The Reno flamingo!

This morning at 8am I left San Francisco and headed for Reno "The littlest big city" to get my legs finished by Tayler Wooten at Nightmare Studios. We started this journey 3 years ago when he was going from an apprentice to a full fledge artist. The theme was a back yard bbq with all the things you find in your yard. The first piece was a Squirrel, on my right calf, my nickname as a kid was Burl the Squirrel. BTW if you didn't know already my full name Burl Austin Leno. Then a gnome on my left calf a month later, I collect gnomes. Last year about this same time I had a Jackelope put on my left chin. And finally finished it off with a Flamingo! 

Staying at Circus Circus for the night then start my journey home. I almost don't want to gamble and instead just play all their games and win stuffed toys! However, I know you'll find me at the roulette table later. All on Black! They gave me a big room on the second to top floor. Great view of the casinos and strip! 

The Outline

Tayler at work

The finished product! Whose hungry he's cooking?

Reflecting

This road trip has been an amazing chance to see some of the most beautiful areas of the West coast and visit with great friends. One thing that is missing is someone to share the entire experience with wether it was a friend or girl friend. It's always fun having the experience however, there is something more rewarding when you have a partner.

Think about your life and all the great times you have had. Were you alone or with friends? Those times in your life bond you together and create a shared experience. Listening to a group of Johnny and Laura's friends tell stories I saw how their faces and voices lit up. How each person would tell their side of the story and getting the different view points made it more compelling.

Being alone on this trip is exactly what I needed to reflect on my current status in life. I'm very happy with what I have created so far in my career and personal friendships. It is now time to harness all my energy to find a new career path, deepen my bonds with friends, and make new connections. It is time to go after exactly what will make me happy and satisfied. Can't wait to get home and put the new strategy in place.

I will miss my San Francisco crew but I will see you all soon. Pic is Alain, Johnny, Laura, and I

Essentials for a Road Trip

So far on my trip, here are some items I believe are essential or must haves for this road trip and sleeping in your car.

1. More Blankets. Not having the foam pad extra blankets can make a quick bed.
2.  Car Air Freshener. Driving and sleeping in your car does not make it smell like roses even if you shower and brush your teeth. 
3. Car Glass Cleaner. Even with the windows cracked you fog up the windows at night. The windows must be cleaned and the inside or else you have hot breath marks.
4. Ample playlist. Music is the soundtrack to your adventure. Make sure it's the right tunes for your trip.
5. Towel. Just like the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy you shouldn't go anywhere without your towel. My first morning I dried off with a t-shirt since I forgot a towel. Needless to say I have one now.
6. Real Camera. My phone takes all right pictures however, a real camera with better zoom and resolution would have produced even more beautiful shots of the coastline

Oktoberfest 2013

Polka, Sausage, and Bier! I had a great time at Oktoberfest with Johnny and Laura and some of their friends. This was the first time I've been to an actual Oktoberfest event and it won't be my last. The polka band was great and reminded me that my grandma Leno and my dad both play the accordion. All the beer was supplied by Spatan I highly recommend their Oktoberfest brew if you can find it at your local store.

After we were throughly hydrated we went over to Project 1 Gallery for a breakbeat show my buddy David Alexander's crew was throwing. Lets just say we all got our dance on! Mine was more of a stumble then dancing. Such great times can't wait for the next time.

This is the end of the night drinking out of Laura's balloon hat

The Entrance

Javier and Johnny

Day 5: San Francisco

Day 5 started out with a bite to eat in the Mission with Alain (pronounced uh-lawn). One of the things I miss most about this city is the mexican food in the Mission District. Probably some of the best food on earth is cooked in the biggest hole in the wall places.

Then off for some shopping. Picked up a few shirts at Undefeated and True.

And picked up some new Marvel Edition Kid Robot vinyl collectibles.

Tomorrow Benny Gold, Super 7, Upper Playground, and a few other shops I saw. I'm a slave to fashion and t-shirts.

Johnny and Laura

Say hello to Johnny and Laura! 

If you don't know already Johnny and I have known each other since 1997 when I moved to San Francisco. My friend Russ (bless your soul) and I drove down from Seattle together and Russ moved in with Johnny in Concorde. I opted for the city. Within 2 years all three of us were living together in the hood of Tenderloin in the most ghetto apartment. It was the only basement apartment in the complex, had 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, and a kitchen (no living room). Our kitchen window was at sidewalk level and several times crack dealers tried to sell to us through the window. We never took the offers btw. 

Johnny was the Best Man in my wedding to Alicia and truly remains one of my best friends. Laura is his girl friend of 7 years and they live in Twin Peaks. You can see the observation area from their front window. Thank you both for always letting me crash at your place! 

Tonight we do BEERFEST! 

This Year in Review: Vol. 2

Despite all the issues and stress in my life this year I have accomplished some great things. In January, I started a Project Management 9 month Certification Program. I completed the program in August with a high level of success and understanding of Project Management. In December, I plan on taking my PMP to get the official title of Project Manager from the Project Management Institute. Website creation and graphic design have always interested me. In March, I took an HTML+ and CSS class using Dreamweaver to create the sites. These classes were very interesting how typing a certain code results in different graphics or boxes.

I was also successful in starting new DJ residencies at clubs I truly enjoy playing. Jack's Pub and Grill in Renton is so much fun. I get to play rock to 80's to hip hop and everything in between. Last Supper Club was the first place I played hip hop and now I may be their last hip hop DJ since they are closing at the end of the year. And starting next month I will be on rotation at Cowgirls Inc. rock, country, and hip hop. Yeah buddy, Cowboy up! If you didn't know I grew up on a cow and pig farm. Plus, I have one offs at some great other spots like Amber, Moe Bar, Tia Lou's, and SeeSound Lounge.

The year is not over yet hopefully, I will find a great new company where I love working and can use all the skills I've learned this year. On the horizon is also the probability that I will go teach English abroad next year. The countries that I've narrowed it down to are Vietnam, Costa Rica, and Thailand. 

Day 4 Garberville to San Francisco

The Humboldt Redwoods hotel beds I think were worse than sleeping in my car. But hey, they had cable. Can't believe all the reality shows on t.v. Glad I stream only what I want to watch.

Just got to Fort Bragg beautiful California coast line on hwy 1. Taking hwy 1 out to the coast was the most twisted winding road I've ever been on. I'll put up a video later.

Detours

Finding a place to sleep for the night has been interesting to say the least. I stopped at a California Parks information office and asked about camping at Humboldt Redwoods State Park near the Ave of Giants. The ranger said it would be easy to get to because it was right off the 101.

Well.....Not so easy getting to the campground.

Maps took me on a 45 minute scenic drive up some very twisty road yet never got me to where I thought I was going. So I asked Maps again for directions, this time to another location not far away but still not a campground. Well, third times the charm right. Not this time. All the detours did allow me to drive through the Ave of Giants getting to see enormous Redwoods.

Lesson of the day: Ask the Ranger a more specific question next time such as "Where should I camp in Humboldt Redwoods State Park?" What I asked was "Is there camping at Humboldt Redwoods State Park?"

I came to find out that the park has three different camping areas. I actually drove right by one of the areas on my first time trying to find the State Park campground entrance. Now you would think that a Park Ranger would mention that there are a few different camping areas and here are the names and locations. Yet this Ranger just told me it was easier to get to than the other State Park I mentioned. Now I'm in a hotel in Garberville. The bed and hot shower are very welcome to aching body

Tomorrow I make the final leg to San Francisco down HWY 101 to HWY 1. Forty Whiners, I got my Hawks gear ready for the entire weekend! Blue and Green!

The journey to the Giants

Today I had to the land of Giant Redwoods and Paul Bunyan and Babe were there to welcome me to the forest. I remember seeing these as kid and there still huge! Here are some pics of what I saw today.

The coolest pic has to be the huge Elk posing next to statue of an elk. Him and his family were hanging out just eating grass nearby.

Day 3 Humbug Mountain

Yesterday I was able to solve my issue of not having a foam pad to sleep on. I picked up a seat cushion for a lounge chair. It's not the best but way better than nothing.

Sleeping in the car for 2 days is a little rough on the back but pretty fun. Here's a pic of my sleeping quarters.

Today, I'm going to the Redwood Forest. 

Riding the dunes

I was born in the small town of Tracey east of San Francisco about 1.5 hours. At 2yo we moved back to Everett to welcome my brother to the family. Sidenote, my first memory is holding my baby brother Jake first. He was born at home.

As a young kid my folks would pack up the family and road trip from Seattle to Tracey. One time we stopped at the Oregon Dunes Recreational Park rented Odysseys and went crazy.

This time it was a quad and just as crazy. One wreck no injuries and a whole bunch of close calls. This is something I need to go do more often! So fun and exhilarating! I still have sand in weird places can't wait to get a shower.

Beaches and views

Here are some of the places I visited today. The central Oregon coast line is absolutely amazing! I wish I had more time to spend there.

Grubbing

It's almost impossible to eat healthy on the road. Especially, when there is Pig N Pancake all along HWY 101. Kielbasa, hash browns, scrambled eggs, all coated in country gravy! Yum yum. 

There are a couple essentials for road trip snacks Gatorade and beef jerky. Gonna try and keep it healthy but I think I'm gonna be running every morning. 

Day 2 Lookout Point State Park

Spent the night camped out in my car at Lookout Point State Park. Before I left Seattle my plan was to buy a foam pad to sleep on. I waited to the last minute and Monday morning when I left the foam store I stopped at was closed. So...I slept on the hard plastic of my back seats folded down. This was the only way I could stretch out fully. I don't need to tell you that is not a great idea if you have a bad back. But hey this is what it's about. 

Got up and took a run down the beach before leaving for the day. So you know I'm not a fab of running if prefer to do circuit training. I gotta try to be healthy and exercise on the trip. 

Today I'm on my way south to Florence to go ride the dunes!

Day 1 Seattle to Tillamook

Today, at 9am I headed out on my road trip adventure!!! It feels so nice to know that I have no responsibilities for the next 2 weeks.

On my journey today I stopped in Long Beach, WA, Cannon Beach, and Tillamook, OR.

Long Beach, WA was the first stop of the trip. I have had some amazing times in this small beach town with my dad and my brother. My father, Russ Leno (http://masterpumpkinsculptor.com/) is a professional sculptor and carver and this beach has seen his greatness several times. I remember driving down with my dad and brother for the annual sand castling competition and kite festival. My brother and I were on bucket duty meaning we had to fill roughly 100 - 5 gallon buckets full of water before the event started. So my dad and his team could construct towering castles and dragons, some pigs going crazy, and several other amazing sculptors over the years. It was hard work to haul those buckets but well worth the memories!

Some of the best times ever was helping my dad and his team achieve a world record for the World's Longest Sand Sculptor. Long Beach is 27 miles long and we were going to use the whole thing to achieve that record. I remember this massive castle in the center of the beach with 2 equally massive dragons wrapped around the castle with their tails stretching far into the distance down the beach. We would run with sticks drawing designs quickly on each inch of the tail. The entire length need to be carved to be considered for the record and it had to be completed before the tide washed it away. We had so much fun achieving that World Record.

The second stop on my adventure was Cannon Beach, OR. Home of The Goonies which is one of my favorite movies! The sound of the ocean is so soothing, the waves crashing into each other started to wash away the stress that I've been feeling. 

While walking down the beach I saw a father and his young son running towards the waves to play in the cold, refreshing salt water. It brought up memories of when my parents were married and all four of us would go out to the ocean. We would walk out as far as we could and try to jump over the biggest waves possible. As a young kid maybe 6-7 y.o. the waves looked to be 20-feet tall. It was so invigorating, scary, and rewarding all at once when you jumped a wave. This time I just looked at the waves and enjoyed the serenity of the beach.

Does Haystack Rock from this angle look like a really fat rock man lying on his back? I thought so.

I love CHEESE! So I had to stop at Tillamook Cheese factory and see how it happens. Look at those giant blocks of cheese. I need crackers and a magnum of wine for one of those blocks. Got to enjoy a Marionberry Pie Shake in the cafe. Damn good!

I'll be heading out to Cape Lookout State Park to camp for the night just after a couple $2.75 beers and Monday Night Football. I love vacation!

This year so far in review

I wanted to thank everyone who reads this blog of my journey down the coastline on my way to San Francisco. From San Francisco, I will drive to Reno for some tattoo work and gambling then drive home. The ultimate goal of this trip is to figure out what my next steps are in my life's adventure. 

Let me give you a brief history of this year and why it has been incredibly trying both professionally and personally. This year has been the year of not taking risks and making the hard decisions that I need to make for myself. In April, Casey and I split up for the second time for the same reason as the first causing me to lose all trust in her. Despite breaking up, we continued to see each other throughout the summer and her behavior became even more destructive to my soul and our connection. It was one of the major causes for my start down into a deep depression. 

Professionally, things were looking up with a new District Manager with a good vision I  felt I made the right decision not to quit The Body Shop at the beginning of the year. However, all the growth and development came to a halt in June. I lost 1/3 my staff in one month due to promotions, terminations, and employees going to school. What once was a smooth running store became stretched to its limits of staff with no prospects at the time. And it still hasn't recovered due to 2 of 3 new hires quitting in less then one month. 

Also, my DJ residency at Belltown Billiards became a joke. We had sound decibel limits where the sound needed to be super low. I swear my car could be louder than the club. Getting paid was also a joke, not to any fault of the staff but fully on the club owner. Those of you who know the owner fully understand that he is one of the worst in the scene. I just fully ended my residency there in July and I am so happy to be out of there.

Continuing to date someone who made me feel like a joke and worthless, staying in a job with no growth potential, and DJing in the worst atmosphere drove me in to a very deep depression. After reflecting back on this year most of my issues could have been solved if I just would have made the correct hard decisions. Decisions such as to split up from Casey and not talk or see her period from the start, to find a new job early in the year, and branch out my DJing to other clubs sooner.

Well, better late then never, but I wish I would have done it sooner. I am slowly working myself out of the funk that I have been in. I called things fully off with Casey about a month ago now and have only spoke to her due to a random chance encounter a couple weeks back. I have
new DJ gigs at Jack's Pub, Last Supper Club, and Cowgirls (starting in Oct.)  plus one offs coming up at a few different clubs. And I now have a plan to leave my job at The Body Shop. Truthfully, I'm hoping they let me go so I can get Funemployment for a while. 

This road trip is to re-center myself, find my happiness, and create my plan for the future of my life, and get tattoo' d. I'm trying to focus on what I want now and go after it even if I may not think its possible.  My new mantra "Do one thing everyday that scares me" 

Burl Austin Leno