Newton Falls Ohio

Bergy resting at the EconoLodge, hard by the interstate

Bergy and Tom have left the state. Pennsylvania, that is. We left home about 8:30 and drove with the top down for most of the 7 hours we were on the road. After all, isn't that the idea? We did hit a good cloudburst around Somerset, PA. Stopped under a bridge and put the lid on. After about a half hour, we were topless again. The sharp-eyed Miatiste will see that the Cool Breeze Scoop was put on, indicating an increase in temperature post-burst. The 'Scoop is a cheap piece of plastic that gathers, yes, cool breezes, (don't run ahead) and directs them into the cockpit, making things much more comfy. 

We're safely ensconced in an EconoLodge and will go hunting and gathering supper shortly.

Bergy did very well today. I need to buy him a drink of high-test this evening. He drank a gallon every 28 miles today. Gas was a dime/gallon cheaper than I had budgeted, so it's filet mignon tonight!

Tomorrow!

Here's a look inside my "office" for the next six weeks. Now, if I can just get that red car out of the way....

I don't think I can get much readier. This adventure has been about a year in planning, and it's all about to happen.

I have been trying to keep things in perspective, however. Yes, I plan to drive about 7,600 miles in about 6 weeks. Pfft! A friend and NPS colleague, Kirsten Talken-Spaulding, has driven more than 13,000 miles! In eleven days! On a motorcycle! So again, I say Pfft! It's something called the Iron Butt Rally. Indeed. You can read all about it in her blog, KT'sRidin. The link is over there> I have been reading her blog for inspiration, and, as I said, to keep things in perspective.

Among the many things that she has on her blog is a tracking map showing her locations (obviously never too long in one spot.) Using something called Spotwalla and an Android app called BubblerGPS, I can let you follow me cross country. The link is also over there> It's called "Find Tom>On a Map." It'll go live tomorrow at 6 a.m. I have it set to update every 30 minutes while I'm underway (if all goes according to plan.)

Tomorrow promises to be one of my longer days at something over 350 miles. Pfft!

Why "Bergy?"

I have been asked by a number of people why I call my car Bergy. Back in the days before commercial sponsorships in auto racing, cars were assigned colors depending on their nationality. Italian cars were red, French cars were blue, German cars were silver, USA cars were white with a blue stripe, and British cars were green, like this stunning 1952 Aston Martin DB2.

One story holds that the first international race held in the British Isles was held in Ireland, since racing on public roads was illegal in England. To honor the Irish venue, the cars were painted green. That is one version of the story, and will do for now.

When Mazda created the Miata in 1989, it was conceived as a modern successor to the small British sports cars such as the MG and Lotus. To honor this legacy, Mazda released limited British Racing Green (BRG) editions in 1991 and 2001. My car is #771 of the 3,000 built in 2001.

Bergy is my pronunciation of the letters B, R, and G.

Soon!

It's a beautiful day in my neighborhood, and that is just the problem: I'm still in my neighborhood and not on the road. But soon. Soon.

I finally succomed and bought a GoPro camera, a tiny little thing that has a rugged case that I can mount on Bergy to record things as I pass by. It has a wireless remote control, so all I need to do is click the remote and 'tis done. Now if a locust (which I hear are legion between here and Monterey) should smack BergyCam right in the eye, I suppose that might necessitate a stop for remediation. FirstWorldProblem.

So I've been having fun learning the camera's capabilities and unique point of view. It's been a while since I was "into" photography. On my college-era cross-country dash, I took one roll of film. Then there was the 25 or so years of photographing and teaching photography before I got a real job. I'm hoping to document this trip well. I can't promise a raft of selfies. My training as a photographer was that the photographer was the observer, not the subject. I have a little trouble with the self-importance implied by the selfie. But you know, kids these days.

One thing I have been thinking about.... Minor White, one of my photo teachers and inspirations, talked about the importance of preparation, that to be receptive while photographing, you have to start with being thoughtful while getting ready and carry that with you as you photograph. That the act of phtographing begins with the preparation. He said it better.

We're all packed and awaiting Wednesday. 

The Plan

I spent today sitting on a hard chair at my dining room table finalizing my itinerary. I wish I was capable of more spontaneity, but I'm not. So be it. Now all that has to happen is for Bergy to perform flawlessly for 7,000 miles. What? Me worry? Nah, Bergy is a good little car, only 67,000 miles, and in very good shape. Piece of cake.

I've been using a nice little application called My Scenic Drives. Very handy for keeping things straight. 

I will be returning east on quite a bit of Route 66, or what is left of it. I'll be taking it more slowly on the return, since I have no Big Event that I need to arrive in time for. Hell, that spontaneity may happen after all....

I have been in touch with a group of three other Miatas that will be at the Big Event in Monterey at the beginning of September and then touring some national parks on the way to Chicago before returning to San Diego on Route 66. We've figured that our paths will meet on October 1 in Catoosa, Oklahoma, so we've planned to have dinner together. What larks!

Among other places, I've booked a night at the Wagon Wheel Motel in Cuba, Missouri. I'm really getting excited about this trip. Lots of sitting, but Bergy's seats will be softer than this hard chair.

 

Bag It!

Preparations continue. Tomorrow is the first day of August, The Month. Twenty days until departure.

I bought a cheap suitcase on EBay to hold my camping gear, but, while it had a nice vintage vibe, it was completely un-aerodynamic. Further, its dark-brown leatherine exterior promised to bake anything within whenever the sun got busy.

Enter Version 2, a moderately-large, allegedly water resistant duffel that holds all of my camping gear comfortably. (Rarely see those three words together.) I have a self-inflating pad, a light-weight sleeping bag, a one-person tent and an inflatable pillow. Oh, and a battery for my CPAP machine so I can breathe while I'm sleeping off the grid. The duffel is squishy and can be made to be relatively aerodynamic and it is yellow so it will reflect more sunlight. Oh, and it matches my yellow brake calipers.

I've modified my drivers side door card so I can actually bend my leg now. I've added satellite radio, four USB ports, a new radiator, and have a few spare parts. I think I'm getting close.

[Update, August 5: In a rare moment of clarity, I've realized that I can put The Yellow Duffel in the passenger footwell for the majority of the trip. I will have a passenger (my sister Kathy) only from San Jose down the coast to Encino. The rest of the trip I will be able to more easily see out the back.]

What's This All About?

 Many years ago, when I was a sophomore in college, I got an urge for adventure. The idea was to get a go kart, modify it for use on the highway, and drive it from coast to coast. I was sure that sponsors would be climbing over themselves to fund the venture. 

Like most half-baked ideas, that one didn't pan out, giving way to the exigencies of coursework and, let's just call it, "college life."

That summer, however, I was invited by a long-time friend, Rob Shultz, to join him and a couple of his college chums in a cross-country trip. The plan was to drive to Boise, Idaho and sign on with the USDA Forest Service as smoke jumpers. The money was good, we were told, and prior experience was not required. Riiight....

The four of us piled into an Ermine White 4-door Corvair and headed out from eastern Pennsylvania. Fueled by cheap gas and caffeine, we made it to Boise in short order, only to be told that, this being a record wet summer, no smoke jumpers or fire fighters of any kind were needed. Alas.

We decided to make lemonade and traveled on to the Seattle World's Fair. I remember whole families giving the four of us a wide berth as we passed. We hadn't bathed in more than a week.

We continued down the coast stopping here and there. I'm sure that at some point we attended to our respective toilettes.

We parted ways with the two chums around Santa Barbara and Rob and I continued on a relatively straight trajectory for home. We were gone about three weeks. The only photos I took were taken while underway. Youth is wasted on the young. That said, the Corvair performed flawlessly, safe at every speed.

I've done several transcontinental trips in the intervening years, by plane, train, automobile, and bus, accompanied and solo. I like the call of the open road.

Well, 50 plus years on, I will be driving an age-appropriate go kart, a 2001 Mazda Miata, cross country.

This will be a record of the trip.