Current Tour - 21 days to WA

Written in Firebaugh, CA (1/28/2003) and Mendocino, CA (2/1/2003)

Emergence of the Car

I went to the Petersen Auto Museum in Los Angeles today. An excellent museum. A few journal articles ago I briefly mentioned how over-reliance on the car has affected life in America (Among other countries) negatively. This museum excels at showcasing the history behind how it happened in the Southern California area, and how the concepts developed in California spread across the USA with the subsequent impacts (Positive or negative) to local and US (Worldwide?) culture.

It isn’t all just a history lesson. There are dozens of classic cars and a showcase on cars used in movies or owned by celebrities. A very classy presentation. In a sharp contrast to most of the cars on display there were also a few that didn’t fit in the older era. My heart got pumping at the very beginning when I saw three beauties. A Ferrari F-40, F-50, and a new 2001 550 Barchetta. I admired them all alone with no distractions. They were literally a a couple of feet in front of me with no fencing (A small sag bar) at ground level. I suppose one could admire these in an exotic car dealership, but then again I didn’t have the watchful eyes of a salesman on me.



Despite my criticism of the car culture - I know when a work of beauty is before my eyes! A Ferrari 550 Barchetta

Ferrari USA Website
Ultimate Car Page.com on the Ferrari 550
More info on the Asphalt Nation book mentioned in an earlier journal

Los Angeles

You might be thinking now - Los Angeles? Yes, Los Angeles! The gravitational pull of Southern California pulled me back one more time (And it won’t be the last I know). Actually, I decided to cancel my visit to Nevada to come back to Orange County for a couple of days to take care of some loose ends and also to lighten up some of the load in my truck before heading up to Washington State. I find the more stuff I have the harder it is to get at what I really need efficiently. Kind of mirrors life I suppose. Makes me wonder why so many people collect so much stuff in their lifetime.

A long time

Even though I’ve only been traveling for 2 weeks and in nearby Arizona I feel like I’ve been traveling much longer. I think it has to do with the magnitude and scope of what I experienced. Maybe it is just my mind playing a trick on me as I start my travels. Or perhaps it is just the fact that I am driving long distances every other day or so. Maybe you can be the judge?

After my night of camping in Sedona, AZ I made it up to Flagstaff at 7000+ ft. Flagstaff has a charming downtown . I spent two nights slowing down from my rapid pace, where I didn’t stay more than 1 night in the same place, at the Hilton Garden Inn. A steal at only $50/night by using one of the coupon guides available at many off highway restaurants. One of the things that I am quickly becoming an expert on is knowing the difference between all the low to mid priced hotel chains. Fairfield Inn, Red Roof, Motel 6, La Quinta, Howard Johnson, Hampton Inn, Econo Lodge....I’ll post an article along with some of my research sometime in the future if I get a chance. Details matter when you’re on the road for a long time.

The link belowis one reason why Flagstaff has a charming downtown. Some people care enough to make a difference - maybe the sight of Phoenix and the suburbia around it motivated them.

Arizona Main Street Program (Arizona Commerce Department)

Slowing Down
I’ve learned an important lesson about how I’m going to travel in the future. I'm working on the article right now, I'll post it in the WRITINGS section when I'm finished.

Farewell Email

When I left my last job I sent out a farewell email (text file link) and half jokingly gave two reasons for wanting to travel. A co-worker confided in me that she wasn’t quite sure what I was thinking about on the 2nd one. I’m sure there might have been others who thought I was “loopy” (Dictionary.com link). The 2nd one isn’t so far fetched. Going through my mind at the time was a scientific based book about natural disasters (The book "Apocalypse" - link in READING LIBRARY section) that I had just finished reading. Once again, I want to see and feel such an event first hand. ....50,000 years after impact is better than nothing. I visited the Meteor Crater just out of Flagstaff. I had higher expectations for this visit but when it comes down to it, it is just a large hole in the ground. A very large hole. Not impressive when comparing to all the rock and mountain formations I’ve seen lately, but impressive when one realizes that it was created within 10 seconds.

Spacewatch Project - University of Arizona
PBS Nova Special - Doomsday Asteroid
NASA Asteroid and Comet Impact Hazards


Click to link to "Standin' on the Corner Park" website
Nearby the Meteor Crater is Winslow, AZ - made somewhat famous by the music group the Eagles in their song "Take It Easy".

Winslow, Arizona City Info


More Rocks and History

I haven’t even mentioned the mule ride I took down the Grand Canyon. Nor how one of the most profound things I learned during my trip to Arizona wasn’t even a place I visited - rather something I randomly watched on television. But alas, these are stories for another day.

This concludes my journals about Arizona, when I am back in Washington State I will write a more in-depth article about the things I learned from my visit to Exotic Arizona.

I am camping again for the 2nd time tonight. Tonight, I am in Sedona, AZ. I drove in very close to sunset. I am camping next to Oak Creek which runs through Sedona. The sound of the running water is very pleasant and soothing. The surrounding mountains are spectacular. I look at Sedona as a warm up to the Grand Canyon which I will experience in the next day or two. I saw the Grand Canyon once about 10 years ago, but, it was on a hurried group bus tour and a stop along the way to Lake Havasu with my parents and some of my dad’s college friends . The way I look at things is different now anyway.


Sedona is more beautiful than this 1st picture I took suggests

I’m already feeling like a professional at car camping. Tonight I had enough confidence to setup camp close to nightfall. (Last time I setup camp and cooked before sunset) I cooked in the dark. Organic pasta and tomato sauce this time. While I am confident, I have yet to deal with high winds, heavy rains, or snow yet - so there is much yet to master (Or suffer!). Also, I am only partially prepared for future multi-day wilderness backpacking - where weight and size are critical. In my equipment list (JOIN THE CIRCUS section) there is a list of my car camping equipment along with a sub-section on equipment substitutes for multi-day wilderness backpacking and notes on which car camping equipment I’ll use for multi-day backpacking.


Oak Creek and the mountains of Sedona near my campsite

My camping experience prior to this trip consists of 1 night backpacking up a mountain with a friend to see a meteor shower, and a total of no more than 10 nights car camping. The bulk of that coming from a geology course I took in college and a trip to Big Sur, CA with my friend Mick shortly after I quit my last job in August 2002. I remember now one of the lessons.

My friend Mick told me that he likes to bring a Duraflame to get a campfire started. This did not occur to me when I bought my firewood a little earlier from the Camp Host here. With the temperature dropping I am anxious to have a warm fire. Alas, with no Duraflame, lighter fluid, or other fire starter I’m going to bed without having a warm fire to comfort me, merely the food in my belly. Duh! Using just a push button lighter isn’t really that effective!

This attention to detail is crucial I feel to having a good experience. In my equipment list is a camp chair for inside the tent, which I have not bought yet (Tent chairs need to be at a lower height and smaller size of course, as opposed to outdoor chairs which I already have). Thus, I write this in my tent without a back support. It is really not that comfortable. I also don’t have my in-tent propane heater yet. While I am warm in my sleeping bag, the surrounding air temperature is dropping fast, making anything but cuddling up in my sleeping bag very unattractive. I thought I could get by happily without it.

Why do I mention these little stories? It is one thing to know about something (Like the need for a tent chair and heater), quite another to experience it. I now have the conviction that I absolutely need these items for a comfortable camping experience - in the cold anyway. It is also one thing to do something with the help of a friend, quite another to do it on your own (Campfire starting).

I know I’m not saying anything you probably don’t already know. But, that is exactly how our mind is tricked by our “modern” technology (Television, magazines, radio, web, books, etc...) telling us about events, things, etc.. We know about them, but for most, we have little to no conviction to act on the knowledge. And that is why I travel - to build conviction.

Next time - I will have a fire starter. When I get back to Washington, I will not delay in buying my tent heater and chair.

[1/20/2003 Morning note: At 5000+ feet near my campsite the morning temperature is unpleasant to say the least. (Probably in the 20s or low 30s) Everything is more difficult - from preparing food to rinsing off the plates, going to the bathroom, getting dressed, to just standing around trying to “wake up.” I could really use that in-tent heater. Into the car I go to warm up!]

Recent Attractions Visited

I’ve had a busy few days since my last report. I’ll write about some of these in detail later in my overall trip report. I visited the following:

In the Tucson Area -
Kitt’s Peak Observatory


Not just one observatory! Southern Arizona is known as the "Astronomy Capital of the US"

Nogales, AZ, and Nogales, Mexico
Titan Missle Museum - bone chilling. Everyone should visit this to really understand the power of man's weapons.
Biosphere 2 - Focused on studying the effects of rising carbon dioxide levels in our atmosphere. Quite the opposite feeling from viewing the Titan Missle
Casa Grande National Monument

Phoenix Suburban Area - Chandler, Mesa, Tempe (Arizona State University), Scottsdale - I was planning on 2 days in the area, I couldn't even last 1/2 a day - what a mess!

Arcosanti - I spent the night here. Too bad the tour didn’t offer too much insight into the architecture of the place. A bit disappointing.
Montezuma’s Castle and Montezuma Fall National Monument - Fascinating!

[Note: I did indeed stop writing this journal entry due to it getting cold - I’ve finished it in the warmth and comfort of a friend’s home - 1/28/2003. I will date this and future journal entries based on when the bulk of them are written]

Post date above
Written 1/15/2003

Camping In Style

I’m typing this as I sit in my camp chair under the moonlight in a campground near Saguaro (sah-WAH-roe) National Park, Tucson, AZ. Drinking a Tecate beer of course. My new lantern is also providing some comforting ambient light. I was just witness to a beautiful multi-colored sunset as I feasted on my rice and tasty Indian Jaipur Vegetables mix I cooked up. My portable camping stove and cookware worked like a charm.

A coyote has wandered around my campsite a couple of times. This is the closest I’ve ever been to them on foot. I’ve seen and heard coyotes while biking near my former home in Aliso Viejo, CA and driving around other National parks. Just in case - my photography unipod serves as a nice baton! - though I doubt I will need it.

This is my first time camping out in the wilderness by myself. It is a sweet feeling. Being “self-sufficient” is a good feeling. Being close to nature is good too. Yet, at least for the moment, I yearn for none of the creature comforts of living under a roof. I have a comfy air mattress to sleep on. A full size pillow. A nice warm down sleeping bag to cozy up in. Probably even more comfortable than my previous night at an Econo Lodge in Tucson. I type on my notebook. I gaze at the stars from the open air sunroof in my tent. All the preparations I made for learning how to camp in style have paid off. This is in sharp contrast to my first night on the road! More on that in a minute.

Tucson, AZ

Tucson, AZ is my first primary stop on what I call “21 days to Washington.” My goal is to make it to WA State by early February for a couple of weeks before heading off to South America. I’m pleasantly surprised by all the interesting things to see in Arizona. I can’t believe I never explored this area after 6 years in Southern California. Must be the "I can see it anytime attitude."

I had the pleasure of visiting the largest independent air museum today - Pima Air & Space Museum, as well as going on the fascinating AMARC tour. (A bunny rabbit just went hopping by 3 feet in front of me!) AMARC is short for Aircraft Maintenance and Regeneration Facility. Aircraft, mostly military, come here from all the US branches of service to be either brought back into flying shape (20% approx I’m told), or to be stored and used as spare parts or scrap metal. The interesting thing about it is that there are over 6000+ aircraft parked there . From large bombers, to fighter jets, and helicopters. From some of the latest, to one of a kinds. It is a surreal sight indeed. The DESTINATIONS section Arizona page has some links related to this. I’ll write more about my thoughts and post pictures from this visit later in an overall trip report.

1st night shivers

So what about that 1st night on the road, two days ago. I got a late start leaving Orange County, CA on Monday - Jan.13th. My first mistake? I ended up driving in the dark in new territory for a few hours. I prefer to travel in the daylight in new areas so I can see the surroundings and get my bearings. I think I was just eager to hit the road. I envisioned a warm toasty night in a motel aptly named Jacumba Hot Springs Spa. Largely due to my stupidity, I ended up sleeping in a nearly freezing motel room while watching A&E Channel’s Benedict Arnold, a story of a famous figure from the American Revolution in the 1770s. The thought of the living conditions back then was the only thing keeping my spirits “warm!”

Arizona Republic newspaper review of Benedict Arnold
Newsday review of Benedict Arnold

I can’t say I was unprepared for the cold - I have snowshoes in my truck. Rather, I was unprepared mentally for how cold it could get out in the desert. Only later would I realize that it got below freezing in part because Jacumba is at 3000 feet.


From the Desert View tower in nearby Ocotillo

As I type this in Tucson - it is nowhere near that cold at night. So why didn’t I go in the hot springs? The main pool, which is the only pool I tested, isn’t as hot as one would think. In the morning the German owner informed me that it was this way because the water had to travel under the street, cooling several degrees in the process. He did inform me about the 24 hour hot Jacuzzi. Alas - I never found it that night. If I had arrived during the day, I’m sure I would have seen it. The entrance was almost right next to where I parked my car.

Yet the most stupid thing I did was to not turn on the heater in the room! I saw an air conditioner - didn’t want that. I also saw a long vertical vent on the wall which I thought was the heater. I even saw a small knob/handle. Yet when I went to turn it nothing happened. It wasn’t supposed to turn. It didn’t occur to me for reasons unknown that I had to pull on it to expose the heating dials. I just figured the heater was broken. I didn’t bother requesting help that night - it would have meant having to get dressed and going outside. There are no phones in the rooms. So...my first night on my two year trip – another exercise in toughening up for the road ahead. Perfect.

Happy New Year!

I'm making the final preparations before I set off on my journey. Tis' why I haven't written in a little while. Meeting with friends and taking care of all the loose ends and integrating new equipment has been time consuming and mentally demanding to say the least. My target departure date is January 10th. Although, I may push it out a couple of days. I've been compiling a list of all my misadventures in the past few weeks where I managed to become a quasi expert on camping gear among other things. It will probably be on the website by my next post.

The first part of my journey will give me 3 weeks of driving to make it back to Washington State by approximately February 1st. I've plotted a course that gives me about a week in Arizona, then through Nevada, Northern California, and Oregon. I'll post a list of target destinations under the appropriate area in the Destinations section of this website. When I post it I will update the What's New section.

Happy trails!