I’ve been having some fun reading my old site that I built in 2001/2002 using the WayBack Machine. I’m going to be posting some classic articles that I wrote from back then. Remember I was much younger then :-). The first is my journal from a cross-country trip that I took from Virginia to California. Enjoy it.

October 2002 was the time I had set for my move back to the San Francisco bay area from Virginia, where I had spent the last six months. I figured that since I was driving it would make a good excuse for a long road trip. My initial plans were to head west through Wyoming and then head north into Canada and all the way to Fairbanks Alaska. Well I made it as far as Edmonton before deciding to head west into British Columbia. I’m very dissapointed that I didn’t make it to Alaska but I had a great trip nontheless. The picture below shows my basic route. What follows on the next several pages is my journal written on the road and the photos that I snapped. The journal entries are basically exactly as I wrote them using my Sony Clie handheld.

Day 1 - Charlottesville, VA to SD

• Left C-Ville at around 11:00pm. Good weather and high spirits.
• Slept for 4 hours in Pennsylvania rest area
• Had Burger King breakfast then headed for Chicago
• Arrived in the windy city at around 3:30
• Had some mexican food and took some nice photos
• Had to take a dump somehwere in SD but the bathroom was nasty so I did it standing up. (This would become a regular method throughout the trip)
• It’s 8:07pm and there is a cool heat lightening storm
• It’s 10:34pm and everyone going the other way thinks I have my highbeams on so they flash theirs at me. My regular lights must be too bright.
• It’s around 1:00am now and I stopped on the highway to pee under the stars while looking at the vast South Dakota nothingness.

Day 2 - Mt. Rushmore to Montana

• Woke up to cloudy skies and light rain but the air is so fresh.
• Looked over the Badlands at 9:34am but didn’t go in because of the outlandish entry fee.
• Stopped at Wall Drug and had some lunch. This place is amazing. A shopping mall, church, restaurant, and 4 or 5 gift shops all in a drug store. I walked out with a soda without paying for it and I’m not sure why.
• It’s snowing at Mt. Rushmore but it is beautiful nontheless. I take some great photos of some mountain goats at the side of the road.
• Just finished climbing Devils Tower. Wow this is so beautiful. You pay $2 and you can climb all over the thing. I was thinking that Chris should come here because I know he’d love it.
• As I stopped for gas I realized that every man in Montana and Wyoming wears a baseball cap.
• The drive from Devils Tower to western Wyoming is harrowing because of heavy snowfall.
• I eventually make it into Montana and pull over somewhere to sleep sometime in the middle of the night.

Day 3 Montana to Edmonton, Alberta

• Beautiful sunny day in Montana. I see lots of great foliage and beautiful vistas.
• Stopped and washed the car in Great Falls and got some groceries.
• I just got stopped at the Canadian border. They made me pull over and I had to go inside for them to an ID check.
• Drove through Calgary which looks nice but I didn’t feel like looking around.
• Arrived in Edmonton at around 8:00. There are so many stores here.
• Walked around in the West Edmonton mall for about an hour. It is the largest mall in the world. There is a rollercoaster, ice skating rink, and every store you could ever think of.
• I started driving north to head to Alaska but bad weather and fatigue made me pull over and sleep.

Day 4 - Edmonton to Vancouver, BC

• I’m so glad I decided to head west because it took me through Jasper National Park. As I drive into the park all the mountains are snow-covered with a small layer of fog shrouding the peaks.
• This park is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. The mountains are snow covered.
• Got some great shots of some mountain goats.
• The drive from Jasper to Vancouver went through a lot of wilderness.
• I almost ran out of gas when I got to a toll booth. The guy said the next gas station was 30 miles away. I stood out in front of the toll booths and asked people if they had any gas in a can. Finally two guys had some gas and they let me have it.
• Vancouver looks just like SF. It’s really beautiful.
• I checked into the Four Seasons, the best hotel in the city. Patrick Stewart is checking in next to me. I ask if I can take a photo of him and he replies, “No I don’t take pictures.” He then shakes my hand and says “nice to meet you.” What a dick!
• It feels great to sleep in a bed and have a shower. I have a great view from the room.

Day 5 - Vancouver to Redmond, WA

• After waking up I walked around Vancouver a little and sat in Starbucks for a while.
• I offered to buy this homeless junkie breakfast. We had to walk around for like half an hour to find somewhere that took credit cards. I bought her a big breakfast at Burger King. I felt good and I thought to myself, “I’m such a good person.”
• Seattle looks cool but I head pretty much right for Redmond.
• Redmond is great. Kinda like Silicon Valley without asians or mexicans.
• I had a nice chat with this girl who worked in Zumies. I told her my whole story and she talked about her alcoholic father.
• Saw Moonlight Mile at a Redmond movie theater.
• Started heading east but got tired and pulled over to sleep.

Day 6,7, & 8 - Redmond to San Francisco, CA

• Visited Redmond again and read some stuff in Borders books.
• I headed to Portland and I was feeling very tired and lethargic.
• I pulled into a Marriot and got a room for the night and I basically slept for 15 or so hours.
• In the morning I had a nice breakfast and then headed for California.
• The ride down the coast was absolutely beatiful. Sometimes the road would drift away from the coast and through patches of hug redwood trees.
• I stopped several times at some beautiful beaches to take pictures and write.
• I spent the night at the beach listening to the surf and smelling the fresh ocean air.
• The morning was beautiful and I got some nice shots of the beach.
• The drive to San Francisco was very slow because of construction on Highway 1.
• Seeing the Golden Gate bridge gave me mixed feelings. On one hand I was glad to be in the bay area again. On the flip side, I was disappointed that my adventure was over and I wished that I could’ve went a little farther.