life is fast

Los Angeles. the B. the sun.
all could have been sooo easy. cruisn'. chillin'. enjoyin'.
then I got a phone call at 4.30 am from my german rep dagmar. a job is confirmed. have to fly out to europe asap. now all is even better !!! hey, a quick flight over to germany and I even have the chance to see my family and hang out for a bit.
chillin'. enjoyin'. no complaints here !! in the meanwhile the B. will be serviced and then parked at a friend's place ( thanks Rhona ! ) until I am back. it might sound crazy, but I am really happy and can't ask for more. this is only the beginning of a year long journey. the journey in time and space across the USA.

night paintings

all "picture paintings" done in darkness. the lights in the back are from a truck.

crossing the mojave desert

only few cars pass when one drives through mojave desert at night. this actually is just one car.

when I started at 3.30 am to head towards LA it was still 100F/ 37 C ! wide open windows, clear sky , half moon, loud music , almost no cars and the mojave desert in front of me ..... wonderful. trusted the B. to bring me there. and the B.sure did ! when I passed by in Los Bernadinos the B. did spit out another belt .. so I had to replace that, otherwise the engine is overheating. had a spare one with me of course and after 45 minutes we were on the road again. the B brought me that far without any mayor problems and I know there wont be any in the future. nevertheless the B seems like to have a cold. carburetor is clogged. So I will have this replaced this week. Nice treat ... very well deserved.

desert does have water

perfect information when driving through the desert.


empty beach at colorado river near Needles


...was here...


crystal clear water.

starting early to avoid the heat in the desert seemed to be a good idea. only sometimes you just want to get lost in time . the whole idea of a road trip, right ? the B. runs sooo smooth and cool so no need to rush. spent some time in Williams and Seligman. bought an extra carb kit in Kingman for a small touch up on carburetor later in LA. then left for the desert, of course way to late. so the 83 miles to Needles/California were pretty extreme. Thought it would be a good idea not to drive on when temperature is 116 F/46 C at noon time. would be better for the B. to rest and go at night. well, to be honest the B. didn't have a problem at all, in fact the B. did run totally perfect and seemed to enjoy it. the one who had problems was the driver ! it was like driving towards a huge blow dryer. very hot air right in the face from everywhere. so I checked in a Motel in Needles and cooled off a bit. realized that Needles has a huge water sports community at colorado river! found the most beautiful beach with crystal clear water I have ever seen on a river ! and yes, desert does have beautiful waters.

scenic is only a word

wonderful to drive at dawn


early morning shadow


the B. approaching Monument Valley


leaving Utah behind

scenic, this word can't describe how it really is or how it really feels when one sees this amazing landscapes.... started at 5 am in Moab this morning followed by a thumbs up of a truck driver at gas station. no more questions asked... drove south. sun rising and chilly. saw 4 deers chatting ON the road, 2 horses literally graze on shoulder of the very same road, two suicidal gophers trying to get hit by the car while screening the scene , and -no kidding- a huge spider crossing the road. I saw it from far away in full speed approaching. phew. I think it was the size of my hands. passed monument valley. unbelievable beautiful and touching as always. and then pure desert again in Arizona. indian country of Hopi and Navajos. after 7 hours I arrived in Flagstaff. looked for a motel and repair place. wanted the B. to get new rear shocks and some pro looking at my flasher and water gauge issues. found super 8 motel across from goodyear repair . got a discount at motel due to repair at auto shop. brilliant. now the B. is ready to cross the desert tomorrow morning. 5 am. and I am ready for a drink.

monday morning on road going west

little details ...

somehow my blinker / flasher system went nuts.. worked perfectly fine last night and now its acting very funny. with Mike's help here we at least could locate the flasher relay which we thought might be the cause . before that I checked the light bulbs and wires ( as far as I could follow them.. ) went to the local checker auto parts and got something similar , now all is fine except for the one front light.. i might have damaged it when i put it back in ... these little things are keeping you busy for the whole afternoon...

early or never.

saturday sunset on Moab


me and Eugene on La Sal mountain loop road overviewing castle valley. I think in the back that must be the Barracuda.


the driver. the local . the munich guy.

no better way to spend a sunday early morning. there is this photographer friend of mine from munich with whom I photographed some extreme action stuff in the 90 ies . Eugene lives in Munich and we haven't seen for over 6 years. but of course we met in Moab / Utah yesterday !! what are the odds ? took some test drives into the La Sal mountains with the B. of course and had time to catch up . finally. this morning at 6 am he helped me to get some rare images of horses in the first morning light and later on with this crazy cool outdoor maniac Stephen whom I met here. so taking pictures with the 4x5 large format camera and driving the B. in this beautiful landscape... epic ! nothing can beat this on a beautiful sunday morning out here. now back in the cafe for some food . starving again..

da driver drives again

barracuda and sleeping bag


barracuda guarded by "rascal"


barracuda in the morning in front of love muffin cafe / moab

wow. back on the road again ! returned to MOAB / Utah after 4 weeks in the so called "real world" and believe it or not it is kinda strange. feels like parallel universe. beautiful out here ! so first thing I checked the B who was sleeping in Ulla's garage and all is cool. well to be fair we first had a chilled wine and some thai food . I was starving after the long trip.. then started the B and it rocked right away, drove smoothly. ready to roll again. this morning back to love muffin cafe on main street in moab and people I don't even know said: "hey the barracuda is back !" they knew about the whole story already ... man, life is indeed beautiful ! the next days I will head west aiming for Los Angeles to meet some friends there next week. but first a muffin called "dirty knuckles". insanely delicious.

barracuda cards

in the meanwhile i did design some barracuda cards. being on the road and not able to leave my information wasn't good at all. people wanted to follow the blog and it was truly a pain in the neck to find a napkin and pen to write down the blog. so I found a cool online printing place uploaded my design and soon I will hold them in my hands.

I totally agree.

I know. I know. it's been way too long. the job was extended and I just wrapped up. back in NYC now getting ready to go back on the road. laundry, office stuff all that ... the barracuda sleeps in Moab/Utah. Ulla has been taken care and arranged some minor repairs, so all is ready to go. looking for flights now and then we go again. last 3 weeks were very fast and extremely cool. I meet really good people and we had quite some good laughs, even with fruits involved....( I had to say that ) .
So please be patient with me I am on my way .... see you soon. PS: working on the website too. www.thebarracudadriver.com

2 weeks pause for job now. back soon

flooding the Barracuda

water canon from behind.


looks like bubble gum, smells like bubble gum.

I know now that high water pressure automatic car wash are not the best for the B. the side windows have too much play in between so when ever a high pressure water canon shoots in, there will be water inside. perfect. you take a cloth and clean the seats and all too. way cool.

last iced cappucino and morning muffin

getting ready to fly out to Denver and then Portland for the photoshoot. last cappucino and morning muffin [ home made ] in my favorite breaky place love muffin cafe in Moab. I sat here every morning to get the photoshoot updates via web. good food, good peops.

life changes fast

the B. in professor valley. 16 miles from moab. at sunset. 7.45 pm




moab is really a wonderful place to be. for outdoor adventures or simply chilling with friends.
but I have to tell the truth now. two days ago I got a confirmation on a real cool job. so I will park the B. at friend's place and fly out. as it looks like now I will be back in 2 weeks and then proceed my beautiful journey. I didn't plan that, but I am very happy because it makes the rare moments on the road alone even more special to me. this road trip with the B. has been one big dream journey so far and I am very, very grateful for all that happened. I am very excited for the job and excited to come back and go on with the B. where ever the road takes us.

just when you thought you have seen it all...

... so I told you about Chris here in Moab. well, watch this: he rebuilds classic cars. right now he works on a beautiful willie's jeep forward control truck [ what a name ! ] . in two weeks he will than tow this beauty 2000 miles to Maryland behind his bus . to his brother. for whom this truck is for. no need to mention that every little piece was sand blasted before put back and than a beautiful orange /white paint job .. all really outstanding. see the customized bus too.. awesome !! you rock , Chris


chris at his shop.


the willie's with ten more days to go.


testing the willie's


the customized bus with even a shower mounted on the outside. the way to travel

mooooaaaaab/utah

Utah has an amazing landscape and lots of sun.


Utah has rain too. while the sun shines.


energy level jumps with freshly made berry smoothie on the road

driving from New Mexico passing the four corner point [ four states : New Mexico, Arizona, Utah , Colorado ] and entering Utah with its unique landscape is always very thrilling. I just love this place on earth. spend a lot of time photographing there , so I feel I almost know every little creek and gravel road... but I only think I do ... its waaaaay to big . In Moab I met Ulla and Chris again.. good drinks on the porch with breath taking view of the red rocks at sunset... Chris is specialized in old cars and instantly took a test drive... loves the car and the feel . we will check the B. today , lift it and do some small touch ups if needed... next days I will just spend here in Moab. its way to beautiful and I love to meet all the friends and companions I still have here.. not to mention the landscape . almost unreal..

contrast

beauty.



reality.


three feet away.

thought I show you something..... I sleep in very cheap Motels so the B can park three feet away from my door. make sure you dont miss the harlekin hanging nicely framed on the wall ... :-) This room is in the Farmington , New Mexico .

cool sunday

what a day. my good old friend, the living legend Catherine Baca ( worked with her a lot in New Mexico ) called my just when I did the last blog in the early sunday morning. after ten years we just had to talk about soo much, so she made the best sunny side up eggs ever, told me they are really organic , well then ... it was wonderful to have breakfast at her house. after leaving Santa Fe around noon I somehow missed some intersections and ended up... somewhere else.. met beautiful people, photographed with the 4x5 camera, did hit heavy rain in the mountains, had to go off road to get over the mountains ( hard for the Barracuda ) and almost ran out of gas... but we made it ! ha ! after long and lonely ride over winding roads I finally arrived in Farmington. The local brewery had the most amazing ever potato salad ( yes similar to the eggs in da morning ) and an excellent burger . not to mention the brewed beer..... I have to admit things just happen when one lets go totally... we learn every day.


Catherine had to sit in the B. of course


rain in the mountains in northern new mexico


locally brewed beer at 3RB


finally I know why everything is changing so fast !!

while driving

the typical elbow drive


somewhere in texas

so, what actually happens when driving an 1965 Plymouth Barracuda cross the country ? first, you always want to be aware how the machine is doing, so you watch all the gauges and speed and all, you listen to the engine, the tires , the wind and you feel absolutely happy !! the B. cruises perfectly at a speed of 70-80 miles per hour. when its not too hot I have all windows open and can smell the changes of landscape and all. the morning smells different than the noon or the afternoon. you don't want to drive behind a livestock chicken hauler ... it really stinks beyond anything and you might consider becoming a vegetarian, then again in the evening when hungry you just pick what you like best .... humans are cruel.. the good thing is, that the B. has a lot of power and you can always bypass quickly when there is no police in sight. then sometimes you smell fresh cut grass, and the wet fresh air in the morning. that is just enough to make your day. this is something I miss terribly while living in New York. In moments like that I don't even want to listen to music, just hear the constant humming of the B. while floating over the road. man, the americans knew how to built cool and excellent cars in the 60ies. that's for sure. many things go through your mind while driving such a long distance, thoughts are jumping back and forth depending very much on the music you are listening... reminding one on very good or not so good moments in life. it really is wonderful ! enough sentimental talk now, its raining in Santa Fe and this beautiful city turned into a touristic capital with lots of strange tourist "art" pieces.. nothing like I had it in mind when I was working here in the 90ies.. so I will check the B. and then off to the road again... who knows where I will sleep tonight...

lucky number

just when i entered New Mexico on the Highway No 40 all turned 22222 !

nite and day rider

moring sunrise and foggy fields even though it is in the 80ies at 6 am



gas up on the way somewhere in oklahoma


iced mocca in a stylish metal bottle bought at that very gas station above


started at 4.30 am this morning. it's not as hot and wonderful to drive with the sun rising. The B. is just so devine. drives very smooth, fast, silent and is soo frickin' cool. 18 mpg or 15 l/100km with a cruisin' speed of 70-80 miles per hour, no complaints. air condition works excellent and all the gauges are just as I need them. not to mention the sound of the V8 when starting the strong 318 machine at gas station..... the hassle I had when I bought the new ipod radio some days ago was totally worth it. it was a bit complicated to mount it into the B.... but sound is just great ! after arriving in Amarillo/Texas early afternoon I took a good nap in motel and I will start early tomorrow again. this road trip is beyond imagination so far. I am back and forth with having tears of joy in my eyes and just singing loud in the car and laughing like a crazy one...

last fine tunes

the oil pressure gauge down on the left..



today we finished up the last repairs and the radiator is top again. to be able to control oil pressure we installed new gauge. just a red light is not secure enough. so the Barracuda is ready to roll.. i will start driving west this night to avoid the extreme heat of 100F in the shade.. oh yeah ...... !