All Good Things...

I have arrived in Ames after a long drive back. The drive out was much easier on the way to California, the drive back here to the midwest was a long & somber one. Had I not been offered the internship early in my trip I defiantly could see myself trying to work out finding a job and remaining out there over the entire summer. There's no way I will go that long without surfing ever again, and I would like to make this surfing/road trip something that occurs more often.

I will be updating with the remainder of my trip later on along with a little recap and look back on the trip as a whole.

Monday

I woke up late Monday morning to a thick thick fog and I mean late like ten late so this fog scared me that it hadn't burnt off by now. So I packed up my stuff and hung in the room for a little while and packed my stuff up in time for check out. The same bell guy, Andrew, that had helped me the first time I had checked into the Hilton in Huntington Beach was the one to help bring my stuff down and we chatted it up a bit n I told him how bad I wanted to return to Huntington Beach in the near future with some friends so he gave me his number and told me when I got around to planning that trip to give him a ring and he can get a room upgrade for a ridiculous discount. SO it looks like Huntington Beach may be comin up here again soon.

I left the hotel and went down to Newport Beach for a little surf action. The waves were pretty big, biggest they had been all trip! Because of the big waves I wasn't tearin' it up quite like the more advanced surfer would. Regardless, lying there on my board tryin to catch a wave at the beach beats anything else so I had a grand time.

I came up to lay on the beach and all of the sudden the two guys sittin a few feet away from me pop up and dart into the water. I looked out to the waves and there was a girl who had gotten caught in a fight against the undertow and was getting destroyed by the waves. There had been a lifegaurd on duty when I got there, but had since left post for the time being so I looked up down the beach for any other lifeguards as the guy she had been in the water with was yelling for someone to grab a lifeguard. It was quite the scary experience, but it wasn't too long til the two guys who hurried out to her from the beach had gotten her and helped her back to shore.

After all that excitment I decided it was time for some lunch so I rolled down to Main Street to TK's Burgers for a nice beachside burger-fries combo. Speaking of Main Street, you must be wondering just what does this Main Street I keep referring to look like. Wonder no more, just admire.

This is Main St. on Sunday when it was PACKED


This is the Surfers' Hall of Fame across from the Pier that welcomes you to Main St. on the corner of Main and PCH with an awesome statue of Duke in the middle (Notice on the second floor above HSS is Fred's the kick ass Mexican Baja resturant I went to twice)


Here is the Huntington Beach Pier at the end of Main St. with PCH running across

After walking around Main St. for a little while for my final time I took off North up PCH I drove through Long Beach which was a little interesting. I stopped in Redondo Beach for a lil surf action. The waves were pretty nice here . I had another great outing and on my way up saw a sea lion up sleeping on the beach. I snapped a few shots and went on my way.


I decided then to explore Redondo Beach for a little while and decided to hit up California Pizza Kitchen... IN CALIFORNIA. I thought it was pretty sweet eating at a CPK in the C. They have them EVERYWHERE out here. Lucky folks. After CPK I got back on PCH. Drove around Santa Monica for a little bit, regret not getting out n walking down the pier. I then hit Malibu and tried to catch a glimpse of the Cohen and Cooper's homes from the OC, but of course they would be in a gated neighborhood, but I got to see the backside of them so I still kinda win. Drove to Ventura and explored there, but it was pretty dead so I began looking for a place to park the car and crash, which ended up being Carpinteria.

Monday

Now I sit here today, not knowing what the day will bring. I skipped out on the morning surf because of that thick fog which has since burnt off so we’ll see… I gotta get myself checked out though.

Until next time…

Oh! And I will have some more pictures up soon. I forgot my camera cable in the car :(

Sunday

Today I woke up bright n early to the ocean and sunrise… so I pulled the covers over my head n went back to bed.

I woke up not too long later around 7:30ish and went out for my morning surf. The waves were great, however my left elbow began to really bug me again so I cut the session a little short. I ran to Starbucks for a pastry n strawberries n cream frap then rolled over to Target for some Tylenol.

I got back on the 101 n rolled back northbound. Jumped on the PCH and rolled along the coast. Made an attempt to stop in Laguna Beach to walk the streets n check out their beaches, but changed my mind and made my way through ending back in Newport Beach/Huntington Beach where it was PACKED. Silly me thinking there would room to move at the Newport Pier for a little surfing action, it was stop n go traffic looking for a parking spot. So I tried to get over to my surfing spot at the Newport Beach/Huntington Beach border, but parking was nowhere to be found. I decided to just see if the Hilton I had stayed at a few days ago had any room for me, which they did so I checked in and walked across the street to catch some waves. The surf was great! Head-high waves, perfect water, and some of the scenery lying along the beach helped too. It wasn’t one of my better surf sessions because it wasn’t really beginner’s surf, but it was still a blast to do whatever I could out there. I didn’t feel that bad because it seemed as though there was a lot of wiping out around me, so I didn’t stick out.

I put my board back in the room, showered up and traveled down to Main Street. There I grabbed a Jamba and went down to TK Burger for a delish cheeseburger. I walked around the crowded Main Street and tried to look for a church to hit up. While I am used to later masses, most of their late Sunday masses begin at 5 so I caught the crowd as they were leaving. I rolled back to the hotel, sat around the room for a few and threw on the suit to hit up the hot tub n pool to watch the sunset. I then went back out to Main Street where I visited Fred’s again for some tacos and a margarita, strolled the streets and called it a night to come back n watch a lil HBO n relax.

Friday

Well there is a thick fog rollin in from the ocean right now so instead of going out for my morning surf I’ll enlighten you guys with a little more from the coast.

After waking in my car alongside Huntington Beach I got right up, threw on my suit, grabbed my board, and hit the water. The surf was great, I haven’t gotten anything less than great all trip. As I came out of the water I got another comment about how ballsy it was to be out there without a wetsuit and replied with my typical “whatever, I got thick Minnesotan skin. We’d love this water in our lakes some days.” This sparked a great conversation as this guy had come out from Baltimore right after his high school graduation and called this place home for the past 14 years. We talked for about half a hour n then I rolled up the street to the café to get a nice lil breakfast.

After breakfast I decided to do a little exploring of Newport Beach to see the roots of my favorite crew of Seth Cohen, Summer Roberts, Marissa Cooper, and Ryan Atwood. I visited the OC-kids favorite, Fashion Island which is pretty baller. It’s a really nice outdoor mall. I then decided to roll along my way after looking up online where other fun OC locations were, but I was saddened to find many of my favorite OC locations were sprawled out, not necessarily in Newport Beach. Sad day.

I then set out northbound. I made a stop at San Juan Capistrano and took a tour of the San Juan Capistrano Mission, which was very beautiful. The chapel at the mission is the oldest building in use in the entire state of California, having been built in 1872. The mission was also the first winery in California, kinda a big deal. After my tour I found it only appropriate to find the nearest liquor store to pick up my first wine bought in California being that it was the birthplace of California Wine-making.

I then rolled through Dana’s point on the end of the PCH then visited drove into Carlsbad. Carlsbad was a pretty nice city that I didn’t know much about so I decided to get a hotel, seeing as it was about dinnertime. After throwing my stuff in my room I went right across the street to the beach to get some surfing in. The waves weren’t all that, there were few rideable ones, which was a real test to my surfer’s patience, but I’ll take any time just layin on my board out in the ocean.

Soon my stomach was grumbling seeing as I had only eaten breakfast and it was past dinnertime so I called it a day, went back to the hotel, utilized the pool and hot tub for a few minutes before going in to shower up for the night. I took my much-needed warm shower, threw on my brand new Lacoste polo and hit the streets. I walked over to this baller restaurant, the Ocean House. They had a delicious baja chicken sandwich, which I washed down with a margarita or two. I then proceeded to stroll the streets for a little while checking out all Carlsbad had to offer before heading to the hotel for a little bit then back out to one of the bars for a long island, back to the hotel for a trip to the hot tub and then calling it a night.

Saturday

I slept in the next morning, not getting in my early morning surf and packed my stuff up to check out. After checking out I went to a café down the street for a bagel and smoothie for breakfast, grabbed my board and went out to catch a few waves. The surf was MUCH better compared to the evening before. After eating it and bumping up my elbow I decided to roll out and make camp in one of the parking spaces by the shopping district in hopes of finding a wi-fi signal, which I was fortunate enough to bum off someone so I went ahead and updated the blog for a good long while. I then hit up a little Mexican food shack along the road for some tacos and it was off.

I then rolled down the coast to check and see if the campground at San Elijo Beach, where I wanted to spend my night at had any walk ups available. I was dumb for thinking I coulda sniped one of those spots for a Saturday. The place was PACKED, so my plans for the day were in jeopardy. But never fear, I had been going off no planning whatsoever all trip so I was used to it.

I ended up a few miles down the coast at Solana Beach at Fletcher Cove for some amazing surfing! I spent a while in the water here, all the way until sunset. At sunset I grabbed my camera and snapped a few pictures. People were driving up to the beach by the masses just to catch the sunset, it was a beautiful sunset with the waves crashing on the cliffs to either side of us. It was great.

I then rolled over to the Tidewater Tavern for a little dinner action while checking out the San Diego – Seattle game. They had a great teriyaki chicken sandwich. I didn’t know what I wanted to do with the rest of my Saturday night so I rolled down the road a little ways just barely into San Diego. On the way there along the 101 there was a sick overlook of the ocean so I pulled in there for a lil while to just chill n take it all in. Then I rolled around the outskirts of San Diego when I figured it was time to roll back north toward Encinitas, where I decided to crash alongside the 101 right off the beach.

I’m kinda bummed because right now I am not quite sure if I’ll be able to spend an actual night with my inflatable mattress on the actual sand of a beach, but my two nights in my car alongside the beach have been just as nice, maybe nicer considering I’m much safer in the car than in a tent. Sleeping in the E with a surfboard has gone much smoother than I had imagined it would. I do have the roof straps, but no way Jose am I sleeping with that shit on my roof.

Photo Album

You can view my photos from this excursion on my Facebook photo album @

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2208137&l=98bc8&id=16915460

On The Road Mix

I just got back from the beach, kinda bumped up my left elbow a lil bit so I'm taking a lil break, but I'm about to hit the beach for another surf session cause the water feels great, the weather is warm n sunny, and the beach is full of bitties so why not?

Until then I figured I'd share what I was listenin to on the road with y'all. These are songs I've been listening to non-stop on the road:

1. Metro Station - California
2. Joe Strumer & The Mescaleros - All In A Day
3. The Starting Line - Island
4. Matt Nathanson - Gone
5. All Time Low - Vegas
6. Something Corporate - Woke Up In A Car
7. The Summer Obsession - Never Coming Back
8. Cartel - The Minstrel's Prayer/Q/A
9. Rise Against - Swing Life Away
10. Timmy Curran - Blue Eyes
11. The Ataris - Summer '79
12. Blackpool Lights - Empty Tank
13. Jack's Mannequin - I'm Ready
14. Bob Marley - Could You Be Loved
15. The Thrills - Midnight Choir
16. Joe Strumer & The Mescaleros - Johnny Appleseed
17. Socratic - Constant Apology

I've been listening to Matt Nathanson and Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros like its nobody's business. Good music.

Thursday

The next morning I woke up bright n early around 8 and jumped out of my bed right away and jumped in my car to roll to the beach for a morning surf. It was a little better of an outing; all it takes is my muscles getting reacquainted with the movements. I was out there a little longer than the day before. After I showered off all the sand and made way back to the car a guy walkin down to catch a few waves himself asked how it all was and commented on the size of my you knows for surfing without a wetsuit. “I just got that thick Minnesotan skin” I replied and he began to explain to me how that is pretty bad ass and there was no way he could live up in the Minnesota cold. I told him it wasn’t that bad. He said whatever.

I drove up to Main Street to grab some breakfast, but before went to grab a hot cocoa at Starbucks. At Starbucks there was a girl with her mother in front of me and as she turned around to grab her coffee I noticed a little Cy action on her shirt. So I got my drink and went over and asked if she went to Iowa State, she said yes and I whipped out my ISU ID and said “me too!” I introduced myself and they did too then we got to talking and I ended up not leaving til about an hour later after sitting with them for a little while. They too were on an adventure to explore California all the way from Davenport, Iowa.

I completely forgot about getting breakfast and went back to the hotel to get ready for the day and to pack up n check out. I then rolled out to Hollywood and spent some time walking around Rodeo Drive and the surrounding area. So many bitties. And not just on Rodeo, but everywhere. Its awesome. But yeah so Rodeo, its nice. When I was in the Lacoste store they were setting up a bar and there was a DJ in the corner setting up his turntables n laptop. As I was looking around a rad dude came over and introduced himself and told me I could grab a beer or whatever up at the bar if I wanted, that he was from GQ and they were setting up for a GQ party. I thanked him and he proceeded to tell me that I probably should ditch the Ralph Lauren polo I had on, for I was in enemy territory. We chatted it up for a little bit and found out he was a stylist from GQ so I asked for what he thought I should pick out and he showed me a few things with elaborate reasons for why it worked for me and I decided to pick up my favorite of the selection, a brown polo. (GOAL!) They threw in a $35 Lacoste hat so SCORE! I was told to drop by later for the GQ party, but I had to reluctantly turn them down, for I had other plans.

I left Rodeo, survived the LA rush hour, which personally is a little over-hyped. I made it to the Angels game (GOAL!) and picked a great day to show up, for it was 70s retro day which mean I scored a hat at the gate and got to experience some retro fun at the game. There are many things I don’t mind doing alone, which is good or else this trip would not have flown. But going to sporting events and eating dinner at restaurants are two things that make me wish I had someone along for the trip. However the game wasn’t that bad. I sat next to a milf alone with her 2 younger kids who I shared a few words with. To the other side was a guy who was also there alone, but was the kinda guy who goes to games alone so we weren’t gonna talk.

After the game I drove back to Huntington beach, parked my car on Huntington Beach, but didn’t feel like going to any of the bars cause it was already so late and I wasn’t in the mood so I rolled the window down to let In the music from the 2 guys sitting on the sidewalk playing guitar and singing along with the many people who stopped to request a song or two and join in on singing. I then cleaned up the inside of my car a little bit because as you can imagine living in my car with all my stuff and a surfboard it can get a little messy. By the time I got finished the bars had closed and people had cleared the streets to go in for the night so I rolled down the street to PCH and parked right up next to the beach, cracked the window a tad and crawled into the passenger seat to call it a night.

That is A LOT for right now, so I will write up probably later today about yesterday and today. I'm in Carlsbad right now and I'm goin surfin. Until then, keep it real.

Wednesday

I rolled in first to Newport Beach, grabbed some breakfast on the beach n sat n watched the morning surf. After eating some of my tropical fruit bowl and croissant I realized that I had gone two days since showering and I felt filthy, so it was time to find myself a hotel. I rolled to the Hilton and lucky for me they had a room for me. The bellman was very friendly and we had a great convo about everything from getting back onto the waves to school. He suggested when I go look around for boards I take the hotel shuttle to Main St and he told me about several of the different surf shops to check. The second he had left and I was in the clear I dropped trou and jumped in the shower. Took pretty much the nicest, longest shower in my life! I thew on my ISU Cy shirt and hit Main St.

I first hit Jack’s which was recommended to me because of their wide selection. I was very nervous about approaching the dude over by the boards to explore my board options. I expected:

A. “Why don’t you just go rent a little body board and then get the hell back to Minnesota”

B. “…” (Baffled beyond belief why a Minnesotan is looking for a board)

C. “Yeah man! Check out this SICK board we just got in! Its perfect for beginners and sells retail for $999, but I can probs knock off a hundo for ya”

It was actually quite the opposite. He seemed very enthusiastic about helping find me the perfect board for someone who hadn’t rode a wave for so long. He did a great job at explaining the various aspects behind the smallest of features on the board and the physics behind all going on when the board hits the water. He was pointing me in the direction of the more appropriately priced boards for someone who would be using it at most a handful of times a year. About a hour into searching and learning about all things board related ( some of which had dug into his break time) I found in one of the back corners a complete steal. A $700 board for less than $400, pristine condition, great board company, perfect size. The guy helping me out had no clue about the board being tucked away there and told me the only reason it was probably marked down was because they didn’t carry Ukulele boards anymore. He threw 15% off on my accessories, offered some pointers, helped set up the board and I was set. One of my dreams came true, I had my very own surf board. (GOAL!)

Yes, I know having a surfboard as a Minnesotan going to school in the surf-less capital of the nation sounds like one of the most impractical things in the world to som…er… everyone, but with the amount of surfing I will have done by the end of this trip I would rather have spent only a little bit more than I would have renting a board from beach to beach and be able to call it my own.

So after picking up my board I went out to test that baby out at the beach. I was very rusty, but that was expected considering how its been so very long since I had taken a wave. I had a great time out there, it was perfect there wasn’t a cloud in the sky and it wasn’t too packed nor too dead. After a little over a hour of surfing I decided it was time to eat considering it was around dinner time and I hadn’t eaten since my breakfast on the beach. Strapping my board up to the top of the element after my first session with my board was seriously one of the greatest moments in my life. It was picture perfect, a scene I had dreamed of for a long time.


Went back to the hotel, showered up and took drove over to Main Street. At Main Street I got my first taste of surfer hooligans. As I pulled up they were walking behind some guy giving him crap for his shirt with flowers on it as he was walking to dinner with his lady. They went down the street then came back around walked past me and were making some lame insult about me no short boarding it and having a long board as I was storing it in my car. The insult was so bad that I didn’t even realize they were insulting me until the end when they said long boards were gay. Up next for them they were getting in the faces of a small group of high school age kids and then continued up the street yelling at anyone for anything. Jokes on them, everyone just blows them off and goes on with their lives, while it seems as though their lives are spent walking up n down the street recycling the lamest insults ever. Cool guys.

I ate at Fred’s which is a Mexican-Baja resturant across the street from the beach on the end of main street. They had some damn good chicken tacos and a killer “small” margarita. After that I needed to pick up some sunglasses because all this driving + beautiful sunny cloud-less sky = sunglasses needed. They look pretty baller! I went back to the hotel to rest for a little while then rolled back out to Main street to check out the bars. I ventured into a good ol’ Irish bar, which was pretty full and had band, Quicksand, playing. Brad Tipton, a pro surfer was also at the bar which was so awesome because that’s when you knew that Huntington Beach really is the surf city. I went back to the hotel and TRIED to blog, but was just so tried so I fell right asleep watching CSI.

Tuesday

I drove through the morning straight through until arriving in Las Vegas. I first decided to hit up the Las Vegas Premium Outlets on my way in town. I did a little damage, but nothing too extreme. Essentials like new sandals were picked up and then did a little work at Ralph Lauren. Then I was off to the strip.

First I checked out the mall across the street from the Wynn, after exploring that I made way to the Venetian in the interest of running their vault dry. After a couple hands of Blackjack (GOAL!) I walked from the table a happy man $170 richer, somewhat meeting my goal. I decided to get on the road and make way to Cali. Sure enough on the way back to my car I couldn’t resist but gamble with a little of my earned cash. This proved to be a bad idea as I returned some of my gambled money right back to Vegas at the Wynn. NOW it was time to go for real.

I made it to right outside the Cali-Nevada border and decided to pull over for a lil nap action in a parking lot. I got up around 4 and got right back on the road. I had finally entered my destination state! A little while into Cali I needed to fill up the gas tank, this was something I had been dreading for awhile. Well, there was practical reason for that dread…


Yeah…*

* Note (To keep my father sane as he reads this): This is BY FAR the highest I’ve been paying for gas. In fact, the gas I have been paying surprisingly isn’t much higher than what I’ve heard is the average around Minneapolis. My last fill up was at $3.77/gal. I’ve certainly been putting the GPS search gas by price function down here.

While filling up I noticed a sign for a ghost town 4 miles down the road. And why not at 4:30 in the morning in the middle of nowhere in pitch black? Yeah, I’m the guy from the teenage horror flicks that are the reason the movie turns into a horror movie. So I drive the 4 miles with my brights on because it is straight black out. I go up the path to the ghost town and was greeted by a lit up entrance booth where people pay to tour the town. Next to the booth the gate was open to drive through. This kinda freaked me out; it was as if this ghost town was waiting for me. This was the point I decided I was done and up n hauled ass outta there.

I jumped back on the road, took a lil nap around dawn in a home depot parking lot about a hour out of LA, woke up and jumped right back on the road just in time for the middle of rush hour. I didn’t have too much of an issue with the traffic, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it’d be. Before I knew it I had arrived!

I'm still alive n kickin'

Sorry I went so long without updating this bad boy… I’ve been so busy these past few days with no opportunity to blog (that and when I do try to, its hard as hell to find free WiFi). I almost got around to typing up an update 2 nights ago, but I crawled in bed and conked out with the comp on my chest. I was so tierd from sleeping the previous 2 nights that simply seeing the bed coulda knocked me out like a baby.

So where did I leave you guys last? The middle of Utah was it? UGH get ready for a lot of reading as I get ready for a lot of typing…

Surf City, USA

Greetings from the surf city Huntington Beach!

Alot has happened since sitting in the middle of Utah...

BUT I'm in fricken Huntington Beach so I'm gonna go enjoy myself in the ocean and hopefully hit up the Angels game AND THEN I will do a little Blogage.

Day 2

Can't really beat that sunrise.

I sit right now in the Salina, Utah Super 8 Motel parking lot, borrowing their internet access to write to you. Salina is the first sign of human civilization into Utah after leaving Colorado. It was something upwards of 100 miles until there were any gas stations, but this little drive early this morning made for one of my favorite parts of the trip this far. The scenery, especially at sunrise was unbelievable!

Unfortunately I did have my first roadkill incident. Cruising along a gigantic bunny runs in front of my car and lucky enough for me I had the window open so I got a great listen at the sound a Element traveling 90 MPHs makes when it meets gigantic bunny. Atleast it wasn't Avalanche I guess...

Yesterday I was able to sleep in and as soon as Liz got back from her final it was time to explore southern downtown Denver. I came out from my shower and had a missed call from the lady who gave me the phone interview for the internship position. After listening to her voicemail to give her a call back I rang her up and was offered the intern position! I couldn't have been any more thrilled, I had worked hard to try to land this internship so it was a great treat. I begin Tuesday the 27th after I get back from this lil trip.

So after I got off that call I was ready for an enjoyable day. Liz's apartment is literally less than a five minute walk to the Pepsi Center, which is pretttttttttty amazing. We grabbed lunch at a Burrito place called Illegal Pete's, which has a Chipotle set up + full bar. I grabbed their equivalent of what I grab at Chipots + Margarita and was made a happy guy. After that we strolled the streets then went to the Pepsi Center to check out the Avs Pro Shop (GOAL!). There I picked up a beautiful Sakic jersey, Avalanche flag for my room, and a decal to go along with my Twins and Cyclones decals.

Speaking of the Twins... damn. Winning that BoSox series is huge! Unfortunately for me I didn't get to watch a single inning of it, but I was kept up to speed on each of the games and they sounded like they were playin'. I so thrilled they are going far beyond what was expected of them this year so far. Granted the central division is rubbish right now, I am proud of my Twins for showing up this season. Who woulda thought?! I can't wait til I get to see my boys in action next.

So back to the trip...

After walking back from the Pepsi Center (thank god for the walking cause that was a big burrito!) I got my stuff ready and head into the mountains. What an amazing drive, granted it was a little cloudy it was beautiful going up into the mountains, cruisin along blarin my music. As I got into Vail I decided why not do a lil exploring so I drove a little through the streets of Vail admiring the ridiculous houses and rolled into Vail Village. Of course it wasn't nearly as packed as it is in the Winter time, but it was really nice to park the car and walk through the village and sit down at their Starbucks for a lil while with my Hot Cocoa. When I got back on the road it wasn't too long til it started raining and began getting a little dark, which of course made for an interesting drive through mountains.

A few miles into Utah I pulled into a rest stop and called it a night. I woke up from from my leg cramping up (which it has been doing the past week or so in the middle of the night, driving me nuts!) so after running out of the car barefoot and stretching on the sidewalk I felt like hitting the road again. Which after a long road lead me here.

I am now gonna check out the "World Famous" Mom's Cafe for a lil breakfast, give my ride a lil gas and hit the open road.

Wish List

There will be more to come for sure, but these are some of the biggies! (COMPLETED)

Visit THE Pepsi Center: Home to the Colorado Avalanche, my very favorite NHL team. Making a pilgrimage to the home of the Avs would be a pinnacle moment in my life as an Avs fan.

Take Surfing lessons: Its been a long time since I've stood up on a surfboard, but every time I've surfed I have had the most amazing of times I've had. I have been a beach bum trapped in a Minnesotan's body my entire life. I plan on taking surfing lessons so that I don't make such a fool out of myself out there. Especially since I plan on digging into my bank account to...

Buy a surfboard: So yeah, an Iowa State student from Minnesota doesn't usually have a surfboard sitting in the corner of their room, but we all know I am very unique. Ever since I caught my first wave in Cocoa Beach I wanted to run up to Ron Jons and leave with a sick board to use and then bring home. It would actually fit in perfectly in my room because if you have seen my room before it is centered around the beach life (my bathroom, especially!) for sure so I always figured what sicker of a way to add to the room than with a board. Economically it somewhat makes sense as well considering if I were to rent a board from each beach I planned on being at for however long I was out, it'd def add up! So thats where the lessons come in, considering I'm gonna get a sick short board as opposed to a longboard which would be much easier for a beginner like me who hasn't surfed for years.

Spend a night(s) camping: I've actually never camped before and to be honest I can't believe I plan on doing it so the morning I wake up still in the tent will be a big one and pat-myself-on-the-back worthy. Of course I don't plan n completely rugging it out (remember I am Timmy, still) so fun stuff like showers might need to take place on a every other day basis at hotels or such. I'll be able to rinse down at the beach atleast.

Make a purchase on Rodeo: Hopefully my father doesn't see this and faint, but a tiny purchase on Rodeo would make the shopper in my life complete.

Play blackjack in Vegas: Its been awhile since I've thrown some down at Mystic, so for my blackjack champion comeback I figure why not in the gambling capital of the world. Plus any bit I can make helps ease the pain at the pump a little.

Visit Ron Jons (Cali): I have been obsessed with the Ron Jon surf shop in Cocoa Beach so I really wanna see if the Cali store measures up. Maybe I'll even get my board there... I'd also really like to visit Mavericks Surf Shop... that'd be baller!

See a celeb: Kinda self explanatory. Bonus points for a beautiful female celeb!

See a baseball game: This is a definite must! I'm most interested in seeing the Angles or Dodgers, maybe even the Padres and definitely not the Giants nor the A's. Bonus points for seeing multiple teams/multiple games! One of my life goals is being at as many baseball parks as possible... next trip is a park tour of the nation followed by a arena tour!

Spend a night on the beach: In my camping endeavors I best be presented with the opp to pitch my tent on a beach or even just crash under the stars. Can you think of much more relaxing than that? I think not!

Get a drink @ a hot LA bar: Now that this kid is 21, I can do that! I have no intention of getting plastered or even close, because in LA... c'mon that'd be scary. Chances are I take one look at the LA bar scene and turn right back around to the car, I don't plan on wasting the money I'd spend on my surfboard (or Rodeo) on ridiculously priced covers and drinks. Bonus points if a lady purchases me a drink (wait, this is LA, not Chi-town)

MOST IMPORTANTLY - Have a good time & relax!

Denver

Greetings from Denver, friends!

I hit the open road from Ames at 2 PM yesterday and of course my first stop of the trip was none other than the Omaha, NE Chipotle! I had made sure not to eat all day so that delicious burrito was only that much better. After that I was Denver-bound. I got in around 11 to my good friend Liz's at the downtown Denver Colorado campus. 

Her place is very baller, right outside the window, across the road sits Mile High stadium and in a distance you can catch a glimpse of the beautiful Pepsi Center. I am so bummed that the Avalanche couldn't have pulled out of their series versus Detroit so I could see that building all lit up and the Avs in action... Oh well, I plan on hittin the city and finding some Avs memorabilia and hopefully I'll be allowed to pick up a Joe Sakic jersey that I was supposed to get for christmas.

I couldn't have asked for a better drive down, with rain having been in the Iowa forecast days earlier I was lucky to have been graced with not a single drop the entire trip. Same thing happened in Denver today, last night the forecast called for rain today and this morning it had changed to sunny with highs in the 70s... amazing! Cruisin' with the window down n tunes blarin' couldn't have been much better. I was also able to just let my mind wander and look deep into things that I have needed to ponder. That was part of the appeal of coming alone, just being able to relax and try n evaluate some things in life.

Whenever I tell people that I was making the trip alone it was received with several different responses with the common undertone: I'm nuts. It only got better when I proceeded to share how I was leaving with not a thing planned, not even knowing how long i'd be gone or where exactly I was gonna end up in Cali. I couldn't have asked for a much better plan (or lack-thereof). Traveling by my own without a single plan allows me to be open to whatever comes my way. Of course I have a few goals and hopes for this trip, but other than that being able to be on my own going day-to-day couldn't excite me more. The lack of companionship along the trip will defiantly have some moments when I wish I had brought someone out, but this really is what I want and as I am today there are friends I will be seeing along the way and hell maybe even make a few, eh?