Cagin' it to Salt Lake

I'm out for the weekend with Matt in Salt Lake City, UT for a friend's wedding. We took an unusual (at least for us) method of transportation to get there due to time constraints: our 1999 BMW 528i wagon.

In nerdy fashion, here's the list of all the electronics we took with us for anti-boredom, navigation, and car maintenance.

• Garmin Zumo 550 GPS with built-in MP3 player, car cradle, and audio output. This is the same GPS unit that's off my motorcycle.
• Cassette tape adapter for audio - the car doesn't have a CD player and this is much cheaper than an audio input integration
• Toshiba NB255 netbook with built-in SD card reader for easy transfer of over 9000 MP3s from my personal collection for on-the-fly uploading to the Garmin Zumo 550
• 150W power inverter for charging the laptop
• Automobile fault code reader - for interpreting check engine lights (a must have for any car)

Here's the Zumo 550 mounted next to the BMW's shift lever.  A cassette to stereo adapter is playing in the tape player. Its easy-to-adjust cradle neck made it easy to tilt it toward the driver or the passenger for reading or just changing the songs.

We left on Thursday about 1AM and drove continuously across I-70, I-74, and I-80, driving the first 1500 miles by alternating drivers, only stopping at gas stations to fill up. One person would nap while the other would take the wheel. To help with sleeping, we had the "Cubby Hole," a makeshift bed using the small seat partition laid down and sticking one's legs into the trunk section. Add sleeping bag and two pillows and you're set for several hours of naptime. Privacy screens built into the passenger doors add to incognito snoozing.

Taking Eleanor home, the Northern Route.

I left from Elko, NV yesterday at 6AM and was at the California border by 11AM. It felt wonderful to cross back into the Golden State again, and reentry via I-80 offered some of the most scenic (and twisty) roads that, if you took your eyes off course you could end up in a barrier. That was the kind of intensity of riding that I had missed being in Ohio for so long, where everything around me within a reasonable distance is a straight line or a meandering curve. In CA, even the freeways are interesting!

Back to SoCal - the refesher course.

It's great to be back in Los Angeles.

Leaving the dreariness of 26 degrees and ice in Columbus at 10AM (Eastern Standard Time), I arrived at LAX at 1:30PM (Pacific Standard Time) today and was welcomed with sunny skies and 70 degrees. My friend Victor picked me up from the airport and we found ourselves in nearby Hawthorne waiting for a friend of his to return a phone call. However, that friend didn't call back and I was getting a bit hungry. After six hours in the air and nothing but small snacks and a couple cups of ginger ale to pass the time, I knew exactly where to go for lunch. You guessed it, In-N-Out Burger.

Victor and I visited the In-n-Out on Marine/Inglewood right off the 405 freeway in Redondo Beach.

Just the way I like it: a Double Double and Animal Fries, both covered in gratuitous amounts of grilled onions. I waited to indulge in this deliciousness for over a year! Nom nom nom.

After that, we drove back to Brea (North Orange County) to go see his new apartment and to pick up his motorcycle, which will be my mode of transporation for the week. Here are today's fuel prices in Brea, courtesy of your local Chevron.

I wonder which one of my organs I'll have to donate for a full tank.

These are temps you wouldn't see in Ohio until at least May.

Very familiar surroundings and a sunset I haven't seen in a couple years.
Look closely and you might even see the Downtown LA skyline in the distance.

I've got quite a bit to enjoy and accomplish in the upcoming week. As much fun as it is to go sightseeing, I am also job hunting and some research on possible places to send applications. So far, my findings have seen me looking at a possible opening at Cal State Northridge. I hope to find more inspiration during my stay here. Tomorrow brings motorcycle riding, lunch with my family, and more research!