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!

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!

Camping in Joshua Tree National Park

SURPRISE! I found that I AM able to post some photos from LA, so here goes...


Monday morning, I left Big River and drove out to Joshua Tree National Park. I entered the park through the Twentynine Palms entrance on the North side. The rangers recommended camping in Jumbo Rocks and cycling from Barker Dam. On the drive in, I scouted out the locations of some of the things I wanted to check out over my stay. Once parked, I set out on a 22 mile bicycle ride from Barker Dam around the Park Road to Skull Rock and back. The terrain was mostly hills, although with long, gradual inclines. It was a great ride and I learned a little bit of a lesson afterward... Make sure to put PLENTY of sunscreen on your legs! I got a little sunburnt around the lower thighs and on the back of my calves.


After the ride, I drove to Jumbo Rocks, claimed a campsite in a cool little tree-covered notch in the rocks and set up camp. I decided then to drive to one of the higher spots in the park, Key's Look, which offers views to the East and West for miles and miles. Once back in camp, I climbed Jumbo Rock and read for a little while, climbed back down and had dinner, then climbed right back up to watch the sunset from the top. It was beautiful.


Once the sun had set, I started getting ready for bed. I crawled into my sleeping bag, watched a video on my iPod and then turned on some music. Sometime around 10:30pm I woke up to the sounds of what I am pretty sure was coyotes roving through my campsite... I'm pretty sure they were right outside the tent and I heard one of them wimpering and howling nearby - I believe next to the camp's trash recepticle. And at one point, I think I heard and felt one nosing around my tent. I tried to look around in the morning for proof they had been there, but the gravel didn't offer many opportunities to find discernable footprints.



I was up pretty early the next morning and broke camp to go back to Barker Dam to take a 2.2 mile nature hike... The hike was nice. It was early and quiet enough that many of the animals and birds were out gathering food, drinking from the small reservoir and sunning on rocks. I saw lizards, lots of birds including a large raven, two varieties of ground squirrel, and several jack rabbits. It was a nice way to wrap my stay at Joshua Tree - and I will DEFINITELY be going back for a return visit. If you haven't checked it out, get out there!

State Signs - Part VI

If you're ever in Westwood...

Check out Diddy Riese for an ice cream cookie sandwich! Eric and I spotted this place over lunch and went back for dessert after dinner tonight... Simply amazing! If you're ever in Westwood in Los Angeles, stop by Diddy Riese, pick out your two cookies and an ice cream flavor and endulge. Easy. Delicious.

Check them out at http://www.diddyriese.com!

Big River, Las Vegas, Joshua Tree and Los Angeles

This is going to be a REALLY short post...

I made it to Los Angeles, where I am staying with former SSA coworker Eric Norton and his girlfriend for two nights. I arrived here fresh off a one night stay in Joshua Tree National Park - an amazing place if you haven't been. I rode my bike 22 miles along the rolling hills in the park, set up camp, and did a little climbing yesterday and then hiked 2 1/2 miles this morning before I left for LA.

Las Vegas was great... I ate at a ton of buffets. Didn't gamble much, but for the $1 I played in the slots, I won a dollar back! I stayed with Grandpa in Big River, CA for a couple days. I am so glad we got to spend some time together since we haven't seen much of each other over the years.

I won't have much access to the Internet before the ride, but keep your eyes open for LOTS of photos and posts about these recent adventures once I return. I WILL be posting to the blog via Twitter throughout the ride... Stuff like "Day Three: I want to DIE!" Look for those posts in the right column of the page.

Anyway... Thanks to everyone for your messages of encouragement and whatnot! Dan Maxey - OUT. (I'm in Hollywood, Ryan Seacrest's town... Couldn't resist.)

Memorial Day

Today, my grandfather and I honor the memory of my grandmother, Marie La Reine Maxey. Grandma served in the Navy in World War II, leaving the service in 1980. She was active in The American Legion for the remainder of her life, serving as National Historian at the time of her death in 1994.


Grandpa, Aunt Susie and I went to her grave site at the Nevada Veterans Cemetary in Boulder City over the weekend. I'm proud of her service and wish she could have been here to enjoy this final leg of my journey out West with us.

My NEW Home in Tempe, Arizona!

I signed a lease today for an apartment in Tempe... On W. University Avenue, six blocks off Mill Avenue. It's great! And being six blocks off campus is going to be much better than commuting, for sure! I'm going to share the apartment with another guy starting the Higher and Postsecondary Education program in the Fall. It all worked out perfectly. Awesome!


View Larger Map

My First HOT HOT Day in Arizona... And My NEW Student ID - BAD PHOTO

So at this very moment it is a BALMY 112' F in Phoenix, Arizona... It's really not as bad as it sounds, but the breeze is even hot. Just when the wind picks up and you think there is relief on the way - a hot blast of wind hits you. Horrible. But otherwise it's no big deal.


I was also on campus today taking care of some business and got my student ID made... Bad picture. Oy!

Collin and Josh's Wedding in Albuquerque

My cousin Collin and her longtime boyfriend Josh got married in Albuquerque last night and my Aunt Ginnie, her partner Terry and I were able to be there to help celebrate. I hadn't seen Collin in eight or nine years and got to catch up with some other family, as well.


Collin, my sister, and I used to play together during the summers in Iowa when we were kids. We had a good laugh about playing with kittens and putting on plays. It was so good to see her again and I'm so happy for her and Josh. He seems like a wonderful guy and I already knew she's great!

TEMPE!

I spent a little time in Tempe today while running errands... It's good to be here and I can start trying to wrap up loose ends to start school. It's HOT though and only getting hotter! It was about 94'F today and is supposed to break 102'F tomorrow. WHEW!

State Signs - Part V

Beautiful Sunset

This was the view of the setting sun from the driver's seat of my loyal little engine that could and best friend on the road, Jerome... Quite a sight. And the brief rain afforded a great view of a fleeting rainbow! Arizona is so cool!

Almost Camping Above Colorado Springs, Colorado

I arrived in Colorado Springs Wednesday evening and proceeded up into the mountains after having stopped at the Ranger Station in town. I drove an hour up the mountain - about 2,500 above the city - and set up camp after scouting out a few sites. The views from the mountain were gorgeous, but many of the areas worth camping in were littered with broken glass and garbage. It was really sad that people have treated this beautiful land with such disregard.

I set up my tent and built a fire, cooked some dinner... Sometime in the middle of it all, it started to snow a little bit and continued to snow periodically. I was pretty certain I wouldn't be able to do much outside if it snowed much more, so I crawled into my tent and read a book. After awhile I went to sleep.

About an hour and a half later, I woke up and wasn't feeling very well. I had about a 15 or 20 minute window to decide if I was going to stay before the sun would start to set. I didn't know how much it would snow overnight and sure didn't want to be stuck if I was sick, so I packed up and drove back down the mountain... I thought if I was going to stay in a hotel, I might as well proceed the rest of the way to Pueblo, about 45 minutes South. It was much better to sleep in a bed and I was feeling alright by morning.

And it did end up snowing quite a bit more overnight... So I made the right choice, I think.

A Night Out in Denver...

SO, Sara and I went out with some friends to Uptown Tavern and JR's last night... And we can definitely feel it this morning.


BUT, the most random thing happened - We ran into Brian O'Connor, my former coworker and office mate at the Democratic Governors Association in Washington, DC. So we hung out at the first bar and played trivia. He left before we crossed over to JR's, which ended up being quite a mess. It was all pretty much downhill after Uptown.

We had a good time and hangovers make the best excuse for greasy food the next morning, so we went to Steuben's, a retro diner just down the street.

A Jaunt Around DENVER - The Mile High City

I started my day (after Jerome's oil change anyway) with a visit to the Unsinkable Molly Brown House & Museum - a recommendation from my most trusted Moira Tarpy. It was a beautiful home and really reflected all the life and energy of the woman. The excesses of upper-class Victorian living never cease to amaze me. If you're in Denver, it's worth checking out.

And the first interesting fact I learned was that she never went by the name Molly. Margaret or Maggie, but never Molly.


After the Molly Brown House, I walked by the State Capitol and to the 16th Street Mall, a pedestrian mall in the middle of downtown. I shopped around for a bit and picked up a bagel dog at Einstein Brothers, which I just enjoyed with a Fat Tire Amber Ale (my favorite beer - NOT available on the East Coast that I have ever noticed). Now I'm watching A Streetcar Named Desire... What the hell happened to Marlon Brando???

No Ugly Green Dogs Allowed...

I've always seen this sign in black and red. Thank God Denver banned ugly green dogs. Very avant garde.

A Treat for Jerome...

Jerome got his oil changed in Denver today and he is very, very happy... Except that he has to sit in the rain the rest of the day while I go check out downtown on foot.

I also bought him a little travel can of Clean Linen Lysol because he is starting to smell funny after nearly three weeks on the road. I think he appreciated that too. If he didn't, I did. =)

COLD Denver...

They're expecting it will not get warmer than 47' F in Denver today! Oy!

I am going to get Jerome's oil changed then go visit the Molly Brown House, State Capitol, and maybe the 16th Street Mall. Tonight I think Sara and I will have dinner and go to the Denver JR's! How fun!

Alright... Lots to do today! I'm off!

Iowa Revisited...

I couldn't resist posting a couple more pics of me with my cousins' ADORABLE children... They're even cute when they are grumpy!


Me with Owen, Ella, Jordana and Lulu, Gavin, Aiden and Kim...


Me and Kim trying to get the boys to sit still for a photo... This didn't go well.

Snow?!?!

I arrived in Denver tonight and they are calling for snow! Apparently they didn't get the memo that it's mid-May. Weather is crazy out here, though. I encountered really strong winds in Eastern Colorado and thought I saw a small tornado at one point.

I'm working on trying to figure out what I'm going to do around town tomorrow. I'll need to be flexible due to the weather.

I am so excited to be in Colorado and slowly, but surely, approaching Arizona! I'll be in Colorado through Thursday morning, then I am off to New Mexico. I'll post more from Denver tomorrow.

State Signs - Part IV

So I kind of screwed this one up. My picture of the ACTUAL state sign was blurry, so I took this at the Welcome Center. This sign was nicer than the real one, anyway.

I HEART Wind Farms...

I don't know why they don't build more of these... It is SO windy across the plains and I think they're beautiful.

The University of Kansas

Nice campus... I just drove through before I left town and spent most of my time in town, but snapped this on my way out.

GOOD MORNING from KANSAS!

I kind of woke up to this and thought I'd share...

Josh Ritter Concert in Lawrence, Kansas... AWESOME!

The concert tonight was amazing! This was the second time I have seen Josh Ritter live and this show was even better than the last one. I went alone since I am only passing through on my way to Arizona, but made some friends at the concert. It ended up working out just fine.


AND after the concert, I got to meet Josh! We talked for a few minutes about going back to school, cross-country road trips, DC, and he was so enthusiastic and gave me some encouragement and well wishes for the rest of my trip and whatnot. It was so cool to get to thank him for his work and the great show.

If you still have not heard Josh Ritter or been to a show, get on the ball!

PS - I am blogging from my teeny tiny tent at the KOA... Seriously! =)

Set List from Josh Ritter...

This is the set list from the show. I was right up at the stage, so I had a good vantage point and knew what was coming up (except for some curve balls and surprises).

Josh and the band were SPECTACULAR! I really enjoyed the show. Josh told me to look out for future dates in Arizona... I'll be there. Whenever. Wherever.

State Signs - Part III

Dan as art...

I thought this was clever... But who knows? I had Tony take this pic of me at the big art museum in Kansas City. =)

Josh Ritter... In Kansas.

I'm seeing Josh Ritter in Lawrence TONIGHT... In like an hour. I was in town on my laptop and saw him from across the street, but didn't get my laptop packed up fast enough to say hello. BUGGERS!

Should be fun!

My LUXURY Accommodations...

So this is where I am staying in Lawrence, Kansas... LUXURY LIVING.

Kansas City!

So... Despite the weather, my stop in Kansas City was fantastic! I cruised into downtown and met up with Tony, who surprised me with news that I wouldn't have to sleep on a couch, but had a hotel room to stay in downtown. That was great! We shopped around the City Market, grabbed some food and then explored town a little bit.

Kansas City is pretty cool... Great public parks and whatnot. We went to Gates for BBQ - Good, but a little too much chili powder in the sauce. Glad I got to enjoy some real KC food. Although, this Southern boy is pretty sure that the KC BBQ doesn't hold it's own against some good Southern pulled pork.

We went out to 303 and Missie B's with some of Tony's friends. I had a pretty good time. Kansas City boys are definitely good people - and cute.

Today's weather was MUCH better. Sunny and a little warmer! YAY!

Madison County by Bicycle...

I rode my bicycle a good 36 miles through rural Madison County, Iowa Monday afternoon... I rode North from the family farm, then East to Earlham, South to Winterset and started heading back West to the farm, but was hit with REALLY strong winds. Thankfully, Kim and Aunt Julie were driving home from work and had the minivan. They spotted me from down the road and called me. When I pulled over to take the call, they said, "Is that you up ahead talking to us on the side of the road?"

I was relieved to have a ride back. The headwinds were really rough. I went back to Julie's house and talked with her for awhile before she gave me a ride back to the farm with my bike.

I took some pics in Earlham and Winterset... Here they are!


Madison County roadside


The grain elevator in Earlham


Madison County Courthouse in Winterset


Winterset water tower and John Wayne Drive

Roseman Bridge... For Michelle.

Yes, my family is from the Madison County of The Bridges of Madison County. This is Roseman Bridge, probably the best known... This is where wily Clint Eastwood got the notion to have relations with Meryl Streep.

All My [cousins'] Children...

You know... A couple kids are enough to wear you out in an afternoon, but four kids plus a baby. Wow!

Since my last visit to Iowa, my cousins Kim and Kasey have expanded their families, adding another four children between the two of them. They're all great and constantly moving. All the kids were around when I arrived Sunday and when we met up at Kim's house Tuesday night. I've had some time with Ella and baby Lulu, too.

Here are some pictures of the kids... Adorable!


Lulu


Ella


Aiden and Owen - The twins...


Gavin