Gone, But Not Forgotten

Sunday night just after midnight we went to a place called Chano's to get some food. Chano's is an outdoor establishment on a corner where you just walk up to a window to get your food and then go sit at a table somewhere outside. The people who were supposed to meet us there didn't and Jon, Kristi, and I ended up dining by ourselves. It was good fun, three white folks sitting outside on a street corner in the middle of the night in the hood. Monday we hung out and had a good time as usual. That evening I said goodbye to the new friends I made in LA and made plans for the trip home.

I spotted another Mexican car at the grocery store. It is a Pontiac G3, which is rumored to be coming to the US soon.



Jon and Kristi's house as I left. No, the pumpkins aren't left over from Halloween. They were actually just placed there a few days ago. Astute observers will notate the lack of facial structure. This classifies said squash as "fall pumpkins" rather than "jack-o-lanterns."



This phone line was ripped down by a passing truck the other day. It was just hanging out in the street for a few days until some industrious individual decided to tape it to the pole. Either the house it was going to doesn't use their phone or the phone company is just too scared to come to the hood.



I left early Tuesday morning and drove straight up I-5 from Los Angeles to Portland. It was a long drive. I stopped for gas three times, lunch once, and pulled off the highway once to get something out of the back of the car. Other than those five stops it was just one nice long drive.

At this point some of you may be wondering what happened to my plan to enjoy a scenic leisurely journey along the coast. While that did sound nice my trip also called for me to do whatever I wanted whenever I wanted. And once I got to Los Angeles I didn't feel like being anywhere else. Spending the entire time in LA became what I wanted to do. At no point did I ever say to myself that I would spend the whole time there, every day I just woke up and staying in LA for another day sounded like a good idea.

In closing, this trip was one of the best things I have ever done in my entire life. If any of you out there ever have an opportunity to do what I've done you must do it. I understand that most people aren't lucky enough to find themselves in the situation that I found myself in but to the few of you that may please do give it a try.

I absolutely love Los Angeles. The people, the weather, the food, etc. Sure it has its downsides but so does every other city out there. I miss it already. I can't wait to be there again. Thank you to everybody who helped me and encouraged me with my journey. Thanks to all of my new LA friends I made, you people really make your city shine. I hope to see you all again someday. And a very special thanks to Jon and Kristi for giving me a place to stay and showing me everything I wanted to see, even though most of my ideal vacation sights weren't the typical tourist spots.

So while this travelogue is finished, my epic voyage over, the memories of my experiences will never be forgotten. Thank you.

The End

Oh Deer, California Is On Fire!

This week has been one of simple fun. I decided to get out of Los Angeles for a bit and head up into the Santa Monica Mountains to do some camping.







One deer in a herd grazing near my campsite:



Tailgate party!



It was a good time, lots of wildlife to be seen and the weather was great. Great that is until I woke up early Saturday morning. The smell of smoke hung heavy in the air and the moon was a deep orange color. That's right, California was on fire again.

Wildfire ash on my car:



Coming down the canyon towards Malibu:



Saturday morning I headed back into Los Angeles. We played disc golf at Elysian Park and then hit Santa Monica in the afternoon for some more bodyboarding. It was a little cooler than last week and unfortunately the waves weren't as good. It was kind of funny, though. All the surfers were wearing wetsuits and we were just wearing regular swimsuits. People may have thought we were strange but compared to Oregon the water felt downright warm.

The air is usually a bit polluted in LA. But with the fires it is considerably worse. Saturday night Jon and I headed over to the USC track for more marathon training. But after just half a mile Jon threw in the towel. The smoke was so thick that exerted breathing was impossible.

Sunday night found us up at Griffith Observatory, looking out over a smoke-filled city as the sun went down. It was very surreal. The coloring of the sky was amazing. The view from the observatory really showed just how big the Los Angeles area is. The haze from the wildfires and the resulting sky color just added to it all and created an indescribable feeling.

The Hollywood sign:



The observatory:



The city:



Well, there used to be some skyscrapers here:





Definitely a dramatic start to the end of my trip.

Good Things Come to Those Who Wait

What were you doing 14 years ago? I was busy dealing with the disappointing fact that the new and totally awesome car museum that had just opened up was all the way down in Los Angeles, California. Well, it may have taken over half my life to do it but today I finally fulfilled my dream of visiting the Petersen Automotive Museum.

The museum is located down on Wilshire Boulevard. Talk about amazing. Even if you aren't an automotive enthusiast it is still an intriguing look at our country's past.

There are all kinds of neat exhibits that are permanent as well as ones that change. They have a street scape that is modeled after an early 20th century town. You can walk past the shops, walk in between the cars parked out front, go past the service station, or stroll down the sidewalk in front of the Ford dealership and admire all the new models, even if they are only offered in black.





If those cars at the dealership aren't fast enough for you just head over to the speed shop:









Or if you just want to look good drop your car off at the body shop:



There is an open garage from the 1960's that has two cars and a scooter in it as well as all of the toys, sporting equipment, and junk that a household from that era might possess.





$1.2 million just doesn't buy what it used to:



They even had every kind of Hot Wheels car ever made:





In order to keep readership numbers up I'm going to stop with the nerd-dom now. But trust me, the Petersen Automotive Museum is a definite must-see place when in LA. I was there for over four hours (they made us leave at 6:00) but the casual observer could probably do the whole thing in 1-1.5 hours if they didn't feel the need to give every exhibit the appropriate examination.

So until next time, keep the shiny side up.

I Wish They All Could Be California Girls

So Sunday was another relaxing day. We decided to head up to Elysian Park for a picnic. We watched the sunset and it was absolutely beautiful.

Clouds in your Southern California adventure? It's more likely than you'd think!



Downtown Los Angeles:



Wait a minute!



Okay, that's better.



Monday was another great day as usual. I picked up a bodyboard of my own from a thrift store and Jon got a bike to replace his one that was stolen. (Hey, it's not completely perfect down here.) Later I walked around the neighborhood a bit and explored the USC campus.

I'm starting to realize that all good things must come to an end. As much as I hate to admit it I do have another life I need to get back to in Oregon. I'm met a lot of really great people (some who I've seen enough now that I think they actually think that I've moved here) and have had some really great times. Which is why I present to you my next exhibit in the debate of whether or not California is a nice place.

It's the girls. They're so friendly. The Beach Boys weren't just making it up. They really are amazing here. Don't get me wrong, there are nice girls in other places as well but it just seems like there are so many here. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air once said "It's like the summer's a natural aphrodisiac." Perhaps the summer-like conditions year-round have worked as a force to put people in a good mood and make them friendlier.

But whatever the reason is, people here are awesome. You always hear about how hard and rude people in California are but I think it must be a plan they have to try to keep outsiders out because they seem a lot friendlier than they are depicted as.

Anyways, the girls here rock and they alone are a good reason to be here. Now that I've said this all the girls in Oregon will probably hate me. Oops. Oh well. At the moment I feel kind of disconnected from Oregon. We'll see what happens when I return. In the meantime, I would like all of my readers to be good. And if any of you can't be good, at least be safe.

California Dreamin'

Well, we woke up nice and early today. We went up to Elysian Park so Jon could train for his marathon. Afterwards we took care of some unfinished business with the Salvation Army. Then we went back to Jon and Kristi's and had waffles made with pumpkin eggnog for breakfast.

The weather has been very warm so after breakfast we decided we wanted to hit the water. Since we had already been to the LA River recently we chose to head down to Santa Monica instead. Santa Monica is a great little town and the waves were calling our names. That's right, we went body boarding in November.



Me on the right:







So how's your November?



No, really, how's your November?



Someone has to be the whitest guy on the beach:



Koala-T in his wetsuit:





It was a very nice afternoon. The waves and the weather were excellent. Shortly after we got in the water a school of dolphins showed up and started playing around near us. It was pretty cool. Pelicans were dive-fishing and a sea lion even showed up and played in the surf as well.

There is something peaceful about bobbing around in the ocean. When you land a wave just right and you're gliding towards shore on nothing more than the power of nature you start to realize just how amazing our world is. Even when you're just hanging out waiting for the right wave and watching the wildlife it is very relaxing. I think I would have to say it's impossible not to feel a sense of serenity out there. Sure, you occasionally get smashed by a wave and end up with a mouth full of salt water but even that serves a purpose. It kind of puts you in your place and reminds you to be conscious of your actions.

That is all for now. Even I don't know what tomorrow will bring. So until next time, be well.

Oh Tyler, Tyler. Wherefore Art Thou, Tyler?

Astute readers will notice that I haven't updated the website for a little while. You see, I found out my grandma is reading it now so I'm trying to come up with something appropriate for it. No, not really. I mean, my grandma is reading it but I have plenty of appropriate material. The reality is I've been away from internet access for a while and haven't had a chance to update. On Monday I decided to head down to San Diego for a few days so that is where I have been.

I didn't want to leave LA until traffic had calmed down on Monday so Jon and I decided to head down to Venice Beach.

Baywatch!



Koala-T checking out dudes at Muscle Beach:



Boardwalk:



A real surf van:



That night I headed south. I accidentally got on a toll road and by the time it became apparent it would have been way out of my way to go around. Luckily it was late and pretty much deserted because it took me awhile to pay. It was $4.50 to go through but the machine wouldn't take my soft and supple $5 bill. Instead I had to insert a crisp $20 bill. Fifteen Susan B. Anthonys later I was on my way.

San Diego was pleasant. I was just there a few years ago but it was still nice to see the sights. I mainly spent time downtown along the waterfront but eventually I did manage to head to the zoo.

Downtown:





I took Koala-T to the San Diego Zoo so he could be with his fellow marsupials:









Koalas weren't the only cute cuddly creatures at the zoo. They also had girls who handled porcupines:



On Friday I decided to head back up to Los Angeles. I arrived in LA early in the afternoon. Luckily the local Salvation Armies were having a 50% off sale so we headed out to gather some bargains. Afterwards we went grocery shopping and made a delicious dinner of pasta and garlic bread.

Watch out for Saturday, with weather this nice you never know what might happen!