BootsnAll Travel Network



Edwin's Blog, how's that for a title!

Quit my job and roadtripped across the US, traveled in Central America, cycled the Pacific Coast, got a new job (and worked for 10 months), now I'm back roadtripping up to Alaska!

TEXAS

December 10th, 2005

Ah, Texas. The biggest state west of the California border. Land of Big Trucks, oil, George Dubya Bush, carpenter ants, and famous for the shot on location “A Very Brady Christmas.” I drove in from Tucson to El Paso. Don’t confuse El Paso with Old El Paso. Old El Paso is a brand of Mexican food, featuring taco shells, seasoning, sauces, hot dogs, lemonade and car wax. You can find it at your local grocer, unless they are super fancy and only sell items labeled as “Private label,” “Gourmet,” or “Throw away in 7 days or else!” In that case, try Albertsons and you should find Old El Paso. But be sure to bring your Albertsons card, because if you don’t, you won’t be able to save 15 cents off the shelf price like their privileged ‘members’ do. Did you know that those loyalty card programs kill off 20% of our land mass air every minute? That’s right, the ozone is being depleted by our inability to comprehend the factual findings that leading scientists have compiled in the last 20 centuries, but our elected officials refuse to confirm this data because they have pork programs to consider. That is why, in the year 2029, you should vote for Pedro Peter Picadilly. He’s only 2 years old now, but he will make a fine president to lead our country. Or at least Texas.

Dallas is home to that moment on November 22nd, 1963, when President JFK was assisinated. I visited the memorial and listened to the enterprising entrepreneurs trying to sell “souvenir” conspiracy programs and newspaper headlines. It made me want to watch the Oliver Stone flick, which he titled “JFK.” Which means John Frederick Kennedy. He wasn’t in the film, they used someone who looked like him. The real star was Kevin Costner. Maybe that’s why I never saw the movie. Cause everyone knows that Kevin Costner can only play 3 types of parts–a washed up baseball player; a post-aployptic anti-hero; and a disgraced sumo wrestler in in old frontier days. Which makes you think….has he ever been in the same movie at John Travolta? Hmmm.

Dallas is on Central time, which means it is 12:32 as I write this, but actually only 10:32pm at home. I am tired. Been pretty active this whole past week. I’m happy I brought my bike. Tomorrow, Sunday, is the Dallas marathon. If I was crazy enough, I’d run it. But my body is so worn out. So instead, I biked part of the marathon route today, around White Rock Lake. Also caught a Dallas Mavericks – Boston Celtics basketball game–tickets were only $5, how could I pass it up?

At anywho, you didn’t come to my travel blog to actually read about my travels, did you? I know you are really more fascinated with profound revelations about this world we live in and grand thoughts of wisdom that only travel can bring to the unbridled mind, yes? Well, you are in luck. I leave you with this quote, from my serious, harmonica-wielding friend Dave “Gherm” Barmon. He recommends to “Eat lots of poop.” I sleep now leaving you with that to digest. And maybe when I’m not so tired, my blog will actually make some sense.

P.S. I’m sleepy.

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Quick car update, Vegas marathon and Phoenix thoughts

December 7th, 2005

* My Vegas time is posted — http://devine.doitsports.com/vegas/. It’s official. 4 hours, 8 minutes and 27 seconds, or about a 9:30 pace per mile. I think I could have done better since I felt like I had a lot of energy at the end of the race–it could be the 10 energy gel packets and 2 clif bars I ate while running helped.

* Pics of the race are also posted here at

http://www.marathonfoto.com My bib number is 3570.

* The car is still hanging in there–burning oil and a back tire that the gas guy exclaimed should be replaced–he even offered to put on my spare cause he said it looked that bad. But I took it to a tire place and the tire dude said I could probably drive another 500 miles on it…so I will!

* Phoenix is one urban network of never ending strip malls and sprawl sprawl sprawl everywhere. Can there be anymore people driving and clogging the streets with smog? There are some nice places to visit in Phoenix, which I go into greater detail later–including an intense hike up Camelback Mountain that just about did me in because I have not fully recovered from the marathon.

* I’m now in Tucson, using the public library computer and I have 2 minutes left!! It’s on to El Paso, TX tomorrow… my Dallas contact, Phil, called me tonight and said that they are having freezing rain and snow, and added that Texas drivers drive CRAZY when there is snow and ice…hopefully I’ll avoid that come Friday.

* Thanks for your comments, public and private, and Nicole & Hope’s infrequent horoscope updates and Family Circus comic strip interpretations. Until the next library I find, over and out!!

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Las Vegas Marathon Success!

December 4th, 2005

Okay, so I typed out a great blog and due to my lame limited knowledge of blogging, I erased it. So here is the short version:

I brought the horrible Oregon weather with me from San Francisco to Las Vegas, with another close call. It also didn’t help that in the morning, I added oil to the car but forgot to replace the oil cap. So 200 miles later, a burning oil smell wafted into my car and traces of smoke emitted from my hood. I spent the next 30 minutes backtracking to Los Banos, CA, to an auto supply store and buying a replacement oil cap.

My visit to Vegas was to compete in the new Las Vegas Marathon, which starts at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino and proceeds 7 miles up along the World Famous Strip to the Fremont Street Experience in downtown. My goal was to complete it within 5 hours and with limited injuries. I’m staying with my pal Sarah, who I’ve known since high school and she is currently an art teacher for an elemtary school. We spent Saturday at the Health & Fitness Expo where I picked up my race packet, and we also drove the marathon course and visited a few sites along the Strip.

Finally, Sunday morning, race day. I tried to turn in early at 8:30 the night before, but my sleep was in and out and my mind kept turning to the marathon. I haven’t trained for this! Two 12-mile runs in 3 months, and I was supposed to complete 26.2 miles? I woke up at 4am to beat the traffic rush and did all my pre-race prep in time for the 6am start time. A colorful display of fireworks greeted the crowd of 12,500 runners, in chilly 39 degree temperatures.

4 hours and 15 minutes later, I crossed the finish. Unfortunately, my finish is not posted in the official results at http://www.lvmarathon.com. But I should have my official pictures shortly posted at http://www.marathonfoto.com (select the Las Vegas Marathon and enter my last name ‘Tanedo” and my race number 3570.

I am proud to say that I finished strong and I ran a smart race. I never bonked out, never developed the crippling cramps of debilitating pain, and kept hydrated the whole race through. The last 2.2 miles were quite the mental challenge, but positive self-talk and passing other runners made for an encouraging and satisfying end to the slowest marathon I’ve ever run–but hey, with no training, I’m on a cloud 9!

With my marathon finish, it’s now on to Phoenix, AZ….

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On the way to San Francisco–catching up with friends

December 2nd, 2005

Pretrip festivities with some my basketball teammates “Under the Rim”. Jeremy, Chris, Adam and Mike. Rene is in the Philippines on vacation, and Jonas decided to volunteer as a basketball couch instead of hanging out with his buddies. Yeah, you better win your basketball games Coach Jonas!

UPDATED: I also forgot to mention our other teammate, Eric. Eric was absent that evening because he was facilitating the annual meeting for the Beaverton Chapter of the Little People of America. It is easy to miss Eric, but not when we play basketball because without him we’d have lost every game…

Salem, happy hour with Betsy at the Original Roadhouse

Eugene, Aliscia and Jason. Congrats to Aliscia as she is a new homeowner with a wonderfully comfy home.

The drive from Eugene to San Francisco was horrendous, with traces of snow, torrents of rainfall and severe gusts of wind that toyed with my steering and challenged my tire’s tread. Had one very close call with a truck that cut me off and I was forced to the median. With near white-out conditions with the spray, he didn’t even know I was there….

San Francisco, Ezra, Tim & Dan. These were my hombres in AmeriCorps NCCC program in San Diego over 10 years ago. Ezra is an interpretive dance instructor for the blind, Tim is a wine sommelier for the local Scientology pit bull owners club, and Dan is an accomplished Hollywood screenwriter with such hits as “We Bad Boys Three” and “To Catch a Monkey, Eat Creamed Spinach” to his credit. His next feature, “Honduran Housewares,” is due out in a few weeks in time for Academy Award consideration.

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Hello Friends and welcome to my blog!

November 30th, 2005

Welcome to my personal travelblog, which will detail my road trip journey across the States in my $500 beater car. Some of you have entered into the Honda Death Pool, in which you have pre-selected the state where my car will finally meet its destined demise and fall apart. If you guess the state correctly, you’ll share in a pot of $40 amongst the other contestants that have also picked the state. However, if the car successfully makes it all the way to New Jersey, I keep the money (which helps defray the cost of keeping me well fed and my car full of gas).

Here are some wonderful pics of the cool, hip & stylin’ CAR…would you dare drive it cross country?? Don’t lie, I know you would! (click on the pic to enlarge and see all the fine details!)

The 1988 Honda Accord LXI

This car is perfect!

Here are the roadtrip stats:

Travel from:

Portland to Eugene
Eugene to San Francisco
San Francisco to Las Vegas
Las Vegas to Phoenix
Phoenix to Tucson
Tucson to El Paso
El Paso to Dallas
Dallas to Austin/San Antonio
San Antonio to Houston
Houston to New Orleans
New Orleans to Montgomery
Montgomery to Atlanta
Atlanta to Charlotte
Charlotte to the Outer Banks, NC
Outer Banks to Richmond
Richmond to Baltimore
Baltimore to Colonia, NJ, where I will spend Christmas with my brother

I’ll be taking the Amtrak back home to Portland, via New York’s Penn Station through Chicago along the Empire Builder. I’ll be gone for almost 4 weeks. That is, IF, my car can make it all 5,350 miles.

The total pot to split is $44.

Below are the percentage breakdowns, by state, on where most people have predicted where my car will break down:

Oregon: 3%
California: 9%
Nevada: 9 %
Arizona: 16%
New Mexico: 4%
Texas: 18%
Lousiana: 5%
Mississippi: 10%
Alabama: 11%
Georgia: 11%
South Carolina: 0%
North Carolina: 0%
Maryland: 0%
Delaware/New Jersey: 2%

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