Typical Day on the Road

July 2004

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July 1

After shopping for groceries, checked in at the Mark Twain Campground, for the third straight Independence Day weekend. Not long afterward, we were joined by our friends from New Hampshire, and Kimberly's parents, who drove from Nevada and brought their two other grandchildren, Joey and Jenny. Joey, who is ten, has made a last-minute decision to enter the fence-painting contest.

The forecast has promised rain, and the weather delivered in spades. We also noticed more mosquitoes than usual.

July 2

Dennis took the trailer into town to get the bearings serviced, to prevent the kind of breakdown we've experienced in Stockton, California and somewhere, Massachusetts. Thunder showers part of the day, but sunny at other times. We took the kids on a tour of Mark Twain Cave, a yearly tradition. It was the first time Joey and Jenny and Kimberly's mother had been in a cave.

July 3

The annual parade down Broadway in Hannibal, this time a very soggy one. It was started ten minutes early, apparently in an effort to avoid some of the downpour, but it didn't work. The deluge didn't seem to deter either participants or spectators, but it provided a very strong intimation of how the term "float" was coined. One float had Smokey the Bear on it, but with the way his fur was absorbing water, we dubbed him "Soakey the Bear". Some of the riders still threw out little pieces of candy, and the kiddies still eagerly scooped them up off the puddly pavement. The funniest sight had to be the "water cannon" which, as usual, was mounted on a vehicle to spray the crowd and help cool them down on a typically scorching July day. This time, the clouds were delivering more liquid than the cannon, but the shooters still dutifully discharged their streams of water into the throng. Zephyr and Joey both rode on the float for fence-painters, getting delightfully soaked along with everyone else. Even the marching band from Hannibal High School, in customary Tom and Becky outfits, wasn't hampered from blowing horns and beating drums.

The rain let up later in the afternoon, allowing the contestants in the statewide fence painting contest to be drenched only with whitewash. But the downpour started again almost immediately afterward, in time for the "Over 30" competition. Dennis entered again, and this time, thoroughly drenched, he took first prize. Kimberly sat out this time because of--appropriately enough-- a sore toe.

July 4

We were awakened early in the morning by one of those howling Midwest thunderstorms, and it appeared that the national fence painting contest might have to be cancelled. But the sky cleared by mid-morning, and all went as scheduled. First, there was the steamboat ride on the Mississippi, followed by a luncheon for the fence painters. Then we headed back to camp to finish getting Zephyr's costume together.

Then it was off to the big event. Because Zephyr won second place last year, and because he was the only contestant returning for the third time, he had big hopes of taking the top prize this time. And he did do a very good job; unfortunately, he was placed in the toughest of the three groups competing (the eventual first and second place finishers both came from his heat), and he didn't even make the final round. At first he was quite crestfallen--not so much because he didn't win, but because this was the last year that he can participate, and he hoped to end with a stronger showing. (And he was hoping to be able to judge next year's contest, as the winner traditionally does.) But we reminded him that a fence-painting trophy is just a measure of how well you paint fences, and how impressive your costume is; but sportsmanship is a measure of character, which is much more important. And besides, he now has 17 years to prepare for the "Over 30" contest, and heaven knows it will pass much more quickly than any of us would prefer. He soon cheered up and once again was having a ball with his friends.

Speaking of whom, cousin Joey also did an excellent job of painting, especially for his first time.

In addition to the local media, a camera crew was present from the Outdoor Channel.

After returning to the campground for dinner, we caught the trolley back into town, and set up our chairs on the riverbank to watch the fireworks. We also met up with some of our friends whom we met online and met in Hannibal last year. The weather cooperated nicely, and it was quite late by the time our trolley finally deposited us back at the campground.

July 5

The weather is still debating with itself rather fiercely. At first, we appeared to be in for another stormy day, and so we decided we'd better take the kids to do something fun indoors. Finally settled on a movie, although by the time we were preparing to leave, the sun was out again.

Nonetheless, we ended up watching "Spiderman 2" and we all loved it, children and adults alike. Even more spectacular action sequences and more humanized characters than its predecessor.

July 6

Once again, Mother Nature's alarm clock rattled us awake at dawn, with a flashier (and louder) display of fireworks in the sky than the manmade spectacle we'd enjoyed a couple of nights ago. Indeed, we all got dressed, fearing that we might have to make a dash to the cave, the designated tornado shelter. But the storm settled down, and we settled back into our beds-- except for Dennis, who had to take the van into town to have it thoroughly examined in preparation for our upcoming cross-country jaunt and frantic second half of the summer. (The shop gave it a clean bill of health!)

Most of our group (even Kimberly's mother, who's always been leery of such places) toured Cameron Cave (her first time in a cave!), the other spectacular cavern on the campground property. Afterward, Kimberly's mom and dad escorted the kids across the street to the miniature golf course. When they returned, they reported that they had spotted a large dead copperhead in the road. They also learned that last night a child had been bitten by such a beast (obviously a different one, since it was smaller) and rushed to the hospital in Quincy, some 30 miles away, since the hospital in Hannibal had no antivenin on hand. (The boy is recovering satisfactorily.)

Apparently, the heavy rains have flushed the snakes from their hiding places in the creek bed or wherever; we'd never heard of one being spotted around here before. In any case, we were all much more cautious as we made our way around the campground, particularly after dark.

July 7

Two performances at the Hannibal Library, our fourth appearance at this venue. The house was packed both times; of course, we swelled the ranks a bit by bringing along everyone in our party of 12 to both shows. In fact, three of the kids served as some of our audience volunteers to learn and perform a part: Zephyr's cousins Joey and Jenny (from California) and his friend Chris (from New Hampshire).

Back at the campground, we began striking our tents before they had a chance to get wet again. We'll be staying through tonight, but we'll just sleep in the van, since we have to hightail it out first thing in the morning.

Zephyr gave his Tom Sawyer props to Chris, who expects to compete in next year's event. It was an official passing of the baton--or rather the paintbrush, another rite of passage that left us a tad melancholy because it drove home how our little boy is not such a little boy anymore. (He's already taller than his mother, and if we were Jewish, he'd be considered a man at his age!) But it seems entirely appropriate that this end of an era should occur in Hannibal, the fictionalized setting of "Tom Sawyer" and launching pad for "Huckleberry Finn" -- which are, respectively, the world's most famous literary chronicle of boyhood, and the world's most famous literary account of the journey into adolescence.

At the base of Cardiff Hill in downtown Hannibal is a celebrated statue of Tom and Huck which has been interpreted symbolically to depict one of the lads (we forget which) striking out on a quest toward adulthood, while the other makes a bit of an effort to restrain him just a while longer. Sometimes we wish we could hold our young 'un back just a little while longer, too, but time is the one judge that is always predictable and evenhanded.

Many folks have learned to associate key events in their lives with music that they happened to be listening to at the time. At the moment, the soundtrack to our lives just might be the original version of the song "Don't Dream It's Over", by the Irish folk-rock band Crowded House (founded, coincidentally, by two brothers named Finn), whom we've been listening to quite a bit lately. (Actually, Dennis is the one who bought the album and has been playing it to death, but everyone else has been subjected to secondhand music.) The song seems, somehow, a suitable accompaniment to the current mood-- particularly that wonderful line about trying to "catch the deluge in a paper cup". Many battles are lost (and won) but many battles are ahead. Hey now, Zephyr, don't dream it's over-- you're just getting started.

Actually, Zephyr doesn't seem to be terribly conscious of passing through stages. Still obsessively perturbed about the deletion of the "Battle Of Buccaneer Bay" from Treasure Island in Las Vegas, he's been busy the past few days directing the other kids in concocting and rehearsing their own pirate battle show. Just before dusk today they performed it on the playground equipment, in all its swashbuckling slapstick glory, for the rest of us--along with a few other delighted campers. Tom Sawyer definitely would have approved.

July 8

Today is cousin Jenny's 8th birthday, but we already had the celebration for her a couple of days ago.

Said good-bye to our friends and family and checked out of the campground. They all headed to St. Louis to see the Arch. We stopped at the post office to make one more inquiry about the packet of mail we had forwarded, but it still hasn't arrived, so we had to have it forwarded to Virginia. We also had to make another stop at Java Jive, the classy coffee shop on Main Street, so Dennis could buy today's special variety.

Then we headed to Canton, IL for our afternoon show. We've enjoyed our little vacation (Kimberly didn't even turn on her laptop all week) but now we need to get back to work.

Headed to Peoria after the show. Spent the evening at a Barnes and Noble bookstore. Nearby, three hot air balloons were taking off, and we watched them soar right overhead, very low.

July 9

Drove Peoria to Indianapolis, by way of Charleston, IL (to get to the only Bank of America for miles around).

Once we hit Indianapolis, we were thrilled to be in Trader Joe's territory. We forgot there was one in Indianapolis and thought we'd have to do without until the East Coast. Good news! They are planning on building one in St. Louis. (So we were told by the cashier, who recently moved to Indianapolis from Oakland, Ca.)

July 10

Departed Indianapolis, after a visit to the YMCA. Dennis discovered that his driver's license is missing, and he returned to Trader Joe's and several other places in a futile search for it. Finally concluded that he must have left it in the bank in Illinois.

Stopped at a truck stop in Richmond, Indiana (near the Ohio border) to heat up dinner, and as we pulled in, the van started making a strange noise. Asked around to see if a mechanic might be available (on a Saturday night? Sure thing.) Finally decided to drive a little farther, and the noise stopped. So we continued on toward Columbus, hoping to spend the day tomorrow at COSI, our favorite science museum.

But as soon as we pulled to a stop in Columbus, the noise returned. Decided we'd better try to have the van looked at in the morning, so we located a nearby Firestone shop that opens at 9:00 on Sunday, and spent the night nearby.

July 11

Got the van into the shop, and the news was not good. Our air compressor was seizing up, which would cause the serpentine belt to break or jump track if it wasn't replaced. And that means the van would be dead in its tracks. We had no choice but to have the air compressor, coolant, etc. replaced, costing in the neighborhood of a grand--which we didn't consider very grand.(And it's very bad timing, since some of our paychecks lately have been delayed.) But we have to make sure we make it to upcoming shows, so we couldn't risk continuing to drive without the repairs, for which we gave the go-ahead.

We spent most of the day waiting in the nearby mall, in the cool air. (Ironically, the shop that was repairing our van's air-conditioning has a broken air-conditioning system itself!) There is a Dollar Cinema also close to the shop, and we contemplated splurging on a movie, but they had the van ready to go by 2:30, so we rushed off to enjoy at least 3 hours of COSI. (We have a pass that gets us in free, so it's still worth our time to go.)

Zephyr spent the entire three hours in the Adventure into the Valley of the Unknown exhibit (which we've described previously), translating and copying down inscriptions in code, and finding a few things that we were not aware of before. This wonderful exhibit has a great many "treasures" concealed in odd places.

On to Charleston, WV for our next shows.

July 12

Charleston, WV, a city that seems to be much bigger than it is. The population is only 53,000 but it has an extensive downtown area with some impressive buildings, including the state capitol complex.

Since this was our one day without performances in this very busy week (except for the weekend), we spent most of the day at the Kinko's downtown. Dennis called the Bank Of America in Charleston, Illinois (What are the odds?) and discovered that he did indeed leave his I. D. there. That was quite a relief (he was imagining someone going on a crime spree under his identity), except that now we have to wait for them to mail it to us, and then have it forwarded to us somewhere, which translates into about a month without it. It could prove to be an interesting experiment: how can a man get by in this modern world for 30 days without being able to identify himself?

It appears it could be just as long before we manage to get laundry done. We've been looking for a convenient laundromat ever since we left Hannibal. The only one we managed to locate in the Charleston area closed at SIX P.M. !!!

We did, however, find a good YMCA and drove way, way up the hill to get to it (Charleston is a very hilly city) to have a refreshing swim, our first real muscle stretch since leaving Hannibal.

July 13

Day 4 of the missing I. D. The only real inconvenience was that Dennis did some shopping and realized at the last minute that he couldn't write a check.

A full day of performances. In the morning we did the Elk Valley Library and in the afternoon the Clendenin Library, both of which are in small communities several miles out of town. In the evening, we were at the downtown Charleston Library. Received our paycheck, which pulls us out of the hole that our van had left us in.

Still no laundromat in sight--and not much time to search for or use one.

July 14

Day 5 of the missing I. D. Did some more shopping and Kimberly wrote the check. Only a minor inconvenience. But Dennis also discovered that in WV (or at least in some stores) an I. D. is required to purchase certain items, even when paying cash. These include things like spray paint and petroleum products, as well as, of course, alcohol and tobacco products. And EVERYONE has to show a card--it doesn't matter if you're 92!

The bags of dirty clothes continue to swell.

Three more performances at suburban libraries: Dunbar, Cross Lanes and St. Albans.

Then it's off to Virginia, a 4-hour drive.

July 15

Day 6 of the missing I. D. Kimberly has to do all the driving now, but she does most of it anyway.

Library performances in Radford and Pulaski, Va. Packed houses at both.

Decided to drive on to Galax, the site of our next show, before resuming our never ending quest for a laundromat. Big mistake. We arrived in town at about 5:30, and spent some two hours driving around before we finally landed (and it isn't that big a town). We received directions from three people who each headed us in a different direction--toward, apparently, three different establishments, none of which we found. Well actually, we may have seen one, but it was situated inside an auto repair place that closed at 5:00. Yes, you read that right: a combination garage and laundromat. We'd never heard of such a thing, but we thought it fitting, considering how many times a garage has taken us to the cleaners.

It was only after we'd asked a fourth person that we obtained a duplicate set of directions. Pursuing them, we realized that we'd driven by this place earlier, but failed to spot it because its sign wasn't very conspicuous, and the building looks like someone's home. We checked the hours, and learned that this business closes its doors at 8:00, leaving us less than an hour to do our wash.

So it was time for a fifth set of directions, which pointed us to the only place around that kept late hours. We found it, and it wasn't an ideal facility, but at least we finally got our clothes clean.

July 16

A well-attended performance at the library in Galax (which, we've learned, is pronounced GAY-lax). This town is near the North Carolina border, and is in fact just a few miles from Airy, N. C. --hometown of Andy Griffith, and apparently the inspiration for Mayberry.

Day 7 of the missing I. D. Without it, Dennis was unable to access a library computer to read his email, even though we'd just done a presentation at the library. We suspect that such strict policies may be due largely to the post-" Patriot" Act zeitgeist.

Started the long, long drive toward Franklin (Va.) site of our next show. Hoping to find a campground in the area where we can bivouac for a few days.

July 17

Day 8 of the missing I. D.

Found a campground in Windsor, Virginia, conveniently located near our next 4 shows, though it took some detective work.

We're now more or less officially on the East Coast, although we're still very much in the South, as the drawls of our neighbors attest.

We'd joked that maybe once we got out of the Midwest, we'd "get our skin back", because it's been under siege not only by the stifling, prickly heat, but also by all manner of critters. We've been camping this summer in territory that is home to just about everything that bites, stings, injects, burrows or creeps: spiders, ticks, fleas, chiggers, gnats, flies, mosquitoes, no see 'ems, scorpions, ants, wasps, bees, hornets, etc. We've been assaulted by just about all of them at some time or other in the past, and by most of them this summer.

But so far, Virginia has not provided the respite we'd hoped for. The weather is just as hot here, and the mosquitoes are the thickest we've seen all summer. Oh yes, and the thunderstorms are still following us around.

July 18

A go-nowhere-do-what-you-want day. One of those "Oh it's 5 o'clock already! Kind of days."

We all spent the day in our tents (Dennis and Kimberly share a tent and Zephyr has his own) just doing our own thing. Kimberly worked on the Web site, Dennis used his keyboard and recording studio to write and record music, Zephyr worked on designing computer games. Well, mom did make Zephyr get out and do the dishes - and fight the mosquitoes. The mosquitoes are so bad here that Dennis and Zephyr resorted to rubbing themselves down with onion, on top of the 100% Deet they already have on.

Day 9 of the missing I. D., but in this neck of the woods, nobody really cares.

July 19

Day 10 of the missing I. D. So far, being anonymous hasn't felt bad at all.

We spent the entire day at the campground. Had a big fright because our Compaq laptop, which has all the web site files and software, had given up the ghost. But it appears it merely overheated, and later started functioning again. Thanks to our 15 year old friend in Chicago who told us what the problem was! The guy is a whiz -- if you ever need a computer fixed let us know and we'll put you in touch with him.

July 20

Day 11 of the missing I. D., with no particular complications.

Two performances at the library in Franklin, Va. Big audiences, because several groups were bused in. Only problem is that some of them arrived nearly an hour early, and sat there and got antsy before the show even started.

Did grocery shopping, then headed back to the campground.

July 21

Performed at the library in Suffolk, Va. A large audience, with even earlier group arrivals than yesterday (one hour before show time). Perhaps it's just a Virginia thing. (In most of the places we've performed, groups tend to arrive late.)

Stopped at the post office and picked up our mail, some of which we've been awaiting for some time.

Day 12 of the missing I. D.

July 22

Day 13 of the missing I. D.

Performed in Bennetts Creek, Virginia. Needed to get an oil change and a new tire, so reluctantly stopped at Wal-Mart (or as we call it, MALL-WART). We are not fond of shopping there, but for us there sometimes is no feasible alternative. Our objections are mostly of a moral nature (we are troubled by certain labor and marketing practices the chain has indulged in), but the stores also aren't exactly known for snappy service, either. Today we waited 3 and a half hours, even though the place really wasn't that busy!

Back to the campground.

July 23

Day 14 of the missing I. D., and it could have been quite problematic. Dennis got some packets of mail ready and took them to the post office-- in Windsor, about 10 miles away-- only to remember he had no driver's license. Fortunately he had no run-ins with the local constabulary.

Meanwhile, Kimberly spent the whole day doing some reconstructive work on the web site

July 24

We stayed an extra day at the campground, and it was day 15 of the missing I. D. Kimberly worked non-stop on the web site and Dennis worked on his music. Zephyr spent the entire day designing computer games.

And the thunderstorms returned.

July 25

We spent a good part of the day striking camp, as the tents and other gear had to be dried thoroughly. At least it wasn't raining-- actually, it started again right after we pulled out! Wanted to do some laundry before we left, as we had several wet items that were in danger of molding. But the laundry room was very busy, so we found ourselves beginning another endless quest for a laundromat.

On to Richmond, where we spent a few hours at a Kinko's.

Day 16 of the missing I. D.

July 26

Leaving Stafford, Va., we hit an enormous pothole-- it was a meteor crater, if anything. We didn't realize until later what a problem it had caused.

Performed at the library in Chevy Chase, MD., our first time there. But first we stocked up at Trader Joe's, where we noticed that the right rear tire on the van was very low. Drove to a gas station and had it aired up, but the air hemorrhaged back out volcanically. Realized that the pothole was so deep the edge of it had bent the rim, and the air was escaping at that point. Borrowed a large hammer from the station's garage (a beautifully designed, squeaky clean red hammer that practically wielded itself) , and Dennis and an attendant hammered the rim back into shape.

We then asked the attendant how to get to a laundromat, but he said, "this is the richest county in Maryland. There are no laundromats here."

On the road again after the performance. Intended to spend the night in Cumberland, but Kimberly missed a freeway exit and drove several miles toward Baltimore before we realized it. So we had to stop in Frederick for the night.

It was a very rainy night with poor visibility, and as we were about to drive on a green light in Frederick, a bicyclist wearing dark clothing (and no helmet, with no lights on his bike) ran through the red light and swerved in front of us, narrowly missing us. He came very close to ruining our summer tour in a big way.

Day 17 of the missing I. D.

July 27

We left Frederick, MD. at 9:00 am and drove 7 hours to get to St. Marys, Pennsylvania. Well maybe we would have gotten there faster if we hadn't missed another exit.

After the show we headed off to Knoxville, PA., an 86 mile "commute". Kimberly noticed the route was a confusing one with lots of twists and turns and was not in the mood to get lost or waste time getting there. So she turned on the laptop, ran the map program and plugged in the GPS to keep us on track. Zephyr was designated the navigator. The first leg of the trip went fairly smoothly. Then we turned North on a road called 1003. After about a couple of miles the pavement ended.

Suddenly we found ourselves driving through the woods on bumpy trails (one was actually named Bump Rd.) designated for ATV's. We were running low on gas, and the the laptop was running on battery, since the power inverter, which normally supplies us with AC, picked tonight to break down. And because the terrain was so wooded, the GPS was not giving us a very accurate signal. And of course, the cell phone was not getting a signal. And to top it off the fog was thick. Several times we headed up the wrong "road" (trail is a more accurate description) and had to find a place to make a U-turn. Bear in mind we are pulling a trailer. After about an hour, we made our way back to a paved road, and breathed a huge collective sigh of relief.

Day 18 of the missing I. D.

July 28

Three performances at Pennsylvania libraries: Knoxville, Galeton and Coudersport. Found a campground not far away, right by a rushing river. Wish we could have spent more time there, but we were just in for the night.

Day 19 of the missing I. D.

July 29

Performed at the libraries in Westfield and Elkton, Pa., then headed to Williamsport. Checked in at the campground where we stayed two years ago. Learned that the couple who normally manage the place are away tending to their son who is terminally ill with West Nile Virus. (Also learned that their son is a helicopter pilot who has been hauling George W. Bush around.) It made us pause to reflect about all the mosquitoes we'd been exposed to.

Day 20 of the missing I. D.

July 30

Played to a Standing Room Only crowd at the library in Lock Haven, Pa.

Along the highway we noticed about 30-35 RV's and travel trailers parked on the service road alongside the highway. They were moved there when the local campground flooded (luckily not the campground we were staying at).

Day 21 of the missing I. D.

July 31

Day 22 of the missing I. D. (only proving to be a minor inconvenience to Kimberly who is not used to writing all of the checks and grumbles when she has to do so)

Performed in Williamsport, Pa. Home of our favorite dentist - but, had no time to see him this time around and thankfully there was no urgent need to. After the show we enjoyed a luncheon with all of the Summer Reading Kids and then Kimberly presented a workshop on ASL.

Drove on to the Delaware Water Gap area and set up the tents, in what turned out to be yet another puddle. Can't get over all of these thunderstorms we are having this summer. They've been following us around all over the country, ever since May.

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