Moving to California - Day 8 - August 21st - Flagstaff, AZ to Irvine, CA

I've made it folks. My 3400+ mile journey is complete. At least...this one is... Tomorrow, I will jump on a jet airliner to go work for a week in Brazil. I did not get to visit the Grand Canyon, but it is now only 6 hours from my new home so it won't be long until I see it. Perhaps my next road trip will include following historic route 66.

Here is the final time lapse. Enjoy!

Moving to California - Day 7 - August 20th - Moab, UT to Flagstaff, AZ

Day 7 started with some exploration of Arches National Park and then finished with a long drive to Arizona. While I was hoping to visit the Grand Canyon, I am going to have to do that some other time. Ironically, I got stuck on State Route 160 in a road construction traffic jam. After sitting there for 45 minutes, I back tracked and drove through the Navajo reservation. In the end I made it to Flagstaff and now only have 480 Miles to complete my journey.
I woke up at 6am, packed up my camp, and made my way 5 miles north to Arches National Park. My goal was to visit the Delicate Arch, the common symbol of Utah. According to the guide I read, this arch required a moderate 3 mile hike round trip. Also, due to popularity, it was important to be in the parking lot before 9am to beat the crowds. The guide was accurate about the crowds. The hike was well worth the effort!
	The rest of the drive out of Utah was most enjoyable with even more great rock formations and towers.
Here is today's drive time lapse. It started out pretty good, but got kind of boring into AZ. It is interesting to see what an hour stuck in a traffic jam looks like...

Moving to California - Day 6 - August 19th - Frisco, CO to Moab, UT

Day 6 of my journey started well. I managed to get an extra hour of driving during the previous evening and in the morning discovered Frisco, CO. I made a short 10 Mile side trip to Breckenridge, home of some of the scenes from Dumb and Dumber. The remainder of the day I would drive the rest of the way across Colorado and finish in Moab, Utah.
Sometimes, I feel good enough to keep driving after it gets dark. The result is that I usually wake up somewhere awesome. Here is a view of Dillon Lake, day 6's morning discovery, from the west path at Frisco. It was actually 30 Deg F at 6am so I was not interested in doing a run or bike ride.
	Next, on complete accident, I discovered Glenwood Canyon. This 16 Mile playground follows the Colorado River. There is a constant bike path along the river, hot springs, and many opportunities for white water rafting. I fully intend to make a vacation out of this place.
I ended the day at Moab, Utah. I once had a co-worker tell me that this was one of the best places in the world to take a vacation. Arches National Park was amongst the recommended nearby places to enjoy. I'll let you know my new opinion in a day or so. First, I needed to set up camp ... ...and have a Margarita...
Here is the day 6 time lapse. This one has to be my favorite thus far with all the CO Rocky Mountains.

Moving to California - Day 5 - August 18th - Black Hills, SD to Frisco, CO

Today I left the mountains of the Black Hills National Park with the goal to get to Denver, Colorado. This is a part of my journey I have been looking forward to because of the epic drive along the Rocky Mountains and for the opportunity to see my bro John Jr.
	I started the day in Custer, SD. The temperature was 50F or 10C and represented a major change from Ohio's summer "fun". First, I knocked out a 2.5 Mile run, which covers the entire length of the town. Then, thanks to the colder temperatures, I had to find a gas station to add air to my tires. After that, I spent about an hour wandering around town and visiting the shops. There was a great deal of leftover stuff from the Sturgis rally.
I made a nice discovery when I crossed the state line into Wyoming. A completely self contained (mostly solar) roadside rest. I would love to build an off the grid home some day so this successful location was rather inspiring.
One of my last stops of the day was to enjoy a burger and a beer with my bro, John Cannon Jr. Who is John Cannon Jr.? A few years ago when my mother remarried, he became my step brother. For a time I really didn't know him all that well and the rush of life and work did not make it easy to visit. About a year and a half ago he up and moved away from Ohio to take up residence in Denver. I have watched his progress very actively, knowing that I would soon be doing something similar (it is what I am now doing, except the destination is Irvine, CA). John Jr. is one of the most extroverted human beings I have ever met. How extroverted? One day after work I met John at a bistro/bar where he introduced me to a nice young lady whom I assumed (based on her conversation) was a life long friend. Instead, this woman was simply someone he met 5 mins before I arrived. Conversely, it is important to note that I am an introvert. This doesn't mean I am shy, it just means I find large groups of people very draining/stressful. During my last business trip to CA, I flew JC Jr. out and spent a few days with him. At first he annoyed the living daylights out of me with his constant desire to go to public places such as bars and concerts. But ultimately, he turned out to be a great person, challenging me to get outside my introverted bubble of a comfort zone. He also has amazing taste in music and an incredible sense for finding concerts and festivals.
Here is your time lapse for day 5...

Moving to California - Day 4 - August 17th - Sioux Falls, SD to Custer, SD

Today marked the first time on a trip that I did not actually leave a state. While the first half of South Dakota was rather rainy and boring, the second half delivered. I finally found Wall Drug and made it just in time to see Mt. Rushmore before a storm cloud hid the mountain.
First, I took a chance and visited the "Corn Palace" in Mitchell, SD. So what is it? I guess you could call it a shine to all things corn. Honestly, it was just a High School Gynasium being used as a museum and gift shop.
	During the last 24 hours in this state, every few miles I would see a small sign about Wall Drug. It was actually starting to get annoying because I started at mile marker 390 and the exit for Wall was not until 110. None the less, I really liked this unique drug store and small town. I made sure to enjoy some home made ice cream and a fresh slice of Apple Pie. As a bonus it was right on the edge of the Badlands so I got to see some of the cliffs.
I ended the day by finally making it to the city of Rapid, SD. The storm clouds had rolled back in and I had about 25 miles to go to get to Mt. Rushmore, the whole reason for this side trip. As luck would have it I made it into the Black Hills National forest, through the unique town of Keystone, and got to see Mt. Rushmore before clouds covered it for the rest of the evening. I spent an hour at the monument, enjoying the cafe and the President's Walk hiking trail.
Here is my sad photo...	...And here is what you see in good weather.
Here is the time Lapse for the day.

Moving to California - Day 3 - August 16th - Kansas to Sioux Falls, SD

Today I had a spontaneous change of plans. I started with a nice 5 mile run/walk. During the run I got the bright idea to go visit Mt. Rushmore. I sent a text to my bro in Denver letting him know about the route change, I still intend to see him.
Before leaving the fine state of Kansas, I took a stop at Worlds of Fun, a Cedar Fair park. It is not anywhere near as impressive as Cedar Point or Kings Island but there were no lines and they did have 2 acceptable coasters (Patriot and Mamba).
Come take a ride with me...
The rest of the day I spent driving. It was neat to see Omaha. Near the end of the day I hit my first bad weather of the trip (the time lapse results are interesting). I didn't even see Sioux City, IA. I made it safely to Souix Falls, SD. Tomorrow I will visit Mt Rushmore for the first time in my life.	The speed is insane here...
Here is the Time Lapse of Day 3's drive

Moving to California - Day 2 - August 15th - Indiana to Kansas

Today's main goal was to make it to Spring Hill, KS to visit my friend and co-worker, Josh. My GoPro gave me a little trouble (photo every 2 seconds setting would crash at photo 999) at the start of the day so half the footage was lost. I still enjoyed the rest of my drive.
One of my greatest pet peeves while on long drives are when people tailgate me when I am already at the speed limit. I hate speeding tickets. If I want to race I will go to a track or racing school. One of my favorite parts of long drives is the Justice Porn! Almost out of Indiana, I watched a bully of a trucker get tagged by a State Highway patrol car. It happened again just past St. Louis when a Camaro barrelled past me at 90mph in the right lane.
Before	After...
	For fun, in each state I visit I have been buying 5$ lotto tickets. I am at 100% "Soy un Pedador" thus far. Odds are you'll waste money on this one...
By the end of the day it ended up being a beautiful drive and I got to enjoy a nice dinner with my friend Josh. PS: We also pulled a few shenanigans on our co-workers like the following photo for our friend Casey.
Here is today's Time Lapse for your entertainment...

Moving to California - Day 1 - August 14th - Ohio to Indiana

After 4 years of planning, today's 33rd Birthday marked a major step towards my next adventure. At around 1300 EST I left my father's home in Magnolia, Ohio to start a road trip across the USA. Eventually, I should end up in Irvine, CA. In between I am going to have some fun with my new found freedom.

Before embarking on this trip I made sure to enjoy some quality time on Atwood Lake with my Brother's family.
















I also spent some time with LAN pals Trgtprctc and CrazyBillyBob

Day 1 items of note:

Visited Walnut Creek Cheese (Amish Country) for some good food.
Stopped at Wildwood Music to see my Uncle Don McKay (I missed seeing Brian).

I also stopped in Dayton, OH and had dinner with Mike and Ryan McKay. (Sadly, I missed out on seeing Kelly, Sean, Adam, or Martha.)

Here is a hastily edited video of today's experience (time-Lapse across Ohio and into Indiana).

15 April 2015 - Kiev, Ukraine - Part 5

With one last day to spend in Kiev, I went after a few more sights that I had not found on the previous days. The friendship arch was an interesting find. It was built in 1982 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the USSR and the 1500th anniversary of the city. It is 50 meters in diameter and made of titanium.

Next, I went looking for some sort of market for some souvenirs. Sadly the rain started to fall so my day was cut short. I did find a weird little bottle of honey + chili vodka? Tasted horrible.

With the rain getting worse, I returned to my hotel. There I had a traditional dish of Ukrainian Red Borscht soup (beets). It was really sour and tasty.

13 April 2015 - Chernobyl, Ukraine - Part 4

Today is the big day! I am heading for The Zone. The Ukrainian government has permitted entry into the surrounding areas of Chernobyl, but with strict conditions. To enter the 30km exclusion zone, you need a day pass to enter- which can be obtained from several tour operators that have been established. I applied for my permit months in advance. I found the instructions provided easy to follow including the passport requirement and dress code.

I met my tour company (Solo East) guide close to Independence Square. Igor, our driver/trip manager got us to the exclusion zone safely (2hr drive on rough roads).

Our Zone representative, Helen, met us at the 30k checkpoint and provided history and commentary throughout our time there. There were a number of monuments and abandoned buildings.

I rented a dosimeter for 10$ ... It was added a whole new dynamic to the trip. Any measurement over 2.5 mSv would cause the device to alarm. Radiation occurs naturally everywhere. Annually, 100mSv is the limit to avoid cancer. A CT Scan, for example, is 12-15mSv. An airline flight at 30,000ft gives you a 4.5mSv dose. It was fascinating to take measurements throughout the tour. Plants, water, and moss seemed to have the highest readings.

The trip included a stop at the Druga2 radar array aka "woodpecker". It was quite a large structure and provided a humbling experience walking around it.

There was also good photo stops in some of the towns, including a really creepy schoolhouse. The power plant and Pripyat visits completely exceeded my expectations. I got some amazing photos and memories that have made my day, month, and year. I am really happy I did this trip.

The structure that encloses the reactor is called the Sarcophagus. A new one was being built to cover the whole thing so robots could be used to remove the remaining radioactive parts (yes nearly 30 years later it is still burning). This new superstructure is built on rails and will be slid over the old building soon.

Next, we headed to the nearby town of Pripyat. I was very excited to observe this location. It was built by the Soviets as a utopian home for the powerplant workers and their families. The disaster emptied the town. Now, nearly 3 decades later, it has been taken back by mother nature. Here are some of my favorite photos, including the fairgrounds and pool. Remember, it was not my first time here...the STALKER game had based many of its locations off of this place. I was geeking out hard!

As the day ended we made our way back out of the zone. Before we could leave, we had to stop and get scanned for radiation at 2 checkpoints. The armed guards really made the point at how serious this place was. I'll treasure this experience for the rest of my life.