New coast, new bike

So I know it's been forever since I've posted, but you know...life is busy. I graduated college, am still unemployed, still drinking too much beer, still waiting for shit to happen. I'm leaving for my cross-country journey in four days. Yikes. I feel drastically unprepared. So far the stops on the trip include, but are not limited to...
1. Ann Arbor, Michigan-to stay with my brother Phil
2. Chicago, Illinois-to hopefully stay with my roommate's cousin
3. Des Moines, Iowa-to stay in a dirty ass motel
4. Boulder, Colorado- to stay in another dirty ass motel
5. Santa Fe, New Mexico- to stay with one of the coolest girls I know, Michelle
6. The North Rim of the Grand Canyon- to stay in a teeny tent with a hopefully huge fire.

If anyone knows of any must-sees in any of these locales, please let me know. My interests include beer, bikes, girls, sunshine, and nature.

Since I figured this is the time of new beginnings, I decided to buy a new bike. I'm going to put it together myself. We'll see how it works...if I retain my sanity and my fingers, then I will consider it a fruitful endeavor. Here's what I've purchased.


This is the frame...Jury 49cm. Affordable, slim. Just how I like it.




















This Sugino RD 165mm Single Speed Cranket in Gold










Nitto Alloy Riser Handlebars


And some other stuff. It should look pretty cool. I'm very excited for the flatness of LA. I was in Philly on Thursday and Friday, and I realized just how many fixed riders there are in that city. It is really flat, and it seems very biker friendly--lots of bike lanes, one way streets, etc. I wish that Philly could be transported somewhere else, so I could enjoy the warm weather of the West Coast while still having the bike community that Philly seems to thrive on. The one thing I know I need to do once I get to LA is join some sort of bike collective/group that is preferably all women. We'll see how that goes. I know lots of people in LA are more into surfing and skateboarding than fixed gear biking, but it seems like such a perfect place for a fixie culture...consistently warm weather, well-paved roads, flat streets, cute people...maybe there is a culture there that I'm just not aware of at the moment. I guess I need to troll around the South Bay area looking for cute bikers. Wish me luck.