Don Quixote dies at the end of his journey. Steinbeck returns home exhausted and disillusioned at the state of the nation. I am ending my journey unemployed and uncertain of my future. But I’m not dead, nor am I exhausted and disillusioned. I have great memories and experiences, as well as still retaining a bit of a tan on my face and neck. I looked for a poignant quote, but they were all telling someone elses story. I will need to continue to tell my story, and perhaps that’s my end of journey thought.
As for today, I left my hotel in the early hours and simply began driving. After a few hours I reached the Exact Center of the Northern Half of the Western Hemisphere, 45 latitude, 90 longitude. Nice little stop with educational signs and a great round spot pointing to the crossing of two imaginary lines.
From there it was more hours on the road with an interlude at a Kwik Trip – I knew I was getting close. When I saw the first Minnesota license plate I had that “ship on the sea seeing a seagull” moment and knew it wouldn’t be long.
Light traffic, even on the interstate, and before I knew it I was home. Took a few trips to haul the luggage, bins, and mail to my home, and then I was home.Triaged the mail a bit and unpacked most things. Most of my unpacking went right into a laundry basket.
This is not the last post. I intend to do some behind the scenes posts, and a friend has agreed to interview me! I thought it would be a fun way to share my thoughts. So keep watch, dear readers. Feel free to comment with your favorite pert of the trip or whatever wishes you wish.
I’m home again. What do I do now?
Deets
License Plates: Complete!
States: MI, WI, MN
Departed: 7:57 am CST, -5 degrees
Original ETA 1:35 pm CST
Arrival: 1:40 pm CST
Warmest/Coldest: Death Valley 90°, Iron Mountain MI -11°
Weather: Bitter cold, clear
Music: Prime Albums of the trip
Prince – Sign o the times
Lady Gaga – Mayhem
Bis – Return to Central
Led Zeppelin – IV
David Bowie – Let’s Dance
The Crystal Method – The Trip Home
Observations
This would be a very different and difficult thing if I were going back to work
I saw Bison on a ranch. Only took 10,000 miles to see more than a handful
I wear my magnet ring on my left hand when driving, but today my arm was bothering me. Took the ring off and it helped. The unhealing powers of magnets?
Saw 1 deer standing on the side of the road. When have I last seen deer? Have I?
Pictures
Magnets and Shot glassesWhat 42 days of Mail looks likeSomeone is due for a bath. Me too.
Well folks, we’re getting there. Some of the signs are the scenery getting familiar, my incredibly organized suitcase packing is now chaotic, and the weather is getting colder. It feels like a mad dash to get home now, but I made myself take tonight in Iron Mountain because otherwise it would have been a soul crushing 10 hour driving day.
Crossed 10,000 miles today. That’s pretty incredible. For scale:
Almost halfway around the planet at the equator
Going down the Amazon river two and a half times
I could have driven down the Mississippi river and back home almost three times
It’s about a twenty fifth the distance from Earth to the Moon
About 4,000 laps on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
It’s 40,000 Empire State Buildings laid end to end
And that’s about as long as 4,000,000 MINI Coopers parked end to end
It occurs to me that if I were to figure out exactly how much this trip cost (which I won’t be doing) I would need to add in how much the value of my car dropped by adding 10,000 miles. My trusty little Rocinante. When I left I felt like it was an extension of my driving body, but now it’s something more. Someone I have been in battle with, sharing the experiences of so many onramps and offramps.
I will likely be making a shortish post tomorrow, as I’ll be at home and either busy unpacking or just laying on my comfy bed. I will have a followup post or two. I still want to cover the logistics and packing tactics as well as a review of what was useful (many things) and what I shouldn’t have brought (very few things.)
Weather
Today’s weather was crazy! A beautiful start to the morning, crossing the Mackinac Bridge in clear skies and just a bit of dawn light hanging around. Some serious dark clouds to the north, but my sister and I talked about the weather. Lake effect snow is just a reality in these parts, and can be intense but short lived.
The first time I hit what I’m calling a micro blizzard it was sudden. A few flakes of snow turned into a huge snowfall limiting visibility to hundreds of feet, if that. I followed the road by following previous vehicles tracks in the snow. There were not many other vehicles, so this petered out eventually. I felt like I was in the scene from Finding Nemo where the speedboat is zooming away. Follow the bubbles and engine turbulence as well as the wake. Eventually it just becomes the engine, then finally, nothing to follow.
I wasn’t sure about stopping and waiting it out. It was coming down fast enough that I would be covered fairly quickly, and just being on the shoulder put me at risk of a plow coming through. I was close enough to the Soo that I just pushed on, running about 35 miles an hour in a 65. Constantly watching in front but also my mirrors to see if anyone is about to pass me. Eventually I got to my exit (last exit before Canada) and found a bit more visibility in town. The plows had hit the city streets well, and I had already seen a couple on the highway in the other direction. They were serious about making the roads more safe. Heroes!
As fast as it came, the micro blizzard gave way to blue skies and clear roadways. Like nothing had every happened. That was all after I left the Soo though.
The Soo
Sault Ste. Marie, or “The Soo” as most people call it, is the canal between Lake Superior and the lower Great Lakes. It’s usually got some boat traffic, and it’s often very busy. Because it’s so close, in the summer you can get on a viewing platform that puts you dozens of feet from the boats. You can even talk to deskhands if they’re not busy, floating by at a few miles and hour. I’d been to the Soo twice before and always vowed to go on my way home from my sister’s, but you’re always in a hurry to get back. Well not this time! Visibility sucked, it was really cold, and I loved it! I really want to go back in the summer so I can pillage some of the gift shops for some good boat souvenirs.
I was also happy to see random pickup trucks pulled over with a guy standing, watching a boat go through. Boatnerds unite!
The Seney Stretch
The Seney Stretch is, as Atlas Obscura says, the most boring road in the state. Of Michigan. I’ve actually done it before, but I felt like it was appropriate for this trip, and it only added 15 minutes to the overall day. It’s a long stretch in wilderness, so there’s really nothing to see. And it’s a straight line. So I understand how some could call it boring, but honestly it was very pretty, and it takes an awful lot for a road to bore me these days. Honestly there are other Michigan stretches that are far more boring, and much longer! The Stretch is actually fairly short.
The stretch starts at an intersection which is the town of Seney. There are a bunch of signs pointing to different highways and the towns they can take you to. All directions except the stretch. Ominous! It’s mostly forest mixed with some wetlands. Pretty common Michigan/Minnesota landscape. when I look out at a huge marsh and there’s a tree growing there, I think about how it’s likely that no human being has ever touched that tree. I also think about the creatures that linger just out of sight – or a mile into the forest. Bears, Moose, Elk, Deer, cats, unabombers. You just never know what might be watching you.
I play something I call the distance game. You pick something as far as way as possible, like an antenna or hill or turn in the road. You look at the odometer and remember the mileage. When you reach the far object, look at the odometer again and calculate the distance. Up in northern Minnesota it’s often 3 or so miles. I’ve seen eight before, and on this trip some of the Texas stretches were so far you couldn’t pick out a far object, it was just the vanishing point. The Seney stretch had some of these, which is impressive.
Tomorrow: Home! But not before catching at least one geographical oddity.
Deets
States: MI
Departed: 8:02 am EST, 18 degrees
Original ETA 12:11 pm EST
Arrival: 1:30 pm CST
Warmest/Coldest: Death Valley 90°, Iron Mountain MI 2°
Weather: Blue skies and sunny alternating with low visibility blizzards
Music:
Dash and Lily – Complete soundtrack playlist
Decemberists – The King is Dead
Mix
Observations
“I imagine this is what is would be like to drive a cartoon car” – my Sister after driving my car
Escanaba was so quiet I used cruise control down the main drag – which is usually packed with summer traffic.
Entered the Central Time Zone!
My car was so encrusted in show I had to scrub parts of it with the snow brush.
The proximity sensors for the backup camera were encrusted and complained there was something Very Close.
Second longest drive in the whole trip, at 430 miles. And one of the last interesting days. By the last few hours I was stopping at every other rest area in order to stretch and get a blast of cold air to stay awake.
When I left Hamilton it was 15 degrees and I had to sit in the car shivering while it warmed up, and the windshield cleared a bit. Yes, I have an ice scraper, I just couldn’t be bothered. A stop at Tim Horton’s and I was off. A bunch of hours across Ontario and I was at the US border. Crossing was easy, very little line, and I was relieved to be across.
A quick jog south a few minutes got me to the easternmost point of the State of Michigan! It was just as excited as I thought it would be, but with better parking. There is a point in the railing where two ends meet at a big of an angle. And that’s it!
Another few hours on the road, and I found myself in Frankenmuth Michigan. My sister had recommended I stop by Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland – The World’s Largest Christmas Store!! I don’t know if it really is, but it has to be darn close. Multiple entrances, maps handed out at the door, nonlinear layout like casinos to keep you disoriented. Genius! It keeps you wandering about, buying more and more plastic pickles.
I was a bit overwhelmed by the volume and selection, and the fact that almost all of it fails my decluttering rule of late. I did want to buy a t-shirt that said “I went to the biggest Christmas store in the world and didn’t buy anything” – but then I would have been buying something and a liar. That and they don’t sell those. It was an interesting experience though. If you have a chance, it’s worth the side trip.
I’ve been meaning to cover this buy kept putting it off. It’s the reason why I don’t listen to story songs. You know, like in the list below. Not just a happy tune but a song that tells a story.
Background – my sister, the one who I am visiting right now – lives in Michigan. I have visited her every year for the last 25+ years. The drive from home to here is a long one. Either one torturous day, or two merely long days with a stop in the middle. Some of it is pretty, in the north woods. Other sections are. a bit monotonous. And doing it so many times now it gets a bit boring. So we do what we can. Chat with the passenger, play the alphabet game, listen to music. One year I thought it might be a good idea to make a playlist. Of story songs. Genius. I had always stuck to music or silence so I could focus on the road. So maybe I should try this.
That year I drove out to the east coast helping my daughter out to college. I also took the train back. I made another trip up north, and the end result was one month in which I traveled 5,000 miles. And in the last stretch from my sister’s home, I pulled out the story songs playlist. About halfway through Alice’s Restaurant I came out of my driver’s haze to see a state trooper with the full light show. Pulling me over.
Now, Michigan state troopers are comically obvious. Blue cars with a single giant siren light on top. The colors, the profile, the shape. There’s no excuse for missing them. From far away. So you can slow down. I was off in la la land and missed it. So I got my first ticket in 5,000 miles, on a drive I’d never gotten a ticket in before.
And that’s why I listen to anything but story songs. Except today, which went okay. I don’t think I’ll make it a habit though.
Tomorrow is a zero day and may not have a posting. You should get used to that, as there are only a few more posts to go.. I appreciate your reading these and liking or commenting. It’s a blog for my memory, but also to share with you.
Deets
States: Ontario, MI
Departed: 7:43 am EST, 15 degrees
Original ETA 2:30 pm EST
Arrival: 3:30 pm EST
Warmest/Coldest: Death Valley 90°, Hamilton ON 15°
Weather: Clear, cold
Music:
Frankie Goes to Hollywood – Welcome to the Pleasuredome
Catherine Wheel – Ferment
Van Halen 1984
Van Halen – Van Halen
KISS – KISSWORLD the best of KISS
Story Song playlist
Arlo Guthrie – Alice’s Restaurant Massacre
Billy Joel – Piano Man
Johnny Cash – A boy named Sue
Kenny Rogers – Coward of the county
etc
Observations
RC Cola from a vending machine in a Michigan Rest Area – awesome!
I think I saw a roadkill bear
Paying a toll coming into the US, I loved being able to just tap my VISA. Almost could have done it while moving!
Traffic Jam in Frankenmuth Michigan – 3 horse drawn carriages!
Yes, another long day. Driving was monotonous except for the instant blizzard in which visibility was down to a couple hundred feet. Wasn’t perfectly vibing off the music of the day.
Started the day off with an extremely empty gas tank. Filled it up with the only non locking gas nozzle on the trip. I would encounter another one later in the day when I filled the tank as full as possible. More in a bit. I also stopped at the Largest WalMart On The Planet. No idea why it’s in Latham New York, but it is! It was essentially a regular Walmart but with more space between the aisles. And a second floor. I suppose I wasn’t expecting much but I was still disappointed.
After a couple of hours driving I stopped to see the Irish Stoplight. Many Irish helped build the Erie canal, and when it was done, a good few of them settled in Syracuse New York. There was a squabble about the green light on a stoplight being the bottom, and lesser somehow than the British, so they fought for a reversed order to the colors on this particular light. Eventually it settled down and we now have a light that’s reversed.
Was going to go to Niagara Falls and I heard the view was better from the Canadian side. After going through the border and talking to a delightful border guard (accent and all) I followed the signs. I was stressing a bit because I had a deadline I was trying to make so I could do my therapy call from the hotel. The drive was taking much longer to get to the falls, and when I got to the area parking was confusing and hard to find. I ended up going in the opposite direction so I just pulled over, took a few pictures, and went on my way. I’m sure it’s amazing, and I’m sure I would be impressed if I had more time and got closer.
As it turned out, my deadline was early by half an hour. But I made it to the hotel with a bit of time to spare. Luckily I had the extra time to be able to get gas, as I had been neglecting that for many, many miles. So much so in fact that I got down to 6 miles worth remaining. And then it was suddenly 2. But when I got off the highway it was back to 4. By the time I located the closest gas station it was down to 1. And as I pulled in, the car gave up telling me and just showed “–” – I put exactly 40 liters in, and I have a feeling that’s the exact size of my tank. So much for my early trip rule about “half means empty” in order to always have half a tank at the ready.
Tomorrow it’s straight through to my sister’s house where I’ll take a zero day. And then it’s the short long drive home.
Deets
License Plates: collection complete
States: NY, Ontario
Countries seen so far: US, MX, CA
Departed: 7:56 am EST, 32 degrees
Original ETA 1:40 pm EST
Arrival: 4:30 pm EST
Warmest/Coldest: Death Valley 90°, Hamilton ON 12°
Weather: Bright and Cold, then low visibility blizzard, then Partly sunny and cold
Music:
Moxy Fruvous – Bargainville
Moby – Moby
M.I.A. – Kala
Muppets – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (new movie)
Walk off the Earth – Sing it all away
Mix
Observations
Fleeing the country was easier than I thought
Canadian interstates are just like US interstates, but I can go 110 instead of 65. Also, drivers are more polite.
Pictures
keyword: StyleMy hotel room has no less than three hockey memorabiliaMy view during the storm
Another late-ish start to the day, but it was a short one. I added a few stops last night, thanks to Atlas Obscura. No issues, no major complaints about the drive except for the usual slow drivers. And more of the right lane avoidance. Three lanes, keep right except to pass. That should result in trucks on the right, sleepy drivers in the middle, passers on the left. But no, nobody wants to be in the far right lane. Weird.
Not sure if I mentioned this yesterday, but it is now a roadtrip. Before it was a quest, a hero’s journey, or my favorite from the Native Americans – Crying for a dream. But now it is a journey home, over roads familiar, through environments like those I am from. No pondering the mountains in the distance or being constantly amazed by the ocean. Now it’s trees and this local regions gas station flavor. It’s ok, I’m good at road trips. I’ve broken the long days up into multi hour segments separated by what I am now calling stopportunities. I think it’ll catch on.
Titanic Museum
I was going to go to the Titanic Museum, or at least do a drive by, but after too much time on a very stoppy state highway, I bailed. I don’t know that I was that excited about it anyway, as the description even smelled dusty, and I wasn’t ready to spend time shuffling around a museum with the one volunteer watching me, waiting to pounce the moment I had a question.
Stockbridge and Alice’s Restaurant
I was interested in this one. The Arlo Guthrie song “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree” is an old favorite. It’s just a great yarn and then there’s an infrequent chorus everyone (else) can sing along to. So when Atlas Obscura let me know the original restaurant site was on my route — I was in! It’s not the original restaurant, but it’s on the original site. And they play it up. There’s a restaurant there, but it’s not Alice’s. In fact, it belongs to nobody. It’s permanently closed. After finding a parking spot in the charming little village of Stockbridge, then wandering around until I found a sign pointing down an alley, I came upon the restaurant. Which wasn’t anymore. Looked like a nice place when it was there. Just a locked door now.
Stockbridge is like walking onto the set of a Hallmark Christmas Love Story Made For TV Movie. Bright white snow, probably about 6 inches of it. Sidewalks and streets wet but cleared, no ice. The buildings are quaint old wooden classics, the main street angle parking. There were people walking in their heavy winter coats walking their dogs. Cheerfully crossing the street or looking in a shop window. Of course they all said hi to each other. It was a nightmare. I’ll admit I haven’t gotten into the Christmas or winter mood yet, but it’ll happen over the next week.
Arrowhead
I lied. Moby Dick wasn’t written in New Bedford. It may as well have been, and it was indeed set there. But the actual writing of it happened at a place called Arrowhead in Pittsfield Massachusetts. Another Obscura find, I knew I needed to see it. I also knew it was going to be closed, but that was okay. Just seeing it and hearing the woods around it was enough. I could imagine Herman coming out the side door to tend to the animals (it was a farm) before going back in and continuing to write the Great American (whaling) Novel.
Had it been open, I would have looked at every little thing, map, chair and whatever else they had for me. And if there was a gift shop, it would have ended with a loud noise and a heavy bag. The Moby Dick shoestring set, the Captain Ahab bath toys, and of course the Herman and Elizabeth salt and pepper shakers. Can’t find any more Meville fun on the way home, but I’ve had plenty so far.
Deets
License Plates: collection complete
States: MA, RI, MA, NY
Departed: 8:59 am EST, 38 degrees
Original ETA 1:38 pm EST
Arrival: 2:30 pm EST
Warmest/Coldest: Death Valley 90°, Wallace ID 22°
Weather: Bright, cold
Music:
Boston – Boston
Golden Earring – Greatest Hits
Huey Lewis – Greatest Hits
TOTO – Essential TOTO
David Bowie – Let’s Dance
David Bowie – Tonight
Observations
Hit 9,000 miles!
Ear pop!
Sign: 1290 Feet, Higest elevation on I-90 east of South Dakota
It’s all downhill from here!
Light snow on ground, then by Stockbridge around 6 inches of heavy snow on the ground, streets and sidewalks completely cleared.
So many Subaru vehicles here!
Sign: Climbing lane ahead. (instead of passing lane)
Sign: Abode of the Message – a Sufi center for study and worship
Pictures
StockbridgeStockbridge and Alice’s signPermanently Closed.Arrowhead
Back on the road properly after luxuriating with fresh home brewed coffee from my sister. We pored over the weather and decided it might just not be big deal. My other sister called by sheer coincidence, and she lives in a complicated weather location on the great lakes. She still had some words of caution, but in the end I decided to forge on to New Bedford MA, as it has been my literal white whale for some time. Every time I got close to going, something threw me off. With the mission statement of this trip being “when are you going to have this opportunity?” it was a done deal. I might not be by here for a long while and I just felt the need to make it happen. Moby Dick is one of my favorite books, and I have read it more than once. It’s my comfort tome, in some ways. The combination of the ocean, boats, and daring do is just too much for me. New Bedford is where Melville wrote the book, and it’s where the story begins.
The drive itself was short and a bit monotonous. It was full on pouring rain the whole way, but the temperature started modest and just rose from there. I encountered no ice, though the wipeout crash on the bridge make me pause. I’m guessing it was distracted driving combined with hydroplaning or a quick jerk of the wheel. It did not look like anyone was hurt.
I stopped along the way at a park that Atlas Obscura pointed out. There were two troll sculptures, and if it wasn’t raining or too muddy I was going to do my best to see both of them. Unfortunately, it was coming down in buckets when I got there. I could see one from the road on which there was absolutely no parking for hundreds of yards. The other was down the muddy trail and I wasn’t up for it. The rest of the largish park was empty. Rain.
My cough is at its bitter end and my drive mojo is back in full swing. It’s nice to be in the familiar sterile comfort of a hotel room. Though at my current rate, it’s likely I’ll be in my own bed in a week’s time. Not sure how I feel about that. I welcome it and I fear it. But let’s put that off for a while. By the math, if I took the absolutely straightest drive home right now, I would exceed 10,000 miles. So that’s awesome. I look forward to the grand total!
New Bedford Whaling Museum
As I said, the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park contains the New Bedford Whaling Museum and a number of other locations in a small chunk of town that has been kept fairly pristine. Cobblestone roads, narrow as can be. Old buildings and the vibe that a gruff sailor in a heavy coat is going to brush past you on the way to the whaling ship he’s been signed on to. The vast majority of the shops and buildings were closed, mostly because it was after 3 on a Tuesday in shoulder season. I expected little. The museum was open, though, and I loved exploring there.
In the lobby are two whale skeletons suspended from the ceiling. One of them is of a humpback, and the other is one of five blue whale skeletons on display – in the world! The whale had been injured, died, and washed up in New Bedford a number of years ago. The skeleton had been preserved for the museum, and after an extensive period drying them out and getting the oil out of them, here they hang. Whale bones are so completely saturated with oil that these bones are still occasionally dripping out to this day.
There were various scrimshaw displays, cultural pieces and discussion not just of the European whalers, but the local native populations as well as whalers from the Azores. Portugal populated the islands and by the time the whalers came to trade, local men sought out positions on the boats. As a result New Bedford has a huge Portuguese restaurant scene.
Plenty of information about the business of whaling, both in the financial sense and in the functional sense. I’ve very familiar with the mechanics of whale hunting, but I was excited to read the small bits of information that I had never known. At some point captains wives began going on the whaling voyages. Something I would like to investigate some more. No books in the gift shop on that!
They have a half scale sailing vessel on display, and surrounded by supporting exhibits – you can even climb aboard, though there is an awful lot of ducking involved. The gallery the ship was in was very distinguished and complemented the material and ship well.
Thoroughly enjoyed the museum and would love to come back. I could spend a week at the National Park and all of the other sights in New Bedford. So glad I came!
Tomorrow: Off to Troy New York to see my eldest daughter! I am now hitting Atlas Obscura to find some distractions along the way.
Deets
License Plates: collection complete
States: RI, MA
Departed: 10:23 am EST, 34 degrees
Original ETA 1:27 pm EST
Arrival: 2:00 pm EST
Warmest/Coldest: Death Valley 90°, Wallace ID 22°
Weather: Rain
Music:
Massive Attack – Blue Lines
Morphine – Cure for Pain
Bis – Return to Central
General Public – All the Rage
Zero 7 – Simple Things
Mix
Observations
Stopped along the way to see some troll sculptures in the woods, but it was raining hard. Got to see one, the other was down a muddy path.
I apparently have “distance callouses” – anything under a couple hundred miles just flies by. I almost missed two turns at 28 and 50 miles today.
More Point Break vibes driving near big water in the pouring rain. I still do not look like Keanu Reeves
Saw a spinout crash on a bridge today. Bridges ice before roads, you know.
Pictures
New Bedford HarborNew Bedford HarborNew Bedford, the old townTroll!, approximately two and a half Roberts tallWhale skeleton that drips oil
Welcome back to the trip! After a nice long rest, I am recharged and ready to go! slowly on the mend and getting back into the swing of things. My excitement is tempered by my remaining cough and the impending weather. Had a great time with family, and I have some cool stops coming up, but I have to say I’m slowly getting ready to be home, no matter how good or bad that will be. Today took me through six(!) states, and I finished my collection state license plates with Rhode Island, parked right next to me at a rest area. I managed to turn a 4 hour drive into a 6 1/2 hour drive – I think I’m surprised it wasn’t longer. For being a straight shot from Maryland to Connecticut, I found a few things to keep me busy. First of all..
The Lowest Highest Point! (not really)
There’s a band called Moxy Fruvous. They’ were a witty Canadian band, and everyone in my little family love them. Their album “Live Noise” includes a track called “Lowest highest point.” Check it out:
The bit being an improv in which that quiz the audience on which state has the lowest “highest point” — and in the end reveal that it is Delaware. This is wrong, of course, as it’s Florida. But it’s a funny bit. I was trying to find a way to add Pennsylvania to my list of states, and I didn’t like the idea of crossing a bridge, turning around, and declaring myself a native of that state. I wanted a reason to be there. So lo and behold I find that Delaware’s highest point it a literal stones throw from Pennsylvania, and I would have to go to there to get to the landmark. And so it was.
I did get to go on some cool back roads to get there, which is where I got the covered bridge merit badge. I also got to covered some ground on some proper twisties. The wrinkle being the elevation changes. It’s fun to go side by side, or do it on a grade uphill or down, like the coast. But these had pure stomach dropping upsdy daisy twisties! Although then you go over the top you rise up a bit and lose some amount of traction. Frightful. Photo at the bottom and the top.
The next exciting portion of the drive was..
Manhattan
I have always thought it would be. a cool urban exploration to go from Battery Park on Manhattan to the northernmost point. One. Stoplight. At. A. Time. Of course I know this is silly, and it would get mind numbing chewing your way through traffic. But I still want to do it.
Today I did a reasonable variant. I think enough to satisfy the itch. I mean, when am I going to be back with free time and a MINI? So here was the journey: Holland Tunnel into SOHO, did a Washington Square drive-by, then over to the West Village to wave to the Stonewall Inn, then took a right turn but the wrong way onto a one way followed by the fastest MINI u-turn ever. Spun up through Chelsea, passed through Hudson Yards and ended up on Henry Hudson Parkway off the north end of the island.
So much fun! No accidents. I got honked at cutting someone off (on purpose) and I honked at someone sleeping at a green light. I saw what I believe might have been a legal parking space, watched very large vehicles just go busting into intersections like they knew just how much mass they had.
It wasn’t end to end but it was a good taste, without any of the insanity of the busier parts of the city. Sure was nice having a little MINI in those tight streets!
Losses
I haven’t had many losses on the trip, but I have had three important ones. The first are my favorite pajama pants. I forgot them on the bed in the Hotel Del Sol in San Francisco, mostly because it was a suite and I didn’t hit the bedroom comprehensively in the final sweet. I did get replacements at a Target some time after that but they’re not the same. Sung to the tune of “I left my pj’s in San Francisco”
The next is exfoliant. I feel it’s a luxury, and I use it at home when I shower. But I didn’t bring any along as I figured I could live without for a month. As it turns out it’s a much bigger part of my acne prevention system than I realized. One of my meds has the side effect of excruciatingly painful cystic acne, as well as good old fashioned teenager facial acne. And the exfoliant (along with Benzoyl Peroxide and/or Retin-A and cleansing pads all combine to make things as stable as possible. Yeah, it’s more than you wanted to know. And yet here you are, reading away.
So I stopped at a CVS or something and got some of my favorite kind. Awesome. Remember how I use it in the shower? Yeah, that’s where I left it. Can’t remember where. Rinse and Repeat in Monterey. Got some, left some. Got some more and left it in New Orleans. Got some more and still have it. Pray til the end of the trip. Yes, it’s expensive, but it makes things less worse.
And now to the rings. I have a VNS (look it up I’m not explaining it here) and in order to turn it off when I need, I have a “medical magnet” that I hold up to my chest. It pulls a reed switch which deactivates it for that five minute period. Well, smarty pants me figured out you could use a magicians ring. It’s a ring magicians use to palm coins and other metal things. So I wear it, wave it past my chest, and boom no more electrical infusion. I wore one and packed two more. The problem is that they’re hematite or something similar, which makes them brittle. Drop them on the ground and they’re done for. The first went some time after Florida. the second in Maryland minutes after telling my sister about how it was great I had spares. So I’m down to one now, but ordered some more for when I get home.
Thankful that’s all I’ve lost. Except tomorrow when I realize I forgot my boots at my sisters on her radiator. I hope that doesn’t happen.
Up Next
I knew this portion of the trip (the last leg of five) was going to be the most volatile. Winter weather can be so varied and unpredictable. I have a hard deadline of the 9th of December, as I have appointments on the 10th that I must be at. As it stands I’m set up to arrive home on the afternoon of the 9th. I only have one zero day in there, and it’s at my sisters so I can’t sacrifice it. There’s a storm coming, but predictions are still haphazard at best. The clincher looks like it’s Wednesday night. Albany has multiple inches predicted, and it’s right about the time I’d be getting there. There’s also a cut through Canada, though the border is usually not that bad, what if we add weather? The closer I get to home the fewer manipulations I can do to make up for unforeseen issues. Though I do have one last stop at the edge of Wisconsin that I could skip. It would make for a nightmare drive, but I’ve done it before. Some spoilers there but not too many!
Tomorrow we get back on track. After a lovely stay with my brother and his family, I am ready to get going. I’m telling that to myself. I’m tired, I’m not necessarily in the best head space, it’s cold and getting colder, and the endpoint is home. Home where I don’t want to face reality.
I am excited for many of my stops. There is no “great crossing” here. There may not be oceans or deserts, but there will be great lakes, and hints of mountains. I have repacked my storage bins and sorted winter clothes to the suitcase. Big winter coat is out, and all sweaters are in play. In repacking I grabbed all of the magnets so far and stashed them together. I didn’t look at them, but it’s a nice thick pile of souvenirs. In the license plate game I have yet to get much of New England, which I will solve soon. But Kentucky remains elusive. Getting nervous on that one.
My time with family has been wonderful, and having five zero days in a row has been great. I happened to score a bout of the coughing flu: Sore throat, cough, aches, maybe a hint of fever. A full course of NyQuil and I’ll be right as rain. By the time I leave I’ll be really and fit. I’m actually happy it happened this way – being sick on the road would be a real challenge. Daughter drove my MINI when we went to Washington D.C. and thought it was quite fun! That was great to witness.
I am not getting into the Christmas Spirit very well. When I get home I’ll put up my tree and start planning gifts and that will do it. But having come from the desert it’s hard to believe we’re in snow and Santa season. Even here in Maryland it’s a little too green to fully engage with the Christmas carols.
The Next Ten Days
Oops, there’s a spoiler. You now know my end date. I have appointments on the 10th of December, so I have to be back by the 9th. The 8th would be awesome, but whatever. Not sure if I mentioned all of that before. In two days I will begin to hear west homeward, but there will be some fun stuff in there. Connecticut tomorrow to stay with my sister, and then full on tourism from there.
Schedule is flexible enough that I can eliminate days, stops, states, whatever it takes in case of weather. I’m hoping weather goes well. I have new winter worthy tires, a lifetime of experience driving in snow and on ice, and a boatload of determination. Of course that doesn’t help all the time.
I’ll see you on Connecticut!
Deets
States: MD, VA
Weather: Clear, sunny, cloudy, apparently some rain. Temps ranging fro “brisk” to “cold” in Minnesota parlance. And “cold” in Minnesota is nowhere near actual really cold.
Observations
Thanksgiving is good
You sure can get awfully tired not doing anything
If you build your niece a three story home in Minecraft and within an hour she spills lava on it, don’t build her a new one.
Pictures
Where the daughter worksHome of the Post Office Musem, for my friend Angel who is in fact, a postman.The license plate game completed in one go!Daughter in Laurie Anderson’s “Four Talks” installation at the Hirshhorn.
Got to my hotel on Chincoteague island but I was a bit early so I thought I’d get some lunch. Nobody open. McDonald’s was even closed. But there were cars in the parking lot. It was very bizarre. Finally got to a sub shop and they told me the power was out. Blown transformer. Just the one. Power out for the whole island. That seems like a weak link there.
Back to hotel and they let me check in because they had physical keys. Went to my room and tried to nap while waiting for power to come back on. Eventually I just got way too far in my head and started to worry about the possibility the power wouldn’t come back on until morning. Need power for my CPAP and the heater in the room. The longer I wait the more night driving I would have to do if I bailed and just went to my brothers. So I reached out and they said to just come to them, that part of Maryland doesn’t have highway lights and so forth. Decision made and problem solved. So I bailed on the hotel and headed to my brother’s. It was eventually dark, and it was raining, and it seemed foggy too.
Had a great call with my therapist, managed to get a surprised “oh, huh.” out of her. Which is always good. But we covered a lot of good ground and it made my drive go by much faster. I stuck to the right lane and camped out behind slow traffic but still paid attention to the road, don’t worry.
So now I am in Baltimore, visiting family for Thanksgiving. More than a few zero days, I’ll be heading out on the 1st of December, heading north. So I’ll be picking up the blog again for sure. Until then I may have things to post and I may not. Old stories and new adventures. Not being an annoying Youtube creator – but if you subscribe you get notified when I throw a new post up.
Deets
License Plates: DE, WV, Saskatchewan
States: VA, DE, MD,
Departed: 8:20 am EST, 59 degrees
Original ETA 11:56 pm EST
Arrival: 12:00 pm EST
Warmest/Coldest: Death Valley 90°, Wallace ID 22°
Weather: Blue sky, rain, sun, chilly
Music:
Public Enemy – It takes a nation of millions to hold us back
Tricky – Maxinquaye
Edie Brickell – Shooting rubberbands at the stars
Yello – Stella
Random Mix off Yello – Sinead O’Connor, Yello, Propaganda, Art of Noise
Observations
The Chesapeake Bridge / Tunnel
Needs to have a “Do you have to pee?” sign before the last exit
I’m fine with heights, and bridges over water don’t bother me. But after 20 minutes I started to get a little twitchy being enclosed or enbridged.
It’s a cool bridge though.
Passed 8,000 miles! Doing the math and hoping I can get to 10,000 miles. It might be close, I’ll just drive around the block for a while.
Another fairly long day, interstates and state highways. Nothing unique, nothing particularly North Carolina about it. It could have been almost any state. Out west I was surrounded by massive mountains that you could see from miles away, reminding you that the earth was exploding and running into itself and pushing up huge landforms. You could see an ocean that made you realize we’re on a rock, spinning out of control through space, and on the barest surface of that rock there is some water. Water that we find to be depthless. You drive through a desert and feel the sun beat down on you, the dry air burning the moisture out of you in a way that would literally kill you given enough time. Or you may even drive through lake country, glimpsing a new lake every five miles that were the product of glaciers, impossibly large ice flows from thousands of years ago.
But the miles today and yesterday haven’t been any of that. They’re flat, no lakes, not cold but cool. And the ocean is hidden behind houses and distance. So it’s hard to stay interested. In the coming week or two I’ll be closer to the ocean, right by the Great Lakes and coming back into home territory. So hope springs eternal. Or winters eternal. I am excited to see family, and very curious to know how the last leg of the trip turns out. I can vary or eliminate destinations, days taken, distances per day, and potentially add a day or two. Luckily, I have appointments back home that drive my deadline, otherwise I would be tempted to just keep circling the country until the money runs out.
At the end of my day I got to enjoy two brilliant historic locations. And of course, you get backstory!
The Lost Colony of Roanoke
In the 1970’s there was a show called “In Search of..” hosted by Leonard Nimoy. It was all about the supernatural, the unsolved mysteries, and the myths and legends of the world. Episodes on Bigfoot, Bermuda Triangle, ESP, Dracula, and most importantly: “The Lost Colony of Roanoke.” I specifically remember watching the show with my sister, and we would be mesmerized by these exotic tales. And they were being told by Spock! But as a human! So much of my knowledge about the “other things” of the world came from that show. When someone mentions Oak Island, Bigfoot, Aliens, The shroud of Turin, D.B. Cooper — it’s too many to list. All of these things we shown to me on a black and white TV set (possibly over headphones while Dad played the piano) and they were all burned into my brain.
I was invited to a Halloween party thrown by a coworker who was fairly new. This was only about 30 years ago. Because he was new none of us from work knew his party friends, and back. I dressed as a sock, and I was the sock that was lost in the dryer. Paranormal costumes all around. But upon arrival we walk into a room with a bunch of people sitting around in a circle. I was immediately concerned. Was this a cult initiation? Was someone about to ask us if we had accepted Jesus into our hearts?
Turns out the host wanted to have something to start the party with that wasn’t just loading up on alcohol. There was that, but first, introductions and a game. We all went around and said our names, how we knew the host, and what we believed in as far as the mysteries of the universe go. In my introduction I admitted that I really don’t believe in that kind of stuff. Next, we had trivia in the realm of the paranormal and beyond. Being someone who doesn’t believe in that kind of thing..
Of course I won. Apparently I don’t believe, but I know an awful lot about it. And much of that is from Mr. Nimoy and that black and white TV.
One of the episodes that creeped me out the most, was “The Lost Colony of Roanoke.” To summarize: English dude makes three trips to new world. First, to recon, second, to set up a military fort (and then nope home with all the troops right away, and third, to settle a colony. Colony comes over on boat, lots of people get sick, you know the drill. They eventually land and set up shop on Roanoke island, and the first European to be born on North American soil, Virginia Dare, is born. One of the old white guys says he’s going to pop back to England to get more supplies, and off he goes. It was going to be a quick turnaround, but there was this pesky war, so three years later he shows up at Roanoke Island and .. nothing. Buildings taken down, people gone, anything that could be carried off was, well, off. No sign is struggle or anything. Poof, gone. Except.. on a tree nearby was the carved word: CROATOAN. Audible gasp from 8 year old me. What could this mystery word mean? Leonard spun it a bit like nobody knew. Like it could even be an alien word, or voodoo. No, it’s the name of the island next door. The one I’m on right now, in fact. Anyway, big mystery and they still don’t know what happened. Hit Wikipedia to burn a few hours on that one.
So there’s a Fort Raleigh National Historic Site on the location of the lost colony. A very nice visitor’s center with a great museum type exhibit explaining the whole story and mysteries associated. There’s a nice trail where you can see the earthwork fort that the second voyage built, rather a reproduction, but it’s on the original footprint. And there’s a lovely theater where they put on a play about the whole thing. I guess it’s quite the big deal.
The hike was nice. Placards here and there explaining things, and just a nice stroll through the woods. The same woods those colonists lived in for a time. Scary and mysterious, or beautiful and fascinating? How did they feel being on the other side of the planet from everyone and everything they knew? Like being stranded on the moon. To me they seemed like peaceful woods, and they had a wonderful smell. Sweet, with cherry or tobacco hints? I asked the ranger back at the visitor center if she knew what it was, but she didn’t.
On the drive out I wondered why they didn’t have a living history experience, with colonists dressed up and showing how they survived. And then I realized they did. With missing colonists and all. (too soon?)
Kitty Hawk and the Wright Brothers
Within gliding distance is Kitty Hawk. The Orville and Wilbur Wright National Memorial stands where they made their famous first flight. Great visitors center, again with explanatory displays and such. Really went into great depth but not boring. Lots of info about the Wright family, the iterations of the gliders and finally airplane, and a full scale recreation of the Wright Flyer, with a few actual artifacts. A piece of fabric from one of the wings, most of a propeller, and some bike parts they used for their launch rail. The brothers were big bicycling fans. Some say the brother flying the fourth and longest flight yelled “on your left!” as he whizzed past his brother.
The field is what we all come for though. There is a giant hill with a monument on it, but it’s the launch rail and stones marking flights that are really cool. They flew four times that day. The first three they actually had some hang time, but only for a hundred feet or so, a little bit more every time. The fourth flight was 852 feet, a huge improvement over the first three. Unfortunately, the plane had issues landing and then when a gust of wind hit it. There is a facsimile of the rail from which they took off, and markers at all four flight distances. The first three are sad. They’re so close! But that fourth one – walking all the way down there takes so long you have a good bit of time to think about whether or not you needed to make the walk. But you did, and it was worth it. The takeoff spot is so far away!
There is a single runway next to the field where airplanes can land and takeoff. If I had a plane of my own, that would be right up there on the todo list. It was amazing to see airplanes taking off and flying around the field where the first one flew.
I think I’m still processing this, but I felt quite a bit there. Part of it was the contemplation of what these brothers did. Years or trials and learning and work, and they made history. What have you done to make history? Somehow it felt easier to try and comprehend my life in relation to the long life of a Redwood, than to think of mine next to the Wright brothers. A truly humbling experience.
The detail I loved was the fact that they sounded like they were having fun. Yes, they wanted to prove something, but there are so many little details that show how welcoming they were to friends who wanted to visit, and how they didn’t seem to be ego driven, especially when it came to failures. What caught me the most was the propeller. It was a prop built for flying their airplane. Likely to bust and have to be remade, like any other part. But they painted it. And it had a little design on the tip. That’s not the work of someone who’s driven. That’s the work of someone who is passionate.
Deets
License Plates: None
States: NC
Departed: 8:01 am EST, 51 degrees
Original ETA 12:49 pm EST
Arrival: n/a, went to sites before arrival
Warmest/Coldest: Death Valley 90°, Wallace ID 22°
Weather: Cool, mostly sunny
Music:
U2 – Zooropa
Tori Amos – Little Earthquakes
Alanis Morissette – Jagged Little Pill
MC 900 ft Jesus – Welcome to my Dream
DJ Sammy – Heaven
Smiths – Hatful of Hollow
Eels – Souljacker
Observations
Parked next to the Wisconsin car at the Wright Brothers National Memorial
Actually paid for a National site entry finally, the Wright Brothers National Memorial
I tried figuring out where the scene from the end of Brainstorm was filmed. And found it.
Pictures
Christopher Walken.. runnenThe scene to the left was shot at the left side of this photo. The replical Flyer is just behind those windows. Movie is free on Youtube if you don’t believe me!
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Woods of the Lost Colony
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White stones mark the initial three flights, and the one way down there is the fourth
The Windmill Posts 