August 23,
1999
From Abilene to Chicago
The Phoenix
One just pulled out of Chicago, a city suffering blissfully from a bovine
invasion. Yes, there's a cow on every corner, and I even spotted one on
a boat, another on a bridge, and a third peering down from a balcony.
They're not living, breathing bossies, of course. They're serene fiberglass
replicas, each decked out artistically in the name of a sponsor. I particularly
liked one that was wearing a pig mask, and another that was studded with
jewels. Mark like "Top Cow," a bronzed specimen perched on an
impressive pedestal, and another that was dressed like a city construction
worker, complete with rubber boots and reflective vest.
But we didn't
have a chance to see them all. There were too many, and in addition, we
were distracted by another unusual spectacle, the sight of a gutsy Frenchman
scaling the Sears Tower in the style of Batman. Yes, that happened as
the Phoenix lurked in the shadow of Chicago's tallest 'scraper, and later
the same day, the Thunderbirds roared overhead to kick off the city's
annual Air and Water Show. Ah, Chicago-- all this, and great pizza, too...
But I'm getting
ahead of myself. We were back in Texas when last I wrote, reduced to a
crawl in Abilene, where our transmission decided that first and second
gears were all it could manage. Since this meant that we couldn't accelerate
past thirty miles an hour, we headed east on farm roads instead of the
Interstate. Although it hadn't been our choice, I can't deny I enjoyed
our enforced mosey through central Texas. We were traveling slowly enough
to establish eye contact with cows (the real kind), and wave cheery good
mornings to combine operators.
Tom
Dunn |
At last we
arrived in Cisco, a town whose very name fairly drips with Western romance.
We drew to a halt at Cowboy Ford, where Tom Dunne, the service manager,
assessed our plight and reassured us that we'd come to the right place.
"We're busy, but we'll see what we can do," he said, and within
half an hour, one of his mechanics had identified the source of our problem.
Within two hours, it was fixed.
Within
the same two hours, we learned that Tom Dunn, a native of
California, is a bronze sculptor by avocation. He sculpts
his creations in wax, and a foundry in a nearby town casts
them in bronze. Two of his works were on display at Cowboy
Ford, intricately sculpted pieces reflecting spiritual themes.
Since we
were now able to proceed at speeds fast enough for highways, we hopped
back on the Interstate and proceeded toward Fort Worth, where we were
scheduled to visit our friends Bob, Rebecca, Ryan and Jessica Lommel.
Mark and I had a fabulous time, but Marvin was buffaloed by their little
dog Ginger, who doesn't let size interfere with her being in charge.
From
Fort Worth, where we visited the national offices of American
Mensa, we headed to Dallas. Heading northeast, we cut through
a bit of Arkansas, stopping in to see Dale Bush, kaleidoscope
maker extraordinaire. From Bentonville (best known as the
world headquarters of Wal-Mart) it was only a skip and a jump
to Branson, Missouri, where we stayed overnight.
After radio
and television interviews in Springfield, Missouri, we visited
that retail wonderland, Outdoor
World, and headed for St. Louis. We stayed at one of our
favorite establishments, Sundermeier RV Park, which is right
on the banks of the Missouri in historic St. Charles. St.
Charles is also home to one of our favorite restaurants, Vivian's
Vineyards. If you're ever in the St. Louis area, don't
miss it!
Lewis
& Clark Memorial near the confluence of the Missouri
and Mississippi Rivers |
While we
were in St. Louis, we visited the starting point of Lewis and Clark's
historic expedition. A Stonehenge-shaped monument marks the spot where
the team set out, at the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers.
It was a good place to pause and reflect on personal achievement, or,
as we discovered when we walked to the riverbank and looked down upon
two straw hats and two long poles, a good place to fish. Not wanting to
disturb the anglers, we walked lightly back to the Phoenix.
Chicago was
our next destination, the city of my birth. I have to say, as we drove
in from the south at daybreak, when clouds as dense as mountains were
silhouetted against the dawn, as the sun broke over that magnificent metropolis,
illuminating that fantastic range of man-made peaks, it took my breath
away. I felt as though I had happened upon the quintessential American
metropolis, a city with the tireless energy of Manhattan mixed with the
bigness of the west. Somehow, Chicago seemed to have it all, and balmy
weather-- not to mention the jolly cows, the fearless Frenchman, and the
roaring fighter jets-- did its part to make me sorry to leave.
But hey,
we're on a book tour, and Pittsburgh beckons. We've stopped in Portage,
Indiana, on the south edge of Lake Michigan, where there are sand dunes
and white beaches. Tomorrow, we're eastward bound.
Megan
Portage, Indiana
August 23, 1999
Click
here to read "A Stone's Throw From Noodle"
