D.C., Finally!

It was a long day of traveling, starting at 4:55 am PST this morning and finally ending at 7 p.m. EST. Flying in to Reagan is pretty unique. I got my first glimpse of the Pentagon and Washington Monument at the Constitution Gardens from the air. I anticipate riding the Metro back to D.C. tomorrow evening to see the historic landmarks first-hand. The Metro lived up to its billing and getting to Bethesda was relatively easy. A tip for travelers, ride in the back of the train car so you aren't in everybody's way with your luggage. I'm glad I decided to ditch the gearbag on this trip, which means I won't be able to ride dirt bikes in North Carolina next week. Oh well, it can't be all pleasure and no work, but it would be nice if it was!

I'm off to a local cafe for dinner, but check out the view from the Doubletree Hotel! I'm on the 12th floor, there's a full moon view out one window and downtown Bethesda from the other. The coolest part is the room has a balcony, which is pretty trick. You don't get those much anymore at hotels. Oh, and I strongly recommend using Priceline's name your own price. I typed in 3.5 stars out of 4 and scored two nights at the Doubletree for $90 each night. That's $150 less than the listed call-in price for a one night stay! Usually the hotel lives up to the star rating. Tracy and I stayed at a 3 star hotel in La Jolla last April, but it was more like a 2.5. Always bid on the highest star level and start really low, you'd be surprised what hotels will accept!

Public Transportation, It's Grreeaat!

The traveling bonanza gets underway at 5:15 a.m. Pacific time tomorrow. It's about an hour drive to Ontario airport from Murrieta, which I just happened to pass while on some official KTM business today. Kind of convenient because I know what to expect for travel time etc. Tonight kind of feels like I'm packing for a week of hockey camp. You've got a gear bag, a personal bag, a backpack loaded down and you're a little nervous.

Traveling does get old after awhile when it's for work, but when you get to go to new places it kind of makes you feel like a kid eagerly anticipating his first day of a new school year. You don't want to do anything stupid, and you don't want to get lost looking for your classroom.

As for Thursday's classroom, I'll be at an important business meeting in Bethesda, Maryland, at CPSC headquarters along with several other influencial member companies of the Specialty Vehicle Institute of America. Most of the other companies' representatives come from the old guard and have been in the game for a long time. But, strangely I've never felt out of my league while sitting at the boardroom table. No matter our age, we all have one thing in common and that's the passion for the motorsports industry. Believe it or not, I think new blood like myself at these meetings is a benefit for everybody there. It's a fresh perspective that represents the next generation.

Anyways, this bring me to my next point: Why can't Minneapolis or even Los Angeles truly figure out public transportation like the east or even Chicago (The L) has? OK, L.A. has that earthquake thing that can make it a little challenging, but really the bullet train idea would be a huge improvement. Minneapolis is slowly catching on with LRT, but it's not even close to a viable solution. I've sat in worse traffic in Minneapolis than almost any other metropolitan area, including L.A. Sure, things get bad here, but everything is really spread out. Two hours to go 90 miles in rush hour from the Inland Empire to LAX would be equal to the 90 miles two-hour trip from Saint Cloud to MSP at the same time of the morning. Is it bad in L.A.? I guess that's all relative. It's bad in Minneapolis too.

Which finally brings me to my last point. I arrive at DCA in Washington, D.C., at 5 p.m. tomorrow. The best part is, I won't have to rent a car or take an expensive taxi. I logged on to the Metro website and it basically plotted the directions for me. It gave me what trains I need to take and precise times to get to Bethesda. The best part is, I'm actually excited to try out the transportation system there. I've ridden Boston's T, and I hope the Metro compares. In the meantime, I'll be a little excited and a little nervous. And, if I have time after the meeting on Thursday, I'd really like to see the Lincoln Memorial in D.C. I've never been to the nation's Capital, and I am really looking forward to it. My only wish would be that I could share my experience with Tracy. There's always next time!

All the Cool Kids Are Doing It ... And Some Jamaican Burn-Outs

I preface this blog with a quote from my friend Brad who said "Start blogging, all the cool kids are doing it." That was about five years ago. Now that I know the fad is over - hopefully like the boyband era and frosted tips - and all the cool kids aren't doing it anymore, I've decided it's a good time to start blogging. No, I'm not going to frost my tips!

Since the fad isn't a fad anymore, and Tracy and I are starting our own business called VeBe Visual, it made sense to blog. I've been working on some rough draft logos and branding and I'll post a few in the next couple of weeks to get your opinions. It's like a focus group without all the free food ... neat!

Now that I'm officially in California and moved in to our apartment awaiting Tracy to move, it's time to be distracted from unpacking boxes. Seriously, I give the Allied folks props. I thought the moving process would be like teaching a fish to walk ... impossible. Not so. Allied did a tremendous job moving so I tipped the moving crew $30 on pick-up and delivery. There wasn't even a scratch on any of the items moved. The boxes had so much paper in them the Jamaican with full-on dreads living below me was jealous. The packing material looked like huge Zig-Zag papers.

Hardly to my surprise, about 1.5 hours into the move, a distinct smell of marijuana hovered throughout the apartment. It's a three-floor outdoor staircase to our apartment and one of the movers cracked, "My legs are getting heavy. I just smoked a lot of second-hand reefer!" With our porch door open, strong 50 mph South / Southeast Santa Ana winds and the Jamaican a smokin', the entire apartment started to reek. The second mover joked, "I think that's some really good stuff he's hitting!" For some strange reason, I think he had some "experience" to know whether or not the stuff was good just from the smell.

It reminds me of when we viewed the apartment and I thought to myself, "It smells kind of different in here. It must just be because everything is new." Umm ... not so much. I've got no problem with the man a smokin' and a livin' his way of life, but if he wants to continue burning his joints, maybe he could be kind enough to gift us some incense! OK. Enough complaining. It's not like Tracy and I didn't expect this from apartment living. Even if our place is really top notch, you can't choose your neighbors. At least he's quiet, likely because all those joints makes him super chill. Maybe he even has his own blog like me, and is complaining that the guy above him and the movers are "some indubitable white dudes." I give him credit, I had to look that word up to know it meant authentic. Maybe it really does make you smarter!

Welcome to California living! And California living in the high desert - locals call it the valley, but valleys are supposed to have rain and that hasn't occurred in 7 months. October here means fires and Santa Ana winds that whip up to 70 mph from the desert east. Today it's calm here, but you can never be too sure what tomorrow will bring this time of year. I'll leave you with this, the view from our apartment. To the Southwest, the Santa Ana Mountains, looking toward Camp Pendleton (above), currently burning again for the second time in one week. To the West (right), smoke hovers from a small brush fire that has been contained in Newport Beach. Our area isn't threatened like the huge fires in San Bernardino. Outside of the fires, it's really a tremendous view in the morning and evening and part of what sold us on this place.

Next up, traveling across the country from Maryland to Ohio to North Carolina to Indiana. And, naturally, more updates to follow.

VeBe