It's the very end of October. It's time to look back and document this past month. I'm back in Maryland after my last round of cross-country traveling. Most of this post will be about that cross-country journey. But this post will be bookended by two Posko events.
Part 1
First, the bachelor party. Jake Posko's bachelor party was on October 3, a Saturday. The bachelor mish started at the golf course. I didn't play, so I met the crew after their game was over. It was Jake (the groom), his father Henry, his brother Matt, Adam, Andy, Doug, Eric, and myself. I was the designated driver for the mission, a job which I easily accepted. I was happy to help the team. And I had no money for bar drinks. And I had to drive cross-country the next morning. I drove the guys down to Annapolis. Jake was the DJ for the car, and he did a fine job. I remember "Bertha don't you come around here, anymore" flowing out the windows of the car at top volume as we cruised down Ritchie Highway, and then up and over 50, on to 450 for the final ride across the bridge and into Annapolis. Here's the crew walking over to West Street:
That's us. Men in the night. Annapolis was our home that night. We reveled as men on the town. There was laughter and loud voices, and we had a fine time talking and drinking and playing darts. There was honor too. We found a broken ATM and reported it. Annapolis was the right place for us; it was our hometown city. Jake chose Annapolis. He knew. We've all been going there for years, so it feels like our home city. We stuck to the Code of the Road and the Code of the City, and everything worked out just fine. Thanks guys! It was a good night.
Part 2
I woke up the next day and caught a ride with Adam who was on his way back to Pittsburgh. Adam, being the gentleman that he is, dropped me off at Dave's on his way west. Dave was packing the car in the driveway beside his family's home. His family was there, helping and saying goodbye. Dave was moving to Denver. I was riding along for multiple reasons: to help with the driving, and because I needed to get to Denver, and because this way I could spend some time with Dave.
Dave packed what he needed in his black Volkswagen. Bikes and skis went on top. Everything else in the back. Just the front two seats were open. Dave's mother had some good vegetarian chili and some cornbread, so we feasted before we left. Here's us beside Dave's machine:
And then we were off! Up the ramp, on 32 West, over to Interstate 70. Good old 70, it was starting to feel like home. But Dave wanted to go through West Virginia, so that's what we did. We skipped the PA turnpike and drove through Wheeling, the place where Dave had gone to college. We shared the driving and shared the music (we both had our favorite songs and artists on our mp3 players).
And the miles flew by like they tend to do in modern cars. Early signs of fall were written on the foliage. Light browns and reds and golden colors. It was fine driving weather. We stopped outside of Wheeling for pizza. Dave knew the place: Di Carlo's famous pizza.
It was some good pizza. They do this thing where they cook the pizza and then, after it's done, they sprinkle cheese on top. So when you get it, there's this kind of soft/kind of firm cheese on top. Really an amazing idea. The sauce was good, and the crust was thick, and the flavor was enough to make me shout with joy as Dave and I ate three slices each while standing by the car. It's really a special little pizza shop.
We drove all day and into the night on 70 west. We made it well into Missouri. All driving is serious, but night driving is extra serious. During the day, Dave and I took turns sleeping. But at night, I made sure we were both awake. We considered going all night, but in the depths of Missouri, where the darkness was strong, there were also many deer. Some by the road. Not good for us or the deer. So we pulled over at a safe place and slept until it was light.
After sunrise we were back at it, truckin' west. And while we drove, we were talking about the past and the future. Dave had been working in West Virginia doing survey work. He loved being outside and walking in the forest all day. But he wasn't sure about finding work in Denver. I told him not to worry. He'd make it work. Plus there was skiing to do! Dave was excited for the mountains of the west, and I was excited for him. Dave and I remembered our time in Yosemite, back in July. We both loved Yosemite.
After Missouri came Kansas, a state I've always enjoyed traveling through. Despite what people say, it's not totally flat. When you bike across Kansas, you learn this. The roads may be straight, and some sections may be somewhat flat. But it's nothing like the desert, no huge flat plains like you'll find in the Great Salt Lake Desert of Utah.
On our second driving day, after nightfall, we came cruising into Denver. We went straight to Heather and Ilyse's home. I had the directions memorized. Heather welcomed us with food and tea and we celebrated under the great Colorado night sky. Ilyse came home later, and the four of us stayed up for a bit.
And thus began my time in Denver. No doldrums to speak of, at least not for me. Heather and Ilyse's home became base camp, and there was much work to be done there. Heather was working. Ilyse was packing, getting ready to move out and road trip with me. Dave was unpacking and moving into Ilyse's room. I was trying help out, and visit with everyone. I went for walks with Heather and her awesome dog Max. Peter and Kristin invited some people over, and I went to their home with Dave and met Jake Belvin and Mary who were there. It was a fine talking and tea party, with coffee instead of tea, good strong Dazbog coffee made with Peter and Kristin's french press. I put on my serious Jeff face and hair and made everyone laugh. Keeping a straight face can be hard. I was smiling underneath, just Ani DiFranco talks about in her song. Jake borrowed my camera and worked his magic (photos by Jake Belvin):
Dave.
Peter.
Kristin and me.
You can get a lot done with late nights and early mornings, but sleep is not really part of that plan. I was up early. Ilyse and I were packed and ready to go. We had plans to follow, a schedule to abide. It was road trip time.
Part 3
We drove all day, away from sunny Colorado and far into Wyoming with its snowy mountains:
First, there was snow on the mountains. Later, we saw some snow on the ground as we approached Jackson, enjoying roads which were new to both of us. Then we met Jennifer Wolf and had dinner with her and met her friends who were also staying at her home. Jennifer's place became our base camp for a bit. Ilyse and I went up to Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks.
I guess before I get too far along, I should state the goal of this Ilyse-and-Jeff road trip. So Ilyse and Heather moved out to Colorado in the fall of 2007. They had lived there two years. But Ilyse was ready to move back to Maryland, where most of her family and friends live. So, before she headed home, she wanted to do a road trip and see as much of the West as she could. The idea came back in spring of 2009, when my brother and I were in Denver, and my full-time friend mission was just getting started. We were talking, and the road trip idea came up. And I said I might just be able to do that, which excited Ilyse very much because on a long drive, with camping and lots of foreign places, she would like to have someone else go with her. Heather of course wanted to go too, but she had work commitments. So I stepped in and did what I had to do. Ilyse and I became a traveling team, and the rest is still to come. So anyway, that was our plan. And we dearly missed Heather on the mission. But we thought about her everyday and called her often.
On the day President Obama was awarded the Nobel Prize, Ilyse and I left Jennifer's Jackson home and went up and over Teton Pass. There was snow on the road, but Ilyse kept her cool. From there, we just kept driving. All day and all night, through the huge snowy lands of Montana. No camping for us--we decided to go the whole way to Seattle. I made my double brew, extra strong coffee, and loaded up some Bob Dylan CDs, and got some driving done. Slow, steady, and alert--my favorite way. Ilyse got in touch with her friend Keri, and we ended up at Keri's Seattle home late at night.
A deep sleep cleansed the double brew, extra strong coffee from my body and mind. I woke up ready to see Seattle. Keri drove us downtown. We did some walking in the city and the parks. I probably took about a hundred photos that day (like most of my traveling days). My camera was either in my right hand or my right pocket.
From Keri's (Thanks Keri!) we headed over to see my cousin Margaret, who was living just west of Seattle with her husband Jay. It was great to see Margaret and meet Jay. They were recently married, so they told us about the wedding. And we enjoyed some wine that Jay and his friend had made. And we watched some of the old videos of the old Tacoma Narrows Bridge, aka, Gallopin' Gertie.
After a night with Margaret and Jay (Thanks again friends!), Ilyse and I kept moving. We crossed the new and steady Tacoma Narrows bridge and headed south to Mt. Rainer National Park. The big mountain was out, no clouds, and Ilyse and I did a bit of hiking within sight of that mighty mountain:
Then we drove south toward Portland. We met our friend Chris Kobus, who lived just north of the city and across the river. Chris was getting packed to move to Alaska. Ilyse and I helped him. Chris showed us Portland. Then we had a party and celebrated Ilyse's birthday. Using Chris's Internet, we later caught up on some emails and The Office episodes.
Ilyse and Chris in Chris's home.
And then we thanked Chris and headed south and west, over to the Oregon Coast. Being back on the coast, I felt the power of the ocean and the sheer hugeness of the continent. I remembered the magic of past bike tours and took many, many photos. I'm tempted to go wild and load a bunch of photos here, but we haven't time to spare.
We followed 101 south, driving during the day and camping along the coast at night. And from the shining coast of Oregon, 101 took us into California, still along the coast, and we were immediately in Redwood Country. We saw the sign and came into the forested kingdom of Redwood National and State Parks. We drove. We stopped. We followed the old scenic roads. We got out and walked in the forest. We saw the old growth areas, and felt the awesome beauty of the coastal redwoods, Sequoia sempervirens. They are the tallest trees and the tallest living things in the world. They grow very high, reaching heights above 360 feet, which, as you may remember, is the length of a football field. And they can live for thousands of years (upwards of 2,000 years) if conditions are good and humans keep their saw blades away. The redwoods are amazing and humbling and full of huge quiet beauty, but they also reminded us about our past foolishness because only five percent of the old growth redwoods remain.
Ilyse in the redwood forest.
And from the redwoods we continued south, enjoying the radiant coastal beauty, huge beaches, rocky cliffs, and vast coastal views where the white waves stretched on into the distance. The west side of the continent, with its coastal highways, is a great place for a road traveler. And we saw people on bicycles, touring the coast, a classic 2,000-mile route that I was fortunate to have done with my friends and family. And as I passed through towns and places that were familiar, I told Ilyse stories from my past travels. And she was a good listener, and navigator, and soon we found ourselves approaching the wonderful seaside city of San Francisco.
Hot damn! Good old San Fran. I was overjoyed to be back there, but I did have to say bye to Ilyse as we split up for a few days. She was there to see her brother. I was there to spend some time with one of my oldest friends, Matt Brezina. Matt and I had some excellent adventures: biking around the city, exploring Golden Gate Park, hiking along the coast, and sailing San Francisco Bay in Matt's boat.
I felt the traveling gods and goddesses smiling down upon me in San Fran. Glorious San Fran, a special city in a special state. I love California. I think about it often while writing: we went there in Book 1, and Book 2 is all about Cali. So I was thrilled to be back in California. My San Fran days went by, bright and fast. So much to do! And I was happy to meet Lauren, girlfriend to Matt. And I was happy to spend some time with Phil Brezina (brother to Matt), and Whitney, and Jamie, and Jamie's friend and co-worker Phil Lang. Everyone I knew out there was working hard and having fun and doing well.
I got to see Phil Brezina play violin in one of his grad school recitals. Phil is an excellent musician, very skilled but humble, a fun person to play music with. In San Fran, things have been going great for Phil. One morning, over coffee and banana pancakes, I got him to tell me the story of how he played a gig with David Grisman. Phil has been playing violin for many years. His love for music is obvious when he picks up his bow and violin. You can see Phil's website here.
Matt was working hard and having fun with Xobni, a company he founded several years ago with his friend Adam. You can see the Xobni website here. Matt's learned a lot over years, and it's been wonderful to watch the company progress. Well done Matt! Keep up the good work. Matt and I talked about Xobni (pronounced zob--[like bob]--knee). But there were also other things to discuss: music and books and hiking and biking and Yosemite. We went to Amoeba and bought CDs: Miles Davis, Ani, and the Tragically Hip for me, and some Clifford Brown and Herbie Hancock for Matt, who's a deep down jazz lover.
I was also happy to see Whitney. Although she was quite busy with her graduate school studies, she made time for some for our missions. Keep up the good work, Whitney! School is almost over.
And it was great to see Jamie. I was happy to hear that things were going well for the company he worked with: Bricks and Mortar Media. Jamie was living with his coworker Phil, and Matt and I stopped by their place on our bike mission and visited with Jamie and Phil for a while. It's California photo time:
Matt and Lauren after Phil's recital.
Phil and Whitney.
Matt, Me, and Jamie in the depths of Golden Gate Park.
In Amoeba music (photo by Matt or Jamie).
Note Jim Morrison poster--photo for Kimberly!
Coastal Hike.
On the boat, Matt, Phil, and Whitney.
Ilyse, Jamie, Matt, and Matt's friends.
Matt, the skipper, making it look easy.
Brothers.
Photo by Ilyse.
With Jamie, also by Ilyse.
The Golden Gate Bridge,
stretching over the strait known as the Golden Gate.
Phil, outside his favorite little market in the Haight.
The poster to the right is for Phil's school.
My brother's bike, old Red, which he rode across the country.
Ilyse and I were bringing it back from Cali for him.
Lauren in the panhandle during our rainy day mural mission.
Ilyse and I both enjoyed our San Fran days and nights (Thank you everyone!)--and it was tempting to spend more days there--but we had to keep moving. We drove east to Yosemite, down into the Valley, and got a campsite at Camp 4. We spent a day in the Valley, enjoying the wonder that is Yosemite. A few more Yosemite photos:
Climbers on El Capitan
(you might have to click on the photo to see them).
Again, I was temped to stay in Yosemite for many days and nights, but the road was calling. With Tioga Pass being closed, we drove south, and then east, around the Sierra Nevada. Then up 395 to Lone Pine. We camped within sight of Mt. Whitney, that inspiring and lovely Sierra peak:
In the morning (after I took the above photo), we turned our backs to Whitney and headed east, into Death Valley. I hadn't been there for 9 years, so I was excited to be back. And because it was mid October, we could get out and walk on the sand dunes and the salt flats, under complete sun, without fear of burning. October was nice, in the 80s, nothing like those 150-degree summer sun days.
After Death Valley, we zoomed over to Las Vegas. We were in Las Vegas by early afternoon. Thanks to Janice and Ilyse, we found a cheap room at the Riviera. Ilyse and I walked the whole Strip and had a great time walking and looking and even gambling and winning a little money. But for me, the main attraction in Vegas is not the money. It's the crazy lights and human activity and desert magic. It feels good to walk the strip and soaking it all in.
At this point, Ilyse and I were on our way back to Colorado. On the way to Denver, we stopped in a bunch of National Parks in Utah: Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, and Arches.
Bryce Canyon N.P.
Arches N.P.
Congratulations Christina and Jake!
As always, thanks for reading and safe travels.
Jeff
Yosemite Valley.
Climbers on El Capitan
(you might have to click on the photo to see them).
Again, I was temped to stay in Yosemite for many days and nights, but the road was calling. With Tioga Pass being closed, we drove south, and then east, around the Sierra Nevada. Then up 395 to Lone Pine. We camped within sight of Mt. Whitney, that inspiring and lovely Sierra peak:
In the morning (after I took the above photo), we turned our backs to Whitney and headed east, into Death Valley. I hadn't been there for 9 years, so I was excited to be back. And because it was mid October, we could get out and walk on the sand dunes and the salt flats, under complete sun, without fear of burning. October was nice, in the 80s, nothing like those 150-degree summer sun days.
After Death Valley, we zoomed over to Las Vegas. We were in Las Vegas by early afternoon. Thanks to Janice and Ilyse, we found a cheap room at the Riviera. Ilyse and I walked the whole Strip and had a great time walking and looking and even gambling and winning a little money. But for me, the main attraction in Vegas is not the money. It's the crazy lights and human activity and desert magic. It feels good to walk the strip and soaking it all in.
At this point, Ilyse and I were on our way back to Colorado. On the way to Denver, we stopped in a bunch of National Parks in Utah: Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, and Arches.
Zion N.P.
Bryce Canyon N.P.
Petroglyphs in Capitol Reef N.P.
Arches N.P.
After spending some time in Arches National Park, we got in the car and drove back to Denver. There was snow in the mountains on 70, but we took our time and made it back safe.
Part 4
Ilyse and I were happy after driving our western loop. We were back where we started, Denver, but there was more driving to do because Ilyse was moving back to Maryland, and I would be riding with her. We spent a few days in Denver, packing and relaxing. Ilyse was saying goodbye to people. Jake Belvin came over and we had a little party. And then the next morning we left driving east on 70.
After two long days (with a night of camping in between), we were back in Maryland at Ilyse's home. Chris came over and picked me up, and then I was home, just in time too.
If you've made it this far, well done. It's hard to cram a month of living and traveling into one blog post. But I went for it. No regrets. I did this to honor the past and to thank the people that traveled with me. Thanks to Dave for the ride out, and Ilyse for the road trip and the ride back. By providing those rides, you both were a great help to my full-time friend mission.
A lot can happen in one month--a lot of moments and memories and photographs. It's amazing and interesting the way our lives build and grow. Anyway, we've come to the other bookend, the other Posko event that I alluded to at the beginning of this post.
Ilyse and I came home on Oct 29. Oct 30 was the rehearsal for the wedding. Oct 31 was the big day. I was honored to be a groomsman in the wedding. Thanks again Jake and Christina! I borrowed a black suit and stood behind Jake Posko with his other groomsmen as he said his vows outside, under a fine fall sky, and married his true love Christina. Then came the reception, with family and friends and good food and dancing. The music was excellent, thanks to Jake's good taste. I used my brother's SLR and helped out by taking photographs at the reception. It was quite a party. Family and friends came from all over. And we stayed up late celebrating the joys of the season and the wedding of our two friends, Christina and Jake.
After two long days (with a night of camping in between), we were back in Maryland at Ilyse's home. Chris came over and picked me up, and then I was home, just in time too.
Part 5
If you've made it this far, well done. It's hard to cram a month of living and traveling into one blog post. But I went for it. No regrets. I did this to honor the past and to thank the people that traveled with me. Thanks to Dave for the ride out, and Ilyse for the road trip and the ride back. By providing those rides, you both were a great help to my full-time friend mission.
A lot can happen in one month--a lot of moments and memories and photographs. It's amazing and interesting the way our lives build and grow. Anyway, we've come to the other bookend, the other Posko event that I alluded to at the beginning of this post.
Ilyse and I came home on Oct 29. Oct 30 was the rehearsal for the wedding. Oct 31 was the big day. I was honored to be a groomsman in the wedding. Thanks again Jake and Christina! I borrowed a black suit and stood behind Jake Posko with his other groomsmen as he said his vows outside, under a fine fall sky, and married his true love Christina. Then came the reception, with family and friends and good food and dancing. The music was excellent, thanks to Jake's good taste. I used my brother's SLR and helped out by taking photographs at the reception. It was quite a party. Family and friends came from all over. And we stayed up late celebrating the joys of the season and the wedding of our two friends, Christina and Jake.
Congratulations Christina and Jake!
As always, thanks for reading and safe travels.
Jeff
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