normon66

Geo: 39.74, -104.992In a small college town, the differences between closing time on a Saturday night and 9 AM the following morning are astounding. Overnight, some great alien race (perhaps called Alcoholians or Ganjites) completely eradicates all that was existing and replaces it a anew. The smells are different, the sights are different, as are the sounds and, of course, the inhabitants. Where hours earlier dozens of swaying, noisy, alcohol and hormone fueled bodies poured out of narrow doors in obscure recesses, there are now quaint sidewalks and sapling trees with colorful flowers deliberately planted amongst their roots. Where there were empty buildings and dark, uninviting windows there are now delightful tables, cheery townspeople, and the smells of fried eggs, greasy bacon and fresh baked goods. Where there was a tipsy student waving a cigarette and ... read more

Geo: 36.1682, -86.7772From Birmingham I had two potential routes back to Denver, in which I aimed to be by Saturday night to surprise a good friend for her birthday. Option 1: Travel northwest through Mississippi and spend Wednesday night in Memphis, then North to St Louis for a night, a night somewhere in the barren Kansas flats, and to Denver. Option 2: Head directly north and spend a quick 2 nights in Nashville, then just beeline all the way home to Denver over the two following days. Based on what I'd heard of Memphis, it's not exactly the safest of cities, probably especially to those sleeping in a truck, and St Louis... well... if it weren't for that cool arch nobody would ever hear a damn thing about it! The problem with Nashville was that, if ... read more

Geo: 35.5984, -82.5531The Old Watchman did a fine job. I woke to find myself not murdered or raped and all of my possessions right where I left them. I did, however, wake in a cocoon of fog from each breath condensating on the cold windows throughout the night. When camping or sleeping in the back of a truck on a cold night, one would think that the camper would stay safely beneath the covers or mummified within his sleeping bag, but I have found quite the opposite to be true. On those very cold nights, almost every time I wake - whether I am in a tent, under the stars, or in the back of my truck - I will check the clock and glimpse to the eastern sky to see how long I have to ... read more

Geo: 38.8921, -77.0241Though my one-night stand with the Woman New York left me desiring more, I was on a relatively and undesirably tight schedule for making my way down the eastern seaboard, into the south, and finally back to Denver to catch a flight to Seattle for the wedding of my good friends. And, as with any honest one-night stand, I left early in the morning with hardly a longing glance or word spoken.I was reminded about the relative loveliness and comfort of Hoboken as I drove southwest through Jersey City, over ugly faded black steel bridges, past factories and smokestacks and hoards of oncoming morning traffic, looked down at areas and neighborhoods that I would not want to be caught in at nighttime, nor daytime, for that matter. The westward edge of the state leading ... read more

Geo: 40.7528, -73.9853New York. A beast. An enormous, fiery, uncontrollable, unpredictable beast. Much like a good woman. But perhaps more predictable and controllable. Actually, yes... definitely more predictable than a woman. But take a good woman and project her qualities onto a massive city and you have New York. Beautiful. Mysterious. Hypnotizing. Inspiring. Able to make one feel entirely like a king, yet completely capable of making one feel like an ant. Fierce - she know what she wants. Always with something more to offer, always with something more to show, to teach, to share. Impossible to know completely - there is always something more to learn. The Woman New York.Just about halfway between Albany and New York City is Hyde Park - home of one of the Vanderbilt mansions. I was passing right by anyway, ... read more