Kugs on the road

I haven't left yet
Syracuse, United States
Texas 2K10 Map
On Saturday April 3rd I will be leaving on a two and a half week drive to the Texas Gulf coast and surrounding areas. I have been researching my route for several weeks and have some very exciting stops planed. I will be touring several Navy ships, Presidential libraries, the Johnson Space Center, the 6th Floor Museum (the place JFK was shot from) and of course some very interesting spots along the way. I will be making updates as often as I can (depending on internet access) So please keep checking for updates.
Kugs
written by  Kugs on the road on March 30, 2010 from Syracuse, United States
from the travel blog: Texas 2K10

On the Road Again
Syracuse, United States
It's been about 18 months since my last trip, but I'm back on the road again. This trip is designed to explore the middle Appalachian area around West Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee, with a few other cities thrown in for some fun.
written by  Kugs on the road on March 23, 2013 from Syracuse, United States
from the travel blog: Appalachia 2013

Hitting The Road Again
Seattle, United States
Pacific NW 2011 Map
Well, I'm back on the road again. I flew to Seattle this morning by way of Newark, NJ (Why do I always end up in Newark?). The plan is to tour parts of the Pacific North West, as well as a few other area's along the way. Some of the highlights of this trip should include Mt. St. Helens, Howard Hughes' Spruce Goose, The Bonneville Salt Flats, The Great Salt Lake and lots of good food. Of Course I have a few surprises up my sleeve too.
Space Needle
My Flight landed in Seattle at 12noon, I picked up my rental car (a 2012 Cadillac Escalade with 8 Miles on it). Then I headed to the Space Needle, I'm sure in 1962 this was an engineering marvel. Today, not so much, but it is still cool. It just seemed dwarfed by the surrounding buildings.
View of Seattle
You do get a nice view of Seattle from up there. How many Starbucks can you spot in this photo?
Bizzarro Italian Cafe
Then I checked into my hotel and went to diner at Bizzarro Italian Cafe. You know your in for a unique experience when your greeted with a sign that says "Nobody is Fine with water". Then you start to notice the rest of the decor, including a fully set table hanging upside-down from the ceiling. I believe this restaurant was started by a bunch of theatre actors that found they were getting more experiance running restaurants than they were at acting. So they opened Bizzarro.
Clams with Linguinie
WOW, What a diner. This has to be one of the best meals I have ever eaten. I had the Clam Linguini, fresh Manila clams From the Puget sound tossed with House made linguini in a white wine butter sauce with crispy House cured pancetta and roasted jalapeno. I normally would shy away from someting with jalapenos, but this was the perfect amount of heat.
written by  Kugs on the road on September 12, 2011 from Seattle, United States
from the travel blog: Pacific NW 2011

Hitting the road again
Syracuse, United States
I'm off on another "Drive-About" This time I'm heading to Florida. Although I have probably done less planning for this trip than I have for any other trip in the past, I think it will still prove to be a lot of fun with some very interesting stops along the way. Although I don't want to reveal everything that I hope to see, some of the highlights of this trip will be a Shuttle launch, an Airboat ride in the Everglades, and a drive to Key West. Of course there will be many Diners drive-ins and Dives along the way.
written by  Kugs on the road on April 24, 2011 from Syracuse, United States
from the travel blog: Florida 2011

Day 1 Problems
New Market, United States
Johnny Apple Seed
Well, The first day didn't go quite as planned. I got a late start, I had mechanical problems with the rental car and had to spend some time in Scranton getting a new car. Then I hit two traffic jams in Virginia. Originally I had wanted to get to Rescue, Virginia to have dinner at Captain Chuck-a-Mucks, but that's not happening. I did make it as far as New Market, VA, The Home of Johnny Apple seed. This leaves me about 8 hours from Myrtle Beach. I should be able to make it there in time to get an order of steamed oysters at Nance's Restaurant (was a favorite of my parents, and now a favorite of mine). From there It's a quick run down the coast to Jacksonville, then down to Cape Kennedy for the Shuttle Launch.
written by  Kugs on the road on April 25, 2011 from New Market, United States
from the travel blog: Florida 2011

Day 1, Never very exciting
Baltimore, United States
GPS Screen Shot
I hit the road at about noon today, about an hour later than I wanted to, But at least 2 hours earlier than I normally do. Everything was going fine until I hit the Harrisburg, PA area where my GPS wanted me to leave I-81 and start heading towards Baltimore, MD. I’m thinking I must have mist a turn or something. Either that or My GPS decided to try and teach me to tie a Tie… upside-down
Crash Test Dummy At the DMV
Other than that the drive was uneventful. I was however a bit surprised to see a 30’ Crash test Dummy standing across the street from my hotel. He seems to be helping the DMV Promote the use of seatbelts. I don’t know if this is his permanent home or if he’s on tour.
Combo Platter at Stoney Creek Inn
And then there’s dinner… The Stoney Creek Inn is the first of the DDD (Diners Drive Inns and Dives) restaurants on this trip. Obviously a seafood restaurant in this part of Maryland is known for it’s crab. Unfortunately local crab aren’t in season right now, but they did a fine job with the imported stuff they were serving tonight. I of course ordered the combo platter in order to have a taste of several items from their menu. The Fried Shrimp were a bit over cooked. The oysters were good, not great. The broiled flounder was dry, The Crab Cake was fantastic, made with huge hunks of crab and cooked perfectly. They served the Sweet Potato Fries with a cinnamon and sugar mix to sprinkle on if you want. The fries were good, but the cinnamon sugar didn’t work for me, maybe it’s a Yankee thing, But I prefer the Maple syrup they serve at Hafners in Syracuse.
Tomorrow I’m supposed to head to DC but they’re calling for snow tomorrow, and rain and snow around the rest of my trip. I’m kinda thinking of heading to Myrtle Beach for a day or so to warm up a little, very little.
written by  Kugs on the road on March 23, 2013 from Baltimore, United States
from the travel blog: Appalachia 2013

A Day in DC
Falls Church, United States
I was pretty wiped out when I went to sleep last night, Then around 1 AM something woke me up. I was fairly groggy but it seemed like the sound of a door slamming shut. I checked my door and realized I fell asleep without locking the deadbolt or putting on the chain. I looked out the peephole and saw nothing; my camera and laptop were still on the table next to the door. So I locked up the door and went back to bed. I figured it must have been the door next door slamming shut, no big deal.
When I went to check out this morning I told the lady at the desk I was checking out of room 127. She asked why I was leaving after only one night; I only booked the room for one night; I have you listed for thee nights… When I told her my last name she said, oh you were in room 129; No, I was in room 127; I have you booked in room 129; I have a key for room 127, and that’s the room I slept in last night.
Remember folks; ALWAYS lock the deadbolt and the chain of your hotel room. I don’t think I will forget to do that again.
Jefferson Memorial
Well the weather wasn’t too bad this morning. I decided to head into DC and go to the Jefferson Memorial. I was pretty sure there was plenty of parking nearby and figured I could asses weather I wanted to go any farther into the city by car. The parking wasn’t as close as it used to be, so it was a bit of a hike to the memorial. So I spent about an hour at the memorial taking pictures and just hanging out.
FDR Memorial
On my way back to the car I noticed the FDR Memorial wasn’t to far away, so I headed over there. This was the first time I’ve been to the FDR memorial, it was a lot bigger than I was expecting. It’s a granite path about as long as a football field that winds around a series of stonewalls with quotes from FDR, waterfalls, fountains and statues. It’s really well done and definitely something you should add to your list of things to check out in DC.
Space Shuttle Discovery
Well it was starting to get a bit colder and I was tiered of walking around the streets of DC, so I decided to go to a huge museum and walk around inside. The Steven Udvar-Hazy Center is Part of the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum, Basically it’s where they put things that they cant fit in the main museum. The last time I was here wasn’t to long after they opened, at that time they were prepping the Shuttle Enterprise for display. Since then they have acquired the shuttle Discovery and moved the Enterprise to the Intrepid in NYC.
La Caraquena restaurant
For dinner I totally left my comfort zone, but that’s what it’s about, trying new things. So tonight’s choice was another DDD stop. La Caraquena is a Venezuelan restaurant. My entrée was Pabellon a Caballo, which is seasoned pulled beef served with white rice, black beans topped with white cheese and a sunny side up egg and sweet fried plantains on the side. They also brought a small dish of chopped jalapenos, I really tried to use them, but man they were hot. Fortunately I was able to wash it all down with a Palma Louca, which is a Brazilian beer. Much to my surprise, I loved the whole meal, with the possible exception of the jalapenos, but I really tried to like those.
It's starting to snow. Maybe a change of plans, I think I;m going to head south tomorrow.
written by  Kugs on the road on March 24, 2013 from Falls Church, United States
from the travel blog: Appalachia 2013

11:00am Start
North Syracuse, United States
Starting out about 2 hours later than I wanted to... but I'm on the road! I will drive as far as I can today and will hopefully get to southern Illinois.
Kugs
written by  Kugs on the road on April 2, 2010 from North Syracuse, United States
from the travel blog: Texas 2K10

Got Oysters
Myrtle Beach, United States
A Bucket of Oysters
I found the sunshine today. Unfortunately I left it in Virginia. I had a real nice relaxing drive today, I Took a lot of back roads through Virginia and North Carolina. Weather was great in Virginia, Hit a few rain showers in North Carolina, and pulled into Myrtle Beach just after a big storm left. I had some trouble finding a hotel at first, so I went to dinner and filled up on Oysters.
My Room in Myrtle Beach
Then found the only hotel in Myrtle Beach that doesn't have Internet access, fortunately the hotel next door has a very strong open connection. On the bright side... It's a big room (That's Nice). The decor is a bit outdated (I don't care about that). It's on the beach ( I like that). It has a window that faces the beach (I really like that). It was $50 a night (I really really like that).
Tomorrow I'm heading south to Jacksonville, FL and then the fun begins...
written by  Kugs on the road on April 26, 2011 from Myrtle Beach, United States
from the travel blog: Florida 2011

Breakfast, A Henge, Jimi, Ships & a Bouncy Bridge
Olympia, United States
A Henge or not a Henge
I think this is a Henge. It dosn't call itself a henge, It in fact has no name, no plaque to explain it's existence. It's just a group of squared arches sitting in the middle of an office park. It's the office park Henge.
Greak Hobo
But Before the Henge was the breakfast, I stopped at Voula's Offshore Cafe. Yup, Another DDD stop, Where else would I eat. I ordered the Greek Hobo. Greek sausage, onions, mushrooms, hash browns, and eggs scrambled together and topped with Feta cheese. It was good, but not great. I thought about ordering the Chinese Pancake, which is a plate sized pancake with an egg and chopped ham dropped into the uncooked side then flipped. But after my Florida trip, I'm still not ready for pancakes.
Jimi Hendrix Grave
When I started out for the Cemetery I selected the Jimi Hendrix folder on my MP3 player. As I turned into the Cemetery Purple Haze started playing. I wasn't surprised that it was a very peaceful and tastefully done memorial, But I was surprised by the 70 year old couple from Minnesota that were taking pictures of each other at the memorial. As they drove off I swear I heard Foxy Lady blasting from their car.
USS Turner Joy
Then I took a drive up to the USS Turner Joy A Destroyer commissioned in 1959, Same year I was Commissioned. The Turner Joy's claim to fame is that it sank the first enemy ship in the Vietnam war essentially bringing the US into that fight.
USS Independence
On the way back from the Turner Joy I drove past 4 decommissioned Air Craft Carriers that are in storage as the "Ready Fleet". The one pictured here is the USS Independence; next to her are the USS Kitty Hawk, The USS Constellation and the USS Ranger. There have been requests to have the Ranger and the Kitty Hawk donated as floating Museums, but so far the constellation and the independence are scheduled for scrapping.
Tacoma Narrows Bridge
Do you remember seeing the footage of the bridge in 1940 that twisted so bad in the wind that it destroyed itself. Well I ended my day driving over the replacement for that bridge. It seemed fairly solid.
written by  Kugs on the road on September 13, 2011 from Olympia, United States
from the travel blog: Pacific NW 2011

Mt. St. Helens
Newberg, United States
I spent most of my day driving through the Cascade Mountains. Of course the highlight of the day was a stop at Mt. St. Helens. Most of the way there it wasn't looking good, the skies were overcast and the clouds were hanging low. The closer I got to the Mountain the thinner the clouds got. As I pulled into the parking area the Sky opened up and it became clear and sunny. I was extremely surprised both by the amount of area that is still devastated 30 years after the eruption, and by the amount of new growth that has been planted in the blast area around the Mountain.
Burried A Frame House
To show you how much rock, ash & mud came from the eruption. This A frame House was built before the eruption at ground level about 30 Miles from the Mountain. After the eruption the lower level of the House was several feet below what is now ground level.
Bigfoot
Of course one of the strangest Phenomena is how the hot ash from the eruption petrified this Bigfoot.
written by  Kugs on the road on September 14, 2011 from Newberg, United States
from the travel blog: Pacific NW 2011

Welcome to Florida The Seafoods Great
Jacksonville, United States
Myrtle Beach
Woke up this morning and took a short walk down to the beach and took a few photos before I hit the road.
Upside Down House
On my way out of town I realized just how devastating the storm was that hit Myrtle Beach before I got there. This House was Uprooted and flipped over onto another building. Well actually it's a tourist attraction built to look like a House that was flipped over. I was planning on getting some photos of one of these near Orlando, but I don't think that one is on top of another building. I'll still check out the one in Orlando if I have the time.
After leaving Myrtle Beach I had about 2 hours of driving on some nice country roads till I hit I95. then it was High Speed cruising all the way to Jacksonville with the tunes crankin (the mp3 player seems to know all my favorite songs).
Singletons Seafood Shack
Once I got to the Jacksonville area I didn't waste time, I headed right to My first DDD stop (Diners, Drive-ins and Dives). Singletons Seafood Shack in Atlantic Beach. And it is a shack. Plywood floors, plywood tables, and chipboard walls. But what they lack in decor they make up for in food. You want to talk about fresh seafood, they dock the fishing boats outside the dinning room. I had the combo platter of Deviled Crab, Shrimp and Oysters with a side of Cole Slaw and Fries.
written by  Kugs on the road on April 27, 2011 from Jacksonville, United States

Free styling in South Carolina
Aiken, United States
Murrels Inlet, SC
I wasn’t able to get a solid Internet connection last night, so I wasn’t able to post anything. I’ll start with a brief recap of Monday. I woke up in Falls Church, VA with about 2” of snow on the ground and more wet slushy stuff coming down. So rather than head into the storm and go to West Virginia and Kentucky I opted for warmth. I spent the day driving to Myrtle Beach, SC to one of my favorite restaurants, Nance’s Creekside.
Oyster Dinner at Nance's Creekside
Back when my parents used to winter in Myrtle Beach they discovered Nance’s, it quickly became one of their favorite restaurants. When I visited my Dad the last 2 years he went to Myrtle Beach, He took me to Nance’s and it became one of my favorites too. The specialty at Nance’s is the Oyster Roast. Locally harvested clusters of oysters steamed in large steel pots and ready for you to pry out of their shells. And when your done with the shells, just toss them through the hole in the table and into the trash can they place underneath. As always, the oysters were great and well worth the drive, not to mention it was 20 degrees warmer in Myrtle Beach.
Propeler from the CSS PEE DEE
Tuesday I woke up, it was bright and sunny and warming up and because I hadn’t planned on coming this far south, and I had no internet, I had no clue where I was heading or what I was going to do today. So I decided to freestyle. First place I found was the Florence Art and History Museum, their claim to fame is the salvaged propellers from the CSS Pee Dee. The Pee Dee was a confederate Ship built in the area and sunk by it’s own crew in 1865 before it could be captured. The propellers were recovered in 1925 and given to the museum.
South Carolina Cotton Museum
Next was the South Carolina Cotton Museum. Yup, a cotton Museum. I wouldn’t mind people “picking” on me about this if it wasn’t so “seedy”. Seriously, it was kind of cool. They had a lot of good displays that showed the process of taking cotton from seed to cloth.
The Button Museum
The Button Museum; you see what happens when I wing it, I end up in places like this. Honestly, I would have stopped here anyway. Dalton Stevens is the self proclaimed Button King. Many years ago Dalton started suffering from insomnia, so what do you do if you can’t sleep at night, you sew and glue buttons on things, all kinds of things, everything. The display in the Museum includes the three piece suit covered with buttons he wore on the Johnny Carson Show, his guitar, car, casket, hearse, Piano, toilet, tub and sink all covered with over a million buttons. The worst part is, he recently received a donation of over 300 pounds of buttons. As I was getting ready to leave the museum I was surprised by a visit from the Button King himself, this 83 year old man is still attaching buttons to things.
The Farmer's Shed
And then there’s dinner. Tonight I went to yet another DDD Spot. The Farmer’s Shed, If you didn’t know there was a restaurant here you would never find it. I knew there was a restaurant here and I almost didn’t find it. When you pull up it looks like your typical farm stand. Outside are hundreds of colorful pots and planters stacked up for sale. Inside there are bins of fresh produce and planting supplies, some homemade pies, jellies, jams and such, and a little sign that says “restaurant in back”. All the way in the back is a door to a small 6 table restaurant that looks like they took the tables out of my grandmother’s kitchen, in fact I swear my grandmother had tables just like the ones pictured. The menu of course is written on the large chalkboard wall with different selections for each day of the week.
Catfish Dinner @ The Farmer's Shed
I told the waitress I was having trouble deciding between the country fried steak and the fried catfish. Three of the five customers in the restaurant turned to me and said “the catfish” I wasn’t going to argue with more than half of the restaurant, and they weren’t wrong. I’ve had catfish in Louisiana that wasn’t nearly this good. Along with the catfish I had collard greens, carrot and raisin salad, and a piece of cornbread. An awesome meal and well worth a trip to South Carolina.
written by  Kugs on the road on March 26, 2013 from Aiken, United States

The Final Four Days
Ashland, United States
Sorry I haven’t posted in a few days but I have run into some of the worst internet connections I have had in all my trips. So, now that this trip is all but over, Let me catch you up on where I’ve been and what I’ve been eating.
On Wednesday I spent the entire day driving out of South Carolina. I couldn’t find any interesting places to stop. I couldn’t even find any uninteresting places to stop. It was all just driving the Interstates. It was a long boring day and I was getting beat. At one point I was so tiered I stopped at a gas station and took a 30 min nap in the parking lot. That refreshed me enough to get across the border into Tennessee where I stopped for the night. The only fun part was the last 10 miles was all downhill through some winding Interstate highway roads that had lots of switchback turns; I just wish I was awake for all of it.
Tennessee Museum of Aviation
Thursday was a much nicer day, the weather was beautiful, traffic was light and I was avoiding the Interstates. While driving through a small town in southern Tennessee I drove past the Tennessee Aviation Museum, so you know I turned around for that one. The museum is divided into two parts. First the museum and hall of fame where they display many of the artifacts they have collected over the years including uniforms, guns, tools and personal affects of some of the airmen. They also have a large display showing a piece of the structure from the USS Arizona. The other half is the hanger where they keep the planes. For a small museum they do have quite a collection of planes, many of them still flyable. One of their centerpiece planes is Lieutenant America, a Douglas A-1H Skyraider that was rescued from Thailand a few days before the end of the Vietnam War.
Antique Archaeology
Then I was off to Nashville, the country music capitol of the world. So I went to the new Antique Archaeology store. The “American Pickers” from History Channel. The store is very cool, everywhere you turn you see an item that they picked on the show, and the prices are not cheep. Although the store was packed, I think the only thing they really sell there are T-shirts, Hats and Posters. But I think they sell a lot of them. While I was there two of the guys that work at the store were trying to hang a large Hershey’s Ice Cream sign from the ceiling. Just as they thought they had it hooked they let go and asked the full store for a round of applause. That was when the sign started to fall and the second guy caught it. But it was still hanging by the end of a bolt. After about 15 minutes they got a second ladder and finally hung the sign properly and safely.
Athens Family Restaurant
My plan was to have dinner at a Cajun restaurant in Nashville; unfortunately they closed an hour before I got to town. So I went for another DDD spot. Athens Greek Family Restaurant. I of course went for the combo platter. The platter consisted of Suzukakia, Pastichio, and Dolmades. Which turned out to be a pasta dish, a meatball and a stuffed Grape leaf. It’s all Greek to me. For desert I had a piece of Baklava, which was nowhere near as good as the Baklava that Martha used to make. But overall, a nice restaurant, the food was good, but nothing exceptional.
National Corvette Museum
Friday I woke up and it was pouring rain. The first thing I had planed was outdoors just North of where I was. The weather report showed things were starting to clear to the North, so I needed to stall. Then I found the National Corvette Museum. A museum dedicated to all things Corvette. In front of the building the parking spaces reserved for Corvettes are closer to the building than the Handicap spots. I was so tempted to park my rented Ford Fusion in one of those spots, but it’s their Museum, their rules… The Museum was fairly cool full of lots of Vets, Old, New, and everything in between. Overall, a great way to waste an hour and a half and $10.
Kentucky Stonehenge
Then the skies opened up, The rain stopped and I arrived at the Kentucky Stonehenge. Seriously, did you think I would go on a trip and not find a Stonehenge replica. Although this henge is very well done it is a bit strange. It’s located in the side yard of a house, right next to the tennis courts. They even have a half circle attached to the driveway marked for Parking. Of all the henges that I have visited I would have to say this is not the best, but it is right up there near the top.
Rick's White Light Diner
Would you eat at this place, I did, and it was well worth it. Even if the food wasn’t good (it was very good), even if the prices were reasonable (they were very high), even if the place was packed (8 people would be considered packed), it would be worth a trip to Rick’s White Light Diner in Frankfort, KY. Rick is a one of a kind sort of guy, and it’s probably best that way. I’m sure he can be a bit of an ornery guy, but he’s also hilarious, and an excellent cook. The reason his prices are so high he will tell you is because he uses only the best ingredients. All of the seafood is from this country; the produce is local whenever possible, the beef is local and everything is organic.
Diner at Rick's
I of course went Cajun. I had Rick’s famous Crawfish pie, with garlic potatoes and a small pile of shredded lettuce smothered with a teaspoon of Thousand Island dressing. I accompanied this with a local beer, Kentucky ale. For desert I went with the Chess Pie.
The crawfish pie was very good; it had just the right amount of heat for me. The potatoes were… potatoes, no big deal. The lettuce was confusing, I don’t understand why there was more dressing than lettuce. The chess pie was the best I’ve ever had. No, I’ve never had it before. It was still good though. From what I can find out it is just a basic southern pie. It’s flour, butter, sugar, and eggs all baked in a pie shell. Would I go back? Defiantly. The food is good, and Rick is whacked.
U.S. Air Force Museum
Saturday I went to the U.S. Air Force Museum in Dayton Ohio. This is a Huge aviation museum. Larger than both of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museums combined. The museum consists of three huge hangers, each one could hold a B-52, a C-130 and a B-2, as well as 100 other planes. By the way, they do have all three of those planes here. There is also a fourth room that is smaller, yet taller; this is where they keep the Titan missiles.
When I was at the air and space museum in DC I saw the Enola Gay, the plane that dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. The plane shown here is Boxcar, Boxcar dropped the second atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan. I didn’t intend on seeing both planes on the same trip, it just worked out that way. Even though I’ve been to this Museum before, It is always worth a stop.
Tomorrow, I’m driving home, back to work on Monday. See ya’ll soon.
written by  Kugs on the road on March 30, 2013 from Ashland, United States

Day 1: The Long Drive
Evansville, United States
I think I had a bit of cranial flatulence when I said I was hoping to make it to southern Illinois. My original goal was Evansville Indiana, and I made it there. I drove about 800 mi. in 12 hours. Had some stomach problems along the way, but nothing to serious.
Tomorrow I'm driving across Illinois and Missouri and hoping to end up close to Tulsa Oklahoma. But because most of this is going to be roads I've never driven before, I would like to be off the road before dark. One of my main rules on these trips is not driving after dark. The purpose of these trips is to see America and you can't see America in the dark.
I'm also hoping to take a few minuets tomorrow to stop at one of my favorite types of attractions in southern Missouri.
Kugs
written by  Kugs on the road on April 3, 2010 from Evansville, United States
from the travel blog: Texas 2K10

a Plane, a Prison, and lots of good food
Orlando, United States
Crab Benedict
I started the at the Metro Diner in Jacksonville. This is yet another DDD spot. Because I've been going with a seafood theme so far I decided to order the Crab Benedict. Two English muffin halves each topped with a crab cake a pouched egg and smothered with hollandaise sauce along with a healthy portion of hash browns to fill up the plate. Not the best breakfast I ever ate (no.1 is still the Loco Moco in Hawaii) But it was definitely better than my usual Ham and Eggs.
Sheriff Joe Perry
After leaving Jacksonville I stopped at the Old Jail in
St Augustine. This 72 prisoner jail was built in 1891 by the same company that would later build Alcatraz. The guided tour was a bit corny including the animatronic sheriff that conducted the last part of the tour.
Steel Replica of Wright Brothers Plane
On my way to Orlando I stopped in
Daytona Beach to see a full size steel replica of the Wright Brothers plane that was built by students at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
Bar-B-Que Dinner
I had no real plans for dinner tonight, The people at the Motel weren’t of much help either. So I consulted my GPS and found Bubbalou's Bodacious Bar-B-Que. I figured with a name like that they better have some awesome Bar-B-Que. It was good, But I don't know about Awesome. I had the 4 meat combo platter with ribs, Sausage, Brisket, and Sliced Pork with sides of Cole Slaw, Potato Salad, & Texas Caviar. The Ribs were pork ribs, the first one was great, tender and juicy. The meat just fell off the bone. The second one... not so much, kind of on the dry side. Then I moved on to the Sausage, Much better. Great flavor, not Texas great, but still good. The Brisket, again, a bit on the dry side but some Bar-B-Que sauce helped it. The Sliced Pork was good, a little fatty but at least it wasn't over cooked. The Sides; The Slaw and Potato Salad were average. The Texas Caviar was a cold black eyed pea salad with onion and celery. I'm not a big Black Eyed pea fan but the salad was ok, the music is better though...
Tomorrow is the shuttle launch. I'm a little worried if I will be able to get within 10 miles of it. There are roumors of 700,000 + people in town for it.
written by  Kugs on the road on April 28, 2011 from Orlando, United States

The Spruce Goose
Yachats, United States
Spruce Goose
First stop today was at The Evergreen Aviation Museum in McMinnville, OR. The Centerpiece of this museum is Howard Hughes' Spruce Goose. Centerpiece is a bit of an understatement; The Spruce Goose fills the entire building. It has a wingspan larger than a football Field. The tail of the plane is as tall as a 5 Story building. The cockpit is 30 feet off the ground. The silver plane in the lower right of the picture is a DC-3 that is parked under the wing of the Spruce Goose. There is also a B-17 (same plane as the Memphis Bell) parked under the tail. Basically, This plane is Huge. Sure there are other planes made now days that are bigger, but remember 2 things. First this plane is made of wood, not some lightweight alloy like aluminum. Second, this is a seaplane, this plane is designed to take off and land in the water. Not some smooth runway. The rest of the museum was fairly cool also. One thing they do that I haven't seen in other Aviation Museums is for a few dollars more you could climb inside the B-17 display. I was fortunate enough to get about a 15 minute one on one tour of the plane. Standing inside the plane gives you a new appreciation for how difficult conditions were for the crew of the Memphis Bell and the other B-17s.
45th Parallel
Next stop was the 45th Parallel, Why? Because it's there... I've stood on the Artic Circle, The Center of the contiguous United States, The Southern most point of the contiguous United States, So why not the 45th.
Oregon Sunset
I ended my day watching the sunset over the Pacific Ocean. I know this isn't the best sunset I've photographed, but anytime you can end your day walking 100 feet from your hotel room and watching the sunset on the Pacific is a good day.
written by  Kugs on the road on September 15, 2011 from Yachats, United States

Mission Scrubbed
Titusville, United States
Traffic Piling up behind me
I arrived in Titusville around 10am By 10:15 I had found a parking spot for $20 right next to an open Field that was across the bay from where the Shuttle Launch Pad. It is still several Miles away, but a good view. Then at 12:30 the mission was scrubbed. I spent the rest of the day stuck in traffic trying to get out of there. Imagine 750,000 people trying to leave at the same time... Not fun.
The Field I was going to watch the launch from
For dinner I ended up at Bubbalou's again. This time I went for the fried Catfish dinner with Cole Slaw and Collard Greens. Turned out to be a much better choice than last nights BBQ.
Tomorrow I am heading south and if they get this Shuttle mission rescheduled in the next week I will try to come back to see it.
written by  Kugs on the road on April 29, 2011 from Titusville, United States

A quiet day driving through the mountains
Weed, United States
Pacfic Ocean
I started my day stepping out of my Motel room and walking over and watching the Ocean for a while. Then I spent the rest of the day driving through the mountains into northern California.
Entering Weed, CA
I stopped for the night in the town of Weed, CA. Although the town does have a sense of humor with slogans like "weed like to welcome you". There are some serious issues here. It seems that about 95% of the town suffers from Glaucoma, but they do have a doctor here that will write them a prescription for that. I think the desk clerk at my hotel had really bad Glaucoma. I had dinner at a family BBQ restaurant next to my hotel, probably the worst meal I have had on this trip. I had the Ribs; they were dry, full of fat, just awful. The odd thing was the waitress never asked how things were. I think she knew. I also think the cook may have had Glaucoma too.
written by  Kugs on the road on September 16, 2011 from Weed, United States

Donner, Party of 5... oops to late, 4
Carson City, United States
Folsom Prison
Back to a little hit & run tourism today. First stop was The Folsom Prison Museum. Not the best prison museum I've been to, Yes, I've been to others. One of their big displays was a 9 foot tall Farris wheel that a prisoner made with over 250,000 toothpicks. I guess he had some extra time on his hands.
Bonnie & Clyde Death Car
Next was the Bonnie & Clyde Death Car. Yes the actual car they were driving when they were killed by a Police ambush in Louisiana. In hindsight it probably would have been better if I took the picture of the side with the bullet holes. Trust me, they're there.
Donner Party Memorial
So, did you hear the one about the cannibal that passed his Mother in the woods... sorry, I had to make the joke. On the site is the monument and a small museum. There is also a large construction project going on next to the museum. Perhaps they're building a diner or snack bar, about 150 years to late for that. Seriously though, the memorial is well done, there are plenty of artifacts on display found at the site. As well as plenty of historical information to explain what led up to what happened here. One interesting note, the base of the monument is 22 feet tall. The snow that stranded the Donner party was also 22 feet deep.
written by  Kugs on the road on September 17, 2011 from Carson City, United States

You know, I love a good henge
Vinita, United States
Stubby Stonehenge Rolla, Mo.
Is there a better way to start a trip than a little henge? Stubby Stonehenge is half-sized Stonehenge replica that was built by the high- pressure water lab at University of Missouri's Rolla campus as a way to showcase their stone carving skills. They claim that this is the only henge that actually works as a calender, but my sources tell me that there are 4 other working henges. Maybe one of those henges will be along my route this trip.
After my stop in Rolla, Mo I headed South West towards Oklahoma. Just after I crossed the Oklahoma state line I heard a "ding" from the dashboard. It was the fuel warning light. I looked up just in time to see I was passing an exit with a sign that said "No services for 17 Miles". I was able to make it to the gas station, but I ended up putting 16.6 gallons in a 16.9 gallon tank.
Tomorrow I have several stops planned in Oklahoma including the Will Rogers Museum and a World War II sub Parked on dry land and of course... a gas station.
written by  Kugs on the road on April 4, 2010 from Vinita, United States

Snails & Dolphin for dinner
Deerfield Beach, United States
Snails & Dalphin
For dinner tonight I went back to the DDD List. The Whale's Rib, in Deerfield Beach. As soon as I picked up the menu I saw Escargot listed under appetizers and new I was ordering that. Then I saw Baked Dolphin; I didn't even know you could serve Dolphin. I guess they have to do something with the ones that get caught in the Tuna nets. Actually it's Dolphinfish, otherwise known as Mahi Mahi. Even after my Hawaii incident with Mahi Mahi I ordered it anyway. The snails were prepared in the traditional way, Baked in Garlic & Butter, but they added a twist, A layer of grated Parmesan cheese on top. It was good; I may start doing that when I make them at home.
The Baked Dolphin was also good. This is a restaurant I would defiantly return to. Oh, and when I asked for the check the waitress talked me into a slice of Key Lime Pie. I've never tried Key Lime before because I don't really like Lime at all, but I was feeling adventuress. I now know I don't like Key Lime Pie Either.
Liberty Bell Memorial Museum
But lets rewind a bit. I started the day at the Liberty Bell Memorial Museum in Melbourne. This Museum has two claims to fame. One is the full size replica of the Liberty Bell (minus the crack), and the other is that the museum is in an old cement water tank. Other than that it's kind of Hokey. Displayed along the edge of the round room is a history of the United States. They have a 5 foot paper mache Washington Monument and a Statue of liberty that looks like a mannequin with some green drapes thrown on it. However I did Like the Styrofoam model of the Lincoln Memorial covered with pennies. Fortunately they have the sense not to charge any admission for this.
National Navy Seal Museum
Next was the National Navy Seal Museum in Fort Pierce, The birthplace of the Navy frogman program. Although it's a small Museum, it is very well done. There are multiple displays that show the tools and weapons the Seals and Underwater Demolition Teams used throughout their history. In the yard outside the museum they have a collection of Boats, Submarines and a helicopter that would have been used as swimmer delivery vehicles.
Burt Reynolds & Friends Museum
I swear Burt Reynolds never threw anything away. With all the memorabilia from his career, he had to open a museum. The place is full of photos of every star he ever met. Every award he ever won. Every prop from every movie, except one. Bandit is not here anymore. At one point the Trans Am was on the roof. Then it was in the parking lot. Unfortunately it was getting severely weathered and wasn't looking to good, so Burt took it home to have it restored. Maybe someday it will return. Even though bandit isn't here there are many other things to see, including the canoe and arrows from the movie Deliverance.
I haven't decided what to do tomorrow, I was going to try to take an Airboat ride, But I may just head to Key West and spend a day or two on the beach. Of course a lot of this depends on how crowded the beaches are there and what NASA decides to do.
written by  Kugs on the road on April 30, 2011 from Deerfield Beach, United States

What's for Breakfast? The Terminator
Key West, United States
The Terminator
I've actually been looking forward to this since I left Syracuse. I first saw the Terminator on The Food Network's "Outrageous Foods" and it was outrageous. The Terminator is a 24" pancake made with 1 gallon of batter. This pancake is so big they don't have a plate big enough to serve it on, so they use a pizza pan. As if that isn't enough, they pile on 4 eggs, 6 sausage patties, a pound of Bacon (yes, 1 lbs.), 2 pounds of home fried Potatoes, and Toast. Then they have the nerve to offer for an additional charge to add bananas or blueberries to the pancake. I skipped the extra fruit. I wanted nothing but carbs and cholesterol in my breakfast. If ordering and eating this isn't embarrassing enough, the waitress yells "clear the way, Terminator coming through" all the way across the dining room. After all was said and done, 437 people have tried to finish the Terminator, and still, no one has.
NASA has announced that the shuttle will not launch before May 8th. I need to be back in Syracuse on the 8th. So no shuttle launch for me.
After my Battle with the terminator I decided to head for Key West. I arrived at 3pm with no reservations, and no clue what to expect. I found a hotel a few blocks from the beach and a few blocks from several bars and restaurants. I'm going to hang out here tomorrow, maybe rent a scooter for the day (seems to be the best way to get around). Then head back up the west coast of Florida on Tuesday.
Multitasking
While I was eating dinner I saw this guy outside the restaurant waiting for the light to change to green, eating a burger with one hand, and talking on the phone with the other. A true multitasker. Speaking of dinner, I found a seafood restaurant in Key West!!! I ordered the Summer Seafood Pasta (Finally, some pasta, as if I needed more carbs today), a mix of shrimp and dolphin over a bed of fettuccini with a garlic, white wine and butter sauce. I'm stuffed... Again.
written by  Kugs on the road on May 1, 2011 from Key West, United States

Drive Across Navada
Wendover, United States
I-80 near Navada - Utah border
They may be expecting snow
All I did today was drive across northern Nevada @80mph. Well I kept seeing signs that said 80, turns out I was on I-80, oops. After spending 5 days in this car I discovered today that it has a sunroof, not that I needed it before with all the overcast weather I've had. It will however come in handy for the rest of the trip. I ended the day at the edge of the Bonneville Salt Flats. Tomorrow I drive to the flats, Salt Lake City, and up towards Idaho, gona get me some taters.
written by  Kugs on the road on September 18, 2011 from Wendover, United States

A busy day in Utah
Tremonton, United States
Atomic Bomb "Little Boy"
I started the day at the Wendover Aviation Museum. This is a very small understated museum considering the important part this airfield played in bringing WWII to it's end. This Airfield was used both to train the crew of the Enola Gay as well as develop and test the necessary modifications to the B-29 and the "Little Boy" Atomic Bomb. There really isn't much to see here. The museum owns the original 5 buildings on the airfield, but only the operations building is used as the museum. They only have one airplane on display, a C-54 similar to the cargo plane used to transport parts of the bomb to the Enola Gay for her mission. The plane is in bad shape and needs a lot of work.
Bonneville Salt Flats
The Bonneville Salt Flats. Home of the Bonneville International Raceway. I drove to the race area and at first was lucky that a private event was scheduled for today, I had a good chance of seeing someone run their car rather than just see a big empty lake bed. Ten minuets after I got there they locked down the area to clear the track for a run. Five minuets later he took off, then I saw a puff of smoke, He blew the engine right off the line. Two minuets later we heard the bang. It was going to be at least an hour before anyone else was ready to make a run. I could have driven out to the pit area but I just wasn't comfortable driving a rented 2012 Escalade out on the Salt Flats. So on to my next stop.
Mormon Henge
You know I love a good henge. The last place I would expect to find one is in the middle of the Mormon capital of the world. Of course the Stonehenge skilled nursing and rehabilitation center needed a lawn ornament, so why not.
Lockheed C-130 B
While I was driving north on I-15 to my next stop I saw the Hill Air force Base Aerospace Museum. I couldn't resist. I only had an hour and a quarter before they closed and literally lock the gates. So I had to move fast. I was able to find several planes in their collection that made this worth the stop. A B-17G, a B-29, a B-52G and a C-130B.
It's OK to shoot the Public?
Then back on the road. Time was running low. Maybe it's just me, but I don't recall seeing any public shooting grounds in NY.
Golden Spike Historic Site
I finally made it to the Golden Spike Historic Site at 5:08pm. They close at 5:00. I'm staying in a hotel about 20 miles north of the site. Will I try again tomorrow? I don't know. That will take up most of my morning. I don't know if I can afford the time. From what I have read I'm not sure it is even worth it. The actual golden spike isn't here (it's at Stanford University). The two trains that met here aren’t here (they were sold for scrap) The trains here are imposters. This isn't actually the spot were the railroads met (that's in Colorado) this is just the spot were they held the ceremony. So maybe I saw all I needed to see. Maybe it's best to just keep heading north.
written by  Kugs on the road on September 19, 2011 from Tremonton, United States

A day in Oklahoma
Oklahoma City, United States
Will Rogers Museum - Claremore, OK
Contents of Will Rogers Pockets
I started today with a visit to the Will Rogers Museum in Claremore, OK. Of course the museum is full of Will Rogers memorabilia, paintings of Will, Newspaper clippings of his syndicated column, and reports of his death in Alaska. They also had three small theaters set up, one showing a 30 minute film telling the Story of his life. Another theater was showing the movies that he appeared in. The third one showed footage of Will's roping tricks. I knew he was known for his roping abilities and had seen some clips of him standing on a horse spinning a rope while he was making humerus commentary on the events of the day. But the film that they played showed some tricks that were absolutely amazing. He could throw a Lasso at a passing horse and rider catch the horses head twist the rope 180 degrees an then catch the riders head so the rope ended up in a figure 8.
Of course one of the strangest displays was the contents of his pockets when his plane crashed in Alaska.
Sonic Center of the Universe - Tulsa, OK
Next I stopped in Tulsa, OK to see the "Sonic Center of the Universe" which for the most part was a disappointment. The spot is a small park/ sitting area located on an old bridge in the downtown Tulsa. It was designed in such a way that if you stand in the center you can hear an echo of your voice. But it looks like there hasn't been any maintenance in years, there is a lot of visible weather and human damage. Also it was difficult to hear if the echo thing really works because there were construction noises all around. They were fixing up areas on both sides of the bridge, but no sign of work being done to this little spot.
Giant Oil Man - Tulsa, OK
After that I stopped for a photo op with a giant Oil man ( I seem to be getting closer to Texas, things are getting bigger).
USS Batfish - Muskogee, OK
Then a visit to the USS Batfish, I knew this site was going to be closed and was just hoping to get a good shot of this 1,525 ton ship sitting on the ground or at least mostly above ground. From what I have read this ship was to large to float up the Arkansas river which is only a few hundred yards away. So they ended up putting the ship on some barges to bring the ship to this location. Unfortunately this made the ship to tall to float under most of the bridges, so the army corps of engineers had to lower the level of the river so it would fit. All in all it was quite an engineering feat to get this ship where it is.
Cattlemans Cafe - Oklahoma City, OK
My last stop for the day was my first Triple D stop (Diners, Drive-Inns and Dives). The Cattlemans Cafe is the oldest operating restaurant in Oklahoma City. If you saw this episode on the food network, you'll know that Cattlemans doesn't just specialize in steaks. They also serve brains and eggs (yup, a double scramble) and lamb fries. They say if you don't know what lamb fries are, don't ask, just eat em' and enjoy. So for dinner I had a strip steak with a baked potato a salad and a side of lamb fries. Of course the steak was perfect and the lamb fries .... well they kinda tasted like frog legs. I don't think I will go back in the morning for the scrambled eggs...
I was planning to head to Amarillo TX tomorrow, but I think I'm going to bypass Amarillo and head to Dallas tomorrow.
written by  Kugs on the road on April 5, 2010 from Oklahoma City, United States

Idaho, It's not Just Potatos. OK, it is...
Boise, United States
Idaho Potato Museum
How could I go to Idaho and not go to the Idaho Potato Museum. The museum has lots of potato planting and harvesting equipment, as well as many facts about potatoes. Of course a large collection of potato mashers and Mr. Potato heads.
Craters of the Moon National Monument
My next stop was going to be a tour of the world’s first Nuclear power plant, but they were closed until next Summer. I decided not to wait. it seems that more nuclear reactors have been made in central Idaho than anywhere else in the world. I guess they need the power to bake all those potatoes. So I moved onto the next stop 10 Miles down the road. The Craters of the Moon National Monument. These lava beds were created between 2 and 15 thousand years ago and made it very difficult for the early settlers to pass through the area.
Location of Evel Knievel Snake River Canyon Jump
Last stop, Twin Falls Idaho. The Location of Evel Knievels Famed Snake River Canyon Jump. Because the actual Jump site is on private property, it isn't possible to go to the site, but the arrow in this pic shows the dirt ramp he used to launch the Skycycle.
The trip is winding down. Only a few stops left tomorrow and Thursday. Then I'm on the redeye home Thursday night.
written by  Kugs on the road on September 20, 2011 from Boise, United States

Fun in the Sun
Key West, United States
USCGC Ingham & USS Mohawk
I figured today was a good day to visit some old Navy and Coast Guard Ships. Not that I wouldn't have visited them anyway, but today was a good day for that.
I can see Cuba from here !!!
First thing this morning I took a walk to the nearest scooter rental store. Best thing I ever did. I had a blast all day ridding all over the island on that thing. One of my first stops was to the Southern Most point in the Continental United States.
Cat Drinking Fountain
Then I made a stop at the Hemingway Estate. It's a beautiful House, the grounds are like a jungle with paths weaving their way around to different sitting areas. Of course there are cats and cat Houses everywhere (or should I say Houses for the cats). One of the funnier stories about the property is the drinking fountain for the cats. Someone was remodeling an old bar in the area and Hemingway was able to obtain one of the old urinals from the men’s room. So he laid it down and used it for a drinking fountain for the cats. Hemingway’s wife hated this; so she purchased an Italian Vase and some tile to spruced it up a bit. (You had to know I would find a way to include a picture of a bathroom fixture somehow)
Linguine Pescatore
For Dinner I went Italian, Linguine Pescatore. Basically it’s Shrimp, Scallops, Clams, Muscles, calamari, and fish in a spicy tomato broth and of course, Linguine. It was all excellent except the Calamari was very chewy.
Where the road begins
Of course every road has a beginning, this is the beginning of Rout 1. Of course I will be heading back North on that road tomorrow.
written by  Kugs on the road on May 2, 2011 from Key West, United States

Drive, Drive, Drive...
Fort Myers, United States
Approaching Alligator Alley
I had a nice long drive today. I started out heading North on the Overseas Highway and then turned left through the Everglades. It wasn’t a very eventful day, just lots of roads and Sunshine.
Mel's Diner - Fort Myers, FL
I had all kinds of plans for finding another seafood restaurant tonight. When I stopped for the day I discovered my hotel was next to Mel's Diner. I searched no more. Mel is famous for his baby back ribs, and that was good enough for me.
Tomorrow I'm heading to Thomas Edison and Henry Ford's Winter Estates & Museum Then up to Tampa.
written by  Kugs on the road on May 3, 2011 from Fort Myers, United States

A pen and a henge, Two big stone Structures
Goldendale, United States
Old Idaho Pen Museum
This morning was going to start with a quick trip to the Old Idaho Penitentiary Museum followed by a long drive to southern Washington. When I arrived at the penitentiary I found that they were on winter hours, noon to 5pm. I had about 2 hours before they opened. I was about to leave when I noticed a small Mining Museum next door. So I went in to kill some time. When I signed in the woman working the museum asked where I was from. Come to find out, she was from Brewerton; her family built and operates the Fort Brewerton Blockhouse Museum. We ended up talking for close to an hour. Then I went over to the woman’s prison and looked around there, still I had 45 minutes to wait, and a long drive ahead of me. I got in my car to leave and drove a few blocks to a gas station. Filled the tank and got ready to hit the road. Fifteen more minuets till the pen opened. I drove back and took the quick tour. It was worth the wait. I got on the road about 1:30pm. Fortunately I would be crossing back into the Pacific Time zone, gaining an extra hour.
Sam Hill's Stonehenge
My next stop was the granddaddy of all henges, The Sam Hill Stonehenge in Maryhill, WA. Is probably the first of all the "Clonehenges". But Sam didn't just build this to attract attention. While Sam was in England during WWI he saw the original Stonehenge and was told that it was used for human sacrifices. He remarked "humanity is still being sacrificed to the god of war." After returning home from the war, Sam wanted to pay tribute to the 13 men from the area that did not return home. He didn't want their sacrifice to go unnoticed. That thought reminded him of Stonehenge. On the pillars within the circular structure are 13 bronze plaques with the names of those 13 men. Sam completed this memorial in 1929. This is considered to be the first memorial to WWI solders in the United States.
written by  Kugs on the road on September 21, 2011 from Goldendale, United States

Dallas
Fort Worth, United States
Dallas Texas
Old Texas School Book Depository - Dallas, TX
This morning I drove to Dallas Texas and took a tour of the Sixth Floor Museum. This museum is located on the 6th floor of the old Texas School Book Depository, The place that Lee Harvey Oswald shot JFK from. They don't allow Photography in the Museum so I can't show you any photos of the inside. The Museum consists mostly of photos and text that are on wall hangings throughout the museum and the wireless audio that is included with the tour guides you through it all and tells the story from Kennedy's election to the investigation into the assassination. when you get to the corner window where Oswald stood, they have the area behind glass walls staged the way it was that afternoon. One of the other items they have on display is a scale model of Dealey Plaza that was used by the Warren Commission in their investigation of the assassination.
By the way... The window Oswald shot from was on sixth floor on the far right.
Dealey Plaza - Dallas, TX
After the tour of the museum and a quick stop at the gift shop, I went out to Dealey Plaza to take a few photos. In 1993 Dealey Plaza was declared a National Historic Landmark and has been kept the same as it was in 1963. The picture here was taken from in front of the Depository looking towards the where JFK was shot. They have Paced X'es in the road in the spots where JFK was hit. Even though this is still a very busy road, there are still people who will run out there to have their picture taken on one of those spots. The right side of the photo is the Grassy knoll, the left side is a green area where people stood to watch the motorcade.
Cenotaph - Dallas, TX
A few blocks from Dealey Plaza is the John F. Kennedy Cenotaph or Open Tomb "That symbolizes the freedom of Kennedy's spirit"
Basically it's a 30 foot square cement block. It was originally going to be marble, but cement was cheaper.
Chefs Point Diner - Watauga, TX
This may look like your average Conoco gas station... but inside is gourmet restaurant, well the food is gourmet, the decor is still gas station. This is another DDD tour stop. The story is in 2001 the owners were trying to open a restaurant, but the banks were not willing to lend them the money because of their lack of experience running a restaurant. However, the bank was OK with lending them money to buy a gas station... So they found a gas station under construction and bought it, added a kitchen and the Chef Point Cafe was born. The tables and chairs are very much what you would expect in a gas station convenience store eatery, the food is closer to what you would find in a 4 star restaurant.
Escargot
I started with the Escargot stuffed in mushroom caps topped with sherry wine sauce. Not only were they the best escargot I've had in any gas station, They were the best I've ever had. For diner I was thinking of getting the Lamb Chops, But ended up getting the Seafood Supreme, which is shrimp, scallops, calamari & fresh vegetables, in a roasted bell pepper sauce over bow-tie pasta. After all that, I was stuffed. So I ordered the "Worlds Best" Bread Pudding to go. I don't know if it's the worlds best, but I thought it was pretty good.
Tomorrow I'm heading towards Corpus Christi with a few interesting stops along the way.
written by  Kugs on the road on April 6, 2010 from Fort Worth, United States

Last day, a visit to Roslyn and diner at Bizzarro
Seattle, United States
City of George, WA
On my way back to Seattle I made a quick stop to see George, Washington. Why? Why not, how often do you get the chance to visit George, Washington. OK, George was pretty boring, but I did kill an hour and a half driving there and back. and there was some nice scenery along the way.
Side Wall of Roslyn Cafe in Roslyn, WA
Then I stopped in Roslyn. The old Northern Exposure town of Cicely, Alaska. I was here 19 years ago while the show was still in production. There have been a few changes in the town since then, but not many. The storefronts for KBHR and Ruth-Anne's store are gone. The storefront that used to be Dr. Fleischman's office is now a gift shop, Marilyn's desk and chair are still in there. The Brick and the Roslyn Cafe are still open. But the Moose is long gone. I was told that Dave, the cook at the Brick, now lives in town and is trying to revive the show. Also next July at the Roslyn Moose Festival Rob Morrow and Janine Turner are scheduled to make an appearance.
Last but not least, Diner at Bizzarro Cafe. Ever since my first night in Seattle all I can think about is the Clams with Linguine diner I had there. I have to say that was the best meal I've ever had. No other meal has ever left my mouth watering for it ten days later. But did I order it again, no. I decided I didn't want to chance tarnishing the memory of that meal, so I decided to try something new. Ducky Pillows; Homemade pasta stuffed with duck and white beans with a white wine and sage butter sauce. It was excellent, not as good as the Clams and Linguini, but still an excellent meal. Now i just have to find more reasons to go back to Seattle so I can try the rest of the menu at Bizzaro.
So now I'm at the airport, my flight starts boarding in 30 minuets and I should be home by 11am on Friday. Then I can sleep the rest of the day.
BTW: according to the odometer on the rental car I drove 3,137 Miles.
written by  Kugs on the road on September 22, 2011 from Seattle, United States

From Edison to Airstreams
Dover, United States
Thomas Edison among the Banyan Trees
I started the day at the Edison - Ford Winter Estate in Fort Myers, FL. Although both Thomas Edison and Henry Ford had their winter Estates here The Museum and tour are very much about Edison. The majority of the Estate was built and designed by Edison. Because the Fords were such close friends of the Edison’s, They were often invited to spend time at the estate. When the property next to the Edison’s was for sale, Henry Ford Purchased it and they joined the two Estates. Across the street is the museum that houses hundreds of Edison's inventions and one of Fords cars.
After that I tried to visit a couple of other attractions as I drove towards Tampa. Unfortunately one wasn't open and the other was out of business.
So I drove to Indian Rocks Beach for an early dinner at Keegan's Seafood Grille. I saw this restaurant on one of the first episodes of DDD I ever saw. I remember thinking, if I ever go back to Florida; I have to go there. So I did. And it was well worth it. On the show the dish that caught my eye was Grilled Octopus, and that is what I ordered. It was fantastic, well worth the drive.
After an early dinner I headed East through Tampa during rush hour (ok, not the best plan). After fighting my way through traffic, I arrived at the Airstream Ranch. Eight Airstream campers planted in the ground along I 4 East.
Airstream Ranch
Tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo, time to get the hell out of Florida. I'm heading North.
written by  Kugs on the road on May 4, 2011 from Dover, United States

Heading North
Ashburn, United States
Mini Mt. Rushmore
First stop today was the Presidents Hall of Fame in Clermont, FL. It was closed. Fortunately they had a few displays outside. The Mt. Rushmore, Lincoln Memorial, and Statue of Liberty were well done. The Limo of President Regan was not so good. From what I've read though they have some very cool displays inside. Their replica of the White House has been on several national TV shows including Today and GMA. It has also been displayed at the Smithsonian. But I didn't get to see those things... They were closed.
"Big Daddy" Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing
Next stop, Big Daddy's. The Museum of Drag Racing is not just about Don Garlits, It's also the Drag Racing Hall of Fame. Although a lot of the dragsters here are Don's There are Dragsters and funny cars that have been donated by a lot of other drivers. The Dragster in the picture is the one that almost Killed Don when the transmission exploded. That incident was the inspiration for the development of the rear engine Dragster. I also got a very cool souvenir from the museum, a used rear wheel bearing from Don's 1940 Rat Rod, Personally engraved with his autograph.
Peanuts!
I then drove several hours North Crossed into Georgia and settled for the night in Ashburn. The home of a really big peanut. I have a busy day tomorrow. I want to hit three museums in Southern Georgia and then head North and try to get to Dayton, OH by Saturday night at the latest. Saturday morning would be better, but I have to be there by Saturday night.
written by  Kugs on the road on May 5, 2011 from Ashburn, United States

One Good Henge Deserves Another
San Antonio, United States
Stonehenge II - Hunt, TX
Today was a great day, the weather was perfect. I avoided the interstates almost all day, and I had a nice long drive on country roads. I couldn't have asked for more.
Aurora Cemetery - Aurora, TX
Aurora Cemetery seems like your average rural cemetery at first, But according to local legend (and the plaque next to the gate) They have a very special visitor interred somewhere inside the gates. According to the legend, in 1897 a Spaceship crashed near there and the pilot was found dead. The pilot's body was buried in the cemetery and his grave marked with an odd shaped stone. At some point the marking stone was removed or stolen and now it's anyone's guess where the alien is buried.
Japanese HA-19 Sub - Fredericksburg, TX
The National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg, TX Was much more than I was expecting. My main reason for stopping here was to see the Japanese HA-19 WWII sub. This two man sub was one of five used by the Japanese to attack Pearl Harbor. Like the other four, this sub was unsuccessful in it's mission. However this is the only one of the five to survive.
Easter Island Statue - Hunt, TX
In 1989 Doug Hill Stood a large limestone rock upright in his friend Al Shepperd's Field. This sparked the imagination of both men. A few months later Al commissioned Doug to build Stonehenge II, and eventually two 12 foot Easter Island statues.
For dinner tonight I decided to go to Lulu's Cafe in San Antonio, TX. I heard about Lulu's on the Travel Channels "Man vs Food". Lulu's is famous for 2 things, their huge Chicken fried steak and their 3 pound cinnamon rolls. The steak was definitely huge, but I've only had Chicken fried steak one other time and I'm still not impressed. I'm going back in the morning for a cinnamon roll to see if that is better than the steak.
written by  Kugs on the road on April 7, 2010 from San Antonio, United States

Some Civil War History
Loudon, United States
Andersonville Prisoner of War Camp
Once again I started my day at a closed Museum. Don't people in the south know that when the sign on the door says you open at 10am someone needs to be there to open the door at 10am. So I drove an hour down the road to the site of the Andersonville Prisoner of War Camp. Although the picture looks like an empty Field, on this site was the largest Civil War Prisoner of War Camp. Andersonville was only operated for about 15 months, but during that time it held 45,000 prisoners. Due to the overcrowding and the lack of sanitation and food, during those 15 months 12,920 prisoners died. Those that did survive were not in very good shape. One of the survivors, Sgt. David Kennedy of the 9th Ohio Cavalry wrote that "... it takes 7 of it's ocupiants to make a shadow". (his spelling not mine)
Andersonville National Cemetery
Of course with a 29% mortality rate, they needed a cemetery next to the prison. This cemetery is not only the resting place of the nearly 13,000 prisoners from Andersonville. There are also over 800 other civil war veterans interred here.
CSS Ram Jackson
After Andersonville I drove to Columbus, GA. To the Civil War Maritime Museum. The centerpiece of this Museum is the recovered Hull of the CSS Ironclad Ram Jackson. Confederate soldiers scuttled this 223’ Ironclad ship in 1865 to keep the Union from getting a hold of it. The remains of the ship were discovered and recovered in 1963 and are now on display in the museum.
written by  Kugs on the road on May 6, 2011 from Loudon, United States

It’s cold, The sky is gray, and it's starting to rain, I must be near Syracuse.
Columbus, United States
It is what it says on the building....
The final stop on our tour... Maybe. I've wanted to make a trip to this museum for several years. I've always heard it is the best Air Museum that there is, and I do agree. I have been to a lot of other Air Museums and this one dwarfs them all, including the Smithsonian and the Naval Aviation Museum. I swear they must have one of every plane the Air Force has ever flown, and a few that they shot down. There are three hangers full of planes. To give you an idea of how big these hangers are. In one hanger they have a B52 Bomber (a huge plane) plus about 200 other planes, all in the one hanger.
B29 BOCKSCAR
In the WWI - WWII hanger they have the B29 Bockscar. This is the plane that dropped the second Atomic bomb on Nagasaki that ended WWII.
B2 Stealth Bomber
In the Cold War hanger they have a B2 Stealth Bomber. I have never seen one of these up close before. I was surprised of how big this plane really is, and considering the shape of the plane it's hard to believe this plane could fly.
Apollo 15
They also have a section for Rockets and Space exploration. They have the Apollo 15 capsule on display because that was the only Apollo mission with all Air Force pilots.
After about 4 hours of exploring this museum (and I was hurrying through it) I hit the road again. I am now about 6 hours from Syracuse. If the weather is good tomorrow I might make a quick stop in Cleveland to see a Navy Submarine, But then it's back home.
written by  Kugs on the road on May 7, 2011 from Columbus, United States

Dinner was Awesome
Lockhart, United States
Cinnamon Roll from Lulu's Cafe
I started today out with a 3 lbs Cinnamon roll from Lulu's I ripped off a hunk and crammed it in my mouth... Wow, tons of sugar... Then I heard that little voice in my head saying that I needed a real breakfast... So I went back into Lulu's and ordered some ham & eggs (yes Tom, With home-fries and toast).
Wooden Nickle - San Antonio, TX
Originally I wasn't going to, But I decided to go to the Alamo... there were about 100 people outside waiting to get in... so I just kept driving.
Then I headed over to the Wooden Nickle Museum. I found the Nickle, But not the Museum.
LBJ's Oval Office - Austin, TX
So I drove up to Austin to the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library & Museum. It wasn't the best Presidential Museum I've been to but it was OK.
Smitty's Market - Lockhart, TX
The Governor of Texas has declared Lockhart, TX to be the official "Barbecue Capital of Texas". The travel channel featured 3 of Lockhart's Barbecue joints on a show called "Barbecue Paradise", The difficult part was choosing which one to go to. I chose Smitty's Market. Trust me the Dinosaur would go out of business if Smitty's moved to Syracuse, and don't expect me to bring back any jars of their sauce either, there is no sauce. Texas Barbecue isn't about sauce, it's about the cooking.
The Smokers at Smitty's
When you walk into Smitty's they send you to the back room to get your meat. In the back there's a counter and behind that are the cookers with a fire on the floor at each end of the oven. You order what you want and the man in back lifts the steel cover over one of the cookers and pulls out a hunk of meat and cuts it to order on the butcher block. Then they wrap it in butcher paper with some bread and crackers and send you back into the dinning room. There you order your sides and drinks and have a seat at one of the long tables.
My Dinner - Smitty's Market
I ordered kind of a sample platter. 4 Ribs, 2 Slices of brisket, a ring of sausage, a side of coleslaw and a beer. They don't have plates at Smitty's nor do they have forks. You get a plastic knife and if you need it, a plastic spoon. The plastic knife was more than enough to cut the meat. Everything was tender and juicy and melt in your mouth good. If you ever go to Texas, go to Lockhart for dinner. If your ever near Texas, go to Lockhart. It's worth the trip.
written by  Kugs on the road on April 8, 2010 from Lockhart, United States

Back home again
Well I decided to skip the submarine tour and head straight home. So after a quick 6 hour drive I arrived home about 3:30. Unloaded the car, picked up Sebastian, and returned the rental car.
The Final tally was: 4125 Miles in 75 hrs 28 min of drive time averaging 55MPH
I Hope you enjoyed following my trip. I’m sure we’ll do it again.
written by  Kugs on the road on May 8, 2011 from Syracuse, United States

USS Lexington
Bay City, United States
USS Lexington - Corpus Christi, TX
A nice slow day today. This morning I drove to Corpus Christi and spent about 3 hours touring The Lexington. The Lex is WWII era Aircraft Carrier. It took 3 hours to walk through the tour and they only allow you in a small portion of the ship. To give you an Idea how big an Aircraft Carrier is: It is as tall as a 19 Story building and the flight deck is big enough to play 14 basketball games at the same time. Not to mention the fact that airplanes can land and take off up there.
After the Lex I drove up the gulf coast towards Galveston and stopped in a small town called Bay City. I really didn't have any restaurants planned for this part of the trip, but was hoping to find some good seafood restaurants in the area. I didn't. So I ended up at a kind of Fast Food Bar-B-Que joint. It was OK, But nothing special. It had the basics of a good Texas Barbecue, but it definitely had a Fast Food aura around it.
Tomorrow I'm heading to Galveston to see more ships. Then to the Houston area for a couple days and then over to Atlanta to see my Brother and his family for a few days.
written by  Kugs on the road on April 9, 2010 from Bay City, United States

A rainy day to tour some Navy ships
La Porte, United States
USS Cavalla - Galveston, TX
First stop today was to Sea Wolf Park in Galveston to visit the USS Cavalla. Although the Cavalla was first put into service in the latter part of WWII, She made up for lost time sinking 34,000 tons of Japanese ships including the aircraft carrier Shokaku that had participated in the attack on Pearl Harbor.
USS Stewart - Galveston, TX
After the Cavalla I did a Walk through of the USS Stewart. The Stewart is a WWII era Destroyer Escort that spent most of her life on training missions.
Ocean Star Museum - Galveston, TX
On my way out of Galveston I stopped at the Ocean Star Oil Drilling Platform and Museum. A very informative museum with a lot of models, photos and diagrams to help explain the different types of oil platforms and how they work.
USS Texas - La Porte, TX
About an hour north of Galveston in La Porte, TX is the USS Texas. Built just before WWI, This ship not only fought in both World Wars, but has also been assigned to both the Atlantic and Pacific fleet. In 1948 The USS Texas became the first Battleship Memorial Museum.
Dinner tonight was another DDD tour stop. T-Bone Tom's Is yet another Bar-B-Q joint, and again to be fair I ordered the same 3 meats to make my comparison. Although I did order an Armadillo Egg for an appetizer tonight. No, it's not an actual Armadillo egg (do armadillo's even lay eggs?). This egg is a large Jalapeno pepper stuffed with pulled pork dredged in buttermilk, flour and bread crumbs and deep fried. It definitely had some heat to it, but it was good. As for the Bar-B-Q, it was tender and juicy, but I still think Smitty's is in the lead for flavor and the authentic atmosphere.
written by  Kugs on the road on April 10, 2010 from La Porte, United States

Presidents and Prisons
Huntsville, United States
George H.W. Bush Library & Museum - College Station, TX
I'm running a little ahead of schedule so I'm spending the next couple of days seeing things in the Huston area. Today I went to a couple of museums just North of Huston. First was the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum. This was so much better than the LBJ Museum. The LBJ was mostly pictures and text on the walls.
The White House - George H.W. Bush Museum
The Bush museum was very interactive, and they had a lot of things for kids. In the section devoted to Bush's years in the CIA I watched a kid put his hand on a palm scanner, the monitor then showed how it was narrowing in on his location using satellite camera's until it zoomed into the top of his head with a camera in the ceiling. The kid thought it was the greatest thing. My favorite was a room that was setup as a replica of the Bush's Living room where they had a TV playing outtakes from PSA's that the bush's had recorded and clips of Dana Carvey Impersonating the President. Overall, a very well done museum.
Texas Prison Museum - Huntsville, TX
Then it was off to the Texas Prison Museum. Actually not my first prison museum. As far as prison museums go... it was about average. It had all the things you might expect at a prison museum, weapons that the guards used over the years, Weapons that the prisoners used. They also had a cell setup so that you could have your picture taken in prison. They will even lend you a striped shirt for the photo.
"Old Sparky" Texas Prison Museum
The other thing you tend to find in a prison museum is a chair called sparky. I don't know why but all prisons seem to call their electric chair "Sparky". The other thing you'll find in a good prison museum, is their wall of fame. One of the most famous prisoners of the Texas prison system was David Crosby from Crosby, Stills, Nash and sometimes Young.
Dinner tonight was nothing special, I went to a place called Bob Luby's Seafood Grill. I think they should change their name to Bob Luby's Seafood Deep Fryer...
written by  Kugs on the road on April 11, 2010 from Huntsville, United States

Kind of a Dead day... in more ways than one...
Houston, United States
Giant Sam Houston Statue - I 45 - Houston, TX
Along I 45 North of Houston is a Giant Statue of Sam Houston. I don't know why they put it someplace where you can only view it at 70 mph. Oh, and those trees behind the statue, are not short trees. This is a very tall statue.
Hearse - National Museum of Funeral History - Houston, TX
So my tour stop for today was the National Museum of Funeral History. I don't know how this place stays in business, the place was completely dead when I got there. I was the only one in this huge Museum. After a while a bus full of senior citizens arrived, But I think they were just there to shop.
Marcellus Casket - National Museum of Funeral History - Houston, TX
Surprisingly they did have a display on the Making of caskets at the Marcellus Casket Co in Syracuse. They also had a couple of Marcellus Caskets on display including this one that is identical to the one Ronald Regan was buried in.
Embalming Table - National Museum of Funeral History - Houston, TX
Of course the museum is much more than an extensive collection of hearses and caskets. They also have a collection of embalming equipment throughout the years. Ever wonder what the procedure is for burying a Pope? Well they have a large section of the museum dedicated to just that. They also have one of the Pope mobiles that J2P2 used in the UK.
For dinner I did a return to T-Bone Tom's. It was good once so I figured I would give it a second chance. This time I had "Tom's Choice" a 14 oz marinated rib eye steak. Like the food last time I was here, it was very good.
Tomorrow I am taking a "Level 9" tour of the Johnson Space Center. The Level 9 tour is only available to 12 people a day and takes you to parts of the space center that you normally would not be able to see.
written by  Kugs on the road on April 12, 2010 from Houston, United States

Johnson Space Center was so cool
Houston, United States
Johnson Space Center - Houston, TX
Wow, What a cool day. I got to the Johnson Space Center about an hour and a half early. I figured that would give me time to see some of the things they had on display in the main building. I was a bit surprised that they had very few historic items on display. Mostly they had a lot of activities for kids, some of them were for big kids too. One of the first things I did was lay on a bed of nails, Real nails. it was amazingly comfortable. After that I went to a flight simulator and crashed the shuttle twice. I hung around and did a few other things until it was time for the level 9 tour to start.
Fabrication Lab
The first stop on the tour was lunch in the cafeteria where the employees and astronauts eat. Then we went to the fabrication lab. this is where thy build prototypes of things that could end up being used in future missions. Right now they are working on designing inflatable living quarters to be used when we land on other planets. This area is not on the normal tour.
Neutral Buoyancy Training Lab
Next was the Neutral Buoyancy Lab. This is a pool that is 200' x 110' and 40' deep and in the pool is a full size mock-up of the International Space Station. This is used for astronauts to train in an almost weightless atmosphere. At the bottom of the picture you can see two astronauts that were just pulled out of the pool and are getting out of their suits. Again, this is an area you would not see on the normal tour.
Full Size Mock-up of The ISS
The full size mock-up lab is just what it says a full size mock-up of the ISS. Every module that is part of the ISS is in this room. Normally the level 9 tour would be able to go down to the main floor, But because the shuttle is in space they only want employees on the floor and all tours must stay up in the observation area.
Mission Control
One of the coolest parts of the tour was to be able to sit in the observation room for mission control. This is the room where they are controlling and monitoring every aspect of the current shuttle mission. Again, you don't see this on the regular tour.
Historic Mission Control
Then there is the Historic Mission Control. This is the room where they ran all of the Apollo Missions Including the Apollo 13 mission that happened 40 years earlier to the day. The other cool thing was while we were taking turns having our pictures taken in the Flight Directors chair, the regular tour was in the observation room watching us, because the regular tour isn't allowed in the main room.
Saturn V Rocket
The last stop on the tour was to see the restored Saturn V Rocket. This was originally going to be the launch vehicle for Apollo 18. After the last few Apollo Missions were canceled this rocket just sat in a field at this location for close to 30 years till NASA decided to restore it and set it up as a display. This is one of 3 Saturn V rockets on display. There is one at the Kennedy Space center in Florida, and one displayed vertically in Huntsville Alabama.
The tour ended around 4:45, I made a quick stop at the gift shop then headed east of Houston for about an hour. Tomorrow I continue east heading towards my brothers house near Atlanta.
written by  Kugs on the road on April 13, 2010 from Houston, United States

Slug Bug !
Ocean Springs, United States
Slug Bug Red - I 10 East Texas
Well the trip is winding down, I drove as far as Ocean Springs, MS today then stopped for dinner and the night.
The Shed - Ocean Springs, MS
Possibly the last BarBeQue restaurant on my tour. "The Shed Barbeque and Blues Joint" is another spot I heard of on Travel Channels "Barbeque Paradise" the same place I heard about Smitty's. If this place looks like a dump there's a good reason for that, It was built out of materials that were found at the dump.
Dining romm at The Shed
The building may be a dump, but the food and music are top notch. I had the sample platter, a mix of smoked sausage, ribs, Chicken wings, pork and beef. It was all good, but I felt the beef was a bit dry. The ribs however were so tender and tasty, they just fell off the bone. So far I still rate Smitty's #1 and would place the Shed #2. and T-bone Tom's in 3rd.
I should be ariving at my Brother's House for dinner tomorrow and stay there till Sunday. Then Back in Syracuse Tuesday night.
written by  Kugs on the road on April 14, 2010 from Ocean Springs, United States

Some time to rest
Marietta, United States
Not much to tell, spent most of the day driving to my Brother's House. Arrived about 6:00pm had dinner, drank about 2 bottles of champagne, played some cards and it's time to crash. Tomorrow will be another day of relaxing. My Sister-in-law is going to teach me to make fudge, I will practice eating it, and tomorrow night my nephew and I are going to a comedy club to see Dave Atell.
written by  Kugs on the road on April 15, 2010 from Marietta, United States

Chicken, Fudge and Funny people in Atlanta
Marietta, United States
Giant Robotic Chicken
A very relaxing day, Went out with my Brother and Sister-in-law to get some Ice cream and drove by the giant Chicken. This 56' tall Chicken has been a famous Marietta landmark since the early 60's. it was destroyed in a 1996 tornado, but with some help from Pepsi it was restored including the moving eye and beak.
Fudge
I also spent some time having my Sister-in-law teach me how to make her fudge recipe. Because I just can't get down here often enough to satisfy my fudge addiction.
The Punchline - Atlanta, Ga
After dinner my nephew Eric and I went to the Punchline comedy club to see Dave Atell with Mat Davis as his opening act. Very funny show but I don't recall any jokes that were clean enough to repeat here.
Saturday, my other nephew and his fiance are coming over for dinner and to hang out and drink champagne.
written by  Kugs on the road on April 17, 2010 from Marietta, United States

On my way home
Bristol, United States
I had a great day yesterday at my Brothers House. I spent the morning helping out with a few computer issues and helping to set up a computer for my Sister-in-law. After that my nephew Dan and his fiance Hilary came over, we opened several bottles of champagne and the fun began. We had a fabulous dinner and spent the evening playing canasta. I ended up staying up till 3am with my nephew Eric playing poker.
I got up at 8am on Sunday and hung out at my Brothers till noon then hit the road. I made it as far as Bristol, TN and decided to get off the road and get some rest.
Tomorrow I hope to get an early start and make one last tour stop along the way and still get home at a decent hour.
written by  Kugs on the road on April 18, 2010 from Bristol, United States

Back Home Again
North Syracuse, United States
Foamhenge - Natural Bridge, VA
Well, I started with a henge, I went to a henge in the middle, So where better to end the trip... FOAMHENGE !
That's right a full scale replica of Stonehenge made from foam. This must be my favorite henge because it's the only one I've been to more than once. In fact this is the third Spring in a row I've visited Foamhenge. It also happens to be right along the way to both my nephews House in Raleigh and my brothers House in Atlanta.
How about a few fun facts about foamhenge and the original Stonehenge.
Stonehenge was built with stones weighing 50 tons.
Foamhenge was built with Styrofoam blocks weighing 400 pounds.
Stonehenge was built in 1,500 years by 600 - 1,000 men.
Foamhenge was built in 6 weeks by 4 Mexicans and 1 crazy white guy.
Sebastian, Home Again
Sebastian got home crawled into his chair and fell asleep. I think Martina completely wore him out.
And finally, a few trip facts:
I drove 5,107.8 Miles in 84.33 Hrs averaging 60.4 MPH. I used 173 gallons of gas and got 29.5 MPG.
Well I hope everyone enjoyed following along with me on this trip, I know I enjoyed sharing it with you. I'm sure we'll do this again on my next adventure.
written by  Kugs on the road on April 19, 2010 from North Syracuse, United States

U.S. Air Force Museum

Diner at Rick's

Rick's White Light Diner

Kentucky Stonehenge

National Corvette Museum

Athens Family Restaurant

Antique Archaeology

Tennessee Museum of Aviation

The Button Museum

Catfish Dinner @ The Farmer's Shed

South Carolina Cotton Museum

The Farmer's Shed

Propeler from the CSS PEE DEE

Oyster Dinner at Nance's Creekside

Murrels Inlet, SC

La Caraquena restaurant

FDR Memorial

Combo Platter at Stoney Creek Inn

Crash Test Dummy At the DMV

GPS Screen Shot

Side Wall of Roslyn Cafe in Roslyn, WA

City of George, WA

Sam Hill's Stonehenge

Old Idaho Pen Museum

Location of Evel Knievel Snake River Canyon Jump

Craters of the Moon National Monument

Idaho Potato Museum

Golden Spike Historic Site

It's OK to shoot the Public?

Lockheed C-130 B

Mormon Henge

Bonneville Salt Flats

Atomic Bomb "Little Boy"

I-80 near Navada - Utah border

They may be expecting snow

Folsom Prison

Bonnie & Clyde Death Car

Donner Party Memorial

Entering Weed, CA

Pacfic Ocean

Oregon Sunset

45th Parallel

Spruce Goose

Tacoma Narrows Bridge

USS Independence

USS Turner Joy

Jimi Hendrix Grave

A Henge or not a Henge

Greak Hobo

Clams with Linguinie

Bizzarro Italian Cafe

View of Seattle

Space Needle

It is what it says on the building....

Kugs in Space

B29 BOCKSCAR

B2 Stealth Bomber

Apollo 15

CSS Ram Jackson

Andersonville National Cemetery

Andersonville Prisoner of War Camp

Peanuts!

"Big Daddy" Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing

Mini Mt. Rushmore

Airstream Ranch

Thomas Edison among the Banyan Trees

Mel's Diner - Fort Myers, FL

Approaching Alligator Alley

USCGC Ingham & USS Mohawk

Where the road begins

My Rented Scooter

I can see Cuba from here !!!

Linguine Pescatore

Cat Drinking Fountain

Summer Seafood Pasta

Multitasking

Me and the Terminator

The Terminator

Snails & Dalphin

Liberty Bell Memorial Museum

Burt Reynolds & Friends Museum

National Navy Seal Museum

Traffic Piling up behind me

The Field I was going to watch the launch from

Bar-B-Que Dinner

Steel Replica of Wright Brothers Plane

Crab Benedict

Singletons Seafood Shack

Upside Down House

Myrtle Beach

My Room in Myrtle Beach

A Bucket of Oysters

Johnny Apple Seed

Sebastian, Home Again

Foamhenge - Natural Bridge, VA

Foamhenge Sign - Natural Bridge, VA

The Punchline - Atlanta, Ga

Fudge

Giant Robotic Chicken

Dining romm at The Shed

The Shed - Ocean Springs, MS

Slug Bug Red - I 10 East Texas

Saturn V Rocket

Mission Control

Historic Mission Control

Full Size Mock-up of The ISS

Neutral Buoyancy Training Lab

Fabrication Lab

Embalming Table - National Museum of Funeral History - Houston, TX

Marcellus Casket - National Museum of Funeral History - Houston, TX

Hearse - National Museum of Funeral History - Houston, TX

Giant Sam Houston Statue - I 45 - Houston, TX

"Old Sparky" Texas Prison Museum

Texas Prison Museum - Huntsville, TX

The White House - George H.W. Bush Museum

George H.W. Bush Library & Museum - College Station, TX

USS Texas - La Porte, TX

Ocean Star Museum - Galveston, TX

USS Stewart - Galveston, TX

USS Cavalla - Galveston, TX

USS Lexington - Corpus Christi, TX

Wooden Nickle - San Antonio, TX

Smitty's Market - Lockhart, TX

The Smokers at Smitty's

LBJ's Oval Office - Austin, TX

My Dinner - Smitty's Market

Cinnamon Roll from Lulu's Cafe

Easter Island Statue - Hunt, TX

Japanese HA-19 Sub - Fredericksburg, TX

Aurora Cemetery - Aurora, TX

Stonehenge II - Hunt, TX

Dallas Texas

Escargot

Chefs Point Diner - Watauga, TX

Cenotaph - Dallas, TX

Dealey Plaza - Dallas, TX

Old Texas School Book Depository - Dallas, TX

Will Rogers Museum - Claremore, OK

Contents of Will Rogers Pockets

USS Batfish - Muskogee, OK

Sonic Center of the Universe - Tulsa, OK

Cattlemans Cafe - Oklahoma City, OK

Giant Oil Man - Tulsa, OK

Oklahoma Rest Area

Stubby Stonehenge Rolla, Mo.