200 degrees, that's why they call me Mr. Farenheit, I'm traveling at the speed of the light!

I woke up at morro bay state park on sunday morning. The campground i was at was heavily populated (saturday night, duh) and there was a group of EMS workers on a retreat next camping next to me, who were all very nice. as i was packing up, i checked the oil and fluids in my car, and to my surprise the coolant reservoir level was almost completely empty. I added some more coolant, and immediately saw a serious leak in the bottom of the radiator. After talking with my older brother on the phone for a while, he coached me enough so that i was able to find the apparent source of the leak, and attempt to fix it. It seemed simple enough, except that immediately afterwards i noticed there was a hitherto unnoticed leak in the top of the radiator... and this one much more drastic.

After spending an extra hour underneath my car, getting anti-freeze all over my face, clothes, and hair, (and campsite...ooops) i found the name of a local radiator repair service and called them. To my amazement (it was sunday,) they were open, but only because their shop had burned down years ago, and they ran the business from home. The owner was really nice and talked to me for about half an hour, giving me suggestions of what to do. Ironically, the only new part of the car was the freaking RADIATOR, since i had the fender-bender with kit dunn last summer in cape cod. Luckily that meant it was still under warranty. The only thing was, i had to be in davis in less than 24 hours to find a new apartment, get my paperwork and fees processed for school, and move-in.

After consulting with my brother and the other mechanics i spoke with, i thought things over for a long time, and decided to postpone the rest of the drive up the Pacific Coast Highway to San Francisco, and get straight to Davis by the end of the day via hwy 101. everyone i talked to said this would be possible if i kept the coolant level at a maximum throughout the trip. I was about 300 miles still from Davis, and i left at about 2 pm. So i high-tailed it all day, stopping every 30 or 45 minutes and filling up with water/coolant, not certain if i'd actually make it into town that night...

a cloud of eider down, draws around me softening the sound

the drive through utah, for the most part, was great. As in colorado, there were LONG stretches of no cell phone reception (or gas stations or rest areas!) so it was just me and the music for a long time... which was wonderful. my brother told me of a place i should stop at near Zion national Park called "the bit and spur saloon" where he once saw Frank Zappa's old band performing (no, not the mothers.) unfortunately, it was only open after 5 pm, and i was on a tight schedule to make it to las vegas.

after a full day of driving, i made it across the desert between Utah and southern Nevada, and off in the distance saw a light haze of smog over the desert. before i knew it, i was making wrong turns onto the main freeway in Las Vegas during rush hour, with the sun in my eyes... ooops.

i got to David Weiller's house amazingly on time (again because i was gaining an hour in Pacific time, not of my own accord) and we just sat and caught up for several hours. his house was everything i hoped it would be, with a huge collection of recordings in CD and vinyl, decorated with great paintings, books, and a baby grand piano, with the pedal almost broken off.


after trying to find my score of sunday in the park with george to play through, we got in touch with another friend from CLOC at UNLV, Molly Prout. after she met us at Maestro's house we decided to skip the Brian Stokes Mitchell performance and reminisced for hours about the previous summer (it had only been about 12 days since our summer on Cape Cod ended abruptly.)we didn't do the traditional thing at Vegas where you visit the strip with all the casinos, but they did give me a taste of vegas. i was unaware that casinos were famous for their massive buffets, so before it got too late, we rushed to a local casino in Henderson (suburb of vegas where weiller lived) and scarfed down even more while trying to make sense of the summer. as he said himself, it was very reassuring and reaffirming to hang out with CLOC people in the real world, because it usually lets you know that you weren't the only one who needed help making sense of the summer. i phrase it this way not in a negative light, but simply because it helps to examine it in retrospect with others who were there, because it all goes by so quickly, and there is no time to stop and think about it.
the next morning Weiller had to host an annual workshop with local high schools and UNLV students (entitled "men, muscles, and singing"!) so we said goodbye, and i headed to California.

one of the most unexpected and amazing parts of the trip (at least scenically speaking) was the drive from Nevada, through the corner of Arizona, and into southern California. after vainly attempting to find internet access in Vegas before i left, i planned out the soundtrack for the remainder of the trip, and headed southwest. just as i entered Arizona, the first movement of Mahler's 9th symphony began, and a huge canyon came out of nowhere, and before i knew it, i was cavorting through the canyon at breakneck speeds (relative for my car at least!)


one would think that Mahler himself had taken a raft down the colorado as inspiration for this piece, because again it seemed like every twist, and every turn that i took was being underscored perfectly by the recording. the only way i can describe it is this: imagine you're on the most exciting roller-coaster you've ever been on; except instead of an amusement park, you're going through a part of the grand canyon, in a huge mercedes, with the Berlin Philharmonic accompanying you. the last few serenely pastoral moments of the movement came to an end just as the desert ahead became visible, and i was shot out of the canyon, like a surfer being reborn through the perfect wave.

after a few more hours of driving, i suddenly got really excited, because i realized i had never seen the pacific coast before! i was bypassing through the northern suburbs of LA and came out into a small town called Ventura. there, i saw the first sign for the Pacific Coast Highway (hwy 1) and i pulled off onto a scenic overview and just took in the view.


i got back onto hwy 101 N, which was still followed the coastline for most of the drive, and went through an amazing drive through the vineyards of southern california. not many words can describe it, so i'll just try to show you (kudos to those who can name the tune playing in my car):



as the sun was setting, i was once again racing with the clock to make it to the campsite before nightfall. i pulled into Morro Bay State Park, overlooking Morro Bay Estuary, around 7:30 pm, and set up camp for the night, not planning to wake up and cross a state border for a while.

...she's out back counting stars

after saying goodbye to my aunt mary pat and uncle randy (that's her in front of her store, Buckskin's Trading Co.,) i left Georgetown, CO, i crossed the continental divide, AGAIN. My car actually did fine, but i still had one more big mountain pass to make (vail pass) and i couldn't relax until i knew i'd crossed it. After i had finally reached the summit, i got out and took a few victory photos (and to let my car relax...)

driving through the rockies was beautiful, and as happy as my car was, i was actually very sad to leave. When i crossed into Utah however, i was suddenly on another planet. Not just were the landscapes stranger than usual, but COMPLETELY barren. I had reservations to stay in Goblin Valley State Park that night, and i made it there right at sundown. I had not accurately calculated how far off I-70 the park was, and it honestly felt like i was the farthest from any civilization i had ever been in my life. even the rest areas, as beautiful as they were (here's one pictured above) were incredibly desolate of any human existance.

The park got it's name from a valley that has very odd-looking geologic structures that look like “goblins.” however, if i could, i would re-name the area “Mushroom-Goomba State Park” because that's what they really looked like. You were allowed to run down into the valley and climb all over them, because they were doing an erosion study over several years, and i guess needed the data.
I was slightly nervous about camping by myself for the first night, but all fears were alleviated when i reached the campground. It was only about twenty spots, with a central bathhouse and water pump. My actual campsite wasn't visible from the service road, but was in a tiny isolated spot at this kind of dead-end corner in one of the rock formations. Here is a picture of what it looked like when i woke up:

also, another thing i didn't realize was how amazing the view was at night. We were about 80 miles from the nearest human lighting, so that night i saw more stars than ever before. More than any astronomy research site, more than any previous camping trip. I decided to get my 12 string guitar out, since it had been in the car for several days now, and it took nearly twenty minutes to tune, because it was pitch black. Other neighbors said they didn't mind me playing, and so i stayed up well into the night, playing and watching for shooting stars and satellites until i was tired.

Going to bed however, was not as pleasant. The actual sleeping was fine, except that it became so windy that my little tent would not stop rustling for about two hours. And these weren't gentle, pastoral rustles. Every time some part of the tent flapped in the wind it sounded as if someone was sneaking around my campsite and was trying to unzip the front door. All i can say is.... i was really FREAKING SCARED.

and i can see for miles and miles...

So i left oklahoma city monday morning, and made it into Albuquerque by 6 pm (only on schedule because i gained an hour driving west.... man i am really gonna be screwed for time when i eventually drive back to the east coast.)

i had a great time hanging out there with my friend john skillman, my cousins Charles and Georgia, and Charles girlfriend Janice. we basically just goofed around all night at Charles' new house. Janice (who is a professional sous chef at a local restaurant) threw together this amazing dinner in a matter of minutes while we hung out and looked at charles' martial arts "classical weapon" collection (which was really freakin cool and made me want to go play role playing games right away.) i really wish i could have spent more time with charles and janice and georgia. so i guess i'll have to make a trip down to New Mexico sometime soon.

tuesday morning i actually got to relax and hang out on campus with John. while john was going to jazz band rehearsal, we tried to lock his bike up, and somehow it wasn't working, and after laughing, it quickly turned into a Laurel and Hardy skit, where neither of us could lock it up. he was almost late for his rehearsal, so i just stayed and locked it myself, which of course only took 2 seconds now that both of us weren't trying simultaneously.

i then headed up to taos, NM that afternoon to see my uncle marcus and aunt edie. that was an amazingly beautiful drive, and it was a lot of fun to just chill in the mountains and catch up with them.

this morning today i took the scenic route from Taos to Georgetown, CO, but i stopped at the great sand dunes national park for lunch. this is an amazing national park that is right at the base of some of the rockies. it's literally just a miniature sahara desert at the foot of the mountains, and extend several miles into the plains. when i came out to visit my relatives in CO and NM as a 3rd grader, we stopped here and climbed the highest dunes. and ever since then, i've felt this strange calling to come back and see them again, because it almost felt like it was a dream. i intended to only stay briefly, but after getting there and starting a short hike, i knew i wouldn't come down until i made it to the top.

i unfortunately decided to not pay heed to the park's suggestion for wearing shoes (due to very hot sand.. ~140 deg.) so i wore my sandals... and wow. big mistake. i should have taken a picture of the soles of my feet afterwards... they were literally charred white.

either way, it took 45 minutes to get to the top peak (after several wrong ways to "false peaks") and it was amazing. the view actually wasn't as breath-taking as i remembered it... but i was alone up there, and the silence was what amazed me this time. complete silence except for a subtle breeze. i made a small video while at the summit that i'll post on my facebook profile soon (if it doesn't work here.)

and then i drove up through the rockies to see my aunt mary pat and uncle randy in Georgetown, CO. they have an amazing little mountain cottage (that looks tiny on the outside, but is actually like 4 stories!) mary pat prepared an amazing salmon dinner, and we just hung out all night with their new dog, Bonnie, until Randy came home from work.

besides seeing all my friends and family, the driving has actually been a huge highlight of the trip. after carefully choosing my music rotation for each day, i just put it on cruise control, and i enjoy the scenery. the music i'm playing acts like a soundtrack to the drive, and it is so awesome. in the last few days, i listened to Sly and the Family Stone, Jamiroquai's new album, The Who's greatest hits, Styx, the last 5 years, symphonie fantastique again, Red hot chili peppers, Siamese Dream, Return of the Jedi, and lots more. there's something very relaxing about being able to look for hundreds of miles in every direction and see nothing but open ranges, or mountains in the distance, and only pass maybe a few cars within an hour.

Actually, one the coolest parts of the trip happened while driving through the top part of texas. There was a HUGE storm looming in the distance, north of the interstate. it looked as if it was i would eventually meet up with it, and sure enough, right when the Battle in the Forest (aka the forest battle) started, i was smack in the middle of a huge hail storm! but the sun was shining from the southwest the whole time, so it made for a really crazy view most of the time (at one point, a small cloud that was only 25 feet above the ground, just drifted right in front and above me at about 30 mph... right when yoda's theme started up. it doesn't sound strange, but believe me... it looked SURREAL) and what was amazing was that everything in the weather seemed to cue up perfectly with what was going on in the jedi album. vader's theme came back as i was passing an overturned RV (looks like it was abandoned,) and as soon as the weather broke, luke's theme came back, and the final credits theme started as i rode off into the sunset.... i know, i'm a dork, but had you been there with me, you would have thought the same thing!

on a side note, since crossing through the Rockies, i've found out that my car is completely ill-equipped to go up any kind of incline. i won't even go into details, except to say that the fastest i can drive it up hill is 35 mph, if the incline lasts for more than 30 seconds. this last one before georgetown was the continental divide (alt. 11,397 ft) and was 13 miles uphill! i will be sad to leave Colorado, but suffice it to say, my car won't.

tomorrow i head over to Utah, and will be camping at Goblin Valley State Park (they filmed Galaxyquest there.) and i am going to stop in the Bit and Spur Saloon for lunch i believe. I always thought Utah was boring except for Salt Lake City, but it turns out the opposite is true. i would give anything to spend more time there.

ok, time for bed. i apologize for taking so much time between posts, and for making this one ridiculously long. thanks for the comments, and and i hope the layout looks more symmetrical this time!

in this dive, we rediscover sensation

i got into Nashville saturday night around 5 pm, and had a great time celebrating my friend Eric's birthday. he had a bunch of friends over (coincidentally enough, several UNC people i knew who had moved to Nashville) and we hung out all night at the apt, and then they took me on a quick tour of downtown Nashville (the honky-tonk saloons, lower broadway, and music row.)

all i have to say is that A) nashville is way cooler than i expected, and B) my friend eric and jess are amazing hosts.

i drove yesterday from 10 am to 11 pm (luckily i keep gaining hours as i move west into new time zones... didn't count on that!) but there were thunderstorms sporadically last night over most of Oklahoma, and i decided to stay at a cheap hotel instead. i feel sad i decided not to camp at the first hint of a little rain... but no more hotels from now on!



the actual driving part so far has been great, ESPECIALLY planning the music for each day. saturday i started off with the original cast of EVITA, Les Miserables, A New Brain, Closer than Ever, and HAIR. Sunday i listened through Kurt Weill's Street Scene (twice), a lot of Berlioz, Frank Zappa, Mahler 1, and underscored the sunset over arkansas with Brahm's Requiem (came on my stereo RIGHT as my turned a corner and passed a sign that said: Braum's ICE-CREAM, next exit!) today i think will be a foray into high school years... with Jamiroquai's new album, ben folds, some sly and the family stone, and maybe some... Beethoven? also, it's been really nice reconnecting with some old friends over the phone.

on Saturday, while driving through the Blue Ridge mountains on I-40, i randomly stopped to give my car some rest, and i found this tiny organic restaurant/coffee shop/bar called "Bean Trees Cafe, on the river front. i realized i had just crossed over the Tennessee border into a "no-horse" town called Hartford. It seemed really out of the place, and advertised "hot beer, lousy food, and bad service." i would highly recommend it to anyone traveling the same route.

The next stop is albuquerque, NM. i'm going to actually get to rest and have time to hang out. i'm seeing my friend John Skillman (who just started his masters for trombone performance atUNM,) and my cousins Charles and Georgia. i am leaving oklahoma city in a few minutes, and trying to make it to Albuquerque by 6 pm (luckily in mountain time!)


When i get the time (hopefully on tuesday,) i will post more pictures and a sort of list or itinerary of my travels.




These are pictures from Eric's
birthday party. as you can tell, it was pretty wild.







And this quote was written on the wall at Bean Trees Cafe.

PS: sorry the layout of the posts are still a little funky... still getting used to it.

begin the beguine

Well, my car is back, and looks bad-ass with no grill on the front, and it's working great (thanks to some very good mechanics and very good friends.) i am leaving NC right now (only 30 minutes behind schedule... for those that know me well, this is an amazing feat,) and will get to Nashville, TN this evening. It's my friend Eric Bilbrey's birthday tonight, so i'm gonna crash at his place and hopefully get a taste of Nashvegas and see some other old friends.


i'll take lots of pictures and post them up as soon as i can.

dreaming of californication

welcome to my blog everyone. i've never kept a blog before, so bear with me as i get used to filtering out random thoughts and trying to keep things concise. i also apologize in advance for non-sequitors, tangents of all kinds, and lack of capitalization.

for those that don't know, i'm primarily keeping this blog as a travel journal for my 9 day trip out to California. I'll be starting a 2 year Masters program in Conducting at UC Davis sept 24, and ever since i was accepted last spring, i knew that i would be driving cross country to get there. I'll try to update it nightly, and post as many pics as possible.

on the way, i'll be stopping by lots of different cities, camping at national parks, and seeing as many friends as possible. i'll try to post the basic itinerary/route on a list somewhere on the blog as soon as i figure out how. but for now, the route i'm planning is something along the lines of: NC to nashville, austin, TX, albuquerque/taos, NM, georgetown CO, Las Vegas, NV, L.A., then up the pacific coast hwy to San Francisco, while driving into Davis the next morning.

right now i am at home in Kings Mountain, NC, right now, packing for the trip while my car is being tuned up at the mechanic. i am almost finished, but this time around it's really hard because i can only take what i really need. i'm leaving my entire vinyl collection (~400 records,) about 80% of my books, about 50 scores, and all of my instruments (9) at home. I usually have a hard time trying to figure out which bottle of sunscreen to leave behind, so i've been having to disengage myself emotionally while packing and think completely about what i'll need out there. I know it's not a big deal, because if i ever REALLY need something, my parents have said they'll be happy to mail it out to me. But still, when i'm done.... you'll have to admit; that is one fantastically handsome packing job.

what's also strange is that i've basically been on the road since i left my job at College Light Opera Company in Cape Cod. i technically could have left the wednesday after the final show opened (since my work as associate conductor was finished,) but i decided to stay around for another 5 days to just hang out (and drive the other associate conductor to manhattan.) so after i left, i spent a few days in manhattan with my good friend ben krauss (and got to see shannon and mike, as well as my friend brian mccune from UNC.) then i spent a night in DC with my older brother jake, which was awesome. after that, i dropped my carload of stuff at home and spent two nights in chapel hill, seeing a lot of people that i don't know i'll get to see again for a while. my sister addie was at home the last few nights, visiting from Philadelphia, but left this morning.

so it's been great to see so many friends and family in the last 11 days, but right now i am just wondering what it'll be like out in California by myself. luckily i am acquainted with a few other grad students (one that's already graduated, a current student, and another first year,) but besides that, i'll be starting fresh. in some ways it feels very liberating... but i can also imagine the first month i'll spend A LOT of time online, blogging maybe, and on gmail and facebook trying to connect with everyone.

ok, back to packing. i have about 600 cds to go through, and i still haven't decided which kind of sunscreen to take with me....