Friday, October 17, 2008
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Back In Bratt
Well folks, we made it!! We will add more to this, by way of wrapping things up - which is to say, wrapping things up for this adventure, as we plan to continue the rovrluv tradition on all new expeditions - but we wanted to let everyone know we made it!!
Currently we are at 39 Main in Brattleboro, Vermont - our hometown - getting a mess of vittles whipped up by Chef Scott Cline, after hours. It pays to be in the business when you want eats late night and everything is closed. We don't even know what he is cooking for us, but we know it will be good. Suckin' down beers, smoking cigarettes, and generaly appreciating the fact that Nellie got us home safe and sound.
More to come.
Currently we are at 39 Main in Brattleboro, Vermont - our hometown - getting a mess of vittles whipped up by Chef Scott Cline, after hours. It pays to be in the business when you want eats late night and everything is closed. We don't even know what he is cooking for us, but we know it will be good. Suckin' down beers, smoking cigarettes, and generaly appreciating the fact that Nellie got us home safe and sound.
More to come.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Mission Control and Other Support...
There are a lot of vehicles that we could have taken on this long strange journey we call a honeymoon, but we chose a 1964 Series IIa, 88 inch Land Rover, and not a few people questioned this decision. Most people thought it was a great, adventurous idea, but some - particularly folks with knowledge of older cars - thought we were down right crazy. We felt relatively comfortable with the idea for two reasons: first, we knew if we had to pull the plug at any moment we could have holed up in some resort somewhere, had drinks by the pool and back rubs in the afternoon, and behaved like other honeymooners. We knew we did not have to make it across the country in the IIa, but we wanted to. Truthfully, we could have pent the money to repair the cam shaft in our 1992 Range Rover, which would have been a very comfortable ride; or we could have old the Rangie, combined the proceeds with other honeymoon costs and bought a late 90;s early 00's Discovery, which would have been downright cushy; or if we really wanted to go in style, we could have traded in the Saab and bought a new LR3. Sure, we could have done any of thee things and had a wonderful Land Rover honeymoon, but - and if you don't "get it" this will mean nothing to you, and I pray for your hopeless and deflated soul - that was not the adventure we were looking for. We wanted to do something people just don't do. We wanted to take the trip that forced us off the beaten path, into the trajectories of people you don't meet at Club Med, and to be honest, we wanted to see the looks on people's faces, and bask in the attention that comes with the Land Rover lifestyle.
Now, all this being said, there is another reason we feel comfortable on our trip: DAP Enterprises in Springfield, Vermont. From before the trip began Steve has been helping us plan and organize to travel with all the things we might need on such an excursion. He put together a spare parts kit with all the seals, belts and parts we could need - or would want to carry - and assured us that they were there if we needed anything else, and indeed that has proved quite true. Al, at the helm at DAP, has been on the phone with me on numerous occasions providing technical advice and even talking to mechanics that he found for us on the way. (Al is the one who located Flint for us, mentioned in an earlier post.) Steve - who is affectionately referred to as Mission Control - is always available through text messaging, the phone or following us on our SPOT satellite tracker. (He is the primary emergency contact on SPOT - meaning if we hit the "help" button, which is the button that does not go so far as to call out helicopter support, it is his phone that rings at 3:00 am.) We check in with Steve several times a day, and if we forget to fire off a text message to him he checks SPOT to see where we are, and if we are comfortably in a State Park, or hotel, he lets us sleep; but, if we are still rambling, we can count on a message from him saying something to the effect of, "You crazy kids still alive?"
As many of you know, we are having trouble with the rear main seal and it is causing some clutch slippage. We have been pressing East - by sextant and musket, as the band Pavement would say; but Allison and I would say, by gasoline and blind faith - but are concerned that when we hit the the good old Green Mountains we may have trouble with asking Nellie to perform. This is why we feel so comfortable: in conversation with Steve about this concern his response was, "well, if we have to, I'll come out and meet you and we will get that truck over the mountains." The truck is solid, its just that when something sits in a barn for 20 years rubber components tend to dry rot a bit and need replacing. When you drive those rubber components hard across the country they tend to blow out and, truth be told, Nellie has served us well. When we get home she is due for a serious weekend at the Spa. (Which means a couple weeks in the capable hands of Glenn, the amazing mechanic at DAP, where she will get a good rub down and some new seals.)
Since we are on the topic of rubber, this is the kind of thing that happens with DAP. Weird things start happening - clutch slippage etc... - and you know it is the rear main seal because of conversation with Flint and Al, but the random Ford F150 guys says, "yea, I blew the main seal on a '73 Ford and I just use an additive you can get at any auto parts store." Well, I'm not gonna' just go throwing anything in Nellie so I call Al and he says, "whatever you do, DO NOT put that stuff in your truck." Turns out Land Rover uses natural rubber seals, and Ford's use neoprene, and putting that stuff in Nellie would have had the exact opposite effect then what we were looking for. The seal additives eat natural rubber!
The first thing we did after buying the truck was to dress Nellie up with some new bling in the form of two Union Jack DAP stickers on both sides to show the world who we call when trouble rears it's ugly head.
OK, we are pulling out of Buffalo, New York - a town I lived in for three months once, must say if my friend Vincent Catanzaro didn't live here we would no have even bothered to stop. What can I say, I never get to see the guy so for him, we are willing to city that the U.S. Census Bureau recently ranked the #3 poorest city in the Country. It shows!
We should be home tomorrow, but there are sure to be issues along the way as Nellie is letting us know that 3500 miles, driving hard, is a lot to ask of the old girl without a massage and pedicure first. We love you Nellie, just two more days and Glenn will give you a nice Spa day.
Steve - who is training in Manchester, Vermont as a Land Rover off Road Driving School trainer - has suggested that we stop by for a cruise in new Range Rover to see what it is all about... perhaps we will. And as far as the Green Mountains go, well we hear tell that some folks at Land Rover North America have been following along and we would not be opposed to a Defender 110 being air lifted in to tow the old girl home - if something goes wrong, or as a general support vehicle otherwise. Or, if it is too hard to dig up a 110, I'm sure we could make do with a new Range Rover. We'll pay you back in the next 30 to 40 years.
Now, all this being said, there is another reason we feel comfortable on our trip: DAP Enterprises in Springfield, Vermont. From before the trip began Steve has been helping us plan and organize to travel with all the things we might need on such an excursion. He put together a spare parts kit with all the seals, belts and parts we could need - or would want to carry - and assured us that they were there if we needed anything else, and indeed that has proved quite true. Al, at the helm at DAP, has been on the phone with me on numerous occasions providing technical advice and even talking to mechanics that he found for us on the way. (Al is the one who located Flint for us, mentioned in an earlier post.) Steve - who is affectionately referred to as Mission Control - is always available through text messaging, the phone or following us on our SPOT satellite tracker. (He is the primary emergency contact on SPOT - meaning if we hit the "help" button, which is the button that does not go so far as to call out helicopter support, it is his phone that rings at 3:00 am.) We check in with Steve several times a day, and if we forget to fire off a text message to him he checks SPOT to see where we are, and if we are comfortably in a State Park, or hotel, he lets us sleep; but, if we are still rambling, we can count on a message from him saying something to the effect of, "You crazy kids still alive?"
As many of you know, we are having trouble with the rear main seal and it is causing some clutch slippage. We have been pressing East - by sextant and musket, as the band Pavement would say; but Allison and I would say, by gasoline and blind faith - but are concerned that when we hit the the good old Green Mountains we may have trouble with asking Nellie to perform. This is why we feel so comfortable: in conversation with Steve about this concern his response was, "well, if we have to, I'll come out and meet you and we will get that truck over the mountains." The truck is solid, its just that when something sits in a barn for 20 years rubber components tend to dry rot a bit and need replacing. When you drive those rubber components hard across the country they tend to blow out and, truth be told, Nellie has served us well. When we get home she is due for a serious weekend at the Spa. (Which means a couple weeks in the capable hands of Glenn, the amazing mechanic at DAP, where she will get a good rub down and some new seals.)
Since we are on the topic of rubber, this is the kind of thing that happens with DAP. Weird things start happening - clutch slippage etc... - and you know it is the rear main seal because of conversation with Flint and Al, but the random Ford F150 guys says, "yea, I blew the main seal on a '73 Ford and I just use an additive you can get at any auto parts store." Well, I'm not gonna' just go throwing anything in Nellie so I call Al and he says, "whatever you do, DO NOT put that stuff in your truck." Turns out Land Rover uses natural rubber seals, and Ford's use neoprene, and putting that stuff in Nellie would have had the exact opposite effect then what we were looking for. The seal additives eat natural rubber!
The first thing we did after buying the truck was to dress Nellie up with some new bling in the form of two Union Jack DAP stickers on both sides to show the world who we call when trouble rears it's ugly head.
OK, we are pulling out of Buffalo, New York - a town I lived in for three months once, must say if my friend Vincent Catanzaro didn't live here we would no have even bothered to stop. What can I say, I never get to see the guy so for him, we are willing to city that the U.S. Census Bureau recently ranked the #3 poorest city in the Country. It shows!
We should be home tomorrow, but there are sure to be issues along the way as Nellie is letting us know that 3500 miles, driving hard, is a lot to ask of the old girl without a massage and pedicure first. We love you Nellie, just two more days and Glenn will give you a nice Spa day.
Steve - who is training in Manchester, Vermont as a Land Rover off Road Driving School trainer - has suggested that we stop by for a cruise in new Range Rover to see what it is all about... perhaps we will. And as far as the Green Mountains go, well we hear tell that some folks at Land Rover North America have been following along and we would not be opposed to a Defender 110 being air lifted in to tow the old girl home - if something goes wrong, or as a general support vehicle otherwise. Or, if it is too hard to dig up a 110, I'm sure we could make do with a new Range Rover. We'll pay you back in the next 30 to 40 years.
Friday, August 29, 2008
It could be the coffee
Well, here I am again up later than Dave messing around with the blog... We went out on the town for a big birthday dinner here in Buffalo, NY. After appetizers, entrees, coffee and dessert, we are suitably stuffed.
Nellie gave a little cause for concern today with a few new mechanical moves. But she has pulled through and we are trucking home toward good ol Vermont. We decided that we needed the assistance of Saint Christopher, the Patron Saint of Travelers (and lost children) to watch over us for this last push to VT. He has worked wonders so far. He rides on the roof of the interior.
We have become a little slap-happy in the last few days. (Ok, well mostly me. But it is catchy.)
Having fun on the road, to say the least. I suppose staying up blogging all night and not sleeping contributes to this as well... Goodnight. Over and out.
Nellie gave a little cause for concern today with a few new mechanical moves. But she has pulled through and we are trucking home toward good ol Vermont. We decided that we needed the assistance of Saint Christopher, the Patron Saint of Travelers (and lost children) to watch over us for this last push to VT. He has worked wonders so far. He rides on the roof of the interior.
We have become a little slap-happy in the last few days. (Ok, well mostly me. But it is catchy.)
Having fun on the road, to say the least. I suppose staying up blogging all night and not sleeping contributes to this as well... Goodnight. Over and out.
Our Nation' State Parks...
We are finally in New York State, which boarders Vermont, so therefore feels like home, and we have had quite a bit of experience with camping in the State Parks, RV Parks and Private Campgrounds of this great nation. My opinion? State parks kinda suck when compared to their more common brethren the RV Park type or private campground. Perhaps I am biased because the Park Ranger woke Allison and I up at 8:45 to inform us that we had under paid for our spot at Geneva State Park in the pitiful state of Ohio. (I seriously encourage a wholesale boycott of this pathetic excuse for a state that is, quite frankly a blight on the face of an otherwise pretty decent country.) He informed us that we were $6 short of the $26 dollar fee for camping - which is a rough thing to deal with at such an early hour, particularly when you thought you had overpaid by $2 the night before. Tent camping is $18 - full hook up is $26, but we only had a $20, so what the hell? Let's just cough up an extra two spot for the Buckeye State. Not so much... You see, the camp spot we picked after the Camp Host kindly informed us that we could have anyone we liked as long as we were only staying one night, was an RV spot, and therefor required the full amount, even though we did not use the electricity, or dump a tank load of bodily waste down their pump station. Never mind that the damn place was dead ass empty, and they should have been thankful for our $20 in the first place.
OK, it gets worse.
He also informed us that our exposed beer bottles were in violation of state park rules and regulations. I need to be very clear about this. What he very specifically said was, "It is a violation, punishable by a $100 ticket, to display your alcohol in Ohio State Parks." It is NOT against the rules drink, it is just against the rules for anyone to see you doing so. I mean what kind of pole up the ass crap is that? And by the way, unless you have a screw loose you know damn well that part of camping is drinking, but this is where the trouble comes from. The State Parks of the United States of America are not set up for camping, they are set up for RVing, and do not give a damn about tents. Sure, there are spots you can hike off too in the woods, and I am sure they are darn nice - like the beautiful spot at the Bowl and Pitcher State Park in Washington State, which I HIGHLY recommend - but by and large what we are dealing with is RV parking lots, and old timers who sold the farm and are permanently on the road. You can build a fire, sure, but not with wood from another park, or state. The trouble here is, all parks require certified Wood Ash Borer free wood. I mean ALL of them. That pesky insect is the problem, so each time we enter a state park we have to surrender our wood - no doubt to go into the wood pile of the on duty ranger's stock for the winter. What a racket!
And for the privilege of using such parking lots: $26.
By contrast private campgrounds - which are still catering to RVs, you've seen them, they're the ones you think to yourself, "Jeeze, I would never camp there..." - cost about $14, have good showers, washers and driers, free coffee in the morning (state parks charge a $1.00) and there are no niddling, goody-two-shoes, Park Rangers coming round to mess with your good time. In fact, the private places tend to take a real laid back attitude towards tent campers and without exception welcomed us with open arms and wanted to know about our wedding, honeymoon, Nelie the Land Rover and in general were just very nice folks.
Allison has cautioned me to not get too far off on a rant because, after all, we are on our honeymoon, and we are having a VERY good time. So, I'll tone it down a bit. Maybe it's just that I am all kinds of bent because it was such an awful way to be woken up on your birthday! Not mine... Allison's!!! And I take it personally when a Ranger - or anyone for that matter - messes with my Wife's reality on her special day. Or, any day...
Happy Birthday Mrs. Williamson!!! Meow!!!
"Are you saying Meow?"...
OK, it gets worse.
He also informed us that our exposed beer bottles were in violation of state park rules and regulations. I need to be very clear about this. What he very specifically said was, "It is a violation, punishable by a $100 ticket, to display your alcohol in Ohio State Parks." It is NOT against the rules drink, it is just against the rules for anyone to see you doing so. I mean what kind of pole up the ass crap is that? And by the way, unless you have a screw loose you know damn well that part of camping is drinking, but this is where the trouble comes from. The State Parks of the United States of America are not set up for camping, they are set up for RVing, and do not give a damn about tents. Sure, there are spots you can hike off too in the woods, and I am sure they are darn nice - like the beautiful spot at the Bowl and Pitcher State Park in Washington State, which I HIGHLY recommend - but by and large what we are dealing with is RV parking lots, and old timers who sold the farm and are permanently on the road. You can build a fire, sure, but not with wood from another park, or state. The trouble here is, all parks require certified Wood Ash Borer free wood. I mean ALL of them. That pesky insect is the problem, so each time we enter a state park we have to surrender our wood - no doubt to go into the wood pile of the on duty ranger's stock for the winter. What a racket!
And for the privilege of using such parking lots: $26.
By contrast private campgrounds - which are still catering to RVs, you've seen them, they're the ones you think to yourself, "Jeeze, I would never camp there..." - cost about $14, have good showers, washers and driers, free coffee in the morning (state parks charge a $1.00) and there are no niddling, goody-two-shoes, Park Rangers coming round to mess with your good time. In fact, the private places tend to take a real laid back attitude towards tent campers and without exception welcomed us with open arms and wanted to know about our wedding, honeymoon, Nelie the Land Rover and in general were just very nice folks.
Allison has cautioned me to not get too far off on a rant because, after all, we are on our honeymoon, and we are having a VERY good time. So, I'll tone it down a bit. Maybe it's just that I am all kinds of bent because it was such an awful way to be woken up on your birthday! Not mine... Allison's!!! And I take it personally when a Ranger - or anyone for that matter - messes with my Wife's reality on her special day. Or, any day...
Happy Birthday Mrs. Williamson!!! Meow!!!
"Are you saying Meow?"...
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Elkhart, Indiana
It was bound to happen. A mechanical issue. Indeed, there is something going on with the clutch or the blah blah blah... I am not the one to be talking about the details. But we were pluggin along down the highway and all of a sudden we noticed the truck having a hard time. We limped her along to the next exit, which turned out to be Sturgis, Michigan. (Not the bike rally- that is in North Dakota.) There was only a Ford dealership in town and we booked an appointment with them, just in case. At the same time Al, back at D.A.P was contacting a long time Land Rover customer of his 20 minutes down the road from us!
It worked out that this guy is a genius under the hood and has rebuilt several of his own vehicles. Luckily, he had the time to help us with the truck. So we back tracked West to his house in Elkhart, Indiana- the RV capital of the world.
Flint, the man in question - the genius under the hood - left work after Al from DAP gave him a call and met us at his house. In the driveway was a beautifull 1994 D-90, which of course, made me upset with my former "friend" who destroyed mine and offered no willingness to help repair it... yea, ten years without a Land Rover has built up a lot of resentment towards him. Flint came home shortly and began a process of diagnostics on Nellie. We determined that the clutch itself seems ok, but that the salve cylinder needed to be bled. We did so, and while under the hood Flint decided that some work needed to be done on the carb as well. He puled the carb apart and replaced the seals on everything, scraped all the gunk he could find off, and then got into the distributer. Determined that out timing was off and that was causing our rough idle. He adjusted the timing, which resulted in a great improvement in power.
Of course, the whole time there is a thought in the back of both of our minds which is that it could still be the clutch, and it would be a shame if we found the problem to be more severe three hundred miles from such a friendly member of the astonishing Rover community.
Let me take a moment to talk about the Rover community. There is Tim, in Havre Montana, who had never seen a Series Land Rover in person before - he's seen them, "on T.V., but didn't think they existed outside of Africa,"; and Bryan in Libby, Montana who came in to fix our tyre on a Sunday - his day off - and he is not even a Rover guy, more of a hot rod type, but he "gets" is; there is Tim in Havre, Montana, who helped us deal with the fact that we brought the wrong oil filter with us, once again, not a Rover guy, but a sypathetic soul; there is Tracy Cartwright in Minneapolis, Minnesota, who along with his wife Tia, welcomed us into there home, gave Allison martinis with Tia's friends and made us feel like a million bucks as we worked on general tune up; Greg and Brian at Howard Orloff Land Rover in Chicago, who welcomed us in to use their bathroom, stretch our legs, and get a drink of water - heck they offered us coffee, juice, anything we wanted... Greg just said, "what can we do for you?" and I got the impression that if I had asked them to haul Nellie into the shop right there and take care of her they would have... great dealership and shop!; and most recently Flint... ahhh Flint. This guy did it all... and called us this morning to make sure we were ok. We said the problem had not really gone away, and after a consultation with Al at DAP, Flint and Al decided that the problem is not the clutch, but rather the rear main seal. This makes sense as under pressure the seal would leak oil onto the clutch causing it to slip. This also makes sense because the clutch only has 35,000 miles on it - yea, did I mention that? The truck had 32,000 miles when we bought her! It is much more likely that a seal would go, after having sat in a garage for 25 years then for a hardly used clutch to go.
So... what are we going to do?
Limp home and pray things work out. We could take the time now to fix the main seal, and the clutch, but would have to wait for the part and we need to be home this weekend. The best move, we think, is to head east into New York, where we have a number of friends, and pray the old girl makes it. We think she will.
And if she dosn't, and you live in New York, give us a call, we might need your help. Even if you don't call, to be honest, the Land Rover community is always out there, and hell, that's reason enough to own a Rover. You're never alone.
It worked out that this guy is a genius under the hood and has rebuilt several of his own vehicles. Luckily, he had the time to help us with the truck. So we back tracked West to his house in Elkhart, Indiana- the RV capital of the world.
Flint, the man in question - the genius under the hood - left work after Al from DAP gave him a call and met us at his house. In the driveway was a beautifull 1994 D-90, which of course, made me upset with my former "friend" who destroyed mine and offered no willingness to help repair it... yea, ten years without a Land Rover has built up a lot of resentment towards him. Flint came home shortly and began a process of diagnostics on Nellie. We determined that the clutch itself seems ok, but that the salve cylinder needed to be bled. We did so, and while under the hood Flint decided that some work needed to be done on the carb as well. He puled the carb apart and replaced the seals on everything, scraped all the gunk he could find off, and then got into the distributer. Determined that out timing was off and that was causing our rough idle. He adjusted the timing, which resulted in a great improvement in power.
Of course, the whole time there is a thought in the back of both of our minds which is that it could still be the clutch, and it would be a shame if we found the problem to be more severe three hundred miles from such a friendly member of the astonishing Rover community.
Let me take a moment to talk about the Rover community. There is Tim, in Havre Montana, who had never seen a Series Land Rover in person before - he's seen them, "on T.V., but didn't think they existed outside of Africa,"; and Bryan in Libby, Montana who came in to fix our tyre on a Sunday - his day off - and he is not even a Rover guy, more of a hot rod type, but he "gets" is; there is Tim in Havre, Montana, who helped us deal with the fact that we brought the wrong oil filter with us, once again, not a Rover guy, but a sypathetic soul; there is Tracy Cartwright in Minneapolis, Minnesota, who along with his wife Tia, welcomed us into there home, gave Allison martinis with Tia's friends and made us feel like a million bucks as we worked on general tune up; Greg and Brian at Howard Orloff Land Rover in Chicago, who welcomed us in to use their bathroom, stretch our legs, and get a drink of water - heck they offered us coffee, juice, anything we wanted... Greg just said, "what can we do for you?" and I got the impression that if I had asked them to haul Nellie into the shop right there and take care of her they would have... great dealership and shop!; and most recently Flint... ahhh Flint. This guy did it all... and called us this morning to make sure we were ok. We said the problem had not really gone away, and after a consultation with Al at DAP, Flint and Al decided that the problem is not the clutch, but rather the rear main seal. This makes sense as under pressure the seal would leak oil onto the clutch causing it to slip. This also makes sense because the clutch only has 35,000 miles on it - yea, did I mention that? The truck had 32,000 miles when we bought her! It is much more likely that a seal would go, after having sat in a garage for 25 years then for a hardly used clutch to go.
So... what are we going to do?
Limp home and pray things work out. We could take the time now to fix the main seal, and the clutch, but would have to wait for the part and we need to be home this weekend. The best move, we think, is to head east into New York, where we have a number of friends, and pray the old girl makes it. We think she will.
And if she dosn't, and you live in New York, give us a call, we might need your help. Even if you don't call, to be honest, the Land Rover community is always out there, and hell, that's reason enough to own a Rover. You're never alone.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Chicago, Chicago!
As we got nearer to Chicago on the highway, Nellie (the truck) noticed a LandRover Dealership and begged to get off the highway and go for a visit! We did of course. She loved it. 
When we arrived in Chicago last night, for our "Chicago Surprise" our friends Marty and Alysa treated us to a ridiculous hotel room in downtown Chicago which couldn't be more fantastic! It has an incredible view of the lake and is so luxurious!
All of this and a bag of chips! They had also left for us a bag at the front desk with a fresh beautiful red rose, a bottle of champagne and a bag of Lindt truffles! Outrageous! :-D (We didn't realize this until we returned from dinner and dessert, so we are saving them, well at least the champagne for tomorrow.)
We landed for a while, I finished my book and took a brief nap and then we ironed all of our clothes that have been crinkled up in the bottom of our backpacks and hit the town. Went to the Signature Room restaurant on the 95th floor of the John Hancock Building. A serious dining experience. Coat and tie optional. But they did request that everyone order an entree. When I learned this I began started to seriously pout. I had found several appetizers that I wanted and not an entree. Thankfully, Dave asked if they would make an exception and it wasn't a problem. :-) We had a wonderful dinner followed by wonderful dessert and took a horse and carriage ride most of the way back to our hotel! It was so great. They guy driving the carriage was pretty young and had been working there for 6 years. He told us that this was his last season, he was going to be a knight.
Oh.
He was well informed about the history and the architecture of the different buildings we passed and told us of underground passages and Al Capone's secret bars during prohibition etc. the carriage ride was so great! I was in heaven.
I am not sure what today will bring. I think Dave is going to stay right under the covers! He is ignoring me trying to wake him up. I don't blame him either- it is so comfortable.
When we arrived in Chicago last night, for our "Chicago Surprise" our friends Marty and Alysa treated us to a ridiculous hotel room in downtown Chicago which couldn't be more fantastic! It has an incredible view of the lake and is so luxurious!
All of this and a bag of chips! They had also left for us a bag at the front desk with a fresh beautiful red rose, a bottle of champagne and a bag of Lindt truffles! Outrageous! :-D (We didn't realize this until we returned from dinner and dessert, so we are saving them, well at least the champagne for tomorrow.)
*********
We landed for a while, I finished my book and took a brief nap and then we ironed all of our clothes that have been crinkled up in the bottom of our backpacks and hit the town. Went to the Signature Room restaurant on the 95th floor of the John Hancock Building. A serious dining experience. Coat and tie optional. But they did request that everyone order an entree. When I learned this I began started to seriously pout. I had found several appetizers that I wanted and not an entree. Thankfully, Dave asked if they would make an exception and it wasn't a problem. :-) We had a wonderful dinner followed by wonderful dessert and took a horse and carriage ride most of the way back to our hotel! It was so great. They guy driving the carriage was pretty young and had been working there for 6 years. He told us that this was his last season, he was going to be a knight.
Oh.
He was well informed about the history and the architecture of the different buildings we passed and told us of underground passages and Al Capone's secret bars during prohibition etc. the carriage ride was so great! I was in heaven.
I am not sure what today will bring. I think Dave is going to stay right under the covers! He is ignoring me trying to wake him up. I don't blame him either- it is so comfortable.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Fun in Minnesota
As we passed through our friend Brandt's stomping grounds near East Grand Forks we took his recommendation to have a Bloomin' Onion at the Blue Moose.
(Here you go Mom.)
We also made a stop to visit his Grandmother Eunnis and Aunt Sandy in Crookston, Minnesota. We were so distracted by cruddy stay in Itasca that we forgot to post these pictures. Here you go Brandt!
"You must be David, who just got married?"
She did not stop hugging the flowers the whole time we visited. So sweet! :-)
(Here you go Mom.)
We also made a stop to visit his Grandmother Eunnis and Aunt Sandy in Crookston, Minnesota. We were so distracted by cruddy stay in Itasca that we forgot to post these pictures. Here you go Brandt!
"You must be David, who just got married?"
She did not stop hugging the flowers the whole time we visited. So sweet! :-)
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Heaven!
Look, my website is cookingwithfat.com, I have been working on my book, "Cooking With Fat: notes on a hedonistic lifestyle" for a couple of years now, I am a chef who loves to cook things in duck fat. All of this is to say, that I am the kind of guy who fears the fat not at all, but I have been seriously outclassed in the total disregard for self preservation by the good people of Minnesota, and there fried food fair! In fairness, I should say that they don't actually call it the fried food fair - though many people joke that it should be called such - in reality the fair is the Minnesota State Fair. "Largest fair in the five state region," according to the nice gentleman, with no front teeth, who was directing traffic as we left the parking lot.
Let me get to the good stuff: the food. The first thing you need to understand is that the fair prides itself on stuff on a stick. They have all the usual suspects like corn dogs, but they do not stop there, and apparently there is a tradition of competition each year with what odd thing people can put on a stick. To that end, we were greeted at the gate by Scotch Eggs - you bet'cha... on a stick. A Scotch Egg, for those of you that do not know, is a hard boiled egg, covered in ground sausage meat, breaded and deep fried. I think it goes without saying that I had to have one. I enjoyed mine with the horseradish sauce which the owner recommended but was happier with ranch - which is certainly the dressing of choice all through the Midwest. I'm not making this up, they slather everything in the stuff, even deep fried cheese curds - yea, had those too.
The Scotch egg was just a a happy coincidence, and not the thing that I came to the fair for. (Don't think that I am saying, "I" to purposely exclude Allison, it is just that she came to see cute, fuzzy animals, and I came to eat things that could kill a hippopotamus in one serving.) I came to the fair for one thing: chocolate covered bacon. Allison and I read about this treat in the Star Tribune at breakfast, and it prompted the visit to the fair. We searched out the odd combination, and I have to say, it was everything I had dreamed of. The bacon was cooked perfectly - not too crunchy, still with a nice chew and a decent amount of tooth to it - cooled, dipped in a very nice, well tempered, dark chocolate, and dusted with sea salt. Yea, I thought the sea salt would be overkill, but it turned out to be an amazing foil against the sweet chocolate before your chewing brings out the flavor of the bacon, which combines so perfectly with the the chocolate that I am a confirmed convert and certainly be bringing this treat back to the North East.
Did the fun stop there? Hell no. We walked past a trailer that was aptly named, "Big Fat bacon". Seriously. I couldn't make this up. Big Fat Bacon sells one product, and one product only: a 1/3 inch thick cut, foot long piece of bacon... on a stick. The slab bacon was cooked perfectly, however I must say, it is a little much. The texture is like a perfectly cooked lardon, however, unlike a lardon it is not just a half inch square: it is a foot long, and it a major work out. I ate about half of mine and had to through in the towel: the texture is just overwhelming and needs a good salad to get through the whole thing. (I can NOT believe I just wrote that.)
I ate a hot dog, filled with wild rice, corn dog battered and deep fried - on a stick, and was relatively unimpressed. I mean it was OK, but the wild rice doesn't come through, so it just tastes like a standard corn dog. Somewhere in there Allison and I took a ride on the Tilt-A-Whirl and the Ferris Wheel. I liked the Tilt-A-Whirl, and always have, but I tend to forget my debilitating fear of heights from time to time, and I found myself clinging to Allison and the center pole of the ferris wheel seat, with my eyes closed, murmuring, "I want it to stop... I want it to stop..." Gee Whiz, I am the only guy in the world who takes his new bride on a freaking ferris wheel and has to cling to her. Pathetic really, but that is the man I am, and damn it I'm comfortable with that. Kind of...
Things I missed at the fair: "Hot Dish" on ... a stick. Hot Dish is a Minnesota food that I think involves wild rice - like everything native to Minnesota - some cream of mushroom soup - hell yea! - celery, mushrooms, ham?, and some other stuff. Think about this with me for a moment... how in the world can you put that on a stick? I don't know, and I never will as we are motoring east tomorrow. This, is one of life's great losses.
I passed on spaghetti and meatballs... on a stick! I saw it. I was right there, and could have been on that stick food like white on rice, but I just balked. I don't know why, and I think I might regret it for a good long time.
I ate some corn dog, a third of a foot long hot dog, some other stuff that I can't remember... but all in all, what matters is this: chocolate covered bacon. you heard me.
... oh, yea, Allison and I went around and saw the animals: the cows, the goats, sheep, pigs... but all I could think of was how to prepare them... with chocolate... on a stick.
Let me get to the good stuff: the food. The first thing you need to understand is that the fair prides itself on stuff on a stick. They have all the usual suspects like corn dogs, but they do not stop there, and apparently there is a tradition of competition each year with what odd thing people can put on a stick. To that end, we were greeted at the gate by Scotch Eggs - you bet'cha... on a stick. A Scotch Egg, for those of you that do not know, is a hard boiled egg, covered in ground sausage meat, breaded and deep fried. I think it goes without saying that I had to have one. I enjoyed mine with the horseradish sauce which the owner recommended but was happier with ranch - which is certainly the dressing of choice all through the Midwest. I'm not making this up, they slather everything in the stuff, even deep fried cheese curds - yea, had those too.
The Scotch egg was just a a happy coincidence, and not the thing that I came to the fair for. (Don't think that I am saying, "I" to purposely exclude Allison, it is just that she came to see cute, fuzzy animals, and I came to eat things that could kill a hippopotamus in one serving.) I came to the fair for one thing: chocolate covered bacon. Allison and I read about this treat in the Star Tribune at breakfast, and it prompted the visit to the fair. We searched out the odd combination, and I have to say, it was everything I had dreamed of. The bacon was cooked perfectly - not too crunchy, still with a nice chew and a decent amount of tooth to it - cooled, dipped in a very nice, well tempered, dark chocolate, and dusted with sea salt. Yea, I thought the sea salt would be overkill, but it turned out to be an amazing foil against the sweet chocolate before your chewing brings out the flavor of the bacon, which combines so perfectly with the the chocolate that I am a confirmed convert and certainly be bringing this treat back to the North East.
Did the fun stop there? Hell no. We walked past a trailer that was aptly named, "Big Fat bacon". Seriously. I couldn't make this up. Big Fat Bacon sells one product, and one product only: a 1/3 inch thick cut, foot long piece of bacon... on a stick. The slab bacon was cooked perfectly, however I must say, it is a little much. The texture is like a perfectly cooked lardon, however, unlike a lardon it is not just a half inch square: it is a foot long, and it a major work out. I ate about half of mine and had to through in the towel: the texture is just overwhelming and needs a good salad to get through the whole thing. (I can NOT believe I just wrote that.)
I ate a hot dog, filled with wild rice, corn dog battered and deep fried - on a stick, and was relatively unimpressed. I mean it was OK, but the wild rice doesn't come through, so it just tastes like a standard corn dog. Somewhere in there Allison and I took a ride on the Tilt-A-Whirl and the Ferris Wheel. I liked the Tilt-A-Whirl, and always have, but I tend to forget my debilitating fear of heights from time to time, and I found myself clinging to Allison and the center pole of the ferris wheel seat, with my eyes closed, murmuring, "I want it to stop... I want it to stop..." Gee Whiz, I am the only guy in the world who takes his new bride on a freaking ferris wheel and has to cling to her. Pathetic really, but that is the man I am, and damn it I'm comfortable with that. Kind of...
Things I missed at the fair: "Hot Dish" on ... a stick. Hot Dish is a Minnesota food that I think involves wild rice - like everything native to Minnesota - some cream of mushroom soup - hell yea! - celery, mushrooms, ham?, and some other stuff. Think about this with me for a moment... how in the world can you put that on a stick? I don't know, and I never will as we are motoring east tomorrow. This, is one of life's great losses.
I passed on spaghetti and meatballs... on a stick! I saw it. I was right there, and could have been on that stick food like white on rice, but I just balked. I don't know why, and I think I might regret it for a good long time.
I ate some corn dog, a third of a foot long hot dog, some other stuff that I can't remember... but all in all, what matters is this: chocolate covered bacon. you heard me.
... oh, yea, Allison and I went around and saw the animals: the cows, the goats, sheep, pigs... but all I could think of was how to prepare them... with chocolate... on a stick.
Minnesota- surprisingly, feels like home...
No more prairies as far as the eye can see. I can't express how thankful we are to see trees again. We have stayed in two state parks in Minnesota now, Itasca and Minne Lacs Kathio State parks. There are so many state parks in Minnesota we just drive until we bump into one at the right time of day and stop. However, not all state parks are alike. The first one seemed so promising, as we drove 3 miles down a narrow and unpopulated road in the middle of a forest. Thought for sure we would find an honor box at the end and no one else would be in the whole place. We were wrong. We drove up to the entrance booth and they make you surrender your campfire wood and buy theirs, so as not to infect their forests with pesky bugs and such... We played along and bought three bundles of their wood, only to spend an hour and a half watching Dave throw a temper tantrum over trying to start a fire with green, very wet wood. He got so upset he tried to kick the logs out of the coals and one flew right out of the fire pit at me. Shortly after attempting to dice the remaining pile of crappy firewood he hucked the $6.00 Walmart axe into the woods behind him..forgetting that the "secluded and private campsite" was in fact a sardine can. There were campers on all sides- within close enough range that when Dave realized what he had done his face went completely pale!
"What if there was a person camping alone??? And I....? Oh god."
Everything was fine though in that department, but we couldn't go in after the axe because our whole camp was surrounded by massive amounts of poison ivy.
Long after the sun went down Dave gave up on the wood and decided to go back to the entrance booth and get his wood back. This venture did not pan out either because the booth had closed up and the lady had taken the wood out with her. So we drove down to the little gas station and left $5.00 under the door for a bundle of real burnable wood.
With that bad night behind us we planned to wake up and go canoeing on the lake in the park. However, when we woke up the sky was threatening rain and babies were crying, a dumpster was being emptied and it was only 8 am. We packed up shop really fast and decided to take our day off somewhere else!
This would have been fine if that was the end of it-
We decided to treat ourselves to breakfast in Douglas Lodge in the park. Had great food and returned to the truck to find we had received a parking ticket!
*$!@?*&!
Totally ridiculous!
To top it all off, as if that is not enough... we drove out of the park about 8 miles and realized we left Dave's phone plugged in IN THE LODGE! Gahhh!
Today has been much better though. Stayed at a perfect campsite last night. Had some privacy, a sky full of stars, and a good fire. Oh and bourbon. :-)
I am writing from a car mechanics office in Burnsville Minnesota right now. He and Dave are bonding in the garage over the truck. After this, we are off to the Minnesota State Fair that is like 10 miles from here.
It will be a miracle if I don't weight 8,000 lbs before I return home. This fair boasts of its chocolate covered bacon, tater tots on a stick and pickle-sicles....A "fried food fair..." is what it calls itself. Food is the centerpiece. Wish me luck! (Dave might want to stay... )
"What if there was a person camping alone??? And I....? Oh god."
Everything was fine though in that department, but we couldn't go in after the axe because our whole camp was surrounded by massive amounts of poison ivy.
Long after the sun went down Dave gave up on the wood and decided to go back to the entrance booth and get his wood back. This venture did not pan out either because the booth had closed up and the lady had taken the wood out with her. So we drove down to the little gas station and left $5.00 under the door for a bundle of real burnable wood.
With that bad night behind us we planned to wake up and go canoeing on the lake in the park. However, when we woke up the sky was threatening rain and babies were crying, a dumpster was being emptied and it was only 8 am. We packed up shop really fast and decided to take our day off somewhere else!
This would have been fine if that was the end of it-
We decided to treat ourselves to breakfast in Douglas Lodge in the park. Had great food and returned to the truck to find we had received a parking ticket!
*$!@?*&!
Totally ridiculous!
To top it all off, as if that is not enough... we drove out of the park about 8 miles and realized we left Dave's phone plugged in IN THE LODGE! Gahhh!
Today has been much better though. Stayed at a perfect campsite last night. Had some privacy, a sky full of stars, and a good fire. Oh and bourbon. :-)
I am writing from a car mechanics office in Burnsville Minnesota right now. He and Dave are bonding in the garage over the truck. After this, we are off to the Minnesota State Fair that is like 10 miles from here.
It will be a miracle if I don't weight 8,000 lbs before I return home. This fair boasts of its chocolate covered bacon, tater tots on a stick and pickle-sicles....A "fried food fair..." is what it calls itself. Food is the centerpiece. Wish me luck! (Dave might want to stay... )
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Going to the Sun Road
First things first: the pictures do not justice to how damn scary this road is. The reason it has taken three days to get this post up could be for one of two reasons: first, that I remain so scared of the road that it required days for me to recover from the trauma; or because people in Montana and North Dakota are not aware of the existence of this little thing called the Internet. I'm gonna go on ahead and let you decide the mitigating factors in the delay of posting.
Back to the point: scariest road in North America.
The Going to the Sun Road runs right through Glacier National Park and ascends from around 4000 feet to 7600 feet above sea level. I am happy to report that Nellie did very well on the climb - having adjusted the mixture at about 3500 feet, she ran strong and chugged right up the road like she was cruising the African Savanna - and in terms of engine performance we felt quite comfortable. Steering and stability are different things all together. Nellie has about four inches of play in the steering wheel and when you have 2000 foot drops with no guard rail, and minimal margins on either side from passing traffic and the drop-o-death, the choice is simple: go 10 miles per hour. Indeed, there were times when we went slower than 10 mph and were still holding our breath from fear. This is what we look like on the Going to the Sun Road:
It is rather unsettling to be driving up such a road and to pass things like this:
That is a JERSEY BARRIER, above a 2000 foot drop! There were a number of places that looked like this, and we were too scared to photograph. This road is under construction and there are parts of it that are clearly looking to wash out at any second. This is usually OK as long as you can swerve into the oncoming lane and put your wheels on solid ground, but it is an act of blind faith when there is oncoming traffic.
We reached the summit and were astounded to discover some of the most spectacular views we have ever laid eyes on. Was it worth the treacherous Going to the Sun Road? You tell me.
We made it down the backside of the Going to the Sun Road, which we were told was the easier section but certainly was not, and off into the plains of Eastern Montana. Now, people are quick to talk about how flat North Dakota is, but Eastern Montana is the flattest place I have ever laid eyes on. We are heading eastward towards Minnesota and intend to take a bit of time off in Minneapolis with Tracy Cartwrite at Rovercountry to give the old girl the once over. Since Nellie is currently running with no oil filter she will be looking forward to some much needed attention. Wish us luck, and we will post more soon.
Back to the point: scariest road in North America.
The Going to the Sun Road runs right through Glacier National Park and ascends from around 4000 feet to 7600 feet above sea level. I am happy to report that Nellie did very well on the climb - having adjusted the mixture at about 3500 feet, she ran strong and chugged right up the road like she was cruising the African Savanna - and in terms of engine performance we felt quite comfortable. Steering and stability are different things all together. Nellie has about four inches of play in the steering wheel and when you have 2000 foot drops with no guard rail, and minimal margins on either side from passing traffic and the drop-o-death, the choice is simple: go 10 miles per hour. Indeed, there were times when we went slower than 10 mph and were still holding our breath from fear. This is what we look like on the Going to the Sun Road:
It is rather unsettling to be driving up such a road and to pass things like this:
That is a JERSEY BARRIER, above a 2000 foot drop! There were a number of places that looked like this, and we were too scared to photograph. This road is under construction and there are parts of it that are clearly looking to wash out at any second. This is usually OK as long as you can swerve into the oncoming lane and put your wheels on solid ground, but it is an act of blind faith when there is oncoming traffic.
We reached the summit and were astounded to discover some of the most spectacular views we have ever laid eyes on. Was it worth the treacherous Going to the Sun Road? You tell me.
We made it down the backside of the Going to the Sun Road, which we were told was the easier section but certainly was not, and off into the plains of Eastern Montana. Now, people are quick to talk about how flat North Dakota is, but Eastern Montana is the flattest place I have ever laid eyes on. We are heading eastward towards Minnesota and intend to take a bit of time off in Minneapolis with Tracy Cartwrite at Rovercountry to give the old girl the once over. Since Nellie is currently running with no oil filter she will be looking forward to some much needed attention. Wish us luck, and we will post more soon.
Long Road
We put in a whole slew of miles behind us two days in a row. In this truck, a whole lot of miles is about 300. Takes us seven hours and when we finally stop our brains are mush. We end up arguing about a joke. "No, no, no...I was joking right back at you. I got your joke and I am responding to it."
We did good yesterday though, we stopped early enough to set up camp in the daylight and walk to a restaurant here in the campground and have a lovely dinner. We had battered, fried Wisconsin Cheese Curds- as recommended by Patrick Hahn. Man were they good. I may have eaten the whole basket of them...
Also- I got to drive the truck last night for three miles on the side side road to the campground. Wowza~ it is a whole lot of fun.
Stay tuned for blogs from our visit through Glacier a few days a go. :-)
We did good yesterday though, we stopped early enough to set up camp in the daylight and walk to a restaurant here in the campground and have a lovely dinner. We had battered, fried Wisconsin Cheese Curds- as recommended by Patrick Hahn. Man were they good. I may have eaten the whole basket of them...
Also- I got to drive the truck last night for three miles on the side side road to the campground. Wowza~ it is a whole lot of fun.
Stay tuned for blogs from our visit through Glacier a few days a go. :-)
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Geographical Center Of North America
So, we are hammering East towards Devil's Lake, North Dakota, but I want to send this little message to let everyone know we are safe. I am posting this from the bottom of the obelisk that marks the Geographical Center of North America, and there are many other posts which we will put up when we stop for real. I don't know how people live here: the wind never stops and has been blowing us all over the road. We have been through Glacier National Park; up the Going to the Sun Road, which quite frankly scared the piss out of me; and through about half of the Great Plains. Now, I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea here, Allison and I love fields, but this is ridiculous, and needs to stop. We have been communication-dark for days as there is no internet, cell coverage, text messaging, or anything for much of route 2 so that is why we have been quiet for so many days. This part of the country makes my old home in Halifax, Vermont look like Time Square. Dear Lord get me out of here!
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Flat Tires and Hot Rods
The temperature still has not broken, and to be honest Allison and I are suffering in the Rover which officially has a name: Nellie. That name comes to us by suggestion of our good friend Pedr, and references a very funny story from my friend John Tobiaz. (Not going to tell that story at this time, as it takes about 15 minutes, but if you wish to hear it I will be glad to relay over a few beers.)
We have made it to just about 20 minutes west of Glacier National Park and have stopped to do some laundry. The drive over is gorgeous:
From the passenger seat of Nellie driving through West of Glacier.
Outside of Kalispell, MT, which is the kind of place I need to drag Allison away from. If I were to take my eyes off her for a second she could very likely call Brandt, have him sell everything, and set up shop right out here in the Big Sky Country. I don't know if I would stop her if she did, and it is only the heat that is preventing us from never coming back east. Too pretty here.
Of course, it wasn't easy getting here as we got a nice little nail in our tire on the way over the mountains West of Troy, MT and had to limp into town on the spare. The spare, to be clear, might be one of the original tyres (British spelling) and surprised the hell out of me when it held the weight of the truck. Of course, we pulled into Troy, MT at 6:00 and realized we had switched back to Mountain Time, making it 7:00. Now, I don't want to go into too much detail here, but let's just say, the good people of Montana are God fearin' folk and close up promptly at 5:00 on Saturday evenings with no intentions of opening on the Lord's Day. We were thusly informed by the nice young man at the liquor store - which, I swear to God, sold guns right out of the same case they keep the hard booze in - and proceeded down the road to the small hamlet of Libby, MT where we discovered a full on Hot Rod car show in full effect. This turned out to be a God send as one of the local car club guys called his son-in-law's brother and arranged to have the local tire shop opened on Sunday. Open on SUNDAY people!!! I can't tell you what a big deal this is in Libby, MT.
Well, thanks to Brian at the tire shop for getting us all fixed up, and charging us $75 to replace the tube in my tyre. yes, that's right, our tyres have TUBES! I don't know if that is a good thing or not, but welcome the opinions of all. Apparently it was a major hardship for Brian to help some newlyweds out on the Day of Rest, but he had no trouble taking my cash. Anyway, we are back on track and should be in Glacier National Park this evening. Hope all is well with everyone back home, as well as those we have met on the way.
We have made it to just about 20 minutes west of Glacier National Park and have stopped to do some laundry. The drive over is gorgeous:
From the passenger seat of Nellie driving through West of Glacier.
Outside of Kalispell, MT, which is the kind of place I need to drag Allison away from. If I were to take my eyes off her for a second she could very likely call Brandt, have him sell everything, and set up shop right out here in the Big Sky Country. I don't know if I would stop her if she did, and it is only the heat that is preventing us from never coming back east. Too pretty here.
Of course, it wasn't easy getting here as we got a nice little nail in our tire on the way over the mountains West of Troy, MT and had to limp into town on the spare. The spare, to be clear, might be one of the original tyres (British spelling) and surprised the hell out of me when it held the weight of the truck. Of course, we pulled into Troy, MT at 6:00 and realized we had switched back to Mountain Time, making it 7:00. Now, I don't want to go into too much detail here, but let's just say, the good people of Montana are God fearin' folk and close up promptly at 5:00 on Saturday evenings with no intentions of opening on the Lord's Day. We were thusly informed by the nice young man at the liquor store - which, I swear to God, sold guns right out of the same case they keep the hard booze in - and proceeded down the road to the small hamlet of Libby, MT where we discovered a full on Hot Rod car show in full effect. This turned out to be a God send as one of the local car club guys called his son-in-law's brother and arranged to have the local tire shop opened on Sunday. Open on SUNDAY people!!! I can't tell you what a big deal this is in Libby, MT.
Well, thanks to Brian at the tire shop for getting us all fixed up, and charging us $75 to replace the tube in my tyre. yes, that's right, our tyres have TUBES! I don't know if that is a good thing or not, but welcome the opinions of all. Apparently it was a major hardship for Brian to help some newlyweds out on the Day of Rest, but he had no trouble taking my cash. Anyway, we are back on track and should be in Glacier National Park this evening. Hope all is well with everyone back home, as well as those we have met on the way.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
A Wedding Toast
Wanted to put this up for everyone to see. This is Brandt's toast - my best man - at the wedding reception:
Frankly, it brings tears to my eyes reading it right now after one week of wedded bliss.
As a brief update, we are still in Spokane. We are on our way out now, but we got held up yesterday putting the spare on the hood - or since it is a Rover, the Bonnet. We camped last night in Riverside State Park outside of Spokane and had a great nights rest. It cooled off so much last night that it was downright chilly, which was a nice switch after having driven through the dessert at 110 degrees - not counting the heat coming off the engine.
I would like to say that 55 miles per hour is VERY fast in a 1964 Rover, so we are really on Rover time now, which is to say, taking our sweet ass time.
We will post more pictures later as we need to beat feet out of here if we are to get to Glacier today. We have a bout 250 miles to go, which sounds like nothing to those of you driving modern cars, but it will certainly take us all day.
The SPOT locater is in tracking mode now which means it just follows up without us having to update it. So, feel free to follow along, it is working flawlessly.
May your gas tank never run empty, except for when you'd like to just sit together under the stars.
May your ignition switch always turn each other on.
May your transfer case shift smoothly through your highs, lows, and neutrals.
May your spark plugs always ignite passion in your life.
May your four wheel drive always get you through the tough spots.
And may you love each other even after the wheels come off.
Frankly, it brings tears to my eyes reading it right now after one week of wedded bliss.
As a brief update, we are still in Spokane. We are on our way out now, but we got held up yesterday putting the spare on the hood - or since it is a Rover, the Bonnet. We camped last night in Riverside State Park outside of Spokane and had a great nights rest. It cooled off so much last night that it was downright chilly, which was a nice switch after having driven through the dessert at 110 degrees - not counting the heat coming off the engine.
I would like to say that 55 miles per hour is VERY fast in a 1964 Rover, so we are really on Rover time now, which is to say, taking our sweet ass time.
We will post more pictures later as we need to beat feet out of here if we are to get to Glacier today. We have a bout 250 miles to go, which sounds like nothing to those of you driving modern cars, but it will certainly take us all day.
The SPOT locater is in tracking mode now which means it just follows up without us having to update it. So, feel free to follow along, it is working flawlessly.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Spokane
We are behind the wheel of the Series IIa and it is GREAT. She is beautiful but so far without a name... Allison and I have been tossing names around, but we would welcome input from the peanut gallery, so feel free to make some suggestions. Right now she is performing better then expected and running strong so we think this would be the time to name her something pretty. Soon - and there is no way to say exactly how soon, but you know it will happen - she will break down and we will curse her and want to name her things like "Satan's spawn", and it would be a shame for such a name to stick, so let's get a good moniker for the lovely lady before our opinions are sullied.
Of course there is no way to name her without seeing her, so here are a few snapshots of the splendor...
Well, we just made the push through to Spokane, which is a long stretch through the high dessert of Eastern Washington State. So pretty that I don't even have the words for it, so I'll let a few pictures do the talking:
This picture was taken in the high dessert south west of Spokane, WA. We took the rover for a bit of a spin off the main road, but did not stray too far as the Rover is new to us and relatively unknown.
Of course there is no way to name her without seeing her, so here are a few snapshots of the splendor...
Well, we just made the push through to Spokane, which is a long stretch through the high dessert of Eastern Washington State. So pretty that I don't even have the words for it, so I'll let a few pictures do the talking:
This picture was taken in the high dessert south west of Spokane, WA. We took the rover for a bit of a spin off the main road, but did not stray too far as the Rover is new to us and relatively unknown.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
In Seattle
We have arrived in Seattle and are waiting for our 4:30 shuttle to Ellensburg, WA to pick up the Rover. Steve - AKA: Mission Control - came down from an hour north to drop of the Spot Satellite Personal Tracker and we are sitting in a coffee shop trying to figure it out. Our next post will include how to follow our progress across the country.
Mission Control Steve doing a drive by with his dad in Seattle to get us our SPOT satellite tracker. Much thanks to Mr. Young for his understanding of the Honeymoon adventure and driving an hour down to Seattle with Steve to get it to us!!
Mission Control Steve doing a drive by with his dad in Seattle to get us our SPOT satellite tracker. Much thanks to Mr. Young for his understanding of the Honeymoon adventure and driving an hour down to Seattle with Steve to get it to us!!
All Aboard!!!
It is not every day that two people are able to travel cross country with one another. Indeed, when most people make the decision to get into a car and drive the breadth of the one of the largest countries on the face of the planet, it is certain to end in some kind of disaster or other. Perhaps the two hapless people will find that they are not as mutually compatible as was previously thought; or maybe they will discover that each is perfectly suited for the other but the fates have put up certain road blocks between them and their mutual satisfaction and happiness; or even an act of nature, such as a tornado or mud slide, could just wipe out the journey and leave the fair travelers stranded, or worse...
These kinds of worries are not unreasonable when embarking on a serious adventure, and any traveler who considers themselves to be of the breed that seeks out a little more challenge than just the standard Disney World vacation, or layabout on the beach, should have such thoughts firmly in their head before they get in the car. Or truck. Or Land Rover. Of course, folks who lean towards the lovely machines from merry old England are, in my opinion, the most adventurous of sorts, and such is the nature of my beautiful new wife and I. Hence we have chosen to take our honeymoon driving across the United States by Land Rover. Not just any Land Rover, mind you. See, Allison and I are very adventurous, so a 2008 LR3 would not do for our needs. We opted instead for a 1964 Series IIa 88. Ours comes with a pickup truck top and a recent paint job done with a brush by the gentleman we purchased it from. We have not driven it, nor have we had any kind of inspection done by a local Land Rover mechanic. The simple reason for this lack of basic investigatory self preservation is simple: there is no local Rover mechanic. We have grown fond of saying that our honeymoon is powered by gasoline and blind faith, and perhaps it is true as we do have a certain believe in our fellow human beings to do the right thing and we know we will break down and have great adventures on the way.
When told of our plans, our Land Rover mechanic - Glenn at DAP in Springfield, Vermont – tried to keep a straight face, but I noticed the barely perceptible shake of his head and the sudden downturn at the edges of his mouth, suggesting his lack of belief and faith in at least two fellow humans. Steve Young, also of DAP in Springfield, took things differently, perhaps because of his deep passion for Series Rovers, or maybe because he knows it is Glenn that will be walking me through road side repairs while he basks in the knowledge that he can look forward to enjoying my customary form of payment upon my return: Lasagna Bolognese.
Steve is also less worried because he knows we will be traveling with the comfort of a SPOT satellite locater, which has been graciously provided to us for the honeymoon by the folks at SPOT. We will be using this device to add information to our blog entries and allow our friends and family to know exactly where we are at all times. The SPOT satellite locater will not only send out an emergency distress signal to rescue and law enforcement, it can also contact a select list of personal contacts for less critical help – the kind that does not require the full blown cavalry - as well as send out a little blurb that just lets people know we are OK and marks our location on our blog site's google map. It is very exciting and I can promise has set our families' respective minds at ease as we embark on this tip.
Things are quite upbeat now, of course, because we have yet to arrive in Ellensberg, Washington to pick up the truck, and as such are still filled with good cheer and a sense of adventure. All of this could change, but we have done our best to prepare for the eventuality that the truck will break down by traveling with a good set of spare parts and the knowledge that we can have anything we need drop shipped in within 24 hours by our mission control center at Steve's desk, DAP, Springfield, VT. Until then we will be on the train from Boston, MA to Seattle, WA, enjoying traveling the old fashioned way, and even though the dinning car no longer serves first class travelers by candle light, it suits us as we head towards our Land Rover.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Stuck in Albany
We are MARRIED!!! Which is, of course, great, however we are now stuck in Albany, New York waiting for Amtrak to deal with the massive flooding that they are experiencing here. What this means to us is that our train is seriously delayed.
The plan here is to take the train from Boston to Seattle in three legs - we have completed leg one - and to pick up our 1964 Series IIa Land Rover and drive it back to Southern Vermont where we will be greeted by our loving dogs, bird, rabbit and, most importantly, my fantastic son Tom!
We like to say that we are powered by gasoline and blind faith since we have never seen the truck that we have already paid for. Certainly there are reasons to worry: the fact that the truck sat in a barn for 35 years and more than likely has rotted seals everywhere and will fail within 100 miles; that I am not so handy with a wrench, but do have a box of parts and tools to try to fix things if I need too; the price of gas. We have good advice from Steve at DAP in Springfield, Vermont - who for the sake of description is the honeymoon guru and Rover advisor - and Spot satellite locator products - who have graciously provided us with a SPOT for our journey. We will be reviewing its usability on our trip and expect it to be much fun providing information to all as we travel the country.
That's all for now as the train is boarding!!!! We will post from Chicago. Hope everyone is having a great time in the rainy east coast and please keep your fingers crossed for us for good weather because... um ... the windshield wipers don't work on the IIa.
The plan here is to take the train from Boston to Seattle in three legs - we have completed leg one - and to pick up our 1964 Series IIa Land Rover and drive it back to Southern Vermont where we will be greeted by our loving dogs, bird, rabbit and, most importantly, my fantastic son Tom!
We like to say that we are powered by gasoline and blind faith since we have never seen the truck that we have already paid for. Certainly there are reasons to worry: the fact that the truck sat in a barn for 35 years and more than likely has rotted seals everywhere and will fail within 100 miles; that I am not so handy with a wrench, but do have a box of parts and tools to try to fix things if I need too; the price of gas. We have good advice from Steve at DAP in Springfield, Vermont - who for the sake of description is the honeymoon guru and Rover advisor - and Spot satellite locator products - who have graciously provided us with a SPOT for our journey. We will be reviewing its usability on our trip and expect it to be much fun providing information to all as we travel the country.
That's all for now as the train is boarding!!!! We will post from Chicago. Hope everyone is having a great time in the rainy east coast and please keep your fingers crossed for us for good weather because... um ... the windshield wipers don't work on the IIa.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Day 1 + 12
OK folks, this is where the Allison and David honeymoon blog will live. I know some people will be following with interest because they are interested in us, and love us, and some will be interested in whether we make it or not in our 1964 IIA. Steve at DAP is still working on getting the folks over at SPOT to see if we can be the test truck on their location tracking device which posts to google maps and tracks where your at at all times. Very cool product which we very much hope will work out. If it doesn't so be it, and we will just have to post location changes by hand - whoa is me!
We look forward to keeping everyone posted on our travels and hope all will enjoy our adventure through this blog. Taley - ho!
We look forward to keeping everyone posted on our travels and hope all will enjoy our adventure through this blog. Taley - ho!
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