On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
Good Morning All,
This weekday feature is for Balloon Juicers who are on the road, travelling, etc. and wish to share notes, links, pictures, stories, etc. from their escapades. As the US mainland begins the end of the Earth day as we measure it, many of us rise to read about our friends and their transient locales.
So, please, speak up and share some of your adventures, observations, and sights as you explore, no matter where you are. By concentrating travel updates here, it’s easier for all to keep up-to-date on the adventures of our fellow Commentariat. And it makes finding some travel tips or ideas from 6 months ago so much easier to find…
Have at ’em, and have a safe day of travels!
Should you have any pictures (tasteful, relevant, etc….) you can email them to [email protected] or just use this nifty link to start an email: Start an Email to send a Picture to Post on Balloon Juice
Schlemazel
Because I know womens hockey is a huge draw here I thought I’d mention that the USA national team is planning to boycott the upcoming world championships over issues of pay and support. US women get $1000 a month for the 6 months they are together for the Olympics.(I can’t find information on the mens pay but the Olympic team is all NHL anyway). USA hockey spends $35 million annually for mens development & exactly $0 on womens. Team Canad pays their women $1500 a month for 3.5 years and $4000 a month for the 6 months they are together for the Olympics.
This is not unlike what the US soccer women just went through.
OzarkHillbilly
Running short of pics again, Alain? I guess Poco ate Mom’s camera. Must have thought she said, “Here’s the cheese.”
?BillinGlendaleCA
@OzarkHillbilly: Alain commented earlier that he’s under the weather and regular posting will resume tomorrow.
I know he’s not running out of pic, cause I sent him 4 pics.
OzarkHillbilly
@?BillinGlendaleCA: So your saying Poco is still not getting enough to eat?
Elizabelle
On the road, at the beach, waiting for the first confirmed dolphin sighting of the morning. So far, cannot tell if it’s the dear little creatures or just small dark waves. Yesterday was very windy, cold and choppy. Not even many dogs on the beach.
February was so much milder.
Elizabelle
Confirmed dolphin. The sun coming up helped.
Go, sea life!
rikyrah
Awe, I thought that I would see Poco today ?
BellyCat
Six days after limping into O’Reilly’s Autoparts store — with a tire whose sidewall was chewed up after 10 miles after installation, following our second blowout in two days — we bid the superb staff (and neighborhood panhandlers) a tearful goodbye.
True, it’s not the destination that provides the greatest rewards. But, if the journey is to be fully savored, I recommend mechanical breakdowns and shady parts of town are FAR more interesting than any part of sprawl-urbia. I lost count, but dozens of people, with and without teeth, stopped by (many, more than oncet, as they say ’round here) to check in or offer help, tools, ideas, connections, a place to shower, and good ol’ fashioned head scratching. And they ALL had a story to share.
This (mis)adventure deserves a more thoughtful reflection than time or smartypants phone permits — need to be in Tucson by Saturday nite, but here are a few visuals:
Becci was the angel sent by FSM, inviting us to loiter in their parking lot. Fun, resourceful, and best of all, a smartass.
MommaCat was a champ, tirelessly behbeh-wrangling, and BellyKitteh was ever-helpful when he tired of trying to play in traffic.
Two tires, six leafspring bushings, a cracked frame, and a generator fire later, we rolled out at 10:00 pm, Thurs nite.
220 miles and our beloved 69 year old Silver Suppository is holding together!
Quinerly
Poco is off to Canyon de Chelly. He will catch everyone on the flip side. Signed, Poco’s Chauffeur.
laura
@Quinerly: looking forward to more “Pensive Poco Pondering” portraiture. Yesterday’s photos will be hard to top, but Canyon de Chelly is going to be some amazing backdrop.
Safe travels Quinerly.
Quinerly
@laura:
Thanks. A nonmoving Poco is a rarity….unless there is a bed involved.?
OzarkHillbilly
@Quinerly: Piss on the top of Spider Rock Poco! (but do it in a respectful manner- you are on tribal land there)
Elizabelle
@Quinerly: Watch out for those feral dogs. Yikes. Be safe and roam, Poco.
Will you get back to La Posada on your route home? It’s not THAT far off the path. And it’s exquisite and Poco-friendly …
imonlylurking
Realized today my trip to London is in less than a month. **Runs around frantically**
Citizen Scientist
Leaving Little Rock early tomorrow. Just wanted to mention that everyone I’ve met has been super nice and sincere here, not like some parts of the south, where I always feel like they’re just going through the motions whIle being polite.
Also, it was kind of weird coming here from Philly, as LR has a scale exact replica of the Liberty Bell, and it’s made of wood! And it apparently came from Texas.
Quinerly
@Elizabelle:
What beach? Where you be??
Citizen Scientist
@BellyCat: lol Silver Suppository! Glad things worked out for y’all.
Quinerly
@Citizen Scientist:
Check out Eureka Springs, Arkansas sometimes. Very Progressive.
Quinerly
@Elizabelle:
I read so much about the feral dogs in the planning stage that I was going to wait until another time. However, I took these extra days here and I’m only 1 1/2 hour away so we are going to check it out. Poco will remain in the car. He is very dog aggressive (and more so the last week). We are not looking for blood on tribal lands. Taking I 70 back Sunday. It’s the shortest route. Time for a curtain call on “The Fabulous Flying Quinerly Traveling Road Show.” 6 weeks is a long time….plus getting too hot for Poco in the car…and his chauffeur is wearing February clothes in 77 degree weather.
Elizabelle
@Quinerly: It’s warmer where you are than Virginia Beach. So cold here this week. Not even many pups and peeps on the beach. But always beautiful to see the ocean.
frosty
@BellyCat: Congrats for being on the road again and it sounds like you were in good hands.The repair from our most recent Trailer Tale by Snake and his boss was in a similar shop. I’ll send Alan a pic later.
J R in WV
@BellyCat:
Frabjous to discover the underlying problem(s) causing the tire failures. And good to hear that your help was willing and friendly, that helps the pain. 69 years old! Maintenance is no surprise, then!
BellyKitty is cute!
J R in WV
Pee on Spider Woman’s Rock? Surely you jest?!?
Quinerly
@Elizabelle:
I’m at that stage that I feel like I overstayed my welcome. Kinda cranky this AM over the clothes situation, the inside of the car is a mess…living out of laundry hampers. Just got to Canyon de Chelly…dog situation just horrible on the road to Chinle. 5 dead bloated dogs beside the road in less than 3 miles…and that was just my side. Dodged a couple of pathetic looking horses (BTW, the horse situation at Monument Valley is very upsetting and it was rather cool the day I was there.) A retired vet said the other night that 600 dogs are euthanized each month on the Navajo Nation lands. I knew it was bad and not in their culture to spay/neuter. They turn it down even if free. Yep, Poco’s Chauffeur is very, very cranky…..
frosty
@Quinerly: It’s not just you. Our jeep trip through Canyon de Chelly was good, chased by feral dogs the whole way out and back. That was the only highlight though. When we got to the campground it was hot, dusty, and uninviting so we bailed and looked for a motel. That was the night we serendipitously ended up at Navajo NM with the tremendous night sky. A good choice!
Mnemosyne
Greetings from Disneyworld — today is Hollywood Studios and Epcot shopping day. Today was also the only day with a major glitch and I ended up having to go back to the hotel to get my credit card.
Knee is holding up okay with Advil and some nightly icing, but we’ll see how it feels once I leave the reality distortion field of Orlando!