When I left last Tuesday, I only had a rough idea of where I’d be going. I knew I wanted to take a drive through Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont, but other than that I was playing it by ear. I started out in Connecticut on Route 7, and boy I couldn’t leave that state fast enough. Shortly before reaching the Massachusetts border things finally started to look better, scenic wise, but the area had a “blahness” to it that left me with no desire to stick around.

Massachusetts was a completely different story. I entered via the Berkshires and was greeted by a picturesque view of autumn leaves and old fashioned buildings that made me think I had traveled back hundred years in time. I had originally planned to keep going on Route 7, but I got a call from Mumsy who suggested, “Hey, why not go to Yankee Candle Headquarters?”

I made a mad dash for the interstate, completely perplexed that I had to drive miles and miles just to find an entrance ramp to get on, but once I was on it the rest was smooth sailing to South Deersfield. I spent the rest of the afternoon ohhing and ahhing everything the store had to offer (pictures forthcoming in a future post,) then bought popcorn! And umm, maybe a hundred dollars worth of candles too. *ahem* But moving right along…

I was roughly somewhere in the middle of Massachusetts now, so I decided, best thing to do was go up 91 and then take the Mohawk Trail to Williamstown, where the Greylock Mountains were located. The scenery kept getting better and better, and in hindsight I probably should have stopped at a restaurant that overlooked a huge valley on the way, so high up was it that you forgot there was a ground underneath you. I need to go back there some day.

North Adams and Williamstown also turned out to be lovely, a place worthy of staying at again for a more conventionally planned trip. I stayed the night at a dinky place called Willows Motel, which had a 19 inch TV you had to squint at from your bed and free wifi, that is, assuming you brought a ten foot antenna with you to shove up blue sky’s butt in the vain hope that you might get a decent reception. All I can say is, thank God for Verizon. To top it off, there was no table either. I had to eat and use my laptop on a nightstand. Ah well, at least the room was clean.

The next morning I drove into Vermont and passed through Bennington, and I immediately decided this was another town worthy of a more extended visit. In fact I think that whole area from the Mohawk Trail to Bennington deserves another trip to for a more extended stay. There was just something about it all that appealed to me. Old style towns with a mountain backdrop, yet with a freshness and appeal that left a smile on my face. The only thing I didn’t like about the area was how close it was to Albany. Ew. Just knowing I was that close was enough to keep me driving.

Well that, and the unbelievably spectacular views I was being treated to as I continued traveling up Route 7. Vermont was absolutely gorgeous, the scenic drive alone was worth the trip. I finally landed in Rutland after an hour or so, but this time I decided I didn’t really like the area. It felt too… New Yorkish to me, even though Killington was just a hop away. I drove up Route 4 to Killington but again, it just seemed like there was nothing there for me. I realized this drive would have been more appropriate if I had been a skier or a winter sports enthusiast, but since I was neither, the only thing left to do was to stay at a resort with a breathtaking scenic view, and the only one I knew that fit the bill (The Cascades) had nothing available. Not feeling the magic, I decided to head back to Route 7 and continue up to Middlebury.

But once again Middlebury did nothing for me either. Seems Vermont is a great place to be until you actually stop driving. It could have been all psychological, or because I hadn’t planned beyond a simple drive here, but I definitely did not want to spend the night at a town that reminded me too much of home for some reason. I was also a mountain man, and because I was now out of the mountainous state park, there wasn’t enough of a backdrop to suit me, unlike Williamstown and North Adams back in Massachusetts.

So, what to do? I now had several options. I could keep going north to the Vermont capital Burlington, stay at a classy hotel for the night, then hop a ferry over to New York, and from there I could visit more familiar grounds, specifically Lake Placid, a favorite vacation spot of mine. Or, just continue north from Burlington and take the scenic byway Route 2, which would have seen me travel over several islands and bridges from Vermont to Plattsburgh NY, but God only knows what I was going to do from there. Or, I could turn back and drive instead to Ticonderoga, New York, another favorite area of mine, spend a night there, and maybe use that as a launching platform for daily trips into Vermont again, or again, just go from there to Lake Placid.

I ultimately opted to drive to Ticonderoga, and I’m glad I did. Route 125 proved to be the most scenic drives yet in Vermont, and I was driving during that part of day when the sun was just beginning to set. Some of my best pictures may in fact be from that particular drive. I drove over the bridge and stayed the night at a gorgeous Best Western.

One of the things about these kinds of trips was having to make snap decisions that I might wind up regretting. Where do I stay, where do I go, what do I do? I had to make these decisions on the fly, and as the day wore on, I had to make them quick, or wind up spending the night in my car or at a sleazy motel. I also wasn’t relaxing as much as I’d like because I was running around like a chicken without a head, exploring every area I could find. It was exciting, to be sure, but eventually you wind up needing a vacation just from the vacation itself.

After the night in Ticonderoga, I opted to go to Lake Placid, thinking maybe I made the wrong choice, but curiously enough, the bridge I went over closed the very next day. If I had stayed in Ticonderoga I wouldn’t have been able to go back into Vermont unless I took a ferry. Interesting how that played out.

By this time now I just wanted to relax. I wanted the mountains, a place to stay with a scenic view of the lake, a fireplace, and hot babes. Well, 3 out of 4 ain’t bad.

So now, after 5 days of my vacationing adventures so far, I think I’ve learned a few things:

The places I like to visit don’t really have that much to offer unless you’re an outdoorsy kind of person. Things like hiking and camping don’t really appeal to me, although I did try hiking once. ONCE.

I’ve never even skied either, though I do think I would enjoy the experience, especially snowmobiling and maybe a few other winter related activities.

These things always tend to be done in groups though, and I guess one of the reasons I’ve never done it is because I’d really feel the sting of being alone. I’d just watch as the whole world would walk around in pairs and groups while I’d stick out like a sore thumb, being the lone ranger that I am.

I’ve also noticed that I tend to go places when it’s offseason, which helps save on the costs and from dealing with the crowds, but it also means recreational places that would normally be open during peak season would not be available then, leaving me with even less options.

I also realize that because I’m traveling while its offseason, I haven’t had an issue with finding a place to stay with the hotels I’ve chosen, which I’m sure would not be the case if I had been traveling during a busier time of year. It’s something I’ll need to consider for the future.

All in all, I think the kind of vacation that would ultimately suit me is one that’s tailored for reclusive writers. Ever seen The Shining? Well think of me as a slightly less crazier version of Johnny. But it does seem to fit me, having a hotel all to myself, in a wintry wonderland, peacefully enjoying a warm fireplace as I typed merrily away on my laptop, which is in fact what I’m doing now.

I wonder if that’s my calling, to be a traveling kind of writer? That maybe the best kind of vacation for me is a recluse or a retreat somewhere where I can enjoy some peace and quiet, great food, a scenic view, and an ideal setting that would allow me a chance to really get my creative juices flowing. I’ve been googling around for online communities that might offer more information or even vacation packages with professional writers in mind. It might give me a better idea of how to plan for a future vacation, where to go and where I could ideally stay.

Speaking of my next vacation, that happens to be in just a few weeks, where I take a short trip to Lancaster, Pennsylvania to catch a bluegrass show. And eat melted pretzels at Sheetz!

Who knows, maybe I can find a sexy Amish girl there willing to give me wubsies and bake me pie.

Tags: autumn, Connecticut, drive, driving, fireplace, food, hotels, lake placid, Massachusetts, new york, recap, ticonderoga, time, travel, vacation, Vermont, writer, writing
Categories: Lincoln's Personal Log
 
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Well not quite yet, but I am kicking off October with a 5 day reprieve, to which the current forecast is predicting rain, rain, and more rain for 4 of those 5 days. Sigh.

Interesting day though, filled with Yankee Candles and pizza, two of my very favorite things in the world.

The pizza came as a result of our new supervisor sucking up to us in the vain hope that showering us with free food would get us to look the other way while he’s prancing around in his office in his Superman undies, but also for catching up on some work and like, stuff.

I had to do THE RUN this week, so I went out to grab an unmarked car from fleet, only… there was no car.

“There’s no car left at all? ALL of them were signed out??”

“Yep, and there’s one missing too.”

“….what do you mean it’s missing?”

“It’s just, gone. Nobody knows where it is.”

“Dude what am I supposed to do? I need a car.”

“Can’t you walk?”

I muttered something about his mother, then walked out again. I ended up taking my car, placed an official decal on my dash, and basically had a ball breaking as many moving violations as I could while I did the run. You haven’t quite lived until you’ve jumped the curb outside some official government building and parked on the grass just so you can be right next to the door. I swear this is how it should always be.

Just don’t drive really fast or you might upset the security guards when they come running out half scared that you were about to kamikaze the building in an attempted terrorist attack. Have to remember that for next time.

Since I was already out and about I decided to take a slight detour to say, the mall, and spent about 30 minutes or so sniffing Yankee candles, before deciding on some fall harvest candles that should keep me sufficiently ensconced in the scents of Autumn until Thanksgiving.

Speaking of harvest, I’m planning to go out as far east as I can possibly muster this Sunday (easily a 4 hour drive), so I can watch the harvest moon unobstructed as it rises from the east. I should be surrounded by ocean then so it should make for some snap-worthy scenery, but, meh. I always plan things like this and then I start getting depressed because I’m going out alone and as such I’m never able to share these tender moments with someone sporting bouncy boom-booms.

In any event, it will probably rain anyway, so instead I’ll likely veg out in front of the computer and immerse myself in Nancy Drew game playing. Either way, a good way to spend a nice, extended weekend if you ask me.

Tags: autumn, government, harvest moon, Nancy Drew, October, pizza, reprieve, yankee candles
Categories: In The Coal Mine
 
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A while back I bought a whole bunch of Yankee Candle votives to see which scents I liked the best.  After giving over 30 candles a sniffy loo, I came up with this list of favorites:

• Christmas Cookie – The perfect pastry scent.  Definitely don’t use this if you’re on a low carb diet though. 
• Balsam and Cedar – The best forest-type scent I’ve found so far.  I love these earthy, woodsy scents!
• Fireside – I had high hopes for this one but for some reason the votive didn’t give off a strong aroma.  It’s supposed to give off the scent of a burning log fire, a scent I’ve always enjoyed.   This is one scent I don’t want to give up on, so I’m getting a bigger jar to see if that makes a difference.
• Frosted Pumpkin – LOVE LOVE LOVE
• Blueberry Scone – Great aroma, but I liked the Frost Pumpkin scent way better.
• Holly Berry – This one surprised me, as I didn’t expect it to smell good, but it gave off such a sweet yet woodsy enough aroma that it made my top 10 list.
• Sparkling Angel – Another pleasant surprise, this one giving a very pleasant wintry, yet outdoorsy scent.
• Mistletoe – The first Yankee Candle scent I ever tried, and it was love at first smell.  I definitely need a jar of this, along with a real mistletoe and a hot babe for next Christmas. 
• Autumn Leaves – Hands down my favorite scent ever, and not just because autumn is my favorite season, but because it does such a superb job of capturing the scents of dried autumn leaves, combined with that forest, outdoorsy aroma.  I love it so much I use the car freshener version of it as well to keep my car smelling delightfully like fall all year round. 

There’s still a few more scents I haven’t tried yet that I’d like to get my hands on:

• Sparkling Pine
• Silver Bells
• Sparkling Snow
• Red Berry and Cedar
• Red Apple Wreath
• Mountain Lake
• Seaside Holiday

About the only thing that annoys me about Yankee Candles is that they keep dropping their coffee scents.  I wanted to order Hazelnut Coffee but they discontinued it before I had a chance.  Dweebs.

Does anyone else know of a candle that delivers an awesome fresh coffee scent?  And don’t say get a coffee maker cause I’ll just slap you one.  I’m not gonna be brewing coffee at 11 o clock at night, but I might still want to get a whiff of that “Just Got Back From The Coffee Market in Seattle” aroma ya know? 

Tags: aromas, autumn, car freshener, Christmas, coffee, earth, fire, mistletoe, scents, seattle, yankee candles
Categories: Lincoln's Personal Log
 
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A few weeks ago I took a quiz at FindYourSpot.com to find places in the U.S. that I’d likely be happier living in.  Most of the suggestions were located in the Rocky Mountain region and thus beyond driving range, but there was also a high concentration of recommendations in Tennessee and North Carolina as well.  So I figured, why not make a road trip out of it?  (specifically for this October…)

In addition, autumn is my absolute favorite season, and ever since I learned about the Smokey Mountain region I’ve always wanted to visit to enjoy the acclaimed fall foliage that it brings during that time of year.  And then of course, there’s Dollywood too! 

Using the quiz results then, I was able to map out a rough itinerary that would take me through every city recommended for this region (sans Nashville and Chattanooga), and so far it looks pretty good.  Once I leave Virginia, I can loop around in an almost perfect circle before making my way back home again:

View Larger Map

My first stop would begin with Roanoke in Virginia, then to Abingdon (since these two cities both made my quiz list). From there, I’ll have to decide whether I want to begin my loop at Mt. Airy in North Carolina, or at Kingsport in Tennessee. Assuming I opt for Tennessee first, I’ll visit the twin cities of Kingsport and Johnson City, then work my way down to Knoxville. From there, I may head over to Maryville and use that as a platform to launch the next leg of my trip through the Smokey Mountain region, (unless I’m feeling really brave and decide to head all the way down to Chattanooga instead before making my way back north again.)

Either way, my next stop would land me in Waynesville, North Carolina, thus beginning my tour of western North Carolina that would take me through Brevard, Hendersonville, Asheville, Hickory and Morganton, Boone, and finally Mt. Airy.

Nashville was too far out of the way so it didn’t make the cut (and besides, country singers annoy me), and Charlotte in NC also got dropped, partly because it was also too far out of the way, and partly because I found nothing noteworthy to compel me to check it out.

So that’s it! By the time I finish my road trip, I should have a better idea of where I might like to live, and if not, at least I got an enjoyable vacation out of it. I’ve been dying to get out of this evil state for a much needed break since forever anyway, so this had been a long time coming.

It’s still up in the air whether I’ll actually do this or not, but in the meantime, I appreciate any suggestions and advice for my trip, especially on places I can visit during the way (specifically places that offer unusually high concentrations of hot southern babes, because I’d definitely like to check those areas out for… research purposes).

What? It’s for science, people!

Tags: autumn, driving, fall foliage, itinerary, live, map, north carolina, quiz, research, road trip, smokey mountain, tennessee, vacation
Categories: Lincoln's Personal Log
 
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So now that we’ve elected a mini-me version of the Antichrist, I think it’s high time I finally start working to move to a town that’s right for me.  A town that’ll keep me movin’ and keep me groovin’ with some energy. 

Even though I talk about it, talk about it, talk about it, talk about it…  I gotta move on. 

Seriously, I gotta move on.

Right now I’m going over which states might offer the best prospects, and I’m starting off with three basic requirements: the state should have no income tax, the gun laws should be flexible, and it should have lopsidedly voted against the communist demon of the underworld in the last election.

So far I have 5 options:

• Wyoming
• Alaska
• Tennessee
• Texas
• South Dakota

Climate and terrain wise I would prefer to live where there’s mountains and temperate seasons (the most important being autumn) AND little humidity.  VERY little humidity.  Seriously, there’s a reason why I refer to humidity as “Satan’s Breath.”  Just… no.

That puts Tennessee at the top for now, especially the eastern part where the Appalachian/Smokey Mountain range begins.  And since it’s the closest I’d be able to put together a road trip to visit the area and check it out.  The only remaining question is being able to find a job.  I have a background in computers and government and finished my undergraduate education a ways back, so I should be good for something besides shoveling horse manure, right?  What do you think?  Or should I try for another state?

As for the others, I like Wyoming because it has the Rockies, but again the problem is jobs, and it’s also out of driving reach.  I’d have to either fly or do a cross country trip just to scout the state.  Same deal with Alaska (as much as the thought of being near Sarah Palin thrills me), and the other 2 states, Texas and South Dakota.

If I remove the “no state income tax” requirement however, I have a few more options:

• Idaho
• Utah
• Oklahoma
• Nebraska
• Kansas
• Arkansas
• Louisiana
• Mississippi
• Alabama
• Kentucky
• West Virginia

I would drop all of the southern states because of the humidity and lack of mountains, but I hear the girls are so smokin’ hot in places like Alabama and Mississippi that I just have to keep these states on the list for now. 

Idaho and Utah might be good options, but I don’t particularly care for the high Mormon demographic.  It’s not that I hate Mormons or anything, I just can’t stand them.  Kansas and Nebraska have no mountains and seem boring overall, while Oklahoma might be too humid.  West Virginia is on the list, but I drove through the entire state once and the scenery was just awful.  Kentucky might be the best choice so far all things considered, but still, I have very little intel about any of these states frankly, which is why I’d like to visit them and see for myself.

In the meantime, what do you think is my best bet?  Let me know in the comments.  I’ll also include a poll too, because I’m awesome like that. 

Help me find my Funkytown!

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Tags: Alabama, Alaska, Appalachian, autumn, climate, cross country, election, funkytown, girls, humidity, Idaho, job, Kansas, Kentucky, live, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oklahoma, poll, road trip, sarah palin, smokey mountain, song, South Dakota, tennessee, terrain, Texas, town, Utah, West Virginia, Wyoming
Categories: Lincoln's Personal Log
 
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This presidential election is sadly overshadowing everything else happening in my life right now.  While I plan to go out and enjoy the fall foliage while it is still at its peak, I wonder if these last few days before the election will mark the last time I’ll ever be able to enjoy an autumn season in a relatively free country again.

It’s often hard to take the predictions of doomsday and the end of the world seriously, regardless of who’s making it, and I’m sure Obama supporters think those of us who oppose him are overreacting with our dire warnings of utter catastrophe and disaster, should he be elected.

I just saw a movie though called Empire of the Sun (starring an adolescent Christian Bale), and what struck me about the movie was just how quickly everything had changed for one little boy.  One day he was living the good life in a peaceful and affluent town, and then quite literally the next day everything changed, as the Japanese invaded and turned his world upside down.  Now all the rights he had previously enjoyed as a British National disappeared into thin air, and he ultimately ended up in an internment camp, where he would reside for the entire duration of World War 2.

It can happen that quickly, without warning.  And yet, even while it’s happening, we still can’t believe it.  But it’s that lack of belief that will ultimately doom us, the overconfidence in thinking our rights just can’t be taken away from us that easily, the idea that even if we make a bad choice for a President, it won’t be so bad that our nation as we know it would come to an end.

And that’s the problem.  What I cannot stand more than anything is having to deal with people’s utter refusal to listen to reason.  It brings out the absolute worst in me.  They are so blind in their hatred and so unforgivably ignorant that they are willing to back a horse that they in truth know very, very little about.  A horse that may in fact be a trojan horse.

Just how is it that a guy with a resume as thin as air beats someone like Hillary, who despite her turbulent past is a seasoned politician and has a record for being a centrist and appealing to a broader base of voters?

How does a guy who breaks his campaign promise to use public financing and instead collects over half a billion dollars in campaign funds (refusing to disclose who’s been donating to him) not raise any red flags with his supporters or the media?

How is it that a politician from Chicago who has associated with and befriended some of the most extreme radical figures in America (denouncing their past acts only during an election season, and never before) not cause some of his supporters to be just a little bit uneasy?

How is it that Obama can talk about a “civilian national security force” without voters seeing visions of the Gestapo marching the streets?

How is it that he can evoke adoration and idolization amongst his followers, even while they would all be hard pressed to name any significant accomplishment he’s made prior to running for President?

How does the prospect of a one party system with a possibly filibuster-proof senate and a White House placed in the hands of a man with a mysterious past and an alarmingly extreme voting record not at least give voters pause?

Why do his supporters continue to believe he will cut taxes despite him having no record of cutting taxes before, and especially now that he’s already reneged on several key campaign promises and changed some of his platform positions?  How can he still be considered trustworthy?

We have gone seven years without a terrorist attack, and it wasn’t by sheer luck.  Do Obama’s supporters really believe we’ll continue to be safe as long as Obama doesn’t antagonize the terrorists and play favorites with Israel so much?  Have we so soon forgotten what Iran did with Jimmy Carter?  Will his supporters turn a blind eye to Russia’s own enthusiastic hope in his election, even while they set their murderous eyes on satellite states like Georgia and Poland, or to Iran licking its chops at the prospect of overrunning Iraq should our troops leave prematurely?  Can we really be expected to believe Iran will suddenly cease its nuclear ambitions and calls for Israel’s destruction so long as Obama treats them nicely, or worse, pursues a policy of appeasement?

How can Obama, who hides his belief in reparations for black Americans by using phrases such as “economic justice,” and who has enthusiastically thrown his support behind the machinery of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae be trusted to handle the financial crisis effectively and without bias?

How can we turn a blind eye to what happened to Joe the Plumber, who saw his privacy and rights as a citizen violated because he asked a question?  How can we not believe that this wouldn’t happen on a much larger scale should Obama become President?

I know there is a lot to dislike about McCain, but there is one thing that should never be in doubt: he truly loves his country.  Whether his ideas are wrong or not, there can be no mistake that they are borne out of his sense of patriotism and his desire for America to continue growing and thriving as the greatest nation on Earth.

As for Obama, just the opposite could be said of him.  I do not believe at all that he loves America.  Instead, what he loves is the idea of what he thinks America should BE.  He sees this nation now as being inherently evil, and believes himself to be the man who can mold and shape it into an image more befitting his own political ideology and belief system, one that is steeped deeply in the anti-American sentiments expressed by so many his mentors (including Reverend Wright), no matter how much he might deny it.  While McCain wants America to continue being America, Barack Obama instead wants it to become Europe, complete with a nanny state that coddles its citizenship, yet at the price of eroding some of our most basic and cherished individual rights.  What we might gain in free health care, we will most assuredly lose in freedom.  As government increases, liberty decreases.  This has been the lesson of history, and behooves us to always remember it.

So I am making one final plea to those intending to vote for Obama; one final appeal to your sense of reason.  Do not vote for this man.  I speak as one who is a dyed in the wool conservative, yet one who could have lived with Hillary Clinton being President.  The most powerful elements of the Democratic Party subverted the will of its voters and nominated someone whom they could project their own hidden agenda onto, a man whose past we still know very little about.  You must see this.

And as much as you might loathe McCain, he is the devil we know, and I would prefer the devil we know over the devil we don’t know any day of the week.

But alas, I suspect I’m writing all this in vain, knowing you will not be persuaded, and indeed I count myself an absolute failure here, in that I have never been able to convince anyone of anything, no matter how hard I try.  But the wool has been pulled over your eyes, and you will not see.  You will pull the lever with your mind clouded with hatred for Bush and all things Republican, or perhaps because you believed the campaign slogan of “hope and change” and your heart always skips a beat at the sound of Obama’s baritone voice.  Having tossed in your lot with the great unknown, you will go about your life’s routines, blissfully unaware of the “Japanese” that may even now be lying in wait in the trenches, biding their time.

God help us all.

Tags: america, autumn, barack hussein obama, barack obama, campaign, christian, Christian Bale, conservative, country, disaster, doom, doomsday, fall foliage, freedom, georgia, God, Hillary Clinton, Iran, Iraq, Israel, jimmy carter, joe the plumber, john mccain, political ideology, president, presidential campaign, presidential election, Russia, vote, voters, voting
Categories: Politics and Poker
 
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