Yosemite and San Fran

After 2 amazing days in Yosemite we made our way to San Fran last night. This trip is about finding places worth revisiting and Yosemite is definitely one of them. On day 1 in Yosemite Valley we did a hike on the Mist Trail that took us to the top of the Nevada waterfall and it was unbelievable.  What a rush.

Day 2 Brett and I were determined to try some rock climbing. It ended up that we had a lot more gear than we did knowledge so no ropes were set and we just climbed around on some boulders. Still a good time though. 

After camping in Big Sur and Yosemite, with a little stop in Santa Cruz in bewteen it's nice to be in a city. Santa Cruz was a great little town, by the way. It felt like there was a place for all types there. And we had a connect 4 champ for a barte

Thanks to the wonderful Megha and Wendell here in San Fran we've had some showers and a little taste of home by seeing some great friends. After a day walking around Golden Gate Park we're taking it easy tonight. We've decided to set up shop here for a few days and take a break from the get up and go somewhere new every day routine. 

Roadtripper #4 is on his way back to NY tonight so it's back down to the 3 of us. Not only have we not strangled each other yet but we're still having fun, so I'd say things are going pretty damn well. Also, there have been a lot of bets made with a food slap to the face as the wager so that is egg on Brett's face after we proved to him that it was Flight of the Conchords, not Flight of the Condor.

The Big South and Much More

These last few days are starting to blur together, better get it down before it all gets lost in the madness. Our days in Southern Cali where much enjoyed especially the warmer weather. Who knew that Cali would be so cold in late June!

We have been spending our time doing a lot of beach camping, eating smores and educating ourselves on how to build a mean campfire. There was one night in San Luis Obispo where we had to call the parking lot a Von's home sweet home for the night. Apparently a lot of people reserve campsites for the first day of summer.

On our way to Big Sur we made a couple of stops in Mugu Point, Santa Barbara for a few good pints and a bite to eat, Cambria for a damn good cup of coffee, Hearst Castle and Pismo beach. Pismo beach reminded me of the eastern seacoast towns I grew up around.

After a lot of driving we finally arrived in Big Sur and to our surprise Big Sur is a lot bigger then expected. Thanks to the friendly people at the Henery Miller Library for directing us to Lobos Point where we got to play with some sea enemies and Hermit crabs.

We are crashing out in Moss Landing tonight and most likely surf tomorrow before heading East to Yosemite. Happy Travels. Oh and KOA are a rip off at least the one in Moss Landing is.

Headed north to LA

Just a quick blog to catch up on the last few days. After San Diego we picked up Eric, road-tripper #3 for a two week stint, and headed to San Onofre where we camped on the beach and took it very easy. Brett ate a sand crab that Poops tried to save and I picked up an awesome sunburn after a hot rock massage.
Next was Hermosa Beach where we ate some $2 tacos at Los Muchachos and took a walk down the pier. We had our first successful Sonora-in-a-bar experience, but I think it's because the bartender couldn't see her through the darkness.

This morning we headed to Manhattan Beach, where I had my first go at surfing. Everyone told me it would be hard but now I understand what they meant. And the giant waves are scary when you're trying to manage a giant banana of a surfboard. Brett did all the hard paddling for me and my feet did get set up on the board once before I was tossed into the ocean. We left on a good note after Brett caught a wave. A big thanks to Lucienne who let us use her awesome beach house to shower, cook some eggs and fill up our water tank. Now we're off to Malibu for some beach camping.

San Diego

Day 1

We (Brett) started off the day by strapping kayaks and surfboards to the top of Billy. That's when it really sank in that this is going to be one amazing adventure. After a great breakfast with great friends, an afternoon of last minute organizing inside the RV and a heart felt family goodbye in Buckeye, we hit the road for San Diego. Three gas stops (this tank is TINY!), one sonora is freaking out and needs out of the RV stat so pull off at the next exit stop, and one Flying J pee stop later, we were here. And it only took 8 hours. Good thing we're in no hurry. After some tasty brew and a little cue with our SD friends Mark and Jenny, we're off to bed. Which is on the curb, in our cozy little Billy. Good night!

On The Road

We can’t do anything that hasn’t been done before. As the date of our departure slowly creeps closer I see that there is in the making a film based on the novel On the Road by Jack Kerouac. A book I am very fond of and read several years ago right before I hit the road and moved from New Hampshire to Arizona. The making of this film has reignited that passion I had for the book and which I obtained from a friend of my parents. The book was a tattered messed and was even more so when I got done with it. I ended up shipping the book to my friend Lisa who lived in Boston at the time. Lisa and I have always shared a common desire for the unconventional.  So being with out on the road all these years I recently made a purchase with the miracles of modern technology and had a copy of on the road shipped to me via the internet. It is weathered and obvious where the previous reader had folded it while reading  but the cover picture is more modern than my last. Never the less it has a wonderful forward that enlightens  you to  Kerouac’s life before and during the writing of one the road.
All this has sparked a greater appreciation of what Amy and I are about to embark on and it gives me that deep inside feeling that what we are doing is right. the impetus  for what set Kerouac on the road, that attraction to material and societal freedom and the possibilities it may contain are the same for me more than 60 years later.
I wrote the previous paragraphs about a month ago and as I read on the road I’ve come to find the book to be very poorly written and reads more like a drunkards dairy of all the parties he’s partaken in.
On another note we are about seven weeks out from our departure and things are slowly coming together. The trip has now included our friend Brett who also happens to be my ex-boyfriend. Most people would probably never want to go on the road with an ex of theirs but Brett and I have always been a little different about the way we do things.  I should be off to work now next post should have videos included.-poops

The Other Waitress

So I’m the other waitress, Amy, and here’re some words…..
4 months. Wow. This is getting exciting. And real. Sometimes I get so excited I have to let out a little screech. For me, being a person who values travel as much as I value being a homebody, mentally preparing myself for potentially a year without a steady “home” is my number one focus; packing my life as I know it in Tempe into boxes and putting it in storage.
That’s the great thing about Billy Jean though, she’s a home on wheels. So not only am I always home in Billy, but I can wake up with a new view every day. Pretty much ideal when it’s worded that way huh? Perhaps, then, what makes home “home” is being stationary in one place long enough to take on a routine.  Anyway- it’s all about living in the now and to keep learning and this road trip is the perfect way to accomplish both of those things to their fullest. Can’t wait to see what the road has in store for us….