An Education.

In the last week, I have gotten quite a beer education and Breukelen Bier Merchants (@breukelenbier) has been my teacher. With the best of all the craft beers offered, it has been really fun learning a lot about the industry and the major players.  It always drives me crazy when people ask me questions and I dont have a legitimate answer for them. I can always default to Dee, but at the same time, I need to keep brushing up- reading a beer encyclopedia of sorts. This is keeping my brain in use while in transition between school and a job.

I am lucky to be doing the marketing and social media strategy for a company that has been ranked as one of the Best New Bars in America.  This opportunity keeps me motivated to expand their reach within the NYC community.  I want to use all that I have learned in order to achieve real results. I am enjoying this challenge to the utmost.

My new revelation, I like a good Kolsch beer, from the US or overseas- currently on tap Victory Kolsch.  I swear I am not becoming a snob. 

Also, the noise level has not decreased at all in the apartment. I think I am now able to identify the types of trucks by their engine noise and gear shifting. A real education, indeed.

A New York state of mind, and sleep.

Yesterday was fun. Dee and I had a great catch up session and we made a few tips in between.  Could be worse! Breukelen Bier Merchants is such a awesome place. I am so proud of my best for creating such a space- And to see that she has loyal regulars, really shows that this place is destine to succeed. I am lucky to be here.

I taste tested (in moderation) all the beers- 16 total. I learned about tripels and alts and saisons.  Until I understand it all, I will fake it - steep learning curve for sure.

We closed down shop in Brooklyn, just as the nightlife was getting started.  People everywhere out socializing. Places to be; people to see- we were bound for home.  I can see why people love this part of town.  Never a dull moment. It reminds me so much of the Mission district in San Francisco.  I think this brings me comfort, as I know I can fit in.

It was midnight by the time we made it back to the apartment.  We watched olympic highlights and turned in.  My first sleep was just as I envisioned it would be.  Even though"trucks were barreling down the road all night," as Dee likes to say, it was the best (non-airconditioned) sleep I have had; a constant reminder that I am in NYC. My takeaway, this is the city where 8 million people wake up early to do loud things outside my window. Next purchase, Earplugs.

One-way ticket and a dream...

And I was just informed the bathroom doesn't work on the bus the I voluntarily got on destine for the city. That medium iced vanilla dunkin is starting to feel like a bad decision.

I anticipate in three hours I will have relief as I arrive in New York.

Given the opportunity to work with my friend Dee in Brooklyn, I have taken it as... well... an option, as I have nothing else going on. There are worse places to be headed while in search of a job. There is something about heading to New York with out any plans that makes the spontaneous side of me do cartwheels; the type A planner is a bit skeptical and wants to slap me around.

If nothing else, it will be a great chapter in my book. Either one of success or failure.

Stay tuned. It could be interesting.

End of Chapter (not sure what chapter I am on)

Welcome Home.  Finally, after a very long drive through Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio, and a short drive through  Pennsylvania and Maryland, Katy and I are home.  It was great to finally see the Maryland sign greeting us- as If I had never left.

What a long strange trip it has been.  Not just the last 3800 miles (as strange as they were), more like the last 2 years.  From roadtrip1 to roadtrip2, I have seen and done more than I would have ever expected.  I couldn't help but get a smidge teary-eyed as we crossed the border (and not because of an onion farm).

All the people I met in SF and beyond, all the friends and mentors I made, my struggle with school, the achievements that astounded me- it was coming to a close.  If you had asked me 2 months ago, I would have told you something very different was going to happen with me in this next chapter; I guess that is just how the story goes. The next few months will be both stressful and relaxing.  For the first time, I can get ahead, instead of struggling to keep up- and catch my breath. There is just this job thing I need to tackle...

The next chapter is waiting to be written and I am excited to do so.  Will I get my dream job? Will I move to NY and live another fast paced few years? Luckily I am not afraid of uncertainty.  If I have learned anything over these 2 years it is that I can face anything that is thrown at me and come out a better human being.

Thanks to all my supporters over the last year.  With one small crossing of the border, I realized just how much you all have impacted my life- you made my accomplishments worth while. Now you will all just have to stay tuned for the next adventure...


to be continued...

Great faces, great places.

...or so says the South Dakota state slogan.

SD has been good to Katy and I, but we do feel like we are not making enough headway. This whole losing an hour as we move east is really doing a number on us... Regardless, we are creeping our way to the easy side.

We are also feeling a little land locked. I need a coast soon, or at least a great lake, tomorrow.

So, we were happy to depart Buffalo, as you read about in the previous blog. We set off to get in touch with our patriotic side, paid the $11 entry fee, and went to see Mt. Rushmore. Did you know Washington's nose is longer then all the other presidents? (by one foot in stone). It was a really great memorial to see for a total of 15 minutes; its one in which I do not have to see again, forever.

Badlands: yet another spectacular sight for the eyes. It makes you think you no longer are on earth, much like the trend of the other parks. We wanted to climb and go exploring but we are on a ridiculous schedule, today. Once we left the park, we were still looking at 10+ hour day, and thats if we get to our best destination- middle of Iowa somewhere.

Side note: I have been collecting national park stickers and I am really excited about my amazing water bottle. (see pics)

Just in: No snow or 9000 foot peaks in the forecast for tonight...

An Icy Hell...

Picture this... We've been driving since 7a, seen some amazing sights; we're pumped to make it to our final destination of Buffalo, WY.

Fast forward 4 hours... It's 915, dark and the temperature is dropping. We have just entered Big Horn National Forest at the least opportune time. Starting the accent at 4500 feet we are aware there are some 13k foot mountains ahead of us. Little did we know we were about to go over the 'cloud sky pass' in Central Wyoming. Fast forward 30 minutes we are crawling up the mountain with a ton of shoes and clothes in the back of the mini. It's completely dark and cloud covered. We enter a construction zone and for the next -what feels like- 10 miles we are driving on dirt. Finally that ends and we see the mile marker for our end destination, 42 miles. Oh hell, improv had done us wrong.

We keep going up, not able to see anything around us, passing a few sporadic cars and SKI resorts. Virtually no one around. Then the temperature starts really dropping. Finally at a temp of 34 degrees it begins to snow and now we realize we are at the top, or at least we have to be close. I look down, we have less then 1/4 tank of gas left. Oh hell.

Thank god for the radio station out of Worland, otherwise we would be faced to listen to more of my horrific mixed CDs. Pink never sounded so good on the radio.

The windshield wipers are only subpar so this makes things more complicated then they already are. Only 30 miles to go. Now I am beginning to plan for the worst.  I make a mental note that  I have my green hunter boots in the back, two ski jackets, my red leather gloves and wool hat somewhere. If something goes wrong, I am going to look like a fool to passersby.  Just what I need.

Finally, after an excruciating hour of not knowing when we would decent to the hotel and soft pillows, the snow stopped and the temp started to rise to a comfortable 40. Our white knuckles started to have some blood flow and headaches slightly diminished  However, this is the slowest decent we have ever driven.  I advise Katy to coast the way down the mountain, we're now nearly on empty.

Buffalo couldn't have come any sooner on our 7.5% grade drop in the last few miles back down to 4500 ft. (come to find out some parts of the pass are over 9000ft).

We did this all for Hilton points. That's love.

(in the pics are Katy and I smiling little did we know what was in store & a view of the range from Buffalo the next morning- satisfaction)

Yellowstone = Magical

What we saw in Yellowstone:

Bison (almost hit one going around a bend)
Baby bison everywhere
Mooseys
Baby mooseys jumping
A Crane (thinking it was a wolf lol)
Black bear sleeping on a log
Grizzly mama
Grizzly cub
Black tailed deer fighting
Pronghorn deer like antelope things
White foot rabbits
Old faithful
Crazy Canyons
Mammoth hot springs
Mean tourists (was honked at 3 times, people are so lame)

I think I want to be a NP ranger now. Career path #235.

Yellowstone was an amazing sight. I can't wait to upload all the pictures to show everyone all the amazing things we witnessed. It's awe inspiring how such places can make humans feel so insignificant and powerless.  Sometimes this is a refreshing revelation.

We knew that after leaving the park we would have to drive a few hours to make some headway. Little did we know it would turn into a 5 hour trek...

(see next blog)

To the moon and back...

When we got on the road at 8a, we immediately started to tear up.  Then we realized this wasn't because we were emotional, it was because our hotel was located next to a an onion farm. Great way to start the day, smelling of onions.  After missing Boise on the road, clearly not a large city, we started our treck to Craters of the Moon, Idaho.  Moving in and out of small towns we finally approached what looked like a very well-tilled garden.  Somehow lava fields filled a 50 mile space of route 26 with some caldrons as high as a few hundred feet.  It amazing to think that this has existed for more then 11 million years. Weird.

We set off listening to various tunes from Abba and Madonna, toward West Yellowstone. Before I knew it we were entering the VERY small town of Arco, only to find myself being pulled over, within minutes.  Figures. Its been 6 years since Ive been pulled over and it happens in Arco, ID (population like 10) when I have a car full of things.  Meanwhile, he let me off with a reduced ticket. Whatever, I plan to never go back to Arco.  Losers.

We arrived a solid few hours later in West Yellowstone. Cold but adorable. We immediately went into the park to get our exploration on, afterall we had about 2-3 hours to spare before the sun would go down. This was the start of a very exciting visit to Yellowstone.  First, Katy and I almost had heart attacks when we almost hit a bison. #parkrangerproblems

Stay tuned for more details on our visit... Its gets really good...

Holler-ing from the Road

Ill keep it quick because we lost an hour on the road today, making it a 14 hour day.  Also, because I was lazy last night, I skipped Day 1 so I'll update both.

Katy and I have had a great time, as expected. We are trying to wing things as much as possible... keeping things interesting. Improv. We have both resisted this considering our need to be organized and plan, but who's to say we shouldn't be challenging ourselves on this trip...

The Redwoods along the Avenue of the Giants and in Redwood National Park were an amazing way to keep us occupied on our Day 1, 400 mile journey. I made Kates get out and hug a tree... makes sence (will post that pic later). After going through some interesting towns, we finally landed in Crescent City, a tiny little beach town as high as you can go in Northern California. At this point I realized I was very far from SF. It was a quiet but beautiful way to end my time in Cali (for now).

Day 2 we knew was going to be tough, leaving Cali at 7a, visiting Crater Lake and then heading as far east as we could.  With so many beautiful sights along the way, it was hard to keep our eyes on the road.  We watched a beautiful sunset on the butte's, after forcing Katy to pull over at any vista point we found.  In Kates book, I think I have surpassed my 'vista point' quota. 15 mix CD's later and 600+ miles, we have arrived at the border of Oregon and Idaho.

Looking forward to the journey east tomorrow, with an end point of West Yellowstone! Hopefully we get a chance to see the Craters of the Earth National Monument. We will keep you updated.

BTW I miss San Francisco already and the food on this trip has been sub-par (they may be synonymous).  Ew and the bugs on my winshield / grill, way gross. I'm making Katy clean it in the morning- torturous little sister.