So here we go! I started this trip waking up an hour later than intended. Whoopsies! My friends (Amit, Karen, Josh, and Camden) kept me up late friday night with a going away party and homemade chicken korma! Golly was that delicious, no idea what you did Amit but you are truly a talented chef.

Saturday morning I slowly got out of my sleeping bag, brushed my teeth, put in my eyeballs, and began my journey to Denver, CO. 6 hours later, I made it to lunch at Coyote Bluff Cafe in Amarillo, TX. Yes, I drove 6 hours from Dallas, TX and I was still in Texas, what the heck. After a surprising juicy and tasty bacon cheeseburger, it was time to hop back in the car to finish the 2nd half of this 12-hour drive. Certainly not the greatest idea to have a heavy lunch and then sit in a car for 6 hours, but somehow I survived and touched down in Littleton, CO. Unpacked my car, said hello to the owners of this rental, and proceeded to almost miss the bed passing out.

Sunday came around and my body decided to wake up at 6am so I went ahead and did the only smart thing I could think of! Lay in bed until 7am while watching YouTube videos. Finally, with a stomach growling at my decision, I got out of bed and traversed my way into my car and onto Littleton Cafe for breakfast. Honestly, decently surprised at the quality and tast of the food they served. Having a sunnyside-up egg on avocado toast and a side of biscuits and gravy got me ready for my next stop... THE GYM! Well, not the gym gym, but the climbing gym Movement Englewood. I was pretty excited to check this place out since I had heard so many good things about it. I was not disappointed! The gym was massive, bigger than any of the Movement's in Dallas (that's for sure!) and bouldered for about an hour. Man, that elevation is no joke! I was winded by the end of the session and went home, showered, and got ready for lunch! Brendon came over to Dallas and spent some time together, showing me around Denver and some parks in the city. After about 3 hours of walking around, it was time for us to head back to our respective homes and for me to actually go get groceries, so I don't spend everything eating out.

Oy vey, this week has kind of been a blur to say the least! Monday, started up, and my 6am alarm rudely awoke me just so I could hit snooze for a solid 15 more minutes of peace. After the alarm went off for the second time, I was seriously debating going for another 15. But alas! I found the strength to get out of bed, throw my glasses on, and sit down at my laptop for my first day of work in Denver. Things went smoothly, a rough 5 hour work day, such brutal hours to work. after work, I cooked some food, cleaned things around the studio, and proceeded to pass out.

Tuesday was a bit of a repeat, but I did get to go to the climbing gym again after work! This time, I found someone on the facebook group to Top Rope with. That's where you wear a harness and decide it's a brilliant idea to climb 60 feet up a wall, hopefully you really trust your partner and your equipment! We were able to climb for about 2 hours before calling it a day with our arms pumped and fingers unable to grip anything. Deciding it was time for dinner, we went to a local Chinese restaurant Wok Spicy in Englewood. Surprisingly delicious, they had incredible Sichuan Chili Wontons and a really great tasting Pork Belly Bao bun. We also ordered their Pork Belly Dry Wok which was good and had a nice spice level to it.

Wednesday was a rainy day, it was hard getting out of bed, and especially out of the house. I ended up heading out to Copper Door Cafe to try for some fresh air. Worked a full 8 hours surprisingly, and on my way home it stopped raining! I was debating if I should go out and use my drone, maybe take some photos and videos since I haven't explored much. And after a great debate, we decided to walk up to Jackass Hill Park. No, I did not make that up, it's a beautiful name for a park... It was perfect weather for some photography and to test out the drone, very little wind, the clouds were incredible, and the sun rays shining through were brilliant! I took some videos, photos, and then headed off to the gym to workout. By the end of my workout, it was time to pass out... And thus came Thursday!

Thursday and Friday not much occured. Some climbing, a little bit of working, and laundry! Oh yeah, my super minimal amount of clothing decided to run dry. By that... I mean I ran out of underwear and didn't realize. I mean, you can wear underwear 2-3 ways before it starts to get real nasty. But, I don't know if I want to put that to the test unless I really have to!

Saturday! Finally, Week 1 is done! or well, it will be once nighttime rolls in. With my alarm going off real early for the first weekend trip in Colorado, we struggled (more so rolled out of bed and flopped onto the floor) to get up and prepared for the 45ish minute drive to Boulder, CO. My friend (well at least that is what I suppose she is, she could be a robot) Jenny scheduled in a hike at Chatauqua Park and then continuing onto Mount Sanitas. Phew, that elevation, yeah, it really gets to you. I was super unprepared for this. it was 3-5 miles at each park respectively and the number of times I had to stop just to try and catch my breath. Jeeez, it was supposed to be a nice, easy hike... I can say after this, that was not necessarily the case. But... We (I) survived! and I rewarded myself with a super greasy cheeseburger and coke at the Hungry Toad. Towards the end of my feast, Sarah, Brendon, and I called and made a plan for the afternoon to meetup! So, I made my way to a brewery in Nederlands, CO. BY THE WAY! Nederlands, not even the mountains there... JUST THE TOWN ITSELF is at 8000 feet of elevation. like, why would you decide that is where you want to settle and develop a town?! Well, maybe a drink or two at the Knotted Root Brewery could bring enlightenment for me. After their Thick Hawaiian Goo and a mixture of their Thick Hawaiian Goo + Oh'Kee, I was 1 - feeling the elevation and 2 - starting to get tipsy. Thus, I bought a 4 pack of their Hawaiian Goo and began the trek to Idaho Springs, CO. Finally meeting up with Brendon and Sarah at Beau Jo's Idaho Springs, surprisingly super delicious pizza and wings! Pleasantly surprised, I devoured the food put forth for me and talked about the trip next weekend. I definitely thought about conditions and weather... totally. After walking around the town for a bit, we went our separate ways and meandered back to our respective homes. Uhm, yeah... so that is Week 1 done! Hopefully we (I) survive the next :D Alrighty! Week 2! WAHEEW, I'm still alive. And today is Sunday, so it has to be a great day! Weather is beautiful, sunny, not too hot out, and it's time to explore Denver a bit more! Driving to the city and working from a cafe called Aviano Coffee. Pretty nice cafe, good coffee and tea as well. I spent a few hours practicing HTML and CSS (That's what I am using for this website and blog). Trying to figure out a layout where I can add photos for the readers (I believe that means you, the person reading this) to gaze upon. After a bit of time spent at the cafe, I decided to check a dating app, I really dislike dating apps, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Somehow luck was on my side this time! After a few goofy messages, I mentioned that I was planning on going to the climbing gym later that day and offered for her to join me. Not really expecting a girl to come climbing the same day with a stranger, I was quite surprised when she said yes. At this point, she has to be a fake account or possibly just going to ditch last minute with an excuse. Oh, I was wrong about that. She actually showed up! Not really expecting this, I was certainly flustered but did my best to maintain some semblance of control over myself. After climbing, we ended up going to a Boba Tea shop (The Sen Tea House) that she recommended, walked around Cherry Creek State Park for sunset, and then grabbed dinner at Shanghai Kitchen. The Ma Po Tofu was surprisingly delicious and filling, I was unable to finish my meal but will make for a great lunch the next day!

Monday and Tuesday were pretty generic days, work, climb, eat, and then sleep. Monday's climbing session with Kim destroyed my arms. She began on a "warmup" climb being a 5.10c (usually I will climb up with 3-4 5.9c or easier climbs) and then immediately hopped on a 5.11b which is pretty much at our limit. We got about 4-5 climbs done before our fingers couldn't move, arms were pumped beyond use, and sweat was rolling down into my eyeballs. So that was a brutal, fun, and fast session! Tuesday I climbed with Matt and Sophie! Matt, a munchkin, and Sophie, a fellow jew! We talked way more than we climbed but still successfully warmed up, properly this time, and were able to do plenty more 5.11b+ climbs.

Wednesday and Thursday were pretty boring, working and climbing days. It was time to drive across to Brendon and Sarah for our trip this coming weekend, but I needed to make a few stops along the way... 1st stop was to Mike's Camera in Denver. Picking up 2 ND filters and polarizing filters for my lenses. Then, heading up to Broomfield for 2 extra camera batteries that was later discovered to be unnecessary but here we are. Already 1.5hrs into driving, it was time to set my gps to Silverthorne, finally. Only a 2hr drive left! While gaining elevation along the drive, the temperature was steadily dropping. Eventually, snow began falling as I sped closer to Brendon and Sarah. Finally arriving and unpacking, We went for dinner at Summit Thai, ordered a delicious Khao Soi, and proceeded to pass out soon after.

Friday! Now we are talking, the day was spent in the kitchen. Helping Sarah and Brendon cook fresh pasta, garlic knots, and tomato sauce. The pasta and garlic knots were absolutely delicious, the tomato sauce was not my favorite, but hey! Not every experiment can go perfectly. We then played a game of Catan, Sarah destroying Brendon and I, and called it a night. We wanted to be on the road by 7:30am!

Waking up at 6:00am and hitting snooze about 4 times, we began packing for success! My one massive backpack that Josh and Karen gifted me fit my camera equipment, toiletries, drone, a change of clothes, and my book (The Hobbit). This backpack really does it all! Throwing my sleeping bag into the car, we hopped in and began the journey! Grabbing breakfast, Bacon Egg and Cheese on an everything bagel, at Clint's Bakery in Breckenridge. Can't forget the Lemon Poppyseed Bread or the Mexican Hot Chocolate! So delicious and tummies full, we rolled ourselves back into the car and headed to Monarch Pass, traversing the continental divide. Surprisingly, there was a beautiful dark green Lotus Evora GT that I snapped a few photos of. After freezing for a bit outside the car, it was time to continue on! We made lunch at the Bay of Chickens in the Curecanti National Recreation Area. Unfortunately, there were no chickens! How misleading of a title. Very dissapointed in not finding chickens, we had to settle with our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Snapped a few photos and videos and ran to the warmth in the car. Another 2 hours of driving and we finally made it to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park! Driving around there are very few hikes, mainly just a quick walk to a viewing point and then back to the car. We did a few of those and then headed for dinner at Simmer's BBQ in Montrose, CO. We ordered fried jalapeño chips, a pulled pork sandwich, Mac & Cheese, and for dessert we took Banana Pudding back to the park. We headed down to Sunset Point hoping the clouds would clear up a bit for a sunset. Unfortunately, the clouds were unwilling to cooperate, so we headed back to the campsite and began putting up our tents. We played a game of Rummikub, tested my self-control with the dessert, and passed out. Apologies to all that actually read this, not sure why you would consistently check in but here we go! (trying to remember what happened a month ago is quite the challenge for one with the memory of a goldfish)... Sooo while Monday and Tuesday are pretty much entirely forgotten (whoopssies), I do remember that Wednesday night was quite a hoot! I went to Jimmy Carr's comedy show in Denver at the Paramount Theater. What a great show, and a lovely venue! He did make 1 jew joke so... HEY! We got represented! Lots of sexual innuendos and jokes about rated R topics. Hilarious and definitely a great show for families.

Saturday I left Denver and headed to the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs. It was really beautiful but the amount of people definitely made me want to run and hide. I did get some awesome photos and surprised a couple with a video while they were taking (engagement?) photos. Got lunch in town at Jade Dynasty, a Chinese restaurant that was surprisingly delicious! Walked around Manitou Springs for a bit, and then it was time to check in and pass out at my hotel, The Mining Exchange.

Sunday was Dune time, Sand Dunes National Park!.. Uhm yeah, this was definitely interesting. If you want to know what metal feels like when you sandblast it, go to the dunes. The sand is so fine that it gets everywhere, and I mean everywhere. My eyeballs were being destroyed, it was like everything that was not covered was being eroded away from the sand. Last week of Denver! WAHEEEW! Lots of chaos and preparation for my spontaneous trip coming up next week :D get ready for that! The majority of this week was spent climbing, frantically packing, buying new camera equipment, and trying to figure out where I can store my car with all of my possessions in it. What a doozie it was... So the plan was to drive from Denver, to my brother's place in Silverthorne. From silverthorne we would drive to the Denver airport and take one of the longest flights of my life. OH BABY! We're flying international! Monday morning, waking up at 3:30am and panicking throwing stuff into my carry-on bag, we rushed out the door and into the car. An hour and a half later, we made it to the Denver airport! And thus it was time to sit back and enjoy a lovely 2–3hr flight to San Francisco, which was fully booked and I think the largest plane I have ever been on. We had a bit of a delay taking off from Denver and that to our hasty 1hr layover in San Francisco being cut down to 30 minutes. Once we landed, we pushed through people on the plane (yes, we were those obnoxious people), and speed walked to our gate. Thankfully, we both only had carry-on bags, and we were able to board our next flight without any issues. THAT flight, oh boy. I believe it was about 12–13hrs long. I don't understand how people could often do that trip, I'd go crazy. Although who am I to judge, I've driven 12hrs+ in a day multiple times. Maybe I'm the crazy one?! So, where are we going you might ask? GREAT QUESTION! We are going to Korea! South Korea to be specific, and doing quite a luxurious, long-lasting stay, of about 4 days. Oh yeah, that's right, going from Denver, CO to Seoul, South Korea for 4 days. I know, I know, it sounds like a crazy idea, but hey! It is what it is, and I'm not going to turn down a free trip to Korea!

So Monday/Tuesday were pretty much combined into a crazy traveling day with the time zones. We touched down in Incheon, South Korea. We walked around what I suppose is the island that the airport is located on and our hotel. Brendon and I tried to find a path to the beach, but it seemed no matter how far we walked, we were unable to get past fencing or roads that blocked. Giving up on the beach, we wandered back towards the hotel and got dinner at the Wonder Box. Unfortunately, I don't know Korean, nor do I have receipts of where we ate, but trust me, the noodles and dim sum were incredible! After eating, it was time to hit the hay and get on with Wednesday.

And with that, we were off to Seoul! About an hour and a half train ride,we touched down in Seoul. Carrying my ridiculously heavy backpack and duffel for my clothes, we searched for a locker to put our stuff away at the train station. Finally able to put stuff down, it was time to explore! We headed towards Gyeongbokgung Palace to wander around. I wasn't expecting it to be so immense, We were wandering around the different buildings, the gardens, and the pond. It was certainly amusing to watch the baby ducks speed swim around the pond Like mini boats, just ZOOOOOMING across the water. We finished off with walking through the green house and then headed back towards the entrance. It was time to get some coffee because we were pretty much zombies with our jet lag. Sitting at a cafe outside the Palace, we got caffeinated and decided on how to burn another few hours before we had to head back to the train station. Thus, we decided to wander the streets along Bukchon Hanok Village. It was quite beautiful to see so many old styles of architecture mixed with some modern buildings, so many cafes and little stores to window-shop. We then walked around market streets as we headed back towards the station and made a pit stop for more noodle soup and dumplings that were boiling hot. So the taste was great for the split second before it burned my tongue and sent my stomach ablaze. The soup was in a similar state, quite tasty but also would set your mouth on fire and have you breathing steam. With my mouth feeling like the char after a BBQ, we made our way back towards the train station to meet up with Brendon's coworker and our contact for the project. Grabbing our luggage from the locker, we got ready for the next train heading to Suncheon on the south-eastern coast. We checked into our rooms at the Ecograd Hotel, and quickly passed out.

So I can't really talk about what I photographed, but it was new to me and definitely a fun time! We had to wake up at 7:00am for breakfast and then drove to the project about an hour later. Spent the day photographing, taking videos, and working on my normal job's projects. Once we finished on the job site, we went back to the hotel, grabbed dinner, and it was time to sleep!

Not much occurred on Friday, woke up at the same time, grabbed a bite to eat, headed to the job site, and finished up the photos and videos. We did a half-day on the job site as I was leaving Saturday to go back to Denver. So we headed from the job site to the train station to drop me off, and then I started my journey back to Icheon. It was about 3hrs on the train to get back to Seoul and then another hour or two to get to Icheon. I checked into the Grand Hyatt Hotel around 10:00pm, and then I was on the hunt for some food! Wandering around, everything was closed other than a 7-Eleven, so it was time to get some microwaveable noodles! After grabbing a pack of noodles, I walked back towards the hotel where I discovered there was no plasticware or microwave. BUT! They did have an electric kettle! So I heated up some water, poured it into the ramen bowl, and then drank the entire thing. What a truly exquisite experience! I then quickly passed out after making sure my alarm was set early!

And thus my South Korean trip is concluded, well like 90% of it, I still had to take the shuttle from the hotel to the airport and fly out of the country... but who cares about semantics. Also, did I mention that the Grand Hyatt Hotel had the most luxurious breakfast experience I have ever had?! It was crazy! For one, it was $35 equievalent for their Buffet, and secondly, I have never seen a place offer so much freshly cooked food at a hotel. They had a salad bar, cereal bar, freshly baked pastries, a hot bar with freshly scrambled eggs, steak, soups, and other stuff that I genuinely had no idea what it was. So I ate to my heart's content and then some, and then headed off to the airport. Once I got to the airport, it was time to stock up on snacks! Once my snacks stopped zippers from zipping, it was time to fly! Just a quick 12-13hr flight to San Francisco! Of course, I slept on the flight, definitely slept... And once I landed in San Francisco it was another 2-3hr flight to the Denver airport. So after about 16hrs of flying, I got to wait at the airport for another hour in anticipation for the shuttle to Silverthorne! Finally making it back to Brendon and Sarah's apartment, I rested a bit and hung out with Sarah. After all of that traveling, what did I think was a brilliant idea? I drove 3.5hrs to Grand Junction for a hotel. Absolutely brilliant thinking, but it was important to some distance covered! I was heading to Los Angeles, California after all.

So, after flying halfway across the country, be that 16ish hours of flying... AND driving about 3.5hrs to Grand Junction, what could possibly be a better decision than to wake up early and drive another 12-13hrs to Los Angeles? Hopefully you also think this is a brilliantly intelligent decision, definitely nothing else could be better to do on a Sunday! I actually planned on stopping in Las Vegas, which took about 9ish hours of driving from Grand Junction, but I ended up getting there around 3pm and still felt pretty good. So I made the incredibly smart decision to say "ehhh, might as well just finish the drive!" So after already driving for the entire day, I decided to drive even more! I ended up, after dinner, not getting to my cousin's house until 9pm. What a doozy... Let's Go! I'm catching up on the journal. WAHEEW! So, finally making it to Los Angeles and staying with my cousin. Monday morning, what do I have to do? WORK! Oh yeah, You thought I was going to sleep in after a ridiculous weekend of driving, flying, crossing time zones, and rarely snoozing? You're funny... I woke up at 5am for my first meeting, what an incredibly awful experience. I don't remember much, but I felt as I was a zombie during the work day and barely got anything done. Luckily, I was done with work by noon and was able to spend some time with my cousin. I got some groceries to prepare myself for the week, and then we went for sushi at Yen Sushi & Sake. It was pretty good. Finally, with some food to hold me over, it was time to pass out. Honestly, it was probably 6pm when I hit the hay, but dang was I tired.

Tuesday was pretty much the same. Completely dead during the work day but somehow still alive enough to outdoor climb. Not the most brilliant idea ever, but hey! Time to meet with new friends and see what climbing in California is like! I met up with Daniel and his friend Mimi to climb outdoors at the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. It was a blast! We did have to hike for 30 minutes to get to the climbing area, but it was worth it. The routes were tough, struggling on 5.9s and 5.10s, but the views were good from the top! We were able to climb for about 2ish hours before heading back to the car. On the way back, the sun set, and we were left in the moonlight, which was absolutely incredible! The light reflecting off the moon was so bright, we didn't need our flashlights and could still make out the trail and silhouettes of the mountains, trees, and shrubs. It was pretty magical, truly felt like it was pulled from my fantasy series or movies. We ended with going to a mexican taco truck, and got back in bed around midnight.

Wednesday was different! YIPPEEE! I drove to Redlands, CA, which was about 3 hours. Well, it ended up being 3 hours even though the GPS said it would be 45 minutes from the time I left. Yeah, LA traffic is no joke. My friend from Dallas recently moved there to be with his Girlfriend who was attending uni there. He seemed to be thriving, I.E., mattress on the floor, fold out table as a dining room, and a folding chair for sitting. California is freaking expensive! Still a bit mind-boggled, but I guess people enjoy seeing their money set on fire. We tried a local climbing gym which was a blast! Afterward, we went grocery shopping. Picked up some steak, sides, and set up shop on the grill. Absolutely delicious! Glad to have friends that are capable chefs! That pretty much concludes the day, got out a blow-up mattress, and passed out.

Thursday we worked from the apartment, and luckily both finished around 1pm. We went to a different climbing gym, and then it was time to head back to my cousin's in LA. I got back around 8-9pm and crashed out immediately.

Friday was quite boring, work and work and some more work. I did sleep a bit! Took a nice nap during lunch. And that pretty much sums up the day.

Saturday was fun! David (friend from Tuesday), Jason (Josh's Brother), Jason's friend, and I went outdoor bouldering! It was my first time so pretty nervous, and uhm why are outdoor climbs so incredibly hard?! I spent an hour doing a V0... WHAT THE HECK?! It was fun but definitely made you check your ego and obliterate any existing confidence. After being kicked around by inanimate rocks, it was time to say goodbye and meetup with my cousin to head on out for a concert! It was about an hour drive to the venue, many twisty mountain roads, and super sketchy '2-way' roads with cars parked on both sides. Like what the heck California, there isn't any room for 2 cars to drive up and down this road without colliding! Anyways, we made it without any accidents, and the music was pretty good! I don't know what genre to put the band under, maybe just a jam band? We stayed until about 8:30pm, and then it was bedtime for the both of us!

And thus, the week comes to an end! It was time to finish packing in and hit the road! Saying goodbye to my cousin, I began the trek up to Redding, CA. People might ask, "Why Redding?" And honestly, I don't know, it just looked cool. Well, it was about as far north as you can go before you really hit no-man's land. Also, you have Lake Lassen an hour away, Shasta Trinity forrest about 20 minutes north, and then the Redwood National Park about 3 hours west. So while the town is small and not really full of life, there are some cool places that are pretty accessible! Heading from LA, it was a small 9 hour drive, that's without stops, of course. So where did I stop first? Santa Barbara baby! honestly, really, really gorgeous, but also mind-blowingly expensive. I got coffee, a breakfast sandwich, walked around the town and then headed back on the road. Next stop, Solvang! A small Danish town that for some reason or other, exists in California. It was pretty cool! Got some Danish butter cookies, and then realized it past noon and still had 6 hours of driving left. Heading through San Luis Obispo, I wanted to stop but remembered that I really had little time to play with, unfortunately. I wanted to take highway 1 up the coast, but as usual... It was closed in the middle because Big Sur had a Big slide and the road was under repair. So I took 101 to Hollister, then headed inland. Taking a rest and pee break at the San Luis Reservoir, which was incredibly large and interesting to read the history of, hope they appreciated my donation of liquids. Then onto highway 5 all the way up to Redding. The drive was pretty incredible as the sun was setting. The vineyards were beautiful, and the silhouettes of the mountains were breathtaking. I finally made it to Redding around 9:30pm, checked into my Airbnb, and passed out.