Sunday, August 17, 2008

Launch Day

I had hoped to leave Sunday "morning" (rare as it is for me to see morning). I wanted to make it to Toledo Ohio the first day, to catch the Monday afternoon ferry across Lake Michigan.

Well, Saturday night was the memorial for dear departed JudgeCal, which went late, and I stopped by 3 of Cups (after driving one of JP's lovely friends from back in the day to Sunset Park), went out to eat after that, and got home at 6 AM. So much for morning.

By the time I got packed and ready to leave, it was 4 PM. Adjusting that itinerary as the moments pass. I had to stop in Bay Ridge (around the corner from where I grew up), and when I was nearly there I realized I had left the ticket to Burning Man at home. So it was back up to Greenpoint, for the ticket and take two of the departure at 7:30 PM. Drove into the sunset over the Verazzano Bridge, and took a wrong exit in Staten Island, heading up to the Bayonne Bridge instead of down to the Outerbridge. Wandering Victory Blvd, no idea where the southbound expressway was, I pulled over and checked the iPhone map function - spinning gear, no access, I resorted to asking a human who gave me directions. Those legacy methods still work!

Getting up to speed on the NJ interstate, I was overcome by an exhilarating feeling of "it has actually begun!" But it had been a long day after a short bit of sleep, and I only made it as far as Hershey PA where an overpriced Holiday Inn caught my eye.

No wireless in the rooms, just "wired" Internet - with a cable coming out of the nightstand only long enough to allow you to operate the computer in bed! So I moved the furniture around, put the table between the beds, and here's the typical setup of the coming weeks.

We'll just stick an extra day on the front end of the westward journey, reach Toledo Monday and take a Tuesday ferry. I'll have to do some extra long days out west to get to Burning Man on time after Minneapolis.

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