Hello. My name is Jim Pitt and I am Mrs. Soulier's brother. That's Adventure Dog in front of our house in Nashville, Tennessee. Because of a change in my job I am moving to Los Angeles so last week I packed up a UHaul truck and, along with my son Dylan and Adventure Dog, drove west to California. Here's a look at our route, which took us across much of the southwest United States:
The trip from Nashville to Los Angeles took three days and 2,014 miles. We drove through seven states (Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California) and saw all sorts of weather, from rainy in the 40's in Nashville to snowy in the 20's in the mountains of Arizona to sunny and very hot (high 90's) in the California desert. It was also very interesting to see how the terrain changes in different parts of the country. In Tennessee and Arkansas it was very green and hilly, while for much of the rest of the trip it was flat and you could see for many miles. I commented to Dylan that, while it sometimes seems like our country is overcrowded, a drive like ours makes you realize how much open space we actually have.
Day 1
Nashville, Tennessee to Clarksville, Arkansas
443 Miles
8 Hours
We left Nashville on Friday afternoon and made it as far as Clarksville, Arkansas that night. Major cities that we drove through were Memphis, TN, which is on the Mississippi River, and Little Rock, the state capitol of Arkansas.
Memphis is well known for its cultural contributions to the identity of the American South. Many renowned musicians grew up in and around the Memphis and northern Mississippi area. These included such musical greats as Elvis Presley, Muddy Waters, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Robert Johnson, W.C. Handy, B.B. King, Howlin' Wolf, Isaac Hayes, Booker T. Jones, Al Green and, more recently, Justin Timberlake.
During the 1960s the city was at the center of civil rights issues. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968 at the Lorraine Motel, the day after giving his prophetic I've Been To The Mountaintop speech at the Masonic Temple. The Lorraine Motel is now a Civil Rights Museum.
Located near the geographic center of Arkansas, Little Rock derives its name from a small rock formation on the south bank of the Arkansas River called la Petite Roche ("the little rock"). The "little rock" was used by early river traffic as a landmark and became a well-known river crossing. Little Rock was also very much involved in the struggle for civil rights.
Day 2
Clarksville, Akansas to Gallup, New Mexico
915 Miles
14 Hours
We got up bright and early and made a quick stop before hitting the road:
You can see from these photos that Adventure Dog had a very big appetite that day and finished everything on his plate.
Soon after we crossed the border from Arkansas to Oklahoma the land around us went from hilly to mostly flat. The biggest hills we saw were small, "rolling hills." Oklahoma is a land of flat, fertile plains and low hills. Oil and natural gas wells can be seen throughout much of the state. Oklahoma's plains also host large herds of cattle and vast wheat fields. We drove through the state capitol, Oklahoma City and the road there was extremely bumpy, as you can see!
As we drove west through an area of western Oklahoma and Texas known as the High Plains we saw a number of wind turbines, which convert wind power to electricity. This is known as a renewable energy source because, unlike oil or coal, wind is a resource that will never run out:
The area of Texas we drove through is called the Panhandle because it sticks out from the rest of the state, much like the handle of a pan. The panhandle is a rectangular area bordered by the state of New Mexico to the west and Oklahoma to the north and east. Here is Adventure Dog helping navigate our way through Texas:
It was also in Texas that we found Dylan's favorite rest stop:
From Texas, we entered New Mexico, a state covered mostly by mountains and desert. New Mexico is the sixth most sparsely inhabited state in the U.S. Among U.S. states, New Mexico has the highest percentage of Hispanics at 43%, comprising both recent immigrants and descendants of Spanish colonists. It also has the third-highest percentage of Native Americans. The tribes represented in the state consist of mostly Navajo and Pueblo peoples. As a result, the demographics and culture of the state are unique for their strong Spanish, Mexican, and Native American cultural influences. It was a beautiful drive through New Mexico, especially since the sun was going down:
We drove late in to the night, going through Albequerque (the largest city in New Mexico) and finally stopped for the night in Gallup, where Adventure Dog and Dylan went right to bed:
Day 3
Gallup, New Mexico to Los Angeles, California
656 Miles
9 Hours
In the morning Adventure Dog must have been hungry because when I woke up I found him ordering a large breakfast from room service:
Once we hit the road it wasn't long before we were in Arizona, which is one of the "Four Corners" states. It borders New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, California, touches Colorado, and has a 389-mile international border with Mexico. In addition to the Grand Canyon, many other national forests, parks, monuments, and Indian reservations are located in the state.
Arizona is noted for its desert climate, exceptionally hot summers, and mild winters, but the high country in the north features pine forests and mountain ranges with cooler weather than the lower deserts. We drove through that very part of the state (the high country) and I was surprised to actually find snow in Arizona:
It was also in Arizona that we saw the first signs for our final destination, Los Angeles, and that was a good feeling, even though we still had more than a few hours to go:
The rest of the day was spent driving through the deserts of Arizona and (finally) California, where in some areas the highway exits were more than 50 miles apart. Then, at around 4:00 in the afternoon we arrived in Los Angeles. Here we are just after arriving:
And here is Dylan pointing out the orange tree in my new front yard:
Los Angeles is the largest city in the state of California and the second largest in the United States. Often abbreviated as L.A. and nicknamed The City of Angels, Los Angeles has an estimated population of 3.8 million and spans over 498.3 square miles in Southern California. Additionally, the Los Angeles metropolitan area is home to nearly 12.9 million residents, who hail from all over the globe and speak 224 different languages. Los Angeles is the seat of Los Angeles County, the most populated and one of the most diverse counties in the United States. Its inhabitants are known as "Angelinos."
Los Angeles was founded September 4, 1781, by Spanish governor Felipe de Neve as El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles de la Porciúncula (The Village of Our Lady, the Queen of the Angels of Porziuncola). It became a part of Mexico in 1821, following its independence from Spain. In 1848, at the end of the Mexican-American War, Los Angeles and California were purchased as part of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, thereby becoming part of the United States. Railroads arrived when the Southern Pacific completed its line to Los Angeles in 1876. Oil was discovered in 1892, and by 1923 Los Angeles was producing one-quarter of the world's petroleum.
By 1900, the population had grown to more than 102,000 people, putting pressure on the city's water supply. 1913's completion of the Los Angeles Aqueduct (which pipes water in from Owens River, more than 200 miles away), under the supervision of William Mulholland, assured the continued growth of the city.
In the 1920s, the motion picture and aviation industries flocked to Los Angeles. In 1932, with population surpassing one million, the city hosted the Summer Olympics.
Los Angeles is subject to earthquakes due to its location in the Pacific Ring of Fire. The geologic instability produces numerous fault lines both above and below ground, which altogether cause approximately 10,000 earthquakes every year. One of the major fault lines is the San Andreas Fault. Located at the boundary between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate, it is predicted to be the source of Southern California's next big earthquake. Major earthquakes to have hit the Los Angeles area include the 2008 Chino Hills earthquake, 1994 Northridge earthquake, the 1987 Whittier Narrows earthquake, the 1971 San Fernando earthquake near Sylmar, and the 1933 Long Beach earthquake.
The name given by the Chumash tribe of Native Americans for the area now known as Los Angeles translates to "the valley of smoke." because of the smog from native campfires. Because of it's location and heavy reliance on automobiles Los Angeles suffers from air pollution in the form of smog. The Los Angeles Basin and the San Fernando Valley are susceptible to atmospheric inversion, which holds in the exhausts from road vehicles, airplanes, locomotives, shipping, manufacturing, and other sources. Unlike other large cities that rely on rain to clear smog, Los Angeles gets only 15 inches of rain each year: pollution accumulates over many consecutive days. Issues of air quality in Los Angeles and other major cities led to the passage of early national environmental legislation, including the Clean Air Act. More recently, the state of California has led the nation in working to limit pollution by mandating low emission vehicles.
Day 4
Hollywood, California
Los Angeles is probably best known as the movie-making capitol of the world. The area of Los Angeles known as Hollywood is the center of US film and television production. Early filmmakers first came to Los Angeles because of the mild temperatures and general lack of rainfall. Early silent movies (the first film shot in Los Angeles was produced in 1906) were shot outside, where directors could take advantage of the bright sun, which they used instead of lights. It was not long before nearly the entire film industry was based in Hollywood, where it grew to the giant industry that it is today.
Before sending Adventure Dog on to his next adventure we took him out to see some sights. First, we saw Charlie Chaplin's studio, which he built in 1917. Chaplin, a comic film maker who's signature character was known as The Little Tramp, was the biggest star in the world and he designed this studio so that it would appear from the outside like a village in his native England (it still does to this day). It is now the home of Jim Henson Productions (creators of The Muppets):
Next, we went to the location of an old (and very funny) short film starring Laurel & Hardy called the Music Box, which was made in 1932. In this film Laurel & Hardy are movers who have trouble getting a piano (the "music box") up a large flight of steps. When the film was made there was very little around the steps but, as you can see, they're now surrounded by houses on either side. It's neat to see the actual staircase where the film was made. This is how they appeared in The Music Box:
And here is what they look like today:
Finally, we went to Hollywood Blvd., where famous stars are honored with "stars" built in to the sidewalk. Adventure Dog asked if he could pose with a few of his favorites:
Also on Hollywood Blvd. is the famous Grauman's Chinese Theatre, where movie stars are honored by casting their hand and feet in cement. As a big Star Wars fan, Adventure Dog wanted to pose by the prints of Han Solo, who was played by Harrison Ford:
Well, that wraps up our Los Angeles adventure. When Dylan was at the airport to catch his flight back to Nashville, Adventure Dog tried to go along with him but he's got more adventures ahead so I'm sending him off on his next mission:
lass helped to collect toothbrushes for me to bring to Jamaica, and I came into school and showed you all a slide show - maybe you can tell Mrs. Soulier about that.
Soon after we crossed the border from Arkansas to Oklahoma the land around us went from hilly to mostly flat. The biggest hills we saw were small, "rolling hills." Oklahoma is a land of flat, fertile plains and low hills. Oil and natural gas wells can be seen throughout much of the state. Oklahoma's plains also host large herds of cattle and vast wheat fields. We drove through the state capitol, Oklahoma City and the road there was extremely bumpy, as you can see!
And here is Dylan pointing out the orange tree in my new front yard:
And here is what they look like today:
Well, that wraps up our Los Angeles adventure. When Dylan was at the airport to catch his flight back to Nashville, Adventure Dog tried to go along with him but he's got more adventures ahead so I'm sending him off on his next mission:
