and now I enter Texas

5/15/2014 2:34pm a rest stop on Highway 10 headed east

Okay. Carlsbad Caverns are a must. An absolute must in terms of Nationl Park visits & cool freaking caverns. Easily the best caverns I’ve ever visited. Make sure you get there early because 1pm is the last tour and they stop letting people go in the natural entrance (this long winding switchback path from outside into the caverns) at 2:30 and the last lazy person elevator goes down at 3:30pm. I highly recommend the natural entrance, as it is rather fun to descend and see all the formations and have the natural light slip away. On the way down, I had a nice chat with another solo traveler who was headed to Austin and was in Zion at the same time I was! The giveaway was mutual rain in Zion anecdotes. Oh, and he lives in Portland. Small world.

I managed to get a few good photos of the caverns, can’t wait to post them. But oh so cool. Really just amazing. I spent a good two plus hours wandering around down there. Too bad they are so far from anything, but they are in the middle of going someplaces. Since I opted to head South to Texas, I was able to see them and continue on pretty easily.

Now here is the thing about Big Bend National Park: the GPS will tell you it’s 4 hours. This is to the park entrance. It won’t tell you about the additional ~30 miles to the visitors center nor the ~12 miles to the campground. And when you are driving in the dark with animals frequently deciding NOW is the perfect time to cross the road…well it adds a lot more time to your driving. Also I lost another hour due to time zone, so what was supposed to be a 9pm arrival, became 11. But there were plenty of campsites and it was $14 a night instead of $30. I paid for two nights and set up my tent and collapsed into what ended up being one of my best nights sleep yet.

Shorts weather has returned! Big Bend National Park gets points for expansiveness and birds (I heard lots of distinct bird calls, all of which Mom could probably identify). Points are deducted for being really, really far away from everything and just having to spend a lot of time driving to stuff. I flashed my annual member badge at one of the visitor’s center (so big, they have more than one!) and got my N.P. WPA post card. Then I saw a hot spring was on the map, so off I went! The road was narrow and winding and rough but worth it. But dang was it rough. The roughest one I’ve been on yet. I was glad to be in a little car. The hot spring was amazing. Just a little natural one off the side of the river (not the Rio Grande). There were a couple Bavarians in the pool, as well as a family. The young son of the family told me to check out Six Street in Austin.

Another note about Big Bend: by far the most amount of people visiting from in state at any National Park I’ve been too. Very few foreigners/out of stateians.

So I soaked in the hot pool and alternated swimming in the river. Cold hot cold hot. And I read Song of the Quarkbeast and soaked up some sun. I think my freckles are coming in nicely.

I got some ice cream and ice and returned to my campsite and took a nap. I hiked a little at a near trail, then tucked into bed and finished The Rosie Project. I’m getting so much reading done!

I slept in again after another pretty good night sleep. Warmth and not a lot of wind and no rain/snow makes for a pretty good night sleep, as it turns out. Haha.

I packed up and headed out at 10:20amish. Marathon, the nearest town to the park, is 70 miles from Panther Junction, which is the main junction & visitor’s center in the park. I went through Marathon and up north into Fort Stockton. I filled my tank, I got some food (celery and carrots and apples and Pringles) and plugged in Austin and… it’s less than 6 hours away! I was expecting a day of hard driving and a night at a rest stop. But nope! And through my friend Abbie I think I have a place to stay in the city so that is awesome. I’ve stopped at a rest stop, and soon I’ll hit the road with an MP3 player full of tunes.

Oh, and Roswell reminded me of Santa Cruz in some way. Just with aliens instead of Surfers. It’s thus far the first town I’ve breezed through that I would have liked to have roamed around a bit more. Checked out the museum. A town where a Starbucks is filled with old familiars is a town indeed.

12:51 pm a friend of a friend’s house in Austin

So much driving. But it went really well. Thus far I have experienced no Texan aggression at my car. But I also keep pace with traffic and I’ve never been an outright awful driver. My friend Abbie from school (a yoga buddy) works at Boudin Creek Café, so I had that plugged into my GPS. It was a busy time at the café, but that was fine. I got a mocha (which wasn’t wise as now I’m feeling tired but also wired) and a big big salad to stuff my body with some much needed greens. I nibbled and let my body slow down from all that driving. So much driving. 5 hours is actually quite a bit. When anything under 6 shows up on my GPS I think “oh that isn’t so bad” but yeah… it’s a lot of time to spend with your brain consistently active. It’ll be good to walk around tomorrow and do little things. I’m going to check out a doughnut place and see a movie at the Alamo Drafthouse. The Drafthouse is my #1 for Austin. I’ve gotten lots of food recommendations, and venues to check out, but I’m not good at random music shows and stuff. I’m not much of a foodie. I have a lot of boonie dweller habits that I haven’t yet broken. I sometimes feel that cities are wasted on me. On this trip, when I open my atlas I look for parks over cities. I know what to do with a tent. And when it gets dark, I read for a few hours.

I guess this trip is really making me think about what I do with my time, which is good because what I want to do should play into where I want to be. Hmm.

cloudy skies over Roswell, NW

5/11/2014 4:36 pm

I’m in the campground registration area, trying to get onto their wifi. Morefield Campground at Mesa Verde was more expensive than I was expecting. Not sure if I am regretting staying for two nights. The first night was a bit rough on account of the wind, rain, hail, and thunder and lightning. The lightning was pretty far away, so I wasn’t worried about getting struck in my tent. My current method for staying warm is to layer my blankets in my sleeping bag, and then zip it all up into a burrito of warmth. It’s been working pretty well. Though no amount of warmth well put me to sleep when the sky is booming. And some water got in the tent, because it isn’t waterproof. The top thingy covers the mesh, but if the rain is tagging along with the wind, it’ll get in.

Perry made a tasty scramble for breakfast and Rosi restocked my cooler with ice. How nice!

My first stop was the Anderson Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum. I’ve come all this way, might as well visit the museum! And it was great. The exhibits were well put together and they acknowledged Sophie Blanchard as a balloonist. There was a nice amount of history and I loved all the antiques with balloon decorations. A really swell museum. Of course I crushed a penny in their penny crusher.

Then I was on the road to the four corners. I wanted to get there before sun down, so that my photo op wouldn’t be in the dark. And as I found out it closed at 7pm, it was good that I got a move on like I did. It was a scenic drive up and over. I crossed through many small towns. I wonder what keeps people in these small towns? Maybe I’m just not seeing the job making thing. Like the shipyard does for Kitsap.

I cruised into the four corners at 6:30. There was a nice crowd of people, but I got my chance at a photo op with my feet splayed across Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona. Fun! Surrounding the four corners were local merchant stalls. There are lots of Native craft stalls. Did I mention that I bought a necklace at one of them in Arizona?

Colorado is calling me, so I drove North towards Cortez. I bought some lip balm at Wal Mart and got some cash back for cash type purchases. It was still light when I got to Mesa Verde at 8:12pm. The visitors center was closed, as was the campground check in, so I found a spot and pitched my tent and put my jammies on and got to bed early. Then I was woken up again and again by the weather. At just before 7 (Colorado time) the thunder and lightning abated. It was an exciting way to be sleep deprived.

I paid for my spot in the morning, and signed up for a second night. I think I’ll be doing some car camping to save some money for a little while. National Parks and camping get pricey. I’m only six states in. I have 42 to go!

So. Mesa Verde! It really is a park that can be done in a day. Though some of the cliff dwellings couldn’t be accessed due to the season. I drove down to the Visitor’s Center, where you have to buy tickets for the ranger tours of the dwellings (you can’t just play on your own in them). But the tour tickets are only $4, so that’s not so bad. I was worried they’d be $20.

I got the 11:30 Cliff Palace and 2pm Balcony tours. Left a little time between for relaxing.

I’m really glad I packed layers, I tell you what. Today is a pants and shirt and sweatshirt day, and then later another layer. It was windy and cold and every now and again some snow would fluff from the sky. I’m going to continue up into Colorado, and I sure hope it doesn’t SNOW snow. I’d turn around if that happened. I really want to see this giant hot spring in Ouray.

Cliff Palace was pretty neat. Unfortunate that it has been rebuilt by modern people, funny that it was obvious what was rebuilt due to how shoddy it looked, and awesome to see this centuries old architecture that has remained to this day. Part of the path required ascension of a ladder. It wasn’t bad, though it wouldn’t make much lack of fitness to not be able to do it.

Between tours, I read and ate and painted my nails just for funsies. I think I preferred Balcony. There was much more time to check out the construction, and we were allowed to navigate more of it than Palace, which was restricted (for good reason). Also the path in and out of Balcony was amusing to say the least. There was a large ladder we all had to climb to get up into the dwelling. Two people could climb shoulder to shoulder at the same time, and everyone in our group made it! No one fell off, though some people went slow. And there is a narrow space between rocks you have to slide through after the ladder. And! To get out of Balcony, you have to crawl on your hands and knees through a small tunnel. And climb another ladder. And ascend some stone steps with chains to cling onto. Very fun. Unless you are afraid of heights or claustrophobic or can’t lift your knees all that high.

From there, I drove and did some of the scenic view points. Now I think I’m done with the park and can just head out in the morning for further adventure. But first I’ll take advantage of their showers.

5/12/2014 9:44pm at a rest stop just past Moriarty, New Mexico

Oh dang so I totally was woken up by snow caving in the sides of my tent. I slapped it off and went back to sleep. My whole last evening was me snuggled in warm reading. It was really nice. Then morning came and everything was covered in two inches of snow! Argh. So I had to pack everything up whilst being cold. Thankfully I had my ice scraper in my car. Thankfully I packed warmer layers. It was not fun. But oh what a relief to drive into town. I just swapped out my jammie bottoms for pants. I didn’t change anything else. I put on fresh clothes in a McDonald’s in Durango, after about an hours’ worth of driving out of the park and through Cortez. I bought some food at McDonald’s and caught up a bit with my correspondence, as Mesa Verde lacked good cell reception and working wifi.

Then I headed north because Jeff told me had Ouray had uber hot springs. Some the size of a football field! There was snow on the ground, but the roads were clear and gritted. It was fine going over the first mountain pass, and the second, but once I got to Silverton (after over an hour driving winding roads that lack guard rails) it was clear that the winter storm warning that popped up on my GPS was serious. The temperature was dropping as I came to Red Mountain Whatever Pass, and wind was blowing the snow across the road, reducing visibility. I was probably about 15 miles from Ouray, but an hour of hot spring soaking was not worth it so I turned around. And good thing too, as the roads had worsened considerably on the way back. It was snowing (but not sticking and the roads remained gritted and dry) and visibility was, I dunno, 60 feet? Before I could see the mountains around me and oh they were beautiful, but now it was a mostly obfuscated view to my right, and the winding road in front of me. But I got through all right, and as elevation stopped being 10000, it cleared up. I got a pick me up in Durango and continued on 550 south. GPS wanted me to head east through Colorado, but I said NOPE because I wanted to get south away from the impending storm as fast as possible. So sure it was the road I was on before just a few days ago, but it wasn’t a bad road and it would only be for a few hours. I got across Albuquerque before sunset, and got onto 40 east once more. I stopped at one of the fancy gas stations and got a hot dog. They had showers, but they were 12.99. A few more miles down the road was a rest stop, which was awesome because my eyes were starting to bug.

5/13/2014 10:12 AM Starbucks in Roswell, New Mexico

I didn’t sleep all too well, but I did get some shut eye. Odd how it is less noisy in a car, yet the near road noise kept me up just as much as the wind against my tent. Maybe the difference of sleeping reclined versus fully stretched out makes the restfulness difference?

I got up, changed into fresh clothes, and started warming up my car. I did a few loops in the parking lot and then hit the road. Took the 285 exit offa 40 and headed south. The temperature increased, but it remains overcast. I swung into a Starbucks in Roswell to use their internet and get a mocha. Mochas are now my coffee drink, it would seem. Now I shall update my blog. Till we meet again!

a day in ABQ

Had a nights sleep with no wind gusting my tent off or rain. That was nice. I woke up really early though. My body is hours behind. Or ahead? Or something. I don't know. I'm actually looking forward to setting up my tent. I like amenities, but there is something nice about being wrapped in blankets inside a sleeping bag. Nice isn't the right word for it, but I've been enjoying it. Tomorrow I am shooting for Mesa Verde. GPS says 4 hours. I want to check out the balloon museum first. So I'll set an alarm and try to get out of here at a good early hour.

Rosi and Perry are amazing. Such kind, wonderful people. I'm glad to have such a broad family that is largely inclusive and excellent.

Perry scrambled me some eggs with salami for breakfast, and I had a cuppa tea.

Then we went for a little drive around Albuquerque. Perry took me to some of the Breaking Bad filming locations (at my request and I provided the addresses as he hasn't seen Breaking Bad). I saw the dam where the pick up happened, and I saw Walter and Skylar's house and Hank and Marie's. That was cool. They are just tucked in neighborhoods, like any other house.

I showed Perry what a penny crusher is (he had no idea that penny crushing was a thing!) by using my penny crusher locator app and crushing a penny in the machine in this store in Old Town. We also checked out this great old church and had lunch at High Noon. We both had enchiladas.

He had an errand to run at 3, so we returned to the house. I mellowed out and wrote some postcards and had some more tea. Nice to sit and not have to be doing something.

Dinner was home made salmon burgers and home made tartar sauce and salad. Mmmm so good. So full. I ate so much today. If only the human body worked in such a way that you could eat a lot for one day and then not much at all for the next few days. We hung around and chatted. Their home is really nice and open, with great views. It'll be fun to see all these different kinds of architecture as I go east. The stucco adobe style is new to me.

I decided to see the 10:10 showing of Jim Jarmusch's Only Lovers Left Alive. It's this artsy vampire movie with Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston. The music and visuals were solid. It was a vampire movie lacking the main vampire stuff, like attacking people and gore and gratuitous feeding scenes. I dug it. Now I need to put the ticket stub somewhere safe, to save it with the rest of my stubs.

So. Balloon museum & the four corners & mesa verde. It's a big day tomorrow!

waking in Utah, sleeping in Arizona, waking in Arizona, sleeping in New Mexico

I've spent two days largely driving. Getting from state to state to state. Can't spend three nights in every state, or else it'll be winter when I get to Maine! But I'm really loving the landscapes that I've been seeing. In a park I can get face to face, but driving contextualizes it all. Spending the hours slowing rising in elevation and having it open up before you.

I can't recommend 89a from Zion's east entrance to Flagstaff enough. An absolutely beautiful drive. I left Zion at around 1pm, and it was raining. Bummer for the people entering the park, but hey I was leaving! It was a gentle rain, and it wasn't difficult to drive in in the slightest. The east entrance is the one that goes through the tunnel. It was the scenic drive, and not through Springdale. No backtracking to get to Flagstaff. The surroundings started as farm, and went through several by now familiar rock formations and then became more wooded as elevation increased. It was a two lane road for most of the way, with very little company and just land on either side as far as the horizon allowed. And ohhh it took my breath away when the trees receded and the grade of the road went down and just the vast expanse was before me. Thankfully there was a scenic pull off point, and I pulled right off and just gawped. Arizona is Arizona, but damn if it isn't big and beautiful too. I didn't stop to do any drawings, but I took photos which I plan to turn into reference. Because I really want to spend time doing some of these landscapes justice, because I'm really in love with them right now. All this horizon, and so much more to go!

And the fluffiness of the clouds!!

It was raining almost all through my last few hours in Zion. I packed up a damp tent hoping that at the next stop, I'll be able to set it up and let it dry. There wasn't an immediate demand for camping spots like there was when I found mine. I guess weekdays are less busy, especially rainy ones. I packed up, ate a bit, then parked at the visitor's center and took the shuttle to get the last few things checked off in my Junior Ranger packet. I caught an Animals of Zion ranger lecture and learned that male turkeys go seeking a mate with their brother acting as a wingman. I filled out my packet, and said the oath, and was sworn in as a Junior Ranger. So on that happy note I packed up to head out towards Petrified Forest National Park under the idea that I would be camping there. I did not know that 1) it closes at 7:30 and 2) the only camping is the trek into wilderness style, which while I don't mind camping in tent sites I'm not about to trek a mile to set up a tent. Travel and learn!

And Arizona was beautiful to drive across on the 89a route. Fluffy clouds and no traffic. And gas was consistently around 3.50 a gallon! I curved around Flagstaff without stopping. I grabbed some snacks in Gap when I topped off my tank, so I was good to go. I've also been eating lotsa celery!

It was getting dark, and I got to Petrified Forest at 7:48 and they closed fully at 7:30, so I backtracked to Homolovi State Park. Wish I had known they closed, because I could have had a site set up and gotten to bed a lot earlier than I had. But hey, a hot shower is a hot shower! And no time limits, unlike Zion with its "$5 for 5 minutes". Annnnddd after my shower, I locked my keys in the trunk. But I had my tent set up. The only thing I was without was food, but I wasn't hungry. So I vowed to call AAA in the morning, watched some TV on my laptop and went to sleep.

And the locksmith arrived about 30 minutes after the call, and my car was unlocked and there were the keys in my trunk! Victory!

I took advantage of the shower and ate some food. I checked out the visitor's center and did a little walk, and then I set out for Petrified Forest. This time for real. And since there was no camping, I figured I would sleep on the side of the road and continue on to Albuquerque in the morning.

But I ended up driving through most of the park. I did walk around a bit and look at some of the cool fossils, but I was feeling lethargic and not really up for heavy duty parking. So at 4pm, I called cousin Perry and began my journey east. Only 4ish hours! But then I lost an hour going across the border.

I filled up my tank. I even put in some fuel injector cleaner as a little treat. My car is doing so well. 1600 miles and counting!

It's odd to drive with the sun setting behind me. Normally it's in my eyes or to one side. The Pacific Ocean is so far away now. Aside from Flordia, I've only been as far East as Colorado. And Florida doesn't count for anything. It's its own thing.

ABQ at night is a blanket of lights. No real towers, or bright centers of light. Just lots of little points of light spread out across the land. And it was easy to merge into proper lanes. No real traffic. I got to Perry and Rosie's at 9pm, brought some of my stuff in and took a shower. Then they gave me tea and cheesecake and we chatted about things to see here and maybe in Santa Fe as well.

Should be a fun few days. Won't have to buy gas for a while.

last day in Zion

“What can I start you with?” “I’ll have the meat lovers and hot tea.”

5/6/2014 8:16 am MeMe’s Café, Springdale

Thus begins another long blog entry, written whenever and posted whenever. The café does not have wifi, but ehhh I don’t really care. Now I know I can just hover outside the bar at the end of the day and get their internet. Today I am going to take on Angel’s Landing. One of the more strenuous hikes. I’m starting with a big breakfast, and I’m going to load up my watercolors and markers. No ink. Not for now.

Angel’s Landing and work on my Junior Ranger Badge.

6:59 pm Zion Canyon Brewpub

I wanted to use a power cord. And do the Internet thing because I’ll be driving again come tomorrow. Don’t want to leave Zion, but I could really spend a whole week here. But I must be on my way.

So in town showers at $5 for 5 minutes! That is such bull!

After a sizeable crepe breakfast, I drove up the scenic route again. Just wanted to let my tummy settle before I set out on a hike. There were several classic cars on the drive. Including cars with fins! My favorite. I didn’t get any photos of them, on account of driving my car when I saw the cars and that being a dangerous thing to do.

So I returned to my campsite, loaded up art supplies which I ended up not using, worked on my Junior Ranger packet. Once I completed as much of it as I could at my site, I walked to the visitor’s center and continued working on it. Then I headed up to The Grotto shuttle stop and began the trek to Angel’s Landing. It would be a 5 mile round trip, though really it’s 2.5 up then the same 2.5 down. And when I say up, oh it was UP. It was a gradual paved meander, which got more and more vertical, then it started switchbacking. I would look up and see people high up on the cliff walls and think “that’ll be me in 20 minutes”. And I’d keep going. There was a part where it was flat as the trail cut between two cliffs. And then the more intense switchbacks started to happen. One after another. Up, up, up. I was stopping regularly and catching my breath and drinking water. There was a dad with his two kids (aged 3-5ish) in a stroller! He was taking them DOWN from the TOP! He had his dad helping (with a rope tied around his waist). I told them they were hardcore.

The top isn’t actually the end. There is another .5 miles to Angel’s Landing. But that half mile is up a cliff with chains to hold on to. Nuh uh. I’m not Nathan. I wasn’t doing that. So I caught my breath. Took some photos. Rested. And then headed back down. Downhill is so nice. I took plenty of pictures and encouraged people to keep going. It was worth it. It was a hard trek up, but damn it was worth it.

I worked on my junior ranger book some more and took the shuttle the long way back (the rest of the loop, instead of the fast track). I returned to my tent. I put my feet up and rested a bit. Then I headed into Springdale to grab some eats and use their wifi. And now after about 2 hours, I think I’m ready to head back to my site and tuck in for the night.

May 3rd-5th

I’m camped at Zion National Park, Utah right now. It is May 4^th, 2014. It’s been nice not blogging every night, though I have been keeping up with the tumblr and instagram accounts, so I’m still reporting my goings ons. It’s just easier to do from the phone. The blog. This blog. It takes a lot of writing, which isn’t easy when…hold on. I’m going to try something. I could install a blogger ap onto my phone, so that I could save posts on my computer, but then I realized for me to do that, I’d already have to be hooked up to WiFi in which case I’d just post from the computer.

Where was I? Oh yes. My lack of writing here. I’ve been keeping my written travel journal, so I’m not without record. I’m just writing in the journal I started in 2011 when Ma, Pa, and I went to Utah. So when (if) I finish it up, I’ll start a new journal. That way I am keeping with format. I have a bajillion other style of journals and sketchbooks packed. I’ve done a few drawings in one, but I am very much underusing the supplies I have on hand. Tomorrow is devoted to hiking and drawing, provided I get a camping spot. If I don’t get a camping spot…. Well I’ll figure that out later. I wanted to just pitch up a tent, spread out my stuff, and keep it like that for a few days. But that didn’t happen. So tomorrow I’ll try to find a first come first served spot in the South Campground. Fingers crossed!

I guess now is when I pick up where I left off: in a coffee shop in Los Angeles. Courtney let me crash at her place (well her parents) and that was nice. Got in a shower, and we ate tacos and watched TV. I was up early and out the door (I said a goodbye, I didn’t ditch her). The ghost town closed at 5, and I wanted to get there relatively early. There was about three hours between me and there, so off I went! I stopped in Barstow for fast food breakfast, and away I continued. It was a very not pleasant 90-100 degrees. I’ve been applying sun block and I’m not burnt (yet).

Calico Ghost Town…I could have arrived later. I think I was expecting more hikes or lengthier things to do. But also I guess I planned to allow myself time to draw, but it was ridiculously hot. Just 100 degrees and hot and the only A/C was in the shops and I didn’t want to buy anything. I did do a landscape drawing. Just one though. I need to be drawing more! I feel like I’m not. But I’m also just starting…I’ve got a long ways to go.

Anyway. I did the gold panning/mystery shack/mine tour trifecta. All were neat, but nothing too exciting. I think I just wanted more from the ghost town. I filled up my tank in Barstow, and headed to Las Vegas. That straight line across the desert to Las Vegas. That hot, continuous, hours of driving line. I kept hydrated. I didn’t push the A/C too much as to avoid overheating (I saw a sign saying to turn it off to avoid overheating, and I went by many parked cars with their hoods up). I listened to podcasts, drank water, poured the ice water out of my cooler, and pushed onwards. I stopped in Las Vegas for a pee break and ended up getting Subway because I hadn’t eaten much that day. I GPSed Valley of Fire State Park and off I went. I cruised through the rest of Las Vegas as the sun was setting and dang it was beautiful. Then the landscape became engulfed in dark. I pushed forward, and despite it not being late, I didn’t have much company on the road. I turned off towards the State Park. I began to dread a sign informing me the camp ground was full. I drove on and on. No sign appeared, but drivers came from the other direction. Oh no, was it full and they were turning around?

I arrived at the entrance and no sign informed me of it being full, so I grabbed a pay stub and headed in. I pulled into the first campground loop and grew anxious when spot after spot revealed no car but a tent staking claim. Then THEN campsite 19! Nothing was there to indicate someone wanted to be there, so I drove right in and plopped down my cooler. MINE! I went to pay, set my stub in the window, and set about getting my tent erected.

I had to clutch the flashlight in my mouth, but it went up all right. Tent spikes make everything much easier. All by myself! In the dark! And my first time with this tent (Dad helped last time and there were no tent spikes). I put my bedding in. I brushed my teeth. I got my jammies on and then I got comfy! And I read for a while.

Sleep was not easy, as it was VERY windy. Tents & wind = noisy. And it was windy all night long. I took the top cover off, and that helped, because the wind kept pulling it up and all around. Still, not the best night sleep.

I was up early and loved all the rocks that I could now see in daylight. Red formations, very familiar due to previous Utah trips. The bulbous formations. I took my time. I showered (free shower!). I nibbled some cheerios and drew and worked on my journal. I drove around the park a bit, and swung by the visitors center to see if they had any stamps (they did!) and then off I went to Zion. It was an easy drive. 2 hours? Cutting across Arizona on the 15 was nice. It took me through mountains and everything wound this way and that. I got some groceries in Utah, and then I continued on to Zion. Well actually I went to Kolob Canyons…because my GPS took me there. I didn’t look close enough at the map. So I back tracked. The Watchman Campground is reservation only, but there was a group site that the people didn’t confirm on or something, so I am now located on it with three other people: Kyle & Ron, and this other guy I haven’t properly met. And tomorrow I’ll have to get up early and pack up and hope I can score a spot in the first come first served camp ground. But if I can, I’ll just put in my tent and pack out some stuff, and then I won’t have to worry about it for the rest of the day. So here’s hoping! I don’t want to cut my time in Zion short.

5/5/2014

I’m in a coffee shop in Springdale, trying to connect to their wifi. I bought an iced mocha. I think this is my “coffee drink” now.

So Rob (not Ron) and Kyle made this hearty stew for dinner, and they shared with me! They were very good company for the night. We chatted about James Clavell novels, movies, and travel. They are sort of my travel opposites. Lots of Midwest, not a lot abroad. We had a plan to share a camping spot in South Campground, if we could find one. Just to make it easier. Had to get up early to nab a spot, but as I’ve now lost an hour due to time zone change (or gained? Oh wait it’s gained, I’m behind an hour). Anyway. Yeah. We sat around the campfire and there was a group of Western University Geology students in another group site, but they went quiet when it got late. I slept very well, and when my alarm went off I did not want to get up and pack. But I did. Kyle and Rob left before me, and I packed haphazardly.

I headed to the south Zion campground, which did not have a “full” sign, and looped around looking for Kyle and Rob, but I could not locate them (also the loops are totally stupid, and you have to start at the start after one loop). BUT I did find the walk in tent sites, and they were open, so I grabbed one, set up my tent, and paid for two nights! Two nights in Zion! So now I get two full days to explore and hike, and a third day to do whatever.

And I was able to unpack my car a little into my tent, so now I don’t have to deal with all my stuff. I can just enjoy the park. And I don’t have to get gas or anything. And I have food. Just gotta throw myself at hiking and art making.

6:33 pm

Okay I’ve obviously NOT found wifi. Argh. It’s all password protected and the coffee shops are closed and I don’t want to buy more treats.

Anyway. I drove up the scenic route, which went through the tunnel. This park lacks loops. Lots of go up and then go back down. The loop was nice. And the weather isn’t scorching hot! And the breezes come through at just the right time. Everywhere I look, I see lovely rock formations. It’s a really great place to be. I parked at my camp site designated parking spot and packed my backpack up with art making supplies and food: granola bars, baby carrots, celery, an apple. Good healthy eating! Of course I also ate some candy, but hey. I’ll burn off those calories post haste!

Today I set out to hike the emerald pools trails. There are lower pools (easy) middle (medium) and upper pools (difficult). I did them all. Though difficult just meant lots and lots of rock stairs for about a mile. Nothing I can’t handle. I did draw. And I got ink all over my hands in doing so. I think I’ll forgo ink for a while and stick to watercolor and pen. Hard not to look dodgy with ink staining your fingers.

At the upper pools, a squirrel stole my apple core! The cheeky bugger. I didn’t mean to feed the wildlife, but it took it upon itself to get fed.

I hiked the route back, oh I forgot to mention I went to the museum and saw the informational video. I took the shuttle, which is a smart thing to have in a park: just shuttle everyone up and down and there will be no congestion! I took the shuttle to the Emerald Pools/Lodge stop and got some ice cream and ate that while reading a bit of Where’d You Go Bernadette, and I got another crusher penny. Then I set out to the Emerald Pools hike. Anyway, returning from the hike, I took the route which dropped me off at the Grotto stop. Three signs on the trail said “The Grotto à .8 mile” Okay, a destination can’t be point eight of a mile away multiple times. Either way, I was proper pooped by the time I got on the shuttle back to the visitor’s center. I walked back to my campsite while eating the rest of my food. I tried to find wifi but thus far I have failed. You’ll just have to wait.

And follow my posts on Instagram (@totallytrillian) and Tumblr (travelswithtrillian). There’ve been plenty of those. It’s easier to post to those than it is to my blog.

7:02 pm

At the market in Springdale, they had the wifi symbol, so after I bought an LED lantern and some gummi cola, I asked for the password. AND NOW I’M CONNECTED! So I’m going to do some internet things, then go back to my tent and crash.

bruised but not burnt

I've done it! I've left Santa Cruz. My journey has begun. I feel like I have far too much stuff, but it's only been a day. Once I start using stuff, things will be organized better. I've already pulled a few items and tucked others. And maybe if I meet up with Ma & Pa, I can send them back to Washington with a few things. Or just mail things. Depends how cumbersome I start to find all my things.

I got ice for my cooler when my peanut butter was almost in a liquid state. The cooler make keep things from being 100 degrees, but it won't keep it cool.

Anyway, I'm skipping around. I'm currently in Los Angeles. It is 7:30 pm. I am at Caffe Martier in the Glendale Galleria. I picked this place because Courtney Coles, PNCA alumni and general awesome person, works here. She's great. And I'm probably going to crash at hers at the end of the day. But I'm skipping ahead once again.

SO! I left Santa Cruz! The sun had set when I departed, and it was proper dark when I procured my cooler from Wal Mart. I topped off my tank and tires at the Shell station, talked to Tara (we never had a full proper goodbye) and then I was off! Once I got past Monterey, it was all new road. I was missing what was surely beautiful scenery by navigating in the dark. But it was nice to take on the winding Route 1 roads at my own pace. I went past Big Sur. I started to have less headlights coming at me. I pulled off the road at 11pm. I knew the ocean was to my right. I could hear it, and I could see an absence of something. I changed into pajamas, rearranged my car, threw the seat back, wrapped myself in blankets and read a bit. Oh and I also took in the grandeur of the stars. That is one thing I'm really looking forward to: stars, sunsets, and sunrises.

The May 2nd sunrise was obfuscated by fog. It was a gray that unveiled the grand Pacific Ocean. I could see my little road winding before me. I had a long journey ahead of me, but I was free to go at my pace.

And since I was starting before 8am, I really had no urgency. I put on fresh underwear and a new shirt, brushed my teeth, and set off into the early morning. Traffic was light, and the weather was beautiful. All sunshine, ocean, and hills. I stopped in Cambria and bought some tea and a cinnamon roll. I ate those and walked around the town and took advantage of the cell reception. I saw the Nitt Witt Ridge, which was this funky house but the first tour of the day wasn't for a while. I continued on the road. I stopped in Morro Bay and got the sand between my toes. I just love the Pacific Ocean. I'll be sad to put my back to it. I was on 101 for a while. Through hills. I saw gas for under $4 so I topped off.

In Ventura, I went to the Channel Islands National Park and got my travel journal stamped. I watched the info video. I walked along the beach. I made myself a PB & J. I bought ice for my cooler and headed off for LA. Good and proper LA. 101 slowed to a crawl for such a long while. I parked (yay free parking) packed up my backpack, smacked myself in the face with the edge of my car door on accident, and strolled into the fancy mall looking very scruffy.

I bought an iced mocha because Courtney apparently makes very good ones. I do agree that it was VERY good. I enthusiastically consumed it. Courtney and I talked during her break. And now I am that person on their computer in a coffee shop who has only ordered one drink. I wonder how many times I'll be that person?

But yeah. I got a car full of stuff. Gotta do something with it! But if I end up setting up camp for several days, then I can unpack my more heavy duty art supplies and utilize them.

I don't know how often I'll be able to update this blog, so if you seek more daily updates check out:
my Instagram: http://instagram.com/totallytrillian
or my tumblr: http://travelswithtrillian.tumblr.com

last sunset in Santa Cruz

Got up bright and early and Justin helped me haul my mattress off! With that out of the way, I spent the day sorting and getting stuff out of my room so that I could clean it. Sorting, packing, put things into proper boxes, just putting things in boxes. Moved it into the living room so that it would be the next stage packing area. I patched up the tack holes, I painted over some marks on the wall. It was also ridiculously hot.

But I got a good amount done.

At 6:40ish I walked down to The Pocket to meet Jeff for a few brewskis. And Ryan was there! And Chris showed up! It was another going away party, but totally a surprise. And Kara came too. We played pool (horribly on my part) and they all bought me drinks and I had too many drinks. I got home fine (Jeff gave me a lift), but I went right to sleep instead of packing.

And then I woke up hungover and it took hours to get going and down to business. And damn did business take a while! I sorted art supplies, I packed things, I reduced the amount of clothes I was packing, I went through toiletries. Packing for what is supposed to be a months long journey is hard. It feels like a lot of stuff, and I'm not sure if I'll use it all, but I also don't want to buy things that I would have been able to pack.

But right now I am looking at a pile of my stuff. I made a run to the storage unit. Hopefully my last run. I'm bringing bedding as well as the sleeping bag, because I feel like some nights it would be fine to just wrap up with a blanket. But anyway. Maybe I'll put a blanket into storage when I look at my car situation. I need to get a cooler. My first stop will be Wal Mart. They should have a cooler. Then I'll fill up my tank and head South on Highway 1 for LA and great adventure! Not planning on getting to LA tonight. Just maybe put a few hours of Santa Cruz behind me.

Well. I'm going to go pack it away. You'll be hearing from me next place I get wifi.

days remain

All that remains is my mattress, desk, and chair. All my shelves are out. Well actually no, one shelf remains. But I haven't put stuff into it yet. 9am tomorrow I am moving my mattress in, which means I can start packing stuff around it and to the back, instead of having to leave a corridor in my storage unit.

I went to Big 5 and got a tarp for my tent and some tent spikes. I couldn't locate a cooler in a good size. I'll probably get the cooler last, maybe on the road or something. Just swing into a Wal Mart on the way and grab one. I also got a backpack at Ross. A good sized one for day trips. Enough room for a jacket, a snack, and art making supplies.

And I made a post office run. I'm all set on stamps! Had a few things to mail out, so those are on their way. Ma & Pa, keep an eye on your mailbox!

So yeah, packed stuff away. Got yet another tub. This one is a "totally going on the trip" tub, so that I can put things in it while I sort other things. It's all getting whittled down, bit by bit! One big push tomorrow and that should be it. I want to be able to leave early on Thursday.

Day after tomorrow. Damn.

Oh, Tara and I axed apart my bed frame. It was fun. It'll be firewood!

I met Ryan for one final 99 Bottles pint night. It was New Belgium night. The sour beer was really good. Ryan won a pint glass. He, Anita, and Dan will be taking care of my plants. Here's to their survival! We had a good hug goodbye.

Hugs goodbye. :(

One more full day. Gotta get cracking!  But I'm so close to being there.

wow what a gross movie, I love it

I'm watching Dead Alive/Braindead right now and omg. It's a 1992 Peter Jackson movie and it's so weird and gorey and gross and just. Omg. And Jed Brophy, who played Nori, is in it! And it's so weird and gross and absolutely just... strange.

Saturday Garth and I got Thai food for lunch/breakfast. I finally found a place that makes larb in the proper way! Not the weird way like with that place in Portland with the drag queens. Then I headed back and worked on packing. Didn't have to make a lunch food item run! Didn't have to go to bed early! Though I still did. Had to get on with the major packing, after all!

I made three runs to my storage unit today (Monday). And I reorganized it to make more room. Not sure how to assess what I have now. Like, what is the best way to organize some of this stuff. I guess I should focus on getting all the furniture out, and then sort the tidbits.

I'm just going to trash my bed frame, because 1) it was cheap to being with 2) the bolts are stripped so I can't take it apart anyway. It's not really worth saving and the effort to give it away on Craigslist is just. Well it's effort.

So I packed and ate pasta and packed and stowed stuff away. I have some errands to run, so I'll work on that tomorrow. Gotta change my address and mail some stuff. And check out the cooler selection at Big 5. I want to meet up with the pals at 99 Bottles, so I have to get stuff done earlier in the day.

Damn Dead Alive is so weird holy crap.

Saturday in the City

My Saturday was the most perfect Saturday. Even if things didn't go to plan, everything that happened was wonderful. To have every day like today would be a dream.

On the ride up to Oakland, traffic stopped momentarily on 17. I was wondering if there was a wreck, but then a deer bounded by my car and it was obvious people had stopped to let it pass. Things picked up and off I went. I used my GPS to navigate to Robin's, and I bought a car charger for my phone (only $15!) so now I don't have to worry about my phone dying on the road.

I parked at Robin's and we got through the catching up and what's been going on and all that happenings. Her apartment has really been furbished out since last I visited. It looks great! I drove down to the Bart station and parked on a side street, and we rode over to the Ferries Landing or whatever it is called. Turns out the stop was further from the museum than we originally thought. Like a whole bus ride further. Oops! Robin showed me how to use my GPS (well Google Maps) to figure out the bus route to take, and there was a free shuttle to the Presidio! Booyah! But I'm getting ahead of ourselves. I held a spot in line at Blue Bottle Coffee and Robin fetched us sandwiches from Cowgirl Place Sandwiche Something (not the real title). We each ate half with plans to eat the other half later, but switch sandwiches. Mine was mozzarella and proscuitto, hers was turkey and some other cheese. She treated me to New Orleans style iced coffee (which has chicory in it) and got herself a coffee. Oh that was good iced coffee! Good enough for me to drink, and I'm not a coffee drinker.

We walked down to where my phone said the shuttle would pick us up, and we sat on the grass and talked and drank our coffee. It was a nice jaunt up through the Presidio, and the last stop was only a few blocks from the museum! Hurray! All this time I was texting Josh & Carmen who were going to join us at the museum.

The museum in question is the Walt Disney Family Museum. There is a special Mary Blair exhibit happening right now, with her original art works, and I had to see it! Mary Blair did visual development and illustration for Disney in the 30's and 40's. Peter Pan, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, The Three Caballeros. The exhibit was really nice. You could get up close to the originals. Some didn't look so well preserved as the paper had yellowed and we theorized that the color had faded on the paints. Still, her work was wonderful! And everyone dug it (Carmen and Josh showed up about 20 minutes after we did). There were many really nice quotes put up about her, and it really made it seem like she was appreciated. Of course it's easy to make it seem that way long after the fact, but hey! Her art lives on!

I picked up a few postcards and then we went out to get juice! Carmen drove us. I had fancy immune booster carrot juice and a wheatgrass shot. Went healthy! I drew in my sketchbook. We conversed. It was a windy, bright day. Afterwards, we got a life to the station. I hugged C & J goodbye, grabbed my Odd Owl poster, and off Robin & I went to hop on the train and go back to Oakland! It was an easy crossing, though I felt a total tourist for always putting away my card and having to take it back out. Robin had me drive over to this alley of artsy shops in Oakland, and we wandered around that area for a bit. I put on some foo foo that smelled like trees. I really liked it. I'm not much of a foo foo person, but I'll have that foo foo! I didn't get it though. Expensive! My car got a bit misplaced, but we found it! We didn't take note of which streets it was on when I parked, but backtracking returned us. I hung out at her lovely apartment and had some tea.

Before it got too late, we hugged out goodbyes for the time being, and I set out for 45 minutes south of Oakland: Mountain View. Garth was working late, so I hung out in In-N-Out with a burger, fries, and shake and my Kindle and read and had a little peaceful me time. Nice to just sit and read. Okay eating a burger undoes all the healthy eating I did earlier today, but whatever. Garth and I shared a pitcher at this little dive bar near his place. There was a darts tourney happening, and damn if they all didn't consistently hit the dart board!

All around, through and through a great day.

my final day of work

My final day of work played out in many ways like any day. I counted out a large order of sweatpants (which was my final task). I burned a bunch of screens. I taped up those screens.

But the nice thing was Boss made a little food party happen. Kara brought some pizza and hotdogs and carrot cake back from Costco, so Boss, Ryan, Jeff, JP, Kara, Stu, and I all hung around eating food and chatting and eating some more. I had two slices of pizza and a hot dog, and then half a hot dog later. ALSO Boss got me another giant bag of candy as a going away present! I just finished the last bag last night. This one is an assortment of chocolates. Like Milky Way and Snickers. Mini ones. So spoiled. It was hard no to tear up during the little lunch. Despite the occasional stressful day, it's been a really nice work environment. I was given challenging tasks, my skills were honed, I was treated with respect and never disregarded due to my gender which is huge because it's a blue collar manual labor based job (on top of needing an eye for detail). It's been a good place to work for, and I'm glad I'm leaving on a good note. I ended up closing up the shop, as everyone else went home one by one. So I did have a little cry in the exposure room. I don't know what emotion specifically I was expressing in that moment, just that it all got to me. My final day! And that I'll be missed. Jeff said that he was glad that he worked there while I was working there.

It's been... it's been a thing. I don't know how to really digest it.

It was raining and cold today. Really actual full raining. Almost cleansing rain, if I were feeling more poetic.

A cold, quiet day. With warm plentiful food. Mmm.

Dropped off a few more things at the storage unit. My art folder, my table, some bins. It's filling up. Just gotta leave room for the mattress.

I had a little breather at home, and then I cruised downtown to the Boardwalk to meet up with Ryan, Anita, and Dan for some bowling! Dan also had his last day at work, so it was double celebration. Dan is what is known as being a "good bowler". He has his own ball! The rest of us get gutter balls. Though I did manage a strike! One strike...between two games. Oh well. I like to play, I'm just not very good. But I think that's how I am at a lot of things. I'll do, I'll try and if I don't win. Oh well.

Ryan and I walked around a bit, before I dropped him off at Dan & Anita's. I've got a busy weekend ahead of me! I'm going up to The City to see Robin and to see the Mary Blair exhibit. So it's off to bed with me! Up and at them!

It's a new day, and I'm nearing the end of the Santa Cruz chapter of my life.

and tomorrow is Friday and then that is it

Got all the stuff out from under my bed! Yay! And I did two loads of laundry, so my sheets can get packed away. I got my art off the closet doors. My room is really starting to empty out, and I have days left. So that's awesome. Saturday I have plans up in The City with Robin, and Friday I might be going bowling with Anita, Dan, and Ryan, and others. But I feel pretty good about where I am, productivity level, so I can allow myself some social ness. The next step is packing away the little things. I need to get all the stuff out of the way so I can "yes" or "no" the remaining things properly. AHhh!!! Dang.

It's really cooking now!

And tomorrow is my LAST day of work! LAST! I'll be done. After almost very nearly 2 years. I'll be leaving Cadillac Designs. It doesn't seem like much, but 2 years of hard labor with very specific and broad knowledge.

Today I was on heat pressing duty. Heat pressed safety vests and heat pressed jerseys and weeded a bit. It ended up being a shorter day, which was good as it gave me some time.

And tomorrow is my last day. Oh what a ride it has been!

3/5ths of the way done

Got one of my rolling shelves packed away, and a box with some more books, and a tub with clothes and stuff. Things are really starting to empty out here. I need to do some laundry. Wash my sheets. Then I can pack those away. I swung by Target and got some more tubs, and a three tiered portable thingy was on sale, so I grabbed that for art supplies. I will be so set on toting art supplies! Stoked. Things are coming together. More things are leaving my room every day. It'll be easier to organize things now that so much has been removed from the equation.

So yeah, good progress is being made! I've got a week. I've got this. I don't want to take the art down yet, but I will have to soon. Under my bed are a few flat boxes, my art portfolio, and that drafting table. I need to get those out, so I can dismantle the bed frame.

Bit by bit!

Work. I caught a job and ran it for a bit while Jeff mixed ink. And I did heat presses on these saftey vests. And coated screens. It was another full day. Vests take a lot of time. Oh! I also counted in this job that had so much random stuff. Did a tally of everything and hopefully the counts work out. It'll be ran after I'm gone. Kinda sad setting up stuff that I'll never see finished. The shop work goes on.

Two more days.

it's only Tuesday but it feels much later in the week

Bought yet another little multi folder folder thingy. Those plastic ones with dividers. I love using them to organize things. This one is for the trip, for stickers and coasters and flat knickknacks. Also documents. And I treated myself to Chipotle for dinner because I worked late. I went through all the stuff on my end table and tossed a bunch of clutter, and pulled some things to put in my car to take to storage tomorrow. I spent a good long while organizing and it didn't seem like I did much, but I did something. I also cleaned out my tackle box and rinsed it. Now it'll get the chosen art supplies stored into it!

Hopefully I get out of work tomorrow with more time in the evening with which to pack and sort. I think once I get the shelves out, it'll really feels like something. I almost have the one by the side of my desk emptied.

It'll get there. I still have art on my walls and my furniture, so it doesn't seem caved out. Just gotta keep doing it and working on it. Also since I have plans for this weekend that remove me from Santa Cruz, I gotta be extra productive!

Work? Well I weeded and coated and reclaimed and burned and taped. We got a new table in the office and a shiny new computer for doing shiny computer things. The sun was out but it was windy, so I was in shorts and a hoodie. Though the hoodie came off every once and a while.

four days left at work

Dropped stuff off at my storage unit after work. A quick trip, but not quick enough because Palace Arts was closed before I could get to them to pick up some stuff. Womp wooomp. Tomorrow.

I was tired all damn day. I think I'll go to bed early just so I can let my body fully rest. I stayed up late packing and sorting and tidying. Sleep schedules are important.

We ran the zipper fronts on these sweaters which took a while because we wanted to do a really good job of it. I also did this banner and coated a few screens and started work on vinyl. Pulled a full shift!

Did a Trader Joe's run. Had some pre-made spring rolls because I was feeling lazy. Had a nice chat with Jeff. A rejuvenation day. Tomorrow I want to do a supply run and get my packing on once again.

Things are starting to feel...packed away.

happy easter, have some hot wings

Saturday:

Got up early so that I could go to the dog beach and hopefully see Janet and Joey. Wanted to give them a hug before I took off. It was a beautiful day for going to the beach, and yet parking was readily available. I bought a doughtnut from the dog beach society people, and found Janet and Joey and Alicia (I think that is her name) and her doggy. Joey got all up in my business and gave me doggy kisses. It was wonderful. I got a few travel suggestions too. I hung around the beach after we parted and grabbed some photos and really took in the surroundings. Lighthouse Field State Beach was the first place in Santa Cruz that I visited way back when. I remember how unfamiliar coming down Ocean Street felt, and now it is all so largely familiar. I feel myself withdrawing some Santa Cruz, and seeing every place as a final visit. Really making sure to do the grand tour on my leaving.

I dropped off some stuff at my storage unit. I need a few more boxes. Well, I think I'll need some file folders more like. I have a lot of paperwork things.

And then after some lunch and lounging, I went up north to Mountain View to see... you guessed it. Garth! What can I say, he is good company. We went to Single Barrel, which was a speakeasy/is a speakeasy themed bar. I've heard about it for years, foremost from Nathan who I think went there shortly before I came down to California. Anyway, they have rules about being soft spoken and polite and no ringtones. And the bartenders talk to you about what you like and make you a cocktail based on that. And damn I got a tasty citrus whiskey drink that was so good, holy crap. Our bartender was just awesome. There was also this special drink that Garth ordered that you can only get from 5-6pm, because it takes 8 minutes to properly shake due to egg white being an ingredient and needing to make it all foamy. And you just can't have someone shake a tumblr for 8 minutes throughout the night. And I had a "Laphroaig Project" which was all kinds of smoky and tasty. I don't remember the name of my first cocktail, but it did have one. Damn good drinking. We had dinner after wards at this Italian place. We split a steak and I opted for a salad side, and he pasta. Salad! Me! Can you believe it?

I introduced Garth to Attack the Block, which he said was "pretty good". I say it's amazing. Love those aliens.

Sunday:

I stuck around in Mountain View. There was an error in locating a place to eat due to forgetting it was Easter and that restaurants would be closed. But an awesome Korean chicken place was open! Nothing says brunch like hot wings and kimchi coleslaw! The extra spicy wings made me start to cry, so I was only able to eat one. But only half the order was super spicy, which was Garth's half.

When I was driving back, I saw a car stopped by a cop right where 17 stops being so winding, and it was have been a fresh pull over because the cars were just starting to slow down to drive around the cars. As I drove South, I saw the cars get increasingly lined up. Those poor drivers. There are few options of getting off 17 once you are on it. I've never been stuck in heinous 17 traffic. I'm always going the other way when it happens.

I packed and packed and watched TV and packed some more. Got a few things in my car, and filled up a few boxes but not all the way. I need to sort through my drawers of things next, because I can just move the drawers without storing away whats in them. Just have to make sure they aren't things I want on my journey, just as paper and art supplies.

Do you know if it is possibly to jury rig a bike lock to a car steering wheel to make it so people can't break into your car and drive it away? Like those anti theft stick things. My goal for travel is to make it so I won't have anything in my back seat when I'm parked to make people want to break into my car. So cooler + clothes + technology + art supplies + bedding need to all fit in the truck.

Gotta pack gotta pack gotta pack

next week is my last week of work. dang. the LAST.

Took down the knick knacks from my tetris shelves, packed up 3/4 of my books, and some shirts. It's still not a big chunk. But I guess I gotta halve everything and then halve it again. Just whittle it down instead of making final decisions at the get go, ya know? Anyway. Made some progress at that. I'll make more progress over the weekend. I don't want to take my art down, because that'll make it all barren. But I must!

Anyhoo. Talked to ma and pa. Had a nice little evening in. I'm planning on going to the dog beach tomorrow morning. Gotta see Janet and Joey!

Work was a shorter day. The job ran really well up until the printing over the zipper part, which is very difficult to do well. I coated screens. Refreshed Ryan in how to coat them. I taped and burned. I tided up. I counted. The weather was good. I took some photos with my new shmancy phone, because I have like...no photos of the studio. Even though after nearly two years, I could probably draw it all from memory.

smartiepants

I got up early and called Straight Talk and gave them the info to switch my phone over from Verizon. They said it may take a few hours, but up to 36. So I went to work eagerly anticipating the activation of my ZTE Savvy. Savvy, like a pirate. Hee. Yay.

Anyway, work was all right. Started cold but it warmed up. I peeled the numbers off this vinyl banner and applied new ones. And burned and taped. And did the tertiary stuff. Jeff has been teaching Ryan press & catching stuff. The day went by though, slowly but surely. I burned and double coated some stuff right at the end. Full 8 hours. And now tomorrow is Friday. And then it will be the weekend. And then my last week of work.

I spent the night playing and fiddling about with my phone. I got several apps running. Customized the ring tones. My text message alert is the bing bong from Cabin Pressure and my ring tone is Allam as Richardson singing Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines. I got phones on the wallpaper and photos on the lock screen, and my own lock screen unlock! Anyway, I'm stoked on all the features and I'm pleased thus far. The layout will take some getting used to. Still figuring out where things go and how to turn this and that off. But yay, I am now a smart phone haver!

that's one of the big things ALMOST out of the way

Bought my phone! A ZTE Savvy. Hopefully it's good! I bought a warranty. $15 and it covers everything except if I lose it or it gets stolen. Works for me, don't wanna drop it and then it breaks and all that. Tomorrow morning I try to set it up! So exciting.

I packed up some clothes and mugs and took a few boxes to my storage unit. I like the storage unit because they have dollies free to use. Makes it so easy. Gotta just take all my stuff bit by bit and go through it. Just sit and sort. And clean out my art supply tackle box to put travel art supplies into it. Just what to take? Ahhh!

I've got two weeks. Dang!

Had pasta for dinner. Mm.

Work. We have a bunch of rush jobs. I counted out tons of shirts. I caught a job. I did banner rope on a banner, which was a multi layering process. Had to put down banner rope to reinforce the edges. Had to tape it down and put double sided tape on top of that. It doesn't stick totally well.

kinder surprise

House meeting tonight. Justin cooked and damn it was good! Potatoes with bacon, quinoa, chicken in a butternut squash soup thing. Mmm. Very good! I was full but not bloated and all was well. Meeting went good too, surprisingly quick actually. Maybe because half of us are moving out in two weeks, lengthy conversations are not so needed.

Didn't advance on packing, but the meeting took up time. And I went straight from getting home to dinner to meeting. I like to have ~20 minutes after work to myself to just vege and I didn't get that.

I did some banners at work, though these ones needed banner rope. Burned and taped a job. Weeded vinyl. I think I did some other stuff, but I didn't catch. I guess banners and punching out stickers took up most of my time. Not a bad day.

And now my paycheck and return are deposited, so I can go get a smartphone and join the wunderkinder! Or whatever that word is for magical people.

1 down

Officially declared May 25th as my last day at work. That'll give me 5ish days to pack up and clean, without having to rush my weekends.

9 days work days left. Wow.

I caught shirts for most of the day. We had to have the garage door shut due to Ryan sanding outside and us having a vehicle in the garage that couldn't get the sand shavings on it and stuff. Anyway, it got really really stuffy and hot for the majority of printing. We drank lots of water to keep cool, but uhg..

I cleaned some squeegees and floodbars, and coated screens. And told the boss the 25th was the last day.

Dang.

At home I got to work on an Odd Owl illustration, and I worked on it for many many hours. It took a while to draw, and I didn't get any packing work done. But I'm pleased with the drawing! Haven't heard back about it yet, though.

Watched the moon eclipse. That was neat.

counting down the days and they are dwindling in number

I've got just over two weeks to get all my stuff into storage! Ahhh! Well, I just gotta get the big stuff out of the way in the next couple days. Books, clothes, shelving units. There's a lot of stuff that can be packed straight up. Just gotta start doing it. Gotta figure out when I'm moving my mattress. I could sleep on the couch for a few nights, no problemo. I got my bike into the storage unit today, so that is out of the way. Tomorrow I will pull out all the boxes and stuff I have laying about and start filling them up. Since the complex is open till 10pm, I could drop stuff off on the same day.

What am I going to do with my jade plant though? ARGHH! Well, at least I don't have a kid. Can't put kids into storage.

Anyway. Garth visited me in Santa Cruz. I find myself being so much more social now that I am heading out of town. It's a level of encouragement to see people and hang out. But it's better to create ties and work on friendships and whatnot, as opposed to just closing myself off.

We (Garth & I) went to Zoccoli's and they didn't have any maple candy! Gah! Why have so few people tried that maple candy? It's so good. And we hung out at Verve, and swung by Comicopolis, where I got the two new Sandman issues and Garth got a card game (Boss Monster) which we played a round of. Pretty fun game. You make dungeons and you have to kill the heroes that go through your dungeons. I didn't win, but I often don't win games. I still like to play them. We have plans to hang out next weekend, so I better get a move on with my packing and planning! But I have weekday evenings that I tend to do nothing with anyway.

Watched Game of Thrones and Silicon Valley (which lost some interest for me in the second episode) and an episode of Justified and Bob's Burgers and see what I mean about not doing anything in the evening?

Crap, need to go to sleep.

cold cold HOT cold colder coldest

Friday:

Wore pants to work. I could tell it was going to be a cold one, and I was right. I cut some banners and showed Ryan how to tape them. I also cleaned and reclaimed and burned and taped. It was mostly solo, which I don't mind. We are on top of things when it comes to printing! We are not behind, we are good to go. And that is very good.

Akira at midnight! I spent my evening excited and looking forward to that. I worked on some Odd Owl drawings for a new shirt design. I should have that done by weekends end. So I worked on that and had some dinner.

Akira on the big screen was AMAZING! You could really just relish in the detail of the older animation and just how much labor went into it. The line was the longest I've ever seen for a Del Mar midnight showing, and nerds of all creeds were in attendance. I like nerds of all creeds, those are my kinds of nerd. Non exclusive nerd things. And the theater was really fully too! People came in droves for Akira, but granted it is an older film so most have never seen it on the big screen outside of showings like this. So awesome.

Oh, I saw the movie with Ryan, of course.

Saturday:

Slept a well deserved sleep in. And after breakfast and tea, I went and got myself a storage unit! Now I can start putting my stuff in storage. A good chunk of my stuff I can easily store away (clothes, jackets, very non essential for road trip items) and with them out of the way, I can sort through my stuff. It's good to pair down.

Dorothy is the manager of the rental place and she was really nice. And there are security cameras and it all seems nice and secure. I unloaded some of the stuff in my car. I still had my lock from when I put stuff into storage during my Portland moves, so it's good that that is getting used again. Harrah!

After that I met Ryan and Marina at the Art Bar at The Tannery. I got this noodle dish and some ginger soda. We chatted and drew. Rio and Adrian and Arlo, some kids from The Tannery, hung out with us as well (Ryan lives with Arlo, and Arlo's parents of course). Damn smart kids!

Hanging out with Ryan typically means seeing a movie, so we saw Under the Skin. Which was.... nightmare inducing. One of those slow movies without a lot of dialog, but it still carried a good amount of weight. Scarlett Johansson is a really amazing actress. She pulled off the subtlety in the role so well. But yeah, I think I'll have nightmares about this movie. Some of the scenes were just yeeeesh.

green food

Made a necklace. Though I need to get a better clasp for it. The magnetic ones I have are not reliably strong enough.

I also looked into a Straight Talk phone. Hard to tell what phone would work best, but all I need right now is reliable GPS for my trip. Not signing up for a contract is significantly cheaper per month, but I have to pay for the phone so now fancy freebie phones. But... cheaper is better!

Anyway. Had to go to WalMart to look into the phones. There is one in Marina, about 40 minutes south. It was a nice drive, though the road changes the number of lanes frequently. And I was behind this BMW who kept going fast then slow then fast then slow. I guess they were lost or looking for a turn or something. Still... why is it always BMW drivers that are the worst?

WalMart was harmless. Big, but not crowded. I got a charm and some beads to turn into a necklace. Like I said, I need a better clasp for it.

Work was cleaning screens, reclaiming screens, cleaning more and reclaiming more, and then coating. Also some burning and counting in of shirts and cutting of vinyl thingy.

Jeff made all four of us dinner! It started with him being all "you want vegetables?" and we three said yes to veggies. Then BAM kale and chicken, artichoke, avocado, and brussel sprouts cooked in this specific way that was so damn good. SHHHH don't tell mom I ate so healthy. She must never know.

"hey Ryan, can you collect honey?"

Did banners almost all day. Big 20 foot banner, a smaller 13 foot one... some in a variety of sizes. Lots of cutting down and taping. Almost ran out of grommets and banner tape! But didn't, so that is what is important.

It was a sunny day.

Oh and there was a swarm of bees hanging out at work. But in the back of the yard, away from people. We could hear them humming. Very cool. I'm not afraid of bees. They make local honey which continues to get rid of my allergies.

Got out of work late, and was tired so...I didn't do much.

I've been reading Where'd You Go, Bernadette? on my kindle and I'm totally hooked! So fun. I love stories that are told through multiple points of view.

on the comp, like a pro

An awesome productive day! We got so much done, it was amazing. I showed up and one job was finishing. Another was ran off. Then another. I cut patch fabric, which was a first. Taped screens. Burned screens. Counted out banner rope. I even helped with the digital work! Another first! If I was planning on sticking around, I would ask for digital training on the film separation side of things. As is... I'll just work and work.

At home I had some chips and dip and took it easy. I worked on a digital map and travel list. Want to get a good sense of things to do and see, but I don't need to strictly plan it all out, ya know?

nice super hero butts

Whoooo! Saw Captain America. It really just proves that there needs to be a Black Widow movie. Had some great action scenes, and was pretty enjoyable. Worth seeing. I didn't see it in 3D.

I worked on my road trip plan a bit. Right now it starts Santa Cruz to Los Angeles through Las Vegas as fast as possible to Zion then Petrified Forest National Park then Albuquerque then Mesa Verde. From there? Hmmm. Not sure which states to visit headed East, and which ones to see going North to South and t'other way around. But yeah, got a start! What's in Oklahoma? Some places I'm just looking at the map and eyeballing the National Parks. Some I need to Google which cool museums are in which cities.

Work was pretty relaxing. Jeff & Ryan had been running the press for almost 4 hours when I arrived. They both like to start early. I come in, count shirts, do banners, tape screens, coat screens, burn screens. We run a smooth ship. I cleaned a bunch of screens at the end and got out at a reasonable hour. Hurray!

the clock has started

Saturday:

I had a pretty good rest, but not a full sleep in like I was expecting considering how tired I was on Friday. Did some laundry and had some breakfast. It was a beautiful day. I headed up north to hang out with Garth, totally neglecting the fact that I have to plan my exit from Santa Cruz. The main thing is getting a storage unit and packing stuff up.

Anyhoo. We got some beef dip sandwiches and watched this Dr. Seuss movie: The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T. It's a live action Dr. Seuss-esque movie that apparently he has disowned as part of his career? It's weird, but also brilliant. It has some great choreography sequences.

Sunday:

My housemate Justin has been ill, and right now he is in the hospital. Hopefully he will get better!

Watched a silly kung fu movie and had some doughnuts. Another beautiful day! That's how I want it: rain during the week, sun on the weekend. I wonder if I'll get a sun tan on the road trip?

A nice weekend, but dang it went by fast! I need to get on the ball, only three weeks left. Countdown is happenin'! Tick tick tick!

jumbo

The rain gutter woke me up at 4am. It rattles. The downside of all this great rain.

Got up early for work. Hurray! Starting early to get a jump on things. And what a jump! 8 color back and it looked amazing, but it took three rotations to print, so it took a while. And 7 color front, and only two rotos, so that went faster! Ryan caught shirts during the start, so I worked on banners and prep. Then I stepped in to catch. I was so tired all through the day and just...well tired. Really needed a nap. But we got it done and it looked so damn good! It was an awesome day. Everyone was in good spirits, despite working so hard.

It's good to work hard for good work.

I took a little nap when I got home. Then I got a second wind. Wind enough to watch Hannibal. Now imma read and go to sleep properly.

11:06am edit:
I also added some art to my website: trilliantrillian.com when I realized I hadn't updated it in almost a year! Mostly sketches and a few illustrations.

a fairly mellow Thursday with good humor

Work is really busy now! So many jobs coming up! We have an 8 color front & back due tomorrow, so it'll probably be a very long day. I'm starting at 9:30 which is some clue.

Today was awesome though. Really the perfect mash of Jeff on the press, Ryan helping, Nick doing hats, and me doing the tertiary stuff. Finished jerseys. Counted in several jobs worth of shirts. We are implementing a new box labeling system, so that is neat. I like labels. I also tallied screens (again) and burned screens and generally helped out. I like being the helper/tidying third person. It's a nice blend of skills I can do and variety of tasks.

At home I had some potstickers and washed my towels and watched TV.

Time to go to bed! Work starts early, and hopefully I'll be out on time.

roachheads

Got up early and got to work early so that I could leave early to see the Mary Roach talk! Yay!

What a day! Boss was gone for the first 2/3s. I did hats, burned screens, printed hat transfers, and then did some banners, counted out shirts, started some jerseys. Boss got a new NEW hire: Jason. I think he'll be helping with vinyl application? Anyway. I did some jerseys then I coated screens.

A full day! And damn busy. Andrew stopped by for a bit to pick up some signs. Nick did hats. Ryan reclaimed. Lots of running about and trading jobs this way and that. Whew! So busy.

I changed at work into not-work clothes (well just my shirt and sweater) and headed downtown for the Mary Roach signing at Bookshop Santa Cruz.

Oh it wasn't raining today. It was nice, though a bit chilly.

Anyway. Parked in the CVS parking lot because who cares about paying for parking and wandered the bookstore and made note of books to try samples of on my Kindle. I grabbed a seat nearer to the back of the set out chair ( because people had come early and grabbed spots). I was next to Melissa, a very nice couples counselor with the prettiest face I've seen in a while. And so friendly! We talked about travel and experiences and weighing the things a person has done versus their creative output. This guy who was seated in front of me looked so much like Stephen Mangan, and I even told him so. And when he looked him up he was like "that does look like me!"

Mary Roach was spectacular. Funny, blunt, no bashfulness. Just really sweet and smiley and anecdotal but also brilliant. Love her so much. And when I had my copy of Gulp signed, she knew where my name was from! And she signed a 42 in the book. She's so great. Absolutely wonderful.

sopping

Another soggy day. Good!

I got to work a bit early, and wasn't feeling too well all through the day. Just not firing on all barrels ya know? The job today was just so... argh complex. Several styles of shirts requiring color changes. And different inks based on what to print. And different sizes of shirts and stuff. Just a whole big pile of stuff. I showed Nick and Ryan how to do pole banners. I taped screens. I pressed hats.

At home I had some mac n cheese and then took a lengthy bath to relax.

Mary Roach is going to be at Book Shop Santa Cruz tomorrow! Yay! Gotta go to work early so I can get out early and see my girl Mary.

march ending

A full day with full rain! Hurray! Have I mentioned that California is experiencing a drought? Well it is.

I coated screens and showed Nick how to coat screens. He did a very good job! Nice and even. I also showed him how to work the heat transfer press a bit. And I taped screens and burned some later on in the day and caught a job and broke down the press. The day went surprisingly fast.

I held down the fort at home, then Jeff and I played the Marrying Mr. Darcy card game I Kickstarted. I lost! I was unable to marry Mr. Darcy. I ended up an old maid. Then popcorn was made and we three (+Tara) watched a bit of Big Trouble.

Nice to have a full day of work. We got lotsa stuff going on soon.

rain & shine & clouds

Saturday:

Slept in and had no idea how the weekend would turn out. Got a text from Nate inviting me to a coworker's Santa Cruz birthday shindig. I would know some of the people there, so not totally awkward. Nate wouldn't be there. So I just showed up with a six pack of beer and was like "hiiii everybody!". The party was for Marco, who I met about 2 years ago at a MachineZone function. Also there were Jai, Alan, and Garth, and a whole slew of other really nice people. There was BBQ and beer and good conversation about all sorts of things. There was a noise complaint at 7pm though, jeeze! So I joined in on a mini bar crawl (there was a designated driver, of course). We went downtown to Asti, Poet & Patriot, and 99 Bottles. Not the biggest of crawls, but fun! It was raining though, which is probably why the bars were so empty. I of course stopped drinking early in the crawl, because I was to drive home.

A nice night out.

Sunday:

After a muddled morning of stuff happening, I had some eggs benedict at Zachary's.

Then I hung about. Did a Trader Joe's run. It was a much nicer day with all the sunshine and stuff.

This weekend went by fast! I need another day.

the cutest cheese

Thursday:

Pretty standard day. We spent it running a job that took lots of set ups and changes. Like, oodles. But the set up went well, as did the printing so it's all good. After work I went to Target and picked up a road atlas! I'm carving out a time in the weekend to really work on road trip planning.

Rest of the evening passed calmly.

Friday:

Another good day at work. The orders are starting to speed up. Got a few repeats next week, so I burned a bunch of screens and reclaimed more to coat and get ready for other jobs. It'll be quick turn around on screens time soon. Busy busy busy! I also caught a job for a bit. They printed some vinyl bumperstickers and their drying stunk up the studio during the morning. They really should have printed them last.

The other Trillian and I had a funny exchange with Jarslberg Cheese on twitter:

at least no one else in this city that I know is named that

We got a new person at work! Nick! Guess they are preparing for my exit. Though Nick seems to be more in the realm of vinyl application. Maybe he'll be a dude that can be sent out on jobs, so that the Boss can stay here and get stuff done for our side. That'd work.

Printing on Nylon jerseys was a risky gambit, due to the potential for heat damage on the material, but it worked! Whooo! We ran a few jobs today, and the boxes are stacking high. People gotta come pick up their stuff!

It also rained a whole bunch! Proper rain, the kind that is good for Santa Cruz due to the drought.

At home I fried up some eggs and put them on toast. Mmm.

I'm feeling tired. Up too late last night.

nicey nice

Ended up being a shorter day. But I don't mind. Having extra time is nice. Lets my mind unwind.

I taped screens, I burned a few more, I counted in a few jobs. The sweatpants have been run for the order, so that is good. And half the shorts. Got some smaller jobs in the works, but it also looks like a few of the bigger ones.

At home, Tara and I watched the first episode of The 10th Kingdom. Justin and Jeff joined us and it was a nice little viewing party! Such a great miniseries.

Had tea and rice scramble thingy for dinner. Now I can't tell if I'm tired or wired. So I'll just watch some more stuff and then maybe read some stuff.

scrub the bad away

Didn't have to come in to work till noon - 1ish. Hurray! Had a scramble and tea and took my time. I went to Jiffy Lube and got my oil changed and my oil filter changed and my air filter changed (Dad, you said that should be changed, right? Well I got that changed). Whooo! My car seems to be running a bit better? But maybe that is just psychosomatic. Still, nice to check that off the list. I left my cell at home, so I missed the notification that I didn't have to come in to work at all...

...but the boss found stuff for me to do anyway! I reclaimed screens and burned a multi-screen job. Still a short day, but hours are hours!

When I got home, I decided it was nice to scrub the mildew off the bathroom walls. There is no fan, and only a small window, so it was getting spotty. I got the powerful cleaner. I turned on the fan. I put on my respirator. I put on gloves. I got to it. It was tricky because it was concentrated on the ceiling and high bits of the walls, so I had to use a stool for some bits and a chair for others. But I got it scrubbed. Did the walls first. Took a break. Did the ceiling. I didn't get it all entirely off, but it looks MUCH better. The bathroom looks so much less dingey now. Hurray for cleaning!

I had gyoza for dinner and other munchins. Watched Archer and House of Cards. Removed things from my todo list. Go me!

Della Fern at The Abbey in Santa Cruz

micron in moleskine

de la ferrrn

Saturday:

Set my alarm because I had paintings to do! Totally slacked on getting Nate's landscape done for him. And I also wanted to paint Helen a belated birthday gift. Have to keep up the square painting tradition! So I worked on those and had tea and oatmeal and got those done. The board game party for Nathan started at 6 and I left at just a bit after 5! Yay for timing.

Helen made some tasty spicy thick not-noodle Korean dish, and there was a veggie stew, and it was all very delicious! Carmen and Josh joined the party, as did Nate's coworker Garth. The first board game was Battlestar Galactica. It was very detailed and multifaceted. I was a secret cylon, but I wasn't subtle enough in my sabotage and was found out. Carmen's character executed mine. The humans almost lost. It was pretty close. Then we played Lost Cities, a game C & J brought. Very fun, and easier to get a hold of. I beat Garth by 5 points!! But we were both behind Nate & Helen and Carmen & Josh by a significant margin (they were in teams). Funny that the teams outperformed the solo people. Anyhoo.

Nate liked his Hufflepuff hat and the new Magic the Gathering cards I bought him, as well as the little landscape I painted.

I got back into Santa Cruz at 2am.

Sunday:

I woke up early and dozed in bed for a good long while. Then I had a three egg scramble and some tea and got my ducks in order for the day.

While the sun was out I went to Target and got yakult and soap, then Bed, Bath, and Beyond for compost bags, then Trader Joe's for next week's lunch supplementals. It was a nice day to walk outside.

At home I read a bit. 7:30ish I headed out because I heard that Echo and Maw were playing at The Abbey. I drove in circles on Mission street for a bit trying to find the venue, before parking and walking to try and find it. Walking worked! It was tucked down the street a little (I knew it was 300something, and I was parked on the 100 blocks). The venue (The Abbey) was attached to a church, and it was a nice coffee shop place. But the stage was ample and the seating was comfy. It wasn't like a little stage was shoved in where it shouldn't. Anyhoo. I got some tea and a little muffin and sat and waited. Then I noticed that I hadn't seen any members of Echo and Maw. Then the people that were fiddling with the instruments were decidedly NOT Echo and Maw. Ooops, not Echo and Maw! It turned out the band playing was Della Fern. An Australian band on tour. And they were pretty good! Half covers, half original music. Two guitarists, a bassist, a drummer, and lady vocalist. Didn't see Echo and Maw, but still saw a great band! I sketched and some people complimented what I had drawn. I'm sick of drawing guitars though. So difficult!

Nice to get out of the house.

Gotta get my oil changed.