Jul 14, 2013

We woke up to far fewer vehicles along the ocean than we fell asleep to. We slowly got up and ready to leave and packed in the tent to head down to the tide pools.

We found a great spot in the rocks with lots of shallow pools. I saw a bunch of little creatures in the pools; crabs, anemones, and other things that don't look alive but probably are. Then I started seeing a couple of starfish clinging to the rocks. Then I saw more clumped together. Then I saw more than I ever thought I would ever see all piled together in once area. They were everywhere.

It was insane how many there were just hanging out in groups on the rocks. They were amazingly beautiful in a way I never really thought of them before. Their texture is rough and they are much bigger than I really thought about.

We climbed out on the rocks, hopping precariously over filled pools, carefully avoiding the numerous tide pool creatures that lined the previously submerged land. It was quite challenging to avoid stepping on shellfish.

We spent a long time out there, soon being joined by several others. After we were done photographing and staring at starfish we headed back to the car and continued the long drive around the park to Olympia, where we went to Le Voyeur Cafe. I really like the feel of Olympia. It seems very Washington Punk Rock, which is what I think of because of Rancid. We got some tasty food at the cafe and walked the main street for a bit then headed on to Seattle.

We went to Mighty O Donuts and got quite a few amazing little donuts. They were so moist and delicious. What a wonderfully bad idea it was to stop here. I put Elysian Brewing in my GPS only to find out it was a block away. So we got out of the car and walked there. I had a tasty flight there; my favorite being the Superfuzz Blood Orange pale ale. So uniquely citrusy and still a great hop flavor.

We went down to Fremont, where there is a troll under a bridge that is a fun local oddity. There isn't much to it, but it looks cool from the bottom of the steep hill. Also at the bottom of that hill and around the corner is Fremont Brewing. They have a beautiful open door tasting room with a lot of outdoor seating. I sampled all of their beers at the tap, talking with the brewers whilst I sipped. He even let me try a beer that wasn't on tap yet, and of course is was the most amazing bourbon barrel-aged beer. So damn good. I was told not to tell anyone about it, so shhhh. We hung out in the outdoor area where I drank a beer I didn't totally want, but felt compelled to buy because I sampled for free. It was good, but hoppy and strong.

We went to Kerry Park, which was suggested as the best view of the Seattle skyline, and we were not disappointed in any way. It was a gorgeous view of downtown, the Space Needle, and Mount Rainier in the background. We had a perfectly clear evening and there were a whole bunch of people there as well, including an engagement photo shoot. The sunset was beautiful on the city and it felt surreal (sorry, Dr. Hottle) standing there.

After the sun was down, instead of waiting for the night to properly fall, we went down to Schooner Exact Brewing, where we got in just as they were closing. The bartender was nice enough to have us in and give me a flight. I really enjoyed their beers, especially the Hopvine IPA, and it so happened that they had a half growler corked for sale so I got that without hesitation.

After having a good tasting we headed back to Kerry Park to see the amazing view of the skyline at night. I love it. I wanted to stay there. After that we went to the apartment of  Amol, our couch surfing host for the night. Another surfer, Matt, was there and let us in. He is a traveling musician from Scotland who is touring the US and couch surfing along the way. He is super friendly and easy to talk to. Amol came home a bit later and, obviously, he is amazingly personable as well. We didn't talk too long before we all got to bed, but I really liked both of these guys. Glad we get to couch surf and meet people like this.

Jul 6, 2013

We woke up to knocking on our tent and a voice saying, "You can't camp here.. should have read the signs..." It trailed off, but I acknowledged the man and we began to pack up immediately. If the only punishment for free camping at a rest area is a wake up call I think it's a good deal. We hopped back on the highway after brushing teeths, continuing into Montana on the long, flat road.

Our research led us to Makoshika State Park's disc golf course. We parked, hung the tent's rain guard on the bike rack to dry, and then walked up the hill to this amazing scene. It was a beautiful mix of desert, mountains, and greens. The first few shots were over the tops of these little plateaus rising up out of the sand washes. The course basically followed the washes around the larger hills and back.

There were a few prickly plants to watch out for along the way. The website suggested watching for snakes so we were trying to be wary of that, but we never saw any.

Some of the later shots were from tees on the tops of plateaus to the large slots around blind corners. There were quite a few times I had to wander around looking for my disc in the brush.

The course was really unique and awesome to play. I liked shooting through a tiny opening between two tall rocks and around the narrow washes. We went to the visitor center before leaving where I picked up a new Buzzz for my bag. I just really liked the pink disc with a dinosaur on it.

We continued down the road to Billings, which turns out to have quite a few microbreweries on its map. We got there just in time for Montana Brewing to be opening. I went ahead and did a full sampler, which seemed like a good idea at the time. I enjoyed everything I tried, especially the Golden and the IPA. We were there for a while as I sipped on 40 oz. of beer.

We decided to walk to all of the breweries because they were quite close together. It was a nice day and good town for walking. Along the way this little guy was on the sidewalk, just chilling. He didn't run away when I got close so I'm not sure if he was hurt, but he sure is cute/ugly.

We went over to Carter's Brewing next, where I got 4 samples of their offerings. This was another case of them not having any of the beers I was excited about from reading their website. People need to update their shit! Their De-Railed IPA and the Black Magic Porter were both quite good though. When a woman was smoking and throwing her cigarettes on the ground right next to me I decided it best to leave before talking to her. On our way around we stopped at another brewpub that had a cover in the middle of the day so we turned around and skipped that one. Angry Hank's was our last stop, where I got quick sips of all of the beers, enjoying their red ale the most so I got a pint because, again, I felt like I had to.

I was a bit drunk by the time we got to Diamond X DGC which is just outside of town. We almost played this last time we were here, so this time we were in. The course is a huge expanse with long fairways on the side of steep hills. There were uphill shots, dropoffs, and some just really precarious shots on the edge of the plateau.

The middle of the course had us shooting up a steep hill and the next shot was directly on the side of the steep and rocky landscape. Once we ascended to the top it was a little hard to follow, but we did what we could. It was starting to get dark and we could hear thunder in the distance so we started to pack it in when we came across a couple of crazy guys who had found a rattlesnake and then beat it to death in front of us as a trophy. These same guys showed us the absolutely crazy shot off the side of the several-hundred-foot-high cliff. It might have been 1000', but I'm not sure. They shot several discs straight down to the desert below, sometimes coming pretty close to a good shot on the basket. We decided to pass on this, although if it had been daytime and not about to lightning I'd have thrown a lot.

The rain fell hard after we got back to the car with lots of lightning. We stopped at a grocery store for a few things and then headed to Bozeman, where our couch surfing hosts for the night had a spare room with a bed for us. Their kid was very talkative and friendly, as was their cat, who spent a lot of time with us.

Jul 5, 2013

It was a restful night's sleep in the basement and I woke up wanting to get a shower while I could. Somehow I could not figure out how to use their shower, so I did the only thing I could: I bathed in the water using my hands to scoop it onto me. Whatever works. Joanna was lucky enough to have it explained to her later that the switch was up inside the faucet, which I have never seen before.

I offered to help Mitch attach some flower beds he built to his car and followed him over to the woman he built them for's house to help him get them down. It was an overall really nice experience. Mitch and Jo were amazingly generous hosts and supremely friendly people. I enjoyed helping with such a simple task as well. It made me feel good to be able to lighten even the smallest load to repay their kindness.

We went to a nearby gyro place and got some food to go. We ate some in the parking lot of Hidden Lake DGC, which we did have some trouble finding. The course was mostly in the woods, with some elevation on most holes. It was really tight most of the time so an errant shot had us searching for a while. The back nine opened up quite a bit, making for some interesting downhill shots.

The field shots were fun, but then we were back into the woods and then shooting over water. The swampy water area was rough because of the high grass and narrow openings to the baskets. I managed to stay out of the water, but I scratched my legs going through brush looking for my disc.

Granite City Brewery was a quick stop along our route. They seem like a bigger sports bar type of place, but the bartender was amazingly friendly and knew what she was talking about. I really enjoyed their beer, especially the lighter ones, so I was happily surprised.

After a bit more driving we got to our next course, either called Jamestown Reservoir or Island DGC, depending on where you look. The course actually does start on an island above the large reservoir. There were some great long open shots in the first several holes, then we got to some of the damaged area from flooding.

We had read that the course was damaged by flooding over the past months, and that was very evident when coming to a basket that had clearly been totally submerged not too long ago. There were dead fish all over the banks of the reservoir on both sides.

Another couple of baskets were still totally submerged. This basket was so far out that it's hard to imagine that it was dry land not too long ago. The course played pretty fun for the holes we could play. There was some water hazards that I think were intentional, but it's hard to tell at this point. The back of the course was very different and had some big elevation with a fun straight dropoff shot.

We finished out the course, which was very expansive, and got back on I-94 for a few hours before coming to a rest stop with a nice tree line behind it where we decided to set up the tent. Joanna's car really isn't made for sleeping so we decided to take a chance on camping. What's the worst that could happen?

May 15, 2010

We woke up in the apartment we stayed in last night and quietly gathered our things and packed up our sleeping bags before saying goodbye and heading out. We didn't get to know Candice and Orlando at all like we did with Jeff but it was still great of them to let us crash on their couches.

We hit the road from Albuquerque and drove north toward the National Park states. The road was mostly long and straight without a lot to look at along the way.

We did get to stop at a scenic overlook area that welcomed us to the southwest region. I didn't even know what to take a shot of since I could see so far in every direction and there were really interesting mountains all around.

I took my shoes off and walked down into the sand. It felt really good and the sand would swell up under my feet and slowly cascade down the side of the hill like water.

We started to see interesting and strange rock formations all along the highway, which spiced up the ride a little bit. This one looks like a castle. It's true. It was also really far away but we could see it for a long time as we drove.

Also, we saw horses on the side of the road on a narrow edge of a cliff. They're canoodling. All of the animals in this area were free range so there were signs warning us that they might walk out into the road at any moment.

We found Lion's Wilderness disc golf course in northwest New Mexico and it seemed like a good one to play for the day. I'm glad we chose it.

The course is built on rocks and desert land, making it a unique and certainly different course than I've ever played. This hole shot straight down off the side of the hill to a basket across the street.

While the front nine were mainly on the rocks and mostly short holes, the middle nine and back nine played long and through the desert area, requiring a lot of long drives. The wind wasn't helping make those any easier.

The best part of the course were the basket placements. They were tucked behind rock walls or set on the edge of an outcropping to make them challenging and really cool to play.

Some of the later holes were a bit repetitive because of the basically straight, long shots, but the environment alone is enough to make me want to play it again. There are plenty of fun holes and the course is broken up well enough that you could play any combination of lengths you wanted with ease.

We had lunch at the pavilion at the park and then headed north into Arizona.

Shortly after crossing back into New Mexico, we got to Four Corners. Apparently the corners of these states are closed for repairs. Lame. I know I didn't miss much, but it seems odd that they would close something like that.

Not too long after leaving the closed monument we crossed into Colorado....

...and then Utah. So I was basically in the corner of all of those states anyway, just not at the same time. Oh well.

Along the highway we encountered the first arch in Utah: Wilson's Arch. It looked nice from the road so we climbed up into it.

It as a pretty nice view from the top and there were some trails to walk on the top as well. I walked to the far end to get some shots of cactus and then we walked down a long, narrow area of rock on the other side of the arch. It was a good mini-adventure.

We got to Moab after it was getting dark so we couldn't go to any parks today. We looked around for a campsite for a while. After looking at quite a few that were completely booked (I guess there's something going on here this weekend), we found one with empty spots so we took it.

Total distance today: 440.9. Not a bad number. We crossed the 4,000 mile mark this afternoon so we're moving along pretty well!

May 14, 2010

We took Jeff and his roommate, Jill, out to breakfast at IHOP for being so kind and letting us stay for two nights. Breakfast was excellent. Pancakes and eggs with toast for me. It was very filling and a nice change. We bid Jeff farewell and got on the road to get out of Texas!

The skies were not looking so friendly as soon as we started heading west. This opened up to a complete downpour after a short time. It was raining pretty bad for a while but it let up eventually and then it was just a little every once in a while.

I wish it hadn't been so cloudy when we drove through "the biggest wind farm in the world." It was massive. The towers were all over in giant fields as far as we could see into the distance. They made for great shots (this isn't one of those..) but the limited visibility was a bummer.

We weren't sure if we'd get to play because of the rain, but we found Levelland Park and it wasn't raining when we got there so we played. The first basket is just great, sitting atop a lighthouse with a hollow bottom so the discs fall out after you make the shot. Mine got stuck in the chains but it's a good idea anyway.

It was cold and really windy out, which wasn't helping our shots at all since the course was mostly a big, flat, open field like this. A lot of the shots were similar and some of the baskets were surrounded by water from the early rain.

The course seemed like fun but we called it after 10 of the 21 holes due to wind-related annoyance. Just go for the lighthouse hole and then check out... well, there's really nothing else around but a Wal*Mart.

We got on the road again and finally saw a sign that welcomed us to New Mexico--but, more importantly, ushered us out of Texas! The stuff behind the sign doesn't really work with the state's motto... I really don't mind Texas either, I had a lot of fun there.. we were just there for a long time.. it's a big state.

New Mexico brought new fun, especially when I saw flashing lights way behind me and realized I was going about 15 mph over the speed limit and knew they must be coming for me. I was right. To be fair (to me) the speed limit was going from 70 to 45 to 30 all in the course of a quarter of a mile.. it's hard to keep up.

He gave me a ticket, which was on a large sheet of paper that I had to sign on the spot and I also had to tell him whether or not I would be taking it to court or paying it.. I chose paying since I didn't want to travel back to Tiny Town, NM to sit in traffic court.. already did that in Jersey, thanks! I never get mad at the cops for these things though, I'm just mad at myself for not noticing the speed limit. Oh well, what can ya do?

We continued through the darkness to Albuquerque and to the apartment of someone we met on Couch Surfer. GPS is a lifesaver in situations where you need to find a specific apartment in a city you don't know at all. Don't forget about maps though, they're still useful and awesome.

We went in and met Candice and Orlando, who helped us settle in on the two couches in the living room where we put our sleeping bags and got to sleep pretty quickly.

Total distance: 662.6. That's more like it, we're finally getting somewhere again!