As before, by the numbers:
Flying back to Boston tonight finish up at the lab, so my west coast residence isn’t quite permanent yet, but I’ll leave my heart (and all my stuff) in Berkeley.
Jumped out of a perfectly good airplane this morning. My instructor, Leonard, was also a former aero engineering student, so we had a nice relaxing technical talk about the safety systems and the aircraft capabilities on the way up. Before we slid out the door he said: “whatever happens, I’m coming down with you.” True to his word, we landed safely. Checked another item one off the lifelong to-do list.
Following my foolish tradition of traveling to the desert every summer, I somehow convinced Ruth to hike 15 miles in the 100 degree heat. Because we only had one sturdy pack, I carried the majority of the weight. By the last mile, I acknowledged the justice of her skepticism. Still, the photos speak for themselves.
Finally got to the mountains!
Saw the best of South Dakota today: Sioux Falls, 400 miles of I-90, the ur-tourist trap at Wall Drug, the sudden rise of the Badlands from the plains, a decommissioned nuclear missile at the Minuteman National Historical Site, buffalo BBQ in Rapid City, and Mount Rushmore at night. Went for a swim in our hotel pool to relax, only to be told that it was closed to due child vomit ten minutes after we got in. I wondered why it was that color…
Drove across Wisconsin and Minnesota today, making it to the South Dakota state line by nightfall. Tom Friedman was right, the world is flat.
Most of what I know of Milwaukee I learned from Alice Cooper in Wayne’s World. Turns out it’s actually a cool town. Stayed with some couch surfers Ruth met on her last midwestern tour. We went down to the waterfront to listen to a blues band and watch old white people dance, then to a german bar to play ridiculously dangerous bar games and drink too much. In all, a fine evening.
Maybe this is my coastal elitism, but I had no idea Chicago had such a dense urban core. I had suspected maybe a dozen skyscrapers, but was amazed to see at least fifty while on an architecture boat cruise. One of the pleasures of traveling with an urban planner.
Ruth was excited about Cleveland, but I was underwhelmed. Maybe it was because we were there on a Sunday night. Did have a good steak dinner at a microbrewery, walking back to our hotel through the deserted streets.
