May 16, 2008

Drive to San Diego to stay with wonderful friends, Lynn and Sean, from college. We arrive in the evening, Lynn make’s a backyard fire, and we make smores. Yes.

May 15, 2007

I pack up my tent at 9AM, make oatmeal and drink orange juice for breakfast, and head down the famous Route 1 as long as I can.

In Noyo I head East along Route 20 and pick up Ethan at 2:30PM in Sacramento, We drive and meet Timothy Briner around 6PM.

With Timothy, we drive to Samuel P. Taylor State Park, toss the football around, and buy hot dogs, firewood, and beer. A couple of meat and alcohol delights later, we find great insight in Timothy’s project, Boonville USA, which he has been making for the past 9 months. Only 2 days ago did Timothy finish the project.

Soon he will meet his girlfriend in San Diego and together they will drive around the US for 1 month. Sounds like a great way to end an epic 9 month journey filled with photographic and personal exploration.

May 14, 2008

I leave Florence, take Route 101 South, and first drive through Oregon Dune National Recreation Park.  The dunes are massive and at times literally stop feet away from the highway.

I stop for gas along Route 101 and the gas attendant, a spunky woman in her late 30s, tells me that I need to stop in Port Orford.  I take her advice, stop, and make postcard pictures.

I continue along Route 101 and drive through Redwood Nation Forest.  As one would assume, the trees are massive and stretch for hundreds of feet into the air.  The tree trunks are bigger than Ethan’s Mazda Protege.

I take Route 101 to where it intersects with Route 1.  The first part of Route 1 is by far the windiest stretch of road I have ever been on in my life; 10 and 20 mph switchbacks for maybe 20 miles or so.

I finally make my way to where Route 1 and the coast meet each other, and am greeted by a Top 10 sunset; beautiful.  Postcard pictures, wide eyes, and deep inhales and exhales.

I arrive in Union Beach Landing around 8:45PM and set up camp in the afterglow of the sun.  I pay $10 for a campsite and sleep 20 feet away from where the Pacific Ocean meets the 70 feet cliffside.

May 13, 2008

I have the great pleasure of seeing with Shawn Records this morning. Shawn serves up the coffee, busts out his projector, presents slideshows of his works “Harbor” and “At a Loss”, and even treats me to a waffle, sausage, and maple syrup sandwich. Strange, yes, but delicious. Thanks, Shawn.

I say goodbye both Shawn and Kim, and make my way South on I-5 unsure of where I will sleep. I pull into a motel parking lot and pay a small price for a decent bed, shower, place to change my film, download audio and video, and write; all I need wrapped up in one place.

The day is productive and worthwhile, and I am exhausted.

May 12, 2008

“The whole worth of a kind deed lies in the love that inspires it.”

The Talmud

We pack up camp, eat two packets of brown sugar oatmeal each, and make our way into the Olympic National Forest.

One of our main points of interest is the Hoh National Forest. While there we see many mosses and epiphytes, one elk and one banana slug, and a whole heck of a lot of enormous trees. Walking through the Hall of Mosses is like walking through the circle of life. The pictures simply do not do it justice.

We take time to see Ruby Beach and the Pacific Ocean.

May 11, 2008

“I with you, and you with me, Miles are short with company.”

George Eliot

My mom has been sending quotes like the one above and I would like to thank her and wish her, as well as all the other mom’s out there, a very happy Mother’s Day.

We drive West along I-90. The weather is a mixed bag of snow, rain, and fog while coming down from the mountains, and clouds and sun while entering Seattle.

Before entering the Pacific Northwest, I have a conscious image in my mind of the people of this region: what they look like, the cars they drive, and how they act.

While driving we see what I believe is the epitome of this image.

We pass an old, cream-colored Merecedes Benz wagon in immaculate condition. In it are 4 young people in their mid to late 20s. I closely watch the group as they slowly pass us. Their skin is a pale yet rich, earthy brown color. Casual smiles are on everyone’s face and look as if they are high. Contemporary, dark rimmed glasses rest on the noses of 2 of the passengers. The haircuts are modern, sharp, and fresh. I feel as if I am watching Volkswagon commercial in real life.

We continue on and I drop Ethan off at the airport. He flies out to Kansas City and will return on May 15.

I depart the airport and meander to downtown Seattle to see the famous Space Needle and Pike’s Place Market.

The concrete floor atop the exterior of the Space Needle gradually rises and falls, and in turn makes every step I take feels as if the Needle is teetering back and forth with the shift of my weight. The view is overcast and rainy but somewhat beautiful, and I wonder if the price of admission, $16, is worth it.

Pike’s Place market is packed. The day is Mother’s Day and hundreds of people walk around with various bouquets of flowers in reds, pinks, purples, oranges, and yellows. I purchase a dozen tulips up for $12 for Kim, a great, longtime friend taking a bus up from Portland to meet up.

We catch up outside the Greyhound Station and make our way to the Bainbridge Island Ferry to head to Olympic National Park. The 3:45PM departs in 15 minutes and we make it in the nick of time; every car departure lane fills up minutes after we arrive.

The ferry ride is peaceful and welcoming, and the drive through Olympic National Park even more so.

We stop at Crystal Lake and the water is gorgeous. We then continue on through massive expanses of where the timbers are being both clear-cut and then re-planted, and I grow fascinated with the timber industry that is both supported and opposed here.

We camp for the night at <<>><<> and pay the $17 fee. Kim gets the MVP award for managing to start a fire in the damp, moist weather.

May 10, 2008

A quick one…

Last night Ethan and I stay in Missoula, Montana at a motel whose name I forget for good reason.

This morning we depart to see Shawn Gust in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, home of the world’s longest floating boardwalk, kind people, and a beautiful landscape.

We arrive in Coeur d’Alene around 2 or 3PM and have a wonderful time with Shawn at a nearby park. He provides a truly thoughtful insight to his photography, himself, and how they are involved together.

Again, the interview and video content will be up later this summer. Sign up for our newsletter to not miss out!

Also, if you signed up for our newsletter before our print deadline, you will be receiving it during the second or third week of June.

Later on in the day he makes two great portraits of Ethan and I with a camera that needs to be plugged into an electric socket in order to operate. We are impressed. Shawn gives us our Polaroid portraits as a gift for the road. Thanks for everything, Shawn.

Around 6PM we depart Couer d’Alene and drive to Clem Elum, Washington to sleep. Seattle and Olympic National Park are tomorrow.

May 9, 2008

The Passage Resort rests at a high elevation (8,000 feet or so) and it snows many May nights due to the high elevation.

We leave the Passage Resort and drive along Route 14 through Wyoming, and pass through the town of Elmblem, population 10.

The landscape changes enormously in a short amount of time. This morning we drove through mountain passes with tall pines and heavy snow from the winter. Now arid plains surround us and farming somehow occurs despite the conditions. There is no visible source of water nearby except for small streams the farmers divert throughout the fields to nourish their crops. I presume the soil is quite fertile; the reason why the farmers are here.

Our documentary filmmaker, Bruno, began to have health problems leading up to our departure. We all agreed it would be best for him to get healthy in Maine rather than hit the road for a month. I received an email from his girlfriend and all-around amazing human being, Kate, a few days ago and she said he is doing much better and has his Portuguese pizzazz back. We wish he would have been able to have made the trip but are thankful that he’s healthy again.

I am doing my best to make video with a Canon G9 but the files are too large to edit until I return to Maine and have sufficient time. A second ago I opened Ethan’s sunroof and raised my arms, head, and camera through it to make a video of the road, plains, and mountains off in this distance. The wind rushes through my nose so fast at 75 mph that it becomes a task to properly inhale and exhale, and I get my second bloody nose of the trip; the first because of the high altitude at the Passage Resort and the second due to making video through Ethan’s sunroof.

Yellowstone National Park resides less than 50 miles away. We enter and exit the tunnels before Yellowstone while listening to Explosions in the Sky – First Breath After Coma. Rain drops begin to fall from above and onto our windshield.

The weather is a beautiful mix of sunshine and snow upon entering Yellowstone. We gradually make our way around the largest lake in Yellowstone, appropriately titled Yellowstone Lake, and stop frequently to take in sights such as the lake, gases being released from the earth, and the occasional herd of buffalo. No grizzly bears have been seen but we do find fresh grizzly scat. I can attest to this because I use a nearby stick to break open the middle portion and it is slightly moist. Thrilling, I know; the Eagle Scout and avid outdoor lover inside of me comes out.

We arrive in Yellowstone at an ideal time. One of the main roads in the park opened today, May 9, and without it we would need to find an alternate route for our travels.

We push forward and make our way to Old Faithful. Unfortunately, she is not as faithful as perhaps millions before us and does not erupt in our presence. A strong snowstorm rolls through and the buffalo run to seek shelter. Ethan and I seek shelter at the Old Faithful Grocery Store and eat roast beef and turkey panninis, respectively. We depart and pass another herd of buffalo braving the elements. I image what it is like to be an animal and live through a winter at Yellowstone.

Missoula, Mountana will be our home for the evening. Tomorrow we depart to see Shawn Gust in Couer d’Alene, Idaho.

May 8, 2008

I am finally up to speed with my journaling. Days 4, 5, 6, and 7 were written from short-term memory and mine is not the best as a few of my close friends can attest.

The last few days have been a great whirlwind full of driving, seeing the photographers and sights, and taking the occasional personal photograph or two (nudes, obviously).

I find the longer I wait to write about our travels, the more necessary specifics I seem to not remember. And a large portion of travel writing is all about the latter; the descriptions, the odd sights, the random words exchange in the car.

We have covered a vast distance in the past 3 days: Ann Arbor, Michigan to the Badlands, South Dakota. This morning we packed up our campsite and made our way back into the town of Wall to visit Wall Drug. The experience cannot be described with words.

T-rex at Wall Drug.

The Badlands.

Right now we’re driving along I-90 through the western portion of South Dakota, specifically the town of Spearfish. I raise my head from the 15″ screen of my PowerBook G4 and run my eyes all around the landscape that surrounds.

There is still snow here and strangely enough, I welcome it. Ethan and I currently live in Tenants Harbor, Maine, and all of our snow melted during the previous month before our departure.

We are now in Wyoming. The day started off quite overcast and windy while in the Badlands and has since changed over to quite overcast, windy, and foggy; an added driving bonus.

A foggy Wyoming #1.

A foggy Wyoming #2.

The overcast, foggy day has now cleared and we’re surrounded by cumulous clouds and blue skies. The clouds seem so large and low-hanging that I feel as if I can reach up and move hands around inside of them. They are, of course, a few thousand feet above my head and because of this will not be a reality. Ethan is 6 feet 7 inches and has long arms by default but even he cannot reach the clouds. True story.. just do not tell him I told you.

A beautiful Wyoming.

We are cruising through Wyoming and it is simply stunning. Cliche for a reason, the landscape stretches for miles and we are in awe. Low on gas and nearing empty, we pass Crazy Woman Creek. “Her water runs low but her banks rise high. She must rage at times,” I tell Ethan. “Like all crazy women,” he replies. I laugh and realize the only care we have while on the road is making sure there is gas in the tank to propel us forward.

We barely make it to the gas station. Ethan fills his car with 13.455 gallons of gasoline; his tank only holds 13.5 gallons. We rejoice and laugh more. A celebration is in order. We both eat a chocolate chip cookie and rejoice.

Moments ago we finished our first major mountain pass drive at 8:04PM MST from Ranchester to Burgess Junction, both in Wyoming. It was everything you are imagining right now.

It is now after 1AM MST and I am writing this from our room at the Passage Bar and Motel maybe 5 or 10 miles West of Burgess Junction. Originally, we had planned on camping but there is still quite a lot of snow at this elevation (approx. 8,000 feet) and we decided it would be best to forgo that option and instead sleep in a room due to the cold temperatures.

The room was offered to us for $95 and I asked, “How cold is the temperature going to get tonight?” implying that we would sleep in our tent if not too cold, and the guy behind the desk was kind enough to offer it to us at $75; still more than we would have liked to pay but well-worth it for safety reasons. Plus, there’s satellite internet and we’re literally in the middle of nowhere.

May 7, 2008

We departed the Country Squire Inn shortly after 10AM and saddled up (because we’re almost out West…) for a long day of driving.

Almost to Badlands National Park.

11 hours and hundreds of Wall Drug billboards later, we arrived to a very closed Wall Drug. A woman on the street said that the national phenom had closed literally minutes earlier. All around us travelers were overcome with grief (ie. Ethan and I). “We drove all the way from Maine just to see Wall Drug… and… it’s closed,” I said with a somber face to the woman.

I do not know whether she thought I was joking or being serious because she simply climbed back into her baby blue mini-van and drove off. There were no words of sympathy on this day. Ethan and I both knew she had seen this far too many times before and was numb to the deep, emotional pain that ran through our arteries and veins.

Ethan’s whip feeling the defeat outside Wall Drug.

Ethan reminded me that the only good things about driving through that portion of South Dakota are the billboards for Wall Drug and the fact that the speed limit is 75 mph (versus 65 mph in Maine). (We apologize for the above if there an any South Dakotan’s out there following the blog.)

Devastated by a closed Wall Drug, we departed the town of Wall with heads hung low and drove into the beautiful Badlands National Park. We paid $10 for campsite #3, threw the football around without getting bitten by a country rattlesnake, made a mac n cheese dinner with an apple sauce for dinner (what else is new?), and made our way into our sleeping bags.

Our campsite in the Badlands.

I should probably state that each night we wash our faces, brush our teeth, use the bathroom, etc. Showers come every day or two. We have yet to hit the three day mark but hope this will be a reality soon.

Sure it looks beautiful… immediately before a rain storm rolled in.  I woke up sleeping in a river.  Perfect.