Jesse and I arrived in Northridge, California (which is where my school is) on August 20th. With no where to go we toured the city for a bit. We then contacted our Mennonite-your-way contact and got directions to her house. She lives about 15 minutes from Northridge and it turns out that she's originally from Elmira, Ontario, which is pretty weird. Jesse's mom even looked her up in her yearbook and found her. Small world.
It was a little strange just showing up at someone's house but she was really nice and welcomed us in. She even gave us the master bedroom to sleep in which I felt guilty about, however having a nice bed to sleep in for a change was great.
On Monday, August 21st, we started our apartment search. It was a lot harder than we expected. We drove around looking for places and numbers but when we called them either no one picked up, the place wasn't available for a month or the price was way to much. So we ended up with nothing on our first day and spent another night at Barbara's (MYW lady).
Tuesday was similar, although this time we walked around to a lot of places and saw a few apartments. It was so hot walking around though that whenever I saw a sprinkler system I just walked right through it. My clothes stayed wet for about 5 seconds and then they were dry again. We did find a place that we liked, which was available at the end of the week and within our price range. I should add that our "price range" sort of increased once we found out what sort of price apartments go for over here. We decided to sleep on it and come back if we still wanted it. Therefore, another night at Barabara's.
On Wednesday I had an International Student group advising meeting at school. Before I went though Jesse and I applied for the apartment that we saw the day before. Barbara's husband and daughter were returning that day so we needed to find somewhere else to stay. We contacted another MYW person and she gladly took us in. Her name was Lisa and she lives in Pasadena, which is about half an hour east of Northridge. On our first night, Lisa wasn't even home. She just gave us a key and her house. It was pretty amazing.
On Thursday we drove to Ventura to go to the beach. The water was pretty cold and it was sort of cloudy so we just layed on the sand reading. We then drove to Oxnard in search of a John Deere dealership however we couldn't find it. Probably because Jesse only knew that there was one in Oxnard but he didn't know what street or what part of town. So we just drove back to Pasadena. By this time we had been living out of a suitcase for over a week and a half. It was starting to get annoying.
We spent most of Friday walking around Pasadena. For lunch we went to the cafeteria of the university that Lisa works at. She gave us some free meal tickets. The food was amazing. Probably the best we had all trip. That night we invited Lisa to play a game of Dutch Blitz with us. This lead to some interesting conversation. Although she's not Mennonite, Lisa is sort of an amish fanatic. She's really interested in the culture which shows by the books about the Amish all over her house. She asked us a lot of questions about our background. This lead to a discussion of pacifism and George Bush. Lisa was playing the devil's advocate which got me a little fired up because I'm easily sucked into an argument. It was all in good fun although it did make for some interesting rounds of dutch blitz.
Saturday was spent driving around Northridge trying to get stuff ready for when we move in. It was an uneventful day.
We went to church with Lisa sunday morning. It was interesting, a little long, but everyone was very friendly and wanted to talk with the new people. We ate lunch with Lisa and some students from her school. They were in the INSIGHT program which I do not remember what it stands for. Something about indepth study something, something, history and theology or something. The food was good. That afternoon we drove back to Northridge and moved into our new apartment. With no furniture and our airmattress in storage in Barbara's garage for the moment, we slept on the floor of the living room. Not very comfortable but at least we had a home.
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Saturday, August 19, 2006
the last leg - August 19th, 2006
From the Grand Canyon we drove straight to California. We decided to skip Las Vegas because we thought it would be better to see the city when we were not loaded down with all of our stuff. We were able to drive on Historic Route 66 for part of the journey which we were reminded of about every 2 miles by the numerous signs that were posted. However at one point it became a dirt road that was extremely bumpy and undriveable so we turned around and got back on the interstate. We made it to Barstow, California, which is about 1.5 hours from our destination. We stayed at a really cheap motel for the night and went to Denny's for supper. We're getting more American by the minute.
Friday, August 18, 2006
The GRAND Canyon - August 18, 2006
Today we made it to the Grand Canyon. It was a very short drive since we drove a lot longer than planned in search of a campground the night before. The Grand Canyon was....grand. It was almost hard to take it all in. I took a lot of pictures yet I still feel like I didn't do it any justice. There was a trail all along the edge that you could walk on, with lots of outlook spots. I don't really know what else to say about it so I've just included a lot of pictures.
In this picture Jesse is trying to throw rocks at me. He missed.
We left the park for a couple of hours to go and see the Grand Canyon Imax movie. It was very cool. It gave an interesting view of the canyon floor and made me want to come back and hike through the canyon sometime. It says that the hike to the bottom and back takes more than a day which is why I didn't do it while I was there. Plus Jesse wasn't very keen on the idea. Anyone else want to join me sometime? We ended up returning to the park to camp that night. The campground was very similar to those that we're used to in Canada. The one difference was that instead of being told to watch out for bears or racoons with your food, we were told to watch out for ravens. These birds were huge, and there were tonnes of them just walking around. We saw in the site next to us that some had ripped apart a styrofoam cooler and eaten the contents. Luckily we didn't have any problems.
In this picture Jesse is trying to throw rocks at me. He missed.
We left the park for a couple of hours to go and see the Grand Canyon Imax movie. It was very cool. It gave an interesting view of the canyon floor and made me want to come back and hike through the canyon sometime. It says that the hike to the bottom and back takes more than a day which is why I didn't do it while I was there. Plus Jesse wasn't very keen on the idea. Anyone else want to join me sometime? We ended up returning to the park to camp that night. The campground was very similar to those that we're used to in Canada. The one difference was that instead of being told to watch out for bears or racoons with your food, we were told to watch out for ravens. These birds were huge, and there were tonnes of them just walking around. We saw in the site next to us that some had ripped apart a styrofoam cooler and eaten the contents. Luckily we didn't have any problems.
Thursday, August 17, 2006
from rocks to sand - August 17, 2006
We left Pueblo and the comfort of the Comfort Inn for the Rocky Mountains. However we didn't make it very far before we saw a sign for a "place of interest" called Skyline Drive. And being my father's daughter, I never pass up a chance to check out a place of interest. I do pass on looking at historical plaques but that's another story. Anywho, Skyline Drive was pretty much this very narrow road that ran along the top of a hill/mountain. I say hill/mountain because it was much bigger than your typical hill but not exactly a giant mountain. The view was amazing and my heart was actually racing as I clutched the steering wheel, all the while thinking that one sneeze could throw us over the edge. Even Jesse was nervous. The road took us back in the direction we had come however it was definitely worth the trip.
The scenery through the Rocky Mountains was a nice change from what we had been used to most of our trip. There were actually trees....and they were green.
We stopped for lunch at the Hungry Logger. It was past lunch time thus the name was fitting, at least the hungry part. We each ordered a hamburger and may I say, being a self-proclaimed hamburger connoisseur, they were excellent, a little greasy, but excellent. Ralph, you would be proud.
Here are some pictures taken from a scenic overlook that we stopped at. I think that they are pretty much self explanitary.
We crossed into Arizona at 4 Corners. It is the only place in the US where 4 states meet, these states being Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona. It sounded pretty cool, but turned out to be just another tourist trap. Lots of vendors selling junk that really didn't have to do anything with the 4 corners. Needless to say, we got the cutomary picture of us standing in 4 states at the same time, like everyone else.
After seeing so many campgrounds on our journey through the Rockies, we assumed that Arizona would be the same way. However we assumed wrong. The Arizona landscape was pretty bare. I guess that's typically what a desert looks like.
We drove for about 2 and a half hours looking for some place to stay. This was the first time that our lack of planning got the better of us. We finally saw a sign indicating a campground, however it was 25 miles north of where we wanted to go. With no other options, we went anyway. Finding the campground in the dark was difficult, what with there being no street lights in the middle of nowhere. We eventually made it to the Goulding campground in the Navojo Tribal Park, which is located just over the border of Arizona in Utah. Without being able to see anything, we just set up the tent and went to bed. The next morning we were pleasantly surprised to see the awesome view. The campground was in Monument Valley which was considered by the locals to be the 8th Wonder of the World. I am not a very reliable judge of world wonders so I can't say whether I agree or disagree however it was pretty cool. Other than the huge rock formations there wasn't much. As Jesse put it, "there's nothing out there, not even for a fly."
The scenery through the Rocky Mountains was a nice change from what we had been used to most of our trip. There were actually trees....and they were green.
We stopped for lunch at the Hungry Logger. It was past lunch time thus the name was fitting, at least the hungry part. We each ordered a hamburger and may I say, being a self-proclaimed hamburger connoisseur, they were excellent, a little greasy, but excellent. Ralph, you would be proud.
Here are some pictures taken from a scenic overlook that we stopped at. I think that they are pretty much self explanitary.
We crossed into Arizona at 4 Corners. It is the only place in the US where 4 states meet, these states being Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona. It sounded pretty cool, but turned out to be just another tourist trap. Lots of vendors selling junk that really didn't have to do anything with the 4 corners. Needless to say, we got the cutomary picture of us standing in 4 states at the same time, like everyone else.
After seeing so many campgrounds on our journey through the Rockies, we assumed that Arizona would be the same way. However we assumed wrong. The Arizona landscape was pretty bare. I guess that's typically what a desert looks like.
We drove for about 2 and a half hours looking for some place to stay. This was the first time that our lack of planning got the better of us. We finally saw a sign indicating a campground, however it was 25 miles north of where we wanted to go. With no other options, we went anyway. Finding the campground in the dark was difficult, what with there being no street lights in the middle of nowhere. We eventually made it to the Goulding campground in the Navojo Tribal Park, which is located just over the border of Arizona in Utah. Without being able to see anything, we just set up the tent and went to bed. The next morning we were pleasantly surprised to see the awesome view. The campground was in Monument Valley which was considered by the locals to be the 8th Wonder of the World. I am not a very reliable judge of world wonders so I can't say whether I agree or disagree however it was pretty cool. Other than the huge rock formations there wasn't much. As Jesse put it, "there's nothing out there, not even for a fly."
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Camping cheaters - August 16th, 2006
Before leaving Lake Scott, we went for a hike around the lake. The view mostly consisted of rocks, very dry grass, odd plants and tonnes of insects. It felt nice to be walking instead of sitting in a car though.
Our trip today took us to Colorado. The view in Colorado was an interesting change from Kansas. In place of the feed lots there were ranches, in place of the small towns there were prisons, and in place of corn fields there were pastures and sunflowers. We still saw a few small towns along the way but no matter how small the town though, they always seemed to have an interesting sign.
We made it to Pueblo, Colorado which is a city on the edge of the Rocky Mountains. it was a very short day of driving, we were lazy. We decided to stay in a hotel for a change so that we could take a decent shower and sleep on a better bed. Plus the hotel offered a free breakfast.
Our trip today took us to Colorado. The view in Colorado was an interesting change from Kansas. In place of the feed lots there were ranches, in place of the small towns there were prisons, and in place of corn fields there were pastures and sunflowers. We still saw a few small towns along the way but no matter how small the town though, they always seemed to have an interesting sign.
We made it to Pueblo, Colorado which is a city on the edge of the Rocky Mountains. it was a very short day of driving, we were lazy. We decided to stay in a hotel for a change so that we could take a decent shower and sleep on a better bed. Plus the hotel offered a free breakfast.
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
cows, cows and more cows - August 15th, 2006
Today we made it to Nebraska. When asked what he remembered about Nebraska, Jesse said corn fields, irrigated corn fields. Its funny how someone can find the same type of irrigation systems, over and over again interesting, but he did. Each one we saw elicited another comment. I fell asleep for a bit through Nebraska, I'm sure I didn't miss much. My nap did result in about 6 different pictures of the same group of combines. I only posted one...enjoy.
Although boring, Nebraska did boast some nice rest spots. Very clean and a nice view.
Heading south from Nebraska brought us to Kansas. If we didn't see the sign, we would not have noticed the difference. Again lots of corn and some other crop which even Jesse couldn't identify. Kansas mostly consisted of corn fields, interspersed by beef cattle feed lots, with a town thrown in every once in a while. These towns were all the same. A giant grain silo beside the train track, a liquor store, and a bunch of run down houses/trailors.
Having been on a few dealership tours already, I thought that I deserved a tourist attraction. So I looked in the RV and Camping guide book for interesting stuff to see in Kansas. What I found was the Rock Monuments and Chalk Pyramids. The blurb in the book said, "logic defying rock formations", and since I'm not one to pass up a chance to defy logic, we headed that way. Plus it had a campground near by and it was located in the direction we were going, mostly because I was the current navigator who decided upon the direction we were going. To get there we had to drive down the dirtiest of dirt roads. I mean you only knew it was a road because of the signs that you came upon every so often. The road wound through pastures with no fences so we almost hit a few cows and we drove over many cattle grates. I guess this wasn't a very popular attraction. The trip may have been difficult but the the site was worth it. Logic was definitely defied.
That night we camped at Lake Scott State Park. Another small campground with very few trees. We met a nice couple who were the "hosts" of the campground. They told us about the 5 year drought the area is in and Jesse asked about how they can grow corn. The usual campground conversation. It was very windy and looked like it would rain which would be good for the area but bad for us. We were selfish and hoped for no rain. It didn't rain.
Although boring, Nebraska did boast some nice rest spots. Very clean and a nice view.
Heading south from Nebraska brought us to Kansas. If we didn't see the sign, we would not have noticed the difference. Again lots of corn and some other crop which even Jesse couldn't identify. Kansas mostly consisted of corn fields, interspersed by beef cattle feed lots, with a town thrown in every once in a while. These towns were all the same. A giant grain silo beside the train track, a liquor store, and a bunch of run down houses/trailors.
Having been on a few dealership tours already, I thought that I deserved a tourist attraction. So I looked in the RV and Camping guide book for interesting stuff to see in Kansas. What I found was the Rock Monuments and Chalk Pyramids. The blurb in the book said, "logic defying rock formations", and since I'm not one to pass up a chance to defy logic, we headed that way. Plus it had a campground near by and it was located in the direction we were going, mostly because I was the current navigator who decided upon the direction we were going. To get there we had to drive down the dirtiest of dirt roads. I mean you only knew it was a road because of the signs that you came upon every so often. The road wound through pastures with no fences so we almost hit a few cows and we drove over many cattle grates. I guess this wasn't a very popular attraction. The trip may have been difficult but the the site was worth it. Logic was definitely defied.
That night we camped at Lake Scott State Park. Another small campground with very few trees. We met a nice couple who were the "hosts" of the campground. They told us about the 5 year drought the area is in and Jesse asked about how they can grow corn. The usual campground conversation. It was very windy and looked like it would rain which would be good for the area but bad for us. We were selfish and hoped for no rain. It didn't rain.
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