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October 29, 2004
Cassette Feu
Iwatani has come out with some awesome-looking portable gas appliances in their Cassette Feu product line. Nandemo dokodemo indeed!
Looks like the rice cooker and the more interesting ones will be hard to find in North America. I'll get a few cases for the dokodemo store and see how they do.
If only these used solar power instead of gas... or... at least let it run off 12v and camper propane. I'd love a modular kitchen gas plug where the required appliance could just be plugged in, like the Jenn-Air system for home stoves.
Posted by dokodemo at 11:21 AM | Comments (0)
October 28, 2004
Alpine
About 8 hours west of Austin, in the Chihuahua desert, lies the small town of Alpine. Its been called "Little Austin" due to its population of artists, dropouts, and whackos. I went out to visit Mark and Asenath, who just moved out there from Austin.
Mark is working on his PhD from the University in Austin, and Asenath is a massage therapist. They wanted some quiet and a chance to learn to be more self-sufficient. Alpine is a beautiful place for this experiment.
This year had record-breaking rainfall (30 inches compared to the usual 11). I was told it is uncharacteristically lush and green. That being said, every plant there is spiky, pointy, dry or a combination. The soil is made of extremely hard dirt and gravel. Beautiful mountains and mesas rise up on the edges of the desert, and the homes in the area tend towards low and flat.
On the drive in, I noticed many hawks sitting on the side of the road, unconcerned about a van rolling by. At one point a tarantula was walking slowly on the pavement as I blew over. The van seemed to be losing a little power, and it was smoking a bit when I stopped for gas.
Arriving at the place and saying hello, we went for a little stroll with the dogs, Lucy and Hounddog. I was totally amazed by the landscape and the setting sun sinking behind the mesas. The sky is big out there in the same way that it is in Montana or Wyoming. Clouds curve around in cresecent shapes which extend for miles and miles. Cactus, sage, and all kinds of alien plants I've never seen pop up where they can. Jackrabbits and kangaroo rats scurry around constantly. Hawks are everywhere. This place is not as dead as it looks.
Asenath made an excellent pot pie and later cobbler (I mean, she literally rolled out the dough and made it while we sat at the table)! I hadn't eaten such good homemade food in quite some time.
These two are extremely generous, warm, and fascinating people. It was really a spectaculor honour to be the first visitor they had welcomed since moving out there.
In the morning, Asenath and I went into Alpine to see about meeting up with a mechanic friend of hers, John. This man is an artist, machinist, farmer, architect, geologist, jewelrysmith, etc etc etc. It was impossible to gauge his age due to glowing health and the leathery tan which the desert provides. He was a 3rd generation vegetarian and had spent most of his life in this desert.
He has fashioned several "Art Cars" including Geronimo's Cadillac, a 6 passenger Adventurer touring car, a Cadillac limo painted by a local artist, and a Jeep which has front and back steering for incredible maneuverability. John also makes custom safari-rack luggage carriers, chandeliers, outdoor stoves, and almost anything else. His shop was incredible. Tools for every craft were available, including his "mobile shop" in an old school bus.
I had to special order new spark plugs from the local auto shop, so left the van at John's shop until the morning.
A local bookshop was hosting an art show organized by Beverly (John's partner). She had local artists all prepare paintings of GW on black velvet, with excellent results. Sadly my photos don't do them justice. Beverly, like John, had spent a lifetime in the desert and was just saturated with knowledge about the plants, animals, and politics of the area. She was truly a free spirit and her enthusiasm for life was contageous.
That evening, we went out to view the Mysterious Marfa Lights. We did see the type described in that link, which is quite skeptical. Locals talked about another type of light which causes great chaos, interacting with eleotromechanical systems (such as automobiles). One story reported that in WWII, a runway was built in the desert to train pilots. The Lights shut down the runway beacons, and assembled themselves in a new location, luring pilots to land among the cactii.
Marfa has constructed a viewing center for the lights, which was really an amazing building. Beautiful architecture and well appointed with free binoculars, signs and displays, and so on.
We later drove out onto a 15 mile long dirt road leading through county property to a ranch. The full moon was so bright that we drove without headlights for a while. Jackrabbits were too numerous to count, more than a dozen were easily spotted within a half hour. Owls of two distinct sizes were also seen. One -huge- one, and several tiny ones. Walking out among the desert under the full moon was a truly unreal experience which I am sure will remain one of my top memories throughout my life. We talked long about the Marfa lights and how excellent it was to overhear the other tourists there, willing to open their minds and bend their realities. One man was sternly informing his wife that these were just headlights, while she truly Want To Believe.
In the morning I was treated to a most needed and most wonderful massage session with Asenath. She is exceptionally gifted, and I urge anyone in Alpine to pay her a visit. The details of the session are fairly individual specific so I will spare the report and implore you to try her service.
With new sparks, the van ran better but was still missing a cylinder, so I had to make the decision to go back to Austin, where specialty VW shops can be found and I have friends to stay with.
As it happened, Asenath and Mark were coming into Austin as well, and they graciously offered to escort me in case of engine trouble on the highway. I-10 through Texas is quite lightly travelled and there are enormous open spaces between towns. My gas mileage was horrifyingly low, like 12mpg (should be 22) so I had to stop for gas twice, while they were able to do the whole thing on one tank in their Caravan.
The good news is that now I get to visit more in Austin, see Mark and Asenath in Austin, and then drive back out to their place when the van is repaired. We will aim for the Big Bend national park, which is reputedly amazing now since the uncharacteristic rain has greened and lushified the area. I'm looking forward to seeing Peanut and Loverboy the cats, John and beverly, and Alpine itself again.
Posted by dokodemo at 01:56 PM | Comments (1)
the dawgranch
An old auto-salvage yard on the edge of Austin has been reclaimed and turned into a sort of subdivision for freaks. Its not quite a commune but its not as boring as a typical neighborhood or trailer park, either.
The land has a few permanent structures made into some apartments. Then, out in the field, there are several busses, trailers, vans, etc which are in various states of repair, mobility, and decor. Most of them were beautiful and filled with character.
The 'ranch has a large garden, portable chicken coop, and a zillion spare parts cars laying around. Broadband net access is available, and most of the residents are technically sophisticated. However, this is a place where you dont need to lock the doors or worry about the vines growing in through the windows. Its a losing battle, so just enjoy it. Plants grow up a rusted trellis made from a bedspring. Castor oil trees explode to 20 feet or more in just 12 months or 2 years. Peacocks stroll the area, and there are enough dogs and cats running around to make anyone happy (or upset, if they dont have souls).
Lots of the folks I know in Austin have ended up settling here, and its really hard to blame them. The independance of maintaining one's own dwelling combined with the community aspects of a shared garden, field, and livestock is quite compelling.
Posted by dokodemo at 01:25 PM | Comments (0)
October 24, 2004
Austin City Limits
The gravity of Austin has kept me here for the better part of a week. Good times.
The first order of business was to fix my window; the regulator (device gripping the window inside the door) had shattered, and I was unable to do much about it other than permanantly secure the window closed with a zip-tie. I met Toby at Underground VW, a shop specializing in "metaphysical volkswagen repairs". We never got into the metaphysical part of it, but he was a great guy. Very knowledgable, with a very clean shop. Several aircooled busses, a doka vanagon (pickup truck style) and some hotrod bugs provided some interest. Toby liked to talk... both on the phone and in person, it was hard for me to escape. He had to order a part so I left the van overnight and walked back to Andy's house.
It was about 95 degrees and at least that % humid. I passed a flock of feral parrots in a parklike area, but did not have camera with me. It was amazing to see so many of them and hear them squawking as they patrolled the ground, pecking at seeds or bugs or doritos.
I've been out to eat a lot, its a change from the simple things I've been having on the road, though it has been excellent to get back to the civilized world of indian food (a couple times), pizza (in a place decked out with fantasy decor, the oil paintings from terrible sci-fi books and comics), mexican, gourmet coffee (beans imported from zoka in Seattle where Maki works), and co-op grocery stores to replenish the drygoods in the van.
Also while in town, needed some supplies such as a towel which I left in Missoula. I've just been using a little microfiber towel, which does work, but I've realized a full-sized towel is such a comfort whether at a friends house or a truck-stop shower. Got some citronella candles for the candle lantern, but they do not seem to be effective in any way.
It was interesting to attend a meeting at a beautiful airstream camper for the Circle of Health International organization, which arranges to get birthing supplies, midwife training, and other necessities for life to third world nations.
The heat in Austin has been atypically HOT with millions of mosquitos scanning the area for fresh blood. The heat and humidity have not relented since Alabama, and its taken some getting used to. Andy's garage is so tropical that a vine was growing up from the drain, in the dark.
We experienced a very sudden thunderstorm, the likes of which I have not seen since living in Japan. A hot and clear evening was suddenly interrupted by very large cracks of thunder and very heavy rain. I realized the windows and sunroof in the van were open, and in the 30 seconds it took to run outside, I was pretty soaked. Good times.
Another errand needing to be done was to refill the propane (for van's stove and refridgerator). It is surprisingly difficult to find in the south, I have been looking for it since South Carolina. I stopped at 2 service stations which had it, but would only fill portable tanks, not campers. So in Austin I went out to a special propane supplier, and they claimed my valve is busted. I do not believe this is true, since it was recently rebuilt and cleaned. At times attendents do have trouble with the Vanagon fitting, and I am told tapping it with a hammer can release a sticky valve. This attendent didn't really seem to want to help me, and he basically left me standing at the pump as he said "get it fixed and come back" and walked back inside. I will have to try my luck elsewhere, and keep using the camp stove for now.
We took a day trip out to the Enchanted Rock, in the area called Hill Country. It was spectacular... an enormous granite dome rising out of the rolling green hills. Huge boulders littered the area, it was difficult to maintain a sense of scale since they looked miniature from a distance. We walked to the top of the rock until the sun started to set and insects started biting. There was an unfortunate injury of some kind as we were walking down. Rescue teams with stretchers were working to free someone who had apparantly fallen. I had my own miniscule injury in the form of a mosquito bite tunred blister which blew out and made walking fairly unpleasant. Praise be to the Spenco 2nd Skin pads, sadly I wasnt carrying one. Those things are miraculous. I suggest you go out and get a blister so that you can experience the joy of their healing touch.
One of the great exports from Austin is Tito's Handmade Vodka. I am really not a vodka drinker, in fact I fall into the "don't like it" category. This stuff is amazing, however. Very smooth with none of that jet-fuel taste. I had to pick up 2 bottles, one for tasting here in its homeland, and one to take back to Seattle.
Today involves tying up the loose ends, seeing a few more folks, and packing. Tommorow I'll be heading west and ticking off the days until real life resumes.
Posted by dokodemo at 08:38 AM | Comments (2)
October 20, 2004
Just an image
I liked this picture Josh took in North Carolina... he put the camera on the ground and used a very long exposure (this was taken at night). The light at the top is a mercury vapor security light.
Posted by dokodemo at 10:44 AM | Comments (0)
So Far in Texas
Finally made it to Austin where I have a chance to update things. I spent the night in Village Creek State park, where the temp was 90 all day and night and the humidity was closer to 100.
I had the park to myself, which was fantastic. It was quite nice, though the heat took some getting used to. The insects were relentless, despite DEET, I endured dozens of bites. Taking off the door panel to investigate my window problem, it became unplesantly clear that the regulator was indeed shattered and I had no materials or skills to improvise a solution for it. What I did do, was to place a ziptie on the rail, which at least held the window in the topmost position, thinking this would allow the air conditioner to work a little better.
I then spent the evening listening to the radio and trying to induce sleep with some cold Pabst Blue Ribbon. It was fruitless. I hardly slept the entire night due to the heat. I tried the upstairs, thinking that the poptop canvas let a little more air circulate through, but it didn't help much. It stated raining at 2am, so I had to close the windows making it even warmer inside. Around 5am I finally got up to face the day. At the recycling bin, I saw the most amazing tree frogs, about 4 of them. As I turned around to grab the camera, they of course crawled inside and were not to be seen again.
Drove to Austin without incident, and took the van into Underground VW, where I met Toby and had a great time looking at his shop and talking about vanagons. I'll be here for a few days, hopefully with a campout with friends at the end.
Posted by dokodemo at 08:08 AM | Comments (0)
Fast Forward
My plan was to visit friends in St. Petersburg, Florida. However, as I was slightly behind schedule, I had to make a snap decision to break West at Jacksonville. Again, I don't have as many photos as I would like, but that will change once I am back at a mellow pace. For now, I wanted to make time to Texas. I blew through Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana.
The Florida Gulf region was bittersweet. I had never been in the area, only to Orlando and the eastern seaboard. Seeing the tropical, muggy beach towns was very interesting. A lot of delapidated old motels, reminders of the glory days of travel. Shrimp Shacks and roadside seafood vendors were common. Seemed like everyone in FL drove a pickup truck.
One thing I noticed in the area... I have never seen more visbile support for a college sports team than I saw on the roads of Florida. There must have been a game that weekend, so many trucks had windsocks, flags, pennants, stickers, magnets... anything possible to show support for the NOLES. I deduced that these were ANOLES, named for the common lizard in the Florida region (incorrectly called chameleons, since they change from green to brown when stressed). That left me unable to explain the spears/arrows often accompanying the NOLES logo, so I had to revise my theory (which later proved true) that these were actually SEMINOLES.
The goal was an early day, stopping to enjoy some time on the beach, cleaning of van, and so on. I made it to St. Georges Island, which had a state park at the tip. The island was beautiful... covered in sand dunes and beautiful beach houses up on stilts. However, the park campsite was full. I had forgotten this was a Saturday, and that in this part of the country, vacation season never really stops.
The park attendant told me of a private campground, so I followed her directions, went back to the mainland, and continued west. This private campground never revealed itself, and I ended up driving late into the night. Finally, I collapsed at a Day's Inn (first hotel stop of the trip) in Panama City.
The next morning, I continued west, and realized that (of course) another couple miles would have had me at beautiful beaches and plenty of campsites. I stopped to look around a bit, and took at least a few photos. Had a brief swim and moved on.
As I neared Pensacola, the hurricane damage was severe. At first I noticed most of the houses had blue tarps on the roofs, and a lot of traffic signs, trees, and advertsidements were uprooted, broken, or otherwise damaged. I started to take some photos of this stuff.
Continuing, it became very bad. Devestated homes, some reduced to piles of scrap, were all over. Huge piles of wood, trash, and miscellany lined the roads. In many areas, the roads were closed on one side due to the piles of detritus. I was really ovwerwhelmed by the devestation, and suddenly became very self-conscious about photographing it; it felt like a bad car wreck.
This damage continued through Alabama and into Mississippi.
I stopped for some groceries in Mississippi, and looked for the Buccaneer State Park which looked to be right on the coast. I was hoping for some beach camping after all.
The park was on the coast, but the campground was not. It was no problem though, it was a large and well-appointed park, near Waveland, MS. A frisbee golf course, waterslide, and many other facilities seemed popular there, but the campground was about half-full so that was good. There were some noisy people there, but I was far enough away from them to sleep well as they partied.
Driving through the bayou was excellent and quite new to me. I have no pictures of this because there was no place to stop. I chose a very scenic road, but there were constantly signs warning against stopping, and there was rarely a shoulder. White cranes (storks?) were all over. I did finally get a mediocre photo of one. The road seemed at times to be more bridge than road, other times it would wind through wooded areas, and hints of water could be seen through the tree trunks. Straight out of the film Southern Comfort.
I will probably not be forgiven by most people who read this, but I pretty much went straight trhough New Orleans. I have never been to that city, and I do realize its cultural, culinary, musical, historical, and architectural significance. However, it just didn't feel right to stop and explore it on my own. Parking, orienting myself, and spending money were not on my list for that day, but I do promise I will return some day and give the city its due attention.
Just driving through it was pretty fascinating, I got lost a couple times (and went through some areas where I felt a little out-of-place). Indeed the old homes are quite amazing, and I detoured through the French Quarter to see what everyone is talking about. I was surprised to see drive-thru daiquary stands all over, and wondered if its legal to drink them while driving. It can't be, but why else would this service be available?
As I neared Texas, the driver's side window became stuck, and I heard the regulator crack and fall off inside the door. The window was stuck about halfway down. This would normally be fine, except the day was getting hotter and hotter, pushing 95 degrees. I wanted to run the air conditioner, but it couldnt compete with the hot winds being blown into the window. I stopped just over the Texas border near Lumberton.
Posted by dokodemo at 07:30 AM | Comments (0)
Santee Supper Club
Driving from North Carolina to South Carolina was uneventful, and you will be disappointed at first to see that I have taken very few photos. However, there was almost nothing of note to see, except for some cotton fields and pink flowers planted all along the highway. Actually South Carolina is quite beautiful; the old shacks covered with wisteria, the people fishing for catfish in small mudholes on the side of the road, and the weather was perfect.
I didn't want to pull over and take photos of the shacks falling apart, I felt too much like a spectator. So I rolled forward to Grampa's place.
He lives at the Santee Cooper Resort in Santee, SC. I hadn't been there for about a decade, but it also hadn't changed much. We spent time catching up, taking drives in the golf cart, walks, and going out to eat with his crew. They were mostly widowers, mostly avid golfers, and all pretty fun to talk to. One bitter old man, who was retired from the FBI, told some fairly offensive jokes (and I am not easily offended). He also seemed to confuse people from India with Native Americans.
One night we tried the new "Japanese" restaurant, though I am pretty sure nobody from Japan has ever been in the place. The staff certainly were not Japanese. The food was essentially poorly stir-fried vegetables/meat with fried rice on the side.
The next night we went to a typical southern diner, with no real menu. You just get what they have that night, with a few options. I had some fried catfish/hushpuppies, turnip greens, mashed potatoes, and corn. Sweet tea, of course. The FBI guy asked grampa if he liked this better than the Japanese the night before, Grampa said "I don't compare meals, I am always glad to have a meal" and I really respected that.
Grampa has a different posse for breakfasts at the Tastee Diner. This group was a little more mellow, friendlier. Perhaps it was just the time of day. The Tastee actually made pretty good coffee.
After a couple days, I was painfully aware that the halfway point on my journey had passed, and that it was time to turn around and head for Seattle.
It was very good to visit with Grampa again. His memory is fading, at times alarmingly so, but he was lucid, healthy, and seemed happy.
Posted by dokodemo at 07:12 AM | Comments (0)
October 14, 2004
Smokies
The trend towards getting lost continued as I left Cumberland Gap and headed south towards the Great Smokies park. The routes on the map were so clear, but still... the highway kept switching sides and eventually I stopped in a tourist office to ask for guidance.
Had fast lunch, and continued onto Great Smokies National Park. For the first time, as I checked in, I actuallhy talked to a human about the campsite. I normally arrive at 4pm or so, after the office is closed, or manhy times, there just is not an office. Not so in this mega-park. One woman was interested in the van and also the weather in Washington, but my ranger was just selling me a $17 site as quickly as possible. He gave me what I consider the worst one; across from the toilet building (closed for construction) and consequently across from said construction.
The sites here are densely packed, almost like Montauk, and largely occupied. The park in general is pleasant enough, and I was looking forward to exploring. It started raining immediately after parking, so I erected the awning. Tried a streamlined method of erecting it, allowing me to stand under it while it went up. This more or less worked, but I did realize that the awning is quite sub-satisfying for rain duty. Its junction with the van's rain gutter is messy, so it forms a little cascade of water, and it is quite difficult to get all of the corners set up correctly. The difficulty was compounded since my poles were bent at the badlands.
I have very mixed feelings about this awning (the E-Z Awning from busdepot.com). It was cheap, and I love that it doesnt attach to the side of the van, but it has now failed me twice. This wasn't a total failure, and actually it was better than not having it, as I was able to sit outside and enjoy the rain in a chair, rather than being cooped up inside. Eventually I went for a little rainwalk, but the campsite was so big, I had barely made it to the other side when I decided to go back. On the map, this camp (elkmont) looked to be the most remote, and it was near the highest point in Tennesee.
Most of the other campers were in trailers, and all of them I had seen appear older than me by a few decades. My direct neighbors seemed to peer out with some suspicion or curiousity as I played some guitar under the awning in the rain. Simple dinner (rice and black bean chili) and early bed. Watched some of the film Aguirre w/ commentary and didn't make it past 9pm.
It was still raining in the morning, so I learned to pack up the awning while its still attached.
The drive out of the Smokies was beautiful, at times totally saturated in fog. Sometimes, a blast of blue sky would come through. I took the Blue Ridge Parkway, which was a great drive reminiscent of 1 in CA, but it was almost all fog the whole way. Many of the scenic overlooks had visibility of about 3 feet over the edge. I had to keep a low speed so didn't make it into Mount Holly (to visit friend Josh) until 4 or so.
We had dinner with his grandparents and played some amazing Playstation game, "Katamari Damacy". Its almost worth buying a playstation2 just for this title.
Now its time for brunch, then onto Grampa's in Santee, South Carolina.
Posted by dokodemo at 06:55 AM | Comments (1)
October 13, 2004
Cumberland Gap
For most of the trip, I've been able to easily navigate by choosing interesting looking routes in the Atlas, and following them, or turning off onto other routes if they suddenly appealed. Something weird happened in Kentucky, though.
I found routes unlabelled, or difficult to find. I was unable to orient myself in a North/South axis, despite having a couple compasses in the van. The highway was constantly on the wrong side, I was really feeling odd about it. Atlas seemed to contain misinformation about caming spots. Some parks had no camping, including one marked as having camping. Came close to considering a Walmart, but made it to cumberland gap national park just at dusk.
Went through Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia in a few moments. Camped in virginia.
Had ramen for dinner, since propane is gone and was close to sleep. Campsite was unremarkable, but it was WARM. 75 degrees while going to bed.
Morning was misty and muggy.
Explored the park a bit, and had some nice views of the Appalachians, and was tempted by some junk at the visitor center. Books of Civil War songs, kits to make baskets, Jew's harps, tin whistles, etc. All I left with, however, was as much money as I had when I entered.
Cumberland Gap is a nice park, underrated. It was apparantly a critical passage in the Pre-Civil-War days, though in the war itself it was not as imported as expected.
Not much worth reporting really occurred there, it was just a pleasant stop on the way eastward. The one thing of note, though this is not surprising, was an amazing selection of bluegrass radio stations. Also some very clear NPR signals, though their music was no good.
Posted by dokodemo at 06:35 PM | Comments (0)
Stevus becomes Rowan
On the way out of Ann Arbor, I stopped in Plymouth and Ypsilanti to see Pete and Dave, and Pete's new child. In the womb, he was referred to as "Stevus", since the name was not determined. Once emerged, he became Rowan.
I Met Dave and went out to eat at La Shik restaurant. We got the vegetarian sampler, which was actually an enormous tray of food. Checked out the recording studio in Dave's house, nice place with beautiful land and little brook. Went over to Pete's and met the new Rowan, the older Reilly, and Jade. Pete talks like Scotto, and Jade is a brunette Kia. I say that knowing that all 4 involved would be angry to be told of their dopplegangers, but it is complements for all. We saw the kids, had some picnic food (and leftovers from the lunch). Saw the smoke from the aviation museum fire. It was an incredible purple plume, we tried to chase it but it just retreated further on the horizon as we got closer, so eventually we had to give up and go back to the picnic.
Went out to some bar which closed at 11. First time in years that I have been around for last call. Met Katie, a friend of Dave's, up from Florida. She was charming and it was fun to meet her. I did some terrible shot with some apple liquor, since Pete insisted.
Next morning had a ridiculously huge brunch at the Northside Cafe. Good Times = some man was holding up his arm to block the severe morning sun. We all spontaneously and simultaneously waved at him, causing him a bit of a confused moment as a car full of strangers greeted him unexpectedly.
At Dave's house we listened to his roommates do some recording in the studio and watched Aguirre. It was Dave's first time and we seemed to agree on some of the best scenes' signifigance.
On the way out, in Ohio, I stopped at Wafflehouse (better left as a memory), took photos of Neil Armstrong's jet plane and the horrible replicas of capsules. Came very close to running out of gas in Cincinatti.
Posted by dokodemo at 06:11 PM | Comments (0)
October 09, 2004
Say Yes... or maybe... to Michigan
95% of people on the road seem to have no reaction to a Vanagon Westfalia rolling down the road. The other 5% seem to be pretty extreme in their reactions. I often get people grinning and flashing me a peace sign, or honking at me while waving. Many times at rest areas or parking lots, someone will want to talk about the vehicle and my trip. I never realized how rare/interesting these vehicles are, as they are almost ubiquitous in the northwest (I can easily find a dozen vanagons within an hour near my home, and even a few syncros).
I've learned, however, that not all of the reactions are pleasant.
The drive from Chicago to Ann Arbor started off bad; pouring rain and bumper to bumper traffic all through the city. It took close to an hour and a half to get out of 2nd gear. My clutch foot was almost done for the day, and I had hardly started the drive. A bad mood was starting to set in, as I mentally composed a hate letter to cities in general.
Just as I started to get moving on the highway, the driver's side windshield wiper flipped over, aiming straight out to the left, not on the windshield but hanging off to the side. This was alarming since it was pouring rain and trucks were spraying me with road juice constantly. Luckily I was right by an exit, and was able to pull off quickly. Furthering my luck was a service station right there. I got out and looked at the wiper, it was rotating freely on its mount instead of offering resistance. I couldn't see the seam for the access cap, so I looked at the Bentley manual, which showed it was there, but had little other information.
I asked the mechanic if he could take a look at it, he said he could after a 30 minute wait. I figured I would keep looking at it, but first decided to take a wild attempt to check for net access so I could send a question to the Vangon list. Sure enough, there was a decent open signal, and I was able to get my plea for help out there.
While awaiting replies, I went out again, and was finally able to wiggle the cap off (the rain was making it very hard to see), and a quick tightening of the bolt solved the problem. I gave the mechanic all my $1 bills (4 of them) for at least walking out in the rain to check up on me.
Shortly after crossing into Michigan, I noticed a red pickup truck was driving right next to me, and the passenger was waving to get my attention. I was unhappy about driving in the rain and was not wanting to take my eyes off the road, so I quickly waved at him and resumed driving straight ahead.
The truck swerved at me aggresively, and I immediately slowed down, confused. They pulled forward and the passenger leaned far out the window, back at me, and started making some rude gestures with his middle finger. Puzzled, I smiled and gave him a peace sign. I suppose this made him angry as he seemed to throw some object at me.
Eventually, they sped away. I started to think about this, wondering what I had done to make them angry. Was it my non-Murrican car in this auto-centric part of the nation? Was it the fact that I was driving a camper, indicating a rejection of the working world and a love of leisure? It couldnt have been me specifically, since I intentionally have short, bland hair and clothing. Whatever ths issue was, the men seemed to be unhappy about it, and my greeting their "attack" with a smile seemed to make it worse.
This was the first less-than-pleasant interaction I have had with anyone on this trip, and it was a little surprising, one of those "things that make you go hmmmmm" moments.
Eventually I made it to Dexter, MI, where I met with my uncle and his brothers. Had a pleasant dinner and faked interest in baseball as we watched a game afterwards.
Since the house was full of visitors, I volunteered to sleep in the van which was parked on the street of a very new, very quiet residential neighborhood. Some people find it hard to believe, but sleeping in the van is in many ways more comfortable than a typical guest bedroom. I have a down sleeping bag and fleece blanket which I dearly love, I have excellent pillows, I have long underwear and warm hats within easy reach. I have my books, my water bottle, my toothbrush, etc etc etc all right here, and I am really quite happy in the van.
I especially like it when it is raining, something about the patter on the fiberglass roof is really conducive to good deep sleep. So I spent the night comfortably, and in the morning, I was amazed to realize the left side of my van was covered with egg splatters and telltale shell fragments piled beneath.
This must have happened while we were out to dinner, because I would have heard it inside. I didn't notice before going to sleep, I guess (it was on the opposite side of the door).
Again, I found it puzzling. What about a vanagon camper causes such a violent reaction? I don't have any political stickers on my van, I don't have any stickers at all. Is it that I have out-of-state plates? Do the people of Dexter hate people from Washington?
Was it random? No other cars in the neighborhood were affected. My uncle's car, and those of his brothers were not hit. I seem to have been singled out.
Is it that the vanagon has a "hippie" reputation? Thats my main theory, but in reality if I had to stereotype the vanagon owners I have seen, they would be: male, late 40-70 years old, likely an engineer, programmer, designer, or of some other slightly nerdish vocation.
It really is strange that Michigan seems to be hostile for vanagon drivers. I suppose I am using a tiny sample, and over time its quite possible that this sort of thing would never be repeated, but it does stand out immediately to me that the first ominous interaction happened near Kalamazoo, and then this more tangible assault happens in Dexter. I have to say I am not all that sad to be leaving the state, although there is also some apprehension about what is to come.
Is Tennesee any better? How about Kentucky, South Carolina? Will I be egged in Alabama and Louisiana? Hassled in Texas?
Well, its not that big of deal. I'll just get another bottle of Simple Green and make sure I have more towels ready. I'll keep smiling and waving when people interact with me.
Posted by dokodemo at 08:34 AM | Comments (4)
Chicago
I'm cursed with an unfair hatred of big cities, and Chicago is one of my least favorite. This is a problem since all of my immediate family lives there now. Its fantastic to visit them, but I am always glad to escape the city in the end.
I have a hard time putting my finger on it, but the flavor of Chicago is especially unpleasant to me. The people walking around look ill, pale. Its like the film Jacob's Ladder, where a hallucinating Vietnam vet is seeing ghouls and men in black among the crowds... People of Chicago look that way to me.
The city seems to smell especially bad, worse than the paper mills of Missoula, worse than the bum-urine of Seattle, worse than the open piles of human feces in San Fransisco. Drivers in Chicago seem more impatient than is typical, the possibility of a horrible wreck seems to be looming constantly.
With that out of the way, let me try to be more fair; I do love some things in the city. The restaurants and entertainment options, the museums and parks, the Lakeshore, it is all fabulous. Needless to say I always enjoy seeing my mother and sister, and now the bonus of my sister's children.
There is not much to report about my visit, other than the first attack of what I can only call "van anxiety". I am not going to cutify that to "vanxiety" though it might make sense. I realized I am getting nervous and agitated when I am not camping. I want to be either behind the wheel, hiking, or living in the van. It was almost traumatic for me to pull the van into my mom's garage and leave it there for a few days. I wanted to ge checking up on the van, I wanted to be washing it or rearranging my items. I did get a thorough interior cleansing done, which was overdue.
Going into the city for 2 days was stressful because of this. It was just not where I wanted to be, though I did want to see my sister and her family. It was an excellent visit, and well worth it... I offer all of this not as complaints of any kind, but to document some of the unanticipated mentality which a vanagon trip provides.
I have a daily routine in the van, tasks to do in the morning, an order of operation so that everything ends up put away correctly. It only took me 2 or 3 days to settle into it, and it is very disturbing when it doesn't happen.
An intellectual understanding of this perhaps obsessive thought pattern doesn't help. The only solution is to get back onto the road and keep vanning.
While in Chicago, I met my sister at the new Millenium Park, which is quite stunning. We noticed a crowd of police on bicycles, and wondered what the deal was. Suddenly a fleet of black limos and SUVs arrived, and Lance Armstrong hopped out, taking a quick ride in his jeans (no helmet!), followed by a flock of police and his motorcade. Some fundraising event, I suppose. The section of street behind him was blocked off, so that in the photos he could appear to just e out for a casual ride, and not surrounded by specatators.
Very little else of note occured that is of interest to the general public; suffice it to say that a pleasant visit was had, but I am eager to get into the Smoky Mountains.
Posted by dokodemo at 08:00 AM | Comments (0)
October 05, 2004
Montauk
As I arrived in St. Louis to visit my old neighbors, Dianne and George, they invited me to go camping with them at Montauk State Park.They brought their trailer dubbed "The Whistling Toad", and I followed in my van. Good times were had.
There was a trout derby going on that weekend, so the park was quite crowded. After the relatively empty parks of the West, I was a little surprised. The park was well managed, plenty of space, and it ended up being an excellent weekend. George's siter showed up in her trailer, and I met her young videogame prodigy son and her daughter Katy.
Some trout were caught, some campfires were constructed. The weather became quite cool and I had some insight as to the challenges I will face as winter comes closer. The morning mist off the water (it is a spring-fed river, so the water was "warm") was unreal.
Montauk is special to me because it was some of the first camping I had ever done. In grade school, Dianne and George would take me out there to go camping and fishing. Once I ended up in the hospital at Salem because I had a treble hook deeply embedded in my finger. Another time I illustrated an incident involving George falling into the Current River.
Well, this time I remained free of hooks, but it was me who fell in the river. One small mis-step on a slippery rock, and I was quite soaked. Fearing the cold of standing around and waiting, I trotted back to the camp and changed clothes. It was actually an enjoyable experience, I laughed a lot at the ridiculousness of it, while wringing about a gallon of water out of my pants and socks.
The young gamer Zack seemed cold towards me until he realized I had a gameboy with me and I could challenge him to a duel of Advance Wars 2. Sadly, I had been tasting all of the wine Dianne was putting in front of me (as well as some beer I put in front of myself) and I was not able to administer the ass-whooping this cocky young man deserved.
It was truly great to be back with my old friends and back at Montauk after some 20 years absence.
Posted by dokodemo at 05:50 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Going Home
Driving east across Missouri, I was able to visit two of my three former homes in that state. The earliest, the first house I lived in, is now gone. In its place stands McMansions. This was in Fenton. We moved from there to Clayton, a wealthy suburb right on the edge of the city, it was still rather urban and just a couple small blocks away from Forest Park (site of the 1904 Worlds Fair).
Clayton (the DeMun neighborhood) was an excellent place to be a kid. Parks all around, plenty of places to safely ride bikes and run around. The nieghborhood has not changed much, this was great to confirm. However, it is now quite fashionable and there is no way I (nor my family) could afford to live there now. Luckily, my neighbors have never left and I was able to visit with them.
DeMun now has a coffee shop which roasts its own, yet it was sadly terrible by my perhaps elevated Seattle standards. They use robotic machines (offering no control to the barrista) and seemed to be in too much of a rush.
One of the benefits of the neighborhood was the wonderful Concordia Seminary campus. Aside from the best sledding hill around, it has amazing sandstone architecture and a carillion in the tower which would chime out the time as well as spectacular concerts. I was never able to ideologically or politically sympathize with the Lutherans there, but they sure did maintain a splendid campus.
I made a quick visit to Jefferson City, where I spent some time in high school. I hated the school, hated the town, so I left quickly. It was nice to see the neighborhood had matured though, the trees were larger and our old home was well landscaped.
Posted by dokodemo at 05:26 PM | Comments (0)
October 04, 2004
Hi!
Welcome to many new visitors. I've been enjoying your encouraging email full of tips on places to camp, restaurants, and offers of homes to visit. This has really been an encouraging and amazing experience. Feel free to contact me at: rob(at)dokodemo(dot)org.
The updates are not as often as I would like, as it is not always easy to find net access, and the photos take a very long time to upload.
I'm moving on to visit family in Chicago next, and then through the Smokies towards South Carolina.
Hope to see you out on the road!
Posted by dokodemo at 07:14 AM | Comments (0)