atomicthoughts.com

1974 miles

Rock solid data and phone coverage for the last 1000 miles. IM’d from a field in the middle of Oklahoma. Quartzed from the Kansas Turnpike. Where do I lose all data and phone coverage completely? In a restaurant in one of the largest metropolitan areas in the country.

1888 miles

A lackluster Father’s Day was saved by an idyllic park in Edina. It was wedged behind a mall that we went to Chuck E Cheese in. Chuck E Cheese is an impressive time and money sink that combines the culinary mediocrity of McDonalds with the sounds of a flock of geese barreling through a wind chime factory.

But after that we decided to check out the little lake behind the mall. As we got closer we could hear a band playing. A full band was giving a free concert in the park. By band I mean a group of musicians somewhere between a marching band and an orchestra.

So we sat on a grass hill looking down onto a gazebo sitting in front of a small lake listening to some well played Souza and Lionel Hampton. We didn’t stay for the whole concert, but continued around the lake.

At the other end of the lake we rented a paddle boat and headed out for the kids first time on “open water” . True to their little personalities, Angus was in awe and love with all of it, throwing a bloody fit when it was time to get out. Fred enjoyed the ride but was hesitant and a little freaked out the further we got from shore.

It was a really wonderful family experience that made me proud and thankful to be a father.

1713 miles

Mmmm, finally. Wonderdul, bland, stone’s throw from water Minnesota coffee, just like I like it.

1697 miles

Took our longest break of the trip, for four hours of sleep at night. I crashed in the back while Cass reclined in the passenger seat.

Woke up and drove a little but my eyes laughed at me. Dry and unresponsive, they told me to pull over and get more rest. So another two hours of rest later we hit the road again.

Rest areas seem to get nicer the further north you get. The two in Iowa were nearly palatial. Pretty obscure, specific, and hateful graffiti in the stall though: “no more hmongs in the united states”. A little odd for a rest stop on the IA/MN border.

1258 miles

You know it’s a long road trip when you’re excited about almost being done with 430 miles left.

1195 miles

Made my first mis-navigation on a road trip in quite a while. Unfortunately it was onto a turnpike which takes a while to get off of.

I actually enjoy straying from the interstate now and again as time permits, and this was an okay detour. It got a little longer than I would have preferred so I got a little snippy at the end. Mostly internal frustration at having caused the problem in the first place.

895 miles

When everyone’s asleep we can really pile on the miles, but we lost 2 hours in time zones so it’s not quite as impressive. Cass and I switched off a few times through the night.

My favorite thing to listen to while driving is talk radio. Fortunately I caught “coast to coast overnight”, which is usually pretty fascinating. The guest was a guy who had just returned from Egypt and was investigating Stargate’s and wormholes. For real. I don’t enjoy mocking these guys quite as much as others do, but he certainly seemed out there. He discussed at length the dance of the whirling dirvish and how at some point the twirling of the robes (or something) formed to look exactly like a UFO. He mentioned 3 or 4 things that looked just like UFO’s. Why do these people think all UFO’s are saucers?

687 miles

Texas is full of the annoying little “parking area” rest stops without facilities, and very short on actual facilities. Wife opines that it’s somewhat sexist since men don’t really need facilities to go. Husband notes that it’s a cost savings for the state and keeps the taxes lower, and since men make all the money and pay all the taxes, it’s okay. Husband gets smacked.

529 miles

This is one packed rest stop. Apparently most people want to sleep rather than drive at 2:30 in the morning. I am not most people.

442 miles

Fifth stop. Always have the damndest time finding a gas station here for some reason. No exception tonight.

I’m not sure when it was decided that little red lights on towers was insufficient. But now you ocassionally come across towers with flashing hot white strobes of death. It’s a little distracting.