Road Trippin' USA

So we left San Diego on the last Friday in July and began our week-long cross country move. I had wanted to take the more northerly route so I could hit some of the states I haven't been to yet (one of my goals is to see all 50). This route would have taken us through Nevada, Utah (never seen), Colorado (never seen), Kansas (never see), Nebraska (never seen), Illinois, Indiana and on to Ohio.

However, since we were caravaning and Leo had to tow a huge enclosed trailer, we (read he) decided to take a less mountainous route through Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and then Ohio.

The only new state I got to see was Missouri and we had a fight right before we got to St. Louis, so we didn't even stop to look around. I did get to see the famous arch though, which was pretty but I wouldn't go out of my way (although it really was huge). Apparently you can go all the way to the top but if you suffer from a fear of heights like me, this is something you definitely won't want to do.

I did get to see a few interesting things though. Like Cadillac Ranch, a public art installation/roadside attraction in Amarillo, Texas.

Amarillo also boasts the largest cross in the western hemisphere. I don't know if this is true, but all the signs along the highway claim it's the largest.

I also learned that the panhandle of Texas is apparently the only place where 90's Swedish rockers Ace of Bass are still popular since they played their two Top-10 Hits ad nauseum on every radio station.

I also found out that Cheap Trick's "I Want You to Want Me" is way more popular than I ever realized. I heard it about 10 times through 6 different states. Interesting.

I learned that Gallup, New Mexico was about the most depressing town I've ever seen. Everyone there looked super glum. Places like that you can see how people become meth heads. I don't think there's anything else to do.

A couple "historic" things happened in the states we were in. We were in Arizona when the controversial new immigration law "took effect". I'm still confused on the status of this thing. I know some parts of it were overturned by a federal judge. We were also in Arizona when 3 inmates escaped from prison. To date, one of them is still on the loose (with his fiance and cousin who helped them escape--gotta love that incest).

We were in Missouri when voters there (symbolically) voted to reject the Obama health care law.

Then, we make it to Michigan (we stayed with my parents for 2 nights since our furniture hadn't arrived) and there's a serial stabber on the loose.

Apparently, he had stabbed 15 people and 4 of them died. His MO was that he would go up to men late at night, on the street, ask them for directions or help with his car and then just stab them repeatedly. Weird.

They actually just caught this guy yesterday in Atlanta (he was boarding a plane for Israel, where he's from) and they're extraditing him back to Michigan.

Now, we're just setting up the house and enduring a Great Lakes region summer full of humidity and little breeze. Ugh. I had forgotten about the humidity here.

The Elusive Philly Bread Squeezing Bandit

I have no idea why I was thinking about this guy the other week but there really was a Philly Bread Squeezing Bandit.

His reign of terror lasted for over 3 years! I was living in Philly at the time and it really was hilarious. Anyway, I found this old article and ended up crying because I was laughing so hard.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Bread Squeezer 'Kneads' Help, Judge Rules

Judge Tells Convicted Bread Squeezer to Seek Treatment

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Sept. 22

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A Pennsylvania man convicted of pinching and crushing hundreds of dollars worth of baked goods in local supermarkets must seek psychological help or risk going to jail, a judge ruled today.

Prosecutors claimed Samuel Feldman, 37, was on a three-year bread-squeezing spree at a series of stores in Lower Makefield, Pa., routinely poking holes in cookie wrappers and loaves of bread, rendering them unsellable.

Feldman could have faced possible probation and up to a $1,000 fine, but it looks like he squeezed by without punishment. Judge David Heckler postponed sentencing indefinitely today.

He suggested Feldman see a psychologist for evaluation of what the judge said was a compulsive behavioral problem.

Heckler said could have sentenced Feldman to jail time, but said he would not impose punishment as long as Feldman got whatever kind of treatment a health care professional deemed necessary.

A Bucks County jury had reached a split verdict after six hours of deliberations Thursday, finding Feldman guilty of damaging cookies but not bread.

The judge reversed the decision, however, and convicted Feldman of two counts of criminal mischief for damaging bread and cookies worth less than $1,000.

Caught Bread-Handed

A surveillance videotape introduced as evidence showed Feldman manhandling the baked goods on several occasions at a Lower Makefield Giant Food supermarket, which suffered $8,000 in damage to its bread and cookies over three years.

Feldman’s lawyer, Ellis Klein, said his client was only testing the bread for freshness when he was caught on film, and that he wasn’t responsible for the previous bakery assaults at the store.

“Touching multiple loaves of bread does not mean that you’re damaging. Their whole case is based on an assumption that he’s acting weird, therefore, he must be the guy who did it,” he said.

Feldman, who was arrested in January, originally had been charged with all the baked goods damage at Giant Foods, including 175 bags of bagels, 227 bags of potato dinner rolls, and more than 3,000 bags of sliced bread.

Defense attorneys had argued that since police didn’t fingerprint the goods, they couldn’t prove Feldman was responsible.

Feldman, a salesman, relocated from Lower Makefield, Pa., to Las Vegas this summer.

Residents had wondered about the mysterious attacks on rye, wheat and other loaves since 1997, when the first sqeezings were reported.

Before installing its video surveillance system, Giant Food hired extra security personnel to stand guard over the targeted aisle.

But their suspect continued to elude them, striking nearly every day. “He was pretty good at it,” said store manager Jay Zeltt back in June. “Very quick.”

“There’s plenty of people laughing about it now,” Zeltt said. “But at the time it was going on, it was a very serious situation.”

“If it was one store, it’s one thing. But, then, when you’ve got five stores and you’re having the same problem, it counts up to a lot of money,” said cookie distributor Bob Krause.

Feldman’s problems are apparently not over yet, however. Owners of a Yardley supermarket are suing him for damaging thousands of dollars worth of bread at their store. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Hell, Michigan

We just got back from our official "house hunting" trip to Toledo, Ohio (more on that later). We stayed with my parents at their place in Michigan and drove down every day.

On our one day where we actually got to do something fun (instead of tearing our hair out worrying if we were going to find a place to live) we went to Hell, Michigan.

I grew up about 20 miles from here in Ann Arbor, but had never really heard about it until it was featured on "Extreme Towns" on the Travel Channel.

When they say it's a town they're stretching it because there are only about 74 people but there are plenty of tourists!

The "main strip" of Hell consists of 3 buildings, a bar called The Dam Site Inn, an ice cream/souvenir shop called Screams Ice Cream and a pizza parlor/part-time post office called "Hell in a Handbasket" (can you tell they're really working the theme?) where you can buy postcards officially stamped from Hell.

While small, the area is also in the Pinckney Recreation Area and sits on 11,000 acres of state park so there is plenty of hiking, canoe rental (available at Hell in a Handbasket), and horseback rentals (the nearby Hell Creek Ranch) but most people come for bragging rights.

There's also a mini Putt-Putt and children's area.

And for the really adventurous souls (or those of the white trash persuasion) there's a small wedding chapel where you and that special someone can tie the knot.

And how did the town get its name you ask?

Well, there are apparently 2 theories to that little conundrum:

First: The town's founder, George Reeve, ran a mill/general store and moonshine operation back in 1838. When the farmers would come to grind their grain and stop to set a spell, they would often "forget" to come back home again. So when asked where her husband was, the farmer's wife would often reply, "Oh, he's in Hell!".

The 2nd theory is that the ever cantankerous Mr. Reeve, when asked what they should call his town replied rather peevishly, "They can call it Hell for all I care!"

And the name stuck.

Town on Fire

I read an interesting AP article today about a little coal-town town in the mountains of Northeastern Pennsylvania that is finally being condemned after 4 decades of being on fire.

That's right. 4 decades of slowly disintegrating from an underground mine fire.

I first got interested in the this story when I lived in Philly and the alternative weekly paper did a story on it and for some reason, it just captured my imagination.

Centralia is located in Pennsylvania’s coal country, in the eastern half of the state, close to the middle. In its heyday, the small town boasted a population of over 2,000 people; its own school district, plus 2 Catholic parochial schools, 7 churches, 5 hotels, 27 bars, 2 theaters, a bank, a post office and 14 general stores and supermarkets.

The infamous fire was begun in the early 60's, allegedly by people burning garbage, when a stray spark ignited an exposed vein of coal and the fire has continued burning unabated until the present day.

Millions have been spent trying to extinguish the fire, but nothing has proved successful. In fact, in the early days, despite many people experiencing symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, much of the town either denied there was a fire or down-played the severity.

Until one day in the early 1980's when a 12-year old playing in his backyard was suddenly sucked down into a sinkhole that had opened up below his feet. He managed to catch onto something and was rescued, but it was a wake-up call for many in the town.

In 1992, the state claimed eminent domain and condemned all the properties in Centralia and in 2002 the US Post Office revoked the town’s zip code of 17927.

Today the population has dwindled from 1,000 residents in 1981 to 12 in 2005 and 9 in 2007, making it the least populated municipality in PA.

There have always been a handful of holdouts who have refused to go--despite the fact that there are no businesses, churches, schools or other vestiges of a town left. They have remained virtual squatters in their own private ghost town for years.

It looks like their time has come as the government has gotten tired of the whole mess. It seems such a sad end to their saga, but authorities say they are worried for the tourists who go up there to view the smoldering remains of the once vibrant village. Sinkholes and poisonous gases are constant dangers.