These are some of my photo highlights from ALC 7. Unfortunately, no photos from Red Dress Day since I spent it in the Emergency Room. *sigh*
Enjoy!
6.19.2008
My ALC 7 Highlight Reel featuring Junior Senior
These are some of my photo highlights from ALC 7. Unfortunately, no photos from Red Dress Day since I spent it in the Emergency Room. *sigh*
Enjoy!
6.16.2008
The Road Trip Reel featuring Josh Ritter
Here are some memories of friends, family and fun from my road trip - from my Going Away party to Los Angeles. This doesn't include AIDS LifeCycle, but look for another "movie" for that wild week soon!
Enjoy! Peace!
This sums up...
This is my fortune from lunch at Pei Wei today and it sums up the last two months of my travels from the East Coast to the Southwest...
6.14.2008
THE ALC 7 Diaries... DAY TWO
SANTA CRUZ TO KING CITY
Day Two was a BIG one... 105 miles, which, if completed, would be my very first century. I was overwhelmed by the thought of riding so far only a day after having done about 80 miles, but was optimistic I would finish.
We set out after breakfast, riding through downtown Santa Cruz on the way out. There were quite a few people out and about in town to wish us well as we departed. At one stop light, we spoke briefly to Joe Solmonese - head of the Human Rights Campaign - who was riding with some other folks from DC and New York behind us.
Day Two was to take us inland a bit, but we had an early glimpse of the Pacific Ocean at Rest Stop 1. The day started with heavy cloud cover, giving us all a little anxiety that we might get some rain despite the weather forecast given the night before.
Scott and me along the Pacific Ocean at Rest Stop 1
As we crossed inland, we came upon miles and miles of agricultural fields - artichoke, strawberries (someone commented that The Beatles just must have had this in mind when they wrote Strawberry Fields Forever), herbs, brocolli, leeks. It was quite a sight. And much to my surprise, even the farm workers, hard at work tending to and picking crops, stopped to wave and say hello as we passed. The roads were pretty beat up around the fields from the constant flow of farm machinery and trucks in and out.
As we turned back toward the coast, Scott pointed out seal lions on the rocks in the bay... I had wondered what the stench and horrible sounds were all about. His observation answered my question.
A lot of people had stopped at an artichoke stand, but not wanting to waste any time and not being much a fan of artichokes, I continued - stopping only momentarily to take a photo with Ginger Brewlay in an outfit that appears to have been inspired by the foil-wrapped artichokes...
Stopping for a photo with Ginger... I didn't even get off the bike!
We continued on - had lunch in Salinas and took a moment to rest and kept going. Sometime between lunch and Rest Stop 3 - around Mile 61, things took a turn for the worse for Scott. Scott had moved a short distance ahead of me and I stopped to take some photos (see below) of the countryside, hills, and tilled fields. I clipped back in and went no more than a mile or so down the road when I noticed someone had crashed and was now lying in the ditch surrounded by people. I slowed a bit, not intending to become the next casualty, and as I passed looked down into the ditch. I was shocked to see Scott face up and filthy - in the ditch. I put on the brakes and pulled over to rush to see what had happened. Thankfully, Scott was mostly coherent, talking to a driver who had stopped while several people who had called 911 tried to explain to dispatchers where we were located. After awhile, Scott noticed I was there, the ambulance came and checked him out - all fine except that he couldn't lift his right arm. He made the choice to have ALC's Medical Transport take him to the hospital for x-rays rather than take the ambulance. As they took him away I told him I would finish the day for him - but ONLY if he stopped taking naps in ditches.
A spot along the route near where Scott creamed out
The accident happened - allegedly, since Scott's memory of it was cloudy - when Scott turned to look over his left shoulder to see if I was behind him. When he turned, he squeezed the brakes for reasons unknown and was thrown over the handlebars - still partly clipped in - and landed on his right shoulder. When he came to, he realized he should roll off the road and out of the way of other cyclists and cars, which is how he found himself in the ditch. Either way it happened, it meant he was off the ride at least for the day and likely for the rest of the week.
I spent about an hour at the site of the accident, so needed to move along to make up time. I stopped at Rest Stop 3 at a vineyard (damn it, no wine!) and moved along to the next stop, which could not be missed... The Otter Pop Stop.
The Otter Pop Stop is an official water stop on Day Two... But if you thought all you were getting was water and portapotties, you would be in for a shock. Roadies at the stop - most of them anyway - were dressed in Western attire... With the exception of a handful of whimsical Bears found dancing about in tutus with ribbons and flags and handing out Otter Pops. It was worth the stop for a smile and the sight of it all... Look below. I sweat this doesn't do it justice, but it's a glimpse.
Two festive Bears dance around the Otter Pop Stop
A view of the Otter Pop tent
The next big attraction after the Otter Pop Stop was the famed Cookie Lady. I didn't get the WHOLE story (if anyone knows it, let me know), but the Cookie Lady prepares THOUSANDS of cookies from scratch each year to hand out to cyclists on AIDS LifeCycle... These weren't Betty Crocker! I had an Oatmeal Raisin cookie and it was awesome. Rumor has it Cookie Lady starts baking after Christmas each year to have her goods ready for June. And she was so enthusiastic, wishing everyone "A SUNSHINY DAY!" as they set off through the strong cross winds toward Rest Stop 4.
Cookie Lady and me... Delicious!
Cookie Lady led on to Rest Stop 4, followed by the final 14 miles of Day Two. I arrived at Rest Stop 4 with less than 15 minutes to spare before the Sag Bus and Caboose arrived, so I didn't take photos... However, Rest Stop 4 featured the Miss ALC tournament and such beauties as Miss Guantanamo Bay and Miss-ed My Period - my favorite.
I left the Rest Stop and didn't get more than a block away when I observed I was losing pressure in my rear tire. I checked things out and found a very slow leak. Taking time to change a tire meant that I might be picked up by the caboose and miss my chance to finish my century ride - so I pumped the tire back up and went on. Halfway to camp was a gradual, but slightly challenging hill. On the way up I stopped to take this photo - and to pump my tire back up for the remaining few miles into camp.
A line of cyclists rides uphill toward King City
On the way up the hill stood a fellow rider, bike held high above his head. And as I rode past he shouted, "CONGRATULATIONS MAN! YOU JUST RODE A CENTURY!" I felt a swelling of pride within - and while it didn't matter if I completed the rest of the day for having achieved a real challenge in my first century, I pressed on. As my rear tire slowly deflated I pedaled and pedaled to the finish line, met by cheers, bells and whistles as I crossed. My first task was to change my tire - using ALC's notoriously bad pumps. I popped the first tube and needed a second, but had used the spare I had on hand. It was then that I made a new friend - as is true so many times a day on AIDS LifeCycle. A Positive Pedaler saw me - probably looking a little discouraged - and asked if he could help. I explained my predicament and he offered me one of his spares and a place to park my bike - right up front with the Pos Peds. As I pumped up my new tube and repaired my bike, we had a chat. He introduced himself as Tripp and we discovered we were both from Washington, DC. Tripp and I became good friends throughout the week and I'm so happy to have met him. It's a typical ALC story - people helping each other out and making new friends.
That night I was too late to catch a shower, was too late getting my tent up to allow it to dry of the dew deposited the night before, but ate and slept well nonetheless. Before turning in for the night, I went to visit Scott in the Medical Tent. He had news that he had a broken scapula (shoulder blade) and was off the ride for the week. Time to make lots of new friends or I might be riding solo!
YOU CAN VIEW A VIDEO SUMMARY OF DAY TWO from ALC 7 on YouTube!
CLICK HERE TO VIEW OFFICIAL ALC PHOTOS FROM THE RIDE, SORTED BY DAY!
NEXT! DAY THREE: KING CITY TO PASO ROBLES!
Day Two was a BIG one... 105 miles, which, if completed, would be my very first century. I was overwhelmed by the thought of riding so far only a day after having done about 80 miles, but was optimistic I would finish.
We set out after breakfast, riding through downtown Santa Cruz on the way out. There were quite a few people out and about in town to wish us well as we departed. At one stop light, we spoke briefly to Joe Solmonese - head of the Human Rights Campaign - who was riding with some other folks from DC and New York behind us.
Day Two was to take us inland a bit, but we had an early glimpse of the Pacific Ocean at Rest Stop 1. The day started with heavy cloud cover, giving us all a little anxiety that we might get some rain despite the weather forecast given the night before.
As we crossed inland, we came upon miles and miles of agricultural fields - artichoke, strawberries (someone commented that The Beatles just must have had this in mind when they wrote Strawberry Fields Forever), herbs, brocolli, leeks. It was quite a sight. And much to my surprise, even the farm workers, hard at work tending to and picking crops, stopped to wave and say hello as we passed. The roads were pretty beat up around the fields from the constant flow of farm machinery and trucks in and out.
As we turned back toward the coast, Scott pointed out seal lions on the rocks in the bay... I had wondered what the stench and horrible sounds were all about. His observation answered my question.
A lot of people had stopped at an artichoke stand, but not wanting to waste any time and not being much a fan of artichokes, I continued - stopping only momentarily to take a photo with Ginger Brewlay in an outfit that appears to have been inspired by the foil-wrapped artichokes...
We continued on - had lunch in Salinas and took a moment to rest and kept going. Sometime between lunch and Rest Stop 3 - around Mile 61, things took a turn for the worse for Scott. Scott had moved a short distance ahead of me and I stopped to take some photos (see below) of the countryside, hills, and tilled fields. I clipped back in and went no more than a mile or so down the road when I noticed someone had crashed and was now lying in the ditch surrounded by people. I slowed a bit, not intending to become the next casualty, and as I passed looked down into the ditch. I was shocked to see Scott face up and filthy - in the ditch. I put on the brakes and pulled over to rush to see what had happened. Thankfully, Scott was mostly coherent, talking to a driver who had stopped while several people who had called 911 tried to explain to dispatchers where we were located. After awhile, Scott noticed I was there, the ambulance came and checked him out - all fine except that he couldn't lift his right arm. He made the choice to have ALC's Medical Transport take him to the hospital for x-rays rather than take the ambulance. As they took him away I told him I would finish the day for him - but ONLY if he stopped taking naps in ditches.
The accident happened - allegedly, since Scott's memory of it was cloudy - when Scott turned to look over his left shoulder to see if I was behind him. When he turned, he squeezed the brakes for reasons unknown and was thrown over the handlebars - still partly clipped in - and landed on his right shoulder. When he came to, he realized he should roll off the road and out of the way of other cyclists and cars, which is how he found himself in the ditch. Either way it happened, it meant he was off the ride at least for the day and likely for the rest of the week.
I spent about an hour at the site of the accident, so needed to move along to make up time. I stopped at Rest Stop 3 at a vineyard (damn it, no wine!) and moved along to the next stop, which could not be missed... The Otter Pop Stop.
The Otter Pop Stop is an official water stop on Day Two... But if you thought all you were getting was water and portapotties, you would be in for a shock. Roadies at the stop - most of them anyway - were dressed in Western attire... With the exception of a handful of whimsical Bears found dancing about in tutus with ribbons and flags and handing out Otter Pops. It was worth the stop for a smile and the sight of it all... Look below. I sweat this doesn't do it justice, but it's a glimpse.
The next big attraction after the Otter Pop Stop was the famed Cookie Lady. I didn't get the WHOLE story (if anyone knows it, let me know), but the Cookie Lady prepares THOUSANDS of cookies from scratch each year to hand out to cyclists on AIDS LifeCycle... These weren't Betty Crocker! I had an Oatmeal Raisin cookie and it was awesome. Rumor has it Cookie Lady starts baking after Christmas each year to have her goods ready for June. And she was so enthusiastic, wishing everyone "A SUNSHINY DAY!" as they set off through the strong cross winds toward Rest Stop 4.
Cookie Lady led on to Rest Stop 4, followed by the final 14 miles of Day Two. I arrived at Rest Stop 4 with less than 15 minutes to spare before the Sag Bus and Caboose arrived, so I didn't take photos... However, Rest Stop 4 featured the Miss ALC tournament and such beauties as Miss Guantanamo Bay and Miss-ed My Period - my favorite.
I left the Rest Stop and didn't get more than a block away when I observed I was losing pressure in my rear tire. I checked things out and found a very slow leak. Taking time to change a tire meant that I might be picked up by the caboose and miss my chance to finish my century ride - so I pumped the tire back up and went on. Halfway to camp was a gradual, but slightly challenging hill. On the way up I stopped to take this photo - and to pump my tire back up for the remaining few miles into camp.
On the way up the hill stood a fellow rider, bike held high above his head. And as I rode past he shouted, "CONGRATULATIONS MAN! YOU JUST RODE A CENTURY!" I felt a swelling of pride within - and while it didn't matter if I completed the rest of the day for having achieved a real challenge in my first century, I pressed on. As my rear tire slowly deflated I pedaled and pedaled to the finish line, met by cheers, bells and whistles as I crossed. My first task was to change my tire - using ALC's notoriously bad pumps. I popped the first tube and needed a second, but had used the spare I had on hand. It was then that I made a new friend - as is true so many times a day on AIDS LifeCycle. A Positive Pedaler saw me - probably looking a little discouraged - and asked if he could help. I explained my predicament and he offered me one of his spares and a place to park my bike - right up front with the Pos Peds. As I pumped up my new tube and repaired my bike, we had a chat. He introduced himself as Tripp and we discovered we were both from Washington, DC. Tripp and I became good friends throughout the week and I'm so happy to have met him. It's a typical ALC story - people helping each other out and making new friends.
That night I was too late to catch a shower, was too late getting my tent up to allow it to dry of the dew deposited the night before, but ate and slept well nonetheless. Before turning in for the night, I went to visit Scott in the Medical Tent. He had news that he had a broken scapula (shoulder blade) and was off the ride for the week. Time to make lots of new friends or I might be riding solo!
YOU CAN VIEW A VIDEO SUMMARY OF DAY TWO from ALC 7 on YouTube!
CLICK HERE TO VIEW OFFICIAL ALC PHOTOS FROM THE RIDE, SORTED BY DAY!
NEXT! DAY THREE: KING CITY TO PASO ROBLES!
6.12.2008
THE ALC 7 Diaries... DAY ONE
SAN FRANCISCO TO SANTA CRUZ
Day One started at The Cow Palace in Daly City, just outside the San Francisco city limits. The Cow Palace had also served as the Orientation site the day before. Early Sunday morning - beginning around 5:00 am - we all assembled for Opening Ceremonies and to begin the ride out to Santa Cruz. Scott and I went straight to our bicycles upon arrival to attach some equipment and make sure we were ready to go. I have enough trouble finding my car in a parking lot, let alone my bicycle in a room full of 2,500 bicycles of roughly the same size and many of the same type and color. The photo below shows you just a tiny piece of the madness that was bike parking...
Bike parking at The Cow Palace
After grabbing some fruit and banana bread, we headed into Opening Ceremonies in the Cow Palace arena - an area generally used to parade prized bulls and livestock - where we were promptly instructed in a stretching session set to a techno/house beat. Once we were all loosened up, the ceremonies got underway. Each day either started or ended with messages from the heads of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the LA Gay and Lesbian Center. These opening ceremonies also included a procession of memorial banners that would be filled in by participants throughout the week to come, as well as a riderless bicycle and helmet symbolizing all of the men and women who have died from HIV and AIDS. The entire procession became a very emotional event for everyone in the arena.
The riderless bicycle, symbolizing all who have died from HIV and AIDS, is led into the Opening Ceremonies
Once the ceremonies were over, it was all hands on deck - off to bike parking and out onto the road, where a large crowd of supporters had already gathered to see us off. As unorganized as 2,500 people trying to leave one place at one time on their bicycles can be, I think it went off pretty well. We were off on a route that would take us about 79 miles to Santa Cruz. The route Day One included some pretty large hills up Highway 92 toward Skyline Drive, past San Francisco International Airport, and along the Pacific Coast. We saw a brief glimpse of the scene that would dominate the next couple days as well, the lush agricultural fields of Northern and Central California.
One highlight in the day came as we rounded a corner to full view of the Pacific. On the horizon floated tens of colorful kites tethered to people surfing below. The image evoked memories of people flying kites at the Washington Monument in DC. I stopped for photographs here to share the sight.
Stopping along the Pacific Ocean to marvel at the sight of tens of kite surfers
All along the route - EVERY DAY - we were assisted by teams of volunteers who were responsible for hauling our gear, cooking our food, taking care of our medical needs, sweeping the route, and operating each of four daily rest stops (plus water stops and lunch). Among the most memorable groups each day were the boys of Rest Stop 4 - each day presenting a different theme.
The boys of Rest Stop 4 - Today as the Bakersfield Badminton Club
Day One, the boys hosted us at the Bakersfield Badminton Club. It was quite a sight - all these guys running around posing for photos in little country club-style shorts, striped socks, polos and cardigans. I was only just beginning to witness what made Rest Stop 4 something to look forward to each day.
We made it to camp in the middle of the afternoon. Camp was located in a park on the outskirts of Santa Cruz. A hot shower and dinner were a wonderful way to start the evening. Scott and I went to dinner and ended up making some friends that would reemerge from time to time throughout the rest of the week - notably Dennis, David and Raul.
I didn't waste much time getting to sleep after the nightly ALC news. The next day was to be 105 miles to King City. I needed to rest up!
YOU CAN VIEW A SUMMARY OF DAY ONE from ALC 7 on YouTube!
CLICK HERE TO VIEW OFFICIAL ALC PHOTOS FROM THE RIDE, SORTED BY DAY!
NEXT! DAY TWO: SANTA CRUZ TO KING CITY!
Day One started at The Cow Palace in Daly City, just outside the San Francisco city limits. The Cow Palace had also served as the Orientation site the day before. Early Sunday morning - beginning around 5:00 am - we all assembled for Opening Ceremonies and to begin the ride out to Santa Cruz. Scott and I went straight to our bicycles upon arrival to attach some equipment and make sure we were ready to go. I have enough trouble finding my car in a parking lot, let alone my bicycle in a room full of 2,500 bicycles of roughly the same size and many of the same type and color. The photo below shows you just a tiny piece of the madness that was bike parking...
After grabbing some fruit and banana bread, we headed into Opening Ceremonies in the Cow Palace arena - an area generally used to parade prized bulls and livestock - where we were promptly instructed in a stretching session set to a techno/house beat. Once we were all loosened up, the ceremonies got underway. Each day either started or ended with messages from the heads of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the LA Gay and Lesbian Center. These opening ceremonies also included a procession of memorial banners that would be filled in by participants throughout the week to come, as well as a riderless bicycle and helmet symbolizing all of the men and women who have died from HIV and AIDS. The entire procession became a very emotional event for everyone in the arena.
Once the ceremonies were over, it was all hands on deck - off to bike parking and out onto the road, where a large crowd of supporters had already gathered to see us off. As unorganized as 2,500 people trying to leave one place at one time on their bicycles can be, I think it went off pretty well. We were off on a route that would take us about 79 miles to Santa Cruz. The route Day One included some pretty large hills up Highway 92 toward Skyline Drive, past San Francisco International Airport, and along the Pacific Coast. We saw a brief glimpse of the scene that would dominate the next couple days as well, the lush agricultural fields of Northern and Central California.
One highlight in the day came as we rounded a corner to full view of the Pacific. On the horizon floated tens of colorful kites tethered to people surfing below. The image evoked memories of people flying kites at the Washington Monument in DC. I stopped for photographs here to share the sight.
All along the route - EVERY DAY - we were assisted by teams of volunteers who were responsible for hauling our gear, cooking our food, taking care of our medical needs, sweeping the route, and operating each of four daily rest stops (plus water stops and lunch). Among the most memorable groups each day were the boys of Rest Stop 4 - each day presenting a different theme.
Day One, the boys hosted us at the Bakersfield Badminton Club. It was quite a sight - all these guys running around posing for photos in little country club-style shorts, striped socks, polos and cardigans. I was only just beginning to witness what made Rest Stop 4 something to look forward to each day.
We made it to camp in the middle of the afternoon. Camp was located in a park on the outskirts of Santa Cruz. A hot shower and dinner were a wonderful way to start the evening. Scott and I went to dinner and ended up making some friends that would reemerge from time to time throughout the rest of the week - notably Dennis, David and Raul.
I didn't waste much time getting to sleep after the nightly ALC news. The next day was to be 105 miles to King City. I needed to rest up!
YOU CAN VIEW A SUMMARY OF DAY ONE from ALC 7 on YouTube!
CLICK HERE TO VIEW OFFICIAL ALC PHOTOS FROM THE RIDE, SORTED BY DAY!
NEXT! DAY TWO: SANTA CRUZ TO KING CITY!
The ALC 7 Diaries... WELCOME TO SAN FRANCISCO!
Before setting out on the road for AIDS LifeCycle 7, I spent a couple days in San Francisco. Upon arrival, I quickly set out to do some exploring. I really had only planned to stay in the neighborhood - I was staying in Union Square - but ended up hiking all the way over to the Fisherman's Wharf! IN FLIP FLOPS! Just in case you've never been to San Fran (and I had not been), it's all hills. Steep, unforgiving hills. I had to be careful not to blister and trash my feet since 545 miles of cycling were in my future. I made it across town safely, stopped in some shops along the way and grabbed some fried jumbo shrimp and chips (and an Anchor Steam for good measure) at the Fisherman's Wharf and took the cable car back to my hotel - how San Fran!
Scott was arriving the next morning, so I ventured out around the Union Square area until he arrived at the Powell Street Station via the BART. We took his bike and gear up to the hotel and headed back down toward Powell and Market to look for something to eat and to do some shopping. Not seeing too many choices for lunch, we hit the Fatt Dog hot dog stand. I didn't expect much, but it was actually really good. I got some kind of Santa Fe sausage with chili and cheese. It was delicious.
After some afternoon adventures, we took the street cars down to the Castro for drinks and dinner. We peeked into a few stores and then headed to Harvey's for dinner. It was here that we met Mark and Ralph (more on Mark and Ralph later in the ALC journal). While we were eating and enjoying a couple beers, the two gentlemen mentioned above approached our table, having noticed Scott's AIDS ride shirt. They introduced themselves as Mark and Ralph and said they were Medical Transport for AIDS LifeCycle, that it was nice to meet us, but that they hoped not to see us in their vehicles throughout the week. We spoke for a minute and they went on their way. After dinner and grabbing coffee, we decided to turn in for the night since we had an early morning the next day for Orientation... Which follows in the next post.
Peace.
Dan
6.11.2008
Surgery... Again.
Hello! I know I am a little behind in posting all of my AIDS LifeCycle stuff, but I haven't been slacking off. Promise.
I had some outpatient surgery at Banner Gateway Hospital here in metro Phoenix this morning. Rest assured, I am alright and having a smooth recovery so far. Thanks for your messages, thoughts and prayers.
With added time for bed rest in the coming days, I should be able to tackle my ALC blogging duties.
Goodnight for now!
I had some outpatient surgery at Banner Gateway Hospital here in metro Phoenix this morning. Rest assured, I am alright and having a smooth recovery so far. Thanks for your messages, thoughts and prayers.
With added time for bed rest in the coming days, I should be able to tackle my ALC blogging duties.
Goodnight for now!
6.08.2008
I'm Back in Arizona!
I made it home about 30 minutes ago... I'll start working on photos and a full download tomorrow and next week.
In the meantime, enjoy this TRIUMPHANT photo of me at the "Halfway To LA" point atop "The Evil Twins" the day before I got sent to the ER.
In the meantime, enjoy this TRIUMPHANT photo of me at the "Halfway To LA" point atop "The Evil Twins" the day before I got sent to the ER.
5.29.2008
GABCASTING FROM AIDS/LifeCycle 7
I will be "Gabcasting" from San Francisco to Los Angeles RIGHT HERE in my blog, Dan's Varied Adventures in the Desert Southwest! I am now OFFICIALLY off to San Francisco to begin the ride, so there will be no new blog postings in the next week and a half. You can, however, use the Gabcast player below to check in for daily updates on my progress on the ride, to hear me complain about how much pain I am in, and to learn about all the amazing people I meet on the road.
Gabcast episodes will appear in the player as they are posted. Thanks for your support and stay tuned for Gabcast updates next week!
Gabcast episodes will appear in the player as they are posted. Thanks for your support and stay tuned for Gabcast updates next week!
An Amazing Day in Los Angeles!
Eric and I woke up this morning expecting to do some touristy things around town, but ended up having an awesome day!
Our first stop was Venice Beach - Southwest of here. We parked a block from the pier, walked out and watched the surfers, then headed to the boardwalk - a crazy assortment of tourist junk, homeless and hippies, and junk food vendors. As we approached the end of the pier, we noticed someone was filming a tv show or movie, so we stuck around to see what was going on... Turned out they were filming a new movie called I Love You, Man, which will be released in 2009. It's from the same folks who did 40 Year Old Virgin.
So, on the set, we saw Lou Ferrigno (YES, the original Incredible Hulk), Jason Segal (recent star of Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Knocked Up), Paul Rudd, and Rob Huebel. I took a ton of photos... Here are some of the highlights.
Paul Rudd during a scene...
Lou Ferrigno puts Jason Segal in a choke hold...
That was a pretty cool start to the day.
After we watched a scene, we went back to the car and headed to lunch at Baby Blues BBQ on Lincoln in Venice Beach. If you're looking for good Southern pulled pork in Los Angeles, I can't imagine you'll find much better than this. Check it out if you're in LA.
We had decided to spend the afternoon in Hollywood. Eric and I walked the ENTIRE Walk of Fame, saw Graumman's Chinese Theatre, the Kodak Theatre, the Hollywood sign, and other landmarks... And after three hours of walking the Walk, we were exhausted, content to saddle up to the bar for a drink or two before returning home for the night. On the way home, we picked up ingredients for Chicken Tortilla Soup and Fat Tire beer - as well as several more of those delicious Diddy Riese ice cream cookie sandwiches mentioned in a previous post.
Then we just took it easy... But what a day it's been! Tomorrow I leave for San Francisco!
Our first stop was Venice Beach - Southwest of here. We parked a block from the pier, walked out and watched the surfers, then headed to the boardwalk - a crazy assortment of tourist junk, homeless and hippies, and junk food vendors. As we approached the end of the pier, we noticed someone was filming a tv show or movie, so we stuck around to see what was going on... Turned out they were filming a new movie called I Love You, Man, which will be released in 2009. It's from the same folks who did 40 Year Old Virgin.
So, on the set, we saw Lou Ferrigno (YES, the original Incredible Hulk), Jason Segal (recent star of Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Knocked Up), Paul Rudd, and Rob Huebel. I took a ton of photos... Here are some of the highlights.
That was a pretty cool start to the day.
After we watched a scene, we went back to the car and headed to lunch at Baby Blues BBQ on Lincoln in Venice Beach. If you're looking for good Southern pulled pork in Los Angeles, I can't imagine you'll find much better than this. Check it out if you're in LA.
We had decided to spend the afternoon in Hollywood. Eric and I walked the ENTIRE Walk of Fame, saw Graumman's Chinese Theatre, the Kodak Theatre, the Hollywood sign, and other landmarks... And after three hours of walking the Walk, we were exhausted, content to saddle up to the bar for a drink or two before returning home for the night. On the way home, we picked up ingredients for Chicken Tortilla Soup and Fat Tire beer - as well as several more of those delicious Diddy Riese ice cream cookie sandwiches mentioned in a previous post.
Then we just took it easy... But what a day it's been! Tomorrow I leave for San Francisco!
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