final thoughts

it still hasn’t sunk in that i am now a Californian (albeit couch surfing but at least i’m not panhandling on the street corner).  but now that i’ve had a few days to decompress and unwind from my trip, i’ve also had some time to reflect on the trip.  by a random coincidence, my sister and brother-in-law were in the bay area and we got dinner together last night and they asked me what did i learn from my trip?  it was a legit question.  did i really learn anything about myself from this trip?

as an experience, this trip was amazing.  as an east coaster who has basically never lived outside of the northeast, my opinion has always been that there is the east coast, there is the west coast, and there basically is nothing in between worthwhile (except Chicago).  but driving across this country, touching/seeing/interacting with places i’ve never been, i’ve come to have a new and better understanding of America.  i’ve seen some beautiful sights (like the Grand Canyon), tasted delicious food (like my meal at Commander’s in NOLA), and seen/met interesting people.  this country is huge and beautiful, filled with an extremely diverse population.  i believe as Americans, we believe if we want to go on a cultural trip, we need to travel outside the country and go to places like Europe, where each country has drastically different food/culture/history.  however, i think don’t need to look any further than our own country to find these same experiences.  each of the regions of this country i have visited on this trip was almost like traveling to another country.  at times i was shocked to see and experience what i did, almost like i wasn’t even in America.  one of the eye-opening experiences was going to the Grand Canyon.  seeing the Grand Canyon, it was impossible not to be amazed.  i rank seeing the Grand Canyon on the same level as seeing Crist the Redeemer in Brazil or the Taj Mahal in India.  and i never thought i would be able to have an experience in America that would compare to those two locations.

as an opportunity for self-reflection and self-discovery, i don’t believe i learned a great deal of new information about myself.  but this trip created an opportunity for me to reset and refocus.  the last two years of business school has been a great ride.  i’ve met amazing people, learned a great deal that will help me in my future career, and had some ridiculous experiences.  b school is the definition of “work hard, play hard”.  especially the last few weeks before this trip, i had a lot of fun partying and saying goodbye to friends.  but that chapter in my life is over.

i’m no longer a grad student nor am i 23 year old punk kid that doesn’t know better.  i’m a nearly 30 years old.  it’s time for me to grow up and become an adult, the type of responsible adult we all avoid becoming and make fun of as a kid.  i am thankfully that i took this trip alone.  it gave me a lot of time to sit in silence, work thru shit, and get my mind right.  i know i need to hit the ground running here in San Fran.  i need to find a job, find a place to live, and reconnect with old friends while making new friends.  i need to build a life here.  most importantly i need to think long term about my life, from both a personal and professional standpoint.  so this trip was a great chance for me to close the last chapter of my life while setting up the next chapter in my life.  though i don’t feel refreshed physically (driving 5000+ miles doesn’t do wonders for the back), i definitely feel refreshed mentally.  i’m ready.

ultimately, this trip was exactly what i needed.  when i first thought of this idea, i was extremely apprehensive about driving across the country alone.  i was comfortable with my life in DC and i was constantly surrounded by good friends.  i worried not only about making a solo cross-country trip but also the risk i was taking by moving out to the west coast with no job leads and a very small established network.  but life is about taking risks and there was i realized no reason to be scared.  what was the worst case scenario?  i move back home to NJ?  worse things could happen.  and more importantly, as someone who nearly always makes the calculated move, the one with the least risk, this move was an an opportunity to get out of my comfort zone and push myself.  though the drive was extremely successful and i had an amazing time, i honestly don’t know what the future holds.  it’s scary but exciting.

I hope this blog provided you (the reader) some insight on the life of crazy former b school student.  these blogs of my travels were originally intended to be my defacto diary, something i could refer back to years from now to reminisce and i’m shocked and thankful that people find my ramblings interesting.  I also hope this blog has convinced you to pack up your car, fill up your tank, and take a long roadtrip.  this country is AMAZING and i believe everyone should take time to explore our own country before making crazy trips to other international cities.  most importantly, I hope it brought a smile to your face.

signing off until my next adventure…

day 16 – San Fran

so the day has finally arrived.  the last day on the road.  tonight i will be in the Bay area and somewhat starting my new life.  but there was 260ish miles between me and my final destination.

my time spent in Santa Maria was short-lived.  i basically arrived late at night, passed out, and woke up early to hit the road.  it’s a one-horse town so i wanted to get the hell on the road quickly.  i had 3 major destinations today: San Luis Obispo for breakfast, Hearst Castle, and Monterey for a late lunch.  it was an ambitious plan but it was definitely doable.

the first stop was San Luis Obispo.  downtown SLO is super “cute” with tons of shops and such.  but it’s not super bougie like Santa Barbara.  i grabbed a quick breakfast at Big Sky Cafe, opting for a nice pesto chicken sausage egg scramble.  a nice healthy breakfast was a good start to the day.

with a good breakfast in the books, i hit the road, jumping back on the PCH.  the drive to Hearst Castle was quick and uneventful, following the Cali coast.  the marine layer hadn’t burned off yet so it was cool to be driving in and out of the fog.  the whole ride i was looking around to see if i could see the Hearst Castle from the road but little did i know that the castle was set high on the mountains that hug the coast.

arriving at Hearst Castle, i bought my way too expensive ticket and boarded the bus.  i didn’t realize that the Hearst estate was set on 80,000 acres (!) so the drive up to the castle was long.  arriving at the castle, i was amazed by the beauty and grandeur of the house.  and i use that word very loosely since the house is 165 rooms and 4 floors.  it looks like this amazing old spanish cathedral and the house is filled with amazing artifacts from ancient Italy and Spain.  Hearst was a consummate shopaholic and tinkerer so a house that was originally supposed to be 20 rooms quickly turned into 165.  despite how ridiculous the house is with ornate living rooms and amazing guest cottages, Hearst guessed he was only 50% done with the house, since it was still missing more guest quarters, a gatehouse, a grand ballroom, and some other cool ammenities (bowling alley).  Hearst was a baller and this is the type of house i want someday.  one thing to note: i realized after my 1 hour tour that my fly had been down the entire tour.  was it that hard for someone to just lean over to me and say “XYZ”?  i mean cmon, just be a decent human being and help a guy out.

    

with a good chunk of the day already passed and with a stop left on my itinerary, i really wanted to make good time on the road.  unfortunately the PCH is a one lane highway and filled with slow-ass tourists so the going was tough.  the drive is beautiful thru towns like Big Sur.  it reminds of driving on the Great Ocean Highway in Australia.  driving thru Cali, i can completely understand why Californians relate to Australians and vice-versa.  the weather, the terrain, the demeanor, it’s all very similar.  the one observation i made on the drive was that EVERYONE on the PCH drives either a Prius or a rental Ford Mustang (extremely glad i didn’t end up getting a Prius and being like every other asshole in Cali).  i honestly believe that every cheesey tourist who travels out to Cali wants that stereotypical experience of driving up the coast with the top down in an American muscle car and the Ford Mustang offers that experience.  its hilarious to see tourists driving these cars.

my final stop before making my way to the bay area was the Monterey peninsula.  i had hoped to check out this area last time i was in the bay area in the spring but ended up only making it as far south as Santa Cruz.  i really wanted to go see Pebble Beach but they were charging $10 to drive down 17 Mile Drive, which i promptly told the guard to go fuck himself.  there was no way i was going to pay $10 for the “pleasure” of driving on their road.

since i abandoned my idea for Pebble, i made my way to my late lunch (at this point dinner since it was 6PM) at Phil’s Fish Market.  my plan was to have one last blowout meal.  the restaurant is located next to a power plant, which really seemed shady but the reviews on yelp were amazing for the place so i decided to give it a shot.  once inside the restaurant, i realized that Phil’s was part of a cioppino throwdown with Bobby Flay.  so though i originally planned to order steamed dungeness crab, i opted for cioppino.  for those who don’t know what cioppino is, it’s a tomato-based broth with a shit-ton of seafood (clams, mussels, shrimp, crab, scallops, and fish fillets).  needless to say the cioppino was spicy and delcious.  imagine the best tomato soup you’ve ever had filled with sweet fresh seafood.  i also ordered a seafood-stuffed artichoke since i was in artichoke country.  washed down with a cold beer, sitting with a view of the beach, it was the perfect last meal of this long road trip.

  

with a nice belly full of seafood, i drove the last 100 miles and arrived in Berkeley, my temporary home for the next few days.  it was nice to finally be done with the trip, even though i didn’t feel at “home”.  the trip is finally over.  honestly it won’t sink in for a few days that i’m finally moved out to San Fran and here for good.  but all i know is i’m happy to off the road.  i will write a final blog post tomorrow to wrap up my experience and reflect on the 2 weeks i’ve spent on the road.  but tonight i will have a few celebratory cold beers with some good friends and finally relax.

miles driven today: 267

total miles driven: 5126

day 15 – Pacific Coast Highway

the end is near.  today was my last full day on the road and thankfully tonight is my last night sleeping in a hotel bed.

after an amazing night of sleep (which was cut short by a phone call from a friend who forgot i was on the west coast), it was time to finally depart wonderful San Diego.  though i didn’t get a chance to get a good feel of the city, i really liked SD.  the weather is amazing and it’s definitely a chill city.  it’s something to keep in mind when i look to make my next move.

before heading out, i made one last stop to get some breakfast at the Broken Yolk Cafe.  this is another Man Vs Food location, where Adam Richman ate a 12 egg omelette in 32 minutes.  though i felt hungry, i was not 12 egg omlette hungry.  so i opted for a normal omelette with bacon, tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, salsa, and cheese.  though the ingredients were not mixed in with the eggs and merely placed in between the eggs, unlike Coffee Pot in Sedona, the ingredients were first cooked down to soften and gain flavor.  the omelette was delicious and soon i was out the door and on the road.

from San Diego, i followed the coast to check out a few towns like La Jolla as well as drive by Torrey Pines.  La Jolla is super bougie with tons of high end stores and milfs.  i can see why its a popular tourist destination.  Torrey Pines is carved into the cliffs and looked like a tough but amazing test of one’s golf game.  too bad it costs $200 to play.  the last stop of my coastal drive was Carlsbad, the city that hosts the corporate headquarters for the biggest golf companies in the US.  i thought about using chlorophyll to kidnap someone and use that as leverage to get a job but thought that it might not be the best way to get my foot in the door in the industry.

after the local coastal tour, i hit the road hard to put a dent into this 350 mile drive.  i knew i didn’t want to drive the PCH from the start thru small towns in Orange County since that would take forever.  so i took the 405 up to Santa Monica (shockingly no traffic whatsoever) and began my drive up the PCH from there.  driving through Malibu, i can see the appeal to living in SoCal.  beautiful weather, gorgeous beaches, tons of hot girls in bikinis.  people have always joked how people from Cali tend to not travel outside of their Cali bubble and i always laughed it off but now i am beginning to understand why.

view from the road

i decided to make a stop in Santa Barbara to check it out.  i’ve heard mixed opinions about the city and wanted to see firsthand what it was all about.  most of the things people have told me were true.  lots of tourists and cheesey tourist shops.  also a ton of high-end stores catering to the richy riches who travel up to Santa Barbara for a getaway from LA.  finally, there are a surprising amount of homeless types.  i headed down State Street and hit up the famous Santa Barbara pier and got some seafood and a beer before heading back out on the road.

  

about halfway between Santa Barbara and Lompoc, the scenery and weather drastically changed.  it went from picturesque beaches and sunny warm weather to rolling hills/fields and the temperature dropped about 15 degrees.  i think i hit that imaginary SoCal/NorCal line.  i have a feeling that i will no longer need or have a chance to wear shorts for the next few weeks/months.  the forecast for SF is mid 60s for the next 10 days.  though i’m not complaining since it’s in the 90s and humid as all hell in DC, a bit of warm weather would be nice.  as i said earlier, the weather in San Diego is really nice so who knows where i may end up in the near future…

tomorrow is my last day on the road.  it’s a bittersweet feeling wrapping up this drive.  i look forward to arriving in San Fran and starting my life but i have so many doubts about what the future holds.  one thing i can definitely say is that this trip has been a lot more fun that expected and i’m sad the fun has to end.  but as my mom always loves to remind me and my siblings, “vacation over”.

miles driven today: 331

total miles driven: 4859

day 14 – I’m Ron Burgundy? (San Diego)

today was my only full day in San Diego.  thinking about being in San Diego and seeing signs for the zoo everywhere, all i can think about is Anchorman and Will Ferrell.  though there was no way in hell i would go to the zoo (or Seaworld).

i love W Hotels.  the beds are always super super comfy.  you just sink into the bed and it engulfs you.  i got one of the better nights of sleep this entire trip last night.  though i got a great night of sleep, i was up early and decided to hit the links.  San Diego is known for their amazing weather and therefore golfing here is amazingness.  i drove out to Coronado Island to play at Coronado Golf Course, this amazing muni that’s right on a peninsula and has a good majority of their holes right on the water.   the course is written up in all of the major golf websites and magazines due to its beauty and cheap greens fees.  i haven’t paid $30 for a golf course inside a major city in years.  the views were amazing.  unfortunately my game was not.  hopefully once i settle in San Fran i can get my game back together.

after walking 18, i was STARVING.  so i hit up Ocean Beach, a local surf area in  San Diego, for some tacos and a burger.  Ocean Beach (or OB as the locals call it) is the embodiment of the San Diego stereotype.  its a surf town filled with surfer bros and beautiful SoCal women.  plenty of cheap bars and restaurants as well as surf shops.  the two places i went out there to check out were South Beach Bar & Grill for their tacos and Hodad’s for their burgers.  first stop was Hodad’s.  the burger was cheap and good.  the meat itself was thin and not great but the burger was filled with sauces and fixins just the way i like it (pickles, huge tomato slice, iceberg lettuce, and a few sauces).  second stop was South Beach for their legendary fish tacos.  i got an ahi tuna taco and a wahoo taco, a whopping $2.50 each.  the tacos were good but it didn’t beat the amazing view of the beach and the hotties hanging out on the beach.

   

after my late lunch, i met up with some friends of friends who live in SD.  we met in North Park, a popular area to live for late 20somes, at URBN, this really hipstery pizza bar.  we ordered a pizza with peppered salami and arugula, a perfect peppery mix.  washed down with a nice bourbon cocktail, the food was great.  it was also to see some familiar faced and hang out and talk.  it was interesting to hear how these former NYers came out to SD, thinking it might be a short stint and then back to the east coast, and now they are definitely committed to this city.  i wonder if that will be with NorCal…

since my friends had another engagement, we parted ways and i ended up meeting my b school friend who was still in town.  funny enough he wanted to stay in North Park since that’s an area he might move to and he was in the mood for pizza so we went back to URBN.  this time we ordered the mashed potatoes pizza, which had mashed potatoes, peppered bacon, mozz cheese, and a white sauce. though we were both skeptical, it was their most popular dish so we decided to give it a shot.  and it was a wise choice.  the creamy mashed potatoes was a perfect compliment to the peppery bacon.  add a little local hot sauce, and it was an awesome bite of pizza.

with a full belly and a bit of tiredness from the round of golf, i called it a night early.  tomorrow i’m back on the road, driving up the PCH to San Luis Obispo.  one more night on the road and i will finally reach my destination of San Francisco!  this journey has been awesome but i’m ready to finally get set in San Fran and start my new life.  i pray good things come my way…

miles driven today: 0

total miles driven: 4528

Day 13 – San Diego

it’s finally the homestretch of this trip.  2 nights in San Diego, one night somewhere on the PCH, and then my final destination: San Francisco.

after a late night of gambling and people watching and having a really shitty, day, i slept in.  the bed at the Golden Nugget was extremely comfy and i really didn’t want to get out of bed.  but i knew i wanted to hit the road before it got to late so i could run a few errands in San Diego before dinner.

my final stop in Las Vegas was the Wynn Resort for their buffet breakfast.  i’m a big fan of the Wynn.  i think the hotel is extremely nice and the service is top notch.  their comps are also very generous so i’ve had my fair share of free meals there.  unfortunately i was going to have to actually pay for this meal.  on the way down to the strip, i passed the store for the tv show “Pawn Stars”.  there was a line around the block to get in.  i didn’t really get it.  it’s a pawn shop.  there are 20 other shitty pawn stores 1 block away.  the chance of getting on TV for a millisecond is really not worth waiting on line for 45 minutes in the Vegas heat/sun.

breakfast was solid as always and what was great was that i got there just in time for the meal shift so i snuck in a few lunch items as well.  this big breakfast/brunch was gonna hold me over till dinner.

the road from Vegas to San Diego is not long and luckily you can avoid downtown LA.  i timed my trip so i wouldn’t hit any rush hour traffic since i knew there was no way i wanted to sit in LA traffic.  what’s interesting to note is the speed people drive on the highways in California.  typically on the east coast, 5-9 miles over the speed limit is standard.  anything in the double digits over the speed limit is pressing your luck.  but in California, everyone is hauling ass, driving well over 10 MPH over the speed limit.  this will definitely take some getting used to.

about halfway between LA and San Diego, the temp started to drop to burn off the LA heat and bring in the cool marine air.  windows down and radio up, i drove into San Diego.  the weather was PERFECT (why can’t it be sunny and 75 with no humidity everywhere???) and i was super happy to finally be in California.  i was especially happy to be in San Diego because i am staying at the awesome W Hotel (thanks to my sister for an awesome grad present!).  i have been looking forward to this part of the trip since it was the only really nice hotel i would be staying at the entire trip (though the Monteleone and Golden Nugget were surprisingly nice as well).  i love the W Hotel.  perfect amount of boutique feel comboed with mainstream hotel.  the only thing i hate about some W Hotels is that they sometimes are substitutes for clubs (like ghost bar in Dallas, POV in DC, etc).  therefore you need your keycard to get to your floor, which is a pain in the butt.  but its a small price to pay for a nice hotel.

while checking in, i got a message from a b school friend who is in town and made plans to meet up for dinner at Blue Water Seafood.  this place is known for their fish tacos and being in San Diego, both of us wanted to kinda check that off the to-do list.  the line at the restaurant is ridiculously long but the food was AMAZING.  both of us over-ordered.  we ordered enough food for 4 between the two of us.  fish tacos had prolly 6 ounces of meat in them (i could barely close the taco).  the seviche i had was an interesting combo of seafood and olives.  the olives really matched well with the briny seafood and the tomato broth.  crab and artichoke dip was good but not spectacular.  the calamari was some of the most tender squid  i’ve ever had.  perfect balance of tender creamy squid with the slight crunch of the fried batter.  washing down the whole meal with a cold beer and good conversation with a familiar face, it was a good way to end the day.

  

tomorrow is day/night 2 in San Diego.  i hope to hit the links and check out the local area before meeting up with some friends who live in San Diego for happy hour.

miles driven today: 327

total miles driven: 4528

day 12 – Bryce and Zion

today was all about highs and lows.

after an early night, I had planned to hit the road early to see both Bryce Canyon and Zion before heading to Vegas. Unfortunately I woke up feeling like crap and slept in to hopefully combat any illness. This is the homestretch of the trip and I really don’t want to get sick. So I slept in until 10 and hit the road hard.

After a quick drive, I arrived at Bryce Canyon. Bryce is basically one long road that winds around this gorgeous canyon with a variety of viewpoints. Luckily since it’s Monday, the park was somewhat empty except all the Europeans. It’s crazy how many Europeans are at each of these parks. A friend has a theory that these Euros come to America to get the “American” experience, one they see in movies. And that means they have to go on road trips, camp out, and wear ridiculous shit like Harley Davidson jackets and cowboy boots. Trying to avoid all the Euros, I drove in, took some photos, and got the hell out.

This is where shit went quickly downhill. The road from Bryce to Zion is this awesome windy road that includes this tunnel carved into a mountainside. However most of the road is backcountry. While on one of the roads, it began to rain hard and quickly turned into hail. Since I was in the middle of nowhere, I had nowhere to turn into for cover and my car got hammered by hail. The hail left a bunch of tiny dents on my roof, trunk, and hood. It was my worst nightmare come to life. A scratch like yesterday is an easy fix. But this kind of damage is thousands of dollars because it requires replacing the dented panels. Needless to say I was ripshit pissed. It put me in a shit mood. So though I had planned to tough it out and not eat, I stopped for lunch and had some “ho-made” pie.  It didn’t really cheer me up.

this tasted awful

Driving my now dented car, I took the tunnel to Zion. The tunnel is awesome but super sketch since there are no lights. But when exiting the tunnel, I was rewarded with an unbelievable view of the park. But that view didn’t last.

    

By the time I got to the visitors parking lot, it started to rain again. I was worried about more hail and honestly was in a really shitty mood so I said fuck it and left the park without seeing the major sights. I just wanted to get out of the Grand Canyon/Zion/Bryce area. This weather was ridiculous and I was tired of being scared that my car would get more messed up. I hope one day I get to come back but no regrets for now.

Once making the executive decision to leave, I hauled ass to Vegas. I haven’t been in this town in a few years and was excited to go back. I chose to stay at the Golden Nugget because I wanted to avoid the strip and the nugget was really cheap for good rooms. Plus the sweet shark tank, cheaper food, and tons of redneck people watching.

yes there are sharks in that tank

After dropping off my bags, I knew I had one crucial stop before hitting the casino floor to do a bit of gambling.  $0.99 shrimp cocktail at Du-pars in Golden Gate Casino.  I’ve had this shrimp cocktail before and it’s a downtown Vegas institution.  Yes, super sketchy but whatevs.

pure deliciousness

After a nice snack, I hit up the poker room at the Golden Nugget.  My budget for this trip is dwindling but i knew I had a bit of cash to play with. Luckily I ended up winning which really helped me take off my mind about the car. After a quick stroll to people watch (I saw more tramp stamps than I ever care to see ever again) and a quick bite, I called it a night.

if you fry it and cover it with gravy, even the shittiest steak in the world tastes decent

Tomorrow is another long drive but the drive will be to the other bookend stop I my trip, San Diego. It will be nice to stay at a classy hotel for more than 1 night. I’m in desperate need to do my laundry and I’m looking forward to eating some seafood and maybe hitting the links.

miles driven today: 369
total miles driven: 4201

day 11 – Grand Canyon

i apologize in advance.  this post will be long but will be filled with lots of pictures.  today was an extremely long but amazing day.

since the rain last night in Sedona put a cramp on my plans, i wanted to wake up early to get to do everything i wanted to do.  luckily when i woke up, the sun was shining and it was a beautiful day out.  my plan was to drive to some of the scenic sights, then eat some breakfast, and then maybe a quick hike before hitting the road to Grand Canyon.  driving around Sedona, i realized how beautiful the town is.  the sights are amazing and right there.  it’s almost like you want to reach out and touch the red rocks.  if you’re a hiker/biker/runner, this town is your wet dream come to life.

  

after a quick drive, i hit up Coffee Pot Restaurant, home of 101 omelettes (more like 20 creative omelettes and then 80 more where you take one item out of those 20).  this restaurant got raving reviews online and has been featured in a bunch of tv shows.  but it was featured years ago and the quality has clearly declined.  i got a spinach, mushroom, bacon, tomato, cheese, sausage, and pepper omelette and though it wasn’t the worst omelette i’ve had, it definitely was far from the best.  the ingredients clearly were not cooked prior to the eggs being added.  honestly the winner of the meal was the light and fluffy biscuit.  oh well.  unfortunately while eating, it started to rain again and my plans for a hike were canceled.

  

on the road to the Grand Canyon, one of my worst fears came to life.  the new car got damaged.  while on a 1 lane highway (one lane in each direction), a car kicked up a golfball sized rock and it hit the front quarter panel of the car.  the rock made a few deep gouges in the paint, all the way down to the metal.  needless to say i was angry but honestly after driving close to 4000 miles across this country, i thought my car would look like the Griswold’s car at the end of National Lampoon’s Vacation.  so i’m somewhat happy that this is the only damage thus far (and hopefully the only damage).

the drive to the Grand Canyon is long.  it takes hours on small roads and often you get stuck behind tr  uckers.  the park also teases you because once you think you’re at the park, your still 40 miles out.  and once you pay to get into the park (and then think “now i’m at the park.  finally!”), you still have another 10 miles.  its frustrating.  but the beautiful vistas make the trip worthwhile.

after the long and slow drive, i finally arrived at the Grand Canyon.  this visit was one i’ve been looking forward to for a while.  i’ve always wanted to see the Grand Canyon but never came because i never wanted to make a trip out of just going to the Grand Canyon.  there always seemed like better places to go.  but here i was.  at the Grand Canyon.

i chose to visit the North Rim instead of the South Rim for a few reasons.  its supposed to be less crowded, there is an awesome lodge at the North Rim, and closer to Zion & Bryce.  from the North Rim, there are a few places to see the Canyon.  my first stop was the lodge and Bright Angel Point.  the lodge itself is impressive but the cabins looked pretty shitty (and cost a lot).  but i wasn’t there to look at a lodge.  i had seen peeks of the views from the parking lot but once entering the lodge and walking out back, i was hit with the view.  they weren’t kidding when they used the word “grand” to describe this canyon.  it truly was an amazing sight.  walking down the path to Bright Angel point, the views got better and better (and the potential for falling to your death got greater and greater).  i was awestruck by the views of the canyon from Bright Angel Point.  but i knew that my second stop would be even better.

my second stop was Cape Royal & Angels Window.  getting to Cape Royal required another 15 mile drive.  but this drive was extremely fun (and dangerous) because the winding road.  once at the end of the road, you have a choice to go see Angels Window or Cape Royal.  i chose Angels Window first.  the actual vantage point was extremely cool, with a small “window” under the ledge.  the views were spectacular but not for anyone who is afraid of heights.

  

after Angels Window, i walked to Cape Royal. this place had been recommended to me by a friend and he was not wrong.  the views were 10x better than from Bright Angel Point.  what made the view even more spectacular was that a storm was moving into the canyon.  the clouds were hiding the sun, but the sun was peeking thru, giving this appearance like the heavens were opening up.  it was a surreal moment.

i would have loved to stay at the Grand Canyon longer but i had to hit the road.  i had a another 3 hour drive ahead of me to St George, UT and then a long day at Zion and Bryce planned for tomorrow.   the one thing i didn’t take into account was the fact that i was going to be staying in Utah, not Arizona.  so i would be back on Mountain Standard Time and would arrive in St George at 930PM, not 830PM.  since it was late and i was starving i decided to finally give in and eat at Cracker Barrel (whi was also next to my hotel).  i have joked with friends about eating at Cracker Barrel on this trip but it finally has come true.  luckily the fried chicken Sunday special didn’t suck. i guess this is another thing i can cross off the list.

tomorrow is another long day, with visits to Zion National Park and Bryce National Park.  tomorrow night will be spent in the wonderful LAS VEGAS, where i would love to pretend to ball out and buy models and bottles, but i’m staying downtown at the Golden Nugget (and it’s a Monday night) so won’t be hanging out with any models or buying any bottles.  but hopefully i’m lucky at the tables.

miles driven today: 461

total miles driven: 3832

day 10 – Sedona

as i had previously mentioned, today was audible #2 of the trip.  i had originally planned on staying in Flagstaff but called a last minute audible and decided to stay in Sedona for the night.  the red rock formations around Sedona are supposed to be beautiful so i thought it would be a good appetizer to the Grand Canyon.

before heading out of Santa Fe, i stopped for breakfast at Tecolote Cafe for some green chile huevos rancheros.  Tecolote is supposed to be known for their breakfast and lunch menu (they’re not open for dinner).  luckily i got there early enough to not have to wait on line for a seat.  i ordered the huevos rancheros and a coffee.  needless to say, the reviews weren’t wrong.  the dish was cooked perfectly.  the fattyness and creamyness of the runny eggs matched perfectly with the spice of the green chiles.  mix in a bit of potatoes and sop up all the goodness with a tortilla, it was a perfect way to start the day.

after a quick carwash (driving across country = constantly dirty ass car) and gas, i hit the road.  it was going to be about 400 miles to Sedona from Santa Fe and i wanted to get their early enough to explore the area and maybe do a sunset hike.  the drive was once again long and arduous but i pumping techno helped a lot (i got a lot of weird looks from cars i passed but whatever, fuck em).   the drive to Arizona was especially interesting because a) there are a shitload of indian reservations/casinos you pass and b) the weird time change.  Arizona doesn’t use daylight savings and therefore this part of the year, they are the same time as PST.  its odd but whatever.

about 40 miles outside of Flagstaff, i saw signs for Meteor Crater.  i had to stop.  i vaguely remember as a kid reading about this crater in Arizona and i wanted to see if firsthand.  after you drive the 7 miles off the highway and pay your $16, the first stop on the tour is a short video about the meteor.  this video was honestly impressive, it was some sweet ass Armageddon-style CGI shit.  apparently this meteor struck about 50,000 years ago and made this crater about 1 mile in diameter and 700 feet deep.  all from a 150 foot meteor.  imagine a true armageddon meteor.  we’d all be fucked.  crazy.

after leaving Meteor Crater, i was on the homestretch of the drive, the last 5o miles.  unfortunately 30 of those miles were down a windy road thru a pine tree forest.  don’t get me wrong, it was beautiful and smelled amazing, but driving 20 mph for 30 miles wasn’t fun.  and it started to rain.  awesome.  by the time i got to Sedona, it was POURING out.  the night was wasted.  i wouldn’t be able to see any sights.  so i grabbed some pizza at a local artisanal pizzeria and hit the sack.

tomorrow is gonna be a long day (provided the weather works out).  the morning will be spent quickly exploring Sedona and then a 5 hour drive to the north rim of the Grand Canyon.  after checking out the Grand Canyon, it will be another 3 hour drive to St George, UT.  hopefully the weather works out and i can get in all the sights.  wish me luck.

miles driven today: 423

total miles driven: 3371

day 9 – Santa Fe

New Mexico is an odd, odd state.  its honestly filled with nothing.  i drove hundreds of miles today and maybe saw 10 cars.

my plan for today was to drive from El Paso to Santa Fe.  originally the plan was to stay in Albuquerque but many people dissuaded me from going there, claiming it is the boringest city ever.  i wasn’t able to get a great night of sleep and hit the road early, around 745AM. from El Paso, i had to take a secondary highway to my first stop, White Sands National Monument.  i use the word highway very loosely since it was basically a 2 lane road with a speed limit of 55 mph.  interestingly enough, on the way to the park, the entire road was roadblocked by immigration/border patrol agents.  i was somewhat nervous (have you seen Harold and Kumar Go To Guantanamo Bay?) but when i got to the officer, he asked me if i was an American citizen and then let me go when i answered yes.  no ID required.  i guess my gingham shirt, lime green shorts, and DC plates were a dead giveaway that i’m a preppy American.

it was only a quick 100 mile ride to White Sands.  i really didn’t know what to expect from the park.  i was honestly expecting a few sand dunes, i would stop and look, and be on my way. but little did i know that there were tens of thousands of acres of white sand dunes.  it was extremely impressive.  walking to the top of one of the dunes to take a look, i realized how eerily quiet it was.  it was a picture-perfect day and standing on top of that dune, it was nice to stand in the dead silence.  just me and my thoughts.  i sat there for a while trying to get my mind right, thinking about all sorts of things.  it’s honestly a moment i won’t forget.

after the park, i hit the road to Santa Fe.  i had made good time to White Sands and realized that if i hauled ass, i could make it to Santa Fe and play a quick 18 at Paa-Ko Ridge Golf Course, the 33rd ranked public course in the USA (and also only $50).  driving thru New Mexico is creepy.  there basically is absolutely no one.  there are beautiful sights, but if your car breaks down, you’re pretty much fucked.  the one benefit of no one on the roads is that there miles and miles of straight roads where you can really push it.  i knew i had to haul ass and i wanted to see what my new car could do.  i got her up to 95ish in Texas but today i was able to hit 110 mph and there was plenty of power to spare.  at first i was worried about police but i soon realized that i basically hadn’t seen a car in 30 minutes so why would the police bother to patrol that area?

after making great time, i arrived at Paa-Ko.  the course was extremely nice and was well worth the 4 hour round and the $50.  i played with a couple from El Paso who were in town for the weekend and we had discussed the finer parts of El Paso like why there are so many used car dealerships (apparently everyone in the south brings their cars to El Paso so they can be sold to the Mexicans) and if they liked Chico’s (the husband owned a Mexican restaurant in El Paso so his response was hell no).  i played like shit but you can’t always win.

the ride from the golf course to Santa Fe was possibly the best drive i’ve had so far on the trip.  it was on windy backroads up and down the mountains.  it was raining in various parts of the valley and the roads managed to avoid all the rain but it was amazing to see the different little pockets of the valley that were being rained on.  because of the clouds and the rain, the sky was beautiful; towards the eastern mountain range was these gorgeous shades of blue and grey and towards the western mountain range was this splash of oranges and reds from the setting sun.  photos could not do these colors justice.

arriving in Santa Fe, i was surprised how small this “city” is.  it’s basically a small quaint little town filled with artisan shops.  someone like my middle sister would go bananas over Santa Fe.  there are plenty of cool stores and great restaurants but i ended up at Tomasitas, supposedly the “go-to” New Mexican cuisine restaurant in Santa Fe.  the specialty in New Mexico is the green and red chile sauces.  i’ve always been a green chile sauce guy and tonight’s dinner reminded me why.  i got an appetizer of green chile cheese fries and got the nightly special which was a tamale covered in red chile sauce, a cheese enchilada covered in green chile sauce, and a hard taco.  the fries were delcious.  the perfect amount of heat, the chiles were still nice and chunky so you knew you were eating real chiles. the special was ok.  the red chile sauce is extremely hot and overbearing, completely numbing the taste buds.  i only picked at the special plate.  but the real winner of the meal was the free sopasillas.  this is basically this lightly fried bread that comes with honey butter (yes, honey butter).  this piece of bread is hot and gooey and the honey butter is the perfect sweet compliment.  it would be perfect as a breakfast pastry.

    

combo-ing the big meal with the high altitude (7000 ft above sea level – highest city in the USA) and long day of golf and driving, i was pooped.  i want a nice night of sleep before hitting the road for Arizona and the Grand Canyon.  tomorrow is also the 2nd audible of the trip.  originally i was supposed to go to Flagstaff.  however i decided yesterday that i wanted to visit Sedona instead since it’s supposed to be beautiful there.  i’m looking forward to the next few days because i don’t really have any crazy meals planned and i will be walking/hiking the national parks so it will be nice to get some good exercise, fresh air, and give my stomach a break for a few days.

miles driven today: 362

total miles driven: 2948

day 8 – El Paso

after yesterday’s marathon drive, i thought today’s long drive would be easier to manage.  i was wrong.  so very wrong.

after waking up to the amazing damp smell in my awesome Super 8 hotel, i pulled my shit together to hit the road for another 600 miles.  but before hitting the road, i hit up one last spot in Austin.  i grabbed the infamous Don Juan “taco” at Juan In A Million.  this taco is filled with eggs, bacon, and potatoes and was enough filling for 4 tacos.  i have no living clue how Adam Richman ate 4 of these.  i barely ate half of mine (but saved the other half for a nice lunch on the road).

after a hearty breakfast and a quick carwash (the car was getting unbearably dirty), i hit the road.  unfortunately there isn’t a major highway that connects Austin directly with El Paso so the first 1/4 of the trip was on a local highway that went thru all these little towns.  it was annoying to be driving 70 and then have to slow down to 35 for 2 miles just to go back up to 70.  since i was driving thru the heart of the hill country, i thought it would be appropriate to drive windows down, sunroof open, and country music blaring.  i rocked out to some Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean (though i wonder what people who drove past me were thinking, seeing some asian kid with DC plates rocking out to country).

the great thing about driving in Texas is that the speed limit on the highways is 80 mph.  so once i left the small backroads, i hit the road hard.  unlike driving from New Orleans to Austin, there really wasn’t anything to see or anywhere fun to stop at.  it was all boring flat land and it was honestly a struggle to stay awake.  the most interesting part of the ride was seeing how many bugs would splatter on my windshield (a lot, it was really gross) but once i got about 100 miles from El Paso, the scenery started to change.  more elevation, some small cities.  the last stretch of the drive was much more bearable with things to see.

once i hit the city limits of El Paso, the endless strip malls began.  tons of random stores along with your usual megachains (Target, Walmart, etc).  there also seemed to be a large number of used car dealerships and strip clubs.  originally i had planned on staying at a Red Roof Inn but reading the reviews, i found out that the parking lot is shared with a seedy strip club, not somewhere i really wanted to park my car with my entire life in the trunk.

after checking in to the airport Microtel (i’ve been trying to switch it up to see which hotels are best… so far no clear winner), i went out to explore the city.  a friend who’s family lives in El Paso recommended that i eat dinner at Chico’s Tacos since it’s an El Paso institution.  with that type of recommendation, it was hard pass up.  i ordered a single order of “tacos” as well as the hot dog sandwich.  the tacos are more like flautas, drenched in this hot tomato sauce and covered with cheese.  though the tacos were not great, the sauce was amazing.    perfect amount of tang, sweetness, and spice.  the cheese helps give it a creamy consistency.  the hot dog sandwich was fine, nothing to write home about.  the sauce was the real winner in this meal.

  

before hitting the sack, i had two more stops in El Paso: UTEP and Scenic Drive.  UTEP has one of the most unique and beautiful campuses i’ve ever seen.  it’s  basically built into the side of a mountain and all the buildings have this old school style that fits perfectly with the mountain/desert motif.  the views of the city from the campus are spectacular.  and only a short drive away is Scenic Drive, a windy road that provides amazing views of both El Paso and Juarez, Mexico.

not my pic… stolen from the interweb

also not my picture (clearly)

tomorrow is a quick drive to White Sands National Park and then onward to Santa Fe.  maybe if the timing is right, i will have a chance to play a quick 18 in the late afternoon on the way to Santa Fe.  will be nice to hit the links after not swinging a club for almost 2 weeks.

miles driven today: 568

total miles driven: 2586