Austin to Pheonix

If you haven't checked it out yet; http://halvingit.tumblr.com/


Eight days on the road with Patrick. We left Austin on Christmas Eve and headed for Balmorhea, TX. A small town in west Texas with natural hot springs. It was a short and desolate drive. Every store and restaurant was closed, and the traffic was sparse. Well on our way to our next destination, the evening hunger set in. With our food rations to low to curb our appetite we searched. In the town of Junction, TX we found the best bar-b-que in texas. Maybe it wasn't the best, but it was the best thing we could have wished for on Christmas Eve when everything else was closed. We had our feast and pressed on.

Balmorhea was cold. Snow was on the ground. Patrick slept in a down jacket in a down sleeping bag and was still cold. As much as we wanted to have Christmas Day our day off from driving, there just wasn't reason to stay. As it turned out, the springs that we were hoping to soak in were not all that hot. In fact, they stay at a fairly consistant 72 degrees. 72 seems nice compared to the 19 degrees in the sun, but by the time my body was submerged in a lukewarm bath I new it wasn't warm enough. Good thing the park had hot showers.

From Balmorhea to Tucson. It's great to travel across the country and be greeted by the loving arms of family. Our Aunt Ruthie and her man Rodger took us in for an amazing Christmas dinner. A home cooked meal!? The last time I had a home cooked meal was in Brooklyn! Oh it was delicious. We ate and shared stories. I had a blast, didn't want to leave, but Patrick noticed my allergies that I had tried to ignore. It was unfortunate we couldn't stay longer. To Phoenix we drove!


Down time to the max! We slept in and did little all day. We wondered the streets, enjoying the first good weather all trip, soaking in the sun on the fine 60 degree day, and admiring the view of the mountains agains the blue skies. To wrap up the night, we sipped tea and shared to each other the secrets of the universe.


Next stop, Los Angeles. 

Halving It?

I've been on the road for four days with my brother. We left Brooklyn in the evening and drove through the night. I needed to get out of the city. 

Our first stop was the Pine Grove Furnace State Park in Pensilvania. We arrived at one o'clock in the morning. By this time I could barely keep my eyes open and I hadn't had time to teach Pat how to drive the truck. Unfortunately the campsite was closed for the season. Unwilling to risk an automotive accident falling asleep at the wheel, I made the executive decision to stay in the deserted campsite. In the morning we had a quick chat with the rangers and we were off.

Next stop, Cherokee National Forest. Pat, now understanding that I don't plan things out, decided to call ahead and make sure the campsites were open. It was their off season, so most of the camping was closed, but the tent camping was fair game. And because it was their off season, the whole campsite was left all to Pat and me. Not to shabby. We picked a spot, set up tent, and chowed down on some left over noodles from Chinatown. Then the storm rolled in. I love tent camping through storms, but it would have been nice if it stopped by morning. With haste we gathered our things and got back on the road.

New Orleans was pretty cool. We met up with a friend of a friend and stayed in a luxurious hotel. It was Pat's decision, but I put up little resistance. I could use a good night's sleep. My early routes were no more that seven hours on the road, and with Pat I've been pushing ten. That coupled with the poor rest I got the previous nights had burnt me out pretty quickly. We didn't stick around long, just enough to check out the touristy area and grab brunch before I was back behind the wheel.


It was a quick eight hours to Austin, or at least it would have been if either of us were capable of navigating. It ended up taking us an extra hour to make it to Chase's place, but like mom always said, "all things happen for a reason." Maybe she was right, either way it was great to see Chase again and get to rest in such a welcoming home.

Tighten break line ............ Check
Change oil ........................ Check

I could stand to spend a few more days in Austin. The brisket alone makes it just about worth it. Plus I've been hearing nothing but good stories from Chase.




For more of the adventure, check out Pat's Tumblr:


http://halvingit.tumblr.com/

There's No Business Like Bro Business

Good Enough for a Whore House, not a Church

Well, Rochester was good. Emotionally straining because I'm a sixteen year old girl who can't hack being around my ex for an extended period of time, but I managed. We did have fun though, Katie, her friends, and I. I crashed an after exam celebration that was acceptably riotous, and enjoyed the sexual bunch cracking jokes that I only have half understood. Something about jerking around the prostate of an examination model. Very entertaining. Highlights of the stay in Rochester include; Salsa dancing, climbing at the red barn, refreshing Nick's driving skills, and a garbage plate. Thanks Joe for showing me the ropes.

Time to go home to the mountains.

I made it as far as Keeseville and realized I didn't actually know how to get to where I was going. With out cell phone reception or a coffee shop with wi-fi, I decided to set up shop at a familiar campsite. Not far off the road, next to a small river, I set up my tent and started a fire. Good timing I suppose. I hadn't even finished setting up my tent before the snow started. The snow didn't bother me. I was hoping to see if I could stand up to winter camping. It would have been nice to be ready for it, but waiting until I'm ready just isn't something I do. I finished my dinner, a can of tuna and a home-brew, and hung out by the fire as the cold set in.

It's funny, I often day dreamt about being alone in the wilderness, and how I would just sit, meditate, and ponder life's questions that have no answer, but when I actually was there, I had Push It stuck in my head. So, I jammed out to the sweet sweet sound of Salt-N-Pepa instead.


After the tunes subsided, my thoughts cleared, and, nightfall was upon me. I pried myself from the fire that was barely keeping my toes warm and crawled into my tent, where I made my best efforts to find coziness in a frosty sleeping bag. Not literally frosty, at this point, but that is certainly what I woke up to. Over the course of the night a light snow had set in and built up a good coat of ice over the tent, and a fine layer of frost made everything on the inside shimmer.

When the temperature dropped low enough to wake me, I figured it was nature's alarm clock. 6:30 on the dot. Not bad nature, not bad. I packed up and headed toward the nearest town that might have one of them fancy cafés with the internets and what not. As luck may have it, I didn't need it. Half way to Lake Placid, my cell phone picked up a bar. It wasn't a lot, but enough to hear Anita's voice message giving me directions. I whipped that 4x4 around and headed up the mountain to the Sayers' residence!



Out of all the places I have been in my life so far, this is my favorite.

Over the next few days, I was well taken care of by Peter and Anita. The Doc shared stories, wisdom, and beer, and I lent a hand on the lean to.

Working on the lean to is how I spent most of my time. As the routine went, we'd get up in the morning, have coffee, I'd stare out at the mountains while Peter or Anita cooked breakfast, eat, then Peter from up the hill would swing by, pick us and the tools up, and we'd get to work. I did a lot of chiseling, most of which was notching the rafters to the ridgepole. Before long we were laying felt paper on a brand new lean to.


Well, my work there was done. I hope to return in the not to distant future, but the road is calling my name once again. Tonight I will lay my head in Brooklyn.

Detroit Something City

Before hitting Detroit, I made a quick detour to have lunch with a friend in Kalamazoo. Tyler. He took me to an amazing place called the Kalamazoo Beer Exchange, where the prices of the taps fluctuate like that of stocks. 

After lunch I hit the road to meet up with Ryan for some Detroit fun. Ryan and I had all sorts of adventures. We won big at the casino playing slots and I got hit on by some girl at a bar... that is if "You're hot, you look like my ex-boyfriend" counts as flirting. After a late dinner we got our exercise in playing X-Box's Kinect Adventures. Solly has some embarrassing video of me trying to play one of the games. Not a bad way to wrap up the first night.

The next day we started out right with a big healthy breakfast. We were going to need it. We spent the day finding abandoned buildings, and exploring the derelict areas of Detroit.

After a long day of adventure in the treacherous abandoned buildings, we retired for many beers and cribbage. Ryan won.

Since then I've made it through Canada to Rochester, NY.

Grand Rapids

Restless and cold, I woke from what could barely be considered a nap. The cab wasn't the best place to sleep for the night, but undoubtedly better than driving half asleep. It was a text from Joey that pulled me from my dreams. Good thing too, it was already 10:00 AM, and this adventure isn't about wasting time. It wasn't long before I was at Joe's place and greeted with a welcoming hug. From there the day progressed at a leisurely pace. We spent a good several hours at a coffee shop in deep conversation about the state of things and perceptions, even delved into the realm of the metacognitive. The setting was surreal, with the winter sun low on the horizon, sharing coffee and conversation in a new environment with an old friend. I couldn't ask for a better start to my day. Keeping the pace, we walked to Coolidge to deliver coffee to a friend, and made our way to brew pub where we each devoured easily one of the best burgers I have ever had. The place is HopCat if you're ever in the area. I highly recommend it.

Fast forward to the night where things began to pick up pace. We went out with some of Joey's righteous friends to by far one of the best bars I've ever been to. The Pyramid Scheme. I knew it was something to behold when the bar tender listed off beers they didn't carry, "... bud light, miller light, coors light..." Nailed it. The painting of Bebop and Rocksteady didn't hurt either.  A few black labels later and we were on to Stella's for beer and arcade games. It was turning out to be a great night. Good conversation with good people always keeps my spirits lifted. Last stop on our way was a cocktail bar next door to Stella's. By this time I've had enough to not remember all the details. What I do remember is having the best old fashioned I've ever had, and the only whiskey sour I've ever had made right. Thanks Steve.

I believe from there, we called a cab and made it home safely. Shared a bed head to toe and fell asleep to the soundtrack to Day of the Dead.

Today had an even slower start than yesterday. Another cup of coffee with Joe at the Madcap and we parted ways for the day. And I got to meet up with my cousin Kyle for Lunch. It was good to catch up, and see how Kyle has grown intellectually. Another great conversationalist.

Then we slack-lined.

Well, Grand Rapids has been good to me. Next on the adventure, Detroit to visit a friend from MTU.

First Leg, Around the Lake.

It wasn't until 1:00 PM that I was finally on the road. I had a checklist of things to do before I could get on the road:

Pack Truck
Drop off Keys
Modem
Boards and Beer
Scott



It took a bit longer than I anticipated to pack the truck, but it worked out for the better I guess. My building manager came around so I got to say bye to him and give him my keys. Then he spent ten minutes trying to navigate the treacherous terrain of the Time Warner website to find out where I was supposed to drop off my cable modem. Good thing he did otherwise I would have blindly drove around looking for the place. Next stop was Dune's place to drop of some boards I had built for a Client. We shared a beer and reminisced. It was just what I needed to shake of the stress of the hectic morning. After we loaded up some home-brew into the truck I was on my way to see Scott. Scott has been my closest friend in Milwaukee since the day I transferred to MIAD, so saying by to him gave almost a sense of symmetry to my life in Milwaukee.

First stop, Aurora, IL. I was hoping to meet up with a friend of mine, but due to schedule conflicts, we were unfortunately unable to meet up. Now with the sun setting, I thought it would be best to find a campsite and get an early start in the morning. Long story short, the campsite the Garmin lead me to was by a highway. Disappointed I pressed on. I figured I could make it to my next stop, Grand Rapids.

After crossing the Michigan boarder I decided to stop for gas. I was at a half tank yet, but figured I could use the break from driving. When I went to fill up, I felt for my wallet and my heart sank. I tore apart the cab searching. With all the junk I had in my car it was quite the task and after a second thorough search I panicked. Well, I had a half tank of gas, and thought "Maybe I can get to where I was last, maybe my wallet fell out of my truck there." Flustered, I drove pass the on ramp. Angry, I pulled into the next lit parking lot. Terrified, I ripped apart my cab one last time. Fruitless, I went back to the truck bed. I may not have my walled, but I've got beer. Oh, and there happens to be my wallet. I don't know why, but I didn't care, and as I looked up from the bed, wallet in hand, I saw Jimmy's Bar. "Don't mind if I do."

I took a whiskey and tonic to calm the nerves after that mishap and started up conversation with a gentleman at the bar. He told the story of the company he worked for being bought up and sold time and time again. "The dark side of capitalism" he called it. With each sale jobs were cut and changes made. Over 30 years, the company had been reduced from 100 to 3, and fail rates of the product from 3% to 40%. I guess that's what happens when the guys running a company don't actually know what the company does. Who would have thought that the calibration units were crucial to the function of their infrared pyrometers. Nothing but rocks left in my glass, I got back on the road.

I was about an hour outside of Grand Rapids and my body needed sleep. I pulled into the a rest area, and settled in for the night. It was a bit chilly, but not intolerable, so I drifted off to sleep with the lullaby of the near highway singing to me.