Monday, June 19, 2006

Last post for awhile; I'll miss you!

Let's see. Updates. I leave tomorrow morning for the Riding with Larry roadtrip with my best friend. The highlights:

Day one: Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Supposedly the safest city in the nation as far as traffic fatalities go. But we are taking a car with 200,000 miles behind it, so all bets are off when it comes to auto mishaps and break-downs.

Day two: Rapid City, South Dakota. One day to cram in Mount Rushmore, the Crazy Horse monument that never changes, Custer State Park, Wind Cave, the Badlands, the Black Hills, Wall Drug, and Devil's Tower. Think we can do it?

Day three: Boulder, Colorado. One of my favorite cities of all time. It's the Madison of the Rockies, baby.

Day four: Moab, Utah. Where I get to meet Caryn!

Days five and six: Cedar City, Utah. Southern Utah national parks and heatstroke, here we come!

Day seven: Boulder again, and then I fly home. Cindy gets to hang out in Colorado for a month longer, lucky girl.

To get myself in the mood for the drive I recently watched Transamerica (I give it a thumbs way up), National Lampoon's Vacation, and Sideways, which of course I loved the first time I saw it. I didn't watch Easy Rider or Thelma & Louise, though. I guess I wanted to focus on roadtrip movies in which the protaganists, you know, LIVE.




I'll be away from the blog for a week, but I'll post updates and photos upon my return on the 28th. Or 29th. I may need a day to come out of a roadtrip-induced stupor.

In other news, on Saturday I met the Oshkosh writers' group (thanks for inviting me, Oshkosh writers!) Then on Sunday we headed to my parents' place for Father's Day. While there, my mother said a sentence I've never heard uttered by any other human being: "Oh," she said, tossing her head in the direction of a cat sashaying across the porch, "that cat HATES Fuckface!"

And then, of course, a new catchphrase was born. See, Fuckface is a cat with a strange, mottled coloration on his face. Hence the name. His previous owners dropped him off in the field near my parents' house when they got tired of him, but fortunately he's adapted well to life on the farm with the bevy of semi-brain damaged cats that call my parents' place home. But there is one cat that hates him, apparently. I really hope they can work things out.

I'll miss you all and hope to stop by for one more visit at your sites before I leave. While I'm gone, I know someone can come up with a fantastic caption for the second picture. I just know it.

30 comments:

  1. We'll miss ya and will be waiting in breathless anticipation for the re-telling of your adventures.

    ::sigh:: A road trip. That is so way cool.

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  2. Anonymous4:59 PM

    Cool! I've never been the first to comment before...too bad I can't think of anything clever to say except I hope you have a blast on your road trip! I can't wait to read your book.

    The photo - my mind is in the gutter. K-Fed's frank and some engorged beans. I'm so so sorry I just polluted your classy blog
    ::going to grab a beer::

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  3. Anonymous5:00 PM

    DAMN! I thought I was first...:)

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  4. Anonymous6:00 PM

    If you go through Custer, SD - stop at the Purple Pie Place on the main drag - never had pie that good before!!

    E and I spent 2 days at Devil's Tower :) Good luck cramming!!

    G

    p.s. don't take a wrong turn in the Badlands... I think we went into another dimension, people included, for about 3 extra hours =)

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  5. Sounds like a great trip! Have fun.

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  6. FUN!!! I loooove Moab. I hiked there for one day and it was such a great workout, I swear my legs were half their size when I was done (of course they went back the next day!) I hope you have a great time. Be safe!

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  7. Anonymous6:38 PM

    Ugh. I admit to being incredibly jealous. It should be sooo exciting.

    Take great notes - can't wait to read the updates, Jess!

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  8. Anonymous6:49 PM

    Have fun...I can't wait to read about it. Woo!

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  9. Anonymous6:59 PM

    Can't wait to read about your trip! Should the opportunity arise (I'm so witty, just watch), you should take a hot air balloon ride. I had my first and it left me wanting more. Just like potato chips.

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  10. Anonymous7:19 PM

    Is it just me or does the shot of the rocks look really phallic?

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  11. I believe the title for your next book was born..."That cat HATES Fuckface!"

    Have fun!

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  12. Bon voyage, chiquita!

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  13. Anonymous8:06 PM

    Have a great trip! Sounds like it will be fun.

    Is it just me with a dirty mind, or does that look like the knees of a man laying on his back while having.... erotic thoughts? I swear I saw that scene at the beach once (shuddering in rememberance.)

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  14. Boulder? I love Boulder!

    When are you doing an east coast swing, lady? We're waiting for you here.

    Enjoy your trip!

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  15. Anonymous10:04 PM

    First of all, after all those comments I'll never be able to think of Balanced Rock and the surrounding sandstone in the same way again! Of course, the coloring doesn't help...

    Next, have a safe trip. Sounds like you have lots planned! Don't get too exhausted. See you Friday!

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  16. Travel safely. As for the second picture. Oy! So . . .many . . . words . . . must . . . not . . . implode!

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  17. Wow. I had to go back and check to see those rocks and yes, they are definately phallic symbols.

    Have a great time! Why do I think you will be coming back with hilarious stories that could only happen to Jess Riley??

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  18. Day 2... well, it took me a week to do all that when I was just out there in late May. If you miss anything, let me know when you get back and I can show you phonos.

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  19. I was thinking "Bonehenge"... :)

    have fun on your trip!!

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  20. Anonymous12:43 PM

    Have a great trip!! You will be missed!

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  21. Take heaps of photos and talk to as many locals as possible. Have a great time.

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  22. This is almost the exact trip I did year before last. OUTSTANDING natural beauty here! Have GREAT TIME! ~ jb///

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  23. Anonymous9:42 PM

    Have a great and safe trip. Enjoy the sights and hikes if you have the time. Sounds like a lot to see in a short space of time. See ya at the Perham gathering.

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  24. Have a GREAT TRIP!!!!!!

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  25. Sounds wonderful - can't wait until you come back and tell us all about it.

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  26. Hey! Sometimes I call my husband FuckFace!

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  27. Have a great trip. Sorry I don't have a caption. I couldn't RISE to the challenge. But it looks like it couldn't either. :)

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  28. Oooh, ooh, please have a falafel at Falafel King in Boulder for me. Oh god I'm drooling just thinking about it. Mmmmmm.

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  29. TransAmerica - excellent film.

    Photo - I'm thinking maybe..."Between A Cock And A Hard Place"? Or "Knob Hill Monument"? Or "Petrified Uvula"?

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