We started the day with a trip to Walmart to stock up on drinks and snacks. The Supercenter in Bentonville is in no way different from any other Walmart. No souvenirs. No bargain price on the catalog for Crystal Bridges.
We got under way about 10:00. I was amazed to notice that almost as soon as we passed from Arkansas to Oklahoma the land got drier, trees smaller, and it grew more arid as we went west. What we saw was basically cattle country.
We got into Tulsa about 12:30, just the right time for lunch at the Gilcrease Museum. The café has a pretty view of the Osage Mountains, and a rather elegant look. Service seemed painfully slow, and everything on the menu seemed peppery. I settled for salmon salad, very dull. Dan had blackened catfish, which he liked well enough.
This was our third visit to the Gilcrease, and every visit has been disappointing. They have a fairly good collection of American art, quite strong in Western art, and they have a pretty big building, big enough to give their collection a fair showing. But they relegate their permanent collection to about 25% of their gallery space and use the rest for other stuff. Like the Eiteljorg, a similar collection of Western Art in Indianapolis, they used a lot of gallery space commercially—the works were all for sale. They had lots of room devoted to children's discovery activities. They have added a lot of Native American art. To add to the frustration, this year they wouldn't allow photography. Luckily, Dan has photographed our favorites twice before.
They have a couple of massive masterpieces, permanently in place; one by Bierstadt and one by Moran. I enjoyed seeing these old favorites again, but now they have iron railings in front of them, marring the view. We spent a couple of hours review the works by Russell, Remington, Leigh, and Shreyvogel, and the Taos artists. It was okay.
Then we sped on to Oklahoma City, arriving about 5:30, plenty tired. We had dinner at the hotel restaurant. It was casual and comfortable.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Day 51/60: Bentonville, Crystal Bridges
Alice Walton, the daughter of Sam Walton, who founded Walmart, has employed her wealth to create a wonderful new museum of American art on a beautiful piece of family-owned land in Northeast Arkansas. The wooded country was so lovely, that I was thankful for the opportunity to be there. We started our day with a walk on the Art Trail. It doesn't have much sculpture of interest yet, but it has a wonderful sky-viewing building by James Turrell, much like the one at the de Young Museum.
The inspiring museum building was designed by Moshe Safdie, who also designed the new wing of the Telfair Museum in Savannah, which we saw in 2010. Like Frank Lloyd Wright's 'Fallingwater,' it is built over a creek, a creek which has been managed to form reflecting pools. Unfortunately, Arkansas has been in a drought so some areas that should have had rippling falls were dry. The complex is composed of four pavilions. I believe the metaphor was an ark, as the pavilions are tapered like boats and their roofs are composed of massive bentwood beams in broad arcs like the hull of a boat, upside down. It is good to have breaks between pavilions where you can enjoy the woods and water through the glass walls, but it adds to the walking involved.
Ms. Walton came into the collecting game rather late, meaning it was hard to get her hands on works by some very important artists. Take Georgia O'Keeffe; her best stuff has long been ensconced in the major museums. Walton compensated by getting a few small but unusual pieces that show something new about her talent. She had only one work by a Californian, but it was a fab piece of a 'supine woman' by Wayne Thiebaud. She also has excellent work by sometimes-neglected artists. She had a knock-out piece by Harriet Frishmuth, a 19th Century sculptor who communicates joy and abandon like no other. She had a couple wonderful figurative sculptures by Alexander Calder's father, also Alexander Calder.
The collection pretty much runs the gamut from Copley to Ursula von Rydingsvaard. There are several masterpieces that we had seen in other big museums.
Admission is free, covered by Walmart, and photography is permitted. The whole endeavor comes from a very generous spirit. Properties abutting the museum have access to trails through the museum's park, and a trail reaches it from downtown. Ms. Walton has long been a promoter of the region—she got the local airport going—and she has tried to integrate the museum into the community, as well as into the site.
The museum was very well-attended, sometimes too crowded; this on a Monday in late October. Most of the patrons were seniors, many quite infirm. Bentonville, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, is actually fairly convenient to St. Louis, Tulsa, and other major cities. Most patrons seemed to be from the region. They said things like, "Lookee there! Inat weeeird?" Apparently many patrons have never been to an art museum before, because there is a greeter at the door to explain not to get to close to the art work and other courtesies.
One of the pavilions is devoted to a vast eating hall. It has glass walls and projects over a reflecting pool; light patterns ripple across the broad wooden arches. We stood in line 25 minutes to order; the food came out pretty fast. We both had High South Chicken salad, which was excellent roasted chicken mixed with mayonnaise and cranberries, over greens; it was fine. I had a devastating Devil's food cupcake; I don't know how they can make anything that swell in such vast quantities. Dan had a fancy cookie.
We spent most of the time separately, running around trying to cram the whole collection in, taking as many photos as we could. Mostly the lighting was quite good, but a few large pieces had bad reflections. It is notable that in the galleries there is no natural light at all, quite a departure from the usual practice. The artificial light is even and constant, but you do appreciate the breaks between galleries where you get natural light through glass walls. Both of us made a second trip out to see the Turrell sky-viewing building, perhaps a half hour's rapid walk. The upshot was that by 6:00 p.m. I was so tired I could barely move.
Next we went to downtown Bentonville. On the central square is Walton's original Five and Dime store, now a Visitors' Center. It has some old time kids toys and candies for sale up front, then a museum on Walton on Walmart, which had no interest for us.
For dinner we found an Italian place called Tavola Tratorria. Yes, in Bentonville, Arkansas, we found authentic Italian food. The Wedding Soup with turkey meat balls and risotto, a few veggies, had perfect, delicate Italian spicing; so life-giving. It reminds me that the best 'German' food I ever had was in Hot Springs, Arkansas, several years ago; a black cook working to instructions of German chef. We both had the soup with some sort of fancy salad that was fine. Very pleasant place, and nice service.
The inspiring museum building was designed by Moshe Safdie, who also designed the new wing of the Telfair Museum in Savannah, which we saw in 2010. Like Frank Lloyd Wright's 'Fallingwater,' it is built over a creek, a creek which has been managed to form reflecting pools. Unfortunately, Arkansas has been in a drought so some areas that should have had rippling falls were dry. The complex is composed of four pavilions. I believe the metaphor was an ark, as the pavilions are tapered like boats and their roofs are composed of massive bentwood beams in broad arcs like the hull of a boat, upside down. It is good to have breaks between pavilions where you can enjoy the woods and water through the glass walls, but it adds to the walking involved.
Ms. Walton came into the collecting game rather late, meaning it was hard to get her hands on works by some very important artists. Take Georgia O'Keeffe; her best stuff has long been ensconced in the major museums. Walton compensated by getting a few small but unusual pieces that show something new about her talent. She had only one work by a Californian, but it was a fab piece of a 'supine woman' by Wayne Thiebaud. She also has excellent work by sometimes-neglected artists. She had a knock-out piece by Harriet Frishmuth, a 19th Century sculptor who communicates joy and abandon like no other. She had a couple wonderful figurative sculptures by Alexander Calder's father, also Alexander Calder.
The collection pretty much runs the gamut from Copley to Ursula von Rydingsvaard. There are several masterpieces that we had seen in other big museums.
Admission is free, covered by Walmart, and photography is permitted. The whole endeavor comes from a very generous spirit. Properties abutting the museum have access to trails through the museum's park, and a trail reaches it from downtown. Ms. Walton has long been a promoter of the region—she got the local airport going—and she has tried to integrate the museum into the community, as well as into the site.
The museum was very well-attended, sometimes too crowded; this on a Monday in late October. Most of the patrons were seniors, many quite infirm. Bentonville, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, is actually fairly convenient to St. Louis, Tulsa, and other major cities. Most patrons seemed to be from the region. They said things like, "Lookee there! Inat weeeird?" Apparently many patrons have never been to an art museum before, because there is a greeter at the door to explain not to get to close to the art work and other courtesies.
One of the pavilions is devoted to a vast eating hall. It has glass walls and projects over a reflecting pool; light patterns ripple across the broad wooden arches. We stood in line 25 minutes to order; the food came out pretty fast. We both had High South Chicken salad, which was excellent roasted chicken mixed with mayonnaise and cranberries, over greens; it was fine. I had a devastating Devil's food cupcake; I don't know how they can make anything that swell in such vast quantities. Dan had a fancy cookie.
We spent most of the time separately, running around trying to cram the whole collection in, taking as many photos as we could. Mostly the lighting was quite good, but a few large pieces had bad reflections. It is notable that in the galleries there is no natural light at all, quite a departure from the usual practice. The artificial light is even and constant, but you do appreciate the breaks between galleries where you get natural light through glass walls. Both of us made a second trip out to see the Turrell sky-viewing building, perhaps a half hour's rapid walk. The upshot was that by 6:00 p.m. I was so tired I could barely move.
Next we went to downtown Bentonville. On the central square is Walton's original Five and Dime store, now a Visitors' Center. It has some old time kids toys and candies for sale up front, then a museum on Walton on Walmart, which had no interest for us.
For dinner we found an Italian place called Tavola Tratorria. Yes, in Bentonville, Arkansas, we found authentic Italian food. The Wedding Soup with turkey meat balls and risotto, a few veggies, had perfect, delicate Italian spicing; so life-giving. It reminds me that the best 'German' food I ever had was in Hot Springs, Arkansas, several years ago; a black cook working to instructions of German chef. We both had the soup with some sort of fancy salad that was fine. Very pleasant place, and nice service.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Day 50/60: North Little Rock to Bentonville
The temperature was very cold, but the sky formed a clear blue background for the colorful scenery.
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| View from Overlook provided by National Park Service Dan's photo |
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| View from parking lot of Gift Shop Dan's photo |
So we went onto Jasper, where we ate at the Ozark Café, a huge place, also jammed, but we were able to find a seat and get reasonable service. The best thing I learned on this trip is that when a restaurant offers deep-fried fish, they can generally grill it, if you ask. I had grilled catfish; was it ever light, almost sweet. Dan had chopped steak, which was done right. The wait staff worked very hard. They weren't grim, but they were serious and they were tired. I was amazed how much it pleased a couple of them when I said the food was good.
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| One of the signs for the Ozark Café, which is twice this long Dan's photo |
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| One of three large cluttered rooms at the Ozark Café Dan's photo |
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| National Park Service Sign Dan's photo |
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| View of Buffalo River from Pruitt's Landing Dan's photo |
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| Another view from Pruitt's Landing Dan's photo |
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| View from Pruitt's Landing with highway bridge in Background Dan's photo |
Dan had dinner at Mama Chu's Asian Cuisine. I didn't need any more food. I had a latte and worked on the blog.
Day 49/60: Nashville to North Little Rock
Based on research he did on the fly yesterday, Dan took the car for its first oil change this morning at 8:00 a.m.
Though the previous day had been quite warm, when we left Nashville at 10 a.m., the weather was quite cold, 20 degrees lower in temperature, and the sky was gray and heavy.
We took I-40 all the way; no navigating to it.
At first the land was hilly and the rock was flaky and gray; the trees had more color than up north. Later the land flattened and large cotton fields appeared, some loaded with cotton, others harvested already, with only a few stray balls of fluff clinging to the brown twigs.
We had lunch at the Waffle House, because it was the only alternative to Subway at the time we got hungry. We had the chicken salad. It was okay. The wait staff and cook worked very fast, but their attitude was grim. Absolutely no pretense at friendliness, just fast service.
By noon, the clouds had dispersed; the sky was blue but the temperature was tooooo cold.
Around 1:45 we crossed the Mississippi river on the Dolly Parton Bridge, remembering how we had taken a cruise on the river on our previous trip through here. Then we were in Arkansas.
In Arkansas the land we saw was flat and fertile.We saw more prosperous agriculture in Arkansas than any state so far: lots of cotton, soy, cattle, corn, lots of green rice fields and harvested rice fields.
Driving was intense all day. When there are only two lanes going one way, then you get stuck behind one semi trying to pass another one. This went on constantly. Very had speed lane changing. We got in about 4 p.m.
The restaurant where Dan had eaten dinner on our last trip was closed, so he chose the Riverside Steakhouse at the Wyndham Hotel. Maybe this was not the best choice. First off, it did not have any view of the river, or anything else. Then we made the mistake of asking to sit in a particular section of the restaurant, instead of letting the hostess seat us; we've gotten away with this in the past, but this time Dan chose a seat in a section where a party of about a dozen people was taking shape. Thus, the service we got was negligent. The second mistake was to order minestrone. Both Dan and I think of minestrone as magically healing; we have had a couple of good bowls on the trip. This concoction had obscure ingredients and was so hot that I refused mine after two bites. We both had the salad bar, which was satisfactory.
Some days you just have to get the job done.
Though the previous day had been quite warm, when we left Nashville at 10 a.m., the weather was quite cold, 20 degrees lower in temperature, and the sky was gray and heavy.
We took I-40 all the way; no navigating to it.
At first the land was hilly and the rock was flaky and gray; the trees had more color than up north. Later the land flattened and large cotton fields appeared, some loaded with cotton, others harvested already, with only a few stray balls of fluff clinging to the brown twigs.
We had lunch at the Waffle House, because it was the only alternative to Subway at the time we got hungry. We had the chicken salad. It was okay. The wait staff and cook worked very fast, but their attitude was grim. Absolutely no pretense at friendliness, just fast service.
By noon, the clouds had dispersed; the sky was blue but the temperature was tooooo cold.
Around 1:45 we crossed the Mississippi river on the Dolly Parton Bridge, remembering how we had taken a cruise on the river on our previous trip through here. Then we were in Arkansas.
In Arkansas the land we saw was flat and fertile.We saw more prosperous agriculture in Arkansas than any state so far: lots of cotton, soy, cattle, corn, lots of green rice fields and harvested rice fields.
Driving was intense all day. When there are only two lanes going one way, then you get stuck behind one semi trying to pass another one. This went on constantly. Very had speed lane changing. We got in about 4 p.m.
The restaurant where Dan had eaten dinner on our last trip was closed, so he chose the Riverside Steakhouse at the Wyndham Hotel. Maybe this was not the best choice. First off, it did not have any view of the river, or anything else. Then we made the mistake of asking to sit in a particular section of the restaurant, instead of letting the hostess seat us; we've gotten away with this in the past, but this time Dan chose a seat in a section where a party of about a dozen people was taking shape. Thus, the service we got was negligent. The second mistake was to order minestrone. Both Dan and I think of minestrone as magically healing; we have had a couple of good bowls on the trip. This concoction had obscure ingredients and was so hot that I refused mine after two bites. We both had the salad bar, which was satisfactory.
Some days you just have to get the job done.
Day 48/60: Nashville Museums
What a day!
The first time I went outside, it was gray and cold. Every time I went outside after that it was colder; light rain intermittently. This did not stop us from savoring the best of Nashville.
First stop, Fisk University. This institution has been at the center of a big art controversy for about seven years. Through personal connections, Fisk acquired a small collection of first rate paintings and a number of other works of interest from the estate of Georgia O'Keeffe and her husband Alfred Stieglitz, one of the great early collectors of modern art. When the university's budget got tight several years ago, it naturally occurred to some bean-counter type that their star painting by O'Keeffe alone would raise enough money to make much needed repairs, so they proposed de-accessing the collection, hoping to keep it intact. This raised a hubbub because donors and potential donors like to think of gifts as being permanently in place. The case was in court several years. Then dear Alice Walton, inheritor of the Walmart fortune, came to the rescue with a compromise: share the art, in exchange for big bucks. Walton's new museum Crystal Bridges will have the art part of the time, and it will be at the Fisk part of the time. Details are still being worked out. We wanted to see the collection before this disruption takes place.
The star of the show is O'Keeffe's 'Radiator Building,' the only one by her. They gave all her other major pieces to major museums around the country. The largest quantity at the Fisk was Marsden Hartley, showing his enormous range from delicate desert-scape to bold abstraction. There was a fabulous portrait of Stieglitz by Florine Stettheimer. A couple of nice pieces by Gino Severini. Of the Europeans, mostly sketches. All in all, quite worthwhile. Not allowed to carry a camera in the gallery.
The next objective was to see some mural decoration by Aaron Douglas, a Black American artist who taught at Fisk much of his career. He decorated a former card catalog room in their old library. These were uplifting depictions of various aspects of academia, simplified and stylized. They are modest works in moss green and pale yellow, but pretty. We also sought out some decoration in an administrative office that was nice.
Then we went over to their new library. On the third floor is an art gallery, with an eclectic collection of quality work, ranging from a Calder design worked up in jute to an early work by Martin Puryear.
For lunch we went to the student cafeteria. $6.75 all you can eat; wide variety of stuff from fried fish to spaghetti; terrific home-made yellow sheet cake with fudge icing. Fisk is predominently African American. The students seemed very quiet and serious in the cafeteria. They were chatting, but there was no cutting up or loud laughter.
We were pretty conspicuous. Staff and students were cordial. Every place we went on campus, people were very helpful and friendly.
Then we dashed downtown to the Frist Art Center. Notice: Fisk University and Frist Art Center. We had to get this straight. We had researched and planned for the three art venues at the Fisk, but Dan figured this one out on the fly.
The Frist is a new art center, since 2000. It is housed in a huge Post Office built in 1930, in a Federalist/Art Deco style. Beautiful art deco interior. Nashville used to be a major regional hub for mail. I am so happy they re-purposed this fine building.
The big show was German Expressionism from the Detroit Institute of Arts. We've been to the museum in Detroit a couple of times and always appreciated their modern German works, but their collection is much too large to show, except in a traveling exhibition like this. No photography, of course, but Dan had photographed some of the important works in Detroit: a handful of amusing works by Kokoshka, a great one by Kirchner, one by Franz Marc. Very rich.
The most exciting part was that we discovered a major contemporary artist that we had not known about: Carrie Mae Weems. She is a photographer, a black woman, whose conceptual range is very impressive; she is at least as important as Cindy Sherman, and I'm happy to have seen her work in bulk. What fascinated me was the stories she wrote to accompany some of her sequences of photos; she is very poetic, insightful and revealing.
In the thirties, the regional Post Office was right next to the railway, and on the other side was a handsome stone railway station. Just as the PO has been re-purposed as an art museum, the train station has been redone as a magnificent hotel. Really. All the details of the interior decoration were tasteful and grand. Stained glass windows. Relief carvings of the angels of transportation. Decoration with a theme. In the lobby bar, I had a latte and Dan drank a beer. A guitarist was playing in the lobby, lobby-jazz standards. It was very cool. I took lots of pictures.
On the way back to the motel, we stopped at the Cinco de Mayo restaurant. We both ordered grilled tilapia; it was perfect. The place had been quiet and easy-going the previous evening, but Friday night it filled up with fertile and noisy families.
Dan has been trying to follow the Giants through the play-offs and the Series, but he is so tired by the time the game comes on (sometimes not till 9:00), that he doesn't see much before he falls asleep. First question on his mind the next day, How did the Giants do?
The first time I went outside, it was gray and cold. Every time I went outside after that it was colder; light rain intermittently. This did not stop us from savoring the best of Nashville.
First stop, Fisk University. This institution has been at the center of a big art controversy for about seven years. Through personal connections, Fisk acquired a small collection of first rate paintings and a number of other works of interest from the estate of Georgia O'Keeffe and her husband Alfred Stieglitz, one of the great early collectors of modern art. When the university's budget got tight several years ago, it naturally occurred to some bean-counter type that their star painting by O'Keeffe alone would raise enough money to make much needed repairs, so they proposed de-accessing the collection, hoping to keep it intact. This raised a hubbub because donors and potential donors like to think of gifts as being permanently in place. The case was in court several years. Then dear Alice Walton, inheritor of the Walmart fortune, came to the rescue with a compromise: share the art, in exchange for big bucks. Walton's new museum Crystal Bridges will have the art part of the time, and it will be at the Fisk part of the time. Details are still being worked out. We wanted to see the collection before this disruption takes place.
The star of the show is O'Keeffe's 'Radiator Building,' the only one by her. They gave all her other major pieces to major museums around the country. The largest quantity at the Fisk was Marsden Hartley, showing his enormous range from delicate desert-scape to bold abstraction. There was a fabulous portrait of Stieglitz by Florine Stettheimer. A couple of nice pieces by Gino Severini. Of the Europeans, mostly sketches. All in all, quite worthwhile. Not allowed to carry a camera in the gallery.
The next objective was to see some mural decoration by Aaron Douglas, a Black American artist who taught at Fisk much of his career. He decorated a former card catalog room in their old library. These were uplifting depictions of various aspects of academia, simplified and stylized. They are modest works in moss green and pale yellow, but pretty. We also sought out some decoration in an administrative office that was nice.
Then we went over to their new library. On the third floor is an art gallery, with an eclectic collection of quality work, ranging from a Calder design worked up in jute to an early work by Martin Puryear.
For lunch we went to the student cafeteria. $6.75 all you can eat; wide variety of stuff from fried fish to spaghetti; terrific home-made yellow sheet cake with fudge icing. Fisk is predominently African American. The students seemed very quiet and serious in the cafeteria. They were chatting, but there was no cutting up or loud laughter.
We were pretty conspicuous. Staff and students were cordial. Every place we went on campus, people were very helpful and friendly.
Then we dashed downtown to the Frist Art Center. Notice: Fisk University and Frist Art Center. We had to get this straight. We had researched and planned for the three art venues at the Fisk, but Dan figured this one out on the fly.
The Frist is a new art center, since 2000. It is housed in a huge Post Office built in 1930, in a Federalist/Art Deco style. Beautiful art deco interior. Nashville used to be a major regional hub for mail. I am so happy they re-purposed this fine building.
The big show was German Expressionism from the Detroit Institute of Arts. We've been to the museum in Detroit a couple of times and always appreciated their modern German works, but their collection is much too large to show, except in a traveling exhibition like this. No photography, of course, but Dan had photographed some of the important works in Detroit: a handful of amusing works by Kokoshka, a great one by Kirchner, one by Franz Marc. Very rich.
The most exciting part was that we discovered a major contemporary artist that we had not known about: Carrie Mae Weems. She is a photographer, a black woman, whose conceptual range is very impressive; she is at least as important as Cindy Sherman, and I'm happy to have seen her work in bulk. What fascinated me was the stories she wrote to accompany some of her sequences of photos; she is very poetic, insightful and revealing.
In the thirties, the regional Post Office was right next to the railway, and on the other side was a handsome stone railway station. Just as the PO has been re-purposed as an art museum, the train station has been redone as a magnificent hotel. Really. All the details of the interior decoration were tasteful and grand. Stained glass windows. Relief carvings of the angels of transportation. Decoration with a theme. In the lobby bar, I had a latte and Dan drank a beer. A guitarist was playing in the lobby, lobby-jazz standards. It was very cool. I took lots of pictures.
On the way back to the motel, we stopped at the Cinco de Mayo restaurant. We both ordered grilled tilapia; it was perfect. The place had been quiet and easy-going the previous evening, but Friday night it filled up with fertile and noisy families.
Dan has been trying to follow the Giants through the play-offs and the Series, but he is so tired by the time the game comes on (sometimes not till 9:00), that he doesn't see much before he falls asleep. First question on his mind the next day, How did the Giants do?
Friday, October 26, 2012
Day 47/60: Columbus to Nashville
Basically this was just a boring travel day. Stayed on the Interstate all day. Traffic was very intense. More big trucks than cars. Everyone speeding and jockeying for position.
In Ohio we saw quite a lot of corn, apparently good crops, ready to harvest or being harvested. We drove straight through Cincinnati at speed. We crossed into Kentucky about 10:45. The land got hillier. Thick bands of bare, brushy trees masked the view most of the time. We had lunch at a Burger King south of Louisville. Then we started going through some mountains and there were some colorful trees.
The weather was the most interesting: it was hot! 80 degrees. Hot wind all day. Light clouds gathering, then dispersing.
For a break we explored Franklin, Kentucky, a small town with some old buildings. Very noisy and intense traffic. Big trucks, also cars, right downtown. A big crane was being used to repair the roof of their handsome city hall. Dan had a long conversation with an old codger who was observing the operation from a wheel chair perched on a golf cart. Dan photographed some grain elevators and cleaned the windshield.
We entered Tennessee about 4:45. Freeway lined by trees; green corridor.
We arrived at our motel about 5:30; 4:30 local time. Terrible location, hard by two freeway onramps and two big highways. Very noisy and unfriendly.
We had dinner at the Cinco de Mayo restaurant. Getting there was formidable. An accident on the freeway directly opposite the motel had emergency vehicles wailing. We had to cross the big highways. Walk 2 blocks to restaurant where there was some police activity. Dinner was fine. We both had shrimp dishes. Authentic Mexican cafe. Nice atmosphere, nice service.
In Ohio we saw quite a lot of corn, apparently good crops, ready to harvest or being harvested. We drove straight through Cincinnati at speed. We crossed into Kentucky about 10:45. The land got hillier. Thick bands of bare, brushy trees masked the view most of the time. We had lunch at a Burger King south of Louisville. Then we started going through some mountains and there were some colorful trees.
The weather was the most interesting: it was hot! 80 degrees. Hot wind all day. Light clouds gathering, then dispersing.
For a break we explored Franklin, Kentucky, a small town with some old buildings. Very noisy and intense traffic. Big trucks, also cars, right downtown. A big crane was being used to repair the roof of their handsome city hall. Dan had a long conversation with an old codger who was observing the operation from a wheel chair perched on a golf cart. Dan photographed some grain elevators and cleaned the windshield.
We entered Tennessee about 4:45. Freeway lined by trees; green corridor.
We arrived at our motel about 5:30; 4:30 local time. Terrible location, hard by two freeway onramps and two big highways. Very noisy and unfriendly.
We had dinner at the Cinco de Mayo restaurant. Getting there was formidable. An accident on the freeway directly opposite the motel had emergency vehicles wailing. We had to cross the big highways. Walk 2 blocks to restaurant where there was some police activity. Dinner was fine. We both had shrimp dishes. Authentic Mexican cafe. Nice atmosphere, nice service.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Day 46/60: Buffalo to Columbus
Live blogging.
Departure 9:30; light rain continuing.
Dan promises it will get warmer and drier as we head south.
10:00 on the I-90 thruway west, still raining lightly. Trees are bare and brushy.
Two days of driving coming up; no museums.
Crossing our own path in Columbus to head south.
We have seen 30 museums so far.
5107 miles on this journey so far.
10:20 Wine country, then corn; some pretty trees, still golden.
10:45 We cross in to Pennsylvania. I paid $3.15 toll.
Stop at PA visitor center; Dan checked paper map. Concerned about gassing up.
11:10 Buy gas at Kwik Fill for 3.69 per gallon. Dan waited to buy gas in PA because he heard they have lower prices than most states. 25.2 mpg on last tank; 416 miles; $64.
11:45 Stopped in historic North East, the most eastern and northern town in PA, looking for latte for Jan and a P.O. for Dan, who wanted to mail a card to his dear sister, Carol. We found both in the same block, near a pretty park with colorful trees. No rain. Sky growing lighter. One-jacket temperature.
Leaving town, vinyards are brown-gold.
12:30 Hazy sunshine!
Entering Ohio.
Extensive roadwork.
12:55 Stopped for lunch at Kay's place in Kingsville. Sunny! Mild breeze.
Both had veggie beef soup. Good stuff.
2:20 Cloudless sunshine; intense truck traffic.
2:55 Rest and stretch break. 78 degrees according to car sensor. Yay!
3:25 Freeway driving boring, into the sun, bare black trees are ugly.
4:00 Had to stop live blogging because iPad battery running low; need it for navigation.
4:20 Garmin in car navigates us around traffic jam on freeway. Traffic is very intense.
5:15 Arrive BW Executive Inn, Grove City, just south of Columbus.
Problem with the room: 3 refer trucks parked just outside, motors running; they will run all night long; sounds like a never-ending freight train in your back yard.
Dan arranged for us to get a room on the opposite side of the motel. 2 queens, no sofa, instead of a king. No problem. Located right next to room with ice machine and guest laundry.
I put a load of clothes on to wash right away. Dan checked out the local restaurant scene.
While waiting for my wash, I uploaded a bunch of Dan's photos to my post for the Shelburne.
The restaurant scene is not promising. Because our motel is located at an interstate hub, with motels tucked into the armpits of every onramp, getting to a nice restaurant would require several complicated freeway moves; Dan's had enough of freeways for today.
I turn the blog for Shelburne over to Dan. He is very interested in adding the captions to his photos.
7:15 Dan is working on the captions. He wants to watch the Giants play the Tigers in game one of the world Series. How will he get dinner and be back in time?
While Dan worked and my clothes dried, I walked to Panera's, which is literally on the next property, across a stretch of grass. I got a steak salad for him and a cob salad for me. Both were good. Dan ate all of his salad and half of mine. He drank a few little bottles of Merlot from the snack box.
Then he watched a couple innings of the game before he fell asleep. Driving 340 miles is no small matter.
After dinner, I finished the drying and folding.
No more live blogging. It uses too much iPad battery on the road. And anyway it is pretty boring reading. Better to sum things up, to the extent I am able.
Departure 9:30; light rain continuing.
Dan promises it will get warmer and drier as we head south.
10:00 on the I-90 thruway west, still raining lightly. Trees are bare and brushy.
Two days of driving coming up; no museums.
Crossing our own path in Columbus to head south.
We have seen 30 museums so far.
5107 miles on this journey so far.
10:20 Wine country, then corn; some pretty trees, still golden.
10:45 We cross in to Pennsylvania. I paid $3.15 toll.
Stop at PA visitor center; Dan checked paper map. Concerned about gassing up.
11:10 Buy gas at Kwik Fill for 3.69 per gallon. Dan waited to buy gas in PA because he heard they have lower prices than most states. 25.2 mpg on last tank; 416 miles; $64.
11:45 Stopped in historic North East, the most eastern and northern town in PA, looking for latte for Jan and a P.O. for Dan, who wanted to mail a card to his dear sister, Carol. We found both in the same block, near a pretty park with colorful trees. No rain. Sky growing lighter. One-jacket temperature.
Leaving town, vinyards are brown-gold.
12:30 Hazy sunshine!
Entering Ohio.
Extensive roadwork.
12:55 Stopped for lunch at Kay's place in Kingsville. Sunny! Mild breeze.
Both had veggie beef soup. Good stuff.
2:20 Cloudless sunshine; intense truck traffic.
2:55 Rest and stretch break. 78 degrees according to car sensor. Yay!
3:25 Freeway driving boring, into the sun, bare black trees are ugly.
4:00 Had to stop live blogging because iPad battery running low; need it for navigation.
4:20 Garmin in car navigates us around traffic jam on freeway. Traffic is very intense.
5:15 Arrive BW Executive Inn, Grove City, just south of Columbus.
Problem with the room: 3 refer trucks parked just outside, motors running; they will run all night long; sounds like a never-ending freight train in your back yard.
Dan arranged for us to get a room on the opposite side of the motel. 2 queens, no sofa, instead of a king. No problem. Located right next to room with ice machine and guest laundry.
I put a load of clothes on to wash right away. Dan checked out the local restaurant scene.
While waiting for my wash, I uploaded a bunch of Dan's photos to my post for the Shelburne.
The restaurant scene is not promising. Because our motel is located at an interstate hub, with motels tucked into the armpits of every onramp, getting to a nice restaurant would require several complicated freeway moves; Dan's had enough of freeways for today.
I turn the blog for Shelburne over to Dan. He is very interested in adding the captions to his photos.
7:15 Dan is working on the captions. He wants to watch the Giants play the Tigers in game one of the world Series. How will he get dinner and be back in time?
While Dan worked and my clothes dried, I walked to Panera's, which is literally on the next property, across a stretch of grass. I got a steak salad for him and a cob salad for me. Both were good. Dan ate all of his salad and half of mine. He drank a few little bottles of Merlot from the snack box.
Then he watched a couple innings of the game before he fell asleep. Driving 340 miles is no small matter.
After dinner, I finished the drying and folding.
No more live blogging. It uses too much iPad battery on the road. And anyway it is pretty boring reading. Better to sum things up, to the extent I am able.
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