Back to Iowa
I'm back! OK, I've been busy. Besides, I'm not a "real" blogger... to me, blogging is just another procrastination tool to be used when I don't want to attack the work at hand. So, I blog. Or, perhaps I should say, I exhibit blogger-like behavior.
Much has happened in the past few months, including a road trip from the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina to the field-covered flatlands of Northwest Iowa.
Ah, yes... Iowa at Christmas time. Normally this means sub-Siberian weather that requires people to plug in their cars at night so their engine blocks don't freeze. However, thanks to the miracle of Global Warming (which still doesn't exist on Fox News), the weather in the great white north was, well, comparatively tropical - in the high 40's & sunny. Go figure.
OK, I have to confess something here. I had a couple of moments in Iowa where I thought, "screw the future generations - this beats freezing my butt off!" Yes, I'm sorry I was short-sighted and selfish and I promise to never think that way again!
For God knows what reason, I decided that my son & I should drive this trip from Asheville, NC to Northwest Iowa (over 1150 miles one way). It just seemed like a good idea at the time... an adventure & bonding experience rolled into one, and a LOT cheaper than flying to one of the "nearby" airports (all at least 4 hours away from my home town) & renting a car, et. al.
What I failed to consider, however, were a few rather important things:
1. The last long road trip I ever took was back in the day of my squish-o-matic 1975 Delta 88 - like driving a large V-8- powered sofa. My current car is a little Honda Civic. Great gas mileage, but not so comfortable. My back died.
2. Cramming a peri-menopausal woman & a 20-year-old young man in a small, uncomfortable car for 2300+ miles is just asking for a button-pushing session destined to result in an all-out verbal brawl.
3. The Midwest all looks pretty much alike. Pretty boring landscape - just farms dotted with & a few small towns with water towers. (a couple of sunsets were pretty fabulous, tho.)
4. 2300+ miles is a LONNNNNGGGG-ass drive!
5. The "adventure" thing only works when you have plenty of time to get off the interstate and stop in the odd small burg with the world's largest ball of string, et. al. We were on a schedule, so our only adventures were through the car windows or at the occasional potty/gas/fast food stop.
All in all, tho, it was a good trip. We survived, had a lovely Christmas and some good belly laughs. It's always good to pop back to Iowa and have some quality time with the folks - it reminds me of where/what I came from, and that's a good thing that makes me smile.
Much has happened in the past few months, including a road trip from the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina to the field-covered flatlands of Northwest Iowa.
Ah, yes... Iowa at Christmas time. Normally this means sub-Siberian weather that requires people to plug in their cars at night so their engine blocks don't freeze. However, thanks to the miracle of Global Warming (which still doesn't exist on Fox News), the weather in the great white north was, well, comparatively tropical - in the high 40's & sunny. Go figure.
OK, I have to confess something here. I had a couple of moments in Iowa where I thought, "screw the future generations - this beats freezing my butt off!" Yes, I'm sorry I was short-sighted and selfish and I promise to never think that way again!
For God knows what reason, I decided that my son & I should drive this trip from Asheville, NC to Northwest Iowa (over 1150 miles one way). It just seemed like a good idea at the time... an adventure & bonding experience rolled into one, and a LOT cheaper than flying to one of the "nearby" airports (all at least 4 hours away from my home town) & renting a car, et. al.
What I failed to consider, however, were a few rather important things:
1. The last long road trip I ever took was back in the day of my squish-o-matic 1975 Delta 88 - like driving a large V-8- powered sofa. My current car is a little Honda Civic. Great gas mileage, but not so comfortable. My back died.
2. Cramming a peri-menopausal woman & a 20-year-old young man in a small, uncomfortable car for 2300+ miles is just asking for a button-pushing session destined to result in an all-out verbal brawl.
3. The Midwest all looks pretty much alike. Pretty boring landscape - just farms dotted with & a few small towns with water towers. (a couple of sunsets were pretty fabulous, tho.)
4. 2300+ miles is a LONNNNNGGGG-ass drive!
5. The "adventure" thing only works when you have plenty of time to get off the interstate and stop in the odd small burg with the world's largest ball of string, et. al. We were on a schedule, so our only adventures were through the car windows or at the occasional potty/gas/fast food stop.
All in all, tho, it was a good trip. We survived, had a lovely Christmas and some good belly laughs. It's always good to pop back to Iowa and have some quality time with the folks - it reminds me of where/what I came from, and that's a good thing that makes me smile.
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