Day minus Zero - Day One

Our departure day is here. I've spent the last six days staring at blank walls and empty rooms, but somehow now, when there should be nothing here, the things piled in the center of the room seem to be ominous.

We still require one more trip to the storage bin - an open and shove exercise, a trip to a friends consignment shop to unload the last of the toys that time forgot and the final loading of the van before we push off.

All did not go smoothly at the storage bin. An unload and reload exercise took place that left John a wee bit frustrated (I'm being kind here). And the final van loading, which began as an organized distribution of goods, became the open and shove case that we had expected earlier.

But finally, amid an out pouring of sweat from our endless 98 degree weather, we were off and heading to our first destination, Niskayuna, NY. While the small town of Niskayuna may not be the circle at the end of the yellow highlighter line on most AAA maps, it is the home of our good friends Fred and Lisa.

We arrived at 7:30pm and spent the evening enjoying dinner, frozen yogurt, excellent conversation, and admiring his woodworking craftsmanship.

The Fringe of the Frontier

"Entering New York State". The sign didn't quite impress on us the feeling of leaving on such a worldly adventure. John spent four years there while in college and thus far the trip could be any weekend excursion. Our next destination, Detroit, is where my parents live. After visiting there perhaps we will feel like this trip has really started.

I am anxious for views of white capped mountains, clean mountain air and endless patched of wilderness. For awhile however, we will see the endless miles of road that will get us there.

The van so far has handled well. One minor annoyance, a pinched air-conditioning hose, left condensation saturating the rear cushion. But if that were to be our only problem, I would be happy.

Our cruising speed seems to be around 60 mph on flat land, but melts to the low 40's on the inclines. We hog the right lane, make comments to the truckers who pass us, and enjoy the ride.