I saw a huge fire while driving through Tennesee but I think it was a prescribed burn



This is where the Battle of New Market took place.

Zilker Park in Austin, TX

(I have a whole roll on Austin pictures I need to get developed and scan)

This is an Eli

The Frontier Restaurant in Albuquerque, NM

Here's about where things started to get scary

Nice cafe in a small town called Escalante where I sipped iced tea.

This is all Utah

Utah pictures

Utah is pretty spectacular, no? These are shots from Bryce and Zion mainly.

Pictures

The end of the road

so I somehow made it across this vast expanse of america. Yesterday I drove from Harrisburg back to New Jersey. It really felt like I'd won the boston marathon. I felt like odysseus. There is, as they say, no place like home. Looking back I wish I'd devoted more time to blog, but there was a reason I didn't. I was profoundly freaked out. And tired. Probably more tired and freaked out then I've ever been in my life. It was a huge move, but I did it all by myself. And I'm proud of that. In closing, I just want to leave with a quote from the work that this blog borrows it's name from. A quote from the patron saint of the road. I don't think I'm even somewhat in this man's sphere, I think I proved that, but it's hard not to think of him a little. This is the last bit of the work. The work itself was written out in one long nicotine and benzedrine fueled session with no breaks on paper that was literally a scroll. It just unwound from the typewriter like the road itself:

So in America when the sun goes down and I sit on the old broken-down river pier watching the long, long skies over New Jersey and sense all that raw land that rolls in one unbelievable huge bulge over to the West Coast, and all that road going, all the people dreaming in the immensity of it, and in Iowa I know by now the children must be crying in the land where they let the children cry, and tonight the stars’ll be out, and don’t you know that God is Pooh Bear? The evening star must be drooping and shedding her sparkler dims on the prairie which is just before the coming of complete night that blesses the earth, darkens tall rivers, cups the peaks and folds the final shore in, and nobody, nobody knows what’s going to happen to anybody besides the forlorn rags of growing old, I think of Dean Moriarty, I even think of Old Dean Moriarty the father we never found, I think of Dean Moriarty.

Besides the part about winnie the pooh and dean moriarty I think that just about sums it up, don't you? Thanks for reading.

p.s. look for pictures to be posted soon

Harrisburg, PA

I'm really tired. Almost home...

Just like Tom Thumb's Blues (part two)

Even though I only stopped a few times for gas and a subway sandwich, let me give you a tour of what I drove through. Or near. Starting from Memphis, I drove past Sun Records, famous for starting the career of Elvis, as well as Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis. There were people going inside, but I didn’t get out. From Memphis I went past Shiloh, one of the more famous battlegrounds of the civil war. Didn’t go there either. I sort of wish I did, but at this point it was raining really hard. After that I drove toward Jackson, and signs for the Casey Jones home and railroad museum. I’m sure you’ve heard the name before, and you’ve probably heard the Greatful Dead song about how he was so high he couldn’t slow down, but Casey Jones was a real person and a major folk hero of his time. I’m not exactly sure how (because I didn’t stop there either), but he saved his passengers by sacrificing his own life and crashing his train. I think at one point the details of the story were as well known as any bed time story, but now all that really remains is the name. Speaking of names, here’s another eponymous historical site -The Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park. Nathan Forrest was a confederate general renowned for brilliant tactics, but also notorious as a founding father of the ku klux klan. The south has a complicated past, one I won’t even try to unravel here, but I’ll just say that the fact there’s a state park for a grand wizard of the kkk is enough for me to leave that one well enough alone. I also tried to locate The Hermitage, Andrew Jackson’s birthplace. I got off the interstate and got lost on Old Hickory Road, so I decided to get back. I’m sure it would have been interesting, but I’m just cranky and tired, and it’s raining. Maybe it’s not as bad as being lost in the rain in Juarez, but I’m going back to New York City – I do believe I’ve had enough.

Just like Tom Thumb's Blues (part one)

Sorry it’s been awhile. I’m road-weary, and homesick. I had a great time in Austin, but a looooong drive to Memphis. Now I’m in Knoxville and wishing they’d hurry up and just invent those teleporter beam-y up-y things already. Eli and I had a great time in Austin. We took in a 3D imax show at the texas state history museum, had some smoked bbq at the saltlick, went to the Alamo Drafthouse, ate a lot of hotdogs at ‘dog almighty’ and walked around Zilker Park. I also did my laundry and in the process washed a whole roll of developed black and white film that was just sitting in my pocket. Ah well. At any rate, I always think of Austin fondly. It’s the way LA should be. It’s truly laidback, it’s a great movie and music town, and it’s weird. Their slogan ‘keep Austin weird’ is something no self-respecting town in it’s right mind would ever adopt. But Austin is no normal town.

After a tearful goodbye, I drove all the way from Austin to Memphis. Man it was long. Memphis looked like a fun town, but I didn’t stay in the town proper. I had to drive out to marriot near the airport. Nothing else was available, and at this point I was getting tired of staying in creepy motels.

Texas!

I'm here in Abilene, Texas. I had a long drive through Albuquerque to Amarillo to Lubbock to here, and I'm still about four hours from Austin! So far I'm not too impressed with Abilene. The waitress at Denny's asked me to put my 'john doe' on the receipt. I hope this blog doesn't turn into my condescending observations of the locals, but... come on...

one more thing...

I just saw a guy in the lobby wearing a t-shirt that said "don't worry, I always pull out." I look over and he's holding the hand of a small child. I think it's a little late for worrying.

New Mex

Arrived in Albuquerque. I'm staying at at Hilton. It's a step up from where I stayed last night. Last night, the front desk guy at the comfort inn wore a pentagram necklace. He gave me a key to room 105. When I put the key in the door it opened and I heard a voice say "Hey, who's there!" I apologized and went back to the front desk to ask for a room without a person in it. I then went to my room and locked the top lock; Something I've never done in a hotel or motel. Anyway, I'm much more comfortable here, it's like you know, a real hotel. I don't have to guess which knob on the shower is scalding hot and which one is freezing.
So after I left Utah I drove to Monument Valley. I was glad to see it. All around you it's flat and red, and then these huge stone towers just rise up from the horizon. Very cinematic. I think I see why it's filmed so much. It also seems to sum up the west. The "monuments" are like these symbols of big american giants, standing tall, and staking their claim into miles of land.
For dinner, just now, I went to Pioneer -- a great little place right across from the university of new mexico that my cousin janet took me too once. It's a good mix of hipsters, skaters, old people, students, punks... and it's got electric sliding doors and pictures of John Wayne. I mean come on... that's pretty cool.
My stress level has gone down considerably now that I am here. Time to relax.

Utah (cont'd)

Today was interesting. I think I have to start backwards to fully explain it all. I am currently in Blanding Utah at a Comfort Inn. Blanding, I found out, is a town where they don't serve alcohol. Quite a contrast from Las Vegas. Anyway, the reason I am here in Blanding is because I wasnt' sure if I'd make it to Monument Valley alive. I know I sound like I am being dramatic and I am, but at a certain point I was starting to get nervous. You see to get here I traveresed an area that resembled the outback of Australia -- no towns, very few cars, no houses and no gas stations. Blanding is further northeast than I want to be, but the town that was closer to monument valley was something called -- i kid you not -- 'mexican hat' and it was a fly speck on my map. Who knew if mexican hat would even have a motel? (one town I passed, 'fry's canyon' was 45 miles from anything and all it had was a general store) To get to Mexican hat you have to go through a "primitive area" Furthermore it was starting to get dark. Driving in the middle of nowhere during the day is scary enough, try driving it with not a single light. Oh yeah and did I mention I had by this point about half a tank, and god only knew when the next gas station would be. And so I tried to squelch my panic, pray that I wouldn't get a flat, and push on 30 miles out of my way to Blanding. And I couldn't be happier.
But earlier today was better. I've seen the most startling views I ever could have hoped to see. The landscape changed so frequently I was like a little kid, just wide eyed and amazed. I saw geologic formations called 'hoodoos' that are basically eroded columns of sandstone and limestone; They look like every Wile E Coyote cartoon you've ever seen. I saw natural land bridges, arches, mesas -- god all kinds of things. At one point the landscape was so fairytale it looked like a western painting and middle earth. It was John Ford meets Peter Jackson. I stopped off in this little town called Escalante on the way from Bryce to Capitol Reef National Park. There was this adorable cafe where I sat in the shade petting a dog, and eating a turkey sandwich. They had smoothies too, so I grabbed one for the road. I couldn't have been happier.
I'm glad I wrote this in reverse, because I'm ending with my favorite stuff from the day. Not the anxiety. This is how I'd rather remember it, smoothie in hand looking out over a creamsicle orange and pink stone valley. Nevertheless, I think I'll leave the scenic roads and stick to the interstate.

Utah

I'm writing this quickly because I want to get on the road and see more stuff. I'm gonna try to cram in alot to today. If I can't, no big deal, but I sort of want to try to see everything in utah. Saw Zion it was intimidating in it's size. Really breathtaking. I took some pictures, but I think my lenscap was on, so I started taking them with my phone. Not really the best quality format for sweeping desert panoramas, but it did the trick. Had a really scenic and windey drive through Zion to Bryce. At one point I thought it was raining -- turned out it was bugs pelting my windshield. Right now I am staying at Ruby's inn At Bryce canyon. It's a best western hotel so I can use my triple a discount, but it also has a built in lodge and tourist trap. It's quaint and has a western feel except for the fact that the staff is bulgarian. Never fear though the Book of Mormon is available at the diner next door. There are more than a few copies on a rack next to the brochures for river rafting and kayaking. A sign in english says 'if you would like the book of mormon in another language other than the ones here -- please ask behind the counter' anyway that's all I am going to write for now I gotta hit the road.

Sin City

I'm here in fabulous las vegas nevada! Not a bad commute through the desert, I did it quicker than my forebears. I'm kind of having too much fun to really sit here and write. This place is a deconstructionist's candyland. Where else can you sip cocktails with white tigers while a pirate ship explodes in the shadow of the arc d'triomph? And it's all in the name of good old fashioned capitalist excess. Bless those wonderful mobsters who came here with a vision a shovel. Well alot of shovels, really.

The night before. Is it really happening?

Well here we are. Baring some unfortunate mishap I think I'll actually, finally be out of here. (Yes I know I pretty much just asked for an earthquake.) Well It's weird to think I am leaving. I've been in California a long time -- ever since the war was just a glimmer in our current president's eye. During my time here I witnessed a whole host of holy plagues: fires, mudslides, (I even think someone's house collapsed from rain) and the gubernatorial career of Arnold Schwarzenneger. Yes that's right. He's our governor. And now I'm gone in a reverse manifest destiny. Tomorrow I will ride off, like every hollywood ending, into that painted backdrop of an L.A. sunset; turning my back on the dusky dry land that immortalized so many who came here in search of a shot at an impossible dream, a california dream -- which I now realize is the american dream -- and who sometimes, even if just briefly, had a chance to shine brighter than anything else burning in the night's sky. Well good for all them I say, but for me, the real adventure is yet to be had. Vamados me amigos!

p.s. thanks Gabe for inspiring me to write this. 'cause I know you're reading it.