Road Trips End

Finally, I am at the Perry’s, fhew! I spent over 30 hours on a Greyhound from Denver to Indianapolis. Hell on earth. We were delayed two hours some where in Kansas because of a fatal accident in the roadway. After that we traded drivers because ours driver ran out of hours we drove 1 ½ hours longer before the second driver was out of time too. Instead of calling in early enough to get a new driver or parking us at a Wendy’s so we could at least get out and eat he parks us on the side of an exit ramp for 3 hours! There was nowhere to get off at. Awful! From Denver to Kansas city (the first 20 hours of the trip) a young paranoid man from Portland Oregon sat next to me. He talked to some airhead hick across the aisle for the entire trip! Everything was about government conspiracies. They were literally the only two people talking on the bus for a majority of the trip. They did shut up for most of the night but during the day light, none stop.

There we were stranded in Moab Utah. A lovely town to be sure but after three days of being stuck I felt the city limits shrinking around me. Clay decided to rent a car and finish the trip but I was low on funds and ready to be home, so we decided to drive to Denver where I could pick up the Greyhound. We spent the night in Keystone Denver with Clay’s friend Andrew. It was very snowy there, it’s a ski resort town and the slopes looked steep. So at last I’ve seen Colorado. It was pretty I think I might still live there some time but who knows.

I am glad I got to meet Clay’s friend Andrew in Keystone, he hiked part of the A.T. and basically told Clay everything that I have been trying to tell him… so vindicating.

When the Greyhound passed through St. Lewis I could see the Arch from the bus. It wasn’t as big as I thought it would be nor located in a very scenic spot. There was like a mud hole in front of it. Disappointment.

When the ride from hell was finally over, my wonderful sister, Michelle and her Husband Jake came to fetch me from the Indianpolis Greyhound station and brought me to Jake's family home where they are living now.  

Right now the four little Perry’s are running about and I’m loving hearing there pattering feet and high pitched voices. It’s nice to be around real people. Living among people who think working just to go out at night is real life is draining. I’m so ready for real life to begin. To work to buy Spanish curriculum and braces, that’s real life. I’ve enjoyed the travel but after the trail I’m done.

I think I might be having my portrait drawn at this moment by Anna the youngest Perry sister. Right now all the little Perry’s are taking “rest time” so that Angie can get ready to go. She has amazing grace with the four of them. Not that their terrible little kids are anything, they’re all dolls but there all little kids nonetheless. I listened to her all morning, giving them bathes, making them lunch and getting them ready for co-op, she never raised her voice or ranted. She must be a true saint. I don’t know how she does this every day. I want lots of kids but I’m not sure I’ll possess the same grace. I know I won’t. It’s sad but I have little patience. My poor rug rats, they’ll only survive by sticking with a schedule.

Navajo country and Utah

Hello there blog world it’s been a while…oops. Did I fall off the Grand Canyon you ask? No, no I didn’t. After viewing said lovely hole in the ground, we ventured further into the mid states. Our next destination was set at Moab Utah to see the majestic natural arches. On the drive from the canyon to Utah we past through some of the most desolate area I have seen in the U.S. there was just nothing there except very large rocks and this also happens to be the Navajo nation. There would be miles of nothing but very large rocks and then a trailer sitting out in the middle of the nothingness. As we were putting along through nothing we noticed a sign by the roadside (it was hard to miss since it was the only thing out there). “Dinosaur Prints” with a large arrow pointing to a dirt road was written on a large piece of plywood. We zoomed past but could not resist turning around to investigate; as we did we released about a dozen cars that we had slowly accumulated behind the VW. After rumbling down a long dirt road we came to a tent a three Native Americans just sitting in this vastness. Meghan and I were nervous that we were about to be kidnaped. Clay was smiling and ready to see what this sham was about. Indeed there were prints in the dirt, but no way were they real. We asked what sort of prints they were and the two men mumbled a few things, the only thing distinguishable was t-rex. Ha! There was a woman selling her hand strung necklaces and that was all. I think they might have bullied us some about paying for their sham but most are to distracted by the sight of Clay’s bus and our hippy appearance.

On the way to Arches, we passed through Monument Valley I think it might be the prettiest place I have ever seen. The starch red against the skyline was breath taking. And there were so many huge rocks teetering on each other and all because of rain and erosion. It was like God just picked up those ginormous rocks and balanced them and said “isn’t that neat?”  

We were very excited to go see the arches especially the one we saw on the front of all the postcards in the gas stations as we got closer. Unfortunately it wasn’t meant to be. We pulled into Moab and spent the night in a hotel parking lot. The next morning we arose and excitedly prepared to drive into Arches National Park. The road 

Mexican Hat

leading into the park looks like it just goes up an over into another world. We were worried about the bus making it up the road but it did make it up and over… but not too much further. We stopped at a few arches and rock creations but just before we got to the most famous arch the bus engine seized. Clay had done everything he could to watch the gages and keep the oil and maintenance to the bus up though out the trip but it wasn’t enough in this terrain. As the bus coasted to a stop, our hearts dropped… we were in a dessert, a national park with no cell signals, and hadn’t really seen many others out there. Luckily we were just pulling up to a parking lot and Meghan, Clay and I were able to push the bus into a spot. Just as we pushed it up, a French/Canadian couple was about to pull away and asked if they could help. After accessing the bus and deciding the engine was gone, we all agreed we should take up the couples offer and they agreed to take us to entrance of the park (where we would have cell signal). Soon we were rumbling back out of the park in the couples decked out van with comfy seats and soft French rock playing in the back ground. The couple was so sweet, they had been hippying around the country just like us but had been at it for weeks. Soon we were back at the entrance and making arrangements for a tow truck.

Lazy Lizard

We decided since the bus (our home) was in the shop we would stay at the local hostel, The Lazy Lizard. We were lucky and did not have to share a room. I loved the hostel. The feel is just like dorm life. The towel we were give were mismatched and obviously collected from the guest of the years. The beds covers also mismatched. The man at the front desk sooo laid back. And you had to plan your shower around all the other guest in the hostel as there were only two bathrooms in this renovated house. We didn’t care at all, I don’t think any of us had bathed in three days we were just glad for access to any shower. And I was glad not to have to hug the spare tire while I slept.

Since we were stranded we enjoyed milling about the town of Moab, we probably walked 8 miles that first day between all the running about securing the Hostel and trying to find a Mechanic that would could fix a VW bus. So for three days Moab and the Lazy Lizard were home. And do you know what they had in Moab? Tumble weeds! Real tumble weeds. Any where there was a fence it was completely covered with all the tumbleweeds it had caught from the constant breeze blowing through. The first evening we walked out of a convience store and a tumbleweed blew into my leg and I screamed with delight. I shouted “OMG I just got hit by a tumbleweed!” A local man just looked at me irritability.

VW Grave yard just outside of Moab... We feared for Clay's Bus life.

Grand Canyon!

The Grand Canyon! One of the seven natural wonders of the world, the second that I have seen (I visited Victoria Falls in 2006). It was beautiful as expected. We visited the canyon in the evening and walked a few miles of it’s length. We had fun taking pictures on over hangs and making Meaghan nervous. It has been very enjoyable to experience some different wildlife. There was an incredibly cute bird with a pin like beak hoping around the trees.

Back in LA we often hiked in Tapanga State park, many birds, bunnies, dear and gofers frequented our path. It’s quite refreshing to see such distinct animals. It’s amazing to me that I am still in the United States and experiencing such vastly different terrain.

After our hike, we hungrily descended on the Arizona Room for dinner. Clay and I ate buffalo burgers that were very delicious.



Add caption





Sunset





Clay

Road Trip!!!

The road trip has begun and it’s just skipping along. After scrubbing down the room, packing out the bus and visiting the pier once more for a picture with the route 66 sign we were off to a late start towards Vegas. The landscape changes rapidly and beautifully between LA and Vegas and we soon entered the Mojave desert. Little scruffy desert plants scatter across the desert plains with interesting scraggly trees poking about as well. As it grew darker, Clay and I began to regret that we could not see the landscape change around us and squinted our eyes to try to discover what the large mounds surrounding could be. In order not to miss the landscape, we decided to stop at a rest stop in the Mojave desert but not before we were viciously attacked by a large piece of metal in the road. We all slept well, albeit a little chilly. When we awoke we were astounded by the sandy mounds and mountain surrounding us. Immediately we set out again towards Vegas but it wasn’t long before the first travesty occurred. The oil light lit up alerting us to the loss of the oil recently changed. So we pulled off at the next exit which was home to a hokey gas station and nothing else. As we pulled in we crossed over a cattle gate… yeah we were no where. We sprung from the vehicle to discover the obvious, oil was leaking out of the bus. Apparently the metal attack had left some damage to the oil filter. Clay being the VW savvy kid that he is crawled underneath to wiggle pipes, and tighten clamps. He added more oil and re-cranked the bus, oil poured out. But not to dismay Clay and I pushed the bus forwarded and he was back under to try again. This time he was successful and we were back on the road in no time.

Suddenly out of the desert terrain appeared the big city of Vegas. There is literally nothing before or after Vegas. Vegas is huge and glitzy. The buildings are massive and the amount of things to do is ridiculous. Meaghan and I decided to visit Siegfried and Roy Dolphin exhibit and Secret Garden which houses some of their Siberian Tigers and other large cats. Oh my gee wilikers, the tigers were so big! These cats were obviously well taken car of and often interacted with. They were very alert and very fierce looking. They would look straight at you and think evil thoughts. The dolphins would look straight at you too but they were adorable. Meg and I sat beside a tank that housed Lightening and Beatle. They played and leapt and wrestled, then they’d come around to where we sat and stare at us. They look through their gate where they could see other dolphins in another tank and get rather jealous if they were receiving attention by the trainers. Both would zip around the tank and as they passed Meg would try to spray her. Ew dolphin snot.

As for the rest of Vegas we acted like good tourist, we purchased a room, we played some slots (blew eight dollars), we paid for air at an oxygen bar, and we walked about the strip to look at the lights.

After spending a day in Vegas and staying up too late, we set out towards the Grand Canyon; however, we were distracted by a sign along the way, Hoover Dam exit. Oh my goodness it was amazing!!!!!! The memorial bridge was defiantly cooler then the dam itself it was so huge! Aw striking really. The dam was really big too, it’s hard to imagine that people could build something like this. We also witnessed a battle between a water bird and a fish. The bird swallowed the fish in one gulp! The fish was still wiggling! Very neato.

We now have arrived at the Grand Canyon park; however, we have yet to see the glorious sight. Anticipation is growing.

San Francisco!

So we're leaving in five days and I haven't blogged a thing :( Oh well, I have a good memory and I will catch you up on all things LA as I have time. But first, I was blessed with the opportunity to go visit the lovely city of San Francisco!

I desperately wanted to visit this city for many reason, first I learned that the Island of Alcatraz was within it's bay also there are two lovely iconic bridges, second I have a dear friend, Pearl, who calls this city home. I was also excited to travel between cities via bus!

The morning I set out on this adventure between cities I felt utterly content and happy. The ride though long was almost as thrilling as the city itself.  Hills, lakes, vast fields, and endless orchards and vinyards stretch out in all directions. There were miles of fruit trees all in bloom and every half mile or so there were bee boxes to pollinate said trees. I love all things nature and all things agriculture so I was quite content to look out the window for hours. In fact, I was so content that I failed to finish the book I was reading, "Captivating" by John and Stasi Elderidge. I did however finish it before the trips end and my heart was warmed by the message of the deep love of God and the intrinsic beauty found in each woman's being. And so the eight hour ride hardly felt like three with the company of this book and the beauty of God's earth surrounding.

Once in the city, I was met by Pearl and her Mom Barbara and escorted to their home. I was greeted by a lovely dog named Bart who very much enjoys barking to annouce arrivals and chewing on pinecones.

The next morning Pearl and I set out to explore her city. We joyously boarded a cable car and scooted through the streets like true tourist. The line ended at Fishers Warf where a very large warehouse held many creepy coin operated machines. Though thorougly disturbed by the mechanical antiques and their Chucky like puppets and toys I had to try a few out and must of spent four bucks in quarters making the little mechanical worlds come alive. Having spent all my laundry money, we walked out onto the docks to view some rather large ships and one very long submarine. Being girls, our attention was not held long by these war relics and we soon found our selves instead over at Pier 39 laughing at the sea lions.

Sea lions always seemed so majestic and graceful at the zoos (maybe it was the music playing in the background at the exhibits that gave that effect) but in real life these fellows were quite smelly and ridiculous. They made the dumbest noises and were some of the crankiest creatures I've ever seen. The blubbered about and whined whenever they were woken up or bothered by another sea lion (which was often since they formed one big sea lion pile). They played king of the dock and knocked each other into the water. Yes, sea lions are quite humorous to watch so Pearl and I stood and made unflattering comments about these silly fellows for quite a while. Eventually we continues on our way and visited a few other sites.

We stopped by the Bay bridge and there across the street was a very intersting work of art. It was a huge tangle of square like tubes that reached about twenty or thirty feet but that wasn't the best part. Below was a pond and in that pod were square stones that seemingly floated on the water. It was like real life Mario. Pearl and I quickly scambled over to hop from stone to stone. The city is magical.

After a splendid day of site seeing there came an even more joyous event. Four years ago I lived in a beautiful kingdom called Impact 360 and one of the fellow citizens of this country was Jason Algeier. Since leaving the marvelous place I had been unable to visit my friend Jason because of the great distance between our two state, Georgia and California. However on this evening Jason came from his home in Sacremento with his girlfriend Christy to have dinner with Pearl and I on Haight Street. We met a small asian restaurant and chatted, caught up, and gossiped about fellow Impacters. It was delightful. I was very pleased to be able to see Jason again and to meet Christy.

What could top such a splendid day? Only one thing, Alcatraz. Pearl and I made the decision to make the treacherous voyage across the bay to the looming island of Alcatraz. Okay it wasn't so treacherous, in fact, the ruins of Alcatraz are quite beautiful. After the Indian take over of the Island in the late 60's, many of the building were burned down or demolished and huge piles of rubble were left for the unattended gardens to take over, the result is reminisce of a fairy tale. Not all the bulding were destroyed, the federal prison building still remains in all it's doom and dankness. Peal and I first listend to a park ranger (who was "boss" in Pearl's terms). He told us about the five men who escaped Alcatraz. None of them were ever found and are presumed to have drowned in the fridged waters and been swept out to sea by the harsh currents but it's still fun to imagine that they did some how survive. Well fun on some level they were federal criminals. After this we took the informative audio tour of the prison and saw the tiny cells, the gun gallories and the fake heads that the escapees left in their beds to fool the guards.

Pearl and I were enchated by this Island and as we floated back across on the ferry we entered into Narnia. A replica of a like 1700's ship came sailing across the bay. It was like stepping back in time.

We finished the day by going out for Pizza with Pearl's Mom and brother, Jackson. It was an enjoyable experience on the whole. I am so glad to have a friend to take me in even on the opposite side of the the states.

The Tonight Show!

      Today was a beautifully orchestrated day. I signed up online a few days ago for Jay Leno tickets so that I might have something to do in the afternoon on Monday once I finished signing up for Central Casting; however, I was called into work on Monday and I ended up getting tickets for today instead. I did not find out I had tickets until yesterday night so that gave me little time to find friends to come along with me on this venture… no matter I brought four very dear friends with me in the cover of Little Women. Though seating was not scheduled until 2:45 pm, I set out in the wee hours of 8 am just to be sure I made it there in time (with my track record for getting myself lost you’d understand this precaution). As you’ll find out this precaution was a necessary one. The bus ride to Burbank was a long one but it did take a scenic route through the city.

 My one lay over was across the street from the L.A. times and I could see down the street the famous Walt Disney Concert Hall. The sight of it almost made me give up going to Leno and go bask in the glory of it’s curves and shininess. But I restrained my strange desire to run down the street and scream “there you are! I read about your outrageously brilliant body that caused the building around you to raise their cooling bills.” I will have to visit her another time.

Mean while I had to stay focus on the task at hand, finding the correct bus to take me an hour and half further to Burbank CA. I was looking for bus 96 and when one finally rolled around I hopped on and snuggled into my seat for the long ride. About 20 minutes in I realized this bus was not like the others I am used to riding. It was not calling out it’s stops, I began to become paranoid that it would take me to some far a way land or keep driving forever with no stops. But soon it was obvious we were indeed heading towards Burbank so I was at ease and began to amuse myself by facebooking and reading a few chapters of that delightful book. This bus had a stop at the LA Zoo, I could see cages from the freeway and it did not seem all that impressive in comparison to the Cincinnati Zoo. As we rolled into Burbank I again became paranoid this time about missing my stop. When I discovered we were on Alamedo I approached the driver and asked if we had passed Bob Hope Dr yet and he informed me I was indeed on the wrong bus. Or well I was on the right number but this 96 only went to the Burbank Station I needed the 96 that went farther into town. The bus driver was kind and wrote me a transfer to give to that other 96 bus that I had needed. But this mishap meant more waiting and the next bus driver hassled me about the hand written transfer. No matter I did eventually make it to the NBC Studios. It was just past noon when I jumped off that second 96 and I was starving so instead of rushing to try to catch the tour which I had originally planned on attending I crossed the street and ate at some bright yellow Mexican restaurant. The food was delicious although I think I would have rather had Del Taco.

When I arrived at the gate for the Tonight Show it was 12:50 and the man informed me I could still go on a tour if I hurried (around to the other side of the complex). So I did just that, and felt like a sketch ball walking a complete circle around Studio 11. I arrived at the tour station only to be informed by some nice young tour guides that I’d be a dummy if I didn’t go ahead and get in line for the Jay Leno show. Oh well, all the reviews I read about the tour were negative any ways. Thus I trekked back around to my original location, gave them my hand written reservation number (because I couldn’t find a printer in time) and proceeded to sit around some more. And this is when my little book came in handy. I was able to disappear into the world a Alcott and did not realize I’d been sitting there for 2 hours until a two-humped camel walked by and I realized my butt was completely dead.

 Once finally inside I became aware that this particular Tonight Show was designed just for me. There were Headlines (my favorite next to Jay Walking) and the actor who played the protagonist in Schindler’s List (a movie I’ve always held in high regard) and an animal guy with porcupines, armadillos and a baboon (there was supposed to be a two humped camel but apparently they ran out of time.. oops). It was quite interesting watching things up close and seeing the behind the camera action. And I was uber excited about the real life applause sign that lit up after commercial breaks. I have to say though, Jay never seemed exactly happy to be there. He was lively enough but most the people running about down there just seemed tired and a bit annoyed. He was nice and took pictures with those brave enough to ask. He was witty on and off screen. The people seating the audience were all quite nice and polite as well. I enjoyed the entire experience; it zoomed by though. I felt like we’d just sat down when it was already time to go home.

Once out I watched as the 96 zoomed by and realizing that bus only comes by every thirty minutes at best, I decided it was time to eat again. There was a Winersnitzel across the street and though I don’t like hotdogs I decided to give the popular restaurant a whirl. I ordered the number on which came with 2 chili dogs and fries. The dogs were similar to Skyline Chili dogs but not as tasty. I ate one but was to disgusted to eat the other. Check that off of things I needed to try. The next 96 did not appear until a full hour later. I double checked this time to make sure this one went all the way to Downtown LA.

I was nervous about riding the Metro after dark but it was unnecessary, there were the same amount of creepers on it at 8pm as there was 11 am. I’ve already learned many of the tricks like sitting on the seat next to the aisle to prevent weirdos from sitting next to you unnecessarily. Never make eye contact, if you do make eye contact don't feel bad about being rude and short with them if they try to ask about where you live or other personal questions (also don’t feel bad about lying if they are persistent). After chasing down the 733 I made it back safely to Venice closer to 9 than to 8pm. I was extremely happy to see Ronalda smiling down at me from a top her CVS perch. The sight of her means home… well home for this brief period in my existence.

So Let Us Begin

I have kept a sporadic journal over the past five years of my life which has amounted to 250 some odd pages and I just thought “Wow what a waist, all this raw thought that I’ve spent hours creating and no one to share it with.”  So from now on (or from now until I get distracted and forget to post new things), I’m going to post journal entries that seem worth while to post. I’ll skip the gushy and whiny ones and stick with the “Hey here’s a thought” or “This is the interesting thing I did today” ones.

To bring you up-to-date (without delving to far into those 250 pages), I am an English Grad from Truett-McConnell College. I’ve enjoyed the past three years working, playing, learning and relaxing in the quaint Georgia Mountain. I’ve spent the past 23 years living in a lovely Southern Baptist bubble. Now, I’ve moved out to LA to learn about the “real” world. It’s been quite the educational experience. I’ve seen a lot of things that I had only heard about in the past.

There are many benefits to living in such a hot location. First, I can see the beach from my walk way, hello tanning in February! There are like a bazillion things to do, I mean you can never legitimately say you have nothing to do here (unless you run out of cash). And the Museums! Be still my heart! I still hold a valid student I.D so I have been living it up. You want to be a star? So does everyone else but the cool things is you get to run into stars and half-stars (people on their way up) just about every day. And there are these things called show taping that they let you got to for free! Is no one else psyched out about all this yet? Also there are these incredible hiking trails with outrageous views just ten minutes outside of Venice. (Venice is my exact location).

So any who, I believe in this lull between watching my old college life fade and beginning some incredible God ordained venture, I will keep you guys posted on the adventures in between.