Woke up at 8 to the sounds of guns going off in the dustance. I wonder if sports hunters get the same feeling of joy from killing innocent animals for sport, fun really, as i get from my own animals ' companionship. Who changed the Fifth Commandment to "Thou shalt not kill, until 8:00 a.m."?
Despite the morning guns and the stress of the day before, we had a pleasant night at Lieber State Park in Indiana, the site where Leben and Erde and I spent our last night camping together, last year. What a nice park, and it was quite busy with tenters.
Despite the morning guns and the stress of the day before, we had a pleasant night at Lieber State Park in Indiana, the site where Leben and Erde and I spent our last night camping together, last year. What a nice park, and it was quite busy with tenters.
Although was got on the road late and had about 350 miles to do today to get to where we wanted to be tonight, Buckeye Lake State Park near Columbus Ohio, i decided i had to pay a return visit, my third, to James Dean's grave and the Gallery run by Dave L and his partner Lenny, so off to Fairmont IN we went. We got there at about 2 so did not have much time to spend thrre. I chatted with Lenny, who was there alone as Dave was off restoring a house and did not have his cell phone with him. I first met the two of them on September 12, 2001, when i decided to hang around Indiana for a while before returning to DC after our 2001 Alaskan journey. As it turns out, Dave later saw my Defender rolling down the street and tracked me down at the Dean grave site, and so we had a chance to chat there. He told me that there has been a surge of interest in James Dean recently, especially among young people who were not around when he was alive. I was not surprised to hear that because of the tremendous impact he made personally on the several generations who were around. I don't think any actor has had such staying power as Dean, probably because he was authentic. I know the affect he had on me, which is why i feel obligated in a way to remind myself of that by coming here. It is the only thing i have to do on my return trips home. If you are a Dean fan, this is one place you must visit sometime.
About an hour before getting to Buckeye Lake State Park, which i knew was open and knew would not be full on a Sunday night, i decided to check the internet to make sure they had camping there even though the AAA maps show that they do. As it turns out, they do not, but i decided to head for the nearby Buckeye Lake KOA and avoid the KOA near Columbus that i thought i stayed in last year and which i did not like. Well, as it turns out, this was the KOA near Columbus we stayed in last year, and if i did not like it then, i really do not like it now. We are in what they call a primitive tent site for $43, more than i ever paid for a site, but i think they need to call it inhumane, nor just primitive. Once here, It was hard to find the tent sites in the dark, there are no lights in this area, there are no picnic tables, and you have to watch every step you take or you will land on something or somewhere you do not wish to be. But, as usual, we made the best of the bad deal, and will move on quickly tomorrow. My guess is that now i will stay at a luxury cabin resort in Frostburg Maryland (where Sonntag and i stayed in 2001) for one night just to have a memorable last night, but also to cut back on the driving tomorrow.
I estimated before this trip started that we would do 10,000 miles if we reached Jasper and San Francisco. If things go as now planned, it likes like we will hit 10,020, right on target.
That's my posting for today.
That's my posting for today.
Photos for the day
Our pleasant camp at Lieber State Park in Indiana. This (214) was also our last camp last year, so it holds a special memory for me.
Fall colors on leaving Lieber
Erde going for a walk with James Dean outside the Dean Gallery.
The farm house in which Dean grew up with his aunt and uncle.
Erde and David L, the proprietor of one of the two Dean museums in Fairmont. David was busy restoring a home when he saw the Defender go by and recognized it as mine, so he stopped by the cemetery to see me.
The rock by Dean's grave with fans' remembrances. People put lipstick on and kiss the rock, too. Erde does not wear lipstick, so she dd not. This was Erde's 3rd visit there.
Ed and Erde, On The Road
P.S. Sorry for any errors in this message or posting. The iPad spellcheck is not known for its attention to detail.
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