Washington D.C….monuments and a sprint.

The weather is warming up again. Last night while sleeping in the hotel parking lot in Dover, I didn’t have to turn the heat on at all.  As a matter of fact, I rolled the windows down to cool off.

I longed for the cold winters after being in Florida for the last eight years without traveling north, but I think the last month of experiencing a northern November has cured me of that desire.  I’m ready for the mild Florida winters once again, but first I have a few more places to visit.

The Bay Bridge crossing Chesapeake Bay is definitely one that will scare people with bridge phobias. My mother came to mind the entire trip across it. I know she wouldn’t have approved of this route because of her distaste for old, large bridges.  I rather enjoyed it. The high winds and slight fear that it put into me when I visualized the worst possible scenario was enough to create a little uneasiness, but not enough to worry me.

Baltimore Raven's Stadium

The day began with a trip to the Baltimore Ravens stadium. I drove up to the stadium, put my hazard lights on, and jumped out to grab some quick pictures.  A security guard saw me and cranked up the horsepower on her golf cart to chase me down.  “You can’t park here” she told me with such authoritative control in her voice. I explained to her my trip and how I only needed a few minutes to grab a couple pictures of the stadium.  She lightened up and told me I could leave my car in its place for as much as 20 minutes if I needed to.  “Thanks,” I told her and began my walk around the stadium.

I walked by the ticket office, but wasn’t in the mood to give them my usual pitch about getting in the stadium for pictures. The financial strains this trip is starting to incur is wearing on my optimism. The trip as of late has become a balancing act between enjoying an opportunity of a lifetime and racing back to Tampa to start working.

I had completely circled the stadium and was at my car when it hit me, I may never be here again.  In that moment of realization, I turned around, negative attitude and all, headed back to the offices to give them a half-hearted pitch on “why they should let me in the stadium.” After all, I would knew I would feel better about trying and failing than not trying at all.

Much to my surprise, they were ok with my story.  Of course, they had to check with each other and debate on whether or not I was crazy, but they eventually let me in and showed me around.

There was an older gentleman that made the final approval for me to enter.  He didn’t seem to thrilled, but was polite.  As we walked through the back offices, he mentioned that I could explore the stadium under one condition. “What is that?” I asked him.  He told me I needed to wear a Ravens hat for the pictures.  I laughed and jokingly said he needed to give me one for that to happen, so that’s exactly what he did.  He not only gave me a hat, but gave me a Raven’s yearbook, a media guide, and some other miscellaneous information.  It was a nice gesture that had only been seen by one other team on this entire trip, the Tennessee Titans.

Capitol Hill

While downtown Baltimore, I saw a sign for Edgar Allen Poe’s house.  I would normally visit something like that, especially considering I’m fan of Poe’s work.  Since a young age, I have found his poems and stories intriguing. Even at an age when poetry was the last thing I wanted to be reading, he caught my attention.  Maybe it’s because his work was so much different than other literature we read in elementary school.

Unfortunately, I don’t have time to visit his place today because I need to get through Washington D.C. with the 7 hours of daylight I have left

Seeing the neoclassical designs of the monuments, museums, and governmental buildings in downtown Washington DC was amazing.  I’ve seen these buildings on TV all of my life, but as with everything, it’s different seeing it in person.  There is an aura that radiates from the power that these building hold. I would love to tour every building downtown D.C., but it obviously wouldn’t be happening on this day.

I drove down Constitution Ave. You can see the Capitol Building perched on top of a hill at the edge of the avenue. I had to park and get out and walk.  There was so much to see and messing around with traffic for an hour wasn’t going to be effective.

I must have parked about three blocks away from the Capitol.  I have gotten very used to walking around city centers on this trip and actually enjoy it much more than riding around in a car, so I welcomed the open parking meter and jumped out.

White House?

The Capitol lawn had a large group of singers performing in front of the construction crews preparing for the presidential inauguration. This group looked very familiar. It appeared to be the same group of Asian youths I saw in front of Independence Hall in Philadelphia yesterday.

A couple of them were standing on the sidewalk in front of the lawn, so I asked if they were in Philly yesterday.  Sure enough, it was them.  The only difference between this time and the day before in Philly was the persistent, unyielding attempts to save me on the Capitol’s lawn for all the tourist to see.

I kindly mentioned that my relationship with God is fine and personal. I don’t need to be saved at the moment, but thanked them anyways. They were relentless and I had to walk away.  I don’t think they were going about their mission in the best manner, but who am I to say?

I walked around the Capitol Building’s backside. It was a strange to see guards patrolling around the building with automatic weapons. This is the first time in my life that I have ever seen a public place patrolled by “non military uniformed” people with automatic weapons. I guess it’s a sign of the times, but it seemed to belong more in the Hollywood Scripts than my reality.

I checked out the Supreme Court building and the Library of Congress before making my way back to the front of the Capitol to start my trip towards the Washington Monument.

While making the walk from Capitol Hill to towards the Washington Monument, I mentally transcended the empty lawn that surrounded me by visualizing the mob packed lawn that awaits an inauguration on Jan. 20th.  It’s amazing to think how much has taken place in this very area in which I walked.

Would have been nicer on a clear, sunny day

I realized that the clock was ticking on, not only my daylight, but my parking meter too.  I walked two blocks off of course back to my car to pop more coins in the meter.

With daylight starting to tire, I kicked in my “Power Walking” pace.

This big guy was now walking at pace nearly out of control.  I should have had a shirt that read “Get out of the way, big man locomotion in progress.” People took notice, but didn’t seem to feel threatened, which was good. I arrived at the Washington Monument only to realize I could see the Lincoln Memorial too.  The Washington Monument must have marked the half-way point between the Capitol and Lincoln Memorial.  After admiring the monument and peering off at the White House, it was time to turn on the afterburners again.

I made it to the Lincoln Memorial, then quickly walked over to get a better view of Jefferson’s Memorial before back tracking through the Korean War Memorial and heading over to the White House. A lot of time was spent in the area of the Lincoln Memorial because there were so many other memorials near by.  The funny thing about Lincoln up on his chair is that it didn’t provoke any deep, philosophical feelings and thoughts like so many other sites had done before this one.  I couldn’t get the scene from “Planet of the Apes” out of my head. That movie may have ruined for me one of the coolest American Monuments ever made.

For those of you not familiar with Planet of the Apes, I won’t go into it too much, but lets just say that the movie has a scene with an ape on a chair instead of Lincoln.

Either way, I chuckled at how pathetically corrupted my mind has become because of that movie.

"...four score and seven years ago...."

By the time I made it to the White House Lawn, it was nearly dark. I saw the White House Christmas trees lit up and the lights from the White House.  I’m sure it would have made for better pictures if I would have been there on a sunny afternoon with bright blue skies, but it was an overcast day that quickly been swallowed by night.  It was still quite impressive viewing the White House.

I supposed I better get going since my meter was about to run out again.  I began my power walk from Pennsylvania Ave to Constitution Ave.

When I arrived at Constitution Avenue with my sore legs and perspiring skin, I noticed something different.  Sure, it was dark, but it was something else.

The street that had been lined bumper to bumper with parked cars on both sides of it was now moving full speed. The parking lanes were now driving lanes and tow truck lights bounced off of the buildings as they dragged rebellious cars away.

I stood in perplexity on the street corner trying to piece everything together.  What had I done, did I miss something that warned of cars being towed?  YES, it began to come back.  There was a small sign on the meter that mentioned no parking between 4:30 and 6:00.  I don’t even remember thinking about it when I paid the meter and I sure didn’t think about it while I was staring at the Smithsonian, but I am recalling reading the red lettered warning now.

The sprint down Constitution Avenue during rush hour has begun.

As if filming a drama set in D.C., I was running at full speed from one corner to the next. The only thing missing was a trench coat and a brief case. I was running full speed against rush hour traffic in an attempt to catch my car before it was dragged away by the tow truck armada.

Each block seemed to bring a stop-light for me. It was nice to stop running without guilt, but it didn’t slow down my racing heart. After about six block, I still saw no cars on the side of the street.  My car appeared to be gone.  Completely dejected and feeling hopeless, I asked a patrolling security guard how to get my car back.  He gave me a 311 number to call. While walking and waiting for the automated garbage that graces the end of every phone call these days, I saw a white car off in the distance.  My car was still there!!   I hung up the phone and began the spring again.

After sprinting slightly more than 1.5 miles, only interrupted by the occasional mistimed red light, I arrived at my car.  Sure, I may have had burning lungs, sweat-drenched clothing, and a heart that seemed to be pounding its way out from the inside with a jackhammer, but I beat the tow truck.

Unfortunately, I still received a $100 ticket, but I had to be somewhat thankful that I still had a car to drive.  I never thought in a million years I’d be happy for $100 parking ticket, but at this time and place, I was.

Later that night, the reality of receiving a $100 ticket in my financial despair hit me.  It was a little depressing, but I kept reminding myself of how fortunate I was to get to my car before the tow truck.  After all, the ticket said to tow it.

I camped out in my car again, this time in North Carolina. Tomorrow, I will visit the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

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..Quebec City, Je t’aime…..

I was snowed in last night, but ready to explore today.  I made my way to the epicenter of all that is French in Canada; Quebec City.

I have heard that downtown is the closest thing to Old Europe in North America. We shall see.

I made my way the suburbs that typically surround all modern cities and slowly made my way downtown. The streets became narrower and mixed in with the occasional cobblestone. The buildings followed suit by changing form as well.

With English seeming to be deceased (or never born)  in “Ville de Québec,” I started getting the Euro-feel. It’s not as if I have ever been to Europe, but this is how I would imagine it based on TV….besides, I recently met a few Germans working for a few weeks in Canada and they mentioned that it’s about as close as you can get to Europe without actually going to Europe.

Quebec

The Château Frontenac dominates the landscape.  It gives the feeling of a protective castle overlooking the town.  It isn’t a castle, but it is so high and so large that it cast its shadow over the old-style homes and buildings nearby.

As I climbed the steps to reach the fortress, the winds of the frigid St. Lawrence River did everything they could to make me run back to the car and turn on the heater.  The river unleashed the coldest winds I have felt on this trip yet. I was not deterred.  I have two ears, two nostrils, and I feared nothing. The hood went on and the jacket buttoned up. I think I might have been the only one walking backwards, but I consider it being innovative rather than ridiculous.

I made it to the top of the fortress walls. Amazingly enough, I was the only fool to climb these steps in the frosted wind.  It was a spectacular view, but probably not worth losing feeling in my left ear.  I also forgot to grab tissues out of the car before making this walk. We all know what happens when cold air pounds our open face for a couple of hours.  Let’s just say; a tissue (or two) is very appreciated.

I made my way back down a couple hundred of steps, back amongst the rest of the tourist.  I haven’t been able to figure out why there were so many tourist not adventuring to the top.  Sure it was cold, but weren’t they curious too?  I will never know.

There are cannons and statues commemorating people (and events) placed frequently throughout the entire area that makes up Vieux-Quebec (old city).

I had to make a quick walk back to the car to quench the parking meter’s thirst, but then I decided to walk down some of the oldest streets in North America.  The sidewalks were getting icy which made some of the steep walk-ways and streets quite an adventure.

Chateau Frontenac

While heading down one of the streets, I noticed a street that had been converted to a walking only area.  There were old European style shops on both sides of the brick street and there were people climbing up and down ladders, hanging Christmas lights up any place they could find a spot to do so. It looked more like a scene out of an old Christmas movie from the 60’s rather than a typical modern day, car congested, metro area in North America.

The Plains of Abraham, which sits next to the old city, is home to a very pivotal battle during the French and Indian War. There is a lot of history in this city, rightfully so since it was established in 1608, and it tries to preserve as much of its heritage and culture as possible.

I was parked near Notre-Dame Quebec Basilica. I didn’t take a picture or go inside because, while I had thought this church was interesting, I figured that it was “just another old church.”  I was wrong.  It turned out to be the oldest parish in North America, and while the church itself has been rebuilt a couple of times due to fires, it still remains on the exact same spot that it was built on back in 1648.  The inside is supposedly astonishing. When I return back to Quebec, I will definitely tour the church.

Darkness has fallen and I felt sad to be forced to leave. There are so many more things to see and do in Quebec and I hope to return someday to enjoy them, preferably in the summer or fall when the air is warmer and the festivities are plentiful.

I headed out of town, but not without making one more stop: Wal-mart.

I needed something, which now escapes my memory, and I knew Wal-mart would have it.  What I didn’t plan on was the amount of enjoyment that was about to take place.  Everything was written in French and I couldn’t communicate with anyone.  I walked around the store for over an hour just listening to conversations that made no sense to me.  I enjoyed the sounds and the sites of a foreign land, which made no

tis the season

sense because I had not a CLUE what people were saying. When I checked out, the girl talked to me in French, which I then told her I don’t understand French, she smiled and tried her best to say a few words in English and I reciprocated by responding with butchered French. We smiled and that was the end of my Quebec experience.

Before starting this trip, I had always given thought to moving to another country where I wouldn’t know the language or culture. I was always apprehensive to do so out of fear of whether or not I would actually like such a dramatic change.

While it was only a couple of days of being in a “foreign setting,”  I now know that I would love to experience cultural immersion for a year or two.  I love America, but I’d love the challenge of adaptation.  Two days in Quebec and the challenge of communicating put a smile on my face the entire time. It’s different than back home (where Spanish is popular enough to try to immerse myself in the language) because I always have English to fall back on.  In a world where English is non-existent and frowned upon, I am forced to learn, communicate, and progress.

Quebec has rivaled any experience I’ve had on this trip so far.  I can’t wait to the day when I can spend a significant amount of time in culture shock.

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still sick, but enjoying the drive

After a long night of sleep and talking with an uninterested reporter yesterday, I am ready to take on the new day.

I loaded up my tissue filled car, scraped the frost of the windows with my license (since I don’t own a scraper,) and proceeded.

scraping windows?

Today, I want to see the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and end the day somewhere near Buffalo.

I arrived outside of the Hall of Fame first.  I had been there was I young, but a lot of things change in 20 years, which made me strongly consider paying the entry fee for the day.  I have managed to avoid paying all of the entry fees, parking garages, and other miscellaneous tourist things up until now.  While weak with illness and filled with desire to spend the day here, I opted against it.  I took a few pictures, saved my money, and hit the road.

I backtracked about an hour up to Cleveland.  I wanted to see the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame and the Cleveland Browns stadium.

I had no idea that the Browns were playing in town today, which made my getting a good picture of the stadium tough, since 70,000 other people were wanting to get into the very place I was driving around.

I thought to myself, “OK,” I will check out the Rock-n-Roll Hall before heading to the game, this way I won’t arrive at kickoff, which will make the traffic a little more tolerable.  Unbeknown to me, the Hall of Fame is next door to the stadium!  Ugghhh.  I guess I’m going to have deal with the traffic either way.

I managed to arrive just after kickoff, which helped with congestion a little.  The stadium is neat in the fact that the corners are open, allowing me to view the thousands of the fans in their orange/brown gear watching the game.

After about three laps around the stadium in my car, I stopped to allow a few drunken tailgaters to cross in front of me on their way to the ticket gate.  One decided to stop and try to sell me a ticket.

free ticket to the Dawg Pound buddy?

I wasn’t in the mood for some drunken scalper to hassle me about buying a ticket.  “Hey buddy, how you doing?” were the first words out of his mouth.  “Wanna go to the game?”  “No thanks, I don’t have any cash”  I told him.  He followed up with “Come on man, it’s the Dawg Pound and I’ll sell the ticket to you for only $10. It’ll be fun, you can hang with us.” I rebutted: “I swear dude, I don’t have any cash on me.”  He then says:  “We’ll give you the ticket, I just don’t want it to go to waste.  Come in and hang in the Dawg Pound with us, it’s priceless.  You’ll have a good time!”  I started to consider the idea as I coughed up a bunch of mucus and chased it with a sneeze. ” I., I…, I.. “..I muttered.  He then yelled at his friends to come back with the ticket.  He proceeded to tell his friend to give me the extra ticket, but the more sober friend didn’t like the idea too much and started walking off to sell it.  My tailgating friend yelled at him that he’ll give him the money, “Just give it to this guy” he yelled.  In retrospect, I have NO idea why this guy took such a liking to me.  Maybe it’s the fact that I didn’t run him over while he was crossing the road?  I don’t know, but he was very kind and must have sensed that I would have found the experience unforgettable.

Whatever his reasoning for wanting me to join him and his buddies in one of the most infamous fan sections in all of pro football, I’m not sure.  It didn’t matter anyways because I didn’t have cash to park, although, I will say that when I mentioned to him that I needed to get cash to park, he said he’d give me the ticket so I could go get the cash and join them in a little while.  “I know where that seat is and I don’t want to see it empty, so you better actually use it if I give it to you” he added.

Pittsburgh, PA

Nevertheless, I was sick with no hat or gloves to keep the Lake Erie winds off of my sickened sensors and his buddy ended up finding someone to sell the ticket to in the process of our negotiations anyways.  That was an opportunity lost.  If I had felt better and had a hat or gloves, I would have seized that opportunity in a heartbeat!  Either way, I have my pictures, I have my experience, and it’s now time to hit the road again.

It’s truly amazing how close all of these cities are together. In the western states, I would drive for many hours between cities, but out here in the eastern part of the U.S., it takes only an hour or two between cities. I left Cleveland and hit Akron in less than an hour, Canton in 20 more minutes, and Pittsburgh in about two more hours.

I drove downtown Pittsburgh to check out the stadium, which is on the riverfront, allowing for a great view of the city.  Dusk was setting in and the stadium was lit up for some reason.  I’m glad it was because it gave me a great view.

I’m not sure if the walk-way along the river is safe at night or not, but I felt OK so I walked for awhile.  Straight in front of me, there was a beautiful picturesque view of the city reflecting off of the river. The lighted buildings filled the clear night skies.  On my right, as I walked, there was a elevated hillside with a drop-off overlooking the city. It wasn’t super high, but it was high enough to appreciate a better view.

I walked along the river for awhile, taking in the view and stopping occasionally to read the various statues and monuments placed strategically along the path.  There were memorials dedicated to fallen police workers, fire fighters, and soldiers.  It was enjoyable, but I needed to make my way north out of the city.

I hopped in the car and took the interstate straight out of Pittsburgh toward Erie, PA.  I got lost in the small town of Erie for a short period of time and then turned the course towards Buffalo.

I think I may have saw the best, most logical road sign on this trip yet!  Somewhere in between Erie, Pa and Buffalo, N.Y., there was a state prison. On the side of the road, there was a sign stating this very fact.

Two signs, one on just above the other read:

State Prison.

Do not pick up hitchhikers.

Ok?  If you insists!  I think you had me at State Prison, but if you insist I don’t pick up any tattooed hitchhikers dressed in an orange jumpsuits standing in front of the state correctional facility with a machete, I suppose I won’t.

As safe as hitchhikers are deemed to be, I think that standing in front of state prison and hitchhiking isn’t going to be very appealing to motorist.

I will say though; If not for the sign telling me to NOT  pick up hitchhikers in front of the prison, I would have seriously considered it.  Shoot, what could possibly go wrong in that situation?

I passed right through Buffalo and stopped on the U.S./Canadian border in the town of Niagara.  I wanted to see Niagara Falls at night.  Maybe, it would be lit up?

It was lit up, but not with colors.  It is FREEZING COLD!!!   The temperature is the coldest yet and the winds are strong off of the water.  NOT A GOOD COMBINATION!!

Niagara Falls

I was also beaten down physically and emotionally due to the apparent fever I am still battling.  There was a casino that stood out like a mountain on the plains.  I thought this may be a good time to pay a visit to the casino in order to fulfill my patented: couple of dollars in the slots gamble. A few times on this trip, I decided to stick a couple of dollars in a slot machine for some luck. I’m not one to gamble, so a couple of dollars is always enough for me.

This casino was huge and I can see why.  They didn’t even allow one dollar bills in the machine.  You had to put a $5 bill or greater in it.  WHAT!!  This is a deviation from my regular ritual.  I checked my pockets to see if I had a $5 bill, which I did.

I didn’t really want to bet $5, but it was a good way to stay indoors in a town that seems to have closed up at 10pm.  If not for the casino, I think I the town would be completely dark.

I stuck the $5 bill in the machine in hopes of playing for awhile.  I NEVER WON anything!  NOT even a quarter!  Loss, loss, loss, loss, loss, loss, loss, loss, loss, loss, loss, loss, loss, loss, loss, loss, loss, loss, loss, loss!  Was that 20 times?  That was the WORST slot machine experience ever!  I am going back to my normal ways of playing the slots! $1-$3, that’s it!

I will never again play a slot in Niagara, N.Y. either.  Come on casino, you couldn’t let me win a few times just for the entertainment value?  Huh!

I walked around the casino after losing pretending to be interested in playing some more, when in all actuality, I was only dreading the return to the arctic conditions outside.

Eventually, I returned to my car and tried to sleep.

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Texas Stadium and the Oklahoma City memorial.

I spent a week with the family in Waco, Dallas, and on base near Ft. Worth and against my will, I felt it was time to move on.

I was going to make a quick stop to tour Texas Stadium (where the Cowboys play) and then I was going to be on my way to Oklahoma City.

While I have been a football fan as long as I can remember and I really like visiting all the stadiums, Texas Stadium is one of a few stadiums that I HAD to tour.  I can remember being a kid and lying on the floor in front of the television every Friday night watching the Dukes of Hazzard and then waiting anxiously for the beginning of the show Dallas.  While “Who Shot J.R.” swept the nation in those days, I couldn’t have cared less as a young kid.

Texas Stadium

I only wanted to see the intro to the show Dallas so that I could hear the music as the overhead view of Texas Stadium scrolled across the television.  Back then, a 19inch television with the high quality mono sound was the norm in most households, but it felt like a movie screen to me when they flashed Texas Stadium on the screen.  That was the coolest 10 seconds of television in those days.  While everyone else got up to perform their weekly ritual so that they would be ready to sit for the hour show during this time, I watched the opening intro with anticipation for those wonderful 5-10 seconds and then split for the rest of the show.

With all of the above being said, it is clear why Texas Stadium was high on my list of stadiums to see.  It is filled with history and happens to be counting down the days until its demise.  After 40 years, a new stadium awaits and this would be my last chance to see this facility that has housed football history and had become one of the many symbols of Texas.

I spent an hour touring the place and evening stood on the star at the 50- yard line.  My only regret is that I didn’t make some overly dramatic pose for the camera.

I did the stadium thing, which now means I have seen 11 of the current 31 NFL stadiums on this trip.

Off to Oklahoma City….

I arrived in Oklahoma City about an hour before sunset. Sadly, but when I think of Oklahoma now, I think of the bombing that took place almost 15 years ago.  It’s sad how a couple of crazy fools with a vendetta can change our lives and memories forever.

Unlike the Alamo, this feel like a memorial and rightfully was very serine and surreal.  Whoever designed this memorial should be thanked and commemorated daily. It is gorgeous.

Oklahoma City Memorial

I have seen many memorials in my life, but none compare to this.  Most memorials tend to make a person reflect and think about what they are honoring, but few have the ability to make you feel as though the names on the wall or plaque were individuals whom may have been our neighbors.  I understand that every name on a memorial represents a person, but this memorial touched me differently.  By the time I left there, I felt like I could visualize every person that died that day and the horrific scene that was the aftermath.

I felt as though I could see the victims sitting at their desk on each floor, I could hear the fingers tapping the keyboards along with the sounds of fax machines and copiers. I could then hear the deafening explosions that echoed through the city streets followed by the silence of the world stopping, which was only broken by the family members and friends standing on the street overlooking the rubble crying as they prayed their loved ones survived.

Another interesting thing about the block in which the building used to stand on is the placement of nearby churches.  I asked if the churches had stood where they are now before the bombing and the answer was “yes.”

There are churches across the street from where the front and back sides of the block.  Now that the building is gone, the churches are very noticeable from every spot within the memorial.

I have NEVER had a memorial put me in the scene and know the victims like this memorial did and that is a credit to the architects.  I can only hope that whomever is responsible for designing this will somehow be involved in the designing of the 9/11 memorial.

I left Oklahoma City perplexed and reflective. If you have a chance to see the memorial, make sure you clear your mind and spend ample amount of time at the site because the people that passed that day deserve it.

Jesus weeps

It truly is a beautiful and thoughtful memorial.

I left Oklahoma City and headed east for Arkansas.  Unfortunately, I didn’t see any of Arkansas during the daylight hours. I am now running way behind schedule and over budget so I need to speed up.

I drove as long as I could on the small state highways heading south before I had to pull over for the evening to sleep.  I figured that weaving, dozing, and nodding were not in my best interest. It was time to pull over to return to my old habits of sleeping in the car.

Overall, it was a good day of travel.  Traveling in three states in one day is a sign of things to come.

While traveling out west, I seemed to spend many days in each state, but now things are going to be quicker from here on out.  This is a good thing and a bad thing.

It’s a little sad because I’m nearing the final days of the trip, but it’s also good because I’m about out of money and need to return home to start earning a paycheck again.

One thing for sure about today….the Oklahoma City Memorial will remain fresh in my mind forever.

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Yosemite is gorgeous, with a caveat

I have watched countless hours of Travel Channel specials, including the ones that review America’s Parks.  Almost always, Yosemite comes in second on the list, right behind Yellowstone.  With that being said, my expectations for Yosemite were to be one step below Yellowstone.

Yosemite

I could see its potential, but on this day, during this time of year, it was a bit of a let down.

There were so many people cluttering the roads and walks that it felt more like a city than a park even though the people were all campers, tourist, and hikers. I got out of the car less than most parks because there just wasn’t the jaw dropping moments that I have come to expect from highly rated parks.

My favorite park scenery has been the waterfalls, rivers, and mountain views. Yosemite takes great pride in their waterfalls so I began hunting them down.

Alas, I found a sign for Bridalveil Falls.  It’s supposed to be one of the more spectacular falls in the park. I parked the car and headed up the hiking trail. The trail had signs warning of wet steps, falls mist, and to get ready for a falls experience of a lifetime.  My anticipation grew exponentially along the path.  I find waterfalls to be very inspiring and couldn’t wait.

As I neared the viewpoint, I could hear the falls beckoning me.

I arrived at the viewing spot where many people have collected themselves for this breathtaking view. I rounded the rocks and turned my head to see what everybody was looking at…and….drip, drip, drip, and drip.

Ok, the “drip, drip” comments may be a bit of an exaggeration, but come on!  Where are the slippery steps and how about the drenching mist?  There was none of that to be had.

A once roaring Bridalveil is merely a trickle today.

It turns out that the rock beds I have been seeing all throughout the park were actually dried up rivers…. probably where the falls usually drain.

No roaring rivers, babbling brooks, or wondrous waterfalls.  While the waterworks are at full force in the spring from the snowmelt, they are all but dried up come fall. I wonder if some of these tourist realized what they were missing.  The dribble of water over a 500ft cliff was less than spectacular, but if this all you had ever seen, maybe you’d be apt to get that great picture in front of the giant leaky faucet too.

The mountain views were beautiful, especially if you hadn’t been in the Canadian Rockies a week earlier, but that’s about all I have complimentary to say about the views I planned on experiencing.

I will say that this park is probably much, much better in the spring.  There was evidence that many rivers had probably flowed here months ago, but then again, there was evidence that a prehistorical lake had filled the entire park too!

The park did have its beautiful mountain views and spectacular rock climbing surfaces.  The hiking trails were probably to be raved about as well, considering the city of people  with backpacks that had emigrated here.

There were also many designated camping areas throughout the park that had been repopulated with tents

If not for the stringent check in procedures for the campgrounds, I would have probably guessed that thousands of refugees and homeless people had found their way here.  It was wall to wall tents and the only thing that I could think was…..”Those bathrooms must be very dirty.”

Let’s face it, campground bathrooms don’t usually smell of lilacs and resemble a Martha Stuart special, but there is no possible way that these bathrooms could even maintain the wonderful status of “disgusting” under these circumstances.  I found myself feeling a little sorry for the nearby woods because I’m sure they were cleaner than the “regular bathrooms,” thus being more appealing to the natives. Anyways…. enough of the bathroom speculation in “Tentopolis.

valley view of El Capitan and Half Dome

I didn’t see any bears, lions, or tigers.  I didn’t even see a deer.  Either the “tent-people” got hungry or there are too many people scurrying about the grounds for the animals to feel safe enough to come out. Much like the elk observing a couple of days ago,  spent some time observing the “tent creatures” too.  I had to move on. My mission was the top and a view.

After negotiating the many merging one-way roads in the park, I began my ascension to the top.  It was your typical mountain road: Two way traffic with dangerous curves, slow speeds, and rarely a guardrail.

Why is there such a lack of guardrails on these hairpin turns of death?  Is it that the tourist are more careful here or is there not enough traffic to justify spending money to keep people from drifting off of the mountain?  Either way, only 1 out of 20 turns that should have rails do.

I’m starting to have a greater understanding for those drivers back in Wyoming that sped up and down the mountains. I, myself, am becoming quite comfortable with how much lateral force my car can withstand.  The turns seem to be a challenge for every wanna-be Formula One driver.  No longer do I pull off on the strategically placed turnouts for slow drivers.  I now wait for people to get out of my way.  There is no bigger rush than hearing your tires squeal at 40mph around a 20mph turn while looking off to the side of the mountain 4,000 feet below.

Alright, that was all a lie.  I drive the speed limit, which is better than I can say for my initial experiences. I would never be so foolish to test the limits of a car on these roads.

The view from the top was as expected. Inspiring and breathtaking.  You name the cliche and I promise you, it applied.  The infamous Half-Dome was in plain sight. You can’t go to Yosemite without seeing the Half Dome.  That would be like going to Black Hills and not seeing Mount Rushmore.

I can see from my visit to this park that Yosemite is beautiful and should be visited if given the chance, but…. only in the spring or summer.

[View with PicLens]

…the Streets of San Francisco

I was beginning to dread my trip into San Francisco.  Traffic an hour north of the city was already terrible and someone once warned me that driving in downtown San Francisco is much like driving in Manhattan, which is something I really don’t care to do, EVER!

The traffic lanes began multiplying.  What was two lanes had grown into five lanes of full traffic traveling just above the allotted speed limit. Oh yeah, I must not forget to give credit to the few people who find it necessary to break their personal best when it comes to lane changes per mile. Idiots!  I tried to ignore them, but it didn’t work.  I don’t know, maybe my driving ten mph under the speed limit in the center lane had something to do with it?  Just kidding. haha.  In any large amount of traffic, you’re always going to have a certain number of fools.

Golden Gate Bridge

As much as the traffic was trying to deter me, I kept telling myself that this is a place that I need to see, not that I want to see, but I need to see..  Everyone I have ever talked to about San Francisco has said the same thing:  A beautiful city.

I have a list of a few things to see during my short visit, the first being the Golden Gate Bridge.  While I couldn’t see the city skyline due to all the mountains on the north side, I could sense that I was getting closer because the traffic was becoming insanely busy.  I finally saw a sign for Golden Gate Park and figured the bridge had to be close.

I exited where the sign told me to, but when I went to make a left turn towards the park, it was blocked off and the parking lot was full.  There were bicyclists everywhere!  Go figure, the day I decide to pull in here, there is a bike event and I’m being detoured by police. Instead of turning left, I was forced to turn right.  After turning right, there was a fork in the road, which most of the traffic headed into the right fork. I, being the fool that I am, made a quick decision to NOT follow the traffic and veered to the left. Here I was, among three or four cars that didn’t decide to follow the 50 cars that went to right.

The road quickly turned into a two lane road and appeared to be heading toward a town filled with tumbleweeds and two men waiting for a shootout.  I have no idea how I went from a road filled with thousands of cars to a small two lane road heading into the only desolate region of San Francisco.  I had to turn off this road because I had no idea where I was going and the other two cars seemed to live in one of the shanties hugging the road because they left me alone quite awhile ago.

Lombard St.

Without thinking, I turned at the first road I saw.  It just so happened that it was a gravel road heading straight up the mountain and it was designed for one car.  Great move Eric!

I got to the top, thinking to myself on how happy I was that I have an entire day to find my way out of here.  What I didn’t expect at the end of the road, which was the top of the mountain, was to find a paved road full of cars and bicyclists….and the coolest view of a city that I could ever have imagined.  I had inadvertently taken a back way up to “The Spot.”  Clearly this is the place to see everything because the road was packed.

I have a decent camera, but once again, I am at a location that is used to create professional caliber photos.  This is “The Spot” that we have all become so familiar with. It was on the top of a mountain overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge and the city.

There were a lot of people here, but I was ok with it once I found a spot on the side of the road to park.

While trying to get a “decent” photo overlooking the bay, I heard a jet growing very loudly and coming from behind the mountain.  We all turned to see what was going on and were surprised to see a brand new jumbo jet come screaming from around corner at an altitude lower than the buzzards and the mountain dwellers!  I figured the airport must be on the opposite side of the mountain and it was taking off, but judging by the reactions of the people, this wasn’t the case.

It appeared as though it was going to run directly into the Golden Gate Bridge. I couldn’t stop thinking “WHAT’S GOING ON!”  I would have grabbed a photo, but I was in disbelief and stood paralyzed while thinking. As it was about to crash into the bridge, it pulled up and flew right over it and the people started clapping and cheering.  Obviously, the crowds of people were either high on acid created in San Francisco back in the 60’s, or they knew something I didn’t.

I had to ask someone what was going on…it turns out that I had arrived here just in time for a Blue Angels air show. I don’t whether it was good luck or bad luck to arrive on such a festive day.  I guess it didn’t matter since I found an obscure way up the mountain.  If I hadn’t stumbled across the back road, I probably would have never found a city view such as this.

Air shows are pretty cool, but I had seen parts of one a few months ago back in Tampa and needed to get exploring this city before dark.  I would have liked to spend a few days here, but I guess everybody else wanted to also because I couldn’t find any couches available.

Alcatraz

I headed down the mountain and into the city. Lombard Street, here I come. I found out from someone watching the air show that Lombard was pretty easy to get to from where I was, so I headed there right away.

Traffic in the city was busy, which is no different than most city centers, but it was tolerable.  While everyone sat along the bay to watch the show, I took advantage of the “less than busy” streets to make my way around.

Lombard is neat to see, but definitely over-hyped.  It took me all of 30 seconds to get down the self-proclaimed “curviest street” in the world, and that was at 5mph!

I thought it was much cooler to sit at the bottom and watch the cars coming down.  Occasionally you would see a psychotic skate boarder flying down the street out of control.  They made it down in half of the time the cars took and if not for the traffic cops at the bottom, they would have skated straight out into oncoming traffic each and every time.

Since it took me 20 minutes to find a parking spot for me to view Lombard St. from the bottom, I wasn’t going to waste my efforts in parking.  I headed off on foot to explore.

I made my way down the 30-degree streets to Fisherman’s Wharf.  It was a pretty cool place.  There were painters, musicians, and food vendors every 30 feet.  The masses of people were making their way from restaurant to bar and visa-versa. From the Wharf, one has a great view of Alcatraz.  In person, it looks so much closer to the shore than it does on TV.  It almost appears as though someone could swim from the prison to the shore, but having watched documentaries on it, I know better.  It’s not the distance that would get an escapee, it was the frigid water and currents, along with the Great Whites.

I spent much of the day exploring by foot and then later by car. As far as my opinion on the city, I must agree with everyone else….It is a beautiful and lively city.  It is Manhattan with less of….well…Manhattan.  It had the liveliness of Manhattan without the traffic. It had skyscrapers, but with unobstructed views. Overall, the traffic was tolerable and the landscaping was postcard worthy.

It is quite obvious that whoever laid the first foundation down for this city was not overweight.  The city streets are all on hills and comparable to most hiking trails.  It was a workout walking around and I could see that most of the overweight people were the people carrying cameras, otherwise known as tourist.  Those who live in this downtown district are probably not suffering from a lack of exercise. It’s an incline everywhere you walk!  It was challenging, but fun.  The views were awesome and the constant hum from the chatter of people sitting outside the cafes created enough energy to keep me going.

If I had the choice to live in any of the downtown districts I have visited so far, I would pick San Francisco in a heartbeat.  The random jingling of the trolleys and the murmur from restaurant patrons electrified air with sounds of activity.  It wasn’t the sound of horns and cars like many other cities, but rather the sound of people enjoying themselves. As most cities, I’m sure S.F. has its share of downsides, but on this day and at this time…..I didn’t see any

[View with PicLens]

..an adorable reporter, more scenery, and a picky customs agent.

I made the trip from Idaho Falls, ID to Missoula, MT. on Friday and decided to stay the night in order to have my first tv interview.  There have been other TV reporters that have gotten a hold of me in the past, but our timing didn’t allow us to meet.  I wanted to see to it that my timing worked out this go around so I stayed in  Friday in order to meet Saturday evening

Northern Montana

The lady that interviewed me was a sight for sore eyes.  She was pleasant and kind.  I only wish I could have seen how the piece aired on television.  Unfortunately, I was long gone by the time it aired and it doesn’t sound as though the television station puts the segments on their website.  I received a call from another Missoula news station, but had already left town and figured I better get on the road because I was hoping to get to Calgary before dark.

I left Missoula around noon to Calgary.  It is time to leave the states for a few days while I explore Canada a little.

I was going to drive straight through Glacier National Park, but a lady in line at Wendy’s had just come from there and mentioned how she had been detoured because the mountain passes were closed due to snow.

As a result of the new weather update, I decided to take the route that curved around the edge rather than through it.

Another National Park, another eye opening experience.  Today’s rain gave me a little bit different experience.  In the past few days, I had been fortunate to receive cloudless skies. The weather has finally turned and it made things interesting.

The first few hours of driving through the mountains left me viewing half of what was there. The peaks were missing due to the low clouds.  That aside, the mountains had sporadic spots of gold trees mixed in with the evergreens. The low lingering clouds reminded me of strewn cotton that people use as spider webs on Halloween.  The cotton was strung from tree top to tree top in various locations of the gold speckled mountains. As I drove farther north, the gold trees began to become more common and prevalent.  I think they might have been Aspen, but I’m not sure.

Here I was again, driving through some landscaping that made me feel as though I was a drop of paint on God’s canvas.

I stopped the car to enjoy the views enough to cause me to arrive at the Canadian border close to sunset, which is a few hours later than originally planned.

In the past, a trip across the Canadian border amounted to 60 seconds of questions and a “Have a good trip” from the patrol.  I expected the same again this time.  NOPE!

After the usual questions from the person at the gate, I was expecting to hear the obligatory “Have a great time,” but what I heard this time was “Pull over to the side and go up the stairs and talk to the gentlemen.”

“WHAT?”

okaaay?  I guess I’ll have to do that, besides what do I have to worry about? After waiting twenty minutes for a few others to finish being interrogated, it was my turn. This guy started out pretty strict. I’m not sure what he was hoping to discover, but I just wanted to visit a couple of cities and then be on my merry way.  He came to the conclusion that since I do not have a job or a home,

beautiful views everywhere

I potentially could be a threat to national security.  He said he’d let me go through, but I had to prove to him that I had enough money to pay for gas to drive to Edmonton, Vancouver, and back to the states. God forbid that I were to slip through the cracks on this man’s watch and wind up in the gutters of Edmonton depending on the Canadian government. After all, that’s a highly likely scenario with me driving a rental car.

I don’t usually carry receipts to show people my bank balances and this time was no different, but I thought there might be a small chance of me having a receipt in the car since I have been saving all of my receipts on this trip.  He escorted me down to my car and we chatted a little as I tore apart my car like a DEA agent in hopes of finding a receipt with my banking information on it.  After not finding one, I mentioned that I could pull up my information online to prove to him I have enough money for 4 tanks of gas, but he said their internet was extremely censored and did not have the capability to pull up such information.

I will give the agent some credit by acknowledging that he began to loosen up as we talked while I pulled the seats out of the car car.  He actually seemed like an alright guy after he let down that hard-nosed ” I’m sending everyone back to America facade.” I think it helped when he realized that I wasn’t a threat to national security too.

Unfortunately, I did not find a receipt and was forced to make a u-turn back to America. I ended up driving 40 miles round trip in order to print an ATM receipt that proved I have enough money to return to the states….again.

I’m not sure how my next border crossing into Canada will go, but I imagine it’ll go more smoothly than this one.  After all, I have a “receipt” now.

I drove up to Edmonton to check out the enormous mall they have there.  It’s supposed to be bigger than the Mall of America.  I hear conflicting stories though.  The West Edmonton Mall has more square feet, but the Mall of America has more retail space.  I don’t know and I’m not sure if I care either.

West Edmonton Mall

I will say that I favor the ambiance of the West Edmonton Mall better. It is only two stories in most of it which leaves you feeling like it’s much bigger. They also have a water park, aquarium, theme park, and a china town.  I noticed Edmonton has a high Asian population and their influence is seen throughout the city.  It’s hard to believe anyone got into Canada with Captain Customs agent on the job.

After spending much of the day in Edmonton, I returned back to Calgary.  I like to drive around downtown a city to get a feel of a city’s center.  It’s in the city center that many historical landmarks are.  In Calgary’s case, it’s also home to their Olympic Park. I drove around till I ran out of light and then headed west to the base of the Canadian Rockies where I will wait till morning to drive through the pass. I want to be able to see the views.

[View with PicLens]

*These are photo album links, for an index of trip BLOGS, click here

Fall 08 – Photo Albums

September -2008

• Sept. 10, 2008 – Tampa, Fl.
• Sept. 11, 2008 – Mobile, Al.
• Sept. 13, 2008 – Mobile to Nashville
• Sept. 16, 2008 – Nashville, Tn.
• Sept. 17, 2008 – Columbia, Mo. (St. Louis, Westminster College)
• Sept. 18, 2008 – Winona, Mn.
• Sept. 19, 2008 – Menomonie, Wi. (Green Bay)
• Sept. 20, 2008 – Aberdeen, S.D. (Minneapolis)
• Sept. 25, 2008 – Aberdeen, S.D. – Part 2
• Sept. 30, 2008 – Sundance, Wy. (Mt. Rushmore, Badlands)

October 2008

• Oct. 01, 2008 – Cody Wy. (Devils Tower)
• Oct. 02, 2008 – Idaho Falls, Id. (Yellowstone N.P.)
• Oct. 05, 2008 – Calgary, Alberta (Idaho Falls, Montana, Calgary, Edmonton)
• Oct. 06, 2008 – Bellingham, Wa. (Banff N.P., Vancouver)
• Oct. 07, 2008 – Portland, Or. (Seattle)
• Oct. 08 , 2008 – Multnomah Falls, Or.
• Oct. 10, 2008 – Petaluma, Ca. (Northern California, Redwoods National Forest)
• Oct. 11, 2008 – San Francisco, Ca.
• Oct. 12, 2008 – Yosemite N.P.
• Oct. 14, 2008 – Hollywood, Ca.
• Oct. 19, 2008 – San Diego, Ca
• Oct. 21, 2008 – Arizona
• Oct. 22, 2008 – Las Vegas
• Oct. 23, 2008 – Utah (Bryce Canyon, Zion N.P.)
• Oct. 24, 2008 – Utah (Arches National Park)
• Oct. 25, 2008 – Colorado (Vail, Denver)
• Oct. 26, 2008 – Mesa Verde, Four Corners
• Oct. 27, 2008 – Belen, N.M. (Leroy)
• Oct. 31, 2008 – New Mexico (White Sands & Carlsbad Caverns)

November 2008

• Nov. 02, 2008 – West Texas
• Nov. 08, 2008 – San Antonio, Tx.
• Nov. 09, 2008 – Oklahoma City, Ok. (Dallas, Ft. Worth Texas)
• Nov. 12, 2008 – New Orleans, La
• Nov. 18, 2008 – Indiana – (Kentucky)
• Nov. 20, 2008 – Chicago, Il.
• Nov. 21, 2008 – Detroit, Mi.
• Nov. 23, 2008 – Buffalo, N.Y. (Canton, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Niagara Falls Night)
• Nov. 24, 2008 – Ontario, Canada (Niagara Falls, Toronto, CN.
• Nov. 25, 2008 – Ottawa Canada
• Nov. 26, 2008 – Quebec City, Canada
• Nov. 27, 2008 – Ellsworth, Me. (New Hampshire)
• Nov. 28, 2008 – Maine (Acadia National Park)
• Nov. 29, 2008 – Boston, Ma.

December 2008

• Dec. 07, 2008- New York, N.Y.
• Dec. 08, 2008 – Dover, De. (Philadelphia, Pa.)
• Dec. 09, 2008 – Elizabeth City, N.C. (Washington D.C.)
• Dec. 10, 2008 – Charlotte, NC. (Outter Banks North Carolina)
• Dec. 11, 2008 – Kingsland, Ga. (Atlanta, Stone Mtn)
• Dec. 12, 2008 – Tampa, Fl
• Dec. 13, 2008 – Key West, Fl.

…I’m definitely not in Tampa anymore.

It’s hard to believe that I almost drove through Wyoming in the dark last night rather than waiting till this morning to see what “I might be missing.”  This state is the most scenic state that I’ve seen so far.  While much of the state is very sparsely populated and it feels as though you could go for many miles without ever seeing another person, one can’t help but notice how this scarcity of people has allowed  the landscape to go unchanged by human hands.

I debated last night whether the Devil’s Tower Monument would be worth waiting till morning to see.  I’m glad I waited to see the tower,  but more so the mountains of Big Horn National Park. The two land road winding through the 9,000 foot Big Horn Mountain rarely reached more than 25mph.  Many of the turns were without guardrails or shoulders leaving one to nervously concentrate on the turns ahead

looking mean at the tower

I sweated as I peered around each bend awaiting another motorist heading straight for me.  Knowing that I was on the edge of something impressive, I tried to sneak a glance whenever I felt brave enough to do so.  The view was the most incredible thing I have ever seen.  I don’t know if there are other mountain ranges that will make today a distant memory, but for the time being, this was the only view that has ever moved me this much.  While the drive was a little scary, it was worth ditching the interstates for this more scenic route.

The road did seem to level off for awhile at the top of the range.  It gave me a chance to pull off the road safely and take in the views.  I not only pulled over for the sky high views, but I found a couple of creeks too.  The silence in the mountains made me feel as if I were the only person alive.  At one point, I could hear a roaring waterfall in the distance.  I’m not sure where it was, but it was definitely a waterfall. The mountain walls reverberated the fall’s chorus into infinity..

The small brooks that would be unheard in the midst of a city’s roar were now the only sound for miles.  These small streams filled the air with sounds that seemed as if they were meant to be heard on a disc, or clock radio next to the bed, loaded with nature’s sounds.  I could have sat for hours just listening to the sounds of water brushing against the rocks as it methodically marched its way down the mountain.  I used to think my nature’s sound clock could replace a mountain stream.  Once again, I have been proven to be wrong.

Aside from the babbling brooks and majestic mountain views, there were many docile deer lazily nipping at the weeds that bridged the road to civilization with thousands of evergreens resting on the mountains.  At one point during the drive, I pulled over to sit next to these deer.  My car stopping seemed to catch their attention, but they quickly continued about their business once they realized I was no threat to them.

Here I sit, somewhere between 7,500 and 8,500 feet on the side of a two lane road -with mountain tops overlooking me from both sides- in my car with the windows down and watching the deer eat within 30 feet of me.

Even the streams in the distant were quiet for me at this spot.  I think I could have heard a pin drop a half mile down the road.  It was incredible.  I don’t know if these are the moments that make people speak so highly of the mountains, but it was something I had never experienced in my life.  I can’t help to wonder if most national parks are full of these experiences. Will I look back at today’s events and think how I over-hyped it, or will I look at this event as the pinnacle of my mountain experiences.  I’m not sure how I will look back at today, but I do know that tomorrow will be spent at Yellowstone National Park, and I have a feeling that Yellowstone will be a challenge to any park.

[View with PicLens]

..monuments and veterans

Tonight I sit about 30 minutes from Devils Tower in Wyoming. I debated on whether I should skip visiting the monument, but when I think about how much I enjoyed viewing landmarks, scenery, and monuments earlier today, I realize that I should try to make the best of Wyoming by seeing all of it during the daylight hours.  After all, who knows if I’ll ever have the opportunity to visit here again.

Badlands

When I started out today, I figured that I would spend around an hour in Badlands National Park.  The park is south of I-90, so visiting it required me to take a slight detour and an hour should have been enough to make the scenic drive..  I was kind of close in my estimation.  I only missed by four hours, or 500%!!  What I had planned on being an hour detour turned into a five hour drive filled with stops, walks, and me staring for an unidentified amount of time into space.

There were spots for viewing and hiking all throughout the park.  If I had hiking boots, no fear of rattlesnakes, and more time, I probably would have spent a few more hours hiking around the Badland Trails.  Today, it was not to be. I had to press on because it seems to get dark shortly after 6 around here.

There were tourist “traps” all around Rapid City.  Some of them would have been great to see, but I had neither the time nor the money.  The two things I wish I could have seen were the stalactite caves and the cosmos. I had been to the Cosmos about twenty years ago, but would have liked to see them again.  It is a place where you think you’re standing level, but things roll up hill.  All sense of levelness is gone.

A reunion at Mt. Rushmore.

So I bypassed everything else and went straight for Mt. Rushmore.  The drive through the Black Hills is beautiful.  I wish I would have spent an entire day in the Hills. I think part of my enthusiasm for the change in landscape is because I rarely see mountains, so I keep reminding myself that I’m going to see many mountains over the next two weeks and I’ll probably become desensitized to the view and probably won’t be bothered by spending as little time here as I did. We shall see.

Mt. Rushmore is truly majestic.  I was disappointed when I saw it for the first time about twenty years ago and I’m not sure why.  Maybe because it’s so high up on the mountain that the view isn’t exactly the same as it is on Tv or in the books.  I’m not sure, but I’m definitely amazed with it now.  The place was packed with tourist of all accents: British, Australian, German, Chinese, etc.

Although people from all over the world were here, it was a large American group of elderly men and women that were taking numerous pictures together and wearing the same hats that caught my attention.  I had to find out what this was all about. I approached a man that I figured to be in his upper 70’s and asked him about this large group of people.  He proceeded to tell me how it is a reunion for some of the remaining veterans of the Berlin Airlift

When the Soviets blocked off the major highways into West Berlin in hopes that the Berliners would succumb to the communist after their 35 day supply of food and water ran out, the allies started the Berlin Airlift. West Berlin may have been cut off from suppliers by ground, but these allied veterans took to the air to drop food and supplies into West Berlin so that the city didn’t fall into the communist hands.  The man I stopped and talked to had volunteered to join the service and was sent to Germany to carry out these missions in 1948

The group has a reunion every year in various parts of the country. This year happened to be Rapid City, which put them at Mt. Rushmore during the same hour I was there.  I find it so interesting to think about the strangers around us.  We have all taken such different paths to get where we are at this very moment, but here we stand… side-by-side, focused on the same point of interest…  Think about that next time you’re bored in the grocery line.

After listening to the Berlin Airlift stories from a man whose name escapes me. (Do I need to start taking notes everywhere?) I hit to the road in hopes of getting to Devil’s Tower before sunset.  About a 1/2 hour later-around 6:00- I quickly realized that this wasn’t going to happen.  I keep

He remembers East Germany very well

underestimating the shortness of daylight hours here.  12 hours of darkness and 12 hours of daylight.  With the sun setting fast and there being no chance of me getting to the monument before sundown, I took a quick detour to Deadwood, S.D.  I have never been to this town, but enjoyed the TV show called Deadwood and wanted to see more of this town that is supposed to be right out of a Western movie.

The town does still resembles an old western town, but mainly focuses on gambling these days.  The main street was about one mile long and every store on the street had the flickering neon lights radiating from the slot machines that illuminated the storefronts. I thought to myself: -This must be chance that I am stopping here. Afterall, I didn’t plan on being here… so I parked my car, took my three one dollar bills out of my center console and headed up main street in hopes of winning some money. Ten minutes later, I was out three dollars and back on the road.

The town has a lot of western reenactments, the shootout at high-noon type of stuff. Maybe someday I will go back, but for now, it was back on the road until I was within a few miles of Devil’s Tower in Sundance, WY.  After viewing the tower, I hope to get through Yellowstone before ending the day.

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