Archives November 2021

I really enjoyed Des Moines, IA.  There are some good disc golf courses in the area, excellent food and some fun places to walk around.

Des Mones, IA

Smokey D’s BBQ

One of the tee pads

You can see the basket between the trees at the bottom of the hill

And I played well!

After the round I decided to head into Des Moines to see the capitol building and explore that area.

Shattering Silence Monument

Des Moines in the background of the Shattering Silence Monument

“The sculpture is adjacent to the building that houses the Iowa Supreme Court and at the top of the hill overlooking the Des Moines skyline. It is in commemoration of the 170th anniversary of the landmark 1839 Iowa Territorial Supreme Court ruling that prohibited slave Ralph Montgomery from being extradited back to Missouri after he failed to raise the $550 he promised to pay to buy his freedom. The Iowa Art Council’s newsletter describes the art as a commemoration of “those moments when Iowa has been at the forefront of breaking the silence of inequality and commemorates those Iowans who refused to stand by silently when they saw injustice.” – Greater Des Moines Public Art Foundation

I left Pottsville on my way to Myrtle Beach and decided to see Gettysburg.  I was not in any kind of rush and although it was a really cold day out, I wanted to go explore.  I had visited Gettysburg on a field trip when I was in middle school but didn’t recall much of that trip.

It was 27° – cold – that day

Gettysburg has over 1300 monuments, markers and memorials

The guy that invented baseball fought here.

I enjoyed reading about the history and seeing where both sides fought from

Since I couldn’t get into my AirBnB in Des Moines until later in the afternoon, my plan was to arrive early in the day and get to the Iowa State Fair.  How often would I have the opportunity to go to this fair. I arrived in time to catch the last day.

I ate the Bacon-wrapped Rib on-a-stick I ate the curly fries with cheese	I ate the hard boiled egg with  Old Bay Seasoning on a stick I did not eat the Iowa lobster

There were fun things to see including the famous butter cow!  Yes…. it is a full size sculpture made of butter which is housed behind glass in the butter room.

Lots of people here and I could see Des Moines in the distance.

” If you build it, they will come”

When I embarked on my journey from Portland, ME, with the goal of heading west, my primary objective was to cross the Mississippi River and venture into Iowa as swiftly as possible. I reasoned that exploring the eastern side of the Mississippi could be accomplished over a long weekend or a week-long trip at some point in the future. For now, my sights were firmly set on the uncharted territories to the west.

With over 22 hours of driving and two overnight stops behind me, I finally arrived at my first major destination around 9 A.M. on a Saturday morning. My plan was to spend the night at an AirBnB in Des Moines, so I decided to make a slight detour to the Field of Dreams in Dyersville, IA. What made this side trip particularly appealing was the opportunity to leave the major highways behind and navigate the scenic backroads of Iowa. At times, I found myself traversing gravel roads in the heart of Iowa’s picturesque countryside.

Driving through Iowa

Gravel roads in Iowa

As I approached the Field of Dreams, I noticed that it was free to park and enter, welcoming visitors to explore its hallowed grounds. The field buzzed with activity; families and friends scattered across the landscape. Children played catch with their fathers, while others enthusiastically ran the bases. Families lounged on blankets, and groups posed for photographs, capturing cherished moments.

I decided to take a moment to unwind and appreciate the tranquil atmosphere. I reclined in the exquisitely manicured outfield, allowing the serenity to wash over me. I wandered into the cornfields and gazed out at the iconic field. My journey then took me up to the house, where I explored the bleachers and visited the charming gift shop. As I soaked in the ambience, I couldn’t help but observe the diverse crowd, spanning all age groups, with a few individuals even donning complete baseball uniforms.

Unexpectedly, an announcement echoed through the air, instructing everyone to clear the field. It turned out that I had arrived just in time for the last “Ghost Game” of the season, an hour-long, interactive comedy performance presented by the renowned Ghost Players, aptly known as the “Greatest Show on Dirt.” I had no prior knowledge of this delightful surprise!

Much like in the movie, the Ghost Players emerged from the cornfields, each introduced by enthusiastic announcers. To my amazement, some of them had actually appeared in the original film. The performance included the rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner and a brief history of this long-standing tradition, which had been captivating audiences for over 30 years. The Ghost Players engaged in a friendly game of catch before mingling with the crowd. Selecting a few lucky kids from the audience, they allowed them to bat against the ghosts and round the bases.

I need to plan an upcoming roadtrip stemming from my parents getting a house for our clan in the Orlando area.  The clan includes my folks, my siblings, my kids and my nieces and nephews. I figure since I’ll be driving to Florida for this, I should take advantage of warm weather and see where I can explore.  Based on the timing of the Orlando reservation, I think the most I could spend on the road, before needing to be back, would be up to 11 weeks.

Here are my original thoughts for the best strategy to approach this trip….

• Get an Airbnb in Raleigh for the week and work there on the way down.  This will break up the trip nicely and allow me to get most of the driving done on the weekends.  Besides MaidPro Raleigh located there, I have a few friends in the area that I have not seen in way too long. Raleigh is one of those areas in Virginia that I’ve yet to visit. It will also give me a good working location as I really enjoy working and living out of AirBnBs.  I get to experience, rather than just visit, locations.
• Then I’ll take a vacation week while at the rental in Orlando with my family.
• From there I’ll head down the east coast and stay with my Uncle and/or his daughter and family in Boca Raton for a work week.  I’ll be able to visit a handful of Florida offices from Boca.
• Go down to Miami and the keys for a week.  The Keys, especially Key West, has been on my list for a long time and I’ve never had the opportunity to get there.  This will also allow me to visit our Miami and Miami Beach offices.
• Cut across the Everglades and head up the west coast to my folks in Sarasota for a few weeks.
• During my stay in Sarasota, I’ll take a week trip and do a northeast loop to work and visit MaidPro offices including Tampa, Orlando and The Villages.  I’ll do this while based at my folks but be on the road for the week.
• Leaving Sarasota, I’ll head north and follow along the gulf coast around the panhandle to New Orleans and stay with an old friend that I have not seen in decades!  I’m really looking forward to catching up with him and revisiting the city that I lived in for about 18 months.  I haven’t been there since I left in 1993.  I’ll also visit the Baton Rouge.
• Head out to Lake Charles, up to Shreveport and across to Jackson, MS.  I think I can do that in a weekend while working that Monday in Jackson, MS.  When I lived in New Orleans, my work territory was Jackson.  I wonder how much it has changed.
• Birmingham, AL looks to be at the right distance to fit into the drive home.  I’ll take the opportunity to see as many of our Alabama offices as possible.
• Drive home through Tennessee, Virginia and maybe a stop over with cousins in NJ.

Mapped out, it looks something like this (the green pins are MaidPro locations).

I like the thought of following the full Florida coast.  This will end up being a full investigation of Florida and if possible, get to see all of the Florida offices.

I also like that I’m going to explore alot of Louisiana and follow along the length of the Texas border without actually getting into Texas.

I did consider traveling a little further out west to the Texas offices. It would add about a month in order to get to all of those offices and there isn’t enough time on this trip.

I also considered heading home north through Arkansas, up to Kansas City and through St Louis.  We have alot of offices in those areas I’d like to see.  Unfortunately, again, there isn’t enough time on this trip.  These will just have to wait for another time. Possibly when traveling to or from the river trip later next year.

We’ll see how this develops!