Vacation Update

/ Paul / Leave a comment

Shawn picked me up at my hotel this morning around 11:00 AM to start the day. We drove to Norman, Oklahoma to see the campus at The University of Oklahoma. Shawn received both of his degrees from OU. He showed me around and told me about where he went to class, things he used to do, and more about OU. Then he drove me around and showed me different places he used to live while going to college. Then we went to lunch at a place called “The Mont” in Norman, Oklahoma. Shawn told me this was a place he hung out a lot in college. It’s a pretty cool place. They have those jet sprays that squirt out a light mist of water to help cool the air. The weather has been beautiful while I’ve been here so the mist wasn’t really needed today. Then Shawn drove to where he grew up. He showed me the house he grew up in and pointed out the houses of friends he used to have and went to high school with. Then we drove back to Oklahoma City and went to the mall. We bought tickets to see Napoleon Dynamite. Then we went shopping. We both bought shoes. I bought some Doc Marten sandals and he bought some work shoes. He looked good in both pairs of course. We then went to the movie. It was kind of an odd movie. There were some very funny moments but I’m not sure I understood most of the movie. Shawn seemed to enjoy it. Then we went back to his house to pick up his roommate, Deborah. We were going out to dinner in an area of the city called Bricktown. This is a relatively new area of the city. It was once a warehouse district that has been rejuvenated into restaurants, bars, movie theaters, and a cool man made canal. We had dinner at a place right on the canal. We sat right next to the canal. The weather was beautiful so it was very comfortable sitting outside. We then took a boat ride on the canal. That was fun. We had had a long day after the boat ride so we decided to call it a night. Shawn brought me back to the hotel and then he went home.

I had a great day with Shawn but I’m slightly depressed and disappointed because 1) he didn’t stay with me at my hotel, and 2) he has to spend all day today helping his parents move. Either someone has said it or it was in a movie but “You can never go home again”. It’s not like I wasn’t warned about this possibility but things will never be the same as we remembered them. Or as we want them to be.

I’m on my own today. I’m going to drive myself to downtown Oklahoma to see The Oklahoma City National Memorial and The Oklahoma City Museum of Art. I hope I don’t get lost. We are getting together later for dinner with some of his friends and then he’s going to show me the gay night life in Oklahoma City. Should be fun. I was here in 1992 with David and we went to the bars then. I wonder if they have changed. Stay tuned for more updates. Click on the pictures to make them larger.

Vacation Update

/ Paul / Leave a comment

I made it to Oklahoma City!! Yeah! I left Russellville Arkansas this morning at 8:30 AM. I only stopped a few times to…uh, pee, and get gas. I drove into the hotel parking lot at 12:45 PM. The traffic wasn't bad at all on this stretch of the trip but the road construction was another story. That slowed me down some. Today's leg was 270.4 miles. I have now driven 1440 miles. What I don't realize yet is that I have to drive it again next week. Ugh! I'm actually thinking about taking a different route home so that I can see more states. I think I'll go north to Kansas, then to Missouri, then to Kentucky, then to West Virginia and then home to Virginia. We'll see how I feel come Monday morning when it's time to leave. There were some breathtaking views going over the Ozark mountains in Arkansas this morning. I didn't have the camera out so I didn't get to take any pictures. Plus it's hard as hell to drive and take pictures. I won't do that.

Speaking of taking pictures in the car, when I got to Oklahoma City, I tried to get the video camera out and take some video of the city skyline. While doing that, I totally missed the exit I was supposed to take and ended up going a few miles out of my way. No problem. I just circled back and found it. I don't have any pictures or video to add to this post. I just won't have time to do any more of that until I head home and have time on the road.

Travel Observations:

1. There are a million trucks on the road and they always move over into the left lane when they approach an exit ramp.
2. My bodily functions slow to a crawl in unfamiliar territory.
3. Roads are always under construction. There wasn't one road I drove on that wasn't under construction at some point.
4. The country is a beautiful place. The views were amazing. I wish my eyes were video cameras.
5. Having a cell phone when traveling is invaluable. There are cell towers all over the country now and I never lost a signal and I never roamed!
6. A high speed internet connection at your hotel is a must. Keeping up with the blogs and the Gay Bloggers Tribe would have been impossible. Each time I logged into the tribe there were hundreds of messages.
7. Hotel soaps are just too small for my body.
8. The AC units in hotel rooms make a constant hum, thus making it difficult to get a good nights sleep.
9. It's HOT in the south.
10. The price of gas is soooo much lower in the south. I paid $1.66 per gallon in Arkansas!

In about 3 hours I'll be driving over to Shawn's house! I'm so excited! I can't wait to see him…duh, I've waited almost 11 months, I can wait a few more hours. I talked to him on the phone when I got to Oklahoma City. He has to stay at work this afternoon since he's taking off tomorrow to spend with me. So I'm going to do some blogging, take a nap, take a shower, fix myself up, then head over to his house. I don't know when my next post will be. I hope to be preoccupied with other things…er, people for the next few days. Check back though, I might have found some time to post something.

Vacation Update

/ Paul / Leave a comment

I got started early this morning. I was up and out of the hotel by 7:30 AM Central Time. I was on the east side of Nashville so I had to drive through the morning rush hour to get to the other side of the city. I learned that you should never get a hotel on the east side of a city if you are traveling west early in the morning. I sat in the rush hour traffic for a good 20 minutes. I thought the DC rush hour was bad. Nashville is just as bad. It didn't set me back at all. I just went with it. When I got on the other side of Nashville and headed west on I-40 the traffic thinned out and it was smooth sailing. About an hour into the drive my cell phone rang. I NEVER get cell phone calls so it surprised me. It was my good friend David checking in to see how the trip was going. That was a welcomed surprise. We chatted for awhile while he was stuck in traffic going to work in DC. David is from Oklahoma so he knows this drive pretty well. He knew exactly where I was. After the phone call I continued on my way. The driving was uneventful again today. I made it through Memphis, across the Mississippi River, and into Arkansas by 11:15 AM. I was making really good time. But crossing the Mississippi River into Arkansas was a change in weather and road conditions. It was cloudy and there was a light rain on and off all the way through Arkansas. The roads between Memphis and Little Rock were awful! These must be the worst roads I've ever traveled on (and I don't travel that often). There is lots of road construction all around Little Rock. The driving was slow too. It was just after lunch time so maybe there were lots of people returning to work, I don't know. Since I had made such good time getting past Little Rock by 1:30 I decided to continue on. I checked the map and decided I would find a hotel between Little Rock and Fort Smith. I watched the bill boards looking for a hotel that advertised free high speed internet access. I didn't really care what the rooms were like. I have to have my connection! Sad, I know. I found a Comfort Inn in Russellville, Arkansas. They have free high speed internet connections in every room. It's not wireless but that's okay. I have ethernet so it's not a problem. And on top of that, the room is much nicer then the one I had last night. It's newer and cleaner.

Once I got checked in and brought all my things into the room, I was ready to have something to eat. I could see a Sonic from my hotel window so I decided to go there. It is within walking distance but it was raining so I drove over there. I haven't been to a Sonic since I was in Oklahoma in 1992 with David. We don't have Sonics in Northern Virginia so it's a treat to get to go to one here. I remember when I went to Sonic with David back in 1992 they had a really good berry lemonade. So I had to get it this time. It was so good. Brought back some good memories of that trip with David. I of course had a burger and fries with the lemonade. Even though Sonic is fast food, it's cool because they have these drive up ordering stations. You just drive up, press the button, they take your order, and in just a few minutes they bring you the food. You can eat it right in your car or take it with you. I ate it there. It was nostalgic.

To this point I've driven 1070 miles. Today alone I've driven 424.8 miles. Tomorrow I will have no problem finishing the 270.4 I'll need to drive to get to my hotel in Oklahoma City. It should only take me a few hours. I should be able to sleep a little later in the morning. I can't check into my hotel until 3:00 PM and I won't be meeting Shawn at his house until 6:00 PM so I'll have plenty of time to make it a relaxing drive. I'm really getting excited to see Shawn. I haven't seen him since last September when he moved to Oklahoma. Some people I've talked to told me not to get my hopes up, that things will not be the same as they were when we were together. I know that. I don't expect them to be the same. We aren't a couple. We aren't dating. We're just two very good friends who haven't seen each other in a long time. Yes, I know, I talk about Shawn and how much I'm still in love with him and want to be with him but at the same time I realize that's impossible. He knows how I feel and reads it here. We talk about it. I know that at some point we will both move on and find other men to fall in love with and we will eventually lose touch. I just hope it's not in the next 3 days.

In yesterday's post I talked about the great visit I had with my father. I received many comments and e-mails about how lucky I am to have developed that type of relationship with my father. I agree with all of you. I'm a very lucky man to have a father such as mine. I know some guys (and maybe gals) have strained relationships with their parents because of coming out, etc. I'm lucky to have good relationships with both my parents. I plan to work at keeping those relationships healthy and current.

I'll post another vacation update tomorrow when I get to Oklahoma! Stay tuned!

Vacation Update

/ Paul / Leave a comment

I left my house at 8:10 AM on Monday and drove to Montpelier, the home of James Madison. He was the 4th President of the United States. The drive was uneventful. I was able to get there in just an hour and a half. The weather was beautiful and the traffic was light traveling down Route 29 South in Virginia. In Orange Virginia you turn on Route 15 South, then right on Route 20 south and that takes you right to Montpelier. Montpelier is located just south of Orange, Virginia. Orange is just a spot in the road compared to anything I’m used to in Northern Virginia. It’s a very quiet, barely traveled area of Virginia. The Montpelier mansion is just off Route 20. I found the parking, went to the restroom and then found the visitor’s center. I purchased my ticket and then walked up to the house. It’s a guided tour. Myself and the other people who were there (there were only 6) watched a short slideshow telling us what we’d see and the history of the mansion. The Dupont Family owned the house from 1901 until 1983 when the Montpelier Foundation received the house. It was determined that all the renovations and additions that were added to the house over the years would be removed. The house is currently under major restoration. They only had 4 rooms open for the public to see. Luckily they allowed cameras so I took several photos that I’ll add to my photo library when I get home. So we toured the 4 rooms they had open to the public and listened to our docent explain what was going on and the history of each room. I found it very interesting. I’ve always been interested in American history. After the tour, I walked the grounds and saw the gardens and the out buildings. Then I decided to get back on the road and head towards Monticello.

Monticello is just a short drive from Montpelier. Monticello, as you probably know, was the home of Thomas Jefferson. He was the 3rd President of the United States. I just continued south on Route 20, took a left on Route 53 and followed that until I got to Monticello. Monticello is set up very differently then Montpelier. It is much more formal and there are more tourists. The parking lot is far enough away that you have to buy your ticket ($13.00!) at the parking lot and take a shuttle bus up to the house. Once there, you stand in a line to wait until a docent is free to take the next tour. I had to stand in the sun for a good 15 minutes. While it was a nice day yesterday, it was hot in the sun. I think I got a little sun on my face. The tour begins outside the house with a bit of history and information about the architecture. The docent then tells you that you are not allowed to take photos (flash or not) or video inside the house. I was very disappointed. Even though I couldn’t take any photos, I did enjoy the tour. They showed all the inventions Thomas Jefferson came up with to make things simple in his house. They are too numerous to mention here but they were all amazing for the time period. The house was really showing it’s age. I think it needs to be restored. There are cracks in the plaster and paint peeling everywhere. They didn’t say anything about a possible restoration in the future. After the tour I walked around the grounds. I took several pictures and some video. I hope to create a video showing the grounds, the house, and the photos I captured. I really enjoyed the tour and the grounds but there were way too many people there. They kept getting in my photos and my video. Oh well, what can I expect at such a historical place.

By the time I was finished seeing Monticello, it was late enough in the afternoon to head to my father’s house. He lives about 20 minutes from Monticello. I made it to his house around 3:30. After unloading all my stuff and catching up with my dad, we decided to go to dinner. He was actually going to make soup for me but I don’t eat vegetables so I told him I’d take him out. I told him to pick the place he wanted to go and I would treat. He picked Burger King. I couldn’t believe it. My dad is almost 74 and is as simple as I am when it comes to these things. So I took him to Burger King. After dinner we went to McDonalds to have ice cream. We were really living it up! Then back to his house to sit around and talk. I talked more with my father in the 16 hours I was with him then I think I’ve talked to him in the last 16 years. We talked about relationships, boyfriends, my siblings, his life now, what makes us happy, what we regret in life, where we want to go in life, and much more. My father is so wise and so accepting. I had no problem at all telling him all about Shawn and how I feel about him. I told him everything about Shawn and the history of our relationship. He gave me some very interesting advice that I may have to take into consideration in the future. We’ll see. Let’s just say that I really connected with my father. I don’t see him too often and when I do we don’t talk about things of substance. This visit was all about substance. One great thing about my dad is that he is a liberal democrat and is all for John Kerry. He can’t stand Bush. I told him I feel the same way. So we talked politics for awhile. Which was great because most of my siblings are republicans. We also talked about computers. I showed him my camera phone and took his picture. I showed him how I can find a wireless connection from a website on my phone. He thought that was amazing. My dad is also into computers but he’s a PC guy and his computer is a good 4 years old. He does have a new DVD writer that he is using to make “backup” copies of DVDs. Of course I had to get out my 17″ PowerBook and show him all the cool things it can do. I hooked up my new video camera and showed him how I could edit video and make little movies for the internet. He was shocked at what my Apple can do. He won’t switch though. By the end of that conversation it was getting late so we went to bed. He told me to lock my door because his cat can open the door and will jump on my bed and wake me up in the middle of the night. I wanted to leave it unlocked just to see if the cat could open the door! But I didn’t. I slept fine without any interruptions. We got up early, loaded my car, and went to McDonalds for breakfast. We hugged and said our goodbyes and he said he really enjoyed my short visit. I agreed and said I should visit him more often. Then he went home and I got on the road.

So today I drove from Charlottesville, Virginia to Hermitage, Tennessee (just outside of Nashville). It was 544.7 miles. I drove that in about 8 hours. I was really tired by 3:30 Central time. It was cool when I was driving over one of the mountains and saw a sign that said I was now in Central Standard Time. Pretty cool. I instantly realized I had an extra hour to drive. I didn’t have any problems driving that distance. I decided to keep going and get as close to Nashville as I could. Right now I’m sitting in a Holiday Inn Express using the wireless high speed internet connection they have to post this. I’m about 12 miles east of Nashville. I plan to get up early tomorrow and get back on the road. I want to be almost through Arkansas by the time I stop tomorrow afternoon. I hope to find another wireless connection when I stop then so that I can post again. Since I haven’t read anything on the Gay Bloggers Tribe in the last two days I’m sure there will be hundreds of messages to catch up on. I’m not planning on going out so I think I’ll just read blogs and catch up on the tribe. According to AAA.com I have another 694.6 miles to go. Damn, I think I could do that in one day, but I won’t. Look for another update late tomorrow.