SLC Punk

Drove forever to get to Salt Lake City. Got there just in time to hit up an REI for cold gear for the Tetons. Found energy bars called Hammer Bars, which made me very happy. It was great seeing Justin (an Eastern Mountain Sports whipping boy) deep inside enemy territory. He helped Joe and I get outfitted for trips and he tried to learn all he could about all outdoor sports. This is Justin's shit, if you don't believe me, check out my man's facebook employment status.

We then proceeded to our hostel, which was a dump. But the guy running the place was the Man. Loved Sherman, or as I fondly refer to him, "The Shermanator". Our reservations were all screwed up and had the crew separated, so The Shermesiter set us up in his room and then directed us toward a place he excitedly referred to as "Restuarant Row"... pretty sure he came up with that himself. My man loved to laugh out loud, loudly. Had a hard time sleeping because it was very hot, I was thirsty, and people kept waking me up. A few dudes were outside the window drinking at 3 am, and they would have fit nicely into the Newark Not-So-Goods crew back home.

Got up early and split. Would have been nice to see more of SLC, but we were ready for the long drive to Grand Teton NP in Wyoming.

Reno 911

Man, this place was exactly like the TV show. I don't think we saw more than 5 people our age the two days we were there. This was an unplanned stop, as we left Yosemite early due to not having any warm clothes. Got in and set up shop in a 4-star hotel called Siena and grabbed some food at Harrah's. Not before I got my first shower since San Diego (4 days) and chilled in a robe sipping wine with my boys. Then we were off and I was set to win all the money back I lost in Vegas. Ended up breaking even again and swore off Roulette forever, after another night of massive highs and crushing lows.

Next morning Joe and I pondered whether or not to get another massage, and decided against it. Hit the pool for a while and just relaxed, Reno-style. Later in the day went to check out the city more and became a little more impressed when we found a nice area. Then I decided to attempt suicide by eating nachos, onion rings, a huge sandwich and French fries, along with some dark beer. Felt the worst I have ever felt in my entire life and went to the bathroom to try and puke some of it out, but couldn't (no gag reflex). So I went back to the room, put the robe on, and digested for an hour. Back to the wonderful casino in Siena, and played 50 cent Roulette, vowing to play with my brain and not my heart (AKA trying not to lose $100+). Must have worked, because when all was said and done, I only lost 80 bucks. Woke up in the morning ready to get to Salt Lake City and will never be going to Reno again!

Yosemite National Park

Not much to say about this because we didn't stay as long as planned. We arrived around dusk and it was getting really cold. All of us were unprepared for cold weather so we decided to nix the two-day, 28-mile hike and instead do a quick 7-mile day hike up to Cathedral Lake the next morning and then split for Reno. Yosemite is a very cool place, with alpine meadows and high peaks. There was a lot of snow still on the ground, which makes sense considering we were around 8000-9000 feet elevation. The hike to Cathedral Lake was fun and not too hard, and once we reached it we were speechless. It is a large lake fed by melting snow from the peaks and cliffs surrounding it, right in the middle of an alpine meadow. Made a quick descent back to the car, and made our way to Reno.

West Side Y'all (California)

In San Diego we stayed with Justin’s family in a nice place. Had a BBQ which hit the spot and then went to see the Pacific. Justin and Joe went in but I has holding out for a more magical time to do so. Proceeded to downtown San Diego and checked out the Gaslamp Quarter. This place was a good time, especially for a Tuesday night. Came back, hit the sack, and in the morning went to breakfast on the beach at a really good restaurant. Played some Wii Mario Kart while our laundry dried and then hit the road for L.A.

Got to Los Angeles around dinnertime and met up with Justin’s friend Meggie. Ate dinner and hung out at a place called Busby’s. Don’t really know where it was in relation to anything cool but it was a good time. Felt like a short night, and waking up on the futon with Justin at 7 am was painful. Good time in L.A. though and wish we could have spent more time there.

Drove around 8 hours up the Pacific Coast Highway which was beautiful. Stopped by Pebble Beach to check out the golf course which was also beautiful. I bet the waiting list and the price to play there is insane. Got to Santa Cruz and ate and met up with Joe’s friend Janet. After deliberating whether to camp on the beach or in a state forest, we decided instead to have no plan and wandered around town. Santa Cruz is an interesting place. By interesting, I mean it is a town full of characters. Around 2 in the morning I decided the timing was right to take a dip in the Pacific, and found it to be freezing but after a few minutes I was numb and having a ball. Scouted out crappy, rundown motels and decided to go with the National 9 Motel which was hilarious in every regard. No mirror, caddy-corner beds, and a TV held to the ceiling with bungie-cords and belts. It was awesome.

Stopped at Janet’s uncle’s near San Jose to drop off some stuff and then made the drive to San Francisco. This was my second trip to SF and just like last time, I was sad when it was time to leave. The hostel was nice and it was great to finally get a shower again. Justin, like always, led us on an adventure that led us through the shopping district(?), Chinatown, and eventually to Fisherman’s Wharf. Some of those climbs up the steep streets were reminiscent of the Smokies and Zion. Hit up some touristy establishments, and eventually Justin and I got separated from Joe and Janet. Ended up at a real cool place in North Beach called the Bus Stop and then somehow Justin was gone too. I eventually took a cab back to the hostel and called it a night. But not before reuniting with everyone, spilling stuff everywhere, and eating Justin’s food. Great night!

Next day we checked out some sights in SF, and the highlight was a still-hungover Janet throwing up on the Golden Gate Bridge. Classy, and classic. Walked back to get the car through a very bad area where we saw some sights of an entirely different nature! Got to the car and made our way to Yosemite.

Vegas - An Emotional Rollercoaster

This place was nuts. To make a long story short, we waited in line for an hour to check in, lost a lot of money on roulette, won it all back, hit the strip, lost a ridiculous amount of money on roulette, won it all back, then won a ridiculous amount of money on roulette. You get the picture. By the end of night 1, Justin and Joe were up, and I had just about broken even.

Day 2 was similar. Except I lost some money and got a massage. Had a goofy dance party in the hotel room and then went to get some dinner, where Justin was not impressed with the service (and he let them know it). More ups and downs with roulette. Let’s just say I came out of Vegas with a lighter wallet then I arrived with. And the worst part is, I don’t think I learned any lessons from it! I had a blast here despite struggling in the casino and it was definitely a lot of fun losing!

Zion Nat'l Park

After Buckskin Gulch we drove a few hours to Zion National Park which is also in Utah. Once we arrived we set up camp and checked out some of the nearby sights. We took it easy because the next two days would involve a lot of hiking.

I thought the hike at the Smokies in NC was the hardest thing I have ever done. The hike at Zion blew it out of the water though. The first day we did 9 miles, most of which involved steep ascents up canyons and cliffs. I think it took us around 6.5 hours to get to the backcountry campsite. Very difficult, but entirely worth it. The views from up top were indescribable. It is a great feeling to look down at how I had come, knowing that I had to work so hard to reach that point. It was nice to unwind by enjoying what I saw. After setting up camp, it was late afternoon and we all passed out for a few hours, then made some delicious dehydrated meals, and passed out for the night.

This was mountain lion country but I wasn’t too worried because

a) I am good with cats

b) Apparently, mountain lions run away if you throw rocks at them and fight them back

Needless to saw, I was very excited to encounter a mountain lion so I could whoop its ass and use the story to make myself look cool. However, I was not lucky enough and will have to just pretend I did.

The next morning we woke up early and hiked back down. This time it was almost entirely downhill, as we just were coming back the way we came. Hiked at a much brisker pace, despite Justin suffering severely from mucus/cold problems, and got back to the bottom in a around 3.5 hours. Stuffed our faces with burgers, pizza, and hot dogs, and then loaded up the car and departed for Las Vegas!

Zion National Park

After Buckskin Gulch we drove a few hours to Zion National Park which is also in Utah. Once we arrived we set up camp and checked out some of the nearby sights. We took it easy because the next two days would involve a lot of hiking.

I thought the hike at the Smokies in NC was the hardest thing I have ever done. The hike at Zion blew it out of the water though. The first day we did 9 miles, most of which involved steep ascents up canyons and cliffs. I think it took us around 6.5 hours to get to the backcountry campsite. Very difficult, but entirely worth it. The views from up top were indescribable. It is a great feeling to look down at how I had come, knowing that I had to work so hard to reach that point. It was nice to unwind by enjoying what I saw. After setting up camp, it was late afternoon and we all passed out for a few hours, then made some delicious dehydrated meals, and passed out for the night.

This was mountain lion country but I wasn’t too worried because

a) I am good with cats

b) Apparently, mountain lions run away if you throw rocks at them and fight them back

Needless to saw, I was very excited to encounter a mountain lion so I could whoop its ass and use the story to make myself look cool. However, I was not lucky enough and will have to just pretend I did.

The next morning we woke up early and hiked back down. This time it was almost entirely downhill, as we just were coming back the way we came. Hiked at a much brisker pace, despite Justin suffering severely from mucus/cold problems, and got back to the bottom in a around 3.5 hours. Stuffed our faces with burgers, pizza, and hot dogs, and then loaded up the car and departed for Las Vegas!

Utah: Buckskin Gulch

Let me start off by saying this place was in the middle of NOWHERE in Utah. There was a small, unmarked road off the highway which led to the campsite. 14 miles on that took about 35 minutes because it was so rough. The area looked straight out of the movie The Hills Have Eyes, which I had just watched the day before on my iPod, so naturally I was freaked. As I put it at the time, in terms of being scared, I was at about a 4 out of 10 on the scared meter. We finally got to the campsite, which was devoid of life. Once the sun started going down, the temperature dropped rapidly and I also decided to be a man and stop being nervous. Made some food and a fire and went to bed pretty early. That night was FREEZING. The morning was even colder. Justin and I woke up right before sunrise to watch the sun come up over the hills. It was so cold that we ended up watching it from inside his car. Not going to lie, I think the two of us had a moment. Until Joe came out of the tent with his asscrack hanging out (100th time of the trip we saw this) and ruined it.

There were a bunch of wild cows walking around the campsite and every time they would MOO we would all crack up. Headed over to the Wire Pass trail which would lead us to Buckskin Gulch, which is a slot canyon. There was some French guy who barely spoke English trying to "help" us but he really just confused us about the need for permits, the right way to go, etc. I guess I should add that the only map we had was the one that Justin claimed was "inside his head". So we ended up going the wrong way and after about 15 minutes, the crazy French guy shows up again and tells us "WRONG WAY"... and we turned around. Finally found the right way and got to Buckskin Gulch. This was the most ridiculous thing I will probably ever see in my life. There were points where the sun wasn't visible and other points where the canyon walls were barely wide enough to fit your shoulders through. I can't possibly describe what we saw in words, so check out the pictures on Justin's blog (link on the side) for that.

Coolest place I think I have ever been to.

Grand Canyon

Next stop for us was the Grand Canyon. We checked out the North Rim which Justin said was the better side and not as visited. Got there and walked along the edge and was amazed. I couldn't even comprehend some of the things I saw...everything just looked like a painted backdrop. We were also surprised that the lodge had a saloon (haha). Set up camp and made a fire and just hung out. The next day the fellas went on a hike down into the canyon and I stayed behind because the blisters still were not fully healed. I hung out at the lodge all day and just checked out the views some more and flip-flopped around. From the way the guys looked when they got back from the hike, it may have been a good thing that I skipped it. Joe apparently was close to death, and we have a hilarious picture to prove it. Maybe if I ever upload more pictures it will be on here (probably not). Fun stop, and got a good chance to let my blisters heal a little more before Buckskin Gulch.

Albuquerque, NM and Flagstaff, AZ

Wow, it has been a while. A lot has happened and I haven't had much time to get on here. I am writing this from Las Vegas, which will be a blog in itself eventually, but now I only have time for one post.

After Texas we had a long drive to Albuquerque. Nice place and nice views, but not much going on in the summer. We hung out near UNM but it was pretty dead, had a nice meal at a local estab. and then walked around campus and the city a little. Ended up having a "party" in the hotel room that involved one beer each and all falling asleep by 11pm. And that's all I have to say about 'Querque.

Next stop was Flagstaff, AZ which was AWESOME. We had a three-bed room at the hostel, which was a big deal to us. Walked around town, which at the elevation was very chilly (good thing) and ended up at some bar and proceeded to have a blowout. Ordered some girly drinks, then some more girly drinks. Also had some manly brew called Moose Drool. Some guy outside was harassing me which was funny. He gave a great quote which was directed at me... "A dog has more class than you, mang". So we laughed at him because he was trying real hard to be a gang bangin' thug, and moved on to do some karaoke to Brick House by The Commodores and then a Killers song. Both were disasters, but I am used to being on stage so I had some pretty sw33t moves and put my boys to shame. Just a side note, by this time, Brick House had officially become the anthem of our trip, and we have listened to it an average of 34 times a day. I like ladies stacked, and that's a fact, ain't holdin' nothin' back!

Whenever I get a chance I will update again for Grand Canyon, Buckskin Gulch, Zion National Park, and Vegas. All good times.

Lone Star State

This trip is getting so nuts so quick. I didn't think anything could match the amount of fun we had in Louisiana. Then we got to Texas.

First stop was overnight in Dallas. We were all beat from the New Orleans the night before, and after a long, long drive we got into Dallas. Let me just say our EconoLodge room was nothing short of amazing. Busted AC, malfunctioning locks and sinks, broken TV...it got 1.5 stars on Hotels.com! Went to a rooftop patio at a place called Gator's in the West End and just relaxed for a bit. Pretty cool band was playing and we all got a turn on the cowbells. Then we just headed back to our fantastic room and I finally somehow got my first decent night of sleep.

Next day was awesome. Long drive to Lubbock, TX to meet up with Justin's friend Caitlin. Hours and hours of absolutely nothing except wind farms. But it was beautiful. Finally got to Lubbock, which for all of you back home is pretty much like the Dover/Salisbury of Texas. Except instead of being boring, we had a crazy time. Hung out and saw the sights with Caitlin and her friend Rachel. Quickly turned into a backseat dance party in the car which then became a full-blown five-person dance party back at the apt. Joe and I had a very special moment together sharing the always smooth taste of Keystone Light, except instead of back home, it was out of BOTTLES. BRILLIANT! Also, Lubbock is a dry town so right outside of it there is a place called "The Strip" which is basically a row of liquor stores which a bunch of florescent lights and it was ridiculous. The whole night was so much fun between the dancing, eating, staying up until the sun came up with Rachel, Joe apparently wandering into a girl's room, more dancing, and oh yeah, forgetting to eat dinner somewhere along the way. So the next morning after a refreshing one-hour sleep on the floor, I realized I my stomach was eating itself from the inside. A trip to a place that served Mexican food for breakfast (and charged me for my water) solved that, and then we hit the road to get to New Mexico. It was my turn to drive, but I only lasted an hour and Justin had to take over.

Pictures

I am in Albuquerque right now, just added some photos to my flickr page.

New Orleans

Man, this place was a blow out. New Orleans is crazy. Hung out at the pool at the hostel for a little while and then headed to Bourbon Street. This has been the best stop so far and it will be hard to top. I’m falling asleep while writing this so I will just give the highlights.

*Joe disappearing from the bar, while in possession of a girl’s cell phone. Looked for him for hours and finally caught a cab back to the hostel, only to find him passed out in his bed. The phone is still M.I.A.

*Huge Ass Beers To Go

*Bars packed, no lines, taking drinks from one bar into another is normal, open containers are normal.

*Coming back to the hostel with unauthorized guests at 4am and probably waking up everyone in the hostel in the process.

* “You have gotten me into party mode now. You have no idea what you’ve gotten yourself into” - Justin

Atlanta

Took the subway to the Underground Atlanta, which is just a crappy mall. Then got on a shuttle and went to Turner Field to see the Braves play the Marlins. Obviously, I hate both teams but it was more beneficial to the Phils to have the Braves win. So for one night, I “rooted” for Atlanta (actually I just hated them less than the Marlins). Chipper Jones did hit his 400^th career home run which was a cool thing to see.

Back at the hostel, I was trying to plug my cell charger in and knocked a glass of water all over some guy’s iPod, headphones, papers, and other stuff. I wiped it up best I could while Joe guarded the door. To complete the cover-up, we refilled the glass to make it appear as if nothing had happened, even though everything was all messed up now. I did not sleep well that night because I was thinking the guy was going to interrogate everyone in the room upon discovering the tragedy. Funny thing is at 4 am, he stumbled and knocked the glass over again. In the morning, he was listening to his iPod so I guess I got away with it.

Random Thoughts From the Smokies

*Water purified and drank immediately from the source in the woods just seems to taste better than any other kind of water (except maybe Vitamin Water).

*Bear Anxiety is the worst type of anxiety

*Blisters on your heels that are 2+ inches wide are not fun. Especially when they are open.

*I think it is about as difficult to hike downhill as it is to go uphill.

GSMNP Cpntinued...

We were originally going to hike 13 miles to a backcountry campsite and finish the next day with another 8 miles. We ended up deciding to add 6 extra miles on the first day in order to reach the top of Mount Cammerer. This was mostly uphill and at times at very steep inclines. The view from the top was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen and I am glad we did it. The hike itself pushed me to my limits both physically and mentally. By the time we got back to the car, we had hiked around 26 miles. Definitely the hardest thing I have ever done from a physical standpoint, but well worth it.

I have to take the time here to clear up some rumors that may be flying around. On Justin’s blog, he is claiming that your pal Papa Stevsie was afraid of bear attacks. It may be true that we spent the night in the backcountry and Joe and I heard a bunch of loud noises. It may be true that these noises alarmed us. It may even be true that we woke up Justin Moses, Licensed Bear Expert, to convey our concerns. But to claim that I was afraid of bears is absoulutly ridicu—OK you got me, I barely slept a wink that night due to bear attack anxiety. (The next morning, Joe actually did spot a black bear running through the woods).

Richmond, Asheville, Great Smoky Mountains

We hung out with my family down in Virginia for the first night of the trip. It is always a good time down there. A huge thank you to them for hosting us! We just relaxed, played some wiffleball, and prepared for the big hike the next day.

Up very early for the long drive to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee. Before we reached the Smokies we stopped off in Asheville, NC to check it out. Had hoped to see the Biltmore Estate but the admission was steep so we hit up a couple bars instead. Saw an anti-war protest as well as a bunch of punks and hippies. It felt like I was back on Thompson Circle (LOLOL).

By the evening we had arrived at the Smokies and Joe and I built a miserable little fire that didn’t last too long. I wasn’t able to sleep very well because I was excited to hike the next day. For some reason or another, I have not gotten a good night’s sleep since.