Friends of Father

We left the hotel a little before 11am the following morning. We hadn’t made plans about what we should see or where we should stop. We’d made it a lot farther north the previous night than we’d realized. We were just over an hour from Portland. Looking at the map, we were trying to decide between Mt. Rainier and Mount St. Helens. Mt. Rainier was pretty much agreed upon but we weren’t sure if we were ready for another long day in the car. The trek from Arcata, CA through Crater Lake and into Eugene had really changed our collective opinion about our rental car, at least for those of us who had spent the previous day’s 10 hour drive cramped in the backseat.

We’d loosely decided on just Mount Rainier. The highway would venture eastward and then north to meet up with the 5 just before Monroe, WA. I was pretty excited. Mount Rainier’s a beast and I’d never seen it. We cut through Portland just after lunchtime, and we were in the state of Washington before any of us had realized it. I think this caught everyone by surprise. This was the last state border we’d be crossing while in the car. Before we made it to the Mount Rainier exit we decided to head straight for Seattle. I know, wtf. The way we rationalized it was that we still had five days in Seattle and could easily make a day trip out of Rainier. So soon enough we were through Seattle and pulling into the awesome small town of Monroe, greeted by blue skies. After we unpacked the car, we ate some dinner, let it settle, and then walked down to the What a way to end the road trip. Awaiting us were five days of PNW exploration.

I can’t call it the highlight of the trip. I think I’d like to. Crater Lake was jaw-dropping. I’m not exaggerating when I say that. The first thing we collectively said when it came in to view was, “Whoa.” That was it. I felt like I’d been flicked deep into some Tolkein-imagined setting. It doesn’t look real. We had the benefit of seeing it all with perfect lighting. Late in the day. Clouds breaking every so often. It was really cold. I say that as someone who’s quickly acclimated to Southern California’s weather.

We contemplated camping out at the base of the mountain but decided against it. It was the right move. The mosquitos were sparrow-sized and the nightly low was supposed to be 38. I know that’s cold. Instead we piled back in the car and drove to Eugene, OR. It was a long drive. When we finally made it we discovered a lot of hotels filled to capacity with parents of incoming freshman attending orientation at the University of Oregon. Really awesome. We jumped back on the interstate and tried the next exit north. Finally found an open room. When we asked the concierge if it was ok if five of us stayed in the room, he said of course it was and then proceeded to check for any available rooms with two beds and a pull-out sofa sleeper. There was one. Really, really awesome. Sleep came quickly for everyone. The next day was our last on the road. Seattle!

Our second stop: Humboldt. Arcata, CA to be exact. The home of Humoldt State University. It’s some beautiful country. A magic wonderland. Not sure what I’d do to make money, but I could live there. Make it work. The drive in was pretty unreal. Avenue of the Giants makes your mouth drop. Definitely a must see. I almost broke John’s camera. Taking a picture, backing up to get it composed just so, then BAM! Tumbled head-over-heels thanks to a giant death-boulder that had crept up directly behind me. Sucks no one saw it. All I heard was, “My camera!!!!”, as I sat suspended mid-air for a moment, staring at my feet framed by giant redwoods. I was able to do a little hoola-hoop move to save the camera. A gymnast would’ve been proud.

Then it was back in the SUV, back on the road. We stayed at a friend of a friend’s. I’m consistently amazed by the generosity of others on this journey. We’ve been very lucky. Our dinner was paid for by our host. Some mouth watering pesto, feta, spinach, and sun-dried tomato pizza and Sierra Nevada at a local pizza joint. Bed came soon after. We were all pretty exhausted. We were also excited to get on to our next stop: Crater Lake, OR. Excited we should be.

The first stop on our west coast road trip: San Francisco. We arrived at our old friend Tyler’s around 10pm, four hours later than expected. Our first rental SUV had died about ten minutes after setting off towards the 5. That’s right, we didn’t even make it onto the highway. A two hour layover followed at a beautiful park in Santa Clarita overlooking a SoCal wildfire. After a 90 minute soccer session, Dennis’s parents brought us hamburgers. The new rental arrived shortly after. Tyler’s a Coast Guard warrior from the ATL. He and Dennis, a Navy warrior himself, volleyed military abbreviations and acronyms for a few hours. Tyler and his wife were great hosts. Franklin only bit one foot. It was a good night capped off with some delicious bay area pizza.

The next morning we woke early, crossed the Bay Bridge and the adventure was underway. Chinatown, Little Italy, the Wharf. It was gorgeous. Not a cloud in the sky all day. Perfect walking temps, just cool enough. Brad and Alyssa met us for dinner at Alioto’s (not sure of the spelling of this place and don’t really care enough to google it. It was an overpriced, tourist spot, I think. at least my meal tasted like it. I’m sure the city can do better.) We had booked two rooms at the Sheraton at Fisherman’s Wharf. Nice place. Overpriced lattes. Seven dollars for a double? No thanks. I walked the few blocks separating the hotel and the nearest Peet’s. Smart move.

The Flip is now charged, finally. Today it’s the Haight, Coit Tower, then the 101 north towards Humboldt. It’s hard to think about moving back east when the west coast is so damn beautiful and inspiring. Lots of photos and video to come.

San Francisco > Humboldt > Crater Lake > Astoria > Seattle.

We’re hitting the road. Los Angeles to San Francisco. San Francisco to Humboldt. Humboldt to Crater Lake. Crater Lake to Astoria. Astoria to Seattle. Here’s to an adventure along the west coast.

I’d left Atlanta at 8:30am, landed in Los Angeles at 12:30pm, and arrived at the Tanner’s by 2:30pm for Todd’s bomb ribs. The BBQ turned into a ShakeItPhoto party. I don’t have an iPhone, so I watched. Lots of laughs and full stomachs. I was delirious when we left: sleep deprived and full of meat & Taurino.

Music: Wilco – SummerTeeth in remembrance of Jay Bennett who passed this Memorial Day weekend.

I’m ready for a return trip to the city up north. I think I lived in San Francisco in a past life or perhaps had some life altering moment happen there. I’ve never felt so connected to a place, like when you drive past the first home you can remember as a kid. A flood of emotion gathers right below your diaphragm. It’s on my UnrealAmazing list. Everywhere you look there’s something worth seeing. And the sea lions. And sourdough bread. Yum.

Two days before my trip home I picked up a Flip UltraHD camera. After sifting through the 90-plus minutes of video captured, the above is the result. It likes a lot of light. Low light shots were usable with a little color tweaking in After Effects. Happy about the purchase. Go Flip. High five.

It’s been a fantastic week. LA to Dallas to Atlanta to Greenville, SC back to Atlanta back to Dallas back to LA to Anaheim back to LA. I saw my cousin, more like a sister, married to a really good man. I saw mothers, brothers, aunts, uncles, grandmothers, grandfathers, and friends. It was much-needed. It had been 21 months since I’d moved across the country with my wife-to-be. It had been 21 months since I’d seen my family. I couldn’t have planned a better trip home. The weather was perfect, even the rain. The plants were green; everything was in bloom. Honeysuckles. Their smell takes me back to summers spent at my aunt’s house. My mother’s twin. One of three sets on my mother’s side, the other two belonging to her sisters. Maybe this is why we’re all so close.

I returned to Los Angeles exhausted and a little homesick. It wasn’t for long. Good friends were celebrating Memorial Day with a magnificent bbq: delicious ribs, chicken, sausages, cookies, and cupcakes. A gathering that ended with everyone shaking their iPhones, capturing perfect moment after perfect moment. It’s nice to have a family when you’re removed from your family. It’s really what makes LA for me.

The above pictures are from the Angels / White Sox game last night in Anaheim. Three rows from the field. Loads of fun and the whole night was less than $20.

I just found this photo while organizing one of my drives. I’m trying to archive old stuff on hard drives I’ll store in a cabinet. When I need something off one of them I’ll slide it in the computer, remove the files and replace it in the cabinet. The photo reminded me of my trip to the Bay Area last year with my wife and our friend Kyle to visit Brad. A wonderful trip. I can’t wait to go back. It also reminds me that I’m leaving tomorrow morning for my first trip back to Atlanta since moving to Los Angeles 20 months ago. I’m really excited to see everyone. My mother’s twin sister’s oldest daughter is to be married on Saturday, so good times should be had. Traveling gets me excited like not much else. My stomach feels light until I arrive and then I wish hard that every second would last two until it’s time to head home. And then you return home and it’s back to your daily routine. Fortunately I’m really enjoying my new routine. So while I can’t wait to arrive in Atlanta, I am also excited to return to Los Angeles. To find out where I’m going.