6/12 EDT 12:25 51019 Dave York Rd
Just left Rite Aid, finished buying supplies. Going to Indiannapolis.
1:23 51079 Dave I-70
Dave states that we are now officially in areas he usually doesn't drive!
3:15 51204 Dave I-68
Entering West Virginia. Need gas, and lunch.
3:23 Stopped for gas ($17.39) and ate lunch.
3:45 51213 Matt's first fart (see Fart Log).
3:51 51220 Dave saw a cow.
4:02 51223 Matt sees cows, Dave, too.
4:04 51235 Matt gets off at wrong exit. I-68
4:07 51238 Matt I-79
Dave realizes that Matt has been entering his journal entries in some sort of standard form.
4:17 51249 Matt I-79
Entering Pennsylvania. Notice Dave's correct journal structure.
5:05 51303 Matt I-70
Entering West Virginia.
5:16 51316 Matt I-470
Entering Ohio!
EST 7:55 51540 Dave I-70
Enter Indiana, switch to EST.
8:53 51592 Dave Not I-70
70 West is closed, we are in hellish traffic. And we need gas. And Dave has to pee.
9:00 51592
Decided to leave hellish traffic to buy gas and for Dave to pee. 385 miles/10.135 gal/$17.52.
9:37 51593
Ate at Arby's, Matt received call from Judy, who provided us with alt. directions.
9:41 51594 Matt I-70
Following alt. directions we discover that I-70 is open once again. Returning to original directions.
10:17 51624 Matt Weeping Willow Ct.
Arrived at George & Judy's.
6/13 10:30 51624 Matt Weeping Willow Ct.
Leave George & Judy's after fixing minor oil leakage problem. Took their food with us.
11:37 51677 Matt I-70
Stopped to get ice and a road atlas.
12:15 51721 Matt I-70
Passed Terra Haute and the Wabash river.
CDT 12:20 51728 Matt I-70
Entering Illinois. CDT, same as EST.
1:11 51784 Matt I-70
Road quality is severely lacking.
1:16 51790 Matt I-57
Left I-70 for I-57 south. Matt is getting hungry, Dave too.
2:19 51833 Dave I-57
Just stopped for peeing and to eat lunch. Melissa called, gave me Amy's address, lied to her about cuddling w/bear.
2:24 51839 Dave I-57
Matt feels guilty about lying; hugs bear. Dave witnesses.
3:58 51929 Dave I-57
Stop for gas at BP. 335/10.026/$17.03
4:16 51946 Dave I-57
"It's The End Of The World As We Know It" is blaring... crossing Mississippi. Damn that's a big river.
Entering Missouri. Speed limit 70 mph!
4:19 51948 Dave I-57
Crossed Big Lake Bayou. We're not sure what a Bayou is.
4:37 51970 Dave I-55
Just got onto 55, saw Elvis' face on a billboard (sign for Graceland).
There are fires all over the place.
5:23 52025 Dave I-55
Shawn is a chicken.
5:30 52034 Dave I-55
Entering Arkansas. We've never been here before. Suddenly it is sunny.
5:32 52037 Dave I-55
Passed a truck full or Argon. "That's a noble gas," says Dave.
6:25 52099 Dave I-40
Got onto 40, trying to get to St. Francis National Forest.
6:43 52118 Dave Rt. 79
Saw an armadillo.
7:35 52148 Dave AR 1
Stopped at Food Giant for lunch meat, and chicken fajita supplies, and 6 coronas.
10:12 52166 Noone Lone Pine Campsite
Camping in St. Francis National Forest for $4.00. Ate chicken fajitas. Too much water. Dave graded the meal as a 'C'. But Matt cooked it all, so Dave can go fuck himself.
*Note from Dave: A++ eggs tomorrow! So Matt can eat shit now.
We need to start cooking before dark. Crazy raccoon stalked about our camp all night waiting for us to drop food. We threw rocks at him. Couple in hick car making out at end of point honked at us at they left.
6/14 9:40 52166 Dave Lone Pine Campsite
Took pictures of the lake, now leaving. Didn't eat breakfast here.
10:07 52170 Dave Bear Creek Camp
Stopped by spicket to sort of bathe.
10:50 52201 Matt Rt. 261
Stopped for gas. 8.342 gal/$12.42. Also got ice. About to get on I-40.
1:30 52324 Matt I-40
Stopped at rest area near Morrilton. Ate egg, ham and cheese fajitas. Matt is now sweating "like a pig".
2:04 52634 Matt I-40
It is fucking pouring.
2:14 52372 Matt I-40
Still raining. Lightening over the hill in front of us. Picture in notebook.
3:07 52432 Matt I-40
Entered Oklahoma while talking to Greg, still fucking pouring.
3:19 52444 Matt I-40
Matt's balls stink
4:35 52533 Dave Indian Turnpike
Stopped for gas (332.6 miles/10.3 gal/$17), took a bad exit onto turnpike, now going 9 miles back to 40.
5:13 52578 Dave I-40
No more rain, Oklahoma's real pretty, but there's nothing here. We've decided to keep driving to Texas today.
5:44 52594 Dave I-40
Stopped at a rest area to pee and ate ham and cheese samy's. Dave took Excedrin, now his headache is gone. Talked to Matt Morgan; he is 24. He's eating at Outback w/ his fam.
5:58 52611 Dave I-40
Saw a billboard that read, "You call it abortion/God calls it murder." Matt is deeply disturbed. We're getting out of this state as soon as possible, before I have time to hunt down the people who wrote that sign and kill them. Who are these people who think they can impose their morals, which are based on no fact, on other people. Even if God were to exist, how do they think they know his stance on abortion?
7:00 52684 Dave I-40
Western Oklahoma isn't as pretty as Eastern OK, and there is even less here.
7:26 52717 Dave I-40
Talked to JP. Told him, "If you're missing something, it's not in Western Oklahoma, nothing is." Jim was a little disturbed that we're in Oklahoma, and that it's only 7:25 here. Space-Time Continuum. He was excited though because he got his SP2K ticket and money in the mail.
8:18 52783 Dave I-40
Dave has fulfilled a lifelong dream of entering Texas. Matt is also in Texas. It is even flatter here than in Oklahoma. If he could lock the steering wheel in place, Dave wouldn't have to do anything.
9:13 52850 Dave I-40
This is quite possibly one of the best sunsets I've ever seen. Dave just belched.
9:28 52862 Matt I-40
Stopped @ Love's for gas 9.455 gal/$16.54/329.2 miles. Also got Subway.
6/15 10:18 52955 Matt Merideth Lake
Spent the night at Chimney Hollow at Merideth Lake National Recreation Area. Arrived way too late. Friendly, possibly drunk, Texans offered to help us set up. In morning, Texans were gone. Went running up hill, distance not known but we took a picture. Saw a horny toad. Ate ham and cheese stale bagles for breakfast and bathed out of water bottles, Matt's balls no longer stink.
11:13 53012 Matt Loop 335 East
Nice cop pulled us over for no apparent reason to ask us where we were going. Told us we were going the wrong way. We turned around. Cop's directions contrary to highway signs.
11:27 53018 Matt I-27/Rt 60/Rt 87
Cop was right.
11:56 53053 Matt Rt 60
We're in Deaf Smith County.
MDT 12:00 53112 Matt Rt 60
Entering New Mexico. Stopping soon to pee. Switch to MDT. Nice lady at welcome center gave us New Mexico vacation guide and recreation guide.
1:37 53139 Dave Rt 70
Stopped at a Walmart in Portales for dinner supplies (chicken helper), plyers, screwdrivers, bags, windshield stuff and sponges. Then stopped for gas at Texaco/Taco Box. 276.6 mi/8.247 gal/$14.42. Spent $76 at Walmart. Applied windshield stuff.
2:20 53185 Dave Rt 70
We can faintly see some mountains. We're not sure how far away Roswell is because the signs are inconsistent. Dave's binoculars are not powerful.
2:31 53197 Dave Rt 70
There was a bend in the road. Dave successfully navigated it.
4:12 53244 Dave Rt 70
Just left Roswell, where we went to the UFO museum, which was stupid, did not find any cool postcards, and did not find the cheesy alien diner where the girl on Roswell on the WB works. Apparently the creators of the show have never actually been to Roswell. If they had, they wouldn't have based a show on it. Finally did pass the "Outer Limits Cafe", but Dave refuses to stop. I hate him. Now I'm starving, and will have to eat ham and cheese sandwiches for the 4th day in a row. We're stopping at a rest area in 10 miles. Dave also has gum on his shoe from Roswell.
4:38 53257 Dave Rt 70
Stopped at aforementioned rest stop to eat aforementioned ham and cheese sandwiches. Rest stop was full, full, of flies. And now some are in the car. Dave sincerely apologizes for not stopping at the cafe, and firmly regrets his decision.
5:06 53287 Dave Rt 380
We are now officially in mountains. Yai! We're going to Cibola National Forest.
7:55 53428 Matt Rt 60
Stopped in Magdalena to get gas. 7.727 gal 289.4 miles $13.90. Cibola National Forest may be closed due to fires. This is a possibility that sucks. We do however have a full tank of gas.
6/16 9:17 53465 Matt Rt 60
Just left Datil Nat. Rec. Area. $5.00, but well worth it. Very nice. Water next to camp site. Nice latrines. Cool little hiking trail that we ran on -> 2.2 miles. Ate chicken helper for dinner. Reheated leftover for breakfast. Yes! We had breakfast because I made Matt get his ass out of bed at 7:00. Dinner -> A+. Breakfast also A+. Washed hair under faucet next to camp with camp suds -> works well. I might stop using Pert Plus at home. We do smell a little citrussy though.
9:27 53473 Matt Rt 60
We have decided to drink more water and less soda.
MST 9:32 53541 Matt Rt 60
Entering Arizona. Matt has to pee but there's no welcome center. Entering MST.
9:55 53554 Matt Rt 60
Stopped at Circle K to get ice and lip balm. Got ice. No lip balm. Peed too.
11:32 53645 Matt Rt 60
Rt 60 is gradually descending into the Salt River Canyon. F'N awesome.
1:28 53740 Matt Rt 60
Stopping in Mobil for gas. Dave is excited. 311.6 mi/8.881 gal/$11.36.
2:37 53794 Dave Somewhere in Phoenix
Stopped at a Sonic for lunch. Ok, so we said no fast food, but we're starving, and we've never eaten at a Sonic before, so this is a new experience, which is good.
Also, finally talked to Melissa. She still loves me, which is also good.
5:07 53928 Dave Rt 180
Just outside Flagstaff, passed an entrance to a Nat. Forest (maybe Kaibob) that said "Forest Closed". Firefighters were all around it.
5:11 53931 Dave Rt 180
It's the Coconino Nat. Forest that may be on fire.
5:19 53939 Dave Rt 180
Elevation 8046 ft. Saw forest burning.
6/17 8:32 53996 Dave Rt 64
Just left Kaibob 10 X campground. $10.00 fee. Ate chicken soup for and grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner. Then ate eggs etc. for breakfast. Packed up everything for canyon. Flies surrounded the tent in the morning. We woke up at 6:00 and then ran around the Ten X loop.
Now entering canyon. $20 fee.
11:13 54010 Dave Grand Canyon Gravel Lot
Went to Mather Point lookout - saw Grand Canyon. It was big. Then went to visitor's center. Asked where to park. We are parked there now. Went to South Rim Trail, saw a MILF, her hot friend, and a deer that wouldn't have run away if you sat on it. Then went to General Store, and spent $92 on food for hike. Dave spent $18 for 4 rolls of film. Then ate old tuna sandwiches at Deli. Then packed all food into our packs, and went to parking lot. Everything else is in trunk. This journal will go there soon, and all canyon entries will go into back of fart log.
Now waiting for bus....
Canyon Log
6/17 1:02 Preparing to get onto bus. Had to remove boots from packs.
1:05 Packs have been loaded on top of one van by Rob. We will ride in other van - driver: Dennis.
6:08 Arrived at our campsite on North Rim. During our trip we talked movies with Social Workers from CA/MI. The one from MI is also a track coach. I also talked aerospace stuff w/ Dennis a little. Katie, the ranger who checked us into our campsite, is very nice. Dave says she has nice eyes. Now Dave is setting up the tent. I'm watching him. Dave says to note that the guy from MI was impressed with his movie knowlegde. His name is Mike. I spelled knowledge wrong.
I'm having some major tense shifting problems.
6:42 Just realized we brought cups into the Grand Canyon for no reason. We're going to throw them away.
6/18 10:10 We're on the North Kaibob Trail, stopped in a shady little nook, where we ate power bars and drank water.
Last night we ate Spicy Thai chicken stuff. It was ok. Then we walked around a little. Dave called his parents. We woke up at 5:30, ok, I got up at 5:45. Then we ate eggs, which were not the worst thing I've ever had, and I pooped. We left at 7:00. About 7:30, we stopped to put on sunscreen, and the social workers ran past us. Did I mention that they were running from the North Rim to the South in one day. Around 9:00 we stopped, I applied moleskin to my feet, and mules passed us. The mule guide was hot. Then we crossed a bridge and took pictures of each other. And now we are here.
Status:
Dave is ok, his feet are a little funny feeling.
I am dirty. And my feet hurt.
I have very bad handwriting.
12:58 We stopped at Roaring Spring to rest and eat lunch, The mule people are here and we talked to some. There are also foreigners all about the place. There is a smelly latrine here, and a helipad nearby. And the Spring is loud. It's been raining, we're sitting under a tree waiting it out. Then it will be sunny, so we will continue to sit under the tree. I need to pee again.
We ate Wheat Thins and deviled ham for lunch. The ham was salty and gross. The Wheat Thins were yummy as usual.
8:33 PM Left roaring springs. After about 5 minutes it started raining again. Then it poured. Then it poured and hailed. The hail hurt. We hid under a tree until it stopped. Arrived at Cotton Wood @ 2:45. Our feet hurt. Set up tent frantically to beat oncoming rainstorm. Packed food away as rain started. Jumped in tent. Passed out for two hours. Got up. Dave pooped. Ate Sierra Chicken and corn. Good, but some chicken was still crunchy. Matt pooped. Played cards. Throughout evening we were subjected to swarms of various insects - Gnats @ 30 min, Beetles @ 10 min. Both digital camera and Matt's flashlight are dead.
Back in Trip Notebook
6/21 10:08 54057 Dave Rt 64
Left the South Rim, going to Vegas baby. Where did we leave off...
We left Cottonwood a little past 6 AM Monday morning. The hike from Cottonwood to Bright Angel Camp is nice. Out feet hurt from the day before, but didn't get too much worse, because it's a very gentle descent, only 2000 ft in 7 mi. It follows Bright Angel Creek, and its in a very narrow canyon, so we were in the shade most of the time. We saw ribbon falls, which is aptly named. We had to cross the creek at one point which was a little tricky, otherwise there were a bunch of nice bridges we crossed. We passed a rnager chick, right before entering a muddy beaver habitat. We are blueberry granola before we left, and stopped for power bars before one of the bridges. We arrived at Bright Angel around 11:30 and ate lunch upon our arrival. Canned Chicken and Ritz this time, 1 million times better than the canned ham. It was ridiculously hot at Bright Angel, 108 when we arrived, so we picked a spot in the shade to camp in, and tried to sleep on the uncomfortable picnic table for a while. Movement was difficult in the heat. And we were sore. And chafing was becoming a problem. After about 2 hours on the table, we stumbles over to Phantom Ranch to buy t-shirts. Dave got a long sleeve, and I a short sleeve in a vacuum sealed container for my Pop. Then we played Trivial Pursuit in the canteen for a while....
10:31 54075 Matt I-64
Stopped for gas 334.7 mi/9.7 gal/$15.22
10:40 54077 Matt I-40
.... Continuing where Matt left off... In the Phantom Ranch Canteen with us was a family playing cards, a group of fat people who were very stupid, and a young couple. We left the canteen and went back to our campsite, directing three attractive young ladies to the canteen on our way. We hung out at the camp a while, waiting got the sun to go away. Eventually, we decided to check out the Colorado River. Walked down to the river, hung out on the Silver Bridge for awhile. It was windy and the river was muddy. Went back to camp. I decided my feet needed washing. So I washed them in Bright Angel Creek. When I came back Matt was ready to emmerse his entire body in the creek. We both did. It felt very nice. We sat in the creek for about 1/2 hour. I was downstream from Matt. He peed. I was pissed (on). Back at camp we prepared dinner. Perhaps a poor selection of food for our environment, we ate very hot, very spicy Chicken Gumbo. Desert was blueberry cheesecake & a granola bar. After dinner, more Go Fish, until it was too dark to read the cards. Then to bed @ 9:00.
11:26 54133 Matt I-40
We just saw real tumbleweed.... Tumbling.
12:02 54178 Matt I-40
Back to the Grand Canyon...
We woke up at 4:00 AM. Packed out stuff up and started hiking @ 4:35 AM. Crossed the Silver Bridge and passed young couple from canteen the day before. They soon caught up and passed us. This happened over and over again as we approached Indian Garden campsite @ 6:50 AM (5 miles). We walked through a herd of deer. Stopped @ Indian Garden, ate a Power Bar and gave a pack of matches to some girls. Left for 3 mile rest area. Arrived in about an hour. Passed young couple again on the way, then they passed us, etc. At 3 mile rest stop, we ate another granola bar and drank Gatorade (fruit punch). After this point, the trail started climbing at an extraordinary rate. Plus we passed 5 mule trains, which were extremely annoying because we has to stop as they passed and they kicked up a lot of dust which we had to breathe in. At 1.5 mile mile rest stop, there was a crazy squirrel that wouldn't leave the people there alone. Matt told some little girl not to touch it. He also took a picture of her family for them. We ate another Power Bar. The last one and a half miles were really bad. Plus, the further up the trail we got, the more stupid people there were. Memory is foggy, but we kicked at a couple of squirrels and Matt almost pushed some guy off a cliff.
At 10:50 we crossed the rim of the Grand Canyon and I peed.
12:45 54226 Matt Rt-93
Saw a Joshua Tree while listening to U2's "Joshua Tree".
PDT 1:27 54258 Matt Rt-93
Entering Nevada over Hoover Dam. There are a lot of people here. Switched to PDT. No change in time.
1:41 54268 Matt Rt-93
Boulder City - This place is absolutely ridiculous.
2:16 54303 Matt I-15
Drove through Las Vegas while talking to Kristen. Las Vegas is even more ridiculous than Boulder City. Kristen is bored with work and because everyone has jobs they don't do anything at night. She is longing for Matt and Dave to come home and bring joy to her miserable existance. Also left a message on Greg's answering machine. He wasn't home.
*Note: Las Vegas has billboards next to the highway for whores. How cool is that?
2:42 54334 Matt I-15
Entering California. Hooray! Looks the same as Nevada, but no casinos.
3:21 54359 Matt I-15
Stopped at a rest area in the Mojave desert. Peed. Ate ham and cheese sandwiches and bananas. Spilled mustard (see next page).
4:22 54430 Dave I-15
Stopped for gas in Mojave desert. 355.4 mi/9.15 gal/$17.38. Also got ice.
4:27 54433 Dave I-15
Successfully passed through CA Agricultural Inspection. Our 2 bananas are OK!
5:38 54517 Dave I-10
Approaching LA. You can almost see the smog if you look real hard through the haze. Trying to contact Brad, otherwise heading towards Santa Monica Mts.
6/22 10:00 54564 Dave LaBrea
Leaving Brad's, going to Brian's. Brad was quite surprised when we called, and blamed it on the higher power preventing him from running. He lives in a green LA looking house with a nice family. The mom, Leah, has pink/black hair, David is British with jet black hair, and their son is called Hunter. We went to the California Chicken Cafe to eat dinner; we ate wraps. Then we took the Brad tour of LA, we saw giant billboards and big houses, and Brad peed in an alley. Then we slept on Brad's floor, which is more comfortable than the ground. We got up around 9:00, after listening to Brad's radio for hours, showered and left.
1:09 54692 Dave CA 1 (Pacific Coastal Highway)
Stopped at Gaviota beach. Ate tuna sandwiches. Talked to Greg and Dave's mom. Touched Pacific Ocean.
2:42 54749 Matt CA 1
Stopped in Guadalupe to get gas, 318.4 miles/9.184 gal/$15.60. It smells like dead fish here. OK... so after I peed on the rim of the Grand Canyon, we sat for a while on a rock. Then hiked back to the car. We drove to Mather Campground, checked in, found our site, set up the tent, ate chicken from a can, and crashed. After a bit, the guy from the site next to us informed us that we were in the wrong site. We un-staked the tent and carried it to our real site, with everything inside it. Then we re-crashed. Two hours later, we woke up to discover we were baking in the sun. For the first time Matt got up before me. We decided to take showers so we drove there and spent @ $2.50 each in the coin-op showers where Matt left his shampoo, as we discovered at Brad's in LA. After the showers we felt absolutely fantastic, as we hadn't showered in 7 days. Next we went grocery shopping and stocked our cooler. We opened the string cheese on the way back to our campsite. At camp we ate chicken salad sandwiches and drank orange juice. Then we sat around enjoyinf our new cleanliness. And trimming our nails. Then laundry, where we met a couple of nice Texans and a nice English girl. Went back to camp, cooked lemon chicken tortillini, ate salad, and drank sort of cool cokes that were way to carbonated for our sensitive digestive systems. Then we cleaned up the car mostly and went to bed. There! The journal is all caught up.
6:45 54947 Matt CA-1
It's not cloudy anymore.
7:15 55001 Matt CA-1
We just passed 55,000 miles on Matt's odometer!
8:10 55022 Matt I-280 N
We're in San Fransisco and it only took 10 hours.
6/23 11:27 Brian's house. No one is driving. No mileage. Nathan's room.
Paula the dog tries to eat Matt's bear, and walks on Dave's sleeping bag.
This entry was by Brian
1:16 170654 (Nathan's car) Brian Rt-101
Ate dinner at "Mom is Cooking". Good Mexican food. Ate eggs for breakfast. Watched Mars Attacks, and slept sometime in between. We are on our way to Muir Woods.
6/26 4:11 55074 Dave Rt 101
Bought gas 325.7 mi/9.331 gal/$16.04
9:00 55243 Noone Benslow State Park
Camping at Benslow. $16.00! Not at all worth it. We made shells for dinner. Delish! There are way too many mosquitos here.
So, our adventures in San Fran:
In Muir woods we hiked around for hours, somewhat but not really lost, we got on a trail and didn't quite realize how long it was. We went to the top of a big hill overlooking the bay. I called my mom, Dave and Brian talked to Greg. Greg was sick.
On our way back to Brian's we stopped for 2 pizzas and 12 Harp. The pizza was huge, and came with Coke. We watched Time Bandits, played Dominoes, and then watched Drunked Master. Matt drank coke, Dave and Brian drank Harp. Matt lost Dominoes. Saturday we woke up and showered, finished off the pizza for breakfast. Matt unsuccessfully attempted to check his email, then we loaded up the car w/Paula and went to the Haight District. We left Paula with some kids outside a coffee shop, and went to a huge ex-bowling alley CD shop. Matt bought My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult and SLC Punk. Brian bought Repo Man soundtrack and 12 Monkeys (the movie, they don't sell monkeys there). Dave bought nothing.
Oh, we watched La Femme Nikkita while eating breakfast.
We returned to the coffee shop and Paula was gone, so we went to the Baths, which are ruins by the Ocean. The Pacific sprayed on us and we climbed on rocks. Then we returned to the coffee shop and Paula was back. Amanda, Brian's roommate was also there and we met her for the first time. She is "kinda hot" according to Dave. Confirmed I say. His other roommate is Lynn, from South Africa. Her hair had many layers of color. Her friend Courtney was over a lot. Anyway, we took the kids to another place (Ian and Tammy are their names) and Paula to a dog park. It had a nice view of the city, and it is now completely dark. This next part is all messed up and sidewise because of the dark Paula sniffed some other dog's butts, then we went home.
We got some rum, and Budweiser. And KFC/Taco Bell. We ate while watching Repo Man. Matt and Brian had rum and coke, Dave had Budweiser. Then we played Dominoes and listened to My Life With The Thrill Kult. Dave lost. Then we watched SLC Punk, and Amanda came home. At some point Dave shaved his head and I ordered Melissa flowers. Things are fuzzy here. Next we watched 12 Monkeys (the movie) and I passed out. Dave was unable to hook up with Amanda, she went to bed. Then Dave and Brian went to bed. At 6:30 I woke up on the couch and went to bed.
Now I have a light. Rest of entry written straight.
Sunday we woke up around 2:00. We went to a Deli/Cafe to eat breakfast. I had a breakfast sammy, Dave had French Toast and Eggs, Brian had pancakes and eggs. We got back, I updated the SP page, and Dave played with the digital camera, and Brian read the SP notebook and the Trip Journal, and the Fart Log. Then we investigated movie showings, and left fot an Animated Movie Watching Adventure. 1st stop: Ticket Line - where we bought tickets for Chicken Run and Titan AE ($5.75 each with the student discount). 2nd stop - Tommy's Joynt, where we ate lots of food cheap. Meat being the main item on the menu. It was good. 3rd stop - Auditorium 3, to watch Chicken Run. Hilarious cool movie about chickens. 4th stop - Mel's Diner for ice cream, yummy. 5th stop - Auditorium 7, to watch Titan AE. Typical American animated action, dissapointing but not too bad.
Then we went home, and I successfully got my mail, lots of crap, but something from Tech saying I might not have season tickets, which is very bad. Then bed.
Today we got up, showered, did laundry, and prepared to leave. This took a long time, mostly because the dryer is slow. We are good food from a deli, huge sandwiches with tons of meat. Finally we said goodbye to Brian and Paula and returned to life on the road.
On the road I learned that Melissa got her flowers and thinks I'm the greatest boyfriend in the world. So I've got that going for me, which is nice. I also talked to my sisters to see what they want for their bdays - Austin Powers II for Carolyn and Oceanic body shop stuff for Melissa. We stopped at a rest area to pee and I finished my huge sandwich (Dave finished his when he got it, and potato salad - the plan might work Shawn!) And we got ice at some point.
Right now Dave is pacing around the table, and we're all caught up. 9:49, time for bed.
6/27 12:43 55345 Dave Rt 101
Stopped at a Rest Area. Cooked up eggs and ham. Nice. Also checked fluids, added 3/4 quart of oil. This morning we got up ~8:00, ran, washed up a bit, and left.
The Rest Area was in a Redwood Grove, how festive.
1:23 55400 Matt Rt 101
Stopped for gas in Crescent City. Peed. 326.1 mi/10.269 gal/$18.99.
1:33 55407 Matt Rt 199
Passing through Jebediah Smith Sate Forest. Redwoods may be big trees, Shawn is a bigger chicken.
2:15 55441 Matt Rt 199
Entering Oregon, state speed limit may be 55 mph. We hope not.
3:23 55494 Matt I-5
Stopped at rest area near Rogue River to pee. Bought Mt. Dews.
4:18 55510 Matt Rt 62
Stopped for groceries at Fred Meyer in Medford. Matt talked to Melissa for a long time while I waited impatiently and girl watched. ATM was out of service so we still need cash. $44.20 for food.
6:22 55586 Matt Rim Drive
We are in Crater Lake National Park. It is officially snowy.
6/28 12:23 Matt Rim Drive
Yesterday, we drove around looking and taking pictures of all the views of Crater Lake. We determined that half of Rim Drive is closed and therefore, the Lost Creek Campsite was also closed. Camped at Mazama Village instead. I registered while Matt cooked chicken fajitas. They were superb. Had our first campfire and took pictures of it. Went to bed at 11:30. Woke up at 8:30. Hiked Cleetwood Trail down to shore of lake. Water is super-blue. Took more pictures. Ate Nutri Grain Bars and drank water for breakfast. Hiked out in 22 minutes (1 mile trail, 700 ft elev.) Bought ice, packed car and left. Then updated journal. Cost $10 to enter park, $13 to camp, $1.50 for ice.
1:41 55735 Dave Rt 97
Stopped for gas in La Pine. 334.6 mi/9.15 gal/$15.00. Full serve. Weird.
5:04 55890 Dave Rt 26
We stopped around 3:30 at Ochobo National Forest to eat lunch. Ham and cheese. Some biker told us there was a cop ahead. There was. I sprayed mustard on Dave. He whined about it.
5:44 55925 Dave Rt 26
Greg is not tall.
MDT 7:35 55973 Dave Rt 26
Switch to MDT
8:51 56049 Dave I-84
We're in Idaho.
9:48 56107 Matt I-84/ID 21
Stopped for gas in Boise (371.9 mi/9.03 gal/$14.80). Trying to find a place to camp.
6/29 10:45 56146 Matt ID-21
Left Grey Canyon Gulley campsite in Boise National Forest near Idaho city. Got there at like 10:45 last night, because we were determined to camp in Idaho. Matt made Chicken Helper (some sort of creamy pasta stuff) without milk (used butter instead). Good, but messy in the dark. Two moths died in the food, one in the burner. Plus three were discovered, barely alive, in the cooler this morning. They are stupid. Went to bed after midnight, woke up around 8:30 (Dave), 9:30 (Matt). I made eggs with ham and cheese while Matt slept. Then I cleaned up while Matt packed up tent. Talked to nice old people about our trip. They suggested we go through Sun Valley, to the North. So we are. Matt had no idea Idaho looked like this. He thought it was a flat, brown place where potatoes grew. He was wrong.
1:38 56293 Matt ID-75
Ketchum, Idaho is pretty and full of pretty, healthy people.
2:44 56320 Matt ID-75/Rt 20
Stopped at rest area, ate tuna. There was an annoying seagull there. It was pretty, Idaho, not the seagull.
3:14 56350 Matt Rt 93
I wish I was Paul Simon.
4:58 56429 Matt I-84
Entering Utah. The road is drastically better.
5:09 56476 Dave I-84
Got gas. 8.837 gal/$14.57/369.6 mi.
6/30 9:29 Motel 6
Arrived in SLC last night, got lost in city, but eventually found motel. SLC roads are strange, Temple Square consists of 4 roads all named Temple St that run in all directions away from the huge Mormon Temple. This is confusing. The hotel is on West North Temple St. Checked in and watched Robin Hood Prince of Thieves on HBO, the showered and went to check out the airport. It is like 5 minutes away. Nice. Then got BK for the first time in over two weeks. We both got Whoppers plus I got Chicken Tenders and Matt got a Chicken Crisp. Yummy. Watched more TV, Matt packed, we went to bed. Got up at 5:30. Matt showered and I took him to the airport. We got more BK there. His plane left at 7:23. I went back to hotel and back to sleep.
7/1 9:26 Motel 6
Yesterday I got up again. I decided to go to the Great Salt Lake. Spent until about 12:00 looking for Antelope Island State Park. Fnially found it when I was about to give up. Paid $7.00 entrance fee. Went to visitor's center. Then went to a small beach. Was going to swim in Salt Lake, but the shore is covered with Brine Flies and the Lake is covered with Brine Shrimp and algae. Plus, it smells really bad. So instead I drove to the Frary Peak Trailhead and hiked to the highest point on the island (Frary Peak) elev 6596. Trail is about 3.5 miles long. Very tough hiking. Last 0.5 is more like scrambling on loose soil and rocks. The top was beautiful. You can see the entire GSL all around you. Started hike when it was cloudy. Halfway up, sun came out. I didn't bring a hat so my head got burned. It hurts. Going up took < 2 hrs, down @ 1.5 hrs. When I got back to car, ate PB&J and coke. Went back to motel. Showered, got Taco Bell, read part of Fight Club, and went to bed. Woke up @ 9:30.
9:54 56715 Dave N. Temple
Stopped at 7-11 for ice/batteries/cash.
10:55 56808 Dave I-15
Stopped for gas. 331.6 miles/9.322 gal/$15.37
PDT 12:38 56982 Dave Rt 6/50
Entering Nevada. Pacific Daylight Time.
MDT 6:15 57028 Dave Rt 6/50
Entering Utah. Also back to MDT.
7:27 57123 Dave Rt 6/50
Stopped for gas in Delta, UT. 9.343 gal/$15.87/314.7 miles.
7/2 10:37 Motel 6
Yesterday, went to Great Basin National Park. Visitors center was full of annoying kids. Got free park map and ate PB&J in parking lot. Drove up to Wheeler Peak campground, parked and hiked to Bristlecone Pine Tree Grove, then to glacier. Played in snow, made tiny snowman. Hiked back to car. Ate banana. Left.
Got back to motel, too tired to buy food, so I finished salad, and ate ham and cheese, and some string cheese. Watched TV. Read Fight Club. Slept. Woke up at 9:00, showered, washed clothes.
7:43 57500 Dave I-80
Stopped for gas outside SLC. 376 mi/$18.98/10.210 gal. Called Scott for directions.
Now going to Denny's. Dave hasn't had food that comes on a plate in a long time.
7/3 10:19 57567 Matt UT-150
Yesterday, after washing clothes, left Motel 6 to look for a campsite. Drove to Wasatch National Forest. Got lost. It was very crowded. I guess in Utah, everyone likes camping on the 4h of July. Finally found a spot in the Lost Creek Campsite. Waited for @ 1 hr for host to come back (finished Fight Club). Talked w/ host, paid, set up tent and left to get Matt at airport. Arrived 1 hr early, flight was delayed, but they hadn't announced it yet. Bought a new book. Read it until Matt's plane arrived. There were many truly annoying kids at gate A2 so I sat somewhere else. Matt's plane was late, landed @ 6:45. Left airport. Got gas, etc... (see 7/2 7:43). Ate at Denny's. Host was overzealous, waitress was really nice, but her eyelashes were much bluer than the average human eyelash. Matt got an omelette, I got a Buffalo chicken sandwich (on a plate!). Host attempted to calculate tip for us, but he wasn't very good at math. Left and went to campsite. Tent was still there. Went to sleep. Today, woke up at @ 9:30, packed up tent and left.
1:01 57685 Matt UT-28
Stopped to eat food at Subway. Had a delayed conversation.
The subs were good.
....
Yeah they were.
1:26 57712 Matt UT-28
Matt is driving.
3:30 57849 Matt I-70
Received surprise phone call from JP Miceli. His new phone # is (XXX) XXX-XXXX. He lives on Long Island now and drives a Green '96 Honda Civic.
3:50 57862 Dave I-70
Stopped for gas. $16.16/9.292 gal./363.85 miles.
7:18 57927 Dave Rt 191
Leaving Arches National Park. $10. Saw arches and cryptobionic crust. Hiked around Balanced Rock, and North and South Window. Attempted to climb into South Window. Failed. Then looked at Delicate Arch.
Now we're going to Denver. We'll be arriving late.
7:43 57956 Dave I-70
Now that the sun isn't blaring in my eyeballs, let me tell you about my adventures back East.
On flight from SLC to Phoenix I sat on aisle, next to a postal worker from St. Louis and his wife. Ate pretzels and drank OJ on the flight, passed over the Grand Canyon, it looks big from the air too.
Arrived in Phoenix, it was hot. Bought US Today, read some of it ($0.50). Talked to Melissa. Then boarded. I had a window seat near the back. There was a woman next to me constantly leaning over to look out the window. We attempted to identify landmarks and were probably always wrong. Partly because the route map in the American West magazine said we would go over the southern part of the country, but we actually went North. I discovered this the second time we went over a Great Lake. (I was just really confused the first time.) See map... Poorly drawn map of flight path in Notebook.
I also saw Loch Raven and Cockeysville I think. Ate pretzels, some kind of chicken salad w/pasta. (yummy!) My Dog Skip was playing, I didn't listen to it. Slept a bit. Arrived about 20 min late. The fasten seat belt sign was lit the whole flight, though there was no turbulence. Weird.
Melissa greeted me at the gate. We went to Annapolis Mall to get gifts. I bought Melissa (sister) stuff from the Body Shop. Melissa bought Carolyn soap from there. Shw also got Melissa something from the Discovery Channel Store. We went to Hecht's so Melissa could get Jen something for the bridal shower. Discovered they weren't registered there. Then we went to the Macaroni Grill. I got Shrimp Ruscetta. Good. We drank red wine. We got a slice of cheesecake for desert, and we fed it too each other. It was somewhat disturbing. Melissa paid for dinner. I love her. Then we went back to her house and promptly went to bed.
8:15 57997 Dave I-70
Entering Colorado.
So, woke up ridiculously early on Saturday, promptly went back to sleep. Got up again and promptly watched Blade. Cool movie. We showered, and I shaved off my big ugly beard. That took a while. Eventually we left (around 3, when we were supposed to be at my parent's), and went to Marley Station. I bought Runaway Bride and Notting Hill for Carolyn, and Melissa was able to buy Jen a present at Macy's, where she is registered.
Finally got to the house ~5:30. Gave Dad his t-shirt (see 6/21 10:08), my sisters their gifts. Ate a burger, drank a beer, cooked a burger for Melissa. Printed off the cheese letter for Scott and Jen hurridly, discovered my shorts were dirty, attempted to wear my brown shoes. Went downstairs, sponged off the dirt, and was told by Melissa that brown shoes, white socks, and kahki shorts don't work. Looked down and gasped in horror (I really hadn't fully realized what I had gotten myself into until then). Put my tennis shoes back on, got on van and left for Bachelor Party.
Drank a beer in the van on the way to Camden Yards. Drank 2 beers in Camden Yards. O's vs. Blue Jays, we stayed for about 3 innings. Nice seats near 1st. Left at 9:00, O's winning 10-3. Met up with Gerard and a rented van, drove to the Wagon Wheel. Van was $40 each.
$18 cover. BYOB, so we took a cooler in. Fully nude girls on stage, topless lap dances for $30. I resisted. I was doing great until one sat in my lap. I talked to her for a while, bought her a drink ($15). Didn't get a lap dance from her though, despite her persistance. I wasn't really willing to pay 30 bucks for that. Tried to use my girlfriend as an excuse. But she persisted. She said, "Are you afraid you won't get laid when you go home?" I said, "No, I'm afraid I won't get laid right now." She had nothing to say to that, conceding that I was right and all they really do is give guys blue balls. I didn't want them. Shortly after that we left (12:30?) and went to Mother's. Oh, after I bought that stripper I had #2 left. I left SLC with ~$100.
On the way to Mother's I learned that Gerard gave that girl $10 to sit on my lap.
At Mother's I bought Scott and I Bass. (with my Visa). Played Fooze Ball for a while. Bought Scott and I Red Death and myself another beer. Was wasted. We left, and I managed to close my tab. Went home.
Pretty drunk at this point. Oh, I bought Malboro Lights at the Wagon Wheel for $5. So I was smoking a lot too.
I looked for Melissa when I got home, but she wasn't there yet (she went out for the Bachelorette Party). Found Jen's parents sleeping in Melissa's old room. (Guest room #2). Ate a Hot Pocket. Yai! The boy's decided to barbecue. Apparently I participated because I had ketchup stains on my shirt. Eventually Jen came outside, so I went in to find Melissa. Actually I don't remember anything between the Hot Pocket and seeing Melissa. Don't remember too much after seeing Melissa either, though it is better. Discovered that 3 people were sleeping in my room, and every couch was taken, including basement. Went outside. Sat in Gazebo. Talked to Melissa for a while, told her about our adventures. Picked my nose. She was upset. Koop was the last one up, he was cleaning. Eventually he went to bed, and Melissa and I promptly did as well.
Woke up Sunday next to Melissa on sunroom floor. Annie was on top of Melissa. Discovered my shirt was covered in ketchup, figured I must havehad a burger during the BBQ. Melissa said I had told her it was from French Fries. Strange.
I was still quite drunk and in a jovial mood. Melissa and I laughed a lot. Lots of people were in the house. Learned that Scott had done a naked cannonball the night before. Funny. Glad I missed that. Jumped in the pool, that cleared my head. Showered, fast. Packed up and left ~11:30. Flight was at 1:19.
Hung out with Melissa waiting to board. I was 2nd to last to board. Someone was in my seat. They had the same ticket as me. The flight was oversold. Airlines are stupid. A volunteer left, and I got their seat. Aisle. Ate peanuts, drank water. I was starving and starting to feel hung over. Ate chicken caesar salad that was really good. Mission to Mars was playing, I didn't listen. Was shocked by the scene where they are stranded in orbit. Slept a lot.
Arrived in Phoenix. It was hot. Found my gate, it said on time. Still starving, went to BK, but only had $2 so got just a cheeseburger. It occured to me much later I could have gotten more food with my credit card. The line at BK took forever. Went back to gate, it was delayed 25 min. Called Dave to tell him. Waited. Eventually got on. Aisle seat next to a large man. Annoying.
Landing was very bumpy. The yaw damper was broken. Yaw is the worst. Captain told everyone to stay seated. Stupid people (including an ugly kid) tried to walk around anyway. Ate peanuts, drank Pepsi. Landed, found Dave.
End of Story. Go back to 7/2, 7:43.
11:04 58191 Matt I-70
Stopped for gas. 328.5 mi/9.695 gal./$20.83!!!
7/5 12:20 58429 Matt I-70
We have left Denver. Here's what happened.... Arrived on 7/3, no actually 7/4 around 12:30 AM. Scott and Jen were sleeping. They let us in and fed us Hot Pockets and red kool-aid stuff. Met the dogs, Skylar and Rocky, who went nuts, then went to bed. I slept on couch. Matt slept on big green cushion thing that looked like a huge dog bed.
Dogs slept in cages all night. They scratched and whined a lot. Scott woke up to go golfing at 5:00 AM. Jen left for work about 45 min. before he got back. When he did, he released the dogs. This is when we woke up, because the dogs, when released, went absolutely crazy. I was relatively safe from Rocky on the couch, but Skylar walked all over me. Matt, who, if you remember, was sleeping on a giant dog bed, recieved the brunt of this craziness. They walked all over him. Skylar was content to chew on rocks from the yard, but Rocky saw all the new stuff we brought with us and decided everything needed to be eaten, including socks, shoes, watches, glasses, cell phones, wallets, backpacks, hands, and feet. Matt was the recipient of many scratches, both big and small all over his back. The dogs finally calmed down and I got up, showered and ate Lucky Charms, while Scott finished some big paper, Matt moved to the recliner and went back to sleep. Eventually Scott came down and we made Matt get up. He ate tuna and showered. I called my parents and Scott and Matt tried calling Melissa at this point (my sister). Played fooze ball, Scott killed me and Matt, 2 times. In 2 games he scored 20 times, we scored twice. Went to see The Perfect Storm. They all die. Matt declared that he will never go out into the ocean. Theater didn't have a student discount. We are never going back there. Returned home, Matt and I went to buy beer, grilled burgers. Jen arrived home almost as soon as we did. Food was yummy.
Drank beer. Ate ice cream, Scott and Matt finally talked to Melissa. It was her B-Day. Went downtown, all the bars were closed. Finally found one open, drank beer. Then went to see fireworks. They were nice. Went home. Ate rest of food after attempting to order a Monster from Pudge Brothers. They were closed. Talked for a while, Matt proofread some of Scott's papers. Then went to bed.
12:51 58470 Matt I-70
Entering Kansas.
CDT 2:21 58505 Matt I-70
Entering CDT.
3:16 58562 Dave I-70
Stopped for gas at an ancient gas station. 370.9 mi/9.55 gal./$16.21. We're in Brainville.
10:57 58868 Matt
Stopped in Seneca for gas. 305.5 mi/10.019 gal./$16.02. Saw live skunk on way here.
7/6 2:48 58937 Matt Rt 36
Entered Missouri
6:37 59182 Dave I-70
Getting gas 313.6 mi/9.144 gal./$13.16
Getting food too at BK - McD's had a false billboard for $0.49 cheeseburgers that lured us to this town, scratch that, we're leaving.
7:13 59212 Dave I-70
Finally completely broke down and ate whoppers and chicken crisps while driving. We're near St. Louis.
Yesterday we got up, showered, ate, and left Scott and Jen's around 10:30. Got to Lanny and Dolsa's in Marysville around 7:30/ Lanny and Dave's dad are essentially the same person. Except for some hair. They fed us burgers and potato salad, forcefully. And they insisted that we be well hydrated with Pepsi. They're very nice. We talked about current events, politics, Dave's life, their kids, the Carpenter family, college, and whatnot. Then we left around 10:30, and drove to Mark's log cabin. He was not there. Kathy was, she was also nice, and showed us around the cabin. The house is sweet, and we both want one.
I slept on the couch, Dave on a bed. Mark came home from the casinos at some point in the night and started snoring ridiculously loud.
This morning I got up around 9:00 and met Mark. He has a beard, and looks like Dave's Dad too, but doesn't act like him as much as Lanny does. We showered, then went over to the Carpenter farmhouse. Mark had just gotten a 5 yr old combine ($75,000). We looked at it. It was cool. Then we rode around in a big blue Ford tractor. It was cool. Then we took Mark's motorcycle for a spin. That was fun. They have lots of cute kittens there, and a tick-infested-tailess dog.
Dave's grandparent's eventually arrived, and his Grandmom made us lunch. She is real nice, doesn't hear too well but it isn't that bad. We had corn, ham, and what else do you need? Plus more Pepsi, which we took with us. After lunch we sat around and talked for a while. We looked at Carpenter pictures and Dave told his Grandmom about about his job, and we talked politics for a bit. Dave's Grandpop didn't say much, he's real old. Take Dave's dad and make him old, that's Dave's Grandpop. We left about 1:30. Dave said he wants to move there and be a farmer. I could move there too, but I would telecommute a dot com job.
8:57 59243 Dave I-70
Just left the big arch ($5 to park). It is big. Talked to our parents, looked around at history museum stuff. Fun.
8:59 59233 Dave I-70
Entering Illinois.
7/7 4:27 59519 Matt I-80
Stopped for gas, $15.30/9.451 gal/337.3 mi.
EST 5:16 59548 Matt I-80/94
Entering Indiana / EST
EDT 7:05 59593 Matt I-94
Entering Michigan / EDT
8:14 59714 Matt I-96
Just left Aunt Mary and Uncle Jack's in Michigan. Arrived around 8:45. Mary grilled steaks while Bosky continually untied Matt's shoes. Ate salad, steak, corn, and fruit for dinner. Then sat in kitchen and talked. We each got our own guest bedroom, Matt -> king size, Dave -> full. We slept well, Jack woke me up at 6:30, I showered and woke Matt up. Water was "slimy", but we have now learned that that means we are actually cleaner. Ate good, home-cooked breakfast, Mary stacked our cooler with Mt. Dew, string cheese, bananas, and sandwiches (cut horizontally for Dave and diagonally for Matt). She also hid $40 in the car while we were brushing our teeth. Sneaky. Matt wants to move into their house. We determined that if it were made of logs, it would be the perfect home. Left around 8:00 AM. Cost of stay +$40.
10:14 59852 Dave I-69
Stopped for gas in Imlay City. 332.7 mi/9.783 gal/$17.60
10:51 59887 Dave Bridge over Lake Huron
Entered Canada.
11:13 59888 Dave 402
Passed through customs
2:32 60078 Dave 420 (bridge over Niagra Falls)
Entered USA (New York).
3:35 60083 Dave I-190
Leaving Niagra Falls. The Falls are big.
5:36 60210 Matt I-90
Stopped for gas. 9.558 gal/$15.86/358.3 mi.
8:30 60409 Matt I-90
Entering Massachusettes.
7/9 6:40 60573 Matt Off I-95
Stopped to get gas. 362.6 miles/$16.40/9.765 gal.
Arrived in Boston around 10:30, Trevor drove us through the city via cell phone. Crazy roads and construction. Drank a lot last night, watched Fight Club, Matrix and Drop Dead Gorgeous and ate 2 pizzas. I slept on Jim's couch after throwing Trevor off it onto the floor. Dave slept on the floor. Bill and Dave fought while watching Fight Club. Then they attacked me with tickling. I fell over in my chair and was stranded on the floor for a while.
This morning we got up, put on yesterday's clothes and went to Fenway without showering. First we went to Trevor's, and I put on deodorant there and got a t-shirt from him because I smelled. Then took Tram to Fenway, walked completely around the stadium and then in. Bought Italian sauages which were good. Then went to our seats, which were in the outfield (right field) and since Fenway is poorly designed, faced the outfield. It was hot during the game, and humid. And cramped. But the game was good, Red Sox beat the Braves 7-2.
We walked back to Trevor's from the game, which was a scenic tour of Boston. Then drove back to Bill's. We decided that it was time to go home, and no point in staying another night in Boston. So we're going home.
7:11 60603 Dave I-295
Entered Rhode Island.
7:54 60653 Dave I-95
Entered Connecticut.
10:15 60765 Dave I-95
Entered New York. CT blows.
10:41 60791 Dave Garden State Pkwy
Entered New Jersey.
7/10 12:44 60891 Dave NJ Turnpike
gas: 9.656 gal/318.2 mi/$15.25
1:37 60943 Matt I-95
Finally entering Maryland. We were in Delaware, but didn't write it down.
2:26 60992 Matt My Driveway