PEACE ON THE ROAD
Lost In The USA
September 9, 2005
Now before anybody gets the idea that I have gotten lost, let me reassure you that I have not gotten lost for many years, except on purpose. With the technology that I carry with me I can tell you more about where I am than any average person needs to know. In my Jeep I have a navigation system. On my computer I have another navigation program. Either or both will tell me the longitude and latitude and altitude within a few feet. They will tell me the locations of hospitals, fuel stations, restaurants and lots else. They can tell me where I need to fuel and where I need to camp, provided I tell it fuel tank capacity, MPG and hours I want to drive. It will give me a lot more information than I really need. Also we have paper maps.
There are some inaccuracies in either system. When we were in Harlingen, TX the nav system directed up to an address in the middle of a farmer’s field, several miles from its actual location. Some restaurants it says are there, have never existed. And some times there are multiple names to an individual street and that makes it hard to locate an address. We set the visual display in the Jeep display an arrow indicating direction of travel as being up, which on a map is north. Because I am used to reading up on a map as north I feel that I am having my sense of direction dulled. It was usually fairly good, but I don’t think it is as good as it was.
We have now been in 23 states, nine of them twice. Of those we have been in 10 states for a week or more. We have gone from west of the center of the United States to the east coast, down to Mexico and Key West to the south, and finally back along the east coast to Canada. So we have been through a lot of country. Everyplace we have been people have asked, “Where are you from?” Any answer we gave them was accepted as fact. We could have lied and they would still have accepted it a fact. We could get lost to the world any place we wanted. As long as a person is careful and does not attract the local police nobody asks for any identification. We establish our identity by what we do, and how we make a living. Most of my life I have been a father and a metallurgical technician. Now that I am on the road I feel that I am anchoring to those people with whom I correspond. If I allow myself to forget the contacts that I have I think that I might get lost in the USA in a way that I have never been lost before. I have heard in the last few years from several older people that as a person ages the contacts made over the years become more important. I am finding this to be true. I have renewed a couple contacts with high school friends that I am glad to have reestablished. So between technology and friendships I don’t think I will be getting lost in America for a while.
We have been here in Rochester for eight weeks. We arrived a couple of weeks earlier than we expected because we wanted to have time to get the Jeep worked on. In case I haven’t told you, our Jeep was side swiped and had some damage to the left rear quarter panel. We got it fixed here in Rochester for about $1,300.00 so there was not a lot of damage. It seems that body shops charge a thousand dollars to walk in the front door. At any rate it is fixed as good as new. We also have had the Vectra in the shop a couple of day for continuing repairs, and will have it in another day when the shop gets ordered parts. One of the first things I asked the RV repair place to do was to get the parts ordered so that waiting for parts which should have been ordered earlier would not happen when it was time to leave. Guess what folks. A part that was supposedly ordered six weeks ago never got ordered and we were told that it had been. I don’t mind staying a bit longer in Rochester than planned, but I sure want out of here before the snow flies.
It has been rather interesting here in Rochester. I believe that we have seen more continuous farm activity in the eight weeks we have been here than I have in the last forty years. While we were in Colorado we only saw any farming on a weekend drive once in a while. During the time we have been here we have observed the activities of the farms that are along the roads to our kids home. We may see an alfalfa field being cut one morning, raked the next morning, baled the next afternoon, and the field totally empty the next time we go by. We have watched the cornfields change color from full green to a near maturity greenish yellow. And then we have seen them cut for ensilage and put into silos at a dairy farm. Being here for a little longer that the two weeks we have usually stayed in one place has had some definite advantages. There is a C&W song, Ronnie Millsap I think, that talks about the good memories of growing up on the farm. But then he asks, “Could I live there anymore?” There is no question that I have missed the farm ever since I left it. I enjoy seeing the crops and animals and farm equipment and think that I would like to spend a few years working on a farm. Then I wonder just how soon I would realize that it really is not the way I remember it was. I think to be honest that I could say all the same things about working in the mineral research like I have for the last forty years. At least I have not even thought about missing the lawn mowing of home ownership.
We are staying in a camp about 40 miles from Buffalo, NY. Then it is only ten or fifteen miles further to Niagara Falls. We have been to both a couple of times. The two days we were there recently I believe have been the prettiest days we have been there. I guarantee that it was a lot better than being there in the middle of winter. But having said that I will also recommend that if you ever get the chance, “Go see Niagara Falls in the winter.”
I think that the majority of people go to the Canadian Side of the Niagara River to view the falls. There is no question that Horseshoe Falls is spectacular. On thing that amazes me is that only ten percent of the water from the Niagara River goes over the falls. Ninety percent of the water is diverted out of the river and passes through penstocks to power electric generators. Before the water was diverted the falls eroded about a foot a year, now it erodes an inch or less per year. I try to imagine what it would look like with ten times as much water going over it and I wish I had a time machine to take me back for a look at what it was like before man developed the area.
Any place close to the falls is impressive. The Canadian Falls are the biggest, but on the American side there are paths that go down to the water and even under the falls themselves. There are boats that go from both sides of the river into the plunge pool. It is worthwhile to visit both times if time permits.
Lost In The USA
September 9, 2005
Now before anybody gets the idea that I have gotten lost, let me reassure you that I have not gotten lost for many years, except on purpose. With the technology that I carry with me I can tell you more about where I am than any average person needs to know. In my Jeep I have a navigation system. On my computer I have another navigation program. Either or both will tell me the longitude and latitude and altitude within a few feet. They will tell me the locations of hospitals, fuel stations, restaurants and lots else. They can tell me where I need to fuel and where I need to camp, provided I tell it fuel tank capacity, MPG and hours I want to drive. It will give me a lot more information than I really need. Also we have paper maps.
There are some inaccuracies in either system. When we were in Harlingen, TX the nav system directed up to an address in the middle of a farmer’s field, several miles from its actual location. Some restaurants it says are there, have never existed. And some times there are multiple names to an individual street and that makes it hard to locate an address. We set the visual display in the Jeep display an arrow indicating direction of travel as being up, which on a map is north. Because I am used to reading up on a map as north I feel that I am having my sense of direction dulled. It was usually fairly good, but I don’t think it is as good as it was.
We have now been in 23 states, nine of them twice. Of those we have been in 10 states for a week or more. We have gone from west of the center of the United States to the east coast, down to Mexico and Key West to the south, and finally back along the east coast to Canada. So we have been through a lot of country. Everyplace we have been people have asked, “Where are you from?” Any answer we gave them was accepted as fact. We could have lied and they would still have accepted it a fact. We could get lost to the world any place we wanted. As long as a person is careful and does not attract the local police nobody asks for any identification. We establish our identity by what we do, and how we make a living. Most of my life I have been a father and a metallurgical technician. Now that I am on the road I feel that I am anchoring to those people with whom I correspond. If I allow myself to forget the contacts that I have I think that I might get lost in the USA in a way that I have never been lost before. I have heard in the last few years from several older people that as a person ages the contacts made over the years become more important. I am finding this to be true. I have renewed a couple contacts with high school friends that I am glad to have reestablished. So between technology and friendships I don’t think I will be getting lost in America for a while.
We have been here in Rochester for eight weeks. We arrived a couple of weeks earlier than we expected because we wanted to have time to get the Jeep worked on. In case I haven’t told you, our Jeep was side swiped and had some damage to the left rear quarter panel. We got it fixed here in Rochester for about $1,300.00 so there was not a lot of damage. It seems that body shops charge a thousand dollars to walk in the front door. At any rate it is fixed as good as new. We also have had the Vectra in the shop a couple of day for continuing repairs, and will have it in another day when the shop gets ordered parts. One of the first things I asked the RV repair place to do was to get the parts ordered so that waiting for parts which should have been ordered earlier would not happen when it was time to leave. Guess what folks. A part that was supposedly ordered six weeks ago never got ordered and we were told that it had been. I don’t mind staying a bit longer in Rochester than planned, but I sure want out of here before the snow flies.
It has been rather interesting here in Rochester. I believe that we have seen more continuous farm activity in the eight weeks we have been here than I have in the last forty years. While we were in Colorado we only saw any farming on a weekend drive once in a while. During the time we have been here we have observed the activities of the farms that are along the roads to our kids home. We may see an alfalfa field being cut one morning, raked the next morning, baled the next afternoon, and the field totally empty the next time we go by. We have watched the cornfields change color from full green to a near maturity greenish yellow. And then we have seen them cut for ensilage and put into silos at a dairy farm. Being here for a little longer that the two weeks we have usually stayed in one place has had some definite advantages. There is a C&W song, Ronnie Millsap I think, that talks about the good memories of growing up on the farm. But then he asks, “Could I live there anymore?” There is no question that I have missed the farm ever since I left it. I enjoy seeing the crops and animals and farm equipment and think that I would like to spend a few years working on a farm. Then I wonder just how soon I would realize that it really is not the way I remember it was. I think to be honest that I could say all the same things about working in the mineral research like I have for the last forty years. At least I have not even thought about missing the lawn mowing of home ownership.
We are staying in a camp about 40 miles from Buffalo, NY. Then it is only ten or fifteen miles further to Niagara Falls. We have been to both a couple of times. The two days we were there recently I believe have been the prettiest days we have been there. I guarantee that it was a lot better than being there in the middle of winter. But having said that I will also recommend that if you ever get the chance, “Go see Niagara Falls in the winter.”
I think that the majority of people go to the Canadian Side of the Niagara River to view the falls. There is no question that Horseshoe Falls is spectacular. On thing that amazes me is that only ten percent of the water from the Niagara River goes over the falls. Ninety percent of the water is diverted out of the river and passes through penstocks to power electric generators. Before the water was diverted the falls eroded about a foot a year, now it erodes an inch or less per year. I try to imagine what it would look like with ten times as much water going over it and I wish I had a time machine to take me back for a look at what it was like before man developed the area.
Any place close to the falls is impressive. The Canadian Falls are the biggest, but on the American side there are paths that go down to the water and even under the falls themselves. There are boats that go from both sides of the river into the plunge pool. It is worthwhile to visit both times if time permits.
THIS IS HORSESHOE FALLS ON THE CANADIAN SIDE IN EARLY AUGUST
APPROXIMATELY THE SAME VIEW DECEMBER 23, 2000
THE ELEGANT SIDE OF AN ANTIQUE CAROUSEL HORSE
While in Buffalo this last week we went to a museum that is housed in an old carousel factory. I am sure that you have all heard that the term “headman” comes from the manufacturing of carousel horses. As a carver would become more skilled he would move to carving different parts of the horse or menagerie animal. The very best carvers would carve the head. People would see the heads first and pay the greatest attention to them. I had never thought about it, but it logically follows that the newest apprentice would start training on the part of the horse that is the simplest to carve and the simplest to replace. Therefore, whenever you hear about some guy that says he is a “legman” he means that he is a person who is just starting to learn the trade of carving carousel horses. Now you see that what you thought they meant all these years has been wrong. You will be a lot wiser in the future simply because I went to a carousel museum in Buffalo, NY. They also manufactured the music maker for the carousel there. They manufactured simple pipe organs and they made the ones that are most familiar on carousels, the ones that sound like they have drums and horns along with the pipe organ. I found out that they call those band organs. At one of the local amusement parks, somewhere around the turn of the century there were 26 carousels operating. Today there is only one restored carousel that is operating. As a kid I can remember the fairs coming to town with a carousel as one of the rides. I always enjoyed riding on the horses. As a teenager there was somewhere that I remember getting on and off the ride, changing horses, walking around between the horses, all while the carousel was running. Today that freedom of movement would not be allowed anywhere and it probably was heavily frowned on then. I wish I could remember better where and when I was doing that. One other thing I learned at the museum was that the right side of the horse was called the elegant side. People watching the carousel go around would see the right side closer than the side towards the center. The elegant side had more detail in the carving, a fancier paint scheme and all the jewels.
The trees are starting to change colors here. There are a few bushes that are getting red and there are a few limbs on some trees that are showing quite a bit of color. Everything is starting to have the look of autumn. I have the feeling that the trees are telling us that it is almost time to start moving south. We still are unsure how long we will be in the area. All we can be sure of at this time is that we should be leaving before long. We keep having reasons to stay one more week. That has got to stop sometime. As to where we go from here, “Got any good ideas?” About the middle of December we have a reservation very close to Key West, Florida. In the time between, we only hope to see lots of fall colors along the way
Till Later This Is Doug Of
PEACE ON THE ROAD
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