Home Sweet Home...Kinda

Well, I made it back to good ole Illinois. I was welcomed by a big slap in the face from a guy named humidity. Holy cow, I forgot how awful it really is. I sweat more today unloading my truck than I did the whole two months I was gone put together. I'm settled in now, and it feels like I never left. Again, very bittersweet.

Last Monday I left Banff and headed south through Alberta and then Montana. I was a little nervous coming across the border since I didn't have proof of birth. I managed to answer their questions well enough to satisfy them and I drove through with no problems. Finally, back to the land of cheap gas prices...compared to Canada. I was paying $4.50/gallon while I was there, $3.00 never looked so good. I drove until I got to Billings, about the only good sized town I saw. I was going to try and locate a campground before it got dark. I stopped at a gas station and got directions to the KOA, it wasn't far...if you go in the right direction. The woman told me to go the wrong way on the interstate. Luckily I was going in the direction I needed to go anyway. I figured I would just drive to the next town and set up a tent in the dark. I forgot about the fuel problem I had and where I was. My fuel light comes on and I realize my next stop isn't for another 40-50 miles. I figured I'd be ok, but I have to say, I was a little nervous. It is pitch black and there is nothing out there, no towns and very little traffic. I made it though, and ended up in town called Hardin, MT.

First thing was to obviously get gas and then go find a camp. I gassed up and found a KOA 1 mile off the interstate. I hadn't had dinner yet, so I stopped at this place off the interstate, Shawna's Steak House and Casino. I guess in Montana, if you have about 20 slots you can call yourself a casino. I sat at the bar and chatted with the bartender and the guy next to me. They were both in the Navy and were there on a project in the Crow Indian reservation. I met Shawna and her husband and I was invited in on a game of Ship, Captain, Crew (6-5-4). They were of course curious as to what I was doing there. After I told them, Shawna said I could park behind the place and sleep in the back of my truck instead of paying for a campsite for a few hours. It was a nice night, so I did. I just put my sleeping mat and bag in back and went to sleep under the stars. I got up the next morning and drove another 4 hours to Sturgis, SD.

The actual Sturgis motorcycle rally didn't start until last Friday, I was just there as an "early-bird". I camped at the famous Buffalo Chip. The place is huge, it's an entertainment complex. Every night they have big name concerts, i.e. ZZ Top, Edgar Winter, Grand Funk Railroad, Toby Keith. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is going to be there,and even Rupert from Survivor stays there. I met some really nice people while I was there. I stayed next to an older couple, Spud and Captain, from Minnesota. They were experienced and had been coming there for years. I got to hear plenty of stories about what to expect. On Wednesday, I made a day trip to Mt. Rushmore and through the Blackhills to Deadwood. It's very pretty country, there's a lot of history around them parts. Thursday, I went golfing at a course I located on Wednesday.

Every day, more and more people filed in. When you think of a biker rally, 6 figure motor homes don't pop in your head, but there were plenty of them there. These people have some serious cash and they like to spend it on toys. I went downtown everyday and walked around. All the vendors were up and open for business. There were already 1000's of bikers there. I saw some beautiful motorcycles everyday. Now, I think I need one too. I left on Thursday night before the actual start of the rally. I was afraid I really might not want to leave if I stayed on Friday; I was getting a little anxious to get back too. I drove 15 hours straight and made it back Friday about 10:30.

I'll try to get my pics up tonight, if not they'll be up soon. I don't really know how this blog thing will go since I'm not on the road, my everyday life really isn't that exciting. It's been an unbelievable summer and I enjoyed sharing it with all of you. It's funny, back to the real world and already a full schedule. It seems like I have something to do every weekend for weeks. How does this happen?? Try to stay cool!

See ya,
Dough

I Knew It Would Happen!

Before I left on my trip, I told someone I knew I would see somebody I knew along the way. This always seems to happen to me, more proof that it really is a small world. Today, when I pulled into my hostel here in Banff, AB I parked by these two ladies getting stuff out of their truck. I thought to myself the one looked really familiar. I get out, walk past and sure enough, it was Dr. Covington. She is a professor in the Kinesiology department at SIUE. It really is a small world.

Friday, I left Kelowna headed towards the Banff area. It was getting to be a little late in the afternoon, so I stopped by a visitor center to see if any campsites were available in the area. They pointed me in the right direction and I eventually found a spot. I ended up staying in a town called Lake Louise. I started a fire and had a nice relaxing night by myself until the Chinese family moved in to the campsite next to me. They weren't the quietest family in the forest. There are more Asians here than anything, it's kinda crazy.

Yesterday, I got up and headed to the actual Lake Louise. I read about some day hikes I wanted to do. I saw some amazing scenery yesterday, it was beautiful. I hiked up to Mirror Lake and Lake Agnes and then to a lookout point called Big Beehive. By the time I was done, I was beat. I think it took me about 5 hours to complete. The color of the lakes are amazing, I don't think my camera captured this really well. They are really turquoise colored. I finally made it back to my camp and got some dinner. Again, another relaxing night...until...the Asians! Nah, it was funny they packed up yesterday morning and then they came back that night. I guess they found a better spot, the mom got out of the car and then about 10 minutes later she got picked back up. So, it ended up being a very peaceful night. I started brainstorming for the book I'm gonna write...yeah right. I did put pen to paper though, I started listing all the things I've learned on my trip. I'm up to like #70 so far.

Today, I got up, packed my stuff and headed towards Banff. Along the way, I passed Johnston Canyon. I remembered reading about the waterfalls there, so I turned around and went. It was a short little hike to the falls, only about 3 miles round trip. After that, I proceeded into Banff to check out Lake Minnewanka. It's another beautiful lake here, I think it's the largest one in the National Park. I had a sandwich on the shore and then caught about a 30 minute power nap. A full stomach, laying in the shade, along a lake, with a nice breeze...I couldn't keep my eyes open.

After my nap, I drove around to a few other lakes in the area when I came across the local swimming hole. Johnson Lake was filled with people young and old. So, I threw on my swimming trunks and headed to the beach. I caught some rays until I got too hot and then jumped in. OMG, it was cold! But, after you are in awhile and catch your breath, it becomes very relaxing. Lesson learned #71, "A cold swim works wonders for your mind and body.". I've found this to be true several times this trip, every time I've swam, it has been in very chilly water. You always come out feeling so refreshed. I'm staying at a hostel tonight, and heading back to the States in the morning. I really hope they let me back in without a hassle. My next destination will be the Black Hills area. I doubt I can make it there tomorrow, probably just set up a tent somewhere along the way.

I hope Illinois is ready for me, less than a week!

Dough

Ahhh...Just What I Needed

I LOVE SUNSHINE!!!

Finally, I get to see the sun that had eluded me for a week. I got my first glimpse on Monday while I was still in Vancouver. Sunday, I did absolutely nothing. It was movie night at the hostel, so I just hung out and watched a couple movies with some of the other travellers. We watched The Good German and Ghost Rider. The Good German is pretty slow, can't recommend that one, but Ghost Rider was surprisingly pretty good. I woke up on Monday with the intent of seeing Vancouver whether it was raining or not. It was quite overcast, but I set out anyway. I walked all over that day. I even made it down to East Hastings, that's the area with all the homeless and addicted. I just had to check it out, it's pretty famous. I've never seen an area quite like that before. I then made my way to Stanly Park. It was beautiful, the sun finally started to peak out that evening. The architecture around Vancouver is much different than any other city I've been to, you can see in the pictures.

Tuesday, I left Vancouver and headed to Kelowna, BC. I didn't really know much about it, just knew the weather looked perfect and everyone said it was nice. I wasn't disappointed when I got here. The drive was nice too, back into the mountains. Kelowna is a town in the Okanagan valley, right on Lake Okanagan. The town reminds me of Lake of the Ozarks. It's a vacation town filled with tourists. The hostel is only a 5 minute walk to the beach where I've been the past couple days. It's very relaxing here. I've met lots of Eastern Canadians, Irish, English and Aussies. It seems many are here for a long time. I think they just hop from resort town to resort town working and playing. There's supposedly amazing ski resorts here in the winter and hot summers spent on the water. I could really get used to this place.

I leave tomorrow and I'm going to camp somewhere in Banff National Park for a few days. I've seen pictures from some of the other travellers and it looks amazing. After that, I'm going to drop back down to the States. I've talked to many people and they say Calgary is not worth a stop and Winnipeg is definitely not worth a trip. I think I'll check out the Black Hills and Mt. Rushmore before making it back home. I'll be glad to get back to the States where stuff is cheaper. The prices here in Canada make me cringe every time I have to buy something. I'm finding the end of this trip to be very bittersweet. I'm going to hate not travelling, but I also can't wait to get back and see everyone.

See you all soon!

Dough

Rain Rain Go Away!

Salut (that's French slang for hello),

I knew my luck with the weather would run out eventually, I hate it though. It's been raining off and on here in Vancouver since we arrived on Friday. The locals are getting upset too, they said this much rain in the summer is not typical. I've still been having a good time though.

Our trip up here was interesting, never been stopped by immigration before. I guess the guy at the border thought it was a little suspicious having an American, Belgian, and a French in the truck. He made us pull over and go in and talk to immigration. Go figure, I was the one that had the most trouble getting into Canada. I only had a drivers license as id, I totally forgot to bring a copy of my birth certificate. I was given a quick verbal quiz on the U.S. by the woman working the immigration counter. "Who's the president? How many terms did Clinton serve? Who was president before Clinton? What's the address of the White House?" I was a little nervous, but I got them all right. So, I'm in Canada! Getting back into the states might be a little tougher. She asked if I was confident I could answer questions that only an American could answer, I hope I can.

The hostel I'm staying in is really cool, great location. It's on Granville street which is the "entertainment street", there's bars, clubs, restaurants, shops, etc... The first floor of the hostel is a bar/restaurant and all the rooms are upstairs. There's a good mix of people staying here too.

When we got to town, we were all a little tired and decided to have a relaxing night...of course it was raining too. We made dinner in the hostel, had a couple drinks and called it a night. Yesterday, we get up and...still raining. We decided to go check out the Vancouver Art Museum, great decision. The exhibition they were showing was called "Monet to Dali", it was really good. I got to see works from all the greats: Monet, Manet, Cezanne, Picasso, Dali, Van Gogh, etc... It was pretty special having all of these greats together in one place. I learned alot about art yesterday, we were there 3 hours. Down the street from the hostel is a Micheal Godard gallery, I love his stuff. If I were to ever buy art, it would definitely be something from him. After the museum, Peter and Stephanie had to move hostels, so we got their bags and got them checked into another one. We had our last supper last night and of course a night on the town. Their bus left at 11:00 this morning. I really hated to see them leave, I believe I have some new friends I'll have for the rest of my life. They are amazing people, I learned so much from both of them. I promised I would come visit them. So...maybe I'll have a European blog next summer???

Not doing much today, not a lot of energy. It's been a computer day for me. I looked at some hostels throughout Canada and have a pretty good idea of my my last couple weeks. I think I'll be stopping in Kelowna, Banff, Calgary, and Winnipeg before heading back to good ole midwest. This summer has gone by so fast, I can't believe it's winding down.

Oh, almost forgot. Hey Kris! Not travelling with any Spanish, just practicing a little bit. I decided I'm going to take a Spanish class when I get back. I checked it out, and SWIC has a night class on Tuesdays I'm going to take. It just hit me one day when I was walking through a park in Portland. I'm really excited about it. It makes so much sense too. I have to do professional development anyway, so why not do something I want to do. Plus, it will move me up the pay scale and who knows, maybe I'll take enough to get a certification in Spanish. A Spanish speaking teacher can pretty much write their own ticket. I think it's going to be a good move for me.

Hope everyone has had a good weekend. I'm a little upset I missed the British Open, I just read about it and it sounded like it was a great tournament. I haven't sat and watched tv since I left. I haven't even really been keeping up with baseball, I try to set my fantasy lineup every now and then, that's about it. I'm guessing the Cardinals still have a bullpen for a starting rotation?? See you all soon!

Cheers,

Dough

Had a Slight Change in Plans

Hola compadres,

Had a slight change in plans this week. The last time I wrote, we were planning on camping in Olympic Park. Well, that didn't happen. When we woke up on Wednesday it was pouring down rain, and I don't camp in the rain very well. Peter and I picked up another passenger, Stephanie. She's travelling alone too and decided to jump in with us for a few days. Since it was raining, we had to come up with an alternate plan. We eventually decided to go to Seattle for a few days instead. I was originally supposed to be in Seattle next week before making my way home. Instead, I came here now and will then head to Vancouver this afternoon. I decided I'm going to spend my last couple weeks in Canada instead of driving back east through the U.S. I guess Yellowstone will have to be on my next trip.

Our last night in Seaside was fun. After my last post, we got a canoe and paddled up the river to the ocean. It was fun until it started sucking us out into the ocean, we had to paddle like crazy to get out of it. That evening, I introduced Peter and Stephanie to some cajun food. Seaside had a nice little Bayou restaurant. They liked it. After dinner, we went to Funland. It's a really really big Chucky Cheese. They had never played skeeball, so of course I had to show them how to play...yeah, they beat me.

The next day we got up, saw the rain and adjusted our schedule. We arrived in Seattle about 4:00 and got checked in. When we got here, we checked the Mariners schedule and saw this was their last game at home for a couple weeks. We made our way to the stadium and bought some tickets on the street. It was a good game, tied up at 5-5 until the bottom of the 8th when the Mariners scored the go ahead run. Peter and Stephanie had a great time, better than they were expecting. Safeco Field is very nice, we got to see it with the roof open and closed. After the game we made our way back to the hostel where we ran into Adam, the Aussie, and Elisa, the girl from Milan we met in Portland. We sat around and chatted awhile before calling it an evening.

Thursday, Peter, Adam, Elisa and I went to the Freemont district. It was supposed to be a cool little neighborhood with shops, cafes, etc... I guess I've seen enough of these on my trip, I wasn't too impressed. I then left the group and went to the Experienced Music Project. I'm glad I did, it was pretty good. They had so much Jimi Hendrix memorabilia, it was cool. He really was a prodigy, they had artwork he did when he was in school and it's very good. He was talented in so many ways. I came back and met the gang to see Elisa off, she's heading to San Francisco. The hostel provided dinner last night, I was impressed. They had pasta, meatballs, green salad, many vegetables and bread. It was great for free. The breakfast they have here is great too. You can cook your own eggs, waffles, toast and they even have fresh fruit....all free. Last night, we went up in the Space Needle. The Seattle skyline is great at night, it really is a beautiful city.

We leave here in a little bit to go to Vancouver, BC. I'm gonna lose my travel buddies after Monday, Peter and Stephanie are renting a car and heading to Yellowstone. I'll be sad to see them go, but it will be nice being by myself for awhile. I'm sure I'll meet plenty more people along the way.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Dough

Where Does the Time Go?

I can't believe it's been this long since I've updated this. I really don't know where the time goes. Just so you know, this is a little bit of work to organize and link all of these pictures...it's not all fun and games out here on the road :)

I finally got to sleep last Thursday night after I shut the computer off. I've really never heard anything that loud before. I guess I just got used to it, they were there my entire stay. Friday was a good day, I finally got to golf again. Peter had never golfed before and he wanted to try it out. This was quite the experience, very comical. It was a nice course, not too hard, but hard enough...especially when you've only played about 4 times in the last month and a half. We only played nine holes. Trust me, that was long enough. We were a little slow. I think Peter had as much fun driving the golf cart as he did playing golf. About the 8th hole, I finally started to find my swing and Peter improved quickly too. It was a great time being on the course. Of course we had to stop at the 19th hole after the round. It was a semi-private club, so naturally it was all regulars there. They were all very friendly, it was in a small town about 25 minutes outside of Portland. I think our story got told at least 5 times, they don't get too many travellers at their course. It's very easy to meet people when you have a story like ours.

That evening, we made it back to the hostel. I let Peter drive, he was as excited as a little kid on Christmas. We started up the grill and made a nice salad. Stephanie joined us for dinner and we also met Elisa, she's from Milan, Italy. Elisa did a semester at Eastern Carolina University and is now travelling for the next 6 months. After dinner, we made our way to the pub down the street for a night cap.

Portland has a downtown market on the weekends. On Saturday, we decided to go check it out. They had a section for fruits and vegetables and they also had a part for artists of all sorts. They had music and a lot of food from across the globe. It had a festive atmosphere, just nothing I needed to buy. Surprisingly, I don't have much room for anything else. The backseat of my truck is packed. Stephanie had to leave that evening, so we went back to the hostel to see her off. For dinner, I had the best cannelloni I have ever had, it was delicious. I wanted pizza that evening, so I asked around for recommendations. I talked to these people that were in town for a wedding and they recommended Pizzateco. They couldn't have recommended a better place. They even had Doughboy Red Ale on tap. I guess someone beat me to the Doughboy Brewing Co.

Sunday, Peter and this girl we met Nadia took a Sunday drive on the Columbia River Gorge scenic highway and then around Mt. Hood and back to Portland. It was very nice, the scenery is amazing. There are many many waterfalls along the Gorge to stop and look at. The tallest is Multnomah Falls at 620 ft. Multnomah Falls is the second highest year-round waterfall in the nation. The views of Mt Hood from the east were great. That evening we just hung out and retired early.

Monday, we got up and made our way to Seaside, OR, a small little seaside resort community. We stopped at Target along the way so Peter could get an ipod. Oregon has NO sales tax, pretty nice. Another interesting tidbit about Oregon, you can not pump your own gas. Every station has attendants. I was quickly informed the first time that it's illegal to pump your own gas. Crazy yes, but I could get used to it. When we got here, we checked out our surroundings and the beach area. Again, very beautiful. The weather isn't really cooperating, it's been overcast and chilly since we been here. Last night we ran into Stephanie, the French girl, and Adam, an Aussie that was in my room in Portland. It's pretty crazy how many are travelling about the same path. The hostel is along the river here in Seaside. We made a fire in the pit last night and introduced the Europeans to smores. Of course our chocolate is not as good and they had never seen a "biscuit" (graham cracker) like that before. Overall, I think they liked them. Around the fire, we also met Don. Don is probably in his 50's and is travelling around for 6 mos. He's from Daytona, Fl. He's been in the Navy and has travelled the world. He said he'll never settle down. I wish we had more time with him, I'm sure he has many more stories to tell. He got up this morning and headed further down the coast. This afternoon, I think we're going to rent a kayak and kayak up the river to the ocean. We leave tomorrow for Olympic National Park. We're going to camp in the rain forest for a couple days before catching a ferry on Friday to Vancouver.

Have a great week!

Ciao,
Dough

Just as I Suspected...

Portland is great! I don't even know where to begin. It's a big city, but it has such a small town feel. There's green space everywhere, they have over 200 parks. They have Forest Park, the largest urban park in the country. You can take a bicycle anywhere in this city. Many of the streets have separate bicycle lanes, and if they don't, they can ride on the road. It's a very ecofriendly town. Recycling is huge and so is organic foods. Public transportation is free within the city center area. They have buses, trolley cars, and light rail systems. They even have a sky tram that takes you directly from town to the hospital that sits upon the side of this mountain. I can't say enough about this place...so far.

Peter and I pulled into town on Tuesday about 12:30. We went to the hostel and I checked in and then found out they didn't have a bed for Peter that night, only that night though. So, he checked into a cheap motel in the neighborhood. That afternoon we made our way to Portland's Chinatown. Not quite the same as San Francisco, but the food was better. We then walked along the riverfront and towards one of the many many fountains around town. In Portland, they encourage people to get in the fountains...seriously. It was really hot Tuesday, 102 degrees, that was a record. Every fountain you seen had people wading in them or sticking their head underneath a stream. We then made our way to the sky tram, we had to ride it once. It was pretty cool, you got some great views of Mt. Hood. That night, we just hung out on the back deck. While I was on the phone, Peter met this French girl Stephanie. She's travelling for 6 months and working on organic farms now and then to help finance the trip. I learned a lot that evening about France and Belgium. Did you know, the french fry was originally from Belgium.

Wednesday, we got up and decided to go to the Japanese garden. It said it was about a 25 minute walk. After about 50 minutes, I finally saw a guy getting out of his car so I could ask directions. Sure enough, we walked about 25 minutes past where we were supposed to turn off. It was HOT too. Luckily, there's a fountain in the park to cool off in. The garden was pretty neat, we were just in time to get a guided tour. It was pretty interesting learning all the design elements that go into a Japanese garden. On the way back, we were both a little hungry, so I introduced Peter to something really American...Taco Bell. That evening on the back deck, I met two guys from Boston doing a two month road trip. They are doing a very low budget, camping most nights, trip. They budgeted $50 a day and have been sticking to it. I was pretty impressed.

Today, Peter, Stephanie and I went to Mount St. Helens. I think it's the first time I've played in snow in July, there was actually quite a bit. We went on a hike up the mountain until we reached a point where you had to have a permit to hike any further. They only give out 100 permits a day to hike up, and they're sold out until the middle of August. Of course, we took our chances and hiked up over two more ridges. It's very rough terrain, it's basically just a bunch of rocks and boulders. It's amazing thinking those things went flying through the air when it erupted. After hiking back down, we stopped at Ape Cave. It's a cave that used to be a lava tube. It was pretty neat, once you got about 10 foot down, you could really feel the temperature drop. They say it stays at 43 degrees year round. It's a cave, so naturally it's pitch black. I had a flashlight, but it's not the best. We went in pretty far and the whole time I'm hoping the batteries don't go dead in the light. We made it out ok and headed back. Tonight we grilled up a pork loin, it was delicious. I was exhausted from the day, but after I ate, i got a second wind. I really don't know why I'm still up. We met another nice woman tonight, Isabella. She lives in Olympia, WA, but she is originally from Costa Rica. She has family here and her husband and daughter come in tomorrow from their vacation in San Francisco. We talked a long time and learned a lot about Costa Rica. It sounds like a great place. Peter is actually going there in September. Now here I am up way too late listening to the freight trains in my room. I've never had roommates that snore this bad. I guess I'll try to fall asleep, might be an Ipod night.

Adios,

Dough

Goodbye California :(

Time for another update, I feel like I haven't done it in awhile.

Friday, I made my way to Martinez, only about a 30 minute drive. It was a productive day, I got a haircut, laundry done, oil changed and truck washed. Would you believe I've already drove over 4,000 miles! I met Corey Dagner and we went out for the evening in downtown Martinez. I'm sure everyone can imagine what happened that night. Details?? Yeah, I don't have many either.

Saturday, Corey had to work, so I took in a movie at the theater down the street. I went and saw Live Free or Die Hard, it was pretty good. When Corey got off, we went and got some dinner and visited one of his friends before making it to the Red Caboose. The owner was having a birthday party there, so it was a good time. Good band, and of course I was dancing.

Sunday, I got up with the intentions of making it up to Klamath, Ca. About an hour into my drive, my phone rings, it was Peter. He and Phillip were camping in southern Humboldt county at a little town called Myers Flat. Phillip had to drive back today to LA and Peter still has a few more weeks. So, he asked if he could jump in with me for awhile. I looked on the map and it was right on my way so I stopped in Myers Flat for the evening. It turned out to be great. Myers Flat is in redwood country right along the Avenue of Giants. I even got to see a car drive through a tree.

It was Phillip's last supper, so we had a feast. They had bought steaks, potato salad, green salad, etc... it was delicious. This of course was after our swim in the river, the campsite had a great location. That evening, we decided to visit the Trading Post Saloon in town. Peter and Phillip had been there the previous evening and said I had to see it. I now know why, some very interesting characters around there (see pics). The owner is about 80 years old and a very nice man. They were closing up about 10:00 when we got there. After he saw them, he said to keep the bar open a little longer for his friends. I don't think they get many like us around there.

Today, Phillip took off for LA and Peter and I started up the coast. Northern California and southern Oregon has a wonderful coastline, I've never seen anything like it. We ended up here in Eugene, Oregon about 10:00 tonight. It was a lot of driving, but it was worth it. Now we only have less than 2 hours to Portland tomorrow morning. I'm really looking forward to Portland, I'll finally stop moving for a bit. I think I'm there about 6 days.

I hope everyone had a good weekend. I'll talk to you soon.

Dough

Now I Know What Tony is Talking About

It's no wonder Tony left his heart in San Francisco, this is a beautiful city. I've had a lot of fun the past few days exploring the city. There's so much to see, I love it!

When I left off last time, I was writing my blog in the lounge. When I finished, I just happened to glance over and who did I see?? Yep, Peter and Phillip. It's really quite strange running into these people, they were as shocked as I was. They got in the day before and just happened upon this hostel. So, back to not being alone. That evening we went out together to get some dinner and drinks. We ate at a fantastic Italian restaurant, Trattoria Volare. It was delicious, Phillip said it was as good as any food he has eaten in Italy. After dinner, we made our way down the street and decided to go into this club for some cocktails. It was a nice little club/restaurant and everyone was out since they were off the next day. Late in the evening, I was walking out of the restroom and I couldn't believe my eyes, I saw Ben and Sophie. They are from Switzerland and I met them in San Diego. Out of all the clubs, bars, restaurants, etc. in San Francisco, what are the odds that I would randomly run it to them. It's quite strange. We ended up closing the place down. Needless to say, we caught a cab home.

Wednesday, July 4th, I spent the day seeing some of the city. I got on my bike and rode all around. San Francisco is a great city for bikers, lots of trails and bike lanes on the roads. The first thing I wanted to do was bike across the Golden Gate Bridge. Wow, I wasn't expecting the wind that was up there. It was extremely windy, but it was worth it. I then made my way around the bay. It was packed with people everywhere around the bay. The beaches were full, the parks were full, the streets around Fisherman's Wharf were full; it was a great day to people watch. I eventually made it to AT&T Park. I tried to get in and get some pics, but the people working the media gate were less than friendly. I had to settle for some shots of the outside. I made my way back to the hostel where I was going to meet the guys and go watch the fireworks. It's only about a 5 minute walk to the pier where they were having them, they were beautiful. We were all tired from the night before and my big ride I did all day, so we decided to retire early that night. I got back to the hostel and was going to update my blog until I fell asleep. Yes, I did the patented fall asleep sitting up on the couch trick. I woke up to this kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk. I figured I better just put the computer up and do it later.

Yesterday, I got up fresh and ready to see more of the city. Peter and Phillip had to leave, so we went and had lunch together in Chinatown. It was good food, I don't know if it's better than the Orient Wok Chop Suey in Glen Carbon though. We walked around Chinatown for a bit and then we parted ways. They are headed up north, I may run into them again?? I made my way to downtown and then caught the bus to the Haight district. What a cool section of town, you could almost feel the 60's vibe. I made my way to Golden Gate Park and checked that out. There were lots of people in the park enjoying the sun and taking in some extra-curricular activities. I of course had to find a spot in the sun and take it all in as well. The park is huge, I got a little lost and did a lot of walking before I found my way out. Last night, I went to the North Beach neighborhood and got some dinner. I met up with Ben and Sophie at their hostel and we hung out for awhile. They are headed to Seattle, Vancouver and then Jamaica. It was really good seeing them again, they are very nice people. It sometimes sucks knowing you'll probably never see these people again in your life. I know I've only known them for a few weeks now, but I do feel like we're friends.

Today, I have to check out of the hostel. I'm spending the evening with Cory Dagner, this should be fun. He lives in Martinez, a suburb of the city. I'll probably leave there tomorrow and head north to the Redwood National Forest. Maybe do a little more camping, I don't have any plans. I should be in Portland by early/mid next week.

I hope this finds everyone doing well. I think all the pictures are updated. Sorry about so many Yosemite pics, I just couldn't narrow it down anymore. Believe it or not, I actually have more.

Have a great weekend!

Dough

Whew, Back to Civilization

Wow, where to begin. It feels like I've been out of touch with people for so long.

Last Friday, I picked up Bo at the bus station and we started our trek to Yosemite National Park. First stop...Wal Mart. Bo had never been to a Wal Mart, so it was kinda funny. He was amazed at the size and selection Wal Mart had to offer. I brought a tent and that's about all for camping. We both needed to buy sleeping bags and I went ahead and bought a stove, pots and pans, and a cooler, I figure I'll use it all again somewhere down the line. If you need camping supplies, go to Wal Mart. Sleeping bag was $8, the stove was less than $20. Bo and I couldn't believe how cheap stuff was. Of course neither one of us made a list of stuff we will need as far as food and such, so we just wonder around picking up stuff. We finally made it out of there and we were loaded down.

Yosemite books their campsites 6 mos. in advance. They said they are completely booked within hours of them releasing the sites. They have a few first come first serve campsites high up in the park. We heard we must get there early to get those too. Knowing this, we knew we could have trouble finding a spot, but we're both optimistic people. That night, we knew we probably wouldn't get a place in the park so we decided to try some sites we heard about just outside the park along the Merced river. We drive about two miles down a one lane rock road that hugs the mountain and the river, it was a little scary at times. We were not finding anything, everything was taken. By this time, it was starting to get a little dark and we knew we had to find something quick. Finally, we come across a spot along the river that had a flat area just big enough for a tent, so we took it. We knew it wasn't really a campsite, but we had no other choice. We had to get up early to try and get a spot inside the park anyway, surely the ranger wouldn't be by that early.

That night was great, we were literally steps away from the river. When it got dark, it was really dark. Sitting along the riverside, we saw a lot of bats flying around, it was pretty cool. Then, I saw something out of the corner of my eye. I couldn't quite make it out, it ran away too fast. Keep in mind, we were both a little on edge sleeping out there with all of the bear talk around. Everywhere you look, there's signs about bears. A little later we hear something again. We shine the light and it's a skunk. I about freaked out, I would rather wrestle a bear than get sprayed by a skunk...that is until I saw the bear...keep reading. Anyway, Bo has no idea about skunks. He thought it was funny that I was that freaked out about a little skunk, I then had to tell him all about them and what they do. The skunk eventually disappeared into the night and we got some shut eye. Today as we were driving back, we came across a dead skunk. Bo quickly realized why I didn't want to piss off the skunk.

We got up about 5:30 and got on the road to Yosemite. Never saw a ranger, free nights lodging. Yosemite is a huge park, it takes forever to get anywhere. The roads are up, down, and very curvy. We get to White Wolf campground, elevation 8,000 ft., about 8:00 and luckily find a spot. We start to get set up and within the first five minutes a woman comes over and tells us were right in the area where a bear has been hanging out for awhile. Her family was actually leaving the campground because of it. That just added to our sense of adventure and excitement. We wanted to see this bear. Besides, it's just a little black bear, it's not like it's a grizzly...right? That day, we took a hike from our campground to Lakens Lake. It was a moderate hike, about 4 miles round trip. The lake is a beautiful glacier lake, the water is really clear. We hiked around one side and a little further up see this big hill which looked like it had a clearing, so we naturally start to climb up it. I'm glad we did, the view from up there was amazing. On the way back, we were going to go around the other side of the lake...surely the trail goes all the way around. Uhhh no, we had to make our own trail. Again, a little on edge, no trail, bears and mountain lions. Oh, I love adventure! We make it back, cook dinner and relaxed around the fire. We were relaxed until we hear "hey, hey!" and then this air horn goes off a couple times. You guessed it, the bear. It was somewhere in the campground, we didn't see it. If you see the bear you're just supposed to scare it away. I'm sure after the air horn, it was scared to death.

Sunday, we got up and made our way to the valley, about a 50 minute drive. This is the touristy part of the park, they have a lodge, store and visitor center. From the valley you can see: Yosemite Falls, largest waterfall in N. America and 5th largest in the world, El Capitan, the tallest granite monolith in the world, and Bridalvail Falls, just a waterfall. Again, very touristy, not really what we were looking for, but we had to see those sights. We weren't going to see Bridalvail falls until we went in the Ansel Adams gallery and saw pictures of it. We then decided we must go while we're this close. Once we get to the fall, I'm standing there looking at it and taking pictures when I hear "Eric??". I turn around and it was Peter and Phillip, the guys I met in Flagstaff. What a small world huh? We didn't know each of us were even going to Yosemite, let alone be at the same waterfall at the exact moment in time. It's still pretty weird when I think about it. We finally make it back to our camp that night and fix dinner and a fire. The campground store sold a box of wood for $10, we would just stop along the side of the road and go gather our own wood. Bo loved the idea of my "trunk" I have on my truck. You can throw anything back there.

We're sitting by the fire when we hear "hey, hey" and some screaming. You could hear the panic in the woman's voice, she was serious. This time, it was a campsite about 150 yards from ours. Several rangers came by hunting the bear, they were trying to shoot it with bean bags from a shotgun to get it out of the camps. About 11:00, a couple hours later, we were getting ready to go to bed, when I hear this heavy breathing. Keep in mind, up here at night it is very dark. I just knew it was that bear. I looked at Bo and he said he could tell by my face. He clicked on the flashlight and we saw this huge black bear. When we saw him, or her I think, she was about 70 yards away coming in our general direction. She was moving at a pretty good pace. Bo kept the light on her and neither one of us said a word. It was awesome, we got to see a wild bear run past us about 20 yards from our camp. The bear was headed towards the woods, so we didn't feel we needed to try and scare it. I can't say enough of how great that was to see. As Bo would say, "That will be stuck in my retina forever".

Yesterday, we decided to take a hike to North Dome. The hike had been recommended to us by several different people. It was about 10 miles round trip. It was a tough 10 miles too, up and down hills. It was worth it though, the views I got yesterday were priceless. It really was like you were on top of the world out on this big dome mountain. I think we were about 10,00 feet. By the time we got back, I was dead. I used muscles I didn't know I had. It was probably the best day we had. I slept like a baby last night.

We got up today, packed the truck and I dropped Bo off at Modesto to catch the Greyhound to LA. He has to leave the US on Saturday, his 90 days are up. He going to Mexico and Guatemala for the next 90 days. We had a lot of fun together the past four days, he's a great guy. I learned alot from him, and hopefully he learned a little from me...I did teach him how to build a fire. He's such a great carefree spirit. He didn't know where he was staying tonight in LA until last night, he doesn't know how he'll get around in Mexico or where he'll go. He just goes and things always work out. I think that's true for most everyone, some just want to worry and panic over the small things. In the long run, things always work out.

I arrived here in San Francisco this afternoon. It's a balmy 68 degrees today. The first thing I did was take a shower!! I hadn't showered since last Friday, I was feeling pretty gross. Now I'm showered, refreshed, the blog is updated and now I'll go see what San Francisco has to offer me...no gay jokes needed. I'm staying at the HI in Fishermans Wharf. It's a nice hostel, just like a hotel except it's only $27 a night. So far, the place seems a little stuffy. It's too much like a hotel. The only reason I'm staying here is for the free parking. Anywhere else in the city is $20 a day to park. If it don't get better, I'm going to switch to the Green Tortoise hostel and just leave my car here since I got a parking pass thru Friday. Pretty smart huh?

Hope everyone has a happy 4th!

Dough

P.S. I'll try to work on pics tonight. I have waaay to many, and I know you don't want to look at all of them. I'm going to filter them and pick out the good ones. I have some really good ones too. Stay tuned!

So Long San Diego

Whew, I survived...barely. San Diego was a blast, an experience like no other. I met so many people from all over the world. The location was phenomenal and the people there were extremely friendly. The Banana Bungalow was a place like no other, at least nowhere I've ever been.

Tuesday night I went to the House of Blues and saw Xavier Rudd. Just when I thought I couldn't possibly have any more fun in San Diego, I go to this show. The show was awesome, he's amazing. I didn't stop dancing from the time it started to the time it ended. If you ever get a chance to see him, do it! After the show, I came back and there were some people in the common room getting ready to watch Black Snake Moan, so I watched it too. It was ok, a little weird though.

Wednesday, I woke up fresh and ready to go to Tijuana. Chaz, a worker at BB, takes a group every Wednesday. I think there were 14 of us, we all piled in the big van they got and headed for the border. We had a good group, I knew many of them already. It was Fabian's birthday, so he had it a little rough. Tijuana was pretty much what I expected, shops, bars, and pharmacies. We had a late lunch and some cervezas when we got there and then went to the discotheque for some more cervezas and margaritas. We were there in the afternoon, so we had the place pretty much to ourselves. The mechanical bull was a big hit. We made our way back about 8:00. When I got back, Collin and Mark, English guys I roomed with, wanted me to go out with them to see this 80's hair band. Of course I had to go, it was my last night. The band was pretty good too. Since I added another night and the beds were booked, I had to stay in the common area. It had some beds, but people in and out. Didn't get a lot of sleep.

Since I didn't get much sleep, I wasn't feeling the best today. Finally left San Diego around 2:00. Note to self, don't leave San Diego at 2:00 and try to go north through LA. The first 150 miles took me 3.5 hours. It was ridiculous. I finally got to Fresno about 8:00 tonight. I'm splurging and I got myself a hotel room. I got to do laundry in the morning and I'm picking Bo up at the Greyhound station at 2:30. Were going to go camp in Yosemite for few days, what a change of pace. A much needed change of pace! I guess this will probably be my last post for few days. When I get back, I'm sure I'll have some nice pics of Yosemite.

Have a great weekend!

Dough

Ouch!

I guess I had a little too much sun yesterday, didn't realize it until I got up today. Was going to try surfing, but heard the waves were not good yesterday. Instead, I just got a boogie board from the hostel and went playing in the ocean. Simon, the Aussie, tried showing me and Peter, guy from Denmark, how to body surf. Just as I thought, it's very tough. Playing around in the water is a good workout, I was wore out by the end of the day.

Last night, I hung out with Mark and Collin from Manchester, Mike from Liverpool, Yves and Jasmine from Switzerland and Andre and Bernard from Germany. I love talking to all of these people and learning about all the different cultures. The guys from the UK introduced us to a game called "21", not blackjack. The game requires total concentration, I guess it's a very popular game in the UK. We had a lot of fun.

Tonight I'm going to the House of Blues downtown to see Xavier Rudd. I'm really looking forward to the show, I've never seen him before. Tomorrow, the hostel is taking a trip to Tijuana. I was going to leave tomorrow, but now I'm going to stay another day. I got an email from Bo, and we decided to meet on Friday instead of Thursday. So, I guess one more day in San Diego...damn the luck :)

Cheers,
Dough

P.S. Trying to upload photos, but Snapfish is having problems. I'll get them up soon.

I Don't Think I'm Leaving

I be having a veddy good time. This place is great! I've met sooo many people from all over, many Swiss, Irish, and British. The Japanese people in my room left today, they didn't speak English very well, but they were nice. I wonder who'll be moving in? Everyone is super friendly, very easy to make friends.

During the day, everyone just goes to the beach and does their own thing. My farmer tan is starting to get evened out, I think I need to get some sunscreen though. I'm a little sore. At night, everyone gathers on the big deck out back and socializes. It's really interesting. Later in the evening, some decide to go to the pub and others just stay on the deck. I finally met some Americans, two girls from PA. They were just on a vacation and are leaving today. Other than that, I think I'm the only American here.

I guess I'll head back out to the beach, just had to get out of the sun for awhile. I'll try to add more pics tonight of my new friends and the hostel.

Cheers,
Dough

Staying Classy

You guessed it, I'm in sunny San Diego. For the record, it really doesn't mean whale's vagina...I asked a German. If you didn't get that, watch more movies.

After signing off last time, I ended up going out for the evening with Bo, the actor from Amsterdam. We had a good time hitting some of the pubs. He had never had a margarita, so of course we had to get one. On the way back that evening, we met some locals who lived down the street from the hostel and they invited us to hang out with them. We did, and ended up getting home pretty late. Bo and I are meeting up in Fresno on Thursday and are going to camp in Yosemite National Park. I'm really looking forward to that, Yosemite looks amazing.

The next day, we had to check out of Flagstaff and make our way to Phoenix. Mom flew out about 7 that evening. We took the scenic route out of Flagstaff to Sedona. I'm really glad we did that too, the landscape was beautiful. You need to look at the pics. We made it to Phoenix and I got mom to the airport. I got ahold of my friend Modeer and ended up going to his place after the airport. He lives in Mesa, about 20 minutes away. We went out that night for a bite to eat and of course that turned into a later night as well. Friday, Modeers brother set up some golf at the Biltmore Country Club for the three of us. This course was really nice. Paul Harvey lives on the course. So many multi million dollar homes around this course. I played horrible on the front and much better on the back. It was about 115 degrees when we teed off at about 3:00.
However, I hardly broke a sweat. The desert heat is so much better than all the humidity in STL. I would take 115 in Phoenix over 90 in STL. After golf, we came back and grilled up some carne asada and made fajitas. They were delicious! It was a very relaxing day, we were both pretty wore out.

I got up today and made my way to San Diego. When I left Phoenix it was 110 and when I got to San Diego, it was 70. What a difference 6 hours make. The hostel I'm staying at is right on the beach. I mean right on the beach, I can't believe it. This place is much different than the hostel in Flagstaff. This is much bigger and more of a party crowd. I'm in a co-ed room with 6 bunk beds. So far I've met about 4 guys from the UK, a guy and girl from Switzerland and 2 girls and a guy from Japan. They are all sharing the room with me. I'll let you know how it goes. I'm on the top bunk, right by the window. My view is the Pacific Ocean and this long pier. I think I could get used to this view.

Cheers,
Dough

P.S. Thank you all for the comments, I like reading them. Makes me feel a little closer to home.

Ahhh...Flagstaff

I'm just sitting here in the hostel enjoying the weather. I really can't say anything bad about Flagstaff, I'm really glad I chose to come here. The temps get in the 80's during the day and the high 40's at night. The people here are extremely friendly and laid back. If all the hostels are like this, I'm going to have a great trip.

Yesterday, we got up and drove to the Grand Canyon. I can now see what everyone raves about. I think everyone needs to see it at least once in their life. Pictures can not do this place justice, one must really see to believe. It was about 80 miles from flagstaff through the Coconinno Forest. It was a very nice drive. On the way back, we stopped at a few Navajo vendors on the side of the road. Of course mom had to get some jewelry. When we got back to the hostel, we find out they are serving dinner for $3 a plate later that night. Billy, this guy that works/stays at the hostel used to be a professional chef. I was a little skeptical, but it turned out to be a great meal. He fixed a delicious salad and homemade potato soup. We had watermelon and some Pete's Wicked Strawberry Blonde Ale for desert. The soup was delicious, different than any other I've had.

About 10 of us sat around having dinner together in the courtyard they have. It was a great time to meet and chat with the other guests. You can learn so much from these people. One girl that's very outspoken is Uta, she is from Germany. Uta was the first person we saw when we got to the hostel. She has dreads and wears a shirt that says "fuckyouups" on it. She's obviously very intelligent and also a free spirit. She met her husband here about 2 months ago. She was here and married after only one month....he's got a mo hawk. It was very comical listening to her tell her stories.

We met Christian from the UK. He's just graduated from the university and is travelling around for about three months. He's been in the states for about 6 weeks now and has already seen about as much of it as I have my whole life. When he leaves the states, he is going to Australia and then to Japan. I talked with him in great length about the UK and many of our differences. Like I said, a person can learn alot around here. Bo was the next guy we met. He's from Holland. He's on a six month journey around the world. He just graduated with a degree in acting. He's done several little parts in Europe and done some work in the theatre. Another interesting guy.

Later in the evening, Christian and I were the last ones out there when these three other mates walk up with a six pack. They were Ron from Germany, Peter from Belgium and Phillip from Switzerland. We chat and have some beers, until they ran out. We decide to go to the pub across the street for a few more. These guys were extremely cool. They were all in the states travelling solo when they all met in San Diego. Peter had a car and offered for the other two to jump in. They went to the Grand Canyon to camp tonight and then on to Vegas. They got the biggest kick out of my truck, they wanted me to take them for a ride. I guess nobody drives trucks in Europe.

I got up today and haven't done a whole lot. We went to the store, came back and did laundry and relaxed. We're getting up in the morning and making our way to Phoenix, probably stopping in Sedona for some sightseeing. Mom's plane leaves at 7:30. I don't have any plans for Friday night, just playing it by ear and I'll be in sunny San Diego on Saturday.

So long,

Dough

DAM...That Things Big!

Yep, you guessed it. We went and saw the Hoover Dam. What an engineering masterpiece. How do you even begin something like that, especially in the 1930's. The pictures can not show the enormity of the dam...it's dam big! We drove through there on our way to Flagstaff, AZ where I am sitting right now.

Vegas was a good time. I did a lot of relaxing, watching golf, and gambling during the evening hours. Friday night we had dinner and more gambling. The tables were much cooler, I didn't do so hot. I stayed up pretty late, so of course I had to sleep in on Saturday. I slept in and watched golf most of the day. That night we took a bus to the strip and ended up at Harrah's. I ended up on a Caribbean Stud table for many hours. I left there with change in my pocket and a dam good buzz from the Buds I through back while playing...yeah, it was a good night. It was a good night, until I saw the sun coming up...I hate that feeling. Sunday was another day of rest. I think that might be a reoccurring theme. We made a Wal Mart run, can't get away from those, and then we went to Sam's Town. You know, had to see if those 'off the strip' casinos were any looser. Uhhhh NO, no luck there either. Overall, I pretty much broke even on gambling. Two good nights, Thursday and Saturday and one really bad night, Friday. Yesterday, I broke even after I went back to Fitzgeralds and played roulette with the same dealer as Thursday. So, I would say it was a successful Vegas trip.

We got up this morning, not too early, and headed towards Flagstaff. The Hoover Dam was exactly on the way. The drive wasn't bad, I'm still amazed by how much the terrain changes out here. We went from desert and mountains with no vegatation, to mountains filled with big trees. The temperature today was 104 in vegas and even into Arizona. Here in Flagstaff, the high was 83 and it will get down into the 40's tonight. What a huge difference from Vegas. We are staying in a hostel, it's really pretty nice. We have a private room, so mom doesn't have to stay with 7 other hippie chicks. It's an old motel right off of route 66. The owners turned it into a hostel. It's got a pool table, foosball table, two kitchens, etc...it's nice. I saw a few foreigners names on the check in sheet, some from Switzerland and Australia. So far, all I've seen are some hippies. Apparently Flagstaff is a big hippie town. We walked around the donwtown area and it was very cool. Feels like a very small town with lots to do. Numerous restraunts and bars, artsy shops, outdoor stores, etc... I've only had a couple hours here, I'll give a full report on Flagstaff later. So far, I think I'm gonna like this place.

Until next time...

Dough

Ohhh, almost forgot. They were filming a movie at the Plaza while we were there. It's called Yonkers Joe. It is starring Chazz Palminteri, I can't think of what I know him from, I recognized him right away though. I looked at IMDB.com and I couldn't find what I would know him from. I don't know???

Vegas Baby!!!

Greetings everyone! The past few days have went by pretty quickly. I finally found a free WiFi spot here in Vegas. After my last post, I made my way to the Salt Lake City Bees game...the long way. I ended up taking the wrong train, so I went a little outta my way. Luckily, I realized my mistake fairly early. I finally made it by late in the 1st inn. I'm upset I didn't bring my camera, the stadium was beautiful. Of course, the backdrop was the mountains. I got to sit 15 rows behind home plate for a whopping $10; that's not even the best part though, it was $1 hot dog night. I think I had about 3 of them. After the game I went to a park downtown to listen to some local live music. It wasn't really my crowd though, a little young and a little too punkish. So, I went back to Murphy's. I only lasted for one there, the bartenders weren't too friendly. I figured it would be wise to call it an early night. I walked my 30 minutes back to the hostel.

When I got back to the hostel, I ran into this guy I had met earlier in the day, Jeff. Jeff is 43 and thinks he's going to start over the road trucking. He's from Detroit and worked in Chicago for many years. He's traveled all over the world and is extremely knowledgeable. I'm not really sure what he's doing at the hostel, he said he just likes to come to Salt Lake now and then, "It's an easy place to be". If you're reading, hey Jeff. Anyway, I begin talking to one of the guys that runs the hostel, Phil. He gave me the scoop on all of the Eastern Europeans. Apparently, every 4 months this company sends student workers from different countries. He said they all come through the hostel doors. They are supposed to find housing for themselves.

I then met two guys from Bogota, Columbia. They were very friendly and spoke English well. They were telling me how hard it was to find housing for just four months, everywhere wants 6 or 12 month leases. I told him to just sign one for six and leave after four. I don't think the landlord is going to hunt them down in Columbia.

Earlier in the night, I noticed I had gotten 4 new roommates. When I went to put my laptop up in the truck, I saw one of them on the front steps. I introduce myself and we have a good conversation. He and his friend, Uls and Mathias, are from Switzerland and have been traveling the world for the past 6 months. They had just came from Fiji. After a few minutes into the conversation, I realized he is a little intoxicated. He was quite comical. I never met one of the roommates until the next morning. I wake up to this smiling Sri Lanken going through his bag. I say hi and get up myself. He's in town for the National Rotary Convention...seriously.

Later that morning I had to pick up mom from the airport. I picked her up and we began our 6 hour drive to Vegas. The drive was pretty, it's amazing how the landscape changes so much in so little time. I'm gonna attach the photos. After arriving in Vegas, I was a little beat. I stayed up way too late the night before meeting all the foreigners. Of course mom was ready to gamble. I relaxed and met her for dinner later. After dinner, we walked Freemont St. and saw the light show. We decided to gamble a little bit and that's the last I saw of her. I played keno for awhile and had no luck at all. I then was drawn in by a .50 roulette table. I don't know how long I played, about 5 beers long I think. I just kept hitting and hitting. When the dealer changed, so did my luck. Didn't take me long to leave too. I ended up $85, not bad for the first night. I made my way back to the Plaza to crash for the evening.

Oh how heavenly the bed was, I didn't want to get out of it this morning. I hadn't slept in a real bed in over a week and it was awesome. After finally talking myself out of bed, I decided to check out the fitness center. Of course, it was like any other hotel fitness center. They did however have a running track and tennis courts on the rooftop. For some strange reason, I decided to run 2 miles. It was extremely hot, but I barely broke a sweat. It really is a dry heat out here. After the run, I was sucked in to the US Open. I met mom for some lunch and then we split again. I went searching for somewhere to get online. Here I sit on the ground outside of Krispy Kreme so I can use their WiFi. I really hate to eat a doughnut just to sit in their patio when I can sit right here on the ground for free. Until next time...

Dough

Last Day in Salt Lake

Well, I survived Monday night with Keith, the crazy one...literally. I did sleep with one eye open though. It really wasn't that bad, the next morning he was pretty normal and said the VA was going to put him up for a month. I wished him all the best, and he was on his way. This was one of my first reinforcements on the lesson of not judging someone else.

I woke up yesterday feeling good, the beds really aren't that bad. I got up and went for a run, the hills here are a killer. I ended my run at the grocery store a few blocks up the hill. I did some shopping and walked back and fixed some breakfast. I wanted to golf and then go to the baseball game, but I couldn't pull all of that off in the same day. I went golfing at 3:00 (twilight rate) at Mountain Dell Canyon Course, they have a Lake Course too. This place is incredible, very well maintained. These people must actually fix ball marks on greens, they were exceptional. Since I was a single, I got paired up with Cho. Cho has been in Utah for 6 years and he came from Korea. Very nice guy, and a very good golfer. He tells me he is going back to Korea to be on the Korean golf tour. He's good, he might be able to. It was a very enjoyable round. What's that? How did I shoot? Well, it started off pretty good, I shot a 44 on the front and I was really pleased with that. The back...I can't remember what I shot :) Hey Littie, that 44 SHOULDA been a 41, I lipped 3 puts.

By the time I got back from golfing, it was too late to catch the baseball game. I just came back to the hostel and made me some dinner and played on the internet. Again, a very diverse crowd in the living room. I figured I had better at least meet some of these people while I'm here, so I introduced myself. The first one I met was Tatyana from Bulgaria. Nice girl, she speaks pretty good English. I asked her what she was doing here and she told me she was here to work for 4 months and then she had to go back to Bulgaria. I didn't want to pry to much, she was chatting in some other language with her friends. I can only imagine what they were saying about me. Needless to say, my imagination is running wild. Why in the world would these girls come here to work for 4 months and then go back? I figured maybe they were going to be prostitutes or put in some strip club for awhile...very cute girls. Anyway, that was the extent of my conversation.

Late in the evening, I was relaxing enjoying the weather out on the patio when another Eastern European comes out for a smoke. Here's where my second reinforcement of not judging comes in. I introduce myself and so does she. Her name is Tonya from ??? Russia, somewhere south of Moscow. She speaks very good English, better than many Americans. Come to find out, all these girls and a few guys are here on some type of work/study program. They are all from Russia, Bulgaria, and Romania. They're here to work at the airport at the different restaurants and shops. She said they all had a choice between Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania or Salt Lake and they chose here because this is where they held the Winter Olympics. I told her they made the right choice. She starts today at Quizno's and has no idea what type of place Quizno's is.

In Russia, she is studying to be a linguistics teacher, specializing in English. She said they start teaching English at 7 years old, knowing English in Russia is very common. That explains how all of these people can speak the language. This is just more reinforcement as to how far behind the US is compared to many other countries in regards to education. Heck, she stumped me for a minute. She asked what is plural for fox, fox or foxes? I had to think about it. It is just fox...right? This is all their first time in the US. I hate that this is the first thing they see here, they are probably telling people back home how strange us Americans are. I would too if this is what I knew about the US.

Before crashing, I check my email at the row of computers. Sitting next to me is this black guy, probably early 20's. He's going "what, what, oh man, what!" He turns to me and says, "Hey, you know anything about WWE?". Of course I said, "Sure, a little". He was on the WWE website and they had Vince McMahons limo blowing up right after he supposedly got in. I told him it was all show and to check a reputable news source...it was. Anyway, I asked him where he was from and he says "St. Louis". No kidding, this guy is from STL. He came out here with baby mama, and now he's got baby mama drama and he's been staying in the hostel since Feb. It is a small world.

Got my run in today and haven't done much else. I uploaded all of my pics to Snapfish.com and put links on my blog. Now you all can see my pics from the trip. My header pic was one I took last night from up on top this hill. When I got back and put it on the computer, I thought I had something on my screen. Upon further review, I noticed that it's the moon. I thought this turned out to be a pretty cool pic.

Well, I better go do something fun. Think I'm gonna go drive and actually see the Great Salt Lake, going to the game tonight. Hope everyone's doing well.

Cheers,
Dough

WOW!

Ok, this is funny, crazy ...but funny. This is gonna be one of my first free response blogs, just say what's going on. I'm sitting on a love seat in this big room with an assortment of furniture. there's a couple couches, couple love seats, and a couple vinyl chairs from the 70's. Playing on the 55" is Shrek 3 (somebody's got a hook up on movies, they also have Hostel 2, Mr. Brooks, etc... and they're great quality). On the far side of the room is an Indian playing an African a game of chess. They've been going at it forever...oh wait, I think the Indian just won. Suprise??

On my right is the row of four computers. This Russian or maybe Ukrainian girl is chatting it up with this guy in his 40's from the UK. Sitting by them is this middle eastern with the full beard and little knit hat thingy to go along...oh my!

On my left, I have the 'Dude' of the hostel. I think he works here...kinda?? But I think I have him pegged as that creepy guy that hits on all the foreign girls?? Could be wrong...nah! He's wearing an American flag bandanna, and sweatpants...seriously. He had this Russian chick by him and she just now got up and he followed her and said, "Are you going to bed", in a real disappointed voice...hilarious!

One of my roommates is a little scary. He was in the army, I'm thinking probably 'Nam, and he's a little freaky. He just got in to town from the Mississippi Gulf coast...took the grayhound. He lost his house in Katrina, his girlfriend shot him in the leg with a 38 (but he loves her), his parents have caused him nothing but grief, etc... So, he's been on hard times. I walked in and he's going to town sweeping the room. He says, "I don't live like this, I was in the army. If we weren't having war games, we were cleaning . Hell, I swept the sunshine off the sidewalk one time.", I'm trying my best not to laugh. You could tell he's a little 'off'. I leave and go do my laundry and when I come back I find him in the room filling out some mental health form...really! I don't know if I should be frightened or not?? I made friends with him, so I think we're cool. I don't think he'll hurt me, he's more of one to make an assassination attempt on the president type.

Oh, forgot about my night...I had a great night. I walked from the Hostel, just seeing what I could find to eat and drink. I walked what seemed like forever before I finally came across this place called Murphy's. I remembered reading about it on a site earlier and noting that sounded descent. I walk in and Widespread was playing on the jukebox, I knew I was in the right spot. On special was the turkey breast sandwich with sweet potato french fries, of course I got the special...delicious! The bartenders were really cool, a guy named Tuffy and a girl named Marly. Yes, Tuffy is a 'power lifter', but he was cool.

The craziest part was when I met this 'funny guy' named Wade. He said, "what's your name?". I said "It's Eric, but everyone calls me Dough". He's like, "My names Eric too, but everyone calls me Wade." Sure enough, his name is Eric Wade too. Pretty freaky, In 28 years, I've never met another Eric Wade.

I left there and walked 20 minutes back to the hostel. The street the hostel is on just continues to go up in the mountain, so I decided to drive up there. It's all residential, very peaceful. I hopped in and drove up, and I couldn't believe the view. You could see all the city lights and how the city has developed right in the middle of these mountains. It was pretty sweet. After that I came in here and saw the craziest scene I could have ever walked into.

This trip is only beginning, I think I'm gonna learn a lot.

Dough

P.S. I'll try to work on those pics tomorrow. After golf and before the Salt Lake City Bee's(Anahiem AAA team) game.

I Survived Denver

Greetings to all, sorry I haven't updated in while.

I guess when I left you all last time I was sitting outside Illegal Pete's having a beer. The night turned out to be pretty uneventful. Eric had prior arrangements, so I was on my own for the night. I needed some dinner, so I went one block to the Wazee Supper Club, they have great pizza and beer. I bellied up to the bar ordered my personal pizza and a pint. Before I knew it, I had seen a Mexican get cut off by the manager for being belligerent and had made friends with a guy from Montana and a guy from Japan. Everyone is so friendly in Denver. After several???? pints, I decided I better try to get home. It's really only about 300 yards away, but the key is walking in the right direction. I guess I made a wrong turn outta the building and ended up a block in the wrong direction. I finally made it back and turned in for the evening.

Saturday, we woke up and went for a bike ride. I can't say enough about the bike trails, they go on forever following the different rivers. There's always something to look at. After the ride, we got ready and drove about 30 minutes up into the mountains to Evergreen Golf Course. The ride up was filled with great views and when we got there, the views from the course were even better. I've never been on a more scenic golf course, it was cool. I took a bunch of pics and hopefully I can figure out how to share them.

That evening another friend of Eric's, Sowers, came up to go out for the evening. We started the evening at Sing Sing, a piano bar. I can't believe I've never been to one of these, it was really neat. The musicians are extremely talented. After leaving there we went to Brix. Sowers knew the bartender, so needless to say it was a relatively cheap and intoxicating evening. We walk back at the end of the evening and this is where the fun comes in. Instead of carrying keys, Eric hides a spare key at the base of the wall behind this brick. It was pushed in pretty far and we were having trouble getting it out, we definitely weren't the most coordinated at that time. After Sowers has his try, it's just lost, we can't even see it. We needed a paperclip to fish it out. Somewhere???, I go find a paperclip. I think I must have ran into a neighbor or something, but I'm really not sure. Using my MacGyver like skills, I was able to get the key and let us in safe and sound. I think Eric ate some bad Mexican earlier in the night and...you know.

Sunday was a welcomed day of rest for everyone. Eric had to go look at another apartment and I laid around most of the day until we went to dinner and went to see Ocean's 13. Very good movie by the way.

Got up today and made my trek to Salt Lake City. Wyoming was way better than I had ever imagined. It is a beautiful state. Again, I took lots of pics, hopefully I can figure this picture thing out. I got to the hostel about 3:00 and checked things out. It's in a nice neighborhood about a 10 min walk to downtown. So far, I've seen a very diverse crowd. A couple Asians, about 6 Russians, and 2 Americans about 20 something and 50 something. I think this is going to be very interesting. I'll try to post more often, I just go busy over the weekend. Hope this finds everyone doing well.

So long from Salt Lake,

Dough

Finally Made It

Here I am, as promised, keeping a blog of my travels. I know many were skeptical as to whether or not I would I would do this; to be honest, so was I. However, I think I'll follow through with this. I'm sure I'll have lots of time on my hands.

I guess I should start from the beginning. I pulled out of town about 3:18 on Wednesday afternoon. I had no idea how far I was planning to drive, I only knew I had to be in Denver at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday for the Rockies game. About 4 hours into the drive I really asked myself, 'what are you doing?', I knew there was no turning back now. Missouri was not a bad drive, then I hit Kansas.

All I hear from everyone about Kansas is that it's flat. I beg to differ with them on this one. I felt like I was constantly going up and down little 'hills'. When I get done with this, I'm going to look up a topographical map and see if I am right. The wind in Kansas was ferocius, truckers and myself were getting blown all over the road, it was a little scary at times. The one thing I didn't hear about Kansas was how far apart the gas stations are. My low fuel light came on and I started to get a little worried. No fear though, I had my stop planned perfect.

I decided to try and make it through Kansas so I would only have a couple hours left in the morning. After 11 hours and 2 energy drinks, I finally arrive in Burlington, Co. You may ask yourself, where does one stay in Burlington?? That's right, the Burlington Inn. It was nice enough for me, not somewhere I would take someone on a first date, but it was ok.

Got up on Thursday and continued my trek into Denver. I arrived early enough to check into my room (Eric's apartment) before the Rockies game. The weather was beautiful, lower sixties and bright sun. You couldn't have asked for a better day for baseball. While standing inline to pay for my parking, which is a hot commdity in Denver, a scalper comes by and tries selling me a ticket. Unfortunately for him, his negotiating skills weren't up to mine. After haggling, he walks away with no sale. A couple minutes later he comes back and gives me a ticket 11 rows off the field for $10.

Coors field is a beautiful stadium, nothing special though. I was all set, perfect weather, bag of peanuts and a scorecard. After about the 2nd or 3rd inning the clouds moved in. What was once a perfect day went downhill fast, even bought a beer and that didn't help. By the end of the day, it was cloudy and 52 degrees with 20 mph winds. Yeah, it was cold! On the bright side, the Rockies won by scoring 3 runs in the 9th, at least is was an exciting game.

After the game, I walk back to Eric's and warm up. We went and found a street to park my truck on for free for the weekend. It's pretty close, only about a mile away...but it's free! After walking back from that we grab dinner at this place down the street called Illegal Pete's. It's a neat little place, they have a menu like Qdoba but they also have a bar and a really laid back atmosphere. Needless to say, after stuffing myself and a couple beers, I was ready for bed.

I woke up this morning refreshed and ready to see what this big city has to offer me. The bike trails here go forever, and there's several to choose from. One bike trail goes right behind Six Flags and to the doorsteps of Invesco Mile High Stadium, everything is so close to Eric's place, it's really nice. After riding, I decided to see the 16th Street Mall. It's a street, but it's just like a mall, store after store and lotsa restraunts. The buses run free up and down the street, get on or off anywhere. I went and saw the state capitol building and the city/county building. This afternoon, I decided I better start on this blog thing. So, here I sit outside Illegal Pete's, drinking a frosty Bud and typing away. I think I can get the hang of this vacation thing!

Huh, That Was Easy

Wow, this might be easier than I thought. My very first "blog", I feel so geeky. What's that? If the shoe fits? On the road tomorrow, nervous and excited at the same time. I hope to keep everyone posted on the adventures to come, check back often.

Dough