On the Road with Adie

Maine, Part 2

We slowed down a bit as Miracle is convalescing, which means slow walks and eating more seafood. It’s not all that bad, I suppose.

This one is for our buddy, Doug, who recommended I double check our heater as we head farther north. On Memorial Day weekend Miracle and I took the bus to Ohio Wine country on our way to the Finger Lakes in New York. Normally Memorial Day is marked by the higher temperatures as pools reopen and folks grill out. Not this year. No, my friends, this year’s Memorial Day was met with gale force winds and plummeting, soggy temperatures. Frost on the grass and breath in the air sorts of coldness. We decided we needed a heater.

Healthcare on the road

You’ve all gotten to see the good stuff on the blog—food reviews and pictures of wineries and oceans and mountains and our dear sweet pup, Jolene. Can we take a break from Instagram-worthy stuff to talk about healthcare? I know it’s not as much fun, but it’s worth talking about.

Podcast: John Wilson

John is a man who came prepared for an interview. He had a ton of stories about the two buses he has owned—one that we drove around Chicago and the other that he calls The Chalk Bus.

Playlist: Maine

Maine. What a state! I know my first ME post kvetches about the cost of things in Portland, but everything north of Portland is lovely and somewhat affordable. So, let’s sing along, folks:

Maine, Part 1

Unfortunately, the exhaust system weld job we got in New York did not hold up. As we trolled our way through these quaint little seaside towns it sounded like I was riding the fifth horse of the apocalypse—the one that sounds like one of those pickup trucks with a smokestack and flags for a candidate that lost their political bid some time ago. But as I round the corner into one of these towns and everyone’s expecting a cloud of black diesel smoke and some tattered propaganda flags, they get Adie instead. A relief to (statistically) most people. Needless to say it was embarrassing and needed to be fixed.

The buck stops here

How most meetings go when someone needs to be held accountable.

Being out on the road is refreshing for many, many reasons—fresh air, new adventures every day, meeting people. The list goes on. But I also love the accountability—the feeling of being responsible for the decisions and successes and failures on the road. It’s a whole different vibe than many workplaces where accountability becomes a game of hot potato.

New Hampshire in review

It was an all-to-brief stay in New Hampshire as we lay tracks toward the Maine coast. While the green rounded peaks of Vermont are serene, the White Mountains of New Hampshire are dramatic and rugged and call for adventure. Or at least a rainy day hike to see some waterfalls.

Playlist: New Hampshire

Live Free or Die, but just don’t sing about it. I guess the scarcity of some songs about certain states is overshadowed by the numerous songs about Texas, Tennessee, California, and, inexplicably, Kentucky. So here’s a meager offering for President Bartlett’s home state, including a tortured way of getting Dylan on the list.

Vermont in review

Miracle says she fell in love with me in Vermont. It was the first big trip we took—a meandering week-long excursion into the lower portion of the Green Mountain State. We drive the Prius down the interstate and stayed in an AirBnB. My excuse for going was that I wanted to look at tiny homes. (It turns out that tiny homes were too tiny. So, instead, two years later, we hit the road in a VW bus….) Well, Vermont does not disappoint.