Mountain View, CA

Then I was off to Mountain View to see Andrea and Doug and their new baby Stella. The drive along the coast was particularly beautiful.



I am always so happy to see Andrea and Doug, and now there is even more reason to pull me back, gorgeous baby Stella! She is such a damn cute little thing. I look forward to the day when she can get into Totoro! I chilled out for one night here, always amazed at how much catching up Andrea and I can do in less than 24 hours

Somewhere along the coast...

My next stop was to head a bit up the coast to see Tim’s son Kelly. So, we’re some kind of cousins and it has been ages since we have seen each other. He and his wife and their two beautiful daughters have found an incredible slice of land overlooking the bay where they are building a house and a rental house. No small task as it seems to be so far from the rest of civilization. But that is the best part. It is so beautiful. To look out over tree tops and see the bay in the distance while you have your morning coffee…not too shabby. Kelly took me for a walk in the area, A network of small roads connects the plots of land being developed. Nice big lots so no one can be very close. I can’t wait to go back and visit once the second house is finished.

Kelly with some huge trees:

The awesome view:

Watsonville, CA

I had a string of people to visit in the northern California territory. The first night I went to Watsonville to see…well let’s see, he’s the cousin of my mom, whatever that makes him to me. Tim and Judy have this awesome house tucked in the hills not too far from Santa Cruz. The night I arrived started a segment of time that can only be described as sleepy. I took it easy in California. Here's Tim:


Tim and I spent the next rainy morning reading, I got caught up on earthquake history and the theories about the next big one, and then when the sun broke through we headed to the pier in Santa Cruz for lunch.

A surfer chick near the pier:


Some neat sturdy flowers on the rocks:

The Drive North from Holywood

Well the day I left Hollywood it was raining, rain that just surged in waves and got worse as I headed north out of the city. It wasn’t long before I was passing car wrecks and trucks that had slid off the road. I thought of the old Indian man selling souvenirs in Arizona… “Watch out for the weather”.




But it did add an air of misty beauty to the drive. I generally think of California as dry and yellow. This was a new California.

Hollywood USA

How long does it take to drive a four hour drive? Trick question? The answer is nine. It took me nine hours to drive from Vegas to Los Angeles in a mass of cars creeping through the desert. All I could think of was "Why don't they fly to and from Vegas???" All these LA kids partying on the strip...is it really worth a long frustrating drive to get back to the coast? But I follow my own advice, you can't fight a river of traffic, you just gotta ride. I arrived in Hollywood and found the hostel tucked in a quiet street just off the main drag. I had called ahead but once I got there I had to talk my way in. It turns out that this hostel is "really only for international students"...hip kids with colorful passports. I worked the unemployed writer angle and sealed it with my French address. I was there just in time to barely settle in to my bunk before catching the Sunday night comedy show. This is Hollywood, and this hostel has a lounge that sells cheap beer and has a little stage area and fresh new talent hoping to be discovered. It was kind of funny, I guess... The next morning, out by my car, I met a couple young tough hispanic dudes marking thier gang sign up the street. I think they were attempting to be intimidating but I caught them off guard by starting up a conversation. My new friend, the 22 year old graffiti artist, was really into my whole project and let me interview him. Surprisingly sweet guy.

So, I had been lucky enough to be invited to attend the screening of a pilot of a possible new show, The Wilton (see photo above). Originally The Wilton Hilton but...you might imagine the problem there. It's about a house filled with roommates, a group of young hip dudes living in a house that seems to revolve around a hot chick roommate that has all of them dizzy and distracted. There is also the good girl who, if you ask me, will steal the show once it hits the air...mark my words! I hope it makes it to the next level as I want to find out what happens next with this wacky bunch of creative misfits. Thumbs up from me.

The pilot screenign was a fun slice of the glitter that you might expect in a town of stars and wanna be's all working the crowd. I really enjoyed it. Except for that, I managed to miss out on all things touristy in Hollywood. I truly wanted a photo of myself with the Hollywood sign looming up behind me...but the weather was kind of crappy so I just headed out of town and drove in a super rain storm, northward bound to...

(This actually isn't me)

Three crazy nights in Vegas

Well a roadtrip concerning wedding proposals must hit Vegas. This was the third time I have been to Vegas and you know what? I kind of like it. I talked to guys in front of the Bellagio fountain, and I talked to guys in Denny's, who took this picture of me...

...and I talked to guys along the strip...I caught couples just emerging from the city hall office with fresh marriage licenses in hand...on their way to the same chapel as Britney Spears...hmmm...(photo below)

Well, it was a fun couple days. I made friends with some of the chapel managers and it seems there is some real drama going on behind the scenes! Everyone in Vegas seems to be in the mood to talk to a complete stranger. I spent three nights sleeping in my car in the parking garage of the Monte Carlo...the pool was open, the showers were there, not sure why I have ever gotten a room before!

The Grand Canyon

I almost bypassed the Grand Canyon. I have been there twice before...but after the car and ice incident I preferred the Grand Canyon to Vegas. I got a room at my old favorite, Bright Angle Lodge, they have an awesome bathtub room and seriously hot water. I only got a few interviews along the rim as I was kind of in a personal cocoon mood...but they were good ones and I had a nice time for myself hiking along the rim. Here's a shot if me I was sure would be terrible, but it's not so bad. Check out the snow.

Freak snowstorm in Arizona

Well after Santa Fe, I was heading to Vegas via the Grand Canyon. I headed out and was driving on the main highway headed west. I had stopped for gas and had been warned to "watch out for the weather" so when it started to rain I wasn't too surprised...when it turned to slush and then snow, I wasn't too surprised, but when my car hit a patch of black ice and slid off to the right just behind a merging car...and then swooped and spun 'round so I was facing backwards as I crossed the two lanes...clear view of the trucks coming up behind me...until I came to a hard stop as I hit the center division of grass and snow, I was surprised. I can say I kept my cool as the car was gliding into potentially perilous territory...but afterwards, once I knew I was fine, my car was fine and was able to get off the road at the next exit. I was scared! I was also really sincerely pleased to have not died in that ice slip...that would have really sucked. I took the night off in Flagstaff, which in the morning light was quite lovely. Here's a shot from the morning after.

Laguna, NM

We headed out to a festival at Laguna in order to see an old friend from Lawrence. His reservation was having a Feast Day festival and it turned out to be the perfect time to stop by. We got some interesting directions to get to his house, including a "turn left past the big tree next to the three old graves" but they worked. I got to see John and we met his family. His mother told the tale of her engagement and marriage ceremony. We missed out on the dances up at the festival but it was a neat day out. Here's a shot I took up at the festival. I missed out on taking a shot when we were with John. Too bad.

Santa Fe, NM

Finally, I get to see Maida in her new Santa Fe world. It has been ages! Reconnecting with long lost friends like her is one of the best things about this great road trip. She and her fiance Jeff are really a neat couple and they have some really nice friends. It was a pleasure to spend time with them. We got to go and take a look at their new house...gorgeous location up on a hill with sweeping panoramic views. Sunrise and sunset... Not bad! Here they are with the house and of course with Dee-dee their super dog.

San Antonio, NM

Well I tell you, after a night in the car, as I was driving west heading for the big expressway to get up to Santa Fe, there it was, my dream come true...a neat cafe/art gallery. Great coffee (espresso even!) and a great proposal story to boot. Here's a photo of my wonderful coffee hook up in what seemed like the middle of nowhere.

The Trinity Site, NM

So, I left Alamagordo to head north to Santa Fe where I was going to see an old and fabulous friend, but it was late and I knew I couldn't get there that night. When I got too tired to keep on driving I found another pull off area, in another dessert...slept like a baby. Here's a photo of the view from the car in the morning. So it turns out, funnily enough, that I was sleeping just about as close to the site of the first atomic bomb test as is possible to get to. Maida (aka fabulous friend) and her friends, who work up in Los Alamos, thought it was really funny...ha ha. I was told it was a good thing I didn't eat the dirt. Not glowing as of yet but I'll keep a lookout for any super powers.

Alamagordo, NM

OK, this one if for my Dad. He has been going on and on about this bowl of won ton soup, correction, the best ever won ton soup he has ever found...and it was in Alamagordo, New Mexico of all places. Now, this infamous bowl of soup is something he found as he made several drive by's... in the 70's...but he still remembers it like it was yesterday. Well it turns out the same damn Chinese restaurant is there! No joke. Unfortunatley it has changed ownership a few times and the won-ton soup, which I did try, was...fine, at best. So, too bad I didn't get to eat the best ever won-ton soup, but I did make it all the way there to find out for sure. I guess it's true, you can never go back.

Carlsbad Caverns, NM

Well, the best laid plans and all...turns out the bats I was looking forward to seeing are in Mexico for the winter so...there is one thing left for me to see in the future.

The search for Billy Faier

Well after sleeping in the car in the dessert, where it occurred to me I might be in just the right spot to run into some Mexican immigrants...I got up and had a great dessert drive with the sun rising and Lynyrd Skynrd (how do you spell that?) rockin' "Freebird" as I drove on towards the ghost town. Great scenery.

I stopped at a diner/motel called "Tivo's Place" for a coffee. I finally took the time to read the article written about Billy in the local paper that someone gave me the night before. Wished I had read it sooner as I found out that he had recently moved about 50 miles back up the way I had come...still it was gorgeous country and heading back I did get to experience an immigration check...they didn't seem to think I had any immigrants in the piles of stuff in the back of my station wagon. Waved through.

So back through the same dessert scenery, now with a bit more sun and some pancakes in my belly...I made it up to Marathon and the first person I asked "Where can I find the banjo player?" gave me directions to go over the train tracks and turn left and look for the very colorful house. Easy enough, there I was. His house is really a neat collection of little buildings nestled together around a dry garden of sorts. But no Billy. I figured he probably was back in Austin where I had left SXSW behind... So as I was writing him a note a car pulled up and I got to meet Danielle his editor. They are in the final stages of getting his life story written and ready to publish. I have a feeling it will be a good read...

So meeting Danielle was an unexpected pleasure. She invited me to her house to meet her man and, perhaps, get a chance to get an interview. The three of us ended up chatting and having a lovely late morning coffee...great people are hiding out there in the depths of west Texas. Her boyfriend got off the hook for an interview as we just talked too much about other stuff...but he's on the list for follow ups so, don't relax too much pal. I just want to add that their house was really cool, all patched together pieces of neat wood and cool stuff they have found. Very nice.

It was time to move on and get my butt up to Carlsbad Caverns, a place high on the list for this trip as I really wanted to see the bats zooming out of the caves at sunset. Time was pushing me out the door.

Here is a photo from their house of a fireplace that started with the metal grill...which I'll have to ask Dan what kind of car it was from but it is some automotive something or other, and the neat ceiling that has a nice mix of woods.

Marfa, TX

I met a woman in Kansas that said that if I was going to be anywhere near west Texas, I had to go to Marfa. She had a friend she thought I should meet, a funky 70 something banjo player she thought I should interview. She figured he and I would hit it off and that he would have a good story to tell. Then I heard about the mysterious "Marfa lights" strange lights that flash over the hills outside of town (go to Google and check it out!). Well that was reason enough to head further into Texas than I had originally planned and I am so grateful I did. Marfa Texas is a neat town, with a recent addition of an NPR radio station, a cool book store/cafe/wine bar (with wireless internet access!) and some down-right nice people...great destination. I was told that the banjo player, Billy Faier, was actually living in a ghost town about an hour or so south, down near Big Bend. A nice guy let me use his phone to give Billy a call and I left a message alerting him that I just may show up at his door the next day. So that evening I stayed in Marfa long enough to go to the"viewing area" and try to see the weird lights. No luck that evening, but it was cool to be there with quite a few people waiting...it kind of felt like the 4th of July before the fireworks. Everyone was in a good mood, kids running around. After I felt I had waited long enough for the lights I headed out in the direction of the ghost town and slept in my car in a roadside picnic area surrounded by hilly desert. I slept well.

Here are a couple shots I took in Marfa, not the charming book store...but you can see my hip Texas cowgirl hat in a window reflection shot.

West Texas

I love west Texas. The scenery is drop dead stunning and the drive out to Marfa was a pleasure. Here are some of the shots I like best.

San Antonio, TX

I had a rainy drive down to San Antonio, passing a terrible 2-truck accident that served as a reminder to drive carefully. I found the Alamo after looping around the downtown area a few times. The facade of the building and the door are just cool. I could have done without the many spring break tourist families filling the gift shop to buy fake rifles...but still it is an interesting sight to see.

Austin, TX

I arrived in Austin just in time for South by Southwest (SXSW) which for those who don't know, is an incredible music festival. I was lucky to sneak into the Youth Hostel (Thanks Ahnie!) which ended up being a great place to meet neat people to interview. I also ran into an old friend from university...what a small world. Here is a shot of me with the beloved Texas Longhorn.

Gulf Coast Mississippi

After my first night sleeping in the car I decided to go and drive down to the Mississippi coast and check out whatever I could find. What I found was a neighborhood that had been smacked by Katrina. The houses, with neatly stacked piles of debris and ruined furniture in the front of lawns waiting to be taken away, showed signs of recovery. But what hit me the most was the look of the trees and woods filled with trash...a huge expanse of suspended trash. Clothing, garbage, even larger mysterious items were suspended in the air, wrapped around branches and trunks, dangling, sticking...it was a dismal sight. It gave the neighborhood a sad hopeless air. How do you even begin to figure out how to clean out all the trees?

Flashy Florida Scenery

I just liked this colorful shop with my car in the front of it all.

Clearwater, FL

I had a great time during my fly-by reunion visit with Marybeth.

Myakka River State Park, FL

This was like going back in time. Green droopy moss covered trees, birds, lizards making a ruckus scuttling out in the dry palm leaves that covered the floor of the forest…or was it alligators positioning themselves to attack? It was a gorgeous late afternoon sky and I had fun taking a walk in an area no other tourists seemed to want to check out. I did go see the tree top sky walk, but it was nothing compared to the one I have been to in Malaysia. Here it seemed so well built and safe…Malaysia has one up on the fear factor as it seemed to be strung up by some part time guys with no real thought for security.

Clewiston, FL

I enjoyed soaking up some sun and checking out the spring break beach scene, but it was time to move on and head to Clearwater up on the west coast. For the drive I chose to take the smaller roads across the state and see what I might find. I saw some nice flat scenery and could imagine alligators just out of sight behind the grassy bits along the road. No flat tires, good. In Clewiston I came across a greasy spoon advertising GATOR and FROG LEGS in its signage, so I figured it was a good place for lunch. It was a neat funky joint filled with Elvis memorabilia and tough looking locals that thought I was funny and they gave me advice on how to eat the fried gator tail I ordered.

Miami, FL (South Beach)

I hit the spring break beaches of Florida right in the heart of it all, South Beach, what a trip. Since I had let the project down in Ft. Lauderdale I was determined to hit the beach running and I did just that. I went along the beach and just went up to guys and introduced myself, not one guy turned me away. Thanks to all of you! I had a great time talking with all the guys on the beach. For those of you who think single guys don't think about marriage proposals...you got another think coming, they had a lot to say.

Ft. Lauderdale, FL

I rode my friend's bike down to Ft. Lauderdale. It kicked my ass but it was a great ride. I was able to check out the full length of the beachfront and go inland a bit to the charming strip of shops. The wind was strong, the sun was strong...can't say the same for my legs at the end of the day. it is spring break so there were lots of people out and about, but I was a lame ass and I interviewed no one... not one person. It was a great day for me, but not for the project. Just feeling a bit quiet. So the next day I knew I had to really make up for it in...

Pompano Beach, FL

The cool overhanging tree near my friend's condo in Pompano Beach. We met ages ago at a surf contest in Japan. Well here he is, across the street from the Atlantic Ocean. The first morning we took our coffee over to the beach to check out the waves, not bad!

Atlanta, GA

Time for a visit with my brother. I had the chance to go and check out his diggs and meet his very awesome dogs. We had fun zooming around and seeing bits of the city, I'll need to get the name of the excellent ceramics gallery we went to, great people and great stuff. We had a particularly nice day when we headed north and got the dogs out running free in the woods by a river. Here I got one photo of Eric and the two big dogs (as the two chihuahua's stayed home) as they romped at a wineyard we discovered out in the hills. We met some nice guys that were willing to talk with me about their proposal stories, thanks guys! It's called Three Sister's Vinyard and I have it on good authority that if you arrive on the right day, your dogs can run, swim and chase ducks out in the pond.

Lynchburg, TN (Jack Daniel's Distillery)

Well after my lovely morning in Nashville I interviewed a nice trucker who reminded me that the Jack Daniel's distillery was nearby...perfect. It got me off the main highway and onto a nice winding country road that was beautiful in the sunny warm weather. The distillery tour was really cool. I recommend it to anyone heading that way. Here you can see the building that all the Jack Daniel's that get sold around the world is prepared...all of it. Wow. I had to resist buying the posh single barell bottles they were tempting us with at the end of the tour...but I had to get on to...

Nashville, TN

Well I finally made it to Nashville, why has it taken me so long? It seems to be a really nice city and I was happy to see an old friend who let me crash her Acadamy Awards party. Very fun. I was lucky enough to get a private tour of the Grand Ol' Opry and here is a photo of me on the stage, right on the circle of floor they cut out from the original Ryman Theater. Thanks Brenda, that was awesome!

Memphis, TN

Well, you can't pass by Memphis without checking out chez Elvis. Graceland was...well...it was a busier street than expected...basically a Blockbuster fast food road, but still it is kind of cool to be there. I just missed Rev. Al Green's service right up the street...I got there as people were leaving and I didn't have the guts to go in so late for a superficial glimpse of Al Green...so I had to just do the photo ops outside Graceland. At $22 for the basic tour I thought the $12 ViewMaster 3-D tour was a better choice. I mean, hey... it's 3-D! Here I am at one of the bazillion gift shops where I met a couple other road tripping guys. Nice shades huh?

Little Rock, AR

Well it seems this may end up being an unexpected family reunion tour. I happened upon a couple long lost cousins in Little Rock. What a neat surprise addition to this trip. I spent a couple days catching up with them and it was great. Man, cousing Jay (right) looks a lot like my dad! No escaping it, we're related. Thanks to Jay and Bobbi for taking me in!

Eureka Springs, AK

So en route to Nashville I was able to see some gorgeous contryside and uncover some long lost cousins in Little Rock. I drove through Eureka Springs (left) in hopes of eating at the Oasis Mexican restraunt (which comes highly reccomended) . Unfortunatly I arrived when it was closed, bad timing, so it will have to wait until next time. I was en route to Little Rock, running a bit behind schedule and I almost decided to just hit the road...but determined not to be a lame ass I decided I had to interview one person before moving on. It was not an easy thing to do as the touristy town was pretty much empty...an I will admit I had to muster up some bravery, but I found a nice guy on the sidewalk and he was happy enough to accomodate me. After that I was feeling good, this prjoect is such a fun way to explore this nation! On to....

Lawrence Kansas

I started off in Lawrence and made it there in time to see the most awesome performance of Jesus Christ Superstar, ever. Totally rocked. Well done guys.


Not many interviews but it was a great warm up for hitting the road. Thanks to Aimee and Bret for, as always, taking me in.

The Proposal Tour 2006

Well, it is Wednesday March 8th and I am just creating the blog for this proposal interview tour. Let's see what I can figure out about it...if this post works I'll come back and fill in a few more.