Bob

Day 23-25

Me and Bob

In life we meet many people.  Some have an impact in your life, some become good friends and some just acquaintances.  Then there’s Bob Kelly.  I met Bob when I travelled in Up with People more than 30 years ago.  He was our cast director, which meant he was the “top dog.”  Whatever he said, went!  Unlike, most persons in a position of power, Bob had the ability to make you feel good about the situation regardless of the circumstances.  Every person in our cast (approximately 120) had a personal relationship with him.  He was like a father-figure, though he was only a few years older than all the rest of us.  He was wise beyond his years. 

Dinner with Bob, Sheila, Ben, Laura and 92-year-old Susie

Bob's "See Through" Drink

Over the course of the year that I travelled with Bob he made a greater impact in my life than any other person other than my parents….and I’m sure all of my cast mates would say the same thing.  He’s travelled the world and has more stories than any person I have ever met.  As such, the opportunity to hang out with Bob, his wonderful wife Sheila and their soon-to-be high school graduate daughter Ada in their home town of Great Falls, Montana was too much to pass up.

Though I have kept in touch with Bob over the years and seen him regularly, it's never enough.

As a GF city commissioner Bob is versed on all things happening in town and everywhere we went I heard, “Hi Bob,” more times than I could count.  I started calling him Mayor Bob.  Over the course of two plus days, we did just about everything you could do in a town of 50K, including:

• Mountain biking tour of the city
• Enjoyed Sheila's great meals
• Met Ada's incredible and motivated friends who are readying for college
• Attended Great Falls High School State softball finals against Billings High School (GF Won!)
• Visited the grand opening of a community garden project
• Drank plenty of see-throughs (gin martinis)
• Ran his dog Anabelle
• Had Friday night dinner with is 92-year-old neighbor Susie (she had a see-through as well)
• Went to see Wylie Gustafson and his country band in concert (he’s well-known for singing the Yahoo yodel)
• Took a tour of a trout farm
• Learned what a Hutterite is (a religious that hails from Germany – look like Amish) and that they lived in his home for over a year, while he and his family lived in Costa Rica
• Had a couple of beers at world famous Sip ‘n Dip Tiki Bar at 2 o’clock in the afternoon
• Learned how bear spray works to prevent them from attacking you!!! 

And, if that's not enough, we talked about everything under the sun. Absolutely one of the best weekends I've had in a long time.  However, I'm not sure I have the energy for another visit with Bob in the near future.

"Facetiming" with Sophia

I was staying in a small town in Montana (I realize I have spent a lot of time in Montana) called Thompson Falls and I came across a very quaint state campground right on the river.  After a brief conversation with the camp hosts (they are seasonal hires who live in the campground in motor homes and usually average around 75 years old) regarding potential mountain biking spots and they recommended a 20 mile bike ride to reach an amazing water fall called Graves Falls.  Given the amount of time I have spent on a bike, I figured this ride would be relatively easy – though they neglected to say that the final five miles were uphill!  Ugh!

When I’m riding in the mountains, I often wonder if the residents worry as much about fires as I would, if I lived there.  On this particular ride, or half-way up the hill, I noticed that the entire side of the mountain was charred black.  I came across a guy walking his dog and stopped to ask what happened.  He said the fire happened about three weeks ago and lasted almost a week!  I was flabbergasted!  The devastation was overwhelming, particularly given all of the wildlife that must’ve lived there.

The ride was awesome and the falls fantastic!  However, one of the best parts of the ride was cruising downhill on the way back and “facetiming” Sophia about the ride, the fire and the falls.  As I was on the phone a couple of deer were on the side of the road looking at me.  I was able to reverse the camera so both she and Eli could see the deer.  Technology made it easy for both kids to really feel like they were on the road with me.  So cool!!

Brad Pitt's Montana

Like many of you, my only real exposure to Montana was from watching Brad Pitt in “A River Runs Through it,” which I saw over 10 years ago.  However, knowing I would eventually go through Montana , I thought I should brush up on my Montanaisms, by watching it again.  I thought the 10-2 casting instruction offered up by Brad Pitt’s dad in the movie could come in handy. 

One of my goals for this trip was to take full advantage of any opportunity to do the cool things that a particular area is known for.  Thus, when in Montana you really must try fly fishing.  After a bit of research, I identified an outfitter who selected a private guide for my first fly fishing experience. 

When I met Billy Pfeiffer, I was expecting someone who was born and bred in Montana, grew up fly fishing and had no real need or understanding of us “big city folks”.  Boy I couldn’t have been more wrong!

Billy grew up outside Philadelphia, went to undergraduate school at Bucknell, moved to Montana to find himself and go to law school.  Not only has he finished law school and passed the bar but he’s also a practicing Buddhist – thus he’s a paradox on many fronts.  Our conversation over the nearly six hours we were together on the river ranged from meditation, to what we learned from our parents, to Philly sports, to environmental law to fishing practices of bald eagles.  We talked about everything.  Billy was a wealth of knowledge that went way beyond fly fishing and I enjoyed every minute of it.

But anyways, back to fly fishing.  So my expectations of fly fishing (based upon the movie of course), was that it was going to be incredibly technical with almost no chance that I would ever catch a fish.  In fact, I only scheduled a half-day session, because I was afraid that I would be so frustrated with the technical process and the lack of catching fish that a full-day would be too much.  Once again, I couldn’t have been more wrong!

Billy was an awesome instructor.  We started out with a short 30 minutes of casting instruction on the beach into the water before we actually shoved off the beach.  He explained the intricacies of what a fish is looking for, how you select your flies, where to drop your fly, how to “jiggle” it, and all the while made it incredibly fun.  When I did something stupid like flipping the fly into my face or getting it caught in a tree overhanging the river he made it feel like it was no biggie.  He would say things like “great cast,” or “nice feel for the line”.  Things that really gave me confidence in what I was doing – he likened it to golf.  A good cast -- being like a good golf shot.  When you do it just right once and you want to do it again, and again, and again.

The plan for success was to set the fly near the edge of the water, preferably in a shaded area where lazy fish like to hang around, then when the trout decide to come up and take a bite out of the fly you quickly “reverse tomahawk” your line and the fish bites and you have a winner.  Unfortunately, an hour into our float I was pretty certain I was going to get shut out.  We had a couple of small nibbles, but nothing really biting.  I was drinking Tecate (still brand loyal, even on vacation), enjoying the sun and the conversation, thus if I got shut out, it was no biggie.  However, as luck would have it, I caught my first of five fish shortly thereafter.  The first was huge – 16 inches in length and considered a mixed breed of Rainbow and Brown Trout.  It was beautiful, though a bit slippery, particularly when I tried to hold it to get a picture…it got dropped right back into the river.  Montana is a catch and release state, thus it was going back anyway.  Over the course of the day, I caugh five fish.  It was an incredible day

So far, fly fishing reigns supreme on my trip of experiences.  The only thing that could have made it better was if my dad could have been with me, because anyone who knew him, knows nobody loves a good fish story better than Gillie!

Rate-a-Dive 5 -- Oyster Bar

Rate-a-Dive:  Rodney’s Oyster Bar

Though Vancouver is considered a pretty good foodie spot, I really didn’t have any spots in particular that had been recommended, though many people said the Asian food was excellent because of the large Asian population that exists.  However, that was too generic of a recommendation for me.  Thus, while sipping on a beer at the café atop Stanley Park, the overly-friendly waitress recommend I go to Rodney’s Oyster Bar because it had the coolest vibe, the best oysters and was a local hot spot…all key drivers in my dinner selection spot.  Needless to say, it did not disappoint. 

Vibe – 9

This spot was probably the classic hot spot that you might find in every reasonably sized city.  Lots of young, upwardly mobile clientele that all looked like they were out for a night of fun and frolic.  However, what really set the restaurant apart from other hot spots, was the oyster bar in the center of the restaurant.  It was awesome because I only needed a table for one, thus sitting at the bar was perfect for a lurker like me who was dining alone…which has frankly become my calling card. 

Grub – 10

The guy shucking the oysters was right in front of me and he had a selection of eight different types of oysters, mostly from the Northwest.  I told him to surprise me with a mixture of his favorites.  They were all amazing and served with a variety of different home-made sauces that went from mildly tangy to outrageously HOT.  And the best part, they had freshly grated horseradish (I frankly didn’t know that horseradish is a root and could be grated!), that you could sprinkle across the selection of oysters.  Because I hadn’t had enough shellfish, I decided to have a small plate of mussels, which were made fresh right in front of me in these super cool and extremely hot soup bowls (not really doing it justice with my description), which I had never seen before.  To top it off, I decided to go for the troika, and had scallops in a cream sauce.  Amazing!!  Yes, I might come back from this trip weighing 300lbs. 

Booze – 9

When I’m in a city that is known for good craft beer, I will typically try and optimize that.  However, in this case, I saw the same bartender who was making my mussels create what looked like a hot and spicy Bloody Mary.  I’m not really an expert on Bloodies, however, when I do have them, I want them to be super spicy like my brother-in-law Greg makes them (he grew up in New Orleans, and I think it’s a rite of passage to learn to make them correctly).  Unfortunately, that is rarely the case.  But I have to tell you, these bloodies were incredible.  Just about everything in them but the kitchen sink, which is exactly how I like them! 

Top 5 Road Stories

As many of you know, I am pretty much a novice at camping.  Thus, unlike experienced campers who automatically know what to do when a situation occurs, how to handle unique campgrounds, how to prepare to leave a campground and how to set up your vehicle and the likes, unfortunately, that’s not me.  Because of that, some funny stuff has occurred while I’ve been on the road...

1.       While camping in Oregon I get up early, go for an amazing trail run, do my push-ups, have some coffee, do a bit of blogging, take a shower and get ready Ringo to leave.  I get in the van and begin to drive out of the campground for about a quarter mile, when another camper points to the top of Ringo, which makes me turn around and look up.  I freaking forgot to pull the tent top down.  Thus, I was about to get on the road with the fold-up tent still open!!  Like my brother Ruben says, “the dumbest things happen to the coolest people.”
 

2.       As I was preparing to go into Vancouver, I knew I was going to stay in a hotel because there are no campgrounds near the city.  Thus, I had taken my bikes off the bike rack and put them into the back of Ringo.  While doing this, I had also taken the bike rack off to get into closet located in the back of the van.  When I closed the door, I simply hung the bike rack on the back with two small hooks from the top.  I didn’t put the other four latches on thinking I would do it later.  Unfortunately, I never remembered to re-latch it and because I have a curtain going across the back window, I could not see if it was still there.  Thus, here I am crossing the border into Canada, after driving nearly 100 miles I realized that I hadn’t done so, I freak out thinking I lost the bike rack on the freeway somewhere in Washington State.  I quickly pull over, run around to the back and to my absolute surprise, find it still hanging there.  I guess the weight of the rack was enough to keep it hooked on, though I would imagine a sudden turn or stop could have sent it flying!

3.       Over the course of the trip I have seen a pretty good share of deer along the way.  Either near the road, in the campground or while riding my bike.  However, this time it was different.  I was leaving a small town in Canada that I had stopped at to get a cup of coffee.  When I get back on the two-lane road, going about 40 miles an hour, up ahead of me I see the biggest freakin’ deer I have ever seen and I come to an immediate halt in the van.  It’s HUGE.  I’ve never seen anything like it and it’s right in the middle of the road.  It stares me down for a second or two, then, just as quickly as it appeared, it’s gone.  I was too shocked to get a photo and really would have had some serious car damage if I had hit this thing.  Ten miles up the road I see a warning sign saying to keep a watch  out for caribou – I’m an idiot!!

4.       While entering the US from Canada through a border check in Idaho, I answer all of the questions the US Border Patrol is asking.  Where are you from?  NY.  How long were you in Canada? Three days.  Did you buy anything?  No.  Are you bringing any firearms with you?  No. Do you have any Tobacco with you?  No (I did have three cigars)  Do you have any alcohol with you?  No (I did have some Tecate in the ice chest, but figured I brought it into the country I should be able to take it out).  Do you have any fruits and vegetables with you?  Here’s where my mistake was made, trying to be trivially honest.  I lift up the one orange that I have had sitting in my car for over a week and say, “only this one orange.”  The patrolman looks directly into my eyes and says, I need you to go into secondary screening and don’t get out of the car!   Oh no!  Here I have not told him about the cigars, the beer, the hatchet that I have for cutting wood, and I’m getting taken to secondary for one orange.  So I sit in secondary sweating bullets for 10 minutes till another tough looking patrolman comes out and says “so you have an orange with you?”  I say “yes, but I brought it with me from California,” and he says “then it should have never passed into Canada in the first place!”  He angrily takes the orange, turns and says “okay you can go, have a great trip!!!”  Getting send into secondary screening for being honest about one orange!!!!  

5.       As I’m leaving Thompson Falls, Montana and heading to Missoula to go fly fishing, I’m enjoying the beautiful scenery, having a nice cup of coffee and cruising along the road, when up ahead I see a bunch of dust being kicked up.  Not sure if it’s a small twister or what?  As I slow down and creep up, I realized I am right in the middle of a cattle drive.  There are cowboys and dogs everywhere, and here I am sitting in a VW van, I feel like I’m on the film set for City Slickers 4!!

The Vertical Glass City

Day 20

Vancouver is one of two cities in the US (I realize it’s Canada) that has been on my bucket list, having always wanted to visit but never found the time or a reason to be there (the other being Charleston, South Carolina).  Thus, there was no doubt that it was going to be included in this trip and I was excited about what I might experience...

However, my first exposure wasn't very good.  Going through the Canadian border is an experience all its own.  Though Canadians are considered some of the nicest people in the world  (most of them anyways) you would never know that by the exchange that takes place with the border patrol.  The verbal assault is so aggressive you really start to think you did something wrong, that you’re lying to them or that you are probably going to commit a crime while visiting the country because it feels like they disbelieve every answer you give.  Trying to convey that you are just coming for a friendly visit just doesn’t seem realistic to them. 

Fortunately they let me in the country and I have to tell you Vancouver is seriously one of the secret gems of the West Coast.  The city is gorgeous.  It is called the “glass city” because its downtown area has hundreds of high-rise commercial and residential buildings that populate nearly every street.  Nearly all of them are encased in glass with what appear to be amazing views of the water.   The city is also incredibly clean with great running and biking trails that circle the city and run right alongside the bay.  At the tip of the city is Stanley Park.  Many believe it is second only to Central Park, in terms of beauty, wildlife, trails, restaurants, views, etc.  However, as a New Yorker, I think it blows Central Park away.  It was incredible!  Definitely a must see particularly via a bicycle. 

Also, one of the more unique facts about Vancouver is the huge Asian population that lives there.  Nearly 50 percent of all residents are of Asian decent and Chinatown was a fun place to bike around. 

British Columbia, which is the Province that Vancouver resides in has been the host to three winter Olympics, with the most recent being in 2010.  I took pictures of the Cauldron which is lit during important occasions, which was pretty cool to see.

Victoria Island – Tourist Town

Day 19

When visiting Vancouver, most people will say you must spend at least a day in Victoria. Unfortunately, getting there is a big commitment.  There are two primary ways to get there.  Ferry (you can bring your car if you plan on driving around) or flying via seaplane.  Since the ferry took upwards of three hours each way, I decided to fly.  Having never flown on a seaplane, it made the whole experience so much better.  First off, I had Andie MacDowell (Four Weddings and Funeral) on my flight.  She was easy to spot and has an incredibly unique voice and with a twelve passenger plane, you couldn’t help but identify her.  The take-off and landing in the water were pretty cool and views over the many islands was awesome.  Definitely the best way to get to Victoria! 
 

Victoria will probably be the most touristy destination that I visit on my whole trip.  Though there is a pretty large population that lives there, the whole island revolves around tourism.  Victoria is actually beautiful, with great restaurants, shopping and fun tourist-type of things to do – rent mopeds, ride open-air buses and eat, however, to me, it was a been there, done that kind of experience.  Not sure I would go back.  One of the most beautiful parts about the island is the Fairmont Hotel, which sits right in the center of town and overlooks the bay.  Not sure the room prices, but I would imagine it’s not cheap!
 

Though the weather was bit sketchy, I was able to enjoy a couple of glasses of wine at a great out-door restaurant and listen to a number of high school bands play big-band era music in the bay to celebrate Victoria Day, which is a national holiday in Canada.
 

Bellingham Bay -- My Retirement Town

Day 18:

I realize that my trip is still pretty young.  With just a little over two weeks into it, but I have to tell you I think I may have found the coolest town in America. I often wonder where I might live if I had the choice to live anywhere in the world.  Yes, I think of exotic places like Barcelona and Paris.  I even become realistic and think of places like Palm Springs, as I love the heat and figure playing golf and tennis wouldn't be a bad thing or Charlotte, where my brother John lives.  However, I have always been intrigued with cool small town.  Now granted I grew up in a small town -- but to my sister Elaine and brother Gary's chagrin, Barstow is far from cool.  Thus, as I drive the back roads of the country during this trip, I am always looking for that town that really draws my attention.  I want someplace that is smallish, but still has a lot to do, particularly when you compare it to my two home towns of NY and San Diego which have plenty to do, but are HUGE in comparison.  Well I think I may have found that town -- Bellingham Bay, Washington. 

First it is located right on the coast just south of the Canadian border, thus it has some of the most amazing "ridge houses" you have ever seen that cling onto mountainsides with incredible views of the ocean.  Second, it has a great "middle-America" downtown, with lots of coffee shops (Washinton is the Starbucks capital of the world) and locals riding bikes and doing good for the community.  In addition, it also has Larrabee State Park (where I stayed) which has incredible beach access, hiking trails and camping.  And for good measure, it has a ferry landing where you can take an overnight trip and wake up in Alaska!! I may find someplace else that wins me over, but right now it's Bellingham Bay, Washington...that is until I visit it during the dead of winter!

Sigma Chi for Life

Some of the best friends I have ever made came during my college experience when I joined the Sigma Chi Fraternity over 25 years ago.  The memories I have of my pledge brothers Bill Boyer, Jim (Jimal) Ault and Peter Hansen are so rich, it’s like they just happened yesterday…oh yeah they still do…but anyway I digress.  So while I have been roaming the highways and byways of America, I experienced an incredible dichotomy.  On one hand, I’m driving around the University of Oregon and the University of Washington and come across the Sigma Chi houses on both campuses.  They are massive and filled with lots of young guys having fun with a Thirsty Thursday party (no I didn't go in, it just happened to be Thursday at 2 pm) and making their college experiences memorable -- reminds me so much of when I was in school.  And on the other hand, I learn that my Sigma Chi house on the campus of San Diego State University has been suspended for three years for conduct unbecoming.   Our Greek letters were torn down this past week.  This may sound trivial to those of you who disliked the Greek life or think they probably deserved it.  That might be true.  However, to the brothers that I went to school with it meant the world to us and frankly still does.  Just a really sad day for me and my bros!

Camping 101

Day 16

I have to tell you, camping is way more easy than I thought it would be.  Many people who know me now, would never believe I was a camper, however, when you grow up in a family with eight kids, camping is pretty much the only type of vacation my parents could afford.  At the time, we all wondered what it would be like to stay in a hotel, sometimes trivializing the whole camping experience, however, in looking back, camping was some of the best memories I have.  We camped pretty much everywhere in California, Arizona and New Mexico.  Though I camped a lot as a kid, I really haven't camped much as an adult.  I've done a few backpacking trips into Yosemite and a couple of weekend trips when I first got Ringo, but nothing like I'm doing now.  Thus, I can see why many people didn't think I would last more than a few weeks.  Well, just want everyone to know that today is Day 16.

I have done a few days of mountain biking on some incredible trails and have seen lots of animals along the way.  A couple of deer have walked right into camp when I was in Oregon and I came across a couple of snakes on a cool ride in Washington.  It was pretty intimidating at first, but then I realized they were just out enjoying the sun.  If I had any idea what type of a snake it was, I might have felt differently!

Many have asked what it has been like camping. And to be honest, it's been amazing. I have stayed only at State Parks in California, Oregon and Washington. Though all had the types of things I was familiar with, such as great hiking trails, mountain biking trails and facilities, there have been some unique elements as well. First, once you get past San Francisco, you start passing lots of people that are bicycle touring up the coast, all the way through Washington -- what this means to camping is that most of the state parks have these "igloo-shaped," huts called "yurts" that bicyclists rent as they tour up or down the coast. Also, the shower sitch has been funny. In Cali, the showers are free and included in the campground fee. In Oregon you need to use tokens sold by the rangers -- no tokens...no shower!! In Washington, you pay .50 for a three-minute shower. I only had two quarters, thus, I've never taken a faster shower!

So as you can see, what was once old, is now new again...the circle of life!

Rate-A-Dive 4: Go Big or Go Home

Rate-a-Dive 4 -- Loose Caboose -- Seaview, Washington

So along the way I am trying to hit cool and unique spots to eat to ensure that I am tasting the local cuisine.  Some times it works and some times it doesn't.  I was about thirty miles into Washington State driving up the 101 looking for something to eat when I'm driving through a town called Seaview, WA.  I come across one of the more unique restaurants, in fact, I wasn't really sure it was a restaurant, much less open for business.  It was called Loose Caboose.  One of the funny things about small towns is the locals you meet.  I was asking a young guy (18 years old) who was the son of the owner of the Loose Caboose, what there was to see up the Long Beach Peninsula, which was
approximately 25 miles from where we were.  The guy says, "I'm not really sure, I've never been there" -- 25 miles away, and he's never been there...crazy!!  I think at one time it was probably a train caboose, though it was a bit difficult to detect.  Once inside it was all about trains...

Vibe -- 7

This small cafe looked like it hadn't changed in 50 years.  Even some of the positive editorials hanging on the walls about the restaurant were from the '80s and yellowed like an old newspaper gets when it's been in the sun a few hours.  Everywhere you looked there were trains, and top it off, there was a model train track that ran along the top of the walls and circled the entire restaurant.  So while you're eating you get to enjoy the sounds of a choo choo train!  Too funny!

Grub -- 9

Though I was there at 2 pm and breakfast ended at noon, the cook said no problem when I tried to order it (could be the fact that I was the only person in the place).  I figured when in Rome, do what the Roman's do. Thus, I went big.  Eggs, bacon and of course biscuits and gravy.  To tell you it was amazing would be an understatement.  This off-the-beaten path diner, killed it with a lunchtime breakfast.  I had to have the waitress/owner take a picture to document!!
 

Booze -- N/A

North Carolina with My Little Bro

Days 8-11

I took a slight departure from my road trip to head to North Carolina for my nephew Zachary's confirmation.  For those of you who have never been to NC, it is one of the most family oriented communities I have ever visited.  My brother and his wife Marisa have a fantastic home in a golf community where kids run around the neighborhood just like we used to do in Barstow (unfortunately, we didn't live in a golf community...in fact Barstow only had one nine-hole golf course!).  My son Eli has the ultimate hero worship for his cousin Zachary.  They literally could pass for brothers, though they are four years apart.  They both love sports, games and card tricks (Eli says Zachary gets the ladies with his card tricks). 

We spent four days doing the kinds of things that are very difficult to do when you live in NYC.  We played golf, baseball and a serious game of wiffle ball -- where the old men (Me and John), schooled Zachary and Eli. 

I love my time with John as we really solve the world's problems.  Or least we think we do.  We philosophize, bullshit, smoke cigars and drink a variety of different types of scotch.  One thing that I have learned over the years, particularly after both of my parents passed, is to truly appreciate the time that I get to spend with brothers and sisters.  I never take them for granted!

As Zachary's sponsor I was asked to walk in procession with him and were then seated in the front row (Zach did one of the readings).  Crazy to see how big he has grown and what a man he is becoming.  Makes me proud and hopeful that Eli will have a lot of the same characteristics -- funny, handsome, smart ass and most importantly extremely bright.

Religious Experience

Day 5:

After leaving Sonoma I took Peter's recommendation and drove up through Mendocino.  The drive was windy with lots of vinyards which were constantly tugging at me to pull over for a quick tasting.  Fortunately, I was able to resist and finally made it to Mendocino.  This is a very quaint town with a street that sits directly across from some of the most gorgeous views I have ever seen. 

After have lunch at the Mendocino cafe, I decided to keep on trekking because I wanted to get closer to the Oregon border.  I went through coastal towns like Eureka, Humbolt Bay and Trinidad Bay, which is where I stopped to have dinner.  The views here were magical. 

Unfortunately, it was pouring down rain all day.  This made for slow going and a bit difficult to determine where I was going to stay because I had yet to really open the camper up in adverse conditions, much less sleep in those same conditions.

The upside to travelling in May is that all the campgrounds are nearly empty. No reservations necessary and you just cruise in, pick out your spot, pay the piper and you're good to go. 

I ultimately landed in an incredible state park called Patrick's Point State Park.  By the time I had put my camper up the rain stopped so I did what everyone does when they camp...I opened up my computer and and watched Survivor on cbs.com!  You see I have to stay current because my kids and I have a competition in which we each put in $5 and we draft competitors.  The person who selected the winner gets the $15 bucks!  So fun!  The kids had already seen the episode back in NY and were dying to tell me who got voted off, which I wouldn't allow...

...but anyways, back to my religous experience.  So I wake up in the morning for my first trail run.  It's damp and foggy, which is perfect for a run.  I head out on to this amazing trail that runs along the side of the cliffs overlooking the ocean.  Hard to really explain the view, accept to say, as I was running I saw grey whales migrating south.  AMAZING!!!  I stopped to watch for a few minutes then came across a place they call wedding rock.  It's a landing spot on the top of a rock that overshoots the hillside into the water with a small area on top where people get married.  Great view and fantastic way to start the day.

The Calm and Serenity of Psycho

Day 4:

Hard to beleive that Peter Hansen, one of my closest friends and pledge brother who was known as "Psycho" in college because of the craziness he displayed on a daily basis is now a calm, serene, high school film teacher in Sonoma.  He lives in this cabin-like home, deep into the hills near a state park, with his cat Mush.  Gone are the wild nights and out-of-control days -- I guess that's what happens when you drink wine and go to fund-raising parties at amazing wineries. 

 

I may have mentioned that I am doing some work while I'm on the road, and Peter helped me edit a video for a brand we are pitching.  It was crazy to see the same guy who lived his life pretty well on the edge, managing state-of-the-art video equipment and editing software so masterfully.  We actually are putting the finished video into the intro of a presentation that I will be unable to attend because of my road trip.

Keep your fingers crossed that we win it, cuz I need to pay for this trip!!

Rate-a-Dive 3: A True Biker Bar

Gestalt Haus Fairfax -- Fairfax, California

Yes the mountain biking tour was truly exhilerating, however, what really made it all worthwhile was the biker bar we stopped in afterwards.  Though I have never riden a Harley, this type of biker bar makes me want to ride bikes more regularly.  You roll your bike in, hang it on the wall and don't have to worry about somebody making off with it.  What's better than having a beer with your bike?

Vibe -- 7

The bar was extremely rustic with bench tables, chubby bartender that had had her share of brews and lots of smelly mountain bikers talking about their challenging rides on the mountain tops.  Definitely a good spot to hang with a long-time buddy.

 

Grub -- 8

The bar has very limited food options with sausages and sandwiches making out most of the menu, but Doug recommened the brats.  I had the chicken chorizo brat with lots of mustard, ketchup, relish and of course jalepenos.  It was fantastic -- though I was feeling it for the better part of the day.

Spirits -- 8

They had an excellent selection of craft beers on tap that apparently were hand-selected by Mr. Vice the "Beer Whisper!"  WTF?  Anyways we had a local beer called Trumer Pils, which I've actually had before.  It was very smooth and went very well with the brat I was devouring. 

Marin County -- The Birthplace of Mountain Biking

Day 3:

So I roll into Marin County to see my fraternity little bro Doug McIntosh with the idea that we would meet up for a short mountain bike ride then stop for a bite to eat.  Boy was I in for a surprise.  After a 45 minute street ride up hill (I suppose the thinking is that you need to go uphill in order to ultimately go downhill), we finally hit the trails of Marin.  This is an especially revered place to mountain bikers because it is where mountain biking actually was founded and it is evident everywhere including a monument to the repack trail which was the first "official" mountain biking trail.

The views at the top of the mountains were breathtaking.  You could see all the way to San Francisco bay. 

I think Doug forgot that I don't mountain everyday and I think I forgot that I'm not 25 because the downhill ride was crazy on the edge riding.  He kept assuring me that it was going to get tamer, that we were near the end and that this was not nearly as difficult as the nighttime riding that he and his friends do (freaking nuts), so sit back and enjoy!

The ride was exhilerating!!  It was aggressive, a great work out and one of the coolest things I had done in a long time.  I had only one small crash which was a bit difficult to get up from because I was face first, facing down hill with my body contorted to look like a pretzel all the while straddling my bike.  Doug says "if you don't have a little road rash, then you're not really riding hard."  Whatever!!

Rate-a-Dive 2

Splash Cafe -- Pismo Beach

On my way up the coast my brother Ruben recommended that I stop in at the Splash Cafe because according to him, they have the best clam chowder in the country.  Since my whole trip is about finding the cool, off the beaten path-type of restaurants I figured this would be worthy of a stop-by.

Vibe -- 3

When you walk in this place it's hard to believe it has the best clam chowder in town, much less the best in the country.  Feels like you're walking into a fast-food restaurant from the '70s.  Walk up ordering with a long line, tile floors, cheap tables and fold-up chairs, not to mention the extremely tacky decor.  However, the service was fantastic and the food deliverers have a good time yelling out names like Spicoli (Fast Times)? Stiffmeister (American Pie)? based upon what a person looks like.  The place has been around since the mid-50s in the very same location which is pretty cool but it really is lacking in charm.

Grub -- 10

The long line of people waiting to order should have tipped me off about the quality of the food.  Unfortunately, I'm slow like that and didn't pick up on it. However, once I sat down to chow on my fried oysters and curly fries, I thought I had died and gone to heaven.  The dish was amazing!!  Not too much batter and the cocktail dipping sauce had a nice slap in the face spiciness to it that kept you wanting more.  Oh and by the way the clam chowder was absolutely incredible.  What the place lacked in atmosphere, it more than made up for in quality food.

Spirits -- 5

Fortunately Splash did have beer, which was a nice surprise, however, it only had bottled domestics.  This place was screaming out for an ice cold premium draft or microbrew!!

Four As -- Anthony, Annette, Ava, Alexa

Day 2:

Today I drove up Highway 1 to enjoy the long beautiful drive to SF.  I meandered my way up the coast to Pismo Beach, which is a favorite destination of both my brothers Gary and Ruben.  When I got into town stopped for lunch at Splash cafe.  Though I am trying not to be driven by my watch I had promised my long-time friends Anthony and Annette Eros that I would make it to their house by 6 pm for a barbecue.  Thus, I opted out of the scenic route and high tailed it up the 101 passing through agriculture towns like Gonzalez, Salinas and of course the garlic capital of the world -- Gilroy!!  Nice smell!

Arrived at A&As and began consuming a couple of cold ones (you are going to be reading this a lot).  I've known Annette since college as she was my fraternity little sister.  I met Anthony through her but have actually collaborated with Anthony in the past, as he's a pretty successful Hispanic marketer.

After an awesome tri-tip dinner with their girls Ava and Alexa, we took a walk to downtown San Carlos to a local hotspot for a couple of nightcaps.  Awesome day with great friends.