Another hellish drive yesterday. It didn't start out that way.
I woke up in Jessop, Maryland. Couldn't find an overnight parking spot in DC, so I decided to hit the road and stop when it seemed necessary. Once the fog started rolling in 45 minutes outside of DC I pulled off and checked into a Red Roof Inn.
I was cruising through Maryland and New Jersey. Caught my first glimpse of Baltimore. Smooth sailing until Newark. The rain was coming down hard. From Newark into New York and Connecticut, the traffic never let up. As I filled with rage and irritation, I realized I had been in the car for 4 and a half hours straight. After the day before, it felt like no time. I pulled off in Noronton, CT for gas. It was $3.78/gallon, by far the highest price on the trip. I felt ready to carry on, but there was little pleasure on the way. Traffic stayed snarled and there were plenty of maniacs on the road, in particular an Atlantic Express bus driver who thought it was cool to weave in and out of lanes as if he were driving a Miata. After he cut me off, I laid on the horn for the only time on the entire trip.
Finally, at 4:39pm, I reached my final destination. Warmth, love, and home-cooked food were waiting. I stepped out of the shower and saw snow falling outside of the window. Beautiful.
I slept for almost 12 hours last night. I've unloaded a fair amount, but the car is still packed. Time for me to cook tonight, and I picked up some local oysters along with ahi tuna and Atlantic scallops. Very excited for that. I had great food all throughout the trip, but there is nothing like cooking your own meals. That's why the definite culinary highlight of the trip was my cousin's food out in Nashville, and the meal last night which also provided today's lunch.
I'll have more updates and a further breakdown of the trip in the coming days. For now, I saw the final mileage at the end of the journey was 128, 875. Started last Saturday at 125, 617. I travelled 3,258 miles. I saw a number of places I'd never seen. My favorite image came in Yuma, AZ on Sunday morning. I looked at the window of the restaurant and saw of a man riding a bike dragging an American Flyer racer with his dog in it and a huge American flag perch waving off the back. Wish I could've caught a photo of that but the image was striking. I definitely feel closer to this huge land and very proud to be American, moreso than I have in the past. This country is in major decline but politics aside it is a wonderful place filled with great people and a number of lovely micro-cultures. My home for now is Connecticut. I will always be a New Englander. But as I travelled this past week I had a strong sense of coming from California and received the benefits that cache brings with it. That will continue. Even today in the grocery store I had people staring at me yet I felt more at home with myself than I ever did a year ago.
There's snow in the forecast for tomorrow. I've just built a fire. I look forward to the next few chapters of the journey.
After an exceptionally hellish drive, I have made it safely to our nation's capital. I left Nashville this morning at 7:50am, and made my way east into the Appalachians in a driving rain storm. The combination of wind, rain, and fog was enough to contend with. Add in a bunch of honky tonk truckers blasting down the winding roads at 80mph with their 18 wheelers sure did not help the situation. The rain never let up all day, and is moving north along my own path home. Aside from a pit stop in Bull Gap, TN, and another somewhere in Virginia, I spent over 12 hours in the car today. The important thing is I'm safe. Once I eat something and get some sleep, I'll feel that much better. Tomorrow I'm going home.
I'm not falling asleep, which is vexing as I have a ten hour drive in store. I'm watching The Trip to wind down, but more entertaining is the thunder storm outside the window. No snow, that was just to sex up the title to draw you in. But brilliant flashes of light and grumbling thunder. Been awhile since I've experienced all that.
There was a pins and needles feeling, a Christmas morning feeling, this am as I woke up and knew I was going to Graceland. I can't say that any of it was all that glamorous, or that the end result merited the anticipation, but I was propelled in a positive way into my experience, and there was nothing I would rather have done. I crossed the Mississippi. I went down Elvis Presley Boulevard. I woke up listening to Paul Simon's amazing song.
The mansion is tiny by today's standards. It is the epitome of '70s tacky-ness. But none of that bothered me. In fact, I found myself surprisingly emotional at the sight of the gravestones of Elvis, his parents, and his grandmother. I welled up. The guy hit a level of fame and influence never seen on this earth before or since at 19. By 42 he was dead. His father wrote the inscription on his gravestone. If you aren't moved by that, well, I'll still respect you, but we aren't at the same level. Elvis is a prisoner to early fame and an early demise. But I felt inspired by being able to be close to his nexus. God bless Elvis.
I had some great barbecue down on Beale Street before out. Memphis is certainly a town that would be blast to spend a weekend in. Come down to see a show and enjoy yourself. I don't think this is the last time I'll ever be here.
Made my way up to Nashville to see my cousins. Listened to a public funded bluegrass station playing Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Hank Snow and more pure country. It was great. The road didn't feel far away. I felt at home and could easily have been in any part of the country. But I made my way to Nashville and pulled off before seeing any of the city. Was greeted like a king of state. I feel blessed to have family here. If I had not set free from my moorings, I would not be so close to people who are so special to this world and connected and special to me.
A long day of driving tomorrow, and I must admit I'm at a loss for words. Positively.
Arrived in Little Rock around 5 and it was heavy traffic time. This is a small city/town, but there was still gridlock. As I punched in random points on the GPS and then arbitrarily chose to override the directions, I ended up on President Clinton Way. Stuck behind a trolley car, crawling along the street, I finally broke free and found a spot. Despite having limited visibility due to a full car, it was easy to parallel park because the spaces here are fit for pick-up trucks. It wasn't until I got out of the car that I saw I was in front of a restaurant that had locals pouring into it.
Welcome to the Flyin' Fish. Exactly the place I wanted to find, a Southern seafood joint. I ordered up a fried oyster basket, complete with hush puppies. This was my first meal of the day and the food was sensational. The place was a ethnically diverse and a mixture of young & old. Everyone was friendly. Great find.
Walking out I realized I was on a happening street right alongside the river. I walked around a bit, popped into a bar called the Golden Saucer that offered over 200 beers. Not really my thing but still a very cool place.
Though I was parked in front of the downtown Courtyard Marriott I figured I could save a few bucks by heading up the highway towards Memphis. Now I'm in a Holiday Inn Express for $104 a night in Lonoke, AR. I'm getting screwed. This place has no hot tub. The room is nice, but I would be better off across the street at the Days Inn for $30 less and no expectation of a hot tub. In terms of symmetry, the first hotel I found on my journey out west was a Holiday Inn Express. That was in Kentucky. And that one had a hot tub.
Tomorrow I'm going to Memphis. Graceland. Home of The King. I'm very excited for that. Tonight was real fun because it was the first time on the trip I took in my surroundings. The next couple days should be cool.
Two songs of the day today.
The first comes from a box set of Tom Jones recordings from his Las Vegas set late '70s/early '80s TV show. That box set is one of my prize possessions. Purchased for $6 at the Virgin Megastore (on Newbury/Mass Ave) closeout sale, it shows not only artistry but professionalism. Sir Tom got up there every day and knocked out about 3 songs a day, all under 3 minutes in length. But they had some inspired arrangements, and he gave his all on every one of the vocals. When I was living in my studio on Huntington Avenue, I would cook dinner, drink wine, and blast these cds (and various others) and sing my heart out. Here is a great example of taking a very famous song and making it his own, with total '70s flair and raw sexuality (notice the thrill of the crowd as he takes off the blue sequined jacket). Also, TJ was great friends with The King himself.
And once I reached my unexpected destination this wonderful surprise, Tina Turner singing "Nutbush City Limits." I may not be in Tennessee yet but what a great example of Southern rock 'n roll! This was playing as I walked into the Flying Fish and I was thrilled to hear it. I'm more familiar with the version from the '80s double disc, Tina In Europe, but we've got to go with the original with that bastard Ike Turner and the welcome presence of the Ikettes:
Some construction on the road but still an easy drive. Saw a stray dog by the side of the road in Muskogee County, that was a bummer. I got an oil change in Van Buren, Arkansas. A team of 4 suddenly arrived at the car, popped the hood, and had the work done in 10 minutes. I didn't feel comfortable stopping anywhere so I headed straight for Little Rock.
My phone never switched over to central time, so I woke up later than I had planned. Still, the Motel 6 treated me well. And you know you're in a class joint when there's a bottle opener mounted under the sink.
It was chillier here than any other place I'd been, about 42 degrees. But the high was expected to reach the 50s. Mileage 127, 094. Gas $2.99/gal.
Hello from Oklahoma City. Just checked into the Motel 6 after a very long day.
Finally got a good night's sleep last night and then was on the road at 11. I ate an apple and some trail mix rather than stopping for food, and made my way due north to Albuquerque. 18 miles outside of Las Cruces was another border patrol checkpoint. Today's question was, "What country are you a citizen of?" With that taken care of, I was off. One thing I did like at the patrol stop was the sight of one of the guards playing with the German Shepard patrol dog, who was obviously off duty.
Pulled into a rest stop and discovered that I was on a stretch of the Camino Real known as La Jornada Del Muerto, the Journey of Death. Not exactly a burst of optimism, but it provides good perspective on how blessed we are with invention and technology. New Mexico is vast and unforgiving on foot or carriage, but armed with a car you are in good shape.
I passed Silver City and crossed over the Rio Grande. Saw adobe houses and a team of convicts performing roadside cleanup. Also a couple of horses, and a few herds of cows. The landscape was pretty uniform throughout all of New Mexico.
Stopped at the Route 66 Diner in Albuquerque for breakfast, though it was about 2:30pm. Had a breakfast burrito with eggs and green chilies that was fantastic. Experienced a strong flash of deja vu a few miles east of Albuquerque, interesting since I had not travelled on that stretch of the 40 back in June. That time I came into Albuquerque from the north after leaving Santa Fe. Picked up Radio Free KABC Santa Fe for the drive east. Stopped in Santa Rosa for gas and then lost the signal a little before Tecumcari. After listening to "All Things Considered" on NPR I put "The Bride Stripped Bare" by Bryan Ferry, without question his greatest album. Crossed into Texas after nightfall and stopped into a roadside steak place in Amarillo for dinner. Then saddled up to make my way here.
I hit a rest stop not too far east of Amarillo and saw this sign warning of rattlesnakes. That had me racing to and from the front door of what was otherwise a very lovely and pristine rest stop. I hate snakes.
When I crossed into Oklahoma around 10:30 I could see the 4/5ths moon hovering in a pale orange glow to the east. The moon rose in the sky and provided a beacon for the rest of the drive.
672 miles covered today. Now settled in search of sleep. Tomorrow, Arkansas.
Woke up in Yuma, though sleep was only intermittent. Still, I felt thrilled to be alive and on my way. I had a killer breakfast at the restaurant next to the hotel where the menu taught me that Yuma was the first stop on the first coast to coast aero flight. Hence all of the airplane imagery in the town. The other main local attraction was the Yuma Territory Prison site. I would've liked to have seen it, but after my breakfast took over an hour and checking out took 15 minutes, I wasn't about to chance further delay.
Checked the tires, filled the tank (gas was $3.04/gal @the Circle K), and headed east. Within 18 miles, I hit the border patrol checkpoint. The only question, "Are you traveling alone?" Then I was on my way.
It took about 4 hours to reach Tucson, which was as non-descript as a known city can be. I stopped into a restaurant called Micha's and had an outstanding taco plate and margarita. Dirt cheap, wonderfully fresh and lightening fast, great find. Another fill up and I was back on the road headed for Las Cruces, which took another 4 plus hours.
When I looked over my options last night I decided to head through Flagstaff for Albuquerque. But when I woke up this morning, I decided on Las Cruces instead. It would be about an hour and a half shorter, and was some place I have not been. On the way into Tucson, I heard a weather report advising drivers in Sedona and Flagstaff area to use their 4 wheel drives or bring their chains if they had to drive on account of a major winter storm. So I caught a huge break there. Along the way today I saw some cacti, rock formations, and one herd of sheep. Sunsets are behind me on this trip, and that is something I'm not crazy about. I love watching the sun set into the Pacific, and miss it already.
Stopped for gas outside Tucson and ended up parked next to a prisoner transport van. Fittingly, this is was a mile from the exit for Tombstone, AZ. Fun road signs of the day: BLOWING DUST AREA, and ZERO VISIBILITY POSSIBLE. I crossed into New Mexico right at dusk, and the sky behind me was beautiful. Just before coming into Las Cruces, I crossed the Rio Grande.
As for Las Cruces, not much to speak of. A collection of strip malls, motels, car lots. By 8:30 only two restaurants remained open on this side of town, McDonald's and Applebee's. I chose Applebee's, and am now in a room at La Quinta Inn next door for $65.
Tomorrow I'll head up to Albuquerque en route to Texas. For now, though, I'm too tired to look at a route. My legs and neck are stiff. Covered 514 miles today, drove from 12 to 8:30. Hope that tonight I can get more sleep.
For my driving music today I listened to Shangri-La by Mark Knopfler and Praise & Blame by Tom Jones. I also plugged in my iPod for an hour and the first song shuffle selected was an inspired choice, Ministry's cover of "Lay Lady Lay." But today's musical highlight was undoubtedly Waylon Jennings with "Good 'Ol Boys," the theme song for my favorite childhood tv show, The Dukes of Hazzard. Kick ass!
Greetings from Yuma, Arizona. I must say that I am thrilled to be here.
Today was a hell of a day. Up since 7am, and on the go ever since. The packing/cleaning took almost three hours more than I expected. I put my phone on vibrate last night and pretty much forgot about the phone for the day, and I greatly apologize to those of you that were trying to reach me. I was caught up and certainly didn't want to make anyone worry.
You saw the blue sky in Pacific Beach this morning, that was interrupted by periodic rain showers. I hardly noticed as I ran up and down the stairs trying to make sure I had everything and could get the keys turned in time before the rental office closed. I just made it before heading back to do some final cleaning. Throughout the day I had a couch pick-up from the same guy who bought my coffee tables. Today he was with his family, they were all up from Tijuana. Nice people.
I got some great support and kindness from my neighbors at 3723 Ingraham. I feel very lucky that I found a spot in San Diego next to such good people. There's friendly, and then there's quality. These people are quality. They offered help and good vibes and I will miss them.
Once I was finally ready to head out it was about 7. I headed out on the 8 thinking I'd stop at In 'N Out and make my way to Scottsdale, AZ. The GPS told me that over a 6 hour trip and thus it was out of the question. In 'N Out was overflowing with people and I didn't feel like getting stalled 4 miles into a three thousand mile journey. I pushed east completely unaware of where I could stop.
Disoriented, I called my road warrior friend Andrew and asked for some consultation. With the aid of the internet and rationale we figured Yuma was a good bet--about 165 miles away. Andrew really saved the day, I would have been riding blind otherwise.
The rain picked up as I moved past El Cajon. The temperature also started to drop.
Let me back up a bit: I filled up earlier today at a Von's in Pacific Beach for $3.48/gallon. But the pumps were a bit screwy so I put in $20 cash which left my tank around 3/4 full. When I left Ingraham Street the mileage on the car was 125, 617.
Okay, so now the rain is picking up and I haven't seen much life off the road so I decide to fill up. I pull off in Alpine, CA and fill up for $3.56/gallon. This was a smart move. There wasn't another gas station for 15 miles, and all of those were located behind me.
Now it started to get weird. A road sign warned of high winds. This was a permanent sign. 5 lanes dropped to 4, then 3, at which point I looked to my right and saw a snow plow. That was odd, I thought. Then a temporary sign flashed a winter weather warning for the next 26 miles. By the time we were down to two lanes, the temperature was down to 36 and the rain had turned to sleet. Then it stopped, then there was the thickest fog I have ever seen on a highway. Traffic slowed to about 30 mph, on a road with a 70mph speed limit. I could see more than 40 feet ahead. This was scary. I asked the GPS for the nearest hotel. There weren't any. There were, however, a few RV/Trailer camps. The fog cleared. But now a sign said ELEVATION 3000 FEET. The sleet was turning to slush. The other cars were disappearing. And there were almost no lights anywhere in sight. No light towers, no highway markers other than paint. Absolutely no lights coming from off of the highway. Though it was a full moon, it was little more than a highlight to the reappearance of fog. At one point I passed a huge neon casino light, but the fog was so thick that I could tell what it was until I was alongside of it and still could barely make out the words. Then the fog cleared. We were at 4000 feet. And now there were massive snow capped mountains all around. Within another mile, there was also driving snow. This was scary. I asked the GPS again for hotels. There was one 13.5 miles ahead. Bingo. Very few cars now, but all piled up in a row. 30 mph, blackness other than headlights and snow, the temperature down to 32. Within 4 miles I saw a motel sign just off of the highway. I went straight for it. There was the hotel, right next to a trailer park, and nothing else in sight. I got out of the car in my shorts, t-shirt and flip flops. No vacancies. Fuck!
I pressed on for the next town, Jacumba which was the home to the hotel I'd planned on going to. I traveled east on the old 80 highway in utter blackness. Every now and then I would see a truck, and every time it was a border control truck. I saw 7 of them dotted along the highway. I always liked looking at the GPS map in San Diego because most of the time it would show the Pacific Ocean just a mile or so off to the side. As I travelled through Jacumba the GPS map showed Mexico just a mile or so off the side. I did not like this. Finally, after 10 miles, I came into Jacumba. The hotel was the only business on the side of the road and offered FOOD/LODGING with a couple cars and another federale truck parked outside. I went right past it.
The snow had gone. The rain was intermittent. There were no hotels or towns for miles. I could see the 8 to my left and it looked better than before. I got back on. Now I was in a winding canyon and saw the following permanent road signs: DANGER: MUD SLIDES, CAUTION: FALLING ROCKS, WARNING: EXTREME WINDS NEXT 12 MILES. Holy shit! There was only one other car near me. The rain was back. I wound through the mountains. ELEVATION 3000 FEET. Okay, this is better. Still winding around, rather nervous. Temperature now 42 degrees. All along I'd been listening to a Baja California station playing a chillout session. The song on the radio now was this Julee Cruise cover of "It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" ---proof that God has a sense of humor. San Diego County became Imperial County Still winding, but downward, the rain stopped as I weaved through the blue shadows of the canyon. Then, in an instant, I was out. The moon struck out from behind the shoulder of the final mountain and all the clouds were only beautiful streaks in a bright sky. At the same moment, for the first time in an hour, there were the bright lights of civilization, Calexico. ELEVATION: SEA LEVEL. I made it. I was saved.
Now driving on a flat plane, with bright lights ahead in the distance, it felt cool being by the border. For the first time all night, driving was free and easy. The temperature climbed all the way back up to 51 degrees. I was bound for Yuma. Elated. I came upon El Centro and rejoiced at the sight of gas stations, hotels, and strip malls. But no sign offered greater promise and comfort than the beacon of In 'N Out Burger. I pulled off and settled in for my first meal of the day. It was now around 9:30pm. And after a stressful day in which my only sustenance was half a smoothie, some pb & J on naan, a snickers bar and a few bananas, this felt like some great reward. I finished my Dr. Pepper and made a reservation for the Best Western in Yuma, where I am sitting now.
I covered 169 miles, a state line, and the first time zone of the journey back East. Before I left today, Benny came by to check on me and alerted me to the beautiful, full rainbow right outside my bedroom window. Good sign.
It was a beautiful start to the day. Bright sun and blue skies. Ran a few errands, thought about how I wanted to get some video of the palm trees shimmering in the sun. Came back home to take care of some bills and pack. A few clouds rolled in. The whale watch was cancelled due to a forecast of rain and gale force winds. When I went to head back out the few white clouds had been eclipsed by a massive dark cloud coming up from the south. I tried to make it to a stretch of blue over in La Jolla but you can see from the pictures that it was too late.
Though it is warm out, around 60, the winds are strong and knock the temperature down about ten degrees. The rains came by the mid-afternoon. I settled in and packed. Met my buddy for a final burger at Rocky's and then went over to hang out with Tom & Jamie for a little while. Back home now, tired, looking to be asleep very shortly.
My mail is on hold, about to be re-directed. The electricity will be cut Sunday. Tomorrow I return the cable box and modem. A guy from Tijuana is coming to purchase the couch at 1, he bought the coffee tables last week. On Wednesday a kid who just moved here from Rhode Island bought the bed. The furniture will be converted to gas money. I'll pack up the car tomorrow.
Time to listen to the wind and rain, and enjoy my final night on the peninsula of Crown Point. I will dearly miss being so close to the ocean.
