Saturday, March 26, 2005

Road Trip - day 15 - Friday

Knowing that we were probaly going to spend hours on the Blue Ridge
Parkway, we stopped for some sandwiches to take along. The alternate
highway looked better than staying on 81 but probably lost us some time.
Once out of Johnson City, we hit some reaal nice scenery marred by
mobile and modular homes surrounded by junk and rusting cars. Still, as
we rounded Watauga Lake the view was great. Some time later we finally
arrived in Boone NC where we entered the Blue Ridge Parkway. What I
expected was a lonely road winding through a National Park with no
civilization in site. Actually that's not the case at all. It does
meander along the crest of the mountain range often offering
breathtaking views on both sides, but just as often offered off ramps to
other roadways, some parelleling the road mere feet away. The Blue Ridge
Mountains live up to their name as well, mountains in the distance seem
to be various shades of blue. While its not the Grand Canyon, there are
still some views from dizzying heights, like the one from the picnic
table we had our lunch at!
About 3 we took a road that would put us back on route 81 and our
eventual goal for the evening, Harrisburg and the Kuntz's house.
We can't help but notice, as we get closer and closer to home, that
folks here are nuch more reluctant to yield the passing lane. There
always seems to be one more car they can pass... Out west people pass,
and move to the right. Sure, they have lots of hotdogs (we'll call them
cowboys out there) but at least they try to be courteous. Oklahoma had
the largest percentage of unskilled drivers that I noted out west. Put
some of them on the highway and they drive like they're NASCAR drivers!
The rest of the ride was pretty uneventful, but we did enjoy watching
the caravan of mini-vans, all liscensed New York, that were traveling
bumper to bumper in the passing lane, as we crossed into Pennsylvania. I
noticed one of the women driving was hunched over the steering wheel
looking panicked... I guess they were afraid to lose each other.
We made it to Harrisburg by 9:20.

Bruce and Deb
http://rosey462.blogspot.com/
notsosilentbruce on AOL IM

Friday, March 25, 2005

Road Trip - day 14 - Thursday

We left Brownsville TN about 9:30. My thought was to find the General
Jackson Showboat and see if they had any sightseeng of a shorter
duration than 4 hours. A 2 plus hour drive into Nashville. First stop
was the Parthenon that a friend had suggested we see.
The Nashville Parthenon is an exact (or as exact as possible) replica of
the Greek Parthenon, and I must admit, my main wonder was, why
Nashville? Of course all that is explained in the museum. The original
structure was wood and plaster and built for an Expostion in 1897. When
the Expostion was over, the Parthenon was not torn down. Over the years
it became a source of pride for residents and eventually, when it
started to deteriorate, a group was formed to rebuild it as a permanent
structure. This one contains a statue of Athena that the original
supposedly contained although I don't think anyone knows exactly what
the original looked like. We got some great shots which we'll post on
our return.
Next we were of to Opryland (I've always assumed that Opry is a play on
the word opera, have I got this right?) which is a huge complex with the
Grand Ol' Opry itself, a hotel and convention center, a large mall, and
the General Jackson Showboat. No life at the Showboat complex, if there
was an afternoon boat, it was long gone and we couldn't wait for the
evening one. We spent the afternoon in the mall and got a good deal on
"bloomers" at the Jockey store. Some chinese food and then off to get as
far as we could for the evening.
We stopped at a rest stop that had lots of info. Gatlinburg intrigued us
as it is home to the Great Smokey Mountains Park as well as Dollywod and
lots of other neat attraction. We considered it but decided to wait,
maybe until fall, as Dollywood was not open yet, and we didn't have a
lot of time if we expect to be home by Saturday night. Looks like you
could make a trip out of this one.
We continued on with our original plan (and suggestion by another
friend) to see the Blue Ridge Parkway and hopefully roll into Harrisburg
to stay with our friends, the Kuntz's. Somewhere near Knoxville we noted
our passing back into EST.
We stopped in Bulls Gap TN to grab dinnner and get a room, and we were
even there in time for Deb to catch American Idol!

Bruce and Deb
http://rosey462.blogspot.com/
notsosilentbruce on AOL IM

Sitting on top of a mountain...

...overlooking the Blue Ridge Parkway, eating lunch. What a wonderful
drive this is! We'll be sad to go back to the highway.

http://rosey462.blogspot.com/
notsosilentbruce on AOL IM

Thursday, March 24, 2005

Road Trip - day 13 - Wednesday

So you're wondering if we got any sleep with all the ruckus the passing
trucks were making last night? Amazingly, yes! Deb did wake up about 6
and was awake until 7:30, but she fell back to sleep eventually and we
both sort of started awake at 8:45!
It wasn't long before we were in Arkansas. The further we drove, the
more scenic it became. Original plan was to head north a little for a
scenic drive through the Ozark Forest but friends had recommended the
Hot Springs National Park and we opted to go there instead. We headed
south from Russelville down a winding road that curved its way through
mountains populated with lots of trees. About every couple miles we
would encounter another truck carrying huge logs, obviously from a
logging camp. I must admit that the speeds they were driving made me
nervous on those winding roads. We did eventually pass several entrances
to Weyerhauser tree farms, signs boasting of when they were planted and
when they were "thinned." They sound like a pretty responsible company -
good for them!
When we got to Hot Springs National Park (boyhood home of Bill Clinton)
we ended up driving through a town with these big old hotels and bath
houses. The town was just packed with people, which I thought strange.
(Deb had noted signs for a basketball finals, so that may have been par
of it.) There were people everywhere and no where to park and as we
drove through the center of the really congested spot, I noticed the
Visitor's Center. I thought this strange but figured we'd see a sign for
the springs themselves, and the National Park part of the area. Soon, I
looked at the map and discovered we'd already driven through the park!
We decided we'd turn around and try to find somewhere to park so as to
figure out just what this whole thing was about.
Things started to get very congested again and then we noted that it was
opening day at the racetrack in town (don't think it was cars, maybe
horses or dogs?). So we tried moving a little further south to turn
around only to encounter a tractor trailer that had spilled a load of
lumber all over the Northbound lanes. At that point we just gave up and
continued out of town but stayed on the smaller route, headed towards
Pine Bluff while I tried to get an internet connection and see if that
was where Lum and Abner's General Store was located (Lum and Abner was
an old time radio show and there is a store by that name that is a
tribute to the show). (Oh! And I can tell you now, its Pine Ridge, not
Pine Bluff.)
Eventually we took a route that led us back towards Little Rock and then
continued west to, and through Memphis. This time we got to see the
Mississippi River. I was disappointed that I could not find any day
trips on Riverboats on the Mississippi (there is a place in Nashville
but its a 4 hour cruise - we'll see...). We were driving through Memphis
at 6 pm and there was construction, but all in all it was pretty
painless.
We drove for almost an hour and then stopped outside a town called
Brownsville. Deb watched her shows, Survivor and American Idol, while I
ran down the street to fetch some Pizza Hut to eat in the room. Just as
we were falling asleep, someone came into the room above with little
children that were running back and forth (or maybe along the balconey,
it was hard to tell). It finally got quiet about 11:30.

Bruce and Debbie

http://rosey462.blogspot.com/
notsosilentbruce on AOL IM

Wednesday, March 23, 2005

Road Trip - day 12 - Tuesday

We slept well, drove for an hour or so and had a sit down breakfast at
the Route 66 diner.
New Mexico, at least the parts we drove through, are well, boring. More
or less flat. In about 2 hours we crossed the border into the upper part
of Texas. More of the same, although it started to get greener (again, I
can only speak for the part we drove through...)
(Time change - back to CST)
At least Oklahoma had a Welcome sign! Greener and more trees, I was
surprised not to see more oil pumps.
Drive, drive, drive...
Outside Oklahoma City we got off the highway for dinner and picked a rib
house called Rib Crib. Smart folks, they feed you just enough to fill
you up. I hate having leftovers as I feel wasteful leaving them, and we
have no where to put them in the car.
Through Oklahoma City and another 90 miles to Troy Aickman's town,
Henryettta, where we got a room for the night.
As we closed the door to the room we felt and heard a chuttering noise.
I asked Deb what that was? She replied that she thought it was the
trucks on the highway. As Deb watched Chasing Amy, we couldn't help but
notice how loud the noise was. On the newscast after the show the
weatherman mentioned that a couple twisters had touched down but no
damage was done, he ended that thought with a chuckle (do they really
take them so casually?). We eventually settled in for what looked like a
LONG night with the trucks rumbling by outside...

To be continued...

Bruce and Debbie

http://rosey462.blogspot.com/
notsosilentbruce on AOL IM

Tuesday, March 22, 2005

Suggestions?

We're not in a rush to get home thanks to our change in plans. Currently
we're in the upper part of Texas, and will cross into Oklahoma and
Arkansas in time. Any suggestions what we might visit on the trip home?
Direction can be altered...

Bruce

http://rosey462.blogspot.com/
notsosilentbruce on AOL IM

Road Trip - day 11 - Monday

We lazed around this morning, after a very good nights sleep. Too late
for the free breakfast so we stopped in the Circle K for coffee and Diet
Coke and then headed off to see Tombstone, a real western town! It only
took about 30 minutes and we were there. Its nice but really not all
that exciting. We checked out all the shops but really found nothing
interesting. The visitors center had brochures for Bisbee, an old mining
town that hasn't changed all that much in 100 years (probably because
they couldn't afford it!). It was compared to New Hope (among others)
and we thought that enough reason to check it out. Its a very scenic
ride and both Deb and I agreed that the area before Bisbee would make a
fine location for our winter home, when we retire ;-)
The town of Bisbee has a remarkable feel of authenticity as an old
western mining town. In fact the copper mine is still a working mine.
The town itself is filled with little shops, mostly artistry of one type
or another.
In one shop I did find some treasures, an odd sized comic book, b & w
with a superhero cover and what looked like Timely reprints inside.
Cover price was 15p which I assume makes it british. Also an old Keith
Laumer, Retief paperback, and lastly... Well, no, can't mention that one
as it will make a good christmas present if I manage not to lose it
until then!
Our options were to backtrack or take the "scenic" route 80 and wind
down into Douglas before heading back up and into New Mexico. Douglas
has signs for truck route 80, and scenic route (or was it historical
route?). We chose the latter which lead us to a dead end where we
encountered the Mexico border fence. We went left and eventually got
back to the highway which in turn took us to "the Land of Enchantment"
New Mexico.
New Mexico is mostly flat and although grassier than Arizona, has very
little vegetation over a few feet high.
As we headed north to Albuquegue the wind started blowing pretty
fiercely. The scenery stayed pretty much the same but with lots of hills
and mountains. We stopped at a Sonic Drive-in for dinner and then drove
for another 2 hours, passing Albuquergue and staring east on 40, and
settled in for the night in the town of Moriarty.

Bruce and Debbie

http://rosey462.blogspot.com/
notsosilentbruce on AOL IM

Road Trip - day 11 - Monday

We lazed around this morning, after a very good nights sleep. Too late
for the free breakfast so we stopped in the Circle K for coffee and Diet
Coke and then headed off to see Tombstone, a real western town! It only
took about 30 minutes and we were there. Its nice but really not all
that exciting. We checked out all the shops but really found nothing
interesting. The visitors center had brochures for Bisbee, an old mining
town that hasn't changed all that much in 100 years (probably because
they couldn't afford it!). It was compared to New Hope (among others)
and we thought that enough reason to check it out. Its a very scenic
ride and both Deb and I agreed that the area before Bisbee would make a
fine location for our winter home, when we retire ;-)
The town of Bisbee has a remarkable feel of authenticity as an old
western mining town. In fact the copper mine is still a working mine.
The town itself is filled with little shops, mostly artistry of one type
or another.
In one shop I did find some treasures, an odd sized comic book, b & w
with a superhero cover and what looked like Timely reprints inside.
Cover price was 15p which I assume makes it british. Also an old Keith
Laumer, Retief paperback, and lastly... Well, no, can't mention that one
as it will make a good christmas present if I manage not to lose it
until then!
Our options were to backtrack or take the "scenic" route 80 and wind
down into Douglas before heading back up and into New Mexico. Douglas
has signs for truck route 80, and scenic route (or was it historical
route?). We chose the latter which lead us to a dead end where we
encountered the Mexico border fence. We went left and eventually got
back to the highway which in turn took us to "the Land of Enchantment"
New Mexico.
New Mexico is mostly flat and although grassier than Arizona, has very
little vegetation over a few feet high.
As we headed north to Albuquegue the wind started blowing pretty
fiercely. The scenery stayed pretty much the same but with lots of hills
and mountains. We stopped at a Sonic Drive-in for dinner and then drove
for another 2 hours, passing Albuquergue and staring east on 40, and
settled in for the night in the town of Moriarty.

Bruce and Debbie

http://rosey462.blogspot.com/
notsosilentbruce on AOL IM

Monday, March 21, 2005

Sorry for posting problems...

I had sent the thoughts on free long distance before we'd left on our
trip and since it hadn't gone through started to worry that it had
bounced due to the title. I changed it and sent it again yesterday only
to have the first version finally show up.

As for Tuesday's trip report, I had a network connection here and there
but mostly we only had phone service through some 3rd party phone
company.

But here in Utah, its back!

Bruce

http://rosey462.blogspot.com/
notsosilentbruce on AOL IM

Road trip - day 10 - Sunday

This hotel had a "hot continental Breakfast" that while crowded, was
well organized. We had some waffles and then we were off to visit Frank
Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West. It's a little dissapointing compared with
Falling Water. Where Falling Water is perched on a cliff, Taliesin West
is buillt low to the ground, and is indeed in the ground, so difficult
to get a good overview. They've recently opened the Wright's personal
living spaces. A 90 minute tour with lots of photo ops and then off to
see the old neighborhood.
When we left Phoenix in 1970 we were living on the outskirts of the
city. It now extends about 12 to 15 miles beyond that. We got off on
Dunlap Ave and headed west so I could show Deb Cortez HS where I went to
9th grade. It looked the same except for the big iron fence surrounding
it. Back over route 17, past what was once an orange grove to 23rd ave.
When we left, the 1 sq. Mile we lived in was 1/4 houses, the rest
farmland. Running right alongside 23rd ave had been a canal. It was no
longer there, nor were the farm fields. Our house was then 2nd to the
last on Butler Dr. Which ended at 23rd. A path through the farmfield had
allowed us access to Royal Palm Elemetary School. Butler Dr. now runs
straight through, right past the school. Out on 19th ave, the little
shopping center was still there as were the Taco Bell, Circle K, and
Jack In the Box.
(Digression - we used to love going to the Jack in the Box drive
through. They had the most incomprehensible speakers I've ever
encountered. We kids could not understand a word they were saying, but
somehow my dad could. I suppose it was his years in the service that
allowed him to understand the staticy, garbled voices. It delighted us
to no end to hear dad speak to that sqauwking! Years later I heard
Cheech and Chongs comedy album with just such an encounter, and I'm sure
I was rolling on the floor laughing! - end digression.)
Our former house is painted a godawful shade of blue and it looks like
the back yard has been paved over and probably has a pool as so many
homes in Phoenix do. We drove around the block, thinking we might stop
and say hi to our old neighbors, the Sands. I got out of the car but
then couldn't recall which house it was. I suppose I could have asked,
but I didn't. By this time we were both famished, I inparticular, was
feeling a bit shakey, so we headed south on 17 until we found what
looked like a shopping district which we assumed would have a
restaurant. We picked a place called Mimi's and were delighted wiith the
sandwichs there. For the first time in a LONG time, we even had dessert.
I suppose I shouldn't have because I ended up feeling kinda quesy the
rest of the day.
We got into Tuscon and felt we easily had time to go on to the next town
before turning off to Tombstone. I suppose we should have checked to see
whether there were hotels in Tombstone but we didn't (and there were!)
and we settled in at the Best Western in Benson kind of early, around
6:45. Deb was smart enough to ask for a room on the inner circle which
we were glad for as you could even hear the trucks from there, not to
mention the train. We thought about the hot tub again, but as the sun
went down, so did the temperature.

Darn! No HBO!

Bruce and Debbie

http://rosey462.blogspot.com/
notsosilentbruce on AOL IM

Road Trip - day 8 part 1 - Saturday

Argh! I wrote most of Saturday's adventures while Deb drove, but in an
effort to relieve my burgeoning mailbox, I fear I deleted it! Here we go
again!

Deb jumped out of bed and into the shower at 7:45 and I finally got the
inspiration to get out of bed after some darling child rode his
skateboard around the upper deck of the motel (where ARE the parents of
these kids!?) I looked out the window to find that it was snowing pretty
good outside. We got ready and stopped by the "hot" continental
breakfast, but the room it was in was wall to wall people. We didn't
feel like fighting our way in so we opted for some McD's instead.
I should mention before I forget, that apparently much of the highway
here used to be Route 66. Every little gift shop has books and souvenirs
of it. They appear to be very proud of their Route 66 out here!
We started out East on I-40 to find the Petrified Forest / Painted
Desert National Park. It took us about 1-1/2 hours to get to Holbrook
where we exited to start the park from the southern end. The snow had
quit not long after we left Flagstaff but we were peppered with a little
rain now and again.
Once in the park you are immediately treated to mile and miles of fallen
petrified trees. Partway through the park is a large tree that had
fallen creating a natural bridge across a ravine. As you move further
north the instances of petrified trees diminishes but the painted desert
becomes more prevelant. The Painted Desert seems to be hills worn away
by water and weather to reveal many different layers of rock, each with
distinct coloring. As we headed north the rain got progressively heavier
and heavier each time we stopped.
At the northern end of the park was another visitors center (all the
National Park venues are still run by the Fred Harvey company) and this
one had a little cafe, of which we've become wary, but as we were
famished, we took a chance. Hunger may have played a part in it but we
thought the food, as well as the service was very good. The staff were
probably all Hopi Indians but much more pleasant than the Navajo's we've
run into the last couple of days (and I don't mean that Navajo's aren't
nice, but they are a bit standoffish, and put me in mind of our Amish
folks back home.)
Rather than take the highway back to Flagstaff, and more highway south
to Phoenix, we opted for a smaller road that crossed the mountains on a
more direct route into the Phoenix area. The route started to climb and
we eventually got to over 7,500 feet, along with lots of snow and fog.
Once again Deb was driving but she took it easy and soon we were coming
down out of the mountains and into Page. We climbed once again but not
nearly as high, weaving our way around mountains. As we started down the
other side we were treated to forests of Saguaro cactus (the tall ones
that often look like they're "flipping you off") surrounded by little
yellow wildflowers. We soon started to notice Prickley Pear, Mesquete,
and Chollo Cactus as well.
Deb had remarked during our journey that she had expected Arizona to be
all dirt desert and cactus, and rather flat. I have to admit, although
lived there for 4-1/2 years, I'd forgotten how scenic it could be.
As we got into Scottsdale (NE of Phoenix) I was finally able to get an
internet connection, I looked up a favorite restaurant from my
childhood, Pinnacle Peak.

To be continued...

http://rosey462.blogspot.com/
notsosilentbruce on AOL IM

Road Trip - Day 8 part 2 - Saturday

Pinnacle Peak is a western steakhouse that we considered a huge treat
when we were children living in Phoenix. Traditions there included
cutting off the tie of anyone foolhardy enough to wear one, and when
someone orders a steak well done, an old boot on a sizzling platter was
brought out first. You can imagine our childish glee when we saw one of
those events!
My favorite Pinnacle Peak story: my dad stepped out of his Central Ave
(downtown Phoenix) office to get some lunch. As he walked traffic on the
6 lane road came to a screeching halt as people started jumping from
their cars to grab paper floating down from the sky. My dad realized it
was money but was reluctant to run out in the street. Just then a bill
fluttered down onto the fireplug in front of him, it was a $100 bill.
Another landed on a window sill, but sadly, that was only a $1 bill. He
got home, told the story, and said we were all going to Pinnacle Peak,
including my buddy Tony, who was over at the time.
The only way I would eat steak in those days was with ketchup and my dad
would make such a fuss, I just avoided steak. So when orders were taken,
I ordered a hamburger and my mom will tell you that my friend Tony's
face dropped as he ordered a hamburger too. Mom and dad assured him that
he could order a steak and I'm sure my dad regaled him with a story of
my steak eating disorder! LOL!
We found out the next day that a businessman in Phoenix was
demonstrating to his board of directors how they were wasting his money.
(Among his assets was the Phoenix Giants Minor League baseball team.) He
opened a briefcase with $10,000 in assorted bills and chucked the money
out the window. The police wanted to charge him with disturbing the
peace. We thought he was a hero!
The steaks aren't nearly as big as I recall but the thousands and
thousands of neck ties still decorate every ceiling beam in the place. I
asked the waitress if they still had the same response for steaks
ordered well done and she assured me that even she's gotten more than
one boot as she likes her steak well done.
After dinner we jumped back on the "Loop" the beltway around the Phoenix
area to find a hotel. After trying three different places we were
informed that there wasn't a room to be had in Phoenix as minor league
training opened next day. (We also found out later that there was a big
airshow all weekend.) We decided to head south and hope for a room in
that direction. Deb called Best Western in the next town but they had no
rooms. I then noticed we were headed towards Tempe and so she checked
with the one there. They only had one room left and it was a smoking
room but at this point we were happy for it.
We checked in and were relieved to find that the room was fine. Problem
was it was next to the pool which had several screaming children in it.
It was only 9:30 so we decided to join in the merriment and put our
suits on for a dip in the hot tub. We were in for maybe 20 minutes and
not long after we left they closed the pool. Phew!

Bruce and Debbie
http://rosey462.blogspot.com/
notsosilentbruce on AOL IM

Special bulletin

We're in Wyoming heading up into the mountains from Buffalo...

Oh my god! I'm speechless!

I want one of these log homes built into the side of a hill... Sigh...
http://rosey462.blogspot.com/
notsosilentbruce on AOL IM

Saturday, March 19, 2005

Road Trip - day 7 - Friday

Even though the weather was calliing for cloudy skies, we awoke to a
bright and sunny warm day. I'd been awoken by a series of revving
engines around 6:45, but by 7, that had mostly ended and both of us
slept well, and until a little after 8!
We headed north on 15 for 4 miles to get onto the road that would take
us to Zion National Park and ultimately, the Grand Canyon. We were
dissappointed to find that there were lots of nice little hotels along
the way, in fact the little village just before Zion had several nice
places, but there had been no signage on the highway to indicate that.
Zion is pretty incredible and we were lucky to be able to take the
scenic route in our car. Next week that route is only accessable by
shuttle and would have taken more time than we had. The main road
through Zion though is just as scenic, if not more so. We drove in
narrow canyons between towering cliffs. The main road then winds back
and forth up a hill and through a long dark tunnel carved right out of
the stone. On the other side of the tunnel you come out into almost
another world, with very different stone formations.
Out of Zion Park my internet access kicked in for a few minutes and I
received a reply from brother Mark saying that he'd gladly have met us
in St. George or half way, for breakfast. We both felt really bad, but I
have to take full blame for not calling. I guess I just assumed too
much...
The ride to the Grand Canyon was very long and poor Deb almost flipped
when she saw the Grand Canyon access closed sign, but I explained that
we had to go to the South Rim of the canyon as North was closed
seasonally. The drive was very scenic down through mountains, over
chasms, and the Colorado and Little Colorado. Then into the Painted
Desert and finally we started uphill with a view of the early parts of
the canyon. The sky started to cloud over which is dissappointing to a
3D photographer. Sunlight enhances the 3D. But we didn't get any rain,
so that's something to be thankful for.
Finally we got to the toll both and judging from the signs, we figured
we had a ways to go before we'd get a good view. We pulled into the
first area just inside the park to look at the map and figure out which
way we were going. I looked up and saw the stone watchtower and I knew
we were there already, but I thought it would be fun to see Deb's
reaction, so I didn't tell her. I can't speak for her but I'm pretty
sure she was very impressed!
We had to move quickly as it was 4:30 when we arrived at the park. We
hit all the major lookout points and even chatted a little with a guy
that had just gotten back from the 2 day hike down the cliffs. Dusk was
falling as we hit the Grand Canyon Village. We talked about staying the
night in hopes that it would be a little sunnier next day, but we
decided to move on so we could get to the Petrified Forest / Painted
Desert park earlier next day.
The drive to Flagstaff was about 85 miles and took us over some really
desolate roads. As we drove we noticed more and more snow. We also
started noticing regularly placed elevaton makers as we climbed to 8,045
feet. We dropped down to about 8,000 as we entered Flagstaff. We found
the hotel district and chose a Quality Inn where we thankfully got an
inner circle room, away from the highway. The hotel was crowded and
walls were thin, but somehow we managed to sleep pretty well, I guess
we're just getting used to the noise.

Bruce and Deb
http://rosey462.blogspot.com/
notsosilentbruce on AOL IM

Road Trip - day 3

Sunday started off sunny, a few clouds but even those faded away soon.
We jumped out of bed at 8:00 to be on the road by 9 to have brunch with
some friends that I'd never had the chance to meet face to face. We
arrived in Columbia MO at about 10:45 and the Cracker Barrell where we
were to meet looked crowded. I called Mark, one of the friends, and
said, "hey! We're here!"
He said "wow, you're early."
To which I replied, "yeah, we made good time."
"Okay, we weren't expecting you until 11, but we'll get ourselves
together and be there in a half hour."
In the meantime I had Mark give us directioons to a car wash that ended
up being conveniently up the street. ($3 for an automatic car wash! What
a bargain! Makes my PA Dutch heart sing!)
When we got back I had them put our name on the list and we wandered
around the gift shop. I kept looking for someone that could be Mark
(didn't know what he looked like) or Ric, whom I'd seen pictures of.
Eventually I noticed a fellow walking towards me with a giveaway Batman
patch on his shoulder. Mark introduced us to his wife Elaine and I
introduced Deb. We were seated and Ric showed up shortly. Ric, by the
way, had driven in all the way from Kansas City, a two hour drive for
the get together!
Neither Deb or I have ever been to a Cracker Barrell by the way.
Impressive breakfasts!
We sat around the table chatting for over two hours and only left
because I was getting uncomfortable with the looks we were getting from
the manager. (We were at their big table, the minute we walked out, they
paged a party of 8... Whoops!)
We stood out in the parking lot chatting for a while and then Mark said,
"I know you want to get going by 2 or so but how'd you like to stop in
MY favorite comics shop? Its not too far.
Sounded like fun and since it was a little after 2 already, Deb and I
both figured Mark was kidding about the time, but we figured its not too
often you get to meet your online friends! We hung out for some time
chatting but eventually we figured we'd better hit the road as it was
3:30 and we had a long drive to Minnesotta. We took some pictures, which
I'll share when we get home, and reluctantly said our goodbyes. Mark
guided Ric and us back to Route 70 where it turned out that driving 2
hours west to Kansas City, before turning north, was the fastest route.
As we pulled out of the parking lot, Deb asked, "do you think maybe
we're in a different time zone?"
I looked at her (with that blank look that comes so naturally to me) and
said, "yeah, you know I think we might be!"
Deb said, "well that WOULD explain a lot!" to which we both busted out
laughing. Deb urged me to call Mark on his cell phone and tell him what
had happened, which I did, giggleing the whole time I left the message.
Mark emailed later to say they had listened to the message, and I quote,
were ROTFL (rolling on the floor laughing). I emailed back and did
apologize eventually...
We continued our drive north eventually stopping in Iowa at a reataurant
called Chips, so named for the basket of homemade potato chips they give
you as an appetizer. Their special was rottisere chicken , so that's
what we had.
We got as far as Clear Lake (yep, "where the music died") and spent the
night in a Best Western.

Bruce and Deb

http://rosey462.blogspot.com/
notsosilentbruce on AOL IM

Friday, March 18, 2005

Rooad trip - day 6 - Thursday

We started out from Evanston WY this morning around 9. For a change we
both slept rather well although the mattress left us both with sore
backs. We both felt like a good sit down breakfast today so we kept
looking for restaurants along the trip to Salt Lake City but there
wasn't much to pick from along the way. The scenery was, once again,
stunning. Driving through a gorge in the mountains with towers of rock
on each side. Eventually the gorge opened out onto a vast valley which
is of course, where SLC and the Great Salt Lake are located.
After finding a restaurant and having our breakfast, we headed north to
find the Great Salt Lake. None of the highways there contain directions
to historic or natural wonders, almost as if they don't want any
visitors! From the two parks we found on the map we chose Antelope
Island and I think we made a good choice. The island is across a 7 mile
causeway. It is home to bison, antelopes, and bighorn sheep. From the
sandy beaches you can see across miles of water, and its only the
mountains in the background that allow you to realize that there is even
anything on the other side. We bought a little booklet at the gift shop
that promised to answer all our questions about the lake, but the ranger
at the desk beat us to the punch by explaining that the salt washes down
into the lake from the rivers, and since no rivers exit the lake the
salt builds up through evaporation, part of the GSL is 4 to 6 times as
salty as the ocean. We would have liked to try floating but it really
wasn't quite warm enough.
As we drove south again I spotted the big Mormon church building and
considered getting off the highway, but as we couldn't find any signs to
lead us there, we just kind of gave up and continued on driving.
The ride down 15 is in a large valley with looming mountains on both
sides. At Provo they are especially snow covered. I'm pretty sure that
Provo is a popular place for skiing, but we didn't see any visible
slopes.
On the ride south we tried to refine our plans and decide what we wanted
to see, and what reality was going to allow. Even though the trip was
going to put us within 90 miles of Las Vegas and we would have liked to
visit with my brother Mark, the trip would have ultimately been at least
4 hours out of the way of Zion and the Grand Canyon which we hope to do
on Friday. Also we needed some time in a laundromat as we're running out
of clean clothing. So we stopped in St. George for the night (and our
other thoughts about Las Vegas is that flights are cheap and it would be
nice to spend more time with Mark and his family.)
St. George reminds me a lot oof New Jersey - crowded! After 3 days of
sparsley populated area this was quite disconcerting. Once again we
picked the hotel furthest from the highway, a Comfort Inn, got settled
in, and then went out to look for dinner and the laundromat. My stomach
had been bothering me all day but fast food seemed most in order as we
could eat and wash, so we got a pizza. We talked to some folks frm
Michigan, in the laundromat, who'd just been through Zion National Park
and they recommended it highly.
We got back to the room and realized that the road out front of the
hotel was a popular place for drivers to race along, very noisely at
times. Somehow it didn't keep us awake though...

Bruce and Debbie
http://rosey462.blogspot.com/
notsosilentbruce on AOL IM

Thursday, March 17, 2005

Road Trip Day 6 - Wednesday

We awoke around 8 and were on the road by 9. Within an hour we were off
the major highway (90) on route 16 in a roundabout path to Yellowstone.
Just before the town of Buffalo signs warned us that route 16 was safer,
more scenic, and shorter. We stopped for gas and the folks there agreed
that 16 was superior to 14.
Deb was driving as the road started climbing from the mostly flatlands,
to a pass through the Bighorn Mountains. The scenery was stunning and we
both fell in love with some of the log homes built into the sides of
hills. We climbed and climbed and climbed some more, and just when you
figure we'd have to be on our way downhill, there was another higher
mountain in front of us. The higher we got the worse the snow became.
Poor Deb drove through at least 7 miles of snow covered slick roads, but
she toughed it out and refused to yield the wheel. There were times we
were only doing 35 mph.
Finally we started down the other side of the mountains and passed
through some incredible mountain pass canyons. It took us close to 2
hours to get to the town of Cody, and as we got to the far side of town
were alarmed to see a sign warning that the road was closed 50 miles
ahead, at the entrance to Yellowstone. I must admit that I'd gotten a
bit nervous about this as we went through the Bighorn mountains as I'd
noticed on the map that Yelowstone is smack in the midddle of the
Rockies. At this point I did something that all you guys reading this
are going to gasp at, I stopped in the visitors center and asked...
Seems the east entrance is closed every winter and the only way in is
the northern entrance. Even then only the northern part of the park is
even accessable, leaving out Old Faithful! She also mentioned that the
park was looking at several inches of snow that evening and 5 to 10
Thursday. At this point Deb and I put our heads together and realized
that we weren't going to be able to do it all without running like
madmen and driving REALLY long hours. The new plan is to head south
through Utah and return to thr focal point of the trip, Arizona. We
started the long trip south and were a bit worried about driving through
the South Pass" as we had been warned by the visitors center of bad
weather through the pass. We stopped for gas just before making the
decision on wether or not to chance it and I noticed a truck towing a
motor home facing the opposite way. I asked if they'd just come through
the pass and he said yes and that it hadn't been too bad. The 120 miles
from Lyman to Rock Springs has some of the sparsest population I've ever
encountered. At one point we must have gone 40 miles without seeing a
house. Nor did we encounnter more than a dozen vehicles. The roads are
flat, straight, and long and its not difficult to find yourself driving
better than 80 mph. The South Pass is another beautiful mountain pass
with looming walls of stone on both sides.
We made it to Rock Springs and decided we'd try for Evanston, which was
a few miles east of the border. Plan was to stop for food along the way
but we ended up not finding anything and having dinner at 9 pm. We found
a Howard Johnson's which was furthest from the highway. We passed out by
10:30 (MST).

Bruce and Debbie
http://rosey462.blogspot.com/
notsosilentbruce on AOL IM

Road Trip - Day 5 - Tuesday

We both woke up around 6 again this morning but I managed to doze most
of the time until 8. Deb on the other hand didn't and only ended up with
about 6 hours sleep. At least the shower was hot and helped revitalize
us a bit.
We hit the road about 9 wth the intention of driving directly to Mt.
Rushmore. I should note that the landscape finally changed from flat
grazing land as we crossed the Missouri (for the 3rd time!) and the
landscape became rolling hills with short little hills. It soon pretty
much flattened out again. About 160 miles into the trip we noticed a
sign for the Badlands Loop, and decided we'd like to see the Badlands.
Boy am I glad we did! Amazing mountains of soft stone that's constantly
eroding and changing with each rainfall. Besides that, the Park Ranger
told us that we could probably see the buffalo herd if we took a gravel
road later in the loop. So we did... We got to see some buffalo, but not
the herd I was picturing. We also got some nice photos. Along the way
was the "prairie dog town" which lived up to its name, there being
thousands of prairie dog mounds and hundreds of prairie dogs. Another 5
miles on the gravel road put us back out on the main road and shortly we
arrived at the highway in the town Wall, infamous for the Wall Drug
Store which is heralded by signs for well over 100 miles (western
version of South of the Border). We figured, what the heck, we're here.
We wernt dissappointed, it was everything we thought, but at least they
carried slide film for my 3D camera! Quick lunch at Dairy Queen (yes T.
We had Brazier cooked burgers!) and we were back on track.
As you approach Rapid City the landscape makes abrupt changes and the
Black Hills just suddenly burst up out of the ground covered with dark
evergreens (is that why they're called the Black Hills?). We headed
south for the 20 or so mile trip to Mt. Rushmore. Eventually we rounded
a curve and sitting way up on a moutain we could see the monument. I
must admit that my first impression was that they were smaller than I'd
pictured. We wound around a little more and then into the parking area,
narrowly avoiding a deer that stepped out in front of the car maybe
fifteen feet before the toll booth.
The whole monument is beautifully done in cut stone, a long arched
walkway leading to an overlook presenting the carvings in all their
splendor. Okay, so now they're looking a bit bigger... We decided that
we wanted to take the trail that led up to a deck just underneath the
presidents. The trail was lots and lots of steps that wound down to the
"artist's studio" where we ran into a chain blocking further access. We
could see that there was a lot of snow on the many steps leading up t
the deck and reluctantly gave up and climbed back to the observation
area and hid out in the souvenir shop to await dusk and the lighting of
the monument. While there a man walked in huffung and puffing saying
he'd just done the trail. I mentioned that we'd tried it but it was
closed. He said that he'd gone from the other direction and hadn't
encountered the chain until his return. We said thanks and took the
other path which had oonly a few steps when we got right under the
monument - much nicer! From there you can get a real good "up the nose"
shot of all the presidents! And you suddenly begin to realize how big
the carvings are. We walked back and hung out in one of the buildings
(the cold was getting really damp) and chatted with one of the few other
folks that were there. They were from Florida but he had lived in
Macungie for a year or two when he was younger. Anyway. The lights
finally came on at 6:20 (Mountain Standard Time), we took several
pictures and we skeedaddled.
We found a route that was more direct than backtracking, though sadly we
drove 60 miles through what I assume was beautiful countryside - the
Black Hills national park - but it was too dark to see much. Our trip
took us to the city of Deadwood, famous in history but more recently due
to the HBO series of the same name. While we were aware that the town
had some gambling joints I assumed there would be some historical sites
as well. We drove through town and around again only to find a dirty
crowded town, every building crammed full of gambling machines. The few
souvenir shops were closed so I was dissappointed that we couldn't get
Cory a souvenir as he is a fan of the series too. If you've ever seen
the series you'll note that it is depicted as a dirty crowded town.
Hmmm...
We had thought we might spend the night in Deadwood and take in the
sights but instead we decided to put in some miles and made it to
Gillette, WY. We chose a Best Western again as it was furthest from the
highway, checked in, and were dismayed when we pulled around the siide
of the building to find 30 or 40 construction trucks outside our room
and figured we wouldn't get to sleep much past 6 when they all started
revving up their vehicles, but our fearrs were unfounded as the clerk
had kindly put us in a room on the inside ring of the hotel.

Bruce and Deb

http://rosey462.blogspot.com/
notsosilentbruce on AOL IM

Audio Chat / VOIP

So I'm assuming that most of you have computers. I'm also assuming that
you have friends or relatives that are normally a long distance call,
and while most of us also have cell phones anymore, not all of us have
nationwide plans. But if you have a fairly recent model computer that
can run AOL's instant messenger or you're on a Mac with iChat, you can
talk long distance for free.

Well, maybe not free. You'll need speakers and a microphone or a headset
with a microphone but that's a heck of a lot cheaper than long distance
(over a period of time).

Of course pretty soon its going to be very cheap to use long distance.
The phone companies and cable companies are waking up to the VOIP
technology and I don't doubt that within a year or two at most, we'll
all have that technology available. Yes, we do even now with Vonage and
Packet something or other, but they'll probably not last too long once
the phone and cable companies catch up.

But in the meantime, anyone that wants to chat, feel free to drop an
email with a time and your AOL I.D. and I'll be there. I'd love to test
it out (well yeah, I have already with another Mac user but we use
iChat. Its supposed to work just as well with PC's and AOL IM so I'd
love to test it), that's why I've included my AOL info in my signature.
(Of course most of you that are reading this also know that Deb and I
will be away until the 28th, right? Keep checking this space for
updates.)

Best,
Bruce

http://rosey462.blogspot.com/
notsosilentbruce on AOL IM

Wednesday, March 16, 2005

Free long distance?

So I'm assuming that most of you have computers. I'm also assuming that
you have friends or relatives that are normally a long distance call,
and while most of us also have cell phones anymore, not all of us have
nationwide plans. But if you have a fairly recent model computer that
can run AOL's instant messenger or you're on a Mac with iChat, you can
talk long distance for free.

Well, maybe not free. You'll need speakers and a microphone or a headset
with a microphone but that's a heck of a lot cheaper than long distance
(over a period of time).

Of course pretty soon its going to be very cheap to use long distance.
The phone companies and cable companies are waking up to the VOIP
technology and I don't doubt that within a year or two at most, we'll
all have that technology available. Yes, we do even now with Vonage and
Packet something or other, but they'll probably not last too long once
the phone and cable companies catch up.

But in the meantime, anyone that wants to chat, feel free to drop an
email with a time and your AOL I.D. and I'll be there. I'd love to test
it out (well yeah, I have already with another Mac user but we use
iChat. Its supposed to work just as well with PC's and AOL IM so I'd
love to test it), that's why I've included my AOL info in my signature.
(Of course most of you that are reading this also know that Deb and I
will be away until the 28th, right? Keep checking this space for
updates.)

Best,
Bruce
http://rosey462.blogspot.com/
notsosilentbruce on AOL IM

Tuesday, March 15, 2005

Road Trip - day 4 - Monday

The room we stayed in at the Best Western in Clear Lake, had lots of
temperature controls. We were able to turn the fan on but still turn the
heat off (we like it cool at night, and the fan helps kill noise). Slept
soundly but we both woke at 6 and only slept fitfully until 8. A
continental breakfast and we were off to Minneopolis.
Our fears of heavy traffic as we approached the Mall of America were
unfounded, in fact the mall wasn't crowded at all. The mall is a large
box, four main corridors surround the amusement park in the center.
3-1/4 floors, and I'm told that if you walk the whole mall, its over
four miles. I must admit, my back was sending me some strong signals!
500 and some stores and reastaurants, not to mention an underground
aquarium (with a conveniently located Spongebob store nearby). You'd
think with that many stores, there'd be at least one funnybook shop! I
did pick up two books to add to my collection, Laura Joh Rowlands 7th
volume in her fuedal Japan mystery books, and the third volume of
Bretheran of the Coast, by James L. Nelson, about pre-revolutionary war
era pirates. The mall also had an Apple store where I picked up an
iTalk, which is an adapter that turns my iPod into a voice recorder. Deb
got a good look at the new iLife and I think she really liked the new
iPhoto and it's photo album options. We decided it could wait until we
got home as we didn't bring the laptop along anyway, nor do we have
time!
The third floor is packed with fast food places and restaurants. We
chose one of the 3 Japanese fast food places and sat on a deck
overlooking Camp Snoopy, the amusement park.
Deb picked up a Mall of America shirt, and we left about 4:30. Deb was
concerned about the rush hour traffic, but believe me, it doesn't hold a
candle to New Jersey traffic.
At this point we decided to take one of the smaller routes so we could
see some of the scenery and hopefully some of those 10,000 lakes
Minnesota boasts about! We didn't countt, but we figure we saw 30 to 40
lakes on the ride into South Dakota.
For some reason Pizza Hut appealed to both of us and that's where we had
our anniversary dinner! 25 years today! (I don't know how she did it!
Put up with ME for that long...)
When we got to South Dakota we had planned to call it quits in Souix
City, a few mile over the border, but Deb's eyes lit up as we entered SD
and saw the 75 mph signs. She suggested, since we were moving along so
well, with so little traffic, that we keep going to the next big town
about 50 miles away, Mitchell. None of the hotels were crowded and the
Best Western was the furthest from the highway (less noise one hopes)
and boasted a really good price for the night, so they won our business!
Lucky them!

Bruce and Deb
http://rosey462.blogspot.com/
notsosilentbruce on AOL IM

Monday, March 14, 2005

Just curious...

So, is anyone reading these posts? You are more than welcome to leave a
comment on this blog site, just click on the word COMMENT at the bottom
of the page (not the little envelope) and it will open a window where
you can leave a comment and we will get it on our e-mail!
Thanks
Deb and Bruce
http://rosey462.blogspot.com/
notsosilentbruce on AOL IM

Road Trip - day 3

Sunday started off sunny, a few clouds but even those faded away soon.
We jumped out of bed at 8:00 to be on the road by 9 to have brunch with
some friends that I'd never had the chance to meet face to face. We
arrived in Columbia MO at about 10:45 and the Cracker Barrell where we
were to meet looked crowded. I called Mark, one of the friends, and
said, "hey! We're here!"
He said "wow, you're early."
To which I replied, "yeah, we made good time."
"Okay, we weren't expecting you until 11, but we'll get ourselves
together and be there in a half hour."
In the meantime I had Mark give us directioons to a car wash that ended
up being conveniently up the street. ($3 for an automatic car wash! What
a bargain! Makes my PA Dutch heart sing!)
When we got back I had them put our name on the list and we wandered
around the gift shop. I kept looking for someone that could be Mark
(didn't know what he looked like) or Ric, whom I'd seen pictures of.
Eventually I noticed a fellow walking towards me with a giveaway Batman
patch on his shoulder. Mark introduced us to his wife Elaine and I
introduced Deb. We were seated and Ric showed up shortly. Ric, by the
way, had driven in all the way from Kansas City, a two hour drive for
the get together!
Neither Deb or I have ever been to a Cracker Barrell by the way.
Impressive breakfasts!
We sat around the table chatting for over two hours and only left
because I was getting uncomfortable with the looks we were getting from
the manager. (We were at their big table, the minute we walked out, they
paged a party of 8... Whoops!)
We stood out in the parking lot chatting for a while and then Mark said,
"I know you want to get going by 2 or so but how'd you like to stop in
MY favorite comics shop? Its not too far.
Sounded like fun and since it was a little after 2 already, Deb and I
both figured Mark was kidding about the time, but we figured its not too
often you get to meet your online friends! We hung out for some time
chatting but eventually we figured we'd better hit the road as it was
3:30 and we had a long drive to Minnesotta. We took some pictures, which
I'll share when we get home, and reluctantly said our goodbyes. Mark
guided Ric and us back to Route 70 where it turned out that driving 2
hours west to Kansas City, before turning north, was the fastest route.
As we pulled out of the parking lot, Deb asked, "do you think maybe
we're in a different time zone?"
I looked at her (with that blank look that comes so naturally to me) and
said, "yeah, you know I think we might be!"
Deb said, "well that WOULD explain a lot!" to which we both busted out
laughing. Deb urged me to call Mark on his cell phone and tell him what
had happened, which I did, giggleing the whole time I left the message.
Mark emailed later to say they had listened to the message, and I quote,
were ROTFL (rolling on the floor laughing). I emailed back and did
apologize eventually...
We continued our drive north eventually stopping in Iowa at a reataurant
called Chips, so named for the basket of homemade potato chips they give
you as an appetizer. Their special was rottisere chicken , so that's
what we had.
We got as far as Clear Lake (yep, "where the music died") and spent the
night in a Best Western.

Bruce and Deb

http://rosey462.blogspot.com/
notsosilentbruce on AOL IM

Sunday, March 13, 2005

Road Trip, day two

We were a little worried this morning (Saturday) when we looked out the
window and saw an inch of snow, and snow still coming down, but when we
got to the main roads, they were just wet. Much to our surprise, we
actually saw the sun, although it didn't last long! By the time we
exited Zanesville and headed to Dresden and the Longaberger factory the
car was so slopped up we could bearly see out the windoows. The squegee
at the gas station took care of the windows, but we will have to wash
the car down soon!
When we got to the far side of Dresden, we were kinda confused that
there were no signs for the Longaberger factory, so we turned into the
town to see if we could find some information. The main street of
Dresden has lots of little shops that cater to Longaberger enthusists,
selling accessories like liners, protectors, lids, and retired baskets.
We couldn't help but notice the many women walking around town in their
bathrobes and pajamas! Turned out it was a promotion that the town was
running, giving disounts to anyone wearing pajamas or robes. (Note from
Bruce, some people just don't look good in pajamas and shouldn't wear
them in public...shudder...) After checking out a couple stores we
decided to head to the Longaberger homestead and factory which we found
out were a couple miles away from town. We took a self-guided tour of
the factory (unfortunately no production today) on a mezzanine that also
had exhibits and a gift shop which Debbie says I should have kept her
away from!! We went to the family replica home, where Debbie got the
two baskets she bought signed by Wendy and Larry Longaberger! In one of
the pictures there was a huge office building in the shape of a basket,
but we figured it was't real. We asked the shuttle driver about it and
found out it was indeed real! He told us it was about 15 miles down the
road, but it happened to be the way we were going. What a sight...a
seven story office building shaped like a basket with a handle and all!
Okay, now we are hungry! We saw lots of Texas Roadhouses along our trip
so far, so we decided to look for one. No luck, so we "settled" (lol)
for Red Lobster! After we filled our tummys we started on our 7 hour
trek through Indiana and Illinois to Missouri. Of course, it got dark
by 7 and we regret we really didn't get to see much of the scenery,
although our friend, Mark, assures us we didn't miss anything. We would
have liked to have seen the mighty Mississippi. but hopefully we can
catch it on the way back.
Since we had done okay with Motel 6 last night, we looked in their book
and found one that was located on our route, just north of St. Louis.
We pulled into the parking lot and Bruce became instantly uneasy with
the area and the activity in the motel for 11:30 at night. Our
instincts told us to keep going and look for something in a
nicer neighborhood. Several miles up the road we found another Motel 6
that seemed to fit the bill.
Deb and Bruce
http://rosey462.blogspot.com/
notsosilentbruce on AOL IM

Saturday, March 12, 2005

Road trip - fiirst day

We got out of the house by 6:00pm, had to stop for gas, something to eat
and find a detour around a traffic jam (courtesy of Pendot!). We were
making real good time until we got into the Sommerset area (about 2\3 of
the way across the state) were we ran into a mini blizzard. The
elevation was high and the highway was winding, so we had to take it
easy, but we persevered. As 11:00pm approached, we found ourselves just
outside of Washington, PA which is about 20 some miles from the border
of West Virginia. We stopped at a hotel that Bruce and his friend,
Steve, had stayed at last year on their way to Columbus for a
convention, but the Clerk claimed they only had a room with two beds
left, which was rather expensive and the clerk didn't really seem
interested in renting us a room, so we went on and ended up at a Motel 6
were the room was $30 less and certainly good enough to spend the
night.

Saturday we are off to Longaberger!

Deb and Bruce
http://rosey462.blogspot.com/
notsosilentbruce on AOL IM

Friday, March 04, 2005

Iron Man by Orson Scott Card

Just got home from the funnybook shop and among my prizes this week (or
left over from last week as I never got there) is the limited series,
Ultimate Iron Man written by Orson Scott Card and drawn by Andy Kubert.
I've enjoyed several of Card's SF books, "Ender's Game" and several of
the "Alvin Maker" series, so I'm looking forward to his take on a very
misunderstood character.

A little later:

I got to read the first issue last night and must admit that the concept intrigues me. As with the other Ultimate books this is an origin story and Tony Stark hasn't been born yet, so its hard to say if Card will be able to convince us with his version of the character. I can't think of any way to outline the plot without giving to much away, but I will say that Tony's dependance on technology, in this version, starts long before adulthood. I look forward to the rest of the series but, while its to early to tell, I don't know if this version will redefine Tony Stark well enough to make Iron Man a viable character.

Bruce