Back in Dublin

Got back from San Francisco this morning at about 8.20. No queueing to get past passport control this time, just a wave of the hand from a sleepy dude and a 'Go on man, welcome back'.

Left San Fran yesterday, though it seems like this morning. Bundled all the baggage onto the bus and sat next to an elderly Chinese woman who asked where we were from and gave advice on how to get to the station. Said goodbye to Nathan, then got a train to the airport (talked to again by Americans on the train - where are you from etc.)

Plane from San Fran: okay, but the seats we had were stuck right next to the starboard engine, so it was noisy as hell. Watery pizza in Chicago airport, then onto the Dublin plane.

Got home and slept for hours. More soon.

Yoda Fountain

Yoda Fountain
Originally uploaded by niallkennedy.

We never got to see the Yoda Fountain at Lucasfilm's new HQ in San Fran. Instead, here's a photo of it from another flickr user.

Where the buffalo roam (at UC Berkeley)

Where the buffalo roam (at UC Berkeley)
Originally uploaded by Karl Whitney.

Irishman continues impersonations of paradigmatic Americans: this time, Hunter S. Thompson at University of California, Berkeley.

Aaaaaarrrrrr...

Aaaaaarrrrrr...
Originally uploaded by Karl Whitney.

Piratical goings on in San Francisco.

San Francisco Oh Oh

Got into San Francisco last night, having driven down from South Lake Tahoe. We would have got here earlier were it not for the miles of traffic we encountered south of Sacramento. South Lake Tahoe is a city built on the stateline between Nevada and California. The border slices the main street down the middle, meaning that there are huge casinos on the Nevada side, and wooden shopping malls on the Cali side. From sleaze to apres-ski respectablity in a block. There was also a 'Mark Twain' motel - who knows, maybe the great man has some connection with the place (in the years before it became a playground for rich and pseudo-rich Californians - it's quite surreal to be caught in a traffic jam on a two-lane cliffside road along the edge of a clear blue lake.

Spent Sunday afternoon at the public beach (having baulked at the entrance fee to the more proximate private beach, a place we had spent the previous evening). I closed my eyes and listened to the beach noises - so alien and strange to hear people talking and shouting exclusively in American ('He speaks in your voice, American'). Planes flew over, and quite low too (Homeland security protecting our little patch of heaven? Or just private jets flying vacationing businesspeople in? I couldn't shake the image of compounds, of closed borders, of how everything can appear to be peaceful, but how such an image must, in certain circumstances, be conjured by surveillance and suppression). As you can see, a simple trip to the beach can be fraught with complexity when you haven't had a proper meal that day. Ate well in the evening with booty from Safeway in out new motel room - much better than the non air-conditioned rathole nextdoor, where we had spent the previous night.

Today, wandering around San Francisco with Nathan and Ed, having said goodbye to the trusty Chevy Malibu. I recommend the car: a sturdy, reliable American automobile (takes brown paper bag with huge dollar sign on side from shady spook in a suit and shades).

Also, saw the McSweeney's Pirate Store, which was highly atmospheric and had a barrel of lard there for some reason. In the back of the store was 826 Valencia, a project started by McSweeney's to improve literacy and creative writing, often involving teaching in public schools.

Also, check our photo archive for more pictures from the trip.

South Lake Tahoe Casinos

South Lake Tahoe Casinos
Originally uploaded by Karl Whitney.

They plonk these things down in beautiful countryside, you know. Playgrounds for the fat and dumb (my opinion only).

Eugene Oregon: In the car with Karl, Nathan, Courtney and Ed

Eugene Oregon: In the car with Karl, Nathan, Courtney and Ed
Originally uploaded by Karl Whitney.

The night before we hightailed it out of Eugene, Oregon, I set up the timer on my camera and took this candid shot.

Ed and Karl - Lake Tahoe

e&k lake takoe
Originally uploaded by kenny_stetson.

Nathan, Karl and Ed, Golden Gate

golden gate bridge
Originally uploaded by kenny_stetson.

Redneck humour

As we were leaving the Red Lion in Winnemucca, NV, a pale, tall dude with heavy sunburn walked through the door with his brood and shouted 'Woo-hoo!' at the top of his lungs. A guy who was walking out the door at that point commented, to no one in particular - but overheard by us - 'There's a real redneck for you', then sauntered off into the night.

Boise and all that

We left Boise two days ago, and were sad to go. The weather was hell for a poor pale bastard like myself though - most of the time I sat in the shade or in the car with the Air Conditioning on 'freeze'. On Thursday we helped Monica move from the house she shared with her friend in Nampa, just outside Boise. We followed her car through the incongruous greenery of a rural Idaho, a lush landscape that sits in a desert.

After a drive through the heat blasted landscapes of Idaho, and a jump across the border to Nevada, we sat in a Casino/restaurant on an Indian reservation in McDermitt, NV, where we were stared at like a dog that's just been shown a card trick and I ordered the only vegetarian option on the menu (fries).

Walking into the casino was a culture shock, but nothing compared to arriving at Winnemucca, NV, where we stayed in a decent enough motel. Winnemucca is one street lined with casinos. There are some fast food joints. There is a lot of loudness. It is overlooked by a huge mountain that looks like it's made of sand, and seemed grey as we arrived on Friday evening and burnt orange as we left on the Saturday morning.

After an attempt to find food somewhere on the strip at 11pm (couldn't, but almost tripped over a tiny frog that was crossing the road - another reminder of our desert location) we went to the Red Lion hotel/casino/restaurant directly across the road from our motel, where I was asked to perform an impression of an Irishman for a group of wide-eyed waitresses.

As we hit the road the next morning, after checking out the Wrangler rodeo jeans selection in the local cowboy store, I saw the charred remains of a pick-up truck and trailer still smoking at the side of the interstate. I didn't want to think about what had just happened, but couldn't help considering what the unusual smell in the air was.

After a brief sojourn in Reno (a street of sleazy sweaty hotels and motels as well as casinos encased in concrete bunkers all along 4th Ave), where Ed tried to get some intelligence on where the local firing range was, we ended up driving across the state line into California, then along the north of Lake Tahoe and then back into Nevada in the hunt for cheap motels; which we found in South Lake Tahoe, a town full of bunker casinos and fat bug-eyed fuckers trying to win their weight in cash from the rigged machines. Children in the casinos at 11pm. Walked the floors of the casinos feeling ill at the spectacle. Nothing funny about addiction, I note. Wow, everything I hate about America in one building. The beach here is beautiful, though, but the shadow of the casinos is cast across even that at certain hours of the day.

Boise ID

After the longest drive we ever undertook (mentally more than physically) we arrived in Boise at 8.58pm, according to Monica. How tough was it? I remember trying to convince Ed to go on with the journey as we sat in a Denny's in La Grande. It was like one of those polar exploration scenarios where one of the group begs to be left in the tent to freeze to death. We pushed on, and the heat got hotter and the scenery drier. Desert, everywhere. It's like the moon or mars, or something, this landscape. Incredible, strange.

We also drove along the columbia River gorge, which is spectacular: steep cliffs on each side, a huge river and an interstate that runs alongside the water.

Last night in a bar in the centre of Boise, where it was cooler inside than outside - and this was late at night. Then a trip back to the house in a taxi driven by a ponytailed dude who talked crosswords with Monica while we sat silently in the back seat taking in the bright lights of Boise.

Boise

We arrived in Boise at 9 p.m. last night after a gruelling 8 hour drive. Feeling too exhausted to come up with content at the moment.

Boise, Idaho

Butch has given up posting on this blog.

butch at the truck stop

butch at the truck stop
Originally uploaded by kenny_stetson.

Young Portlandian

Young Portlander
Originally uploaded by Dumb Riffs.

Tony Danza

Tony Danza Show
Originally uploaded by Dumb Riffs.

Ed in the Woods

Ed in the Woods
Originally uploaded by Karl Whitney.

Ed stands in the Woods. This is in the Olympic National Park (Heart O' The Hills campground). Notice the bitchin automobile in the background. Since you're asking, it's a Chevy Malibu. It's amazing.

Hipster Mosquito (Wasted)

Hipster Mosquito (Wasted)
Originally uploaded by Karl Whitney.

We thought the title was the funniest thing. You may not agree, but it's contextual dammit! Ed killed this example of the species as it was trying to bite the bejeezus out of us in Hoh Rainforest.

Eugene: Nathan and whitetrash-aping Irishman

Eugene: Nathan and whitetrash-aping Irishman
Originally uploaded by Karl Whitney.

Skinny pale white Irishman attempts to become American by grabbing his crotch.

Karl playing with fire, Olympic National Park

Karl playing with fire, Olympic National Park
Originally uploaded by Karl Whitney.

Eugene is a place in Oregon

Not a person. Just to clear that up before we go on with proceedings. Hoh rainforest lived up to its name by having trees and raining a lot. Our tent was bombareded with heavy water from approx 2am until... well, until we left yesterday morning. Me and Ed had to pack up the tent in hammering rain, and we spent most of the day sitting in the car in wet clothes. It would have been a shame to leave the Pacific Northwest without getting rained on. It's part of the reason we came.

Since arriving here in the US I've built up my stock of redneck gear. I'm talking vests and stupid caps and aviator shades. I'm going native, that's the way I see it. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Pictures to follow, one I've spiralled down into full blown whitetrash mode.

Got to Eugene after a long drive, but one which was pretty exhilarating. Along the way: stopped for a whizz in a gas station and got gawped at by slack-jawed natives, who couldn't recognise winning Irish charm, even when it jumped into their laps and started nuzzling them and purring. Stopped in Aberdeen, WA, a depressing seaside avenue of fast food joints and car bodyshops, also notable as the place where Kurt Cobain was born. We ate in a diner that was called Duffy's. It was under the impression it had Irish roots, and displayed its affiliation by having a logo that featured skipping leprechauns on the top of each menu. We drank about 6 coffees apiece here.

Last night in Eugene we went to a hyper-cool bar with Nathan and his friends, who are all interesting and very sweet people. The music was almost exclusively hip West Coast bands interspersed with The Futureheads and the Kaiser Chiefs. Oh, and Gang of Four. Quite hip indeed. Today we head for the Oregon Coast.

The happenings in London depressed us more than you can imagine.

Ed on Boat to Bainbridge

Ed on Boat to Bainbridge
Originally uploaded by Karl Whitney.

Ed on the ferry to Bainbridge Island, July 4th. Seattle Skyline (and Space Needle) in the background.

Ed, Monica, Eric and Karl, Bainbridge Island

Ed, Monica, Eric and Karl, Bainbridge Island
Originally uploaded by Karl Whitney.

This morning on Bainbridge island, Gabe's house.

Seattle Airport:: Eric, Monica, Karl

Seattle Airport:: Eric, Monica, Karl
Originally uploaded by Karl Whitney.

Just after arriving in Seattle Airport, waiting for the baggage.

The one with the fireworks

What can I say, except that one of our party suffered facial injuries as a result of the fireworks, and yet we learned nothing. And he wasn't the one who launched a bottle rocket out of his mouth.

Yes, it was a crazy time on the shores of the Puget Sound, as Monica drove us to the ferry, which we got across to Bainbridge Island to celebrate Independence Day in her friend Gabe's house - a large residence near a beach, from which you could see the skyscrapers of Seattle just over the hills and across the bay.

There were fireworks, but first there was a party in a nearby house, surrounded by tall trees, where three rappers strutted their stuff as a DJ mixed behind them. On large screens there were films being played throughout. At one point a film made in Sarajevo was screened. It was quite surreal.

Later on now, after we walked past a house that had a fire engine, an ambulance and the police parked outside, we went down to the beach, started a bonfire and lit a huge amount of fireworks. Much talk was made, and occasionally, security men would turn up and snoop around (it was a private beach) before heading off into the darkness again.

Firecrackers got thrown into the fire. It was a recurring motif. At one stage, a guy got hit in the cheek with flaming gunpowder. He was all right, everyone. In the distance, you could see fireworks explode over Seattle. Fireworks were goig off all over the place. Today on the news: in the Seattle area, a house burned down as a result of fireworks. July 4th: we lived through it.

Seattle, we loves ya!

In Seattle, sitting in a cafe with internet access while Ed types away (he's actually run off somewhere now. Here he comes again. Monica sits in the front window doing the crossword in the Seattle Times. Seattle and coffee go together like Michael Jackson and young (snip! this post has been edited).

Anyway, flew into Seattle last night after spending a whole day either travelling or sitting around in Chicago trying to catch a glimpse of the distant city. In the end it didn't matter as our Seattle flight went out over downtown and I was able to get a look at the Tribune building. Nice.

In Chicago airport the toilet seats had an automatic plastic cover that extended around the rim whenever you waved your hand or whatever in front of a sensor. I'm just saying. I was thrown, for a second, and then amused at the fact an industry had built up around this 'need'.

On the flight to Seattle we sat next to a really kind, talkative (but not overly so) girl who turned out to be a baby photographer whos lives in this city. When we left the plane she wished us luck, and us her. Just the kind of fleeting conversation stoked up by the human need to communicate when you're trapped in a tin can 30,000 feet above the earth.

As we flew in over the endless light of Seattle, you could see fireworks below us, being shot into the air and exploding in streams of colour against the patchwork of streets lit by orange light below.

In Seattle airport we met Monica and her friend Eric, and chatted about this and that while Ed sorted out the hire car details. After a game of cat and mouse on the roads around the University district, we finally found our Motel: a Travelodge manned by some strange dude who gives the worst directions and (we found out this morning) attempted to overcharge us.

Last night, because we were exhausted, we only went out for a couple of drinks, in a bar in the U. As we approached, the street was under a cloud of smoke, and explosions rocked the area. Across from the bar, some kids were throwing seriously heavy fireworks around. As we sat in the bar, cheers went up as the heavy explosive pounded the streetscape. On leaving, everything was quiet, and a couple of cops prowled the car park across from us. Welcome to America on the eve of the 4th of July.

Tonight we get a ferry out to an island across from Seattle and camp there with a bunch of Monica's friends, We'll be able to watch the firework scenes in Seattle from there too.

Last minute musings

Simon and Garfunkel will be taking our places on the flight tomorrow, in honour of the years of amusement they've provided to so many of our readers. Oh, and the song 'America', which will be playing constantly on the car stereo as we/they wend their way down the west coast of that landmass known as America. No, we're going really. Last post before we get there. Any thoughts? No, not really - bring it on.

ed and paper in dublin

ed and paper in dublin
Originally uploaded by Karl Whitney.

Ed has arrived in Dublin - if you look closely at the newspaper you will see today's date. Let the partay begin!

The Grunge Research Project

I don't know about all of that. Aberdeen, WA is a place we may call in on along the way. Why? Kurt Cobain, singer from Nirvana, was born here. The town has adopted the title of one of Nirvana's songs, Come as you are, as the town slogan. Other Nirvana titles that the town may have considered: Rape Me, Territorial Pissings, and Moist Vagina. If Norwich wants to toughen up its image (current motto 'A fine city') it could do worse than scanning through Cobain's songbook.

Independence Day

Planned events on July 4 in Seattle are listed in this article from the Seattle Times.