The Windmill Posts

The Long Way Home to Myself

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  • A Gneiss Day 3/21 (1/1)

    A Gneiss Day 3/21 (1/1)

    Welcome to a continuation of the tilting at windmills posts.. The goal is to post about future trips. Some of them may be a 25 mile jaunt, others may be across multiple states. Sadly, it’s not likely to be as long and as crazy as The Big Trip, but the hope is that they’re interesting at least. I like in the Twin Cities in Minnesota, so lots of day trips from there and as far as you can get in half a day. Opening it up for multiple day trips, but I can’t do hotels every trip. So I’m thinking of dabbling in camping options. We’ll see.

    First of all, this is all one of my psychiatrists idea. There was a near magical respite from the depression and anxiety during The Big Trip. When I got home in December things settled back into my horrible life. Depression, anxiety, and so much therapy. She wanted to explore the idea of recreating that respite in the form of short trips.

    The Trips

    So far I have come up with the following potential roadtrips:

    • Northernmost point in Minnesota. It’s up in the Northwest Angle, which involves some interesting border crossing.
    • Southernmost point in Minnesota. Anywhere on the southern border.
    • Easternmost point in Minnesota. Just past Grand Portage at the tip of the arrowhead.
    • Westernmost point in Minnesota. Not in the little knob in the side of the state, like you would think. All the way up to the eastern and northern border.
    • Highest point in Minnesota. Eagle mountain, 15 miles inland from around Grand Marais.
    • Lowest point in Minnesota. Lake Superior.
    • Geographical Center of Minnesota. South of Brainerd
    • We have more than one continental divide.
    • The Hill of Three Waters. Located near Hibbing, Minnesota, is a rare hydrological triple divide where water flows into three different watersheds: the Hudson Bay (Arctic Ocean), the Gulf of Mexico, and the St. Lawrence Seaway (Atlantic Ocean).
    • We have one or two locations where four counties meet at the same point.
    • Lost 40. 144 acres of red and white pines went untouched by loggers when a surveying error mapped the area as part of Coddington Lake. The Lost 40 pines are 300-400 years old, originating when the pilgrims came to America.
    • Big Bog State Recreation Area. The 500-square mile peat bog is the largest in the lower 48 states.
    • Both National Monuments
    • Sawtooth Mountains. Hint: Not really mountains
    • Oldest rock. Morton Gneiss!

    I’d like to report that it had the desired effect, but running on less than 4 hours sleep, there are a good number of times that road hypnosis kicked in. A little dissociating, but never enough to hurt my ability to drive. Plenty of stimulants in my morning meds to keep me awake.

    Depression poisons the future as much as the past. Looking forward to these trips is a challenge, and this trip was no different. I enjoyed bit of it here and there but the adventure didn’t quite catch my heart. Maybe they’ll get better.

    Landscape

    Minnesota was covered by glaciers, more than once. As they came and went they altered the landscape, making a flat earth into something more interesting. Unfortunately, they weren’t everywhere. There are some parts of the state that are flat as a pancake. And I got to experience some of that. Even the Dakotas had rolling hills. I was in flat nowhere.

    I thought I knew Minnesota, but there were so many towns I had never even heard of. Winthrop, Bernadette, Morton. I need to spend more time out in the unexplored territories. There were a handful of signs that had flashing signage when they were closed. Flooding?

    Eventually I dropped into the Minnesota river valley and got a chance to see the river. It was still a river, not a creek or stream. But it was absolutely smaller than the river that meets the Mississippi. It did not look like commercial (or even recreational) traffic would spend any time going up and down the river at this point. Though I’m sure there are jonboats that fisherman bring. While I drove across a bridge or two, there were other roads and bridges crossing the river. In one case a very muddy dirt road led to the river, where a very muddy, very not paved or gravelled bridge crossed the river. I’m guessing there were a culvert or two allowing the river to continue on it’s way.

    Morton Gneiss

    Wikipedia says: Morton gneiss, also known as rainbow gneiss, is an Archean-age gneiss found in the Minnesota River Valley of southwestern Minnesota, United States. It is one of the oldest stones on Earth, at about 3.5 billion years old. Along with the nearby Montevideo Gneiss, it is the oldest intact continental crust rock in the United States. Some references say it’s between 3.5 and 3.6 billion. The difference between those two numbers alone is 100 million years.

    The glaciers were here between 1 million and 10,000 years ago. These rocks had already been waiting billions of years. When it was created, the trees weren’t there. The animals were a twinkle in ocean microbes eyes. In fact, it was all ocean, no dry land at all. The atmosphere didn’t have oxygen in it. When I imagined what it must have been like so long ago it stretched the ability of my brain to comprehend that kind of time.

    I love old things. Something you can touch that’s been around far longer than you have. Even better if it’s been around deep into history. It’s part of why I love the Redwoods so much. A 1,500 year old tree has been waiting peacefully before and through our civilization. And will likely be around long after we are. I think I appreciate the patience. The rock didn’t feel like that. It wasn’t alive, it hadn’t persisted.

    But it was pretty cool to sit on and ponder the vastness of time.

    Deets

    • Departed: 11:05 am CST, 63 degrees
    • Original ETA 4:44 pm CST
    • Arrival: 4:50 pm CST
    • Weather: 77 degrees, sunny, partly cloudy
    • Music:
      • 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
      • Mix

    Observations

    • I found a new reason to hate the Waymo spinny spinner cars. Because they’ve been programmed to follow the roads properly, they’re also programmed to follow the speed limit. Learned that along with nine other cars following one at 15 mph down a parkway.
    • I was going to go to the World’s Largest Candy Store, but they were closed for the season.
    • If you trick your vehicle out to look like a giant Police vehicle, then you shouldn’t mind when I slow down to the speed limit or less. Because all I can see is law enforcement about to pull me over. It’s nothing personal. When you roar past me and I realize you’re actually an over compensating wanna be, then it’s personal.
    • Heading out into the prairies it seemed like a lot of the roads are scenic byways. I’ll have to come back when it’s green to see if they are.
    • I was worried highway 212 would be boring. It exceeded my expectations.
    • How do you know it’s the first convertible ride of the year? The sunburn. If I blush, you wouldn’t be able to tell.

    Pictures

    A non candid candid shot
    Minnesota can be quite flat
    The Minnesota River was really beautiful. It was smaller than it is in the Twin Cities, but it still had this strength to it. Like someone who looks skinny but is super healthy and strong. I think it had a sort of depth that it’s shallow pools hid. And it has already traveled hundreds of miles to come to this point.
    Gneiss Rocks!
    Gneiss Rocks!
    Home sweet home. Or at least twenty minutes from it.
  • Home. 12/8 (42)

    Home. 12/8 (42)

    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 glasses
    What 42 days of Mail looks like
    Someone is due for a bath. Me too.
  • Ten Thousand Miles 12/7 (41)

    Ten Thousand Miles 12/7 (41)

    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.

    Pictures

  • Back in the US, Back in the US, Back in the USSA! 12/5 (39)

    Back in the US, Back in the US, Back in the USSA! 12/5 (39)

    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!
  • O Canada! 12/4 (38)

    O Canada! 12/4 (38)

    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: Style
    My hotel room has no less than three hockey memorabilia
    My view during the storm

  • You can’t get anything you want, at Alice’s Restaurant, anymore 12/3 (37)

    You can’t get anything you want, at Alice’s Restaurant, anymore 12/3 (37)

    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

    Stockbridge
    Stockbridge and Alice’s sign
    Permanently Closed.
    Arrowhead
  • Call Me Ismael 12/2 (36)

    Call Me Ismael 12/2 (36)

    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 Harbor
    New Bedford Harbor
    New Bedford, the old town
    Troll!, approximately two and a half Roberts tall
    Whale skeleton that drips oil
    My view pretty much all day.
  • Lowest Highest Point! 12/1 (35)

    Lowest Highest Point! 12/1 (35)

    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!

    Deets

    • License Plates: KY, NH, RI, VT collection complete! Also Alberta, Ontario, Quebec
    • States: MD, PA, DE, PA, NJ, NY, CT
    • Departed: 8:57 am EST, 34 degrees
    • Original ETA 1:08 pm EST
    • Arrival: 3:43 pm EST
    • Warmest/Coldest: Death Valley 90°, Wallace ID 22°
    • Weather: Cold, gray
    • Music:
      • The The – Soul Mining
      • Tori Amos – Little Earthquakes
      • U2 – The Joshua Tree
      • Sinead O’Connor – The lion and the cobra
      • Random 80’s singles I wanted to hear (KonKan, Fixx, Motels, Saga, Boy’s Don’t Cry)
      • Mix based on above

    Observations

    • Maryland has a license plate variant that made looking for Kentucky plates a challenge
    • They still sell Hummers?
    • I have a cold
    • Sometimes avoiding tolls means surface streets.
    • Sometimes surface streets have a lot of stop lights
    • I drove on Waverly Place in NYC. Did not see any wizards.
    • Went over a legitimate covered bridge

    Pictures

    Not a ton of pictures today as it was mostly highways and places I couldn’t get to / use my phone.

  • Post Thanksgiving Coma 11/30 (34)

    Post Thanksgiving Coma 11/30 (34)

    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 works
    Home 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.
  • Turkey Trot 11/25 (29)

    Turkey Trot 11/25 (29)

    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.