Don't You, Forget About Me

Wednesday, 7 October 2009

Road Trip Day 49

I enjoyed an easy start to the day today, laying around in bed until gone nine, showered then Simon and I popped over the road to Tweet for breakfast. The chorizo scrambled eggs, hash browns, coffee and conversation with my cousin is an ideal start to the day.

Planning

I'm down to the final fortnight or so of my trip. I've also had to rebook my flight to leave a day earlier than originally planned. It turns out my plan of leaving the USA and going into Canada for 24 hours does not count as showing an in tent to leave. Consequently I have to leave after exactly 90 days and fly out on 23rd October rather than the 24th.

With this minor reduction of time in mind, I have decided to pass by Toronto and stay in the USA, save for a possible trip to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls.

I've also made a rough plot from Chicago to New York. I've kept a couple of days in hand and have found a route for the last 2,000 miles across north-eastern America and down the Eastern Seaboard through New England.

Baha'i

I was heading up to the north of Chicago for some movie spotting, so took a quick side trip to the Baha'i place of worship. According to Wikipedia, The Baha'i believe in the unity of all the world's major faiths. The nine sided, immaculate white building is set in attractive gardens with tiled fountains. There are nine columns around the elongated dome which feature symbols of various world religions. It's an interesting sight and a very pleasing building.

John Hughes

Through my teens and twenties some of the most memorable movie releases were those directed by John Hughes. Classics such as Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles and Weird Science were set in and largely filmed in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs. To me a John Hughes movies means comfort, laughter and reflections on days past. Today I visited locations used in three of the movies which I know almost word-for-word.

The Russell House from Uncle Buck:

Cameron Fry's house from Ferris Bueller's Day Off (the external shots of Ferris' house were filmed in LA):

Incidentally, Cameron's house is currently on the market for $2,300,000 so if you are stuck for ideas for me for Christmas, here's a link to the realtor.

Finally, the school from The Breakfast Club:

The building is no longer a school, but has been converted to a Police Headquarters. Happily, no-one got annoyed by me parking on and strolling around the grounds taking photos. They must be used to fans of the 80's wandering around every now and again.

Stood Up

The end of my day today fell apart at the last minute. I had made plans to meet a few of my on-line gaming buddies at our traditional meeting place of Hooters. Sadly a late delivery, a wrecked truck, a broken engine and illness conspired to prevent people making the trip out to meet me.

I ordered dinner, watched the first of the American League Divisional Series as The Twins played The Yankees in New York.

However, on traditional did remain, so here's a picture of a member of our gaming community photographed with a Hooter's Girl.

Oh, and The Twins lost.

Goodnight.

Stats - Day Seventy-Five

Distance travelled - 0 miles - Stayed in Chicago

State count - 29 + 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, 209, "Spare"

*room switch

Frames and Games

Tuesday, 6 October 2009

Road Trip Day 48

Thanks to good planning on the part of Simon, my cousin / guide, we saw the main outdoor attractions yesterday and had an all day indoor day today. The weather was inhospitable with misty cloud so low that it covered the tops of the skyscrapers.

Art

As I relatively recently became a producer of what I like to think of as 'art' I have also started to enjoy being a consumer. My knowledge of art history is extremely limited though, so it was with pleasure today that we spent several hours in The Art Institute of Chicago looking through a good portion of their extensive galleries.

Having guidance was very useful and gave context to what I was seeing and understanding to when and why the various styles were in vogue.

I have two "stand out" pieces which I took photos of. The first is "Bucks County Barn" by American artist Charles Sheeler which appeals to my sense of symmetry; fondness for blocks of colour and is also very evocative of the many beautiful farm buildings I have seen on my travels.

The second is by Magritte and again has symmetry and solid colours plus a quirky sensibility that I admire.

Bottom of the 12th

After an afternoon of artistry in galleries it was time to head home for artistry on the field. My beloved Twins were playing today in a tie-breaker game to see who would be crowned winners of the American League, Central Division. The game was at home in Minneapolis against the Detroit Tigers.

As has become customary I was in my Joe Mauer Shirt, Twins cap, chewing Dubble Bubble and even drank from my Twins souvenir cup.

The game started at 4:00pm and was due to be over by 7:00pm. By 7:15 the game was tied and heading to extra innings. By 7:30 our dinner companion, Eileen, a native of Detroit, had arrived. By 8:00 we were all hungry so Simon recorded the end and we headed out for dinner.

During our delicious, and I mean seriously, spectacularly good, Italian dinner, I noticed a girl in a Twins jacket receive a phone call and dance next to her table. I took this as a good omen.

We got home, picked up the game at the top of the 11th. 30 minutes later the recording stopped. The game had not stopped. None of this matters though because The Twins won!

My aching jaw and extensive Twins wardrobe was worth it.

Now, we just need to thrash those damn New York Yankees and we're laughing.

Goodnight.

Stats - Day Seventy-Four

Distance travelled - 0 miles - Stayed in Chicago

State count - 29 + 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, 209, "Spare"

*room switch

Chicago

Monday, 5 October 2009

Road Trip Day 47

I don't dislike hotels. After so many consecutive nights they have become second nature. I'm used to the rigmarole of bags in, bags out; remembering not to leave stuff behind (ever since the Alice incident); the different design clock-radios; hunting for the ice machine and all the other idiosyncrasies of hotel and motel life.

That said, it's a welcome break to be staying with family. No housekeeper knocking on the door, no check out time and top class coffee.

On Your Bike

Today's first escapade was a cycle ride. Simon has a spare bicycle so he and I rode out through Lincoln Park along the Lake Michigan shoreline to a jetty for a view out over the downtown skyline.

There were more than just this one stop intended for our ride, but fate intervened when, with no intervention on our parts and the bike standing quietly, the valve on the front tyre of my bike blew. An attempt to fix it using a borrowed pump failed leaving no option but to wheel the bikes back home.

Authentic Food, Part 1

We arrived home, a little deflated and made plans for lunch. I cannot come to Chicago and not have a hot-dog, so we drove out to a very traditional restaurant for jumbo dogs with appropriate toppings. I avoided the assorted tomato, peppers and lettuce, but did have onions and some of the virulent coloured relish.

I now know what the colour green tastes like... I'm not sure what it's made from, I just hope it isn't Soylent Green.

We're Off

Nicky kindly then dropped us off at Oz Park, named for the Wizard of Oz whose writer, L. Frank Baum was a resident of Chicago. The park is very tranquil and appears well loved by local residents. It also features statues of the principal characters from the Wizard of Oz. Here's Tin Man and Dorothy.

Vertigo

Simon and I took the 'L' (the nickname for the "Elevated Railway") into the city centre and got off by the Hancock Centre so that we could visit the observation deck on the 94th floor.

The weather today was perfect for the views with blue sky and just enough cloud to make for a more interesting background. My slight tendency to vertigo gave me a few moments of unease, but the view was so very worth it.

The Magnificent Mile

From the Hancock Centre, we walked along the section of Michigan Avenue known as the Magnificent Mile, which is the centre for shopping and also for some quite stunning classic and contemporary architecture. I knew Chicago was reputed for it's skyscrapers but was possibly expecting a similar feel to New York.

However, whilst there are similarities between the cities, I would say that, for me, Chicago edges out its more famous rival for the elegant mix of new and old. The planners and builders have taken more risks than in New York and there are modern classics side by side with more traditional designs.

Bean There, Done That

Last night on our after dark tour, we went to Millennium Park which features several artworks, including The Cloud Gate. Today I got the full impact of the work, known locally as "The Bean", which is a highly polished, solid organic form which reflects you and your surroundings in some strangely challenging ways. It's a fun place to be and both last night and today was surrounded by happy faces clicking away on cameras looking for peculiar views.

In this first shot, taken up and under the sculpture, Simon and I are standing side by side, forming an X shape and I can see us at least 12 times.

The second, from last night, gives more of an idea of the shape and has the skyline reflected.

And finally, my favourite is a shot from some distance away and makes the Bean appear like a bubble behind the trees.

Authentic Food, Part 2

Another food for which Chicago is justly famous is the Deep Dish Pizza. Simon, Nicky myself and Ed from the flat above whom we absconded as he entered the building just as we left went to Pequods Pizza for dinner where we shared a very large, very deep Pizza pie filled with sauce, cheese, pepperoni, onions and olives (on their half, not mine, ack!).

I'd describe it as like a hot, savoury cheesecake with an almost biscuit like dough base, turned up at the edges and with a crust of caramelised cheese around the edge. I'd also describe it as extremely tasty and thoroughly enjoyable.

Goodnight.

Stats - Day Seventy-Three

Distance travelled - 0 miles - Stayed in Chicago

State count - 29 + 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, 209, "Spare"

*room switch

I 90

Sunday, 4 October 2009

Road Trip Day 46

Though I don't regret it for a moment, I did spend slightly longer in Minnesota than I would have planned. It was all down to Twins scheduling, but given how much I enjoyed the game I wouldn't have had it any other way.

The minor downside to the extra time in the Land of 10,000 Lakes is that I had a lot of ground to cover along Interstate 90 to get to my next major stop in Chicago.

IA

I started my day in Iowa, and the sun was shining. I resisted the temptation to return to the Field of Dreams for sunny shots, and instead headed back north briefly beside the Mississippi. This gave a more scenic route and meant I would enter Wisconsin sooner and take me towards the state capital of Madison.

This extra time also meant I got some better shots of the delicate Catholic churches I mentioned yesterday. Below is the Basilica of St Francis Xavier in Dyersville, the only Basilica in North America outside of a major metropolitan area (apparently) and below that the church in Luxemburg.

WI

I passed through Wisconsin today and took the scenic route, as I so often do, which took me through some delightful little towns along route 60 and the Wisconsin River.

Just like yesterday, as I drove I chewed for The Twins. Again, no coverage of the game itself on the radio down in Wisconsin, but I could receive Milwaukee Brewer's Radio and they gave regular updates.

My chewing must have worked because Minnesota won again and will now play Detroit in a tie-breaker game, at the Metrodome on Tuesday. Now I just have to find a way to watch it on TV.

Also in Wisconsin I visited another state Capitol and, yes, it was a big white building with a dome and a gold statue. Very imposing though and in the middle of a good looking city that I'd have liked to spend more time in had time allowed.

IL

And so to Chicago. A recent silly technicality on the part of Los Angeles means that Chicago is no longer the second largest city in the USA but it has far more claim to the title than the sprawling mass of LA.

I am staying with my cousin and his wife in their plush pad in the Uptown area. I am looking forward to having a local guide and spending a few days in the company of family. I've not seen Chicago in daylight yet, but have seen the inside of a very nice Chinese restaurant and Millennium Park in the dark.

Here's a long shot of the Chicago skyline by night.

Goodnight.

visited 29 states (58%)

Create your own visited map of The United States or another interesting project

View Driving Day 46 in a larger map

Stats - Day Seventy-Two

Distance travelled - 297 miles - Dyersville, IA to Chicago, IL via Madison, WI

State entered - Wisconsin, Illinois

State count - 29 + 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, 209, "Spare"

*room switch

Go The Distance

Saturday, 3 October 2009

Road Trip Day 45

I didn't want to leave my hotel this morning. I'd grown used to the spacious suite, view of Downtown Minneapolis and chats to the super-friendly Jaime on the front desk. Still, my journey continues so I packed my stuff and piled into the elevator. Even I was shocked that I was having to hold back the tears as I drove out of the city. It really is a funky town where I felt "at home" right away.

Minneapolis, I love you and I'll be back, somehow.

The Max

In England over the last 20 years or so, a slew of huge "out-of-town" malls have opened. Shopping cathedrals such as Lakeside and Bluewater cover areas of cheap, dreary land on the Thames estuary and similar areas around the country.

Well, as has happened so often on my travels here, it turns out my previous concept of "Big" has gone out of the window.

The Mall of America, in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington is close to 2 and a half time the size of the Bluewater shopping centre... unless you don't count the indoor theme park in the middle in which case it is only 1 and a half times the size.

I made a couple of purchases; a souvenir of Minnesota for my front room and a bag full of Dubble Bubble chewing gum for the next two Twins games. I stayed long enough

A Word about Minnesota

I think it's clear by now that I greatly enjoyed Minnesota and Minneapolis. What I saw of the north of the state is beautiful with stunning forests peppered by the famous lakes. I liked the European feel, liberal attitudes, warm but not feisty welcome and relaxed feeling and clear identity that the state has. I think, of all the states I have travel the change in climate and appearance has been most noticeable as I crossed the borders going in and out.

This isn't a competition and I'm not ranking the states in order of preference, but certain aspects of Minnesota and Oregon will mean I hold them both close to my heart.

Welcome To Iowa, You Guys!

Yes, I got another state under my belt today. Iowa is my 27th and corniest state so far. By corniest, I do of course mean that has the most corn I have seen. And don't tell me that "corniest" can't be used like this. Today I heard the word "winningest" meaning "having the most winning games" so from now on anything goes.

Oh, and not to get pernickety, but I still find it a little jarring to hear "golf" and "shop" used as verbs, as in "I shop the Mall of America because it's so huge".

National Bird

I'd not been in Iowa long before I saw my first Bald Eagle, the United States national bird. I have thought I might have seen a couple previously, but now, having seen the distinctive, unmistakable white head I am sure. It was circling above the road as I drove so no photo to show you sadly.

Churches

I'd seen a lot of very pretty churches in Minnesota, sometimes relatively simple, but all well maintained and attractive.

Once into Iowa I noticed a distinct change with taller, more delicate looking spires, fancier roof tiling and wall ornamentation and a grander scale.

The weather has been overcast and rainy all day so the lighting isn't helping the photo above. I'll try for some better examples tomorrow.

Superstitious

Baseball is a sport notorious for superstitions. In yesterday's post I mentioned chewing gum and how keen the dear lady who gave it to me was that I should chew it. When I started chewing the Twins scored. When I stopped, Kansas City began to rally their game. I started chewing again and their rally petered out. I have taken this to heart and today as I drove listening to the game I chomped away on pieces of Dubble Bubble I'd bought at the Mall this morning.

As the radio reception faded I continued chewing (an aching jaw is a small price to pay for a Twins victory). I didn't find out the score till much later. The Twins won!

Read into that what you will.

If You Build It, They Will Come

Since I first saw Field of Dreams it has been a consistent feature when I talk about "comfort movies". It's a great story, very sweet and uplifting without being overly sentimental. Plus it centres on Baseball and the diamond built by our hero Ray on his farm.

Set and filmed in Iowa before the when producers would use computer generated images, a real baseball diamond was built in a cornfield by a farmhouse. The field was complete with floodlights, small bleachers, back fence and pitchers mound. The edge of the field was where the corn ended and the grassy outfield started.

It was with more than a little excitement that I learned this field still exists, almost entirely unchanged from when it was filmed. The field has been maintained, the corn still ends just at the edge of the field and save for a interpretive display board, discrete souvenir shop and sign on the picket fence it is exactly as I know it from dozens of viewings.

Today I went to the Field of Dreams, took photos, ran the bases like Kevin Costner did, "disappeared" into the corn and even played catch with a couple who had brought their gloves along too. My thanks go to Jeff and Karen for playing catch with me and taking my photo in all the right places.

Prime Rib, Apple Pie and Conversation

I've seen "Prime Rib" on the menu and specials boards of many restaurants, and as it was on offer tonight at the Country Junction I decided to give it a try. I've only hesitated because I haven't really known what it was. Turns out it's a particularly tender and flavoursome cut of beef. Very enjoyable, as was the apple pie I had for dessert.

I usually skip dessert, but when my kind waitress reeled off the vast array of pies available tonight I realised I have been in America and not had a simple Apple Pie.

Actually, I realise I am wrong. I had apple pie in New York, but no matter, the pie tonight was lovely.

My dinner was also enriched by a good old natter with a fellow lone diner. It turns out my impromptu dining companion had also been in Minneapolis, for business and had taken an extra couple of days in the area to visit Iowa. As well as a good chat, I've picked up some local destination tips which I may incorporate into my schedule tomorrow, weather and travel deadlines permitting. Thank you, Rita.

More Roadside America News

Regular readers will know that as well as visiting some of the locations highlighted on the Roadside America website, I found one of my own and submitted it to the site for inclusion.

I am proud to say my suggestion has been accepted and the "King of Meats" statue in Minatare, Nebraska is now included.

Goodnight.

View Driving Day 45 in a larger map

visited 27 states (54%)

Create your own visited map of The United States or vertaling nederlands duits?

Stats - Day Seventy-One

Distance travelled - 253 miles - Minneapolis, MN to Dyersville, IA

State entered - Iowa

State count - 27 + 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, 209

*room switch

For The Love Of The Game

Road Trip Day 44

As Soon As I Got There, Good Times Were Rollin'

In case you didn't know this already, I should mention that I am a huge Prince fan. Have been since 1985. Secondly you need to know that Prince is from Minneapolis and references the city in several songs. Today I paid a visit to two of them.

Uptown (a song on Prince's 1980 album "Dirty Mind") is an area to the south-west of, well, downtown Minneapolis and has a more bohemian feel that the more commercial heart of the city. It comprises cafés, clubs, boutiques, non-chain restaurants, at least one cinema and a particularly cool "Wrecka Stow" (aka Record Store) called Cheepo Record where I picked up two Prince compilation CDs missing from my collection. Well, technically I have them already, but these are the single disc versions rather than the 3 disc collection... but I digress.

Meet Me There, If You Dare

Within Uptown is a shopping mall named Calhoun Square, which is the title of a song released in 1998 but recorded some years earlier I believe.

So, with another couple of landmarks added to my list, I drove through Uptown and around Lake Calhoun which is encircled by some extremely well-to-do luxury apartment block, houses and full-on mansions. All very classy and, on a better day, with lovely views over the lake.

Down By The River

A few blocks away from my hotel, where downtown meets the river is an former Flour Mill which was almost destroyed by fire in 1991. Rather than demolish the ruins, they were reinforced and augmented to provide a building which now houses the Mill City Museum telling the history of flour milling in the city, and an apartment block. It makes for a curious, but pleasing façade.

In the left of the shot above you'll see what appears to be a huge projection jutting out into nothing... which is exactly what it is. A wing of the neighbouring Guthrie Theatre projects out towards the river in somewhat improbable fashion. I'm not sure if it looks good or not.

These riverfront developments are adjacent to the St Anthony Falls which, I read, are the only significant falls on the Mississippi river. They have been substantially reinforced, not to say entirely remodelled to ensure their continued existence in the face of erosion which threatened to effectively wash the falls away leaving a less dramatic cascade.

Twin Cities

Minneapolis is the larger, more vibrant half of the Twin Cities. A short drive away is the centre of the other half, St. Paul. Time was short so I couldn't spend long there, but #I did have time to take a look at the Minnesota State Capitol which, like other Capitol buildings I have seen, is capped by a huge dome and golden statues.

Take Me Out To The Ball Game

In August and September 2007 I went to 8 Prince concerts in London. I was excited like a small child before each one and utterly elated after each one.

It is that level of excitement that I achieved when I attended the Minnesota Twins game at the Humber H. Humphrey Metrodome today.

I had to stop myself skipping as I walked the couple of blocks distance to the dome, surrounded by fellow Twins fans. Caps, shirts and jacks almost exclusively covered in team insignias. Personally, I sported my new Joe Mauer shirt and home game cap.

I passed through security and into the concourse where I bought the obligatory hotdog and chips (crisps, not French fries) and a huge Diet Coke in a souvenir cup. Food and drink in-hand, I was directed to my seat in the 10th row on the first base line. The lady on the box office had seen me right and found me a excellent seat.

Game Guide

I'd not been sat long when the gentleman behind me heard me mention that I was from England and we got chatting. A lifelong fan, he was able to fill me in on all the action as it unfolded and guided through the aspects of the game that I wasn't familiar with. He was suitably impressed with my knowledge of Baseball and all things American. In return I helped dispel a few myths and rumours about my homeland.

The chap behind me, a surgeon, was not the only person I spoke to. A delightful elderly couple next to him were interested to hear my story and how I happened to be here at a Twins game. They even furnished me with delicious Dubble Bubble bubblegum which she was adamant I should chew, for good luck I think.

Baseball is a very sociable game to watch with plenty of opportunity to talk between innings. I explained how I had happened to choose The Twins as "my team" at the start of the 1987 season, a year in which they won the World Series. As such I was regarded as a lucky mascot and my attendance tonight a good omen.

Glam Slam

OK, I'm stretching the song title thing a bit far here, but it's to highlight that in the very first inning of the night The Twins managed to "load the bases", which means to have a runner on each of the three bases. I turned to the chap behind me and told him I am aware of what the phrase "Grand Slam" means. A Grand Slam in baseball is a home run scored with the bases loaded, resulting in the maximum of 4 runners scoring with one hit of the ball. Grand Slams are very rare.

He laughed and said "There you go, you've jinxed it now."

The pitcher wound up, threw the ball and Delmon Young smashed the ball over the fence for a Grand Slam. The crowd in the Metrodome erupted and as the excitement died down I turned around and said "Jinxed it, my ass!"

Too Exciting

Tonight's game was a must win. A loss by the Twins would mean the end of the season for them, Also a win for our rivals the Detroit Tigers would spell doom. The Detroit score was on display and they got hammered in Chicago 8-0. It was up to the Twins to win

We were 10 runs to nothing ahead at one point before the Kansas City Royals started pulling runs back. Things were getting tense by the time the 7th Inning Stretch came around.

In the end, after much nervous energy had been expended on and off the field, the Minnesota Twins won by a margin of 10-7. Good thing I was there, really.

Thank You!

I could not have asked for better company, a more exciting game, a closer view or more enthralling first-time experience at a ball game. My deepest thanks to those around me and to The Twins for making a dream come true.

Goodnight Sports Fans.

Stats - Day Seventy

Distance travelled - 0 miles - Stayed in Minneapolis

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

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