Where, oh where has the Wi-Fi access gone?

Well, six weeks later I finally get around to posting again. I think I heard somewhere that it was bad luck to post in May. I know there are scads of fans eagerly awaiting each post.... helllooooo? My initial thought to occasionally stop by somewhere with Wi-Fi was sadly optimistic. In all reality the access is limited, and when it is available somebody usually wants an obscene amount of money to hook up. I have still not decided on the need to spend $70 a month on a wireless card (again with limited access outside of cities) just for the little time I would actually use it. There is also little time for me to play on the computer on the (ideal) days I run in excess of 650 miles. So, the posts will be infrequent and the teeming masses will just have to savor the anticipation.

I had almost two weeks at home before I was assigned a truck, longer than I had anticipated but the time was welcome. My trip back to the terminal was a bit of a fiasco, the high point being a night sleeping with the homeless (complete with puddles of vomit!) in an alley beside the Harrisburg Pa Greyhound terminal. Eventually in late April I was on the road in my gently used 04' Volvo.

After a few more weeks I was able to stop en-route to NJ to pick up the rest of the things I couldn't take on the bus. A side note on the fine Greyhound system. I would rather eat a plate of braised snot than ever be subjected to another bus trip. It was a long anticipated reunion with Miss Kitty (my cyclocross bike) but I reluctantly had to leave my full suspension Kona (oddly enough also named Miss Kitty, but then again naming bikes is slightly strange in the first place). I have recently been thinking about a singlespeed bike (also destined to be named Miss Kitty) perhaps if I'm up to it, a fixie, cause as Bob Barker says, always spay your Kitty.

I spent most of my early runs on the east, with most of them being up and down I-81 between Ny and Ga. I hooked up into Vermont and Maine, and I must say Vt looks a lot like Wv but without the Mountaintop removal coal mining (and more teeth). I don't really mean to knock Wv but being from Pa .... well, let's just say we're too far north to knock Arkansas. In reality many of my favorite outdoor trips have been in West By God Virginia, as well as some darn fine Photography. But there is one thing even them thar mountain hillbilly folk can agree on, New Jersey (except for Red Bank) can suck it. After a less than savory delivery to NJ (aren't they all?) it was time to head west.

By this time I was finally able to get some bike rides in, and in one 10 day stretch got to ride in Ny, Ga, Co (twice), Id, Ut, Tx, Nv, and Ca. I did have the unfortunate experience of a flat in Johnstown Co, on the day I decided I wouldn't need to bring the repair kit. Clipless shoes are certainly not hiking boots.

Colorado is conveniently my go to state for river folk. I have connections in Boulder, Grand Junction. Denver, and Breckenridge. I was able to get some visiting in on both occasions that I was in Denver and had some damn fine Thai food to boot. I was also quite impressed with the bike trail network in town. You can ride straight from our terminal to downtown (and the REI) barely touching a road, and getting some great views of the rivers.

I was also able to visit with my brother while I was in San Francisco and we got a short hike in. Once again some fantastic Thai food and sushi. I need to remember that in Ca when you ask for extra spicy Thai food, unlike the east you may just get it, but the pain was worth it. Under mild protest I dragged my brother to Wholefoods (the pinnacle of pretentiousness) so I could get some groceries. Then again I think a grocery store may just be a strange and frightening place to someone who probably hasn't cooked (ya know with ingredients and stuff) in the past decade... perhaps ever.

Wholefoods has been quite the convenient place for me to resupply. I was able to get a printout of all the US stores and have managed to stop at several locations now. A quick call to receiving (who have been nothing short of wonderful) to see if my loading dock parking spot is available and I'm in business. This has helped alleviate the need to spend any more time at truck stops or Wal-Marts than I have to . The chicken fried tofu in Minneapolis is fantastic, the tempeh in Atlanta terrific, but the best bakery variety is still my (close to) home store in Pittsburgh. Kudos to the hot bar for a quick and different dinner, and I look forward to eventually visiting all the stores. I can't help but feel like a spokesman for the place (no, I'm not)
and I am aware of what they did to Wild Oats in the takeover. I know the negative effects of bringing organics to this level of economic scale.I have read Michael Pollan's Omnivores dilemma, which has enlightening comments on the place. All that said I still think other businesses could learn a thing or two from how they operate. Just talk to one of their employees and see what they think. And if they wanted to pay me off may I suggest they do it with Senor Fields red salsa and 365 organic animal crackers. Since I mentioned it, another fine business that people could learn a thing or two from is the Big Burrito Group of restaurants based in Pittsburgh. Oh, How I miss the Mad Mex Angry Hippie burrito. Almost as much as I miss the happy hour special on the Big Azz Margarita. (just off exit 57 of the Pa Turnpike). This will conclude the consumer activist review portion of the blog

The weather has been interesting of late. I used to be known for dragging a raincloud with me whenever I went west of the Mississippi. Although my most recent trips out west seem to be quite the opposite, there has been a disturbing change. In little over a week I was visited by 2 funnel clouds. While I was in Decatur Ga the storm system that hit Atlanta with a tornado came about 8 miles from where I was parked with another. Just one week later While I was in Denver another tornado hit just north around Boulder. I was beginning to wonder if this would be a weekly occurrence. Thankfully it hasn't been. For a reprieve from bad clouds I spent some time where the weather is never dangerous... coastal Louisiana.

I was able to spend a night in the namesake of this blog Winnemucca NV. This was entirely too short as I didn't really get to explore and I hear there is good riding there. This of course being the location of the Johnny Cash song "I've been everywhere." I had planned to add a midi version of the song to the blog but my brother enlightened me to the fact that would be unbelievably annoying. I would hate to do such a thing with such a great song, and will instead search for a midi version of the Bobby McFerrin classic Don't Worry Be Happy. It would be best to start with a song that is already unbelievably annoying. Or perhaps I'm misunderstanding him entirely.


I have some updates for my earlier observations on the industry and some additional generalities.


1. People in cars still do stupid things, some with alarming frequency.
I didn't know that merging onto a highway was such a complicated task... really people, accelerate to highway speed, use all space of the on ramp available, and if the lane isn't clear Don't pull out! And by the way that space the truck is leaving in front of it in traffic is called stopping distance. 40 tons usually requires this and if you get the bright idea to jump on in there at the last minute, well, can your minivan bumper stop 80,000 pounds? It just takes a little common sense and courtesy from both parties. I know some people don't like driving around trucks, but that SUV load of crap from Wal-Mart didn't magically appear in the store. this will conclude part 2 of the soapbox rant on the trucking industry.

2. Good food is hard to find near the highway
There are those who will debate this, but my interpretation of good food is different than most. I'm satisfied with some curry rice and steamed veggies, and consider it high livin' when I can get some good tofu (god knows I never figured out how to make it not taste like ass) I'm not necessarily a vegetarian but I do lean to simple fare and real food, i.e. things that are ingredients rather than having them. As I stated above Wholefoods Market has been pivotal in keeping my cooler full. Another note, be very afraid of the roadside buffet, consider yourself warned!

3. Watch where you park
Stopping on an access ramp to check your map can attract unwanted attention. I didn't know the presidential motorcade was scheduled to come through that area. Nuff said.

4. The south loves a roadside display of religion
For that matter so does the Midwest. I'm not sure if some of these are intentionally garish just to get noticed but whoa! I'm all for having faith, though I'm a bit leery of religion (Catholic school side effect) but what exactly is the point of the drive(n) by guilt trip. Hopefully someone is reassured by this but I'm confused. Are these recruiting tactics, if so I think it probably works as well as a Jehovah Witness at your door or the ubiquitous Jack Chick comic tract at the laundromat. I'm just saying a lot of resources go to what seems like preaching to the choir (yes I'm referring to you, largest cross in the western hemisphere). It's great to have a belief, just respect the fact that someone Else's may differ or, gasp! they may be a godless heathen by choice. And who exactly is vandalizing America with the spray painted Jesus Saves? Is it the same guy with the John 3:16 at the stadium?

5. Armadillos are possums in body armor
Doesn't seem to help much though. Both of em' are found by the roadside more often than that spray painted Jesus Saves. Apparently Jesus does not have a contract with these guys.

6. Parenthesis are great.
Every sentence can be improved (parenthetically of course) with that extra idea. I'd also like to give a shout out to the (underrated & often overlooked) ampersand. In fact, lets hear it for punctuation!

7. How can I say this tactfully....Piss Bombs.
I find myself mentioning for the second time (I won't make a habit of it) the delicate art of peeing on the job. Trucking (unlike river guiding) requires a receptacle, the plastic bottle known as the piss bomb. Please be responsible with the aforementioned bomb. I won't go into more detail but I have a low opinion of littering in the first place, and I'm sure the guy mowing the side of the highway is not refreshed by the hot stale mist from hitting these instant golden showers. As you can see, and if you already know me, tact is not my forte. This will conclude the unnecessarily graphic urological tutorial portion of the blog

8. Looks like someone learned how to upload pictures.
Don't go hurtin' yourself pattin' your own back there superguy.

9. One last thing... what the hell is this thing?

I-80 West of Salt Lake City in the middle of nowhere. Its on the north side of the highway, it's probably about 150-200 feet tall and it's... uh, big concrete tennis balls on a tree? Looks like one of them has hatched. The best suggestion I have heard so far is it is used to measure wind speed on the salt flats.