Monstrous Media!

Recently I completed what has immediately become the best trip of my life. It was a road trip on paper but felt like so much more in my brain and in my chest. Traveling with two of the finest individuals this world has ever known, together we saw the sights, grew immensely as humans, and by the end had molded into one autonomous being. This is the truncated tale of our journey.

This first set of photos was taken in Austin, Texas, the first stop on my journey. I flew to meet two of my most incredible friends who had already been driving since Virginia. They had run into their fair share of hardships on route to Texas and were grateful that the three of us were united and could begin. Austin was nice. The girls enjoyed blowing tons of cash at the over priced vintage shops and I got a kick out of Austin’s food cart offerings. Me, being a huge food cart enthusiast, take this subject very seriously. Down on Austin’s S. Congress St. one can fine a Cupcake trailer and a nice frozen yogurt truck; both varieties of which Portland has yet to see. I couldn’t help but compare Austin to Portland since it is so often referred to as our sister city. Overall, Austin is small, hot, and although it may have some hip shops and a fledgling music scene one must remember, when in Austin, you’re still in Texas.

The following few days were spent in Taos, New Mexico. Taos is situated in the high desert of northern New Mexico nestled gracefully in a valley with surrounding peaks. We camped the first night on the edge of the Rio Grande gorge (pictured above). We arrived at midnight and set our tent up in the dark only to awake to find that we were just meters from the edge of the gorge. In Taos proper we met up with my second cousins who took us on an elaborate tour of the town that no outsider would ever get to see without the in. Riding in the back of my relative’s pick up we were shown all sorts of alternative housing such as aluminum can houses and underground “earthships”. While driving we passed though a small rainstorm which shortly after delivered a double rainbow to us; this just might have been the most magical moment in history.

The following days took us across Arizona on Route 40 through the Painted Desert and the Petrified Forrest. Above, Christina is perched, looking out unimpressed at the nothingness that can be the Arizona badlands. We headed south briefly for a stop in Sedona to visit the rumored energy vortexes that dot the region. Apparently, fluxes in the electro-magnetic spectrum energize certain rock formations and create excellent apexes for mediation, healing, enlightenment, etc. Sedona is a beautiful town plopped in the forests that live in between giant red rock spires. The view is breathtaking from within city limits but the vortexes are just a short drive out of town and that’s where the real magic happens. We climbed Bell Vista and had a bit of a visceral experience ourselves. The lower of the two photos is the view from the top of Bell Vista (a position only I was able to attain).

We arrived at the edge of the Grand Canyon again, at midnight, and again, managed to camp with in 4 feet from the cliff. The following morning we hiked 10 miles down into the throws of the canyon. Some parts were straight down and others were more gradual. The scenery was other-worldly, martian-esque. As we got deeper into the crevice the scenery turns from desert to forest as natural springs begin to appear. After passing through the small Native American settlement of Supai we made our way the final 2 miles to our designated campsite. The campsite is capped by two UNBELIEVABLE waterfalls (above). Limestone-enriched, sapphire-blue water pours over the edges of red rock canyon walls. This area is surreal, dream like. While there we felt like we were transcending time and space, indescribable really. The water was perfect for swimming and fresh springs abounded for drinking. Dear everyone, go here before you die.

After a brief 3-day stop in L.A. we began our drive up Route 1 all along the Pacific Coast. Again, breathtaking. I literally wept during the drive it was so beautiful. The road hugs a cliff face for hundreds of miles and all you see curves and immaculate coast line, crashing waves and the bluest ocean. Another must-do before death. The Royal Theater was in Guadalupe, California. This pretty sign will serve nicely as my album cover.

We ate In N Out Burger in San Francisco. Double Double Animal Style. SO good.

San Francisco was really cool. I regret not spending more time there but we were on a bit of a time constraint. I look forward to going back and exploring. Decent burritos, pretty city, nice people. The sea lions at Pier 39 were REAL cool. They are just constantly fighting, very entertaining. We hiked around Golden Gate Park for about 5 hours looking for buffaloes but couldn’t find them.
Then we drove to Portland, saw Nurses and the girls got tattoos. The girls dropped me off and left on very sad terms. I’m actually still sad about it. I wish that road trip could have lasted forever. I fucked me up in the head in a really good way. I’m grateful to have had the means and the balls to take a trip like this. Take a cross country road trip with your best friends before you die.

Love,

Andrew