Roadtrip: Day 4

Wow. Today was a looooooong day....

Headed of from Flagstaff around 8am and headed off through yet more nothingness towards New Mexico. Actually, the landscape between Flagstaff and Albuquerque reminds me a great deal of the roadrunner cartoons, all canyons and desert roads. Arrived in Albuqerque, New Mexico around 3pm and grabbed some food at this great little diner, then headed off to fill up on gas before continuing on my way. However... DISASTER STRUCK! Somehow, between paying for my lunch and getting to the petrol station I managed to lose my ATM card, and no ammount of searching would find it. This is Not Good. However, after I calmed myself down I called Citibank, cancelled the card, and got the location of a citibank office in downtown Amarillo that I can go to tomorrow and get a temporary replacement. Not ideal by any means, but it's not the end of the world.

With all that sorted out, I continued on my merry way. I have to say that there is a hugs difference between and East and West New Mexico. The West is full on canyons and red rock and funky desert stuff, whilst the East is much more gentle rolling meadows. Quite a nice change, and I had a pleasant 4 hours driving to the Texas border. Driving into the "panhandle" of Texas revealed another type of terrain; flat. I'm really rather glad I'm not an Agoraphobic, because the view redefined the meaning of "vast", "empty" and "flat" for me.

Anyway, I continued down into Amarillo with a gorgeous sunset behind me (see photos), and got some food and found a wifi hotspot. Today's entry is kinda brief because I'm utterly exhausted after driving all day, and I need to find a nice, quiet and above all, safe place to park my car and go to sleep!

Pictures

Roadtrip webpage

Roadtrip: Day 3

I'd like to open todays journal entry by reiterating a statement I made yesterday: Arizona really doesn't contain much else than gargantuan quantities of dirt at various elevations. I could go for 20 miles at a time with the only signs of civilisation being the road I was driving on and a row of telegraph poles beside it, stretching off into the distance.

I've also decided that Flagstaff is quite an awesome place. As well as being quite a "quaint" little city/town, it's located in a fantastic part of the world, with some of the best scenery imagineable within driving distance. I decided to get up very early and try and see both Monument Valley and the Grand Canyon in one day, about a 400 mile round trip. Started off by heading up the AZ-89 North, and then continued along the AZ-160, before finally heading onto the AZ-163 for the final couple of 30 miles or so to Monument Valley. The environment turned pretty dry and arid very quickly upon leaving Flagstaff, with lots of red desert rock stretching out for miles. Thankfully there was some cloud cover for most of the morning, meaning that temperatures didn't soar quite as high as they had done the previous two days; the hottest it got was a manageable 96 F. After turning onto the AZ-160 the terrain started to get much more picturesque, with some amazing stone artifacts appearing all over the place. The were a large number of rocky hills that displayed the strata-like layers, all weathered down, and it was all very beautiful.

Monument Valley itself was visible from a long way away, and it was quite spectacular watching the monolithic stone structures get larger and larger and larger the closer I got, more and more detail being revealed with every mile. I stopped at the tourist center there for about 30 mins, most of the time snapping photos with my digital SLR camera, but I also wandered through the trading post and crushed a cent coin for my little sister (she made me promise to get her one every time I saw a machine). Words cannot really describe how big and awe-inspiring Monument Valley is. The sheer size of the mesas is overwhelming and impressive beyond belief. Sadly, I couldn't spend time driving along the dust trail that actually goes down to the valley floor and between all the mesas, but I'd definately recommend that anyone else who goes does it.

Before heading back down the AZ-163 I drove about two miles further up it into Utah. I hadn't planned on visiting Monument Valley until yesterday evening, and upon realising it was so close to another State I just had to add it to my list! After spending all of 5 mins in the wonderful shanty town of Gouldings I turned back, and headed all the way back down to AZ-89, and about 20 miles later turned right onto the AZ-64 East that led to the South Rim pf the Grand Canyon. The road follows along the ridgeline of the Canyon for pretty much all the way, and although I didn't stop in an effort to make good time the views as I drove were simply stunning. They were, however, nothing compared to the views from the official viewpoints once I had entered the National Park proper. There is a certain majesty to the vastness of the canyon, and it's hard to put into words exactly how big it is. It's big. It's very, very big. And so deep. Needless to say, I spent a very happy hour there snapping away and marvelling at the beauty of the place. However, my time there was cut short by the arrival of a thunderstorm, so I left (earlier than I wanted to, sadly), and headed back into Flagstaff.

One thing I've noticed, epsecially today, is how polluted the air in California is, especially along the 101 and the I-5. When driving along those, visibility was awful, and a horrible haze covered the horizon. Here in Arizona, especially in the Northern parts, the air is so clear I could see for miles. It made for a really refreshing change!

In other news, I managed to sunburn my left arm despite the lack of direct sunlight for most of the day. I was also incorrect in putting my watch foward an hour when I came into Arizona. While it is technically in th Mountain Time zone, it doesn't observe daylight savings, and is therefore on par with Pacific Standard Time. Which meant that I got up stupidly early this morning, and arrived back at the hostel with plenty of time to spare before heading out to meet Jessie, a friend of mine who lives here in Flagstaff.

Tomorrow shall be a nice long day; hoping to drive all the way through Mexico to Amarillo in Texas!

Pictures

Roadtrip webpage

Roadtrip: Day 2

After a stiflingly hot night in San Diego, I woke up at about 7.30, grabbed a quick shower and nabbed a free breakfast of toast and scrambled eggs before checking out and starting on my way at about 8.30. I decided to take the I-8 East along the Mexican border, and then cut up through Phoenix once I got to Arizona. The 8 was fairly busy first thing the morning, but it quickly got less crowded as I left the city limits. I was a little amused at the instructions I got from the Tomtom GPS program I have on my Palm PDA... "Take I-8 East for 283 miles". I did a double take at first, thinking it must be 28.3 miles, but no. 283 miles. In pretty much a straight line. The scenery was quite interesting for the first 90 mins or so, and the road went though some fantastic mountains, but as soon as I decended into the plain things got pretty dull. In fact, I have deduced that Arizona contains vast amounts of nothing, and not much else. Of course, all that desert was a toasty 120F, and so I had a fantastic time as all the drinking water in my car failed to stay cold. I managed to top up the tan on my left arm though, so that's a bonus!

Here are some simple steps for driving along the I-8 East once you hit the desert floor:

• Point car along road at horizon


• Accelerate to speed limit


• Hit the cruise control button


• Go make a cup of tea, come back 2 hours later

I entered Arizona at Yuma, and after just another 100 miles I hit Giles Bend, where I took a 10 min break to get a cold drink and a bite to eat before heading North up AZ-85. Pretty much just more of the same, with a touch more greenery appearing amidst the brown and windblasted shrubs as the miles went by. Swung towards Phoenix on the I-10 East when I reached it, and decided to head all the way into the center of the city for another break instead of taking the loop road around and making directly for Flagstaff. Took about 40 mins to poke around and grab a subways before getting back on the road. I have a friend, a neighbour from my first year of university when I lived on campus, who went to Arizona State Uni in Phoenix so I made sure to see that. Seemed really quiet though, almost as if everyone was on a siesta.

I realised that I was now in Mountain Time, so I put my watch forward an hour and hit the road again at 4pm local time. Headed out on the I-17 North for the last 2 hour stretch, but stopped off at the Montezuma Castle National Monument along the way, which was well worth the stop. Montezuma Castle is an rock dwelling that was built half way up a cliff by an ancient tribe of farmers. Really intriguing stuff, especially as the tribes mysteriously disappeared about 300 years after they finished the settlement. Stop by if your're ever heading along the I-17 between Phoenix and Flagstaff.

Finally made it into Flagstaff around 7pm, and after a little bit of searching stumbled across the Du Beau Hostel. Keeping my budget of $20 a night for a roof over my head, I was pleasantly surprised to find a bed available for $18, including taxes. The Du Beau is a wonderful little gem of a hostel, as far from the Ocean Beach hostel in San Diego as you can get. The staff were awesome, very friendly and incredibly helpful, answering all my questions about the area and helping me plan my travels for tomorrow. The hostel itself has quite an ingenious setup, with two kitchens separating a lounge and a games room in a central building and about 20 dorm rooms situated around a courtyard, detatched from the communal areas. This is great as it keeps the noise away from those who want an early night (like me!), and provides a great social area for meeting other travellers. Breakfast is, as is usual with hostels, included in the price, and the rooms are all very clean, with comfy and above all spacey beds.

Just around the corner from the hostel is a great little coffee shop called Macy's. It bills itself as a "European Coffeeshop", and certainly does have that feel to it, from the decor through to the atmosphere. Again, very friendly staff who, in lieu of a coffee, whipped me up a great fruit smoothie. They also provide free wireless internet access. There is a lively bar just across the street from the hostel called "Altitude", and it's situated right in the middle of the downtown area so there is no lack of shops or restuarants... All in all, a fantastic little find!

It'll be an early night for me tonight, then up early to try and fit both the Grand Canyon and Monument Valley into tomorrow!

Pictures
Roadtrip webpage

Roadtrip: Day 1

Day 1 started off bright and early in San Jose, as I finished packing my bags, put them all in the car, said goodbye to my friends and trundled off.

I initially considered heading down the coast on Highway 1; I've done it several times before, and it's one of my favourite drives, especially on a sunny day. It takes almost 5 hours to get to Santa Barbara though, compared to just 3 on the 101, and seeing as I didn't leave until 11 I decided to take the quicker route. Quicker still would have been the I-5, straight down the central valley, but that's just one long straight boring road... at least the 101 has some kind of scenery too it! I followed the 101 South until I reached Paso Robles, where I took the CA-46 East until I hit the I-5 just above Bakersfield. The 46 had some wonderful scenery... fantastic rolling hills covered in parched grass that had turned a deep shade of gold. Coupled with a beautiful clear blue sky, it was quite an experience driving through the hills into the central valley. I should've kept on the 101 though, as the central valley was boiling hot, and there was a big accident on the I-5 just after Bakersfield as the road climbs into the mountains. An RV caught fire, closing off all 5 lanes for a good 30 minutes of so, an my car's thermometer was reading 124F at the time, so sitting there wasn't particularly pleasant!

Coming out of the hills and into LA wasn't too bad though, with the temperature coming to a mere roasting 104F, and the traffic lightened up considerably. However, coming out of LA on the other side reminded me yet again why I hate Los Angeles. The traffic was abysmal, taking 90 mins to cover 25 miles. All the constant stopping and starting guzzled the petrol too, so I spent more on that then I had hoped. Once I cleared the LA city limits though the traffic once again lightened up, and the drive down to San Diego was quite pleasant; I was treated to an awesome sunset over the Pacific while I was still about 30 mins out.

I actually intend to sleep in the car most nights to try and save money, but I decided today that I'd find a hostel, so I made my way to the Ocean Beach International Hostel. Pretty european as hostels go; cramped communal kitchen, small dorms and full of Germans and Australians. It's clean though, which is always a bonus, and it's right next to the beachfront.

It's been quite the start, and it's certainly the most I've ever driven in one day. I'll see if I can get my car's oil changed first thing tomorrow before I head off to Flagstaff; I need to spend some extra loving attention on it over the next 15 days!

Pictures

Roadtrip webpage

Roadtrip: Introduction

Sixteen days.
Ten thousand miles.
Two thousand dollars.
30 States.
One adventure of a lifetime.

Welcome to the chronicles of my attempt at an epic roadtrip across the United States of America! I'm a student at the University of Kent, in Canterbury, England, and have been living in the San Francisco Bay Area since July 2005, working an internship. I have to go back to the UK by the 10th August (my visa expires!), and I have a 5 day conference in Ft Wayne, Indiana to attend on August 4th, so I decided to try and drive to Indiana... via Florida and New York! Not only that, I'm also going to try and hit 30 states along the way!

I'm starting off by heading down the Californian coast to San Diego, then heading East through Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. Upon reaching Florida, I'll head up through Georgia, North and South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Philadelphia and New York. After that, I'll spend the rest of the time in the North East before driving to Indiana. After my conference, I'll be selling my car and flying home!

For those interested in the car I'm driving, it's a 1985 BMW 325e, and her name is Olga. Here's a picture of the two of us.

Keep an eye on this page, as I'll be updating it with my travels over the next 16 days, including photos of things I see along the way!


Roadtrip webpage

A year

year: n.

1. The period of time during which Earth completes a single revolution around the sun, consisting of 365 days, 5 hours, 49 minutes, and 12 seconds of mean solar time. In the Gregorian calendar the year begins on January 1 and ends on December 31 and is divided into 12 months, 52 weeks, and 365 or 366 days. Also called calendar year.

2. A period of approximately the duration of a calendar year: We were married a year ago.

3. A period equal to the calendar year but beginning on a different date: a tax-reckoning year; a farming year.

4. A specific period of time, usually shorter than 12 months, devoted to a special activity: the academic year.




So much can, and frequently does, happen in a year. It's quite alarming, really, how fast Old Mr Time can run; he's quite tricksy like that. I mean, this time last year I was just about setting off for the Golden Land of California, brighteyed and ready for adventure. And boy, did I get an adventure or thirtynine (and a half, if you count the time we got lost in San Francisco). It's been 12 months of sheer fun and excitment, *especially* the last 2 months (even if the last two to three weeks have been rather iffy due to A Girl. Damn wimmins.). Yet, I can't help feeling rather sad that the year of California livin' is coming rapidly to a close. And by rapidly, I mean within 10 hours.

As I may or may not have mentioned before, I'm off to Hawaii tomorrow, or today as th case might just be, for a period of 7 days before driving in a rickety rackety olf BMW 325e from Cali to New York, via the retirement state. Hoping to catch around 25-30 states along the way too, a last ditch grasp at a final epic adventure before heading back to the UK.

See, I almost wrote "before heading back home"... but I don't feel like I've got a home there any more. I've moved house 6 times in the last 5 years, and when I get back to the UK my parents will have moved to a yet another different house, and so when I get back to Uni it'll be 8 different places in 6 years. And after that... what *is* home? See, right now, California seems like home. Specifically, the San Francisco Bay Area ('cos Los Angeles is a big sprawling mess, and I hate it. 'specially the traffic. hatehatehate). I have friends here who I'm gonna miss oh *so* much when I go back, and.. I've really felt *settled* here, like I have a home. I think the way of life here has a great deal to do with that; everything is so laid back, and there is so much to see and do. I am eternally grateful that I was able to learn to drive and get a great car, because I've been so many places and seen so much that I wouldn't have been able to otherwise. I think driving down Highway 1 South, from San Francisco to Santa Barbara, is one of the most fantastic experiences I've ever had. The sheer freedom.


Anyway, this is turning into a ramble. I'm really sad to be leaving the Bay Area, and hope to return after I graduate. I hope it doesn't bugger off to join Hawaii and Alaska whilst I'm gone.