Home | Where Have I Been? | Arkansas | New Orleans | Southeast US
Leaving New Orleans
-> Out of NOLA Two
St Augustine Florida
To Ferdinandina Florida
Georgian Coast
Through Charleston, SC
Georgetown to the Beach
Beach to Gastonia
To Jonesborough, TN
To Gallipolis, OH
To Elizabethtown, KY
To Sikeston, MO
To Charleston, WV
To Springfield, MO
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As of Oct 17, 2006,
I have driven
15,290 Total Miles
24,607 Total Kilometers
The Most Recent Drive
Sat, Oct 21, 2006
California
Little River <- Start
Albion
Navarro
Philo
Booneville
Yorkville
Cloverdale
Asti
Healdsburg
Windsor
Fulton
Santa Rosa
Rhonert Park
Cotati
Petaluma
Novato
Santa Venecia
San Raphael
Larkspur
Mill Valley
San Francisco
South San Francisco
San Bruno
Burlingame
Milbrae
Hillsborough
San Mateo
Belmont
San Carlos
Redwood City, CA <- End
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There is a curious effect that happens when traveling without an itinerary, plans change constantly. My original thought when reaching Pascagoula Mississippi was the next morning I would be heading north into Mississippi and then curl back West so I could renew my car registration in Missouri before heading North again. I happened to turn on the Weather Channel while I was getting dressed and heard the central parts of Mississippi would be reaching temperatures in the triple digits during the day. That's hot. It's even hotter when you are in a little pickup truck that doesn't have air conditioning.
What? Driving through the South with no air conditioning? Am I crazy? Well, no, not crazy. I have had a number of vehicles without air conditioning, so it isn't something that I feel is essential. Heck, 60 years ago none of the cars had air-conditioning! At one point the truck I was driving for this trip had air conditioning. However, there was this one night... It was a beautiful night. The Moon was full and the fields bright with it's light. I was living in the boonies at the time and my driveway was a curvy, half-mile long. I thought: "Gosh, the moon is so bright, I'll bet I could go all of the way up my driveway with the headlights off." I was actually doing quite well and decided to see if I could go faster than 5 mph. I continued to do quite well when suddenly a tree jumped in front of me! Whack! It even set off my air bags! A stationary tree and a small truck at 10 mph is a surprisingly destructive event... for the truck. The tree struck the front bumper smack dab center and the bumper revealed that it was designed not to resist impact, but to fold up! 8 inches of intrusion bid farewell to the bumper, front grill, air conditioner and hood. I replaced the radiator and fixed everything else, but being November I thought "Gee, I don't need air conditioning during the winter, I'll fix that next Summer." Uh huh! |
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There are benefits to traveling without air conditioning. The best one being you get to smell the country you're traveling through and how those smells change through the drive. The feel of the air changes too and you get to experience that as well. Of course this is less romantic when passing a pig farm, but is still a lovely way to travel. The only precaution is to buy some ear plugs and use them. Having the air blowing in your left ear for hours subjects your ear to high sound-pressure levels--i.e. lots of loud noise. The high sound pressure will damage your hearing. It is a fact that most Americans have hearing loss in their left ear while most British people have hearing loss in their right ear. This is attributed to driving with the window open. With ear plugs in you can still hear sirens, the radio and even conversation, you are just lowering the over-all sound levels your ear is subjected to. Remember kids, hearing loss is irreversible and permanent. Bionic ears are still a long ways off. Protect those head-wings!
Where was I? Ah yes, with mid-state temps reaching triple-digits and high-humidity I thought it might be better to stick to the gulf coast where it was cooler and continue East. I moseyed through Mobile, Alabama and found an old Miniature Golf Course. I formulated a plan of action. I would continue to doodle along the coast until I came across a fishing village with one of those seafood places right next to the docks. You know the type. They have incredibly fresh fish and diffferent species as well, fish that never makes it into the commercial markets. Mmmmmm, now that is something worth doodling! |
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So I dawdled along until I reached Pensacola, Florida. Wow, I was in Florida, this was unexpected. I realized if I continued heading East I would end up at the Atlantic Ocean. Clever, eh? This would give me the status of touching two of the edges of the USA. When I began this adventure I thought I would travel no further south than mid-Arkansas and no further east than the Mississippi. However, as the Poet said: "The best laid plans of mice and man gang aft astray." Any plans I may have had at the outset of this trip were long since "gang astray" and my best option at this stage was to say yes to these options that seem to appear out of nowhere. It is a good thing to say yes to life, yes to the serendipitous circumstances that present themselves. Read the signs of the Triumvirate-- Circumstance, Serendipity and Synchronicity-- and discovering where it will take you.
Besides there were advantages of going all of the way East before heading West again. One is I drive in the morning and find driving into the light less advantageous--all of the good pictures are behind me--it kind-of spoils the fun of the wiggly roads when you can't see the good pictures. Once I am as far East as I can go, I can drive away from the sunrise and all of the good shots will be before me. (Of course that is a silly reason, for at whatever point I turn and head West I will have the sun at my back.)
So that's what I did. I drove all the way East. From the East coast would be starting West again. I thought it would be fitting to go to St Augustine, Florida. St Augustine was the First City founded on the continental United States. It would be as if I was starting at the beginning. Where better to begin heading West again. I had ulterior motives too. A friend lives there so I could sleep on their couch abd save on hotels.
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