Balls and Malls

Thursday, 1 October 2009

Here's a quick summary for folks who may be picking up my blog mid-way through...

I started my American Adventure on 25th of July when I arrived in New York City. After 3 days in New York I joined 10 other people who'd I'd not met before for a 21 day tour organised by TrekAmerica.com and lead by our wonderful tour guide / driver Kate. The Trek ran from New Jersey to Los Angeles via the "Southern States" and included sites such as Monument Valley, Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks and Carlsbad Caverns. The Trek was mostly camping, under canvas with two hotel stays in Las Vegas and New Orleans.

Once we arrived in LA, the Trek group flew home and on August 20 (which I call "Road Trip Day 1") I picked up a rental car, my faithful red Dodge Charger which I have nicknamed "The Beast". Since then I have driven up the West Coast through Santa Barbara, San Francisco, Redwood National Park, Oregon, Crater Lake, Portland, Washington and Seattle then into Canada to visit Vancouver. From Vancouver I started heading back East where I went to Glacier National Park, then via Yellowstone and Grand Teton down to Denver, back up through Nebraska and the Dakotas to Minnesota.

From here I'll travel through Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois to Chicago. Then, depending on time, I will go back into Canada to Toronto, then over to New England during the fall. I finish my trip with two days in New York before flying back to England towards the end of October.

Road Trip Day 43

Slow Start

The pattern of my day was dictated by the Twins schedule today. In a "must win" game, the Twins were playing midday in Detroit to keep their season alive. If they lost they were out for the season. If they won, chances would still be slender, but not dead.

With the first pitch at 12:00 and rain falling I decided to have a lie-in then watch the game. I was relaxing in the lounge room of my suite when I realised that I was wasting a golden opportunity.

Here I was in my hotel room when I could be in the Irish bar watching it on the big TV screens with fellow Twins fans... so that's exactly what I did.

I spent a very enjoyable couple of hours watching the Twins win, accompanied by fans, a chicken burger and a lot of Diet Pepsi.

Told You So

It was just yesterday that I posted those wise words from the installation in the sculpture garden. The saying about the realisation that you are doing something wrong but continue before something bad happens. Well that could be said to have happened today.

The game was all but over by the middle of the 8th inning so I decided to leave the bar and listen to the final inning and a half in the car while driving to one of the iconic stopping points on my adventure. I set the sat-nav and started what was supposed to be a relatively easy drive to Darwin, 30 miles west of Minneapolis to see "The Worlds Largest Twine Ball (by one man)."

This is classic roadside Americana and is actually referenced by Chevvy Chase in the first National Lampoon's Vacation movie. I've told so many people that I would see it that I could not turn back. I couldn't turn back despite the driving rain storm, nor despite the two sets of road construction and uncharted roads that my sat-nav could not identify. I pressed on.

Was It Worth It?

Was "The Worlds Largest Twine Ball (by one man)" worth the horrendous rain, cold, traffic and detours? Hell yes!

Who can resist visiting a town which has a picture of a giant ball of string on their welcome sign? And a bar named "The Twine Ball"? I certainly couldn't.

OK, so it's not my best photo of the journey, so here's a close up.

Again, not an excellent shot but the weather was hideous and it was getting dark. However, I am happy to have visited and am only sad that the neighbouring museum and gift shop were closed. I'll visit properly next time I'm in the area.

Mallrat

According to urbandictionary.com, a Mallrat is:

"A person, typically an adolescent, who spends a good part of the day at the mall, mostly window-shopping or hanging out at the cafeteria."

Cult director Kevin Smith made a movie entitled "Mallrats" in 1995 and it soon became a personal favourite of mine. Though the movie was set in New Jersey, it was filmed in Eden Prairie Minnesota so I visited the mall today.

It would appear that the mall has had a facelift since the movie was filmed because I didn't really recognise it, but the principle still stands and I can add another movie landmark to my list.

Chicken Tikka Masala

By now I was tiring of driving in the rain and it was getting late so I checked my voicemail and had received a call from friends of my cousin who were happy to meet for dinner.

I jumped at the chance because, as I have mentioned before I am comfortable with eating alone, but I also miss proper dinner conversation. We met for an Indian meal in a Minneapolis suburb, St. Louis Park and shot the breeze over some delicious food.

I'd been craving curry for a while, so this little taste of home with good company was a very welcome break from the usual solo meal.

My thanks to Aaron and Emily.

Misty Minneapolis

As I drove back into the City, the low cloud was hanging on the tops of the highest office blocks. It was beautiful, in a drizzly kind of way and I wish I could have captured it on camera, but I was on the highway so that memory will have to remain as a mental image.

Goodnight.

Stats - Day Sixty-Nine

Distance travelled - 0.1 miles - South 8th St to South 7th St Minneapolis, MN

State count - 26 + DC + B.C.

Room numbers stayed in - 203, 1, 148, 212, 205, 210, 246, 118, 3, 145, 229, 111, 207, 206, 40, 605, "Cowboy", 35, 11, 18, 262, 216, 208, 430, 216, 59, 226, 115 / 110*, 309, 30, 8, 255, 428

*room switch