Home and wiped out

This won’t be a long entry, because I am rather mentally exhausted. It was a long day on the road, since we were leaving from south of Atlanta, and I’m that weird and annoying mixture of exhausted and wired. I wanted to write a bit, though, because I’ve missed a couple of days and I miss writing!

We made fairly good time today, with slowdowns in only a couple of places, and we got through those without too much frustration. I can’t say the same for the poor people heading southbound on I-75 south of Lexington. We saw police and emergency vehicles blocking all the lanes, and the line of cars backed up was a good couple of miles. You could tell they had been there for a while, because a lot of people were out of their vehicles and meandering around. (Naturally, it made me think of the Zombie Apocalypse! haha) We heard later on the Lexington NPR station that southbound I-75 was expected to be closed for most of the afternoon. How awful would that have been? I think I’d be breakin’ that bottle of vodka out of the trunk!

But we had better luck than those unfortunates going south. I hope they were able to clear it sooner than expected!

We didn’t have any major problems like that...it was just a long ways to travel in one day. We are both very happy to be home, and I can tell you that Sheeba is a very happy kitty! Uncle Shane and Uncle Matt took good care of their nephew, but he’s always happy when we get home and he follows us around for a while. It might even be cool enough that he decides to sleep with us tonight!

Speaking of cool, what a nice break to feel the cooler weather up here after the humidity of the south! I hear that wasn’t the case here last week, but the worst of it broke Friday. Sheeba survived it, and Shane wrote that he seemed fine when they were over, he was active, and he was drinking plenty of water. He knows to hang out in the basement when it gets that warm! He’s a good kitty!

I had to laugh when we walked in, because atop several packages on the table, Shane and Matt had left me a present: my very own Minion! It’s a bit of a joke between some of us, because someone has said that I have “minions” who follow me like I’m some kind of “guru.” I have my own word for them. Friends. But hey, tomato, tomahto, right? Anyway, it made me laugh and was a nice welcome home, along with a purring Sheeba. My nephew Rey informed me that his son, my great-nephew Liam, says this minion’s name is Phil. I like Phil the Minion!

Now I think it’s time for this alleged guru to haul her butt off to bed and read a little more in World War Z (which I am absolutely loving) before heading off to Snoozeville. I’m looking forward to our very own hard bed and my very own squishy feather pillow!

Whoaaa, we’re halfway there!

Go on, finish it...you know you want to!

I don’t have a picture for you, so here is a picture of Colonel Meow. After a long day on the road, it’s a wonder that I don’t look like that!

Things went fairly smoothly until we hit Nashville. I don’t know if traffic is always like that going into the weekend, but it seemed like there was an exodus of biblical proportions going on both north and south of town. This is the second time we’ve run into crazy traffic in Nashville, so we’re thinking of taking a different route next time. Ain’t nobody got time for that!

After we finally got out of that bottleneck, we were rollin’ along pretty well, then managed to just hit the 8 pm closure of part of I-24 through Chattanooga. Dang it! It was looking kind of bad for a while there, and we were thinking we might not make our destination of Kennesaw...but then the detour was minor, we were right back on I-24, and we were MOTORIN’!

Go on, finish it...you know you want to!

Then it was smooth sailing, and we managed to hit Kennesaw at about 10. Apparently, there is some sort of baseball tournament going on, so our Springhill Suites was all booked up, but she said that Comfort Suites had some kings left. We booked it on over to Comfort Suites, and as Ken was inside getting a room, I was waiting in the car and looking at my phone. All of a sudden....*CRUNCH* and the car moved.

I looked up and the guy in front of us had backed into our Mustang! AGHHHHH! I’m like, “Holy shit!” and I get out of the car. He started driving off, and I was going, “Hey! HEY, MAN! You HIT OUR CAR!” and I was jumping up and down and yelling. Haha...it was probably pretty funny, now that I think about it, but I was PISSED. I’m not sure if he was really driving off, or if he just didn’t realize what he had done, and I finally got his attention by yelling at him. He stopped and got out, and I said, “You hit our CAR, man!” He was very apologetic, said that he just did not see us behind him. Weird, because I saw him walk out of the hotel, and there’s no way you would not see us parked there unless you were completely oblivious.

Anyway, I look at the bumper, and everything seems intact. A little scraped, but I think a lot of it will buff out, and none of the lights were broken. I said, “It looks okay, but you need to wait for my husband...I want him to look at it.” Ken thought everything seemed okay, too, but we had the guy write down his address and phone number, and Ken gave him his business card. We’ll have it checked out when we get back, and just in case there is any unseen problem, we thought it would be better to have his info. Turned out that he is from Illinois, and they’re on their way back from Florida. We actually had a bit of a laugh about that, when we said, “We’re from Indiana, and we’re on our way TO Florida!”

Can you imagine what a disaster that could have been?! Thank goodness it happened at a very low speed. Pay attention, people! How do you not see a car parked behind you, especially when you just walked out of a building, and the car was RIGHT THERE?

So then we went and had pizza and calzones and beer, and put the road behind us for the day. Now we’re at the hotel, it’s a comfy room, and I have my phone set for a 6 AM alarm. Gahhh! So I am going to end this and get it posted and then try to quiet down my brain enough to get some sleep. Till tomorrow!

Florida, we’re coming!

Probably more information than Florida wanted to have, but oh well! Ha!

Crazy, productive day today! I was crossing things off of my list at a rapid pace, and got most of it done in the morning so that I was able to enjoy some time on the deck in the afternoon, just relaxing and reading. After a few days of very hot and humid weather, today was absolutely gorgeous. Mostly sunny, high 70s, lower humidity. I was happy to get done with the majority of my vacation preparations, so I felt good about spending some time on the deck!

Laundry is all caught up, the hummingbird feeders are clean and filled, and I’ll run the dishwasher tonight. I’m sure I’m not the only one who likes having stuff like that all caught up before going on vacation. We’re taking a box with a few food items, stuff that we are well-stocked on here, so that we don’t have to buy them there. We’ll do several lunches and dinners out, but we also try to cook a few nights in the condo to save a little money. Besides, we can get fresh fish there, and Ken has gotten really good at grilling fish! We’re taking a couple of bottles of wine, too. We have plenty downstairs, so no reason not to, since we’re driving instead of flying!

Sheeba always senses when we’re going on vacation. He sees the packing activity, and he was all riled up this morning, running around like a little crazy man. It should be cool enough tonight that he’ll come in and curl up with us. I’ll miss our small furry black child, but I know Uncle Shane and Uncle Matt will take good care of him!

I’ll also miss Nutwood, because it really is beautiful right now. But we’ll have a great time in our home away from home, and we’ll be back before too long! There will be more summer and more good times when we get back! I took a couple of pictures out back today so that I won’t feel homesick or anything like that. We’ll both be taking our laptops, and of course, we’ll have our phones, so you can expect frequent updates. Florida will be relaxing, but you can expect to see me in Rabid Fangirl mode when we stop in Senoia! Lots of pictures of “Woodbury!”

See you on the road!

It’s the journey

I think I’ll dedicate this entry to my Dad. Today would have been his 89th birthday. He loved to hit the open road, and one of his favorite sayings was “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey.” I can’t help but think how happy he would have been for us that we got to do this trip, and how much he would have enjoyed hearing about our adventures. Here’s to you, Dad.

It’s kind of hard to articulate the mystique of Route 66 that exists for so many of us. There are other iconic roads (The National Road, The Lincoln Highway, The Old Spanish Trail, Pacific Coast Highway) that are fascinating in their own right, but Route 66 is special.

But why? I can’t speak for everyone who loves the Road, only for myself. As we were cruising along, I had plenty of time to reflect on what is so special about it, and why people come from all over the world to travel it.

Part of it is definitely the nostalgia factor. Being able to travel so much of the old road gives you an idea of what it must have been like for travelers in years past. The very narrow portions of the Road in Illinois and Oklahoma make me think of people traveling the original dirt trail in wagons; the twists and turns near Oatman, Arizona make me imagine a family traveling it in a Model T; the four-lane portions winding through the Missouri bluffs bring to mind a happy couple in a big ol’ boat of a ‘50s convertible. Although many of the old businesses are in ruins or gone completely, numerous examples of roadside eateries still abound. One of my favorites was Ted Drewes Frozen Custard in St. Louis. This walk-up reminds me so much of ice cream stands of my youth. Ken and I were there on a hot afternoon (boy, did that Concrete—thicker than a Dairy Queen blizzard—ever taste good...!), but when Shane and I were there, it was a June evening. The neon was on, moths were beating at the lights, and the place was really hopping.

The old motels also reminded me of my childhood, taking road trips with my parents. Back then, we stayed in plenty of little old motels like you encounter on Route 66. Again, many of these are no longer operating as tourist motels, or are not kept up well. The few notable exceptions are a delight, with simple, clean rooms. Gift shops still dot the roadway, and at the famous Jack Rabbit Trading Post in Arizona, I did indeed see rubber tomahawks! But it’s not just about the nostalgia, or trying to relive one’s lost youth. Route 66 is a vital place, with many people still catering to tourists and giving rest to weary travelers. It may have changed a bit, and is no longer as busy as it once was, but there is a lot of life left yet in the old highway. Like all of us, it may be getting older, but that doesn’t mean it’s ready to give up the ghost just yet!

I was also struck by the changing terrain. It cuts through two-thirds of the United States, and you see a broad representation of what our country has to offer. From the urban landscape of Chicago, you pass quickly into vast expanses of Midwestern cornfields. The rocky bluffs of Missouri give way to the prairies of Oklahoma, after a brief trip through Kansas. You soon pass into the flat plains and cattle country of Texas, followed by the beautiful landscapes and soaring heights of New Mexico. The mountainous terrain of Arizona has the true feel of the Old West, and the trip through the Mojave Desert is nothing less than imposing (imagine going through it in a Model T!). The urban sprawl of southern California has the feel of the “promised land,” as it was for many people over the years, and passing over the mountains to the coast brings cooler temperatures and a glimpse of the Pacific Ocean. It was fascinating to me to see the countryside changing with every mile eaten up by the tires of our Detroit rollin’ iron. It truly was a good-sized chunk of our country, and it was an incredible lesson as to just how beautiful, in many different ways, it is. The vast, open farm fields have as much charm to me as the vast, open desert. The lush, verdant hardwoods of Missouri are as beautiful as the towering pines of Flagstaff. Of course, there are many other climates and terrains to be seen in our country...which is amazing in itself. We passed through eight states (not counting Indiana, on our way up to Chicago to pick up the very beginning of the Route), and only saw part of this amazing land.

Another lesson I learned on this trip is something I mentioned when we were having lunch with Andy and Linda after his graduation. Although we planned out where we wanted to get to every night, we only had three motel reservations. I had an idea of things to stop at, and one of the must-stops was Afton Station to visit Laurel. I had no hard-and-fast rules about where to eat, although there were some definite possibilities (I’ve been by the Ariston Café twice now...maybe the third time I’ll actually manage to eat there!). In short, I didn’t micromanage the trip, and we did our best to find new and unusual places to eat. That’s part of the adventure! When I talked to Mom yesterday, she mentioned that when her and Dad were out west, they stopped at a Pizza Hut, because that way they knew what to expect. I said, “Oh, we’re just the opposite. We like finding new places rather than chains.” And it turned out that we found some fun places! I purposefully did not plan the trip down to the last detail, because there is plenty to be said for spontaneity and seeing what you can scare up. At times it could get a little frustrating because there might not be much in a small town. We settled for an Applebee’s at least once. But it was a good lesson in just taking what comes and adjusting if need be. Part of the fun of leaving the Interstate behind is taking the time to see things on the dirty back roads and byways. We agreed that it won’t always be possible to take the back roads, but when we do, we’ll make sure we enjoy them!

Finally, as we were cruising along one day, a thought popped into my head. I told Ken, “Route 66 is kind of a metaphor for America. It IS America. The diversity of the people, the terrain, and...well, I haven’t gotten much further in my thoughts on that, but I’ll work on it!” Haha! I did think about it more, and I think it’s a good analogy, beyond the reasons I mentioned. In its early incarnation, it was an ambitious project to pave a highway going across most of the country to California. It involved planning and a spirit of entrepreneurship on the part of Cyrus Avery and those he worked with to make it happen. During the Depression and Dust Bowl era, it meant the way to a better way of life for many people. It didn’t always work out that way for those families, but the Road west meant hope and the possibility of a brighter future. During WWII, work was abundant, and Route 66 brought people west to work in munitions plants; many of those people settled in California permanently and pumped money into a booming state economy. With the advent of motion pictures, aspiring actors and actresses traveled to Hollywood hoping for their big break. After WWII, GIs came home and married, had kids, and traveled Route 66 to vacation in California. With all the motorists passing by, endless roadside businesses cropped up to cater to tourists and compete for their dollars. It wasn’t just southern California that profited by being Route 66’s terminus; every little town and big city on the Route reaped the benefits of this highly-trafficked road.

Hard times were ahead for many of these businesses, as the Route changed to cut off some of the detours, or bypassed small towns entirely. Once thriving roadway towns like Glenrio dried up virtually overnight. This was only a harbinger of things to come, as President Eisenhower instituted the construction of a massive Interstate system that circumvented much of the Route and most of the small towns. Businesses floundered and died, some limped on, and when Route 66 was decommissioned as a federal highway in 1985, it seemed that the Road itself was dead.

But just like all those hopeful travelers from the decades before, it refused to give up. Through the efforts of Route 66 business owners like Angel Delgadillo and authors like Michael Wallis, a fascination with the Road began to take hold, both within our country and internationally. Something about the Road speaks to people. For Americans, perhaps it’s a recognition of its historic significance to so many families, probably including their own. For those in Europe and Japan and Australia, maybe it’s thinking that it’s a chance to see a great deal of America on a highway that has a decidedly cool American vibe. For some, it’s a matter of ferreting out the forgotten Road and abandoned portions, and thank goodness for those who are so fascinated by this aspect of it that they write detailed guidebooks—like Jerry McClanahan, whose excellent guidebook we used for much of the trip! (And thank goodness for Ken, who understands my fascination with the Road and made this trip possible. Not to mention putting up with my requests to stop so I could get sign pictures! Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, Honey!) It is all of these things for me: the landscape, the people, the thriving roadside businesses and the abandoned ones, the small towns, the big cities...and the hope. The hope of a brighter future for all, the hope that things will get better, the hope that our country can once again achieve its potential that so many once believed was not only possible, but inevitable.

Route 66 is a microcosm of America. It embodies our ambition, our ingenuity, our hopes and dreams, and our stubborn refusal to give up. Many have said, “If that Road could talk, the stories it would tell!” It IS talking...still.

It’s not a bad idea to slow down long enough to hear what it has to say.

Kicks: T-1

It’s hard to believe, but tomorrow is the day we’re hitting the road and taking what should be a fairly epic road trip.

Today has been a matter of deciding what clothes to pack, getting out the guidebooks I want to take, and generally doing some last minute things around here. When Ken got home, I drove us up to the airport to pick up our rental car, and boy howdy, did he get a dandy! (Thanks for the pic, hubby!) It’s a Chrysler 300, and although I haven’t ridden in it yet, Ken says it’s a sweet ride. It’s got some neat features, like satellite radio and a USB port so we don’t have to take a bunch of CDs along (we’re flying back, if you recall). I’ve got my MP3 player loaded up, so we’re good to go on the music front. (No, I’m not doing a bunch of oldies. Just because you’re doing a retro road trip doesn’t mean you don’t get to listen to new and energetic stuff.)

I’ve picked out the travel journal I want to take, as well as the pens. It’s important to have the proper office supplies when traveling!

I think I’ve contacted everyone I need to contact, and made sure that these Very Important People have our cell phone numbers. We are looking forward to meeting our friend Laurel, seeing our friend Marty again, and seeing family and friends. Our cousin Kristi is graduating from high school and we’re very happy for her; it will be an honor to be at our friend Andy’s graduation from Cal Tech. (No doubt there will be a certain household complaining about how we aren’t attending another graduation...hey, we don’t go to things we’re not invited to! You don’t NOT invite someone and then get to bitch about how they didn’t attend.)

As I’ve assured the Moms and the family, we will be available via cell phone if they need to reach us. We’ll also be online at least once a day (as far as I know), so you can always message us on Facebook or contact us with an email. It’s pretty amazing how connected we can be, even on an extended road trip like this one.

My hope is to update daily, but don’t be upset with me if I don’t meet that goal. I want to chronicle our trip as completely as possible, but I want to enjoy the moment as much as possible, too! There will be plenty of pictures and video coming your way, and I hope you’ll enjoy our trip along with us.

A big thank you ahead of time to Cousin Shane, Matt, and Mom A. for doing kitty care while we’re gone. I’m going to miss Sheeba terribly, but I know he’ll be in good hands with people who love him.

See ya on the road!

I’m touring the facility

...and picking up slack!

After my workout today, I took care of the Nutwood birds (seed, suet, cleaning the bird bath), and tried to get a little time in the sun on the deck. Unfortunately, by that time it was clouding up, so I gave up and started cleaning some of the old food out of the freezers. (Note to self: it’s all fine and good to freeze stuff when you can’t quite eat all of it, but you have to eat it soon. I’ve reclaimed at least half a dozen plastic containers.)

After I showered, I decided to work on the Route 66 trip a little bit more, and finalize some stops and plans. It’s not as easy as you’d think, because many of the stops are off of the Interstate, and many of the little towns don’t have places to stay nearby—at least once you get out to the Southwest (which is where I had to finish up the planning). We have side trips planned for Meramec Caverns (of course!), the Petrified Forest, and some cliff dwellings. We thought about the South rim of the Grand Canyon, too, but that’s going to be a little too far of a side trip, and it would also have been another side trip out of Flagstaff (the cliff dwellings are the side trip of choice out of Flagstaff). I’ve got us staying an extra day in Albuquerque, which will be not quite halfway, so we can get a chance to stay a couple of nights in one place! (And do some laundry.) It will also be a good chance to see all the Googie signs in the city, both during the day and lit up at night.

We have one day that is mostly free at the very end of the Road, in Santa Monica. We’ll take that time to just enjoy the Santa Monica Pier and the end of our epic road trip, and we’re hoping to meet up with our friend Marty of Heard at Starbucks. A visit to 7th and Montana is definitely in order! After Santa Monica, we’ll be busy with family, Andy’s graduation, and then a weekend in L.A. with Kim and Steve and our nieces (with visits to the Huntington Library and the Getty Museum). I wish we could get together with our other friends in L.A., but I’m afraid there are only so many hours in the day.

Anyway, it’s good to have the foundation of the itinerary in place. I’m going to add a few things in there, but not too much—that’s what my reference books are for! I’ll get it printed out (with some extra space for if I want to write in anything later on), and we’ll be good to go except for the packing part. Whew! I’m trying not to overplan or micromanage...I’m no Clark Griswold, sticking to a set schedule with no flexibility. If our rental car is a pea green station wagon, I’m going to be pissed! But having a general idea of where we’ll be at the end of each day is a good thing, and there are only about three weeks before we leave! Oh boy!

After all that, I gave my brain a rest and went out on the deck to shuck some corn for tonight’s barbecue. It’s not locally grown corn—that won’t be on for a couple more months—but I bet it will taste good all the same. Plus steak and a wedge salad with blue cheese dressing. (No pineapple...hahahaha...private joke!) Add a nice glass of red wine, and it will be a much-needed relaxing evening.
I hope you all have enjoyed your weekend, whether you were relaxing or having fun!

Georgia on my mind

We're going to Florida, and that's why Georgia is on my mind.

Sounds strange, but it's because we're planning on meeting my cousin Ron (I have quite a few relatives in Florida and Georgia) for dinner one evening. I heard from him today, and his Mom, my Aunt Marie, will also be able to come along, and I'm delighted! Ron is such a cool guy, and so much fun to be around, and Aunt Marie is one of the sweetest people I've ever known. She's so sweet, you just want to squeeze her and hug her until she squeaks! She was married to my Mom's brother, my Uncle Lin, who passed away twenty-some years ago, and she is also my Dad's first cousin, so we're related two times over.

It's been a few years since I've seen Ron and Aunt Marie, and I'm really looking forward to it. It made me think about the fun times that we had when my folks had a place up in the northeast corner of Georgia, close to Uncle Lin and Aunt Marie. I spent my summers between college years there, and it remains one of my favorite places I've ever been. We used to go exploring in the area, driving around to sales or touristy places like Helen, a Bavarian village. We'd head out on dirt mountain trails and find old mills or pottery places. I was in the height of my punk college mode, but I dropped most of that persona in the summer and just enjoyed nature and exploring along with my folks and with Uncle Lin and Aunt Marie.

Uncle Lin was a natural prankster, and at the same time I was fuming at him, I was also laughing. He drove on those curvy north Georgia mountain roads like a bat out of hell (in fact, whenever we'd go to Helen, his usual joke was "Now we can say we've been to Helen back!"), and he'd do this thing where he'd press on the gas...then let off...press on it again...let off...so we were flopping back and forth in the seats like puppets. He'd just laaaaaugh...man, I miss him so much, but I'm so happy that we had so many happy times together. Whenever Ron and his sister Sandy or brother Bo would come up from Atlanta to visit, we would have such a great time together. Lots of laughter and a great time being with family...so you can see why I'm so happy at the prospect of seeing Cousin Ron and Aunt Marie!

I think we're going to go to J.B.'s Fish Camp--Ron said he doesn't think his Mom has ever been there, so that will be a fun new thing for her! It's a great place, and we go there every year.

On the way back, we'll be coming up through South Carolina and going through the area near where we used to live. I'm not sure if we'll cut through the far left corner of North Carolina or the far right corner of Georgia, but it will be such a pleasure to see the mountains again. (Perhaps we'll get a chance to hike a bit of the ol' Appalachian Trail. Hahaha!) For those of you in the area--Bob, Sheria, Dirk, Heather, Joy, Joyce, Lori...there are probably some that I'm forgetting!--we'll think of you on the way through! It would be fun to stop and see so many of you, but we'd need a week to make the drive!

We're pretty much ready to pack up and load the car. I did some last-minute things today like getting the mesh beach bag and the Frisbee out of the garage (Ken will have to find the kites), and I got the hummingbird feeders cleaned and refilled, as well as the thistle feeder, and cleaned and filled the bird bath. The suet and seed feeders will empty quickly, but I don't think the birds will starve--they'll find plenty of goodies to eat around the property!

We're taking both laptops, so you'll get some updates along the way, but like last year, I won't have time to do a lot of reading and commenting. I hope you'll bear with me, and know that I'll pick up with you all where I left off after we get back. Perhaps more later, but if not, an update before too long.

See ya on the road!

I'm afraid our road trip won't be quite as glamorous as this picture. We won't be in the convertible, we'll be in the truck; I won't be wearing a cute little sundress, I'll be wearing comfy clothes and my barn coat; and it's not going to be a balmy, sunny, summer day...it's November in the Midwest!

Still, road trips are always fun, and who knows what we'll see along the way? There are always lunches to be had at little diners or small cafes, there are always people to meet along the way, and it's always great to get a chance to see some of our beautiful Midwestern countryside.

We're off to Missouri tomorrow morning to spend a few days with Ken's Mom and stepdad. We always have a good time with them, and I know she's excited to have us come down. We're looking forward to seeing them and having a nice visit! We're taking one of the laptops, and Ken has already scoped out a Starbuck's near their place that has wifi. (It's no 7th and Montana, Marty, but it'll do!) I can't promise daily updates, and I hope you'll forgive me for not commenting much for the next few days, but I'll do my best to keep up.

Meanwhile, back at Nutwood, Cousin Shane will be taking good care of Sheeba, and giving him lots of love in our absence.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving, filled with fun and fellowship!

Late news update: Ball State Cardinals go 12-0! Yahooooo! I give thanks!