There and back again: Boogie drives across America.

[Boogie]

Greetings one and all.  So, as previously alluded to, a few weeks ago, I went on an epic road trip from Toronto to California and back.

Now that I've gotten things settled being back, I figured I should share some imagery of the trip with y'all.

Now, this won't be as wordy and self-indulgent as EviLore's European travels, nor as fascinating and insightful as originalz' North Korea trip, but I think you still might enjoy the photos.

If you like pics of cars, jet fighters, and landscapes, that is.

So, without further ado, 10,000 kilometres in a handful of posts:

First stop:  Chicago.  First difference I discovered:  It is much harder to find a bar in downtown Chicago that shows UFC fights than it is in downtown Toronto.  Also, that Chicago has way more homeless on the street than does Toronto.  But their waterfront is very pretty.




Iowa and Nebraska are flat:


But have windmills:



Second night was in Lincoln, Nebraska.  Really not much to say.

[Boogie]

Shit, those are kinda too big, aren't they?

[Boogie]

Anyhow, third night was Denver.  Very impressive city centre, but again, lots of homeless people and shifty types all over the gawdamned place.



In Denver, I caught a Gaslight Anthem/Rise Against show.

On the way from Denver, I decided to abandon the Interstate as much as possible.








This valley is where the US 10th Mountain Division trained in the Second World War.

[Boogie]

On the advice of a friend, I took the Independence Pass through the Rockies, which is either the highest or second highest paved road through the Rockies.








This is a look down at my route up to the peak.  Yeah, hairpin turn on a sheer cliff.  My friend neglected to mention the "holy shit" factor of this route.

[Great Rumbler]

The Canadian version of originalz's North Korea thread.

[Boogie]

And of course, I just have to drive through the Utah desert on the one day a year that half the state is experiencing a torrential downpour.  Here is a pic of the impending dread, knowing that I have to pass through this wall of rain:



But it eventually cleared up:











This one was just a "point the camera out the window without looking" shot.  But I like it.

[Boogie]

Next stop was Vegas for a few nights, where Boogie was joined by his steadfast travelling companion.

Here we see Boogie's steadfast travelling companion fanning himself with a stack of hundred dollar bills like an asshole:



And then making paper airplanes out of said hundred dollar bills:






There were more photos in this sequence, but you get the idea.

[Boogie]

After Vegas, it was time to drive to SoCal.



Kids chasing a pigeon.  This was just funny.







Long Beach Aquarium.  Good for some high-res shots with my old man's camera.

[Barry Egan]

Is there any possibility of scaling these pictures down?

[Boogie]

Hiking at Will Rogers state park:



Boogie's steadfast travelling companion:



Mountain lions.  Actually saw quite a lot of droppings for said mountain lions.



Apparently, LA is smoggy.  Who knew?



For Shaka 

[Boogie]

Is there any possibility of scaling these pictures down?

What, you don't all browse the board on giant-ass monitors like I do?

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Yeah, I'll work on it 

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[T234]

So how was the coke and weed compared to back home? 

[Boogie]

So how was the coke and weed compared to back home? 

Now now, this was a pleasure trip, not business.

I did have a limo driver in Vegas, who, when told we were heading to San Fran, was about to suggest to me a good medical marijuana hook-up, when I had to cut him off and tell him what I did for a living. 

[Boogie]

Boogie

If you were to show up in Montana I would have bought you a drink or two 

And I would have gladly accepted.

Unfortunately, Montana was a little too far north for me to swing a detour.  In fact, as much as I am generally up for meeting Borians, I had to keep to a pretty strict itinerary.  You'd think that three weeks to cross a continent and back would allow for some flexibility, but I kept up a pretty busy pace.

edit:  is that a bit better, Chip?

Anyhow, I think I'll call it a night there when it comes to photos, at about the halfway point of the trip.  More to come, of course.

[Madrun Badrun]

I didn't know you swung the steadfast traveling companion way.

[Barry Egan]

Yea thanks man.  Looks like you're having fun doin thangs 

[Boogie]

I didn't know you swung the steadfast traveling companion way.

Five years ago, I spent six months in a common barracks with 23 other men.  I don't know why this would surprise you. 

[Madrun Badrun]

Ya but that was in Saskatchewan.  It's the thing to do there. 

[T234]

These look like stills from a Hyundai Genesis ad campaign.

I'm glad you had fun in America, Boogie. Too bad you didn't end up in some nightmarish drive in the south of stumbled into the underworld of drugs and sex trafficking. Probably would've gotten better adventures.

He never showed up here.

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[tiesto]

You should have come to NY... before it turned into armageddon at least

[Olivia Wilde Homo]

Good pictures.

The company I work for runs that wind farm that you posted for the Iowa picture.  That looks like the wind farm that is right in the middle between Des Moines and Omaha.  That means you must have went on Interstate 80.  We should have met up and grabbed some lunch.  Maybe next time.

[nudemacusers]

looks like fun, i wanna road trip this summer.

Boogie

If you were to show up in Montana I would have bought you a drink or two 

i thought i was the only person in montana on the internet.  :'(

[nudemacusers]

Great Falls

[G The Resurrected]

You should have come to the bay area man. I could have shown you some awesome driving roads... Glad to see you made it to Emerica, those pictures are pretty cool.

[ToxicAdam]

Where are the fat people at Wal-mart? You haven't really seen America yet.

[Boogie]

Good pictures.

The company I work for runs that wind farm that you posted for the Iowa picture.  That looks like the wind farm that is right in the middle between Des Moines and Omaha.  That means you must have went on Interstate 80.  We should have met up and grabbed some lunch.  Maybe next time.

Shit, sorry man.  I didn't think that I had any Borians on my route through flyover country.  I totally would have been up for lunch with you.  My bad.

You should have come to the bay area man. I could have shown you some awesome driving roads... Glad to see you made it to Emerica, those pictures are pretty cool.

I did hit the Bay area.  The original inspiration/spark for the trip was a college friend's wedding in Half Moon Bay.

[Boogie]

aaaand more photos.

On the way from SoCal, sticking to the Pacific Coast Highway.




Stopped for a night in Morro Bay.  The next morning, went to the Marina, where we saw a yacht which seemed to have had an....accident at sea.


I kept forgetting my sunglasses, resulting in many squinty-eyed photos.






Spying on ur coast guard

[Boogie]

Saw this car in Morro Bay.  Pretty much how I imagine every Ron Paul supporter.




Elephant seals!  Took probably a hundred photos of them sunbathing here.

[Van Cruncheon]

RONPAUL2012

[Boogie]

Now, a few words about San Francisco.

I was psyched to visit San Fran.    Everybody always talks it up, that it's this amazing city to live in, etc.  But you know what?  I was not impressed.  My hotel was in a sketch part of town, different areas I was told to check out were sketchy as well, and while I was able to find some nice parts of town, they seemed in the minority.  So ya, San Francisco has a lot of character, but as a city to live in, it left a lot to be desired.  Sorry, 'Friscans, but your town is not "The City" to me.


Anyhow, that negativity aside, a preamble to the next group of photos.  Unknown to me at the time of starting out, it turns out that the weekend of my friend's wedding was also Fleet Week, the highlight of which is the Air Show.  When this was pointed out to me, I geeked out like mad.

Growing up, I loooooooved fighter planes.  London, Ontario used to have a great air show which I attended every year as a kid.  I've seen the Snowbirds (Canada's flight demonstration squadron) fly dozens of times, and even saw the USAF Thunderbirds once.  But I had never seen the Blue Angels, and the F-18 was always my favourite jet.  As a teenager, I was even going to try my damnedest to be a fighter pilot, until the Canadian Forces recruiter told me that I needed 20/20 uncorrected vision.  A shortlived dream, it was.

So, needless to say, the opportunity to see the Air Show in San Francisco during Fleet Week, headlined by the Blue Angels, was an absolute dream for me.  I probably took about 600 photos the day of the air show.  On the Friday beforehand, though, I went on a Bay cruise, during which some of the jets were doing test flights.

[Boogie]

The famous Lombard Street.





Skateboarder dude who boarded all the way down the street:

[Boogie]

Now, the air show proper.

Heritage flight.  F-22, F-16, and P-51 Mustang.








I had also never seen the F-22 fly in person before.  Was a treat.

[Boogie]

Aaand the Blue Angels.

[Boogie]

[Boogie]

From San Francisco, the long route back.  Overnighted in Reno, and from there, again said "fuck the Interstate" and drove what Time magazine called "The Loneliest Highway in America", the US-50 through Nevada.

And as empty as it was, it was also incredible to drive through such vast valleys and basins.  I don't really have photos of that leg, unfortunately.    My buddy took photos with his camera, and I still need to exchange photos with him.

The bustling metropolis of Reno far in the background.

[Great Rumbler]

(Image removed from quote.)

"Made in USA" sticker on a Mercedes-Benz.

[Boogie]

The next day took us through northern Utah and Southern Wyoming.

The pictures don't really do the vast expanse justice.














Through Wyoming, we stopped in Cheyenne overnight.  Got dinner at an Outback Steakhouse at a truckstop area.    At the bar were a bunch of trucker/hunter types chattering back and forth.  At first, it was innocent enough, trucking stories, stories of the oil boom in the Dakotas.  But eventually, they start talking about sketchy areas they've driven through, and one of them says that, even here in Cheyenne, he took a wrong turn and found himself in "the Hood."

Now, I thought at first he was just using "The Hood" as a generic term.  But then the response from a hunter from New Jersey was "Oh Really?  I didn't think you had Them here."

 

And it got worse from there.   "You got welfare here in Wyoming?  No?  Cause we have welfare back home and we have lots of Them there.  Anywhere you got welfare, you're gonna have lots of Them."

And I'm thinking "holy shit!  Honest-to-God out-in-public Racists!  He may not be saying the N-word out loud, but he's sure as hell thinking it!"


And that's about the whole trip.  Went through Chicago again on the way back.



I might update with more photos when I got a hold of my buddy's pics, but that's about the gist of it.

[Huff]

Had you never really heard blatant racism in public before? 

[Boogie]

Had you never really heard blatant racism in public before?

I don't think so.  Not like that, and not from anyone under the age of 65, in any case.

[Madrun Badrun]

Its rare in Canada.  I am in one of the most racist regions and I've only heard it on a few occasions, directed towards natives.

[T234]

I was walking past a couch fire one time and an old guy said "The only things we burned when I was a kid was Crosses and our trash." 

[fistfulofmetal]

thats a lot of pictures of your car

[Madrun Badrun]

That's only because his car is nicer than America. 

[Boogie]

thats a lot of pictures of your car

From the OP

"If you like pics of cars, jet fighters, and landscapes, that is."

I guess I should have specified that by "cars"  I meant "my car." 

[Madrun Badrun]

Canadians are so sheltered it's cute. Our glorious cities are "sketchy" and the people in our heartland are "racist". 

To be honest I think it's just that we are use to living in a country with first world social conditions.

[Boogie]

Well, welcome to the real world, northern neighbors! If you want a real surprise keep driving south. 

I've seen that episode of Top Gear.  I'll pass, thanks. 

also:

Canadians are so sheltered it's cute. Our glorious cities are "sketchy"

Nonsense.  New York kicks ass. 

[Boogie]

All I'm saying is, four days in lower Manhattan and Brooklyn was less sketch than three days in San Francisco.  Maybe it was just the areas I saw, but Japantown/little Saigon was shit, as was the Mission District. 

Whereas nothing I saw from midtown Manhattan  and south, or downtown Brooklyn to Prospect Park made me bat an eye.

[T234]

If you thought SF was at all sketch, you should've visited the west and south sides of Chicago. Or Oakland. Or Florida. Or Baltimore. Or New Orleans. Or New Jersey.

There are places in America that make SF look downright Canadian in terms of sketch. Or if you want a real culture shock, cross the border to our south. The most dangerous place in Canada is safer than the safest place in Mexico.

[Madrun Badrun]

Should have gone to Chicago and reenacted Due South

[T234]

 

[CrystalGemini]

Maybe it was just the areas I saw, but Japantown/little Saigon was shit, as was the Mission District. 

DUDE.  Japantown?  You mean GHOSTTOWN?  That place is overrun by Chinese merchants and otakus.  It's fine to go to just to say you've been there though.  And little Saigon is in the middle of the Tenderloin so...yeah....  Mission District could be ghetto depending on where you go.  It's kind of like Market Street - the high end are mixed right in with the dregs of society.  There really aren't any dividing lines, which is kind of what I like about the city.

[Cerveza mas fina]

Boogie, thats basicly a dream of mine you did there. Awesome stuff.

[Fifstar]

Yep, so envious. Loving those shots of the big wide landscapes.

[chronovore]

Boogie was in NoCal during motherfucking Fleet Week, and I didn't buy him a beer?

FFFUUU...
I am so bummed.

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[etiolate]

Scared by a little bit of vagabond life in Denver and San Fran.

[Positive Touch]

for real all i can think of is what boogie woulda thought of good ol st louis

[T234]

for real all i can think of is what boogie woulda thought of good ol st louis

Especially if he crossed the river going east. 

[Madrun Badrun]

Crossing the river going east sounds like a euphemism. 

[Boogie]

Scared by a little bit of vagabond life in Denver and San Fran.

My use of sketch was not meant to imply fear, just that the areas were run down/dirty/shitty-looking/whatever.

If you thought SF was at all sketch, you should've visited the west and south sides of Chicago. Or Oakland. Or Florida. Or Baltimore. Or New Orleans. Or New Jersey.

Yes, but I would expect those areas to look shitty. 

There are places in America that make SF look downright Canadian in terms of sketch. Or if you want a real culture shock, cross the border to our south. The most dangerous place in Canada is safer than the safest place in Mexico.

Thank you for explaining that to me, Thor.  I wouldn't have been able to know or guess that from the fact that Mexico's homicide rate is literally fourteen times that of Canada.

[etiolate]

Next time you come to America, we'll take you on a tour of all the nice gated communities.