New T.V. Show: Homeless in the O.C.

"So where are you going to stay?" inquired Vinny, a friend from ISU that moved to San Clemente, CA.
"Huh?" I was confused because he, his roommate and I all went out for food and it was late now. Time to crash. "I thought I was staying here."
"You never told me that."
"What did you think I was going to do?" There was a long awkward pause. "So can I stay here?"
"Not really. My roommie wouldn't like that and its hard enough to get along with her."
"So are there any good parks around?"
Vinny tried repeatedly to give me money for a hotel room. I had money already, I just didn't want to stay in a hotel room. So I ditched my bags in a garage that was left open in his building, bundled up for the night and set out across the street where there was a large park that stretched over to the beach.

The first spot I found was behind some landscaped bushes. It was relatively flat, dry and protected from anybody seeing me. I was just hoping that I wouldn't have a run in with the local wildlife, such as bugs, chipmunks and the rumored snake. It was uncomfortable but I eventually lulled myself to sleep by watching the stars above me and listening to the waves crash on the nearby beach. I tried to ignore the late night runners that went past my head and the feeling of loneliness.

HISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! I didn't budge. My eyes flew open despite my deep sleep but I didn't budge. I just waited for whatever out there to calm down and slither away. What a terrible way to go out, killed by a poisonous snake when sleeping in the bushes of a park. My college education obviously preceded me. The hiss was coming from right next to my head and wasn't stopping. Then I noticed it had a soft underlying rhythm to it. It wasn't a snake, it was the park sprinklers watering the nearby grass. I eventually got up to walk off the terror feeling and maybe find a fresh pair of underwear.

3 a.m. and I was standing on a moonlight beach coming to only sad realizations. I have hit a new low. Not only was I sleeping on the ground and freezing, I was on the west coast and running out of friends to stay with. I still hadn't found a ship and I was getting a little queezy from just listening to the waves for so long. Most of all, I was alone. Cold, tired, sore from sleeping on the ground and lonely, all I wanted was to be home. Stupid sprinklers... I almost peed my pants.

I found an empty storage area in the garage that was left open and crawled in. The ground was concrete now but it was much warmer. I slept off the late night depression and woke up tired and sore, yet still cheery and recharged by the sight of the sun. The second I got on the road I was happy again. I took the Pacific Coastal Highway all the way to my next destination. Glee was I. Amazing how diverse my moods are on when traveling like this. I think it is because of the diverse situations. Damn sprinklers.

San Diego... A good place to quit

I traveled out of Arizona at night to avoid the heat. I crossed rocky hills, sand dunes, boarder control check points and mountains until I felt the sensation of a sea breeze. I have finally reached California. I am almost overwhelmed by how much fun there is to be had here. My friend, Kristin and I have been spending our days basking in the sun on the beach, sitting in hot tubs, eating home cooked dinners, finding nitch restaurants and living the local life. Everybody here is fit and active... even the bums. People are friendly and I haven't see as many hippies as I thought I would. The weather is great all the time and each day ends with the sun melting over an aqueous horizon.

Kristin and I went to high school together and after she graduated from Marquette, she got stationed as a navy nurse here in San Diego. She has let me stay here for over a week, which is still not enough time to see all there is here. One of my favorite things here was the Maritime Museum where they have a collection of historic Tall Ships. Here is a picture of me at the helm of the HMS Surprise, the ship from "Master and Commander." The Mexican food here is amazing and its on every corner. The only problem here is that getting anywhere requires me to ride the bike on the road with these psycho drivers!




My time here has been so great that I have considered never living. I imagine days of working here followed by evenings of spear fishing, running along the coast and coming home to a cute girl. It all seems too perfect to pass up. Maybe the flat tire I got the first few minutes of being here was an indication that I should stay. This trip means a lot to me, not in the sense of "finding myself" or anything, but to exercises gumption. California, however, makes me want to forget gumption and just stop fidgeting, stop striving for something out of the ordinary and just get my life started. I have spent enough time on the road now to appreciate getting a job, a girl that cares, and a place in a community. The sight of the ocean has given me a sense of accomplishment and experiencing San Diego has made me start to think it's enough... but its not, my gumption is larger than the satisfaction I get from this place. My desire to stop moving is probably just premature enlightenment. So, onward I will push, because I can't stop, north I think, until I find a way to get further west.

I Made it to the West Coast!

...Well shit, now what?!
I see much more than just blue water right now, I see a big "fork in the road". From here I have a few things to consider, like, remaining money, condition of the bike, when to sell the bike, if I want to head up the coast to see more of the US and, most importantly, how the heck I am going to get across this damn ocean! My goal is to hop a ship but a freighter will cost more than just flying. My other options are to try and get a job on a cruise ship or crew a small sailing vessel. My chances are slim but I think its worth the time to score the style points.

Arizona is a special place to me, so special that when I plunged passed the sign stating "Arizona State Line" I threw my arms in the air in an expression of triumph. I was born and raised to the age of 12 in Arizona. Familiar sights, such as the Navajo reservation, cactus and dusty rock hills as far as the eye could see, made me think of a childhood that felt like a previous life.

After I turned south and came out of the wooded region of the state I felt the one thing nobody likes about Arizona: the unbelievable summer heat. I saw the mirage illusion caused by heat waves radiating off the highway ahead and felt the sun on my bare arms. Riding a motorcycle through the Arizona desert is like sitting in front of a gigantic blow dryer set on "incinerate" while straddling a hot oven. Because of how dry it is, the 75 mph wind offered no relief. After getting off the bike it takes at least half an hour to let my swass dry out.

Ever seen one of those bad movies with the following bad plot line: Guy comes back from wherever after being gone for a couple years and finds his old neighborhood overran with crime so he goes out and tries to clean it up with a gun? Well that's what happened to me and that's what I tried to do, except the gun was a staring gun with loaded with blanks. Apparently some bastards like to vandalize my dear old granny's house a couple times a week. They had been trying to catch them for some time using security cameras but without success. Mostly because they don't know how to set the cameras (typical old people and technology situation). So I set the alarms and spent a few nights camped out by the back door... armed... to the teeth... waiting for the bastards to show up. My plan was to get them on tape, try and mace them, then scare them off with the big cap gun. Now wait, I know this is the perfect set up for one of those crazy Gavin stories that you like to hear and I'm sorry to disappoint you, but nobody showed. Those dirt bags will be in pain soon enough because I gave my grandpa with Alzheimers the can of mace.

The rest of my week was spent dodging the heat and spending time with family I hadnt seen in 10 years. I wish I had more of a story here. Well thats it, off to San Diego. At least I got some good pictures, including one of what I would look like if I had stayed in AZ.

Reunion in Durango

I rode all day through the rain in very chilly temperatures in the southern Colorado Rockies to visit my friend Jay at his new Durango residence. The ride was so cold and wet I had to stop at a gas station to put my soaked gloves in the microwave for some temporary relief. I finally arrived at Jay and his roommate, Kyle's house, located on country road 250... a single wide trailer nestled in the mountains next to a river. Jay and Kyle found secondary jobs as caretakers for a nice RV park and campground and one of the perks is a free place to stay. The trailer looks more like a house and the inside is nicer than my college apartments. Jay decided to ditch the flat, boring lifestyle of our hometown for the mountains and to feed his snowboarding addiction.

When I got there I was awestruck by the beautiful view from his backyard and the freshly grilled bratwurst and beer ready for consumption. Not only did they feed me, they got me some temporary work on the grounds. We spent all day Saturday repairing water lines and disposing of campfire coals.

The next day we set out for Mesa Verde State Park and saw the famous cliff dwellings of the Anasazi people. It was a perfect day for a light hike and cruising around in Jay's new pickup truck. Places like this make me consider forgetting all my ambition and roots so that I could live just like Jay. If this trip gets done early, maybe I'll come back and find some cubical job in Durango so that I can snowboard at least twice a week.

I Climbed Pike's Peak!

In the Colorado Springs area, Pike's Peak is the tallest mountain in view. It overlooks the city as one of the six Colorado peaks over 14,000 ft tall. Today, I got up at 4am and was on the trail before the sunlight hit it. It took me 9 hours to hike the 13 mile trail with an 8,000 ft elevation gain. I still don't know if it was worth it. I then hitchhiked a ride down to the trailhead and got home in time to have my neice and nephew tackle me.

See What I See...

With the help of a cute park ranger, I duct taped my camera to the front of my motorcycle so everybody can get a feel for how awesome it is to ride through these winding mountain roads. About 1:00 into the video a deer ran across the road in front of me.




On my hike to Flattop Mountain I took this video to capture the full 180 degrees of altitude sickness. OH YEA!