Lining up for Episode 1

LA is a strange town. Arriving well after midnight we left LAX for Hollywood, ending up in a traffic jam on the freeway, and I thought NYC traffic was bad. Once in Hollywood we headed for Mann's Chinese Theatre, and the countingdown.com lineup. Over the months since planning our trip Ayaz joined the group, helping run the website, while working on Park Wars - the wonderful merge of South Park meets the Episode 1 trailers.

The first morning brought ticket sales for opening day of Episode 1, still one week away. A line of fans wrapped around the block, while the countingdown crew took their places at the front of the line (buying up many of the first showing tickets). Our plan was to wait until tickets were in hand, before heading off on our adventures in the wild places of California. Ayaz decided to stay in LA for the week to continue with countingdown projects, while my brother Mike and I headed for the hills.

LA is actually surrounded by mountains, big ones, only you can't see them from the city due to all the smog. The trip continues as we cross those mountains and out on the road to the desert and Death Valley. After visiting Yosemite National Park, Big Sur, and Lake Casitas we rejoined Ayaz in line, two days before opening day to attend the midnight showing of Episode 1, the Phantom Menace.

“They call Los Angeles 'The City of Angels'. I didn't find it to be that exactly, but all in all there are some nice people there.”

-- The Stranger, The Big Lebowski