Date: Mon, 6 May 2002 16:39:32 -0700
Reply-To: Brent Christensen <sbsyncro@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Brent Christensen <sbsyncro@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Tennessee from a Californian's perpective (was Bus Depot and
debate for Californians)
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= Very little Vanagon content =
I had the wonderful opportunity to drive home (to Santa Barbara, CA) from
Atlanta on September 12 last year in a rental car. For my first time, I
traveled through the "middle" of our fantastic country. I have to say that
some of the most beautful country I have ever driven through was around
Chattanooga, TN. Needing some basics for the journey, I stopped at a
Wal-Mart out in the boonies (I only had two suits with me). I even brought
home a nifty camouflage tank-top t-shirt and a Johnny Cash CD as souvenirs
(both evidently very popular in Tennessee, judging by their vicinity to the
check stand). What a disappointment to find out, however, that the Jack
Daniels distillery is located in a DRY COUNTY! No tasting room! :-(
I must also say that Kansas is highly underrated, at least the eastern
portion of the state. Contrary to most perceptions, it is a beautiful,
scenic place full of gently rolling hills and boundless vistas of open sky.
I did get sick of eating at Cracker Barrel restaurants, though, and the
scenery took a serious turn for the boring as I approached the Colorado
state line. I also stopped at a winery in Kansas; they were very proud of
the fact that out of the three wineries in Kansas, they were the *only* one
that produced all of their own grapes. I bought bottles of "Spagetti Red",
"Prarie Sunset", and a nifty "Eiswein" (ice wine) as gifts for my wine
afficionado (aka wine snob) friends back home. I haven't opened any - I
plan to keep them as reminders of that cross country journey, which will
probably stay with me for a long time.
Despite my wonderfully bizarre rental car (a Pontiac Aztek, as luck would
have it), I did find myself really LONGING for my Westy and a week or two of
free time to really enjoy the trip. I spent the first "night" (about three
hours) at a motel in Columbia, MO, the next in Beaver, UT (about 4 hours)
and then made it home the following day. It was amazing how as I got closer
to the west, the "buzz" at the roadside restaurants gradually changed. The
mood became more anxious and the motels with available rooms became very
scarce. The population density and the vast migration of the people that
had been "trapped" out west made it almost impossible to find a place to
stay (which explains why I had to go all the way to "Beaver" to get a room
at around 4:00 in the morning.) I tried to sleep in the back seat of the
Aztek, but without any blankets or a jacket, and an outside temperature of
about 40 degrees, I could only nap for a few minutes before the chill
settled into the car. I dreamed of my Westy, with the blankets and spare
jacket in the closet!
Ever since that trip, I have found a new appreciation for both the people
and places that I used to refer to as "Fly-over country", and my VW Vanagon
Camper.
Brent Christensen
'89 GL Syncro Westy "Klaus"
Santa Barbara, CA
----- Original Message -----
From: "Chris Mills" <scmills@TNTECH.EDU>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Monday, May 06, 2002 3:32 PM
Subject: Re: Bus Depot and debate for Californians
> Now where did I put that bullet proof vest.... And my passport... And my
> foreign language translation dictionary.... Oh and my gun - for
negotiating
> traffic... <grin>
>
> A co-worker just returned from SoCal. He has family there. He told stories
> of 3 hours of traffic for a 60 mile trip...
>
> No thanks!!! Can do traffic anywhere... My commute is 15 minutes each way
> at 35 mph, and I live in the suburbs with a farm behind us...
>
> Seriously - one of these days I'll make the trip. Always sounds like such
a
> mess out there. See ya.
>
>
>
> At 01:11 PM 5/6/02 -0700, you wrote:
> >California's a nice place to visit. Some of it's incredibly beautiful.
> >I'll visit TN if you visit CA
> >
> >Mike
> >
> > > From: Chris Mills <scmills@TNTECH.EDU>
> > >
> > > Life is good in TN despite the fact that our politicians are a bunch
of
> > > crooks. Glad to be here versus anywhere else. I don't even want to
VISIT
> > > California. I see enough of it in the movie theatre.
> > >
>
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