My Y2K Walkabout

In November 1999, I finally got fed up with life in general and decide to start traveling.  All my life I have always had the desire to travel.  And I finally made up my mind to do so.  My first intentions were to head over to California and then travel up Highway 1 all the way up to Oregon, and then on to Washington state, hopefully ending up in Seattle or somewhere along the way.  I thought I would be alone until I started taking care of this great cat.  An all black male cat that I named Reiki.  Well, I got to the Grand Canyon, but didn't stay in CA for very long.  I came back to AZ to go to Estrella War, then got this strong urge to go to Mardi Gras.  Just cause I could.  :-P  I started on my way to Louisiana, not knowing what to expect...

I ran into someone I had met at Estrella War, in Tucson.  It turned out that he needed a ride to Texas and that it was on my way.  Yay!  My first human traveling companion.  We drove practically non-stop to Houston, well actually we made lots of rest stops to eat and pee and buy petrol.  We slept in my VW "non-hippy" bus, taking turns while the other drove.  He taught me how to play my ocarina better.  He even gave me some in gratitude for the ride.  We made it to Houston by that Friday night, I crashed there before heading on to New Orleans the following evening.  We went to a cool coffee shop to send me on my way.  Leaving Houston.  Wow!  Big city, bright lights, huge highways, for sure Dude!

I got into New Orleans by 11am or noon on the Sunday of Mardi Gras.  The local SCA group was having a party that afternoon along one of the parade routes.  I had spotted that on the internet before I left Mesa, AZ.  I called to see if a fellow SCAdian, even from a far away land would be welcome.  God I love the SCA!  Family everywhere.  They were more than happy to have another SCAdian show up and attempted to give my directions.  Had I had enough foresight, I would've bought a street map of NOLA before attempting to drive around in it.  I have yet to drive in another city where parallel streets cross 2 or 3 times and perpendicular streets never cross.  Needless to say, that it took me about 4 hours to drive across this tiny city.  For the city itself is not that large or spread out, but it is difficult to use logic to navigate it.

Well I finally made it to the party, I hope.  Parking was a bit difficult.  So I came up with a brilliant idea.  I was going to roller blade the several blocks to the address I was given.  He he he.  The roads were terrible and I could have fallen many times.  Except for the fact that I had come across a shopping cart and was using that to hold me up.  A shopping cart, you ask, how in the world?!  Just sitting there on the sidewalk...  I learned anything could happen in Nawlins.  And usually does... on a regular basis.

I found the house and practically ran over someone on the way to the door.  That person just happened to be the next Baron of that Barony.  My luck, go figure...  He took it in good humor.  Everyone there was wonderful.  They even helped supply me with even more beads than what I caught flying off the floats in the parade.  "Donating it to my family souvenirs box."  I had planned on giving the beads and whatnot to my nieces and nephew when I made it to Florida.  Figuring that I would head there after NOLA, just cause I was so close.  At the party I met Charlotte and ended up staying at her apartment that evening and for almost the rest of the week.  Through Thursday.  On Monday, Charlotte was meeting some friends along one of the parade routes.  We arranged to meet up after a particular time near a certain restaurant.  I wandered around for awhile, checked out the local hostels.  They were booked solid through the month of March.  I headed to where I was supposed to meet Charlotte, not sure if I could find her apartment again if I could not find her.  I saw a fabric store.  Oo ah...  Material...  I walked in.  I looked around for some thick heavy duty black raw silk for an Arizona friend, priced it, and got a swatch.  Then headed out to check on the festivities.  I passed a man in a kilt drinking alcohol sitting in a lawn chair on the sidewalk outside the fabric store.  To whom I asked, "Are you in the SCA?"  Taken aback by a stranger being bluntly honest and direct with him.  He replied with, "Yes!  How do you know?"  I looked at him and said, "You're wearing a kilt and sitting outside one of the most expensive fabric stores I've ever been in.  Plus, you probably have alcohol in that fine mug of yours.  How could you not be in the SCA?"

On Tuesday, we picked up Paula at her house on the way to go down to Bourbon Street in the French Quarter.

NY:

I went to that fine state of New York to find my father's family and to rediscover all the places I only heard about while growing up in the orange and Sunshine State, Florida.  So I left the Warren Light Center in Pennsylvania headed up towards Canada.  I stopped one of the Indian reservation gas stations.  Gas is much cheaper there.  I ended up in Niagara Falls in time to see them all lit up like they were on fire.  I decided to cross the border, a huge mistake, at least in a VW "hippie bus" van.  Went through an experience I never want to repeat.  Thoroughly dejected, I arrived at the HI-Niagara Falls hostel on the American side in time to get a bed just before curfew.  I brought some stuff in.  Half almost in tears and shaking, I found a half pack of Marlboro Lights in my glove compartment and decided that I would try them.  I didn't seem to have much of a problem smoking them.  So I went down the street to the grocery store and bought a pack.  Along with salmon and Godiva ice cream.  Yummy!  

The following day I went to a Cyber Cafe and got on the internet.  Met a nice guy there who wanted to talk to me about working at Intel.

Went to the library, cause free access is a lot cheaper than $5 bucks an hour.  Met Brad D. Frank there.  We talked for awhile about contracting work.  We exchanged emails in case I could help him get a certain software marketed at Intel, Motorola, AMD, Sun Microsystems, or other places.

NY State:

Driving across the state of New York is long and boring, especially at night.  I passed a couple of signs that read Herkimer NY.  So, I decided to give diamond mining a try and took the turnoff.  I briefly asked for directions at the toll booth.  Drove over to the KOA.

Columbus, OH

On February 16, 2001 I drove to central Ohio to spend time with Kennric.  I haven't been able to visit him in Oregon, so we decided to meet in Columbus.  Which happened to be halfway between where he was in Ohio, and myself in Kinsman, OH.  I left early in the morning to drive the 3.5 hours.  Do I need to mention, not getting enough sleep?  I arrived in time for us to eat lunch at Hai Ku.  Hai Ku is a Japanese restaurant with a cool  logo like poetry, food, and art.  They provide fancy scraps of paper to write haikus on.  Then you can post them up for everyone to see.  That is if you are brave enough.