Back in NY

So we are here... we made it. It only took about 8,000 miles of driving and 32 days, but we are done! (For now, of course) We arrived here on Friday and have enjoyed the non-driving aspect of life. On the way up to the east coast we stopped off in Myrtle Beach, SC, where my friend Monica hooked us up with a sweet condo on the beach. Here's a pic of Wes looking oh so fine after a moonlit walk on the beach. Considering we both put on our yahoo personals page that it was one of our hobbies, we figured we had to go out for one.Knowing that it would be our last beach stop for a little while, we decided to stay two nights. We hit up Washington, D.C. on the way up and stood in front of this phalic symbol, which was apparently compensating for something... hmmm....

Also went to the National Air and Space Museum. Here's a picture of some guys space suit... Glenn something maybe... I don't know, some astronaut guy.

Nothing too crazy to report... as for now, we are on a different kind of journey, one that requires working....boooo!!

Southern Florida

We've spent the last few days in Southern Florida... arrived at the Everglades on Thursday night. No big deal... enter the park... find a campsite... set up camp. Ain't no thing! But wait… what we didn't take into consideration was the fact that we were in the southern most part of Florida in June. This doesn't sound strange... yet the story progresses. As soon as Wes jumps out and grabbed the tent, he declared that "The mosquitoes are already attacking me. I definitely need my jeans." Knowing that he had only been outside for about thirty seconds, I was secretly thinking that he was being a vagina. But, as I myself am one in mosquito situations, I agreed to grab both our sweatshirts and jeans before I went outside. So, as we both were tying our sweatshirt strings as tightly around our face as possible and swatting away a bazillion moskweetoes, we managed to throw the tent up. The true show of having the ability to work under pressure is to do it while being eaten alive. After finally making it inside, we had to spend about 20 minutes using a flashlight to make sure that we killed all the little skeeters that came in with us. To make it even better, it was about 95 degrees inside the tent. Okay, enough negativity. Remembering that was almost painful, but I guess next time a national park is not charging for camping because it’s the “off season”, I must realize there is probably a reason why most visitors are not there.

(we saved this little feller by the way)





Thankfully, we made it through the night. And thankfully, in the morning the skeeters were at least 75% less. We managed to find two tortoises, an osprey, a bunch of vultures, ibises, and egrets. Unfortunately, no crocs. Apparently it’s the off season. I’ll have to make a trip back when it’s the winter… maybe things will work out a little better next time.

After leaving the Everglades, or rather Everlames , we headed south to the Florida Keys. We figured since we were down that far anyway, we might as well check out this awesome tourist location. As we’re driving, we see water on both sides of the road, but the shores are trees, rather than sand. We start to get a little weary about whether or not there are actually beaches. We get all the way down to Key West… the last island of the keys and the southern most point in America (by the way, we have now both been to the northern most and southern most points in America… Barrow, Alaska and Key West, Florida). Upon finding 3 beaches in Key West, we can’t help but notice the murky, brownish water, which happens to reek of sulfur (rotten eggs for those of you who are not familiar), and the huge clumps of seaweed. And usually we wouldn’t be babies about it, but this water was as close to stagnant as an ocean can be before calling it a big lake. Now, just to be fair some people were loving it… but I should add that they were also the people who go swimming in their clothes… now you can decide. We end up saying “screw this place” and drive back up the keys for lunch and to call Mary from Anchorage (but formerly FL) who tells us that Bahia Honda State Park (about halfway down the keys) has an awesome beach, where we can also go snorkeling. We drive into this state park and find a few miles of beach (with the softest and whitest sand!) and clear water for about 200 feet. Okay, now we’re talkin. We grabbed out snorkeling gear and headed out past the shallows into the intertidal zone, where we spent some time kicking around and found some cool little fish, a crab, a lobster, a conch, a bunch of purple sea urchins, and many lovely feather dusters and sponges. It wasn’t crazy snorkeling, but it was exactly what we needed. Plus, we got to kick it in the shallows for a while, which was pretty darn sweet. Thanks for the heads up on that one Mary.

We left the park and jumped back into the car to drive up North a bit to Parkland, Florida (an hour north of Miami) to visit my Aunt Michelle, Uncle Vinny, and cousins Matt, Mark, and Brett. We just spent the last 3 days with them… visiting, laughing, and enjoying the daily thunderstorms that creep in everyday at around 2:00. We tried to go to the beach one day and learned quickly that we needed to get there earlier the second time. The next day, we were booted off by the rain at about 1:49, but were still able to get lots of sun and wave- jumping in. We also visited my Great Uncle Gilbert in West Palm Beach and my Grandmar in Delray Beach. We had the privilege of taking Grandma to Poppie’s restaurant, a Jewish deli/restaurant, which is probably only still in business because of the 55+ community that lives almost directly across the street. Our last night there we went out to dinner to celebrate my Aunts 50th birthday, which was delicious and very romantic (there was a piano man singing… that kind of thing will put anyone in the mood).

We left Tuesday morning… after finally shop vacking (yes that’s a verb) the car for the first time. We’ve just arrived in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina… let’s see what this tourist town has to offer…

4 days in one. Are you ready?

Okay, okay. It's been a few days since we've added to this ol' blog of ours. Can you blame us though? We're in Floridicalandsvilltonburgstownia! Nothin but bootiful beaches, refreshing ocean and expensive cocktails. We've made sure to get in the water everyday. The plentiful sun has given us quite the sexy tans (read: melanoma).

Monday we followed Dave and the two "A"s to Ft. Walton Beach beach (eh?). The worter there was pretty, pretty warm. Like bath water or maybe like 1000 immigrants relieving themselves into a strawberry farm irrigation ditch. Having water this warm leads to much algae it seems and I was having a hard time coaxing Jen into this green stew that was quite tasty I might add. Unk Dave was nice enough to take a picture of us together so there's no photoshop shenanigans here.

Tuesday morning we packed up, said our goodbyes and began the 500 mile trek to Tampa. We met up with my cousin Sarah and her fiance Nick for some authentic Floridian Chili's restaurant. After some burgers and brew (Oh ya, and quesadillas) it was very necessary to get in the hot tub at Sarah's housing complex. Apparently in warmer parts of the country, aka Not-Alaska, water temperature in hot tubs is equal to the ambient temperature. Very nice indeed.

The following morning we took an hour drive south to St. Petersburg to visit the Salvador Dali Museum (thanks for the idea John and Dee Dee). With paintings titled "The Great Masturbater", "Atmospheric Skull Sodomizing a Grand Piano" and "Gala Contemplating the Mediterranean Sea Which at Twenty Meters Becomes the Portrait of Abraham Lincoln" it was sure to be vaddy eenterestink. How often do you get to see the inner workings of a perverted mind? The guy definitely had some issues but without them he surely wouldn't have developed his ability to give visuals to the craziness that happens in the mind.

The museum had a lot more content than Jen and I had expected and we ended up spending quite a long time looking at test sketches, full paintings and tidbits of info. Eventually it was time to stop being wine-sipping, snooty, artsy types and get back to the dang ol' beach. This time we went to Clearwater Beach which did indeed have some fairly clear water.

***5 minute intermission. Grab a coffee, use the restroom, whateva***

(I need to take a break right here for some back story. I've had a pair of Oakley sunglasses for a few years now. During this period these Lazarus-like spectacles went through more deaths and resurrections than Jen playing the New Super Mario Bros. on the DS. Somehow no matter how badly they were bent I could always bend them back and reinsert the lenses. Okay sure, the lenses would fall out at the slightest nudge but they still kept the harmful UV A and B rays from damaging my retinas. Back to our story.)

I got totally, like, super excited when I saw the water and jumped right in with sunglasses still on my face. Not worrying about a thing I proceeded to frolic, prance and play in the surf with Jennifer and then the big one came. This wave was gargantuan (when compared to Vern Troyer) and the only thing either of us could do was trust our instincts and meet the wave head-on (apply directly to the forehead) diving right through it before it crashed. Well that bugger of a wave had some kinda hydro-turbulence behind it. Regardless of me flexing my temple muscles the glasses were being pulled into Davey Jones' Locker. Just when I thought they were gone forever, I felt them hit my foot and snagged them with my finger-like toe. I might have been able to hold onto them too had it not been for Jen making me cut my "disgusting Eagle talons". Alas it was not to be. The monster waves third cousin once removed came to play just a second later and finished the job. Ya I was sad but also a little relieved. You see I had been fighting with those darn lenses falling out the whole trip and now this was an excuse for some new shades. (consequently, Josh, order me up those new ones.) It was time to get over it and enjoy our day at the beach. We picked up where we left off, frolicking, etc, for another hour or so and just when we were about to leave I looked over at Jen as a wave of excitement rolled over her face. She dove under and I yelled, "Water you doing!" with the sort of pun-fueled enthusiasm I often have. Up she came graceful, yet powerful, fist clenched like four baby boas wrapped around their collective prey. My glasses (sans lenses)!

That night, after all the excitement at the beach, it was time to chill out. Sarah, Nick and some friends took us to a pier where the sunsets are supposed to be amazing. As we walked out on the pier in the dusk we noticed the beach moving. Upon closer inspection it turned out to be a shit ton of fiddler crabs. Very, very cool. These little fellers had shells only as wide as a quarter and the mature males had left claws about the same width.

^Click on this to enlarge^

After a crabby photo shoot we strolled to the end of the pier where people were fishing and we looked out across the bay. The clouds rolled onto the horizon right as the sun was setting and gave off a nice assortment of purples and blues. Right there in the shallows was what looked like a heron doing some fishing of his own. Jen caught the scene on camera:

So, today we left for the Everglades and then the Keys. On the way South we took a small detour to Siesta Keys Beach for a little more fun in the sun. This was the best beach we've been to on the trip thus far. The water was clear and the perfect temp, the sand was white and soft and Jen had plenty of things to shoot at . . . like these ibis nibbling:

It was a given that there was much fun to be had in the water. I think this pic illustrates it:

And that's all for this post. Yay! You made it all the way through. I'm proud of you.

Happy Fazhas Day!

For Father's Day I thought I'd give my Dad an exclusive first look at Billie's wedding video. Don't worry Billie, I'll burn all the footage to a DVD for you. Well Dad, long time no see. I'll probably see ya in August. Miss you.

Just a quick thanks to my dad for being awesome in every way! In case anyone is wondering where little Bear is, he already flew on the plane to New York and is having my dad watch him. We both thank you. To "Dad of Jen", I love you and hope you have a great day!

Through the South!

Hi everyone. Sorry it's been a few days since we've written. We spent two nights in Dallas, Texas with James (Jen's old roomie). It was an Anchorage reunion of sorts, only in a place where it's hot for the whole day. Luckily the hotel had a pool. Mix that with a lunch buffet and some cans of coors and I'll call it your everyday Texas party. Since we were there, we of course had to hit up "Texas Land and Cattle Steakhouse," which served only Texas shiner in 36 ounce mugs (or basically DUI in a glass). I was pleasantly surprised, but let me tell you, Texas knows how to serve up shrimp kababs. Of course we decided the smartest thing would be to walk to a bar close to the hotel... the local "Down Under Pub" or rather the place where all the Cougars go. Let me just tell you... the ladies in Frisco, TX party it up. The most fun thing about the night was riding home from the bar. How you ask? Well the path from the bar to the hotel leads you through a shopping complex and while on our way... we find a shopping cart. Like mature adults, James and I decide we'll ride in it while Wes pushes us (of course this was an easy way to get out of walking). The best part was when a cop rolls in the parking lot and like a good driver, Wes stops at the stop sign to let him by. No questions were asked, because of course he obeyed all traffic signs. I'll leave you with this visualization...

The next day we took Audrey in for her first check up... awwww. And she's doing just great. We drove straight through to New Orleans, where, as the hotel clerk notified us, the bars are open "till". The place sounds cool... you can drink any time at any bar because they don't close and you can walk around the streets and drink as long as it's not in a glass container. Yet, when you actually get there, you realize what this leads to, which is basically the opposite of people putting their best foot forward. I don't mean to conjure up these images in your mind, but imagine smelling beer, urine, vomit, and sweat all in one whiff.


Even with that... we ended up having a pretty fun night. Although we spent much of the time at St. Peter's Pub, part of the fun was walking around Bourbon Street and seeing all the drunkards.

There was this really cool drink shop that had mosaics throughout the whole thing. I was in awe. Seriously, putting all those pieces down had to take "patience my son".

We are now in Fort Walton Beach, Florida... barely in FL from Alabamer, visiting Wes's Uncle Dave and cousins Alex and Allison... who will be some fierce guitar hero competition. More to come later.

A Large Gorge

After leaving Uncle John's, we shot up north to see this canyon carved out by a river, apparently it's some kind of big deal. On our way, we were able to hit up the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, an astronomy research station. We were lucky enough to witness one of the cheesiest video presentations in years. It wouldn't have been so bad if it wasn't for the dramatic music, most likely featured in a Turkish monastery during a funeral of a high priest. Basically, a lot of powerful organ, coupled with phrases like "space is a very dark and cold place." But, we got to see some close-ups of Saturn and M5, a spiral star globulation, or as Wes put it: "a pinwheel".

We continued the drive up to Grand Canyon, but decided to pitch a tent off some side road. Instead of the corporate conformity of a campsite, we found a road less travelled in Kaibab National Forest. We set up camp right outside a gated fence (later to realize was a ranch) and took Audrey (yeah we just named her... although Wes prefers Adrianna) on her first off road experience, leaving her red with passion (aka soil dust).

Not camping in a campsite (where smelly humans and structures are around) really allows you to see what is actually going on "out there". During the night we heard scurrying jack rabbits (inside and outside of the tent), male and female elk mating calls (inside and outside of the tent), and the "meep meep" of a roadrunner. I woke up just before sunrise, as a true animal of nature and watched the sunrise next to the bovine creatures just on the opposite side of the fence. As the bird's began morning songs and the cows called their friends into the field for breakfast I felt as part of a world we (at least I) so rarely get to see... a private relationship that these animals are sharing with their world and each other... and I was only just catching a glimpse of their rituals.

The park was misty with fog so early in the morning, but the eeriness about it was actually pretty sweet. As the sun burned out the fog, we were able to see the power that water actually has. Crazy, who would have thunk that water can do all that? After a few minutes of taking it all in, we realized we each needed a little adrenaline rush...

Now we're staying the night in Santa Rosa, New Mexico, a town that probably lost most of its charm when Route 66 was no longer "The Route". So it goes. To Texas tomorrow... onward!

108 degrees? Pfft, no prob . . .

California was nice but it was time to sober up and start Eastward. We camped out in the Joshua Tree National Forest Sunday night. I've always wondered why they were called Joshua trees and never did find a good answer. When we woke up in the morning there were no trees to be found so we packed up and drove around aimlessly until we stumbled upon a patch of these elusive desert trees. It was instantly apparent, once we saw the fruit that the limbs bore, why they called them Joshua trees.

The park is located right in the Mojave Desert and incidentally it was very deserted.

The drive east was pretty desolate as well except for the occasional hot vehicle and . . .

. . . this weird setup where they seem to be trying to cool down the desert. Seems like a waste of electricity to me.We're now in Phoenix hanging out with John and Dee Dee. It's approximately a bajillion degrees, give or take a gazillion. We had some delish mexican food last night and did a little lazing around in the mall today. We're about ready to head to northern AZ.

In and Out of Cali

The night ends...

We arrived in Southern California (San Diego) a few days ago and have yet to post. Mostly because we've been beaching it up everyday and partying it up everynight; therefore not really having the chance. We've done 3 different beaches: Newport Beach, Pacific Beach, and Blacks Beach in La Jolla. The best for lying out was Pacific, the best for hacky sacking was Newport, and the best for jumping in some awesome waves and scoping out the hot men that So Cal has to offer was by far Blacks Beach. I've included a picture so you guys can all have a little taste as well. So, it wasn't the nude beach that was weird (hey, the human body is very natural), but the confusing thing was that many men were wearing hats and long sleeves shirts, but nothing else. Aren't they missing the most important body part that they need to protect from UV rays? (Perhaps protect their future children? Oh wait, these were mostly old men, so that wouldn't really matter...)

I thought I would let everyone know that I've progressed greatly in my hacky sacking skills since our daily practices. I can now hit it almost 3 times in a row. Yay! Of course no one's as good as this guy:

So it wasn't a terrible few days... getting tan during the day and going out in trendy Cali at night. After getting told to wait behind the rope at a nearby lounge, paying $12 for valet, and then told there was a $10 cover, we decided to ditch the pretentiousness and move along to the Waterfront Bar, featuring some awesome bar food, a popcorn maker (seriously, that makes a bar), and a fun reaggae band, with a very interactive lead singer (see right).

Here's some pics from the last few days:

Egrets (They were having so much fun eating they didn't even know I was there)

The night begins... Us with cousin Jaclyn and buddy Brett

A little how to . . .

First of all I'd like to thank everyone for the comments so far. It's cool having everyone along for the ride.

It seems that Blogspot isn't being the most user friendly. To post a comment you can either click on the title of the posts or you can click the comments link at the bottom of the posts. That'll take you to a page where you can enter your comment. I'm sure everyone got that part so far. The tricky part is underneath the comments entry field you have four options. Just click on the "name/url" button and then enter your name. Otherwise it comes up as anonymous and makes it hard to know who it's coming from.

So there we have it. A new post is coming tomorrow with some Cali pics and junk.