India – First Impressions

I don’t have the patience or time to finish up the other “interim” posts I had planned to describe travels through Western WA and Nicaragua. Those might come later, but for now I want to write about India while I’m here.

Background: Since October 2009 I’ve been working as delivery manager at a small software company called Avalara, headquartered on Bainbridge Island (near Seattle).  The majority of our software development team is in India, and I’ve finally managed to wrangle a trip out to visit the team. I’ll be in India for nearly 4 weeks, from 12 Feb 2011 to 8 Mar 2011. 

Arrival: After 30+ hours in transit I finally arrived in Pune. I recommend Korean Airlines for a level of service much higher than anything I’ve seen with a US or European airline. I arrived in Mumbai (via Seoul) with Avalara colleague Rahul and his family. Rahul is from Mumbai; Sonya and their daughter Anushka will stay with family in Mumbai while Rahul and I are working in Pune. I arrived by shuttle in Pune around 7 AM Saturday and then slept until nearly 2 PM. After that I figured I needed to stay up as late as possible to get back onto a normal sleep schedule by Monday. Pune is 13 ½ hours ahead of Seattle (yes, and a half!) so it’s rather like travelling into the future. Weird.

Accommodations: I'll be staying all month at Seasons Service Apartments (hotel) in the neighborhood called Aundh.  I have a furnished apartment, probably ~1000sq ft with a full kitchen, living room/office, large bedroom and big bathroom. The hotel has three restaurants: a traditional upscale Indian sit-down outdoor dinner place with live music, a “world cuisine” dinner place on the roof near the swimming pool, and an extensive three-meals-a-day multi-ethnic buffet. There’s also room service, and a sports bar. My first Indian meal was an big buffet, but I was still a bit too tired to appreciate the experience -- which is saying quite a lot coming from this foodie.  In spite of all the restaurant options, I’m planning to prepare lunch for myself like I do back home – and fortunately there’s a big grocery store a few blocks away.

The most remarkable things so far:

1) Smog. The acrid stench was nearly unbearable from the first step out of the Mumbai airport along most of the 3 hour shuttle ride to Pune. The polluted haze made it difficult to see cars on the road, and the smell... yeech! My eyes sting and this nasty black goo comes out when I blow my nose. The other shuttle passengers said that's just the way it is. Pune is cleaner than Mumbai, but still stinks from time to time. It looks like folks burn their trash on the sidewalk every morning.

2) Contrasts. I'm staying in a fancy-schmancy hotel with what seems like a 1:1 ratio of staff to guest. It's not 5-star, but it's very comfortable.  From my 4th (5^th) floor window, I see down on the yard of my nearest neighbor across the alley, living in a little compound of corrugated tin roofs and dirt floors, and a wood fire in the yard for cooking, and a hand-filled basin outdoors for washing.  It's a different world less than 100 feet away.

3) Traffic. The roads are like rivers and streams. Cars, scooters, motorbikes, bicycles, pedestrians, buses, cargo trucks, rickshaw taxis, men pushing handcarts filled with produce... all share the roads continuously through the days with seemingly no rules. The most important thing, is seems, it to keep the flow moving. Everyone appears to be supremely aware of their immediate space, and continuously signaling their presence to others around them. Traffic swells and fills all open spaces to keep moving. At any given moment, the drivers may decide to fill three lanes in one direction and only leave one lane in the other. Bicycles and scooters fill in the open spaces between the cars and trucks. It all just keeps moving and swirling and everyone just gets to where they’re going, without any outward expression of road rage or even anxiety. Miraculously I haven’t seen any dented vehicles.  As a pedestrian, crossing the street is a bit of an adventure; like live-action “Frogger.”

3) Clothing. Ohmigod the women dress so beautifully here!! Shalwar kameez, sari, all the beautiful colors and shapes, every one of them flattering to each body type. I’ll be shopping. I’ve already picked up a tunic and Punjabi shalwar and expect to find a few more items to bring back home. 

(Link to web album)

A tale of two islands: Bainbridge WA to Victoria BC

Twice in the past 18 months I’ve visited Victoria BC with Keith and Sarah, to celebrate Keith’s birthday at the end of January. I arranged overnight packages through Clipper Vacations, including transport on the high-speed passenger ferry from downtown Seattle plus vouchers to nearby hotels and Victoria attractions bundled into the same ticket price. It’s a great way to go; with about the same prices you’d get shopping for individual parts separately (though not any better). 

In the winter, the Victoria Clipper has only one daily 8 AM departure from Seattle (boarding at 7:30 AM).  This means a Bainbridge Islander will have some time to kill after the 5:20 AM Bainbridge ferry drops off in town. Thank goodness for the Night Kitchen on Stuart between 2^nd & 3^rd Ave, available for breakfast from 4 – 9 AM.  It’s more or less on the way from the WSDOT ferry terminal to the Clipper dock, and well worth the detour. The coffee is well made and I especially like the steel cut oats, with candied pecans and vanilla syrup.  And it’s the only game in town on a Saturday morning before 7 AM.

The Clipper journey is fairly painless. Remember to bring your passport since this is an international journey. Read a book, play some Scrabble, or (in Sarah’s case) do your homework during the 2-3 hour journey, and you’ll be there before you know it. If you’re lucky you’ll see whales (they say).  I’ve never been that lucky.

Victoria has a wide range of hotels within walking distance of both the Clipper landing port and the historic downtown district. We’ve stayed at both the Oswego Hotel and the Royal Scot Hotel & Suites, and in prior trips I’ve also stayed at the Fairmont Empress (on the fancy side of the spectrum)and at the Best Western Carleton Plaza. My preference for location and value is the Royal Scot – but unless you plan to spend a bunch of time in your room, pick a place that centrally located and within your budget. You’ll very likely get what you pay for.

What to see and do:

• Start with a visit to the Royal BC Museum, with permanent exhibits about the region’s ancient and current natural history, an extensive gallery of the nation’s first peoples, and a fun interactive display covering the modern history of BC over the past 250 years (from the arrival of Europeans to the Vancouver Island.) C$15 tickets are available through Clipper Vacations or at the door. There’s also an IMAX theatre is the weather is poor or you just need a theatrical diversion.
• Afternoon tea at the Empress Hotel.  It’s a spendy option for tea (C$50/ea) but you really have to experience it at least once.  You’ll wander through the majestic lobby of this historic hotel and then enjoy service fit for royalty, with all the fine china and white-tablecloth fanciness you could possibly hope for. The meal is substantial, including fruit salad, fresh scones, and a wide assortment of finger sandwiches and fussy pastries piled high on a three-tiered tray. And of course the tea is exactly perfect.
• After tea, walk around to the back side of the Empress hotel to enter Miniature World, “The Greatest Little Show on Earth.” If you have any interest in model trains, circuses, toy soldiers, doll houses, or otherwise like to learn through dioramas, this is the place for you. My personal favorite is a fully-functioning miniature lumber mill. The circus display is also memorable, with exceptional detail of animals, side shows, trapeze artists and all the little dramas played out in hidden corners of the display.  C$12.
• Before heading back to the hotel to change for dinner, stop in for a shopping visit at some local classic shops: Murchie’s Teas for a bag of Keemun or Lapsang Souchong; Munro’s Bookstore just to browse; and Roger’s Chocolates for an oh-so-sweet Victoria cream chocolate.
• Dine at Il Terrazzo for a superb traditional northern Italian meal. It’s a bit hard to locate and poorly marked, down Waddington Alley, behind Willie’s Bakery on Johnson Street. It’s a popular place so make reservations if you don’t want a bad table or a long wait. In my experience, everything on the menu is beautiful presented and tasty. The portions are large enough that I think it’s sufficient (and fun) for two people to split one or two starters, one entrée and a dessert.  You won’t leave hungry.
• If the weather is nice, an after-dinner stroll along the waterfront is a great time to check out all the houseboats and life on the pier.
• In the morning, get up early and grab a cab or walk briskly to The Blue Fox Café (919 Fort Street).  It’s a little out of the way, and if you don’t arrive when they open you’ll have to wait in long lines. The décor is fun and funky and the food is really good, and the location gets you well positioned for an after-breakfast walk up Fort Street hill to...
• Craigdarroch Castle.  I’m always delighted to peek into the daily life of those who lived long ago. In this case, you’ll get to tour a lovingly restored mansion built by Victorian-era industrialist Robert Dunsmiur. The wood paneling, stained glass and period decor on the “family” side of the house are all majestic, and it’s equally interesting to explore the narrow stairways and plain rooms in the servants’ quarters. The tour also provides glimpses into the region’s history through the displays about the military hospital and Victoria College that were once housed in the castle.
• Order a cab or take a leisurely stroll down into town for a different view into the town’s history in Chinatown. According to Wikipedia, the Victoria’s Chinatown is the oldest in Canada and second in age only to San Francisco's in North America. Wind your way through the tiny shops in Fan Tan Alley, explore the colorful arches, and if you want you’ll certainly find someplace promising to grab dim sum for a late lunch.
• You’ll need to check in at the Clipper terminal about half hour before departure. Depending on your endurance with the other events of the day, you might have time for an ice cream stop someplace along Government Street, such as The Soda Shoppe, near Humboldt. It’ll revive you, really.  

Expect the Clipper’s return trip to take longer than you could possibly imagine. Don’t make plans for the evening. In the half-dozen or so trips I’ve made, the return boat was cancelled or significantly delayed half the time. Even if all goes as planned, you will BARELY make it to the 9 PM ferry back to Bainbridge Island.   But you will make it back home. And then you’ll start to plan your next visit.

On the future of this blog

At long last I’ve decided to resurrect this blog. After some [not too deep] thought, I've come to realize that I think of this as my travel journal; a forum to record the places I’ve been so that I can share them with friends and family, and to serve as a reference for returning to (or avoiding) specific sites or people or events that I’ve witnessed.

I recently landed in India for the first time, where I’ll be working for the next four weeks. I’d like to share some observations about my temporary home in Pune, near Mumbai. FIRST, however, I feel compelled to write about a few of the trips I’ve taken in the past 18 months that never made it into this travelogue. Look for back-dated posts about my favorite spots in western Washington, options for weekend visits to Victoria BC, and a recent two week adventure in Nicaragua. And THEN I’ll move on to my current trip.

Another new beginning

I'm back in Honduras again, but this time just for one much-too-short week before returning to my new home and new job on Bainbridge Island in WA.

RECAP...

Fifteen months ago I left Washington Mutual Bank with a little bit of cash in the bank and a desire to see the world, to give back to those less fortunate, and most importantly to pass through a journey that would change my perspective.


After a few quick trips to California and Hawai'i, I left in my VW Eurovan Camper for a six-week trip from Seattle to Maine, down the east coast through Boston, Philadelphia and Virginia, west thorugh Asheville and Kentucky, north through Milwaukee to Saskatchewan, then west again through southern Canada to Banff and Trans-Canada 1 back to Seattle.

During the month of October 2008, I sold, gave away or packed up all my possessions and gave up my Seattle apartment before heading out of the country. First a quick visit to The Netherlands followed by a week in Williamsburg Virginia, then the beginning of my six-month commitment to Global Vision International to teach in indegenous communities throughout Central and South America.

• Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala (Nov 15 - Dec 29, 2008) Homestay with Anegela and Dulio and two weeks of Spanish lessons;  teaching at the GVI school in Santa Maria, weekend trip to Playa San Diego in El Salvador, mountain biking and kayaking at Lake Atitlan, weekend trip to Livingston and and the Mayan ruins in Tikal, and  Christmas week in Antigua.
• Copan Ruinas, Honduras (Dec 29 2008 - Feb 6, 2009) Homestay with Carla's family and Spanish lessons, hanging out wth Wess, painting the GVI school and helping to build a concrete sink, enjoying tons of tourist activities including horesback riding to La Pintada, hot springs, butterfly park, bird sanctuary, and of course the Mayan Ruins; and visiting Isias, Maria andd Alexander in Llanatios. And the food, ahhhh the wonderful Honduran food!
• Esteli, Nicaragua (Feb 6 - 14, 2009) No teaching this time, only construction of a concrete block stove for one of the GVI student families.
• Otavalo, Ecuador (Feb 15 - March 28, 2009) The most amazing teaching experience of the entire six months, exploring the capital of Quito, exploring the artisan market and dining out in the town of Otavalo, visiting El Lechero and other sights within walking distance from the town, and several adventures a bit further from town including Mt Fuya Fuya, Lago Cuicocha and the hot springs at Chichambiro.
• Arequipa, Peru (March 28 - May 17, 2009) Living in town and teaching in the nearby community of Sachaca, mountain biking down Chachani, trekking Colca Canyon and off-roading to Lago Salinas, visiting Puno and Lago Titicaca, hiking the Inca trail to Machu Picchu.

Upon returning from Peru, I was very fortunate to have the support of old friend Keith and new friend Savas who alternately provided me with places to stay between adventures.

I hooked up with Mad Max (the Road Kitty) and we hit the road together in the Eurovan for a few months. We started south to visit Penny in San Luis Obispo CA, then east to Phoenix for a visit with my brother and his girlfriend, and old friends. Next we went through Arcosanti to the archeological sites in the Four-Corners area. From there, Max and I traveled to visit family and friends in the Midwest. Finally, we went to Colorado and the wonderful discovery of cousins in Ft Collins and Boulder.

After nearly two months out on the road we returned to Redmond WA.  Back in the Seattle area, Keith and his daughter Sarah were again very generous to let me and Max stay with them while I re-adjusted to life in the city and began to look for new work and a new home.

AND NOW...


I am SOOOO lucky that my re-entry into the working world has been so painless. I met with former co-worker Mark Withers, now of Avalara, shortly after returning to Seattle. We pretty quickly discovered a good fit between my skills and the company's needs. Avalara is one of the few high-tech companies based on Bainbridge Island, an idyllic community a few miles across the water from Seattle. The company provides sales tax software and services, and beginning October 19th I'll be leading the requirements management and software delivery processes and their new Delivery Manager.

I've finally pulled my belongings out of storage and have mostly settled into a new home on Bainbridge, just a few blocks from my new office and very close to the Seattle ferry terminal. I'm VERY happy with the new place. I've discovered a community of great women also living in the condo complex, and there's a handy little organic grocery in the same block. Max has a well-manicured garden and a set of ancient trees for exploring while out on our walks, and a view of the water and mountains when he's stuck inside during the day. It's a pretty good life right now :)


(link to slides of my new apartment on Bainbridge Island)


AT THE MOMENT...

I decided to take one last week of adventure before starting at Avalara on Oct 19. At the moment, I'm in Copan Ruinas, Honduras, visiting my dear friend Wess. We met in Honduras back in January when I was a volunteer with GVI, and we traveled together (with Max) for awhile in Michigan and Wisconsin earlier this summer. He moved to Honduras from his home in North Carolina the same weekend that I moved to Bainbridge Island. He'll be teaching English and studying the culture here in preparation for his graduate studies in anthropology. I'm rather enjoying the hammock on his back porch overlooking the jungle below, and listeing to the thunder in the evenings, exploring the Mayan ruins, eating fresh papaya, and preparing baleadas, canches and other amazing Honduran delicacies. Ahhh the food!! What a great final week of exploration before heading back into the working world.


COMING NEXT...

I haven't yet determined the fate of this blog. It's purpose had been to record my journeys and share them with friends and family along the way. Now that I'll be settling into an average work-a-day life again, I'm not sure how interesting my stories will be for awhile. I suppose I'll have to seek out adventures, not just for blogging (of course) but to keep life interesting and to stay young.

Stay tuned..!

More family bonding in Colorado

After my last post, I stayed a few days at a hotel in downtown Boulder to explore Pearl St, then stayed four nights with cousin Dave's family in Erie, outside of Boulder. I can hardly describe how much I enjoyed being part of a busy energetic household filled with sports, music, video games, sleep overs, cooking, errands and all the normal stuff you'd expect with a pair of pre-adolescents and two work-from-home parents. I'm thrilled that Karrie could take a bit of time to share her family's world with me.

Some highlights:

In Downtown Boulder, I did my usual walk-the-grid to get my bearings and enjoyed soaking in the hippy-chic ambience of the Pearl Street pedestrian mall. The Boulder University Inn was simple and comfortable a few blocks from the center of everything. They loaned me a big pink fat-tire 3-speed pedal-brake bike to cruise the Boulder Creek trail for a few hours. I found some great restaurants, including Frasca Food and Wine with a four-course fixed-price white-tablecloth wonderfulness, and Aji with authentic Latin American cuisine that took me straight back to my recent GVI trip. Both are top-notch and worth a repeat visit.

With the Bach family we did a bit of exporing near Boulder as well, including a tour of the Celestial Seasonings tea factory complete with tastings of all the latest concoctions. Keeping with the tea theme, we girls had afternoon high tea at the Dushanbe Tea House. The building was a gift from Boulder's sister city in Tajikistan, and the tea service included a fancy salad and three-tiered tray of yummyness, plus great tea of course.

Back at the house I was treated to an amazing jam session in the Bach basement. Keelie has an amazing voice and the versatility to pick up the bass, guitar, drumsticks, or play the piano. Dave was on the guitar and Von rocked on the drums for this performance. No wonder the kids are so good at Wii Guitar Hero!

(Link to jam session photos)

Karrie invited me along on a climb of nearby Mt Bierstadt with three of her girlfriends. This turned into a memorable day including my first summit of a Colorado 14,000 ft peak. We all made it to the top, where Amy broke out the beer and we all celebrated Wendy's 40th birthday at the summit in style. If I make it back to Colorado I expect I'll attempt a few more of these "14ers" with the girls. Though the climb itself was nice, the bext part was hanging out with great women.

(Link to Mt Bierstadt climb photos)

It was sad to leave Boulder and my new-found relatives and friends. I'm seriously considering the Boulder area as a possible new home. Last Sunday (8/9) I began the drive back to Seattle and I'm now staying with Keith and Sarah in Redmond WA while I begin look for a new career, which could be in either the Seattle or Boulder area. A few other cities might make it on the candidate list, but those are the top two for now.

More to come...

Family in Colorado. Who knew?

After leaving Wisconsin last Monday, my intention had been to make my way towards Boulder CO to explore for a few days, possibly camping in Estes Park (near the Rocky Mountain National Park) and finally head northwest to Seattle. The events of the past week are far more interesting and unexpected. And really way-out-there cool, in my opinion.

A little background: My folks split up when I was nine and I grew up with my Dad. We had very little contact with my Mom's side of the family since 1979. My mom's brother Jon had three boys, David, Daniel and Darin. A few weeks before I started on this current road trip, I heard from my youngest cousin Darin through Facebook. Through his profile I learned that he lived in Ft Collins CO. Since I was enchanted by Colorado Springs on my way northeast from Arizona, I decided to make my return trip to Seattle through the Denver area as well. The last time I saw my uncle's family was at a family reunion in Maine in 1986. My summer road trip seemed like a great opportunity to have a face-to-face meeting with my long-lost cousin.

So...

After two meandering days of travel from Wisconsin, I approached Ft Collins and sent Darin a Facebook message to see if we could connect for coffee or lunch or whatever. He said yes, and invited along his mother, my aunt Jan for lunch. It turns out that Jan and Darin both live with my cousin Daniel. Surprisingly, they were all planning a camping trip with my OTHER cousin David and his family in Estes Park for the weekend. Jan and Darin very warmly invited me to stay at their house through the week and then join them for the family camp out over the weekend. I said yes!!

While at Dan's place in Ft Collins, I helped out a bit with painting the living room, and had a blast preparing a dinner for everyone. Max had tons of fun playing with the dogs Wallace and Bella. Jan took me window shopping, Dan and Darin showed me the nightlife in town, and of course I went on the New Belgium Brewery tour. It was a great two days!


On Friday we all met at the Jellystone campground in Estes Park, at the foothills of the Rocky Mountain National Park. We were joined by David, his wife Karrie, kids Keelie and Von, and their dog Zack. I couldn't believe how welcoming everyone was, considering it had been 23 years since we'd been in contact! We had a fun time with all the activities available in the campground. Keelie did an AMAZING rendition of "Hit me with your best shot" in kid's karaoke and the gang played bingo for candy bars. We had campfires with fancy s'mores (one variation with Reese's peanut butter cups, and another with marshmallows folded into brownies with fresh raspberries. Yum!) On Saturday while the boys all went fishing, the girls hiked up Lily's Mountain for an incredible view of the valley. And I got to play another game of Triominoes (yay!!) Through the whole weekend Max got plenty of exercise out on his leash climbing trees and chasing chipmunks, thanks to Keelie and Von.

I'll spend the next few days on my own camping and exploring the towns of Boulder and Denver. I've promised Karrie and Keelie that I'll stay with them in Boulder on Wednesday night so Keelie can teach me to play dominoes. I look forward to keeping in more regular contact with this great "new" branch of the family that I've just rediscovered!


(link to slides)

RECAP
27-28 July
- transit to Colorado
- Effigy Mounds National Monument (Iowa)
- Homestead National Monument of America (Nebraska)
29-30 July
- Ft Collins CO (at Dan Bach's house)
- New Belgium Brewery tour (Ft Collins, CO)
31 July - 1 Aug
- Jellystone campground in Estes Park CO (camping w/ Bach family)
- Hike to Lily's Peak

2 Aug
- camping in Roosevelt Natl Park

NEXT UP (subject to change)
- exploring Boulder and Denver
- Return to Seattle

Family and Friends in the Midwest

It's been quite awhile since my last post and I have a bit of catching up to do! After all the sight-seeing in the Anasazi / Four-Corners region I've been primarily busy with friends and family: not the kind of stuff I thought would be interesting for a broad audience. More specifically, reconnecting with family and friends has been cause for reflection and soul-searching that (at times) I'm not entirely comfortable posting to a broad audience. Nonetheless, here's a recap of some of my recent adventures -- so that I don't forget, and just in case anyone out there is interested. For anyone who was concerned about my lack of Twitter/Facebook posts... I apologize. But I'll admit it was nice to just turn off the phone for awhile.

(UPDATE: Slideshow added at the end.)

Milwaukee
Max and I had great visit with my mom Vicki and her husband at their home in Milwaukee, even though they were tied up the first two days of our stay working at the Bastille Days Festival, where they sell sunglasses at a trade booth. My brother and his girlfriend Donna were in Milwaukee at the same time so we managed to explore a bit together. It was bad timing on our parts, but seemed to work out in the end. Paul and Donna visited the Harley-Davidson museum and explored in town, and I was able to simply relax, take care of some basic van maintenance, and read a little. We also made it to the festival, had some great meals, and toured the Lakefront Brewery (well worth it!)

Toward Minneapolis
By mid-week we all said good-bye to Vicki and packed into the van for our trip to Minneapolis. We made it a two-day trip and stopped along the way to check out the Cave of the Mounds (sparkly) and Frank Lloyd Wright's compound near Spring Green called Taliesin. I'd been to Taliesin before and really enjoyed going back to see some of the new restoration work on the site. It was also an interesting comparison to Arcosanti from earlier in this road trip. Two very different idealistic architects with commune-style compounds... but Taliesin feels like a functional, beautiful well-considered place while Arcosanti (as I said in a previous post) felt like an out-dated moderately-good idea that should have been shut down years ago. The visit to Taliesin reinforced my impressions of Arcosanti.

Our late departure from Milwaukee and tourist stops along the way necessitated an overnight stay in La Crosse WI, and I was very pleased to catch up with my friend Wess Roberts (whom I met in Honduras), who was visiting his dad in the area. (More about Wess later.)

Minneapolis
As I may have mentioned in an earlier post, the only fixed date in my entire road trip was the Dressel Family Reunion on July 19 near Minneapolis. As has become tradition, I stayed with my sister April and her family (husband Bo, kids Philip and Timothy) for a few days surrounding the reunion. This time my Dad and stepmom were also staying at the house, and with my brother in town nearby we had our own little reunion for the immediate family a few days before the grand gathering with extended relatives. On the 19th we caravan-ed up to Maple Grove for the big reunion; rather smallish this year with only 40(?) people. The guest list is generally my great-great-grandfather's offspring, which has been over 100 in attendance at times. This year it seemed that all of the oldest generation, with the most senior attendee a sprightly septuagenarian. It was great to reconnect once again with all the second-cousins and see how all the children have grown in the two years since I last attended. And we'll all be back again next year in mid-July for another one!

UP Michigan and Southwest Wisconsin
After the reunion I drove up to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and met up again with Wess, this time with his family at THEIR annual reunion. Instead of a BBQ in someones suburban backyard (like my family), they all meet at the Hiawatha Traditional Music Festival in Marquette MI. I pulled in near the end of the festival and popped open my camper van, where Max and I were welcomed into a great hippy music scene. Over the next several days we went to a nearly beach and jumped off cliffs into an icy Lake Superior, hiked up a nearby mountain (and got lost on the way back to the parking lot), climbed some great sand dunes, hiked to Chapel Rock and Chapel Beach in the Pictured Rocks National Lake Shore, found several waterfalls, visited Naubinway for some local live music, found my namesake Borgstrom Road, ate pasties, and generally had a grand time. Heading southwest from the UP, we stopped with Wess' uncle Paul and fiance Rachel in Green Bay WI for more swimming, then continued down to La Crosse WI for more summertime fun: camping at Goose Island, two days at the Kickapoo Country Fair with folk music, food and a visit to an organic permaculture farm; a few stops at grocery co-ops, and visits to some great bars and restaurants in La Crosse. And of course dinner and game night with Willy, Penny, Emma and Wess at their house in Stoddard WI. I'm grateful for being included in such a great week of vacation with Wess and his family.

This morning Wess left on a train back to his home in North Carolina. From there, he'll be relocating to Central America in early September. I wish my friend the very best as he journeys back down to the troubled nation of Honduras. To Wess: thanks for sharing your friends and family and traditions with me. I'm glad we were able to reconnect however briefly before you leave the country. Be well, my friend, and keep in touch!


(Link to slides)

RECAP

8-9 July
- Transit across the prairies; flat tire near York NE
11-14 July
- Milwaukee, WI (at my Mom's house)
- Bastille Days festival
- Lakefront brewery tour
15 July
- Cave of the Mounds
- Taliesin / Frank Lloyd Wright compound
- La Crosse, WI (Guest House Inn w/ Paul and Donna)
16-18 July
- Lakeville, MN (at my sister's house)
- Dressel annual family reunion (my Dad's side of the family)
19 July
- Marquette, MI (camping)
- Hiawatha Traditional Music Festival
20-22 July
- exploring Upper Peninsula MI
23 July
- Green Bay WI
24-26 July
- exploring around La Crosse, WI
- Kickapoo Country Festival


NEXT UP (subject to change)
- Denver area
- Return to Seattle

Another flat tire

Yesterday on I-80 about an hour west of Lincoln NE, my right-rear tire blew out.

If you knew me two years ago, you may remember the trouble I had with tires on my van when I first drove it home. I bought my camper on eBay from a guy in Atlanta GA. (Eurovan campers are somewhat hard to find, and this was the best I could find at t he time.) I flew down Thanksgiving week 2007 to pick it up. The seller met me at the airport, showed me all the features and controls, I took him back to his house and then I started on my 3900 mile journey back to Seattle.

Outside of Shawneee OK the right-rear tire delaminated. That means it got all wobbly and herniated but didn''t actually blow out. I was able to pull off the freeway and into a tire dealer without much trouble, where they sold me a pair of replacement tires. They put the new ones on front, rotated the old ones to tbe back, and I was on my way again.

I continued on with my journey and picked up Zach in Moab Utah for the rest of the trip back. Near Boise ID the right-rear tire blew out, this time into smithereens. I pulled to the side of the road unharmed, and Zach swapped out the shredded tire for the spare. At a tire dealer in Boise I learned that I need 6-ply commercial tires, due to the heavy weight of the vehicle (as specified in the door panel and in any computer system specifying tires for this vehicle, which the guys in Shawnee didn't bother to check.). The first two dealers I stopped at simply wouldn't sell me replacements for the 'normal" 4-ply tires currently on the van (as the dealer in Shawnee had).

Unfortunately the size I need is unusual, so they'd have to be special ordered. And I'd need a complete set of four. So, sending Zach on his way with another friend passing through town, I stayed the night at a trailer park outside of Boise waiting for four very expensive new tires that were being shipped FedEx (on my dime). It was one of the low points in all my US travels.

Since then I've been pretty OCD about my tires. I check the pressure all the time, always do a visual check, all the stuff you're supposed to do to keep the tires safe. They didn't give me any trouble on my six-week trip around the US in 2008.

And so yesterday on I-80 about an hour west of Lincoln NE, the right-rear tire blew out. All the anxiety and frustration and self-pity that I remember from the 2007 trip flooded back. For about two minutes. Then I pulled out the tire tools, changed to the spare, drove into the nearest tire shop and ordered a pair of my fancy tires (no, they don't carry 'em in York NE neither, but at least the shop covered the shipping this time). Then I checked into a motel (with AC, Wi-Fi, a kitchenette, and full breakfast included), stopped at the grocery store (for Hoegaarden beer, Marie Callendar's frozen dinner, and Ben & Jerry's ice cream) and settled in to watch cable-TV movies with Max. Not a bad evening overall :)

Later this morning I'll head back to the tire shop to have the new ones installed (fingers crossed), and then we'll head out again, no worse for the experience. I should still make it to Milwaukee sometime on the 11th.