Eastern Enduro Report

 Started in LeSeuer, MN.  It's on the Minnesota River, right near
Traverse De Sioux, right near Saint Peter, MN, where I went to
college. I only knew about the site from a landscape analysis course I
took,where it was noteworthy as a failed town.  The site, back in
1986, used to be just a place next to the river.  If you knew where to
look, you could find some outlines of old building foundations.

Traverse Des Sioux is where a treaty was signed between the U.S.
Government and the Sioux nation. It's where the tragic final chapter
of the Plains Indians is traced in my mind.  One can draw a direct
historical link from there to the Ghost Dances and the massacre at
Wounded Knee.

Today, Traverse de Sioux  is  "Interpretive Center."  It's run by the
Government.  It has a gate and locks to keep the rabble and natives
away at such times it is not open.   Like the forest, it is closed
unless marked open.  Keep the fuck out.  Illustrates the merits and
evolution of any government-run real estate.  Too late for Ghost Dance
and the real Traverse de Sioux site.


Checkpoint #2:
Tipp City, OH.   It was Tippecanoe City, however, it seems that some
other crooks down the road got the name first.  The Office Started
making them call themselves "Tipp City" and the name has sort of hung
on ever since.  The high school, however, is still named Tippecanoe
Hight School (drove past it).  So, take that Tippecanoe City in
Harrison County.  Oh yeah, there are signs along the street that will
help remind you of what "Tipp" really stands for, if you have an
inquisitive mind, and some time at the light.

Didn't have too much time as I had to make a turn off of Main Street
at the stoplight in town.  If you've been there, you would know this
was some serious 18-wheeler TST.

Pretty close to Troy, Ohio, where they used to host the National.


Checkpoint #3:
Raleigh, NC.   Here's a place where they talk fast and drive slow.
Holy crap,  top speed on I-40 from Greensboro to Raleigh is about
10mph.  Especially when you are late.

As soon as you are off the interstate things improve rapidly in this
city. Raleigh has a little road called Garner Road.  Garner intersects
with a road called Jones Sausage Road.  No shit. How would you like to
have to have that in your address.  If you go there, you are a couple
miles from some very amazing barbeque.  I was instantly addicted.
Pulled pork had a vinegar base and coleslaw served on the sandwich.
Okay, what is it with the dang "sweet tea" southerners?  Basically a
concoction that is what most folks would call "syrup."

Checkpoint #4:
Lexington, NC.  Rural but with people (and critters) racing around
everywhere.  Road are widened paths, designed to go around things as
necessary and in the general direction of where you need to eventually
wind up.  Towns are nestled in the woods along the sides of road.
People move slow.  Critters move fast, especially as the day warms
up.

Checkpoint #5:
Chambersburg, PA.  Head north, blink and you're on the Mason-Dixon.
The folks who live here, must live an identity crisis.  Yankee or Reb?
Dang these states are compact.  Straight up I-81 from North
Carolina.

It's quite clear that Lee had every intention of encircling and
cutting off DC.   I wonder if he thought of using public
transportation, as per the gazillion signs around Baltimore.

Checkpoint #6:
New Castle, DE: Haven't been to Delaware before.  State motto is
apparently "tax-free shopping."  From the scale of everything, I can
see how East Coasters get their perceptions that everyone should be
okay with a Smart (tm) car.   Apparently, everyone in Delware likes to
shop and scoot around in cars.  However, they drive much faster than
North Carolinans, and the know how to use turn signals, I'll give them
that.  I-95 covers much of the state.  The rest is accessible via 295
and the one or two exits off of that.

Checkpoint #7
Off to New Jersey.  Trenton. Uh, kinda the wet tree root section of
the enduro, ya know.  People I meet there are nice though.   Something
about New Jersey... is really kinda cool in a certain unique way.  Not
ugly, not the floating 55-gallon drums you might imagine, but lots and
lots of 75-year old concrete stuff mixed into some scenic landscape.
It's a place that's been a long time managed.  I'm vaguely reminded of
Chicago.

Checkpoint #8
Concordville, PA.  Think southern Philadelphia.   Historical
structures and reminders of historical structures are intersperced
with a gazillion mini-malls and funky convenience stores called "WA-
WA."

I got a sandwich at one of these places, not historical, but a WAWA,
(RT322/Concordville). My 10pm breakfast.  Not much to eat near
Trenton.  Not where I was.... You go in, get out where New Jersey is
concerned.  Or, that's what you hope to do anyways.

I felt very old at the WAWA convenience store.  For the first time in
my life, I needed help ordering food. I  ordered a sandwich on a touch
screen, choosing ingredients on each successive screen. Ultimately it
prints out a "sandwich"...  A kid working there patiently helped me
"program" my sandwich.

I asked whether the cold sandwiches were kept in the icebox.   I was
sorely tempted to share my newfound knowledge of grass seed, too.

Kurt

 
Oh yeah, one more thing.  MikeW. archives and disseminates all our
cell phone numbers.  I assume he has yours, so I can get access to
it?

Mike's reading this and sorta getting anxious that I might show up in
Massachusetts.  Which I might, but I wouldn't call him first.  Just
show up at the gate, like at 3:00am, and tell the guard to ring him.
NOW.

Mike will consider, for a moment, claiming he doesn't know me.

He knows that wouldn't work.

Kurt

 On Sat, 16 May 2009 16:21:37 -0700 (PDT), IRKurt


Yes and absolutely.  Check e-mail.


His voice mail message is a mess.

 On Sat, 16 May 2009 16:05:33 -0700 (PDT), IRKurt


Lexington is about 1.5-2 hours.  No problem at all.  And for the
record, unless you hit a chain like Smithfield's Barbecue (not
bad), and I suspect you probably did if you stopped at the exit
past Jones Sausage Road, you don't want anything that would call
itself "high-level".  I could come up with plenty of analogies,
but suffice it to say that a "dressed up" barbecue place would
border on ridiculous.  Correction: it would live smack dab in the
middle of ridiculous.  No doubt some northeasteners would find it
more appealing, but they'd be laughed at pretty thoroughly while
they were paying triple for their meal.
You want a place with some sort of cartoon pig on the sign and
some thoroughly low-level humor - "too much pork for just one
fork", etc.
When you get back this way, we'll discuss the difference between
eastern and western Carolina barbecue.  If there's time, we'll go
over the monstrosity that's served in South Carolina.
Depending on your schedule, there can be riding involved.