There and Back Again

Thank you to all who followed this blog, and particularly to the many who hosted us and made this trip infinitely more interesting!

Hudson

After a night and half day at the family cabin in the Adirondacks, we drove the final leg of our 11,000 mile trip back to Airmont, New York, and parted ways. Here's a far northern section of the Hudson River, whose waters I-87 roughly parallels along the route we took.

Ferry

In order to get to the family cabin in the Adirondacks, we had to take the ferry from Vermont. Beautiful and easy crossing, though I can't imagine having to do it regularly.

Steeple

Beautiful steeple of the Unitarian church in Burlington. That gag about the "Fatherhood of God and the Neighborhood of Boston" still gives me a chuckle.

Back...

...to the US, anyway. From the border we visited Burlington (no coat factory, plenty of interesting characters) and Montpelier (only slightly larger than the small town in which I grew up, and the capitol of the entire state).

Canadian Farm

Outside of Montreal, heading south to Die Vereinigten Staaten. Rural Quebec is interesting, kind of a mix between New England and Upstate New York.

Smoked Meat

Nothing like a hearty smoked meat sandwich for six bucks on a rainy Montreal night! This place, Schwartz's, has been a mainstay of the city for a long time, and, from our visit, justifiably so.

La Ville Aux Cent Clochers

It is a strange sensation to be in a city in North America that is predominantly Francophone. The difference between French French and Quebec French is totally lost on me, but "Je ne parle pas Français" seemed to serve well. Fortunately the metro (one station of which is depicted to the left) was mostly bilingual, and the officials helpful if not terribly interested. Incidentally, most of the metro stations seem to have been designed in a mix of the Hoch Soviet School and the Palisades Mall styles.

Parliament

Upon our arrival in Ottawa we spotted what we imagined to be the Canadian Parliament (this was confirmed by the crowds of tourists). The area is very pleasant, though you'll note our marvelous tropical weather followed from T'ronnow.

Toronto

After a thorough search of our vehicle at the border in which we very nearly ended up with a souvenir pair of official Canadian gloves from the forgetful officials, we made the long 100 km/h schlep to Toronto ("T'ronnow" in the native parlance). The primary characteristic of this city that stood out, as you can tell, was the marvelous tropical weather.

Canada Deux

Back in Canada tonight. It's rainy and likely to stay that way for our visit to Quebec tomorrow. As soon as we crossed the bridge from Detroit, the signs became bilingual (I have learned the French for "carpool," "exit," and "speed enforced by aircraft."), but seem to have switched back to exclusively English outside Toronto. Not for long, I'm sure.

Detroit

After a brief visit with cousins in Michigan, we continued to Detroit. Needless to say, things aren't looking so great around there these days.

Chicago

On the way to Michigan, we drove through the Windy City on an overcast, drab day.

Leinenkugel

Before leaving for Grand Rapids, we visited the Leinenkugel Brewery in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. I had only known their Berry Weiss, a good refreshing summer beer, and was happy to see the facility and sample some of their many other brews.

Mount Rushmore

New York is among fifty states commemorated in the grand entry to Mount Rushmore. The monument itself really is something to see, though the patriotic music blared through the whole complex is totally unnecessary.

South Dakota

After two nights with friends in Casper, Wyoming, we continued east through South Dakota. This was one of the larger towns along the way.

Colorado

We drove down to Denver, Cohlohraadow for lunch with a friend. In addition to this tower (at one point the tallest point west of the Mississippi according to the New Jerseyan manning the tourist information booth), we took some time to browse a pleasant independent bookstore in town. Strand it ain't, but an enjoyable stop nonetheless.

Firearms

A sign on one of the gift shops at Yellowstone. Has this really been a problem?

Old Faithful

Of course, we waited for nearly ninety minutes for what turned out to be a kind of flaccid performance. But heck, it was a kick to see a real geyser.

Yellowstone

Having made it back to the US again, we drove through Yellowstone on our way to Casper, Wyoming. What a place.

Shakespeare

It's a pleasant surprise to run into a few verses here and there.

Vancouver

We took a full day to saunter around downtown Vancouver. They have some wonderful parks, and an abundance of benches.

Think Metric

Just before entering Canada.

EMP

We went through the Experience Music Project in Seattle. To boost attendance (I think), they've added a sci-fi museum. It wasn't terribly edifying, but did have some neat artifacts. I was very glad to see C.S. Lewis' space trilogy mentioned toward the beginning, which are some of the finest science fiction books ever written.

Space Needle

Obligatory picture of the Space Needle. It's remarkably clean.

...and we're back.

Contrary to popular belief, this blog is still being written. Wi-fi, it turns out, is not universally stable (nor does a six year old laptop help). I've finally made it to Seattle, where the good graces of my family here have provided me with faster internet than I could've hoped. Thus, in mostly chronological order, my previous posts are now live. If things are quiet for a few more days here, I hope you'll understand and continue to check back. Thanks for reading!

Pacific Coast

Even with the crummy weather we had through California and Oregon, pretty stunning. My traveling companion must be sick to tears of my continued cries of "Look at that! Wow!"

Chandelier Tree

As soon as I saw the kitschy "World Famous Drive Through Tree" billboard, the five bucks was practically out the window. Even at a tourist trap, seeing living things this old and large makes me understand why people become crazed tree-sitters.

From the Redwood Forests

For my fellow East Coasters, just imagine the pines of the Adirondacks times three.

Colder than Expected

My first steps in the Pacific Ocean. Shortly after this, the wave decided to break with its previous pattern and soak my pants.

San Francisco

San Francisco was cloudy and gray, but certainly did not disappoint in the hill department. You can read all you want about them, but actually driving up and down one is an experience that, if nothing else, will make one forever grateful to the people that invented the automatic transmission.

Pacific Coast Highway

After fighting through the impressive Los Angeles traffic, we made it to Santa Monica and the start of the third leg of our tour, the Pacific Coast Highway (two lanes to Canada). As soon as we got on, I was glad I'd made this trip.

Curly's Grave

One of the graves we visited in L.A. was that of Jerome Howard, better known as Curly of the Three Stooges. The rabbi in the front office told me, "Just look for the one with crap piled all over it, poor guy."

Langer's

As predicted, the pastrami at Langer's Deli in L.A. was excellent. It had a smokier flavor than Katz's (though I wouldn't call it better, just different), but the rye bread far, far exceeded that of the New York institution. It was also great not to have to elbow through five hundred tourists to place an order.

Crystal Cathedral

One of our many stops in the Los Angeles area was the inaccurately named Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove. It is a stunning sight, though in the end, not quite to my taste in religious architecture.

Tijuana, Mexico

After a restful evening we walked south from our hotel and out of the United States. We stuck close to the tourist area and didn't stay too long, but it's an interesting place. I felt bad for the multitude of very young kids selling trinkets on the road.

Arizona Sunset

Looks like the cover of a cheap inspirational paperback.

Grand Canyon

Grand indeed.

Four Corners - Grandy Canyon - Tucson, AZ

After a night at a truck stop in the middle of nowhere, NM, we drove to the Four Corners (not much to see buy hey, we were in the neighborhood), to the Grand Canyon (completely surpasses verbal description), to my cousin's house in Tucson. We had a great time, stayed up way too late, had an oil change and some superb Mexican food in the morning, and were on our way across the desert to California in the afternoon.

Continental Divide

Crossed the Continental Divide at dusk, and pulled off to see the sign marking the spot, right next to a sad looking Native American store. The beautiful cliffs across the valley slipped into night before I could snap a picture.

Texas Continued

We have thus far had no trouble in Texas, which judging from the warnings I've received about the law enforcement community, is a very good thing indeed. The scenery west of San Antonio is beautiful; short, scraggly trees, rolling fields, small cactus everywhere, a sunset that seemed to last forever, and a starry night every bit as vibrant and alive as Van Gogh's. Today we'll be driving right by the southern border, and up to Albequerque.

New Orleans to Van Horn

It will come as no surprise to many readers that Texas is a really, really long state. I used to complain about Pennsylvania, but I-80 is a walk in the park compared to I-10. Departing New Orleans at 7:55 A.M., we arrived at a truck stop in Van Horn around 1:30 A.M. We broke up the monotony with a stop in San Antonio to visit the Alamo (which we nearly forgot), where I spotted the building at left. I'm not sure what its original or current use is, but it had some neat Star of David window decorations. The Alamo was closed.

Day Three Continued

In addition to the sights in the last post, our friend drove us around some of the areas that remain damaged from Hurricane Katrina. Some of the neighborhoods, such as that posted to the left, have been somewhat rebuilt so that a single block may have only a few abandoned properties. Others, such as near where the levees broke, are still completely destroyed. Imagine chest-high tall grass and overgrown bushes all around, but bordered in neat city blocks. It's almost a post-apocalyptic feeling, with walkways leading up to empty squares where houses stood and the occasional re-built dwelling. It was a jarring difference to the tourist areas we saw.

Day Three

You'll never miss them rice and beans...
After a long and delightfully air-conditioned sleep in Metairie, Louisiana, our friend from college showed us the sights of New Orleans. Our first stop was Russell's Short Stop for Po-Boys. The crawfish was delicious. After this we saw the French Quarter, the deceptively named Saint Louis Cathedral, the shores of Lake Pontchartrain, Basin Street, downtown New Orleans, and Cafe du Mond (perhaps one of the most delightful cafes I've seen on this side of the Atlantic -- and chicory makes all the difference in a cup of coffee). Later we're going to a party, then departing around 8:00 for the long haul across Texas. I'd love to come back to the Crescent City to see more.

Day Two

Counting the cars on the New Jersey Turnpike.













1,600 miles. With a brief stop in Maryland and an overnight stay at a parking lot outside of Knoxville, we managed to make it from New York to New Orleans in two brief days. Suffice it to say we're both quite knackered, but looking forward to a good night's sleep and a full day in the Crescent City with a resident as a guide.

It's interesting how alike the US interstates seem. If one doesn't look too close, I-55 through Mississippi could be I-87 through the Hudson Valley. Fortunately, one of us (not to be named) needs to make fairly frequent stops, so we haven't been short on local color -- including some accents that could make Anglo-Saxon sound positively familiar.

Stay tuned for more scenes from New Orleans and points West!

Day One

Before leaving on this trip, I had read great things about Langer's Deli in Los Angeles. Being a fan of pastrami sandwiches, and in order to draw at least a somewhat fair comparison, I had to begin the trip at the iconic Katz's Deli. It was better than last time I'd been, though the line was long and inexcusably unorganized. Nonetheless, it made the perfect send-off for our month-long tour.

A Blog For Which We Have The Utmost Respect

Many thanks to my Beloved Godfather, who kindly linked to this page on his blog. Be sure to take a look at his continuing commentary on sex, religion, and politics (and, more often than not, comic books): Magdalene's Egg.

The above picture was taken from FDR drive, looking in the general direction of his former parish perhaps a half-mile beyond the East River.