Scratching the Surface

August 20, 2009
We have avoided Cleveland and are in Streetsboro, Ohio. Seems like a nice enough town. But I say this based on one short drive down a road, a stop at the grocery store and a dash into a motel room. The latter is nicer than what we had last night. Of course, yesterday afternoon when I walked into the lobby and saw the desk people behind the plexi-glass windows, I knew I was in a different world than the U.P. I don't know whether it was bulletproof or not, but I assume it was. And the toilet was on pretty soft flooring. You could feel it sinking. Someone sometime will have an unpleasant surprise. Anyway, we had a good drive here. We discovered some excellent signage just into Ohio directing us to the Rt 80/Rt 90/ Ohio Turnpike. We stopped to get new windshield wipers because we did hit a rainstorm and the driver's side wiper started coming off.
Last night we watched the news and there was a story about a 12-year-old who shot and killed a 24-year-old woman. He is being tried as an adult. This is certainly tragic and indicative of some serious personal AND cultural problems. But the station did a poll asking people whether there should be more regulation around how people store their guns. The result was that 80% said no more regulation was needed/wanted. They talked to the victim's father who felt that the death penalty would be a better result for this child than the possibility of life imprisonment. I understand his position and I cannot even begin to understand his pain. But how exactly will any of this help solve the larger problem? His daughter is dead. She will be dead no matter what happens. And because we refuse, as a society, to deal with the real problem, in the future someone else's daughter will be dead too. Does this kid have serious issues that need to be addressed? Absolutely. But we live in a society where guns are everywhere and violence is entertainment. There's enough evidence to show that these things matter. Who knows what particular dysfunction was afoot in his family. In spite of the lip service we like to give aboyt "family values," this society does a great deal to undermine family relationships, not support them. I don't know the details, but clearly this boy had troubles in his life, probably at many levels. But do we want to take any small part of the responsibility? Nope. People just keep going on about rights. And they keep hoping that they can take care of the problem at the surface. This is the case here, with the economy, and in so many other ways. Imprison a child and pretend that you're actually done something useful. Then when it happens again, be surprised at how bad these kids today are. The economy is crumbling. No kidding—it was bound to happen. It's not sustainable as currently constructed. But what kind of serious discussion is going on about the foundational issues that led us to this point? The voices must be few and far between, because I am not hearing them. This is so typical of this culture. People run around like their hair is on fire trying to take care of things after the fact. You can't make big changes—which is what is needed when you are dealing with things from an emergency perspective. The emergency has to be dealt with, of course, but the root of the problem must be dealt with as well. Going back to our old economic habits—if that is possible—will not get at the real problem. Throwing this young boy in jail after trying him as an adult will not solve the problem. It's hard to deal with these big problems, but what is the cost of doing nothing? It will be pretty high.

Places

August 19, 2009
We're in Flint, Michigan. Might as well be another planet. We started off in the peace and beauty of the U.P. and ended up here. The bridge was a trip this morning. It seemed huge. According to a postcard I saw, including the approaches, the bridge is 5 miles long. It's an attractive structure. They were working on it, so we were in the inside lane, and there was equipment between us and the view sometimes, but it was still a nice sight. Then it was a few more hours of nice scenery until we gradually ran into more traffic and eventually, 4 lanes of it. By the time we drove by Saginaw, we knew we were back in what people tend to call “civilization.” I think we were going by the outskirts of Saginaw—at least I hope so, because it seemed to be pretty industrial. There was a weird smell in the air. Thirty miles later, Flint. Bill's stress level kept rising as the traffic got thicker. I don't blame him. There's a reason I hate driving.
This seems like urban with some grit added in. Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Fargo were urban. The first two were pleasant enough. They seemed like nice places, even if they were large and too busy for my taste. I wouldn't want to live there. I didn't much care for Fargo, but it was still not quite like this. I could visit the Twin Cities again. I hope to never be here after tomorrow. Of course, tomorrow I will be just outside of Cleveland, so I am not sure how much of an improvement that will be. I am sure that there are people who adore Cleveland. I have only been there once. I have what is probably an ignorant and stereotypical idea about Cleveland not being very inviting. And since I will just be passing through, tomorrow will not do anything to enlighten me, I suppose. I have been thinking today that Burlington will be interesting. We read that it is the smallest town to be the largest city in a state. The population is about 35,000 people, I think—maybe a few thousand more—so it's about the size of Klamath Falls. But it's close to places like Boston and Montreal, and seems to have some really progressive thinkers. I know from experience that you can't go by what you see on the web. There were things in Klamath Falls that looked really good until I got there and saw the reality, which was nothing like what was advertised. So I am either a chump or a hopeless optimist or something, because even after my experience in Klamath Falls, I am really starting to see possibilities for our time in Vermont. I am hoping that some of this stuff really is happening and really is there for me to be involved in. The Quaker Earthcare organization is based there. The Quakers seem like they're active and involved. There's a whole bunch of stuff. So I am starting to feel hopeful about what we will discover. And the city is small enough to be comfortable and not so small that we will be isolated. Larger cities are close by in case the opportunity to do projects or some other kind of work comes up. And it would be nice to see Quebec again. Bill and I went there for a weekend once (when we lived in NH) but that was about 25 years ago. Anyway, those are my rambling thoughts about places for today.
Tomorrow, Cleveland.

St. Ignace

August 18, 2009
St. Ignace, Michigan. We're ate the southern edge of the Upper Peninsula. Tomorrow when we leave here, we will get on the Mackinac Bridge and cross the Strait of Mackinac, which is the point where Lakes Huron and Michigan come together. We're at the eastern edge of Route 2, which we picked up in Duluth, MN a few days ago. It has been a very beautiful portion of the trip, with plenty of wildflowers, big trees, lots of green, and even the beginning of the fall colors. We have enjoyed being in some rural areas and driving through small towns. There were many “For Sale” signs on various tourist-related businesses, so I guess the economy is having an impact.
The campground here is nice. It's very quiet, which is appreciated after the noisy, chaotic mess that was Hayward. And it's clean, which is something we all appreciate much more after Moorhead! I am reminded of Fairbanks, because the leaves are changing, though they are probably farther along up there than they are here. We have lots of birch trees around us here, which is what we were surrounded by at our house in Alaska, as well as pine trees. When we lived there, I would start sticking my head out the door every morning at around this time of year to see whether that nip was in the air yet. I knew fall was coming. And so I am reminded here that summer is passing and soon we will be in a new season.

The town of St Ignace is very pleasant. It is apparently the 3rd oldest city in the US and was founded by father Marquette. It seems that the French were big colonizers around here. We drove downtown earlier today, parked and spent a few hours walking around. The main street is State Street and it borders Lake Huron.

There's a boardwalk that goes along the lake and one that goes out to a lighthouse and a fishing dock—at least, fishing is permitted in a corner of the dock. Along the boardwalk is a public marina and a little park with a couple of picnic tables and grills. I was happy to see this. One of the things that struck me as we have been looking at various downtowns on this trip is the lack of public community space. There are plenty of places to buy things, and even places to gather if you want coffee or food. And revitalization always seems to mean putting more stores in so people will come downtown, buy stuff, and leave. I understand this and think that it can be a positive thing, since usually downtown areas consist of small merchants who are local and not giant chain stores. On the other hand, since I am not a fan of mindless consumerism, and many of these places need to encourage that to stay in business, I am uncomfortable with that being the only focus. I think there need to be more places where people can come together and just be without having to buy something.

And to their credit, the people of this community seem to have done some of that with the public areas by the lake, and the summer activities like music in the park a few nights a week, and fireworks downtown every Saturday.
It's been interesting to see how the available food has been changing as we've come across the country. Here it's pasties. For those who don't know what these are, they are little pies filled with meat or fish, potatoes, onions, and sometimes rutabagas. As far as I know, these were common food for miners in Wales and other parts of Britain, because they were cheap, filling, and the miners could bring them down into the mines and eat them there. I was kind of surprised to see them as a big thing here, because when we started out in Iron Mountain, we were in Scandinavian territory—the next town was Norway. But there are pasty shops and stands everywhere—much like you see salt water taffy everyplace in a coastal town. Somewhere in the midwest—I think it might have been Moorhead—I noticed the summer sausage. I had forgotten all about that. It's a big thing here and I remember it from my days in Illinois as a child. As I recall, I used to eat it once in awhile, but I never liked it as much as Italian sausage. And somewhere in Montana or maybe it was in Bismarck, I started noticing how hard it was to find chicken and stuff like turkey sausage. When I could find it, it was outrageously expensive. At that point, it was practically all beef and pork. In the store in Hayward there was a section near the deli with premade sandwiches. One of the selections was a pork roast croissant. I thought that was interesting. And food simply seems more expensive. Maybe because I am not shopping the way I normally would, but it just seems like everything costs a great deal more.
I got a sad email from a friend yesterday telling me that her dog had died. Kiki was 15 and a wonderful 4-legged-furry person. She was very important in the life of my friend and I felt so bad for her. I was remembering my own pain at the loss of my dogs over the past couple of years and I wish I could do or say something to make it a little less painful for her. I know she will get through it, but it's hard. I met Kiki when she was just a puppy back in 1994 when my friend was living in idaho and we went to visit her. It seems like she's just always been there. She loved to play ball and would go get it and bring it back for you to throw again and again and again.
We are enjoying what will probably be our last rural stop until we get to Vermont in a couple of weeks. We are heading back into congestion and crowds and all of that. I imagine there will be some space in between cities as we are driving, but we will zip right by it. We are also supposed to be getting rain and thunderstorms, so we will be moving along a bit faster and planning to stay in motels for a few nights. Tomorrow we will be in Flint, Michigan. The next night we will be in Streetsboro, Ohio, just outside of Cleveland. We found a good deal on a room there—only a few dollars more than the campground, and the campground looked most unpleasant. Based on the map they provide on their website, it looked like a small city unto itself. And it was expensive. So we will stop, sleep, and move on. On Friday we will be somewhere in Pennsylvania. And on Saturday we will go to my aunt's house in New Jersey. I am looking forward to that. I have not been there or seen her in over 12 years. She was very important to me when I was a kid and I spent lots of happy times in the house where she still lives. She is going to show me how she makes sausage and peppers. My Nana always made ravioli and Aunt Marie always made sausage and peppers. I do love sausage and peppers—especially hers! So it will be great to be there and see her!

Urban Camping

August 15, 2009
Glad to be leaving Hayward. This campground has been crazy! The first night we were here, some people moved in across the “street.” There were about a billion little children who seemed to cry at the drop of a hat. Cry, cry, cry. Festive. They also felt the need to set up one of their tents right next to the fence, banging our truck with their tent poles and stuff as they did so. Later, after we were in our tents, a new bunch moved in across the other street (we were at the end of a street). It sounded like a family reunion or something. Clearly, it was a rude and inconsiderate family because it was dark out and past 11, which is the beginning of quiet time. These people had no clue what to do with the concept of “quiet.” We were treated to the saga of where to put the tent, as in, “What do you think, Chris? Where should we put the tent? It looks pretty level, but there could be a slight incline over here.” Then after awhile, “What do you think Chris? I think it's pretty level, but there could be an incline. Chris?” I am sure that Chris had run screaming from the campground by then. After this scintillating conversation, there ensued the endless repetition about what kind of sausage was available and how many of each. There were two blue cheese and one of a few other kinds. I was hoping that there would not be fights over the limited sausage supply. Stakes were pounded into the ground as the loud guy finally decided to leave the tent where it was, incline or not. Of course no night at the campground would be complete without a discussion about texting. Not about any specific text message, mind you, but just about texting. I had no idea that people could find this fascinating enough to discuss in loud tones in the middle of a campground in the middle of the night.
After finally falling asleep, I woke up the next morning with a completely blocked left ear and some sinus pressure. There were so many people jammed into the small space at the campground, each with their own fire pit. Everyone needed a fire for some unfathomable reason. It was hot, so why fire sounded like a good idea, I do not know. Wood smoke has a bad effect on me, so I was not surprised to wake up as I did. Fortunately for me, my friend, Doctor Ken, had given me some OTC allergy medicine that works well for him. When my head started to pound, I took a pill. I was feeling great in 15 minutes. Thank you, Ken!!
It's a good thing I didn't have to go through the day with a headache, because the Rude Family reunion would have done me in. People kept arriving. They—and several other people—kept their fires burning throughout the day. The loud discussions continued. And though some of the group tried to be considerate and walk around our campsite, a bunch of them kept walking straight through to get to the bathroom, instead of going around. It was like Grand Central Station. People constantly walking back and forth through our campsite, the children across the way crying endlessly, smoke everywhere—it was a zoo.
To add to the fun, our tent pole snapped. We had seen that it was cracked when we put up the tent and we went into town to see if we could find a replacement pole (unlikely) or a new tent (possible). We found neither, but I did get a pair of flip-flops for 99 cents and I came back and spent some happy time crocheting flowers out of some variegated sock yarn that I attached to the toe piece. Anyway, that afternoon, the pole snapped and Bill taped it and dug out some bungee cords. We attached these to either side of the broken pole and trees. It was enough to hold until we took down the tent. On our way to Iron Mountain, where we are now, we stopped at a Super K Mart in Ironwood (we are in iron country) and got a new tent on clearance. At least the timing was good.
Our cooler also bit the dust. It was leaking. Just a small leak, but I really didn't want to have it in the back of the truck when it sprung a big leak, so we left it there. We had it for almost 25 years, so it served us well. And Bill's backpack zipper seems to be shot, too. It's the one for the small front pocket, so he can still use it until he can find another one. He's had that for 12 years or so.
By the time night came, we were unable to muster up the energy to attend the clown show that the campground was putting on. But we could hear it and see the lights they used. The Rude Family had been playing catch—complete with family radar gun to measure the speed of the throws—on the road. Now, call me an old fuddy-duddy, but it seems to me that when there are people everywhere and cars parked in between, this is probably not the best place to encourage children to throw a hard ball around. OK, so they were only throwing at 33 mph, a factoid I knew because they had to announce—in the loudest possible voices, of course—the speed of each pitch. Still, I believe that this is why the campground provides a big field—so that people can play catch. Throughout our stay, other people seemed to have grasped this.
We were curious to see what would happen the second night. The tents were erected. The sausage was, presumably, eaten. There seemed to be little left to say about texting. What would they talk about? How would our neighbor feel about all of this? She had complained to Bill about their behavior on the previous night (it wasn't just me!). On this night, it was the lights. They sat around their campfire with lights blazing. Lights—bright lights—everywhere. Looked like headlights being beamed into the tent. The chattering continued, though pancakes seemed to be a topic of discussion instead of sausage. People kept walking back and forth through our site. It was hot. There were more fires than the night before. And on this night, campground security came and told the Rude Family to turn off the lights and be quiet.
The next morning we packed up and left for Iron Mountain in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We drove on Route 2. There were beautiful wildflowers on the side of the road, more foliage, and lots of trees. We drove alongside Lake Superior for a time. It was beautiful and it was far more peaceful in the truck than it was in the campground!

Tamarack to Tamarac

August 13, 2009
We left Burnsville, MN (just south of Minneapolis/St Paul) this morning. We started on Tamarack Drive and drove to Hayward, WI, where we pulled into the KOA and parked on Tamarac Lane. We were in Burnsville for 4 days. It was great! We stayed with the cousin of a friend from Klamath Falls. We met a few days before we left as she was visiting family while on her own journey. Anyway, she started out as a friend's cousin and ended up being a new friend!! She was so kind to all of us. We were very well cared for, which we all greatly appreciated. We got to spend lots of time talking and getting to know one another. We were driven around the area and Bill got to be a passenger for once and take lots of photos.


We went to the Mall of America where I was reminded once again of the short-sightedness of our leaders—corporate, political, and others. The whole thing is, of course, devoted to mindless consumerism, though there is a small church on the first floor. I am not sure what kinds of things they do, but there was an announcement about an AA meeting. So you get to go to your recovery meeting in a place that feeds on a different kind of addictive behavior. Crazy.
There are food places scattered all around the place, but there is an area where they are more concentrated. With many different options to choose from, I noticed that the lines were by far the longest at Taco Bell. Next longest was Burger King. I suppose this may have something to do with price—you can get cheap food that fills you up at Taco Bell.

I was walking around the 3 floors of the mall wondering how many clothes stores can possibly be kept in business. The clothes all looked the same. Of course, I am someone who has worn hand-me-downs from friends or bought stuff in thrift shops for years. For the entire 5 years I lived in Klamath Falls, I think I bought 2 flannel shirts new and they were on clearance. That's it for new clothes. So I don't know much about buying clothes in a store devoted entirely to that. And I suppose that in a large metropolitan area like that, it is easier to build up brand loyalty or something. And then there are the tourists. I noticed a bunch of hotels/motels around the mall. Some of them were already there because of the proximity to the airport, but some were built especially to cater to the tourists who come to the mall.

Perhaps they need to consult with the “pout expert” on the 3rd floor. I am not sure how many towns have one of their own. As far as I know, I have never lived in a town with one, but then I am far, far out of that loop!

A couple of days later, we went to the Global Marketplace downtown. It's an old Sears building that was closed at some point. Then they turned it into a little mini-mall type of place, but with a twist. There are a bunch of vendors from all over the world that have stalls inside. Some sell merchandise and some sell food. We had some really great curry there. They have places to sit down scattered all around. You could get Mexican, Italian,. African, and Middle Eastern food. I was thinking as we were eating that it seems symbolic to have such a place in an old Sears building. You always hear these stories about people in rural areas long ago waiting eagerly for the Sears catalogue to come in the mail. It's like a piece of US history. And now it illustrates a new segment of US history where people from all over the world become United Statesians and make lives here. It was a great place.

We also got to spend some quality time relaxing and recharging. That was nice and very much needed after our weather adventure over the weekend.
We headed out in the morning and only later realized that there was a shorter route we could have taken. It would have saved us about 80 miles. Oh well. When we pulled into the campground, we were glad to be stopped. It was clearly very full, so we weren't sure we'd get a site. But the woman at the desk found something and as we were registering, she suddenly got very animated. “You are VIPs!” she exclaimed. “ Has anyone given you your tablecloth yet?” she inquired. We told her—in a rather dazed fashion—that we had not yet received our complimentary VIP tablecloth. She was highly excited. “I get to give it to you!” she enthused as she went to get it from the cabinet. Then she was eager to read us the letter that was on her computer, which she proceeded to do in very enthusiastic tones. I could feel the smile freezing on my face as she went on and on and everyone else stood around watching. I clutched my new tablecloth—complete with elastic edge so it fits right over the picnic table and a design that consists of the map showing all the KOAs in North America—and we went back to the truck. The one good thing about it all was that we had enough points racked up to not only be VIPs, but to get $25 off of our fee. And that was besides the tablecloth, of course.

We found our site and were a bit taken aback. There were plenty of big trees. And plenty of people. Unfortunately, what there was not a lot of was space. They crammed people in like sardines. There was no grass. There was barely space to set up both tents because the trees were too close together. Bill was having fits trying to figure out where and how to park the truck so that we could get out and not block our neighbor's space at the same time. We figured it out. It was hot. Odd, that, since we had seen the leaves turning on the trees on the way to the campground. So I was reminded that fall is on its way—YIPPEE--and then experienced some of the hottest weather we've had on the trip. Bill commented that he hoped it wouldn't rain because everything was dirt. If it did rain, we'd be washed away on a river of mud. But we were tired and stiff from sitting in the truck, so it was good to be stopped, even if it felt more urban than the place we'd just left!

tornado

August 8, 2009
More weather. Our decision to come back to the motel today is looking better and better. We knew there were severe thunderstorm warnings for the area and a heat advisory. As I type, Bill is looking out the window at the lightning. They were saying flash floods and hail were possible. Then this afternoon while Bill was happily watching the Red Sox-Yankee game on TV, we saw the scroll at the bottom of the Tv screen that there were now tornado watches in effect for many places around the state and Wisconsin, including the county we are in. It seems that now that has been changed to a warning in counties north of here as a tornado has been spotted. The sky is pretty interesting out there. Fortunately, we are still under the watch—it goes until 10 o'clock central time. I have not been paying attention to tornado watches/warnings in a few decades! When we went out to the truck to get some stuff out for dinner, I walked out of the building and my glasses fogged up from the humidity. Some guy is talking on the TV from St Paul. He and his family have taken cover under a structure because the tornado sirens have been going off for 10 minutes. Even though we are not in the path of this tornado—it is moving away from us--I am glad we are not in our tents! And even without the tornado and thunderstorms, we would have been miserable outside with the heat and humidity. I have been exceedingly grateful for the air conditioning today!

Depends on What You Mean By Sun

August 8, 2009
Weather. I am always interested in how that will be. I hate summer heat and sun. Love rainy, grey, overcast days, precipitation and coolness. Since we're camping in tents, it's become even more relevant than usual. So the other day when we saw that it was supposed to be in the upper 80s/low90s with sunshine on Friday and Saturday, I began my mental preparations. I would be uncomfortable, but we have had such mild weather for the most part on the trip that I figured it would be ungrateful to complain. Sleeping temps have been good. Of more concern was the “isolated thunderstorms” that were supposed to be around, but we figured it would rain hard for a little while and then stop and we would be dry.
Thursday night, the rain began. Then it stopped. I went back to sleep. Bill got up at an unknown hour, but when I opened one eye to see what was going on, I could tell from the light outside that it was far too early to be moving around and I promptly fell back to sleep. I am not a morning person. I don't know how long I dozed there before I woke up to the sound of raindrops falling on the tent. It was still too early to get up, but when he got back from his shower, I got up and took one, too. I later discovered that it was about 6:10. Ridiculous. I am sure I was on autopilot, because I do not function at such an hour. And as it turned out, I needn't have bothered!!
It was still raining after my shower, but not very hard. I moved some stuff around and got into the truck and picked up my book. After awhile, Bill joined me. When the rain stopped, we fired up the stove and heated a pot of water for coffee and then another to pour into the thermos. By the time the second pot was almost done, the rain had started again, so I got out the umbrella and stood with it over the stove so it could finish. We got back into the truck with our coffee and the heavens opened up! The rain came down. And more came down. It kept coming down. Rain, rain, rain. The fire pit, which consists of a big tire rim sunk into the ground at a depth of at least 12-15 inches was half full of water. I looked around for some sign of that sunshine they had said was going to be the main weather feature of the day, but I couldn't see it because the sky was full of black clouds. It kept raining. We kept reading. After awhile I noticed Heather's tent rocking from side to side and bulging momentarily in various places. Suddenly she was sprinting to the bathroom. Then she sprinted back and I got out of the truck to let her in the backseat. There was soaking number one. I sat back in the truck dripping. Then we figured we'd better get our pillows out of the tent, so we did that. Soaking number two. I dripped some more. Then I had to go to the bathroom and change my shirt, since I apparently had not placed the cover tightly enough on my coffee cup and I dribbled coffee on my shirt. Soaking number three. I sat in the truck with a drenched, but clean shirt on and used my coffee stained T-shirt to try and dry my hair. The windows fogged up. The tent was leaking and the rain wasn't stopping, so we figured it was time to get out the backpacks that contained our clothing. Soaking number 4. Bill decided that we needed to seek some shelter, because, try as we might to find what the Minnesotans apparently refer to as sun—at least the meteorologists—we were never successful.
Since we basically had no clue where exactly we were in relation to anywhere else, except that the Twin Cities were north, and Bill did not want to drive in the urban area where we did not know our way around in a torrential downpour, we decided to head south. We'd seen a couple of motel signs so figured we could find something in Belle Plaine. We started off down the road after wiping down the inside of the windows. The windshield wipers were on as high as they were going to go. Bill could not see. Big trucks barreled by us sending us the spray from their tires. We had the windows open to prevent more steaming. The windows were dripping on the inside and the outside. Bill could not see. We passed a giant sign for this place that sells 83 kinds of licorice. I did not know there were 83 kinds of licorice. One is quite more than enough for me. The same place also has something called jalapeno eggs, which, as Heather pointed out, would be useful as an early morning wake-up breakfast. We saw a blue sign that said, “LODGING” and got off on that exit. Then we were directed to go in either direction for lodging. We took the right turn and drove. No lodging here. There were some lovely cornfields, but no lodging. Bill turned around and we got to look at what I suppose is downtown Belle Plaine. After driving parallel to the road we'd just left, I looked across it and saw an AmericInn. Cute. We had no clue how to get there. So we kept trying to head in that direction. I kept trying to keep the water from dripping into my face from my hair. We finally found the parking lot after driving around Emma Krumbee's apple orchard. Seems to be some kind of restaurant chain. Not sure if they all have accompanying orchards and markets. But this one has an accompanying AmericInn, which was the most important thing for our purposes. We parked and made a run for the lobby. Soaking number 5. I am sure I looked like quite a sight standing there dripping on the carpet.
We asked about a room. “For how many nights?” asked Tammy, the very helpful and kind woman behind the desk. We weren't sure. We explained the situation—we were camping, the rain, etc. We were thinking that since Saturday was supposed to be sunny and hot, things would dry out and we could go back to the campground. But then, should we trust the forecast? After all, at that moment, I was supposed to be dripping sweat, not creating my own personal rain shower. She looked up what she had available. She said she had one room left for 3 people for both nights. Then she said she would give it to us for both nights and if we decided on Saturday morning that we didn't want to stay, we could let her know before 11 and she wouldn't charge us for the room for the extra night. I thought that was very nice. Usually there are all kinds of time restrictions on cancellations. Then she said that we'd get a Triple A discount. Then she told us that none of the rooms were cleaned yet—it was still a quarter to noon—but she would get one of her housekeeping staff right on it so the room would be ready in half an hour!! And check-in time wasn't even until 3!! I decided that I really liked Tammy a lot! I began to have visions of a hot shower and some hot coffee.
But we still had to go back and get a few things from the campground. We left the tents there and picked up some other stuff. The fire pit was overflowing. We grabbed some lunch. It had stopped raining, but that sun was still nowhere to be found. The wind was blowing. I was soaked and cold.

We got back to the motel, got our room, put some stuff in the dryer, and learned that there was hot coffee available for free 24 hours a day in the hospitality room. Heaven! Hot coffee that I can just pour into my cup. I don't have to make it or clean up the grounds. I just have to drink it. And it is there 24 hours a day and I don't have to pay for it. Ok, I know, I already paid for it when I paid for the room. But still. Shower and a trip down the hall with my big metal cup. It is amazing how little things can bring such joy.
The afternoon passed without more rain. Then at night, I thought I heard thunder. I looked outside and discovered the lightning flashing. It was unlike anything I had ever seen before. Instead of flashing and then hearing the thunder and then seeing more flashing some time later, this was like someone standing there turning a light switch on and off. It just kept on flashing. The rain was coming down in buckets. Bill commented on the fact that there was a river flowing by our window. The rain was coming down so fast that the ground couldn't absorb it fast enough. I was glad we were not in our tents. But we figured we would go back to the campground in the morning and the Minnesota sun would be out to dry everything in short order. It was supposed to be sunny and 90, after all. But since there was a chance of thunderstorms and severe ones at that on Saturday night, we decided we would come back to the motel.
So we woke up on Saturday morning and made our way to the hospitality room for breakfast. We looked out the window. No sign of that Minnesota sun. just more grey sky. After our waffles, oatmeal, yogurt, coffee, and juice, we headed out to assess the situation at the campground. It wasn't too bad. The air was humid, so we felt like we were wrapped in wet blankets, but the only ones wet blankets around were the ones in the tents. We brought the wet stuff to the laundry room and put some in the big dryer. When our time was up, we went back to check on it and the dryer had not even gotten hot! Well, we could bring the other stuff back to the motel and dry it there, but no luck with the sleeping bags. We looked up at the sky and still there was no Minnesota sun, but there were big black clouds, so we worked a little faster. We tipped the tents to get the puddles out. We put the wet stuff in the back seat. We got things loaded up. It began to sprinkle. Bill turned on the windshield wipers.
Back at the motel, we got the littler stuff into the dryer and the sleeping bags draped over the clothes racks in the room. We brought in the air mattresses one at a time and spread them on the floor so that the wet spots would have a chance to dry. Too bad there's not enough room to set up the tents in here!
We turned on the Weather Channel and discovered that there is now a flash flood watch and a heat advisory going at the same time. More storms are expected to come through here. Torrential rain is expected. The ground is saturated and can't hold any more water. We are here in our room with the air conditioner running and the hot coffee right down the hall. It's there 24 hours a day. And did I mention that I don't even have to make it?
We still haven't seen the sun. Maybe sunny means something different in Minnesota.

New Thinking

August 6, 2009
We're in Jordan, MN. Another KOA that is a world apart from the last one. I took a shower in a clean bathroom this morning—what a treat. We're in a pretty quiet spot with lots of big trees. Hard to believe that a little bit up the road is a major metropolitan area. At some point yesterday I noticed that instead of two lanes in each direction, there were 3. I can't say that I have missed the traffic and the whole urban thing. We will take the northern route out of here and delay our immersion into the congested Midwest for a few more days when we leave here sometime next week!
I heard on the news the other day that consumer spending is up slightly while wages and saving are down. There was some euphoria about this. I just felt myself groaning. Here we go again. Everyone is trying desperately to put Humpty Dumpty together again without recognizing that that egg is rotten. How many times do we have to go back and try the same old stuff? An economy that relies on overconsumption for 70% of its activity while at the same time lowering wages whenever possible is not a sustainable one. Yet everyone keeps wanting to do it again and see if maybe it will work this time. Someone once said that was a definition of insanity. Do people never learn? What is it that makes us so unwilling to change, to try new things or new ways of being? Is the cultural pressure that strong? Do we lack a sense of responsibility for ourselves, our fellow citizens, and the planet? Or are we afraid to look at our own role in what's going on? Maybe we're scared. I don't know. I am scared, too. I am scared to keep on living in a culture that is so blind. I am scared to think about the kinds of devastation we will be witnessing if we don't start getting a grip. I am scared for all of the beings on the planet who will suffer terrible consequences as a result of our old thinking. What scares me is not new ideas or challenges, but rather having to keep living in a culture that avoids them. This is supposed to be a country where innovation is prized and original thinking is valued. The reality is rather different. Innovation? Original thinking? Great, if you can turn it into a money-making operation. Innovation and original thinking that works in service to human beings? No thanks. This is not the kind of world I wish to live in. I guess I still have some hope left that things will change and people will awaken from this consumer nightmare. Or maybe I just need to wake up!

The Worst KOA I've Ever Been In

August 1, 2009
Welcome to August. It was a strange way to end July. We went to park in the Moorhead Center Mall parking lot. The mall is not doing well at all--more empty storefronts than full. It must’ve been doing well at one time because there’s a parking lot and then a multi story parking garage!


Anyway, we parked there and walked to the Red River veteran Memorial Bridge. There is a monument halfway across, benches, and little factoids about the river and geology of the region. Rain was threatening, so we went back to the truck and drove into Fargo where Bill parked and walked around to take photos. I stayed in the truck and read and crocheted, working on the shawl my friend asked for before I left. I just don’t have a good vibe about this place. I was thinking about why that is so. I liked Bismarck a lot and I just don’t like it here. Part of it is the campground. The owners just happen to be a company that sells RVs. They never seem to be here and they leave the operation in the hands of very young people who seem to be unable to do anything. As someone told Heather in the bathroom yesterday, “This is the worst KOA I’ve ever been in.” The bathroom is never quite clean. The other day a woman stormed into the office demanding to know whether the bathroom was going to get cleaned that day. “Yes,“ the girl chirped. “Good, “ the disgruntled woman replied, “because it hasn’t been cleaned in days.“ “I just cleaned it yesterday,“ the girl squeaked. I don’t think I’d admit that, given the situation. We dread taking a shower. So I have tried to look beyond the immediate surroundings and consider the towns themselves. I realized that it’s a bit too urban for my taste. I have never liked cities. I was happy living in Portland, but the reason we left was to go to a more rural area.

As I was looking at Fargo yesterday I was struck by how similar downtowns tend to be. The names of the shops are different, but the whole point is to get people to consume--usually stuff they don’t really need.

I am sure there are some interesting things in Fargo--Bill was struck by the historical markers on the corners. There are a couple of old churches. It’s not a bad town, but it just doesn’t appeal to me. I am curious to see how things go in Minneapolis.
Observing life in this particular campground has been interesting. There are a lot of people who are temporary or seasonal workers and they are living here for the time being. Whereas the other campgrounds had lots of newer, bus-like RVs, here there are lots of older ones that need to be towed. And the whole culture is different. A few of the guys (and they are guys) have their significant others with them. They are pretty quiet. The ones that are on their own, though, are a whole other story. The other night I was kept awake in part by male people drinking beer, being loud, and throwing their empty beer bottles around. They weren’t being obnoxious, just rude. I had to get up in the night to walk to the bathroom and I didn’t want to bother Bill, so I went by myself and I will admit to being nervous about getting there in the dark. All was well in the end and the worst thing that happened was that I was tired yesterday. Still, we are all looking forward to moving on in a couple of days.