Santa Fe, New Mexico

Tuesday, June 29. A lot going on today. My dad was having his toe surgery so prayers were being sent back to New Jersey very early in the day. Emily was flying to San Diego with her two ton suitcases, carrying everything we didn't pack into the car. And we were headed for Santa Fe! We only had to drive 270 miles and we planned to arrive by noon so that we'd have the rest of the day to explore this 1610 town and artist colony. I was there with Sara seven years ago when she was at Los Alamos, and I wanted Ray to experience it.

We got a good early start at 7:10 and marveled at the low hanging cloud that spread across the entire horizon...and in Texas that's 360 degrees. Ray was explaining the reason for this phenomenom, something about hot air rising and cool air falling, and the earth being cooler than the air. I was driving and I hadn't had much coffee so if this all made sense it totally escaped me.
But suddenly we were IN the cloud instead of under it. I was driving in the densest fog I'd ever been in! Even the trucks were pulling over and we decided to get off the next exit. We crawled along and pulled onto what we would call a service road. It turned out to be Route 66! It's a two laner and has been preserved "as is." It is just about 15 feet off to the side of I 40 West and it stayed with us most of the way. Imagine taking this road from California to Chicago in the 30's in your open air car or by motor cycle.............




The fog lifted and we jumped back on Rt. 40. If I lived in Texas I think I'd very quickly get used to all the space. It gives a sense of freedom and you'd have to enjoy a more solitary life. I wondered how far the kids travel to school? Or how long you'd drive for milk and bread.















Santa Fe in time for lunch...we ate at a tiny Italian cafe where I had yogurt with stewed pears, currents and apples and granola. It was drizzled with honey. We relaxed on the sunny patio, a perfect breeze welcoming us.




I had a text from Beth that Dad's surgery was
canceled because his toe looked so much better! We stopped by the cathedral of St. Francis Assisi to offer thanks for that good news.


Next we visited the Georgia O'Keefe Museum. I don't love abstract art, but I really enjoy her later works.









Here I am in an open air shop.















Trout sculpture in front of town hall...............


Dinner was at The Shed. Margaritas and corn chips pretty much did the trick. Our waiter was from Boston! Followed his girlfriend out here and is taking art classes. The light in this part of the country is extraordinary and I know this is why artists flock here. Besides being inspirational, it is completely uplifting.

Best highway sign (Texas):

Oklahoma

Monday, June 28. We got an early start out of Fort Smith with large Starbucks, ready for one of our longer days of driving. It started out threatening, but we never got the rain. Emily had recommended we work in the Oklahoma City Bombing Monument and we were able to do that. It's been overshadowed by 9/11. But the memorial here is very peaceful, very personal and moving. Here's a picture record of our day.

Lots of farmland.

Oklahoma City: The Memorial

The pines will be 100' tall, the same height as the building that was destroyed, replicating its stature for all time. The reflecting pond is only 1/2 inch deep but looks deeper and gives a sense of calm and serenity.





Each "chair" represents a person who died in the bombing. The row they are in indicates the floor on which they perished. The smaller chairs are the children. Each chair is hand made, distinct from the others, as was each person. The base lights up at night.




This old elm tree survived the blast, just barely. A team of horticulturist worked to save it. It's called the survivors tree, dedicated to those who lived. The name of each person who survived the blast is engraved on a wall. And each spring they take the seeds and saplings and distribute them around the country.

Out of Oklahoma City toward Texas


We spotted the windmill "alley" that was so prominently promoted a few months back by T. Boon Pickens. These things are massive. And they go on row after row for as far as the eye can see.




We were heading for Amarillo, Texas. We ate lunch at a Sonic because there really isn't much choice between cities. Sonic is coming to Connecticut with much fanfare, I suppose because it is a drive-in and after eating there, I really can't think of another reason. We drove many, many miles without seeing anything at an exit but a gas station. We did see lots of beautiful open land and sky. One of the highlights of the afternoon was "the largest cross in the western hemisphere."




We arrived in Amarillo, a really great city, around 4 pm. We've got the routine down pretty pat by now. I check in and Ray unloads our suitcases from the top of the car.

We stayed at a Drury Inn. Nice room with mini kitchen (which we didn't use.) They serve wine and snacks till 7 which we took advantage of. Then found a great ice cream place...the cold stone kind... around the corner and sat in the sun eating dessert.

On to Arkansas

June 27, 2010. What you don't want to hear 1500 miles into your 3400 mile trip is your dashboard beeping at you. Beep and beep. NO. PLEASE. But no idiot lights came on. Ever cautious, we pulled off the road not 20 minutes after leaving Memphis. I would have kept going, relegating the sound to my cellphone, but Ray says a car never fixes itself. He got out and checked under the hood. The oil was fine. I was assigned to the VW manual. They did not list "Beep" in the index. However under "Warning" they cross referenced "Chime." It's 8:30 and it's 92 degrees. We don't want to play word games. Chimes yielded nothing that helped us and the mystery remained unsolved, but being the desperadoes that we are, we decided to get back on the road.

The up side of this potential mishap was that we did all this checking at a LOVE's Travel Stop. Wow, this place had everything. Remember we are on Interstate 40 now, a main cross country route. So this is what a serious travel stop looks like! It has a Subway for those like Jared shunning grease, a full convenience store, decent restrooms and SHOWERS! Lucky truckers. I wonder if non-truckers can shower? When your number flashes on the large electronic screen, it's your turn to clean up.

A half hour down the pike and beep again. It's GOT to be my phone, Ray's phone, the I pad, the Tom Tom or maybe that smart new camera. I'm to check them all, now that Ray is driving. Wait, a clue. It happens right around 78 mph. Ah ha! Indeed the Tom Tom is the guilty party. When I was putting in our destination this morning (without my glasses) I inadvertantly initiated the warning for going "too fast." How Tom knew we were going too fast beats me. Problem solved.

It was smooth sailing after that. The Ozarks are lovely. Lots of very green farmland. Thankfully the Bill Clinton Library was closed on Sunday morning so we didn't have to pretend we wanted to stop. There were multiple Adult XXX Stores advertised on bill boards, but they were outnumbered by the many mega churches we saw along the highway. A land of contrasts. We decided to stop in North Little Rock at the Old Mill Park on a small lake. It was used in the opening scenes of Gone With the Wind. See the pics of me and Ray.

This was a beautiful, shaded spot with carefully tended flower gardens among the "rocks." All those rocks and bridges you see are actually cement! The trees were real and many had tags identifying them. We read the Sunday paper at a picnic table and took a call from Emily. Then we pushed on to the local Starbucks! Yes, a most civilized spot. Most impressive was that local artists painted the electrical traffic boxes. We have those huge utilitarian structures on many corners in WH now. I think we should do the same.









painted traffic box in North Little Rock


Best highway sign post: Toad Suck Park It just didn't lure us in.

More on Memphis

Ambition, Pass it On. It's that easy? Memphis has its highlights, no doubt, and I'm glad to be among those who visited. One of the things that make the highlights shine is their contrast with the city's grit. It is definitely not a sanitized town. It's not Boca or the Upper East Side of NY. Downtown doesn't seem to have any great sections. They are all pretty mixed. The four star hotel or the Zagat rated restaurant mingle among vacant storefronts. When you walk down the street you stay aware. It's for real. And it's not like home.

Because tourism is so important to Memphis, it strives to keep visitors feeling safe despite the edge. Beale Street has many cops posted, and security officers check bags before letting you cross the barriers to the street party. Most establishments post "no handguns inside." On other streets, I'm not sure how it works.

We met Mark while we were waiting for the trolley to Sun Studio Saturday morning. He was just hanging at the corner stop, a local with the gift of gab offering us help with which trolley to take. Born and raised in Memphis, he said the city was safer than in the past, with detectives roaming among revelers and he was happy for it. His job? He just helped out tourists and he'd be happy with a $10. Huh? It would make his day. OK. And he's got ambition. Being an ambassador for Memphis is honest work after all and we got the correct trolley. We boarded and took off up Madison. A glance back showed Mark already coming out of the liquor store, brown bag in hand. At the end of the day, Mark was on the corner still, again.

How about the shirtless kid acrobats who do back flips up and down Beale Street? They are ambitious eight and nine year olds. They pass the bucket afterward. Like the musicians out front do, but these are little kids. What are they going to be doing ten years from now?

Today, leaving Memphis we crossed the river into Arkansas and came upon the billboard above. Harvard? How about high school.

More Elvis

front of Graceland

Family room

Jungle theme

dining room

Memphis

Memphis is pretty much all about the music. Elvis, BB King, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbitson, the blues, neophytes, would bes and a few has beens. Yesterday we started on Beale Street, several blocks long and full of clubs. Dinner at Blues City Cafe, catfish and ribs. After dark, Beale St. is shut to vehicles and becomes one big block party. All the clubs open to the street and everyone enjoys jamming bands, with plenty of beverages to go around. After sampling the length of Beale, we went into BBKing Blues Club and enjoyed an awesome band. What energy! Set the tone for our visit.



Check out the sign over the cook in the pic below. "Danger, Men Cooking"





Ray at Sun Studio

Even though it was about 100 degrees and 100 percent humidity at 9 this morning we boarded the trolley for Sun Studios. Elvis, Johnny Cash etc recorded at this tiny studio a mile or so from the center of Memphis. Many got their start at this hole in the wall. Trollied back to the hotel.

Wanting to do it all we then got on a barely air conditioned bus with plush seats at high noon and headed to Graceland, a fifteen minute ride. There we joined the throngs waiting to visit this national shrine. It was still only 100 degrees and the hour passed by quickly. Well, it was worth the torture. Graceland was just plain cool. Untouched since 1977, when Elvis died. Lots of audio and video clips. Great stuff.


Four hours later we were back just in time to walk down to the river and catch the river boat ride for cocktails and an entertaining tour of the Mississippi. It was a lovely warm breeze and we completely relaxed.

Tomorrow we head out again and will land in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Fort Smith you ask? It's the second biggest city in Arkansas and just the right number of miles along the route for a stop.

Flash Mob at the Ohio Union The Ohio State University

Once a Buckeye, Always a Buckeye

Hazy, hot and humid. Buckeye heaven.Arrived at 10:30 a.m.

First things first, we found our way to the old math building and visited Ray's former office. See the pic of us with math gibberish as background. It is now the stat dept. with math moved to a new tower adjoining.
Hope you checked out the new Student Union building in the youtube in video!! The whole thing was a surprise put together by the dancers and OSU president to promote the brand new union which opened last month.It was lovely inside, kind of like a convention center, and we rested and checked our email in complete comfort. I just don't know where commuter students are going to lay down and take a nap! And yes, Alice, Ray is on his IPad.

And that script OHIO STATE done in red tiles....that's in the ladies room! No expense spared!

Of course we went to Jones Tower and were sorry to see it was closed for construction.

Next we had lunch at Mirror Lake and went by the library.
That's mini me in front of the library.

High Street is a shadow of its former self. No "Larrys" but many Sushi and Thai eateries. McDonalds and Wendy's persist. Long'sBook store is gone. Found my old apartment on Woodruff.I can't believe it's still standing!



All in all it was a day of great memories!
outdoor theater and quad
We departed Columbus and drove four hours to Louisville, KY. Tomorrow another 400 miles to Memphis, where we'll spend the entire weekend. Goodbye, Columbus. Hello, Elvis!

The Getaway

June 23, 2010. We left it all behind. Children, house moths, making dinners and mowing lawns. It's history for now. Emily waved us down the driveway at 6:55 a.m. and we were on our way. To the corner for gas and then the anticipated stop a few miles along 84 to "check the roof rack " flapping strap. He's not an actuary for nothing.

Music filled the morning, peeling back the layers of life and time. Nothing like a tune to take you to a particular moment of youth. Ray made a mix of The Eagles, Stones, Willie, Joe Cocker, Beatles, Baez, Collins and on and on. After lunch we listened to Dylan autobiography, read by Sean Penn. NYC at the intersection of beat and folk.

Best town name found on Rt. 80 mid state PA? How about "Jersey Shore." Honest. I bet they really regret that name now. Or am I the only one who imagines all the girls wear really tight low cut shirts and short shorts and snap their gum? Runners up for best name: Snowshoe, Lord's Valley and Promise Land. I think you move to Promise Land from Jersey Shore right after you get married.

Best bill board? "Coal Energy: Increasingly Green, Always Red White and Blue. " Uh huh.

Around 5 p.m we arrived in Youngstown, Ohio, the crime capital of the eastern USA. I didn't know that either till we got here. Consequently, all evening activities have been limited to inside the hotel. That's ok because we are ready for a good night's sleep. Then it's a hot breakfast in the morning and off to the alma mater.

Packing, the art of

It's been a long time since "we" have packed a car to the hilt. And by "we" I mean Ray. Any of you with a spouse know that packing a vehicle is a one person job, no two ways about it. Don't even get near the packing zone if you aren't the one doing the loading up. Don't even dream of offering advice about that great little space under the folded seat where the CDs can be stashed. No suggestions solicited, and none taken. This is a thinking man's job. No, best to evacuate the area.

And that is what I planned to do this morning, when Ray spread all of Emily's thing out on the driveway and surveyed them... a TV, two boxes of painting materials, a shopping bag of mixing bowls and dishes, a wok, a large piece of artwork from the NY apartment, a bathroom scale, a wall shelf, a large mixer (left over from bagel-making times) and other things that just don't go on a jet. He looked at the stuff, and looked at the back of the wagon and looked at it all again. Emily had already disappeared and I left to gather up my keys and bag to escape to errands around town.

Not ten minutes later he had magically fit EVERYTHING into the wagon. What did I miss? How much coffee did he drink this morning? I suddenly pictured him in fast forward high speed mode, you know the way they show a room being done over on those home decorating shows. All that pre-thinking must have paid off. No injuries, no damage, nor cursing. Today Ray earned his PhD in packing!

He and I each have one small carry-on suitcase, a computer and our new camera. We're all set. Our luggage is on top of the car in a black Thule bag, secured with straps. This arrangement makes it look like we are hauling home a dead deer, but what the heck. That will probably get us points out west. We plan to leave by 7 am tomorrow, right after Emily and Ben serve us a hearty breakfast. Riiiiight. Or maybe we'll get a bite on the road. Destination: Youngstown, Ohio.

Why do we travel?

What is it about travel? It's so darn exciting. At least the anticipation is and it directs us to a romantic place in our minds. Why? Is it that travel is associated with youth? With being carefree? I didn't travel afar when I was young and carefree. But I might have. Or maybe I'm thinking I should have? At the time I didn't miss going to foreign lands. I was setting roots in New England, which was like a foreign country compared to growing up a stone's throw from the George Washington Bridge. In our '64 VW, I traveled from one end of Connecticut to the other at my new job. I explored without fear. Some days I'd visit a gritty section of Waterbury, sure to park on a hill so I could jump start the car. Other days it would be lunch at an old Polish club in New Britain. But just as often I'd be on the back roads and I marveled at the distinctive town greens, the population thinning to few on the patchwork of family farms still around then. Every day was an adventure.

Travel brings adventure like few things can with years gone by. It is exciting because it offers the "new." It bumps us out of the routine and rejuvenates curiosity. The adventure is in the unfamiliar person, the idea presented, the word overheard, or one's own reaction so unexpected, jarring. It begs comparisons. It offers contrasts. Yes, I think I'm ready to go.

Cross Country- The Beginning

The trip of a lifetime is a little more than two weeks away. Driving cross country was vaguely out there as a "some day" venture, in the line up after the still to be had tour of England, France and Netherlands. But with Sara living in San Diego since last October, and Emily moving there for school this summer, the time seemed right. San Diego, here we come and we're going to see our glorious country on the way. Westward ho!

Our mode of transportation is Emily's 2003 VW wagon. As the idea of the trip formulated over the past few months, we figured why not be practical and help her get her car to California? And yes, we'll be her private moving company. The back of the wagon will be loaded up with her life's possessions. But not her. Emily will fly out. Just call us Ma and Pa Joad.

Ray had the car tuned up and overhauled by our mechanic, Franco, on Friday. And now Franco has enough money to take the trip of his life. Anyway, it's our nature to be cautious and thus the delux prep of the vehicle. Driving a seven year old car 3500 miles adds a little zip to the adventure. Do I envision spending an unplanned week at an outpost in Oklahoma waiting for a VW part to be trucked in from somewhere? Not anymore. Or not much.