Travelogue-Days 2-4
Aug. 28th, 2003 12:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
geminigirlI'm in a Kinko's in Albequerque, because we were both needing to check e-mail. We're dying for good coffee...I want a mocha latte or something like that.
My Mother's comment as we crossed the Tennessee state line..."Just be sure to keep Scott's persuasion quiet...you never know what kinds of crazy people you'll meet."
Day 2: Breakfast...discovered the joy of Wafflehouse. Scott ate the grossest thing; hash browns with onions, cheese, jalapenos, chili, ham, mushrooms, and some other things I missed. Just sitting accross from him gave me indigestion.
Graceland was cheesy, but crossed the line into creepy. Lots of pictures; I passed the camera to Scott and told him to go for it; it's his thing. Lots and lots of pictures. Then down the road for BBQ (good, sweet BBQ, which sat like a rock in my stomach for hours.) Onward we drove, to Arkansas. Crossing the Mississippi was beautiful.
Also saw the Peeps Bus in the parking lot at Graceland, where I had a driving lesson.
And then Arkansas. Where suddenly the world is flat. Just flat. We drove through Arkansas, discovered the joy of "Love's Travel Center" (of which we have visitied many) and kept driving.
Odd moment of the trip: as we're driving down the highway, Scott leans over and nudges me and says "Is that a rainbow sticker on that truck?"
I look..."No. It's a Bear Pride sticker and an HRC sticker."
Scott seemed to be far more nervous than I was about the whole gay Jew in the middle of nowhere thing.
Day three: Ate a heart attack on a plate for breakfast (chicken fried steak.) We drove and drove and drove and drove. Through Oklahoma, where we stopped in Oklahoma City to see the memorial. It was quiet and chilling, like walking past the Vietnam Wall is. I took some pictures, but I think it would have felt different if I'd seen it before 9/11...and maybe it has a different feeling for people who don't have the same personal 9/11 connections that I do.
Then to Texas, where we had to stop and see The Cadillac Ranch. Wow, that's probably one of the strangest tourist attractions in America. Kept driving, crossed the broder into New Mexico.
Admittedly, I've been glad these last two days that I can read in the car without getting sick.
Day 4: Started in Tucumcari, NM. Wow. Having gotten to now see it in the daylight, I think it's probably the most beautiful part of my trip so far. It's just breathtaking and peaceful. I wanted to go out and climb through the rocks.
Spiritual is the word for it. I'm not necessarily a religious person, by most standards, but this grabbed me from a place inside that doesn't happen very often. I'm feeling like I must come back, must be here, spend time, feel, see, touch, taste.
We're heading out to Arizona next, the Grand Canyon is on the list.
I'm having moments of wanting to kill Scott, just because we're trapped in the car. I'd like to stop and see more, he's rushing through some places. I'm tired of my feet being soaking wet because of the pile of water on the passenger side of his car, which also splashes or drips onto my feet. I can't put anything on the floor there because it will end up ruined/soaked-we tossed the tourbooks there and they're practically unreadable. But then, there are moments of pure love...where I remember all the reasons he is my friend. There aren't many people you could be in a car with, in the middle of the night, singing Rocky Horror Picture Show along with the CD and reciting all the audience participation bits. Every girl needs a friend who she can sing along with to her favorite CDS. (Strangely enough, our CD selections are remarkably similar.)
At the same time, I'm sitting here, thinking, "he'll never make it in LA. It's going to be the same thing that the last ten years have been, a cycle of blaming someone else for things not working." I don't remember ever hearing Scott take responsibility for some of the major crises I've been around him for, and that's sad and hard, but it'll happen at some point, or not, and there's nothing I can do. If he's successful, that's great and I'll celebrate with him, and if he's not, I'll still support him.
In other sad news, my parents had to put down one of the cats. Biscut was a big orange Maine Coon who appeared about ten years ago at my parents house. He was a sweet and wonderful cat who will be missed. My Dad is devastated-Biscut was really Dad's cat more than anything. It's the time of year where he normally goes to the cemetary (just before the High Holidays) and so he went yesterday, and he placed an extra stone on my grandfather's grave (Jewish people don't do flowers) and told my grandfather, who loved animals more than anyone else I know that Biscut was with him and that they should take care of each other. It was very hard to be away from home for that...away from their home, where the cat was, where Dad was, and so on, and away from my home, where my cats are. I wanted to give them extra cuddles and love, and I'm nowhere near them. I'll make it up to them when I get back. Still, it's so hard to let go. I admit, I cried for quite a while.
I think it's time to find some lunch, and get back on the road...I need to get out and take some more pictures. I've gotten quite proficient at taking photos from a moving car. :)
Talk to you again from Vegas I think.
Oh! And Bay Area people-I need to know who wants to do what, and when. I don't have phone numbers for ANYONE, so I'm counting on you to let me know when you're free and what you want to do. In the meantime, I'm figuring out what I want to see.
Can't wait to get there!
My Mother's comment as we crossed the Tennessee state line..."Just be sure to keep Scott's persuasion quiet...you never know what kinds of crazy people you'll meet."
Day 2: Breakfast...discovered the joy of Wafflehouse. Scott ate the grossest thing; hash browns with onions, cheese, jalapenos, chili, ham, mushrooms, and some other things I missed. Just sitting accross from him gave me indigestion.
Graceland was cheesy, but crossed the line into creepy. Lots of pictures; I passed the camera to Scott and told him to go for it; it's his thing. Lots and lots of pictures. Then down the road for BBQ (good, sweet BBQ, which sat like a rock in my stomach for hours.) Onward we drove, to Arkansas. Crossing the Mississippi was beautiful.
Also saw the Peeps Bus in the parking lot at Graceland, where I had a driving lesson.
And then Arkansas. Where suddenly the world is flat. Just flat. We drove through Arkansas, discovered the joy of "Love's Travel Center" (of which we have visitied many) and kept driving.
Odd moment of the trip: as we're driving down the highway, Scott leans over and nudges me and says "Is that a rainbow sticker on that truck?"
I look..."No. It's a Bear Pride sticker and an HRC sticker."
Scott seemed to be far more nervous than I was about the whole gay Jew in the middle of nowhere thing.
Day three: Ate a heart attack on a plate for breakfast (chicken fried steak.) We drove and drove and drove and drove. Through Oklahoma, where we stopped in Oklahoma City to see the memorial. It was quiet and chilling, like walking past the Vietnam Wall is. I took some pictures, but I think it would have felt different if I'd seen it before 9/11...and maybe it has a different feeling for people who don't have the same personal 9/11 connections that I do.
Then to Texas, where we had to stop and see The Cadillac Ranch. Wow, that's probably one of the strangest tourist attractions in America. Kept driving, crossed the broder into New Mexico.
Admittedly, I've been glad these last two days that I can read in the car without getting sick.
Day 4: Started in Tucumcari, NM. Wow. Having gotten to now see it in the daylight, I think it's probably the most beautiful part of my trip so far. It's just breathtaking and peaceful. I wanted to go out and climb through the rocks.
Spiritual is the word for it. I'm not necessarily a religious person, by most standards, but this grabbed me from a place inside that doesn't happen very often. I'm feeling like I must come back, must be here, spend time, feel, see, touch, taste.
We're heading out to Arizona next, the Grand Canyon is on the list.
I'm having moments of wanting to kill Scott, just because we're trapped in the car. I'd like to stop and see more, he's rushing through some places. I'm tired of my feet being soaking wet because of the pile of water on the passenger side of his car, which also splashes or drips onto my feet. I can't put anything on the floor there because it will end up ruined/soaked-we tossed the tourbooks there and they're practically unreadable. But then, there are moments of pure love...where I remember all the reasons he is my friend. There aren't many people you could be in a car with, in the middle of the night, singing Rocky Horror Picture Show along with the CD and reciting all the audience participation bits. Every girl needs a friend who she can sing along with to her favorite CDS. (Strangely enough, our CD selections are remarkably similar.)
At the same time, I'm sitting here, thinking, "he'll never make it in LA. It's going to be the same thing that the last ten years have been, a cycle of blaming someone else for things not working." I don't remember ever hearing Scott take responsibility for some of the major crises I've been around him for, and that's sad and hard, but it'll happen at some point, or not, and there's nothing I can do. If he's successful, that's great and I'll celebrate with him, and if he's not, I'll still support him.
In other sad news, my parents had to put down one of the cats. Biscut was a big orange Maine Coon who appeared about ten years ago at my parents house. He was a sweet and wonderful cat who will be missed. My Dad is devastated-Biscut was really Dad's cat more than anything. It's the time of year where he normally goes to the cemetary (just before the High Holidays) and so he went yesterday, and he placed an extra stone on my grandfather's grave (Jewish people don't do flowers) and told my grandfather, who loved animals more than anyone else I know that Biscut was with him and that they should take care of each other. It was very hard to be away from home for that...away from their home, where the cat was, where Dad was, and so on, and away from my home, where my cats are. I wanted to give them extra cuddles and love, and I'm nowhere near them. I'll make it up to them when I get back. Still, it's so hard to let go. I admit, I cried for quite a while.
I think it's time to find some lunch, and get back on the road...I need to get out and take some more pictures. I've gotten quite proficient at taking photos from a moving car. :)
Talk to you again from Vegas I think.
Oh! And Bay Area people-I need to know who wants to do what, and when. I don't have phone numbers for ANYONE, so I'm counting on you to let me know when you're free and what you want to do. In the meantime, I'm figuring out what I want to see.
Can't wait to get there!
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no subject
Date: 2003-08-28 12:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-08-28 12:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-08-28 01:04 pm (UTC)I'm having a conversation with the stick-up-her-ass orthodox admin when she makese the most wonderful observation - things like this actually make her grow on me.
"One of the best things about being an orthodox women is that it never takes you more than a minute to do your hair."
(for those of you that makes no sense to - orthodox women wear wigs over their hair because only their husbands should see that private beauty)
no subject
Date: 2003-08-28 10:38 pm (UTC)