i could bring my little ghetto-blaster

Los Angeles, CA - A warm and clearing morning, time to go see the Bjork

This morning I'm getting my stuff ready for the road again. Charging batteries and washing clothes. My three days in LA have been wonderful, the weather has been hot and sunny, and I've had a chance to see a good little chunk of the area. I've got the hang of Marisa's neighborhood at least, the Los Feliz section. In LA I've seen two movies and one baseball game. The first movie, Grindhouse I spoke about in the last post.

On Tuesday (4/24/07) I hung out at Marisa's in the morning and then drove over to Griffith Park to dry out my tent. It was still dripping wet from Sequioa NP. It took about 30 minutes for everything to dry out in the hot sun. Then I went for a run up the hill to Griffith Observatory (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Griffith_Observatory) and then across some trails to get a close-up look at the Hollywood sign. Looking at it from up close and to the side, you can see that the first "o" is in front of all the other letters, as they're propped up on a curving hillside.

Later I took a drive down the 5 a few exits to Dodger Stadium, where LA was facing the Giants. It was fun to watch the other side of the LA-SF rivalry. For the most part the LA fans are pretty relaxed, there were no screaming matches or fights that I could see. Although everything changes when Barry Bonds comes to the plate. Its then that these calm folk turn ravenous. At each plate appearance the crowd makes a noise something like when Damon first went to bat at Fenway as a Yankee.

Dodger Stadium is diamond shaped, 330' to each foul pole, 395' to straitaway center. The bullpens are situated behind the fole pouls. The view outside the park features palm trees and smog. The game was fun for me since Derek Lowe was pitching. He did his familiar regiment of sliders and fastballs to induce the groundball. Other past Red Sox there was Nomar Garciaparra (playing first base), Grady Little (managing LA), and Dave Roberts (now an outfielder for SF). I gave Dave Roberts a big cheer, remembering his big steal in game four of the 2004 ALCS. I yelled out "NOMAAAAAAH!" when the first baseman when to bat. Nomar still has an annoying habit of swinging at the very first pitch he sees, but he's doing pretty well with LA so far, so no one's complaining.

The Giants won the game 5-3. Lowe took the L. With 4 K's in he game, Derek Lowe only needs two more strikeouts to hit the 1000 K mark.

I had one celebrity sighting, Paris Hilton was spotted down in the luxury seats below me. I tried to get pictures, but she was a little too far away. Can you see her here posing with a young Dodger fan?

Yesterday (4/25/07) I went to the Los Feliz 3 Theater on Vermont St. to see Hot Fuzz. (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0425112/) The movie was hilarious. Good script, funny acting, and very sharp editing (B+). Afterwards was a thank-you dinner at Marisa's and see-you-laters. Marisa was just awesome, staying at her place totally made my experience in LA fun. I can't wait to see her again when she's up in the Bay Area. Okie-dokie, I gotta pull it together now and head for Coachella. I imagine the next post should come next Mon or Tues, from Tucson, AZ.

More soon.

Andy

welcome to the jungle

Los Angeles, CA – A warm to hot bright sunny morning in the city of angels

So the last few days have had their ups and downs, so to speak. After posting last Friday, I drove to Sequoia NP from Fresno. Looking at the map, it seemed as though the easiest way to get to Sequoia NP was to enter Kings Canyon NP (which is directly north to Sequoia) and then drive south through the parks.

Sometimes maps can be deceiving though.

(4/20/07) As I climb up the mountain to Kings, the weather starts getting colder and the fog thicker. Near the top I had to drive about 15 mph, not being able to see more than 10 yards ahead of me. At the Kings visitor center, I find that the road leading to Sequoia has a chain rule in effect, as it reaches elevations of 8,500 feet or so. I spent some time considering my next move, I had chains for the car but was considering leaving the way I came and driving to Sequoia via a different route. Walking back to my car, the park ranger called to me to let me know that the chain requirement had just been lifted. Taking that as a clear sign, I head down the General’s Road, which is made of drastic changes in elevation via switchbacks. Heavy fog, icy roads, and snow all on unfamiliar switchback roads made for white knuckle driving. It took me an hour and a half to get to my campground in Sequoia: Potwisha.

Potwisha is at 2,100 feet, so its climate is much warmer. It was raining lightly, but the campsite I picked had this gigantic tree overhead, which left the site bone dry. This allowed me to set up the tent and even dry it out a little. Watching the tent dry out, my neighbor from the next campsite over came over to introduce himself. Jim, and his wife Linda, are from Texas and taking a trip similar to mine. Jim’s company had sold and his wife was laid off from her job. We were heading in opposite directions as they were heading to Yosemite, and I to LA. Those two were good peoples, they invited me over to their campfire and fed me PBRs.

(4/21/07) The next day was a beautiful sunny day, ~ 70 degrees or so. I spent hours making coffee and breakfast and drying out the remainder of my soggy gear. I took a hike down to the nearby river and gathered some firewood. Afterwards I listened to the Red Sox victory over the Yankees. Good times. Good times. After that I took a drive, back the way I had come to see the giant sequoias. Up at 7,000 feet, it was about 40 degrees with an inch or two of snow on the ground. The trees were awesome, hard to fathom that some of them are over 2,000 years old. General Sherman, a principal attraction, is estimated to be between 2,300 to 2,700 years old. It’s the biggest tree in the world. There are taller trees, and there are wider trees, but no tree in the world can match the volume of General Sherman. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Sherman_%28tree%29

Then I drove my car through a giant sequoia.

I returned to Potwisha for dinner and wine by the campfire with Jim and Linda. The highlight of the night was the numerous bear visits. Fortunately for me, my campsite was in the center of the grounds. The folks at the perimeter campsites were on condition orange as bears were sniffing around for food persistently. One of the sites would see a bear and start hootin’ and a hollerin’. They’d bang pots and pans, honk their horns, and generally make a ruckus. At times, small parties of concerned campers would patrol the grounds. This went on for hours. After a couple glasses of wine, Jim, Linda, and I were laughing pretty hard at all the commotion. Although, that’s probably because the bears never paid us a visit.

Jim even let me wear his hat.

(4/22/07) The next morning it was raining pretty hard when I awoke. The tent was holding up pretty well under heavy fire, the tree no longer able to hold off the deluge. I packed up everything as quickly as possible and headed out. Halfway to Bakersfield, my head started reminding me of all the wine I had drank the night before. Ugh. Wet, stinky, tired, and a wino headache to boot. I made a quick stop in Bakersfield to get some lunch and scrub up a bit at a Barnes & Nobles. I pulled into LA at about 4pm and drove to Diane’s friend Marisa’s house. It was drizzly.

Marisa gave me a very warm welcome to her home. She put a beer in my hand and let me kvetch a bit about my soggy morning. After an overdue shower, we went to a local bar to watch the Red Sox beat the Yankees for the third time in a row, the highlight being back-to-back-to-back-to-back homeruns for the Sox. Four homeruns on ten pitches. Matsuzaka was banged up quite a bit, but still managed to get the W, so my prediction was only partly correct.

We then made our way to the Bigfoot Lounge. This was a treat for me, as there is also a Bigfoot Lounge in SF that Diane, Zack, and I have frequented. The same folks own both establishments, so it seemed immediately familiar, if not larger. I was having a good time in LA.

Marisa is one cool cat. Nuff’ said.

(4/23/07) Monday morning greeted me with clear skies and warm sunshine. I got breakfast at a local cafe, LA Bread, which really hit the spot. I then strolled over to the Los Feliz Golf Course. This is the spot where Ron Livingston and Jon Favreau played golf in the movie Swingers. I had suspected it when I first drove past the day before, and then Marisa confirmed it for me. How cool.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swingers_%281996_film%29

Then I hopped in the white wonder and headed for Hollywood Blvd. It was clear that the area is a big ol’ tourist trap, but a cool tourist trap. I checked out all the stars on the walk of fame and hung out with Elvis. I also spotted Spiderman, Darth Vader, the Hellraiser dude, Marylin Monroe, and Freddie Kruger.

Then I bought a ticket to see the first of several historic movie palaces I have on my list. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movie_palace) Grauman’s Chinese Theatre was built in 1927, at the same time that movie palaces all over the country were coming into vogue, including the Castro and Paramount theatres in the Bay Area. The theater is gorgeous, the interior is composed of dark reds and gold, with a Chinese aesthetic. Lush isn't quite the right word, but its close. I was super impressed, and the auditorium itself takes your breath away, you can tell that a lot of thinking went into its design to maximize the film viewing experience. There are little touches everywhere to ensure that the room is as dark as possible. I watched the Rodriguez/Tarantino double-feature Grindhouse. I refuse to give away a single detail. Just go see it. (A) Especially you, Diane and Zack, seriously. I only have one complaint regarding the Mann Theater: they don’t serve Cherry Coke. This is a serious oversight in my estimation. Therefore, the Mann Theatre gets an A, rather than an A+.

Afterwards, dinner and relaxin’ at Marisa’s.

(4/24/07) Now this morning, I’m having coffee and getting ready to go to the beach. Today is the hottest of the week, so I’m gonna soak it up. Might go to a Dodger's game. Tonight Derek Lowe, a member of the '04 Red Sox, is pitching against the Giants.

I miss you all. More soon.

Andy

ps - (To see all the pictures: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AcMnLVq3aN34Q)

whats the fastest land-speed animal?

Fresno, CA - A warm and overcast day, its nice to be back at sea level for a lil while

Who-ee, last night was cold! Camp 4 in Yosemite Valley is at 4000 feet. It rained for the first half of the night, and the snow level was at 4500 feet. It was harsh waking up to the cold soggy campground, and having to break down my soggy tent with numb fingers. A shower at the Housekeeping Camp improved things markedly, however. The weather is much more sensible in Fresno.

I found the nearest Starbucks and plugged in. I'm charging the camera battery and the iPod at present.

Yosemite was still awe-inspiring, with its upper levels covered in snow and mist. The drive out through the southern portion of the park was beautiful.

Here's a link to an album I've created for the Yosemite pictures:

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AcMnLVq3aN30g

After I finish up here, I'm off to Sequoia NP for a couple more nights before I go to LA. So far the camping experience has been great. Hopefully I can get my camp set up before 4pm, when the first Yankees/Red Sox game of the season begins. Curt Schilling against Andy Pettite, should be a great game. I'll be wearing my Sox hat in support.

Ok, onward. More soon.

Andy

Tim Wakefield

Yosemite NP, CA - An overcast afternoon with heavy mist and light rain, it reminds me of the richmond district in July

Since I arrived, the weather has been slowly and gradually shifting . Monday was a glorious and hot sunny day. I had to stay in the shade to stay cool. Each day had brought cooler temperatures and increasing cloud cover. I was second guessing my decision to stay an extra day for a little while this morning, but I have to admit that this place is just as beautiful with heavy fog lurking everywhere.

So during my stay, I've gone on a few light to moderate hikes, namely: Yosemite Valley meadows, the Upper Yosemite Falls Trail to Colombia Rock, Lower Yosemite Falls. At the lower falls, you learn a bunch about the early days of John Muir, outdoorsman extraordinare and Yosemite founder. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Muir)

I've seen a taste of the wildlife: 7 deer, 2 coyotes, 2 field mice, no bears, and more squirrels and stellar jays than I can count. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steller%27s_Jay). Most of these creatures are completely adapted to being around people. I took sevral pictures of deer this morning along the road who didn't blink how close I stood to them, about ten feet. Just another day.

I've also been listening to each Red Sox game at the campsite, which gets me a few funny looks from my fellow campers.

Well, hopefully the weather doesn't worsen too much more before I leave early in the morning. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

More soon.

Andy

in an obsolete vernacular

Yosemite NP, CA - A parlty cloudy and mild late morning - use a clip, save a bear

So I've arrived at my first destination of this trip, at Yosemite, which is truly breathtaking. I arrived yesterday at about 10am, and was setting up camp by 11am. My first time here will be spent at Yosemite Village, which is hardly roughing it. A walk from my campsite is a grocery store, showers, laundry, post office, cafes, restaraunts, etc. I sent the first day exploring the village and setting up camp.

This AM I went for a short hike. Walking around Yosemite for the first time is like exploring a new city downtown...you can't help but gaze up at the massive canyon walls, as though they were skyscrapers. Giant naturals arches, waterfalls, gigantic boulders of granite, and plenty-o-wildlife. I saw a bunch of deer yesterday, not ten-fifteen yards away from me. They seemed unfazed by the visitors.

I'm staying at Camp 4, which is a good deal for solo campers at $5 a night. As anywhere in Yosemite, my campsite has bear lockers for stowing away food and other sweet smelling items. The bears are shy and quiet by nature, but they are not shy about stealing your picanit basket. They will tear your car door off if they smell food, or anything resembling food.

http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/bears.htm

Its a little tiresome, but you need to keep everything in your locker and take it out as needed. The squirrels and blue jays are also very fond of raiding your campsite as soon as you walk away.

I'm entering this blog using the village internet kiosk, it has this maddening keyboard whose buttons continuously get stuck. Ah well. Ok, my five dollars worth is running out. Gotta go. Sorry no pictures this time, this machine doesn't make it easy. I'll try and get some out next time.

More soon.

Andy

and all the children are above average

San Francisco, CA - A warm, slightly breezy, and sunny day. Time to pack








Today's my last day in SF for a long while. The last few days have been spent collecting supplies and tying up loose ends. Multiple trips to Clement St. have been made and I've amassed a pile of stuff in my apartment hallway, which will all get transferred to the Integra this afternoon.

Yesterday Diane threw the most awesome going away party for me. There were snacks. There was beer. There was wine. There were all sorts of grillable meats and delectable salads. (and lentils!) And some of my best friends to boot. Even Zack's cat Bao came over to see me off. Good kitty. (Reh!)

I was a little nervous at one point. I had built too large a pile of charcoal, and when the steaks started to get cooking, I had a small grease fire on my hands....watching all the chops, steaks, fillets, and patties completely engulfed in flames was difficult, and I feared everything would end up overdone and crispy. Thankfully everything turned out just right and everyone seemed pleased with the result.

The card tables were pulled out and we had a grand old time dining in the living room. Listening to Neil Young and Vetiver (http://www.vetiverse.com/info/), eating my favorite foods, sipping decanted wine, watching my friends gabbing and laughing, I was a little bemused and sad. The last few weeks in SF have been wonderful. I will miss it and all the lovely people I have in my circle. I have to remind myself that I'm about to embark on a true adventure. Its the kind of trip I may never be able to do again.

And it will be amazing.

Ahem, so after dinner we walked down to O'Keeffe's (http://www.sfweekly.com/2007-03-14/music/republicans-irish-and-otherwise/14/music/republicans-irish-and-otherwise/), the nearest bar to our place. Annie and Tim's is an Irish divebar, ranking about a 9 on the divey-scale. Its basically

Annie and Tim's garage, converted into a bar which offers nothing

on tap. We had a swell time playing pool, darts, and various card games. Good times, good times.

Now, after a couple cups of coffee, I'm ready for the rest of the day. I'll start with a run down to the beach and back (making sure to wave at the buffalo). Then I'll gather some last minute supplies and pack the car up.

Before the crack of dawn tomorrow,

I'll be speeding eastward over the

Bay Bridge, Yosemite-bound. Here we go.

More soon.

Andy

So it goes.

San Francisco, CA - A sunny but windy afternoon.

Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (November 11, 1922 - April 11, 2007)

he's breathing through his eyelids...

San Francisco, CA - A mild and clear night at 669. Redwood City! Rock City!

Inspired by clear skies, I got up earlier than usual today. I made an appointment to get the car smog-checked at 3pm and took the Integra for a ride down to Redwood City. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redwood_City%2C_CA) It was time for new tires. I can't tell you how many times I did this exact drive, to and from work. In the morning the commute would take 40 minutes, and the evening commute would last between 40-80 minutes. This morning it took me about 35 minutes to get to RWC, the mood on 101 was ... combative, as per usual.

ANYWAY, I drop the car off at America's Tire Company and go for a walk down Broadway. Strolling along, I'm gazing up at that big arching sign that says "Best Climate By Government Test", thinking about a good place to take a picture, considering the bright sun, worrying about the upcoming smog-check, wanting more coffee - when I trip over this concrete curb along a building. Lurching forward, I regained my footing, barely avoiding a faceplant. I stand up, and start looking around to see if anyone had seen me...

She saw me.

This woman in a station wagon, three cars behind a red light, is looking right at me with this grin on her face. I start laughing, which prompted her to start laughing. Within seconds she's rocking back and forth in her seat, roaring in laughter, and I just had to walk away. Ah life.

So, continuing down Broadway I passed the courthouse, which was a high-profile spot for a while during the Scott Peterson trial (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Peterson). The spot in that photo was the scene of many a media frenzie back in 2004. Then I go back and get the car. Squeaky new tires in place, I drive over to Malibu Gand Prix for some batting practice. BP at the cages didn't go so well this time, the fast-pitch cage was locating low and outside the strike zone on every pitch. In order to reach that pitch I had to practically stand on the plate. That made me grumpy. In the medium-fast cage and I fouled a ball off my shin (!!!) and had to withhold all expletives, out of consideration for the little potential major leaguers all around me. Next was the softball cage, where I couldn't help but hit fly-balls and fouls to third. Its a good thing the scouts didn't show up today, or my future in the MLB would be over. http://www.malibugrandprix.com/park/redwood/bcages.html

I go back to SF and drop the car off at the smog check place. The 93 Integra is statused in California as having a "high emitter" profile. This means that you have to take it to a "Test Only" facility, where they can only test the car, and not repair it. At these facilities the mechanic can't "help the car out a little" before testing it. I was a little nervous about the car passing, remembering that it had barely passed the last time. I drove it for forty minutes right before the test, just to make sure the car was running warm. And the car passed, with slightly better results than last time. (sigh)

After that I hung out with Diane and my friend Nick, a former co-worker and band-mate, who's currently persuing a career in acting in LA. I'm looking forward to hanging out with him down there soon.

Also, today Ben Kist sent me a photo from our shoot in front of City Hall. I think it came out well(bottom). Have a look at some of Ben's other work at: http://www.benkistphoto.com

More soon.

Andy

Photo by Ben Kist - March 2007

3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17...

San Francisco, CA - A warm and sunny Sunday morning, I should be outside right now...

The last couple days in the city have been pretty cold and foggy, a sign that summer is upon us in SF. This morning is a nice change.

Last Friday I saw this great band Zack introduced me to called Isis. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isis_(band) The band has a heavy rock sound and they tend to put its audience in a trance of sorts, by weaving together powerful near-industrial choruses with softer melodic in-betweens. Whats particularly spell-binding about the band is the way they shift the time signature in their songs. The song could start with a simple 4/4 time, then switch to 6/8, then 3/4, and after a while you just lose track and get bewildered. The band is so tight that they pull it off unblinkingly. Zack said that they will invariably slip into a 13/7 time, because its all about prime numbers. Isis sometimes had a sort of a jambandy approach with its frequent tangents, although its clear that their sound stems largely from bands like Tool. (A-)

Yesterday I went downtown to the Landmark Embarcadero theater to see "Das Leben Der Anderen" (The Lives of Others). The Embarcadero is my second favorite theater in SF. Its always showing great indie movies, its fun to drive down there, and they vaildate parking. They've got these beautiful movie posters on permanent display (pic).

I got down there a little early and took a bunch of pictures around Embarcadero One and Two. It was a little sunnier on that side of town, as is often the case.

The Lives of Others depicts the political and cultural scene of East Berlin in the mid-eighties, and the orwellian drama caused by the "Stasi", or secret police. While the film depicts well the clash between writers/performers and the abusive communist GDR, the film seemed more interested in character development, more interested in longing, loss, and love. Besides being well written, the cinematography was excellent, displaying the drab and grey East Germany of the time. Although it takes place in the eighties, at times I felt the film could have just as easily have been set in the 30's. Good score, great costumes, good acting, the film was effective, and I left the theater somewhat bummed out. I understand why the film won the academy award. (A-) The next film I want to see is the Tarantino/Rodriguez double feature Grindhouse.

Ok, its really nice out now, time to go for a run. More soon.

Andy

bikkuri, yankee fans, bikkuri

San Francisco, CA - A soggy and cold evening, you could reach out a window and grab the fog

Today was pretty low-key, truth be told. I did some spring cleaning and played grocery getter. The highlight of the day was following the Red Sox/Royals game on the satelite radio. Daisuke Matsuzaka picthed a gem in his major league debut. Here's the line:

seven innings, 108 pitches, six hits, one run, one walk, 10 K's

Boston: 4
Kansas City: 1
W: Daisuke Matsuzaka (1-0)
L: Zack Greinke (0-1)
S: Jonathon Papelbon (1)

The guy threw double-digit strikeouts in his first regular season MLB game. Listening to it on the radio, it seemed as though many in KC were mesmerized by his stuff. The guy is for real, and its looking like the Sox have an upperhand now on the Yankees, who are struggling to assemble a good rotation. Here's a great write-up of the game from sportswriter and Red Sox fan Bill Simmons.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/070405&sportCat=mlb

Ahem. But lets not get carried away...we're just three games into the season.

Here's my first official prediction for the 2007 season: Daisuke will continue to impress everyone with his gryoball double-dragon magic, racking up W's, until he gets to the Bronx for the first time. The Yankees will hammer Dice-K with 6-7 runs within the first three/four innings, and he'll get his first L. You heard it here first folks.

More soon.

Andy

one word Benjamin: plastics

San Francisco, CA - A mild evening/night at 669, coo-coo ka-choo, Mrs. Robinson

So not two days after getting my car worked on, the new right axle starts making that clicking sound. Most of you know what I'm talking about... It starts really quiet, a shushed and slow "click-click-click" as you make sharp turns. You ignore it at first. But slowly and gradually the clicking gets louder and louder, until it becomes a louder "knock-knock, knock-knock." The double-knock means its time to have an axle or two replaced. It usually takes months for the sound to worsen to that point, however this time it took two days. So I take the car back this morning and spend another day wandering downtown San Mateo. I read the entire Chronicle with breakfast, visited Radioshack to buy rechargable batteries & charger, read my book (Another Roadside Attraction) at the park, bought a couple movies to watch during my trip (Syriana and The Graduate) and then got some tea at Peet's. After sitting down to read more Tom Robbins (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Robbins), I realized that I had unwittingly picked up a hitchhiker in the park (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coccinellidae). It was a happy discovery, a good omen I thought. I was sure to take some macro pictures with the Canon.

Then I called the HH, the axle they had installed the week before turned out to be defective. So they replaced it at no charge. Still. Now I have little confidence in those axles, I'll be listening for that click-click during the trip. Alright, so lets see now, since 2001, that now brings the grand total to:

new Left Axles : 3
new Right Axles: 4
----------------------
fricken axles: 7

All the car needs now are some new tires, which I think I'll do Thursday...

I head back to SF, listening intently for any clickety clicks. I get a call from Diane and head over to the Haight for some shoppin. I limited my purchases to a single shirt at the Goodwill store for $4.99. (pic)

Now, over the past few days I've been working on bringing the big trip calendar better into focus. Here's, very roughly, how I see the first half of my trip going. Its unlikely that I'll stay in so many cities, campin is the focus, but this is the basic idea:

Mon, April 16 - Yosemite National Park
Thursday, April 19 - Sequoia NP
Sunday, April 22 - LA
Thursday, Arpil 26 - Coachella Music Festival
Monday, April 30 - Tuscon, AZ
Wednesday, May 2 - El Paso, TX
Thursday, May 3 - Big Bend NP
Sunday, May 6 - Austin, TX
Tuesday, May 8 - Houston, TX?
Wednesday, May 9, New Orleans, LA
Friday, May 11 - Tallahassee, FL
Saturday, May 12 - Tampa, FL
Sunday, May 13 - Miami, FL
Tuesday, May 15 - Campin somewhere mid-Florida
Wednesday, May 16 - Atlanta, GA
Friday, May 18 - South Carolina campin
Saturday, May 19 - North Carolina beachhouse
Saturday, May 26 - Washington DC
Sunday, May 27 - Jersey
Tuesday, May 29 - NYC
Thursday, May 31 - Boston
Friday, June 1 - Boston to Standish, ME

Ask me in a couple days and it could be really different, but thats my rough plan for right now. Too early to say about the trip back, but I have some ideas.

More soon.

Andy