28 Hours of Los Angeles-Seattle

I surprised even myself when I arrived back here in Seattle a couple of days ago - August 12th. I just completed a non-stop solo drive from the Los Angeles to Seattle area, 1250 miles - in a 15' moving truck! (2) 45 minute naps, a (1) 2 hour stop to visit a friend, an early breakfast at Denny's, and stops for gasoline or a restroom / stretch break were the only pauses. This drive came right after a grueling 7 hours of loading up the moving truck at my storage unit in California. This drive puts any single day drive I have ever done to shame. Averaging 60 miles per hour equals about 21 hours of driving. So figure a total of 7 hours of breaks/rest total. Can you tell I was eager to get back "home"?

Along the way I think I picked up a new potential habit. Coffee drinking. I've never been crazy about coffee since I sipped it as a kid and decided the taste was repulsive. In my whole life I've had the equivalent of about 1-2 cups of coffee. Mid way through Oregon I realized I really needed to wake up or all of my worldly possessions might end up flying off the highway along with me going through the windshield. (I did buy the insurance!) I know alot of people drink coffee for the caffeine so I decided since I had no tolerance built up to it I would give it a try. A canned Starbucks double shot espresso did the trick. I gulped it, trying to avoid having to taste it. Within 5 minutes I was a new man. This worked better than the Red Bull and energy drinks I was downing. What have I been missing? Just stained teeth? Give me the drug....!!


Ok, it doesn't sound as sexy as the 24 Hours of LeMans car race but it will go down in my mind as one of my ultimate drives. And the drive where I learned to appreciate coffee. Context Context Context!!

Freak of Nature (Lake Forest, CA, USA)

You could have called me a freak of nature today. I returned my lease car of the past 3 years - my trusty Toyota Tundra pickup truck at the dealership today. To symbolize my freedom from owning a car I decided to walk back to my friend’s home - 4 miles away...in the afternoon Southern California sun. Why a freak? Well I used my 2 legs instead of 4 wheels. Which is definitely not how people get around in Orange County, and much of America (I can say this now that I’ve actually seen a lot of America - I have the pictures to back this up too!).

After having lunch with an old friend near the dealership I refused his offer for a lift back to my friend’s home. For the record, I saw two joggers and two young kids shortly after I left the restaurant. The whole rest of the way I saw - ZERO - people walking my way. Two people total on the other side of the street. Hundreds of cars passed by no doubt.

The last time I felt freakish like this was in my final months of going to my workplace in June - August 2002. I started biking to work. 17 miles each way. Once a week at first. Then twice. Three times. It culminated in a week where I biked in everyday. 34 miles/day for 5 days. I even managed to ride the local bus system on another day. My first time on transit in Orange County. It was tricky because I had to bring my bike too because of limited times the bus actually runs in Orange County. I recall on the bus ride in the morning there were only a couple of people on the bus. I would bet good money that 90% of my former co-workers (400+ people) have never ridden a public transit bus in Orange County. And I only lived here 6 years. I can’t really fault my fellow citizens here completely - the layout of the cities makes car ownership imperative for all but a few.

It didn’t really take me that long to bike into work. Riding on a bike trail with no traffic lights meant I was just a few minutes slower than going by car. I might have actually been faster going home one day. Besides, I didn’t need to go to a health club for the day. My workout routine was built in - naturally.

I don’t expect to own a car for the next 2 years - if not even longer. This is small potatoes compared to one of the friends I stayed with in New Orleans. She went at least 6 years (Might be 10) without a car. A few years in San Francisco, a few years in Washington DC, a couple of years in the Peace Corp, and year or two in Eastern Europe. Sure I will rent a car at time but I am free from slavery to it.

With this I direct you to my little article - 15,000 miles to Nowhere

PS: If you’re tired of my car ravings - have you ever stopped to consider how many car ads are on television? Prime magazine spots? Before watching a movie?