Wednesday, August 27, 2014
The Wedding Road Trip: Classics
Finger Lakes Region, New York
When we heard the New York State Fair was close by, we knew we had to go. Tim and are are suckers for the Topsfield Fair in MA: the 4-H competitions (particularly the food contests-picture week old pieces of pie encased in plastic takeout containers and draped with 1st, 2nd or 3rd places ribbons), the bunny and bee houses, and the racing pigs. The NY fair has many of these classics, though not all. We got to enjoy the junior competitions for dog agility and draft horses. We didn't sample the array of things fried that are offered. We enjoyed watching farm families cheer their kids on during competition and the awkwardness and pride of the competitors themselves.
The Wedding Road Trip: Contrasts
Seneca Falls, New York
And, then we were in Ontario at Niagra Falls! Tourists from every part of the world aiming smart phones and cameras at themselves, at each other, at strangers—all with the rushing falls as background. Niagra Falls is another natural phenomenon that's easy to dismiss. It IS touristy, but it's also spectacular. A place where you can see a rainbow almost always. We were awed by the power of the water. Getting into Canada was more work than we thought. Tim teased that with a name like Sirois, he was a shoe-in whereas I'd probably be taken to a back room for questioning. Turns out, a couple from Boston in a California rental raises enough suspicion that were were quickly directed to step out of the car while three agents searched it thoroughly. After spending time taking it all in, we decided to avoid the carnival atmosphere of the Canadian downtown and headed to the U. S. and onward to the Finger Lakes region. We feel the pull of home as we get closer and closer!
From Nebraska to Iowa, you rise to similar settings and drive through landscape that changes subtly. That's not to say it's boring. We saw plenty of interesting things along the way and would love to go back and explore these states. On other drives, you start out the morning in one environment, and end the day with something wholly new. Detroit to Niagra Falls is one such experience. Though in Detroit for just a short time, it's not hard to miss how in trouble the city is. It's a big city with enormously broad avenues, and yet so few people. We saw the abandoned buildings but we also saw people starting anew. A short walk from Corktown to downtown showed us many sides of the city—entrepreneurs trying to revive a neighborhood, sports love, places where people love to meet and have a good gnosh and a beer, gleaming casinos next to derelict hotels.
And, then we were in Ontario at Niagra Falls! Tourists from every part of the world aiming smart phones and cameras at themselves, at each other, at strangers—all with the rushing falls as background. Niagra Falls is another natural phenomenon that's easy to dismiss. It IS touristy, but it's also spectacular. A place where you can see a rainbow almost always. We were awed by the power of the water. Getting into Canada was more work than we thought. Tim teased that with a name like Sirois, he was a shoe-in whereas I'd probably be taken to a back room for questioning. Turns out, a couple from Boston in a California rental raises enough suspicion that were were quickly directed to step out of the car while three agents searched it thoroughly. After spending time taking it all in, we decided to avoid the carnival atmosphere of the Canadian downtown and headed to the U. S. and onward to the Finger Lakes region. We feel the pull of home as we get closer and closer!
Monday, August 25, 2014
The Wedding Road Trip: Mi casa es su casa
Loft Life for a Day in Detroit, Michigan
After a truly wonderful gathering with friends in Chicago, we headed out with the Motor City in mind as Monday night's destination. During a quick stop in St. Joseph (dubbed the Rivera of the Midwest), we scored two vintage finds at Elephant's Breath, a sweet 60's top and a custom Erlenmeyer Flask. Being from the East, it's hard sometimes to realize that in the West and Midwest, things are not just transactional. A purchase is an opportunity to chat with someone. To exchange a few stories and to pass some time. During our conversation with the owner of the shop, we learned that he's proud of his daughter, that he kind of hopes her boyfriend becomes something more and the secret to driving in Detroit—go fast and use your turn signal. People here will yield to a turn signal!
Without the van, we've been going by the seat of our pants each day. We choose our destination and then en route look for someplace
local to stay—a place where we can experience something of the
neighborhood if only for a very brief time; a place that give us a
chance to meet people and share a conversation. In Lincoln, Nebraska, we
met Nora. One of eight kids, she's a great people person who creates quite an impression on her guests. Chuck Jones, animator of Bugs Bunny and other Looney Tunes characters, called her enchanting.
In Iowa City, we met Daissy. Native Columbian. Once married to a University of Iowa professor, she know runs a B&B and travels the world. Her home is full of photographs from the places she's been and she's quick with a great story to go with each. Kindred spirits, we felt much at home at Daissy's and hope to return to visit with her someday.
Taking a random exit off 80E in LeClaire, IA, we met Greg Pelo—a collector whose his family soda fountain shop has been his home for 69 years.
Within moments, he was sharing vintage photographs and the some fascinating
stories surrounding them. (Ask Tim or I about the story of the human flag photo!) He brought out Tibetan Singing Bowls and
taught us to play them. He let us put on rings of Jack Earle and Ted Evans, men who made their living as giants among men.
Tonight we're staying at Eric's loft in Corktown, the oldest neighborhood in Detroit. And we haven't even mentioned those friends and family who hosted us and treated us along the way. (A very, very big thank you to Joe + Sara, Tony + Gabrielle, Tim and Ed!) As far as Detroit goes, too much to take in to write now. More on our experience there later. Good news on Sasquatch, the new engine is coming along and it should be ready very soon!
After a truly wonderful gathering with friends in Chicago, we headed out with the Motor City in mind as Monday night's destination. During a quick stop in St. Joseph (dubbed the Rivera of the Midwest), we scored two vintage finds at Elephant's Breath, a sweet 60's top and a custom Erlenmeyer Flask. Being from the East, it's hard sometimes to realize that in the West and Midwest, things are not just transactional. A purchase is an opportunity to chat with someone. To exchange a few stories and to pass some time. During our conversation with the owner of the shop, we learned that he's proud of his daughter, that he kind of hopes her boyfriend becomes something more and the secret to driving in Detroit—go fast and use your turn signal. People here will yield to a turn signal!
Without the van, we've been going by the seat of our pants each day. We choose our destination and then en route look for someplace
local to stay—a place where we can experience something of the
neighborhood if only for a very brief time; a place that give us a
chance to meet people and share a conversation. In Lincoln, Nebraska, we
met Nora. One of eight kids, she's a great people person who creates quite an impression on her guests. Chuck Jones, animator of Bugs Bunny and other Looney Tunes characters, called her enchanting.In Iowa City, we met Daissy. Native Columbian. Once married to a University of Iowa professor, she know runs a B&B and travels the world. Her home is full of photographs from the places she's been and she's quick with a great story to go with each. Kindred spirits, we felt much at home at Daissy's and hope to return to visit with her someday.Tonight we're staying at Eric's loft in Corktown, the oldest neighborhood in Detroit. And we haven't even mentioned those friends and family who hosted us and treated us along the way. (A very, very big thank you to Joe + Sara, Tony + Gabrielle, Tim and Ed!) As far as Detroit goes, too much to take in to write now. More on our experience there later. Good news on Sasquatch, the new engine is coming along and it should be ready very soon!
Sunday, August 24, 2014
The Wedding Road Trip: What Cheer
Iowa City, Iowa
Road trips are funny things. You are blissfully in the moment and then, you remember you're on a schedule! You're exploring, but there's only so much time in the day. Eventually, you need to make time on the highway. The past two days, we've flown along at 75-80 mph (the speed limit more or less) on endless flat stretches of road with what seems like a single scenic view for miles and miles, passing by town after town. You can't stop at them all. You can barely stop at one or two. So, we've added a task for the navigator of the day. Learn something about what we're missing out on. There are lots of interesting town names. Rifle. Parachute. Silt. Crook. And, they all have a story. There's a dispute about how "What Cheer" (yes, an actual town name in Iowa) got it's name. IIiff (which is really I'Iiff) has 213 inhabitants as of the 2000 census and was named for a cattlemen who had a ranch nearby.
On this side of the Mississippi, each exit is a history lesson. There's a ghost town in Proctor, CO. In fact, there are ghost towns or ruins of town gone bust all across the heartland and elsewhere in the States. Nebraska is the keeper of many Western Expansion artifacts. A Pony Express Station. Forts. The Homestead National Monument in Beatrice which commemorates passage of the Homestead Act of 1862. Abraham Lincoln said: "It is the purpose of our government to elevate the condition of men, to
lift artificial burdens from all shoulders and to give everyone an
unfettered start and a fair chance in the race of life." People were granted 160 acres of free land in return for residence and making the land productive. Women, African-Americans and immigrants were all allowed to claim land. Native Americans were not so lucky. Much of our agriculture history and evolution stems from this one act. Fascinating.
Saturday, August 23, 2014
The Wedding Road Trip: Road Trip Delirium
Omaha, Nebraska
 |
| "Want to see the face I make when I see a snake made of candy?" |
The Wedding Road Trip: Anniversaries and a Hydrologic Point of Interest
Eisenhower Tunnel, 50 miles west of Denver
On August 22, we were in the perfect place to commemorate an anniversary for Tim and I. We entered the Eisenhower Tunnel on Route 70E in Colorado. One of the world's highest vehicular tunnels, we loved that it transported us past the Continental Divide* in the Rockies. (As Tim and our friend Christopher say, "It's all downhill from here!")
But, it also felt fitting to be at elevation (the tunnel's maximum height is 11,158 ft) since it was exactly one year to the day of Tim's proposal on the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania (19,341 ft). I still have the handmade sign he made on the cover of Ernest Hemingway's "Snows of Kilimanjaro."
*The Continental Divide separates the watersheds that drain into the Pacific and the Atlantic.
On August 22, we were in the perfect place to commemorate an anniversary for Tim and I. We entered the Eisenhower Tunnel on Route 70E in Colorado. One of the world's highest vehicular tunnels, we loved that it transported us past the Continental Divide* in the Rockies. (As Tim and our friend Christopher say, "It's all downhill from here!")But, it also felt fitting to be at elevation (the tunnel's maximum height is 11,158 ft) since it was exactly one year to the day of Tim's proposal on the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania (19,341 ft). I still have the handmade sign he made on the cover of Ernest Hemingway's "Snows of Kilimanjaro."
*The Continental Divide separates the watersheds that drain into the Pacific and the Atlantic.
The Wedding Road Trip: Gardens
Denver, Colorado
Our trip re-route brought us right through Denver giving us an opportunity to visit my brother Tim. We had a fantastic dinner at Sessions Kitchen and had a chance to catch up and to share some stories from the road. Tim suggested we head to the Denver Botanic Gardens before leaving town to see Dale Chihuly's installation. If you haven't seen this artist's work, I highly recommend it. We've seen his exhibit at the MFA, but seeing it outside woven into a series of incredible botanic gardens was magical.
Thanks for the suggestion Tim!
Our trip re-route brought us right through Denver giving us an opportunity to visit my brother Tim. We had a fantastic dinner at Sessions Kitchen and had a chance to catch up and to share some stories from the road. Tim suggested we head to the Denver Botanic Gardens before leaving town to see Dale Chihuly's installation. If you haven't seen this artist's work, I highly recommend it. We've seen his exhibit at the MFA, but seeing it outside woven into a series of incredible botanic gardens was magical.
Thanks for the suggestion Tim!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)