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.