Red Rum - Stories from the Stanley

YO!

Finally, I am on the internet and it works. So, here's the big update.

We left on Thursday and drove to Columbus, Ohio to stay with Phil's buddy from college who goes to Ohio State Law. I know, fuck Ohio State, but it was actually pretty nice. We ate at Eddie George's restaurant which was awesome. All you need to know: there's a one-way mirror in front of the urinals so you get to look out on the bar while you piss. It's the greatest and creepiest thing ever.

After Ohio we drove to my sister's house which is an hour north of Chicago. We spent two nights there and I got some good quality time with my sister, her husband, and my two nephews. I never get to see them so it did my soul much good. Sunday morning we got up early and spent the day in Chicago--we went to the Field Museum of Natural History and the Art Institute. The Art Institute was really cool. They have all sorts of famous shit: Monet, Van Gogh, the big painting from Ferris Bueller, and "American Gothic," the super-famous painting of the farmer with his wife and his pitchfork. It was very cool.

After Chicago we shot down to St. Louis and crashed at the Red Roof Inn for the night. The next morning we went into St. Louis and saw the Arch, the Cardinal's ballpark, and the rest of the city. It was very cool and very nice, but it was weird because it was Monday morning during rush-hour and no one was walking around on the sidewalks and there was very little traffic. I expected more from such a major city--I guess I'm just conditioned by New York City. It was really cool anyway. But, the coolest thing we did in St. Louis was the tour of the Budweiser brewery--the FREE 90-minute tour with the FREE beer at the end. Brewery fresh, made that day, cold, crisp Budweiser that changed my perspective on the world. It was one of my life's highlights.

Sadly, we had to leave the Budweiser factory. We headed west and drove for the next 12 hours. We saw the rest of Missouri, which honestly isn't much to talk about. Kansas City was not too impressive, and there's literally nothing in between St. Louis and Kansas City. But, it was fun to look at anyway.

Kansas was the real highlight of the drive. There's absolutely nothing going on in the entire state and it would be the worst place that anyone could possibly live, but it was beautiful to look at. We drove through the entire state in one shot and ended the drive in Denver, Colorado.

We did two nights in Denver--the first night in the parking lot of Wal-Mart, the second night in the "Motel 17" which is about as nice as it sounds. Denver was amazing though, and definitely the coolest city we've seen so far. It's beautiful and clean, and they have all sorts of cool shit and a very cool main-drag with all sorts of cool bars and restaurants and stores. Everyone was nice there, and we got to finally see "The Dark Knight" while we were there--amazing, obviously. The only downside was that Denver girls don't have pretty faces, which is really confusing but definitely true--but that didn't matter we had a hell of a time anyway.

Which brings me to today. We left Denver this morning and drove through the Rockies to Estes Park, Colorado which is the most beautiful place I've ever seen in the United States. It's a pretty little town next to a gorgeous lake nestled between snow-capped peaks of the Rockies. It's amazing. And, as if that weren't enough, it's the home of The Stanley Hotel--the hotel Stephen King based "The Shining" on and the most haunted place in the United States. I watch a lot of Sci-Fi's "Ghosthunters," and I've seen them investigate this place numerous times and it's crazy haunted. As soon as I found out the Stanley was here I splurged on a room and I am currently broadcasting from the Stanley's internet and watching channel 45, the channel that shows "The Shining" 24 hours a day. It should be an amazing night, and hopefully I'll get haunted.

So, now we're up to speed. Tomorrow we're going to Steamboat, Colorado for the night and after that we're heading northwest to Seattle and then down the Pacific coast, hopefully running into Dave and Trey on the way. I'm having a great time and things are going well.

If anybody is around the west-coast, the southwest, or the deep-south hit me up on my cell and I'll get at you.

908-601-1579

PEACE!

-Raven