Things That Go Bump In the Night

My mom used to tell me that nothing good happens after midnight. And while she probably has a good point, there are some things that aren't that bad that do happen. I do remember being 16 at the time when she said that, although even when I was older, she was still calling trying to locate me if she thought it was too late and I still wasn't home. Here are a few of the things that have happened in the wee hours of the morning which I'm sure would drive my mom crazy if she knew...

This past weekend, I've been living up life near Los Angeles, where even on a non-holiday weekend things seem to travel at warp speed. Regina introduced me to the single LA way of life on Thursday night with a trip to a dueling piano bar called "Howl at the Moon" located near Universal Studios. They didn't exactly have a dance floor but they did have everything else you need: music, lights, and a pretty decent stage. You can tell from the pictures that I wasn't the only one with that idea. The place was packed and we had a great time dancing the night away.

The next evening, we watched fireworks like most Americans and hatched plans to go to Pismo Beach to go "quading". Now, in Oklahoman, that translates to 4-wheeling. I actually have been there before with my mom's family when I was 15 or 16. The Oceano Dunes is basically an enormous sandpit right next to the ocean. I was excited about going, that is until I figured out that we were scheduled to leave at 2:00 in the morning. Ugh! My mom says I'm supposed to be asleep, so that's what I tried to do in one of the most pimped out Ford F450's on the planet. Our driver, Alex, was a trooper and did a fine job of staying between the lines on our 3 1/2 hour road trip. He did require that the windows were down though and the music was thumping. I'm quite convinced that his stereo system could revive a dead person, especially if they were in my seat...the sub woofer was directly behind me.

We pulled in around 9:00 am and after taking a nap we headed out for some riding. It's hard to imagine anything that can be nerve-racking can be that much fun. You all know me; I will pretty much try anything. And this is one of those things that is exciting and exhilarating. You also have to be paying attention because at any moment there could be someone going 90 to nothing on the other side of the dune headed your way. Fortunately, you get a little heads up from the flags that everyone is required to have on either their bike or 4-wheeler. The wind shapes the dunes and when you can't see where you're headed your first urge is to slow down but if you do, I can
guarantee you that you're gonna end up standing ankle deep in sand, trying to lift up the back end of your 4-wheeler so you can roll down the "hill". Not too much fun but you can bet that if you're out there long enough, it'll happen to you.

We also found the track. You talk about exciting! (The video is at the end of the blog.) There are some peeps with some h-o-t quads and bikes and they are all riding fast. It kind of reminded me of watching the old-school drag racing you saw in the movie, Grease. It was a good day of riding accompanied by some nap time. The only thing that would have made it any better is if it hadn't been so cold. I had layer upon layer on and was still freezing. That evening, we lit a fire, roasted weenies, and made smores. It was a great end to an exciting and fun-filled day.

There are a few other things that I've learned while I've been in Southern California...

1. I've learned that there's a reason why they have spittoons in tasting rooms.

2. I've learned more about snakes than I ever wanted to know from Amy's children who are all into reptiles. (I also had the pleasure of sleeping in the same room as Slithie, a corn snake, while staying with Amy. Yahoo!)

3. I figured out why people have children. There are some amazingly sweet and touching moments that offset those temper tantrums, screams, and arguing. (This was my first experience with small children for any length of time...it was an eye-opener. My friend Amy is an excellent mom.)

4. I have discovered that God gave all of us talents and if those people at Venice Beach can find a job either singing, dancing, or trying to paint, or whatever it is they do, then something tells me I have a chance when my journey is comes to an end. If nothing else, maybe I can tap dance on the boardwalk at Venice Beach. I always enjoyed tap dancing. :)

On my journey, I've already experienced an incredible amount of amazing things and activities. I've gone from experiencing nature in some really remote and fascinating places to living it up in the big town, complete with sparkly lights, lots of commotion, and unusual people. I've gotten to hang out with friends I haven't seen in years and true to form, I've made some more.

Next up is Sacramento, which is where I'll head tomorrow afternoon. I'll be spending a few days with my friend, Sheri, who I met in Costa Rica over six years ago. Someone is going to have to warn people that I'm hard to shake...