Tracy Totten performing "Should I Stay or Should I Go" by The Clash.
Reunited at Smokey Bones BBQ Grill in Lakeland, FL. Who woulda guessed this would ever work out?
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Day Thirty-Two
I woke up today at the hotel with my parents and enjoyed continental breakfast in a real hotel! My dad and I went for a swim and then headed to Best Buy to pick up a James Taylor CD. While on our quest we encountered Rock Band and the big guy wailed like there was no tomorrow. "Should I Stay or Should I Go Now" will never be the same again, nor will the middle school kids who watched a 55 year old guy mop the floor with The Clash. In the video he hits every note. RockOn BigGuy!
Tracy Totten performing "Should I Stay or Should I Go" by The Clash.
Reunited at Smokey Bones BBQ Grill in Lakeland, FL. Who woulda guessed this would ever work out?
Tracy Totten performing "Should I Stay or Should I Go" by The Clash.
Reunited at Smokey Bones BBQ Grill in Lakeland, FL. Who woulda guessed this would ever work out?
Day Thirty-One
I arrived in St. Augustine and met my friend Lisa that I met once in Paris. Lisa was roommates for 6 months with my friend Jocelyn while they were studying abroad in 2007. While they were studying French, my friends and I were gallivanting Western Europe and we planned to meet up at the Eiffel Tower, and that's how Lisa and I know each other. So over a year and a half later I end up in Florida and we hung out. St. Augustine is a sweet little town on the coast with a cool mix of tourists, college students, locals, and reggae music. Unfortunately I didn't bring my camera out with us so you will just have to take my word for it. The day consisted of eating at this cool beach burrito place and hanging out at some local dives where there was live reggae music. If you ever visit St. Augustine, Florida look up Lisa cause she gives bomb tours.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Day Thirty
Well the ferry ride took me to the mainland and onward I went through the Carolinas. I drove until about midnight yesterday and missed all opportunities to camp and then drove through a huge lightning storm. After the world settled down and the caffeine wore off, I came to the conclusion that I would get to Charleston, SC, find the nicest neighborhood and dive into the back of my truck to sleep under the lid. I set an alarm for five hours later and was out before anyone knew I was there. I popped my head up at one point and saw a deer, but he/she/it was the only witness of my presence in Charleston. I might do that truck bed camping thing again, it’s cheap and I feel like I am in a secret hide out, a really sweaty secret hideout full of stuff with a ceiling 2 inches above your face.
This morning I drove to Savannah and gave myself a tour guided by myself. To my dissatisfaction, I was not the tour guide I had anticipated myself to be as I knew nothing about the town, so I left Savannah and filed a formal complaint with the department of tourism. My other complaint this morning was with a “How’s My Driving” hotline because a trucker was hugging my bumper like he had never seen one before and then he passed me on the left in the third lane. The lady on the phone didn’t have a record of his truck number so like all other things I cannot explain on this trip, I will leave it at Zombies. But other than that, Georgia was cool.
An enthusiastic Georgian selling peaches at 6am at a Chevron. I would be reading a book too. Any thoughts on what the title was?
This morning I drove to Savannah and gave myself a tour guided by myself. To my dissatisfaction, I was not the tour guide I had anticipated myself to be as I knew nothing about the town, so I left Savannah and filed a formal complaint with the department of tourism. My other complaint this morning was with a “How’s My Driving” hotline because a trucker was hugging my bumper like he had never seen one before and then he passed me on the left in the third lane. The lady on the phone didn’t have a record of his truck number so like all other things I cannot explain on this trip, I will leave it at Zombies. But other than that, Georgia was cool.
An enthusiastic Georgian selling peaches at 6am at a Chevron. I would be reading a book too. Any thoughts on what the title was?
Day Twenty-Nine
I woke up at about 6am. I slept under the stars by the beach sand dunes and had one of my better nights rest. Last night, there were some lightning storms in the distance which made the experience pretty fun, and the sea breeze made the temperature and bugs bearable.
As promised John and Kelly came and got me and the three of us went out to Gritz Grill where my breakfast consisted of sweet tea, biscuits & gravy, and grits. I was told that was the most Southern thing they had on the menu. So one stomachache later, I went to my car that decided not to start and with a few whacks here and there I get it running. A North Carolinian approached me and said, “You bruck dun?” I responded with, “Nope. All fixed.” Which then he opened his toothless mouth and from about 6 inches past my personal level of comfort yelled, “Well then Carry On!” You definitely had to be there but I got a lot of personal joy from that interchange, and it’s my blog anyway.
Eventually I hit the road and jumped on a ferry to the next island, Ocracoke. I had an hour wait so I went to a beach restaurant and ordered a fried fish sandwich that apparently comes with one side still covered in scales. So one more stomachache later, I jumped on the second ferry on which I am writing from now and I don’t really know where it is taking me.
John and Kelly riding off into the redneck sunset on their bike.
Some surfers from Virginia I hung out with.
My truck was the last vehicle on the ferry which was pretty cool because I had a seat right on the front of the ship. I offered the people around me a seat but their decline might have been more of a personal hygiene issue.
As promised John and Kelly came and got me and the three of us went out to Gritz Grill where my breakfast consisted of sweet tea, biscuits & gravy, and grits. I was told that was the most Southern thing they had on the menu. So one stomachache later, I went to my car that decided not to start and with a few whacks here and there I get it running. A North Carolinian approached me and said, “You bruck dun?” I responded with, “Nope. All fixed.” Which then he opened his toothless mouth and from about 6 inches past my personal level of comfort yelled, “Well then Carry On!” You definitely had to be there but I got a lot of personal joy from that interchange, and it’s my blog anyway.
Eventually I hit the road and jumped on a ferry to the next island, Ocracoke. I had an hour wait so I went to a beach restaurant and ordered a fried fish sandwich that apparently comes with one side still covered in scales. So one more stomachache later, I jumped on the second ferry on which I am writing from now and I don’t really know where it is taking me.
John and Kelly riding off into the redneck sunset on their bike.
Some surfers from Virginia I hung out with.
My truck was the last vehicle on the ferry which was pretty cool because I had a seat right on the front of the ship. I offered the people around me a seat but their decline might have been more of a personal hygiene issue.
Day Twenty-Eight
I drove to North Carolina which rivals North Dakota for "the most miserable drive yet" award. The temperature was about 100 degrees with probably the same in humidity, and I finally hit really ugly traffic. However, being as dangerous as I am on my GPS, I skillfully rerouted into what I believe was “Hill Billy Mecca,” where tractors were a kinder change of pace. The South is gloriously awesome. Needless to say, I have begun counting Confederate flags.
I drove through Kitty Hawk and am working my way south through the Outer Banks off the coast of North Carolina. I stopped on the first island where I grabbed a camp site, didn’t set up a thing, and ran and jumped into the Atlantic. This was an amazing feeling and the accomplishment of the last four weeks hit me hard. So I threw my hands in the air, let out some man-yells, and did some body surfing at sunset. On my walk back to my site I met John and his wife Kelly. John is the most incredible redneck I’ve met, and his wife Kelly is being converted to his ways, as she is a native Yankee and John's redneckedness is far too overwhelming for her to have any chance at all. John is about 6 foot 5 with one of the gruffest man voices I have ever been jealous of, so naturally I hung out with these two for about three hours. He told stories of his friends “BobCat” “Hound Dog” and “Dan Boone” and they all had something to do with drinking, farming, hunting bears, or heavy machinery. John is a 3rd generation farmer on the same land and has never been past Kansas, he says he has friends that have never left the county they grew up in, nor do they have electricity or running water. His stories often were littered with “reckon so” and “He dun shot his nephew” and some really creative swearing. I laughed and laughed and tomorrow morning the three of us will go into town for what he promises is a real Southern breakfast. He also wants me to make sure I don’t leave town without a Confederate flag. I can’t even begin to retell his stories, some because of the language barrier, and others because I laughed so hard I missed most of important information.
John and Kelly have an open invitation to the West coast.
Here was my view of the Atlantic. Odd that the sun sets over the land.
This is the South.
Just some pretty beach with houses in Kitty Hawk.
Here is Dismal Swamp, North Carolina. In another section of the swamp there was a Confederate flag posted in the middle but I was driving and couldn't get out my camera fast enough.
I drove through Kitty Hawk and am working my way south through the Outer Banks off the coast of North Carolina. I stopped on the first island where I grabbed a camp site, didn’t set up a thing, and ran and jumped into the Atlantic. This was an amazing feeling and the accomplishment of the last four weeks hit me hard. So I threw my hands in the air, let out some man-yells, and did some body surfing at sunset. On my walk back to my site I met John and his wife Kelly. John is the most incredible redneck I’ve met, and his wife Kelly is being converted to his ways, as she is a native Yankee and John's redneckedness is far too overwhelming for her to have any chance at all. John is about 6 foot 5 with one of the gruffest man voices I have ever been jealous of, so naturally I hung out with these two for about three hours. He told stories of his friends “BobCat” “Hound Dog” and “Dan Boone” and they all had something to do with drinking, farming, hunting bears, or heavy machinery. John is a 3rd generation farmer on the same land and has never been past Kansas, he says he has friends that have never left the county they grew up in, nor do they have electricity or running water. His stories often were littered with “reckon so” and “He dun shot his nephew” and some really creative swearing. I laughed and laughed and tomorrow morning the three of us will go into town for what he promises is a real Southern breakfast. He also wants me to make sure I don’t leave town without a Confederate flag. I can’t even begin to retell his stories, some because of the language barrier, and others because I laughed so hard I missed most of important information.
John and Kelly have an open invitation to the West coast.
Here was my view of the Atlantic. Odd that the sun sets over the land.
This is the South.
Just some pretty beach with houses in Kitty Hawk.
Here is Dismal Swamp, North Carolina. In another section of the swamp there was a Confederate flag posted in the middle but I was driving and couldn't get out my camera fast enough.
Day Twenty-Seven
Thursday I drove up to Annapolis to meet my high school buddy Justin North who is a marine studying at the Naval Academy. He showed me around campus and introduced me to his friends and we even went and watched Midshipmen football practice. Practice and visiting the athletic facilities was quite the thrill as I was recruited by the Naval Academy to play football, but did not have the SAT scores, nor the desire to have the next ten years of my life booked solid. The current head coach was the guy that pulled me out of class in high school to talk Navy in ’03, an assistant coach at the time. I reintroduced myself and he remembered his visit to Arcadia. It was pretty neat to hang out in the locker room and Justin seemed to know a lot of the players.
After a dinner of hot wings at Chili’s with Justin and some good catching up, I headed back to my campsite about 60 miles South. I found my tent to be nearly 95 degrees and the lack of airflow made it quite the sweaty experience. I slept on top of my bag in my new and very short Marine issue PT shorts (thank you Chris and Jens). The night was full of interesting sounds so I slept with my running shoes and headlamp on, with my knife in hand. I couldn’t think of any harmless animals that made sounds like what I was hearing, so I decided that if one wanted to nuzzle with me I was going to run.
Me and Justin at Chili's
Navy Midshipmen locker room.
Navy practice.
After a dinner of hot wings at Chili’s with Justin and some good catching up, I headed back to my campsite about 60 miles South. I found my tent to be nearly 95 degrees and the lack of airflow made it quite the sweaty experience. I slept on top of my bag in my new and very short Marine issue PT shorts (thank you Chris and Jens). The night was full of interesting sounds so I slept with my running shoes and headlamp on, with my knife in hand. I couldn’t think of any harmless animals that made sounds like what I was hearing, so I decided that if one wanted to nuzzle with me I was going to run.
Me and Justin at Chili's
Navy Midshipmen locker room.
Navy practice.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Day Twenty-Six
Wednesday morning I awoke in a field about a football field in length and width and it was all to myself. The night before I rolled into my campsite in moonlight and firefly fits, and it was a little difficult to see just how big my plot was. With unknown size came unknown sounds, the groans of what at the time I decided were swamp zombies and freight trains. To my dismay I was correct about the trains, and armed with knife and flashlight I discovered the other terrible sounds were coming from hundreds of gigantic toads in the neighboring swamp.
The heat woke me up in the morning and so I left the outskirts of Cleveland and headed to Virginia. Today I passed through Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, and now I am in a tent just a few miles north of Quantico, VA where I visited my two friends Chris deVries and Jens Gilbertson at their marine base.
The visit to the base was a great experience and I was able to get a more clear understanding of what Marine officer candidacy is all about, and what my two friends went through in their past two summers on the base. I have all the respect in the world for these two-second lieutenants. In all of today’s circumstances, why would two college educated young men choose to become officers in the Marines? My conclusion is that at this time, I don’t believe they would be satisfied doing anything else. They are tested and challenged to push their thresholds and understanding of personal possibility further everyday. It is difficult to articulate all of the feelings from today’s conversation, I am just very impressed. Not by the physical or mental challenges, but the whole ideal of that military branch and the reasons why my friends joined. I am jealous, in awe, and inspired. Thanks guys for making the time! I am waiting on Chris to email me some photos from our hangout.
But in the meantime, below is a video I prepared during my eight hours driving today. A month in your car will lead you to do funny things with your time. Some people in the car next to me enjoyed my rendition of "I want to know what love is" by Foreigner, but you only get the "Final Countdown" by Europe.
The heat woke me up in the morning and so I left the outskirts of Cleveland and headed to Virginia. Today I passed through Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, and now I am in a tent just a few miles north of Quantico, VA where I visited my two friends Chris deVries and Jens Gilbertson at their marine base.
The visit to the base was a great experience and I was able to get a more clear understanding of what Marine officer candidacy is all about, and what my two friends went through in their past two summers on the base. I have all the respect in the world for these two-second lieutenants. In all of today’s circumstances, why would two college educated young men choose to become officers in the Marines? My conclusion is that at this time, I don’t believe they would be satisfied doing anything else. They are tested and challenged to push their thresholds and understanding of personal possibility further everyday. It is difficult to articulate all of the feelings from today’s conversation, I am just very impressed. Not by the physical or mental challenges, but the whole ideal of that military branch and the reasons why my friends joined. I am jealous, in awe, and inspired. Thanks guys for making the time! I am waiting on Chris to email me some photos from our hangout.
But in the meantime, below is a video I prepared during my eight hours driving today. A month in your car will lead you to do funny things with your time. Some people in the car next to me enjoyed my rendition of "I want to know what love is" by Foreigner, but you only get the "Final Countdown" by Europe.
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