Once we were packed up and ready to depart Delaware, it was time to plan our next few stops. We thought we were so clever, plotting out stops at several Capitols to add to our already extensive list. Too bad our memories aren’t as sharp as we’d like them to be!

Since the Pennsylvania Capitol was only a couple of hours away and open until 4 p.m. on Saturdays, this would be the perfect start to our trip. We had phoned ahead and had good instructions on where to park the RV, only two blocks from the Capitol. Our handy Magellan (you know, that GPS unit that can get you confused and/or lost anywhere in the U.S.) guided the way, but somehow couldn’t foresee how bad weekend traffic gets on the “I-30” (looking remarkably like a two-lane road in sections) through Amish country.

We arrived late, it was cold and windy, and the parking lot was almost a mile away, necessitating walking (make that running, with Jason in the stroller) over a bridge and through town. I carried Jason (still in the stroller) up about 50 steps, and arrived at the door at 4:02 p.m. Life sucks! Fortunately the guards were very nice and understanding, and we got to do our “speed tour” of the lower level. Though we didn’t stray far from the rotunda, it was a very beautiful building. Good enough for me! I even got a photo of my Oakley shoes standing where Teddy Roosevelt once stood. Do you think he wore his tennis shoes there in 1906? Was he also a 10 ½? Once done inside, we were able to take our time walking around the area and enjoying the scenery. The town really was impressive, and the view from the Capitol out to the Susquehanna River rocked. Go Harrisburg!

As we continued our journey west Saturday night our plan was to hit the Ohio Capitol on Sunday, as it was open. Now things are really going our way! Anyhow, it dawned on me that one of my Air Force friends, Tim Morris, lived in Ohio. I hadn’t seen Tim since 1988, but we had stayed in touch until about ’96. Weeks turned into years, and though I still think of all my Air Force alumni in nothing but fond terms, the truth is it’s easy to lose touch. Here’s where it gets confusing: Tim’s USAF roommate, Ron Deering (also a close friend of mine), has an uncle who came by my pit in Indy. Long story short, I called Ron, who got in touch with Tim, who got in touch with me, and I spoke to him last month for the first time in 12 years. Back to Saturday, on I-70, trucking along through the night. I got ahold of Tim, told him our route, and he lives within 10 miles of the interstate!

Sunday Tim met us for breakfast (our breakfast in usually around 11:30 a.m.) and we followed him into Columbus to visit the Capitol.

While not the most impressive of all of the Capitol buildings that we’ve seen on the exterior, the fact that it was opened in 1857 and still is in use more than 150 years later is very cool. There is a plaque on what now is part of the atrium (but once was the exterior steps of the building) where Lincoln gave a speech in 1859. Jenna held Jason up to simulate the height of the sixteenth President.

The interior was nice, the ground cool, and Jason is totally into sitting on Civil War cannons, so we can’t complain. Still, the best part of the day was spending time with Tim. I have about a dozen guys that I served with that I felt very close to. Though I haven’t spoken to several of them in 20 years (how did that time go by?), I feel as if I could pick up the phone today and it would be like no time had passed, and no awkwardness whatsoever. This may sound odd to many of you, but I imagine most people who served in the military would agree with my point of view. Great people, solid friends, and at a time in all of our lives where we were experiencing so much change. Tim is coming to Norwalk next year with his entire family, and Ron will be coming to Indy.

Speaking of Indy, once we departed Ohio we headed for the shop in Brownsburg, Ind. We stayed the night and I hung out with most of the crew the next day while they completed service on the car. I figured it would be a good time to do some quick repairs on the PT Cruiser, so I unloaded it and drove it over next to the Pro Stock Bike section of the shop. That was a good move on my part. Chip Ellis and crewman Tom Patsis wouldn’t even let me get my hands dirty, helping through all of the work. Man, being a “famous” Funny Car driver really has its perks … or so I thought. No amount of begging could get them or crewman Jason to help me wash the little Chrysler, so I had to tough it out on my own.

Onward further, we pulled into Des Moines (which Google says means,” from monks”???) to see their state building. This place was very impressive. If asked what my favorite Capitol is, that would be a tough question, as it sort of becomes an apples and oranges comparison due to one’s definition of art, architecture, and surroundings. However, put Iowa’s right up at the top of the list: An impressive exterior with five domes, the central one gold-covered; an amazing interior with one of the most elegant rotundas and dome interiors that we’ve seen; staircases second to none in design and aesthetics, including their five-story library with incredible winding staircases. There also are monuments across the street for the original states (Iowa was # 29). This one is a doozy!

The only downside was the weather was starting to get cold, and our front heater decided to stop working in the coach. Good timing! The trip to our next state Capitol, Cheyenne, was very eventful. We hit rain, wind, lots of rain, and hellacious winds. We spent the night in North Platte, Nebraska and bundled up as the storm rocked the motorhome. I had been to North Platte while in the service, as my roommate Jim Gies came from there. We visited his family for a couple of days before heading to Denver for the Mile-High Nationals. That was ’85 or ’86, as I rode my motorcycle the other year. At 500 miles each way, it was no “day-trip”. I haven’t talked to Jim since February 4, 1988 (the day I left), and I’d sure like to know his whereabouts.

Once we pulled into Cheyenne and up to the Capitol complex, things got odd: there was a statue of a bull out front, JUST LIKE one we had seen at another Capitol. In fact, there was a sign out front that looked exactly like the one Jason had sat on back in July that read, “Wyoming State Capitol”. How the hell could we have forgotten? We had a good laugh and decided to make the best of it, so we headed across the street to their museum of Wyoming history to check it out. Jason doesn’t have to know that his parents aren’t that bright, and he liked playing in the dinosaur room, anyway.

Did I mention that it was windy? Things certainly didn’t settle down through the rest of Wyoming, as this road sign attests to. In addition to battling the winds, we discovered why this state has all that weird looking “fencelike” structure next to the highway: it’s 8,000 + feet of altitude, it’s cold, and it’s now snowing! Interesting, but I could have done without it. 

I tell you what else I could have done without: physics lessons. Obviously there is a principle, axiom, or theorem out there that predicts the pressure in a sealed container when the outside pressure changes. Perhaps Newton, Bernoulli, or Pascal took credit for this little gem, but I think I’ve discovered the 1000 Island Effect: It simply states, “Salad dressings purchased at sea level and transported to higher altitudes should never be opened while wearing clean shirts.” Jenna and I thought it was funny enough to pose for a picture, and Jason doesn’t need to know his dad isn’t hitting on all eight. Besides, I’ve got photos of him wearing food, and I just may use one this blog.

Next stop was Salt Lake City, Utah, to see their Capitol. This makes 19 we have been in (not counting D.C.), and 21 we have photographed (Boise and Nashville were closed the days we were there). Unbelievable is a good description. I was prepared for a very modest (considering the highly religious area around Salt Lake) building, but got just the opposite. If someone wants to argue that this is the nicest of the State Buildings, it would be tough to disagree. The only complaint that I had was the confusing sign out front that read, “TATE OF UT”. I have no clue what that means. It’s like a puzzle on Wheel of Fortune or something. The interior was like a Roman temple; huge, imposing, opulent, well lit, and awe-inspiring. The grand stair case and solid marble columns brought by train from Georgia make this a must-see. It was just reopened after a four-year restoration and earthquake retrofit project, so our timing was great. The Governor’s reception room probably is the nicest that we’ve seen.