, in shape people, gorgeous beaches, outrageously expensive real estate, and of course….very pretty girls. I’m going to miss this place.

Saturday, Sept 10th

We say good-bye to Kathleen and Brian, pack up our bags, and head into La Jolla beach! This place is super fancy. It has to be one of the most expensive places in the world to live. Rent for a shack (o bedrooms, 1 bath) goes for $1000/month. A normal size two bedroom apartment goes for up to $10K/month. And if you so desire an ocean view, $25K/mo! Wow!!!

So today we are doing a Kayak/snorkel tour of the La Jolla beach and the surrounding ocean caves. We put our wetsuits on and head out. The guide starts with a history of La Jolla bay. The house about 100 yards from us right on the water is Dr. Seuss’s. His widow still lives there. Very cool! We later snorkel right up to it. We also learn about Black’s beach a few miles down (fat naked people), the history of the sea caves, and are pointed out the best view from San Diego (Ron Burgundy’s romancing spot!). We kayak over to Dr. Seuss’s back yard and its time to snorkel. We are in a Leopard Shark breeding ground. They are 4 to 5 feet long, look like leopards, and are totally harmless. We spot a few, but visibility isn’t as clear today as it normally is. While searching for the leopard sharks, I have another shark swim right by me. It doesn’t look like a leopard, it looks like Jaws! After the 2nd time that it swam right by me, I decide it’s time to jump into the kayak as quickly as possible. Naturally, I choose not to warn Tucker. [Tucker note to blog: that is MESSED up!!] I describe it to the guide (10-15 ft long, 3 fins, and a tail the size of my arm…scary!). He says its probably a nurse shark, which are harmless unless you get in its way or touch it. I later found out that the guide did see the shark too, and it’s not the wild life that we were searching for on our snorkel excursion! We kayak over to the caves and go in a few. They are very pretty.

After kayaking, we hike around a trail overlooking La Jolla bay. What an amazing place.

It’s time to head into San Diego and find the hostel where we are spending the night. It is right in the heart of the Gaslamp District of San Diego, which is where all the night life is. Perfect location! We clean up and head down to a sports bar called the 5th Quarter to watch the Texas-Ohio State football game. $2 Coors Lights….yes!!! After the game, we grab dinner at Dick’s restaurant. Then we head to another bar that has a good live band and is pretty hopping. We end up in the bottom floor and meet our favorite bar tender Judy! We also meet a new friend (Big Ed), who is from DC and is out here for his sister’s 21st.

We then hop over to The Bitter End. This is where we spent the bulk of the night. Tucker’s good friend Mikki and 2 of her friends meet up with us for a night of debauchery. We have a blast!!! This was our favorite of all the nights in San Diego.

Friday, Sept 9th

After a lazy morning, we say good-bye to Lance, pack the bags, and head into SAN DIEGO! Time to do some sport fishing!!! We rent some fishing rods and head out to sea. We go out about 2 miles from the coast and park over a “kilt forest” and it’s time to start. We are total rookies with this fishing thing. Tucker’s line gets all tangled up on his reel. I laugh at him, and then it happens to me! Not once, not twice, but well, I’ll stop there. I let a veteran fisher on the boat try my rod, and even he gets the line all tangled up. These rods are so bad!!! We can’t even cast with them! We spend about 3 hours feeding the sea lions with our bait. I thought these animals were cool at first, but not anymore! No one in the boat can get their bait more then 30 feet deep before the sea lions eat it! It was so annoying that I stopped fishing. We head out into some deeper water and the captain spots some Yellowtail! Several people on the boat start pulling in the fish left and right. These fish are so pretty! About 20 pounds, and make for good eating. Of course, Tucker and I can only watch as are rods won’t cooperate.

After fishing, we head to our friend Kathleen (JMU pal) and her husband’s Brian’s condo. We clean up and head out to dinner at the Rock Bottom. It’s Brian’s birthday celebration, so we meet up with probably 20 of there friends. We then head to a few bars in La Jolla and then over to Pacific Beach! We have been told that this is the spot for Thursday nights. We end up at PB Bar and Grill for the night. We have a good time, but decide that it’s a total college spring break type bar, and way too crowded. After a very close game of heads or tails, Tucker wins the bed, and I’m left to the couch.

Thursday, Sept 8th

We wake up at Lance’s place and head down to the beach. Time to try surfing on some real waves for the first time in my life! The beach is so pretty (this place is paradise). There are cliffs that drop off down to the beach. You have to walk down about 10 flights of steps to get down there. We take turns surfing. We both are able to get up…but not for long!!! Each ride ends with the wave ending up victorious. But it’s a successful morning. My only goal was to get up and ride a wave!

At noon, we decide to do a “beach boot camp” at Lance’s gym. This is a 1 hour workout on the beach. Lance joins us after work, and all hell is about to break loose. This is easily the hardest work out I’ve ever done! I didn’t know what I was in for. Jump rope, run/hop up the steps leading to the beach, sit ups, sprints, skipping, pushups, crab crawls, wall blasters, and a few other excercises that are too painful to try and recall. The hard part is that you aren’t allowed to rest for 1 second during the entire hour! (…so I may have cheated towards the end). [Tucker comment: So, at the beginning of this workout while we are jump roping Jeff says “Tucker, this dry weather is amazing, I am working out pretty hard, and I am not even sweating!!” I look over at Jeff at about the 45 minute point, and he is face first in the sand, COVERED in sweat…and cannot even move…I burst out laughing and said “Hey Jeff, I thought you weren’t going to sweat!!”] The only thing harder then this workout is….DOING IT FOR 3 HOURS! Yes, they offer the class on Saturday mornings from 9-12am. Ouch. We then go into the gym and lift weights for 45 minutes before finding a deli for lunch. We spend the rest of the afternoon watching a few games of volleyball, then I head home (Lance’s) to shower and nap. I’m beat. Tucker picks up his new bike and is obviously very excited. We grill out some filet’s with Lance, his friend Tommy, and watch the Pats-Raiders game. We head into Leucadia (1 town over) to check out the local night life. This town is totally dead. We tried the Leucadian Inn, had 1 drink and then try 1 other dive bar. One drink and out. We decide we’d rather sleep then spend anymore time in the bars of Leucadia.

Wednesday, Sept 7

Headed straight to the beach in the morning, and started surfing. Close-out waves, no good. I caught a few good waves, and got totally mauled on 3 others. Here is the definition of totally mauled: 6 foot wave crushing down on my head, grabbing me and spinning me around like I am in a washing machine, water up the nose and in the ears, and then a full body grind/face grind into the sandy bottom of the ocean. After 3 of those, I decided I had caught enough waves for the day. Kicked back and read for a while, then saw volleyball starting up again. I played another few hours of v-ball, then headed to the airport to pick up Jefferson Weekly (college buddy). We went straight to Pacific Beach Bar & Grill on the way home and hung out and watched a cool band.

Oh, daily weather since I have been in LA/San Diego: 75 degrees during the day, no humidity. 65 degrees at night, and of course, no humidity. PERFECT WEATHER!!

Tuesday, Sept 6

I hit the road again, and head down to Encinitas (beach town outside of San Diego). On the way I go check out a used bike that I found, and it was right on my way. I LOVE the bike, and buy it…can’t wait to get out and ride it! I got to Encinitas around lunch, and came across an awesome game of volleyball. There were 7 guys, so they needed on more (lucky me), and I jumped in this game. I wasn’t quite as good as them (they all played at UCSD), but I was good enough to be competitive with them. We played for about 2 hours, grabbed lunch, and played for another 2 hours. What a way to spend a Tuesday afternoon!! I met up with a buddy I race with, Lance, and his house was amazing, 2 blocks from the beach. His front yard was the coolest yard I have ever seen: palm trees, tropical plants, gas fire pit, bar, flat screen HD TV, etc. Very cool. He had a workout planned, and I met up with him and his friends in Solano beach that night. On the way home, I stopped by one of the volleyball guys houses to grab his surfboard he said I could borrow.

LA/Newport Beach

Monday, Sept 4

DISNEY LAND!! All-day adventure at the theme park, and then we went and met up with Steve and Jessica again for a really nice Italian dinner on Balboa Island (I think that is what it was called). Awesome food, and even better view overlooking the water.

Sunday, Sept 3

A sad day…and a happy day. I am totally stoked to be rid of the big, awkward, annoying bike box…but bummed that Andrea is taking off. She was a great travel buddy, and we had some excellent times. I took Andrea up to LAX (Tucker Time returns), and then drove over through Beverly Hills and Hollywood. Some pretty crazy houses up there, and they sell “star maps” if you want to go look at celebrities houses…but I wasn’t interested. In the afternoon Alecia and I went to a few more cook-outs, then rented some rollerblades and rode up and back on the beach path. Sunday night we met up with Alicia’s brother Steve and his roommate Jessica at a Mexican restaurant and bar, and hung out for the night.


Saturday, Sept 2

I mean, is it really fair that I celebrate Labor Day in style like everyone else out here? My labors lately have been few and far between…maybe this should just be another weekend for me?!?! Today was a big day of cook-outs and Labor Day celebrations…very good times! For dinner we grabbed some great New York strip steaks, fired up the charcoal on the Weber and threw on our corn and steaks…and enjoyed our Tecate’s on the side…fun night of hanging on the deck with friends.

Friday, Sept 1

Slow start Friday morning, but we went down to a cool breakfast spot that had really healthy meals. After that we hit the beach for a bit, and then Andrea and I went out for a 2 hour bike ride. Friday night we went out for sushi (I even tried some eel sushi), then out for the night.

Thursday, Aug 31

After staying my second night in a hotel/motel in Santa Barbara (thanks to Andrea…she refused to camp b/c she said 55 degrees was too cold)…we headed to the Santa Barbara beach and did some exploring.

We continued down Route 1, then jumped on the 101 and stopped into Santa Monica for lunch. Here, I had my second day of work on my trip (first was volunteering at kids soccer camp in Omaha). We were on the Promenade, and a woman with a video camera asked me if I would participate in a market research study. I wasn’t interested, but then she told me it would only take 5 min, and she would pay me $10. Now, to a vagabond traveler, $10 means breakfast and lunch…very important meals! So, I answered all of her weird questions, and out of her pocket game the 10 spot…tough day in the office, but at least it paid off!

We got to Newport Beach (outside of LA) in the afternoon, and hung out at the beach…which was beautiful. My friend Alicia got home after work, and her beach house was amazing. It was only 5 houses from the beach…this could not get any better. We headed out that night (with Alecia, her roommate Russell, and her brother Steve) to start off the Labor Day weekend. We ended up at Alicia’s favorite dive bar Cassidy’s by the end of the night…where Andrea started ordering the most disgusting drinks we had ever had in our life…who put her in charge of getting drinks?!!?

New Girlfriend...

ok, ok, just relax people. A new post will get up sometime this week...been too busy to write it up. I have delegated the San Diego post to Jeff Weekly...who joined me on the trip a few days ago. So, he will be the first "guest writer" to the blog.

So, here is some sweet news...I got a new rig, and it is AMAZING! I can't stop staring at her. Trek Fuel 100 with full XTR components and wheelset. Bike is more than $5k new, but got a great deal on it used (barely used). 23 pound full-suspension carbon fiber bike...unreal.

San Francisco

Wednesday, Aug 31

Total milage = 5,700 = not helping the wear and tear
Current gas prices = not helpin the bills!!

We head out of town and decide to drive on the Scenic Highway (Route 1) down the CA coast. But, the dark cloud remains over my head today…for at least 80% of the drive (should be one of the most beautiful drives in the US)…all we could see was fog. BUT, when it cleared, man was it amazing.

Tuesday Aug 30

Woke up, and went out to my car to grab something. I had parked on the street, a block from Kelly’s house. I am looking up at my roof…and something looks different. For some reason, my rear wheel is on my rack, but NO BIKE! WHAT?!?!? This is not good. I start looking around, and see 2 little broken pieces off my front fork of the bike…my bike was stolen. To add a little salt to the wound, when the got the bike off, they nicely dropped the sharp fork onto my roof 3 times for some dents and scratches that will allow me to remember my stolen bike for years. I can’t believe it…and spend the rest of my morning on the phone filing reports with the police and insurance companies. This is DEF a bummer, but luckily, all my races were done for the season. I was hoping to get a new full suspension bike anyways.,.so life goes on.

Today was a big day for “The Beard.” Ladies, hold back your tears…I have shaved the beard!! I drove around to 3 barbers this morning until I found one that would do a hot face shave…pretty cool. Man, I really look different…makes me look so young!! Jack the barber took care of the shag hair and shag face.

Andrea and I went back down to Fisherman’s Wharf, grabbed lunch, then caught a boat over to tour Alcatraz. Pretty neat. After we got back, we jumped on a trolley and went further downtown, browsed, and came back to meet Kelly and her roommate Joanna for dinner/drinks.

Andrea is still sore from the race on Sunday. It is nice to let these roadies experience what a “real” triathlon is now and then, and feel the pain of the much tougher races!

Oh, and I saw 2 Ferrari’s today (and one yesterday)…these west coast peeps sure like to spend loot on their cars!

Monday Aug 29

Wow, we wake up to a beautiful day in San Fran. The fog burned off for the first time in 6 weeks, and it was nice and warm out. Kelly had the day off and showed us around town. First we went up into Marin County and had a nice view overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge. Then we went over to a cool old lighthouse, but it wasn’t open yet, so I jumped the railing and did an extreme hike down a ridge to the ocean to see some little sea lions. After my hike the park rangers opened the gate to see the lighthouse, and we checked it out. After that, we went down to Sausalida (small town across the bay from San Fran) and wandered the town and grabbed lunch at a deli. Then we headed back over the bridge, and drove down Lombard Street…which is the curviest city block in the US…and it was so much fun…I did it 4 times…Andrea was particularly excited about this ;)

After the joys on Lombard hill we went over to Fisherman’s wharf, where I saw the best street performer…EVER! This guy was called “Bush Man” and he hid in front of a green trash can, placed 2 bushes in front of him, and would wait for unsuspecting tourists who were in their own world, and jump out at them and make this horribly scary roaring sound. HILARIOUS!! I couldn’t leave…it was SO funny. This guy was making some serious bank also (I put him at about $150/hour in tips). Andrea wasn’t so impressed, so she went around shopping while I enjoyed a few more good scares!

We then headed over to Haight Street downtown to grab dinner. We got food at a Thai place…best Thai I ave ever had. Pinapple cashew dish…yummy! After dinner we met up with Kelly and went to one of her favorite local establishments (about 2 blocks from her house).

Sunday Aug 28

We drive into San Fran around 6pm. It is beautiful, and we quickly realize the temperature is dropping (it is COLD, everyone is in long pants and jackets. We catch a glimpse of the Golden Gate Bridge, which is really neat. Fog has engulfed most of the city, very weird. Visibility is not that great after we cross the Golden Gate Bridge. We find my friend Kelly Wright’s apartment, she is right downtown, walking distance to a bunch of good restaurants and bars…and of course ice cream for Andrea’s sweet tooth (she craves it at least twice a day, and eats it like it is going out of style)!! We head out and explore the city (Kelly lives right off Union St). We grab a bite at Extreme Pizza!! “Extreme”…how cool!!!

Sonoma Valley

Sunday Aug 28

I get a pretty good night of sleep. The temperature is perfect for camping, and it is cool to wake up overlooking the lake. We get to the race site and ride down to transition. I am pumped about the race, but bummed it is my last race of the season (I qualified for the Xterra USA Championships in Lake Tahoe, but have a conflict). As I am biking down a very steep gravel road to get to the transition area, my camel back swings off my bike, perfectly lodges into my front wheel, and launches me over my handlebars. I can’t be more pissed right now…I cut up my right hand really bad, and my left arm and left leg. I can’t believe this, all banged up before the race even starts….geez. Oh well, time to suck it up and be tough.

Race time. I get through the ¾ mile swim in about 18 minutes. Then we have a tough uphill ½ mile run to the transition area. Boy, I am happy to be on my bike. I start hammering up a mountain for a mile, passing a bunch of riders who have to walk. I drop into the singletrack in about 40th place (out of 130 racers). I have a good bike (ignoring the pain on my right hand), and come back into transition in 14th place overall. Now let’s see how the knee holds up for a very long, uphill run (finish line is at much higher elevation than the transition area). Not too good, 12 racers pass me on the run…very frustrating…especially with a short 3.5 mile trail run.

Race time: 2 hours, 10 min
Age Group place: 6th (26 overall)
Regional rank: Dropped to 7th place...NO GOOD!

After breaking down camp after the awards ceremony, we grab lunch in a cool little town called Healdsburg. There is tons of money in this town…must be all the wine money in the area.

Time to start hitting the vineyards. We catch 3 wine tastings (free) and have a great time. We pick up a few nice bottles for friends…as we tear around wine country looking for the best vineyards!

Saturday Aug 27

Well, it is a bummer leaving Lake Tahoe, but we have a really pretty drive in front of us. We head through Sacramento (nearly lose Andrea’s bike wheel off the top of the car…I am having flashbacks to mine bouncing down the interstate!!). About an hour later we cut up through Napa Valley wine country. It is beautiful, and a wine connoisseur could not even dream of a better place to be. There is a winery at least every quarter mile. No time for wine tastings today, we need to get up to Lake Sonoma to pre-ride the race course for the Xterra off-road tri tomorrow. Andrea and I get up to the race site, and the views are amazing. The lake is so beautiful (even though we are in the middle of nowhere). We head out to pre-ride the mountain bike section. The trail is a 5 mile loop, and pretty technical. I really like the course a lot, a good mix between technical riding and climbing. Andrea is getting a wake-up call intro to mountain biking…these roadies have no bike handling skills!!

There are tons of waterskiers and wakeboarders out on the lake, man, wish I could get some pulls!
We set up our campsite then go grab dinner with the Xterra rep, a pro rider, and a bunch of other racers. Awesome pasta dinner….energized for the big day! The stars are amazing tonight…nice not to have any light pollution!!

Lake Tahoe

Friday Aug 26

The guy who’s house we are staying shows up today. I meet up with him (Larry) and a buddy (Captain Mike) to go mountain biking in the morning. We get back and head to Sunny Side restaurant right on the water to enjoy lunch. With some coercing, we get Larry to take us out on his 25 foot speedboat. The water is too rough for any water sports, so we just have a good lounge and swim out in the middle of the lake. The views are totally spectacular, lovin it. Captain Mike had invited us to join him (for free) on his sunset sail charter on his 50 foot racing sailboat. Mike has a great job, he just takes people out on his boat and has a good time. There is also an afternoon sail, but his business partner normally takes out that boat. First mate Fro kept the drinks and snacks flowing, and we had a great time. At night Andrea and I went out to Olympic Village in Squaw Valley, mingled with the locals, and called it a night.

Thursday Aug 25

Andrea and I woke up pretty early to get out and play in Tahoe. We rented a bike for her, and headed straight up to the famous Flume Trail, which I rode last year at the Xterra USA Championships race. Man, it was even more beautiful than I remember. Absolutely breathtaking. I nearly had a bad crash b/c I couldn’t keep my eyes off the amazingly blue lake. So cool. The 23 mile ride took us about 3.5 hours, stopping often for pics and food.

After grabbing a late lunch, we went to a beach at Incline Village (north side of the lake) and hung out on the beach, and swam in the crisp, cool, clear water. The visibility in the lake is around 75 feet, which is so cool compared to the lakes out east. The water temp was only around mid-60’s, but I decided against the hassle of a wetsuit, and fared ok (the initial cold shock of jumping in was a little brutal, but not bad after that). Hung out for a bit in Tahoe City, then back to the place for dinner, and of course the hot tub!!

OK, so my face finally saw a razor for the first time in more than 3 weeks tonight. For you beard-lovers (yes, there are some out there), don’t fret, it was just a “trimming.” The beard continues (even with the comments about being homeless)!!