"Just the Good Ol' Boys..."

This one will likely get me in trouble.

CMT, which I am a big fan of, has been playing Dukes of Hazard episodes the last several months leading up to the movie version release—which I still have not seen. The Dukes, as everyone knows, were famous for outrunning their nemeses in the General Lee. My roommate and I may soon be referring to my car along similar lines.

Ryan and I have decided this semester to volunteer for parking lot detail at New Hope (our church). First service parking came and went without incident. Afterwards, we came home for a bit as a good friend of mine from my firefighting days, Johnnie Morris, and his wife, Dinah, were planning to join us for second service.

On our way to second service we came upon a stoplight late. “Late” as in it had already been yellow for most of the morning. I asked my roommate, “What do you think?” Without hesitation, he replied, “Go for it!” A split nanosecond later we both spotted the cop stopped in the oncoming traffic. Too late.

I went for it and as I did the cop turned on his lights. Half-a-block down I asked Ryan, “I wonder if I should turn?” “I don’t want any part in abetting a criminal.” I turned anyway. Both of us were closely watching my tail as we weaved through the streets of Manhattan. Thankfully, no ticket.

Was I running from the law? Tough to say. After all, this particular cop could have been after the jaywalker illegally crossing the street (didn’t see one, but there COULD have been one) or maybe a police call came in just as we crossed the intersection (hey, you never know).

When we got to church, both of us had a pretty good laugh as this was the first time either of us had run from the law and to think it was only so we could get to church on time.

Mud on the Tires...

They say that married couples develop mannerisms that each spouse learns to read. I think that siblings can pick up on many of these as well. Over the past five years that my sister has been married she has developed a number of mannerisms—most are to express her displeasure with Aaron and me as we attempt to make her life miserable.

My second night in Nebraska, we went out to eat at a local pizza parlor. REALLY GOOD PIZZA! This small town in the middle of nowhere makes exceptional pizzas! But that’s not where the story lies.

It had been raining off and on for most of the day. The dirt roads driving back to my sister’s place were a mess. Aaron, given the sad state of the roads and the fact that he had his family with him, thought it would be best if we tested my sisters SUV on the roads—in other words, go four-wheeling.

My sister was not happy and scowled at the suggestion. She told Aaron that if he even thought about tearing up the roads that he would be, quote, “sleeping on the couch”. Well, Aaron thought about it, he could tell that she was upset, and after scratching his head a time or two…chose the couch.

IT WAS GREAT! Sis was screaming about the state of her vehicle while my mom (who had made a surprise visit from SD to see me), Magnus, and I loved every minute of it!

When we got home the vehicle was a mess! While Sis lectured Aaron, Mom wiped away her tears of joy and I helped Magnus out of his car seat. While I was doing this Magnus commented, “That was fun! Let’s do it again!”

Love that kid.

Magnus...

ESPN has been broadcasting The World’s Strongest Man Competition for several years now. The competition is a grueling series of strength tests. Events such as the “100m Fridge Carry” or “50m Semi-Truck Pull” are common.

When they first started airing the competition there was a Swede by the name of Magnus Samuelson that dominated much of the competition. So naturally when my nephew was born a little over three years ago my brother-in-law, Aaron, suggested the name “Magnus”. I was all for it but Sis didn’t buy it. The two of us, that is, Aaron and me, still refer to him as “Magnus”.

After conquering the Tour de Northwoods I set off for the untamed wilderness that is “Nebraska”. I exaggerate, but it is where my sister now calls home. My sister is a nurse and Aaron farms the Sandhills there. My nephew Conner is a very intelligent young boy. I realize that many people like to say that their nieces and nephews are smart, but Magnus really is!

This story will prove it. While I was visiting Magnus and I had a lot of time to “play”—“play trucks”, “play farming”, etc. We also had the opportunity to play with some squirt guns. Now many kids like to play with squirt guns, but not many are smart enough to suggest we use them to squirt the cats (told you he was smart!).

I, being the adult (debatable), had to ask to make sure it was OK with Mom and Dad. Sis said “I guess”, Aaron, who is also very intelligent, said “Sure. Use the hose if you need to.”

We had fun! To add to the excitement Conner decided it would be fun to also squirt his uncle. At this I did what all loving, responsible, and mature uncles do…I chased him around the house and drenched him.

At one point I had him cornered. To let me know he was ready for a truce, he turned to me and said “You’re my best buddy.”

Good kid that Magnus.

Bonjour du Canada!

Greetings from the Great White North!

Paul and Babe do indeed exist north of the border! I have found their tracks in a handful of places which is a pleasant surprise for me. I wasn't sure what I would find when I crossed the bridge at Sault Ste. Marie. Oddly enough I found Paul and Babe references east of "Soo" (as the locals call it) rather than west of The Locks as I had expected.

I'm nearing the end of my road trip and although I won't miss the 500+ mile/day scedule I have been keeping, I will miss the excitement.

Today's High Point: North Shore of Lake Superior.
Every bit as beautiful as the Keweenaw Peninsula, only more rural. Really rugged in spots.

Today's Low Point: Losing Peter Forsberg.
Crushed over this really. The Avs had already lost Adam Foote to Columbus over what I consider a trivial amount and this only adds to it. Forsberg and Sakic have been my favorites for some time and I had hoped that they would both retire in Avs jerseys.

At least Sakic, Hejduk, Tanguay, Blake, and Hinote will be back.

A view of the Northwoods from the Keweenaw Peninsula...

Beautfiul. Simply beautiful.
I've been on the road the last couple of days in search of Paul and Babe. I stayed last night in Houghton, MI, where the lady at the hotel was sure to emphasize how fortuneate I was to find a room in Houghton this time of year. It was late and all I could think of was "So do you have a room or not?" Didn't say it, but sure wanted to.

This morning I got up early and drove along the Keweenaw Peninsula. The Big Guy Upstairs sure knew what He was doing when He created that. Absolutley amazing! The UP was heavily glaciated back when mammoths still thundered across the continent. One can still see evidence of the glaciation under the forest cover. I could have spent a week exploring the woods and mining towns (not to mention the lighthouses) that color the landscape. Simply beautiful.

Life Lesson...
Even with all the traveling I've done I still make mistakes, elementary mistakes, from time-to-time. Tonight I made one of them.

I'm staying in Sault Ste Marie for the night and went downtown for a bite to eat. A local had recommended a Mexican restaurant that sounded like it might be right up my alley. During dinner I came to the conclusion that Mexican food should not be consumed outside of the West and Great Plains (Clint and Jake take note).

Mexican food in Salt Lake City, UT--good.
Mexican food in Sault Ste. Marie--bad.

Still, it was better than the Mexican dinner I had in Wellington, New Zealand. Never again.

Tomorrow I'll be crossing the border and exchanging my greenbacks for some loonies. Should be fun.