A few random thoughts from the road:

A big boat

Fun Fact #1: Last week I visited a marina that, like many marinas along the Mississippi, is home to a lot of boats that have more bedrooms than your average suburban house. What I didn’t know is that most of those big boats never leave the marina: their owners can’t afford to buy the gas to make them move. When you burn through a gallon of gas every two river miles, even a short weekend trip can cost hundreds of dollars. Don’t worry, though; it’s not as if the boats go unused. Just turn it into a floating cottage! In fact, so many boats are now used as weekend housing that the marina I visited recently installed WiFi. It’s the newest “staycationers” dream! Here’s a thought: maybe the boat manufacturers could start selling boats that don’t have engines. That way you don’t have to pay for something you’re not going to use, anyway.

Public Safety Tip #1: When the stoplights go dark, you are supposed to stop – not race through them like a baby boomer after Botox. A few weeks ago, a big storm knocked out power in the Quad Cities. I was more scared driving that morning than I have been since the first time I got behind the wheel, not because of the debris in the road but because so many drivers mindlessly flew through intersections where the stoplights were out. Please, just pay attention.

Coffee shop addict

Fun Fact #2: I have frequent customer cards for four coffee houses in three cities.

Public Safety Tip #2: Bathroom doors have locks for a reason. Use them. I really didn’t need the image burned in my mind of a very, um, mature woman squatting on a toilet with her pants on the floor.

Fun Fact #3: Early French explorers who reached northeast Iowa found an area littered with skulls – victims of fierce battles between rival groups of Native Americans. The French named the area Tetes des Morts or Heads of the Dead. Catchy. Good names don’t die apparently. The name of the township south of Dubuque, Iowa in which St. Donatus is located is called Tetes des Morts.

Public Safety Tip #3: Bicycle helmets can’t protect you from everything.

Bike meets tree

Today’s Bad Decision: Listening to several hours of reggae music. Reggae hurts, at least after prolonged exposure. Rock Island hosted its annual reggae-fest last weekend called Ya Maka My Weekend and, after a few hours of listening time, I began to think that the entire reggae universe consists of 10, maybe 15 songs. It didn’t help that every band played We’re Jammin’ and every other song after that sounded like, well, sounded like We’re Jammin’. After an hour, I felt like my head had been cut off and thrown into the spin cycle of a washing machine; call this one Ya Breaka Ma Brain. (I have to admit, though, that Hotel California sounded surprisingly good to a reggae beat.)

 

© Dean Klinkenberg, 2008