US Highway 2 -- "End-to-End" -- Complete!

My last day's drive on my US Highway 2 -- "End-to-End" -- road trip took me across the middle of Maine, all the way to the Canadian border at Houlton. The road was astonishingly similar to what it has been for the past 3,000 miles. The vegetation is a little thicker and taller, the tiny towns a bit closer together, but overall it's been the exact same road: straight, flat and utilitarian.

Looking back at my posts over the last month and a half, I'm afraid I may have given you the impression that -- at least at times -- I didn't enjoy the road or the drive. Nothing could be farther from the truth. US Hwy 2 has become like an old friend to me, a bit stuck in its ways perhaps, but lovable none the less.

As I looked at my road rig parked in front of the "End 2" sign, I had a profound sense not only of accomplishment, but of privilege. Traversing the entire country -- the entire continent, in fact -- at almost precisely the same latitude throughout has been amazing. To see so many small towns and villages, many so remote from each other, and to realize how many people live there, how they live... It's given me a sense of my country that I could not have gotten any other way. This road trip has been a profound experience and success.

I'm going to hang out here for a couple of days, to catch up with myself, to decompress a bit, and to figure out where to go next and how to get there. Thanks for joining me and... Stay tuned!

Mom's Old Stomping Grounds

Bless my mother, she arrived with two bottles of our favorite scotch whiskey and a pound of Starbucks coffee. Even better, as she handed me the treasure she said, "I know this isn't enough scotch and coffee for us for a week, but it's all I could carry!" Bless my mother!

We've had a really good few days together in the road rig, the first time my mom has traveled and lived in a camper. She has been in recovery from a broken hip, pushing herself as always to get back to 100% as fast as possible.

So, we've done some hiking in addition to our driving around upper Vermont and New Hampshire. We've also had some really, really nice camping places, so she's pretty well hooked on the milieu.

A definite high point was a visit to the Balsams hotel in Dixville Notch, NH. I have long heard about the place but never been there. When my mother was a girl she spent many summers there because, at the time, it was owned by her uncle!

The family story of Uncle Frank is a long and colorful one. Nobody seems to have the complete story, least of all is the current hotel management! The general manager was thrilled when my mother walked in and explained who she was. He had a million questions about Uncle Frank, what the place was like, who was who, etc. She was able to fill in a number of gaps -- including put names to faces in old pictures that hang throughout the place -- and resolve a number of mysteries. After a couple of hours of consultation, we were rewarded with a free lunch and an invitation to come back any time!

I'm dropping my mom off at the airport tomorrow, then I'll get back on US Hwy 2 for the last little stint to the Canadian Border at Houlton, Maine... Stay tuned!

Getting From Point A to Point B

One of the peculiarities of US Highway 2 is its discontinuity, with a big gap across the Great Lakes. There are two primary ways to get from the terminus in St. Ignace, Michigan (Point A) to the terminus in Rouses, New York (Point B):

I've chosen to take the northern route, entirely through Canada, mostly because it is the more direct path and it comes as close as possible -- in my opinion -- to the path that Hwy 2 would take if it continued.

Not surprisingly, the route in Canada (C17) is almost identical to the US 2 I've been driving for the past few weeks in almost every way: type of roadway, environment, scenery, etc.

Maybe a bit surprising is that for as little as there has been on US 2 in terms of things to see and do, there have been even fewer things of interest on C17!

Nevertheless, it's been a pretty good drive and I'm glad I chose the northern route. The whole drive has been so surreal, yet somehow so normal, that I've grown quite fond of its "nothingness."

I've now re-entered the US in upstate New York at a place where -- as you can see -- several major US Highways make their start, finish, connections, etc.

I'm going to take a couple of days here to sort myself out, in anticipation of the arrival of my mother who has decided to join me for a few days in the area. She spent a fair amount of time around here when she was a young girl, so it should be interesting to get her perspectives, find out what's changed, etc... Stay tuned!

Mystery Spot

I've been back on the road for a couple of days, now at the extreme eastern end of Michigan's upper peninsula. On the way here, I passed a series of signs advertising the "Mystery Spot" and figured I better have a look-see. My buddies Mr. Bacon and Monsieur Tofu were too afraid to check it out, but Big Foot said, "Bring it!"

The place is mostly one of those optical-illusion things where buildings are smaller than they look, water flows up hill, etc., and pretty much just a tourist trap for passers-by. The inside exhibits, though, were hilarious: Melonheads, Dog Man and Bearded Baseball Players were my favorites!

I'll be crossing into Canada tomorrow, and I'll explain that in my next post.

Upper Peninsula

We've rolled along the upper edge of Wisconsin and are well into the upper peninsula of Michigan. As you can see, the view has changed a bit, with trees lining the roadway and the occasional bend to keep things interesting.

I'm going to hop off Highway 2 for the long holiday weekend to visit with some friends just a little way to the south in the Door County area of Wisconsin... Stay tuned!

Bemidji, Bunyan, Babe

In the middle of Minnesota is a town called Bemidji, and in the middle of Bemidji is its main attraction: Giant statues of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox.

I haven't heard much out of my traveling buddies from my friends at Archie McPhee over the past few days -- besides "Are we there yet?" -- but they sure perked up at the sight of Paul and Babe.

As you can see, we made quite the photo-op out of it. The things we do for friends!

North Dakota

If it's all starting to look the same to you, don't worry. It's all starting to look the same to me, too.

North Dakota has rolled past my windows over the past three days, looking much like Montana and eastern Washington before it. The landscape is greener and more lush than I somehow expected, though the straight, flat roads and vistas are still hypnotic. I'm very glad I brought along some books on tape for my iPod!

About the only highlight in North Dakota has been passing through Rugby, the "Geographical Center of North America." I did my best to figure out the legitimacy of the claim, including finding out where they were measuring from, looking at maps, etc.

Basically, I've concluded that it's pretty much arbitrary, mostly just something to plunk down in the middle of nowhere and call it something. The funny thing is that legitimate or not, I was happy to have something to stop at and have a look-see.

The lack of sensory stimulus may account for why I found this moment at my Grand Forks, campground so funny. Only time will tell if it actually is funny, or if it's just something in the middle of nowhere that I'm calling something.

Montana

For the past few days I've been motoring across Montana, a drive which I imagine many folks could justifiably find tedious. I've thoroughly enjoyed the vast expanses of prairie being intermixed with similar expanses of farmland, the occasional farmhouse and the even less frequent small town. I've stopped at all manner of little stores, eaten in fantastic little diners and pulled over in the middle of nowhere just to enjoy the extraordinary views, space and quiet.

As enjoyable as it has been, though, I was ready for something different to look at when I pulled into the semi-significant town of Glasgow and saw this plane sitting on a pedestal in front of a tidy looking little museum. "Dinosaur Bones to Moon Walk" just demanded that I check it out.

Well, maybe not so much, but there sure were a lot of stuffed heads looking down at me from the walls! Next stop, North Dakota!

Over The Divide

The landscape of Washington changes dramatically as you head east. The alpine Cascades give way to the Columbia River gorge and then you're into the seemingly endless fields --mostly wheat -- that extend to the border.

Along the way I stopped at Grand Coulee Dam, yet another place I've wanted to visit the entire time I lived in Washington State. The picture doesn't come close to showing the true size of the facility -- and you're not permitted to take photos anywhere better -- so you'll have to take my word for it that the thing is huge!.

Crossing the panhandle of Idaho seems like it takes mere moments, then you're into Montana and over the continental divide at Marias Pass.

Something about the continental divide feels like the first real milestone, and a good time to give of brief review of how my road rig is performing.

Frankly, I couldn't be happier or more impressed. The truck is a beast, powering over every terrain no matter how steep or flat. It drives amazingly well considering the load it is carrying, and couldn't offer a more comfortable ride. The camper is just fantastic! I've got plenty of room, plenty of accoutrements and plenty of comfort. It's a breeze to "set-up" in that all I really need to do is park it, plug into the power outlet, attach the water hose and I'm done. I'm in and out faster than anybody else by far.

So, all is well so far on US Hwy 2… Stay tuned!

Happy's School Debut: The Rest Of The Story!

Note: This is an excerpt from my contributions to the SP Kennel Dog Log

Aliy recently posted a couple of photos and a little write up about her visit to Badger Elementary School in North Pole, Alaska. There's a little more to the story that you may enjoy, so here goes...

As Aliy and I were getting ready to leave the Kennel for the drive to the school, I asked her what she had in mind for her presentation to third graders. She said, "Well, first I'll talk a little about the dogs, the Iditarod and all that stuff, then I'll bring in a dog for them to meet." I asked, "Who are you going to bring?" She replied, "I usually bring Stormy because she's always so mellow around all the kids. Why? Who do you think I should bring?"

I figured that since she asked me I should go ahead and say it: "I think you should bring Happy."

Aliy laughed out loud and said, "You're kidding, right? Happy will totally freak out with all those kids around! Don't you think?"

"Nope," I said, "I think Happy will be great."

And so it came to pass that we loaded two dogs in the truck and drove down to North Pole: Stormy the mellow pet dog and Happy the unlikely star of the Iditarod. Stormy went inside to visit the kids in their classroom, but you will see in this video that Happy was fantastic, too.

Happy just amazes me. First she runs the Iditarod as her first race and finishes, then here she is "Happy Dancing" her way through another difficult first experience around a lot of kids. When you see how she handles their "up close and personal attention" at the end of the video, I think you'll be amazed, too!