Spending my first full winter in St. Louis has been a good experience. I have learned that winter is like Chinese food. My favorite Chinese restaurants serve a highly Americanized version of Chinese food, while authentic Chinese food terrifies me. In the same way that a Chinese customer would scoff at what I call good Chinese food, a Midwesterner would laugh at a San Francisco winter. So I wasn’t cut out for a “real” winter, but when it pains you to laugh at me because each breath temporarily freezes your lungs, then try to convince me why eating chicken feet is better than a big plate of Mongolian beef.

In the spirit of adventure and trying new things despite the cold, Johnny and I traveled north to visit the convergence of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers. It was a very cool sight. From the banks of the Missouri, we could hear the slush of the partially frozen river flowing by. There were big circular ice rafts that rolled along the edge of the river past us. Between Missouri and Illinois, the Mississippi had a layer of ice several inches thick that buckled up against obstacles. It’s worth the short drive if you’ve never seen an icy river.

The drive from San Francisco to St. Louis was amazing. We met up with Ken before we left to discuss taking a scenic route, which was priceless. On the road, we covered 2,463 miles over four days and saw 44 state plates traveling across California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, and Missouri.

Our first diversion from the main route was to take Route 50 through Nevada. This road is known as “The Loneliest Road in America” because there are so few signs of civilization for miles. We loved it. The road wound through huge expanses of Nevada desert with nice mountains off in the distance. We drove 75 miles without seeing another car.

That night, we crossed the border into Utah. The road changed from gray to red, and the mountains on the horizon were purple in the sunset. We stopped at a diner for dinner and finished the 13 hour drive in Cedar City, Utah. It was a small town, but even a small town can feel like a thriving metropolis when you have spent the entire day in Nevada.

We spent day two in Southern Utah by Ken’s recommendation. It was the most beautiful drive I have ever seen. I felt like I was in a theme park, because every mile was different than the last. One moment, we were in a golden aspen forest, and the next, we were surrounded by open plains. The terrain transformed within minutes from a barren gray moonscape to a deep red canyon.

We took many opportunities to pull over and take pictures. Unfortunately, most of the pictures we took from the car are better views of bugs on the windshield than the scenery. There was one section where we were driving on a ridge, with steep slopes and amazing views on both sides of the car. Soon after that, we were following the Colorado River through a canyon.

Once we entered the plains of Kansas, it got pretty boring. The town on the border of Kansas and Colorado is called Kanorado, and that was probably the most exciting moment of the day. Also the billboard for Jesus Heals and Restores, Pornography Destroys immediately followed by Adult Superstore was entertaining.

We learned a valuable lesson on our journey across the country. You don’t have to travel to the other side of the world to see something amazing. We have awesome natural beauty right here if you go out and look for it. I can’t wait for the drive back!

With no job prospects and nothing to do, I decided to spend a few days in Los Angeles this week. Wednesday turned out to be a highlight of my life. I finally spent a day at Disneyland.

Within moments of entering California Adventure, a High School Musical parade began. Soon after, Victoria and I were hugging Minnie and Mickey. I was proudly wearing my first-timer pin, and an employee enthusiastically wished me a magical day. The adventure was getting off to a marvelous start.

There were barely any lines, so we made it onto most of the rides and attractions. My favorites were the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, the Indiana Jones ride, and Pirates of the Caribbean. Honorable mention to the Buzz Lightyear ride, where you have to shoot at Zorg and they keep track of points. I think the scores speak for themselves.

I was laughing the entire day. It really was the most fun I have had in a long time. After about 10 hours at the park, we were glad to sit down for some dinner to relax.

On Thursday, Adam gave me a tour of Beverly Hills and Rodeo Drive. We visited lots of stores, Adam flirted with lots of girls, and we enjoyed a delicious lunch. Then I went to Victoria’s film class where we watched Jennifer’s Body and had a Q&A with the writer, director, and producer. The movie was awesome, and it was cool to talk with the creators, especially Diablo Cody who also wrote Juno.

That night, I went out for a night on Fraternity Row at USC. That was an experience. In St. Louis, anyone is welcome at any fraternity, but apparently only girls are welcome at the USC fraternities. I went to the USC chapter of my fraternity and barely made it in after a thorough security screening.

Friday I explored Hollywood Boulevard. We saw lots of tours and fake celebrities. The costumes were comically bad. Darth Vader was shorter than me and wore tights. Marilyn Monroe was really old, but proudly stood over a vent in the sidewalk to show off her legs. Three Spidermen bounced around various newspaper stands and trash cans, vying for position.

After lunch, we grabbed some coffee and as we were walking down the sidewalk, some police cars raced up and a police helicopter appeared overhead. A pair of officers ran out of the cars carrying shotguns. They stood up against a bank and peeked around the corner into the window. The strange thing was that, as this was happening, everyone went about their business completely normally. The police made no announcements, and barely drew any attention to themselves.

As people began to notice the shotgun-wielding police, they turned to watch. No one knew what to do. What does a bystander do during a bank robbery? A lady behind me asked if we should duck in case they started shooting. We all just watched curiously. Suddenly a woman on her cell phone exited the bank carrying a baby. Everyone gasped. But then that was it. Nothing really happened. She gave the police a confused look and kept walking completely nonchalantly.

The police looked at each other. They cautiously approached the door and entered. After about a minute, the helicopter left, and everyone resumed what they were doing. It was one of the most exciting times that nothing has happened. What really struck me was just how mildly everyone reacted. As if it was a completely normal activity.

So to recap: Go to Disneyland. Take a USC film class. Don’t bother with Fraternity Row. Always carry a shotgun.

My high school has a great outings department, and this weekend I got a call asking if I would be available to help lead a trip to the Hoover Wilderness near Yosemite. Without hesitation, I postponed my road trip to Los Angeles and started packing. There were six students, one teacher, and a dog on the trip, and it was a great group.

Once we distributed the group gear and ate lunch, we started the hike. The ascent was not long, but we enjoyed the views of the surrounding mountains and the sound of the creek running alongside the trail. We arrived at Green Lake within a couple hours and set up camp, where we would stay for the next two nights.

With mountains all around us, we didn’t quite experience a sunrise. Instead, our morning began with the sunlight slowly engulfing the rocky peaks around the lake, which was so calm in the morning it was like a mirror. Ken explored the shore for a good spot to go fishing with Ouzel. I choked down some oatmeal so that I would survive the day hike.

We walked up to a higher lake on Day 2 to spend the afternoon. Just as we were settling in, we began to hear thunder. Dark clouds slowly started to creep over the ridge. Little pellets of ice began to fall on the trees. A cold rain interrupted our lunch. We stuck it out under trees until the rain had passed, and started back towards camp.

Surrounded by granite mountains, the thunder echoed endlessly. It was amazing, the whole group would admire a lightning bolt across the sky, and then the thunder would hit and bounce around for minutes. It was like the whole wilderness was hungry and we were hiking through its growling stomach.

After escaping the cold rain, we were all tired, so we took naps in our tents. When we woke up, Ken and I went fishing with Ouzel while the students investigated an “island” in the lake. After dinner and a few mugs of hot chocolate, we watched the stars through the trees and headed to bed.

We were all so tired after our adventurous weekend, even Ouzel was sleeping in the van on the ride home. Nothing beats a bath when your legs are covered in dirt, so that’s where I am headed after I unpack.

The last week was a lot of hard work, but I actually really enjoyed it. We packed up the tables early, so we are our meals sitting in a circle on the ground. The last night together was one of my favorite of the summer. We had big plans to go out drinking and dancing, but it was a Sunday night, and the bars were dead. After dinner we walked down the street looking for something to do, and the most wonderful thing happened.

Imagine walking down a seemingly normal street in your town. For example, Miller Avenue in Mill Valley, or Delmar Boulevard in St. Louis. There are restaurants and shops lining the road. You are enjoying your warm evening stroll. Then you see flashing lights up in the distance. What could it be?

A bumper car arena, of course! It was so funny because we had all driven up and down this road many times before in the middle of the day, and none of us had ever seen the place. It was like a dream. We got to the window to buy tokens, and when Motts asked for a receipt, the guy laughed. I suppose the idea of bumper cars as a business expense is pretty silly.

The battle was epic. In America, bumper cars have to be so safe because people would sue if they scratched their knee. Not so in St. Martin. These things were fast, and no seatbelts. I was almost thrown out of my car during some of the big collisions. Put that on your list. Bumper cars after a couple pina coladas and bottles of wine is pretty amazing.