Los Angeles, CA -- July 16, 2007

Arrive Los Angeles, CA 7:50am Monday, July 16
Depart Los Angeles, CA 11:10am, Tuesday July 17



The night before I left town, my friend Francis called to say he was in my hometown, Helena, Montana...a few weeks earlier than my anticipated July 27th Helena arrival date, for my mom's birthday. He didn't, however, arrive by Greyhound bus like I will. He came on foot through unpaved, likely treacherous terrain.

In the beginning of April he began walking the Continental Divide trail from New Mexico up to Canada and intends to “yo-yo” the trail, returning back to New Mexico in the fall. I’m doing the antithesis of what you’re doing! I explained on the phone, imagining my body atrophying at the back of the bus, becoming a hunk of margarine as I head into the south, butter as I cruise into the Midwest and regressing into into a puddle of melted lard as I head into the sweltering south. But, after walking all over L.A. today--sometimes double crossing and circling--I'm convinced that, while my goal is not as lofty as Francis's, we are, in a literal sense, on a parallel adventure. We're both yo-yoing the U.S.. You can find his book, Hike Your Own Hike on this Continental Divide website.

My abundance of walking was due to my unplanned itinerary. I was too busy saying goodbye to San Francisco to think about L.A., until I got there. And, as with anything, it takes a while to get the kinks out. I was hoping to have photos that showed the character of Los Angeles--the Hollywood sign in the background, a lovely beach or even a movie star, but failed completely. This is not a big deal. What matters most, anywhere, is the people and its the people that will be continue to be the focus of this project.