During my second week on the road, I stopped in Las Vegas to take care of some administrative fun, including registering my motorcycle and picking up my veteran license plates for the Winnebago. When I was in Las Vegas a few weeks prior, I discovered a great location to park an RV right on the strip, so I stayed there again. It’s a great feeling to go out in Vegas and have the cab bring me “home” at night.

After a friendly Apple employee heard about my trip, he hooked me up with a spare battery for my MacBook Pro. I left the Apple Store in Caesars Palace with money in my pocket, so I decided to sit down at the roulette table and proceeded to win $800 – a sure sign that it was time to leave Las Vegas!

I picked up the next morning and headed for Arizona. Las Vegas was…well…Las Vegas, so I was ready for some relaxation. I heard about a desolate place outside of Wickenburg, Arizona from a truck driver while I was getting gas and set off to explore. It had just rained in the desert, so the area was unusually green. Sid, my Jack Russell Terrier, loved the area – aside from the cactus spines – which he never seemed to be able to avoid. We stayed parked in the middle of nowhere for a few days and hiked out in a different direction every morning. I promised myself that I wouldn’t leave until I climbed Vulture Peak, which we finally got to on the 4th day.

One aspect about having an RV that I really like is that I can stock up on supplies and head into the wilderness for days or weeks at a time.

Here are a few shots of the area around Wickenburg, Arizona where I stayed for a few days – you can see the Winnebago in the background of both images with Sid in them and in the other image, the dirt road that I came in on. (click to expand images)

While I was heading east on my road trip, I spent a few days in Las Vegas and popped in to see Jason Alexander at Planet Hollywood, where he is performing a new show that spoofs on self-help gurus. A few months ago, in preparation for the “Donny Clay Experience”, I was involved in the production of some of the video segments that were filmed to support the show and character. Getting the chance to meet Jason Alexander, who also hails from New Jersey, was exciting. As many people who were alive in the 90′s, I’m a big fan of his work as George Costanza on the show Seinfeld.

The production that I was involved in also starred Don “Hollywood” Yates, who you may also know as “Wolf” from the show American Gladiators. In the skit, motivational speaker Donny Clay proves his commitment to commitment by staying connected to Yate’s testicles for several days.  I included a few stills from the production, which can be seen as part of the Donny Clay Experience at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas for the next few weeks.

In case you were unaware, I’m currently on an extended road trip across the United States.

During my first week on the road, I decided to drive North and finally snap a photo that I was tossing around in my head since my first Pismo Beach trip. About a year ago, I discovered the miles of sand dunes that sit between the beach and lush farmland near Guadeloupe, CA. I knew that when the sun was setting over those dunes, it would make for a wonderful backdrop with warm, even lighting – and so I went back North, up the coast of California before leaving it behind for 12 months on the road.

En route, I stopped for a night along the Pacific Coast Highway near Santa Barbara and slept with my bedroom windows open – just a few feet from the waves. (Lethal Weapon style) Actually, there were hundreds of RV’s lined up along that stretch of PCH. The real estate doesn’t get much better than that.

Before making my way up to Pismo Beach, I spent a few days in Los Alamos, home of Full of Life Flatbread – a favorite dining destination of mine. Clark Staub, the owner, took me around to the farmers markets where he and Chef Brian Collins do their weekly shopping and plan the menu. (which changes weekly based on what looks good and is in season)

I shot some photos of their fresh dishes and packaging for their website and also had the opportunity to photograph Clark, Brian Collins and Evan Klein (master of the wood fired oven) for Edible Santa Barbara Magazine.

While I was in Los Alamos, I put over 100 miles on the new motorcycle, since the hilly roads are great for riding and the weather was gorgeous. I included a photo (below) of a spot where I stopped my bike to eat lunch in the Los Padres National Forest. It was an amazing scene.

I did eventually make it up to the Pismo Dunes, where I spent a two nights parked right against the sand. Sid, my Jack Russell Terrier,  loved it out on the dunes and I managed to toy around with the idea that I was tossing around in my head.  More to come from that shoot soon…

“Creation is a better means of self-expression than possession; it is through creating, not possessing, that life is revealed.” - Vida Dutton Scudder

As you may have noticed, over the past few months, I’ve been taking 1-2 week-long trips; basing myself out of Los Angeles and exploring the South Western US. Aside from the fun and adventure that these road trips brought about, there was an underlying purpose for my experimentation with various transportation and living arrangements.

From luxury cars and hotels through to renting motor homes of all sizes, I’ve been determining the most suitable way to see the rest of the country in 2010. After getting over the initial fear of driving a 21…25…and finally a 31 foot RV, it was clear that a moderately sized motor home could take me most places and provide me with a home on the road. For all of the places that it can’t take me, I’ve attached a small motorcycle to the back of a Winnebago Outlook. (Until I am debunked, I’m claiming to be the youngest Winnebago owner in the world)

And so, three weeks ago I finished selling and donating most of my non-essential physical possessions and left Los Angeles to spend some time exploring the Central Coast of California in my new Winnebago. I’ve since spent sunny days and windy nights in the deserts of Nevada – and just left Las Vegas after a few nights on the strip.

It is both an odd and invigorating feeling to know that I don’t have a “home” to return to. Everything that I own is with me right now as I set out to see and experience more of the United States from the ground level. Below is a tentative road map of where I’ll be heading; although routes and plans will most definitely change based on interesting discoveries along the way.

Have any unusual landmarks, glorious landscapes or fantastic food recommendations along my route? I’m always appreciative of local suggestions!