Welcome

Well, I'm starting a blog. I've written home to a few different folks and find that I'm repeating myself. Not sure how well this will keep all my friends and family up to date with the happenings in Southern California. Most people want news delivered to them, they don't want to have to go on a quest to find it.

Either way, it's a place for me to talk to you. If you're reading this it means that you were one of the people I said "oh don't worry, I'll be in touch" and I meant it. Please comment and make this interactive. There's going to be a big mix of people in family, friends, and former co-workers, but whatever, take it for what it is.

So the trip out here... was LONG. My darling girlfriend Ashley accompanied my dog Dakota and I on the ensuing 30+ hour road trip that proved to be very uneventful... which is GOOD. Car held up, no run ins with the law. The trip was good. We left on Wednesday night and drove through the night into Fort Collins, Colorado to visit our buddy Darren Keveloh who made a similar move a few months ago... only half the distance! We just crashed out there, didn't really experience the area, just rested and recovered. A LOT of sleep. Did get a taste of Game of Thrones though... an HBO series that everyone's been telling me to check out... it's definitely legit.

Darren was awesome, and over breakfast he and I sorted out the precise time Ashley and I had to leave Fort Collins to arrive in Newport Beach at 9am pacific time, which is when the leasing office opened. Long story short we definitely miscalculated. The ride through the Rockies was... Steep. The ol '98 Jeep Grand Cherokee was howling on the inclines, and screaming on the declines. I was driving so it was no big deal, I was in full control. Ashley on the other hand was freaking out. The scenery was awesome through the mountains though, as seen in the snapshot above.

As we blasted through Colorado, Utah, and Nevada and started approaching California, I was quickly realizing that we were on track to arrive in Newport Beach at like 4am. Darren and I... are idiots. 4am is not good. So we pulled off in a rest area and grabbed a few hours of sleep which was really a blessing in disguise, then finished the last leg of the trip. Dakota was good, she had the best seat in the house, and just chewed on her toys for the whole trip, and barely slept.

All and all a successful trip. So the stats... averaged 21.3mpg, and spent $392.62 on gas to get out here. Total time in the car was 34.4 hours. Nothing to it!