The South, and then further south

I know, I know. It has been over a month since I last blogged. I may or may not have been distracted trying to get ready for the next step - Peru and Bolivia. I also have been busy with music stuff because THE ALBUM FINALLY CAME OUT. If you haven´t already, you can buy it from our website www.munnyandthecameraman.com.

I left you last in Jackson Hole, Wyoming where I had two very lovely hostesses. From there I drove back to Denver to chill out for a while, then I flew to Maine for Bowdoin´s homecoming, then back to Denver to retrieve Penelope and the rest of my belongings. I left Denver at some point in mid-October and drove back to Mississippi via a stopover in Kansas City, Missouri. I then went with my folks up to the cabin in North Carolina for a week of R&R before returning to the hospitality state to finish packing and head out for Peru on October 30th. I landed in Peru late on Saturday night and I´ve been kicking it in Lima the last couple of days. From here I´m heading to Ayacucho and then on to Cusco (or at least that is the plan). Below are some musings from the last month or so.

• Kansas is the worst state to drive across. It is nothing but wheat fields and oil wells. But I did learn from a billboard that Obama is a wanna be Marxist dictator and that Pornography hurts, Jesus saves.
• There is a town in Arkansas that is voting on whether or not to be dry, so all the churches (except the Catholic and Episcopalian ones) have signs out front saying ¨Vote Dry,¨ which I think is rather unfortunate for the guy running for Senate whose name is Boozeman.
• The people in Peru may be short, but we´re not in Vietnam any more, Toto. You can actually cross the street here without ducking behind eldery people. And, get this - they actually stop at traffic lights!
• Lima may be a fog-cloaked city perched on cliffs above the Pacific where you hear mostly spanish and you´re worried about earthquakes, but it´s similarities with San Francisco end about there. The main part of the city is actually flat, the rainbow flags don´t mean what you think they do, and the day after Halloween is far more important than trick-or-treating.
• I think there is a glitch on my transcript from Bowdoin. There is no way I took (and passed) spanish 101. I don´t even know how to say ¨What´s your name?¨ My default is just to add ¨o¨ after the english word. For example, ¨May I have-o a rum & Coke-o, please-o?¨Okay, not really - but I do sound pretty ridiculous. I am signed up for a spanish class for a month in Cusco and I think it´s probably a good idea. Of course, that means I have a week to get from Lima to Cusco overland speaking-o little-o spanish-o. Wish me luck.
• The world is small. I mean, really small. I was hanging out in the lobby of my hostel last night when I hear, ¨Munny?¨It was Rachel Rasby, who used to be my neighbor in DC. Not only are she and her brother staying at my hostel, we slept in the same room my first night and we didn´t even know it.

Alright, I´ll blog more regularly, I promise. But for now the task is to successfully and safely travel the 30 hours by bus to Cusco this week. I have a feeling this will give me some good writing material...

Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks

I left Dillon early last week and headed into Yellowstone. And, let's just say that Yellowstone and I didn't get off to a great start. I arrived sometime around noon, which is usually plenty of time to get a lay of the land and find a place to camp. But that didn't happen and I ended up driving an additional 2 hours to the other side of the park to find a campsite in Shoshone National Forest. Not a good way to welcome a wayfaring traveler. I spent a total of 4 days in Yellowstone and then 2 days in the Tetons before making my way down to the other Jackson, where I am currently plugged in at Jackson Hole Roasters.

Okay, so Yellowstone is pretty iconic, so it had to be on my route. But I am not in any rush to return for several reasons:

• The whole place smells like rotten eggs, thanks to the crazy geological mystery that are sulphur geysers.
• Traffic is comparable to Boston (not quite like Vietnam, thank god), except composed almost entirely of RVs and oversized SUVs. And this is mid-week after Labor Day. God help you if you go there in July or August.
• A word on RVs: They are all named something. Some are quite pleasant (The Chalet, Sightseer), some almost depressing (Sunsetter), and some prophetic (The Clipper almost ran me off the road while I was biking the other day).
• You can wake up to the sound of male elk bugling, which in theory sounds like it'd be rather nice. However, as a good friend put it, "I don't understand who decided it was 'bugling.' It sounds more like those headless ghost things in that movie about Hobbits and Elves" (she was referencing Lord of the Rings). It's a rather creepy sound and it's hard to believe that is their mating call. But then again, I don't know what Marvin Gaye sounds like to elk...
• Bison in Yellowstone are how I imagine cows are in India - everywhere and always given the right-of-way, which means they constantly cause traffic jams. I never knew I would come to dislike a species of wildlife so quickly.

On this entire trip I have been lucky enough to see plenty of wildlife (although, I am sure to Captain Saftey's pleasure, no grizzly bears). The wildlife includes the following: pika on Mount Elbert, a few dozen dolphins off the coast of Santa Monica beach, harbor seals on the northern coast of California, a black bear on Mt. Hood, Roosevelt Elk in the Redwoods, 2 black bear in the Olympics, 2 yellow-bellied marmots in Olympics, mountain goats in Glacier, a mamma and her 2 black bear cubs in Glacier, pronghorn antelope in Montana, bison, elk, mule deer in Yellowstone, a coyote that literally snuggled with my wool hat that I accidentally dropped on the trail in Yellowstone, and two moose along the Cascade Canyon in the Tetons.

Despite not getting along well with Yellowstone, I LOVED the Tetons. I camped at Jenny Lake, which is for tents only and as soon as I arrived I let out a sigh of relief. Finally, I was surrounded by my kind of people - the ones who come to the woods to actually be outside. The first day I took an 8 mile hike and a 18ish mile bike ride on a paved trail. The second day I took an 18 mile hike followed by a 8ish mile bike ride. Talk about a marriage of my favorite things...

I am, sadly, done with the woods for at least a week. I am in Jackson until Wednesday, when I drive to Denver. From there it's either Maine, North Carolina, or Mississippi. Yes, I know - none of those destinations is remotely close to Colorado, nor to each other. I am buckling down on planning the next international trip, so if you (or someone you know) has info on Central or South America, please let me know!

Hiked up Mount Washburn in Yellowstone

The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone from Artist Point

Typical.

Sunrise over Yellowstone Lake. I had to wake up this early to snag camping spots.

The Tetons

Biking in the Tetons. My kind of place.

Cascade Canyon

Lake Solitude

6 Months In and More To Go

Three days ago (September 10th) marked my 6-month anniversary of leaving DC and the old life behind. It is hard to believe it has already been 6 months and there are (hopefully) at least that many left ahead. But so far, I haven't tired of life on the road. I get antsy when I stay in one place for more than 3 nights (which hasn't happened since July something, by the way). Some folks have restless leg syndrome, I appear to have restless adventure syndrome. Life is outrageously good.

I am writing from a small coffee shop in Dillon, Montana, hometown of one fabulous rugger friend from college whose parents are generously hosting me for two nights in between Glacier and Yellowstone/Tetons adventures. As a recap: from Portland I drove to Seattle to pickup another hostage over Labor Day weekend and headed to the Olympic Peninsula for a backpacking trip. After recouping in Seattle for a couple of nights I headed east to Montana. I spent a few nights and days in Glacier hiding from grizzly bears and then worked my way to Dillon in southwest Montana. And, as always, more musings below:

• Fog and general grey weather make cities look grungier. It seems to me that the whole "grunge" image of Seattle isn't about the music or people, but entirely created by the cloud that seems to hang over the city.
• Portland, Oregon is a city of my people. Any town that is essentially obsessed with coffee, beer, bicycling, and the great outdoors can win me over as quick as a Yankee walks (that is fast, by the way). In fact, when I was in Portland they were having one of their monthly First Thursdays where we obtained both free beer and free food. Say no more.
• If you ever happen to be driving across the state of Washington, do not be duped by the signs for free coffee at the rest stops. It will make you want to swear off anything called coffee ever again. It makes Waffle House coffee seem like Pete's. I'm still spitting it out.
• For all those who say the stimulus package isn't doing anything, I can personally attest to the fact that there are people employed reconstructing what seems like every road I take. Thank you, President Obama, for slowing down my state traversal.
• After being inundated with warnings from Captain Safety I invested in a bear bell to wear while hiking. So far, I have not been eaten by a bear while solo hiking so I suppose it is working. But it has the unfortunate side-effect of making me feel as if I should always hear a ringing in my ear. Life out of the wilderness seems eerily quiet.
• In Montana, a store must sell three essential items to be called a "general store:" guns, liquor and beach balls. Why this land-locked state loves beach balls in their general stores, I know not, but alas there they are.
• Dear Montana, I think you should meet my cell-provider, AT&T. Clearly, you two are unacquainted...
• "Taking a float down the river" sounds like easy work, right? Well, you've clearly never volunteered to oar while someone is fly fishing off the stern, have you? It was a beautiful day in Montana and my gracious hosts took me out for a Montana experience. It was certainly fun, but oaring a little boat down a river that likes to push you into the rocky banks ain't just a "float."

Camping spot on 3-day backpacking trip in Olympic National Park



Hannah "Sauce" Wadsworth, my second official hostage on our backpacking trip



Grinell Glacier



Hiking up to Granite Park in Glacier National Park



This photo is real, I promise. Glacier.

Morning sky in Glacier from the Many Glacier campground

I may have forgotten to zoom out before I tried the self-shot. Still, it's a pretty park.

Big Trees and a Word on the Weekend

As far as I can tell, the rumors about the Pacific Northwest are true: there are big trees and there is plenty of fog.

My recent hostage and I left Berkeley a week ago and drove north on 101. We drove to Portland via Redwoods National and State Parks, the Oregon coast, and Mt. Hood National Forest. We're staying with another Bowdoin-ite and are ever-grateful for his offerings of shelter and shower. I plan on being in Portland for a couple of days before jetting up to Seattle to take my next hostage, this one to accompany me into Olympic National Park over the long weekend. A word on showers, weekends, and other musings below:

• Okay, okay, I know. I've always known. Redwoods are big trees. I've seen the pictures of people driving their cars through the trunk. I even had the National Geographic centerfold pin-up of that gorgeous Redwood on my wall in my last apartment. But still they are something you have to see in person to really comprehend. The Redwoods are so big, in fact, that they pretty much blocked out my satellite radio for the entire time we were driving through them. Might I recommend creating a mix CD or an iPod playlist before entering into the Redwood Forest via automobile...
• Perhaps it is the long hours in the car that makes me more susceptible to crack up about something, but I find that signs for signs hilarious. In a number of places up Route 101 there will be a sign on the road that will say the following: "Information Sign 1/4 mile." I know we're in a recession and all and we're trying to create jobs for people, but these signs seem a tad excessive.
• Weekends are wretched. I hate them. I know you don't understand because you're likely reading this from your little cubicle in some big office building counting down the hours until Friday releases you into the upcoming long weekend. When I left DC I had a realization that basically my life is now Saturday after Saturday - and what a wonderful feeling that was! But as a camper in national and state parks of late, I have come to loathe Saturday. The problem with Saturday is that everyone else wants to come hang out in the woods, too. This means my choice of campsites becomes limited (or eliminated entirely in some cases), there are obnoxious children riding circles around the parking lots on noise-making bicycles, and inevitably there is more traffic on the road. I would love nothing more than Tuesday to be put on repeat until I am finished with this excursion.
• I have learned along the road that while campfire smoke is, in my opinion, a lovely smell, it only does so much when acting as a perfume to cover up other hiking odor. If my only goal on this trip were to really come to appreciate cleanliness, then I'd consider mission accomplished. This would be in the W-kind-of-way with a banner and all, not the Obama-kind-of-way where it is a rather sophisticated argument about what success really means. No big words here: I appreciate a shower - it is perhaps the greatest achievement of civilization.

The land of really really big trees

The Pacific Ocean was a steady companion on my left side from L.A. to Portland

Made it to Oregon

I knew I would like Oregon when the first place we stopped into had this sign posted by the counter

Sunset on the Oregon coast

One of these things is not like the other: Arches, Zion, L.A.

I spent three nights and as many days in the Moab area before heading southwest to Zion National Park. After driving that 5.5 hours through barren, lonely desert I can see why the Mormon pioneers gave it its name. Speaking of naming, I think the Native Americans lost this contest in southern Utah. I know a number of places in the U.S. have reverted back to the native name of a place (Denali, for example) but not southern Utah. In Zion, there are features and hikes such as the Great White Throne, the Altar of Sacrifice, the Court of the Patriarchs (which, in order are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob), Angel's Landing, and the Virgin River. Essentially, it's a religious theme park...

I spent three days and nights in Zion before heading southwest again, this time to Los Angeles. I'm not one who ever had much interest in the home of Hollywood stars, but my motive had less to do with seeing Brangelina and more to do with taking a college friend hostage for the trip up the coast. Mission accomplished, by the way. We're currently stopped in Berkeley so she can gather a few of her things and then we're heading on up to the Oregon coast. And as usual, a few observations about where I've been of late below:

• My mother, also known to my friends as Captain Safety, keeps warning me of potential peril in the great outdoors. The latest has been frequent updates on the bandits from Arizona who may or may not be camped out in National Parks. My mom's suggestion for avoiding the bandits is "If you pull into a campsite and there's a dodgy looking couple then just keep on driving." I am sorry Mom, but this is America and these are public campgrounds. If I refused to camp in a campground with a dodgy looking couple, I think I'd never sleep.
• Vegas is creepy. There is nothing on either side except barren, lonely desert. I am sorry, but golf courses don't belong in the desert, and neither does Venice. I am fairly convinced the whole place is just a mirage anyway, and doesn't actually exist. I saw it (or think I did) but I'm pretty sure that was the heat getting to me.
• I think it might be impossible to drive into Los Angeles, emerging from the desert with most of your earthly belongings packed into a car and not feel like your life has suddenly become a movie. I'm not too sure who is playing me in my biopic, but it's a dramatic entrance, I assure you. Windows down, radio up...
• It's also kind of hard not to sightsee in L.A., mostly because everything seems to be famous in one way or the other. I didn't ask my hosts to show me around town, but as we drove to dinner and back it felt like I had signed up for an L.A. tour. Among the sites along our path were Sunset Boulevard, the Hollywood sign, the tallest building west of the Mississippi, and the freeway where O.J. tried to flee. Yeah, a town where even the 6 lane freeway is famous means that sightseeing is hard to avoid.

Since I can't go much farther west, it's up to the north. Plans are for a week or so of coastal Oregon camping and then up to Seattle to meet a friend for some camping over Labor Day weekend in the Olympic Peninsula. That is if I don't come up with some other brilliant plan between now and then.

Sunset at the Delicate Arch in Arches National Park

One of the many religiously themed hikes in Zion National Park

Not to be attempted by those with a fear of heights. Sheer drop-offs of 800 feet on one side and 1,200 feet on the other.

Angel's Landing indeed

Hiking the Narrows, which is basically just walking upstream into the canyon for a few miles

Hello, Los Angeles

Westward, ho!

It's been a while, I know. I've been in the States since mid-May doing a combination of roadtripping, wedding attending, and general merrymaking. I spent May and June in a whirlwind East Coast tour and then July was spent mostly in a basement in Pawtucket, Rhode Island recording an album with my old-time partner in crime, Jonah Sol Gabry. The album is off to a good start and is currently in the mixing/mastering phase. Stay tuned for a release date when you'll be able to purchase one for yourself and hear what I'm talking about.

On August 1st with the Atlantic Ocean in the rear-view, I headed west. The first stop was Jonah's family compound in the Catskills before a mad dash (via Chicago and Omaha) to Colorado. In Colorado I attended a fabulous wedding of an old time camp friend before heading into the "I'm-going-to-go-play-outside" portion of the trip. I hiked to the top of the Rockies (Mt. Elbert, 14,443 feet), swung through Guffey (pop. 26) to see some relatives, and now join you from Moab, Utah (the jumping off point for Arches National Park). In order not to bore you to tears, I'll keep up my old format with just a few nuggets of observation.

• Ohio and Indiana are awful to drive across. Not to mention the toll roads cost as much as Boston - DC ($24). Sorry if you hail from one of these states, but other than our friendship I don't see much appeal to your state. Iowa and Nebraska, however surprisingly, weren't all that bad. Iowa actually has rolling hills (with plenty of corn), and Nebraska has at least a dozen trees (which I totally didn't expect). I can now personally attest to the fact that both Iowa and Nebraska do, indeed, exist. I am sure there are some people out there who feel the same way about Mississippi. I assure you, these states all exist.
• Hiking a 14'er (those mtns in Colorado over 14,000 feet) is, in fact, achievable. However, I recommend acclimating to the altitude and plenty of water. Our trail was only 4.5 miles long, but we ascended 4,000 feet in the process - a helluva steep trail if you ask me. Not to be outdone by the dogs and octogenarians also climbing to the top, I kept on schlepping (past the two false summits) to the actual summit for a spectacular view of the Rockies.
• Visiting a National Park in August is like a vacation to France. The scenery might be a little different, but you'll hear more French than English, guaranteed. I guess since they all take off the month of August (more than 2 weeks vacation is such a novel concept, ain't it?) they decide to come sweat it out in the great outdoors.
• Always, always, always stake down your tent. And then put rocks over the stakes. I learned this advice many moons ago but somehow forgot and nearly ended up chasing my tent down the Colorado River one afternoon when the wind decided to pick up a bit. I can assure you the event was a comedy of errors and brought endless entertainment to my camping companion at the time. If you need a chuckle today, please just envision this scenario. It was hilarious.
• You should also check your oil before you leave the oil change place. It took me 100 miles after leaving Lube & Latte in Golden, CO to realize the idiots forgot to put back on the oil cap filler. I realized it only after a quart or so had splashed out of its proper place all over my engine. Luckily, oil cap fillers are standard parts at a CarQuest of AutoZone. That was a close one...
• For those of you who followed the Asia stories - I cannot express the comfort of being normal sized again. No more new yoga positions necessary for the cross-country travel in the US. There are also far fewer random people wanting to take pictures of me. While the paparazzi attention had it's moments, it's good to be inconspicuous again.

Coffee break at Nebraska rest area. Why pay for Starbucks when you can kick back and brew your own cup of joe?

Summit of Mt. Elbert, the tallest peak in Colorado and the second tallest in the continental US

Sunset from Guffey, CO (pop. 26)

Camping spot outside of Moab, UT - before the weather decided to relocate my tent

Arches National Park - it's basically France.

From here I head to Zion and then over to Yosemite. I basically move when I feel moved to and operate on a totally "what-do-I-feel-like-doing/where-do-I-feel-like-going today" schedule. I'll be in touch if I'm coming through your neck of the woods. God knows I could use a shower right about now...

I Do Nothing and I Live in My Car

I join you again from the town of Linville, North Carolina - nestled at the foot of Grandfather Mountain in Pisgah National Forest. It's here where I spent summers of my youth and where my parents have recently built a cabin. It's been a swell getaway and conveniently located between the mid-Atlantic and Jackson, Mississippi. There's not too much to report but nonetheless:

• Attending Sister's graduation and a wedding, I have been forced to socialize with strangers upon my return. I'm all for meeting new people, but I've grown weary of the schmoozer question: So, where do you live and what do you do? My favorite response: I do nothing and I live in my car. To be fair, I really live out of my car, but the imagery of in it is so much better, don't you think? My favorite response so far to my explanation of travels is (completely seriously): So, when you're done traveling, will you go to business or law school?
• The I-95 corridor between Boston and DC is perhaps the only place in America where you can drive 9 hours and never lose NPR. God bless America.
• I love the North Carolina mountains. There's just no way not to. Perhaps it's the nostalgia of my youth, but how can one not enjoy a place where a) you can bike/hike to your heart's content b) boiled peanuts are available at every roadside stand and c) there is no need for neither AC nor heat. Ah, perfection.

From here it's back to Mississippi for Emily Claire's wedding (I have done my best to rid myself of my Chaco tan and even out my zebra stripes) and then back to Providence to record an album with Jonah. I'll be in Providence until the end of July and then I head west for a 9 week road trip. Let me know if you want to join!