Author’s Note: I have been blogging in one form or another under the name “The Conservative Wahoo” since 2008. I fancy myself an insightful and witty observer of politics, pop culture, and the people around me. Politics and public policy are what I like writing about best, but consistently, the most well received things I’ve written under this handle are my musings from the road. This sorta bothers me, because these come easy, almost without thinking, but the politics and policy takes work. Until a week from now, I am in full “on the road mode”, with maybe a smattering of politics and policy added in. If you subscribe to this Substack for those thoughts, please don’t unsubscribe. I’ll be back. For the time being though, this great big wonderful country needs a few more words written about it.
I last drove across the country in late February of 2001 in my awesome little BMW Z3 Convertible. The trip that I am now making in 9 days took me 3 then, including an epic 1200 mile final day (I was going in the other direction and on the southern route). Fifteen months earlier (Autumn 1999) I drove roughly the route I’m on westward. Twenty years has gone by in the blink of an eye. Today brought the first sign of something REALLY different in that twenty year gap, and that is the presence of windmills. There may have been a handful of them in 2001, but driving across Kansas today I saw HUNDREDS. I am a fan of wind power, especially out here on the plains. I’m not exactly sure how badly they perturb the environment, and there are certainly those who believe they are bad for birds, but it seems like a pretty solid use of land that previously appears to have been largely cattle grazing acreage. I imagine the cattle don’t mind the windmills much.
Kansas also brings with it oil derricks. I am not mechanically inclined. My father once said that I don’t know the business end of a screwdriver. But no matter how hard I try, I simply cannot figure out how an oil derrick works. I watch them and I am convinced that man has finally invented a perpetual motion machine.
After yesterday’s Mark Twain audible, I figured I ought to see if there were a suitable diversion along today’s route. Seeing that Topeka KS is possessed of a “fine, small zoo”, I decided to set my sails for it, hoping that the third day of rain would abate somewhat and give me about an hour to walk around. The hourly weather forecast and my predicted arrival time seemed well synchronized, and that’s what I did. There were a few families out and about, and I saw what looked a lot like a grandmother and grandfather walking a toddler around, and it made me think about how much I’ll enjoy doing that if I get to be a grandfather some day (No pressure, girls. None at all.)
After the zoo, I had another nearly 200 miles to go until I reached day 4’s destination of Hays, KS. I picked Hays (like Columbia) because it is a college town and I generally like college towns. Also, because it had a steakhouse that got generally good reviews. I won’t mention it, because I found it to be only average, but otherwise, this is an attractive little piece of earth. After dinner, I drove to “Main Street” and went for a walk that included stopping for a piece of pie I didn’t need, and checking out a “diner” (at least that’s what it calls itself) that does not open for breakfast. I asked if that was a COVID thing and they said no, they just don’t do breakfast. A diner that does not offer breakfast is not a diner.
The routine of the trip is well established, with one element worthy of note. That being the just before leaving reconnaissance of the room to make sure that I have everything. This is of course, a time honored tradition (an old girlfriend used to do an under the bed search worthy of federal authorities), but as I thought about it this morning, it is clearly one of the facets of modern life that has become more complicated. Here are some of the things that I must account for: work computer, personal tablet, cell phone, ear buds, power cords for all four of the former, work ID for work computer, detachable mouse for work computer, watch, hearing aids, toiletries, keys, mask. Things are further complicated by the fact that aside from the earbuds, I have not joined the Apple cult. Keeping everything pretty much packed in together helps.
Etc.
I blame video games.