If you want to see the pictures, please scroll to the bottom.

Day 1, Kenton picked me up at the PHX airport and bar hopped our way to San Diego, stopping in Gilla Bend & Yuma AZ, then the Vejas Casino in Cali. Later that day we hit the Gas Lamp Quarter in San Diego. A long 23 hour day, consuming 2 Guinness, 4 Coronas, 2 Red Cable Cars, 4 Capt. & Coke, 1 Harp, 3 Smithwicks.

Day 2, we walked around Mission Beach, had breakfast and more beers. Later we drove up the coast to La Jolla and picked up the Car from Ken. We then drove straight back to Phoenix, only stopping for gas. We both almost fell asleep while eating dinner at “Coppers”.

Day 3, Kenton slept in, while I looked over the Thing, making a list of what needed to be fixed first. Later we met up with Brad and Amy for lunch, they where both nursing hangovers from being on their own bender. Later Kenton and I went to the Chavez birthday party, then meeting back up with Brad for dinner. Total beer consumption, 7.

Kenton and I wanted to cruise for chicks, but we didn’t think two men in a yellow car would have much luck. Kenton has nicknamed it the “Bumble Bee”, but since the “Thing” doesn’t have an antenna for the radio it only picks up the Spanish stations, it has been renamed the “Spanish Fly”.

Day 4, I took the Thing to “The Thing Shop” to get a new top w/frame, side curtains, rear jute mat and some other misc. parts. Thanks to Timmi I was given a tour of their shop. I spent the rest of the afternoon adding the accessories and fixing the windshield wiper sprayer. We met up with Brad again at “Zipp’s” for some pints and food then went back to Kenton’s.

Day 5, Competition Engineering gave the “Spanish Fly” a complete road trip checkup. They adjusted the throttle cable, relocated the fuel filter, replaced one front drum and turned the other, added new hoses, pistons, pads and finally a much need alignment. On the way home the steering wheel started to shake violently. I quickly exited the freeway, checking to see if all the lug nuts had been tightened properly, and no problem there. I figured that since the tires had been rotated, it might be the cause of the problem. So the game plan was to replace the tires first thing in the morning and see if new tires would fix the problem. If it didn’t it would delay the trip, since I would have to take it back to Competition Engineering. For dinner Kenton and I met up with Ed at the “Fox Grill”. The “Fox Grill” is much like the “ESPN Zone”, but without games to play. Dinner and a few beers later, it was time to go home and pack for the trip.

Day 6, after saying my goodbye’s to Kenton, I was off to the tire store. An hour later they had me on my way, the “Spanish Fly” had new tires and the second leg of my trip started. I took I-17 from Phoenix towards Flagstaff, running into snow just to the south. The heater in the car could not keep up with the cold, so I stopped at Wal-Mart to find one that plugs into the cigarette lighter, the sales lady told me they didn’t carry them since they are a seasonal item…. From Flagstaff my route took me through Cameron, Tuba City, Kayenta and Monument Valley before entering Utah and then Mexican Hat, Bluff, Blanding and Monticello, stopping in Moab for the night. Just past Tuba City the speedo turned over…. So I guess the care is new again. Lots of great scenery on this leg of the trip, most of the pictures without the car in them where taken from inside while driving. Moab a nice place to visit but…. I ran into the Mormon blue laws, and had to join the Rio Club to have a couple beers.

Day 7. I was supposed to go from Moab, Utah to Topeka, Kansas, but it didn’t work that way. I had planed to get a hotel room on the East side of Topeka to make a quick exit in the morning. As I entered Topeka my Spidy sense was tingling, that or I was just paranoid. Can you get a contact high from listening to 4 Zeppelin CD’s in a row.. anyway I had slowed way down to avoid a ticket and the next thing I know there is a car on my tail. I’m drinking bottled water, but I guess in his headlights it looks like a bottle of beer. As the cop pulls up beside me, I realized what he must have thought, so I continue to sip water. He paces me for a mile or so, as I ignore him. I’m waiting for him to get on his PA system and say, “Hey you in the yellow car! Boy, we don’t serve your kind”. Instead he pulls back to run my plates. This is usually right before the lights come on, but I guess the Previous Owner has a clean driving record. Seems in the end there aren’t any hotels on the East side of Topeka, this place sucks! I decide to screw this place and head to Kansas City a couple hours further, but after an hour I spot a Holiday Inn, right at the exit for Leavenworth Prison. Sure, why not, there’s a pancake house right next to it.

Leaving Moab I take the scenic route Kenton had mentioned. Kenton’s route follows a canyon, next to the Colorado River. Throughout the day I would end up crossing it more times than I can remember. This road of Kenton’s ends up on a free range with cows commuting back and forth. Near its end it looks much like the Western section of Ireland, just cows instead of sheep. Finally into Colorado, but the low clouds concealed most of the views, so it was disappointing. Guess I’ll have to make the trip again. All day long I ran not quite “balls to the wall”, but defiantly “pedal to the metal”. Top speed of the Thing, isn’t based on horse power, its based on topography. With the pedal to the floor, I ended up doing 45-50 MPH up the Rockies, but on the way down the Transporter would have been proud of me. I got to pass all those SOB’s that road my butt up the mountain. Just to the East of Denver the Speedo stopped working; possibly do to my downhill run. The ride up the Rockies was cold; thankfully Kenton had sent some Mexican blankets along with me. Just when I was feeling secure in my masculinity for driving a yellow car with rainbow stripes, I had to wrap a pink and turquoise blanket around me. I felt like one of those Mayan women who sell chicklets gum in Mexico, but I’m sure I looked more like Pancho Villa’s butt buddy. What does it mean when a truck driver winks at you? The heater gave out latter that night, just past Topeka, so it was back to the Viva Loco Look. One cool thing was at sunset. I was surrounded by clouds, like the eye of a storm, so when the sun set it was a 360. 3:AM EST 1:AM PHX

Day 8/9, Today would be my longest drive, 23 hours, and take me through the rest of Kansas, Missouri, Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia and Western Maryland. I followed I-70 to I-64 to I-79 to I-68 and back to I-70.

Out of all the states I crossed from California to Maryland, Cali is my favorite, but Missouri comes in 2nd, it reminded me of Virginia horse country. My least favorite was Kentucky, great scenery, but the people there…..considering all my judgments are based on commuters and infrequent stops, if anyone has been to the Wal-Mart in Morehead on a Friday night then you know what I’m talking about. If you are reading this and from Kentucky, I’m not sorry, get some glasses and turn off your damn brights! That goes for all you morons in West Virginia and Maryland too. Oh yea, and if you’re in a Mini-Van, get the …. out of the fast lane. I’m passing you, not racing you, stop speeding up. In general I would say the environment west of the Mississippi is for me. The electric heater I picked up the day before at a truck stop didn’t put out enough heat. So at Wal-Mart I bought a propane heater to set on the passenger floorboard, along with a couple Beastie Boy’s CD’s to go along with my White Castle experience. BTW, White Castle burgers SUCK.

I arrived back in town at 5:30 AM, just as the propane ran out. I then took the “Spanish Fly” for another carwash and then proceeded to wake up my household at 6 AM. From there I sacked out for the next 8 hours.