Ride 'Em Cowboy

One of the draws to Arizona for me is that my younger brother Franklin wants to go to college at ASU. I’m thinking Arizona sounds boring, but time and time again I’ve learned on this trip that looks can be deceiving. I walked around the ASU campus and liked what I saw. It’s not my decision obviously, but I’m sure with the nice scenery and great weather Franklin will enjoy himself here. I also checked out the baseball stadium where he’d be playing if he went there. The team was on the field working out and I felt bad for them it was hot and they had on a couple shirts and pants, but the stadium itself was nice. I had to get back in time to let Ashley back into her place but I definitely had a good time. If he ends up going there I can’t wait to visit.

When I got back I spent time with Artemis and Nick, Ashley’s roommate and her boyfriend. Cool people they are vegetarians like Ashley but I tried not to hold that against them. I’m joking but they were an interesting pair. She was from Chicago he was from Rhode Island. He is an activist and her in Medical school. Looking at them you would think them an unlikely pair but they fit. I don’t know what about them Clicks exactly but it def works.

After speaking with them and Ashley getting ready she wanted to take to Hot Yoga. Simply put it’s Yoga but with huge space heaters in the room. I wont lie, I have never done Yoga nor have I ever thought much of it. It was hard, the positions were tough but the real test for me was the heat. It’s Arizona it’s already hot as Satins house and they wanted to put a space heater in here. I was sweating just standing in this room. And Surprise Surprise the men in the room outnumbered the women. I never stretched so intensely, I would like to keep at it but I think I’ll find a place that doesn’t have the space heater to keep myself from fainting. When I heard that it was done I was very happy. Geoff and Jason gave us a ride home and we had a dinner with a bunch of Ashley’s friends to go to.

Sake Bombers is the name of the place. A nice Japanese restaurant where we met Nick and Artemis and Judy and Patrick we had a good dinner with great conversation. It was a fun time it almost seemed for a little there the guys were all talking together and the girls were having their conversations. Almost like grade school except no one had cooties.

When dinner was over Ashley and I went to her friend’s house, one of her friends was having a birthday party and we were just going to stop by, because she had some studying to do. After he friend’s laid on some serious peer pressure she gave in and decided to stay out. We drank a little at the house, had a little dance party and then headed out to a bar called the Saddle Ranch. It was a cool place but the big surprise was the Mechanical bull. Now I’m not a Cowboy of any kind but I’ve never ridden a bull before and wasn’t going to pass up the chance to. I hopped on and gave it a good ride lasted about 15 seconds the first time and he turned up the heat for my second try and I only lasted about 10 seconds before being thrown onto the mat. After dancing and hanging out we went home. She has a really nice couch I slept like a baby.

My last day in town Ashley took me to a wine tasting, in Phoenix, with her friends. Mike Fink drove us out there, he’s a cool guy me and him clicked right away we have the same humor and enjoyed each other’s company. Now I’m a beer guy, I like it foreign, domestic, light, and dark. Wine on the other hand I have little knowledge of but it was a great time. We tasted different wines matched them with a few cheeses and had an awesome time. We laughed, told stories and just enjoyed the company of everyone at the table.

Arizona was a great time. I was able to see and get closer with an old friend and ever found a new one in Mike Fink. Good people are everywhere and I’m lucky enough to have found them again and again along my travels.

One Mile at a Time.

I was Speechless...Enough Said

The ride from Nevada to the Grand Canyon was long but beautiful. From Nevada you go into Arizona, then into Southern Utah and then into Arizona again. Along the way I went through a few Canyons and I thought these were GRAND so I knew I was in store for something mind blowing I just wasn’t sure exactly what it was. I passed the Ship Rock and took some pictures. That always amazes me, in the middle of nowhere mother nature gives us a treat. She must have a sense of humor putting a ship that size in the Desert, because it isn’t going anywhere. A half hour to the Canyon I stopped in Jacob Lake. There was a diner there that I was told had some of the best pie around. The guy who gave me directions told me he basis his trips around great pie and suggested it was a must taste occasion. I’m not much of a pie guy, but this stuff was really good. I had mine Alamode. By the time I arrived at the Canyon the sun was setting. I made it to the trail and walked out to view the Grand Canyon and I was honestly taken aback. Robert Doisneau said:

“There are days when simply seeing feels like happiness itself…you feel so rich, the elation almost excessive and you want to share it.”

I couldn’t have said it better myself. Standing there everything so peaceful, so calming it seemed like the trees, birds, and other people all around were silent as to not ruin the moment. The Sun finally set behind the Canyon and I just sat there in awe. I’ve seen some awesome things have met great people but that was overwhelming. It even overshadowed the time I spent up on Mount Washington. I was disappointed that I had to leave but ahead of me was a six hour ride to Tempe, AZ where a friend of mine Ashley lives.

I got on the bike and it seems as soon as the sun left the warmth packed its bags and left too. After passing hundreds of deer on the way back I came to Jacob Lake again and picked up something to eat and a pair of gloves. I warmed up a little but I was happy as I dropped elevation and things got much warmer. It’s wild how much difference a few hundred to a thousand less feet is. At some point in life I would like to take that ride again in a car on a bike it doesn’t matter, but I can say with no doubt or sight for that matter that it’s beautiful. I couldn’t see it but I had this feeling that my surroundings were a sight for sore eyes. I guess the next time I’m out there I’ll have to make sure I see it during the day.

I finally made it into Tempe and saw Ashley someone I worked with while I was up at Oneonta. She’s attending Med school in AZ and is doing well. We talked for a while caught up quickly, but it was 2am and decided we both could use some sleep. So I kicked her off my couch and got a good night’s sleep.

One Mile at a Time.

Viva Las Vegas

Las Vegas lives up to all the hype. I came in late and the place was on fire. Remember this was a Monday night and hundreds of people on the street in the bars, and just everywhere. I had heard that it was insane but the reality was unexpected. My goals were to see the strip, Hoover Dam, people watch, not gamble (some place for it), and get Issy Fixed.

The Strip was gorgeous. Each night I was there I just walked up and down it and took in all that it had to offer. The loud music coming from the bars and clubs was a comforting sound. You could just feel the electricity and enjoyment of everyone around and don’t forget most of these people were losing their money. As I walked around I noticed one thing that not many places allow. All over people are walking around with beers, mixed drinks, bottles of liquor and out in the open. Apparently there isn’t an open container law in Vegas. I didn’t want to have too many but I had a few beers and walked around the strip basically just because I could. At the Bellagio Hotel they have an awesome water shower, where fountains go off to music it was interesting. And the Treasure Island Hotel had a flame throwing, High diving battle of the sexes pirate show filled with a lot of “Tension.” Walking the strip was free and that along you could fill a night or two with. Even durig the day it was awesome. The Venetian hotel modeled around Venice, Italy is complete with a fine designer mall, and gondolas that you can ride around the hotel in. I’m no Pavarotti but the singing could have been a little better though. To be honest this was the one place where the feeling that having someone with me was the strongest. I think what I’m going todo is try and schedule a week trip with some of my boys out there and get into so me trouble. All in good fun though.

If the strip surprised me the Hoover Dam astonished me. I knew it was big because I saw Transformers 2, but it is huge and the story around why it was built and stories about the workers were intriguing. A lot of men gave their lives for the betterment of their country. They understood the vision of those in charge and gave it all they had literally. Issy and I rode around and took pictures. The Dam separates Nevada and Arizona so we took pics from both sides. Right now we have been in a drought for many years and you can see noticeably how much lower the water is than it has been in years past. On the tour, our guide showed us how the Dam produces energy for much of the surrounding area. Huge turbines and a massive amount of water run through The Dam every day. The Dam creates Lake Mead now a recreation area for fishing, swimming and hanging out with friends. What many don’t know is that before the Dam this river (Colorado) caused horrible droughts and harsh floods before it was controlled. I’m convinced that Transformers is right they are hiding a top secret experiment within the walls of the dam but when I asked the guide he replied “Only in the movies” I think he’s hiding something.

I returned to my hotel The Riviera with the notion that I was not going to gamble but it was killing me. I have a small gambling problem when I win I win BIG and when I lose I lose BIGGER. Now before I get ahead of myself I didn’t gamble, but it was torture, I honestly enjoy gambling. The ups and downs, the drama just sitting at the table and playing going through the swings is fun to me. The chance to win millions doesn’t hurt either. While walking the strip I stopped in Oshea’s the place the Beer Pong World Championships is held the custom tables were cool. The rest of the time I was just reenergizing. I hung out by the pool, worked on my tan and relaxed. People think site seeing and partying is easy but it’s really not. Fun yes, not as stressful as work certainly but most of my days start at 9am and end at 2am and then I do it all over again. So a rest day here and there is welcomed.

On my way out of town I made sure to take care of Issy’s chain and sprockets. She has been really good to me so I even got her a new front tire. We were going to need it because the next stop was 5 hours away at the Grand Canyon. After she was all good we started for one of the great wonders of the world.

One Mile at a Time.

Spreken Ze Beer

I woke up early on Sunday morning, took a shower, brushed my teeth and put on my party shirt. I hang outside for a little while and noticed the beautiful view that Jada and Todd have they live in a nice area. Jada’s Birthday is Monday and to celebrate her friends and I went to an Oktoberfest nearby. We met up with them at their house and got our Steins. For those of you who do not know a Stein can hold a LITER of liquid, usually of the beer variety. So I will be the first to admit that this is going to be a rough day.

We arrived around lunch time, and all got a liter of a tasty German beer and some food. I went with the foot long chili cheese dog again with shredded cheese. We laugh we sang and we danced. We were even called on stage to do the chicken dance which I must say we killed it, with perfect technique. And still we continued to drink and to dance and eat. There was a cup and saucer race that Jada and one her friend Laura entered and Jada did really well (she cheated but it’s her birthday she can) and we all cheered her on because she won a Peter Pan hat. We were there during the day, but they were telling me of times they had been there and the place was packed wall to wall no place to sit. I was almost glad I wasn’t there then because I probably would have caused too much trouble. After a while Todd and his Boyfriend showed up and added to the festivities. We sang our hearts out; danced on table tops, eat our weight in kraut and brats, and after two liters of beer it was time to call it quits.

We were all headed back to the guys place and minutes after getting there I took a nap watching the Cowboys game. They happened to be playing the Giants for the first time in their new stadium. Like I said I had fallen asleep can anyone help me out with who won that game? After our respective naps we went out to the bars. Hung out at a few and after a while we ended up at a cool sports bar that had some really good spinach artichoke dip. It was late and Todd (one of the non-drinkers) kindly picked us up and got us back to the place safely.

The next day both Jada and I were a waste of space sluggish and I had to ride to Nevada which was a nice five hour drive a little more with traffic. LA was a great time. I thought I was going to want to never leave, but I think it may be a vacation spot for me. Rents seem reasonable compared to the boroughs but it was missing something. I can’t wait until Todd and Jada come out to the east coast, I’ll show them how we get down you both are always welcome.

One Mile at a Time