Wednesday, October 28, 2009


Alas ! the crescendo of this trip ended somewhere back west, and all the visual appeals ended after descending the Loveland pass in Colorado ( 11,999 ft) yay! no more altitude sickness! So yea the past 2 days, today, and tomorrow have been, are, will be, pretty anti climatic. But despite the uninspiring scenery of the plains of eastern Colorada, Nebraska's nothingness, and Iowa's... what was in Iowa again? oh right Iowa had the biggest truck stop in the world... It was a really great experience to see some western united states, but i think me and anthony both agree it should only be driven once. i'm excited to get back east, where the rainfall is generous yet modest, where the people arent hunted by mountain lions, a place where the government has not tested it's nukes (Nevada desert) where the beauty is not necessarily found in dramatic scenery but in the faces of family and friends. Awwww guys! I should write for Hallmark.
Just a recap on the actual "business" part of this trip that we had originally intended. We stopped selling books waaay back in Michigan after our meeting with Ruta, the children's book buyer for Borders. She ordered 800 copies of the Turtle Story for a trial run. If Borders sells 60% of the 800 book order ( 480 books) in 60 days, they wont return any AND they'll reorder bigger. So if you plan on buying a book.. Borders is probably the place to do it. Also , Ruta hooked us up with Richard Williams of Small Press United, a sub division of International Publishers Group, who is going to take on the Turtle Story, The Color Guardians, Sancho, and Things to Do.. for a 1 year exclusive, which means they're going to do a damn good job of marketing and distributing (they take 30%). We can still promote the books but they'll be sold through SPU. As soon as we get back to VT we'll have to pack up and ship out the few hundred book orders we took before signing with SPU- a big job. We'll be back in vt some time early tomorrow morning. thanks for being a part of the experience! :)



Sunday, October 25, 2009

Nevada

This o'l feller tried to charge us ( for the photo)! har-dee-har






"Fear and Loathing in Tonopah"
This is the Shell station I spent 2 hours at in Tonopah, Nevada ( the middle of nowhere) in my pajamas with 4 dollars, because Anthony "accidentally" thought I was in the rv. He came back. It was all good. As I like to say: "Time in Tonopah gas stations is time well spent". The locals found hilarity in my situation and frankly, so did I.






Me with my newfound friend and Shell convenient store manager, Sherry.




Driving into the desert, route 6



this lake was hot!





fixin' up shop






A diner/alien gift shop/bar- the only gig in town in Rachel, population 70- the first town for 120 miles. It was once a humble Nevada desert town until the Roswell incident at which point it turned alien themed and became a tourist destination for freaky alien enthusiasts -like Anthony! Just kidding Anthony. the Ale-inn offered an oasis for the thirsty aliens in us both.




These guys were sulking at the bar because they couldnt get served. No IDs.





We "accidentally" left Ellie May at a test site in area 51..








..we went back






awesome desert sunset




Yosemite NP

Abe Lincoln made it a protected national park during the civil war. One of our prettiest stops yet. ..


this lil guy drove all the way from utah!





view of half dome.







bridal veil falls








Entering Sequoia Grove....







I' m a big tree hugger











ready to fight rattle snakes and mountain lions with his trusty pocket knife!







So Cal san fran

San Fransisco is an urban haven for affluent hippies (yippies) and Bono too! we spotted him on the sidewalk, yellow shades and all.












abbey road kinda..

the Golden Gates.....

Wine country