The Other Highway
(31 July - 9 August 2002)

9 August 2002
[from Albuquerque]

-Apparently Kunx is showing up here the day we were planning to leave.  The exact day.  I think we might have to stay an extra day just so Kunx doesn't meet Em on the day of the wedding.

-Ebbing & flowing of difficulty.  Slowly, slowly, getting a grip.

8 August 2002
[from Albuquerque]

-Hectic busy day, though filled with excitement as my Dad moves on from his quite aged computer of at least 6 years.  Of course I'm the technological coordinator for the whole project.  A little frustrating at times, but mostly fun.  Russ & Lauren departed earlier after one more Frontier meal.  My apologies to Fish & Mesco for delaying conversation due to these hectic activities.

7 August 2002
[from Albuquerque]

-If you can believe it, we bowled AGAIN today.  Now our right arms are all toasted.  Was fun & frustrating, & required turning down a bet offer from a random guy in lane 15.  Good times.
-SClayton/Warner def. DClayton/Garin 2580-770 (2-0 [2-1, 2-0]).  The score's a little misleading, as the first rubber could've easily gone either way.  Many bids came down to the last trick.
-Jake & Soy came on over & we had a hanging out of 3 couples, which was reminiscent of Mep House, but also reminded me how much things have completely changed over the years.  We're all growing on up.  Or so it would appear.

6 August 2002
[from Albuquerque]

-Happy Birthday Shan!
-Russ & Lauren got in today, so there was much Frontier eating & bowling & the like.  Now Jaque just has to call me back & it'll be fun for everyone.  Also, now that Em's gotten a job interview over the phone, it looks like we'll be here for another week... till the 13th at least.  So if you're gonna be 'round here, lemme know.

5 August 2002
[from Albuquerque]

-Tried to make it back overnight last night, but fell well short in Childress, Texas.  The night manager at EconoLodge was very nice to us given our 3:30 in the morning awakening of him.  Finally met up with I-40 again this afternoon & now it's HOME!  But only briefly.  Maybe a week.  Will see some folks round here, host Russ & Lauren for a bit, & then finish the journey.
-Final stats on the first leg of the trip:  2,882 miles, 15 states (plus the District of Columbia), 6 days, 5 nights, & 1 cross-country companion stuffed animal buffalo, purchased at the "cursed rest stop" in Connecticut.  After spending the whole trip trying to name him, we settled on the de facto appelation of "Buffalo".  Total trip stats will be posted once we reach the Bay Area, but I'm ready for a break for now.

4 August 2002
[from Arlington, Texas]

-Spent last night in La Place, Louisiana, with another Days Inn & another Waffle House breakfast.  Gonna miss those meals.  Won't miss the wasp that was haranguing us most of the meal though.
-Awful traffic for the first time, badly timed.
-Well, even though we were 5 innings late, the Rangers/Red Sox game was pretty spiffy.  $5 tickets are sweet.  Especially when enough people are LEAVING that you can sit in the $60 seats for that price.  The Ballpark's not quite Camden, but it's cool.

3 August 2002
[from New Orleans]

-Mobile turned out to be a bit of a bust, with only a nice Convention Center to its credit.  Didn't get stuck there either.  Instead, we went to my 46th state (Louisiana), which is Em's 32nd.  Em's picked up 5 new states on the trip with 1 more to come, while I've notched 2.
-Mardi Gras World's about as close to a factory tour as we're gonna get.
-This town is crazily crowded for what I thought would be an utterly off-season visit.  Throngs of folks everywhere.
-The best things are often the cheapest.  By far the best thing in this city is the streetcar.
-Bourbon Street is not our scene.  Nice architecture, but still.

2 August 2002
[from Saraland, Alabama]

-Best Waffle House ever:  Columbia, SC.
-Good day in Columbia at the infamous SC State House (you may remember it from the Confederate flag scandal of the past few zillion years).  It's really quite cool, with widely accessible chambers & a new African-American Monument.  & homage to the palmetto.  Then it was on to Atlanta with the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library & the World of Coca-Cola.  Slightly different ideals going on there.  But fun on all accounts, though Coke's 10-minute video to the theme of "We're always there, every day of your life" was beyond creepy.  Plus they claim that 13,000 Coke drinks are served every SECOND worldwide.  For those of you scoring at home, this means there's a Coke served for everyone in the world WEEKLY.  Now tell me capitalism is different than dictatorial fascism.
-Today was the day of State Houses as well:  after Columbia were Atlanta & Montgomery.  The state capitals streak will probably be broken when we miss Jackson tomorrow.

1 August 2002
[from Columbia, South Carolina]

-Good breakfast in Rosslyn this morning (where Kate, Eric, & the Messners technically live), then back to the road southbound.
-Earlier today, the radio told me that it's Adam Duritz's 38th birthday today.  So happy birthday there.  Who knew he was that old?  Born before my Dad graduated high school?  Crazy.
-Also saw Em's brother's sculptures at Wake Forest.  Even if Wake is in a town named for a tobacco company.  The Carolinas seem a little smoky.
-Nicest Motel 6 ever.

31 July 2002
[from Washington, DC]

-After leaving later than expected & shipping exactly one box (the monitor), we made it through the Eastern Seaboard in record time.  Leaving in the middle of the night will do that for you.  Then it was lunch with Freez amidst his extreme busy-ness at the Baseball Factory.  Apparently things are going quite well there.  Then it was on to DC, including a reunion with M Street (I wasn't driving last time) & now we're at Kate's place.  Good times.
-Steve-o!  Good to catch up.
-So much more tired than I would've expected.  But much driving.  Good to see Kate, with this being the last east coast goodbye.
-I am not covertly updating my page!  Yet.

Introspection, My Worst Friend* (Current)
Ye Olde Archive (Past)
The Blue Pyramid (Source)

Tell me this is not the end...*


*-lyrics from an as-yet unreleased song, "The Same Old Frontiers", by SWClayton.