So...I'm still in Vermont. Nothing as exciting as traveling down the west coast via bikes/hitching is happening, so I'm slacking on my blogger duties. Whatever...story of my life. There are THINGS that are happening and I AM enjoying my life out here...a lot actually. The stories could be categorized as dull but again...whatever. My mom will read this and tell me how great I am. So THIS ONE'S FOR YOU MA!
I'm spending my days teetring between shut-in and proactive job seeker. Most days my Netflix instant play cue proves to be a BIT too formidable of a foe and I never end up putting pants on. People in New England live in fucking barns without insulation, so their homes are freezing. Though I'm not living in a barn, my home is probably about as heat efficient as a paper lunch sack. My crazy landlord (trust me, she's a JOB) doesn't believe in winterizing or hiring a handy man so all the work of weather proofing the house has fallen in my unqualified lap. A little background on Batty Hattie...she's about a million years old, lives in Massachusetts, has no business owning or renting property, probably sacrifices small animals in her spare time and is against nuclear power (as the bumper stickers/decals on her car would suggest). Any information beyond that is just not necessary. She's crazy. She shows up whenever she feels like it...usually when we DON'T need her and is mysteriously absent when a situation that requires her attention arises. On the subject of inefficiency, I informed Hattie about a GIANT crack in our front door that was sucking all the goddamn heat out of our apartment at an alarming rate, as well as, all the old school heat grates that were creating drafts. What did she do? Did she hire someone to come out and look it over, did she come out HERSELF and fix it? Did she respond with concern and care? No...the bitch dropped off some plastic sheeting, a putty knife and some spackle. This was after she insisted I go look in her storage area TWICE for the materials. I spent a solid day trying to seal up all the spots in the hopes of conserving some heat. Our heat is all electric. It's either on or off...no real "settings" to speak of. Sooooo when we got our bill this month and saw the $350 price tag me and Jo took a shit in our collective pants and sprang into action trying to figure out what the fuck to do.
So far....nothing has happened. Hattie is over in Mass performing a frontal lobotomy on herself, while me and Jo scramble to try and get the state to come out and weatherize the house and see if we qualify for fuel assistance. Turns out we won't be able to get anything in form of weatherization assistance until next winter, long after we don't live there and have likely burned down the house and are in prison for ALLEGED arson.
In the mean time, I'm doing lots of layers, wool socks and glowing space heaters that I can use as a tanning bed and reading lamp. That should save on the bill. While I boast about being a hard ass from MN, I'm fucking freezing...all the time. The thing about MN is we actually heat our homes and if we can't it's still illegal to shut off the fucking heat. Here in VT people are just used to being cold all winter. You tell me what's worse? Jo is a straight up gangster...never has the heat on in her room and never complains. I'm a complete pussy compared to her...but whatever, I have other qualities. I'm considering being fat again because with a 3 inch layer of lard encasing my body I was like my own source of sustainable energy. Government grants were being drafted about ways the U.S. government could harness the raw energy of the heat I produced. Now that I'm getting "healthy" and "exercising" I can't feel my fucking hands...ever. Even now...as I type...my shit is on auto pilot. I could bite my pinky off and probably not feel it.
In other news I haven't ridden my damn bike in a while...the hills around here are daunting on a fixed gear and I lack brakes still. Maybe when the weather is nice and I can sport my short shorts I'll hop back on. I'm sort of waiting for the spring to roll around so I can scope out the police auction and score some crime scene loot. Namely in the form of a bicycle with gears. Hopefully at that point I'll have a job that allows me such FRIVOLITIES. Had some promising interviews with some great organizations, blah blah blah. I'll be subbing at the school Jo works at...doing I don't know what, but I have to go get fingerprinted at the police station today so that feels official sounding. Maybe they think I have a record and want the dirt without the awkward situation of asking me.
What else, what else? I'm making friends...actually the friends are a huge reason I'm loving this place. They're all real quirky and genuine. I went dancing with them freakies Saturday...it was a spectacle I hope gets repeated often. In a small town, good dancers are a hot commodity...so needless to say I was gettin' CHEEEECKED OUT. Ok...maybe not, but whatever you're not here so you don't know, fucker.
I've over stayed my welcome at this cafe. $1.60 worth of coffee for 4 hours of wi-fi use. Seems fair to me, but...whatever.
Until I'm bored enough to update you on my regular ass life again...
Maggie
P.S. Sorry no pictures...they want money and I'm just not down with capitalism man.
P.P.S. Between the years of 1980-1985ish parents only named their daughters "Sarah". I've met like 7 or 8 since moving here. Way to go New England.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Oh my goodness....yes I know it's been so long
Hello my faithful readers...all 10 of you I'm sure have been on pins and needles since my last post. Or a more likely scenario is that you've forgotten entirely about this blog and are now shocked that you are getting more alerts.
WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE!!! I am back and here to update you on the life that just doesn't stop moving.
So...where did I leave off? Ahh yes...I was in sunny San Diego and about to set sail on the Janice fishing boat headed for Tahiti...or something...definitely to be at sea for 4 months. Well, once I pulled my head out of my ass and realized that the captain was a pretty severe alcoholic I decided to ditch that plan. But then...what was I to do? Tamara had already left days before for Slab City in the desert. I could have easily hitch hiked there and found her again, but only to hang with her for another month until she had to head home to Canada? Oh sad...I would have likely been all out of money then and then what? Where would I go and how would I get there? Tamara also, as you know, doesn't have a cell phone, so a dialog with her wasn't possible.
As I sat on my air mattress in the Mulvey's living room, trying to decide my fate, I got word that my paternal grandfather had passed away. He was 91 and a great man...sadly I wasn't able to make it to the funeral due to the timing and insane cost of airline tickets. That was the first signal of something pulling me home...then I got word that my maternal grandmother fell and broke he pelvis and was in the hospital...make that 2 things. Soooooo....then I was on the interwebs, as I frequently am, and I was messaging with a dear friend, Jo, who recently had moved to Vermont from St. Paul to work at a deaf school where she works as a paraprofessional for deaf students. At this point I started applying to ski resorts all over the country, Northern Cali, Colorado, New Mexico, aaaaaand Vermont. Turns out Jo was keen to the idea of me moving to Vemont to live with her in her 2 bedroom apartment and shackin' up Lavern and Shirley style.
>>>>>Fast forward 10 minutes>>>>>>
I have purchased a one-way ticket from San Diego to Minneapolis, with the intention of hugging some friends and family upon arrival, gathering my stuff (my car and 2 rubbermade tubs, oh and my snowboard) and driving out to VERMONT!! So that's what I did. Nevermind that MN got blasted with the worst storm they've had in 20 years, crushing the metrodome while it was at it and me getting my car stuck in the snow several times while trying to escape the suburbs as much as possible. NEVERMIND ALL THAT. I was grateful to see friends and family of course, but I was also equally ready to leave again. I learned on my trip that I still long to be away from the place I grew up...though it's hard to say goodbye to friends and loved ones again, it was less difficult the second time around. If you look back to my very first entry once we got to Portland, you will notice that due to nerves and stress from leaving I procured a case of shits. This time it felt empowering to pack up my VERY FEW belongings (although it is nice to have more than one sweatshirt and one pair of jeans) and drive off to uncertain future. EAST COAST STYLE!!
The drive was actually really nice...I stopped in Milwaukee to visit some whore I went to college with, by the name of Shannon. It was magnificent to see her and we are now snail mail pen pals...which is cute and old timey, plus it give her something to do at her painfully boring job. I also managed to get trapped in the endless rush hour traffic in Chicago and send my pal Sarah some HILARIOUS voice memos while I was driving and getting lost and OH YAY! THEN I got to stop in Cleveland and spend much loved time with my Dads side of the family, including my grandma and my VERY pregnant cousin, Mary and her two deliciously adorable kids Tessa and Emma.
After Cleveland it was the home stretch to get to Vermont, but a little state called NEW YORK took forever to get through. I made it...in 9 hours...Jo's estimate of 10-12 was proven wrong...thank you thank you. Since then it's been a non-stop fun zone. Primarily, Jo and I have been watching netflix, making dinner, taking trips to the co-op, walking around downtown Brattleboro....ya know...small town life. Brattleboro is in the southeast corner of the state. Massachusetts is about 20 minutes away, I could fall out of bed and land in New Hampshire and New York City is about 5 hours. You get all the wonderful nature, with an urban progressive feel not too far away.
I'm trying to look for jobs that will be rewarding and won't crush my soul. At the moment I have a job at a ski resort an hour away. It's lame to drive that far to work and on my first day I managed to drive through a blizzard and smash up my car...go me. Thank god for insurance...never thought I'd say that and mean it. Hmmm.
As for other updates...I'm working hard on making friends in town...primarily by going to the co-ops bulk section, making eye contact with people and smiling at them really really big. Also, I've been riding my bike around town and going on jogs, trying to wave at people. For the most part they all seem a little unsettled, but that shit don't phase me. I'm gonna friend the shit outta this town. Other than that I've been making internet friends and actually hanging with some of them. Jo also has friends so of in the area, Boston and Upstate NY. 3 of her Boston friends came for New Years and we all geeked it up with pajama's apples to apples and an intense game of trivial pursuit. The power went out at about 9 pm so there was the added element of danger to spice up the evening. For Christmas, I was invited to Jo's moms house in Cambridge, NY to spend the holiday with her mom, Susi, her brother, Ian and her sister, Toby. Jo's camp pals, Howie and Moxie also came and spent the night and we...of course played trivial pursuit...after Howie smack talked me into a rematch, it was only fair to hand her ass. Maggie 2, Howie 0.
Apparently I've filled my picture limit for this site so I'll just add the pictures that it let me add and see about maybe getting more space some other time...maybe when I have money.......or care. Anyways...that's all I have for now friends. It feels weird to not be moving around all the time and in sunny weather, but I find this turn of events to be quite inspired and wonderful. Something magical about these mountains...more on that another time!
Happy 2011...here's to one more year of kickin' ass before the meteor gets us all!
Maggie
WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE!!! I am back and here to update you on the life that just doesn't stop moving.
So...where did I leave off? Ahh yes...I was in sunny San Diego and about to set sail on the Janice fishing boat headed for Tahiti...or something...definitely to be at sea for 4 months. Well, once I pulled my head out of my ass and realized that the captain was a pretty severe alcoholic I decided to ditch that plan. But then...what was I to do? Tamara had already left days before for Slab City in the desert. I could have easily hitch hiked there and found her again, but only to hang with her for another month until she had to head home to Canada? Oh sad...I would have likely been all out of money then and then what? Where would I go and how would I get there? Tamara also, as you know, doesn't have a cell phone, so a dialog with her wasn't possible.
As I sat on my air mattress in the Mulvey's living room, trying to decide my fate, I got word that my paternal grandfather had passed away. He was 91 and a great man...sadly I wasn't able to make it to the funeral due to the timing and insane cost of airline tickets. That was the first signal of something pulling me home...then I got word that my maternal grandmother fell and broke he pelvis and was in the hospital...make that 2 things. Soooooo....then I was on the interwebs, as I frequently am, and I was messaging with a dear friend, Jo, who recently had moved to Vermont from St. Paul to work at a deaf school where she works as a paraprofessional for deaf students. At this point I started applying to ski resorts all over the country, Northern Cali, Colorado, New Mexico, aaaaaand Vermont. Turns out Jo was keen to the idea of me moving to Vemont to live with her in her 2 bedroom apartment and shackin' up Lavern and Shirley style.
>>>>>Fast forward 10 minutes>>>>>>
I have purchased a one-way ticket from San Diego to Minneapolis, with the intention of hugging some friends and family upon arrival, gathering my stuff (my car and 2 rubbermade tubs, oh and my snowboard) and driving out to VERMONT!! So that's what I did. Nevermind that MN got blasted with the worst storm they've had in 20 years, crushing the metrodome while it was at it and me getting my car stuck in the snow several times while trying to escape the suburbs as much as possible. NEVERMIND ALL THAT. I was grateful to see friends and family of course, but I was also equally ready to leave again. I learned on my trip that I still long to be away from the place I grew up...though it's hard to say goodbye to friends and loved ones again, it was less difficult the second time around. If you look back to my very first entry once we got to Portland, you will notice that due to nerves and stress from leaving I procured a case of shits. This time it felt empowering to pack up my VERY FEW belongings (although it is nice to have more than one sweatshirt and one pair of jeans) and drive off to uncertain future. EAST COAST STYLE!!
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| Me, Emma and Tessa |
After Cleveland it was the home stretch to get to Vermont, but a little state called NEW YORK took forever to get through. I made it...in 9 hours...Jo's estimate of 10-12 was proven wrong...thank you thank you. Since then it's been a non-stop fun zone. Primarily, Jo and I have been watching netflix, making dinner, taking trips to the co-op, walking around downtown Brattleboro....ya know...small town life. Brattleboro is in the southeast corner of the state. Massachusetts is about 20 minutes away, I could fall out of bed and land in New Hampshire and New York City is about 5 hours. You get all the wonderful nature, with an urban progressive feel not too far away.
I'm trying to look for jobs that will be rewarding and won't crush my soul. At the moment I have a job at a ski resort an hour away. It's lame to drive that far to work and on my first day I managed to drive through a blizzard and smash up my car...go me. Thank god for insurance...never thought I'd say that and mean it. Hmmm.
As for other updates...I'm working hard on making friends in town...primarily by going to the co-ops bulk section, making eye contact with people and smiling at them really really big. Also, I've been riding my bike around town and going on jogs, trying to wave at people. For the most part they all seem a little unsettled, but that shit don't phase me. I'm gonna friend the shit outta this town. Other than that I've been making internet friends and actually hanging with some of them. Jo also has friends so of in the area, Boston and Upstate NY. 3 of her Boston friends came for New Years and we all geeked it up with pajama's apples to apples and an intense game of trivial pursuit. The power went out at about 9 pm so there was the added element of danger to spice up the evening. For Christmas, I was invited to Jo's moms house in Cambridge, NY to spend the holiday with her mom, Susi, her brother, Ian and her sister, Toby. Jo's camp pals, Howie and Moxie also came and spent the night and we...of course played trivial pursuit...after Howie smack talked me into a rematch, it was only fair to hand her ass. Maggie 2, Howie 0.
Apparently I've filled my picture limit for this site so I'll just add the pictures that it let me add and see about maybe getting more space some other time...maybe when I have money.......or care. Anyways...that's all I have for now friends. It feels weird to not be moving around all the time and in sunny weather, but I find this turn of events to be quite inspired and wonderful. Something magical about these mountains...more on that another time!
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| My aunt and uncles new dog, Winnie...she's a bit dim. |
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| Uncle Fred, Emma, Aunt Barb, Tessa |
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| Me, Tessa and Tessa's gum |
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| Crazy face in Chicago traffin |
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| My life |
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| Rest stop in NY where Santa works at I guess |
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| Taking pics of headlights while bored in NY |
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| All my junk and my new HOME! |
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| Roommate/Sister/Landlord/Sugar Mama |
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| I HAVE A BED?!?!? |
Happy 2011...here's to one more year of kickin' ass before the meteor gets us all!
Maggie
Thursday, December 9, 2010
It's been too long...I know
Hi...yes hello, yes I know it's been like a few weeks...shit. Anyways...I promise to do a REAL update just as soon as I get settled and can make it proper and shit, but here's a quick overview. The details are to FOLLOW....later...maybe in a week.
So...I'm in MN..I decided last minute to buy a ticket home with the remaining money I had. Mom really missed me and was sad at the notion of me not seeing her for 4 more months, if I were to go to sea, WHICH I DIDN'T. Anyways...suffice it to say that my options were limited in Cali due to funds, but the idea of going back to MN to live with my parents and find of job sounded even worse, not because my parents are bad people and MN sucks, but I've been there done that...for like 26 years now. Anyways...I'm home for only a week and half and then I'm grabbing my car and my few belongings and moving to Vermont to live with my dear pal, Jo.
Adventures and FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR more details about how I landed on this decision to come in a later installment. Yes I miss California, Yes is bitterly cold here, Yes my skin is on a strike and my lips are all cracked, YES I got some sort of cold and flu bug immediately upon entering the state, YEEEES it's good to see friends and family and allow them to purchase food for me so that they can hang out with me (or not).
Yes I needed winter boots and someone TOATS came through for me.
Until next week when I'm actually in the place where I'm gonna live.
Marge
So...I'm in MN..I decided last minute to buy a ticket home with the remaining money I had. Mom really missed me and was sad at the notion of me not seeing her for 4 more months, if I were to go to sea, WHICH I DIDN'T. Anyways...suffice it to say that my options were limited in Cali due to funds, but the idea of going back to MN to live with my parents and find of job sounded even worse, not because my parents are bad people and MN sucks, but I've been there done that...for like 26 years now. Anyways...I'm home for only a week and half and then I'm grabbing my car and my few belongings and moving to Vermont to live with my dear pal, Jo.
Adventures and FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR more details about how I landed on this decision to come in a later installment. Yes I miss California, Yes is bitterly cold here, Yes my skin is on a strike and my lips are all cracked, YES I got some sort of cold and flu bug immediately upon entering the state, YEEEES it's good to see friends and family and allow them to purchase food for me so that they can hang out with me (or not).
Yes I needed winter boots and someone TOATS came through for me.
Until next week when I'm actually in the place where I'm gonna live.
Marge
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Thousands of hands point in all directions
Everything is different...nothing is the same...life has a way of doing that. I am still in San Diego, still making plans, feeling a bit static. Tamara came back to me only to leave again after a short period of time. She made her way to Slab City today, in the desert of California and I stayed back. A few days ago me and Tamara went down to the dock in San Diego trying to maybe get a job on a boat. We found a willing captain, but he could only take 1 of us and he is planning to be gone for 4 months which didn't work for Tamara's timeline, she has to be back in Canada in a month. So, Capt. Mike said he would be meeting with his partners to discuss trip arrangements and then he would get back to me about working on the boat. Several days have passed with no word yet, but here I am, still in San Diego, feeling a bit stuck. The boat would be fishing for Tuna in the south pacific, making port in Tahiti after 4 months at sea. What a chance...what an adventure, but something is telling me it's not going to work out which makes me a little sad, but that just leaves the door open, WAY OPEN, for something else. I spent several days applying for jobs all over the country at ski resorts, Northern Cali, Colorado, New Mexico, Vermont, Massachusetts, New Hampshire...so we'll see I suppose. I have a phone interview with a resort in Vail on Thursday. Biding my time until then and trying to stay as sparse as I can in SD so Shaina and Ali can live life uninterrupted.
I am toying (actually more than toying) with the idea of flying home to MPLS, seeing my family and friend, packing my car up and driving out to Vermont. My friend Jo lives out there and has offered to put a sister up for while, I have been applying for jobs at ski resorts out there. Plus on my drive out I could see my dad's side of the family, everyone is out there right now because my grandfather just passed away. I am sadly unable to make it to the funeral due to timing and money, which they all understand, but I want to see them as soon as I can. Rest in Peace Grandpa...that's life in a putty knife factory. I guess the next few days will determine my life in the near future...no boat...I fly home and move out east, that's just the way life is now, and I like it. I'm excited at the prospect of seeing my mom and friends and family and Sarah...sweet Sarah. I just need to figure out my life quick before I'm penny-less and jobless and trapped in SoCal.
My plan to move to San Fran has been put on the burner because I don't have enough money to get myself there, get an apartment, and keep myself afloat while I find a job, but as soon as I do find some $$ I'll be headed that way.
The adventure continues....stay tuned. Here's some picture as of late.
That's what I got for you this time around...check back for what's next
I am toying (actually more than toying) with the idea of flying home to MPLS, seeing my family and friend, packing my car up and driving out to Vermont. My friend Jo lives out there and has offered to put a sister up for while, I have been applying for jobs at ski resorts out there. Plus on my drive out I could see my dad's side of the family, everyone is out there right now because my grandfather just passed away. I am sadly unable to make it to the funeral due to timing and money, which they all understand, but I want to see them as soon as I can. Rest in Peace Grandpa...that's life in a putty knife factory. I guess the next few days will determine my life in the near future...no boat...I fly home and move out east, that's just the way life is now, and I like it. I'm excited at the prospect of seeing my mom and friends and family and Sarah...sweet Sarah. I just need to figure out my life quick before I'm penny-less and jobless and trapped in SoCal.
My plan to move to San Fran has been put on the burner because I don't have enough money to get myself there, get an apartment, and keep myself afloat while I find a job, but as soon as I do find some $$ I'll be headed that way.
The adventure continues....stay tuned. Here's some picture as of late.
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| Alyssa, our Thanksgiving host and the vegetarian spread...so nice |
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| While out at the gay bar Tamara managed to get hit on by the one straight guy |
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| Me and Ali in cove while hiking...apparently it's hilarious |
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| Me on the boat, Janice, that I still might work on |
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| The gang is back together...one night only |
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| Maggie and her new kelp friend |
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| Goodbye friend...I'll miss you! |
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| Actin' a fool |
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| Of course she did. |
That's what I got for you this time around...check back for what's next
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Another one bites the dust...
Hey fans,
Sad news on the S.S. Marge...my computer...the one that allows me to stay in contact with numerous friends and family, update this blog, check my facebook compulsively whenever I can find WiFi, has gotten a virus. It first became apparent at Lloyd's in Big Sur that something was amiss with my little red Acer netbook, probably having something to do with me trying to illegally download TV shows from a sketchy website. I knew it was wrong, but I was sick and couldn't read anymore and and and and....lesson learned. Once we got to L.A. and I booted the ol' girl up for the last time she just wouldn't go. As we speak my computer has flown its way home to MN to be handled...either it'll be fixed and sent back to me or my brother will likely take it into the backyard and stomp on it until it's completely dismantled "Office Space" style.
On the bright side though I happen to be staying with friends in San Diego that own computers and have access to WiFi...so here I am and I'm terribly sorry for the delay. Let's get you up to speed!!
When last we spoke I was busy falling in creeks and Tamara was doing a solo hike to more accessable hot springs in Big Sur. We reunited and it felt so good, spent a lovely time in SLO with Sark and his boys and then whisked off to head south again.
We ended up just north of Santa Barbara at a campground called Refugio, which was RIGHT OFF THE BEACH!! It was quite the task hitching out of SLO since SoCal is less friendly with the hitching folk, but after a few hours of dancing on the street and waving to passers by we managed to string together enough rides to take us about 100 miles south. We spent a large majority of that time in a little town called Nipomo, I've seen JUST about all I need to of that town. We got out of our first rides truck and were greeted by some barbie in a sports car gawking at us and saying "WAAAAAAOOOOOOW!" loud enough for us to pick up her scent of toxic judgment mixed with her Dior perfume. Gross. We shook it off, trying to stay optimistic about our prospects, but after an hour with no ride our spirits were dwindling, as were the batteries on my iPod. Eventually a nice guy stopped and took us down the road a spell, where we were able to find another ride, almost immediately, the reminder of the way.
We got dropped off right at the entrance of the campground and waltzed right in, pitched our tents with enough time to watch the sunset on this amazing spot. Tamara and I have made it standard practice to not pay for our camps site and instead wait for the ranger to approach us the following day. In Oregon, we almost never got out of paying, which is fine, since the charge to camp in a hiker/biker spot is only about $5, but I'm not going to go out of my way to do their job. More often than not, no one is even manning the ranger station and I feel like they aren't being paid to wander around NOT collecting money...so...that being said, we didn't have to pay. We woke up the next day to an amazing sunrise and spent the better part of the day laying on the beach, reading, writing, making sand mermaids...the usual.
We intended to stay another night, but at the last minute we decided that another night spent freezing (it gets SUPER cold at night) and listening to frat boys partying until 3am just wasn't in the cards. Luckily Tamara set up a couch surfing situation in Santa Barbara with a guy named Ricky.
Before we knew it we were back out on the highway, thumbs out, ready to move on. Remarkably, we were picked up almost instantly, being that it was well into the afternoon and there was no on ramp, I assumed we would be waiting for a while. LUCKILY, there were some Euro guys driving south and they offered to take us right to Ricky's place. Luca and Anestasio from Italy were swell chaps...very clean car with GPS and polite conversationalists, I think they might have been Italian mafia though. I can't be sure, but that was my inclination, after I asked them what they did for a living there was a pause, a look exchanged and then Anestasio simply said they worked for a multi-national corporation. Whatever...they didn't whack me so I'm down with the Don.
We were dropped off right at Ricky's front door in a little neighborhood just north of Santa Barbara called Isla Vista, this is where the UC-Santa Barbara Campus is...so right off the bat I could tell this was a young folk town. Ricky and his roommates don't actually go to school, but that doesn't stop them from living like sloven, hipster frat boys. We were greeted at the door by a curly haired, blond fella, whose name I never caught, but his generous giving of hugs to strangers endeared me to him and kind of made me want to run away all at the same time. We were then greeted by our host, Ricky...if Napolean Dynamite and Cesar Chavez ever had a baby, with an affinity for short shorts and bicycles, that baby would be Ricky.
I loved him immediately. Ricky's house was a mish mash of chaos, punk rock, bike garage, co-op, surfer guy style...in a nutshell it was over stimulating and dirty and clashing and crazy and I loved it. I'm still not sure how many people he lived with and who they were and how the rent manages to get paid, but like most things on this trip I just sat back and watched it all unfold without interference. Ricky was quick to show us around town, the food co-op to get groceries, the fruit trees to steal fruit, the student co-op to steal internet and perhaps laundry services, and the free bin to steal clothes...I loved this place...I didn't really pay for anything. The Isla Vista free bin is the single most amazing part of this whole town, I was told by several people we met while there that they haven't had to buy clothes since they moved there because of this free bin. People are constantly rummaging through it to find the weather appropriate garments they need and will then come back later to drop off their old unused wardrobe. I found so many delightful things I wished I could take with me, but I limited my grabs to a hat that says "Skipper" on it, some rediculous comfy pants that say Argentina down the FRONT of the legs (not the sides, the FRONT) and a sports bra...I KNOW, I KNOW...I washed them all thoroughly.
We stayed with Ricky for 2 nights, along with another couch surfer from San Diego named Devon who was making his way from Victoria, BC to San Diego and then eventually heading down to Argentina. He's traveling alone so he ran into a lot of the same people we did along the way, which was cool to hear about, but beyond our mutual cycling friends connection, Devon was a complete egotistical, narrow minded asshole...it's not really surprising that he's traveling solo after hearing some of his unfounded, bullheaded view points.
Day 2 with Ricky started with all of us heading to the farmers market in Goleta to watch Ricky play music in the hopes of getting some cash and scope out the produce the local farmers were slingin'. It was an all together funny experience, complete with me and Tamara trying to be back-up dancers for Ricky's Harrana (traditional Mexican folk instrument, think 7 stringed Ukulele) playing, until he told us to stop.
After the farmers market we bummed around town, went to the beach, attempted (and failed) wheelies and goofed off until the student co-op's annual circus started. The circus proved to be quite entertaining, complete with me almost being lit on fire thanks to the unchecked fire dancers. There was a severe lack of safety precautions during this show that had roughly 12-15 non-professional circus performers whirling chains, poles, ropes and hula hoops that were on fire, near crowds of people who were not briefed on the finer points of what to do if one should be set ablaze during the performance, but regardless I chose to sit on the ground at the very front of the stage, taking my chances with the pyro-centric performance.
Early the next day we set off from IV to find the 1 and head south to the dreaded L.A. Tamara and I weren't exactly thrilled to be going to L.A. After all the nature and amazing sights we've encountered of this trip, the idea of going to a city known for its ever expanding sprawl and crowds of plastic people made us feel a bit ill. We tried to stay positive though and marched on...all the way to the 1 where oddly enough we were picked up by Ricky's roommate who was headed south the Thousand Oaks, which is in the valley, just north of L.A. where we were able to catch a city bus all the way to downtown L.A. Our host for the next 2 days was an odd fellow by the name of Galen. Galen was a nice guy, but his years of being an L.A. resident had left him a bit callus with an air of smug superiority. He was really ashamed to be from a rural area of Oregon, making it clear that the first chance he got to leave he did and has stayed out ever since, swearing to himself he would never live in a city with less the 1 million people ever again...he literally said those very words. Luckily Galen was also a "hands off" sort of CS host and gave us a key to his place, showed us where we'd be sleeping and left us to figure the rest out. I should say here that we were only in L.A. for 1.5 days, having only 1 full day to actually explore L.A., our hosts loft was in downtown L.A., 2 blocks off of skid row and the only other area we were able to explore was Hollywood, so...armed with that knowledge...you can probably understand why I want to set L.A. on fire and watch it burn in the distance.
Gross...it was just dirty, smelly, concrete, awfulness that went for miles and miles and miles. Our first night I was screamed at by a passing cyclist who was biking down the street at 10pm with a huge cardboard box in tow and he was wondering why I was looking at him? Everyone we encountered seemed to have the same hardened, "lookin' out for number 1", mentality...something that I wasn't jiving with on any level. L.A. is also where my computer finally went kaput and I was unable to find an affordable place to fix it (surprising? I think not) so I just sent it home to mommy. One thing our host was good for was some insider info on the post office, he informed me about a little known way to ship things known as media mail. Granted it's for things like texts books or DVDs or things of that nature, but I boxed up that laptop, labeled it "textbook" and paid 3 dollars to ship it home! GO ME!
We spent our final evening in L.A. at the Los Angeles County Museum of Arts, for a reading by some art professor that mostly revolved around the color blue, a color for which she wrote an entire book about....IN-teresting. We were invited by another CS connection that we were almost going to stay with, a couple I fear we would have had a good time with and felt a pang of sadness that we were unable to get to know better. Scott and Andrew are a cute little artsy gay couple who work, go to school and live in L.A. and seem to be thriving...dammit...of course we had to stay with the aloof guy in a giant loft with bean bag beds instead of the intellectually stimulating gay couple who could have shown us COOL stuff in L.A. Scott is a photography student and the reading was by one of his art professors, that tied in with the current photography exhibit showcasing the work of William Eggleston. I had mixed feelings about the whole experience, but regardless it was nice to be surrounded by my art fellows and some gays to boot. We called it an early night because Tamara and I both had to wake up early the next day, Tamara to catch a flight to NYC to visit her love that she met while trekking in Nepal, while I had to catch the Greyhound to San Diego to stay with my friends, Shaina and Ali Mulvey.
Tamara was already off when I woke up at 5am and I hauled ass to catch the bus to the Greyhound station, with only minutes to spare when I got there. Nothing like calling it close to wake you up in the morning. I boarded the bus to San Diego and discovered that this was also the bus to Tijuana, so my busmates were a ragtag crew of frightened gringos and legit Mexicanos. I fell asleep almost immediately and woke up in a bit of a panic, making sure I had all my essentials, wallet, phone, camera, and kidneys...double check. Shortly there after I was dropped off in downtown San Diego awaiting the arrival of my ride, a Miss Shaina Mulvey, who in true Shaina fashion was late, but I love her all the same.
Keeping track of the days has never been a priority, but I think I've been here for about 5 days now and the weather has been a lot colder than I expected...mixed with a little rain. Shaina and Ali both work...Ali especially has been busy because on top of having 2 jobs, she's in a masters program for social work at SDSU. It's been really nice to be in a place that I know people and feel comfortable in...even if those people are the sisters of my ex-girlfriend...but whatever. I'll spend the thanksgiving holiday with the Mulvey's, wait for Tamara to catch up and then we'll make our next move...more than likely out to the desert to find the Sultan Sea and Slab City. The plan, as far as I can tell, is still Mexico, but the budget won't allow for any extravagant travel accommodations so we're hoping to score a ride from someone heading south once we get to Slab City. I'm not going to push it, if the universe wants me to go to Mexico I'll go, but if not, no big deal.
Being in San Diego has made me realize that this trip will eventually have to end...at least for period of time. I would love nothing more than to continue this journey, it's been life changing, mostly because I've had to rely on myself to get me this far. Prior to this I wasn't confident in my own ability to take care of myself, but this trip...this experience...has completely blown my mind. For 2 months I've been almost entirely self sufficient, it's quite amazing. I now feel confident that I would be able to go anywhere and do anything and not only survive, but flourish and for that I am truly grateful. Alas, the time is now coming for me to settle somewhere, find a job and start to repay my student loans that are coming out of deferment. As much as I want to run away from that commitment, I can't escape it...it's inevitable. I hope to squeeze out a few more weeks of fun before deciding where I'll post up. If I had to decide right now I would more than likely head back up to San Francisco. Despite all the crazy shit that went down there, I really loved that city...the sites, the people, the culture, the location...pretty much everything. Plus Lani is still there and I get weekly updates from her about just how much she loves it, which is really pulling me back. If I don't end up in San Fran, I'll likely head to Santa Cruz, although I haven't check the job situation. I guess what it comes down to, is I'll go anywhere and do anything for a least a period of time, just so I can make some headway on my loans. Alaska? Colorado? California? Neptune? SURE!
That's about it for now. Sorry there aren't pictures of San Diego...like I said...the computer thing, I don't have a cord to upload my photos on this computer, but as soon as I can I'll post them. Thanks for reading and if you have any feedback or advice, I'm SUPER open to suggestions. This sounds like it's the end, but I promise it's not.
Best,
Maggie
Sad news on the S.S. Marge...my computer...the one that allows me to stay in contact with numerous friends and family, update this blog, check my facebook compulsively whenever I can find WiFi, has gotten a virus. It first became apparent at Lloyd's in Big Sur that something was amiss with my little red Acer netbook, probably having something to do with me trying to illegally download TV shows from a sketchy website. I knew it was wrong, but I was sick and couldn't read anymore and and and and....lesson learned. Once we got to L.A. and I booted the ol' girl up for the last time she just wouldn't go. As we speak my computer has flown its way home to MN to be handled...either it'll be fixed and sent back to me or my brother will likely take it into the backyard and stomp on it until it's completely dismantled "Office Space" style.
On the bright side though I happen to be staying with friends in San Diego that own computers and have access to WiFi...so here I am and I'm terribly sorry for the delay. Let's get you up to speed!!
When last we spoke I was busy falling in creeks and Tamara was doing a solo hike to more accessable hot springs in Big Sur. We reunited and it felt so good, spent a lovely time in SLO with Sark and his boys and then whisked off to head south again.
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| This is the "gum wall" in SLO, it an alley that is covered in chewed gum 3 inches think...kinda gross. |
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| Ish...but oddly fascinating |
We ended up just north of Santa Barbara at a campground called Refugio, which was RIGHT OFF THE BEACH!! It was quite the task hitching out of SLO since SoCal is less friendly with the hitching folk, but after a few hours of dancing on the street and waving to passers by we managed to string together enough rides to take us about 100 miles south. We spent a large majority of that time in a little town called Nipomo, I've seen JUST about all I need to of that town. We got out of our first rides truck and were greeted by some barbie in a sports car gawking at us and saying "WAAAAAAOOOOOOW!" loud enough for us to pick up her scent of toxic judgment mixed with her Dior perfume. Gross. We shook it off, trying to stay optimistic about our prospects, but after an hour with no ride our spirits were dwindling, as were the batteries on my iPod. Eventually a nice guy stopped and took us down the road a spell, where we were able to find another ride, almost immediately, the reminder of the way.
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| Tamara practicing at sunset |
We got dropped off right at the entrance of the campground and waltzed right in, pitched our tents with enough time to watch the sunset on this amazing spot. Tamara and I have made it standard practice to not pay for our camps site and instead wait for the ranger to approach us the following day. In Oregon, we almost never got out of paying, which is fine, since the charge to camp in a hiker/biker spot is only about $5, but I'm not going to go out of my way to do their job. More often than not, no one is even manning the ranger station and I feel like they aren't being paid to wander around NOT collecting money...so...that being said, we didn't have to pay. We woke up the next day to an amazing sunrise and spent the better part of the day laying on the beach, reading, writing, making sand mermaids...the usual.
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| Enjoying the beach, ya know...while MN get blasted with snow. |
We intended to stay another night, but at the last minute we decided that another night spent freezing (it gets SUPER cold at night) and listening to frat boys partying until 3am just wasn't in the cards. Luckily Tamara set up a couch surfing situation in Santa Barbara with a guy named Ricky.
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| Tamara made a wicked mermaid warrior lady |
Before we knew it we were back out on the highway, thumbs out, ready to move on. Remarkably, we were picked up almost instantly, being that it was well into the afternoon and there was no on ramp, I assumed we would be waiting for a while. LUCKILY, there were some Euro guys driving south and they offered to take us right to Ricky's place. Luca and Anestasio from Italy were swell chaps...very clean car with GPS and polite conversationalists, I think they might have been Italian mafia though. I can't be sure, but that was my inclination, after I asked them what they did for a living there was a pause, a look exchanged and then Anestasio simply said they worked for a multi-national corporation. Whatever...they didn't whack me so I'm down with the Don.
We were dropped off right at Ricky's front door in a little neighborhood just north of Santa Barbara called Isla Vista, this is where the UC-Santa Barbara Campus is...so right off the bat I could tell this was a young folk town. Ricky and his roommates don't actually go to school, but that doesn't stop them from living like sloven, hipster frat boys. We were greeted at the door by a curly haired, blond fella, whose name I never caught, but his generous giving of hugs to strangers endeared me to him and kind of made me want to run away all at the same time. We were then greeted by our host, Ricky...if Napolean Dynamite and Cesar Chavez ever had a baby, with an affinity for short shorts and bicycles, that baby would be Ricky.
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| This is Ricky in his beloved 1 man tent that he just HAD to show off. |
I loved him immediately. Ricky's house was a mish mash of chaos, punk rock, bike garage, co-op, surfer guy style...in a nutshell it was over stimulating and dirty and clashing and crazy and I loved it. I'm still not sure how many people he lived with and who they were and how the rent manages to get paid, but like most things on this trip I just sat back and watched it all unfold without interference. Ricky was quick to show us around town, the food co-op to get groceries, the fruit trees to steal fruit, the student co-op to steal internet and perhaps laundry services, and the free bin to steal clothes...I loved this place...I didn't really pay for anything. The Isla Vista free bin is the single most amazing part of this whole town, I was told by several people we met while there that they haven't had to buy clothes since they moved there because of this free bin. People are constantly rummaging through it to find the weather appropriate garments they need and will then come back later to drop off their old unused wardrobe. I found so many delightful things I wished I could take with me, but I limited my grabs to a hat that says "Skipper" on it, some rediculous comfy pants that say Argentina down the FRONT of the legs (not the sides, the FRONT) and a sports bra...I KNOW, I KNOW...I washed them all thoroughly.
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| Yo no soy marinero, soy CAPITAN! |
We stayed with Ricky for 2 nights, along with another couch surfer from San Diego named Devon who was making his way from Victoria, BC to San Diego and then eventually heading down to Argentina. He's traveling alone so he ran into a lot of the same people we did along the way, which was cool to hear about, but beyond our mutual cycling friends connection, Devon was a complete egotistical, narrow minded asshole...it's not really surprising that he's traveling solo after hearing some of his unfounded, bullheaded view points.
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| Doing laundry is quickly becoming my new favorite activity |
Day 2 with Ricky started with all of us heading to the farmers market in Goleta to watch Ricky play music in the hopes of getting some cash and scope out the produce the local farmers were slingin'. It was an all together funny experience, complete with me and Tamara trying to be back-up dancers for Ricky's Harrana (traditional Mexican folk instrument, think 7 stringed Ukulele) playing, until he told us to stop.
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| Busking with Ricky...moments before he told us to stop |
After the farmers market we bummed around town, went to the beach, attempted (and failed) wheelies and goofed off until the student co-op's annual circus started. The circus proved to be quite entertaining, complete with me almost being lit on fire thanks to the unchecked fire dancers. There was a severe lack of safety precautions during this show that had roughly 12-15 non-professional circus performers whirling chains, poles, ropes and hula hoops that were on fire, near crowds of people who were not briefed on the finer points of what to do if one should be set ablaze during the performance, but regardless I chose to sit on the ground at the very front of the stage, taking my chances with the pyro-centric performance.
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| A girl sitting next to me had a giant lady fro and her do was singed...I shit you not. |
Early the next day we set off from IV to find the 1 and head south to the dreaded L.A. Tamara and I weren't exactly thrilled to be going to L.A. After all the nature and amazing sights we've encountered of this trip, the idea of going to a city known for its ever expanding sprawl and crowds of plastic people made us feel a bit ill. We tried to stay positive though and marched on...all the way to the 1 where oddly enough we were picked up by Ricky's roommate who was headed south the Thousand Oaks, which is in the valley, just north of L.A. where we were able to catch a city bus all the way to downtown L.A. Our host for the next 2 days was an odd fellow by the name of Galen. Galen was a nice guy, but his years of being an L.A. resident had left him a bit callus with an air of smug superiority. He was really ashamed to be from a rural area of Oregon, making it clear that the first chance he got to leave he did and has stayed out ever since, swearing to himself he would never live in a city with less the 1 million people ever again...he literally said those very words. Luckily Galen was also a "hands off" sort of CS host and gave us a key to his place, showed us where we'd be sleeping and left us to figure the rest out. I should say here that we were only in L.A. for 1.5 days, having only 1 full day to actually explore L.A., our hosts loft was in downtown L.A., 2 blocks off of skid row and the only other area we were able to explore was Hollywood, so...armed with that knowledge...you can probably understand why I want to set L.A. on fire and watch it burn in the distance.
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| This was the only cool part of L.A. |
Gross...it was just dirty, smelly, concrete, awfulness that went for miles and miles and miles. Our first night I was screamed at by a passing cyclist who was biking down the street at 10pm with a huge cardboard box in tow and he was wondering why I was looking at him? Everyone we encountered seemed to have the same hardened, "lookin' out for number 1", mentality...something that I wasn't jiving with on any level. L.A. is also where my computer finally went kaput and I was unable to find an affordable place to fix it (surprising? I think not) so I just sent it home to mommy. One thing our host was good for was some insider info on the post office, he informed me about a little known way to ship things known as media mail. Granted it's for things like texts books or DVDs or things of that nature, but I boxed up that laptop, labeled it "textbook" and paid 3 dollars to ship it home! GO ME!
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| Hanging out on top of the Orpheum in DTLA |
We spent our final evening in L.A. at the Los Angeles County Museum of Arts, for a reading by some art professor that mostly revolved around the color blue, a color for which she wrote an entire book about....IN-teresting. We were invited by another CS connection that we were almost going to stay with, a couple I fear we would have had a good time with and felt a pang of sadness that we were unable to get to know better. Scott and Andrew are a cute little artsy gay couple who work, go to school and live in L.A. and seem to be thriving...dammit...of course we had to stay with the aloof guy in a giant loft with bean bag beds instead of the intellectually stimulating gay couple who could have shown us COOL stuff in L.A. Scott is a photography student and the reading was by one of his art professors, that tied in with the current photography exhibit showcasing the work of William Eggleston. I had mixed feelings about the whole experience, but regardless it was nice to be surrounded by my art fellows and some gays to boot. We called it an early night because Tamara and I both had to wake up early the next day, Tamara to catch a flight to NYC to visit her love that she met while trekking in Nepal, while I had to catch the Greyhound to San Diego to stay with my friends, Shaina and Ali Mulvey.
Tamara was already off when I woke up at 5am and I hauled ass to catch the bus to the Greyhound station, with only minutes to spare when I got there. Nothing like calling it close to wake you up in the morning. I boarded the bus to San Diego and discovered that this was also the bus to Tijuana, so my busmates were a ragtag crew of frightened gringos and legit Mexicanos. I fell asleep almost immediately and woke up in a bit of a panic, making sure I had all my essentials, wallet, phone, camera, and kidneys...double check. Shortly there after I was dropped off in downtown San Diego awaiting the arrival of my ride, a Miss Shaina Mulvey, who in true Shaina fashion was late, but I love her all the same.
Keeping track of the days has never been a priority, but I think I've been here for about 5 days now and the weather has been a lot colder than I expected...mixed with a little rain. Shaina and Ali both work...Ali especially has been busy because on top of having 2 jobs, she's in a masters program for social work at SDSU. It's been really nice to be in a place that I know people and feel comfortable in...even if those people are the sisters of my ex-girlfriend...but whatever. I'll spend the thanksgiving holiday with the Mulvey's, wait for Tamara to catch up and then we'll make our next move...more than likely out to the desert to find the Sultan Sea and Slab City. The plan, as far as I can tell, is still Mexico, but the budget won't allow for any extravagant travel accommodations so we're hoping to score a ride from someone heading south once we get to Slab City. I'm not going to push it, if the universe wants me to go to Mexico I'll go, but if not, no big deal.
Being in San Diego has made me realize that this trip will eventually have to end...at least for period of time. I would love nothing more than to continue this journey, it's been life changing, mostly because I've had to rely on myself to get me this far. Prior to this I wasn't confident in my own ability to take care of myself, but this trip...this experience...has completely blown my mind. For 2 months I've been almost entirely self sufficient, it's quite amazing. I now feel confident that I would be able to go anywhere and do anything and not only survive, but flourish and for that I am truly grateful. Alas, the time is now coming for me to settle somewhere, find a job and start to repay my student loans that are coming out of deferment. As much as I want to run away from that commitment, I can't escape it...it's inevitable. I hope to squeeze out a few more weeks of fun before deciding where I'll post up. If I had to decide right now I would more than likely head back up to San Francisco. Despite all the crazy shit that went down there, I really loved that city...the sites, the people, the culture, the location...pretty much everything. Plus Lani is still there and I get weekly updates from her about just how much she loves it, which is really pulling me back. If I don't end up in San Fran, I'll likely head to Santa Cruz, although I haven't check the job situation. I guess what it comes down to, is I'll go anywhere and do anything for a least a period of time, just so I can make some headway on my loans. Alaska? Colorado? California? Neptune? SURE!
That's about it for now. Sorry there aren't pictures of San Diego...like I said...the computer thing, I don't have a cord to upload my photos on this computer, but as soon as I can I'll post them. Thanks for reading and if you have any feedback or advice, I'm SUPER open to suggestions. This sounds like it's the end, but I promise it's not.
Best,
Maggie
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Kerplunk!
Internet Pals,
Here I sit on the porch of a couch surfer named Sarkis in the wonderful town of San Luis Obispo, California. Life is a sweet and so is the weather out here. The sun kissed foothills over looking the Cal Poly campus...it's all so, so, so...perfect. But I'm jumping ahead of myself here, because before all this awesome, warm, sun drenched greatness there was...well...let's just begin at the beginning, shall we?
After my last post me and Tamara and another wwoofer from Lloyd's farm, named Mauri, decided to go on an overnight hike to try and find hot springs. Tamara and I wanted to try to hike to Sykes, a nearby spot in a national forest, with walking paths and maps and the whole works, but Lloyd tried to deter us claiming it was dirty and not all that hot...he called Sykes a "luke warm spring". So Lloyd told us about a little spot 2 miles south of the Little Sur Campground that we could "rock hop" to, meaning we could follow the creek (HUGE CREEK) down stream by hopping from rock to rock for 2 miles...I say 2 miles because that's what the forest service maps say, but Lloyd told us it's more like 6 miles. I was a little apprehensive, I mean, I don't know if Lloyd hadn't been paying attention, but and Tamara wouldn't call ourselves agile or quick or cat-like and I don't feel particularly moved to hop from one slimy rock to the next for 6 odd miles in a place I've never been with no guide. Tamara was smitten...she was relentless...she was adamant and unwavering. So....we went.
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| It's as if Mauri's face says "I know this will suck" |
The plan was for Lloyd to drive us to the start of the trail, we'd walk down hill 2 miles to the edge of the creek at the Little Sur campground, pitch our tents for the night, wake up early and begin hopping, reach the springs by noonish, hang for an hour and make our way back to the top of the hill before night fall, where upon Lloyd would pick us up and we'd all head back together singing camp songs and drinking cocoa near a fire. Ok...that was the plan...now for what really happened.
So we got dropped off at the start of the trail and began our decent into the Canyon, that much went smooth...we even got a few pictures of ourselves, eyes all aglow with the promise of adventure and fun. Mauri spent the previous day studying a mushroom guide so she was on the lookout for some oyster mushrooms she could eat...even found some...always exciting. I should mention here that we didn't bring all of our stuff, 50 lbs of shit whilst hiking might be ok for some powerbar munching, vegan shoe wearing asshole, but not this guy...I was going light. So I packed a few long sleeve shirts, my rain jacket, leggings, shorts, a camelbak of water, my sleeping bag, a book and my light, as well as some food and the tent poles. Tamara had the tent and similar items, Mauri had her own tent and sleeping bag and clothes too. Notice please that we didn't bring our sleeping pads...deeming them unnecessary...fools...we are fools.
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| Here's me and mountain I didn't climb. GO ME! |
Despite the shitty night of sleep we still managed to not get up at the agreed upon hour of 8am and instead woke up around 10 (my body just likes 10am). We ate some nuts, broke camp and stashed our stuff out of sight. Lloyd told us to leave about 3 hours to hike there and 3 hours back, so by my calculations, we would get to the springs by 1, hang for an hour, get back to the camp at 5 and then race up hill 2 miles to meet Lloyd at the car?? Shit...we were fucked. There was no way we would make it back before night fall, but being the stubborn jerks that we are we decided to try it anyways...claiming that Lloyd was probably underestimating our abilities and blah blah blah. Things started smooth, there was a little trail along the creek for a bit and it seemed doable at the pace we were keeping, but then the actual rock hopping started because there isn't really a place to walk along the side of the creek, you have to walk on it. I felt pretty comfortable walking on the rocks with my Teva sandals (really happy about buying them now) and Mauri seemed to be managing alright in a pair of Lloyd's old shoes, but Tamara was wearing really old canvas Keds with almost no grip. The first time Tamara had to brave the creek she froze up...not 100 feet from the campsite...the seed, the instigator, the FUCKING PERSON WHO CONVINCED ME TO GO, totally froze up, unable to get over her fear of getting wet or falling in or cracking her head open...I don't know...da bitch wouldn't move. After a bit of encouragement that bordered on prodding, Tamara gingerly crouched down, stuck her foot out to reach the adjacent rock, then not so gracefully scooted over. This. Was. Going. To. Take. Hours.
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| Yay a creek, better take my socks off, don't want to get wet |
Mauri and Tamara took about an hour and while I waited for them I snuggled into my sleeping bag and read more of my excellent book...did I tell you? By Dave Eggers? So good. Anyways...they finally got back and we set out on the 2 mile walk back up the hill. Fuck. My. Life. This hill was a bitch. I had miraculously been unaware of the steep grades on the way down, go figure. It took us about 2 hours to make it all the way to camp site where we were set to meet Lloyd. He told us he'd be there between 4-5pm...just before sunset. We got there at 3pm and sat down and waited...dreaming of food and really hot showers.
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| Pissed |
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| Pissed |
A whole BEACH of Elephant seals...it was pretty amazing, this site. All these huge seals, barking and laying and getting randy with each other...it was like the Discovery Channel LIVE! Harry turned out to be the COOLEST ride giver ever because he drove me right to the spot I was going to be couch surfing at for the night...well not RIGHT there but like 2 blocks away...we couldn't figure out how to get over the train tracks. Before I knew it was at the place I needed to be with more time than I needed...it was only 1pm!! I met my host for the night, Sarkis, his roommates Chris and Kelly (bro and sis) and Mo. They are all college students, Sark and Chris go to Cal Poly, Kelly goes to the community college and Mo is working before going to school. They have a really great place overlooking the foothills. Sarkis and Chris took me on a walking tour of SLO last night and then we all got up early and biked to the Cal Poly campus. Cal Poly has a really excellent architecture and engineering program so there are all these weird structures on this hill on campus that we checked out.
Sarkis, left, and Chris on one of the weird structures
We walked all over checking the campus out, then we hiked up this big foothill and had a view of the whole town and the campus and even the ocean...it was really rewarding and I felt super pumped out this town and the people that inhabit it.
CHECK OUT THE VIEW BRO!!
Timed photo awesomeness!
So yeah, now I'm just sitting on the porch watching the sun go down, waiting to hear from Tamara. She called me a little while ago saying she made it here, so she's alive!! Woohoo. Sark offered to let us stay the night and then head out in the AM which is rad since it's getting a little late. Looks like tomorrow we'll be heading to Santa Barbara to surf again. Only a few more days and we'll be in LA!! Don't really know what I'll do there...maybe just leave right away and go to San Diego.
Well...that's keeping you up to date!!
-Maggie
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