Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Started planning the next trip...

...this time the end of the line doesn't stop in Central America, going all the way to the end of the world. Below are screen shots of the wish list of places to see next to the route laid with GPS software.
Estimated 31500 miles minimum to the above route...

Introducing the new machine and star of the show, Nostromo


Ramblings...

I get asked "why" a lot, as in why this trip? The background answer reaches back to the early 70's, listening to Fire Sign Theater's "How Can You Be In Two Places At Once When You're Not Anywhere At All?" skit featuring Ralph, a used car sales man, an innocent named Babe and a car radio. The script mentions a place I hadn't heard of before, so I looked it up. The fascination with the land of fire began in my early teens... 

Listen to a clip on YouTube (3:15 mark)  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCzgdF_WjOg

(...three minutes into the script...)


RALPH: By the way, we also have FM. Right here.

BABE: FM over here? Let me try it.

SOUND: FM radio turned on.

FM ANNOUNCER: ... so hop in your wife and head in any direction on the freeway of your choice, and we'll see you in a couple of hours, here at Ralph Spoilsport Motors, the World's Biggest, here in the City of Fine Music. Thanks for the insurrection, and now back to our morning concert of afternoon showtime favorites-the Magic Bowl movement from Symphony in C Minus by Johannn Amadeus Matetsky.

SOUND: Music on the FM.

BABE: Hey, Ralph! That's great fidelity on that FM! Nice tone!

RALPH: You haven't heard nothing yet. I've got right here in this car, for your trans-Atlantic driving pleasure, this fully hallicrafted Sea-Master short-wave radio in this non-returnable, non-disposable zinc-lined carrying case!

BABE: Can I get Duluth on it?

RALPH: Duluth, bucko! You can get Tierra Del Fuego!

SOUND: Short-wave radio turned on.

LATIN ANNOUNCER: !Hola, amigos Latinos! Aqui a Ralph's Used Motors, tres-cientos Nort' Hoover, a la esquina de 42nd Place, tenemos milliones de automoviles. . . [fading under]