Strangely appropriate songs

These songs showed up on my iPod, sometimes at completely appropriate moments.

Big Sur - The Thrills
Heaven or Las Vegas - Cocteau Twins
Ventura Highway - America (while I was driving on it)
Spirit of St Louis - British Sea Power
Girl from NYC (Named Julia) - Of Montreal
Lovecraft in Brooklyn - The Mountain Goats
Black Sheep Boy #4 - Okkervil River (has line about Baltimore)
Summer in the City - Regina Spektor
Ode to LA - The Raveonettes

These songs, thankfully, did not play on my iPod at appropriate moments.

Sweet Home Alabama - Lynyrd Skynyrd
Anything by Boston
Anything by Kansas
Anything by Chicago
Hotel California - The Eagles

What happened to John Irving

I have been asked that I should probably explain what happened to John Irving, or more appropriately what the hell was the point of this whole following the route of this character etcetera. I read this short story, called Almost in Iowa, when I didn't even know how to drive. I was fascinated by the idea of a road trip, of escape, alone across a vast swathe of country. So I wrote down the route and promised myself that one day I would drive it. And now probably over a decade later, I have driven that route, more or less. What I learned was that first, after repurchasing the book before my trip, that I didn't like the story that much anymore and that the trip itself was a little ho-hum. I nonetheless persisted (such is the power of dreams from one's misspent youth) on driving this route that this character took as he ran from an unfaithful wife and a probable divorce he found hard to face. I didn't particularly like this character any longer either, so ultimately I did the drive because it happened to be a decent eastern route and out of sheer stubbornness. In the end, it was a bit of a bust, and during my detours off the route the character took, I was enjoying my trip, instead of following his tedious route. I think I had some idea that it would turn out to be interesting, that I could perhaps relate to the character (I tried in an earlier post but it was a stretch) but nope, it really wasn't up to much. So there it is, one of the few failures of a very successful trip. In that perhaps is the best way that I could relate to John Irving's writing (including this particular story) which is often about personal, human failures.

Lies, damned lies, and...

Total miles driven: 10,305
Number of states visited: 38
Number of stops: 22
Number of interstates driven: 34
Bottles of caffeinated beverages consumed: 20 (approximation)
Longest single day drive (hours): 13 (Manchester, NH to Cleveland, OH)
Number of Wall Drug billboards in South Dakota: 600,000 (approximation)
Number of anti-abortion billboards seen: 13 (Kansas 7, Iowa 2, South Dakota 2, Montana 1)
Number of museums visited: 12
Number of museums with a map better than PAM's: 12 (including the Spam Museum in Austin, MN)
Number of animals killed accidentally: 0, although I was in the car when a squirrel decided to run out in front of Alex's car
Car damage: Small crack in windshield
Human damage: Cramp in leg during sleep made for a painful couple of days in Iowa adding to sniffles caught in St. Louis
Worst food: McDonald's, Wichita, KS and Waffle House, Montgomery, AL
Best food: Clancy's, New Orleans

I can't think of what other stats, although some keep coming to me. Ideas welcome. Map of route forthcoming.

End Road Work

In reference to Kate's comment on the last post that she can't believe it's been this long already, I can't believe it either. Whenever I start telling a story, I automatically time reference it to when I left Portland instead of the actual time. It doesn't feel like five weeks. I feel like I left only a couple of days ago with much adventure ahead.

In a way, that is true. This trip has been good for me mentally. There's so much now that I feel I am more motivated to do, quite a few projects that I want to get done, which include completing this blog. It has been fun to write it, and I hope it's been at least at some points an entertaining read. This is probably my last post from the road as I'm about to leave Missoula and head towards Spokane and then head south to the old I-84.

So yes, despite an addictive urge to keep exploring, I'm also looking forward to being back at home and to get started on some creative projects and start investigating what options I have regarding my long-term future. Well, maybe not long-term, I've never been good at planning for that. But at least take a look and see where I might want to be heading (you see how equivocal that last sentence was? I still need work, of course.)


Road signs have been one of the most hilarious parts of the trip, and I have to say that often times I don't even know I'm in a work zone until a random End Road Work sign appears on the side of the road. I like random endings.


View Leg 23: Portland in a larger map

Roadie

There was an echo of Detroit circa 2001 last night. Back then, I used to help a punk band load up and load out of shows, taking pictures for them too. Last night, it was Lee's band.

The Colonel

I got into Missoula after a rather annoying drive. I've been bothered by allergies since St. Louis, unusual for me, and yesterday I had to stop several times because the drainage was hurting my eyes too much. It complicated the drive a bit but I managed to make it in good time for Lee's show. I then helped his band load up the amps and drums for the show and then attended the show. There were only a few people around. The first band was really really growly metal, and then Lee's band is sleazy glam rock-ish, whatever that means. They were definitely better than the first band.

Lee's got a great collection of KISS dolls. We drove around and took pictures because I wanted to finish the roll that was in the camera before getting back to Portland. Some random results below.











Very much a college town, Missoula. I've had my fair share of those on this trip. I've decided to stick around another day. I just needed the rest really badly after two rather long drives dealing with the allergies. I think I return tomorrow to the homestead.


View Leg 22: Missoula, Montana in a larger map