Then promptly after graduation, I started getting focused on the event of packing my room and shoving it all into my truck and trailer and driving all night to Los Angeles, because I had a campout the next day, and I had only paid my rent up until the 15th. So I was really just like, "let's do this!" It was hard for me to just relax and enjoy my graduation dinner, and I should have just been savoring the moments rather than counting the minutes and seconds. Kinda just felt chewed up and spit out, but learning experiences are usually like that aren't they.
10:00 pm: Rolling away from the front of the house, belongings inevitably left behind in the rush. I Drove all night at 55mph, babying a shady rear left tire, that before I'd filled it up, only had 15psi, if that. I put that dollar in the air thingy at the station (Arizona does not give motorists free air or water (those jerks)). I was exhausted, overstimulated, and still pushing it since 8am. I was doing that thing that tired drivers do, where you close your eyes for a couple seconds just to feel the sensation of rest. I decided to pull over twice to shut my eyes for 30 minutes each. Forcing my body awake each time to get back on the road and try to beat what was left of the clock.
Swaying exhaustedly into LA at 7:00am. I couldn't park the trailer anywhere legally for too long, so I tried shutting my eyes for a sec, before using all available fibers of remaining energy to unload the trailer, and then drop it off at the nearest U-Haul receptacle. I made it back, organized my pile of shyt as much as I could, then crashed for about 45 minutes by this point, before I was prying myself up again, packing the bike, bundling up to brave the stormy weather, and getting mentally prepared to drink myself silly at the Hazzard County 2 campout.
The ride there was great, minus a few rain drops, and a threateningly dark canopy of doom that I was racing to get out from under.
Notice the storm I am fleeing.
New dollar store glasses, with a large surface area did well to divert the wind off my face. Sure I'd love a bubble shield but those are more than $1 and I'm a cheap bastard....sometimes.
This is just one of the gorgeous views I had up the California coastline to Santa Barbara.
Once in Santa Barbara, I took the exit into the mountains. The road wound up and over the mountains from the coast into the barren dry foothills, and valleys.
I followed a couple bikers off the road and up to the check gate, where a dude, with a paper, was checking our names off. After you got checked off, you were let through the gate a few bikes at a time. Then you rode up to an entry check-in booth where a bunch of ladies with giant racks and skimpy clothing (smiles) handed us our gift packs: flask of Sailor Jerry Rum, A steel Sailor Jerry camping mug, A plastic pack with the contents of a campout shirt, stickers, beer coozy, campout patch, and raffle tickets.
Jazzed. I was absolutely Jazzed.
This was the stage. behold all the fire pits.
This was the bar. Free beer forever!
I drank lots of steel mug fulls.
There were activities happening, which I was less interested given the line I was waiting in for a free tattoo, which I never got, and so I was a bit disappointed. I kinda was really amped for a free tattoo, but it seemed more like the folks running the sailor jerry booth were putting their friends first, rather than the people who were actually first. (shady)
Well, they fed us Lunch: BBQ and Chili, Dinner: Chili and bread, Breakfast: Eggs in Chili. It was all so delicious. In fact I'm getting hungry for chili right now as I type. wth.
Super digging the lights.
I was drunk, and tired, and someone should have prevented me from walking back to my tent for a quick shut-eye, cause I didn't rejoin the party until 7am the next day. Oh well, I was rested. I recall waking up at some point in the early morning hours when everybody was snoozing, but the roar of two motorcycles tearing up the camp. And I lay there cozy listening to those engines, and saying to myself with a smile "those engines sound so good." And falling back asleep, to a rumbly lullaby.
The next morning after some sun, coffee, chili, and a piss, I took off to go see what it looked like in Solvang, CA, cause last time I was there, I was really young, my parents bought me a toy semi-truck, and I recall eating hotdogs at Split Pea Andersons. Young, I say.
Nothing much to see here, but a bunch of yuppies. I had to leave.
Oh, did I mention I finally lost my knife. I'd chased it out of public toilets, thrown it into trees, sliced and diced my meals, the tip was broken flat and it was great for fixing things, and it finally fell out of its sheath and went to someone else.
remains of the day.
Ok, so Solvang was alright, but I had no one to window shop with, so I was anxious to see what my next stop was all about....an old stagecoach stop bar tucked away into the crags of a mountain.
Saloon, road gang house, and a jail.
Then I headed back to Los Angeles.
I found this cool bike parts shop in Burbank. Cool dudes too. New and Used Parts galore!
Took a ride with a pal, and had a beer at Poopdeck bar.
Spent some time with my sister, niece, and cat.
I made some Earrings, which are now up for sale on my Etsy site: DirtyFree
Aaaaaaand
I scored this great Honda belt buckle. Which is also up for grabs on my Etsy site.
Ok, so that's been my first week! Now I'm headed to Northern California to get a bunch of bike tools and then come back to Los Angeles to do some bike wrenching, and then I'm off to New York. Holy hell, it's a whirlwind around these parts.
See you on the road!
