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Saturday, September 29, 2007

Santa Fab



We experienced a few episodes of extreme wind and rainfall in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It’s always interesting to ride out a storm in an Airstream. Due to the trailer’s aluminum skin, you enjoy the “rain on a tin roof” effect that’s actually rather soothing (assuming, of course, your trailer doesn’t topple over in a massive gust of wind).

How much do I like Santa Fe? Upon my first visit, I instinctively checked out the local real estate guides. As the wise philosopher Goldilocks famously observed, it’s “just right.”

This town is blessed with far more culture (arts, crafts, music, and chile sauce) than its size would seem to warrant. And it’s got something that’s missing in so many American cities – a sense of history. Santa Fe is almost 400 years old.

At the center of town lies the Plaza. It reminds us of our favorite Central American town, Antigua, Guatemala. As Kristy said, Santa Fe is “like Antigua, but without all the life-threatening danger.” Antigua still takes the overall ambiance prize with its striking Spanish Colonial architecture and magestic ruins. But Santa Fe has far fewer masked, machine gun-toting thugs.

By the way, the guitarist in our video is Billy D. of The HooDoos. He was outstanding! You can check out his band's website here.

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

One Canyon, Extra Large

“In fact, just about all the major natural attractions you find in the West- the Grand Canyon, the Badlands, the Goodlands, the Mediocrelands, the Rocky Mountains and Robert Redford- were caused by erosion.” – Dave Barry

After some extensive desert driving, we arrived at the Grand Canyon. We viewed the canyon from the South Rim. There are several scenic viewpoints, which are basically cliffs equipped with token guardrails. Lose your footing, and you may find yourself flying a thousand feet in a downward direction.

Every year a tourist or two goes tumbling to his or her death by stepping beyond the meager railing to get that perfect picture. Of course, much of the Grand Canyon has no guardrail at all. It would be rather ridiculous to erect a 20-foot tall brick wall around the entire Canyon, but that's about the only way to save some people from themselves (and I'm certain they'd still find a way over it). Sometimes fools can be very clever.

What is there to say about the Grand Canyon? It’s an incredible natural wonder that you just have to see at least once in your life. But once you’ve seen it, you’ve seen it.



In truth, I feel that we really just grazed the surface of the Canyon, viewing it from the rim. Someday I’d like to return and spend more time here, hiking into its depths, taking a helicopter tour, and riding a mule. (Mules are used to travel into the Canyon because their eyes stick out from the sides of their heads. This biological anomaly allows them to see BOTH sides of the precarious cliff-hugging trail at all times. And really, who amongst us doesn’t want to ride a mule?)

Kristy and I seemed to be among the few American citizens visiting the Park. On the shuttle buses and at the scenic viewpoints, we were surrounded by tourists from Asia, Europe, and South America. At one point, a rather large group of Asian tourists began excitedly taking pictures of us, presumably because of Kristy's blonde hair! (Or perhaps they were impressed with my substantial beer belly?)

The campsites within the park were full, so we stayed about 20 miles outside the Canyon. Our campground, for no apparent reason, had a Flintstones theme. It was really quite bizarre. I've never seen another campground like it. At the entrance was a giant image of Fred Flintsone, and the grounds had various Flintstones-themed amenities (Wilma's Laundry, for example). They even had a full-scale replica of Fred's prehistoric car. Someone invested a great deal of money decking this place out in full Flintstones regalia. If only they'd invested a little money on cable TV, sewer hookups, and an Internet connection.

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Grand Expectations

Yesterday was a lenghty day of driving across the rocky, dusty, mostly empty desert. We cruised along the United States - Mexico border for an extended stretch, passing through several security checkpoints as Federal helicopters hovered overhead. I suppose an Airstream could offer posh quarters for illegal immigrants.

It was an uneventful day featuring a somewhat bizarre, random stop for lunch. We were driving through the barren expanse, searching for sustenance -- and happened across this newly constructed Indian casino. I never considered lunching in casinos, but perhaps the idea holds some merit. Where else can you get steak and lobster for the price of a pork sandwich? We're not gamblers, although Kristy lost a whopping dollar in slots (I told her to walk away when she was up $2, but did she listen? Noooooooooo.)

After an overnight boondocking stop in Phoenix (thank you, Sam Walton!) we are headed north. Our destination holds a "grand" reputation. I've seen it, but this will be Kristy's first visit.

I'm unsure whether we'll have Internet access in the Grand Canyon. If it's anything like Yellowstone, I won't expect much beyond running water.

Stay tuned... we will update when able!

Monday, September 24, 2007

Zootopia



San Diego is a menagerie of beautiful vistas, friendly people, and perfect weather. And did you know they have a zoo?

Sunday, September 23, 2007

Towin' and Backin'



Over the past several months, we’ve towed our Airstream more than 10,000 miles. Hopefully I’ve learned a little about towing and backing.

Probably my best advice with regard to towing is to buy more truck than you need. Our “big dog” truck SEEMORE has handled every mountain we’ve tossed his way, including the Rockies of Montana, Alberta, and British Columbia. For this hulking hunk of diesel machinery, our 8,000-pound Airstream is light lifting.

Our most negative towing experiences? Rush hour in Miami; rush hour in Calgary; rush hour in BFE, British Columbia; and rush hour in Los Angeles. See a connection here? Avoid an urban rush hour and you’ll be a much happier camper. Together our truck and trailer are 45-feet long. There’s no such thing as a simple lane change.

Now with regard to backing up the beast…

Campsites come in a variety of forms, but they are typically either “pull-through” or “back-in.” A pull-through site is a luxury. It’s designed so you can literally just pull your rig right through the site. You don’t even have to unhitch the trailer! Just put your truck in park, and you’re ready to uncork that celebratory bottle of wine.

But the task of backing into a campsite strikes fear into many RV'er hearts. We’ve backed into many, many campsites, from Key West to Seattle. It’s a team effort, with Kristy and I communicating via cellphone. In our first few months of Airstream ownership, we had more than a few hair-raising moments. Once I managed to wedge our rig in an almost impossible-to-escape angle between a fire hydrant and a tree. But these dramas have all but disappeared as we’ve gained experience.

Friday, September 21, 2007

A High Note



During one of my first visits to Los Angeles, I brought high expectations to town. Fresh out of college, my buddy Mike and I went club-hopping in search of live music. We started at a famous rock-and-roll joint on the Sunset Strip called Whiskey a Go Go. This is the place where Jim Morrison and The Doors were discovered, amongst other bands.

We stepped inside the club expecting something different. I don’t know WHAT exactly we wanted to see and hear. But we hoped for a radical upgrade from the seedy college bars back home that we’d grown to known and love. You know the type: places where the house bourbon singes eyebrows, where they shut down every night with a rousing encore of “Jesse’s Girl.”

Upon entering the Whiskey, we were at first disappointed. The interior of the place looked stark, barren, and industrial. Bare walls, concrete floors. Let’s be honest: it looked like a dump, just like our grungy haunts back in college. “What’s the big deal about this place?” we wondered aloud.

But then the band came on stage, and started playing. Pretty much from the first wailing guitar chord, we realized what was different. The talent on stage was undeniable. The band was playing original music we hadn’t heard before, but it didn’t matter – they were great!

I’ve since learned that Los Angeles is blessed with a deep well of musical talent. Many of the best and the brightest migrate here.

As I’ve matured, my tastes have graduated from screeching guitars to the more sophisticated (and far less painful) notes of jazz. Thus, our recent evening at Steamers Jazz Café listening to Chris Williams was a huge treat. Chris leads an incredibly talented jazz band, and he’s an energetic, dynamic live performer. For more information about Chris, check out his website at cwjazz.com.

Next stop: SAN DIEGO!

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

We're Goin' to Disneyland!


Airstream RV Blog - Disneyland from Sean on Vimeo.

Some people complain that Disney parks are overly sanitized and safe.

That’s kind of like calling the Pope a little too Catholic.

Of course the parks are safe. It’s DISNEY! That’s the whole point. This is a place to relax and enjoy life, where the definition of “adventure” doesn’t include a potential mugging.

There are plenty of unsafe places in the world. I’ve visited a few. Disneyland occupies a space far, far away from the barrios of San Salvador, El Salvador – a place so dangerous that even the police fear to tread. At the Burger King in San Salvador, you’ll see hired security guards holding MACHINE GUNS. And you’re HAPPY to see ‘em, because they protect you from the bad guys while you wolf down your Whopper.

Sure, Disneyland’s version of New Orleans lacks the menagerie of sordid characters you might encounter in the real Big Easy. You won’t see Minnie and Daisy performing in exotic dance clubs. You won’t see a drunken Goofy lying face down on Bourbon Street, wallowing in the muck. But you will get lively jazz music, authentic Creole food, and mostly clean fun.

Disney gets the small details right. For example, upon purchasing our tickets Kristy and I received “Just Married” buttons. All day long, park employees were shouting “Congratulations!” to us as we strolled past.

We will stay another day in Anaheim before heading south.

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Matthew McConaughey Has Ants



Sorry, ladies. People magazine's Sexiest Man Alive has ants in his pants.

Or at least in his RV.

I know this must be true, because we’re camping just a few sites away from his Airstream. We have ants in our kitchen, bathroom, living room, and bed. Yesterday when I emptied the water tanks, ants were coming out the sewer hose! I kid you not.

We’ve been besieged by ants here in Malibu. It’s hard to be precise, but I’d estimate we currently have 23,472,822.5 ants inside our trailer. To combat the invasion, we’ve employed a dual-tiered strategy called Operation: Comet Bounce.

Along the exterior perimeter, we’ve dumped Comet brand cleanser. Anywhere our trailer touches the ground (tires, stabilizer jacks, power cords, etc.) we’ve dumped Comet. Supposedly the ants hate Comet.

Inside the RV, we’ve placed Bounce fabric softener sheets. Some will say this is a waste of perfectly good dryer sheets. Perhaps this is true, but now our kitchen counters have a wonderful fresh scent. I can't stop sniffing them.

We are leaving Malibu (and, hopefully, the ants) today. Next stop: somewhere else!

Thursday, September 13, 2007

17.6 Million People Can’t Be Wrong



When I think of Los Angeles, one of the first words that comes to mind is diversity. Not just diversity of people, but also environment, food, and culture.

Want a beach? Take your pick.

Hills? Hollywood.

Mountains? Big Bear.

Urban areas? Skyscrapers and body-piercings aplenty.

Live music? World class.

Great sushi? Oh yeah.

Tasty burgers? No shortage.

Theme parks? Six Flags, Universal, and Disneyland, for starters.

Drive-thru trees? Not yet (Myers Flat has cornered the market).

Silicone implants? Not my bag, baby. But if you must, consider the 2-for-1 special!

Britney Spears? No comment.

And the list goes on...

It’s impossible to do everything here, but that doesn’t stop 17.6 million people from trying. About the only thing in LA that’s not diverse is the weather, so residents must tolerate month-after-month of sunny, low humidity days.

If there’s a knock on LA, it’s that there are 17, 599,999 other people occupying the same general area as you. Rush hour starts at 4AM--and things don't start slowing down until around 3AM.

Obviously we're enjoying Malibu, so the Airstream will remain parked for a few more days.

Sunday, September 9, 2007

Laundromat With a View



The RV lifestyle is a blend of liberation and compromise.

In many respects, Airstreaming is liberating vis-à-vis owning a home. When I'm in my actual house, instead of enjoying the property, I tend to see what's wrong with it. I see floors that need cleaning, walls that need painting, and landscaping that needs planting. With real estate ownership, there's a neverending desire to maintain and improve (this is what keeps Home Depot in business). Our house is always a work in progress, so it never feels complete.

In the Airstream, the stresses associated with home ownership melt away. RVs are complete as delivered from the factory. Sure, you can make changes and improvements to your RV. And some things will break. But everything happens on a much smaller, more manageable scale. And there’s no neighborhood association or architectural review committee breathing down your neck. If you don't like your neighborhood, or your view, you hitch and move!

But there are compromises. Not many people fantasize about visiting scenic laundromats on their honeymoon, but that's part of our deal.

For the record, I’d be perfectly happy doing our laundry myself. But Kristy usually keeps me at least 30-feet away from the job. I have a tendency to accidentally slip bright red clothing into loads of white--which is why I’m so often seen wearing pale fuchsia.

Saturday, September 8, 2007

We Love LA



Los Angeles is one of my favorite cities. There’s no other town in the world that rewards creativity like LA. In discussing his landmark film Gladiator, the great director Ridley Scott said, “Ancient Rome was the LA of its time.” Which is another way of saying that Los Angeles is the Rome of our time. Around the globe, all entertainment roads lead here.

So for today’s blog entry, something DIFFERENT. It’s a music video! The song is Randy Newman’s ironic anthem, “I Love LA.” But our film is inspired by a 1929 silent Russian flick called Man with a Movie Camera. That groundbreaking film documented a day in the life of communist-era Mother Russia. Our little movie presents a day in the life of Los Angeles; or at least, a day in the life of one Hawaiian-shirt wearing LA resident.

Our Airstream is presently parked in scenic Malibu. Probably the most high profile Airstreamer in the country, Matthew McConaughey lives full-time in his trailer in this same park. But we haven’t seen Ol’ Washboard Abs just yet. His Airstream's here, but I think he may be off shooting a movie somewhere.

Since we both enjoy this area, we will stay in Los Angeles for a while.

Friday, September 7, 2007

California Streamin'



Capturing San Francisco in a blog entry is kind of like summarizing the works of Shakespeare in 60 seconds. You just can’t do it.

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Flattened



Time is perhaps the greatest luxury of extended RV travel. It goes hand-in-hand with this nomadic lifestyle. Whenever life tosses you a curveball – for example, a flat tire in the middle of a redwood forest – you can always drop anchor and ride out the storm.

Of course Kristy and I really do have a honeymoon “schedule” of sorts. But it is blessedly vague and subject to change depending on which way the wind (or the tire) blows.

Monday, September 3, 2007

Myers Flat (Is Where It's At)



God has a sense of humor.

We’ve traveled more than 7000 miles, towing our Airstream over towering mountain highways, perilous unpaved roads, and hazard-filled construction zones. We’ve rolled past hundreds (if not thousands) of towns, big and small. And where do we get our first flat tire? In Myers Flat, California.



We awoke this morning to a flat tire on our Airstream. After making an attempt to fill the thing with air, it became quite clear that reinflation was not an option. This tire was wheezing like a chain-smoker on a 10-mile hike.

Next step: call AAA! For many years, we’ve traveled with the supreme confidence of loyal AAA members. Although we never actually made a call, it just felt good to know that AAA had our back. Now, at last, after paying dues for all these years, we FINALLY had a reason to call roadside assistance. I found a pay phone (since cellphones don't work here in Myers Flat), and dialed AAA.

Here’s an artist’s interpretation of our conversation:

AAA Representative: “Hello, this is AAA. We’re here to help!”

Me: “Great! We’ve got a flat tire. It’s on our Airstream travel trailer.”

AAA Representative: “What? The flat tire is on your Airstream?”

Me: “That’s right.”

AAA Representative: "..."

Me: "Hello?"

AAA Representative: “Piss off.”

Click.

Me: “Hello? … Anybody there? ... Help?”

Dial tone.

Of course, the actual conversation was marginally more polite. The AAA representative informed me that our AAA coverage does not extend to our Airstream. So much for their oft-repeated blather about AAA covering “the driver, not the vehicle.”

Looks like we're on our own. Thanks, AAA!

Then we plan to head south towards San Francisco. Stay tuned!

Sunday, September 2, 2007

They Might Be Giants



As human beings, we tend to think about time in terms of the average human lifespan. It’s therefore interesting to encounter ancient beings that are living by a COMPLETELY different set of rules. Like… Hugh Hefner. And redwood trees.

Many of these trees are older than the United States. Some of them are over a thousand years old. And a few proud geezers reach the 2000-year mark!

Viewing redwoods make you feel like you’ve stepped back in time. These trees would be totally appropriate in the age of the dinosaurs. Long after everyone currently alive on earth has died, the same redwoods will still be here.

The message I take from these majestic trees is carpe diem. Seize the day, and pursue your dreams while you are here. Our time on earth is short – let’s make the most of it!

Saturday, September 1, 2007

Coasting



When we departed on our long, long honeymoon a couple of months ago, we speculated that we’d return when pigskins fly -- in late August around the time of "the first college football kickoff." This weekend, collegiate pigskins are flying -- and we still find ourselves 3000 miles from home.

We’ve been meandering along the Oregon coast for the past couple of days, enjoying the cool weather and awesome views. We’re now heading south through California, with plans to visit San Francisco. Then we'll turn towards the Deep South and tailgating Nirvana!