Turning Back from the Far East

September 15, 2007

We left Wisconsin early afternoon today only this time Mr. Toccata is along for the ride. I'm used to driving along, chatting to Byrdie, and am startled to hear an answer occasionally to my musings. Byrdie has adapted fairly quickly to being displaced from the co-pilot's seat.

Three quick observations: First, the cold. I don't like it. I don't like one thing about it. I had to go into town to get a jacket. Since the 2nd hand store was closed for renovation, I actually had to go to a real store and pay full price. Of course I mean the WalMart. I was shocked! They wanted $46.00 for a made in China plasticky-type coat with fake fur that would only tickle my nose and smell if it got wet. No way that's going down. So I booked it over to the "Men's Department" and found a sale on jackets for only twenty bucks--it's fire-engine red--but more than adequate. There was a frost this morning--that means the ground was white and it scrunched when you walked on the grass. Time to head to warmer climes for sure!

The second encounter is of the gross type. We stopped to put gas in the RV. It was a normal stop until these two small hatchback station wagons(?) pulled in next to us. All four doors on each vehicle immediately flew open and approximately 6-8 young girls popped out. These girls were not wanting for lack of nourishment. They were shoving chocolate bars into their mouths. They made for the back of each vehicle and opened up the back lift doors. The vehicles were filled with caged rabbits!! As soon as they opened up the back doors, the smell of many rabbits just permeated the air around the gas pumps. I had no idea rabbits could stink so much! Then the mother got out of one of the vehicles--she was at the same pump as I was only on the other side. She went to remove her gas cap and at the same time let out this quite sustained belch--as if it were the most common sound to produce before pumping gas! Oh well--just a little vignette of a window into a simple stop for fuel.

By now I have forgotten what the third observation was that I wanted to make! Not all the bikers descending on Tomahawk, Wisconsin, to celebrate Harleys on the same day Harley Davidson announced they were closing three Wisconsin plants; not the sadness at leaving the beauty of Wisconsin; Not the beauty of St Croix River and the little town on its banks. Not the drag of being back in the corn fields of Minnesota.

It's good to be on the road again. I like it. We're at an RV park that has been taken over by some sort of rally activity. I hear the sound of bottles hitting metal trash cans and the obbligato bonfire has been lit. I must ask someone about this bonfire fixation. I keep expecting the air quality police to raid the place at any minute.

I remembered the third thing--ticks are really disgusting! Poor Byrdie is a four-legged TAC--Tick Attraction Unit! Thank you Cousin Mike for getting the worst ones off her but I had to do tick duty this evening here in St. Cloud. And that brings up another question--who is St. Cloud? Here is the St. Croix River that we crossed--very small bridge and not too high. It was here that I saw the first grafitti I've seen in three weeks. It was an even more vivid reminder of how clean and orderly this part of the country is. I will miss the cleanliness and local pride most of all. How can such a beautiful state as California tolerate people living and acting like pigs? Why do the rest of us allow it? My suggestion for a first step? Quit calling defacing property "tagging" as if it were a cute children's prank. It isn't. It's vandalism plain and simple. And then make the little pukes clean it up--totally! There is absolutely no reason for a community to tolerate dirt, grafitti or meandering groups of threatening males. Period.

Our plans are to head into North Dakota and see some of the country around Bismarck and then back into Spearfish. Since Mr. Toccata is responsible for the navigation I don't actually know where we're going. I believe Yellowstone and Montana and Jackson Hole are somewhere on the agenda.

More later when we hit the next reliable internet connection.