Less than 24 hours after arriving back in the US for the first time in a year, I set out on an amazing crazy road trip. What better way to acclimatize back to the US than drive across it into the heartland? So my brother Miles, his friend Phil, Phil's wife Cherie, and I set out from Jantzen Beach, OR; as north as you can get on I-5 and still be in Oregon (though since we had dinner in Vancouver, WA the night I got back, I think we're counting that as one of the states in our trip).
Day 1 - We drove by the Spruce Goose (the largest airplane ever built...out of wood no less) on our way to the coast and ran into our cousin Kirk! He volunteers at the Evergreen Aviation Museum on Thursdays, a fact I was completely ignorant of. It was SO COOL and random to see him and get some sweet VIP tours through a B-17 and the Spruce Goose's cockpit!
Night 1 - Camping just south of Crescent City, CA. Beer, beginning-of-the-trip-excitement, slideshow from Iraq. Good times.
Day 2 - We leisurely check out some redwoods, including driving through one of them. Gorgeous, gentle giants. Lunch with my friend Hillary in Arcata (mmm Divine Swine! In the plaza, near the middle of town...some of the most delicious pork and tea I've ever tasted).
Night 2 - Sleepover at Aunt Robin's! We got there at around 11pm but Aunt Robin was game to stay up and drink with us until 3am!
Day 3 - Brunch with Aunt Robin, Uncle Jeff, Reid, Madeleine, Howard and Michele (Howard and Miles were 'sampling' Red Breast whiskey even though it was morning...5pm somewhere, right?), and then we set off through the desert. We ate at In-N-Out, amazing good food, simple menu, and Cherie had never been.
Night 3, Day 4, Night 4 - Who needs a hotel room in Vegas? We didn't! We rolled in around 10pm, met up with our cousin Stephanie (who drove down from Cedar City, UT, her current hometown), and did Vegas right! (Or did it do us?) That night Steph and I rocked the slots (I won $20 which I promptly spent on overpriced alcohol in the Irish bar), the free drinks, and all. The next morning we were all a little worse for wear, but managed to get food into our bellies and wander around until the mid-afternoon when we could finally (like chumps) check into some hotel rooms...hey, YOU go 48 hrs in Vegas sans bed and shower! After a deep afternoon nap, we all woke up and did it again. Hooray for slots-I won more money! Boo for 3-card poker...I lost more money than I won in slots! But dang that Lucio, the dealer, was cute! Hooray for $19 foot-long rum drinks! And I finally got to dance...at some bar right on the strip that closed around 5 or 6am. With foreigners. I swear I met more Europeans in Vegas than other Americans. It's like I never left (Europe). Solid.
Day 5 - Stephanie and I parted ways somewhere early that morning (she woke me up to say goodbye), and the road-trippers and I finally hit the road around noon.
Night 5 - We made it to the Grand Canyon right around sunset (we bought the $25 entrance pass from the hottest park ranger any of us had ever seen...truth. Just ask my brother...), and then found a campsite in the park. I passed out at 9pm after 2 1/2 beers...let's just say I had a lot of fun in Vegas (note: not Las Vegas, just Vegas. Those of us in the know...know). So I missed the part where Miles, Phil and Cherie met Steve and Wendi, the just-married couple camping next door to us doing the reverse road trip as us (Texas - Grand Canyon - Vegas - the Redwoods). Whatever. I was refreshed to help drive the next morning.
Day 6, Night 6 - 22 straight hours of driving, 3 states (AZ, NM, and TX), and about 1,300 miles from the Grand Canyon to Kilgore, East TX. We arrived around 7am. Mmm breakfast burritos with the coppers. Which meant we went through most of Texas in the dark. Good riddance.
Day 7 - Kilgore and Longview TX. Miles bought an ATV. And a trailer to put it on. It was an all-day ordeal. Phil, Cherie and I were quite surly by the end of it. But he got a good deal from his buddy's father-in-law!
Night 7 - Hotel in Shreveport, Louisiana. A pool, a lukewarm hot tub, lots of beers, IHOP, and comfy beds. Surliness subsided.
Day 8 - After all that, knocking out the rest of Lousiana, all of Mississippi, and lots of Alabama (along seemingly uninhabited country roads) was no sweat. We ate at some Mexican restaurant whose menu misleadingly featured enticing photographs of delicious mixed drinks and beers, but which in actuality had no alcohol on the premises. Counties going dry? In this day and age? Guess that's the south for ya. We arrived at Ft. Rucker after dark, where Miles signed in before midnight and dropped off a few things before the whole crew made our way to a hotel in Daleville.
Notes:
-the Grand Canyon is truly as awesome as everything you've heard. And then some. The next time I get there, I want to actually get down inside the thing, really spend some time there. More than just a few quick pics, anyways.
-after peeing where I have (namely, Cambodia), I find toilet seat covers absolutely ridiculous. If it's really that bad, I'll just hover.
Adventure continued next post
No comments:
Post a Comment