Change in Residence: Part 1 – Bowling Green to Somewhere in Oklahoma

So much for my itinerary.  After day two, I was supposed to be in the vicinity of Springfield, MO.  Instead, I overshot and am somewhere west of Oklahoma City.

After dinner with my family in Dayton, I arrived in Indianapolis on schedule.  Gen Con is this week, and several good friends are attending.  Since Indy was on my route, it was a great opportunity both to visitate and to wander the convention hall floor.  Gen Con’s particular brand of nerdery isn’t really my bag, but any time when that many people, all passionate about the same thing, gather in one place, it’s something to see.  The cosplay alone was worth the price on admission.

Who's Awsome? Abe Lincoln. Who's more awsome than Abe Lincoln? Abe Lincoln on stilts.

Day 46: From Crafordsville, IN to Bowling Green, OH

Well, here I am again. The last drive of the trip was thoroughly uneventful, interrupted only by a self imposed layover in Brownsburg to post the last batch of blog updates.

When I woke up in Indiana, it was cold and spitting rain, giving me a firm reminder of what I had waiting for me in Northwest Ohio in November:

Umvelinqangi decided to thumb his nose at me one last time before the trip was over.

I’m now back in Ohio, ready to try and figure out what I’m going to do with myself next. As for this blog, I’m hoping to get a sort of capstone post ready to go in the next day or two. It’ll take a bit of mental digestion before I can sum anything up. As for right now, I’m going to bed.

Day 46 Stats:

Miles Covered: Today: 288 To Date: 10,420
States/Provinces: Today: 2 To Date: 21

Day 45: From Oklahoma City to Crawfordsville, Indiana

I covered a lot of miles today, and not much else, save the notable exception of stopping by my friend Neal’s place near the University of Illinois and catching up for a while. After some tasty Thai food and conversation, I got back on the road due East and drove until safety concerns had me looking for a truck stop. That has brought me to Crawfordsville, about 30 miles into Indiana.

During my ten hours of interstate driving, I took only a couple photos. First, I did drive through St. Louis, so here’s the obligatory St. Louis Arch Photo:

Later, this indelible nugget of Americana caught my eye while getting gas in Illinois:

I think the people from Vernal have been through here.

And that’s it for Day 45. Lots of miles, not much to report.

Day 45 Stats:

Miles Covered: Today: 760 To Date: 10,312
States/Provinces: Today: 4 To Date: 21

Day 1 – From BG to Milwaukee

[Note, I'm actually posting this, and the next several posts, on the evening of day 6 of the trip. This is just the first time I've had access to a Wi-Fi signal.]

Day one started a rather late (didn’t get on the road until about 1:15) and consisted of the drive from Bowling Green to my friend Barb’s place on the south end of Milwaukee’s urban sprawl.

‘Pretty uneventful, but as my mind tends to wander while driving, I did come up with some random thoughts that you’re about to be stuck with:

1. Whoever developed the speed limits along I-90 in Indiana needs to be wapped in the face with a dead fish. Really? It’s necessary to bump the limit down to 55 at random intervals for absolutely no reason? I hate people.

2. When heading into Chicago, make sure to check your gas gauge before leaving Indiana. If you don’t, you may do the following:

a. Pass the weird “Oasis” McDonald’s, pay your three dollars to get on the Skyway, and then look down at your gauge and say “son of a flaming turd nugget”, or something along those lines.

b. Take the first exit, find a gas station, and pay $4.09 /gallon when it was $3.60-ish in Indiana.

c. Wander around South Chicago, making various legally questionable maneuvers in the faint hope of finding a way back onto the Skyway.

d. Find an on ramp, only to realize too late that it’s Southbound instead of Northbound.

e. Pay another three dollars to get back on the Skyway in the wrong direction.

f. About seven seconds later, pay another three dollars to get back on the Skyway once again, this time in the correct direction.

g. Punch yourself in the face four or five times.

h. Drive through Chicago.

(More after the jump)