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Car problems...

The last time I had any major car problems was over a year ago. Driving up the White Mountain Road near Bishop, CA the temperature light suddenly came on. Stopping didn't help; adding a bit of water didn't help. Apparently the water pump had broke, and not in such a favorable place. I was 10 miles from the 395 and at 8000'. It was a Saturday also, but at least it was during the day and mostly all down hill. Making an executive decision, I decided to risk limping back to L.A. by putting water in it occasionally. I got the pump replaced the next Monday, and nothing seemed to be damaged.

Other than deciding to have a brake job, I haven't so far had any serious car problems on my tour. Until earlier today.

"What is all that water doing on my windshield?" I wondered. Did I pass through an area where they're spraying the plants at the side of the free, er, highway? When the temperature light went on, and I saw a bit of steam, I realized what had happened.

Pulling over, I quickly noticed that one of the hoses had flown off. I put it back on and put some water in the radiator. Thankfully, it was during the day and a weekday and I was about a mile from Monterey, a small town with a few auto repair places. I've driven through many other places in which it wouldn't have been so good to have a breakdown. Like, Maine north of Bangor during a wicked rain storm, or the ghettoes of Chicago or Philly. The first place I stopped at thought it was probably just the hose getting loose, and I agreed with him. So, with the addition of some antifreeze, I was on my merry way.

Just as I began to get back on the highway, the temperature light came back on again. Oh my. (Even my '77 Datsun B210, '86 Mazda 626, and '88 Mitsubishi Mighty Max had a temperature guage; my '94 Jeep Cherokee just has a light.)

So, I pulled into another garage. After much deliberation and thunking, we decided to see if replacing the temperature sensor would do it. I was certainly hoping that it would, as I was standing there running Plan B through my mind.

Plan B involves trading the Jeep for another cheaper car, and using that to limp back to wherever I'm going back to. I'd rather avoid Plan B if possible.

Thankfully, Plan A seems to be still in full force and effect, as I was able to drive about 60 miles after the incident without the light going on or anything else happening. And, it just cost me about $30 and a couple hours, so I consider myself quite lucky.

Posted to BloggingAcrossAmerica at 07:14 PM | Comments (12)

An audience with the Pope of Blogton

KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE - Last night, I took Glenn "Instapundit" Reynolds to the rock climbing gym. This was his first time climbing, and it was quite an interesting and informative experience for him! He thanked me for my basic instruction in such matters as tieing a figure-8-with-a-follow-through, doubling-back the harness, and such. He indicated that it was quite exciting to be 30' off the ground, and that this will become a lifetime hobby for him from now on.

I had to draw this event using a stick figure, because unfortunately my camera failed at this important juncture.

This was certainly a great PR "stunt" for both of us. It's brought me a lot of hits, and it helps show another side to Professor Reynolds. Now, people will be forced to say things like, "I used to call him Instacracker, but after seeing him not only scuba diving but rock climbing, I have to admit he's an OK guy."

Yes, this rock climbing was certainly interesting for both of us.

Except, it never happened. Here's what happened instead:

I arrived at the gate to the University of Tennessee, and I told the guy at the gate I was there to see "Glenn."

"Professor Reynolds is busy right now."

"Uh, did I mention that I'm a blogger?"

"Wow, I'm impressed. What tier are you, blogger boy?"

Trying to maintain my cool, I stated, "Well, I'm a Fourth Tier blogger, but..."

"If you want an audience, you can wait in The Pen. That's where we keep the Fourth Tier bloggers."

"But," I stammered, "Glenn's a buddy of mine. At least in an Internet-kinda way. I've been Instalanched several times. Glenn - er - Professor Reynolds has even responded to a couple of my emails. He even left a comment once, for gosh sake."

"You're a Fourth Tier blogger. Either wait in The Pen, or get lost."

So, I waited in The Pen. I felt myself lucky compared to those in a nearby waiting area which was, quite literally, a pit. The sign there said "tHe PiT: FIftH TiER And LoWEr." It was populated with chat girl bloggers wearing Britney and Avril T-shirts and their MILFs.

On the other hand, the place where they kept the Second and Third Tier bloggers was a bit better. It was a converted McDonalds, with additional seats added. The difference between the treatment the Second and Third Tier bloggers received appeared to be that the Second Tier folks were given small paper cups of orange juice to help maintain their blood sugar.

Later, I saw a completely hooded figure enter through a small, unmarked door using a keycard. As he opened the door I heard some light strains of classical music and a slight waft of magnolias in the air. I later learned that that was the First Tier courtesy lounge. I didn't learn the identity of the masked blogger, but perhaps he was there to seek advice (calpundit.com/archives/002525.html).

Unfortunately, after several hours of waiting for a possible audience, the guards announced that Professor Reynolds had left the campus, and there would be no more audiences that day.

So, I guess my only chance to get an audience will be if I manage to learn about and then crash one of the Upper Tier L.A. blogger parties.

Posted to BloggingAcrossAmerica at 07:12 PM | Comments (0)

The Real Deal of Tennessee Mountain Rasslin'

I haven't seen L.A. public access cable TV in a long time, but several years ago two characters stand out. One was a crazy Irish-Jewish guy who would sit in a chair, stare at the camera, and free-associate. Another, even more interesting guy who had his own show was a "Mr. Morrisson." Not only would he free-associate, he'd bring up his connections with Craig T. Nelson and, when he needed a break from the free-associating, he'd make balloon animals.

Public access cable TV in Knoxville TN is a bit different. Here they have shows promoting "The Real Deal of Tennessee Mountain Rasslin'" complete with a trash-talkin' host who makes insulting and threatening comments about those who call in: "tell your mom to stop callin' me," etc. etc. We've all heard the Foreigner classic "Dirty White Boy," but this is the first time I've ever heard anyone on TV refer to themselves with that appelation.

Lest I end up on the bidness end of his whuppin' stick for copyright infringement, I want to stress that the picture above should be taken as an advertisement. If you're a resident of Knoxville, I heartily recommend that you go to the National Guard Armory and see the rasslin'. But, then again, if you're a resident of Knoxville you probably already were planning to attend.

Posted to BloggingAcrossAmerica at 06:59 PM | Comments (0)

Tennessee's highest point

I got to Clingman's Dome just as the sun was setting, and started up the wide asphalt path to the futuristic summit tower. It was fairly steep, albeit quite short: just .5 mile and 300' of gain. I got there maybe 15 minutes too late for a good sunset, and the clouds weren't correctly aligned in any case. It was still a nice sunset from the top of TN. To earn it a bit more, I wanted to jog down the path, but an elderly lady's scooter had broken down, so I and a couple other people helped her down. One guy drove up the asphalt path partway, making that a bit easier. After helping her into the car, I was able to get my run in. It was worth it, because she called me an angel. That's something the rest of you should keep in mind.

Posted to BloggingAcrossAmerica at 09:07 PM | Comments (1)

"Where have I heard of Gatlinburg before?"

After ascending Mt. Mitchell, I drove to Tennessee to do the high point of that state, Clingman's Dome, which is located in Great Smoky Mountains State Park. The picture above is on the way to the park. This was outside the park, and just one of the first good views I saw. One could spend a lot of time in the park itself getting even better views, but I was in a rush to get to Clingman's Dome. On the way to the park, I drove through Gatlinburg, which is a town I swear I've heard of before. Like, someone famous is from here, or something happened here (I googled and found a Civil War skirmish, but that's about it), or something. Whatever the case may be, Gatlinburg is a resort type of town, somewhat like a southern-fried, four-lane version of Lake Placid. According to a reliable local source, Gatlinburg is more for the older people, and Pigeon Forge (home of Dollywood) is mainly for the children.

I briefly stopped in a gas station, and, while filling my sody cup, saw a 30-something southern belle and asked her, "What's Gatlinburg famous for?" She didn't have much of a response, and seemed a bit shocked that a Yankee - and a Damned one at that - was so forward to speak to her in a gas station. "Where would I have heard of it before?" The answer was "Everywhere." Despite that encounter, Gatlinburg looks to be the place to go for Southern Belles Gone Wild.

Posted to BloggingAcrossAmerica at 09:00 PM | Comments (0)

"Climbing" Mt. Mitchell

Two days ago I - or, rather, my car - climbed Mt. Mitchell, North Carolina's highest point. As you can see, the view from there is quite good, although it would be better if I'd actually earned it. Apparently people do climb it in winter. At that time it's a pretty heavy-duty hike because of the weather and the snow accumulation and ice, so ice axes are necessary, but it's probably not as treacherous as, say, Katahdin or an in-season climb of Hood or Rainier. So, if I'm back in the area I might do that.

Unfortunately, the USGS survey marker was stolen (at least according to the only person I asked), but a North Carolina state survey marker remains for those who need to stand on something.

Posted to BloggingAcrossAmerica at 08:45 PM | Comments (0)

Into the hollers with Lonewacko

While driving through West Virginia and now Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee, several images come to mind. One of the more positive ones is from an old National Geographic feature on remote hollers, I believe in WV. One of the settlements was so remote that the only access to it was over a rope bridge.

If I'd had more time in the area and more preparation, it might be interesting to find a place like that. However, at the same time I'd be worried a bit about my personal safety. I get conflicting reports about whether the stereotypes of mountainfolk are accurate or not.

Part of the confusion I have with people seems to be over the difference between private land and public land which is claimed by families or groups. Are there parts where people can't go, despite it being public land, without fear of being jacked by hillbillies driving '42 Ford pickups?

One of my correspondents - a female native of these parts - had this to say about visiting hollers: "I went there once when a child to pick berries, and a local child asked me 'you got backy in your yard too?' I couldn't understand a word he was saying, it was like he was speaking a foreign language. I was told don't go into the hollers without a shotgun." She also told me to watch out for marijuana growers back in those hills, even on state lands.

Maybe my post about WV was based on me not meeting any of the hardcore mountainfolk.

Another one of my correspondents, a pretty young lady from Asheville, downplayed the antagonistic image of Appalachians, saying that she'd never met anyone who would shoot her for walking on their land or who would try to marry her off to their 80-year-old granddads. According to her, WNC folks are pretty mellow and, while hillbillies might be ignorant about certain things, they aren't necessarily dumb. I also brightened her day by informing her that Deliverance was actually set and filmed on the South Carolina/Georgia border, and North Carolina is absolved of any guilt therein.

One way to avoid problems or at least mitigate them would be to go with a guide. That might cost money, unless I could volunteer my reportarial skills, or, more realistically, my computer skills. I'm sure there are organizations out there trying to computerize the mountains, and I might be able to go out with them for a day or three in exchange for being guided to one of the remote hollers. Maybe next trip.

UPDATE: I'm also quite interested in the Melungeons, a group of people who live way out in the boonies in the Cumberland Gap. Their origins are shrouded in mystery: are they descendents of Portuguese sailers, galley slaves, American Indians, blacks, or what? See this article for an overview, and what appears to be a semi-official site is here.

Posted to BloggingAcrossAmerica at 08:19 PM | Comments (0)

A Lonewacko in the Land of the Goddesses, Continued

[In our last installment, Lonewacko was describing the many beautiful women to be found in Asheville, North Carolina and how that city was truly a babe wonderland. However, his inner voice kept interupting him with something important to say...]

Lonewacko, have you checked the batteries in that thing?

What the hell are you talking about?

Here, let me do it... Just as I thought, you needed new batts. Is it working now?

Holy Gaia! You mean...

Yes, Lonewacko. All those babes aren't babes, they're womyn and don't you forget it. They are all to a man-jack lesbians.

But, that can't be true! Not all of them! We're in the middle of the Bible Belt! This is the home of the Billy Graham School of Evangelism, f'r gosh sake!

Lonewacko, according to the informative and authoritative guide book Underground Asheville, 40,000 lesbians live or work in Asheville. And, all of them are hardcore died-in-the-wool-flannel-shirt lesbian man-haters. The only reason they'd throw you one is so they could castrate you in your sleep and sacrifice your genitalia on their Wiccan New Age altar.

No, no, no! First, they can't all be lesbians. There are only 200,000 people in the entire Buncombe county which contains Asheville. That number is statistically improbable if not impossible. You mean even the cute girl at the cafe is one of them? She seemed so nice. She moved here because she had friends here. Hmm... Plus, I object to your intolerant characterization. Most lesbians are cool. Lesbians are certainly welcome on my Friendster blogroll. In fact, I briefly chatted with Phranc a few times and we seemed to get along as well as a straight male chauvinist pig goy and a lesbian Jewish folksinger could. She even sent Annie Sprinkle to my door one night after her show.

Annie Sprinkle rejected you at first sight.

No she didn't. She was just tired. I'd already seen up inside her womynsding anyway... Plus, maybe it's not as bad as you think it is. Maybe most of them aren't, you know, full-on lesbians. If'n you know what I mean. Phwoar! Plus, I'm pretty sure the foxy older lady who answered some of Lonewacko's questions wasn't one of Them. She was slim with a bit of a sway in her hips. She still had it. Plus, where did all of them come from? Where did all of the New Age Holistic Health Practitioners (500 at last count) come from too? I know not all of those holistic health practitioners are successful at it, and in fact some of them come there like starlets to Hollywood and end up busing tables or working in offices instead.

No one knows how this whole thing got started. Maybe the holistics came here because of the mountains. Maybe the lesbians came here because they put up a sign in San Francisco, suggesting people move here.

Good one, but it wasn't that funny the first time I heard it from one of my less-than-tolerant correspondents. You see, Asheville prides itself on its tolerance and its (somewhat limited) diversity. It appears to be a nice little city, in the same way that, for instance, Flagstaff AZ is a nice little city. They're both right off the freeway. And, Asheville isn't right next to anything else, although Asheville is a lot less isolated than Flag. However, after just a day there wandering around and pestering people with questions I felt a bit stifled and claustrophobic. If I had spent another day there I'm sure I would have started seeing the same people twice, and that I can't stand.

There are no less than four Arby's here, so, you could visit them on a cyclical basis together with the handful of McDonald's and Wendy's.

That's little comfort. I think it's time to move on to Dollywood.

Posted to BloggingAcrossAmerica at 09:13 PM | Comments (0)

A Lonewacko in the Land of the Goddesses

I knew there was something special about Asheville, NC the moment I drove through there on the freeway. I hadn't even gotten into the town itself or gotten off the highway, and I knew that this town was different. Even those less astute have figured it out; Asheville has been featured in the NYT, on CBS, and in many other media outlets.

What's so special about it? Well, let's start with the women here. All types: short, tall, long curly brown hair, short cute page boy styles, some wearing tasteful makeup, others more the outdoorsy type, and the list goes on.

Of all the places on my journeys, Asheville seems to have a very high per capita of babes. You see them walking along Asheville's attractive downtown area, looking like they could climb mountains in the morning and go for their doctorate at UNCA in the afternoon. And, they aren't stuck-up like many of the L.A. babes either. It's truly a babe wonderland!

Lonewacko!

And, the scenery here is great. But, the babes are really the star...

Lonewacko! Are you listening to me?

Yes, what is it, inner voice?

Lonewacko, are you sitting down? I have something to tell you...

Tune in to the Lonewacko Blog tomorrow sometime to find out the surprise ending to this post.

What does Lonewacko's inner voice have to say?

Find out tomorrow!

Posted to BloggingAcrossAmerica at 07:34 PM | Comments (1)

I forgot to mention I got the high point of Virginia

I climbed Mt. Rogers - Virginia's highest point - a few days ago. Oh, you want a trip report, right? Well, there isn't that much to report regarding either most of the hike or the summit of Mt. Rogers itself. As I look back on it, I don't remember any points where the trail actually went up, although there must have been some of it, because it has a gain of 1500' over 8.6 miles round-trip, some of which is on the way back. On this whole trip I've never bothered to carry my hiking poles, because I've mainly been hiking on fairly rocky trails and I usually don't use the poles in that case. While this trail has rocks on it, the poles were useful.

Despite the poles and the easy trail, it actually took me longer to complete the hike than the average. There are various reasons. I stopped to take pictures of the ponies, as shown above. And, I left the hiking poles behind on the top of Wilburn Ridge, and I had to double back to retrieve them. And, once I got off the Wilburn Ridge trail, I took a wrong turn for a bit. And, since I'd heard that there is a maze of trails here, I stopped to ask a few people if I was on the right trail.

Another reason is I wasn't feeling too good after a cold and somewhat annoying night at the Stone Mountain State Park campground outside Sparta, NC. The campground, surprisingly enough, was almost full, and I was unfortunate enough to be gifted with a pair of guys who arrived just before they locked the gate. It took them a few hours of slamming car doors, starting a fire, loud talking and, absolutely worst of all, playing of Kenny Loggins and Seal (no, I'm not kidding, I finally at least saw someone who buys Kenny Loggins records) before finally quieting down.

The campground host also bothered me a bit. He came around to collect the fee and asked to see my driver's license to fill out his form. I demurred, suggesting he just take the license plate number instead. "The form has a space for both your DL# and your plate. They used to just ask for a plate number, but if the car is stolen, that doesn't do any good." Great, now I'm a suspected car thief. "It's for my protection as well as yours." Strangely enough, I've heard these same lines of argumentation before, and they've been from The Fuzz! After receiving my driver's license, he "conversed" with me a bit "are you heading back to California, or heading east?" "How'd you hear about our park?" He didn't seem to be too very interested in the answers, and I felt more like I was being given a ticket by a backwoods Florida sheriff than I was renting a $12 tent site. Admittedly, I might have seemed a bit out of place, seeing as I was just one person sitting in the dark except for my headlamp eating my takeout Chinese meal. I was certainly out of place compared to the well-lit MOR party next door.

A minor bit of rural excitement happened on the way out when I stopped at the intersection of 19 and 58 outside the park. A car alarm went off, and a cow in a trailer next to it began mooing in synchronicity with the urban accessory.

As far as the "maze" of trails, despite the protestations of the rangers at the park, there is indeed a bit of a maze there: horse trails, foot trails, deer trails, etc. etc.

To avoid getting lost, follow the Rhododendron trail from Grayson Highlands State Park until you start seeing a fence ahead. (The Rhododendron Trail is a wide, road-like trail). When you see the fence, get off the wide trail, and cut across the grass to the left directly towards the fence. You should arrive at a small ladder that goes up and over, and joins the Appalachian Trail. The AT is a white-blazed trail; simply follow the white blazes almost all the way to the summit, which should be visible within a couple miles. When you get to the Thomas Knob shelter, take the right fork up to the summit, where it dead ends.

On the way back, I took the blue-blazed Wilburn Ridge trail, which has some boulder hopping and goes up and over that ridge and which provides good views: see the second pic above. It's better to take that on the way back to get the good views. Note that the WR trail meets the AT at a four-way intersection; take a right to go back to the parking lot. Don't take the first three-way intersection. Just remember, if you start seeing horse hooves, you're probably on the wrong trail.

And, just to make this painfully clear, the second pic above is from the Wilburn Ridge, and not from the summit of Mt. Rogers. The summit just has a bit of a mossy forest on it, and there's no view at all.

Posted to BloggingAcrossAmerica at 07:09 PM | Comments (0)

The Great Immigration Debate

For some reason, a large (for this blog at least) number of comments have recently been posted in this 6-month-old post about the DREAM Act. Go there, and enjoy the fun.

On a related note, I recently deleted six comment spams advertising Viagra. And here I thought only the third, second, and first-tier blogs were afflicted with that.

Posted to Immigration2003 at 09:33 PM | Comments (0)

Nanci Pelosi, supporter of sweatshops, opponent of citizens and laws

Nanci Pelosi (D-San Francisco) is upset by the recent raids on illegal immigrants at Wal*Mart:

"We think there might be a better way to go about this because the fact is that it is against the law for the employer to hire these people so there should be more focus on the employer and less in these terrorizing raids," Pelosi said.

Let's leave aside the fact that Nanci - an elected U.S. representative - was speaking in a foreign land (Mexico) and accusing her own government of terrorizing people. No, that's to be expected.

Instead, let's concentrate on Nanci's solution. Is she really serious about enforcing our laws against employing illegal aliens? If so, one wonders how the government could build a case against a company without first showing that they had illegal aliens working for them.

In fact, it turns out she's in favor of enforcing our immigration laws by giving not just a limited amnesty, but one covering millions of illegals:

Pelosi said the Wal-Mart raids showed the need to legalize undocumented workers in parts of the economy other than just the agricultural sector.

So, according to Nanci, we should find a way to enforce our laws by changing the laws so they don't have to be enforced. Call it San Francisco logic.

Nanci appears to have friends in the news media as well.

The Christian Science Monitor's report on the raids is also biased towards non-enforcement, and it includes this rather shocking statistic: "In 1990, 14,311 employers were fined for hiring illegal immigrants. That number dropped to 7,115 by 1998 and 178 by 2000..."

This article, while having nothing to do with Nanci, hints at the root of the problem: "Because too many elected officials and other movers and shakers are in bed with agribusiness, legislation benefiting farm workers remains illusory."

And, here's a ground-level report Nanci might want to pay attention to:

"I don't like it. I don't like it at all," frequent Walmart shopper and Gatlinburg resident Tina Styles said. She argues that bringing in foreign workers could be cheaper, but the practice cheats locals.

"Well, I think there's a lot of people here in Sevier County that need jobs," she explained. "And I don't know why they have to bring other people in to do those jobs."

Shopper Scott Humeniuk is Canadian. The former hockey player and his wife are here on a student visa.. Humeniuk says there are proper channels to go through to work in the U.S.

"It's a headache because of the fighting and stuff with the government and paperwork," he explains, "but i mean hey, that's it. There's no two ways about it."

On the other end of the scale, the NYT gives a bleeding heart account of the plight of one of those arrested:

Now Mr. Zavala feels cheated, saying he worked as hard as he could pursuing the American dream, only to face an immigration hearing that could lead to deportation for himself, his wife, Eunice, and their three children, 10, 7 and 5 years old... "My family's not happy about this," said Mr. Zavala, who said he paid a "coyote" $2,000 to smuggle him into the United States three years ago.

I guess his first tip-off should have been the part about paying someone to smuggle him into the U.S. Perhaps he could sue the coyote?

And, last but not least, bear in mind that some of these people were paid as little as $2 per day. Look at what Nanci supports.

UPDATE: FAIR says much the same thing, albeit in a much nicer fashion:

"It appears that what the Congresswoman really wants is no enforcement at all... Anything that equates, or even gives the appearance of equating, the law enforcement policies with this country with the actions of international criminals is both wrong and damaging to our ability to confront real terrorist... The idea that the House Minority Leader would publicly criticize federal immigration enforcement authorities for doing precisely what is in their job descriptions and what Congress has authorized them to do only emboldens those who violate our immigration laws...

Posted to Immigration2003 at 09:24 PM | Comments (6)

Lonewacko doesn't find Winston-Salem to be too very odious

As indicated in the previous entry, on Sunday I drove into Southwestern VA, and I intended to do Mount Rogers the next day. I also needed to run an errand in a big city, which I decided to do on Monday, leaving the hike for Tuesday. I decided to check out the trailhead on my way to the Big City, which looked to be within an hour or two's drive.

One of the three trailheads is located in Grayson Highlands State Park, which appears to be the best choice since at least one of the others is remote and has had car thefts. I went up the Rhododendron Trail a bit, and I even saw a couple of the famous ponies standing in the shade of a trail sign.

The trip from the park to the outskirts of Winston-Salem NC was a 1.5 hour white knuckle ride on the Lonewacko express as I went up one holler, round the next knob, up the knob, down the knob, through the holler, and so on and so forth all while shifting the (unfortunately auto) tranny like crazy and still being unable to equal the speed limit in some places. (Note to UK readers: a "knob" is the local name for a hill.) I must have burned several dollars of gas. I got to Winston-Salem late, so I waited here overnight until I could run my errand earlier today.

Thanks for making it through the explanation above, now for the good stuff.

W-S is a little sleepy, but it's not that bad. The cost of living here appears to be rather inexpensive for some inexplicable reason. I mean, it doesn't have any major touron attractions, but it's not that bad. The weather here is pretty nice and warm. And, I have immediate experience with that as I'm currently sitting in my car on Fourth St. in downtown W-S blogging using the city-supplied free WiFi access. A young lady who definitely had back walked past a few minutes ago; there are many fine ladies here in addition to her.

The pictures above are from Pilot Mountain State Park. I went there to look for some of my fellow rock climbers. Despite taking the whole Ledge Spring Trail, I didn't see anyone, although I saw a few climbing-related markings. The park says that trail is strenuous; I say it's moderate at most. Pilot Mountain itself is visible right off the 4 lane highway, and it's somewhat impressive. You can't, however, climb or hike to the top because it's home to an endangered species or a nesting area or something. And, the views from there aren't too good because of tree cover.

The pretty young secretary at the visitor center was, strangely enough, fully made-up and dressed-up; most people working in such setting are not. Unfortunately, she was only there briefly so I wasn't able to find out what the deal was. I'll save my speculation for a later date.

Posted to BloggingAcrossAmerica at 02:08 PM | Comments (0)

Yeehaw and Holy Gawd

I posted the last two entries from the Kinko's in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Harrisonburg is the home of James Madison University, and it looked like a nice small city. There was a pretty, young, be-ringed lady making copies, and two other pretty young ladies came in to use the computers. They had a young child, to whom they occasionally spoke short, quick snippets of some language or dialect that, surprisingly, Lonewacko couldn't figure out. But, they also appeared to be native English speakers. (Maybe he was adopted -- ed. Thanks, I think that's a possibility -- LW). The pretty young lady at the gas station was quite friendly as well. I even saw a guy on a unicycle.

Everything was going fine until I mistakenly stopped at a fast food restaurant outside Roanoke VA.

Now, Lonewacko has seen several Southerners and several hicks on his tour. The people in Indiana were mostly a-holes, but they weren't really Southern hicks. In Missouri and West Virginia there were many people speaking with a strange accent, but most of the people I ran into in my 24 hours in WV were quite nice, and those in MO weren't really hardcore hicks. One of the people I spoke with in WV was originally from Michigan; after hearing about my stereotypes of WVers, he told me "those people you're talking about are my neighbors. I live up in the hills, and they're the nicest people you'd want to meet." Another transplant to WV from New England had had the same stereotypes in mind as I did before he moved there; he told me that we were both wrong. And, to a certain extent and regarding the area I was in, I somewhat believe them.

And, there are plenty of hicks in Utah and the rest of the southwest, but they aren't southern hicks.

In any case, I haven't seen too many really hardcore, resolutely unelevated southern hicks until now. Sitting down next to me in the restaurant was a whole family of them. Now, I don't have a problem with red necks; I have one myself. And, it's not the logoed T-shirts I have a problem with; that's mostly what I wear. Mine are emblazoned with "Microsoft," (free) or "Visual Cafe for Java," (free) or "Green Mountain Club" (both were worth it). Theirs were emblazoned with Nascar and Megadeth; whatever, right?

No, what I object to were the other things. It was like an animatronic display intended to reinforce southern hick stereotypes: loud belching, jokes about what the restaurant would do if they ran out of mayonaise, etc. They let off a noisemaker for extra effect. I'm sure they're re-running HeeHaw somewhere right now, but I saw it live. I also got a few less than friendly looks from some of the other patrons; perhaps they don't like hiker-types in that area.

Maybe I'll just do one to four of the state highpoints near southwestern Virginia, and then head back west as fast as I can. I don't think I want to get too very much more Deeper.

Posted to BloggingAcrossAmerica at 05:26 PM | Comments (0)

Shenandoah National Park

Earlier today I drove along Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park. The park - and the parts of Virginia I've so far seen - are quite attractive.

I briefly stopped to do the Bearfence Mountain trail, a fairly short and easy 2nd class scramble up to a 360 degree and a 180 degree viewpoint. The views were pretty good, but bear in mind the 360 degree viewpoint comes before the other one.

I was able to make it a little more interesting by trying to use my hands as little as possible and by going off the trail a bit for a little 3rd class stretch. There were many flesh pylons on the trail - including one who made a couple cellular phone calls - so it wasn't exactly a wilderness experience.

Posted to BloggingAcrossAmerica at 12:35 PM | Comments (0)

The National Mall by day

I took a biking tour of the Mall area, riding from Union Station to the Lincoln Memorial and back, stopping at the Washington Monument and the White House.

Pictured above is Dr. Choi (who is from the Philippines) leading her lonely crusade in front of the White House to comment on something or advise President Bush about something. I couldn't figure out exactly what she was protesting, but it had something to do with 9/11 not being terrorism and with Kim Dae Jung.

Also pictured is another protester of the general "peace" type. He'd arrived late and was working on his sign live for the Lonewacko lens. Due to spelling errors it took a couple of tries to make the perfect sign.

Posted to BloggingAcrossAmerica at 12:25 PM | Comments (0)

What if they allowed car camping in Griffith Park?

Do NOT, I repeat, do NOT stay at the Greenbelt National Park campground. The reader might be familiar with NYC's Central Park or L.A.'s Griffith Park. If so, the reader is invited to let his or her imagination run free vis-a-vis what it would be like if they allowed camping there. Always at the forefront of our nation, D.C. has rushed in where NYC and L.A. feared to tread.

The location is certainly attractive: just 13 miles from the Capitol. However, it's also in the middle of an urban area, with all the wackiness thereby implied. I arrived there before dark and set up my tent in an empty space, filling out the requisite form and placing a copy of it on the post next to my new parking space. I chose the furthest back tent site in order to gain what little privacy was possible.

When I returned at 11pm, I was quite surprised to find two cars in "my" space, together with two couples of drunk yahoos. Rather than chasing them off, and thereby letting them know where I was staying, I decided that moving my tent to another space was the better option. One of the yahoos told me that he'd just inherited $167,000, and offered to pay me to move. I decided against that, and I wish the recipients of his money the best of luck in their future endeavors.

In a car in the space next to my brand new space a young Asian lady had fallen asleep with the engine and lights and radio on. She has since awoken and settled down for the night in her back seat.

As I write this, a car alarm has just gone off. (Later on, the homeless girl turned her engine on again, the car alarm went off again, I heard a helicopter and planes and trucks, and, after finally getting some sleep, I was awakened by a whole tent city of newly-arrived boy scouts.)

Like I said, do NOT stay here. If you want the same experience, try this instead.

Posted to BloggingAcrossAmerica at 10:05 AM | Comments (0)

The Capitol at night

Traffic wasn't that bad, and I soon found the place where I was going to stay, which will be covered in the next post. Stopping at the Boston Market in College Park, I discovered to my dismay cool cornbread.

Subsequently, I tried to get WiFi access at Chop It in College Park. Their connection was very slow, even when I moved to the area of the restaurant with a good signal. So, I decided to try something closer to central D.C., and I headed off for Zanzibar which, cutely enough, is a bar. I drove into D.C. through what looked to be one of its no doubt many fine ghettoes, watching about a dozen D.C. cops drive around with lights and sirens blazing for no apparent reason.

Zanzibar turned out to be much more than a bar, it's a dance club. There was no street parking around for several blocks, and the parking garage wanted $7. So, I gave up on WiFi for the night and headed to the Capitol.

I was quite impressed. This is, after all, the place from the TV. I tried to take a picture of the Washington monument from the steps of the Capitol, but I was interrupted by a Capitol Building cop who asked if I had a tripod permit. Since I didn't, I had to move down the steps and across the street. Despite that, it was pretty cool being mostly all alone there.

Posted to BloggingAcrossAmerica at 09:55 AM | Comments (0)

Balto

Baltimore seemed OK for a smallish, flat, gritty East Coast city. At least based on the 1/2 hour driving tour I took.

It supposedly has a few large ships, although all I saw was a Coast Guard cutter. It even has a Hooters.

In a desperate attempt to escape the flatlands, one can apparently take a balloon ride over the city. It's tethered from below so they can't get too far away, and it goes about as high up as the elevation of Riverside Drive in Griffith Park.

Baltimore has several fine old brick buildings. Unfortunately, the town elders seem to have little taste and have not passed restrictive signage ordinances. Many of the fine buildings are covered with garish signs and the like.

The worst of all was the Squidport Power Plant, a five-storied brick building which appears to be a half-assed attempt at restoration and multi-use development. The huge Barnes & Nobles, ESPN Zone, and Hard Rock Cafe signs were quite inappropriate against such a building.

There appeared to be many other tourons here for some reason or other, as well as a few hot Balto babes.

Finishing my tour, I drove to Washington, D.C.

Posted to BloggingAcrossAmerica at 09:54 AM | Comments (0)

Lonewacko is coming to D.C.

If you're a D.C. blogger or bloggee, get in touch. abuse at tolstoy dot com.

UPDATE: There must be something wrong with my mail server or something. None of the messages I sent out to D.C. bloggers and blogging groups appear to have been delivered. Because, if they had, I'm sure I would have received replies, right? While there might be other explanations, you'd think I would have gotten just one reply, no?

It's not like, say, West Coast bloggers should remember this and return the favor to any visiting East Coast bloggers looking for help. We're better than that, and we need to show others the way.

UPDATE 2: Standing above the rest, Jim Henley of Unqualified Offerings indicates that he would have met with me except he was doing a reenactment in the Shenandoah Valley the last couple of days.

Posted to BloggingAcrossAmerica at 06:08 PM | Comments (0)

Post #810, in which I try to say good things about Philly

But, first a bad thing. The traffic here - at least in certain parts - is horrid. Trans-L.A. horrid. I got off the freeway (676?) near downtown Philly at the Broad Street exit. Admittedly, that was a wrong turn: instead of going "West," I should have gone "East." However, it was just northwest of where I wanted to go: from 16th St. to 4th St., and down less than eight blocks. It took me almost 45 minutes to get where I was going and find a parking space. Yes, you read that right: it took 45 fucking minutes to go less than 2 miles. A couple days before, I had been heading south on the 476 (?), and it was completely clogged. Even the 405 or the 110 move, if slowly.

That said, the area with the cobblestone streets was fairly easy to drive through, and I was able to find parking there twice.

Philly has several attractive old buildings, but, when I drove to Fairmount Park and saw the Art Museum, I almost, well, let's just say I was pretty impressed. That area of Philly makes L.A. look like a pile of puke. Seriously, we've got the Griffith Park Observatory, and we've got, well, OK, so we don't have too many impressive public edifices.

Fairmount Park is an oasis of greenery and water; supposedly at night the upper classes light their boat houses so that the plebes might enjoy the spectacle, but I wasn't there at that time. The general area is very green and much better looking than anything in Larchmont or Hancock Park.

Based on beta supplied by the kind lady at the visitor center, I visited the Wissahickon area of the park. Thankfully, the road to the park went down to a little canyon, making up for the flatness of Philly when I started biking up the road in search of rocks to climb. I didn't find any, but they're supposedly in the area. I got to the top of the road - probably not far from Philly's highpoint - and cruised back down. Is this all there is vis-a-vis the gain of elevation? Unfortunately so. But, it was quite green and pretty.

The next day I took the touron tour of Independence Hall.

Unfortunately, I was strangely unmoved by the Liberty Bell and the tour of Independence Hall; I didn't even bother to take out the camera. In contrast, I was truly interested in Lincoln's desk. While I'm more interested in the Revolutionary than the Civil War, perhaps it's because in some ways I'm an Illinoisan and in no way am I a Philadelphian.

But, a large part of it is has something to do with the presentation and the presence of other tourons. The new section with the Bell is, well, horrible. It's like one of the most treasured symbols of our country has been placed in a shopping mall.

There it sits on a concrete stand against several windows overlooking Independence Hall. Couldn't they have created something either more modern, or less? Is this really the most realistic setting for a bell? Aren't bells in, like, bell towers or something? Couldn't they have at least tried to recreate a more bell tower-like atmosphere?

That and my fellow tourons immediately whipping out their disposable cameras to take shots of each other with the bell in the background was quite offputting.

Independence Hall wasn't much better; perhaps if I'd had more time to let it sink in, or perhaps if there had been fewer fellow tourons present I might have been as impressed as I should have been.

For many there, the biggest news was that Nicholas Cage was filming a Disney film in the area. They were doing something in the bell tower. That's the same one that members of the general public can only visit once per year and by paying $30. But, that's OK, because in this film Nic saves the U.S. by finding a map to buried treasure written on the back of the Declaration of Independence or something like that, so it's good publicity for the nation.

I didn't see Nic, but those of us in line for the Independence Hall tour gawked at his stunt double who rushed past us in an apparent attempt not to be noticed.

Later, in one of my various turn-arounds and get-losts, I got off the 95 at Allegheny I guess in the area of the docks. I immediately felt a bit at home, although I also kept a good watch on my wallet. I got called "hon" by the lady at the gas station. It appeared to be a mostly white, working-class neighborhood filled with a few Polish shops. I felt a bit of deja vu.

Unfortunately, I missed South Philly; rumor or speculation has it that Lonewacko might have found himself a nice, non-big-haired, non-connected Janeane type there.

On the way out of town, I ran into a guy from South Philly selling roses roadside. Apparently, there are jobs Americans will do, and, as he told me, there are plenty of native Philadelphians to do them. Those who told you otherwise are, well, lying as usual.

Even further south, I stopped at the Claymont, Delaware Boston Market. Their cornbread was kept in a warmed serving tray, and was warm enough to melt butter.

Posted to BloggingAcrossAmerica at 07:31 PM | Comments (0)

I'll be blogging live from Philadelphia

Today, Wednesday October 15 2003, between about 4pm and 4:30pm, I'll be sitting out in front of Cosi's at 4th and Chestnut in downtown Philly, inviting passersby to guest blog in this very space.

I may have to move, so watch this space if I end up at a different location.

Philadelphians or visitors, bloggers or bloggees, all are welcome to meet me there.

UPDATE: 4:45pm: After about a dozen attempts to pass out flyers, I can tell this is going to be a bang-up success. 'Tis true, there is a very small amount of foot traffic at this location. And, I'd probably have much better luck near UPenn, where I might go next. However, the Lonewacko can just tell.

UPDATE 2, my first interview: "Lived here all my life. Great place. One of the best towns in the country. Lot of potential. I don't like the mayor. He's a nut. Him and brother used to fight other people in the council. The mayor owed a lot of money on gas bills, because he was a slum lord. It has the potential to be a cosmopolitan city. The old money is holding it back. The night life could be a lot better. The cops are out of touch, out of sync. They have a hard job to do, but they're out of sync with the community. The PALs (Police Activity Leagues) aren't open anymore." - according to Steve

UPDATE 3: Tired of the mostly cold reception at 4th and Chestnut, I've now moved to the Cosi's at 12th and Walnut. I'll be here for at least a few minutes.

UPDATE 4: This was supposed to be the looser part of town. Perhaps there isn't a looser part of this flat burgh. It's almost like they have slightly flexible steel rods welded to each side of their heads. (To be fair, a few people wanted to be interviewed, but they had good excuses: trains to catch, dinner dates to meet, stitches to get...) I gotta admit, the "my friend's gotta go get stitches" was a good one, and it did indeed look like his friend's hand was bundled up.

UPDATE 5: What would Huell Howser do? Well, even Ever-Friendly Huell would get tired of these people and leave like I did.

I've since figured out the problem. Whereas in Chicago the rods seem to be only half or three-quarter height, Philly is an older, more established city with its roots firmly in the 18th Century. Consequently, the rods there are a bit more complicated.

Although because most of these people were bundled up against the cold wind I couldn't tell that well, the rods seemed to be in a Y-shape, with the two arms of the Y on either side of their heads preventing them from looking off their beeline.

Now, for those of you who are saying, "But, Lonewacko, you intentionally set these people up to look bad. Who would stop to find out what a strange stranger in a Goretex jacket, olive shorts, and hiking boots was doing with the flyers and the laptop? Why, you look like a park ranger who was fired and has since taken up drifting. Who would want to be interviewed by you?"

Well, I'll tell you who: Angelenos, that's who. As I said about Chicagoans when I tried guest blogging there, if they were as adventurous as Angelenos, they wouldn't still be living where they are.

Posted to BloggingAcrossAmerica at 10:06 AM | Comments (1)

Could the L.A. Times sink any lower?

From Jill Stewart's interview with an anonymous L.A. Times reporter who worked on the Arnold expose:

"The mainstream press critics like those published on Romenesko are asleep as to what has happened here. They are defending the L.A. Times in every way. There should be no defense by media critics of what happened here. One woman did not sleep for two nights after a Times reporter showed up at her door, with the thinnest evidence, demanding to know if her child was Arnold's love child. It never panned out, it was untrue. Why has the L.A. Times become a tabloid, knocking relentlessly on people's doors for tabloid gossip? And would John Carroll have run a front page Love Child story if it had been true? Could we sink any lower?"

Posted to California at 06:27 AM | Comments (0)

"Hey Lonewacko, how do you maintain your peerless physique?"

Thanks for asking. Hiking, and lots of it. And, that means gaining elevation.

Thankfully, we/you Angelenos have it good. Just five minutes from Lonewacko's spiritual home is Griffith Park, with 50 miles of trails and gains ranging from 500' to 1200' of varying degrees of steepness.

Just a few miles further out lie the mighty San Gabriels, topped by Mt. Baldy (highest point in L.A. County) at 10,064'. Hikes in the San Gabriels have elevation gains up to 6000', and 2000' and 3000' gain hikes abound.

On a sunny weekend, dozens upon dozens of people - Angelenos and foreigners alike - take the tourist trail from the Griffith Observatory (as seen in Rebel Without A Cause) up to Mt. Hollywood, gaining 500', some while carrying babes in arms.

The highest point in the City of Los Angeles is Mount Lukens at 5076'.

Truly, while Los Angeles has Rampart and South-Central South L.A., and it is indeed mostly either basin or valley, it is also a wonderland of elevation gain.

On the other hand, the highest point in Philadelphia County is just 440'.

The highest points in the next county up are under 1000'.

I spoke with Steve at the EMS store near the University of Pennsylvania, and, while he generously provided much useful information, he also confirmed my worst fears: in order to gain some elevation around here, one must drive a great distance.

So, starting at around 2:30pm, Lonewacko started on his journey north to Bucks county, in an attempt to get to one of the highest points thereof (as linked above).

I'll just cut a long story short. Lonewacko drove not a great distance, but it sure took a long, long time. Certainly, taking what looked like it might be a semi-rural highway but was instead a stop-and-go suburban street was a real bad idea. Taking the turnpike (and paying the tolls) would probably have saved a great deal of time. Lonewacko had already driven through Philadelphia's charming ghetto the night before, so this time he decided on a freeway route out of Philadelphia. Where in Los Angeles we/you have freeways crossing hither and yon, there was no freeway going Lonewacko's way so he had to go left, go up, go over and finally get on the aforementioned suburban street. (Some might cavil that other than the 110, the 105, and the 10, there is no freeway cutting directly across South L.A., which is similar to the case described above).

So, while Lonewacko considers what he's seen so far of Philadelphia to be rather attractive, the chances to gain elevation here are quite abysmal.

UPDATE: Just to make this painfully clear, one would need to stack the highest point in Philadelphia County on top of itself almost 23 times in order to be as tall as the highest point in Los Angeles County.

Twenty-three times.

Posted to BloggingAcrossAmerica at 08:49 PM | Comments (0)

New Jersey: it's not all bad

I'm sure there are good things I could say about New Jersey. For instance, Lonewacko's dream girl Janeane Garofalo is from here. Then, there's the state high point which he bagged just a few days ago. I'll list more good things about New Jersey at the end of this post, but first let's deal with the bad things:

Maple Shade NJ is a mean little stop on the highway somewhat reminiscent of one of the hellholes of the East Bay (as in Bay Area) such as Union City but without the nice view of hills. As of 9pm on a Sunday, all of the big box stores and open air shopping centers had become a ghost town of giant signs and boxes. As far as food there is concerned, what you do is your own business, but in the unhappy event that Lonewacko finds himself here again, he will stay as far away from the "Great Taste" Chinese restaurant as possible.

Others (of course) have a bad opinion of New Jersey as well: here's the google search for '"New Jersey" armpit'.

Here's 'New Jersey: The armpit of America'

And, here's '10 Things I Hate About New Jersey (Part II)'

And, here's 'New Jersey: Let's be Corruption-Free in 2003'

UPDATE: CorkScrewed of Cherry Hill? If L.A. is the land of wannabe stars and starlets, New Jersey must be the land of wannabe franchises.

Posted to BloggingAcrossAmerica at 07:51 PM | Comments (0)

Lonewacko extends YDS, bags peak with new "Class 7" designation

The reader is, no doubt, familiar with the Yosemite Decimal System ("YDS")*. Earlier today, Lonewacko bagged the highpoint of Delaware, and has thereby extended the YDS to include a new class: Class 7. "Class 7" is the same as Class 1, but with the added risk factor not of falling, but of being hit by a car.

Delaware's highest point is located on a fairly fast and busy two-lane road, Ebright Ave. The actual high point is (supposedly...) located on private property in a trailer park across the street from the sign above. Lonewacko decided to do it the legal way, and just walked up and down the public street on either side the road and either side of the sign. Then, just to add a bit of work, he ran down the yellow line in the middle of the street from one end of the bump in the road to the other. Thus the new Class. Traffic was a bit light when he did that, but any neighbors watching no doubt wondered what was going on. In any case, Lonewacko believes he attained the highest legally accessible highpoint. He also believes that visiting the "real" highpoint might endanger future efforts to gain legal access to it; c.f. Rhode Island. (RI's highpoint will be accessible on Sunday, but since that's a few hundred miles to the north, and since Lonewacko already visited it a few years ago, he probably won't be doing it again this time.)

The GPS reading at the sign was N39 50' 9.1"/W75 31' 8.1" at an elevation of 451', bearing in mind that no GPS is 100% accurate.

Lonewacko would also like to give a big shout out and props to the young ranger lady who gave him directions to the summit. He had thought that the highpoint was not near Wilmington, but near Dover. The only reason he got off the freeway was to use the manly facilities, and he decided to check out Brandywine Creek State Park at the same time. He was surprised to learn that he had accidentally gotten fairly near the highpoint.

Posted to BloggingAcrossAmerica at 08:53 PM | Comments (1)

I love couches

October 10, 2003 MOUNT POCONO, PA - The Poconos? In Lonewacko's mind, that has a vague association with cheezy honeymoon palaces for Joiseyites. Which, indeed are here. As well as the Mount Pocono Golf Club in which Lonewacko is now sitting on a couch using their WiFi.

In addition to those above, this area is home to the Delaware Mountain Gap National Reserve, which does have some rock climbing, but it doesn't appear to be too very popular, and Lonewacko needs to move on currently.

So, temporarily at least, Lonewacko is leaving the land of the Poke-a-nose Pottery Shop ("Make your own!"), Gabel's, home of fairly cheap, small portioned resort food (ate there twice already), Dave's Unique Gifts, the local massage parlor with their all-Asian staff (didn't visit), and the local porno shop (didn't visit).

Lonewacko will not miss the huge traffic jam on the 611 through Stroudsberg, which is apparently caused by the 20,000 or so local residents - many newcomers - who commute from here to NYC.

Posted to BloggingAcrossAmerica at 09:14 AM | Comments (0)

NJ's high point

As predicted in the previous message, I bagged the highest point in New Jersey yesterday. The only difficulties were a few large flocks of ladybugs.

Posted to BloggingAcrossAmerica at 09:06 AM | Comments (0)

"Lonewacko to bag the top of New Jersey"

October 9, 2003: "That peak is mine" Lonewacko intoned while pointing his ice axe in the general direction of High Point, New Jersey (1803'). "None shall challenge my hegemony over the peaks of the flatlands!"

I'll probably be doing this today, as it's only about 50 miles away. Unfortunately, that means I'll be leaving this area, and without passing out the flyers referred to in the previous post. I might be back, however.

I'll also unfortunately be passing by NYC. The kind folks at nycbloggers.com apparently didn't get the email I sent a few days ago asking for help; or, maybe they're feverishly working on my request. The blogosphere comes through again.

In any case, I'll be visiting Philly and possibly the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area in search of some rock climbing possibilities. Unfortunately, it appears to be a resort area like the one I'm in now, and the prices appear to be high. So, I might not stay long.

UPDATE: OK, OK, so I blogged too soon. nycbloggers.com indicate that while they can't send emails to all their members (understandable), they can make this very blog their featured blog during my visit (commendable). Unfortunately, I'm now in the Poconos and moving south, so I probably won't be visiting NYC this trip.

Posted to BloggingAcrossAmerica at 05:52 AM | Comments (0)

"I'm a starving satirist and social commentator. And, I'm currently in the Mid-Hudson River Valley region of New York State. Where can I find a target-rich environment?"

New Paltz!

October 8, 2003: If you're looking for targets for your stinging social commentary and satire, New Paltz is truly a target-rich environment. In Kingston, I picked up a copy of their local free rag, the Chronogram. It has a glossy cover and nice paper inside; other than that, it's pretty much the LA Weekly without the transsexual prostitute ads, but even more far gone:

If the first Iraq war was named Desert Storm, the second might be called Perfect Storm. The run-up to the 2003 war witnessed an extraordinary convergence of factors that produced near perfect journalistic participation in the Bush administration propaganda operations... [etc. etc. etc.]

Then, comes a section devoted to "Whole Living."

In all his travels, Lonewacko has never seen a higher per-capita rate of holistic health practioners and other spiritual professionals. Perhaps on a neighborhood basis in Santa Monica, West L.A., or WeHo we might be able to find an equal rate, but I doubt it. Where the heck did all these people come from? Who are their clients? The local landed gentry, gone soft and in search of spiritual awakening? Visitors from "The City?" Lonewacko will attempt to find out. "Ms. S.", who Lonewacko met in the parking lot of a local grocery store, thinks I'm overstating it, but I don't think so. This is truly an anomaly of demographic proportions.

New Paltz even has a Green Party mayor.

From the addresses given in the paper, Woodstock looks like it's along the same lines as New Paltz, but Lonewacko didn't visit that fine burgh. However, based on information supplied by "Ms. S.", he just might.

When he stopped at a local laundrette to buy soap, Lonewacko asked someone else about these practioners. "I'm probably asking the wrong person." "No" came the reply. "Holy Jaysus, have I stumbled upon a holistic health practitioner doing her laundry?" I wondered to myself. Needless to say, this was not going to be a Greenspun moment. Retorting my sneer, she said, "It's probably because this area is more intellectual than most." Ouch, that got me. "But, even Berkeley or West L.A. don't seem to have as many of these fine professionals per capita as your fine burgh" I Huelled back. "It's probably because of the mountains." "But, those aren't real mountains" I snorted. (OK, they are real mountains, they just aren't CO or CA mountains.) "Yes, I know they aren't real mountains and I don't call them that, but they fit the definition of mountains." And, she left with her laundry, leaving Lonewacko even more confustigated than before.

Lonewacko also learned through another source that the Woodstock of lore didn't take place in Woodstock, but took place 20 miles to the south.

Lonewacko is also considering a special project. It will be difficult to offend the New Paltz Chamber of Commerce and the Green Party and all the rest all at the same time, but Lonewacko might give it a try even though Lonewacko wants to start moving south as quickly as possible. Even though he has the feeling that it'd be like riding a motorbike through an orchard shoveling low hanging fruit into a large basket, it still might be fun. Stay tuned.

Posted to BloggingAcrossAmerica at 08:34 PM | Comments (0)

The Shawagunks

October 8, 2003: Are you looking to rock climb to the top of a cliff that's not a real peak in a less-than-wilderness setting about as populated as Griffith Park?

Well, look no further than the Shawagunks, or the "gunks" for short. It's not that they're bad from a climbing perspective; most of the routes are probably beyond even the capabilities of the mighty Lonewacko. Yet, there is such a thing as esthetics. In Joshua Tree, you're in the middle of a beautiful desert, and there aren't that too many people around. Or, at least there's room to move.

On the other hand, the Shawagunks are a several-miles-long cliff, and a carriage road runs below the cliff and provides easy access. Walking less than a mile along the carriage road, Lonewacko saw several bikers and walkers and over a dozen climbing parties, and that was on a weekday. One only imagines what it's like on a weekend.

Once again, the climbing there is probably great, and it does look like fun. However, and, bearing in mind that Lonewacko only saw part of it, it doesn't appear to be the wilderness experience or the chance to bag a named peak that some - such as Lonewacko - might prefer. Despite that, Lonewacko might try to find someone here who could give him a toprope belay up something easy.

Lonewacko would rather not pay a guide service to provide the belay, as they're rather expensive. I briefly stopped in at the EMS climbing school in Gardiner, and, while Lonewacko hasn't climbed under their tutelage, they seemed OK.

Lonewacko also stopped in at Rock and Snow in New Paltz. Lonewacko usually stops in at outdoors stores to get local information, as the people there are usually well-informed as well as being, er, laid-back. Unfortunately, the guy at Rock and Snow wasn't that helpful, and seemed not to have any information about, for instance, cheap motels outside of New Paltz. He was also a bit huffy. So, Lonewacko won't be shopping at their store any time soon. Note that EMS sells climbing gear as well, even if they don't have as large a selection as the other store.

The ladies at the New Paltz Chamber of Commerce were similar. Attracted by the highway sign promising tourist information, Lonewacko stopped by. Don't you make the same mistake. They had no information on businesses that were outside of New Paltz and/or not members of The Chamber, and they seemed to regard Lonewacko like the po' hiker that he is. Next time I'll wear my Dockers and my Topsiders and inquire about moving there, that'll get their attention.

Through asking enough people, Lonewacko has finally determined some of the answers the New Paltz Chamber of Commerce was unable to answer. Namely, there are no cheap-but-clean motels in the area. The cheapest was the Balmville north of Newburgh at $45. But, bear in mind that Lonewacko didn't even bother looking at the proferred room. The 30-something lady working there was from an Americanized East Indian, and she seemed like it might not be a complete dump. But, Lonewacko only had a two minute visit there and cannot vouch for it in any way. Note also that that's only a few miles north of the northern edge of Newburgh, and one should see the previous post for more information about that fine metropolis.

Even the campgrounds here are expensive: $30 for a frigging tent site. Apparently, I can "enter Kentucky" (in the words of one of Lonewacko's sources) by going to the other side of the Shawagunks, where things get a bit cheaper because hordes of tourons and NYCers don't go there. I might do that tomorrow, or I might move on.

Posted to BloggingAcrossAmerica at 08:08 PM | Comments (0)

"Where can I buy crack in the mid-Hudson River Valley region of New York State?"

Newburgh!

"Where can I get a cheap hooker and a no-tell hourly motel in the mid-Hudson River Valley region of New York State?"

Yes, Newburgh!

October 7, 2003: The section of 9 between the 84 and Poughkeepsie looked like, well, Hawthorne Blvd. through Torrance: a wide highway with shopping centers, gas stations, and the like on either side. Not that good, but not that bad either, as Lonewacko likes his services. Unfortunately, Lonewacko didn't have the time to check out Poughkeepsie, as it was dark and he wanted to find a place to stay. Crossing over the Hudson on the Mid-Hudson Bridge, Lonewacko soon find himself driving on 9W south through a "settled rural" area: a series of empty areas followed by a gas station here or a market or a bar there. He stopped at a Chinese restaurant at a small shopping center in Marlboro; it was actually fairly good.

Then, Lonewacko saw a few things he wasn't expecting.

Like, motels advertising hourly rates and before-5pm rates. "What the heck are these doing out here?" Lonewacko thought to himself. There are no big cities around, where could be the prozzies that would cause such hourly arrangements to be used?

Lonewacko asked someone, and was directed to go check out downtown Newburgh.

Holy Moses Malone!

The last thing Lonewacko was expecting to find just a few miles from a country road was a small city complete with a non-historical recreation of the South Bronx. While I saw areas like this in Chicago, and I've seen plenty like it in L.A., I really wasn't expecting it in this setting. Don't get me wrong, Lonewacko had to drive a couple miles into Newburgh to find the South-Central area, but, even so, it seemed quite a bit out of place. Apparently, Newburgh has been taking it on the chin for 50 years or so, and it looks like it. Bricks and yarn were big there, but the companies have since moved on, leaving some of the residents to engage in other forms of commerce. (Lonewacko did not, of course, do a complete survey of the city, so some parts might be OK.)

Other parts of the greater area have also experienced large losses of jobs. For instance, IBM brought 7000 engineers and such to Kingston a few decades ago; five years ago they closed down their operation there. Despite that, Kingston, or at least the waterfront area thereof, appears to be doing OK.

Posted to BloggingAcrossAmerica at 07:54 PM | Comments (3)

In the footsteps of Al Sharpton

I (thankfully) exited Connecticut and entered the next state over, New York, on the 84. Looking at the map I realized I had the opportunity to drive through Wappingers Falls, so, naturally, I decided to do so.

For a small town, WF, or at least the main street portion of it, doesn't look that bad. Shame, shame on the Right Reverend Al for besmirching the name of that fine community!

The ladies at the Grinnell library were quite helpful in answering my touron questions; one of them was right up Lonewacko's dark alley, albeit a bit too young and con boyfriend. I asked them and another person, "Why would someone from L.A. specifically be sure to visit WF?" Well, quite unfortunately, l'affaire Tawana was not the first thing they thought of, or even the second or third. Apparently a lot of time has passed and, despite still being mentioned occasionally on blogs and such, the Tawana and Al show appears to not be the first thing in most people's minds there. In fact, it appears they might be able to even joke about it.

So, my last minute thought that it'd be fun to pass out Al Sharpton for President bumper stickers wouldn't have quite the effect that I originally thought it might. So, I moved on and across to the west side of the Hudson in search of cheap lodging.

Of note also is that WF is in Dutchess County, which leads the nation in cases of Lyme disease: 14,000 reported cases so far. They've just decided to start fumigating the local deer.

Posted to BloggingAcrossAmerica at 07:50 PM | Comments (0)

Across Connecticut

[This is a housekeeping entry; see the next entry or the one two back for the real excitement.]

October 6, 2003: After his special guest appearance at BloggerCon, Lonewacko drove through Connecticut as quickly as possible. He was on his way to visit the rock climbing areas in the Shawagunks about 100 miles north of NYC.

I had already visited the highest point in CT a few years back so there wasn't much else of interest. I briefly got off the freeway in Hartford and then again in Westbury, but, after being unable to answer the question I immediately asked myself ("Why?") I quickly got back on the road.

The Boingo Wifi locations at the Doubletree in Hartford Locks and at the Dolce Heritage in Southbury both worked. However, I had previously called the Hartford Locks location and asked if I could use their WiFi service. They had told me that only guests or AirPort subscribers could use the service. I called Boingo and told them what I'd been told; they told me that they had an agreement with AirPort and that I could use the service. So, while I was able to sit in Double Tree lobby and connect, it's worrisome that they'd never heard of Boingo or its agreement with AirPort.

Posted to BloggingAcrossAmerica at 07:36 PM | Comments (2)

The Maine posts

I spent almost a couple weeks in Maine, and I pretty much enjoyed it up there, all things considered. I've already posted a little about the trip, and I have several more posts to go.

However, in the interest of efficient blog administration, I've decided to skip forward to the present day to try to keep this blog as current as possible. I'll fill in the gaps later.

I also biked into (gasp) Canada, specifically the almost all francophone Edmonston across from northern Maine. That's just one post but will be included with the Maine posts.

Posted to BloggingAcrossAmerica at 07:25 PM | Comments (0)

The map illustrates the problem

Check out the county-by-county map of who received the majority of votes in the recall election. Without the Silicon Valley, the East Bay, Marin County, and San Francisco County, California might be able to pull itself out of the mess it's in. Perhaps they could be encouraged to secede, becoming part of Canada or Communist China.

Posted to California at 05:24 AM | Comments (0)

This cheapens the entire blogosphere

"George W. Bush" has a "blog". At least they aren't pretending that it was written by GWB himself.

Posted to Bloggage at 05:20 AM | Comments (0)

Canada off U.S. soil!

Since I'm getting Instalanched, now's a good time to give a preview of a longer post.

Briefly, Canada and the U.S. have a boundaries dispute involving a small island off the Maine coast, Machias Seal Island. My preliminary investigation reveals that this is U.S. territory, yet Canada thinks otherwise.

This is described here, and a longer treatment is here. U.S. sea captain Barnar Norton takes groups out to see puffins there during the summer; I briefly spoke with him about this issue.

And, most importantly, you can contact Canada's PM here. Tell him: Canada off U.S. soil!

Posted to BloggingAcrossAmerica at 07:17 AM | Comments (1)

I'm at BloggerCon...

I'm passing out these flyers to the 50 or so people still here. It describes my new service:

MEET A BLOGGER

Blogging superstar Lonewacko just Blogged Across America: he drove from Los Angeles to BloggerCon 2003, blogging all the way. Read about his adventures at lonewacko.com/blog.

Now, through this exclusive offer, Lonewacko is available for interviews or to speak to you or your group about his historic journey. Join Lonewacko at the forefront of envisioning the futurescape of blogging and of the blogosphere.

Whether you're a "newbie," or whether you'd like to learn about leading-edge issues such as WiFi-enabled live guest blogging, aggregated standards-compliant mo-blogging, how your enterprise can become the expert consumers' turn-to information source, or how to access the leaders of the emergent blogging community, Lonewacko is here to help.

Lonewacko is available for interviews, speaking engagements, trade shows and conferences, store openings, events, corporate and enterprise teambuilding, and more.

Please refer to the following chart for his current speaking and interview rates:

Interview (via phone, FAX, text messaging, or face-to-face meatspace):
$5 per minute (20 minute minimum)

Interview (via email or instant messaging):
$1 per word (100 word minimum)

Conferences, Speaking Engagements and other Events:
$500 per day plus $250 per appearance-hour

*Fees do not include expenses. 50% surcharge for national media. 50% surcharge for difficult questions. Rates slightly higher in Canada. No personal checks.

lonewacko.com/blog
4470 Sunset Blvd. #377
Hollywood, CA 90027
323-993-7240

Memorable! Magical! Memetical!

UPDATE: Oliver Willis not only took one of the flyers, he shook my hand! Of course, he kept moving and didn't say anything to me, but, maybe next BloggerCon.

Posted to BloggingAcrossAmerica at 12:41 PM | Comments (3)

Meet me at BloggerCon 2003!

Lonewacko will be making a special guest appearance at BloggerCon this Sunday October the 5th.

I'll be available for interviews throughout the day (probably from about 11am on). The flyers I'll be passing out will have more details, including a fee structure for interviews or personal appearances.

See you there!

Posted to BloggingAcrossAmerica at 07:20 PM | Comments (0)

"ARNOLD TRIED TO EAT FLUFFY"

SANTA MONICA, CA - Pictured above is little 5 year old Becky Martin of Santa Monica who, in a stunning revelation that the Lonewacko Blog exclusively is reporting, claims that California gubenatorial candidate Arnold Schwartzenegger tried to eat her pet cat 'Fluffy.'

"I was walking down the street with Fluffy, when up came this big monster of a mean man. He had a German accent and he was carrying a copy of Mein Kampf. I saw him insult several women, People of Color, and GBLTs and when he got near me, I was scared. He was looking at Fluffy [Becky's cat --ed.] with a strange look in his eyes. 'Gif me ze cat' he said. 'Why do you want my cat, you monster?' I asked. 'I am hungry. I eat pet cats. And pet dogs. For fun.' I'm very glad that Bob [completely independent political consultant Bob Mulholland, Becky's neighbor --ed.] happened to be passing by, and he shooed Arnold away using a copy of the local fishwrap/tabloid."

Becky's story remains unconfirmed, but she seems credible to this reporter.

Posted to California at 06:00 AM | Comments (0)

She said "wicked"

Sep. 22, 2003: As I was driving towards Mt. Washington, I saw these black plumes of smoke high up the mountain, and I couldn't figure out what they were from. A forest fire above treeline? Some strange weather phenomenon? Then I remembered the cog railway, a century-old train system that goes to the top of the mountain. In order to be able to climb (or at least get to the top of) three New England summits on consecutive days, I considered taking the train, and then earning the summit on another day.

The cog railway is about six miles from the Mount Washington Hotel, so, after basking in the aura of the Bretton Woods room, I went up to the railway depot.

The wickedly cute young lady behind the counter liberally sprinkled her conversation with the word "wicked," something I found quite interesting. It was like an SNL sketch, done live.

She tried to put the best face on the railway: it's a national treasure, it's just soot that the thing is spewing out near and far, all the cars on the auto road release much more pollution than the railway, it brings in money to the local economy. I'm not surprised about the latter, as a round-trip ticket costs $49.

However, I decided not to take the train. Even if magical mountain gnomes wisk the soot away before it even falls to ground, I still consider it an eyesore that ruins the view for miles around. I heard two unconfirmed reports that they might switch over to another power source within the near future, so that shouldn't be as much of a problem. However, see this older report ("Cog railway to remain steam") that says no change is planned.

I found others who agreed that while the train does bring in money, it's also unsightly. However, they didn't know who was the local busybody leading the anti-cog forces.

I stopped in at a couple of the climbing schools in the area, and took a look at the local climbing area. It was impressive, but I decided not to do anything because a) I didn't want to spend that much money, and b) I'm a peak-bagger, and there's no real peak to get to the top of.

I was thinking that my big Blogging Across America tour was going to end in New Hampshire, but at the last moment I decided to leave Mt. Washington temporarily and go check out Maine.

Posted to BloggingAcrossAmerica at 07:33 PM | Comments (6)

Oh Gawd, now I'm going to get google hits for "Lyndon LaRouche"

Sep. 22, 2003: After Littleton, Lonewacko drove himself to the Mount Washington area to check out the possibility of climbing it. Along the way, I saw the sign announcing that the Bretton Woods Monetary Conference ("BWMC") was signed at the Mount Washington Hotel, so I decided to make the pilgrimage and see what all the fuss was about.

For some reason, I have an association between Lyndon LaRouche and the BWMC. I don't know all that much about LaRouche, but I did photograph some LaRouchians trying to take over one of the pro-Saddam peace rallies back in L.A. However, I think Lyndon is either for or against the BWMC or he believes it should have been modified in some way or other.

Whatever the great man believes, the Conference was held in the room pictured above at the Mount Washington Hotel (pictured here). The helpful and attractive concierge gave me a complete dossier on the Conference, but I haven't managed to work my way through it. Apparently a lot of people come there just to see the room. They're probably part of some tour or something that includes a private meeting with Milton Friedman.

Posted to BloggingAcrossAmerica at 07:13 PM | Comments (0)

Littleton, NH

Sep. 21, 2003: After Mt. Mansfield, I took the 2 through St. Johnsbury VT and Littleton NH. In St. Johnsbury I stopped for a slice of pizza and found to my surprise a fellow traveler: a college-age kid who'd been in 43 of the states, and who'd driven across the U.S. in six days. Despite that, he chose to live in St. Johnsbury, apparently because he's a snowmobiler. I was pressed for time, otherwise I'd have found out more.

I spent the night at the International Motel in Littleton. If you're really, really hard up, and they have a coupon in one of the traveler's magazines, consider it. But, only if your tent has a leak or something.

Littleton has a touristy side complete with a quaint downtown. It also has a beaten-down and stomped-on side, which was near the motel and the local Wal*Mart. I was unable to ascertain the main industry employing most of the empty-eyed residents, but somehow they keep on keeping on. Overall, it's a drive-past town.

Posted to BloggingAcrossAmerica at 06:58 PM | Comments (2)

Vindication on Mansfield

Sep. 21, 2003: I tried to get up Mt. Mansfield (Vermont's highest point at 4393'), a few years ago. As I did then, I took the gondola up. There were no carnie-related issues as there were last time, in fact, they were quite helpful. I hereby withdraw my earlier characterization. Even Stowe shall escape my poison keyboard; I didn't find it quite as odious as last time.

In the parking lot at the gondola, I saw an attractive, 30-quelquechose Canadienne who unfortunately made it up top while I was still packing. I also saw a lady possessing one of the most incredible tuchises ever. It was like a ziggurat mounted on her backside. I just stared and stared. She was with her bike and with an older couple I took to be her parents, although I think it was bicycling that did it because her mom's hindquarters weren't like hers that much.

Anyhoo, back to the hiking. Unlike the last time, the Cliff Trail was clear of ice and snow. It's a short but steep 2nd or 3rd class scramble up to the Long Trail, which then goes to the summit. It involves stepping over a few 10' or so deep gaps that it wouldn't be good to fall into, as well as crawling through a couple gaps in the rock. However, it was fairly short and easy and I was able to return on it mostly hands-free by taking it slowly. Supposedly, there's a longer version of the Cliff Trail which doesn't go directly to the Long Trail below the summit. That longer version branches off above the gondola, and goes south to join the trail from the top of the Auto Road. That version involves some ladders, and it's probably similar to Arcadia's Precipice Trail which will be covered in a future post. I didn't take it because I didn't have much information on it, I was alone, and it was a bit late in the day.

As on Mt. Marcy, there were several Canadians besieging the peak. No sing-a-longs, but lots of loud talking. And, tons of normal Americans who had taken the Auto Road to almost the top and then hiked the rest of the way.

I enjoyed the view a bit, and left for New Hampshire.

Posted to BloggingAcrossAmerica at 06:37 PM | Comments (0)

Bienvenue a Plattsburgh!

Sep. 20, 2003: After climbing Marcy, I drove to Plattsburgh, getting there at night. Unfortunately, there was some kind of swine grower's convention or lumberjack rodeo or some convention or other in town, and all the rooms were either too expensive or booked. Furthermore, I was dismayed to find that the highway signs in the Plattsburgh area were bilingual. Aren't we going a bit too far for our Canadian "friends?" Can't they wait until they get over the border for the bilingualism to begin? Not finding shelter, I boarded the ferry to Vermont. That's where I was going anyway, since I wanted to climb Vermont's highest point, Mt. Mansfield, the next day.

The ferry scared the holy bejeesus out of me, especially because it was night and I was right next to the railing separating me from Lake Champlain. I wanted to get out of the car, but I had this mental image of me falling over the railing. So, I locked the door and waited it out. It's not like I haven't been on boats before, but I don't think I've been on one at night.

There was a hot rod convention in Burlington, so I tented it at the Shelburne Campground after getting some useful beta from a Patt Morrisonesque motelier whose card is not immediately to hand.

Posted to BloggingAcrossAmerica at 06:17 PM | Comments (0)

Mountain climbing is my job

Sep. 20, 2003: I clocked in at 10am, I slogged my way up the interminable trail to Mt. Marcy (New York state's highest point at 5344'), I ate lunch on the top, I hiked down, and then I clocked out at 5:30pm. The hike itself wasn't that bad, it was just, well, interminable. It's a total of 15 miles round trip, and about 3274' of gain. The first two miles go to a dam, and they seem to actually lose elevation, making the last two miles of the hike not so much fun. After the dam, it steepens out a bit, goes flat, steepens a bit, then you walk over some rocks and you're on the top. It's not that bad of a hike, and it goes through pretty terrain, but it is a long plod.

After all that work, it would have been nice to have a quiet, peaceful summit. Unfortunately, I arrived at the same time as a large group of French-Canadians. One of them shouted "je suis Canadian" or some such foreign phrase from the summit; later they joined in a group sing-a-long; throughout they were generally loud and annoying. Other Canadians don't know to yield to uphill hikers, but, of course, that's true of many red-white-and-blue Americans as well. However, I think many more "peace summits" are called for. Either that or we should climb their mountains this coming Molson Day (Oct. 13) and sing God Bless America after chomping down some Big Macs.

Ce post est egalement disponible en francais.

Posted to BloggingAcrossAmerica at 05:49 PM | Comments (0)

Lake Placid

Sep. 19, 2003: I tried to get up to Lake Placid before dark, but I failed. However, "Ems" (see the previous entry) provided me with some useful beta on a low-priced motel there, the Saint Moritz. Because it was a Friday, they wanted $45 for a room, so I drove around a bit looking for something lower. I really wanted a room rather than tenting because I wanted to climb Mt. Marcy the next day.

However, even the Econolodge wanted the princely sum of $80. I found a couple mom & pop motels that were between the Econolodge and the Saint Moritz in price. However, none of the motels were flexible on the price. In fact, the very attempt to dicker seemed to cause them to take offense. "We're a family motel, we need to pay the staff, etc. etc. It's $50 plus tax, for $54.20. I'll make it $54, but that's it." Someone should pay Motel 6 to build a whole fleet of motels there, that'll show them.

As with the others, the gent at the Northway refused to bargain. Not only that, when I asked to see the room he refused my request on account of my rain-wettened boots and his clean carpets. I continued to try to bargain him down in what I and almost everyone else thinks is my happy friendly Huell Howseresque way, when he suddenly suggested that I find a room elsewhere and left the office. In a non-antagonistic way, I called him back and asked him what the problem was. He complained about my "bad attitude," and told me to leave or he'd call the police. He even picked up the phone. Well, rather than having to explain myself to the Olympic Ski Patrol and Gendarmerie, I left.

Based on my experiences with the local moteliers, I decided to spend as little money as possible in Lake Placid, and I tented it at the Whispering Pines campground. It was more like state park camping than a big open area at KOA, and, even though because of Hurricane Isabel it was a warm and wet night, it was still worth it. In fact, between patronizing the local mom & pop motels (especially the Northway) and sleeping in a local field, I'd take the field.

As for the rest of Lake Placid, it's a ski resort with a one or so mile main drag. Apparently, enough money wheels its way through there that it can support a Gap, an EMS, a few fashion outlets, and all the rest of the normal ski-resort-shops-and-appurtenances. I'd also like to give a big shout out to the golubushkis at the pizza place west of the EMS store and the band shell. They were quite friendly.

Posted to BloggingAcrossAmerica at 05:29 PM | Comments (1)

The ever-expanding consciousness of Lonewacko

Via Blog

RE: Our conversation of Sep. 19, 2003 ("The Conversation")

Dear "Ems,"

    I'm sorry it took me so long to post about our meeting at the EMS store in Albany. As you can see, I'm not using your real name. ("EMS" store, "Ems," get it?) As you explained in The Conversation, you're a massage therapist, and if a bunch of your fellow long-distance hikers knew what you did, they might bother you for free or low-cost massages.

I wish you best of luck on your long, long hike. As you suggested, I took a look at abraham-hicks.com and thework.com. They are certainly most interesting sites.

However, the Lonewacko is not too very "spiritual." Furthermore, the Lonewacko is supposedly an INTJ. To cut a long story short, Lonewacko doesn't believe any of this crap.

Wait, I'm sorry, I didn't really mean it that way. I realize there are many many explanations for our universe. There may well be ghosts living among us. I may well be the reincarnation of, say, John D. Rockefeller. However, my thoughts are based in the here and now, the nitty-gritty of getting down the road a piece.

As for "hiker magic," that I can buy into. However, as we discussed in The Conversation, I still see it as a tit for tat kinda thing. If I give enough out, eventually I'll get stuff back. If I get something unexpected, giving something unexpected to someone else will repay my cosmic debt. While you may be correct about whatever it was you were trying to get to about vibes or something, I still see it in strictly mercenary terms. It's a zero sum game, this "hiker magic" thing.

As for the rest of The Conversation, I'm afraid because of the delay between The Conversation and this post, I've forgotten the nuances and details of it. Moreover, I was also distracted because I wanted to (finally) have a Greenspun moment with someone on my long lonely tour across the U.S. Yes, I realize I should do my own thing. However, the Greenspun thing is mainly a joke. Except for the part about me wanting to out-Greenspun Greenspun. If he's the king of web-logging-travel-writers, I want to be the fucking Pope. I also believe you have a "friend," and it wasn't like I was trying to find a way to get you out of the EMS store and into my capacious suite at the Schenectady Motel 6.

In any case, I wish you best of luck on your travels.

Yours in Christ,

Lonewacko

Posted to BloggingAcrossAmerica at 05:16 PM | Comments (0)

So, when's the L.A. Enquirer Times gonna cover this?

From Jill Stewart's "Closet Wacko Vs. Mega-Fibber" column of November 27, 1997, reprinted here:

I have this file, labeled Gray Davis, that for the last few years I've been stuffing with all the bizarre little tales that are quietly shared among journalists and political insiders about the man who, though probably viewed as a blandly pleasant talking head by most Californians, is in fact one of the strangest ducks ever elected to statewide office.

Long protected by editors at the Los Angeles Times--who have nixed every story Times reporters have ever tried to develop about Davis's storied history of physical violence, unhinged hysteria and gross profanity--the baby-faced, dual personality Davis has been allowed to hold high public office with impunity.

Perhaps you are among the millions never told of Lieutenant Governor Davis's widely known--but long unreported--penchant for physically attacking members of his own staff. His violent tantrums have occurred throughout his career, from his days as Chief of Staff for Jerry Brown to his long stint as State Controller to his current job.
Davis's hurling of phones and ashtrays at quaking government employees and his numerous incidents of personally shoving and shaking horrified workers--usually while screaming the f-word "with more venom than Nixon" as one former staffer recently reminded me--bespeak a man who cannot be trust with power. Since his attacks on subservients are not exactly "domestic violence," they suggest to me the need for new lexicon that is sufficiently Dilbertesque. I would therefore like to suggest "office batterer" for consideration as you observe Davis in his race for governor...

(Via Kaus)

Posted to California at 04:22 PM | Comments (1)

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