And Other Birds

Nature Photography from the Driver's Seat

T-Bird

Championship trophy to Jessica for driving all 370 of today's miles and the last 100 of yesterday's. She's one day ahead of me on the hamfluenza agenda, so I hope to look and feel this good tomorrow:


She stood valiantly by with a flashlight (albeit pointed the wrong way) during Monday's blowout: (a million thanks to James for invaluable assistance)


The forests and farms of Pennsylvania stood no chance against her advances:

The Porcine Complaint

Lack of updates due to lack of pictures and lack of energy. Those two lacks due to condition of Swine flu in both Passenger and Driver. Satiate your content-lust at Dave Wanczyk's Dr. True's Soup and Read.

Joe Buglewicz

Many know him as one of America's top-10 photographers. Fewer know that he is also a top-25 photographic subject.







No Bugs were harmed during the making of this blog post.

UPDATE: I just looked at timestamps and realized that Sloan Breeden took the first picture with my camera while I was getting something from my car and told him to shoot for a while. Way to steal my thunder, buddy. I was pretty proud of myself for a while there.

The Mulligans

The wedding of a thousand photographers. And it was worth every one.

Rehearsal

Happy Bachelorday

Marfa

Even better in the sunshine.



Somehow even longstanding businesses in this town feel like they were designed by Donald Judd.

Pepsirise over White's City

Bunking down for the night in a near-deserted campground at the mouth of Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Deer are just all over the place.

Beeves

I drove this dirt road through central New Mexico for an hour today, and the only traffic I encountered in any direction were these two.

Four Corners

one rube

24 hour bike race

Moab, Utah

A meeting of the minds

David Wanczyk (left) and a Chicken discuss the pros and cons of street-crossing in South Park, Colorado. Right after this picture was taken they ran at each other, full speed, and then at the last second Wanczyk veered left.

Heart of Darkness

This is the abandoned motel at the Center of America

Kansas, Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado

Sorry for sparse posting. Driving 12+ hours a day.

It snowed in Kansas and Colorado today!

To Kansas

Long day on the road Yesterday.

The most satisfying restaurant in America is attached to a Marathon gas station, convenience store, and tanning salon in May's Lick, Kentucky. I've now been there three times. Behold our lunch yesterday: $14.07 worth of Chicken, Sweet Tea, Mashed, Bicuits, Gravy, and most of all, Fried:

Layover day #2

Again, no pictures; still in Athens. Booked some future lodging today, including here and here. Tried to book a night here, but no room at the cabin. Tomorrow: to Kansas.

Layover day #1

No new pictures today. Stayed in Athens and worked on updating my wedding website, here.

Here's one that didn't make the final cut, mainly because it implicates me.

West Virginia, Country Roads

Drove from Harrisburg PA to Athens OH, none of it on the interstates.

watchoutwatchoutwatchoutWATCHOUT:

Although I am a noted lover of the arts, it was 11:00 AM on a Sunday, so I couldn't get a first-hand sense of the Artistry offered here:

A couple of good sun-cloud situations:

I exited Pennsylvania's southwestern corner near the tiny hamlet of Deep Valley, and drove "straight" across West Virginia's northern panhandle, less than 30 miles from border to border. The best hour of the day's drive:

From the tops of the ridges:

Via innumerable switchbacks:

Down past the farms:

Into the hollows below:

And back up to the next ridge; repeat.

Every picture today brought to you from the driver's seat (edit: except the strip club).

And it begins

Great start to the trip today. It was pouring rain in Massachusetts when I left at 8:00, but I still made near-record time to New York, which enabled me to drop in on Lily King.

Ate lunch in the car on the way from Astoria to midtown to see Elevator Repair Service's work-in-progress showing of The Sun Also Rises. Amazing. Take any opportunity to see anything they do. I'm not a theater critic, but I can state pretty confidently that everything they do is perfect, and is my favorite thing. Sarah Hughes assistant directs!

Now we're having pictures:

The crappy little man who manages this crappy little gas station in Blue Ball (not a typo), Pennsylvania came out to give me crap after I took this picture. I tried being nice and explaining that I just enjoyed the light. He said he didn't care about light. He asked me what company I was with. I explained that I am a free man and that this is America. He took a picture of me with his telephone. I smiled like a jackass and waited while he took too long, and then I just drove away. He told me not to come back.


But then, a scant 2 miles later, faith in America restored, as the town of New Holland (definitely in Amish country) was throwing a carnival literally in the middle of downtown, right smack in the street.

This deer was talking and nodding, doing the whole "Step Right Up, Folks" routine for the airgun game.




I ate these. They're five Oreo cookies, batter-dipped and deep-fried, dusting of powdered sugar. A little soggy, but still.



Gas stations and I were really hitting it off tonight. Probably because I just saw this on Wednesday, here.

New method of posting pictures. Too big? Not working? Let me know!

Tomorrow: I bear gifts to Athens.