US Hwy 30 -- Detour: Buckley Days Truck Show

In my travels, I've become quite fond of big events in small towns. Accordingly, the truck show that is part of a nearby town's "Buckley Days" was simply irresistible.



I knew practically nothing about big trucks, so I was very happy to find a couple of truckers who were willing to tell me about their rigs in terms I could understand. I still don't know much, but it's very clear that they are big, powerful, expensive and highly customized -- even specialized -- for every use. Poor Darth, the whole thing was enough to give him a slight case of Peter(bilt) envy!



In addition to consuming the customary grilled meat sandwich, I also treated myself to the requisite t-shirt... Further expanding my already extensive and quite eclectic collection!

I'm going to meet Jake again this evening and enjoy some time with him. Early tomorrow morning, I'll be heading part way back down the peninsula to catch a ferry across Lake Michigan. From there I have some shenanigans lined up for the second half of my detour in Wisconsin… Stay tuned!

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US Hwy 30 -- Detour: Interlochen

My young friend Jake -- Kenny's younger son -- is at Interlochen Arts Camp for two weeks to develop his musical craft, and visiting him was the impetus for my detour up the Michigan peninsula. When I picked him up after his classes this afternoon and asked him how he was enjoying the camp, he said "It's all really good, except for the food!" So, our first order of business was to get him a proper meal, which turned out to be a 20 ounce steak dinner with all the trimmings. He was about half-way through it when I told him to hold it up to share with you folks at home. Happy boy!

After dinner we returned to Interlochen for this evening's concert. Although Jake is in the Jazz program, one of the groups in the Rock program asked him to play a number with them. I think it's safe to say that they -- and the audience -- are very glad he did. Here's a minute of Jake really rocking the sax… Wow!"



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US Hwy 30: O-hot-io & Indi-sauna-na

It was already pretty hot when I got up yesterday morning, so I started my "off" day by getting my chores done early. After that, I drove into town to get some supplies, do a little goofing around and catch a movie (Theater good and cool… Movie "Ted" not so much!). Back at my rig, I sought shelter in a breezy shade and enjoyed the view.



Back on the road this morning, US Hwy 30 was excellent across the rest of western Ohio and remained pretty good clear across Indiana. The only problem was that the temperature was sweltering and the humidity was unbearable. I hated to do it to Darth, but I just had to run the air conditioner. In fact, I had to run it on "recirculate" because the outside air was so moist it caused fog to blow into the relatively cool cabin!



This afternoon I drove to the outskirts of Chicago, then turned north to begin a week-long detour I have planned in Michigan and Wisconsin. First up tomorrow, I will drive pretty far north to visit my young friend Jake for a couple of days at his music camp in Interlochen. Jake is an outstanding young musician, and I hope to be able to "catch him in the act" and share some video with you… Stay tuned!

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US Hwy 30: Into Ohio

While driving through Pittsburgh this morning, I have to admit I had a few second-thoughts about the whole "driving all of US 30" thing. Right on the heels of yesterday's challenging drive across the western PA mountains, it took almost two hours to cross Pittsburgh in a mix of stop-start suburban traffic and white knuckle urban thruways.



West of Pittsburgh, the road settled down a bit and eventually became a nice-ish rural road. It wasn't in the best shape, but the hills and turns were quite manageable which gave me and Darth a bit of a break. Upon entering Ohio, US Hwy 30 becomes an excellent, smooth, wide affair that was downright peaceful to drive by comparison to what has been offered so far.



In places, the road narrows to a two lane country road that passes through pleasant little towns and offers some remnants of Americana, especially barns painted with advertisements.



I drove this part of US Hwy 30 in the opposite direction near the beginning of my first Voyage of Macgellan, and today found myself generally remembering it. That actually surprised me, especially considering just how many places I've been and how many roads I've driven since then!

Toward the middle of the state, US Hwy 30 opens up again to be a fast, wide, rolling road. Virtually everywhere, you can find various acknowledgements of the road's famous namesake and history. The only problem with this part of the drive was the heat, which I have to admit got to be pretty wearing on both me and Darth.



I've stopped for the day in the vicinity of Mansfield, and plan to stay here tomorrow. In addition to some exploring I want to do, I've got some chores on the list to take care of. Plus, after two straight days of hard driving I'm ready for a bit of a break before I push west through Indiana and on toward Chicago… Stay tuned!

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US Hwy 30: Western Pennsylvania

I pulled out of my long-term, winter/spring headquarters this morning and drove down to York -- where I left US Hwy 30 last week -- and had a farewell breakfast with my good friend John. After that, it was down to business on the continuation of my coast-to-coast expedition. It turned out to be a much harder day than I expected, and both Darth and I got a real workout to get us back in "road mode" shape in a hurry!

First of all, US Hwy 30 is very congested west of York and the road goes through many towns, each of which has its own version of a central park with a roundabout that must be navigated. The congestion in Gettysburg was increased today by a large Harley-Davidson event that was going on, and I was happy to get through town and glimpse the famous battlefield (which I've already visited so many times and know so well that I drove right through!)




The congestion continues right through Chambersburg, then the road becomes quite nasty. Crossing western Pennsylvania means crossing a significant set of mountains, during which the steep climbs and descents are also quite winding. There's a reason why the modern interstates use long tunnels dug through the mountains, and though Darth faithfully did his thing as always, I could tell he didn't really care for the exertion in 90 degree heat!



I was treated to some nice views at times, as well as occasional artwork to signify that I was driving on the famous Lincoln Highway. I was also treated to a few very heavy thunderstorms, which didn't do anything to make the day's drive any easier!




I've stopped for the day just short of Pittsburgh, which I plan to push through tomorrow and well into Ohio.... Stay tuned!

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US Hwy 30: Atlantic City, NJ - York, PA

Note: Part of the reason I returned to York via Atlantic City from Watkins Glen last week was to "cover" the first part of US Hwy 30 without having to drive to the coast and back this weekend. Here's a quick recap of that first, short leg!)

US Hwy 30 begins at the Virginia Avenue intersection of Absecon Boulevard in Atlantic City, without any kind of signage to that effect. It isn't until a couple of blocks later that the first "official" sign appears. This is quite different from most other US Hwy termini which prominently display a "Start" sign, and often a "distance to the other end" marker.



In researching this oddity, I discovered that US 30 used to have such signs, but they were torn down during a recent urban renovation. I guess that noting the beginning of a major US Hwy isn't nearly as important as pointing to the parking lot of a casino... Go figure!

The first hour of driving takes you across a pretty flat and uninspiring terrain, punctuated by some rather odd little towns. It's not a bad drive, just not particularly interesting. Soon enough, you cross the Ben Franklin bridge into Philadelphia and begin the trek across the long state of Pennsylvania.



The road continues as a major, divided highway for the next hour or so, with an increase in foliage and a clear sense of rolling hills. This move into "farm country" is both relaxing and reassuring, offering pleasant views and hope for a more enjoyable drive. I pulled off US Hwy 30 at PA Route 74 in York, where I will re-start this coast-to-coast expedition as soon as I reconfigure my road rig for the long-haul drive ahead!



Note: I'm on track to re-start the drive tomorrow morning... Stay tuned!)

US Hwy 30: "Coast-to-Coast" Preview

I've had a good, productive six months here in south-central Pennsylvania, but it's time to hit the road and get moving again!

For my next expedition, I have decided to do a coast-to-coast road trip on US Highway 30, starting in Atlantic City, NJ, and ending in Astoria, OR. The highway is one of the main US routes across the country -- much like US2 and US50 which I have already driven end-to-end -- but relatively unique in that it actually runs from coast-to-coast.



US30 goes through many, many small towns and tons of great Americana, but relatively few large cities. That's just the way I like it! You may recall that I drove some of the "Lincoln Highway" portion of US30 eastbound back in 2006 during my first Voyage of Macgellan, and I'm looking forward to experiencing the whole route this time.

Along the way, I will certainly take time for many stops, excursions and exploration of all kinds. I have no set timeframe for this road trip, but expect I will arrive in the Pacific Northwest sometime around September 1st.

Right now, I'm doing some final preparation for a long road trip. Darth has spent a day at the spa, receiving a complete servicing and a perfect check up. He's also got a brand new set of shoes, so he is ready to roll. The rest of my road rig has been serviced and inspected, also good to go.

I've got some sorting out to do, mostly converting my camper from "base camp mode" -- with a bunch of stuff scattered around and unsecured -- and into "road mode" -- with everything leaned out, locked down and ready to roll.

If all goes well, I'll hit the road on Sunday… Stay tuned!

Village of Horseheads

Driving back from Watkins Glen, Kenny and I passed through the Village of Horseheads. We both did a double-take, so I pulled off the road. Some photo ops are too perfect to pass up!

Watkins Glen "Hot Lap"

While I was in the Dempsey Racing paddock at Watkins Glen, one of the Mazda reps asked me if I would like to ride a "hot lap" around the track in one of their pace cars. As you might imagine, I said "You betcha!"

A few minutes later I was in the car with Tom Long, one of Dempsey Racing's pro Mazda drivers. Seconds after that, we were flying down the track on a "hot lap" -- a full speed lap -- with Tom narrating the entire way.

We're driving a lot faster than it looks in the video, and with a lot more g-forces in play than you can probably imagine. I'm pretty good hand holding my video camera, but this ride really challenged my abilities.

So, the video isn't perfect, but the narration -- especially the calm, cool and collected way Tom does it while he's driving at high speed! -- is a real treat… Buckle up, hang on and enjoy the ride!

(Many thanks to Mazda, Tom Long and Dempsey Racing for yet another Macgellan special event!)

Watkins Glen Race Day

My friend Kenny is a life-long motor sports enthusiast who has progressed through semi-pro driving and on into race management. At Watkins Glen this weekend, Ken worked with Dempsey Racing to support Miller Racing's Ford Mustang 302R in the "Continental Tire 150 at The Glen" which is part of the "Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge." If that all sounds confusing, don't worry. I've been around him and the sport many times before, and it still confuses the heck out of me about who's who and what's what.

In simpler terms, Kenny wears a lot of hats at races like this. Before the race, he assists the drivers and mechanics in their preparation, does a lot of fan and media interfacing and manages some of the data collection and analysis.



During the race, he perches himself at the highest observation point possible to act as "spotter" for the team's drivers, informing them of any problems or dangers on the course, alerting them potential threats from overtaking competitors, and pointing out opportunities against vulnerable opponents. According to everyone, he's really, really good at it.



I mostly wandered around and stayed out of the way, but I also got the requisite photos of myself with the car on the starting grid and with the slightly better known (and just slightly better looking!) owner of Dempsey Racing. Coming soon to a theater near you: "Macgellan and McDreamy"… Not!



Although the race started well for the team, a busted left front shock tore up the suspension and damaged a wheel, so the car didn't finish the race. Not only is racing an extremely expensive sport, it can be very, very frustrating! All in all though, Kenny and I had a great race weekend together… Yet another in our lifelong history of good times!