Look Outside

I'm grinning ear-to-ear... right now, it's “snailing” outside!

What's that you ask?

Why snow-hailing, of course! In Los Angeles, California.

Musical Road Remix

In followup to our Musical Roadtrip post, here is the actual Honda commercial that the road was created for.



Originally built by Honda, the road got a lot of complaints from neighbors, so it was removed shortly after we visited. And then people complained because it was gone. So the city rebuilt it somewhere else. In other words, if you're up for a road trip for 30 seconds of amusement, dreams still come true in Lancaster, CA.

Musical Road

On Saturday we took a quick road trip to Lancaster, CA to drive on the only musical road in North America. Just in time, too. It wont last more than another week, since the neighbors are getting riled up about the noise and traffic.

Doritos

I'm not convinced that mice are the best pets to have running about in my kitchen. Luckily thru-hiker shelter tricks work at home too. An empty Doritos bag hung from the edge of a counter is all it takes. Tasty cheese crumbs at the bottom at bedtime, a fuzzy little mouse in the morning.

Virtual Offce

Since back from the trail I've been working on taking my design company, Studiofluid, to the next level. The most interesting aspect has been learning the non-creative side of running a creative business. So far, I've been quite pleased with the adventure.

I work from a few different places, but my favorite spot is the cafe, Sabor Y Cultura, down the street from where we live.

The atmosphere is relaxed, with nice people behind the bar and throughout the generous space. It's quiet enough to provide a great atmosphere for creativity, but it's also bustling enough that conversations among patrons are natural and taking a phone call is perfectly acceptable. And for a special treat, you can't beat their Mexican Mocha.

I try to head down here at least a couple times a week, for some focused creativity. I use the complimentary wifi, but disable my laptop for extended bursts to keep me on task, with a nifty little app called Freedom.

Wheels in L.A.

We gave away our car before leaving for our thru-hike and have been fortunate to not to have needed our own since arriving back to Los Angeles. For the last two months, we've had an unbelievable streak of car-sitting for generous traveling friends, so Lauren has been using their cars to get to work.

I've been doing quite well on my new bike, although riding a fixed gear is like learning to ride a bicycle all over again.

Tonight my friend Austin reminded me about Flexcar. Here in Los Angeles, an annual membership of $35 gets you access to car rentals on a micro level, just $5 per hour. Their locations map shows that I live just one block from two available flexcars ( a "sports car" and a "wagon").

All this convenience, and I don't even have to worry about gas, insurance, maintenance or parking. Pretty sweet deal. I'm going to have to check this out.

- - - -

UPDATE: When I checked the cars in person, the "sports car" was a Mini Cooper, and the "wagon" was a Scion Xb.

A Minor Loss

Last night I said goodbye to an old friend, sooner than I would have liked. My faithful Fuji bicycle, my partner in commuting for the last three years, was stolen while I was at the library. She was locked up securely, but not securely enough I guess.

Together we'd criss-crossed over 13,000 miles of Los Angeles pavement on my route from Hollywood to Santa Monica.

I hadn't put any money into maintaining it recently, so most of the components were worn to the ground. By the time I walked home from the library, I was already at peace about the loss. Nevertheless, I was also hoping that whoever yanked it would land on their head when they changed my worn out gears.

This morning I picked out another bike online, since it's the main way I get around. This time I wanted a no-frills, ultra minimal bike to beat up that won't be as enticing to thieves. I settled on this generic fixie that flips to be a freewheel, and includes two brakes.

I like the orange I ordered. But if I have two weeks that I don't need to ride it, I found a nice forum that describes in step-by step detail how to repaint a bike with a custom color.

Adjustment - Part 5 - Los Angeles

Last night Lauren and I were reviewing our trip photos and each of us got choked up in our own way. I was transported back to the excitement I felt in Georgia as a novice thru-hiker, and the thrill of hiking through Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Lauren was missing friends from the trail who we share deep connections, and the simplicity of life out of a backpack.

So many memories packed into this summer.

And who could forget Maine? We both agree we'd like to be there right now and see what goes on in those small towns and outposts during the deep winter.

Instead we're getting back into inevitable responsibilities of town life, but approaching them with renewed appreciation and focus.

Lauren has been looking to get back into her educational background in food science, which she's been out of for five years. She got a break this week when a food processing plant near downtown called on her to test samples in their microbiology lab. After two days, so far, so good!

I have been looking for design opportunities, while continuing to pursue entrepreneurial projects through my graphic design company, Studiofluid. One highlight has been doing identity and design work for our friend, Matt, who we met on the trail. His seasonings company is top-notch, and I'll be highlighting it when our work is complete.

Apartment Views

Today we awoke to a fantastic gift on the horizon, the snow covered peaks of the San Gabriels. The following photos are taken from the living room window of our new apartment.



Although our apartment isn't furnished yet (we sold most of our extraneous belongings on ebay and most of our furniture on Craigslist) the stunning views from our windows make up for the pile of cardboard inside. For the moment anyway...




We've been settling into a pretty nice routine back here in Los Angeles. Each morning Lauren and I have been waking up together and going for a 5 mile walk. We head out our door and into the hills, past the Observatory, where we take in views of the Pacific Ocean and surrounding peaks.