On Hiatus

I'm in Vermont studying for the LSAT and will be until the test comes around in June.  I've set up some good weekend trips to NYC, Montreal, Boston, Burlington, etc. but by and large am going to use the time to take 12 hours a week of class, plan where I'll be traveling after June, and organizing law school applications.

I'm going to put the blog on hiatus with potential monthly updates from now on.  Come back in June when I'll be heading out for some real travel, and will hopefully have an improved format.  Thanks for reading so far!

- Jeff

jsh2h@virginia.edu

The Great American Road Trip

A final statistical update:

Miles Driven:  3,919

Hours Driven: ~65

States Visited: 16 + DC

Speeding Tickets: $0

Parking Tickets: $320 ($0 paid)

Days to pack:  4

Days to unpack: 1.5

Weeks on the road: 2.5

Best City:  New Orleans

Worst City:  Albuquerque

Cups of coffee per day: ~6

If I had one big revelation or surprise about the whole trip, it was how big and diverse the United States is.  Flying over the whole thing really doesn't capture the size like I always assumed it did.  I drove from a densely packed bustling technology centered city by the Pacific into huge agribusiness driven fields, sparsely populated stops along Indian Reservations and into the thick morass of swamp across the Gulf Coast.  I felt familiar with the East Coast, but stopping along the way in small towns and cities, seeing parts of Virginia I'd never seen before, and making it up through New York into Vermont took on a whole different tone this time.  It was like listening to a great album in its entirety when before you'd only listened to a few familiar tracks.

America taken at large feels like a dozen countries packed into one, each one with a distinct immediately discernible flavor.  Though people say the spread of mass media and the highways have dulled down the differences and created a morass of monoculture, if it will ever take hold, it hasn't yet.

Taking a 2000 mile trip and turning it into a 4000 mile journey was one of the best things I've ever done, and I'm glad you all got to follow along with the blog.  I'm taking a big break from driving anywhere non-skiing related for a couple of days, and I'll be posting the new blog format once I'm settled into my new place in Vermont.  Thanks for reading, tune back in 3 months from now when the real journey starts.

In Vermont

Got home, skiied Stratton, getting ready to put this blog in hibernation for the next three months until the real journey begins.  I'll have a final road trip stats post, some info about what I'm up to for the next three months, and probably a post every now and again to pass the time.  I've been in close touch with some people I've worked with in Ghana and it looks like moving back to Cape Coast, Elmina, or Kakum could be happening in early July.  Emphasis on the word could, nothing is close to certain.

We got slammed with '31 inches of snow since I got in, and minus one awesome tumble on the road in front of a large truck towing a trailer, the driving has been fine, and the mountain has been open.  The skiing isn't Jackson Hole, but I had a great time today poking around.  Its sleeting here in town (Manchester), but snowing heavily up the hill at the mountain.  I think this week alone is going to prolong the season another 2 weeks.

Charlottesville

For the last couple of days I've been living in my old room in Pika, going out with friends who are still in school.  I've been having a blast, but being here without any of my pledge brothers or people my age has been surreal.  Barring a restaurant switching a name here and there, nothing has changed in the last two years.

The massive snows have melted off during the week thanks to hot weather which has cut back the fun of four wheel driving the Jeep around the parking lot.  Tons of cars are still blocked in with snow, but I doubt that will last much longer.

I met with one of the best professors I had undergrad today about a recommendation and it looks like there is a chance he could connect me to some volunteering in Ghana.  I'd love to go back to Cape Coast again, and the blog would be very, very interesting if I lived there for more than a couple of months.  The Imam I worked with in the Zongo district of Cape Coast apparently got a lot of help through UVA and is looking for graduates to bring technical skills to the Zongo.  Neither of us knew exactly what "technical skills" implies...

Every time I come to Charlottesville I get this deep seated feeling that I'm missing out on something by not living here.  I doubt I could swing UVA for law school, but staying in the state would be a great thing for me, and if I could live here permanently 5 to 10 years from now, I'd be thrilled.

Headed off to Vermont today, should get in late tonight, get a bunch of skiing in, then go to NYC, Burlington, Boston, and LSAT class before the blog goes on a 3 month hiatus.

Map

Making a good dent in the East Coast.  Meeting with a professor of mine then heading up to Vermont in the next couple of days.  A complete Charlottesville post will be coming soon...

Alabama -> South Carolina in Pictures

Above:  Traffic in Atlanta was nasty in both directions.  Awesome Baptist Church sign a block from our old house. 

Below: Tanya wrote blessings on my car, I thought they were graffiti at first.  South Carolina Peach Tower

Atlanta

I made the drive through Alabama to Atlanta where I stayed with my family there.  It was one of the shortest legs of the trip so far, but there was no Mardi Gras traffic getting out, and stopping for food in Mobile was a good time.  I walked into a diner outside of the city, ordered a grilled chicken salad in a flat Northern accent, and got stared at by every single person in the place.  I was the only person not doubling down on massive buckets of vat fry.

This leg of the trip was a blast.  I got to see my cousins, do a bunch of family stuff, get some good sleep and drive around my old hometown.  I only lived there for 2 years or so, but I remember the place well, and after my tune-up I rolled around Buckhead for a couple of hours.  Apparently the flooding has really screwed up anything near the Chattahoochie River, and the old civil war era trails that weave through the woods are all destroyed.  I used to walk our dog down there all of the time, but couldn't take my cousin's two Labradoodles (pictured above) unless I wanted to swim through icy mud puddles.  They romped around the house all day, and as long as they had their rope they didn't seem to mind.

The drive from Atlanta to Charlottesville used to seem like a real hassle, but after putting 50 hours in to Atlanta, another 8 was a breeze.  More Atlanta pictures in the following post...

In Charlottesville

I'll update the Atlanta post in a day or so, but I'm currently in Charlottesville, and there has been snow everywhere since I crossed over from North Carolina. Living in my old room in Pika again is surreal.

Mardi Gras Part Deux, Mobile Alabama

I headed out from New Orleans with a stiff hangover and a strong desire to see all of my friends again.  It was great getting eight of us together for a week, and I hope we're able to do it again in the future.  Heading ever Eastward, I got too tired to drive, and pulled into Mobile Alabama.  As I rolled into the downtown, I was confronted with another Mardi Gras...  Apparently this one is the oldest in the South.

The good news was the entire city was lit up and packed with people pushing for space along the parade routes.  Ladders were set up at varying heights and balconies were jammed with people looking to get a view at the floats and hopefully some beads.

The bad news was one of Mobile's finest accidentally waved me onto the parade route an hour or so before it all started.  I drove around a few of the main streets and around the square picking up a police escort within 5 minutes.  The Vermont plates and dust covered Jeep definitely helped the "bewildered tourist" game I threw at them, but it did little to stop the happy crowds from flinging beads and doubloons at my car.  The dull pan/slide of a string of beads hitting then dragging off the roof or the hood of the car started as a few isolated noises punctuating the loud WHOOP of the police sirens and jazz bands, but by the time I made it halfway around the main square, it was like a jazz infused Texas hailstorm.

I decided to ham it up, rolled the one window down, turned the Mardi Gras music up t0 11, and threw some beads of my own.  The officer later told me this was entirely unacceptable, but let me off with some harsh words in an extravagant neighborhood on the North side of town.  I got myself into the first motel I could find, wandered around to see a bit of the parades, then slept like a king for the first time in at least a week.  Mobile was good to me.

(view from my car)

Stats Update From Atlanta

My Mobile, AL post is forthcoming, but I think a quick statistical update is in order...

Miles Driven: 2733     (71%)

Hours Driven:  ~50

Miles to go:  1115        (29%)

Oysters Eaten: 80 - 90

Crawfish Eaten: 4 pounds

Alligator Eaten:  2 bites

Tolls Paid: $0

Parking Tickets in NOLA: $80 - $320

Burned CDs listened to:  30

% Radiohead Albums: 10%

% Talking Heads Albums: 20%

% Beatles Albums: 10%

Podcasts listened to: 2 (Ricky Gervais Podcast Seasons 1 & 2)

States Crossed: 8

States to go:  8 + DC

Gas cost so far: $456.50

The car is holding up well, here she is in Uptown Nola before this last leg. 

 

I'm off to get a tune up today, then update about Mobile, get some Brusters, and get a good nights sleep...

New Orleans, Day 2 - 6

The entire city of New Orleans is awake around the clock for Mardi Gras.  Whether you're choked in traffic behind floats in Uptown or squeezing through row after row of drunks downtown, you feel like you're in the middle of a dozen celebrations in every direction you look.

People I knew from college and through college friends were everywhere.  From our vantage, the entire week had a real family feel and it was a lot of socializing with people of all ages.  I was expecting complete debauchery, but everyone from the Grandparents down were involved.

I stayed in a beautiful house off of St. Charles St. and in a nice apartment a few minutes drive away with 7 of my fraternity brothers, most of whom I hadn't seen in 2 years.  We got to see massive parades from a box downtown, tons of live music and people losing their minds at bars, and ate food you wouldn't believe.  It was lamb shank, king cake, oysters, dark beer, and top shelf liquor at every meal.

The people in the city were generally about as friendly as I've ever experienced.  We got rides home from bars with complete strangers, invited into peoples houses, introduced to people we would normally never have met, and even on an hour or two of sleep a night, everyone was cordial and easygoing.  I'd rate New Orleans as the easiest city to hitchhike or borrow a t-shirt in the US.

Highlights in the first days include

- Jasquesimos:  Creole Catfish, Cajun Lamb, Alligator Cheesecake, all in an old house off Oak St. in Uptown.

- Endemyion and Bacchus parades:  Two enormous Krewes

- Absinthe House: a 200 year old bar off Bourbon St.  We got there after breakfast at the Palace Cafe and were dressed up, but were the only men not in suits.  It was like going back in time in the middle of the city

- Kingpin:  Great dive bar 100 yards from the apartment.

- The Maple Leaf:  One of the coolest bars I've been to.

- New Orleans:  The city has so much character.  Its one of the prettiest cities I've ever been to in the middle of a unique and complex part of the South.  The French element hasn't been lost, there's an almost maniacal civic pride, the people are beautiful and friendly, and there is a very distinct and overpowering music scene.

Another update to come soon...

First Mardi Gras Update

Not a lot of time to update today, but as promised, many more Mardi Gras posts to follow in the next day or so...

Metairie

After the Saints parade we headed off to eat a ton of crawfish and oysters in the swamp in Metairie...

5 People

15 pounds of Crawfish

6 dozen oysters, raw and grilled

10 crawfish hushpuppies

Crab dip

Pitchers of Abita Ale

Laissez Bon Temps Rouler!

New Orleans, Day 1

New Orleans is incredible.  I got directions to a friend’s parent’s house and parked my car in their driveway, then took a cab down St. Charles into the Saints Superbowl Celebration.  It was insane.  I met up with everybody then headed out on the far side of the parade to a bar called Lucy's.  Drew Brees was there shouting into a microphone pouring shots of Grey Goose, we had a smaller bar upstairs (The Attic) cordoned off for my buddy’s medical school party and had full reign of the balconies facing the streets below.  Unbelievable city, but I’ve had no internet access in days and I’ll try to post a lot of pictures when I’m out of this place.

Louisiana

The best part about driving to New Orleans if you’ve just come from the southwest is that once you cross into Louisiana, you see actual trees for the first time since the mountains of California.  Flagstaff AZ had a few, but I ripped through that place at night and there was so much snow I couldn’t take any pictures.

 

Louisiana from the get go is really low lying and wet.  In the drive to New Orleans, there were a lot of big birds, the southern portion of the state was all accessed by long bridges over swamp.  It also seems like every car at every rest stop is in the process of a hunting trip of some sort.  With a lot of traffic at Baton Rouge and in the city itself leading to the Saints Super Bowl victory celebration, it took me 10 hours to get here.  That’s 40 hours from San Francisco to New Orleans, in 3 days.  I need a drink!

Dallas

I stayed in Dallas overnight with good family friends who were incredibly hospitable.  It’s a very cool city, and I got to see a very different part of the city than on all of those trips to Fort Worth as a kid.

 

Within one day in Dallas I,

-       Ate the best biscuit I’ve ever had at a place called Bubbas

-       Wandered around SMU without a jacket (it was 45 – 50 degrees out) while all of the bundled up Texans looked at me like I was insane

-       Spent the tail end of my 30 hour driving daze getting on and off at the wrong places in downtown Dallas

Here's Bubba's:

Texas

Driving through Texas was an experience I’ll never forget.  The snow was coming down sideways as I crossed from New Mexico into the vast flatlands that led to Dallas.  The jagged lines of open mesa steppes and uneven demarcation of Indian Reservations were cut out into a neatly gridded plain fenced off with barbed wire and cattle gates.  New Mexico was an open place where you feel like you should have water on you in case your car breaks down.  Texas seemed to have some sort of civilized logic to it, where the fear of exposure died down even though the amount of people per square mile never really picked up.

 

The highway went from a fast moving interstate to a state highway that cut through mostly abandoned towns.  For the first time since I stopped for gas in Bakersfield, I encountered southerners whenever I fueled up.  After a 17-hour day and in the middle of a 13-hour day, it was nice to finally feel like I was making some progress.  The desert on the other side of the Sierra Nevadas really didn’t look all that different from the desert right outside of Albuquerque, it was the change in the people that really put the difference in perspective.

 

Within 1 hour of being in Northwest Texas I encountered:

-       Signs advertising Western Wear depots, 72 ounce steak eating contests, and large gun outlets

-       More barbecue joints than any other kind of commercial enterprise combined

-       More trains on the track than cars on the road

 

What a surreal place

SF -> Albuquerque

Perfectly cubic rainbow, just over the Colorado River in Arizona:

Its 7am in the middle of the desert.  Yesterday I put in 17 hours behind the wheel and made it from 21st and Mission to Albuquerque NM.  I got to drive through some incredible desert in Arizona, it was raining and snowing with bits of blue sky visible the entire time.  I almost drove off the road from snow near Flagstaff.

Some of the cool things I noticed on the trip that I didn't expect were,

- Massive clean energy setups on the CA / AZ border.  Enormous wind and solar setups churning for miles

- Snow in Arizona

- Giant signs saying "Congress Created Dustbowl" in the greenest fields I've seen outside of Ireland packed with fat cows

California Central Valley:

Arizona Mountains:

After seeing the Moavi Desert (sp?) yesterday, I'm ready for the painted rocks, long flat 90 mph stretches, and hopefully I'll make it to Dallas tonight!

Cheers,

- Jeff

New Route Thanks To A Comment

From reading a comment by KJE, I decided to re-work my route.  This way I'll get to head through a lot more scenic places, see the Grand Canyon, and stop overnight in Dallas.

Did my last dinner at La Taqueria last night.  Very bittersweet.  I hit the road first thing tomorrow morning, and hopefully will be posting pictures from the Grand Canyon in the next couple of days...

Adios!

A Tough Place To Leave

Looked at the weather across the South and East Coast.  Lots of snow and cold.  I took these pictures yesterday and last night at Dolores Park and Ocean Beach...

The Initial Plan

This is my approximate route of travel based on what I want to do over the month of February.  Its a constantly changing list of stops, but taking the southern route is going to let me see a lot more people I know and do a lot more things during the month.  Its around 4000 miles in total excluding any side trips or diversions which are inevitable.  The leg from Phoenix to somewhere in the middle of TX is going to be a rough one, I'm thinking of driving 12 hours and just stopping at the first motel I see beyond that.  I'll have to do some research, if anyone has advice on that leg, let me know.

Packing Up

I'm tying up loose ends trying to make this destroyed apartment...

Fit into this car...

So far I'm going to have to take the roof off and put it back on to fix the rattling, make sure all of the locks work beyond a reasonable doubt, try to lay out suitcases to be able to cram as much stuff as possible in there, and sell enough stuff to remain cash neutral in the process.

Anybody want an old wooden trunk?