Here is a thread where we can post our BlunderVentures. Please add your own stories of the road!

The BlunderVentures of Sparky and Wyld: Episode I (Wyld’s perspective of the beginning of the journey)

~But first, a little background info: On Wednesday, I was at the Church, baking cookies until all hours, for the “Ribbon of Highway, Endless Skyway” show (which was wonderful, by the way). I didn’t get to sleep until after 4AM and then Thursday, I helped Sherry with various and sundry things that needed doing at the Church.

When I got home on Thursday, around 8:00 PM, I realized that there were MANY things that I needed to finish in preparation for the trip. I was also a little apprehensive, since with the major power outage, my internet was out, and I was not able to access Don’s phone number. I planned, though, to blunder on! I did bits and pieces of getting ready until about midnight, and got up at eight to finish packing up the car. My internet was back on in the morning, and I did speak with both Sparky and RB on Friday morning. Everything was a "go!" My plan (haha) was to be on the road not later than 10:00.

Actually, I was out of the house by 10:15, but knowing there may be trouble getting ice for the cooler as I went north, I decided to get ice close to home. (Our power was only out for about four hours.) Four stores later, I found one that had ice - there was another customer right behind me, and the clerk said “I have one seven pound bag and one twenty-five pound bag.” Of course I bought the big bag! Then the stop at the bank, where I could get US Dollars but not Canadian. So now it’s 11:20, and I’m getting started on the road! My plan was to visit RB around one o’clock, on the way up -well, that was not gonna happen, I got there around three! But we did have a great visit! What a beautiful view of the St. Lawrence from the back yard! And a marvelous jungle of a garden! (Rob, my hat is off to you and Susan!)

After a nice supper, I headed up to Ottawa, trying to follow the map that I printed out from MapQuest. Couldn’t find Route 16, so ended up on 416, looking all the while for a gas station (excuse me, a gas bar) and an ATM. I did manage to get gas, but the ATMs couldn’t communicate with my bank - and I’m semi-lost! (I knew generally where I needed to be, but ended up overshooting my destination and having to wend my way back, without a map!) I found our meeting place around 8:30 (big sigh of relief from both me and Sparky!) Then we needed to get to the campground on the outskirts of the city – only to find out that they were CLOSED DUE TO POWER OUTAGE! ~now I don’t know about you, but my tent doesn’t use electricity! But they would not let us in! Don knew of another small campground in the middle of the city - did you ever hear of a campground in the middle of a city??? Neither had I! So we went there, registered for a campsite, and set up, then talked until about 1:30 in the morning and went to bed. (Exhausted doesn’t begin to cover how I felt!) All was fine - until the plane - It must have been about 4:00 when we discovered how close we were to the airport - directly in the landing pattern! The plane couldn’t have been more than 150 feet above us! And the train came through about a half hour later, followed by the garbage trucks - oh yeah, we got a good night’s sleep!

... to be continued!

(Sparky… feel free to add your thoughts about the blunderventure!)

<img src="http://www.arlo.net/ubb/smilies/zzz.gif" width=20 height=24> Made me tired just reading about it! What an adventure. Hmmm, what with border guards needing bribes, maps (I use MapQuest, to) not being accurate ... it's a good thing I always build in at least an hour of "being lost" time for every 3-4 hours on the road.

the name is Sal... Sal Paradise...

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>
With the coming of Dean Moriarity began the part of my life you could call my life on the road...
<FONT size="1">JK</FONT s>
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

cool man! cool! <img src="http://www.arlo.net/ubb/smilies/cool.gif" width=15 height=15>

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by pamramadama:

(I use MapQuest, to) not being accurate ... it's a good thing I always build in at least an hour of "being lost" time for every 3-4 hours on the road.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

In Canada, I think they build in the "lost time"... Mapquest said four hours from Ottawa to Havelock (226 km) but it only took three hours... I think they forgot to do the metric conversion and were looking at 226 miles instead of kilometers!

Lines from a
Navajo Wind Chant

Then he was told:
Remember what you have seen.
because everything forgotten
returns to the circling winds.

(found in William Least Heat-Moon's "Blue Highways" which I am currently re-reading)

Talked with Don and Rob about William Least Heat Moon's books this weekend, and will be lending them to Rob then Don. I think I'll reread them too... Have you read PrairyErth and River Horse yet?

Not yet, but I plan to read them soon.

We are headed off Fri to go visit Hubbys sister & her family for 2 weeks in Columbus, OH on our annual go visit them for 2 weeks vacation.

On the way up we are staying at Hawks Nest State Park in Ansted, WV. The next day we go to Huntington, WV & then the next day Sun off to Columbus. With my diabetes it's just too hard for me to drive up there in one day & hubby can't drive anymore due to undiagnosed diabetes having made him legally blind. So therefore we have to stay overnite partway up & partway back which makes the trip less tiring. Taking 2 days to go up there gives us a chance to enjoy Hawks Nest & tourist sites & Huntington & the mall in Huntington. Ordinarily we'd stay in Charleston or a suburb of that but we can't do that this yr due to the sniper they are having in Charleston. Yikes! So we may stay in White Sulphur Springs, WV on the way back. 2nd choice would've been Beckley...

We'll be going to see my cousin Jason Mraz the singer in concert in Columbus Aug 26. That is gonna be fun! It's neat ho we both picked the same month to go up there...

I'll have my 486 laptop with me so I can keep up with all the Arlo sites & other sites I hang out on & my e-mail too. So I'll still be around (I can hear a few folks groaning with pain LOL!).


If Arlo had been up there in the summer we'd have planned out vacation around it. We've doen that before but usually he winds up coming in the cold weather months. We get 4 Arlo shows in COt & Nov so there will be plenty of Blunder adventures there...

I won't bore you with the details of our latest escapade, but if you want to see some pics just go to my site,
click on click here for pics, then click on the Orcas Island button...yeah I know we shouldn't have let the kids pet the deer...but we couldn't find a moose.

Goofus, thanks for sharing the beautiful and fun pix! We were on a ferry that docked at Orcas Island years ago, but didn't get off there. I've wanted ever since to go back and visit the island. Maybe someday...but in the meantime, the photos are great! Glad you had such a good time.

We finally got to Cape May twice this summer, pics are www.w3webdesign.net/capemay/july4.html

www.w3webdesign.net/capemay/july5.html


www.w3webdesign.net/capemay/july6.html

and http://www.w3webdesign.net/capemay/camping2003.html

On the July5th page, you'll see pics of Michael in the ER (peanut allergy) and on the camping page, you'll see a pic of me outside the Ocean City marquee showing "Arlo at 8PM"

<center><FONT COLOR="#000080">--- Edited 1 times, lastly by BuffaloGal on Aug 20, 2003 ---</FONT></center>

Neat pics! That lighthouse looks really neat! When we go to Nags Head, we like to lookat the lighthouses there...

The BlunderVentures of Sparky and Wyld: Episode II

Saturday was relatively easy. We left the campground from hell, and did a little tour of Ottawa. The Parliament Buildings were beautiful... and we visited the Cat House on the hill. And the waterfall was a perfect place to hang our with our coffee/tea.

Good news... we found a Canadian ATM that could talk to my American bank, so I had funds, too! We headed out to Havelock in the afternoon, and found a really NICE campground, not far from the Festival site. (Sigh of relief!)

We enjoyed a quiet evening by our campfire, and actually got some sleep that nite.

On Sunday... the day we were waiting for... we went to the Festival site, and convinced the young lady at the gate that our day passes should include us camping for that night. Yes...life is good!

We walked around a while, scoping out the available campsites, and looking for Arlo's bus. Decided on a campsite at the outskirts of the property and got set up... the area was REAL quiet! (whippoorwills woke us up that nite!)

Early in the afternoon, we were wandering around again (had no real interest in the other music that was presented) and Hark! I do believe that bus over there behind the stage is somewhat familiar!... yes! It's Arlo's bus! ... and there's Arlo! He was gracious (as always) and spoke with us for about ten minutes... (thanks, Arlo) and autographed a couple of things we brought. I'll tell you ... Sparky was sooooo happy! So was I... but the smile on Don's face after he talked with Arlo... way cool!

I think I'll leave off here for a little while... I'd like to give Don a chance to tell about the show itself... <img src="http://www.arlo.net/ubb/smilies/smile.gif" width=15 height=15>

I'll be making the 150 mile drive to the church this sat. nite to see "The G Babes, aka those "Folking Guthries" play a gig with dad. See some of you there!This should be a hoot! Wyld, make some extra cookies.