State by State

Apparently there is an entire country between Boston and San Francisco.

vette

by Natalia

We have bought the wrong car.

Corvette 1958Corvette 1958

In Bowling Green, Kentucky we’ve learned that instead of a truck we should have got a lifestyle. Preferably in red.

We are hopelessly behind. Even 10 years old dream about Corvettes. And hot underage babes. In that order.

We wouldn’t have to compromise on luggage. Much. According to the manufacturer’s site fully enclosed trunk of Corvette convertible carries two golf bags with top down. Maybe we would have to drop the bikes but who needs them driving a 'Vette anyway.

Alaska VetteAlaska Vette

We could have driven it across US, no sweat - Car & Driver magazine tested driving Corvette to Alaska and back in 1976. And repeated the test in 2007.

We could even have had a photographic diary of our car’s birth, I mean build process. Being traumatized in our childhood by a horde of Trabants we do look at fiberglass cars with a healthy dose of suspicion. But still, how did we miss such a perfect opportunity to belong to an exclusive club of America’s sports car owners’?

spelunking

I am dirty and wet. I am lying in a puddle of cold dark water and trying to catch my breath. I am exhausted. My body hurts. I cannot really see what’s going on. Our guide’s boots are in front of my face. Natalia and the rest of the group follows but in some places I cannot even look back. I cannot stand up - there is 300 feet of rock above me. My submerged knees are in a damp slick mud and they keep sliding. There is no turning back. I can only keep crawling. Pull my protesting body forward using my fingers and my toes. I start laughing: I actually paid to have it done to me. I find a relatively dry spot. Get a short rest and press on. I am in a passage called Cheese Grater. During Wild Cave Tour. In Mammoth Cave National Park.

sunday

Note to self: don’t visit Oxford, Mississippi on Sunday. The city looks dead. Bars and restaurants are closed. No sign of the lauded nightlife. It is the direct result of the ban on alcohol sales on Sunday: one of the many dry laws in the state. It may be different during the week, but we have absolutely no desire to stay and check. We owe special thanks (and the fact we didn’t go to bed hungry) to Joel Miller, chef and proprietor of ravine and his staff, for keeping it open on Sundays. And for serving such excellent local food. Especially fresh ripe tomatoes from their own garden.