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Day Five - Journey West
A quick run from OKC across the Texas panhandle to Santa Rosa NM. The sky was deep blue, the roads pretty clear, and crusing at 78MPH was no problem. The view goes on for miles. No trees to be seen anywhere. The panhandle is peppered with windmills.
We had our first Buc-ee’s experience in Amarillo. A little much, I think, but I did have one of their brisket sandwiches, which was tasty enough. The Wal-Mart of convenience stores is how I would describe it. I don’t think we’ll be running into any more, but one was enough to scratch the itch.
As we drive alongside the old Rt. 66, I can’t help but imagine taking a trip on the CT 125 along the two-lane. I don’t think you can ride the entire Rt. 66 anymore without using some interstate (I-40 or 44), but it’s fun to imagine it. I’ve been this way a few times, the first with my family as we road-tripped across the USA in 1969. Many of the bypasses hadn’t been completed at that time, and the interstate technically went right through Tucumcari, Amarillo, and other cities along the way. Lots of changes since then, notably the condition of the roads. Amarillo, however, remains a city where I-40 cuts right through the town, and it’s still one of the ugliest cities I know of.
Santa Rosa is a small town of about 2800 people, maybe 5 Mexican restaurants, and travel centers like Pilot and Love’s. We ate at Chico’s, an underwhelming experience. Watched the two NFL wild card games, and hope to get to the next destination before the Bills game tomorrow.
Day Four - Journey West
Today was an off day - no driving. OKC was not as shut down as we expected, but AML and I spent the entire day languishing around the motel room. She actually slept quite a bit, taking a nap right after breakfast. We grabbed some extra food for a snack in the early evening, as we had planned to have our large meal at 3:30. We ate at a regional chain called Charleston’s, and it was very good - best meal we’ve had since being on the road. AML got a walnut chicken salad (she kept remarking about the high quality of the chicken), and I got a chicken-fried chicken cutlet - two, actually. Portions were very good, and I don’t mind paying the price for good quality - $39 for the two entrees. We looked for a grocery store or pharmacy to restock on distilled water, but we’re apparently in a pharmacy and grocery store desert. The rest and the meal will do us good for the next three days of driving.
It’s not a very good picture, I know, since it was taken out the hotel window. But it was a small reminder of how expansive sunsets can be out west. With the storm behind us we are looking forward to more sunshine and fall-like temperatures for the remainder of the trip.
Day Three - Journey West
We were up early this morning because we knew we were facing driving towards another winter storm. The area we traveled through in south central Missouri was really spectacular with the morning sun shining through all the ice clinging to the trees along the route. It made for quite a sight. I am not particularly good at documenting my travels or taking photos in general. When I drive, I am a little extra focused on making time and arriving at the destination. I take in sights as I go, but rarely stop to take photos. In this case, I was also trying to beat the storm predicted to hit Oklahoma City today. We didn’t quite get that accomplished, as we caught the storm on the section of I-44 between Tulsa and OKC. Honestly, I’ve driven in worse snowstorms in my life. The snow was not really accumulating on the road, and we were able to make decent time. There was probably about 2" of icy snow on the ground in OKC once we arrived - an annoyance but not crippling.
I had one minor mishap. While driving down a driveway into the street after going through a fast food drive-thru, the rack carrying my CT 125 hit the ground. The angle of the street runoff channel was a little too steep. The bike and rack are still there, but there may be a slight bend somewhere. I will have to look into that before we leave Sat. morning. We are staying in OKC for two nights so I could have a day off from driving (I do all of it). We had thought to travel around the city and see a sight or two, but the weather may preclude that. The city itself may be shut down somewhat due to weather.
Winter traveling has its drawbacks. Apart from the weather, the days are shorter, and since I don’t much care for driving in the dark anymore, we have to arrive at our destination before dark. Then, once it’s dark, the motivation to go out to eat is lost because we don’t truly know where we’re going. Our Grubhub experience was so bad in terms of price that we’re not doing that again. So today it looks like microwaved dinners bought from the hotel minimart in the lobby. The upside is no traffic and quiet hotels. We are trying not to be in a rush and stay relaxed, but the shorter days do add a little to the stress. Maybe there’s a good movie on TV.
Day Two - Journey West
We passed through the area where the ice storm took place this past Sunday. Ice still hangs from the trees.
We traveled about a one mile stretch over old Rt. 66 in MO, and the weight of the ice was seriously bending over many of the thick pines along the side of the road. We passed at least half a dozen overturned tractor-trailers still on the shoulders and medians of I-70 and I-44. In one location along I-70 in IL, there was a serious tractor-trailer accident involving at least three semis that was causing a 14-minute delay on the interstate. Google Maps routed us onto US 40 (the old National Road) and bypassed us past the crash scene, but we could still see it, as US 40 parallels I-70. Air temperature outside was around 25° for all of the trip. But the drive itself was smooth and even, despite the fact that I got too caught up ogling the Mississippi River and the St. Louis Arch and missed the turnoff for I-44. Bright sunshine was with us most of the day, and a few of the vistas gleaming with snow and ice were pretty awesome.
Thought for the day: what makes these aggressive lane-switching drivers think they have a right to drive as they do and put other people’s lives in danger? One guy today practically drove right off the right shoulder while trying to pass a truck, and another one tried to pass by using the extreme left shoulder!
AML Quote of the Day:
“If she’s going to talk basketball on ESPN then she shouldn’t have 3-inch fingernails painted yellow.”
UPDATE - We just had a free lasagna dinner at the Hampton Inn we’re staying at. We also had a free breakfast this morning at the Hampton Inn we stayed at last night. We skipped lunch. So $0.00 spent on food today!
And...We're Off!
Day 1 of the Journey West completed. There was a little lake effect snow to drive through but nothing too concerning. We only stopped once for lunch and gas, which is pretty astounding. The price of having food delivered is incredibly high - I don’t truly know how people do this. Next time we will order a dinner for one and split it. Taxes, tip and fees nearly double the price. And WTF Indiana - get your roads fixed already! I-70 is pretty terrible in places.
My Achin' Back
AML and I went to the chiropractor today for adjustments. I’ve never had much faith in chiropractors, as I think that once you start, you get hooked on them. This practice takes no insurances, and is a drop-in practice (no appointments). It’s actually pretty reasonable. They did an X-ray on me showing the congenital fusion in my coccyx, as well as the slight misalignment of my hips. I think the stage accident I had at Shakespeare in Delaware Park during Midsummer in 2022 may still be playing a role in my current discomfort. I did feel a little better once I left, but I had to put the motorcycle trailer onto the Venza earlier this afternoon, and may have re-tweaked it ever so slightly. I picked up a back brace at CVS and used it, and I think it helped keep the damage down to a minimum. I took a few Advil and am using the heating pad to keep things as loose as I can. My current karma is not exactly positive at the moment. I’ve still a lot of lifting and moving left to do. I bought a cervical butt pillow for the drive out, and I hope it gets here on time.
Lake Effect Fickleness
We are continuing to pack for our Journey West, but we have delayed it once again until early next week until after the winter storm brewing in the Midwest has passed by. We expected to see some snow here from the lake effect, but so far we have dodged a bullet and have seen nothing. Just to show you how fickle lake effect snow can be, here is a picture of our neighborhood earlier this afternoon:
And 14 miles to the south with an elevation gain of approximately 800', here is the Cassadaga cabin:
That’s about 7" of snow as of 8:00 AM EST. More has probably fallen since then. I’m quite grateful that nothing has fallen at home, as my lower back has been acting up and is very tender at the moment, not in any shape to handle a snowblower. At least, though, the snowblower now has chains, so hopefully it will be easier to move forward. I’ll be glad to get out of this!
Weather...or not
Over the years, our family has made a joke about the coincidental fact that, every time we plan a vacation or try to do something fun and interesting, weather always seems to get in the way and make the planned vacation far less enjoyable. Seldom have we gone traveling and had really good weather while doing so. So here we are, getting ready for another attempt at traveling out west for some sun and warmth, and wouldn’t you know it - the forecast for snow and arctic temperatures is arriving just as we are getting ready to set out.
I don’t enjoy driving in the snow any more than the next person, so I am trying to set our travel schedule so that we can miss the upcoming snow events. There are apparently two back-to-back snow makers on the horizon for this week, and so the choice seems to be threading the needle between the two, or waiting until the second one goes through and leave then. This makes reserving rooms for the trip very difficult. I’ve already rescheduled one round of rooms, but I have to decided if I’m going to reschedule again so we leave after the 5th. There seems to be a break in the action after that, although the temperatures are predicted to be in the teens by then across a lot of the eastern half of the country. I don’t like relying on weather reports this far out, but the accuracy of weather forecasting is getting better and better, and it’s hard not to look at what’s coming and say “not gonna happen.” The waiting game really sucks.
The sad part is that all the snow here is gone, as warm weather and rain have washed it away. If I could leave now, that would be ideal, but we’d have to pack up pretty quickly at this point, cancel a few appointments, and find another AirBnB someplace where we could hole up until we can check into our destination. Winter traveling is the worst, and it looks like the Loughlin vacation curse is hitting us once again.
Feast of the Seven Fishes
Enough is Enough
It’s a tradition in my family to watch A Christmas Carol every Christmas Eve. We rotate through the various versions, but as the kids have left home long ago my wife and I usually watch either Alistair Sims or George C. Scott. This NYT opinion piece (gifted link) gives a nod to why the story itself remains relevant. My favorite section in the whole novella is the rendition of the Crachit family Christmas dinner, where for once, everyone has “enough.” Given the excessive excess of the 21st century, this story of a family whose modest Christmas meal brings them such joy and satisfaction is worth hearing over and over again.
In December of 2022 I dedicated an episode of my podcast to stories of the winter solstice and the celebration of light. I narrated a number of stories from different cultural solstice celebrations into an hour’s episode. I included the Crachit family Christmas dinner in that episode, and it’s posted below for your consideration. If you would like to hear the entire podcast episode featuring all the stories, click this link. Enjoy the season!
Morning Walk Tues. Dec. 24th
Weather: Unbelievably cloudy and gray, 36°/WC36°. Went out to Point Gratiot Park a little later than usual, about 9AM. I thought it was going to rain or snow, and the pavement looked dicey, but I decided to take the risk and got in about 1.6 miles, a little shorter than the 2 miles I usually like to do. Yankee Bob was in the park, but he was just finishing up and was done by the time I got walking. The morning was truly gray and dreary, perhaps the apex of what days are like in the winter in WNY. However, the walking wasn’t too bad. There was, however, a strange absence of birds - not a single goose, seagull, hawk, turkey vulture, or eagle did I spy. Their absence made the trees feel even more barren. In fact, I didn’t even see a squirrel! Quite unusual.
I decided to take a number of pictures, which is also unusual, as I don’t like to break stride. Said good morning to a man walking a tiny dog. I can see the appeal of a tiny dog for older seniors, as they provide companionship without having the strength to pull you along. My daughter acquired another cat yesterday (her third), and it made me long for a pet of some kind. But I am not sure at this point that I want that responsibility. Pets can tie you down, and right now I prefer the freedom I have of being able to leave the house and not having to get a pet-sitter or travel with one. Looking forward to the Feast of the Seven Fishes tonight!
Trying to get a head start on some packing by sorting out my camping equipment. Moving boxes and crates is so much harder than it used to be.
Ricky Henderson
In the 1980s there were only two reasons to watch NYY baseball. One was Dave Winfield. The other was Ricky Henderson. Single-handedly, Rickey made every game he played in interesting and fun to watch. I don’t think the Yankees ever truly understood what they had on their hands other than a ballplayer they thought was a handful. You can be sure that if Rickey isn’t exactly destined for heaven, he will find a way to steal himself through the Pearly Gates with a headfirst slide. RIP.
Yule 2024: More Light
The winter solstice occurred earlier this morning at 4:21 AM, and we have passed through the longest night of the year. The winter solstice is not only a natural turning point, but a psychological turning point as well, as we realize it can get no darker than today. I’ve come to see the cultural custom of decorating one’s house with lights beginning around the first of October as a response to the longer nights, an attempt to ward off the deepening darkness. Come the new year, the artificial lights will fade, as nature begins to provide us with more light. Today, there is a 2" coating of snow on the ground, which is the picture-perfect amount - just enough to blanket the landscape, while being just too little to bother with. A cup of coffee, a bran muffin, and a rugelach, with just a few bits of sun and blue sky, and the world seems just a little better.
Every year at the winter solstice I post this video. This Northern Exposure clip comes from episode 4.8 “Northern Lights,” which explores the theme of light during the winter solstice.
>Goethe’s final words: “More light.” Ever since we crawled out of that primordial slime, that’s been our unifying cry: “More light.” Sunlight. Torchlight. Candelight. Neon. Incandescent. Lights that banish the darkness from our caves, to illuminate our roads, the insides of our refrigerators. Big floods for the night games at Soldier’s Field. Little tiny flashlights for those books we read under the covers when we’re supposed to be asleep. Light is more than watts and footcandles. Light is metaphor. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet.” “Rage, rage against the dying of the light.” “Lead, Kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom; lead thou me on! The night is dark, and I am far from home- Lead Thou me on!” “Arise, shine, for thy light has come.” Light is knowledge. Light is life. Light is light.
-Chris in the Morning
Combined an afternoon walk with the mailing of this year’s Holiday Newsletter. Always glad to get that puppy sent out. Light snow, lower 30s, little wind.