Victor Pride Highway is a new series in which I detail my travels. You can think of it as the Victor Pride Travel Diary. This is the first edition.
Victor Pride Highway #1
Thursday
8 pm - I'm making the long drive from Albuquerque to Los Angeles to clean out my storage space there. I stopped off for the night in Flagstaff, AZ, a nice little mountain town. The campground I wanted to stay at was excellent but it was totally booked.
I drove around for 45 minutes looking for a new place to camp for the night. I settled on a spot pretty far into the forest. At this campground I have no neighbors (except bugs) and I have no smartphone service (boo-hoo). I can hear the coyotes howling and some cattle or bigger game mooing.
I'm sleeping in my Chevy Tahoe tonight. I outfitted the back with a cot. This will be my first night sleeping in the Tahoe but it's not my first night sleeping in a vehicle. In my high school days I would sometimes sleep in my car after spending the day at the lake swimming with my friends.
Tonight I am alone with nothing but the bugs and the sounds of the many animals to keep me company. This will be the first night in so many years that I am not playing on the phone or the computer. So far so good.
It's 8 pm and I've been going to sleep around 12:30 am due to a mild case of insomnia. Right now I'm sitting outside in my chair with a headlamp, writing in my notebook. The bugs are all over me. I'd planned to sleep with the windows down to allow for a cool breeze, but with the bugs who knows. We'll see what happens.
For dinner I ate a buffalo steak. It cost $25 and 30 seconds after I put it in my frying pan, the portable cooker ran out of propane and stopped working. I'm at least an hour from town and it's dusk, the time between day and night, so buying more propane is out of the question. I got some charcoal and dowsed it with lighter fluid to start a small fire. I sat the frying pan directly on top of the burning coals to finish cooking my steak.
The method worked, but my $25 buffalo steak was not delicious. I like my steak seared over a roaring hot pan, I don't like slow cooked red meat and because the coals did not produce a big fire, slow cooked meat was what I got. The meal was filling but I'd be lying if I said I enjoyed it. It was merely alright, satisfactory to cure my hunger but not enough to cure my desire to eat something delicious.
On the drive from Albuquerque to Arizona, I noticed that I barely hit any bugs on my windshield. When I took road-trips 10 or 15 years ago, my windshield would be covered in bugs and I'd have to stop a few times to clean the windshield. Now? I barely hit any bugs and did not have to clean my windshield. As I was driving I asked myself where did all the bugs go? Writing this now, I guess all the bugs were waiting for me at the Coconino National Forest where I'd set up camp.
At 8 pm the stars are out and the moon is a bright orange. Tonight is a full moon. 28 days ago I was on top of a mountain in New Mexico looking at the full moon. I will not be sleeping in pitch black tonight like I had anticipated. The full moon has other plans for me, and I really hope I don't turn into a werewolf tonight. Just joking.
Friday
7:30 am - I woke up to the bright and hot sun at 7:30 am. Last night the moon was so bright I did not see any stars after nightfall. It was also perfectly quiet last night. The bugs did not bother me and the animals all went to sleep. But because of the bright moon I slept mediocre.
9 pm - Tonight was a real whirlwind. Let me start at the beginning. I packed up and left Flagstaff early this morning. It was a 7 hour car ride to my destination at the Angeles National Forest in California where I'd planned to camp for the night and then drive in to Los Angeles the next morning.
The drive from Arizona to California is mostly through the Mojave desert. In the desert it got as hot as 115 F/46 C and stayed between 108-112 F/42-44 C for 4 hours. My vents blew cold air so the heat was not a problem for me. The drive was not the best simply because of the barren and desolate landscape.
Not many people choose to live out in the desert and I cannot blame them. I went through several hours where I did not see any houses and few gas stations. There were also not many police patrolling this area, so I sped and made excellent time.
I got to the Angeles National Forest and found a campsite before 5pm. Since it was early, I decided to go check out some of the other campgrounds and run into town to pick up some ice and gasoline.
Driving up the mountain took an hour and a half and my gas tank was less than a quarter full by the time I got to the top and found a camping spot. I figured I'd easily drive down the other side of the mountain and get gas and ice.
On the drive down the mountain I was acutely aware that my gas tank was nearing empty. I'd need gas soon, very soon, and I thought it was a good idea to do it tonight instead of waiting to fill the tank in the morning. On the way down the mountain I ran into a sign that I did not like seeing.
It said “ROAD CLOSED” and led to a detour.
Uh oh, I thought. I'm at a point where I simply cannot drive back up the mountain because I will run out of gasoline for sure.
I had to take the chance of taking the detour down the mountain. And it took forever to get down the mountain, and each second that passed I could see my fuel gauge getting closer to E (empty).
The mountain road was an endless series of twists and turns and there were no gas stations whatsoever. My phone had no service so I could not search the map either. I had to simply guess which way to go because the detour road was not marked very well and showed no indication of which way I was going, other than down the mountain.
I drove down the mountain blind, hoping I'd make it into town before I ran out of gas. Thank God I was driving down the mountain and not up, I was able to conserve my gasoline by coasting down the many steep hills.
It took me a full hour and a half to get down the mountain with my gas tank nearly empty. It was quite an adventure and I did not know if I would make it down the mountain or if I would run out of gas on the mountain. But I eventually made it down the mountain and into town and filled up my gas tank.
It was a nice little California town called La Cañada Flintridge. In town I had phone service, so I took a look at the map. I was now closer to my final destination of Marina Del Rey, a beach suburb of Los Angeles, than I was to my camping spot in the Angeles National Forest. My camping spot was one and a half hours up the mountain and Marina Del Rey was only an hour away.
It was now 7 pm. I decided to make the run to Marina Del Rey to get my stuff out of storage. Then I'd see what could be done about sleeping. Perhaps I could make the drive back to the mountain or maybe I'd be able to find a spot near Marina Del Rey.
I got to the storage spot about 7:30 pm (I sped) and looked for my locker. The storage space had 3 floors and I walked all 3 floors looking for my storage locker, which I could not find.
Two years earlier I was in Phuket and decided I didn't want to return to the United States. I sent RedSteve, the then intern for Red Supplements, on a plane from Thailand to LAX (Los Angeles airport) to pack up my apartment and put some of my stuff in storage. There was a storage space one block from my old apartment and I'd simply assumed that's where my stuff was. But it wasn't.
I emailed RedSteve to get the information and it turns out my stuff was in a locker in El Segundo, about 20 minutes from Marina Del Rey. I went there, I found my locker, I put in the code to open the lock and … nothing. The lock would not open.
It was nearing 9 pm and I knew that there was no way I was going back to the mountain to camp. I decided to deal with the storage space in the morning. That would also give me some time to drive around my old stomping grounds and relive some memories.
I found a cheap local hotel, paid $137, and I spent the night there. In the hotel I ate a beef patty, cottage cheese, and sauerkraut, one of my new favorite meals.
Saturday
7 pm - I’m back in the forest outside of flagstaff. Today I made the drive from Los Angeles back to Arizona. I found a very peaceful and serene campsite very far out from the other campers. It was free too.
I’m in a “dispersed camping” area which is free because it does not have any amenities. There are no picnic tables, no camp hosts to sell you firewood, no toilets, and no running water. I love it so far. I can hear the animals mooing and howling and it’s just 7 pm.
It’s nearing sunset and I’m writing this in the time between day and night. A fella could do alright living out of his vehicle in free campsites around the US. It’s usually a 14 day limit for camping, but if you just move between campsites you can basically live in nature in 14 day periods.
This morning I woke up at 8 am, I had my breakfast, and then I got to the storage space at 9:03 am and was able to open the lock and clear out all of my stuff. I was delighted to find my old boots in the locker. I’d been thinking about them since 2 years prior when I left Los Angeles.
Arriving in Marina Del Rey this morning, I was surprised to find a flood of memories return to me. I’d lived in the Los Angeles area for 16 months a couple of years prior. Driving into the city I was nearly instantly reminded it is my favorite city in the US.
Today, I was instantly transported back to that time where it felt that nothing was impossible and all you ever have to do is work for it. I’d loved living in Los Angeles, but I’d needed to leave.
When I left Los Angeles those years ago, I’d ended up in Phuket. It was in Phuket where I said aloud what I already knew in my heart: “I don’t want to go back to the US.”
So right then and there, I bought RedSteve a ticket to LAX to clean out my apartment, sell all my furniture and electronics, put my books in storage and get back out to Asia and get to work on building the business.
Today, I was reminded of how much I like Los Angeles and the surrounding areas. Los Angeles is full of energy and sex appeal. Nowhere else in the United States do I see pretty girls. I rarely see pretty girls in New Mexico or Texas or Kansas or Oklahoma. I always see pretty girls in Los Angeles.
One thing I never noticed during my 16 months in LA is the smog. Los Angeles has a thick haze of pollution covering it. To my younger eyes, I simply never noticed it. I thought LA just had a constant fog.
When I lived there it rained all the time so it’s not wild to believe it was often foggy. But today it was obvious that it wasn't fog. After driving in from Angeles National Forest, it’s impossible not to notice the thick haze of pollution that hovers over Los Angeles and the surrounding cities. The haze only went away about an hour outside of Los Angeles.
Now I'm out here in the forest with a notebook and a pen. It's so quiet here that the memories of leaving Los Angeles and arriving back in Asia all come flooding back to me. The forest background cleared up my thoughts and made everything clear.
I guess I don’t get the opportunity to think much when I’m in the hustle and bustle of the city. Out here in the forest, the memories are easy.
The drive from LA to Flagstaff is a pretty breezy 6-7 hours through the Mojave Desert. Though it isn’t a beautiful drive, it isn’t altogether unpleasant and it goes by quickly.
My Chevy Tahoe is filled up with the boxes from my storage unit. Sleeping in there tonight is going to be tight, but I’ll manage.
I have to admit, I slept well in the hotel last night. It was cold, fairly quiet except for a humming mini-fridge, and it was dark. Outside, when it’s in a tent or the Tahoe, I never seem to sleep well. We’ll see how it goes tonight.
It’s 7:45 pm and nearly dark. The sun is a deep orange under a light blue sky. I can hear the “moo” and “owwww” sounds of all the animals. My camping spot is remote. I have nobody that I can see near me. I drove to the very back of one of the designated dispersed campgrounds.
It’s just me and the crickets and the howling coyotes. I’ve got nothing but a flashlight, a notebook and a pen, and my memories to keep me company.
Sunday
8 am - I slept well last night. The sun did not bother me in the morning and the bugs left me alone all night. The stars were incredible last night. They were so bright and vibrant. I never see the stars like that in the city. Now I will make the drive back to Albuquerque where I will plan my next trip.
This has been the first edition of Victor Pride Highway. Stay tuned for more.
Good read man..!!
Give a man a pen and a notepad and the rest is history…
Pleasant read.
Great and interesting read. The part where the gas started to run out was exciting although I don’t wish you that kind of trouble. I really enjoy the new storytelling direction of B&D. You’ve written great motivation pieces over the years and they are still here for anyone to rediscover when they feel like it.
As a long time follower who has recently started to get out of my own way and gained some momentum I don’t feel I need anymore external motivation. Like you’ve said everyone seems to need a third eye to tell them what is real and what is not. That third eye is someone elses opinion. An authoritive opinion.
Many times before I caught myself Googling to see if anybody else had written an article about the subject of my thought, realization or epiphany to legitimize that what was in my head was to be trusted. Along with Google censoring the search engine results and as I found less and less confirming material I used to get frustrated. Now I trust my instinct and have stopped searching for external justification of my internal thoughts. I believe my own two eyes and a third eye is no longer necessary. However there are still times my ego can misdirect me but that is all part of it. It happens less often now though.
Again looking forward to more storytelling from you, Vic. It feels new and fresh. Thanks for sharing.
“Many times before I caught myself Googling to see if anybody else had written an article about the subject of my thought, realization or epiphany to legitimize that what was in my head was to be trusted. Along with Google censoring the search engine results and as I found less and less confirming material I used to get frustrated.”
It’s no surprise you found nothing on Google confirming your thoughts. Google is totally useless for finding good content. It’s good for finding phone numbers and addresses. For finding good content it is absolutely useless. Reddit, Quora, and YouTube are all better currently. Also, very few people take the time to create content. That’s why I started B&D. Nobody was around talking about the things I wanted to talk about. The audience was there, but nobody had yet stepped forward.
Now that you mention it, I found out today that Google, “forgot” to index 10 of my earlier articles. A few of them, are pretty controversial. If I hadn’t checked my “Excluded” links, I would have never known.
I compiled and published a list of 20 killer blogs a month ago. I figure, the only way you find good content these days is from other content creators linking to it unless you make it yourself.
You really, really, really need to know how to use search terms to increase accuracy, which defeats the purpose of searching on Google in the first place. Might as well use the library, which is probably still a better resource honestly.
Yes I agree. I’ve worked with SEO and and copywriting for a big online retailer and the hassle of putting up with Googles ever changing algorithms made me decide to never ever work that kind of work ever again.
The grind it took to churn out category page texts, product desscriptions and blog posts gave little to no pay off because Google decided to make Google Ads more part of the first page and only the established authorities ranked for texts. It might differ a bit for sites that are not retailers though. That is a cut throat game.
It was a hard market to start ranking in the search results because we were late to the content game. Anyways, not a fan of Google recently but they do still benefit most people including me so can’t complain too much.
Good to have you back, Vic.
Your absence shook a few of us there. I actually thought you ran into trouble for a moment, glad to have another post up here. Pretty chill mode here, a good postscript to all the intense stuff you posted of late. Cheers.
There’s no reason to be shook. I’m simply a busy beaver, spending my time traveling and enjoying the natural life. When I’m back in some crowded city somewhere, the regular articles will commence. Until then, I’m gonna be howlin’ at the moon.
Good to hear.
I like it, thank you. I was just saying to myself that you’d been quite for a while, good to hear from you.
Vic, if this is the real you, I mean this with concern and nothing else:
I don’t think this is the real Vic. Tone of voice is different. Vic was gone for a month and I suspect someone with nefarious motives either harmed him or appropriated the blog and posted this article. It doesn’t sound like Vic.
Vic, any chance you could do a YouTube vid, even a quick one, to verify this is the real you? I don’t mean to sound annoying or retarded, but truth tellers have previously been killed off and their work appropriated for the elite to use. And Israel tried to buy B&D as you said.
Hence our concern of this post especially after a month-long hiatus.
The tone is different for sure, but I highly doubt anything happened. Sometimes people change, for better or for worse. Some people lose their passion, drive and desire in life. Others gain it. Either way, there are many reasons why the tone could be different here.
Is this a joke?
How long have you been reading this blog?
This is undoubtedly Vic.
Talk of the LA smog, turning into a werewolf, beef patty with cottage cheese and sauerkraut…
Stop being schizophrenic.
Have you even listened to his podcasts?
“Vic, if this is the real you, I mean this with concern and nothing else:
I don’t think this is the real Vic.”
Friend, I would advise you take some time away from the internet.
OK this comment convinced me it’s Vic.
Welcome back!
A deep learning AI bot could have easily trawled B&D to come up with that short response…
;-)
This was great to read thanks Vic
Great read, Vic. Looking forward to more of this series.
Any views on having fun in life, Vic? Monk mode is great and all but I feel like life could be a bit more colorful with a few females in the mix. I don’t mean being a degenerate sexer, I mean flirting with cute girls, making out with a few, etc. Don’t you feel you miss some of that? It made me feel alive. Monk mode great too but life less colorful that way.
PS I like RooshV but he has fallen into the Christianity trap. Just another form of control over the masses. Please stay original, unaffiliated, and don’t adopt a mass viewpoint like that. Buddha’s are always alone.
Christianity is all about being “good”. Dont think our favorite author is Christian.
Friend, if Christianity works for him then God bless him. It’s by no means a trap, as many good men, including your grandfather and great grandfather were Christian. At the end of the day one can only be judged by their actions. General good morals are more important than the specifics of what one believes. If Christianity helps people have a sense of purpose and get those morals so be it.
The fun is setting big goals and smashing them. Not being average and fitting into the system.
Pound some ass partner
“Any views on having fun in life, Vic? Monk mode is great and all but I feel like life could be a bit more colorful with a few females in the mix.”
Monk Mode is a temporary strategy to achieve a goal or to conquer your own mind. Monk Mode is not intended to be practiced every day of your life. I would not recommend following Monk Mode every day of the year. Again, it is a temporary strategy.
Once you follow Monkmode you should see some new truths about the world, especially how casual sex is useless. Monkmode is great but for fun I’d recommend spending lots of time with friends, going to the shooting range, hunting, going out to dinner with friends and family, lifting weights and practicing sports. Keep in mind you should probably be spending multiple hours a day with friends, as they do in other countries. ‘Fun with the girls’ is useless. You don’t need to follow Monkmode 24/7 but u should follow your principles and morals like a man.
The diet advice in Monkmode is golden but if you are are still fairly young, you probably don’t have to be as strict as they recommend. Just get the high quality nutrients like raw milk or a steak, and if you want to eat some other stuff with friends go ahead and do so in moderation.
Good read. But bro. With all that steak you be eating and little carbs or veggies you must have a hard time shitting. Do you get constipated a lot?
Nah, never.
But…how? Meat only leaves me more plugged up than a homo in San Fran, I need the veggies.
Also fat plugs me up while it causes diarrhea for others. Weird.
Are you sure it’s constipation or just not having to poop?
When I’m doing strict carnivore I poop once every two days and it’s usually one small compact smooth piece.
When you eat carnivore there is simply less waste
I don’t know. Just feels like I have to struggle more to get it out and doesn’t feel natural. On the other side of the spectrum. Once I went vegetarian. Big mistake. It was like I had been eating baby food all day. I almost needed to wear a diaper.
Not sure. I know when I tried being vegetarian for a month it was the opposite effect. Like I had been eating baby food all day. That was a huge mistake.
Damn, when I made the 30 hour trip from Chicago to Boise, a year ago, I should have wrote it down. It was a beautiful journey.
I plan on buying another high quality camera soon, Idaho and Wyoming both have some pretty incredible landscapes.
Here is a car camping tip:
Buy some bug nets for the windows. It will allow fresh air to come in.
Also if you decide to set up a tent, make sure to try and find a spot that will be shady come morning. The sun gets hot in the mountains.
The Rockies are beautiful as well and a very nice climate this time of year. Montana and Colorado have some beautiful sights to see from the mountains.
Excellent finally being able to read another article from Uncle Vic.
Looking forward to 37 steps Pt II
Enjoyed your story and hearing what you think about Los Angeles. I have lived there too after returning from Thailand and I enjoy it. I especially enjoy seeing the Mexican families in east Los Angeles where I live. It was less uppity there and that’s my preference. Those free campgrounds you encountered sound good, that’s a real natural experience. The kind of place you even have to bring your own little poop shovel!
On my last full day in Los Angeles I ended up in a Mexican super market. Right then, I realized I should have lived in the Mexican part of town instead of the “uppity” part of town.
Longtime follower here. It was exciting to receive the email announcing a new series of blogs on travel.
Granted, this was the first post on a long journey through remote areas, but I was expecting more on Victor’s insights on different lifestyles. Here’s a guy that has traveled and lived throughout the world. It’s not just about bugs, steak and running out of gas.
The Marina Del Ret reflection was great.
What does the journey really mean? What’s running through your head in that rural campground when you think of it in comparison to all of the other places you have been? Thoughts about the millions of miles that you’ve traveled as you now sit in the middle of the wilderness?
What’s the difference between the “skinny-fat country boy” that used to sleep in his car and the Victor that he has now become?
Travel blogging is great, but get Victor Pride’s Viking hammer out and slam it!
Looking forward to more travels.
The bugs sure made an impression
Love it . It feels like I’m reading a novel. I am alone too now. No bugs either. I make sure to sneak in my room.quickly to not get the mosquitoes inside. Summers in Greece bring bugs. I spent 3 hours training jiu jitsu and Muay Thai and then walked around the town today . Yesterday I used your 1000 star hotel metaphor and impressed my Italian friend :) You are still invited in my family hotel here in Rhodes Vic.
Thanks for letting us know you are still alive.
Vaios
I love this new idea of yours, Victor. I wanted to do something like this for my first blog, but I couldn’t get enough time away. It’s something I will do when I get more free time, though.
Please keep this up-your first travel post was a great read.
You should check out Havasu Falls and Sedona in Arizona. Few places like it in the world. Also West Fork nearby Sedona.
Very cool. Oddly enough written in journal entry form it reminds me of my grandmother’s writing. And that’s not a rip or anything, she’s been a published author for years and always takes note of the little things - such as the bugs. Felt like a familiar read. Looking forward to what’s next and also an inspiration to start writing again.
Hey Vic loving the on the Highway series. guess you were heading to Chilao or Buckhorn campground haha. Just camped in that area last weekend. On the detour we turned into the Upper Big Tujunga road that connects back to Angeles Crest Highway 2 then towards the camp sites. You probably wouldn’t have been able to make it there though with a nearly empty gas tank so it’s good that you went back to the city.
Definitely worth camping on those sites though!
Good to hear your back Vic
There are no more insects on our windshields because we drown our farmland in herbicides and pesticides and because of ever inceasing monoculture. The insect kingdom can’t recover from that onslaught. “More than 40% of insect species are declining and a third are endangered, the analysis found. The rate of extinction is eight times faster than that of mammals, birds and reptiles. The total mass of insects is falling by a precipitous 2.5% a year, according to the best data available, suggesting they could vanish within a century.”
Support farmers who use traditional methods and who do not relay on tons of chemicals in order to secure a good harvest.
Vic,
Thanks for sharing, that was an enjoyable read. Its nice to see a different side of your persona.
Everything you write is always “you” but some articles are more humanizing than others.
This in particular is quite relatable for me, brings back great memories of one of my own travels, very similar in route. Makes me want to see LA again. I also noticed the higher than average rate of attractive females.
There’s just something special about that place. Maybe it’s the dirt, maybe its in the water, but there is magic is Southern California it is undeniable.
La canyada is a beautiful place, as is flagstaff. Angeles National forest is an oasis. I spent a great deal of time there trying my best to “beat the system” and live free.
Your 14 day camping limit observation is accurate, you can simply move 50 feet in any direction, I’ve lived all across the country in this exact way.
Freecampsites.net has a good network of places for “backcountry camping”.
It lists many places beyond the beaten path.
Fantastic read. Interesting to hear you connect so strongly to LA and that comment about sexy girls only being in LA.
Roosh was saying during his tour that wisconsin is good for girls to settle down with (I.e. Not super hot, not jaded still got a little naivety to them)
I thought you said you would never have casual sex again. I believe you called it degenerate.
Is that still your view? I mean, I agree in theory but it’s not so easy in practice.
Hard to pass up a quick hookup with a bombshell in SoCal. It’s sooo tough turning down an opp with an attractive female, harder than turning down money even.
Good q. Thoughts, Vic?
Cool to read what you are up to Vic!
the starving man eats the best pussy.
Vic could you make s video to let us know if it’s you???
Glad to see you back!
Nice seeing something different; very enjoyable read, and we look forward to you sharing your adventures with us.
Hey, Boys..Vic has been drilling into our heads for years on how we need to be getting the most out of our lives..If you haven’t picked it up by now, and are at least following some of the basic principles by now, then you’re most likely not getting it… Read” New World Ronin.”.that should be your B.I.B.L.E. (B)asic (I)nstructions (B)efore (L)eaving (E)arth.
Vic warned us a few reads back, that he may not always be presenting B & D in the same format that we are accustomed to…life is about change, if you aint changing, you aint living.. Just like we don’t have Full Color Godcast anymore…geez I miss that, the question and answer sessions
Good Day!
Glad to see your back in action with the word, also wanted to say Mahalo for setting up my site with BadNet recently, I have read most of your books, blog and I am constantly inspired by your no nonsense straight off the cuff, jabbing & stabbing with the simple and direct no BS approach. Keep throwing them right hooks & knock out blows to the fellas at large…. The world needs more hardcore straight shooters like you because… Reality Hertz !
I remember travelling through the Central Coast in Australia. It was through country style roads with many kilometres between each fuel station. Reading your paragraph about coasting down the mountain reminded me of the time I nearly gassed out myself on one of the legs in my journey. Fortunately I didn’t have to resort to coasting, but it ended up being pretty tight.
I like the new take you’re going for with this. I have a section on my blog where I document any interesting events that occur (or have already happened) in my life journey - https://absoluteascendancy.com/category/chronicles-of-the-overlord/
Looking forward to the next post.
Travelogues in the form of video would be awesome.
A written travelogue is a bit drier. Not particularly compelling.
I love the short videos you did with your thoughts on the world. More of those please!
To do this without a care in the world. Sounds fun!