how far out of the way would YOU drive, just for a joke?

here within will lie the conclusion to the lingering karow family recommendation.  but let's lead into it first...don't worry, you'll know it when it comes.

finishing airport exchanges in the mid afternoon, left the three of us [ now doug, anouk, and myself ] with loads of time to put some miles behind us before we called it a day.  it was to be an ann arbor michigan morning, so there was plenty to cover.  we didn't really find ourselves needing to stop all that often along the trip.  only pausing to take the required 'state border' photos and then keep on keeping on.  it wasn't until around [ well technically in ] battle creek, mi that we decided to stop for some grub.  ending us at the arcadia brewery and grille.  much of the town, all located on one main street, seemed to be closed, but we had hit the jackpot here since the kitchen was open for another thirty minutes.  anouk and doug got a beer sampler to share, 10 different house brewed blends...myself a plate of bbq'd chicken, 'a' with a salad, and 'd' with a bbq'd meat variety plate.  too much food, too much excitement, and too much lay before us to linger.  we pulled into the lamp post inn in ann arbor around one in the morning, snuggled in, and wait for the daylight to break.

the morning greated us with a tinge of a chill and a childlike aww from anouk to travel around the town, this being the location of some younger years spent.  pass an attened elementary school, the home of her living, and into the downtown-main campus area for some walking around...but mainly souviner shopping for her dad.  parking being what it is in many small towns and especailly one populated by college kids that have 'no respect for rules or laws', i pull into a thirty minute zone and check my watch.  we do the obligatory school bookstore stop and decide that it doesn't look busy enough to necessitate moving the car, we'll just do a small bit more of walking around.  one thing leads to another, t-shirt stop after post card stop after hot dog stop, and an hour plus has passed.  walking back to the car we hear some men mutter about a 'misouri' license plate and 'should know better than to be there for to long'; 'you can get double tickets parked there'.  well low and behold, there was a ticket.  flippen' 45 bucks!  and for what?  taking a little extra time to commerce your town?  fou-wee i say.  [ the ticket is still not paid.  what are they going to do...arrest me the next time i'm driving around in michigan for an unpaid parking ticket?  sorry parentals, i'm sure that's not the right choice... ]

this event did put a small damper on the mood of the day, but we fully blaimed doug...him being male and thus obviously a bad influence for the luck.  traveling on.  we headed to cleveland, ohio and the rock n' roll hall of fame.  quite a interesting site if you're looking to check out memorialbilia, but if [ to me ] you're really intrigued by the history of it all: how it came about, who started what, where, with whom, and how; this doesn't seem to be the place.  and you can't take pictures inside anywhere.  even without a flash!  bummer.

there was a lot to see though, which made us hungry.  from the food network show 'the best thing i ever ate', i had come acrossed a recommendation for lolita's in southern cleveland for fried brussel sprouts.  heck, let's give them a try.  it ended up being in this really nicely decorated and mid-upscale restaurant in the middle of the nowhere ghetto area of town.  reluctant to leave the car unattended but curious more about the food, we entered.  and i must say, those sprouts were amazing.  they had capers, anchovies, olive oil, and garlic in them and you can tattoo your name on my forehead if i don't testify that they quite frankly tasted like onion rings.  soupy oily [ :( ] but splendidly delightful to the taste buds.  this dinner was also called to order not only to satisfy our bellies, but to decide on the plan of attack for the next day.  original original plan [ being pre-doug ] was to drive through canada and get to niagara falls for some glory.  but him traveling with us and without a passport lead us to the next original plan, which was to drive the u.s. side to niagara falls for some glory.  but after my time spent with the karow's, another options was thrown into the mix.  it would be to visit connecticut and a small town named...wait for it...wait for it...mianus.  honestly and truly there was at least an hour long debate about which option was the right choice.  pro's and con's.  how long and in what direction we would be driving for the rest of tonight.  and what we could do and see in each of the places.  and wouldn't you know what we chose...

mianus was just a blip on the map, an unheard of destination up until two weeks prior, and about eight hours in the opposite planned direction, but somehow it won out over the falls of niagara [ probably because you can no longer ride in a wooden barrel down them.  just kidding ].  pronounced mya-noos by a local, we found out that there was indeed no town named such, that it was just a river.  until we found a street sign!  then there was a totem pole...in mianus.  we found a moose head...in mianus.  found a sign for slow kids playing...in mianus.  the options seriously endless, as well as the laughs.  it never got old, and frankly i don't see the hilarity slowing down any time soon...in minanus.  :)  we easily killed four hours plus goofing off and wandering around.  trying to find other awkward sayings referring to the referred to place.  having spent the night in bloombery, pennsylvania, already six hours into driving, and finding ourselves running on sleep caught between 3 a.m. and 8 a.m., the six additional hours to boston seemed just a stretch too much.  so i called long time best buddy ol' pal jenn in providence and we crashed her pad.  it wasn't no big deal.  we just went out to eat at julian's where there dessert menu has a picture of kiss on it and you can drink a bee sting.  some kind of gin drink, i didn't even try to go near it.  honey, lemon, something, something...there might be a third something too.  i don't remember.  the night carried on late with some games and enjoyment, the next days would be bitter sweet as our trio's travels had but two days remaining and i, having grown accustomed to the companions, would definitely be sad.

notable michigan:

     1.  much of this was noted from constructions zones, because it seemed as if much of the state's road were underconstruction.  any-who, they have straight flashing lights for when there is a lane closed and cones set out to block it.  it's not any kind of move over indicator.  these signs are miles into a project...suppose they are just there to remind you. 

     2.  and secondly in construction areas, how to word this?  imagine three lane traffic heading in both directions.  well the north bound lanes want to do some repair, so they close down two lanes, leaving one, but then also take the south bound down to two, and use one for north traffic.  thus the split one direction of travel, but leave all of the roads in complimentary numbers.  it was quite strange the first time to cross the median with cars still traveling beside me...but so far away.

     3.  noted by anouk and doug, the highways are littered with adult stores.  so many.

notable pennsylvania:

     1.  they paint dots on the road so that you know the minimum distance you should be behind someone.  no tailgating.

     2.  there were all kinds of detour signs, each with their own colored arrow.  i'm guessing perminent detours, but i didn't really get it.

     3.  noted doug:  random port-a-potties along the highways.

notable connecticut:

     1.  astro turf lawns.

     2.  lemons in the diet drinks [ learned that it's a new england thing.  along with leaving a bit of straw wrapper on the top of the straw but placing the straw in the drink, instead of just handing you a completely wrapped straw to open on your own.

     3.  'reduced salt use' signs for the winter time [ also new england common ].

big cities, big fun!

where to start?  what to say about the first night in chicago [ or come to experience, any night any chicago with crazy kristen and crazier anouk ]?  from the hotel's guide book, we looked up a couple of catchy and close by bars and nightlife to cap the night, but first things first was the recommendation to go to kingston mines.  a live jazz, bar, and better than bar food club located a couple stops north off the blue line subway.  jazz?  food?  travel?...i'm in!  the atmosphere local and familliar, most people not scared to dance and 'feel the music'.  especially when mrs holly the maxwell got on stage and sang with what her momma gave her.

after finishing some time at the mines, we decided to go to a game bar closer to the hotel.  with 'game' i am suggesting the use of boards and cards, not mind games.  we got there, guessing, probably around midnight...the place seemed pretty empty so we headed to the bar.  got a beverage, but let the games go when the conversations started.  kristen and i with each other.  anouk with an enthusiatic regular, as her son was one of the bar tenders.  this woman soon absorbed the rest of the night.  and i'm not exactly sure about how anouk got stuck with her other than she's a warm person, easy to talk to, and likes to talk to others.  i guess sometimes that combo works in your favor and sometimes you get what's about to happen next. 

elvira [ her real name we didn't find out until the end, is paulina ] started by educating us in the art of finding the cheapest beers in the city.  which hagen daz vs. another, or bar happy hour's where a hoax or the real deal.  she even got into a five minute debate with her husband about whether the price was $2.50 or $2.75...seems like splitting hairs, eh?  once that topic got too heated and exhausted, she moved on to her next trick.  i mean knowledgable category: auditioning for america's got talent as the one and only u.s. female baritone.  she then proceeded to seranade us with 'good night sweet heart' and some 'om-bopa, om-bop' elvira theme song, endeding with a crowd search for a third song; as she was sure that she would make it into the third round [ purely on the entertainment factor.  dressed as elvira ( she's been practicing for years from a cardboard cut out).  but sure that the third round was up in the air and that she wouldn't make it to the top 40 or how many make it to the big show round. ]

and as we were so politely trying to leave, really having had enough of the day, she wanted to extend to us her wonderful picture taking abilities [ being that she is half asian, and they can have some magic  behind the lens ].  then it came time for her husband, a 60's something 'still dang good looking' gentleman to have his turn so that she could be IN a picture.  as he's about to push the button, he says ' you're all dark.'  to which she replys ' it's cuz you got your finger over it dumby.'  all in all, she was interesting, fun, and well intentioned, but jeez...what a welcome to the city.  :)  we then trekked it home, tucked in, and looked forward to another day of who knows what kind of characters.  we tried an early rise, actually making it out the door some where around ten, and headed down to the navy pier, on a sunny but not extremely warm day, to check skyline boat tours and the like.  we noted the times of the day for the tours and i having been in contact with russelle [ a high school and current buddy that i was wanting to see ] for a lunch plan, we were left just putzing about until we met up at the original billy goat tavern.  'cheezeborger, cheezeborger, cheezeborger.  no pepsi, coke!'

lunch was fast, good, and great to see russelle.  so much so, that we decided to meet up again for dinner and us three travelers were left to our own devices for the rest of the afternoon.  did some millinium park, 'the bean', harris theatre, and the art institute of chicago museum walking.  the city is amazing.  from just the few times that i have been there, i want to go back again everytime.  it's got such an easy feeling.  pretty easy to get around in, and freindly in the un-pretencious ways that some cities can start to take on.  getting on to around four o'clock, we headed back to the pier to catch a boat and some history and views of the city in a different way.  a different way it would be, because directly and approximately the second that we stepped on the boat...the city got fogged out.

it was quite ironic the timing, because as we were listening to the story of a large fire and the burning down of almost the entire city, we were seeing a white screen in front of us...and it got cold.  briskly windy and just plain dreary.  we finished out our hour long tour by sitting in the inside hull of the boat and deciding what we would like to do for the rest of the evening, being that the planned trip up the hancock tower to see the view was now out of the picture.  when we got back to the pier, we did some walking around the shops and found ourselves in the middle of quite an impressive stained glass exhibit. tiffany stained glass that is, real old.  then booked it back to the hotel, spruced ourselves up, and decided on a fondue place for dinner [ kristen was feeling a little adventurous ].  dinner was awesome, with plenty of laughs and russelle, her partner jenny, and there friend kat as joiners too.  it's nice to get to hang out with people that you haven't seen in quite a few years and everything just seems to fall back into place.  i like it!

after dinner was a night out in wrigleville..which we didn't realize would be so quiet.  i guess with the cubs not playing and it getting into football season, the area can get a little quite.  not to mention the monday night aspect of it all.  we did some bar hopping until we finally came across a little gem [ and by gem i  mean some other people to hang out with ] at mullen's bar.  there were three guys chillin', havine a guy night, that seemed like a good group to introduce ourselves too.  consisting of dale [ a chicago-ian, thus nicknamed 'chicago' ], trevor [ from boston, nicknamed 'tre-vah' or 'bah-ston' ], and dustin [ from chicago and going through a break-up, so sorry to say, but nicknamed 'depressing'.  he just was not enjoying himself. ]  we closed down mullen's bar, but weren't feeling the need to take the train home yet, so we popped over to an open later night bar.  ended up just sitting around and chatting for a-good-nother hour or so until we indeed, closed down another bar.  we're getting on to 3, eh pressing 4 in the morning.  decide that it's time to read the writing on the wall and call it a night.  but jeez, those boys were funny.  we even got dale to put on anouk's heels and try to walk the couple blocks between the bars.  needless to say, i think that he'll have sympathy for a woman in the future if she says that her feet hurt and wants to walk slower.

the next day seemed to go by far too fast.  we did some walking around michigan avenue, made a stop at the lego store to build ourselves men, and grabbed a stuffed pizza at giordano's on rush.  now the time had come, the very sad moment, when kristen was to fly back to kansas city after some of our most wonderful time together.  see you later, gator!  but happiness would soon show it's head as anouk and i still had many miles to travel, and we would also be joined by another

slo-cal, dougie fresh. 

notable illinios:

     1.  the use of fractions on mileage signs.  as in 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, etc. 

     2.  anouk made the acute observation that they have a billion and a half bowling alleys.  we didn't know if this was because when the weather gets cold, it's nice to have something to do.  if it was because as a total city, they idolize the movie king pin. or if it's just a noticed coinsidence.

    3.  accident roll out sites on no shoulder highways.

    

traveling genes

after spending a day in kansas city for the second time in a week to rest and catch up on some photo updating and friends hang-ing-out-ing, my sister and i caught an early morning, and hit the road.  our nights goal was to make it to our half brother and his family [ wife and two sons...i'm an aunt! ]'s house in roberts, wisconsin.  so for our point A to point B we drove the straight and two laned interstate directly through iowa with our first detour to the bridges of madison county    [ actually in madison county, a movie actually filmed in madison county, but a cinema that i have never vidied ].  that left kristen the expert analyist for the structures and her accute conclusion was that 'they all look the same'.  covered bridges, covered in personal messages about 'being here' and 'peeing here'.  we moved up the road to wintersett, the birthplace of john wayne.  stopped in the museum center, but decided to not go for the tour when we realized that it was $15 for a 20 min tour of an approximately 1000 square foot home.  you could get a general floor plan from the outside perspective...moving on.

up the road, meaning north, was a stop in ames for lunch at the pizza ranch.  it may be a chain, but its homeland is in iowa and that's really where most of them are located [ a couple here and there in south dakota ].  they offer a lunch buffet with multiple and rotating styles of pizza, a chicken wing/mashed potato/corn area, salad and soup bar, and a dessert center.  quite a bit of food to choose from.  next along the route was the carousel museum in story, iowa.  however this lovely indoor carousel with ornate and majestic horses was closed...noooo!  back in the car, back on the road, 

  and back in time with a stop at the surf ballroom, the last performance of buddy holly, near clear lake, iowa.  this ballroom is still a concert hall and the hallways are lined with the many faces and autographs of the stars.  hundreds and hundreds of them.  from alan jackson to los lobos.  hillary clinton [ probably not for vocal appearance ] to brett michaels.  it's just a small raised wood stage with an open dancing floor, some tables around the floor area, and pineapple wallpaper on the walls. 

                                                                                          but enough with iowa already, let's

                                                                                          get to minnesota and wisconsin.

having not of taken a road trip with my sister in nine years [ the first one was in 2001 when i was 18 and she was 15 and we drove from kansas city to san luis obispo to move me west for college.  she sleep most of the time and i was just trying to get there already ], this was the most pleasent surprise of getting along and sharing; being that we had never really had time as two adults to get past and learn from our childhoods together.  and from the realization that you're meeting your sibling in a new place for the first time, i was completing the circle by meeting my brother for maybe the fifth time in my life...and it was wonderful.  the whole weekend of the three of us was great.  guess it's a little test of nature vs. nurture in action, because it didn't seem as though we had any problem finding ourselves with inside jokes, get alongs, and quirk exposures.

days filled with the pumpkin patch, animal petting zoo, and hay rides.  corn hole in the garage and going out to dinner.  and the older nephew was so smart, clever, and a gentleman.  the little tike a smile fest when mom and dad are around, a bit fussy any other time.  the weekend passed by quickly and i very much look forward for the return visit and getting to see everyone grow, but kristen and i's fun was not over...no, no, no, i was just about to being.  we had a california friend to pick up and a chicago to see!  with hugs and goodbyes, and mostly see you soons, we began our eight hour drive through wisconsin; cheeseland! 

we didn't really take much time to do anything touristy on our drive, but we did search out the u.s.'s largest 'M' located in platteville, wisconsin.  it is a concrete poured slab that measures 241 feet by 241 feet.  we couldn't really figure out how to get very close to it, so we just positioned ourselves else where for the kill [ please also note the horse and buggie reserved parking spot... ].  we also found a restaurant in platteville named the pioneer.  it wasn't until we got to the door and noticed the bowling pins etched into the glass that we also found ourselves at a bowling alley.  alright, we can handle eating lunch at a bowling alley greasey counter.  and i decided to eat out side the box: i order the montana burger.  1/3 lb of beef with a fried egg, ham slices, tomato, onion, cheese, and lettuce.  we also got a side of cheese churds as an appetizer, all of which was pretty delicious, though my stomach did have a moment of pause while digesting. 

the end of the day ended not so much as planned.  we found ourselves in more traffic than planned, late to pick up anouk at the airport by an hour, so schedule re-configured to just meet at the hotel instead.  at approximately and exactly 5:56pm on october 10th, 2010 we, the three of us laying our bags around the intercontinental hotel on michigan avenue, pushed the start button on our chicago adventure-land...and the start of the next entry too.

notable iowa:

1.     lots of dvds for sale in their gas station convience stores.

2.     'H.E.L.P.' :  highway emergency long distance phone

3.     it's a state where every one waves to strangers  :D

4.     they not only have rest areas, they have 'modern rest areas'...whatever the difference is

5.     bike parking full of bmx trickster bikes and scooters with orange flags

notable minnesota:

1.     trees painted on their water towers

2.     they have two off ramps splitting from just one highway exit.  so it's an A and B situation from one lane, versus the difference of a quarter of a mile and two completely different exit ramps

notable wisconsin:

1.     veterns memorial highway

2.     double drive thrus, with one window on each side of the building

3.     HO CHUNK ELDERS reserved parking at the gas station

4.     instead of turn lanes on a two lane highway, they add an additonal outside passing lane for the traffic to pass by

home away from home...traveling towards home

after a morning stroll around knoxville, i hit the road taking interstate 74 north and was into kentucky in no time.  reading that berea was an artist driven community with a free college for those that are focused in the liberal arts, a stop became a must.  much of the town is brick buildings with white columned two storey porches...beautiful.  the artist shops were not, as i had believed, of scholars to the school but instead of local more established non-collegiates.  i happened to walk into a metal working jewelry gallery were a couple started to explain more about their work and questioned where i was from.  when i said missouri, it just so happened that   ken [ the husband ] had grown up in the area too!  we reminisced about some of the things that were around when we were groing up, he being some three decades older than me, we had little in common, but shared no the less.

after peeling out of me my architecture major, they concurred that a trip to white hall, the restored home of cassius clay [ not the stinging bee boxer, a civil war politician ] was a must see...so there i drove.  the home was closed, but set amoungst beautiful green acreage, multiple stable homes or what could of been slaves quarters, and lots of white wooden fences.  after this was the search for the world's largest skateboard in wilmington, ohio before reaching a night's bed in lewis center.  the skateboard was built by the city college but was not familiar to the town locals, as i asked in a couple of markets and gas stations about it's location, only to be responded with blank stares and recommendation of a billboard sized painting on a building...no, no, no.  off i go.

so due to the title, perhaps by now, the question has been raised as to exactly where it is that i consider home...let me put that question to bed with an answer...we'll get to that answer soon...it's just around the corner...the judges are just about done...ok, ok, but really ' i don't know.'  i definitely believe in the home is where the heart is, but i couldn't even answer that with one place [ sorry guys ].  i feel at home everywhere that i find myself with people that put me at ease and make me want to be better.  so let this then be the introduction to one of my many second families; the karow's in columbus ohio. 

we've been splashing around the kiddie pool [ not meant to be punny ] since i was assigned to be jenn's right hand in third grade because she slipped and fell in the swimteam's locker room.  they then moved from kansas city to lewis center, ohio when jenn and i were in 8th grade which is when jenn and i became determined  that we were not about to loose each other's friendship and have now being causing caos together for the last twenty years.  needless to say even though jenn no longer lives in ohio with them, they were a necessary stop along the trip.  :)

in search for entertainment amoungst my return trip towards kansas city and with an extensive road traveling resume of their own, i took heed to the stop recommendations and found myself in dublin, ohio [ at a concrete corn field ], fairfield, ohio just outside of cincinnati [ at jungle jim's foodie land; seriously the largest collection of edible goodies that you could ever imagine!  they have so much stuff that in addition to 'cheese, wine, meat' sections...they have country sections.  its crazy.  over 1400 types of hot sauces alone  :) ], and a third to be mentioned later, but well worth the wait...

after the finish of my ohio stops, i fell just bellow the border into covington, kentucky and upon the door steps of the saint mary's cathedral basilica modelled after the church of notre dame.  it's stained glass work was amazing and you could grab book about it all for only $30.  they were very open to letting me take photos and the church was complete with not only one, but two pipe organs and the photoed holy water dispensor.  me not being overly religious, the gentleman host was getting a little talkative so i decided that it would be time for me to make my next stop...well why not make it the kentucky distillery bourbon trail.  perfect after a blessing huh?

much to my delight, the area of the trail that the distilleries were located in was extremely beautiful, but much to my timing dismay, they were on long and winding roads that would just not allow me to expidite my adventure.  so i only got to stop at one of the six listed destination before they all closed, but really that's okay because:
1. i am by myself
2. that leaves me as the driver...and 
3. drinking with others is the way that this should happen

so it has now been put on the list for a 're-visit' and there will be more to learn, share, and photo-a-lize about later.  fyi:  the one that i did make it too was the woodford reserve distillery where they gave me a shot, i couldn't handle the smell of it, sipped it, and poured the rest out so that i could take home my souviner glass [ for those noting the drinking and driving of this...all is well ].  the end of the trail dropped me into louisville, ky; a city that i was looking very forward to.  although it became quickly apparent that the time had not yet come for us to meet when upon arriving and driving by the science center/sluggerville area, there was a woman crying on the side of the street as one man ran away and another was crossing and stopping traffic to get to her after a domestic disturbance.   next, navigating the blocks to get back to the highway, there was a man thrown off his bike laying in the middle of an intersection after getting hit by a car, but the finale was a semi pulled over in the middle lane of a three-fer highway for a traffic violation...just a little bit too much to make feel comfortable to stop.  so that also goes on the re-visit list.

the departure of this city lead me directly into indiana and well, what do you do in indiana?  first was to satisfy my stomach and that would be done after noticing a sign for an amish style family restaurant.  i had a chicken pot pie filling with a biscut, chicken stuffing, and mash potatoes and gravy.  the food was satisfying, but rather on the bland side...not a whole lot of additives or spices.  afterwards, i found myself exploring santa claus.  not the jolly old man, but the city.  a christmas land pretty much year round.  there is an amusement park, rudolph's RV park, and a north pole post office.  but it was a little depressing while i was there being that it was the beginning of october when thankfully i'm not yet into the holiday spirit [ as i am a firm believer in the right for each holiday to have it's own and complete month...no infultrating ] but also because of the timing, the city was just about all empty.  and because my night was to be spent in kansas city, and in my mind there was no choice but to forge forward, it trudged on...landing me to bed at 2:47 in the morning. 

notable kentucky:
1.     street signs warning of a ticket if someone were to pull in front of a semi without leaving them sufficient space.  now to me leaving space just seems like common sense, but i guess that if there is some small way to charge people for not being aware of others and courtesy, then i'm okay with them having to pay for it.
 2.    some of the state highways, and seemingly more like side streets, are number in the 1000's and 2000's...that's a lot of roads.
 3.    just remember: to drive at least 10 mph over the posted speed limit, other wise you're likely to get run over
 4.    wood fences:  natural finish and white paint

notable ohio:
 1.    nicknamed 'slow-hi-o', because unlike their neighbor, they are certainly not in a rush to get anywhere.  abiding speed limits or slower.
 2.    land areas are not only divided by county, but also by townships

notable indiana:
1.     mile marker updates every .2 and .5 miles.  so it goes 1.0, 1.2, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.8, 2.0, etc...
2.     there were a lot of cars parked on the side of the roads in general and specifically on the on and off ramps of highways.  and some of the cars also had what seemed to be people sitting beside the cars enjoying a picnic or moment in the fresh air.  not at all concerned or appearing to be distrested by any kind of trouble.

[ http://worldslargestthings.blogspot.com/2008/11/worlds-largest-skateboard-wilmington.html ]
link to a little bit about the skateboard
   

shaking my pelvis to the sounds of...

ELVIS!  and the 101.1 memphis radio station...i want one of them everywhere i go. 

aright, i'm calming.  breathe in, count to 10, good.  so this little land of grace, is quite the step back in time.  not that i was alive at all in the 70's and not that the brothel didn't make me go 'hmmm', but this place...well let's just say it's a sight.  it's located in the middle of somewhere, not where i would imagine a ranch.  there's a heartbreak hotel next door.  different tour prices depending on if you want to see the cars and airplanes, but man, i just wanted to gawk at the house.  and you don't even get to see the toilet he croaked on!  that's ok, i can respect privacy and all, but shucks.  there is fabric and carpet everywhere.  i don't know how his house never caught on fire.  a pool room with over about a million yards of fabric [ exagerating ], a three tv room with a bar and a horned skull.  recreation/raquet ball room and a shotting range.  but even though it is decorated to the nines, there's still something sad about it all.  something where all the stuff has taken over the life.  and when you're looking through the museum, who has the original copy of a check written in the 1960's?  i don't know.  i loved it, i think that it's great, but there was something not being said that sure was apparent there.

from graceland i caught a bus and rode to the memphis recording service a.k.a. sun records.  started as a little no name, it is now credited as the beginning of rock n roll.  quite an impressive number of names and stars to come from this little [ still operational ] studio.  guess some people just stick to their guns and some people just know when they got it.  the city itself left me feeling a little uneasy.  there were gaurd stands at all of the parking lots and fences around just about as much as they could fence in.  there seemed to be no 'good side' vs 'bad side' of town, which in a way i guess really makes me happy.  i just got a little sad when there didn't feel to be any really even 'in-between side' at all either.  i want to say that i wasn't judging the city based on it's cover, but i'm sure that i was.  and i want to say that it takes a jewel in the rough to know what you got, and i guess that i just need to go back to find my golden moment.  i loved the music history of it, especially being so close to a country mecca.  the sounds that were created and developed here are certainly the ones that are the strongest in my upbringing and current preferences.  ain't nothing like a good tune to make you shake watcha momma gave ya.

the night took some traveling, but it was nice to get to see some family.  dinner and conversations with my aunt and uncle in little rock, arkansas.  i know, i know, a bit of a back track from memphis towards the west, but i'm trying to see everyone i can.  and no hotel costs are very welcomed.  the next day was more or less a straight drive through tennesse and into knoxville to stay with a friend of friend [ i love meeting random people.  especially when they have big, open hearts ] for some dinner, tour guiding around, and a warm couch.  the next day was a light time visit around gay street and the market square.  some of the seemingly newer and trendy areas of the town.  loved seeing the word tennesse on the side of a building.  from here my travels would lead me north through kentucky and into columbus, ohio.



notable tennesse: 

    1.   i already mentioned the radio station, but again 101.1 soul mix was fabulous.

    2.  there are random solid white lines where multiple lanes are headed the same direction for 'no changing lanes' section of highways around curves.

    3.  donks...the car

    4.   many of their highways, although mapped by number, also include names which are the more commonly used notifier.

    5.   wooden crosses are prevalent

    6.   and there are a lot of massive firework retail stores.  they're lightin' up the sky year round!

2. so farther...

1.  i have visited 29 states [ 30 including hawaii ]

2.  i have finally seen the colors of new england fall that i was hoping i would and could.

3.  i have seen the pacific ocean, atlantic ocean, lake michigan, lake erie, buzzards bay, and cape cod

4.  i have started to blind sketch again

5.  i still don't know what to be for halloween

6.  i've had four fellow travelers in my car

7.  i've been on the road for 44 days, that's half way

8.  i've taken 6512 pictures

9.  i've sent 63 postcards

10. i've eaten a seafood sandwich in sandwich, ma

i've learned some new slang, much of which i'm not sure that i'll be adopting [ like hair bows instead of ponytail holder or 'wicked' from new england ], but i'm growing everyday more and more appreciative of my time, adventureous for where i am, and content on where i've been and where i call home.

in the 'i heart' land

mitchell, south dakota...home to the corn palace.  i'm not sure what i really knew about this place other than that i thought the entire building was made out of corn.  well that may of been true when the first one was built for a world's fair in the early 1900's, but since then, there has been a perminant structure constructed and the corn is a yearly re-designed and re-attached combinations of pattern about the exterior of the building.  the interior is a large gymnasium style layout, with stage, some bleachers, basketball nets and the like.  there is also amazing art inside the gym, but i'm not sure how often or if it is ever changed.  we were lucky enough to visit over a day of some design changing: they use chalk to outline the picture, then three different colors of ears of corn cut in half to finish the image.  there is also corn stalk and husk used for texture.  i like it.

the inside hallways are lined with older drawings and photos of designs past and then some sketches of how an artist might make corn into art.  it was a bit of a shame that the doll museum across the street was no longer in business.  i mean, who doesn't want to see room after room of big bulging eyes and curly hair?  however, my spirits were lifted when i noticed a life-sized-ear-of-corn photo op and an ATV with a license plate.  in south dakota, if the roads get tough, the tough go four wheelin'!

departing from mitchell, we headed toward vermillion, sd and the national music musuem.  in the middle of the midwest, i was not expecting there to be much of a collection, but they displayed some seriously amazing musical instruments.  one of the first every electric cellos designed by theromin, as well as a barrel cello made from a wine barrel.  there was a harp piano and instruments from a variety of the eastern asian and african countries.  a perfect stop for the music minor in me but much to our dismay, leaving vermillion would signal the end of our south dakota fun and into nebraska heading home we rolled.  heading into lincoln, we drove the barely wide enough for a car and tractor farmland back roads.  barely a hill, much in the corn.  it was wonderful, and i felt like home.  really the first familiar place i had been since leaving california. 

dinner with the mom, aunt, and grandparents at a pie enthusiasts dream [ i went for some french silk pie  :) ].  a couple of movies to put the night away and i was feeling great.  the next morning would be a walk-around self-guided tour of the nebraska state capital building in lincoln followed by goodbyes and see you soons as i headed south to kansas city.  not of course leaving without first visiting g.ma [ R.I.P ] in fremont, nebraska and gifting some roses.  not to get to deviated from the road trip conversations, but that was my first visit since she had pasted and even now as i'm typing, it's hard.  [ g.ma i miss you a lot and think of you everyday. ]

okay...moving on.  heading into kansas city, again, it just felt like home.  getting to spend a night cheering at a winning royals baseball game with daddy, sister, and g.pa.  a familiar bed, set of clean clothes, and knowing that when i pull out my toothbrush tonight i can leave it on the counter for more than a couple of hours.  i had some time.  friday was a bit of running around, getting the car tuned up, catching up visually with the changes that happen when you're not present everyday, and a nighttime of first friday art exhibits in downtown kc with jaime.  some drinks, some laughs, but the card games were saved for next time.

there really is nothing that calms me the way that kansas city can on a cloudy day.  the smell, the image, the temperature even...is just etched into the memory of my love for that city.  no matter how long i go, it is a comforting return.  however, there is still much of missouri that i have not seen, so let's take the chance while it's knocking at the door.  in driving south towards euraka springs, arkansas i figured that now would be the perfect time to see a little bit of branson, missouri is all about.  i've heard the legend of it's rockets and awwed at the desire to amuse myself at silver dollar city, but had never set foot anywhere near.

i didn't really have enough time to go through much of the entertainment offered in the city, but i didn't find that there was a chili cook off fundraiser at the titanic for local fire stations.  i thought, 'well heck ya i'm going.  i love spicy, men in uniforms, and ships...and then the whole doing good for others bit of it doesn't hurt either.  count me in!'  so i went, donated some money, almost got gnomie dipped in a vat, and enjoyed.  of course to cool the spice, there had to be a trip to the mount pleasant winery for their wine 101 class, complete with seven different tastes of missouri made wines [ didn't even know MO was so crazy ].  didn't really learn anything that i didn't know, living the last nine years in wine country and all, but i had some laughs with an arkansas couple next to me that would really of prefered seven different cans of budwiser than 'any of that fruity stuff'.  more for me  :)

the evening was capped with the exchanging vows of lindsay and owen, like i said, in euraka springs, arkansas.  now let me preface the following by saying that euraka springs is an amazingly quaint and cozy town.  twisty, narrow roads with tons of shops. perfect places for photography, a wedding of friends, and wonderful weather.  but let me also say that once a year, it is home to a weekend long corvette and harley gathering...this year, those two events happened to fall on the same weekend as my visit.  now normally, i'm all into looking at pretty cars and feeling the rumble between my legs, but due to the eight fold population increase of the town, my dorm room style hotel room was outrageiously priced for one night.  seriously blue cement painted walls, a see-through plastic poke-a-dot shower curtain, no tack strip from the carpet to linoleum [ which i couldn't be bothered not to attack myself with everytime i was within five feet of it ].  the joy motel owner was very pleasant and talkative, but ahh...the price of demand.  lindsay looked beautiful and i got to dance my pants off, so let's not get too downer, shall we?

photo: lindsay, owen, and gnome

notable missouri: 

     1.  decimals on the highway mile markes for .2 of a mile past.  guess they want you to be very descriptive when needing a tow truck. 

     2.   first time seeing water towers [ though now i'm seeing them constantly midwest and east ].

     3.   lots of train yards

     4.   and cities that are named the same as other cities or named after other states and foriegn places.  ex:  paris, mo;  nevada, mo [ pronounced nah-vay-da ];  texas, mo; there's buffalo, california, and lebanon...just to name a few.

that really is big!

staying our third night together just slightly west of the north dakota border, it was an easy morning to wake up, wash the gunk out of our eyes, prep our drive schedule, and hit the road.  destination:  teddy roosevelt national park and the southern tip of the north dakota badlands.  now exactly what these badlands are about, i'm not really sure.  there still seemed to be some amazing wildlife [ and by amazing i mean huge ] with a beautiful canyon-esque setting.  a river that flows through it and some natural vegetation.  we drove a thirty six mile looping trail that winded throughout the park.  seeing wild horses, pairie dogs, and buffalo [ little education lesson:  there are no buffalo that live in the u.s., they are infact only in south america.  thus we actually saw american bison ].  also abundant were walking trails that could lead you down into the depths or up to the heights.  we decided to go to a height and from there you could see large puffy white clouds, the changing levels of the various canyons, as well as, the many colors from grey to firey maroon, brillant cream to black. 

after lunch on a picnic beach, getting eaten by bees and eating some sandwiches and veggies, we dropped our postcards off at the drop box, took a picture of a mr. potato head style face placed into a tree and headed south.  night plan, to make it to sturgis, but not without a detour to the devil's tour in northeastern wyoming.  this once under ground volcano became blocked by unexploded and dried lava.  after many years [ and i mean like 50 billion ] it became exposed and is now even starting to deteriorate away.  cracking and crumbling from it's great heights to the basin floor.  at the base is a looping trail a little over a mile long that one can walk around and see all the sides of the tower.  and if you're really crazy, you can climb it and spend the night on the top.  now, i did have my climbing shoes with, an offer from a fellow climber [ watching two-two person teams ] to climb...but i had no rope, mom hanging out, and have never before scaled anything above a 5.10 in difficulty [ climbing terms, don't worry about it.  but this was guessed to be around an 8.5 or above. ]  the top is a rounded mound with some bushes and a great view.  instead, mommy and i packed it up and drove it out of town.  hit our night goal, grabbed dinner and beer, and looked forward to tomorrow with giddy christmas eve like excitment.

alas, the day had finally come...ever since i can remember, mommy had wanted to visit the black hills, corn palace, and mt. rushmore.  today was to be 'the day'.  we got up, headed south west into keystone, south dakota and the mt. rushmore monument area.

the monument really does seem to come out of nowhere.  at first there are some turny roads, hills, valleys, climbs, and then out of nowhere, a recognizable vision.  and though to look at it from the viewing deck it many not seem that imposing, if the faces were to be full bodies, and those bodies to be alive, the person standing would reach 60 storeys...that's pretty huge.  we walked around [ as exampled in the photo ] leaning towards each other and sharing one tour wand, hearing about the creation, execution, workers accounts, and intended impact of the sculpture.  designed and started by the same man that worked on the lincoln monument in washington, d.c., there were quite a number of years of toil.  i mean, could you imagine if your grandfather had actually worked on this sucker?!  that would be amazing!

after time spent at the mountain, we head back through keystone, stopping for a gold mine tour and of course...some panning.  the deal with our big thunder gold mine tour was that it was started by two german fellows, ingle and crump, because they spoke a mutual language, but from the beginning, didn't really get along so well.  lore from across the canyon was that some bloke had found about $16 million worth of gold, so they thought for sure they would strike it rich.  alas, after 34 years together they walked away with only two hundred dollars...and split that cuz there was two of them.  no fun.  after our meek gold flake findings as well, we worked our way east through south dakota, stopping at the wall drug store in wall, sd and landing in mitchell, sd.  so-long!

notable wyoming: 

     gates and 'return in opposite direction' signs at many of the on and off ramps...due to heavy snow seasons i would mostly imagine.

    and then lets not forget all of the flippin' deer running around EVERYWHERE!  i mean they were jumping over fences like no one's business.  i bet they could probably jump a car, or even a building...well a least a human.  i'm guessing really

notable north dakota:

     guess it would really just be that the badlands are really beautiful in there own way.  and maybe called badlands in general because the style and make up of them is strikingly different from that in it's immediate area.  the hills, canyons, and colors just appear out of nowhere...and you're already pretty sure that you can see to the other side of the state from the opposite border.

notable south dakota:

   1.   there were a couple of instances in which out of state license plates were attached to road posts.  i don't know if this where a car broke down and they wanted to remember it.  if it's an out of stater's claim to the open land...or some other social or cultural phenomenon, but it sure was strange to see. 

    2.   they have a bizillion and half billboards.  three every one third mile at least...so many!

    3.   and a lot of there roads were also underconstruction.  sorry, but it's really hard to not speed through the cone zones of the middle of nowhere.

   4.   i've just gotta throw it out there...from the restaurant senior weiner, 'you know you want one!'

big sky country

i know, i know...by now i'm sure many of you have lost interest in my inability to keep a consistent posting cycle, but alas, i have the internet now for a wee bit of time so i will do what i can.  last the story left off, oh those many weeks ago, i was starting to travel with my mom from spokane washington. on day one of our travels we headed through the northern west united states, through cour d'alene, kellog, and into wallace idaho.

we stop purely on a hunch that there might be something to see.  and because we saw a couple of signs for some silver mine tours that looked of interest.  our first stop was into the visitor center, leaving when our stomach's voices were out-weighing each others vocal chord sounds, and headed to the smokehouse bbq and saloon where we dinned on smoked salmon with jalapenos and a buffalo burger [ a first to many meals that i will eat containing meat of various catagories that i have not consumed regularly since around the age of 14 ].  all tasty, all fed, and with belly's happy for the moment, we venture over the the oasis hotel per recommendation to check out the brothel musuem and tour.

the tale goes something like this:  this was a working and prosperous brothel until 1988 when there was a tip that the FBI was coming to town.  low-and-behold, it was in suspicion of illegal gambling, but the entire mining town was pretty much shut down of all illegal activity in one foul swoop.  thus, the brothel 'hotel' was left fully furnished, as the girls were intending to only be out of town for a week or so...not decades.  quite interesting i might say, though the look of it was something straight out of a 1970's decor catalog, not quite the glitz i was expecting.  needless to say, enjoyable and i bought a dress off the premises as well [ nothing that had been previously used or anything, there was just also a little retro store in the lobby ].  from here we headed over to the silver mine tour headquarters, only to find ourselves 13 minutes late to the start of the last tour.  tour missed, we still hopped on the trolley for a little ride to the mine head, saw some more of the town, got some local lore and historical info, and learned that 'eh, this trolley could climb up a tree' from steve. 

after such an afternoon, we booked it out of town to the destination of great falls, mt for the night and a morning tour around what was a little over a year of mommy's habitation.  in the morning, much too her discovery, the building she worked in looked small, the house looked about the same, but was occupied...so as we started to take our paparazzi photos, a woman walked out [ quite possibly with gun in hand ], so we split fast style.  done with great falls.  that day then in late september was basically filled with a lot of driving, as montana is a large state from west to east, and we had some north dakota to see.  it was amazing to notice how much changed in landscape from our traveling direction as well.  it started very hilly, mountainious really, and full of trees and folage, but ended in something much more flat, bare, not tame exactly, but not appearing to hide any secrets.  that was until we stumbled upon a sign for the pictograph caves just

before our night stop in glendive.  an ancient ritual sight for indians, there can still be some paintings seen from the edges of the cliffs looking into the caves. red and black 2D sketches just scattered about the walls, ceilings, and floors even.  the sky was beautiful, the road was long, no radio [ not because it didn't work ], talking, sharing, and enjoy car made avocado, cream cheese, and sprout bagel sandwiches we look forward to tomorrows and our days filled with dakotas.

notable montana:
     for whatever reason, they had a whole lot of really large letters on the sides of a lot of their mountain sides.  schools?  city names first letters?  just cuz?  it looks cool in the snow?  i don't know, but i like it!
     there were so many areas of really well manicured green, freshly cut lawns just a couple of feet around and surrounding homes in the middle of the deserted lands.  just little randomly appearing green oasis.
     and it seemed like almost every town, no matter how small, had a college in it.  most likely at a community level, but still...lots of potential learning going on.

photo: livingston, mt

the last western

so if anyone had been paying close attention to the geography that the trip has taken so far, one might of noticed that there was a bit of a seemingly out of place jaunt to colorado before finishing the west coast...i am here to put at ease such observant creatures by letting you know, that here within lies the revealing of washington state.  a beautiful place indeed.  my morning started out in leaving boise, the adair family, and heading west [ crazy so early in the trip ] on I 84 through the eastern and northern parts of oregon to eventually drive due north on I 5 into seattle.  i did have some apprehensions about re-entering oregon.  not at all because i did not have a wonderful time previously, but mainly because i was scared of the bugshield that may attack me at any time.  that being said, i did not receive the previously mentioned greeting, but instead, was struck by a rock from a construction truck, leaving me with a [ and my very first ever ] chip in the windshield.  dang rabbits!!

alas, it's annoyance and obviousness is not so great [ it only happens to be in the center of every picture that i try to take through the front of my car ] and i'm into oregon and even more ready to be in my last western state.   taken as a recommendation from my national geographic 'crossing america' handbook, i decide that there is heavy need for a stop at the stonehenge.   yes sir ree.  there is a world war I monument in maryhill, wa just over a bridge from I 84 through the north of oregon that can be seen from afar; perched on a bluff over looking the beautiful gorge.   and to much of my pleasure, i was to stubble upon this monument on the first day of fall.  an equinox.  but it's strategic placement would be of no consequence until the setting of the sun, or approximately 6.00p and i was standing there at around 2.41 in the afternoon.  again foiled by imperfect timing, but i had much road ahead of me and most definitely, much much more to see.  a short scenic drive on historic highway 30 was receiving massive amounts of signage, so i deemed the detour a necessity and down the curving off ramp i went. 

this road held some of the most enchanting views of the pacific north.  thin roads sided with small rock guard rails, white fences, large towering trees, and tall...some babbling, some gushing...mutli-storey...waterfalls!  they were the horsetail falls and multnomah waterfalls to be exact.  each of the waterfalls had a basin view point, but the second one also had a half mile ramp that you walk up to a bridge around the mid point.  or actually from where one waterfall fell into a pool and then flowed to a second waterfall.  there is also a little over two mile hike that will take you all the way to the top.  again with the desire to reach seattle looming over me, the hike to the top was put on a 'to do' list for the future.  once arriving in seattle, i met up with some great college friends, caela and sean [ the mckeevers ] and trixie [ my place to lay my travel weathered head and tour guide extraodinaire! ] for dinner and some chatting.

the next day was all my own.  i was planning another night in seattle, but what to do with the daylight hours?  first things first, i must go down to pike's market and catch a flying fish.  so thus, as the order of first before second goes...i was off to the market.

pike's market is a mecca to all things, well market.  there are a ton of flower stands, little kitchy souvenirs, bookstores [ with postcards ;) ] and locally produced, or fresh from the water, food.  saw some blankets, t-shirts, and jewelry all boasting about personalization and seattle.  but instead i settled on a taste of some smoked salmon, a picture of 'sumflours', and a moment in catchers glory.  after the market, it was time to head to the peace arch.  a monument built in 1814 to promote a strong and long neighborly relationship with canada.  quite humble when seeing in person and a little sad that although it has always been a arch, having gone through many iterations since 1814, and is wide enough and tall enough to have say a horse and buggie or currently cars go through, that has never actually been is intention.  it sits lonesome in the middle of a grassy knoll.  each borders proper entrance paper varification stands sitting a quarter mile to the north and south of it...and you just drive around it.  as a pedestrian, you can walk through, around, not really over, but under it.  very peaceful, even on the characteristically over-cast and sprinkling rainy day that i was there. 

after the arch, driving south into seattle, i stopped at the little mountain park.  it has a really nice view from the top with a cantilevered plank to frame and overlook mt. vernon.  again, with low clouds, there was not much distance that i could grasp, but beautiful just the same.  the evening after then consisted of the 'tour' from trixie and her roommate adam.  first stop was for dinner at the green leaf for my very first ever try of vietnamese food, which i'll have to say i will be trying again. dessert at molly moon's, a local artisan ice cream maker with such things as salty carmel [ that's what i got ], mint and raspberry sorbet, and other interesting but delicious creations.  and to end was some night time driving around the city to see the fremont troll and the fremont area, an amazing view of the city from kerry park, a look at capital hill and pioneer's square, ending in beacon hill and a night of blissful rest.

the next day i was a little slow going, but knew that i had to, just had to, get to spokane by 10p to pick up mommy from the airport!  finally a road warrior to forge ahead with me.  along the drive south and then west [ i took the long way having some time to kill ] i stopped to see the glass museum in tacoma washington.  an amazing space dedicated to the art of anything to do with glass.  full of examples and complete with a live studio where they invite artist to come and exhibit the way in which these masterful pieces are created.  after the musuem, i headed east on washington highway 12, stopped from lunch in mossy rock at kameo's for some chicken noodle soup and a grilled cheese, climbed 438 stairs to get a bird's eye view of mt. st. helens [ why o why i even counted these stairs, i don't know.  neither do i know why after two hundred i continued to climb, because even two weeks later, i'm pretty sure that my legs have still not recovered. ] and a drive along mt. rainer, still with a snow capped top.  i reached spokane with no more the three minutes to spare, picked up to ma, and headed to the hotel to brain storm about tomorrows adventures and night time reaching goal. so...good night.

recommendations:

     visit pike's market.  there seems to always be a lot of tourist hanging around to see the throwing and catching of the fish, but that's only done when one is purchased.  so either purchase a fish and watch i get thrown, hang out for a long time to see if it happens, or just ask one of the guys if you can catch one yourself.  easy as pie.

     seattle is a city of neighborhoods, so either grab a friend as a tour guide, or a map that lists out some of the various areas.  there is much of a different flare and feel about each one of them.  i am also growing more and more to believe that although the weather may not be a drawing factor for visitors and residents, it's variety and innovation of so many things and things to do and see, is.  you are destined to find something that you just can't believe, but now you can't live without.  me, mine is dry soda.  where in the heck else can i get this delicious stuff?!

     there are a lot of mountains, hills, and i'm sure hiking, cycling, and climbing trails.  do something outdoors.  rain or shine. [ and again like portland, don't carry an umbrella.  i mean do what you want, but... ]

notable washington:
    1.   within the city [ not sure about country ] cars are parked in both directions on both sides of a two way street.  there is nothing worse than seeing a spot, but not being able to take it because it's on the opposite side.  no problem here!  and there is also a lot of angled and backwards parking only areas of the street.  guess it helps not to have to parrallel park, but backing in on a busy street could up the pressure factor just a tad i might imagine.
    2.   into and out of the city, there are an additional two lanes that run with the heavier flow of traffic.  helps to get you in and out just a little bit faster.  perfect [ though it was disclosed that this does happen elsewhere, it was my first experience. ]
    3.   a great variety of food, and the invention of the seattle dog.  i love hot dogs!  but this could possible be the best edition ever...cream cheese and onions on a dog. 
    4.   they just flat out have great road signage.  there is a semi and towing vechiles slow down for turn sign, but i doesn't look like the average sign where you might tip over.  no, these are full blown cartoon sketches of a vechile squeeling around a corner, 3D and everything.  the +2 for car pools lanes are just so cute.  the ride share sign with the number '69-match'.  not sure that really makes me think of automobiles, but alas.  the no hitch-hiking with the thumbs up with the circle around it and slash mark through, just really makes me think of 'no thumbs up' and that makes me a little sad...but giggle at the idea of it just the same.