Strolling Amok

Pops goes on tour.

27 Jun 2014

I Recommend…

This post is just a reminder for you, while I finish up my next award-winning post. You know, living your life outside the chains of societal norms in a way that nurtures you personally does not have to include forsaking it all and hitting the road. Not at all. There is no pre-established path to follow, because you are uniquely you. If you want to consider your own values and needs, and explore an alternative approach for yourself – but without the crazy – consider visiting The Art of Non-Conformity and begin sawing your way through some of the mind-prodding posts. It used to be more centered, with just one writer, but the new change-up to having contributing authors isn’t all that bad either. It’s also a refreshing change of pace from hearing me whine about how how my A/C broke in the heat and humidity of the Midwest, or how awesome the Mighty Furd is.

Just recall that no one has a step-by-step formula, a “live this way” recipe for you to mindlessly follow, mimicking their own paths and mirroring their own outlooks and values, whether bright or dark. Giving you unfamiliar things to ponder can be good. Urging you to become their clone can be bad, because it’s your life. We all want easy answers, a guide and a map, but a life worth living doesn’t come that easily. Simply exchanging sets of chains doesn’t cut it. Stay true to yourself along the way, and you will be better able to separate the crap from the diamonds as you face each day. Life is a gift. Take advantage of it.

Posted in Navel Gazing

16 Jun 2014

11 Comments

The Air Classics Museum

How they managed to get their filthy mitts on the airplanes they have, I’ll never know.

As luck would have it, last Saturday offered up free admittance to Air Classics Museum in nearby North Aurora, Illinois. Their annual open house just happened to fall on June 14th, the day I was going anyway. I’d previously passed it on the way to somewhere else, and seeing a cluster of WWII through ‘Nam-era fighter aircraft parked outside behind a fence piqued my interest, you betcha.

One of the two rows of aircraft on display.

I think it’s important to approach this museum with an awareness of what it’s about. We, or at least I, associate museums with Read more…

Posted in Tourista! and tagged Air Classics Museum, aircraft

07 Jun 2014

10 Comments

Saturday in Sandwich

My front yard, freshly mowed – but not by me! This is the daily view out my dining area window.

I gots a host of errands done yesterday, and didn’t make it as far down today’s list, but the vitals got done, anyway. A little of that consisted of hopping on the Raleigh to take some snaps for this post, and a combination of exploring and food shopping at the local downtown store, Art’s Foodmarket. It’s in the “old downtown” which dates back to the Civil War as far as significant buildings go. Sandwich’s downtown hasn’t suffered from the ongoing coma as much as many others, maybe because it’s just a block from Route 34 that passes through it. 34 is just a two-lane, so the plaza and mini-mall buildup along it is limited. It’s obvious from looking at the businesses that, since 34 ran so close to the railroad tracks in Sandwich, that the original Church Street/34 roadway was simply absorbed into the town early on.

And my back yard. For some reason, I find this restful. 😉

To be sure, there are more than enough closed signs and empty buildings scattered throughout downtown Sandwich. A few shops are still in the process of closing. It’s a shame of course, especially since many of the empties are assorted sizes of vintage brick buildings dating way back, and yet they are still in exemplary condition. They’re charming. Many small, rural towns have had their downtowns become virtual ghost districts, like Darien, Wisconsin. Many have a decimated air about them. There are newer buildings here along 34 of course, but even there, Sandwich seems to have resisted Read more…

Posted in Campsites, Daily Life and tagged Sandwich

02 Jun 2014

6 Comments

Day Nine, Sandwich Illinois

Now THIS is Illinois, Land of the Shock Absorber. Flat, with disintegrating pavement. Home.

It was a mere three-hour drive today to complete the last bit of the journey, including about forty miles on rural farm roads. Lo, I’m at the Sandwich Fairgrounds, just outside the fenced area. For $90/week, you get unmetered 30-amp power, city water hookup, and access to an onsite dump station and dumpster. Too bad the Defiant’s greywater tank meter has gone rogue. It reads as empty no matter what. So, when refilling the trailer’s fresh water tank manually, the greywater tank needs to be dumped every second refill. With a direct hookup to a fresh water hose, the only way to know when it’s time to transfer greywater to the Tankmin is when the bathtub backs up from its drain. It may not be blackwater, but it still smells.

There are a hell of a lot of wind generators west of Sandwich.

Still, I’m anticipating a great stay here for a couple of months, mainly because the Read more…

Posted in Travelin' Man and tagged Sandwich, Travel

01 Jun 2014

4 Comments

Day Eight, Davenport Iowa

Spoiling myself, on the cheap.

For someone who likes to boondock solo, this is my second commercial camp stay of the trip (and the year). Actually, it’s the Bald Eagle Campground in Scott County Park, and there are several campgrounds in this very sizable park. The attractions: level, concrete pads, full hookups, and balky free WiFi. The overnight heat and humidity the last couple of days have been getting to me, and for $21/day for enough power to run the air conditioner, electric elements of the water heater, and the computer and TV, I’m sold. This evening, I shall be Mr. Stinky no more.

A perfectly paved road wanders through the entire park. Iowa is so GREEN!

I’m not sure what tomorrow will bring, as a storm wave has been slowly Read more…

Posted in Travelin' Man and tagged Davenport, Travel

31 May 2014

Day Seven, Osceola Iowa

A rest stop along I-35 in Osceola, Iowa is yielding a WiFi signal that actually is both open and operative. I’m parked at the outskirts of the lot and need to use the Hawking Range Extender to get a good hold on it, but it works and I’m attempting to update software on the iMac now, a process that this time is going to consume some 233MB of data. Don’t try that on your cellular data account.

This is an especially functional stop for overnights, since it separates RVs from the overnight noise of semi-tractors. The big drawback of staying at rest areas and truck stops is that many old-school truckers still let engines idle for prolonged periods or overnight. Most don’t. A few who don’t instead use an Auxiliary Power Unit that’s little more than a diesel generator in an enclosure. Those are quieter than a cheapie consumer generator, and louder than a Yamaha or Honda generator. The one that parked next to the Defiant last night had one with enough oomph that

Day Six, Paxico Kansas

You might think of Kansas as being nothing but flat turf, but it’s not so. The central portion at least is green, rolling hills perfect for grazing. I could have sworn I saw a promotional sign for Russell County offering free residential and business land, but I’m not able to find anything related on the Internet. It was west of Lincoln County, anyhow. Not a lot of people or towns in the western section of the state – many of the exits off I-70 are to access ranches and such in the area.

It was an uneventful day, with orderly driving and lunch at an Ihop after an attempt to get to The Cozy Inn failed. Although they promised to have the very best burger in the state, it took a two-mile drive into Salina (sah-LIE-na, according to the radio announcer) through an interesting

Day Five, WaKeeney Kansas

Change of plan for today and probably tomorrow. Once I passed from Colorado to Kansas and stopped at their Welcome Center, I saw the light, brothers and sisters! Yes, I was headed for Hays, a Walmart in Hays, with yet another empty promise of WiFi from a nearby motel. Looking at it in Google maps, it looked too congested for a rig like the Defiant. And I hadn’t overnighted at one of the many fine Colorado rest areas because that’s agin’ their law. But the Kansas Welcome Center hands out maps with rest areas pre-marked on them and invites you to stay. Most of the areas even include free dump stations, should you feel so moved, no pun intended.

So I’m about 25 miles short of Hays, moistly soaking in balmy 93-degree temperatures, and will likely wind up at another rest area short of Topeka, Kansas tomorrow. When possible, I prefer to drive for 3-1/2 to 4 hours each day (200+ miles), plus an hour or so for any refueling, pit stops, and lunch. See, I make a late start after a fortifying breakfast of eggs, bacon & ‘taters, then hit a restaurant for lunch, drive some more, and I’m usually back off the road by four o’clock local time. It’s a nice way to travel. My alternate route was a touch shorter but demanded longer daily drives to take just seven days instead of nine, but I decided against it. Why rush? – (if one can call that rushing).

Posted in Travelin' Man and tagged Travel, WaKeeney

29 May 2014

2 Comments

Day Four, Seibert CO

Bunny! Bunny! This was this morning in Walsenburg, Colorado at the truck stop, before I left.

Well, I was supposed to be staying at a wildlife preserve in Flagler Colorado, but it seems that one detail was left out of the site’s description. That would be that the entire parking area has a wicked tilt to it, so I had to give up on it and press on. No amount of boards I had as levelers could compensate.

Well, Bunny didn’t mind me getting up to get the camera, and just decided to take it easy for awhile!

Just a few miles down the road in Seibert, there was a Conoco travel stop with a huge dirt parking lot for semis to stay overnight. However, there was also a place called Shady Grove RV Park, an improvised overnight place in someone’s large yard that still manages to have hookups for sewer, water and 20/30/50 amp electrical service, TV with a million channels, plus free WiFi that I haven’t been able to log onto successfully, and the nice lady in the office is away for 4-1/2 hours to pick up her husband at an airport, probably Denver. I could use some WiFi to be able to let the iMac update its software, but this day is not going according to plan.

The same snow-capped pair as in earlier shots, but I didn’t mention that they were what I always saw right out my dining window, despite the semi-trailer parked next to me!

All of today’s drive was on open grazing land that rolled a bit here and there, but the distances you can see in all directions are incredible. 95% of it was on good two-lane county roads, and just the last bit on I-70. Good thing I had topped up on fuel, and also had a pretty reliable rig, because Read more…

Posted in Travelin' Man, Campsites and tagged Seibert, Travel

27 May 2014

6 Comments

Day Three, Walsenburg CO

Today’s theme is Changing Landscapes, I guess. The Gawk Factor remained high as New Mexico offered its own variations long before getting into Colorado. High desert, high forest, mountains, and sweeping, grass-covered valleys that resembled forty-mile dinnerplates. I would say prime land for cattle, which were there behind fences. But then I started to imagine the same ranchers reintroducing buffalo grass and raising buffalo. No need to load them with antibiotics, or assist births, or watch them freeze in the winter. Just turn them loose, and keep count. As they say, anything is possible if you don’t know what you’re talking about.

I’ll simply parade the photos, which will show in order some of the things I was gawking at. One of the shots has a pair of

Strolling Amok

Pops goes on tour.

I Recommend…

The Air Classics Museum

Saturday in Sandwich

Day Nine, Sandwich Illinois

Day Eight, Davenport Iowa

Day Seven, Osceola Iowa

Day Six, Paxico Kansas

Day Five, WaKeeney Kansas

Day Four, Seibert CO

Day Three, Walsenburg CO

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