have an exciting month since my last update. Here, let me tell you about it.
On the 7th of July, I went to the airport to fly up to New Jersey. The flight was full and I was voluntarily bumped. Delta gave me a $300 gift certificate and a First Class seat on the next flight, an hour later. After a stop over in Atlanta, I continued up to Newark in First Class. The seats were big and the orange juice was never ending.
On the morning of the 8th, I went into work. I was eagerly anticipating my three days in the office. I was going to plan my trip, make sure my equipment was in perfect condition and hang out with my friends. At 8:00 a.m. a tour leader called in from New York and said that, due to a family emergency, he had to go home. As the most available and experienced person in the office, I was chosen to drive into the City and take over his trip. So much for my easy three day transition back into the working world.
I picked my group up at 2:00 pm and we headed to Philadelphia for our first night of camping. I had a group of French people between the ages of 16 and 21 and their chaperone. Their English was not too bad. We were doing a 24 day trip from New York to Los Angeles along the south.
On the 9th of July, we went to Washington D.C. and spend a few days sight seeing. Then we drove through Virginia and camped in Tennessee on the way to North Carolina. We rented some inflatable kayaks called duckies and paddled down the Nantahala River. The rapids were not that big, but the trip was amazing. It was a hot day and the river was cold. The river was covered in fog and you could often not see for more than 75 feet. It was fun going down the river in the fog.
That night I tried to take my group out to a cafe and some live music. The exit to the campground was muddy and steep. I slid the van all over the lawn, tore up a lot of grass and eventually, with everyone pushing, made it up to the road. It was fun driving the van while it slid sideways. The cafe had some good music and hot chocolate and everyone had fun.
After a long drive through Alabama we made it to New Orleans. I explained how women sometimes bare their breasts in exchange for bead necklaces. Two of the 17 year old boys were so inspired they went around mooning people. They came home with quite a few necklaces.
Next, we headed over to Galveston Island in Texas. We went swimming and hung out on the beach. Our next stop was San Antonio. The Alamo did not hold their interest for the whole day, so we went out to New Braunfels, rented inner tubes and floated down the river.
Our biggest drive of the trip came the next day, but with an early start we made it to El Paso in record time. After dinner I took them down to Mexico for some drinking, smoking and dancing. They may not be able to remember it, but they had fun.
After a brief stop at White Sands National Monument, in New Mexico, we camped in Albuquerque on our way to Monument Valley, Utah. We galloped through the Valley on horseback and watched the sun set.
Our next stop was Lake Powell. While twelve of them swam and jumped off the cliffs, the chaperone and I took one of the passengers to the doctor. He had bronchitis and his coughing was bothering everyone. He got some pills and treatment and then we all went to camp at the Pariah Canyon Camp Ground. Easton, the owner let me go along on their horse ride. It was a truly amazing ride. We passed through tall, narrow red rock canyons and eventually came to a box canyon/cliff. It was a truly amazing sun set ride.
Our next stop was the Grand Canyon for a day of hiking, or in my case, laundry. From there, we went to Seligman Arizona for some ice cream at Delgado's Snow Cap on Route 66. That place is always a huge hit. You must suffer through a 15 minute comedy routine for a soda.
In Las Vegas we pigged out at the buffet and then took a limo ride down the strip. We were dropped off at a wedding chapel and two of the passengers had a mock wedding.
After Vegas, we drove to Los Angeles and camped in Malibu for a few days. We went to Universal Studios, Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Santa Monica, Venice Beach and Melrose Avenue.
They were a lot of fun, but had almost no initiative. They were difficult to motivate when it came to washing dishes or cooking. But once they got started, they did not complain too much. It was fun hanging out with a bunch of kids for three weeks. I even taught some of them not to throw their cigarette butts on the ground.
I then spent the first week of August in the L.A. office. I worked on my equipment, planned my next trip and studied up for my upcoming three months in Mexico. A few of us took a day trip to Tiajuana to do some paperwork and eat tacos.
On Friday, the 4th, I drove up to San Francisco and visited my friend Sue, and her boyfriend Peter. Peter is a boat captain and on Saturday Sue and I joined him for a cruise of San Francisco Bay.
That night I met my new group and on Sunday we headed east. I now had a mixed international group. We went to Yosemite National Park on the 6th of August and hiked down to the big sequoia trees.
On the 7th, most of us did an 8 mile hike. Then we ate pizza and headed over to looked at Yosemite Falls in the moon light. That night at camp we watched bears dig through the garbage.
On the 8th, we swam in Mono lake and then went to Las Vegas. The next day I bought a new pair of sandals. That night we took our limo ride. I used a new company, Fox Limo Tours. They had a stretch Ford Explorer that holds 14 people. We cruised the strip and sipped our champagne.
From there we went to the Grand Canyon and a few of us flew over it in a helicopter. Then, after a quick dinner we went to watch the sunset. The next morning, at 4:30 we left to watch the sunrise. After a relaxing morning, we drove to Lake Havasu, Arizona for a night near the hottest inhabited town in the U.S. We camped near the Colorado River and had to run in there every few minutes to cool off.
Yesterday, after a hot and sticky night, we drove into L.A. and did a quick Hollywood and Rodeo Drive tour.
Today is Sunday, so the office is closed and I am forced to take a day off. I will plan my Mexico trip, do some laundry, and write some e-mail.
Tomorrow I will start my seven day drive to Cancun and pick up my new group on the 22nd of August.
Sunday, August 13, 2000
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