The Road

To be honest, I'm actually finally ready to get to L.A. - and how fitting, because we'll be there today.



Yesterday was a great drive. We took the scenic route to get from Truth or Consequences back to I-10... after exploring Truth or Consequences more extensively, of course. How could we not? The town is named after a TV show. And it's adorable. Flat out. Adorable.

We went to a very small gourmet chocolate shop, Coco Re'al, (Melissa is studying food science and her masters thesis is on chocolate so we took it as part o
f her research) and I asked the young woman who recently opened the shop (really great stuff in there, by the way) if she loved living in New Mexico and she thought about it and said, "Yeah, I do. I mean, you just have to believe in it, you know?" No, I don't know. But that's the most amazing response I've ever heard to such a simple question. You just have to believe in it? Like... as in.. it's magic? Yes! Hello, state motto.

Jeff also found me a SWEET trucker hat in T or C (the town's nickname). I have a nickname for my car: the silver bullet. And he found me a hat with that inscription. Love at first sight.

We were all very sad when we drove over the state line into Arizona. I mean, yay for Arizona and all.. but we really couldn't get over New Mexico. We had to pull over a few times, as we were hugging the cliffs that wound around through the Black Mountain range, to see the views. They were breathtaking, as you might expect. And as you might be able to tell from the photos. I'd go back in a heartbeat. I almost want to go back right now, but I'd probably never leave and that might not go over well with a whole lot of people.



I'm kind of too tired to talk about Arizona - but I was really excited to see those tall cacti. We haven't really explored it so I wouldn't have that much to say anyway. We stopped in Tucson but for the first time we hadn't scheduled a hotel ahead of time, and because it was still early in the day, we decided to push it to Phoenix for the night. It's only a 6 hour drive from Phoenix to Los Angeles, so we'll have some time to take some more scenic routes today.

The one thing I WILL say about Phoenix is that it wasn't easy to find a place to eat, even with the internet on our side. Finally we just opted for a place closest to our hotel and it was called the Purple Turtle Sports Bar. Ok. We almost missed it when we drove by because it's part of a strip mall - and it has no windows - and the doors are painted the same color as their surrounding walls, with a hand painted "Purple Turtle" on them - and there were only pick up trucks parked outside. So. Sketchy only just begins to describe it. And after slight hesitation, we decided to just do it. Jeff went in first to check it out and came back with a wicked smile. "It's like the type of western bar in a movie where a huge bar fight breaks out and someone gets whacked with a pool cue. And there's a Mexican guy in there wearing a crown. We have to do this." He was right. We had to. So we did. Oddly enough, the trucker hat gave me a newfound sense of security. To make everything better - it was Karaoke night. Perfection! But as it turns out all of the people were really just good people and not sketchy at all. They couldn't have cared less that we were the only white kids in the bar. No bar fights to be had. Just a bunch of people with tough day jobs getting together to enjoy pool, drinks, and karaoke. It was delightful. So that was our impression of Phoenix.

Today it's the Arizona desert... and Los Angeles.

Just Truth, No Consequences

New Mexico's state motto is "Land of Enchantment." We laughed when we first saw that, but then we got up this morning... and then we followed through with our day.

We started the day at the Carlsbad Caverns... 750 feet underground. It took us two and a half hours to walk through the entire series of caves, and it was kind of like walking on mars. Nothing is familiar. The only way to convince yourself it's of this planet is to try to see things in the structures. You know, "that one looks like jabba the hut," etc. But really, it was very cool. Very, very cool. I got vertigo a couple of times and when looking into the 'bottomless pit' I think my life flashed before my eyes. It was perfect.

After a scenic drive through a barren desert, northwest-ish, we were suddenly winding beside mountains at 6,000 feet elevation. From (-)750 feet to 6,000 feet in a matter of minutes - that's pretty enchanting. Also, there are a lot of dogs that ride freely in the back of pick-up trucks here, but today we saw a dog pacing on the top of the truck bed, barking at nothing, and it was slightly unnerving. So I took a photo! We also saw a pistachio farm with a giant pistachio out front - so I took a photo!

And then there was Roswell. Oh, Roswell. They've really made it a point to capitalize on the alien thing...obviously. We went to the UFO museum - probably the most ridiculous, poorly planned out museum I've ever seen, but it was only $5 so it was well worth the experience. Hilarious. Really. And kind of interesting, too, actually. The parts that weren't hilarious were interesting. Was there a cover up? Probably. Was it an alien space craft? Um... I don't really think so. But that's just me. Most of the shops in the area were named with some kind of Alien pun in mind. Classy!

Westbound, we wound through a few more mountains, a bit more desert, and through an Apache reservation (wasn't quite what I was expecting.. I couldn't tell it was a reservation until I saw the Casino I just kind of got sad). So much to take in for one day and it was only half over.


We stopped at the White Sands National Monument - this is a MUST SEE at sunset. I couldn't believe it was America. It was the most AMAZING, strange, breathtaking place I've seen in a very, very long time. The sand looks like snow, and the dunes go on for miles. Surrounded by red mountains, that turn black against the sunset, the sky just turns pink. Pink against blue against yellow against the most pristine white. We ran up and down the dunes, made sand angels, did cartwheels. And it was so quiet we could hear each other perfectly from the tops of our three very distant dunes. That was kind of weird, but also really awesome. I can't recommend this place more. I really can't.

And then, to finish up the day, we drive to a little town called Truth or Consequences. New Mexico, I love you. This town was named after the TV show way back when. Shout out to Devin for recommending it. We found this little Inn called Blackstone Hotsprings that's supposed to be for couples, I guess (i mean it IS adorable).. but that's okay we slipped a third person in and they were nice about it. This place has a super deep tub and the water streaming into it is DIRECTLY from the hot springs that this town is known for. The water comes flowing into the tub, waterfall fashion, at 106 degrees. It is SO nice. Probably the perfect way to end a seriously productive day.

And with that I'm exhausted.

Oh yeah, and the stars out here are incredible. INCREDIBLE.
"Land of Enchantment," I believe you.

Let Jeff Entertain Us

Driving is kind of like being locked in a glass cage.
The freedom is liberating. And liberation does things to people.

In one such case, Jeff shows off one of his mad skillz.

South by Southwest

Western Texas is stunning. I-10 headed West. Do it.

Everyone warned us. "It's going to be so boring. There's nothing out there." But it's the nothingness that gets you. It's timeless. It honestly felt like time travel. It's cowboy country. And that's all there is to it. We saw every form of livestock from llamas to cattle to sheep to goats to rams. We saw abandoned buildings and old pick up trucks that lost all signs of life. But the thing that really got me were the oil rigging pumping jacks. They're like mechanical soliders out there, bobbing their heads to the ground in a slow, rhythmic motion. And they're everywhere. It's so weird but I could have watched them for hours because it's so erie. It's a metaphor for so many things - our country's quest for oil, obviously, but also of the industrial revolution - machine taking over for man, just slaving away unattended and after a while unnoticed as it just begins to blend into the scenery.

Leaving Austin, by the way, was beautiful in full daylight, no fog clouding the view. Before we hit rural western Texas we stopped in Fredericksburg - an old German-influenced town that has some relationship to the Pacific War. I should know my history, but I don't. In either case, it's an adorable little town. We couldn't stop talking about how cute it was - and I kid you not, a school bus full of little blonde children drove right by us. It's like magic-adorable-town USA. We also stumbled across an amazing coffee shop/bakery that is apparently famous nationwide, and been featured in all of the best cooking magazines, and also Oprah's. "Rather Sweet: Bakery and Cafe." It was so quaint, so hidden, with a little well outfront and everything. Seriously magical. Again. I felt like I had gone back in time. Or maybe that time had stopped, I can't tell which.

We moved through Western Texas at rapid speed. Not even trying to sound poetic - the speed limit was 80. So we averaged about 95. Even got into a sweet racing game with a sporty little red car beside me. We got out the video camera and documented most of it. She was an awesome sport though, once she caught on. It was fun. And it's always fun and games until you get pulled over, which I did, of course, in Pecos Texas. Never want to go back there. The speed limit is 60 when you enter the town, and I was abiding by it- but it suddenly drops to 30. When I noticed the shift it was too late. But I got off with a warning. It's funny - we almost hit a black crow when we started off this morning. Talk about bad omen. And I also had a very distinct feeling I'd get pulled over today. Psychic! But it turned out not to be a big deal. And life continues.

New Mexico left us all speechless, really. It's the same desert terrain - the grass a burnt golden hue littered with green brush and cacti. But as we headed into Whites City (yeah, that's a place) to check out the Carlsbad Caverns the sun just hit everything with that extra glow and I think we collectively dropped our jaws. Jeff summed it up pretty well, "what IS this place?" And then we hit the road that took us to the Caverns. A winding road up the crest of a partially eroded/partially blasted? hill. It was so good. SO good.

This video doesn't do it justice, but you should probably watch it.. and turn your volume low.


When we got to the top of the hill, we discovered that we arrived 5 minutes before the Caves closed for the night. No big deal, we'll be glad to go back in the morning. The view was worth it, even at the top:


We drove into Carlsbad at 6ish Mountain Time. (Did you know the whole state of Texas is technically Central Time?) We were pretty hungry, since we skipped lunch for the most part. So we drove around and found the classiest joint in town. We knew it was classy because the sign out front just said "RESTAURANT" and it had the most business. Also, it was between that, a ton of Chinese places, fast food chains, and a place called Funn's Family Diner. The choice wasn't that hard. We knew it was classy when a 50 year old greaser rolled up next to us on his motorcycle and buttless chaps. Oh - and don't worry - he made sure to run that comb through his slick hair before entering the restaurant. CLASSY!

But honestly, we're loving every minute of it. The weirder, the better.

This is America. And I'm not even saying that with distaste. Frankly, I think it's amazing that there is SO much variation. There is so much we don't know about our nation -about who we are as a collective whole, but also about who our neighbors are as real people. Variation is freedom though, right? I've never been more proud to be an American. To stand beside people with an entirely different culture from my own and say, "hey, we're in this together, right? We've got nothing in common but we're living under the same roof." I don't know, I just think that's pretty cool. And if you think you'd hate it here because you believe in stereotypes, I challenge you to explore it for yourself. Closed-mindedness works both ways.

Austin. Like Boston. With an A, U, and an I.

Austin isn't really that much like Boston except that it's small, and liberal, and the weather is relatively unpredictable. We arrived and it was like 60+ degrees at night. The next morning it was 38. People were freaking out, schools were closing. There was talk of ice. It was ridiculous.

But Austin is a nice little town, though it's hard to explore thoroughly when you've got a giant hood up that falls over your eyes. As far as I can tell it's great. University of Texas is right there. The college kids generally stick to their college neighborhoods and the rest of the city does its own thing. We went to 6th Street, which is like the New Orleans Bourbon Street of Austin - just a long street of bars, really. But we went in the day time because we had plans to check out the Continental Club at night (my post below).

We also saw the famous bat bridge. There's a bridge in Austin that houses thousands of Bats, living in the crevices underneath. You can hear them squeaking as you walk underneath it. BATMAN! Also. There's a big sign nearby: Bat Facts! My favorite bat fact is that they do not get tangled in your hair.-I think it's great that they had to note that as a Bat Fact.

I would definitely come back here to catch it on a warmer day. Especially for another $2 mini margarita. Adorable. Not to mention the amazing view from the rolling hills just Northwest of the city. The houses in those hills are spectacular, and the views are fantastic. I can't wait to steal more photos from Jeff, since my camera died before hitting the best of it. It was nice to have a day of rest, and now we're off to New Mexico - I've been looking forward to this like crazy. I. Am. So. Excited. Thankfully the weather has passed (in one day, of course) and it should be in the 60s+ for the rest of our ride. Hallelujah. Amen.

Continental Club

What makes a band so worth seeing live?

-the energy of the front man? his ability to relate to the crowd? his ability to get trashed on stage and still wow everyone with some serious shredding and impressive chords?
-two drum sets?
-three rotating drummers?
-a cowbell?
-a cowboy hat?
-a duel between a tucked-in shirt and a vest?
-mixing up the band's jazz funk styled original stuff with some quality old time rock and roll - everything from Elvis to Blondie to the Talking Heads?
-being able to play for three hours straight without taking a break? just because you love it so much?
-flat out being able to play. and sing.
-making it look easy.
two. Good bands happen

Maybe you only need one of the above to secure quality status. But tonight we witnessed all of the above. David Garza. Playing at the Continental Club in Austin. Phenomenal doesn't even begin to describe it. You can check him out at www.davidgarza.com but the music there and on myspace doesn't do him justice. His stuff online is all slow and lethargic. Live he's a totally different animal - a much better animal - the type of animal he should be on the internet.

I heard about the Continental Club from a woman at a music store who started up a conversation with me about short hair. She seemed like a trustworthy source.. so Jeff, Melis, and I figured we should check it out, regardless of the band... after all we're never going to recognize a local name here. I wish I could write that woman a letter thanking her for the recommendation. But instead, I'll pay it forward. Next time you're in Austin, go here: www.continentalclub.com -it'll probably be worth the risk.

New Orleans Morning, Texas at Night

Yesterday was one of our longest so far, but we seem to be maintaining our energy pretty well, if not just getting kind of loopy. We started off the day by checking out Café Du Monde. Jeff had once gotten a can of their coffee as a gift and he wanted more – because it was apparently that good. I was skeptical. I had tasted the coffee in Australia and it was so much more delicious than any American coffee that I couldn’t imagine that a small sect of Americans could be doing it right and keeping it a secret from the rest of us. Turns out that Café Du Monde isn’t really a secret. It’s open 24/7 because it’s so sought after.. for the experience of French coffee and their famous beignets (basically fried dough piled high with powdered sugar). Either New Orleans travelers aren’t spreading the news with enough vigor or the rest of America just doesn’t care about tasty coffee – because this stuff was fantastic! It was definitely up there with the Australian stuff. And that’s wonderful. So I bought a can or two to take home with me. Only $5, how could I not? Cheap AND delicious?? Please. Something is backwards here. Starbucks coffee tastes burnt and it sells for like $10 a bag.

Anyway, that was a great time. Nothing starts a good day like some good coffee.

We also took some time to walk around Dana's neighborhood. It's beautiful. The houses are stunning and we found a tether ball pole and Jeff and Melissa made sure to make good use of it as we passed by. Nothing like a little exercise on a road trip. The weather was perfect. PERFECT. I think we were in heaven. I also did a little house hunting. Goal after getting to LA: get rich so I can build houses like these.

And the day was good, though I was sitting in the backseat for most of it (our backseat that is piled high with our bags).

That was actually awesome. I don’t know why it’s thrilling to sit in the backseat of your own car, but it is. I was getting a little giddy.

We got into Texas and everything started to get… bigger. Hah. I’m not even joking, we saw some seriously oversized stop signs. It was hilarious. We stopped in Houston for a late lunch. Houston is a very attractive little city in the middle of nowhere. Beautiful architecture, really pleasant skyscrapers, and we all really appreciated its cleanliness. It’s just a nice city to look at, and that’s all I’ve got because we didn’t have much time to explore its cultural aspects. Keep in mind we don’t have GPS trackers or iPhones or any kind of high tech devices that could lead us to the internet. Just maps. We prefer it that way. You learn a city so much faster that way. But once we got to the center, we noticed that, like most financial districts, the center of the city had no eateries. Melissa had been talking up “Chick Filet” all day as it’s only in the south, so we decided to try to find one. And when we collectively put our minds to something, it happens. So I texted google. YEP you can do that.

I wrote “address: chick filet, houston TX” and sent it to GOOGL.

Immediate response: “3101 Holcombe Blvd, Houston TX”

Brilliant.

Jeff couldn’t find Holcombe. But of course I spotted it on the map immediately (way to go, Jeffo). After much turning around and regaining our sense of direction, we were on our way to Holcombe, crossing our fingers that Google hadn’t let us down. But with determination and MY AMAZING MAP SKILLS! We got there. We felt very accomplished.

Back on the road. And by the road I mean I-10 which stretches the entire length of our drive from New Orleans to LA. We did get a little turned around once we hit RT-183 to Austin but a freight train distracted us. I have to warn everyone, there’s a section of RT-90 in Texas that smells so strongly of horse manure it could seriously knock you out. Just be careful.

We’re staying with Melissa’s family friends in Austin. They are a lovely older couple who have a beautiful house on top of the steepest hill I’ve ever had to drive up. Austin is really hilly – who knew? We arrived at 10pm and they had a FULL MEAL waiting for us. They were Southern hospitality all the way. These people are amazing. Though I did have to move my car at one point and when I came back inside I was told that I should be cautious of feral pigs. FERAL PIGS. (Turbo, are you sure you want to move here? I hear they love Turbos) Can you imagine suddenly being charged by a pack of wild boar in the middle of a subdivision? Yeah, neither can I. I’m told they don’t charge… but… let’s face it, when the term “feral” is applied, you have to assume they charge… especially after Turbos.

We’re going to spend another night here in Austin. It’s overcast, and there is talk of ice tonight… a rare occurrence, and shocking because last night was so warm… but we’ll see how it goes.