May myPinkyUpdate: Volume 1, Issue 11 (3.5 MB)
May: I biked a 25+ mile loop from Branch-Two Rivers-Manitowoc-Branch every other day. I ran 5 miles down Stone Road to the Manitowoc River and back every other day. Some days I did both. I read a lot. I helped Krupski move. I continued to play board games and also mixed in some serious backyard gaming.
The only thing that I took a picture of during this month was meeting with my brother and a few of his coworkers in Waukesha to give as good a motivational speech as a hobo can give to a few employees that would be finding themselves unemployed in early June due to the company closing it's Waukesha Division.
Company Facing Shutdown Enlists Hobo to Discuss Alternative Employment Opportunities
Smiths Medical, a world leader in the design and manufacture of medical devices, resorted to an unorthodox motivational speaker to help boost employee morale leading up the the Waukesha Facilitiy's shutdown.
A middle manager stated "We brought Mike (the creator and updater of mypinkyup.com) to our facility to help encourage our workers that even in this challenging economic environment there are some new and exciting work opportunities out there. Moving forward, I felt that I needed to think outside of the box for my employees. My team has had great synergy leading into this shutdown and I feel as though we should have been working as if a shut down was eminent all along." As it turns out, the employees at Smiths Medical did not have that "shut-down" mentality and many will be left unemployed starting in early June.
Hobo Mike knows a thing or two about unemployment and he definitely has the shut-down attitude. In his ramblings if he gets sick of something, it's highly likely that he will hang-up his hammock and shut everything down, maybe with a good book. Like most hobos Mike has lived a life of anonymity. He has tried to recitfy this problem by pedaling bumper stickers for his website. He is also going the way of famous hobo, Utah Phillips, who ran for President in 1976 for the Do-Nothing Party, by being the campaign manager and Vice Presidential Candidate for fellow Whig, Ryan Marquardt's Presidential campaign.
Mike spoke briefly about following your dreams (as long as they don't wander too far from an unabandoned railroad line) and what to pack in your bindle stick for life as a hobo. He also stressed the need to stay true to the Hobo Ethical Code even though he has had a hard time following the Fourth Commandment of the Hobos. Hobo Mike's talk was short and choppy. Motivational nuggets were as hard to find as crumbs on his plate. He seemed to be more focused on eating his free meal and at one point he got a little twitchy when a train's horn rang out in the distance.
All joking aside, a few of my brother's coworkers were kind enough to pose for a pinky-up photo-op. I hope that they know full well that they are some of the most able individuals that this country has and if they can keep their spirits high, learn that shut-down mentality they will have no problem finding success in the near future. Jim and James may even have a shot at a successful career in my style of hoboing as Jim is traveling from Bozeman to San Francisco before he goes back to the life of a barnacle. James is hoofing it down to Austin, TX.
April myPinkyUpdate: Volume 1, Issue 10 (17.5 MB)
I turned a 2,000 mile trip from Portland to Manitowoc into a 3,000 mile pleasure cruise......looking for Henry the Bear, having a look around Yellowstone and Devil's Tower, eating my first (and last) Big Mac at the McFarthest Spot, and surprising my parents on Easter morning after driving for a ridiculous 24 hours straight.
From then on it was some good old fashioned Wisconsin fun at Miller Park and the Bradley Center.
In the middle of May I noticed something lying amongst the wood cihps and dirt on the 10th hole down at Silver Creek's Disc Golf Course. To my surprise it was someone's cell phone. It had been lying camoflauged for nearly two weeks (based on the last received text message and the fact that the service had been discontinued), but the battery still worked. I didn't think much of it and I immediately took the phone into the police station.
The following day I realized that I may have stumbled upon something more than JUST a lost cell phone. What if it was another Apple prototype? A week earlier the internet had been all abuzz about a recovered and reviewed iPhone 4G. Was I just as fortunate. Well, I was going to go back to the police station to request the phone back but instead Josh and I found another phone at Silver Creek the next time we were down there. The following review/video ensued. I did it quickly in one take, just so I could return it to the owner. The thing rang like crazy, we're talking a phone call every couple of minutes.
New York Times - Moment in Time
This is where I caught myself on May 2, 2010 at 10:00 am for the New York Times "moment in time." You could say that I was caught with my pants down.
I actually had to stage the shot, because I had rushed out of the house to go discing, and completely forgot about wanting to take a picture of what I was doing at that time. However, this probably worked out even better.
Moving and Settling
I also aided the future president in moving out of his current house. It was absolutely horrible. I was expecting to just lift some heavy stuff, eat some pizza, and have a beer or two, but it turned into a whole lot of packing, moving, and thinking. I could have done without the thinking and the packing. In hindsight, I'm thankful because I'm quite sure no move will ever be as bad as this one. And when we move into the White House we'll have Sevret Service members there to do the moving for us.
Much time has been spent settling Catan. The whole family is hooked on this fantastic eurogame.
The Milwaukee Bucks made a little noise in this year's NBA playoffs and Ben and I jumped right on that bandwagon.
We attended game 6, expecting to see the Atlanta Hawks knocked out of the playoffs in the first round, but instead the Bucks scored 11 points in the 3rd quarter reminding me more of a grade school girls' basketball game rather than an NBA performance. The Hawks ended up with a lopsided victory and eventually eliminated the Bucks in Game 7.
The few highlights were Jerry Stackhouse singing the National Anthem and Bango and the Rim Rockers high-flying acrobatics. I also made some sweet posters, but I quit using them after jabbing the man in front of me in the head with one.
Ben's Brewers Boondoggle
As always Ben's Brewers Boondoggle was a great time, albeit time spent with way too many people from Illinois. This drawback was magnified by the fact that the Cubs were the opposing team.
However, Train and I didn't care because we stayed in the parking lot, playing cribbage, while everyone else went in and saw the Crew get creamed. There's only one real way to enter Miller Park (to the left), blowing THE Trumpet to the Baywatch theme. I was surprised that passersby were not fans of the Hoff. I know we're not in Europe, but come on, this is the Hoff we're talking about?
I also had the opportunity to give some guy frmo Chicago a homemade replacement Britney Spears T-Shirt for his circus t-shirt that I had stolen off of my back during last year's festivities. Thanks Ben, it's always a great time.
Easter = Canceled
I raced all the way home, driving for nearly 24 hours without rest, to surprise my parents on Easter Sunday only to find out that my Mom went ahead and canceled Easter.
Who knew. This is why I should mention my plans to others. Oh well, it's still good to be home.
This might be the riskiest decision I've made since I've been living on the road. The decision was to eat a Big Mac as far away from a McDonalds as a person can get in the contiguous United States. It was risky in that once the two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, yadda yadda yadda hit my lips I might turn to a life of nourishment by Bic Macs and Big macs alone. I also ran the risk of running out of gas in the middle of nowhere.
My hunger was sated by the Big Mac (even though it was cold upon arrival) and my car was thirsty for gas when I pulled into Pierre, SD (where the closest McD's lies), but I am almost certain that the first Big Mac of my life will be my last as well.
It took a tank of gas, and the northern grasslands of SD weren't all that interesting but it was a satisfying detour on my return trip to Wisconsin. Plus, someone has finally sullied these pristine grasslands with special sauce and deep fryer grease. Someone had to do it. Why not me? It was interesting that fast foot litter (by my observation) travels about 90 miles from centers of fast food commerce (AKA cities).
Devil's Tower National Monument
Take a random volcanic rock formation, put it in the middle of nowhere, throw in a few prairie dogs and you've got something. I liked this place and it wasn't just because of the prairie dogs. Although I did make prairie dog noises at them and stare at them for a few minutes.
Somehow I managed to turn a 2,000 mile trip from Portland to Manitowoc into 3,000 (I suppose that is how a 50,000 mile road trip comes about), but this was well worth the stop, and I think most of those extra 1,000 miles were from Yellowstone below, and the McFarthest Spot above.
Yellowstone National Park in the Winter
I heard good things about Yellowstone in the Winter. I didn't give it much of a chance but my quick stop in, and drive out definitely isn't going to move Yellowstone up my list of favorite National Parks. However, snowmobiling through the park does sound like fun.
The 50,000th Mile
I knew this was coming. THE 50,000TH MILE OF THIS ROAD TRIP. That's a lot of miles. I'm going to have to do some comparisons. I do know that's about two trips around the earth.......if only my car could drive on water. This was just on the very eastern edge of Oregon before I arrived in Ontario, OR.
John Day Fossil Bed National Monument
Just past Mitchell, OR, Henry the Bear, and the Painted Hills is John Day Fossil Bed National Monument. It was a pleasant surprise. I had no idea this was here. I was simply driving through to have a look around the John Day River to see if I should paddle it some day. I should paddle it some day and I should also spend more time with the fossils. My picture doesn't really do the place justice. I just hopped out of my car, snapped a picture or five and went back on my way. I did have 3,000 miles to drive and I was trying to make it home for Easter.
Henry the Bear
I think Henry was bibernating. OR there's a slight chance that a very elaborate April Fool's Joke was going on in Mitchell, OR when I passed through. I went looking for Henry the Bear and he was nowhere to be found. Taking a trick from those drunken Manitowoc idiots who lost a few fingers feeding bugles to the zoo's bears, I stuck my bum pinky into the cage and even that didn't lure him out. Next, I went looking for the gas station employee. No luck. Next, I had a look around a small park. It was obvious that a family was living in a tent here, but again no one was home. I started to put things together when I read a sign that said "Easter Egg Hunt, April 1, 2010 at 2:00 PM." I was just in time for the hunt. I poked around, trying to hunt the hunt with the same results with the bear, gas station employee, and squatting family. April Fools?? Maybe, I have no idea what was going on there, but I do know two people filled up with gas, didn't pay, and went on their way. Neither of which was me.
March myPinkyUpdate: Volume 1, Issue 9
Just your typical Portland Fun.