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.

New Camera + New Year = New Video

New Year's Week, 2008-2009 from Rob Strong on Vimeo.

One Thousand Hundred

Anyone who knows me well enough to frequent this blog (all six of you), will know that I have a great fondness for driving, towns with interesting names, round numbers, representative democracy, and the Mountain State. Therefore you can imagine how pleased I was to arrive in the town of Barrackville, WV, just two days after our recent election, with my odometer ticking over to 100,000 miles. Dig:

(You might have to click and enlarge in order to see the mileage.)

Of course, West Virginia was a red state this cycle, but Barrackville's Marion County went blue by 117 votes out of a total 23,119 cast.

Next goal: catch up with Mark Mulligan, who recently hit 150,000. Might be a challenge, since he says he's put 75,000 on it in just 3 years. 

As a little anniversary present for "Rose Marie", I've compiled some shots of good times along the road (special thanks to guest photographers Annie Snodgrass and Hannah Chodos). 

With her toes in the pacific:
Coming down Lombard St., America's crookedest road:
Vegas! 
Driving through a redwood:
Golden Gate Bridge:
Sloan in Big Bend:
Tommy and Andrew, hijinks at a rest stop:
Here's to the next 528 million feet.

Eight is Enough

Lately I had the pleasure of taking a drive out to Chicago and back, via such places as Bliss, New York and Delightful, Ohio. Digital pics from the trip are on Facebook, so go see 'em there.

Herewith I present the newest litter from my 4x5, eight shots in all (very pleased with myself for not screwing the process up -- no light leaks). Click to enlarge; please tell me if/what you like.


Hanover, NH:

Framingham, MA:

Skaneateles, NY:

Western New York State (I think):

Also Western NY:

Fredonia, NY:

Living Waters Church, somewhere in Michigan:

Cazenovia, NY: