THE LAST GREAT american JOURNEY: STATUS UPDATE: Milwaukee to San Fran in 42 Hours!

WHOAAAA, that's right y'all, it took us 42 hours to get to San Fran from Milwaukee, AND thats still with us f'ing around a bit along the way! Thats a new record of dreary-eyed, caffeine spiked endurance driving for me and The Great B.O., and a definite first for our newest traveling teammate, Chassy! Although it was a definite endurance drive for our wits, it was surely as enduring of a test for poor lil Chassy's butt (seeing as she sat in the middle pretty much the whole time). As painful as it really was at times, there was an immense feeling of satisfaction upon crossing the bay bridge into lovely San Francisco Bay, and in the long run, getting there with 6 people crammed into the LE SABRE, was a feat managed by all involved. So I know your mind is racing with questions right now, and I promise I will get to them soon enough, but this particular posting is saturated with imagery, so I will try my best to be short and sweet in my words. How we happen to be getting along here in San Fran, will be covered more exclusively in the upcoming post/post(s), and this post will concentrate on the journey across the states that miraculously took place in record time. We will have some interesting CHARACTER PROFILES to post for the 3 RIDE-SHARERS we took with us- Ben Meyers (a long time friend we pulled along from MILWAUKEE), and then ALEX and JAMES (backpacking/train hopping fella's we found on Craigslist). In the short time we have been here, we have established a few safe bases for the car (and ourselves to stay when needed), and have already began to navigate the primary streets/ main drags that need to be known to get around here in San Fran. I am particularly proud that we already began to navigate our way around using the "MUNI'S" here, which are basically super quick little busses that run on the same electric cables that the trolley operates on. So as I promised, I will keep this brief, and focus on the plethora of photography that I have gotten thus forth- enjoy, and stay tuned for the latest STATUS UPDATES, CHARACTER PROFILES, AND an outline of the major event taking place tomorrow and sunday, the MEDICAL CANNABIS CUP (a world-wide yearly event, that is taking place in the USA for the first time ever!). Until we meet again... Regards, Joseph R. Reeves

P.S.

When Im on the road, It becomes harder to focus on editing and format and all that fancy-pants detail work- forgive the mistakes please...

3 pairs of pants, 3 tee shirts, 2 coller shirts, 2 undershirts, AND that bag there, which includes a super decked out outfit incase they decide to make me the new city mayor or something (pleated pants, dress shirt, tie, and of course, suspenders)! This wardrobe may seem excessive for a traveler, and in many ways it is, however an important part of our traveling philosophy is that we are not limited in where we are able to go. This means clothes for art gallery's, job interviews, and other such nonsense- are necessary to blend into high society events. On the opposite end, and just as essential in getting along- is my favorite holey hippie pants and shirts for good underground parties, or the Haight Ashbury scene for example. It's a key strategy to come equipped with something for squares AND hippie types, as well as anyone in between.

To make this all fit into your backpack, having good folding/rolling skills is essential to condense such an excessive undercover wardrobe as this. I haven't bagged all of my clothes because I shouldn't have to worry about rain like other adventures in the past- a luxury of traveling in a car.

There's my old pal, packed pretty full once again, "La Cienda." That new foxy little outfitter to the left, has been aptly titled "Babe," in reference to it being Chassy's new traveling bag, as well as its color, and of course Wisconsin folk-tale's of "Babe The Blue Ox." Babe, is an absolute luxury to have for a bag- it holds all of my and Chassy's clothes (so it's much lighter than it looks) AND includes a back frame, and tons of bells an whistles that are to keep your body from aching. I REALLY wish I had that bag for my hitchhiking in Florida, but, live and learn. To top it all off, I got the bag for 20 bucks off craigslist, by haggling the guy down from 30 (It's in perfect condition, and would have costed over 150.00 easily!). Luckily, many people who have benefited from similar such adventures throughout their life, are willing to help our cause by being generous enough to work with our small budget.

Here's a photo of "MAYOR KEN," and "PONOS OF THE NORTH (a.k.a. Aaron)"- My last day with these guys was spent discussing the future of our collaborative relationship, as well as an outline for some of the blog work I owe them, and will be doing while traveling. It was sad to have to leave, but luckily, they had a similar attitude as me in understanding that this is a celebrated leave, and only a physical absence of my presence. CHARACTER PROFILES of both of these guys are soon to come, quality writing is difficult to do though when I am moving around so damn much.

It was unfortunately a rainy mess in Milwaukee upon our departure- we didn't let that detract from the glory of it all though, and as is depicted, the sun eventually prevailed!

Here's good old Ben Meyers, an old friend of mine who really wanted to make it out to San Francisco for the "Medicinal Cannabis Cup," a revolutionary event taking place, and a first for the U.S.A.! More on Ben's short stay with us is to come, as well as a CHARACTER PROFILE of course. Check out the 8 PERSON TENT strapped weakly to the trunk with string, it flapped obnoxiously in the wind all the way to the bay!

Here's another shot of that gorgeous sunshine coming through, as Me, Brian, Ben, and our two travelers (picked up from the METRA in Kenosha), head to Sun Prairie (outside of Madison), to pick up the lovely Chastaine Tallon, the 6th and final traveler in our caravan, and the third and final traveler in our crew!

There's my girl! Isn't she lovely?! O.K., I'll try to refrain from all that stuff for the moment- here is where we picked up Chass, who had been visiting her parents, and her good pal SHEL. I suspect we will be crossing paths in our travels with Shel again, so remember the face of this wild one!

Me, Chass, and ALEX (one of our latest ride-share buddy's) having fun with the camera. Alex looks a bit apprehensive (for good reason) of my haphazard photographic techniques.

Seriously?! Apparently this house was constructed before the advent of LEVELS! This gem exists in Western Wisconsin, near the S. Minnesota border.

After I drove all night, the sun began to rise in the western end of S. Dakota. Chassy, who was good enough to stay up driving with me through the night, got some cool photo's of the distant glowing lights among the vast farm fields of S. Dakota.

Here, the backdrop of the waning sunlight is more apparent, and serves as a magnificent canvas for the watery glow of these town lights as we fly past.

Brian eventually awoke, and I took a very short turn sitting in the middle while Chassy drove. The turn was very short because of my freakishly tall stature, and the lack of elbow room for my legs. Along with learning how to use the self timer on the camera, comes the skill of being able to act like you aren't aware that you are photographing yourself- I think I pulled it off well actually...

See! I felt terribly about Chassy having to sit in the middle the whole ride, but aside from the problem that comes from me and Brian accidentally touching legs and eventually crying and fighting like whiney seven year olds over it, is the fact the we physically can't fit. Chassy was a good sport about it though, and the caravan moved onward!

Ben and our other new ridesharer, JAMES, sleep like baby's in the back. Lucky bastards...

Aside from the sunglass kiosk we have going on the Le Sabre's spacious dashboard- you'll also probably note the condiment collection that we have. Collecting condiments becomes an essential sport when living on the whim, and is also a valuable strategy in being able to eat the cheapest of cheap canned foods etc. without having to spring for a bottle of ketchup, ranch, or... Cheese? Hmmm... I don't know how long thats gonna last B.O...

Here in the eastern stretch of Wyoming, the road and the landscape open up substantially. It's really quite a beautiful sight.

Chassy drives, Ben sleeps, and I take pictures of Chassy driving and Ben sleeping. What else is new...

A disgruntled mug-shot of our Cali-bound ride-sharers as we cruise through Wyoming. Lighten up Alex, it's only a freakin' picture!

A nice shot of the Great planes, as the rolling hills open up and start to really expand before eventually developing into canyons and mountains! Now I finally understand all those tests I have been failing my whole life in geography class...

After driving through Minnesota and S. Dakota all night, it's time for me to get a few hours in, so I am reasonably rested for my next night driving shift.

The Great B.O. really understands the importance of concentrating when driving for extensive periods like we often do. Always keep your eyes on the road- take it from B.O.!

The toughest part of Chassy being stuck in the middle, was that she really couldn't find a reasonable position to rest in for our ride. I guess my chest will suffice in the meantime...

James nodding off in the back seat after a few 40's. Drunk driving is a no no, however, drunk passenger-ing, that's a whole different story. Obviously a victom-less crime (unless you count the person's bladder)

Wyoming is a credible source for american's to rely upon for theological information. The next billboard we saw, went into great detail about about how to find god via map quest. A good christian should definitely not be skeptical of such information, otherwise they would be lacking faith, and thus forth- going to hell. I already have hell's coordinates on map quest luckily...

Here, you can see that I urgently requested that the car be stopped, so I could mend the wire on the fence. I wouldn't want a cow to escape after all...

Drunken passenger-ing can be fun, but frequent pee stops make it inconvenient. Here, Chassy desperately pee's on a desolate off road in Wyoming. This probably happened about 15 times in that state, all thanks to Chassy's pea sized bladder.

The great B.O. enjoys an adult beverage, and lectures us on the importance of investing in bio thermal technology.

Buying crap food is far too easy when living on the whim such as us, so when you come across any opportunities to buy cheese, crackers, produce, or other types of snacks that you're much better off eating- it is important to stock up on them. Ignoring my advice like usual, The Great B.O. decided to fulfill his taste for cantaloupe as we headed into Nevada. Splitting cantaloupe in the car with a buck knife as your driving down I-80, isn't the best idea, but somehow, B.O. managed to best me by getting it done with relative ease. The guy was even good enough to share a bit with us. Obviously, Chassy's a bit hungry...

Here's a regionally flavored little cafe in the middle of nowhere- if you have to spend a few bucks on a cup of coffee, heres a better option than starbucks- just ignore all the spiteful looks from city-boy hating truckers, purchase your meth, and move along.

Driving through Utah in the dark, surely keeps you on your toes with super high altitudes, 6% inclines, runaway truck ramps, and stations to secure chains onto your tires- the whole 9 yards! Heres a shot of SALT LAKE CITY, as we drive past it from far above.

After driving all night, I was in a dead slumber by the time we hit Reno, and I continued to sleep most the way through Sacramento and into the bay. Heres a quick shot Chassy grabbed as we rolled through the mountainous areas of CA.