Life happens

Alright all, I super suck at keeping this thing current lately. The last week or two of my last road trip never made it on the blog. I wrote everything down, but haven't found the time to type them all and post. I've been crazy with freelance work and trying to plan the next few trips, so those entries may never find their way up here, you'll just have to wait for the book and check it out there. So instead, I'll just write a little synopsis for you.

I'll start with Washington state and go from there....

Washington was one badass state and I had a freaking blast there. I met really great people everywhere I went. The folks in Leavenworth were just really good people, they even paid my hotel bill one night just as a nice thing to do. I didn't know people like that still existed. My 2-3 days there were awesome and I hope to see them again the next time I'm in the area. Then I headed over to Seattle where I made friends with a whole group of new guy friends...and they were rooting for my beloved Red Sox so they were A-okay in my book! It was awesome, especially since it was World Series time. Watching the games with them over a few nights and checking out some live music in Capitol Hill was one of the highlights. After a few days of staying in my hotel downtown, I met up with my good friend Everette over in Bremerton.

It had been a long time since I had seen him and it was a nice reunion. And, he let me crash at his place so I could save a little cash and we could hang out. In all, I spent about a week in Seattle and it was great. Spending time with Ev and exploring the city that I had fallen in love with a few years earlier was pretty kick ass. It's an awesome place and there are a lot of great people there. I met a lot more random people there in passing and got to see and do a ton of great stuff around the city. It was hard to leave Seattle, but the journey was pressing on.

So off I went and headed south to Portland. Portland was a pretty cool place, but it didn't hold a torch to Seattle. I spent a day walking around the city and it was a nice place. My favorite part was talking to the kids on the street. Ev had warned me about them saying that they'll beg you for money and won't leave you alone, but I had a great conversation with one of them about what else....the Boston Red Sox baby!!! That's right, love of the Sox uniting people across the nation. Then it came time to leave Portland and head down to California. The entire state of Oregon was covered in fog during the drive, so that really sucked. I couldn't go t Mt Rainier because it was snowed in and then I couldn't see Mt St Helens because of the fog...not cool.

Something cool happened while I was staying in Oregon though. I was going to head down to San Francisco to visit my buddy Dan when he asked me if I knew a girl we went to college with. Turns out that not only did I know her, but she had been one of my suite mates in the dorm. So he gave me her number and I told her to hop a plane and meet me in San Fran...and she did!!!! We made plans to met up and even got a hotel together, it was called "The Diva" which is totally appropriate for Jen! So plans were made and I headed south, stopping outside Napa for a good night's sleep and an oil change.

On my way west to San Fran, I made a pivotal stop at Mac Headquarters in Cupertino to pick up some trinkets. Several t-shirts and knick knacks later, I collected my Apple bags and went to meet my crew in the city. I only passed the hotel about five times before I made Jen come outside and wave me down. Haha, you would've missed it too!!! Several days of debauchery ensued, especially when we convinced Dan to stay in the hotel with us. I'm pretty sure he regretted that a few times because when he fell asleep we put temporary tattoos on him that said "Diva" compliments of the hotel. I love Jen, and it was awesome to reconnect with her. We did all kinds of silly tourist things like a trolley tour, crossing the Golden Gate Bridge, shopping in Chinatown, and even a cab ride to see the "Painted Ladies" aka the Victorian houses from the opening of Full House. Good times. Dan was fun too, but I think he had a hard time keeping up with us. Haha, we love you Dan!

San Fran was my last planned stop on the big road trip. I had just done the southern states with Sara a few months earlier and I promised I'd be home by Thanksgiving so off I went. I started to really enjoy the drive and checked out some fun little hole in the wall places along Route 66 for good measure. I clocked like an eleven hour driving day and ended up just sleeping in my car with my sleeping bag at a rest stop. I even took my toiletry bag and a towel into the bathroom with me...probably looked liked I lived there or something. Haha, but I didn't give a shit. In the mornings I would just get myself together and drive and drive....and drive. I grew really fond of driving at night because I could see the stars. It's one of my favorite things.

Before I knew it I was almost back to Florida. A couple nights of sleeping in rest stops and I was back in Jax for some quality time with my Jax crew. It was great to be back with all my friends. After a week in Jax, I headed south to West Palm.

I've been back to Jax a few times since then an I still can't help but to miss my friends. Thank you to everyone who made my trip awesome and for my great family friends who supported me the whole way. I can't wait to do it all again this summer. Watch out world, here I come!!!! :)