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Dave 2006
Prince George, British Columbia
Hi,
Well it's that time of year again. Another awesome season in Aspen has flown by, with plenty of snow, plenty of sun and plenty of fun. So as the snow melts it means it is time for me to head off and see what else in the world I can find.
This season I was finally managed to talk John, my younger brother, into coming out to Aspen to see what goes on there. He didn't seem to have any trouble fitting right in to end of season party mode. This was to prove to be no ordinary holiday for John though, as we were planning a road trip and John is a mechanic by trade. So as soon as he had sobered up (at least a little) he was put to work on what was to become the world's coolest van (at least in my mind anyway). What used to be a regular tradesman's van was soon so much more...
So it was in a blaze of glory we left Aspen with two bikes, a pair of skis, some snowshoes and the van mostly ready. Of course in true roadtrip fashion we made 15 minutes down the road and had to turn back to get something we'd forgotten. But second time road we successfully made it out of the valley and the state, reaching Moab in southern Utah. Here we enjoyed a leisurely spot of rafting down the Colorado river, with the only problem being there was nothing leisurely about it, with a headwind meaning we had to continually paddle or else go backwards!
From Moab our trusty van took us across Utah, as well as to every Walmart John could find, so that he could stock up on BB Guns and other items not legal in Australia. You will remember this is a long drive and there is not much going on in the desert, so we needed some way to pass the time. From Utah we headed across to sunny Nevada and somehow stumbled upon the official "Extraterrestial Highway" (I kid you not!). Now unfortunately, despite our best efforts we were unable to see anything of the extraterrestial variety, except perhaps our waitress at the Lil Ali'en Bar in the town of Rachel. I probably should point out too that the Lil Ali'en Bar actually WAS the town of Rachel, and it has been a town for all of 8 years now. Like I said, not much going on down in this part of the world. Anyway, we were happy we could still get a meal there, even though our conversation went a little like this:
"You guys hungry?"
"Yep"
"Well we only have the special."
"Sounds good"
"And you'll want the salad, the soup's nasty."
"Sounds good"
And you know something served on a paper plate in the bustling metropolis of Rachel was going to be special. And it was.
So it was back onto the ET Highway, where the only encounters we had were with the beef variety. We also learned the hard way that a number of towns that apparently existed on the road map in fact, do not. The end result of this was me having to hitch to the nearest town to get some fuel. Thankfully they are a helpful and friendly bunch down there, and we had no trouble at all getting back in business, along the way finding out we had run out of petrol across from the top secret air base where the stealth fighter was developed!
From Nevada it was into California, and a hopeful trip through Yosemite. Alas this was not to be, as it the road was still closed for winter. So was, as it turned out, every other road we tried to take. But it was not all bad news, as we eventually made it to Lake Tahoe. It is a very beautiful lake, just a pity about the strip malls that make up the towns. The lake is surrounded by a number of ski resorts, and I was excited to see what they were like. Even though the lifts had stopped running, I was more than happy to skin/hike up to get an idea of the mountains. At least that was until I was escorted off the mountain by security. I'm still waiting for a proper reason I was not allowed on public land, but figured it was best not to push it.
And so it was further into Californina and sunny San Fransisco. Last year in New York i was lucky to have a local drive me around. This year I did the next best thing, and brought John along! He was happy to attempt to reenact every car chase that ever went on up and down SF's streets, and I was happy to try and hold on!
From there it was up the coast, which could have put us in all number of beautiful places, back home in Victoria, New Zealand to name a few. Our next stop was Oregon, and in it John found a skatepark he had only dreamed of. He compared it to skiing mountains in Australia compared to America. It seems we don't get that sort of thing back home. He was happy, the local policeman wasn't as bikes aren't allowed on skateparks here. So it was we were off further north!
Eventually we made it through Washington state and even the border, although those Canadian border guards had a good time in the van it seemed. For some reason it took two guards twice as long as everyone else to search the van. And even then they missed all the stuff John had hidden thoughout the van (nothing illegal of course).
So then it was in Vancouver John had to fly home and the next crewmember jumped in. This time it was Zuzka, my friend from Aspen from last year. She joined me for the trip north to Alaska....
Until then
take care
Dave
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