Summer has hit Portland, finally! Yesterday temperatures reached 96 F while John and I rode around Portland in search of a fountain and a happy hour. If you haven’t visited the sunken rose gardens in North Portland, do it! Our super find of the day was “Liberty Glass”, a block south of Fremont on Mississippi. A brother and sister duo opened the cozy, cool and well decorated old “Hula Hands” house only 3 weeks ago. I was bummed to have to miss out on a full dinner and strawberry-rhubarb crisp dessert.

Now I sit in air-conditioned PDX, waiting for my plane to be cleaned so we can board and leave early. I know what you’re thinking: why leave Portland NOW that the sun’s finally staying out and temperatures well over 80? My brother’s graduating high school tomorrow, in Maryville Missouri. So, if luck stays on my side, MO will welcome me back with hot, humid hugs. Traveling with a few t-shirts sure beats lugging around winter gear and jackets!

Just a quick update that I’m alive and very well in southern California.

My best girl from Portland, Elisabeth, met me here on Tuesday and since then we’ve managed to hit a couple of beaches, tour Wildstorm comics, an offshoot of DC and kill karaoke not once, but twice. My new favorite karaoke bar is also a classy hotel bar, like Suki’s back at home and folks rock out to air guitar on a fabulously blue blow-up guitar.

My favorite part of San Diego, other than Elisabeth time? Learning a couple Jack Johnson songs on the guitar, thanks to Allen from the Hostel Cat, and adventuring onto the roof for sunrise. (Despite the hostel being in a shady part of downtown, the police station sat across the street and the gaslamp district was a mere 5 minute walk. If you’re born in the 80’s and like to party, then you’d likely enjoy this hostel.)

Today I’m looking forward to practicing the Jack Johnson, some romantic sight seeing starting with ocean views and seal pups, to Balboa park and then back to the beach for the sunset. Then it’s full speed ahead back to Portland for Jaik’s gallery show opening. It’s a 2 day drive if I skip the grand canyon, lake mead, death valley and yosemite …

It’s true and I’m sad. After raving about the friendliness of Texan highways, I received my second speeding ticket this trip. And it gets worse considering I never received my renewed registration stickers and lost my ID in Austin. Oh, and the speed limit changed from 80 to 70 only 10 miles before. Warning all Texan drivers: truck speed limit is always 70, so when you see speed limit signs saying “70″ look hard - it may be for you, or it may not be.

Luckily, my mother didn’t let that ruin my day. I woke at Marfa’s Mystery Lights rest stop, to photograph a dying town, Valentine (not to be confused with Valentine, NE) and chase a UFO I now think may be a weather balloon. A few hours later, I stopped off in El Paso and learned some Spanish from some adorable parking lot attendants. “Quiero tomar una photo?” Along with “Como se llama?” I nabbed what I hope will be awesome photos and stories of locals. Bummed that I couldn’t go into Mexico, I left as soon as my 2 hr meter expired and made it to Tucson at dusk, rarely breaking the speed limit.

After a home cooked meal and 2 glasses of Texan wine, I crashed out early. I’m sooo glad to be out of Texas. Now I’m drinking the BEST bloody mary’s ever - compliments of the BEST bartender in Tucson, Hannah @ Hotel Congress. Thanks again Michelle & Joel - your friend rocks … maybe even a little more than I do.

No, it’s not as exciting as riding a cowboy, but helping people gives me a boost of energy even when I’m burning in the hot, desert, Texan sun. (And I like building up the Karma account when I can’t build up the bank account.)

As I leave Sanderson, TX all jazzed from my tuna snack and chat with an old Joe (literally) I spot a white car on the right shoulder. The lights are blinking and the trunk is open and I decide to slow down and ask if everything’s all right. I honestly don’t expect a “no” in this age of cell phones, so I’m surprised when the mother says “actually, we have a flat tire.”

It’s official, I’ve left Austin and as soon as I take a break in Tuscon, I’ll write up all the glorious braggings.

In my travels westward, I hadn’t planned on doing much in San Antonio apart from checking out the famous Alamo. When I got there, however, I fell in love with the River Walk and all the cafes serving drinks on the water. A friendly cashier informed me that this week is Holy Week, so the city gets a lot of visitors. And here I thought Texans borrowed siestas from the Spanish to match the architecture. If I worked here, I’d be sure to drink on lunch and nap in the sun.

So I spent a long afternoon meandering along the river and watching the ducks. Unfortunately, I forgot to plug the meter, so I came back to my 3rd ticket this trip. (2 parking, 1 speeding) So I chose to keep on moving forward in my western migration towards Del Rio.

The Texas welcome sign commands, “DRIVE FRIENDLY, it’s the TEXAN WAY!” To my delight, I received full hand waves over the midwestern 2-finger waves; cars hugged the right shoulder and slowed down for passing vehicles; and both trucks and cars flashed their lights to warn of speed traps ahead. For all the shit I gave Texas on its heaping portions of food (I only have 1 more week to lose the Austin fat!) I had to give Texas a heaping thanks for keeping the roads friendly. I don’t need any more tickets!

After an early rise @ 4am, with the hopes of making it to Austin in time to catch one of the free 300 tickets to Yo La Tengo, I was thoroughly disappointed to have not made it. No ticket is better than crashing though, so I’m glad I took the road side nap, even if it put me at the end of a soggy line a little after 10am. Disappointed, wet from the rain and ragged from little sleep I snagged the most comfortable hotel room in downtown and slept all day. Mostly rested, I forced myself out for the evening and stumbled into an open bar, for a web design competition hosted by Microsoft, and totally geeked out. (Free drinks always help!) My friends all got funny little text messages like “nerds in cowboy boots! wish you were here.”

Thinking I would try my first tech blog, I took notes and chatted it up with folks. A couple people asked me if I was press and what paper or new source I worked for. And that always led to interesting conversation.

I started today to catch up on reality (pay bills, etc.) and wanted to cry a little. Luckily, a man wearing gorgeous eye liner at the photo store confirmed that Austin is a great place for snagging cheap lodging and there’s plenty to do for free. And a creative photographer and artist, Lee, emailed me a doc listing hundreds of said free shows all week so I’m staying optimistic. The best news of all is the weather forcast: 60s and 70s all week will make for fabulous camping!

If you have any recommendations or gossip on what to catch, let me know!

Nestled quietly a mere 9 meters, or 30 feet, from I-10 in a Texan rest stop, I reflect on my recent Louisiana love affair and replenish my body’s hydration system. Currently, I’m en route to Austin Texas, where I hope to be one of 400 people to receive free tickets to a Yo La Tengo show on Tuesday. But I’m tired, so need to calculate how to both sleep and drive 5 hours in only 10 hours … and no, I’m not allowed to sleep while driving.

If only New Orleans wasn’t such an awesome city, filled with fun and friendly people, delicious food and an abundance of liquor and festivals I wouldn’t be in this predicament. Yes, another sign that life on the road can be challenging.

Let me go back to the beginning. As a highway ferry transports me across the Mississippi, I transfer my love of Mississippi into Louisiana. Spanish moss hangs from statuesque oaks, black cats roll on the ground, baiting me to pet them, at the #1 haunted mansion in the world and Jaik’s mom welcomes me with the finest home cooked dinner I’ll have all trip. (I need to take better notes since I’m not quick with French, but the dinner included lots of crawfish in both etouffee and pizza and a French cake with 7 layers of pudding diving a rich, white cake.)

Did I say I was going to spend another night in Memphis? It must have been the crack dropped in my drink.

Yeah…I made the smarter move, and headed down the Natchez Trace Parkway, a magical strip of roadway from Nashville to Natchez Miss. Never mind the first evening, when I portended death and slept in one of a million church parking lots along Hwy 43. (Turns out I veered off the parkway, which is too bad considering it has real-deal camping spots.)

On the bright side, I woke with the sun (at 5:50am) and spent an entire day dilly-dallying in the Mississippi sunshine. Being raised in the North with more Nebraska history than southern history, I received a crash course from the memorials, churches and houses along the way.

Some highlights on the trail:

It’s affirmative. Nashville is a rockin’ city, even for non country die-hards like myself. I want to drink more Jack Daniels and expect to see live music in every venue, for free, with dancing groupies collecting tips for the band. Among my favorites (and ones I can remember):

• Jypsi :: extremely sexy, with style to match their admirable and versatile sound
• Shawn Mayer :: an iowa girl sharing her hypnotizing voice with Nashville. We caught her at the Cadillac Ranch, where she sings nearly any song on request, even Alabama’s “I’m in a Hurry” despite never having played/sang it before.

Yeah, so that plan about going to Cleveland and Columbus and Cincinnati? Not sure if you’ve heard me complain yet or not, but it’s f**n cold there, so I just decided to skip it and head south. Yeehaw!

First, I got to check out the home town of Superman. Soo cool, even at night. If I’d been there during the day, I would have worked out at Thor’s gym.

It was raining when I got in, late last night, but that’s OK. It was above 40 and in the 50’s today. And, once again, I’ve been meeting some interesting folks. This time I’m sharing the hostel with music lovers and players: a 19 yr old singer songwriter from Connecticut, a writer who ended up here by happen chance named Hope, a few Ausies and an Irishman who thinks he’s Australian. (He really likes Australia, he knows he’s not from there.) Odd thing about this place is how folks come for a day and stay a month.

On the docket? Since I decided to wear red, I had to buy a pair of red, reptilian boots to match. (Really. It was buy 1, get 2 free and the guys lured me in the store. Luckily, I didn’t have to pick out 3 pair since everyone was going in on it.)

I’m looking forward to meeting up with another friend from high school this evening, kicking it around Nashville and then heading to the Jack D distillery tomorrow. And more drinking and listening to local singer songwriters. There’s so many musicians here, it’s quite a treat.