Following a quick lesson for M O on driving a manual, plus hours for packing up ‘n stuff, we left the campground. Not before a shower! After those hours, the sudsy relief was spot on.

With him at the wheel of the pickup, Mme Awesome can focus on business matters. I’m driving the bus.

As we wend through Wisconsin and Minnesota on I 90 there is corn. As far as the eye can see. The miles and miles of federally subsidized corn are of course paid for by you and me.

It poignantly illustrates who really owns vast swaths of the country and who decides where epic amounts of our money are spent. Fight Club talked about the corporate takeover in terms of names; e.g. Planet Starbucks, somewhere, sometime in the future. Folks that time is already here and these “farmers” are essentially sharecroppers. It’s a dismal drive and I don’t want to do it again.

Oh! Heads up there is free land for your business out this way. Where we’re from, space is so expensive that people can’t go into business. Here, with so little potential, people can’t go into business. Straight out of The Hunger Games.

I don’t believe that capitalism per se is at fault. Previously, stores were part of the community, goods were hand made by your neighbors, and money stayed local. Now we’ve moved to a different extreme, where people are needed only because they’re less expensive than robots.

Walmart’s slogan is Pay Less, Live Better. It doesn’t say who. The magical thing is that we have to ability to decide what thrives and what dies by how we spend our money. Apparently this is what we want.

A billboard proclaims wind energy is not the future. Did I miss the memo? If not wind, what is it? Clean coal maybe? We also have anti abortion and pro Christianity billboards. The most common ones though contain inviting slogans on how you could advertise on that vacant billboard.

Bus Check In Section

• Regarding one of the bus sounds I wrote about yesterday, namely the high RPM one, the current postulate is it has to do with temperature. Specifically, the sound comes when the gauge gets to the mark above 210 and reliably ceases when at the line below. It’s certainly hot out in these lands so perhaps it’s something related to the cooling system. Plus, after sunset it has yet to happen.
• All this driving has made me very aware about mirror placement. I’ve really gotten dialed in right now and it’s much more confidence inspiring. The bus is as wide as a full size semi which means wandering complications increase quickly.
• I’m super thankful that I took the time to replace the crappy driver seat. I’d probably be crippled right now otherwise. Did I explain the problem? Years of supporting major no doubt corn related weight to help the driver swing around en route to the passenger area had warped the heavy duty, steel reinforced seat back.
• According to my phone’s DB meter app, we average 98 DB as we cruise between 65 and 70 miles an hour. Apparently that’s dangerous.

I witnessed a sunset today. Gorgeous strokes of red orange yellow showcased by the clouds and water. The first one in weeks, actually, given I’ve either been cramped up inside of houses or working on the bus. A beautiful and welcome sight.

Also, where we were has genuine precipitation on the regular. Coupled with the slow drying clay soil that just shouldn’t be ridden upon when wet, I really feel for the mountain bikers of the Chicago area. Another fun fact: I haven’t seen a single quality mountain bike since we left St Charles. That says it all folks.

At one gas station where we stopped, for serious truckers, you could fill up both sides of your rig simultaneously. The pump that I used, because I only have one tank, on the driver side by the way, last doled out 102 gallons. This comes to about $320 of fresh squeezed diesel. Apparently the big rigs roll with 400 gallons. I guess that means 200 per side?

Also, at these places you need to call in to the desk to get the pump(s) pumping and then you pay inside. For real there is a phone that rings them up – I had to ask a real trucker how to do it! The cashier wanted to know the pump numbers I’d be using and my company name. 🦄

The Teyuna with whom we are traveling ask for little while simultaneously observe the concurrently extensive and mundane tasks associated with traveling contently. A curious mix. I’ve never spent time with holy people. Maybe this is the way it is?