Washington DC

(Monday, March 13th to Tuesday, March 14th, 2006)

My drive to Washington DC was relatively uneventful. It was very foggy when I left Myrtle Beach, but other than that, the trip went smoothly. I didn't get lost or take the wrong roads or anything! There was one little thing: I saw a guy standing beside a parked State Trooper car in North Carolina. They were watching what I assumed was the guy's car which was completely engulfed in flames. The poor guy.

I got to Peter's and Rob's house at about 1:05pm or so having left Myrtle Beach at 6:00am. Peter wasn't feeling well and had gone to the doctor's that morning but was home when I arrived.

Peter and I met in September of 1992 at the World Science Fiction Convention #50 (Magicon) when it was held in Orlando, FL. Through Peter and his friends I became familiar with gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender/etc. science fiction fandom. Peter and Rob are involved with the Gaylaxians http://www.gaylaxians.org and Lambda Sci-Fi http://www.lambdasf.org. I even started a glbt sci fi group in Orlando. The Orlando group was actually well attended and had quite a few members, but I ended up having to do all the work and eventually disbanded it.

My visit to DC was nice and relaxing. Peter and I hung out together on Monday. We had to get a parking permit for my car and we did some walking around Dupont Circle (which is a gay district of DC). Peter is a big architecture buff so he told me all about the buildings that were built or being built around the area.

We came back to the house and I spent some time trying to catch up on my blog. Peter made dinner of chili and cornbread. I have to admit, that was some of the best chili I ever had. It was delicious! Rob didn't get home until late because Monday is bowling night. I'm sure there are some things I'm missing, but I can't remember what they were.

On Tuesday, both Rob and Peter had to work so I was left to fend for myself most of the day. Actually, Peter and I walked to his office (which is just a couple of blocks from all of the monuments and museums) and I continued on to the Washington Monument. Unfortunately, they were out of tickets for the day so I wasn't able to go inside. I've had communion (before giving up on religion) on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and marched for glbt rights (I was at the marches in 1987, 1993 and 2000). But I've never been in the Washington Monument. I did touch it though.

After touching the Washington Monument, I went on to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. It's my favorite museum. It chronicles our history of flight since the Wright Brothers. There is even a piece of moon rock that you can actually touch. I've touched the moon!!! And for you Star Trek fans, if you go into the basement of the gift shop you can see the actual model of the USS Enterprise from the original Star Trek series. There aren't any signs leading you to it, so you have to go searching to find it.

After that, I met back up with Peter and we went to lunch and did some clothes shopping. I needed some nice dress shoes and a belt. We also stopped at the bank because my debit card was getting declined. I found out that, because of all my traveling, the bank placed a security hold on my card. We were able to clear it up, though so my card started working again. I knew something was up the day before because I went to 3 separate ATMs and none of them would dispense cash to me.

After lunch, I went back to Peter and Rob's and caught up on some television watching. They had the season finales of Battlestar Galactica and Stargate: Atlantis recorded so I was able to watch those. I also spent more time trying (unsuccessfully) to catch up on my blog.

After Peter and Rob came home, we went to a very nice Moroccon restaurant for dinner. After that, we went back to their house and all kind of went to do our own things. I had to prepare for my trip to New York City the next morning.

Just Another Tourist Trap

(Sunday March 12th, 2006)

I left Orlando very early for Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. "Why would you go to Myrtle Beach?" you might ask. And that would be a very good question. There really isn't much there except for a golf course and beach. There REALLY isn't much there if you're a gay person. It's basically a big tourist trap. The answer to the question is: I used to live there.

I was 6 when my father was stationed there at the Air Force base. We left when I was 7 and moved to upstate New York after my father was transferred to Korea. I'll be writing all about upstate New York in a later blog.

The drive to Myrtle Beach would've probably been a lot better if I hadn't missed the entrance onto US 17. Instead, I ended up on US 17A and ended up driving through BFE. There was little town after little town after little town. It was "pretty" but boring. I eventually ended up back on US-17 and my travel time started to improve.

On my way into Myrtle Beach I happened to spy an old memory from the past: Brookgreen Gardens. It's a large horticulture and sculpture garden park that I went to on a field trip when I was in first grade. You can check it out at http://www.brookgreen.org. I stopped to check it out. It's funny, the only things I can remember about my first visit are that there were a lot of foliage and a specific statue. It was a male nude and I remember thinking the penis looked funny. Now I realize it was because the penis was uncircumcised. This time of year, however, much of the foliage is gone and I didn't recognize anything there. The statuary is beautiful and it is definitely worth checking it out if you're ever in the area.

My hotel was on the beach and I had a nice view of the ocean from my 6th floor room. It was pretty windy outside and a little chilly so I didn't go out onto the beach itself. There were some buff guys tossing around a football out there. It was nice to look at but wasn't enough to entice me to go out onto the beach.

I had a couple of goals in mind while I was here. To find the elementary school I went to and the mobile home park that we had lived in. They were right across the street from each other, so finding one would find the other. If I could find another house that we had lived in, that would have been an added bonus. Unfortunately, neither of my parents could give me enough information to find the house. I suspect that it had been torn down and turned into a hotel or shopping center. It was only a couple of blocks from the beach and it seems like pretty much anything within three blocks from the beach has been developed as some kind of tourist trap.

With a little luck and some help of the locals, I was able to track down my old elementary school and the trailer park across from it. Neither seemed particularly recognizeable. Of course, they've probably changed quite a bit in 33 years. I did also see the old Air Force base. It has since been shut down and turned into a golf course and a small municiple airport.

My visit to Myrtle Beach turned out to be more emotional for me than I had anticipated. It was here that I realized that I was "different". I didn't know why or how, but I knew I wasn't like all of the other kids in school. I was being teased a lot for the first time in my life (at least as far as I could remember). My uniqueness was driven home on my 7th birthday. I decided to have a birthday party and my Mom and I made up a lot of invitations. I invited everyone in my class and no one came. The only person to come to the party was the next door neighbor kid. I was devistated and it is still a very sad memory for me today.

Otherwise, my visit to Myrtle Beach was pretty uneventful. Like I said, there really isn't much there, especially for a gay person. I chatted online, worked on my blog a bit, and got ready for my trip to Washington DC the next morning.

Home of the Happiest Rat on Earth

(Thursday March 9th - Saturday March 11th)

In an attempt to catch up, I've decided to post my multi-day stays in particular cities into individual blog postings.

The drive from Atlanta into Orlando was pretty uneventful. There was smoke in the air for a while just south of Atlanta. I didn't hear about any wildfires of any kind so I assume it was a control burn of some kind.

Orlando is old home for me. I lived there for 18 1/2 years (except for 15 months I lived in Dallas between late 1995 and early 1997). I've lived in Orlando longer than any other place in the world. I like Orlando. I moved to the Phoenix, AZ area, not because I hated Orlando, I was just bored with it. I also wasn't looking forward to going through another hurricane season. Three hurricanes in 6 weeks during 2004 was more than enough! Also I thought I might enjoy the dry/hot weather and mountains of Arizona.

I wasn't able to do everything I was hoping to do. Specifically there were a few people I wanted to see, plus I was hoping to meet the owner of my old home to see what changes he had made to the house. Unfortunately I just didn't have the time.

I did, however, get a lot done. I arrived in Orlando about 1:30 in the afternoon. I spent some time driving around checking out the changes that had taken place in town. Mostly it was the same, however there were some slight changes: a new building here, a torn down building there, a changed business name, a new paint job for a house here and there.

I had stopped by a couple of friends' homes but they weren't in. However, I was pleasantly surprised to see my friend Alan was home. Alan and I have known each other for close to 20 years. We used to attend MCC back in the day (before I gave up god for lent) and were roommates, twice. Alan and I talked for a while, went to lunch at my favorite BBQ place (Bubbalou's Bodacious BBQ), then drove around downtown and checked out all of the new construction that is going on down there. In a few years I probably won't recognize the Orlando skyline it'll change so much! Then my friend Jason and I got together for dinner.

My friend Jason is a great guy. I tease him about being my token straight friend. But honestly, he's one of the most intelligent, sensitive, and generous people I've ever known. He put me up while I stayed in Orlando and we had a very nice visit. His blog is linked off of my blog. It's called 'Scarbrowed'.

Friday, I spent more time driving around seeing friends. My dad was staying up in Fruitland Park which is about 50 miles northwest from where I was staying in Orlando. I drove up there and spent some time with him and his wife. That area is also where I used to work so I stopped in and visited some of my former coworkers. I've officially came out to them because I gave them the link to my blog. Maybe they're reading this even as we speak (well...I guess we're not technically speaking).

After I drove back, I had lunch with my former trainer Curt. We had a bit of a mixup getting together, but eventually we got it all worked out. We had a very nice visit over lunch at Smokey Bones restaraunt. Then he and I went over to the Gay, Lesbian, & Bisexual Community Center (http://www.glbcc.org) and visited there. It's the first and oldest GLBT community center in Florida, having opened in 1987. I was part of the team that started the center. It's one of the things I'm proud to have been a part of.

After that, Curt and I parted ways then stopped by my ex-boyfriend John's home. We dated 2 years ago while he was living in Houston and I in Orlando. He originally was going to move to Orlando, but changed his mind. We broke up because I wasn't willing to move to Houston. After my disasterous move to Dallas in 1995, I really couldn't see myself living in Texas again. I still do care for him, he's a great guy. (You can check out John's blog at http://www.myspace.com/gamera32804.) Anyway, we spent some time together, then we hooked up with Alan, his significant other Mark, my friend Jason and the 5 of us had dinner at Alfonso's, and Italian place in College Park (an district of Orlando). Then we all went for a walk around Lake Eola in downtown Orlando. It was a beautiful night and we had a nice time. After that, I dropped John off at his home, and went to Jason's and went to bed.

Saturday, Jason and I spent the day at Universal Studios, and Universal Islands of Adventure. We like going there just to ride the rollercoaster type rides. We make sure to get into the front seats! That is especially fun for the Dueling Dragons ride because it has no floor and at times it's as if you're flying. While standing in line for the Hulk, I ran into an old friend Rich and his lover Tom. It was great to see them, though we didn't get a chance to talk much. I got their phone # so I need to give them a call.

After Jason and I left the parks, we stopped at a video store in College Park and I ran into a couple of lesbians (who used to be a lesbian couple) that I knew. It was a great day for running into people I knew. Jason and I left there with The Ring Two on DVD. We watched it while I did some laundry. It wasn't very good (the DVD not the laundry). After the movie and when the laundry was done, I started re-packing up my stuff. Unfortunately, I left the door open to the room I was staying in, and one of Jason's cats decided to mark my bed as its territory. UGH!!! I was not amused. Unfortunately I had to clean all of my bedding. The worst part was, it was kind of late and I was planning on leaving at 5:00 in the morning!

Well, we got through it and I got to bed at about midnight. I was tired after a busy day!

I'm Also a Big Athletic Supporter

(Tuesday, March 7th)

And now we find out if I went to the St. Louis Gateway Arch or not (drum roll please)...

The answer is...'Yes'. And I'm so glad I did.

I decided that I only had an 8 hour trip into Atlanta so I had enough time to get to the arch when it opened. It's pretty cool. It was built in 1965 and was designed by architect Eero Saarinen as part of a competition. There are two trams, on the north and south ends of the arch that take you up through the arch to the observation deck at the very top.

As I stood in line to enter the tram, there was a very attractive man in Army uniform directly in front of me. The uniform added to his attractiveness, but he would've been cute even out of uniform (especially if the uniform were laying on my hotel room floor). I surreptitiously took some video of him. I hoped he didn't realize what I was doing.

A woman in line in front of him struck up a conversation with him and I took the opportunity to join in the conversation and asked him if he had done any time in Iraq. He said he hadn't. I told him if he did, let the others know that there were some of us who, even though we didn't agree with the current administration, we still supported the troops.

The tram that you use to go to the top of arch is like a series of little pods. Kind of round little rooms with 5 seats in each of them. Well, the Army guy (his name tag read "Zimmerman") and I ended up in the same pod, just the two of us. We had a very nice conversation as we ascended the arch. The trip up is a little bumpy and you can watch the stairway go past the windows in the door of the pod. It looked a bit rustic, but then it was built over 40 years ago.

The observation deck at the top is smaller than you'd expect. Maybe 25 feet from end to end. The windows are about a foot high and maybe three feet wide and there are 5 of them (if I remember correctly) on each side of the arch. One set of the windows looked out over the big courthouse and the city of St. Louis, the other looked over the river and a floating riverboat casino, and (I think) out over the countryside. The problem was, it was raining and very cloudy so we couldn't see very far out the windows. That was a little disappointing.

So, I decided to leave, and though I purposely put distance between Army man Zimmerman and myself, we ended up in the same pod on the way down. I hoped he didn't think I was following him. At the bottom there was a museum that I went through, and when I went to leave the arch, the Army guy was like 20 feet in front of me. I think he saw me leaving. I really really hope he didn't think I was stalking him. I truly wasn't, at least not on purpose.

After that, I drove back to my hotel room, checked out, and hit the road. For the first hour-and-a-half or so, it rained. A lot. The highway was also under construction so I didn't make very good time. After that though, it cleared up and stayed cleare all the way to Atlanta.

Once in Atlanta, I found my hotel rather easily. The place was a bit rustic, however. After check-in I went directly to my room to check it out. Then I went back to my car to get my stuff. When I came back to my room, it had become its mirrored opposite. Apparently, my key opened up the room next to me as well. When I had checked out my room the first time, I apparently entered the wrong room. Glad nobody was in it.

After I checked it, I decided to hit Swinging Richards. SR is a gay strip club where the men take it ALL off. I enjoy giving naked men giving me attention, even if I have to pay them for it. There were a few I decided were worthy enough to give me a lap dance. I even got into a political conversation with one of them (off the meter though...I didn't have to pay to listen to him tell me how bad W was, especially when I already knew).

Honestly, I ended up not spending as much money there as I have in the past. I think I'm becoming a little more jaded in my older age. I realize they dancers only there for the money (they don't really LIKE me) and it seemed to have lost some of the luster it previously held. So I left, went back to my hotel room and watched a little television and went to sleep.

2 Cubed Times 3 Squared Times 7...

Before I state whether or not I got to see the St. Louis arch, I thought you might be wondering how I pass the time on my drive.

Well, one thing I do is listen to music. My range of music goes from Nine Inch Nails (I love their new album) and System of a Down, to The Carpenters and Enya (I love her new album too). Sometimes I listen to the radio. I find NPR kind of dry, but I like getting the news from them. And even in the middle of nowhere you can often find an NPR station (sometimes the same broadcast on 3 different frequencies...I don't know what that is all about).

The other kinds of stations you can always pick up in the middle of nowhere are the Christian stations; there are usually several of them no matter where you are. Those and country music stations and I hate both types. Fortunately, I have a lot of CDs to listen to.

Probably the strangest things I do to keep my mind occupied are mathematical calculations. I like to take the mile markers and break them down into their prime factorals. For example 327 is 3 times 109. 504 is 2 to the third power times 3 squared times 7. 101 is a prime number, etc. It keeps my mind active.

I also try to figure out how my mileage is doing. I tend to set my cruise control to exactly 10 MPH over the speed limit. It's pretty rare that a cop will stop you on the highway if you're going 75 in a 65 zone. Every hour I check my total miles traveled divided by the number of hours passed. I try to get my average speed above 70 if possible. I also try to calculate how well I'm going to be doing by figuring out how many minutes there are until the next hour has passed, estimating how many miles I will travel between now and that time, and adding them to my currently traveled miles. Then I divide and try to figure out how my mileage will be when that hour is up. It can be a bit confusing sometimes and I don't always get the answer before the next mile marker comes up. But it keeps me occupied.

We're Not In Kansas Anymore...Thankfully!

On Tuesday morning (March 7th) , I awoke at about 4:40, before the alarm went off (it was set for 5:00). I showered, dressed, finished packing the last of my items and loaded them into the car and I was off! I left at 5:13.

Remember in my blog entry titled "I Could Sit and Watch It for Hours" I said that on Monday I had missed the turn-off from 6th Avenue to I-25 north? Well, I did it again. I thought at first that maybe I was being diverted off I-25 as a detour. Parts of I-25 are under construction and there are signs throughout downtown Denver about detours. I actually think it's just ambiguous signage. I think there is a right lane I'm supposed to take, and THEN I was supposed to turn off to the right. I kept turning off to the right and ending up in downtown Denver. Fortunately, I was about to recover relatively quickly and get back onto I-25 north.

Then, I screwed up and missed the turn off from I-25 to I-70 east. Fortunately I was about to make take the next exit and turn back around, get back onto I-25 and then get onto I-70 east. I guess I was more tired than I thought.

From this point, I pretty much stayed on I-70 for the next 850 miles or so. Once exiting Colorado, the first state I entered was Kansas. If the I-70 route through Kansas is any indication, Kansas is a long, flat, boring place to live. And to make matters worse, the state speed limit is only 65. If Missouri is the "Show Me" state, then Kansas is the "Blow Me" state. It just pretty much blows. And THAT is why it is inundated with tornadoes. Even Kansas City tried to get out of Kansas; that's why half of it is in Missouri. It must have gotten stopped before it could get completely over the border.

Missouri was a little better. It isn't as long as Kansas and there are at least a few hills and trees.

I saw the arch in St. Louis from the highway. I was hoping I would get to check it out after I arrived. But I was actually staying about 15 miles from St. Louis in Fairview Heights, Illinois. By the time I got settled at my hotel, the arch was already closed for the evening. I just got some dinner and was tired. After all, I had just driven 13 hours. So I watched a little television and went to bed.

I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to see the arch before I left Wednesday morning. And did I get to see the arch? Stay tuned for my next blog entry!

Why Doesn't Anyone Tell Me These Things???

Do you ever look at a word and tell yourself "that ain't right"? Well, I didn't do that with the word "treker". It looks right to me. Well, I realize "that ain't right". I need to fix it. But honestly, "trekker" just doesn't look right to me.

I'm not going to change my URL, but I'm fixing the title and postings to display it right.

I Could Sit and Watch It for Hours!

Sorry I've been so slow to post. I've been very busy with my travels and by evening I'm usually too exhausted to think much. I will try to catch up over the next couple of days.

Anyway, Monday was spent getting my stuff. Fortunately I was able to hire a couple of movers to help me load my stuff into a UHaul at the trucking terminal, then ship it to my best friend's house, then unload it all. The two guys I got were pretty good. They even helped me to find my way around Denver when I got lost. On 6th street there was a sign pointing to I-25 N. I followed it, but ended up downtown (this little bit will be repeated in Tuesday's blog entry...watch for it).

I got exausted watching the guys load/unload the truck. WHEW! I told them the old joke "I love hard work. I could sit and watch it for hours!" They laughed. My best friend said they would laugh at anything if it got them a tip. Well...as far as I'm concerned, as long as they laughed they got a tip. Unfortunately they were not cute at all so they didn't get anything beyond the tip.

After the stuff was delivered, my best friend and I spent the evening rummaging through it all to determine what he was going to use, what I was going to take with me, and what was staying stored in the garage. That took quite a while.

I then packed, partially loaded up the car, then I went to bed, much later than I had hoped. I was getting up at 5:00 so it was going to be a short night's sleep.

You Win Some...

So, right after I posted my last blog entry, I lost access to my neighbor's wireless network. Oh well.

I love tall buildings so Sunday, I decided to check out downtown Denver. I didn't have a map so I just eyeballed my way into town. I found what I felt was a good parking space on the edge of downtown and just started walking.

I spied a really cool looking building and decided to check it out. It looks like funky spaeship that landed in the city. It's currently under construction for the Denver Museum of Art and you can see it at http://www.denverartmuseum.org/.

As I walked through downtown I also got to see the capital building and eventually ran into the 16th Street Mall, a 16 block long strip of shops and restaurants. I did a bit of people watching and had lunch at the Rialto Cafe. I had a blackened salmon sandwich with peanut coleslaw. I highly recommend it.

After lunch, I made my way back to my car.

I find the most interesting things to see and do when I'm spontaneous.

What Luck!!!

I'm able to post today about today's events instead of tomorrow because I found a wireless connection that I can connect to! I don't have to go to Atlanta Bread Company to use theirs! Apparently a neighbor of my best friend's is using some form of wireless and I am able to connect to it. I found it completely by accident! Hope whoever owns it doesn't mind. The signal strength is "low" but I haven't had any problems with the connectivity, at least not from the dining room table.

My best friend's house is nice, but it isn't what I would call "comfortable." He has nice furniture but it isn't good for just stretching out and relaxing on. Also, he keeps the heat very low because it is expensive. This means I have to wear a sweater all the time and at night I use 3 blankets, one of them an electric blanket; turned on high.

I went today to see Transamerica. It was wonderful, but sad. I find stories of people who don't fit in trying to find acceptance particular heart wrenching. Hits close to home, you know? I don't know from experience, but it seemed to me that what Felicity Huffman's character was going through was realistic (the stuff outside the main plot).

Otherwise, today was spent doing some shopping and spending some time with my best friend. I also had to contact the hotels I was going to stay at in St. Louis and Atlanta to postpone my arrivals by a day. Also I had to change the reservation date of the UHaul. I also spent some time on my blog entry for yesterday's activities.

All-in-all, just a kicking back and relaxing day.

The Long and Winding Road

I got to experience some of the incredible natural beauty of the mountains surrounding the Denver area. I drove west on I-70 to a small mining town called Idaho Springs. Not much to look at, but driving through the town was the only way I knew to find what I was really looking for: the roadway that led up to Mt. Evans and Echo lake.

When I first visited the Denver area back in September, my best friend and I happened to stumble on this area. We had been going on a "drive to nowhere special" just to see what the mountains were like west of Denver. We decided to exit into Idaho Springs to check out a mining town. We just drove through the town, and turned on a road that connected back up to I-70. Well, I missed the entrance ramp to I-70 and drove a little further down the road where I saw a sign that intrigued me. It referenced Mount Evans some number of miles ahead and I thought, let's see where this road goes.

Yesterday I took the same route as we had taken back in September, but this time it was completely different. There was snow this time, though not as much as I had expected (or hoped for). The area was practically deserted this time which allowed me to take a more leisurely tour than last time. No vehicle came up behind me the entire 40 miles of the trip. The road was clear though which made the drive very easy.

The road up Mt. Evans winds and inclines to about 14,264 feet. The views are breathtaking. There are many areas where you can pull over so you can get out and look at the mountains that seem to stretch forever. I stopped a few times and just stood out there and took in the beautiful vistas.

At 10,600 feet there is a small lake called Echo Lake. Unlike in September, this time it was frozen over. Someone who (I assumed) worked at the park surrounding the lake told me that it was safe to walk on it, so I did. I didn't fall, but came close a couple of times. I was surprised the lake was still frozen over; it wasn't very cold at all. All I wore was a sweater to keep warm and I was comfortable.

There is a lodge called Echo Lake Lodge that overlooks Echo Lake (I assume that's the reason for its name). The lodge closes in September, and it was all boarded up; it'll reopen in May. When it is open, you can buy souvinirs and groceries there or eat at the restaurant. My best friend and I had eaten lunch there just before it closed for the season over Labor Day weekend.

If you stay on this road it winds up one side of the mountain, and then back down again where you can eventually connect back up with I-70. As I decended the mountain, there were a couple of places where I could see down into the valley into Denver. What I saw made me so sad. There was a dark haze of smog over the city. Seeing it made me want to stay up in the mountains in the clean air.

I came back into the Denver area and did some running around. I needed to rent a UHaul truck so I could pick my stuff up and take it to my best friend's house. I had called the moving company and they said that my stuff should be here on Saturday (that's today). I contacted them today and they said it won't be here until tomorrow. Because of that, I'm having to change my itinerary. I've had to push my departure from Colorado to a day later.

Lakewood, Colorado

I arrived in Lakewood, CO yesterday at 8:20am after a 13 hour, 30 minute overnight drive from my apartment in Chandler, Arizona (see previous blog titled "Gay Trek Has Officially Begun"). I'm staying here with my best friend. He's going to be storing my stuff (when it arrives) and keeping my 2 cats for me. That's the definition of a "True Friend!"

I spent yesterday recovering from my drive. I tried to sleep for a few hours but it didn't go well. I kept waking up. I finally got up just after noon went out to have some lunch. Then I spent some time at the Atlanta Bread Company Bakery Cafe (where I am right now). They have free internet access and I used the time to catch up on my blog and do so some surfing. It's going to be tough as my ability to access the internet will become more and more difficult. Fortunately they have internet access for employees at Yellowstone. I used to be addicted to television. The internet has become my new television.

I spent the afternoon trying to get some rest. I was kind of foggy-headed after almost no sleep in 30 hours. Honestly, the nap didn't work out either. I'm not as young as I used to be and recovery from such long trips definitely takes longer. After my best friend got home for work, we went to eat and do some shopping. I needed some warm clothing for my trip and we needed to get kitty litter for the cats.

My cats don't know what to make of this. Goldie (my youngest orange tabby) is hiding a lot. Kalihka (the oldest calico) is being a major ass bitch to Goldie. As if it were Goldie's fault her life was shaken up. Kalihka will get over it, eventually.

Lakewood is a beautiful little suburb just southwest of Denver. The mountains are just to the west and are very beautiful. There's no snow here; it's been a warmer/dryer winter. The mountains immediately surrounding the Denver area have no snow, but just beyond the immediate mountains I can see other, taller peaks with snow. I'm going to go do a little driving into the mountains to see if I can see more. I wish I had my video camera with me. Unfortunately it's on the moving truck.

My Itinerary

I'm going to keep a single post with my itinerary. I will update it based on changes as they occur. This schedule is not etched in stone and will be modified as necessary due to unexptected events or my whims. The dates are based on the nights I will be staying in those cities.

• 3/2/2006 - 3/6/2006: Lakewood, CO
• 3/7/2006: St. Louis, MO
• 3/8/2006: Atlanta, GA
• 3/9/2006 - 3/11/2006: Orlando, FL
• 3/12/2006: Myrtle Beach, SC
• 3/13/2006 - 3/14/2006: Washington, DC
• 3/15/2006: New York City, NY
• 3/16/2006 - 3/17/2006: Watertown, MA
• 3/18/2006 - 3/19/2006: Limestone, ME
• 3/20/2006 - 3/22/2006: Cazenovia/Chittenango, NY
• 3/23/2006: Chicago, IL
• 3/24/2006: Omaha, NE
• 3/25/2006 - 4/3/2006: Lakewood, CO
• 4/4/2006: Salt Lake City, UT
• 4/5/2006 - 4/6/2006: Belmont, CA
• 4/7/2006: Portland, OR
• 4/8/2006: Springdale, WA
• 4/9/2006 - 4/10/2006: Bozeman, MT
• 4/11/2006: Arrive Yellowstone National Park

The only portion of the trip that is pretty much etched in stone is everything up to and including the New York City trip arriving March 15th. I have tickets to see Wicked on Broadway the evening of March 15th. After that I have a lot of flexibility until I arrive in Yellowstone on April 11th. I may add extra time in New York City which will push everything down. I'll compensate for changes by shortening my time in Lakewood, CO in late March.

Some of the choices of where I'm going may seem odd. Some of the places most people (maybe you) have never heard of. Some of the places I'm going to because I have friends or family there that I want to see. Most of the rest are places where I used to live and I want to see how they've changed over the years. Some cities are simply on the way to other cities where I want to go.

I do want to try to fit in some areas that I've never been but am interested in seeing. If you have any suggestions, let me know.

Changes made to the itinerary above:

• 3/4/2006: I had to move my departure date from Lakewood, CO to 3/7 from 3/6. That pushed my arrivals into St. Louis, Atlanta, and Orlando up by a day. I'm cutting my stay in Orlando by a day to compensate. I will still be leaving Orlando on the morning of 3/12.
• 3/18/2006: I added a day to my time in Limestone, Maine. This allows me to be a little more casual in my travel time, and give me some extra travel time for my trip into upstate New York. I also added a day to my time from New York to Denver. That way I can spend a little more time looking around and less time driving per day.
• 3/22/2006: I've updated my itinerary to show my progression from upstate New York back to Denver. I will be staying over in Chicago and Omaha.
• 3/30/2006: I've updated my itinerary to add the date of 4/4/2006 in Salt Lake City. It's not hat I particularly want to go there, but it is a good midpoint between Lakewood, CO and Belmont, CA. I've cut short the number of days I'll be staying in Belmont by 1 day.
• 4/3/2006: I've added a day between California and Washington State. The distance was just too great to travel in one day so I'm stopping over in Portland, Oregon. It's actually a little out of my way, but doesn't add that much time to my travels.

Gay Trek Has Officially Begun

As of 3/1/2006 at 6:50pm, Gay Trek has officially begun!

Yesterday was a rough day. I spent it finishing up the last of the packing and cleaning of the apartment. Then a former co-worker helped me load up the UHaul which we then drove to the moving company. There we transferred to the contents to another container...that was too small!

The last time I used this moving company (just over a year ago) I was able to load all of my stuff into the truck and ended up using only 1/2 of the space that I reserved (and I had reserved the smallest space possible). This time, I had gained a few items: a mattress and box spring, a computer desk, and a recliner chair. Not all that much, really. Unfortunately the container I had reserved was considerably smaller than the truck space I had reserved last year. We broke a few laws of physics and were finally able to get almost all of it into the container. I ended up losing an old office chair that I didn't really care for anyway. I gave it to my friend who helped me pack.

After all was said and done, I turned my keys in to the apartment complex, and hit the road. I timed it really well. I missed the Phoenix area rush hour traffic. It was pretty much smooth sailing for the most part. Traffic got busier as I approached the Denver area. I had gotten here during the morning rush. All things considered it wasn't that bad. Unfortunately, I was tired. I was having a hard time keeping my eyes open. The decision to drive all night probably wasn't one of my best. I arrived at my best friend's house in Lakewood, Colorado at 8:20am, for a total of 13 hours and 30 minutes and 955 miles (an average of a little over 70 MPH if you were wondering).

My friend Jay (whose blog is linked to mine) told me that he thought I should list my itinerary. Here is the Definitive part of my trip: Leave Denver, Monday March 6; stay Monday night in St. Louis; stay Tuesday night in Atlanta; arrive Orlando Wednesday, March 8. I'll have to post the rest later because I don't have my schedule with me.

Later.