Note: This post is from September 6, 2008

Today I woke up early and went to see the Great Reno Balloon Race, or at least the tail end of it. I didn't wake up in time for the "Dawn Patrol" event, which is supposedly spectacular, but I saw some hot-air balloons flying against the blue sky. Very pretty, with a background soundtrack coming from big speakers mounted on trucks. Peaceful from a distance, but controlled by fiery infernos and fickle gusts of wind. It was a family-friendly affair, with food booths and tethered balloon rides for the kids. I had a corn dog.

Note: This post is from September 4, 2008

We woke up in Craig, Colorado, and went to the local McDonald's for breakfast. If you are careful what you order, you can actually get some decent food at McDonald's, and even the coffee's not half-bad. Of course, the odds of actually getting what you order vary greatly depending on where you are in the country. I'm not going to say the people in the middle parts of America are dumber than those on the coasts, but anywhere in the Midwest or the West you pretty much have to order by the number if you want to avoid blank stares.

The coffee of errors

I'm in the habit of drinking a coffee every morning. Now coffee is an area where people generally know exactly what they want and how they want it, and I'm no exception. This is never a problem in Massachusetts, where there is a Dunkin' Donuts on every corner - those guys can sling cups o' joe faster than Randy Moss can score a touchdown. It's even less of an issue in California, where the local Starbucks baristi are famous for remembering which customer likes his half-caf part-skim grande mocha latte with a touch of cinnamon. Not so here. Along the big cross-country highways, if you want a coffee, it's McDonald's or nothing.