Navigating American Highways

Source

The trip home on Sunday last was, for the most part, uneventful. For us at any rate, we did see a traffic mishap on the southbound side of I-95 in Connecticut which had traffic backed up for at least three miles by my estimate. So the day was eventful for the two vehicles involved. No ambulances were in evidence nor was there any rushing around in panic as sometimes can be seen at accident sites. So hopefully no one was badly hurt.

Once again though, I found myself missing the solid confidence and well-executed operation of motor vehicles which I got used to in Germany. When I lived there the standards were set very high to allow one to travel upon the highways and byways of the Vaterland.

People will tap their brakes in this country rather than simply let up on the accelerator. Of course, the "brake tappers" are typically following far too closely for comfort's sake. But a couple of brake tappers in heavy traffic brings the whole business to a crawl. I saw this Sunday in Connecticut. (Honestly, what do you need to do to get a license in that state, be able to count the fingers on the examiner's hand?)

Traffic in the western part of that state can be an absolute nightmare. Stretches where you might be able to get to the speed limit for a mile or so before slowing back down to walking speed. No, I'm not exaggerating.

And it will nearly always happen that two young men (always men, I've never seen a female of the species act this stupidly) will roar past at speeds in excess of a hundred miles an hour, weaving from lane to lane and obviously racing each other. That nonsense is nerve wracking at best, terrifying at worst, especially when one of the young misfits misses your vehicle by mere inches. Yup, I've had that happen.

Then there are the morons who travel in the far left lane as a matter of habit, not because they're passing anyone, they just like that lane I guess. Then when their exit comes up, it's across all two to three lanes, at high rates of speed, trying to make the exit at the very last nanosecond.

When we were coming down I-287 (see the map below for the standard route we take to get to Annapolis) traffic was backed up a) because there was ongoing construction, and b) because there was a "lady" in the far left lane going well-below the speed limit. While texting.

There are people on the roads who should not be allowed to be there. They don't know what they are doing and they are, in many cases, terrified of being on the highway. You can see it in their glazed eyes, the blank stare out the front which understands nothing and takes in nothing of what's going on around them.

Yeah, it can be scary out there, but we survived, again. No close calls because I'm starting to believe that the incompetent drivers are culling their own ranks. If you can avoid them, you'll arrive alive. If not somewhat the worse for wear.

Source

That big yellow circle is the object of avoidance on every trip south. Crossing the Hudson River at the Tappen Zee adds twenty miles to the trip, but helps keep my blood pressure down. Besides which, one avoids that whole Mad Max looking part of northern New Jersey. Which is nice.

Anyhoo, have a nice week.

Home Again, Home Again ...

OAFS Photo

Welp ...

My time in Maryland has ended once again and it's time to head back north. Home.

It's hard to leave here, it gets harder to go with every trip. But the grass back home ain't gonna cut itself, the koi can't feed themselves, and then there are the gardens.

Without The Missus Herself's careful touch, those gardens wouldn't last. Well, they might but they wouldn't be the same.

So it's time to head home.

I love it down here, but we don't live here.

I doubt I could ever leave New England for any length of time. I know I did when I was in the Air Force, but I missed the old homeland. Not every day, but many days.

Ah well, we shall wait and see what life has in store.

There's always something to look forward to, or so I hope.

The World and Other Thoughts

Source

Flying over the western United States, between the Rockies and the Sierra Nevada, makes me feel as if I was flying over the surface of Mars. I can't believe how sere and barren it looks from 30,000 feet.

The mountains look like bones protruding from a withered husk. Here and there you can see what have to be water courses, whether ancient or recent you can't tell.

There are few roads out there as there appear to be few settlements. Every now and then there will be a town, it stands out as there are green fields (often in the shape of a circle) no doubt irrigated by water pumped up from far below the surface.

It's an alien world out there, from the air at least.

The Sierra Nevada are still snow covered, as you lift off from Fresno (where I saw the Air National Guard's F-15 fighters under their overhead shelters near the end of runway 29R) you are over green fields. Soon you pass the foothills and then you're over the Sierra Nevada. Pretty rough country, but magnificent.

I've traveled all over the world, seen many a magnificent sight, from the Rockies to the Alps. Flown over both the Atlantic and the Pacific (truly miles and miles of nothing, though I did see the wake of a ship far below while flying to Japan once upon a time) and there are a lot of sights out there to marvel the eye. Some made by man, most of the better ones made by God.

The Mississippi Valley is very interesting, the many twists and turns of that river are amazing from the air. It marks the boundary between the very green eastern U.S. and the rather pale and stark (from the air) Great Plains. It's green, but paler than what is east of the river.

Once across the Rockies (I've flown over those mountains at twilight during the winter, saw a lone dwelling with a single light showing, surrounded by miles and miles of snow, pretty impressive really, in a haunting sort of way) you're in the desert. Not many towns, not many people, there is life down there, but you have to be on the ground to see it.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that the good old U.S. of A. is a pretty magnificent patch of ground. It annoys me that there are those who want to destroy it, unwittingly or intentionally, on both sides of the political spectrum. Why is it that politics attracts so many assholes?

Indeed, why can't we all just get along? I tire of Facebook, too many idiots pontificating on things they're not qualified to pontificate about. I keep a low profile, I have friends, good ones, across the political spectrum, not on the boundaries mind you, closer to the middle, but still of differing opinions.

It's a beautiful world, let's try not to eff it up.

Sarge, out.

I'm Back ...

Not Again?
OAFS Photo

My latest sojourn down in the Old Line State has come to an end. With The Missus Herself out in California, with three feet of snow on the ground, I made the call to flee to the south, see The Nuke and her tribe. It was a good call. Though the 2nd of March presented that opening scene ...

It didn't last. What you see is about all we received, maybe another few fractions of an inch, but no more. As Shakespeare might have said ...

Much ado about nothing

But it was picturesque as one might imagine. Sitting on the sun porch, one of my favorite spots down there, just watching the world go by as the snow gently fell.

Unlike two weeks ago when Little Rhody (and much of the Northeast along the coast) got hammered by a blizzard which left three feet of the white stuff. But that, thank you very much, lies in our wake as winter is winding down. The robins have returned from the deep woods and can be seen cavorting on the grass. At least in Maryland they are.

The trip down was pleasant and uneventful, the trip back was much the same. Flying solo I could leave as early as you like and crank the tunes up on the CD player (yes, I have one in my car, most convenient it is.) Surprisingly, I didn't listen to music the entire way, I like a little peace and quiet from time to time as much as the next man.

No. Really.

Anyhoo ...

Got back to the picture below Sunday instant.

What Snow?
OAFS Photo

Most of of it is gone. Driveway is clear, street is clear, mailbox is accessible, all is well.

Thanks to juvat for keeping the fires burning while I was away.

Good man there.

Too much death lately, in the world and personally. I know it's inevitable but it still sucks when it hits close. Friends losing significant others, friends losing beloved pets, it's all too effing much sometimes.

But life, and love, goes on.

I hope you have it, if not, I hope you find it.

Peace.

Miss those days. Miss that band.

Veni, Vidi, Vici

Vercingétorix devant César
Lionel Royer (PD)

Okay, I did arrive safely, I did see where I was, whether or not I conquered anything (other than the madhouse of the highway) remains to be seen.

Grandsons were happy to see me, once they were done beating the crap out of me.

Good boys, just a bit, shall we say, over eager?

It's good to be back in the Old Line State.

More to come once I recover from the sleep deficit, one thing I will say is that there is virtually no snow in the Annapolis area. I was in winter until I crossed the Delaware.

The Nuke tells me that while we up north were getting hammered with the white, they got mostly rain.

Can't say it bothers me, kinda nice to walk outside and not have to  stare at the ground to see if it's icy.

Kinda nice.

Makes my knee very happy.

To Fly, Or Not To Fly ...

T.F. Green Long Term Parking at Oh-Dark-Thirty
OAFS Photo

... that is the question:

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The lines and the TSA at the airport,

Or to just get in the car against a sea of traffic

And by driving just do it.¹

It is, dear reader, almost time to head south again. The Missus Herself is off to California to visit LUSH for a fortnight leaving me, Your Humble Scribe, to once again fend for himself. As the invitation to visit The Nuke is always open, I decided to go there for a week, or so, rather than entertain myself at Chez Sarge.

I know what you're thinking, "But Sarge, all these gaming posts you've done recently, surely this is your opportunity to do that without interruption or snide remarks about 'being in front of a computer all day.'"

I know, I know, there is that. But Your Humble Scribe is a social animal (stop laughing) and requires the presence of other humans for to survive. No seriously, at certain times of year I don't mind the solitary life, but when the weather outside is frightful (but the fire is so delightful) I'd rather be around other people. Besides, there is a fireplace at Chez Tuttle et Nuke, whereas at Chez Sarge there is not.

The Nuke did ask me if I'd like to fly down. I thought about it for perhaps a second before responding with a resounding "NO!"

Mind you, I don't mind flying, but I do like to have a vehicle when I get to where I'm flying to. Now, the kids would let me use one of their vehicles when visiting, it's been mentioned. But here's the thing, they drive Teslas. Both of them (not both Teslas, there are more than two, both kids I mean).

While not opposed to the technology (I enjoy riding in a Tesla) I'm hesitant to take command of such an expensive vehicle when it doesn't belong to me. Rent a car? No, are you insane? This is me that has to pay for it, not my former company.

So I drive. Besides which, I enjoy driving my car. She's an awesome ride, comfortable, lots of get up and go, and she does well in inclement weather. Sure, it's a long-ish trip, roughly 420 miles which translates to 7 to 8 hours, but I don't mind.

It's also cheaper than flying, just parking at the airport costs more than the fuel required to get there and back again. It's less hassle than flying because, let's face it, going through TSA, and all the minor indignities that entails, just ain't worth it. I'll fly if it's a really, really long trip (takes more than a day), but for Maryland?

Where's my car keys?

And that's how I feel about that.

Why am I not going to California with The Missus Herself? Well, California is a long-ass flight, been there, done that, multiple times. Besides which, we're going on a trip to California in April, I didn't want to do it twice in one three month stretch. Too many (less than fond) memories of flying out to Sandy Eggo for work and staring out the window saying, "Damn, it looks like Mars down there," after crossing the Mississippi River. Hour after hour ...

So I drive. I can also get out and stretch my legs, get Dunkin' or Starbucks when I feel like it and generally act the care-free soul.

Yes, the other drivers can be a colossal pain, but as long as they're not trying to actively kill me, I can exercise due caution and avoid most of that.

It can be "interesting" but hey, it's what I like to do. I drive, because I can.

'Nuff said.

¹ With apologies to the Bard.

Der Adler ist Gelandet¹

OAFS Photo

We arrived safe and sound at our destination, fast by the shore of the South River in Annapolis.

Traffic wasn't bad, just the normal collection of yahoos weaving in and out of traffic, making you feel like a bomber pilot when the Luftwaffe is up in full strength, people who have no clue about merging or yielding to traffic on the interstate.

Ya know, driving in the US of A.

But we're here, there's a fire in the fireplace, the grandkids are happy, and life is good.

Now to sleep, perchance to dream ...

¹ The Eagle Has Landed - With apologies to Jack Higgins (who wrote the book) and the cast and crew of the 1976 film of that name.

Home Again, Home Again

OAFS Photo

Got on the road at roughly 0800 local. Grandsons were groggy as they've been sleeping late over their school vacation. They were still bummed out to see the grandparental units board their shuttle to return to Little Rhody. I'm going to miss seeing them every day, but we'll be back soon enough.

The ride was not bad, spotty traffic problems, usually caused by an incompetent driver playing "pace car" in the passing lane. There was an epidemic of that crap in Connecticut. Oh well, kept me from maximum warp which was probably a good thing.

Got home at 1600-ish and that included a long stop for supper and a few stops to stretch the legs, refuel, etc. So we really made good time. I'm thankful for that.

Down in Maryland it was cold, Little Rhody was colder. (See the opening photo.)

I'm not going to say I'm looking forward to summer's return, I do like the cold, but these old bones don't like it as much as they used to. (And I really can't abide really hot weather.)

But we're back at home, in one piece and ready to hibernate for a bit.

Winter is good for that.

Be seeing you.

Furlough Log

For those not paying attention, the Government is shut down.  I am an employee, but not deemed essential to the functioning of that government.

Furlough day one.  Wednesday October 1st. Went into work, cleared out some emails. Set my out of office reply on my computer. Filled out my time card to log about 2 hours of work before signing my furlough letter and leaving for the day. 

Furlough day two. Felt like a regular day off, hasn't sunk in that it's not like any other day off. Did a few errands, watched a movie I had been meaning to see.

Day three, finished up my errands, got in a workout, and doom scrolled on my phone for far too long. I'd rather be at work. 

Day four and five were the weekend. We had our annual Mustangs by the Bay car show which was very successful, profitable for our charities, and went off without a hitch.

Day 6 through 8, groundhog day.  This is getting old.  Normally when I have this much time off it's either Christmas or I'm on a trip.  I'm very fortunate that I will not struggle with a missed paycheck or two. I do think about a couple co-workers that are GS-9 and 10 on the pay scale, as they are not retirees with a VA disability payment.  One is a single mother.  USAA is offering us a $6,000 interest-free loan. While I will not partake, I wonder if other financial institutions have that, especially because I doubt that single mother coworker is eligible for membership.

Day 9, boss called to check in on me. I expect the command sent out a list of resources, both financial and mental health related, advising supervisors to reach out and pass it along if needed.  Fortunately it's not.  While I am bored, I realized this is just politics, and will be over just as soon as one side blinks.  My boss is "exempt" from furlough which just means he has to stay working, yet also doesn't get paid. Sarge's "Nuke" daughter is in the same boat. However, due to a law passed during the last Trump administration, we are all going to get back pay anyway.  He gets it for the work he did, I will get it for the time off I had, which is kind of crazy but that's the government.

The shutdown over illegal alien health care is almost hilarious. The Democratic leaders involved have gone on the record in the past saying we must avoid a shutdown at all costs, and that we can't pay for the illegals' healthcare.  However, now that Trump is in office the script has been flipped and they are all for it.   I recently heard that politics is show business for ugly people.  Seems like a pretty apt description.  The wailing and gnashing of plays well on CNN.  It doesn't with me though.

There may be some RIFs in the Govt, but DoD DoW* is exempt, as is DHS.  Health, Education, and HUD- not so much.  Good riddance for the most part.  There is so much bloat that something's gotta give.  Let it be the redundant agencies that should lie within state authority, or don't actually do anything to help.

There's rumor of another DRP-  Deferred Retirement/Resignation Program.  That's when the govt gives civilians a chance to leave (and thus shrink) the government with 6-9 months of pay while you sit at home until the end of the calendar year.  We shrunk enough to prevent any RIFs.  This DRP has further incentive though- 5 + 5 + 5.  Five years added to your years of federal service, 5 years added to your age (so you can reach minimum retirement age), and $5k in severance.  5 years would take me right to where I'd want to be when I plan to retire, but I'd lose some incremental raises, miss out on getting my boss's GS-15 job (no guarantee there though), and 5 years of additional funds in my TSP.**  I also probably need SSI to comfortably retire and that isn't part of the deal.  So, rumor or not, I'm staying put.  I like my job anyway.

Jack Ensch- Midway Docent (Source)

Anyway, that's my furlough log. If my daily activity in retirement is going to be like this, I will definitely have to find more to do.  KofC stuff and maybe some volunteer docent work on the USS Midway Museum can fill the time.  Travel will for sure. Going to Cancun on Sunday, which is going to be a semi regular stop on our timeshare journeys.  Call me crazy, but we bought more points on our last visit, and will be going back every other year.  We're going to walk into the Tijuana airport on the US side of the border and fly out of there this time.  Far cheaper and better schedules than using a domestic carrier. 

I just thought of something I could do in my spare time. Relearn Spanish por que me español es muy pobre!***  Dos Margaritas por favor!

*Department of War

**Thrift Savings Plan - think 401K for feds.

***My Spanish sucks!

You're Kidding, Right?

Source

So here I am, in effect a bachelor for two months. Yup, you read that correctly, two months. The Missus Herself went to Korea with two of her Stateside sisters (she has three sisters who live in the US, one in Korea, as are her two brothers).

The last time she was home was 1997 when her Father passed away. She did get there in time to be with him as he passed to the other side. So her last trip was sad, to say the least.

For the math-challenged, that's twenty eight years ago. Almost three decades since she last visited her homeland. That's a long time.

Two of her sisters (twins by the way) and her had planned this for quite some time, it was just waiting for the timing (and the finances) to all fall into place. Now is that time.

She's been gone three days and I'm already going batshit crazy. Well, not really, except at night, as I have a number of projects to occupy my daylight hours. (Yes, yes, lawn, I'll get to you soon, cutting grass on Labor Day wasn't in the cards.)

But that's not the real story here. No, that story begins the night before her flight out to Las Vegas. (Wait, you said she was going to Korea. Well, she is, but one of the twins lives in Vegas, the other lives in Arizona, "only" 300 miles away. They're all meeting in Vegas before boarding a non-stop to Inchon. Where their oldest sister lives.)

Now the flight schedule was arranged by our youngest, LUSH, who was a Naval Flight Officer (NFO) in her youth. Her husband Big Time, a Naval Aviator, also spent some time as his first operational squadron's scheduling officer, from whence he got his callsign due to his propensity to get pissed off  "big time" every time someone requested a change to the flying schedule.

Anyhoo.

LUSH arranged the trip, which she is pretty good at, she knows where to find the cheapest deals and the best routes. Even though some cheap flights occur at the butt crack of dawn.

No, the real butt crack of dawn not my "Dear Lord you want me to get up at 8 AM?" butt crack of dawn. No, her version of that is "the sun ain't up yet but should be in an hour or so."

Yeah, that butt crack of dawn.

So as fortune would have it, The Missus Herself's flight to Vegas was set to depart at 0600 on a Saturday. Yup, a Saturday. Thank God I'm retired or I might have suggested an Uber (after which I would no doubt be permanently a bachelor!)

So I got up early on Friday so as to give me the unlikely possibility of being able to go to bed relatively early Friday night.

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha ...

Yeah, like that ever works.

'Lo and behold, I was actually quite tired at 2200 hours Friday evening, so I went to bed. I actually fell asleep quickly, something which almost never happens. I slept deep, I slept nicely, I ...

Waking up I thought to myself, "Heck, that wasn't half bad, hopefully it's close to time to get up and take Mama to the aeroporto."

Nope, Non, Nein, Nyet, Iye, Anyo, and not just no, but Hell No.

My eyes glanced at my watch, 2330. I'd been fast asleep for an hour and a half.

Damn.

Mind you, I had the alarm set for 0300 in order to get up and wake up (cold water to the face, coffee to the belly, and a brisk walk on the deck in the chill wee hours usually does the trick). So I did my bizness and went back to bed, thinking "I can sleep another three and a half hours ..."

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha ...

Yeah, no.

Tossed and turned for a bit and a little after midnight I hear a "ping" from my phone indicating that a text message has arrived. Now in the middle of the night it's never good news, unless it's LUSH who sometimes forgets that Little Rhody is three hours AHEAD of California. During her last visit she looked at the clock, saw it was noon and remarked, "Damn, it's already three o'clock back home." That got her odd looks from everyone else in the kitchen.

Anyhoo.

I rolled over, grabbed my phone and noted, "Yup, I wonder what LUSH wants ..."

Shee-it.

The Missus Herself's flight was delayed.

By two hours and forty five minutes!

No longer would she be wheels up at 0600, nope, now it's 0845.

Looking at my watch, I noted that it was now 0030. Hhmm, so I realized that even though I was wide awake in the middle of the night, I could reset my alarm to 0500 and thereby gain three hours of sleep ...

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha ...

Not quite. Though I did get back to sleep (probably around one AM) I awakened again at 0230, then again at 0330, and once more (fire for effect) at 0430, at which point I said "fire truck it" and got up.

To discover that The Missus Herself was already up, she had slept maybe two hours before getting up and not being able to go back to sleep decided to get up. Dang, she's going to have a long couple of days! (Fortunately her flight to Inchon is scheduled to leave at nearly midnight Monday night.) And, unlike me, she can actually sleep on a long flight. A skill I've always admired. I've done it exactly once, on a flight from Tokyo to Honolulu, though I actually passed out as I'd spent the hours prior to boarding drinking beer with a bunch of Marines due to the largess of their Gunnery Sergeant. (Never forget you for that Gunny, thanks! No, really.)

Anyhoo.

Another of my failures is that I don't "nap." I sleep, I go to bed, then no less than five hours later I awaken. Not really napping if it lasts most of the day.

We got the airport, I got home, she got to Vegas and I trust that as you read this, The Missus Herself will be out over the Pacific on her way to the Land of the Morning Calm.

Alrighty then ...

Now what do I do for the next fifty eight days? (That's rhetorical by the way, no suggestions please ...)

Should be an interesting couple of months.

I hope I survive the lack of my wife's civilizing influence. (The Nuke is deathly afraid that I'll go feral, which, knowing me, is always a possibility!)

I do foresee one or two trips to New Hampshire and a long sojourn in Maryland.

Being retired seems to be a lot of work at times.

(Nah it isn't, just kidding.)

On Being a Tourist

Source

That opening photo? Been there, done that.

Our first Easter in Germany we discovered that in Europe, Easter is a four day weekend. We also discovered that my unit liked to arrange tours to various places within a reasonable bus ride of the base. Prices were also reasonable. One of the first trips they did after our arrival was Paris.

How could I not go?

This was in the days before cell phone cameras, in fact, this was in the days before digital cameras were around. (They might have been around but not that anyone I knew had one.) So photographs were of the old fashioned variety. Film.

As one wag put it, now you can instantly see how bad the photo is, back in the day you had to wait a week or two. So yeah, we have pictures of our trip to Paris, somewhere ...

Now our trip to Paris isn't really the topic of this post, travel in general is what puts me in front of the keyboard.

While out to dinner with friends last Friday, they mentioned that they were going on yet another cruise, something they do with appalling frequency. (Not that I've got anything against cruises, leave me alone on the ship to wander the decks and enjoy the sea and I'm happy. Put me ashore and make me do "activities" and I'm a bit more reticent.)

On the way home from dinner The Missus Herself mentioned that one trip the cruise couple were planning was a trip to Portugal (that had been mentioned at dinner) and wouldn't that be nice?

I had to disagree, in the words of the ancient curmudgeon I have become, "I have no interest, no connection to Portugal."

"But it's pretty!"

"I'm sure it is, so is Brenton Point and that is but a short drive. Sure, you have to go through Newport and the annoying tourist mobs, but it's not far away, and it's pretty."

"But that's not the point!"

"Then what is the point?"

Apparently some folks, my wife among them, enjoy going to different places and seeing different things. Now I'm not averse to that, it just seems to involve a lot of effort and no small amount of cash to do such things.

Seeing a thing is kinda cool. I flew over the Grand Canyon once, truly magnificent it was from 30,000 feet.

"Wouldn't you like to see it from the ground?" I was asked.

"Heavens no. It's in the bloody desert, I have zero desire to be in the desert. Did it once, didn't care for it. Besides which, I've seen it, haven't I?"

"But it's not the same ..."

True, but I'm content with that. On the aforementioned trip to Paris we arrived well before check in time at our hotel, so we went to the Eiffel Tower. Bus rolled up into a mob scene, lots and lots of other people and buses. At that moment the atmosphere decided to go crazy as well. Went from bright sunshine, to rain, to snow, back to sunshine, then hail, then more snow ...

It was nuts. But it eventually settled down to just plain old non-precipitating overcast. I was asked if I wished to go up to the top of this iconic landmark. I saw the line involved in doing so and said, "No, I'm good. I'll enjoy it from the ground."

"Wouldn't you love to see Paris from the top?"

"Nope, not and wait in that line. Besides which, I'm antsy about heights."

While I'm good in an aircraft, being attached to the ground in a tall structure freaks me out. A personal problem, I'm sure.

Besides which, I got to see the Eiffel Tower up close. Sucker was bigger than I thought.

Anyhoo, I'm not much of a tourist. If there's a military aspect to the visiting, I'll go. Again and again, ask The Missus Herself about Waterloo. We did that every year when we lived in Germany. Well, actually, I did that every year, three times and she had had her fill.

The Army Museum in Paris (le Musée de l'Armée) was another stop on our trip to Paris. The other members of the group had to drag me kicking and screaming from the place. I could spend hours there, and did, problem was I wanted to spend hours more, which the others did not.

I think my traveling days as a tourist are over. Though I will say, I would like to do Niagara Falls at some point. My old boss is up there this week, she mentioned it at breakfast the other day. Now that's not a really long drive and it's a cool place.

What's more, it's not in a desert.

I'm like a cheap wine, I don't travel well.

Thoughts on Travel

OAFS Photo

Now don't get me wrong, I rather enjoy travel, under certain circumstances. Traveling to go see friends and family? Love it. Traveling for work? Meh. Good thing I don't have to do the latter any more.

I've traveled for some distance¹ by: car, ship/boat, aircraft, bus, and even by train. Being a control freak of sorts, I prefer traveling by car. I'm in charge, I control the vehicle, and I call the shots. Thing is, that can be tiresome over distances which take longer than three hours to traverse.

Traffic, other drivers, the weather, and even the time of year all have an impact on the relative stressfulness of traveling by car. For instance ...

We returned from Maryland on a Sunday, having done that once before in the spring, noting just how little traffic there was. So ...

Of course April is not peak vacation season, June is the start of said season.

Now I'm not saying that all the traffic we encountered on the road were people returning from vacation (or perhaps setting out on vacation), most of the other vehicles had one or two occupants, some looked loaded up for vacation. Most did not.

We're also in the construction season, which closes down roads, makes others almost unusual, and sends people off in directions they perhaps didn't want to go. (Bothe emotionally and physically!)

I did travel by train, once upon a time. I had caught a space available flight from Okinawa to Korea, normally I could get one straight to where I wanted to go, which was Gunsan. On this day, there were (oddly enough) no flights to Gunsan. Hey, it's rare, happened once in my 12 months of shuttling back and forth between Okinawa and Korea.

Source

The green circle is where I wanted to go, the blue circle is where I wound up. Now a fellow serviceman on the aircraft (a first generation Korean-American in the US Navy) said, "Catch a train, it's easy. You do read Korean, right?"

Well, fortunately I did. The guy was also heading to the train station, so I tagged along. Spoke enough of the local lingo to figure out the schedule, had to go through the yellow circle to the green circle. It's where the train went.

Boarded and the train took off like a shot from a cannon, for about ten miles, then it slowed to damned near walking speed. But I eventually got to Daejon, where I discovered that the next train to Gunsan wasn't until the next day, early the next day, but still over twelve hours away.

Being the impatient type, I stepped out of the terminal. There was a gathering of taxi drivers waiting for folks wanting to depart the train station, myself being one. When they saw me they all perked up. One, the best English speaker, asked me where I was headed. When I answered, the drivers had a quick huddle, after which the English speaker informed me which of their number would haul me the fifty miles to Gunsan, and for how much.

It was pricey, but was actually cheaper than a NYC cab from JFK to Park Avenue. (Which may be a story for the future.)

Finally got home after my "big adventure." Well, I thought it was a big adventure, but it came nowhere near my mother-in-law's adventure of flying from Korea to Germany, all by herself and with a limited understanding of English and no knowledge at all of German.

I swear, my late, beloved mother-in-law could do anything she set her mind to and God help you if you got in the way. Woman was determined!

I rather miss her. She passed away less than seven months later, it was sudden and it was a shock, but we did get to see her for a month in Germany.

Anyhoo, more travel tales later, maybe.

It's hot here and I ain't much in the mood to write.

Crabby old man syndrome.

¹ By "some distance" I mean anything taking more than an hour to travel.

Arrived

Source

Roughly seven and a half hours from Little Rhody to Annapolis. Right into the glare of the winter sun. Had to hose down the optical sensors a couple of times, they dry out a lot in the sun. But thanks to modern medicine, they are okay.

Traffic was moderate, there were, aber natürlich, a few idiots on the road, but fewer than I expected.

Thank the Lord for small favors.

Anyhoo, we're in place for Finnegan's birthday celebration, none the worse for wear.

However, Roberto has been beating on me like a rented mule.

He enjoys it and I'll heal.

Love those lads.

More later, maybe.

After all ...

I am retired.