Los Angeles!! We have Arrived!!

Upon arrival, we ate lunch on Sunset in Beverly Hills. As pictured, Allison began fitting in with the hyper-connected LA culture right away.

Feeling rather grody after a night at the Banana Bungalow, we decided to just relax on the beach in Santa Monica. The done-up ladies of Beverly were making us so self-conscious of our non-showered selves.

Palm trees and an ocean view.

Karen captures Allison capturing the pacific sunset.

Sunglasses needed.

Showered and feeling much more classy, we headed to Rodeo Drive. We ate some delicious cupcakes at Sprinkles, a famous bakery. I think it was featured on Oprah, so you know it's good.

Karen had the Red Velvet (above), I had Cocunut, and Allison had Chocolate Marshmallow. So good.

Finally in California...First Stop, San Diego

The Imperial Sand Dunes, we all really wanted to go ride the ATVs.

We went to Balboa Park in San Diego, it was so plush and beautiful.

These were the touch and smell plants. I was happy because there was a lime plant, it smelled soo good and made me want a Diet Coke for accompaniment. There was also a Snow plant, which smelled like Christmas. Not really. It smelled like a plant.

The Spanish architecture was really beautiful.

The entrance to the Banana Bungalow Hostel, by far our most interesting stay. It was right on the beautiful beach but it was most definitely inhabited by some serious beach bums.

Happy Birthday Gramma!!!

The Official Center of the World, no joke

Apparently the Official Center of the World is in Felicity, California. The site was begun by a Korean man who wanted a place to comprise the entire history of humanity...It's a work in progress.

This is a Michelangelo sculpture used as a sundial. There is also a piece of the old Eiffel Tower stairs leading straight into the sky nearby.

This pyramid houses the Official Center of the World.

In Felicity, the church has to be the highest building, so it sits on the top of the hill. The granite blocks have historical etchings on a random variety of subjects.

As Karen's foot attests, we got to stand at the official center of the world. And yes, we even got certificates.

From parachuting to the Princeton class of '48, these walls will slowly attempt to cover it all.

Getting sooo close..

We stopped at this tiny cafe in Holbrook that was apparently the site of a past Glamour photo shoot. This extremely accurate map was very helpful.

This is the gas station we call Nowheresville. We were dangerously close to running out of gas and this was our one salvation. We almost didn't make it either, because even though it was only 10am, the owner informed us they were just about to close. ?.

The Petrified Forest National Park

The many hues of the beautiful desert abyss.

Looking very closely, there are tons of ancient petroglyphs on these rocks. 

The earth here looked martian-esque. Karen did a moonwalk.

A distant view of The Tee Pees, small mountains and rocks with stripes of mineral colorings that actually look like natural tee pees. Mother Earth's Indian Reservation. 

One of the many psychedelic petrified logs.

Tiny tiny pieces of petrified wood. Karen was so tempted to take one but it is strictly forbidden, with a minimum fine of $350! For a little piece of wood!

I thought it kind of looked like giant Slim Jims.

Driving deeper and deeper into Route 66 nostalgia

There was a collection of some classic Route 66 memorabilia at the Route 66 National Museum, all fashioned into an old vintage, kitschy town.

Unfortunately, the Tee Pee Trading Post of Tucumcari was closed, but we still looked inside. There also seems to be some kind of strange fascination with dinosaur statues and memorabilia in Arizona. Tucumcari and Holbrook were full of dinosaur tributes.

Some pans in the kitchen of the Route 66 Hostel in Albuquerque. We met some girls from Holland who enlightened us on the Dutch version of Harry Potter- Hogwarts is Shveinstein to them. They also wanted all the latest plot twists in Grey's Anatomy and Gossip Girl. 

On the road...

We saw windmills and wind farms all across the countryside, and way up int he mountains in California. It made me so happy. YAY! Renewable Energy!

The Second Biggest Cross in the Western Hemisphere stand in middle-of-nowhere Groom, Texas. There was a little gift store nearby and the woman working told us it is all financed by one man. She also told me to be careful in California because she's heard some strange stories.

The Cadillac Ranch..a motor garden

A long shot of the Cadillac Ranch, set in the middle of desolate cornfields outside Amarillo, TX.

The colorful cars sprout up from the dirt.

A free graffitti zone for all.

A haute-couture, high-art pose.

Allison continues the photographical editorial.

For some reason I decided to show off some Chuck Norris martial arts skills.

Graceful, I know.

A little further up the road...we decided to pass on the invitation.

The Flaming Lips New Year's Bash

Allison and I prepare to rock with our blinking necklaces.

Blinded by the light and fog.

Wayne Coyne, a native of Oklahoma City, makes his spaceship entrance in a bubble.

The legendary crowd-surfing in a bubble.

A Wayne Coyne sing-a-long of the Flaming Lips hit, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots.

Happy New Year! Flaming Lips style!

Happy New Year! Oklahoma City Style!