Whirlwind Americana

Just because I don't travel enough, I figured I'd spend my July "winter" vacation zipping through as many States as possible. Here are some highlights:

After the 4th in West Virginia, we drove north through Southern Ohio, Indiana (corn! more corn!), Chicago, and a torrential rainstorm to arrive in Milwaukee. Immediately upon arrival I was swept into the arms of Midwestern hospitality as my good friend Will and his devilishly funny girlfriend Kelly took us to the Brewer's game by way of some hardcore tailgating. Miller Park, the Brewer's home field, has got to be the cleanest, prettiest stadium in Major League Baseball. Its stadium seating rises at such a pitch that even in the nosebleed sections, you're looking right down at the field. They serve craft beers alongside the requisite lager. And everyone is just so darn polite.
We were humming along nicely when Billy disappeared to the restroom and returned with blood splattered across his clothes. The bathroom stall apparently has some sharp edges and one jumped out and bit him hard across his knuckles, gouging out a quarter-size chunk of thumb and sending us promptly to first aid. Billy protested at length, but the female voice prevailed, and we carted him off to the emergency room for seven very necessary stitches. I imagine he'd have still been bleeding a week later without them. For my part, it was intriguing to compare the first-world sterility of that simple procedure with my knee situation in Vietnam.
Milwaukee is also home to a number of Billy's family members, so a couple very pleasant meals were devoted to meeting and visiting with them... all lovely, interesting people.

Between Milwaukee and Cleveland, we stopped off at the rollercoaster capitol of the world, Cedar Point. Since the 1970s, the park has been home to some of the biggest, fastest rides in the world, and it is constantly innovating and updating its offerings. Of special note: Millennium Force, which is a deliciously fast, traditional coaster (no upside-downs) that reaches 94 mph during a 310 foot, 80 degree initial plummet, and whizzes along a sprawling track for another two minutes after that. Power Tower shoots you 240 feet into the air (or you can drop, whichever suits your fancy), and it is impossible to refrain from screaming. And the absolutely killer Dragster picks up 120 mph in a matter of seconds and... oh... just click the link and check it out...



Will and Kelly joined us for the amusement park adventure, which is important to note because Will was designated driver and--on his own insistence--designated car key holder. When we got up to that cheek-flattening Millennium Force speed, the track took a searing righthand turn, and a tiny little Honda key was liberated from its pocket home. Off it flew into the mire of God-knows-where, and we realized very shortly after the ride ended that we were in a bit of a bind.

I must compliment the Cedar Point staff and their set-up for stranded motorists. They have a rather polite security detail that happily golfcarts around the parking lot as the park closes, and they are equipped and willing to pop open cars (upon proper identification, of course) as needed. If necessary, they will contact a 24 hour locksmith who can create a replica key (there's a fee for that), and you can motor on your merry way, almost as if you'd never been so optimistic as to put your key in a pocket without a zipper... and then get on a rollercoaster that goes nearly 100 miles per hour... (love you, Will).

Back in our cars, we motored on our way to Cleveland, where we spent a rather relaxing week checking in on family and old haunts. It's always taps into a special sort of nostalgia to be in Ohio in summer.