Initial Impressions 2.0 Blog: #41 - Cemetery Music, Foxy Meeting, Expired Foods, etc

1. I finally got around to taking my mini pumpkin out to get some cool, creepy photos and videos for Halloween. I went to an area just off the Cape Cod Rail Trail in Harwich. There is a cemetery that is good for running around as it’s a circular road. I was out at sunset walking through this cemetery looking for photos that spoke to me. I was way over at the far end of the cemetery after the sun went down. As it struck the top of the hour a nearby church started playing music for several minutes. It was a perfectly creepy and surreal moment as I had to walk through the cemetery as the light faded and this music played. I loved it.

2. I have seen foxes a lot living on Cape Cod. They are usually scampering through people's yards or wooded areas typically near dusk. Until this week I’d never seen a full-grown and healthy fox just standing in a beach parking lot. At first, I thought it was sick but it was a perfect specimen, like how you think a fox would look. I debated trying to approach it since it stood maybe 20 feet from my car for a good minute. Once I got done shooting a video though it ran off under a fence.

3. If you walk your dog, and it takes a dump, and you put this in a bag, but then leave the bag on the ground, you are a jerk. If I put my trash in a bag but leave the bag on the side of the road it counts as littering right? Why do these lazy selfish entitled dog owners think that putting their dog crap bags on the ground somehow counts as ‘cleaning up?’ Nobody forced you to get a dog, but you got one, learn how to be a functioning member of the human race.

4. Your reminder to always check expiration dates on the things you buy. I mentioned this in a blog post several months back well it rears its ugly head again. This time it was a 4-pack of ready-to-drink protein shakes. They were on sale (now I know why) and I figured why not save money and have breakfast ready for the next 4 days. If I had checked I’d have seen they were expired by a month. Unfortunately, I didn’t until getting ready to have one for breakfast. Needless to say, I had to skip breakfast that day or else risk whatever illness severely expired food could give me. These supermarkets really need to step it up when it comes to removing expired foods so that idiots like me don’t buy them because it’s on sale.

Do these look expired?

5. A surefire way to become my friend is by begging me several times on social media to take you on a photo trip with me. Not only did I have a strange woman essentially demand that I take her with me on a future trip, but this was the 2^nd time it’s happened. I could understand if you are my friend or even someone I’ve interacted with on social media a few times. For a total stranger to introduce herself by saying ‘you need to take me on a photo trip,’ there has to be a screw loose. No thanks, you can keep stalking my social accounts for now, unless a blocking is needed at some point.

6. My speaking events about my books are always fun. No matter the crowd size I do my best to make the event worth the while of those who come out to see me. Sometimes I end up with unique stories from these events. One I had this week was what I could only call an attempted entrapment. Speaking about my Searching For the Lady of the Dunes true crime novel I mentioned that my opinion about who was involved in the murder of the woman later found to be Ruth Marie Terry differed somewhat from what police say. Police say 1 man, her then-husband Guy Muldavin, killed her. I agree he was a part of it but that he probably had 1 or 2 accomplices. In my book, I mention a few potential accomplices but only 1^st names. A man at my event was hell-bent on getting me to give a definitive statement on who I thought was involved. Seeing as how a few potential accomplices are still alive I’d be a fool to point fingers. I might as well just beg to be sued at that point. Nice try guy, and he didn’t even buy a book so the hell with him.

7. Daylight Savings starts November 3^rd when we ‘fall back.’ On November 2^nd the sun rises at 7:15am. One day this week it was cloudy and rainy in the morning. Even though the sun had technically risen it still looked dark at 7:45am. It reminded me of the time when I took a bus from Las Vegas to Hyannis in 2001. We stopped in the small town of Ogallala, Nebraska. Inside the bus station looked like it was straight out of the 1950s. The fact that it was still dark at 8:15am made me start to think that maybe the bus had crashed and that we were all dead and Ogallala’s bus station was purgatory. My lasting memory of that small town was my Nana’s laughter every time she said the name. That was worth the Twilight Zone episode it felt like.

8. This year Halloween was a fun throwback. No, I didn’t go Trick or Treating, although if I wore a mask and pretended I had a sore throat and couldn’t talk I bet I could still pull it off. I always watch the original Halloween from 1978 with dinner. It’s been a tradition for probably close to 20 years This year I watched it at my mom’s house with my sister, nieces, and nephew which was a lot of fun. The actual Halloween scene was also a fun throwback. At first, there didn’t seem to be too many kids coming to get candy. My sister and my oldest niece were outside handing it out since it was 65 degrees at 6pm. As I was getting ready to leave and go home it was like every kid within a 2-mile radius flooded my mother’s street. It was such a great scene of kids everywhere yelling ‘trick or treat.’ I almost didn’t want to leave but I needed to get home to eat and find a different horror movie to watch.

Halloween was fun.

9. On Halloween morning, well before sunrise, I got my annual creepy photo/video shoot. I had to work early regardless so it wasn’t too out of my way to end up deep in a cemetery at 6:30am. With the sunrise close to 7:15 it was pitch black. I rolled about halfway deep into the cemetery and shot a creepy video of me with my mini pumpkin. It was odd yet perfectly normal for me around Halloween. I had to get to work otherwise I might have shot some more video out there. Don’t get me wrong it was definitely creepy but when it comes to interesting content like photos and videos my dedication to the craft sometimes takes over the normal part of my brain.

10. Birthdays in your 40’s are far different than when you’re a kid. Family and friends aren’t all readily available and without meticulous planning, you likely won’t get to see all of the people you want. That said, you have to try to make each birthday feel special, after all, it is a milestone of making it another year. For me, I filled my birthday this week with everything I liked. Foods I liked, visiting my mother, going for a secluded hike. These things are what I enjoy. No more super late nights of drinking. Low-key and fun is what I seek out in life in general. Here's to good things ahead in my 47th trip around the sun!

Las Vegas to Cape Cod by Bus: In My Footsteps Podcast Episode 9

In My Footsteps: 2001 Cross Country Road Trip

     In November 2019 I went on an amazing 6-day road trip that began on Cape Cod and encompassed a total of 2,100 miles. It was not however the longest road trip I had ever been on. The 2019 trip was the bookend to another trip that took place in 2001. The main difference was the 2019 trip was for fun, the 2001 trip was more by necessity. That trip came about due to having to move back to Cape Cod from Las Vegas, Nevada. It was also aboard a Greyhound bus, and began in the dead of night. This is the story of that 2,700 mile, 3-day journey that began my love of travel and my desire to do a proper road trip on my own.

     After spending time going to college and working in Las Vegas things were not working out as I’d hoped. It became time to unfortunately call it a day and head back to Cape Cod to start a new chapter. It also didn’t help that I had discovered how much I loved to gamble. By gambling I mean blowing my paycheck at slot machines in Albertson’s and 7-Eleven. The trip across the country began in the Greyhound depot of Las Vegas located about 10 minutes north of the famed Strip. It was winter and the dead of night as the bus began its journey. Though nearly 20 years ago now so many of the memories of this trip are still vivid in my mind.

The El Bambi Cafe and Sinclair signs from 2011
(ArbyReed on Flickr)

Beaver, Utah

The first several hundred miles of the journey was along I-15, then to I-70. I-70 begins near Cove Fort, Utah and travels more than 2,100 miles east ending at Baltimore, Maryland. In between short bouts of sleep the first place I remember stopping was Beaver, Utah as the skies began to see their first glimmers of morning. It was a truck stop complete with a Sinclair gas station which fascinated me with its brontosaurus logo because I’d never seen one before. There wasn’t much time to look around however the bus allowed us to stretch our legs and I walked across the parking lot to a small diner called the El Bambi Truck Stop Cafe. It was every bit the classic road side diner complete with the swirling desert case and a counter of truckers having breakfast and coffee before being on their ways.

Grand Junction, Colorado

About 300 miles east of Beaver is Grand Junction, Colorado. This is an up and coming art city but also known for its mountain biking, wineries, and overall scenery. It is where the Colorado and Gunnison Rivers meet, thus the ‘junction’ name. While there I was able to take a walk and see some of the famed Art On The Corner sculptures. The outdoor-exhibit started in 1984 by Dave Davis includes some permanent pieces and some that are actually for sale. In recent years its Downtown has become a Certified Creative District and is an up and coming place for younger people to live.

Art on the Corner in Grand Junction, CO 2001

Somewhere along the way at a convenience store at a bus stop I decided to buy some cheap sleeping pills to help make the long stretches on the bus go by faster. These came in to play at the next stop 120 miles east in Eagle, Colorado.

Eagle, Colorado

This small town lies close to the Vail and Beaver Creek ski resorts. It is popular for its hiking and definitely scenic views. While waiting for the bus to leave Las Vegas I had struck up a conversation with a guy about my age who was also heading across the country. At the stop in Eagle the guy got off to go into the store but was late coming back out. As the bus began to drive away he came running out and although I did see him the sleeping pills had me in such a haze that all I could do was watch him fade away. He did catch up with us a few stops later just in case anyone wondered what happened to him.

Denver, Colorado

The most nerve racking part of the 125-mile trip east to Denver was a winding drive through the Rocky Mountains as the snow fell. There is nothing like feeling a bus skid while being thousands of feet up separated from the cliffs by a single metal guardrail. After arriving in the city we were allowed a little under an hour to ‘enjoy’ Denver. This meant taking a walk outside in the light snow for a few blocks. Besides a convenience store and the Ritz-Carlton hotel I did not see much of Denver. Not truly sightseeing but more than most stops.

Ogallala, Nebraska

After leaving Denver we headed northeast on I-76 to perhaps the most unique spot I saw on this trip. This small town was once a stop on the Pony Express. It sits close to the border of the Central and Mountain Time Zones, leading to some late sunrises. This was the case when I arrived. It was a perfect combination of a late sunrise, powerful sleeping pills, and a bus station with red and white vinyl checkered cafe tables looking like it was straight out of the 1950’s. I started wondering if I was either still asleep or in an episode of The Twilight Zone. It was an interesting and unique time I spent in this bus station, plus my Nana loved the town’s name so every time I think of stopping here it reminds me of her.

My postcard from Ogallala 2001

Nebraska is smack in the middle of the Great Plains. Riding by bus through it showed just how flat and sprawling the land is. Not to say that the area isn’t worth visiting, I just know that the views surrounding I-80 through Nebraska and Iowa doesn’t lend itself to many picture postcard images.

Walcott, Iowa

The World’s Largest Truck Stop is located here. On the eastern edge of Iowa it opened in 1964 and is open 24/7/365. It is 30,000 square feet and serves on average more than 5,000 people daily. It has a barber shop, chiropractor, dentist office, laundrymat, private showers, and even dog groomers. I only got a small taste of this attraction, as was the case with most places on this list. It looked and felt like a huge shopping mall, except for when the loud speaker would call out random truckers names saying their showers were ready.

The entrance to the World's Largest Truck Stop in 2001

Davenport, Iowa

Located on the Mississippi River less than 15 miles from Walcott. It is widely considered one of the best small cities in America. Upon arriving at the bus terminal I spotted the incredible 3,800-foot Centennial Bridge which connects Davenport to Rock Island. I took off running nearly a half-mile to snap a couple of photos of the bridge in the short amount of time that we were stopped in Davenport.

Chicago, Illinois

My first experience in the legendary Chicago I am sure is not indicative of the greatness of that city. However this is how I spent my time in Chicago. The bus rolled into the station around 5am. The bus needed to refuel and get cleaned up so everyone was told they needed to get off and spend some time in the bus terminal. That was no big deal until the driver made it a point to warn us about pickpockets and strongly suggested that none of us venture off into any dark corners of the bus terminal. Needless to say I stuck close to where we all disembarked and simply waited for the all clear to return to the bus. To be fair though I did not see anything close to the ominous warning the bus driver gave us.

Leaving Chicago led us through the rest of Illinois and through Indiana with the main stop off being the city of Elkhart.

Elkhart, Indiana

Located 110 miles east of Chicago this city is famous for two contributions to the world. One is being the RV Capital of the World, the other is once being considered the Band Instrument Capital of the World. At one point Elkhart was home to 60 instrument manufacturers.

It was here that we disembarked at a gas station with several passengers walking next door to the McDonald’s. The line was a bit long and some of us began to worry that the bus might leave without us. Luckily the woman at the end of the line chimed in and said the driver wouldn’t dare leave without her, she was his wife!

There was a brief stop, more of a slow down, in Cleveland, Ohio. This was after midnight and the city looked impressive despite only stopping long enough to do a quick pickup/drop off. I was in and out as we passed through Ohio into Pennsylvania.

State College, Pennsylvania

It was here that I again realized how strong the sleeping pills were that I had been taking to help with the trip. This stop was early in the morning and somehow in a haze I wandered into a convenience store and made a few purchases and got back on the bus. Only a few hours later did I see the random purchases I made with almost no recollection.

From there it was roughly 500 miles back to Cape Cod and more specifically Hyannis. It ended more than 3 days of seeing many sites, though not as much as I wish I had at the time. Thankfully during my most recent road trip I was able to stop and see many things on my itinerary and document them with photos and videos. Maybe someday I will recreate this route and be able to enjoy it more, until then it made for an interesting few days in 2001.

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My 5th book, Cape Cod Nights, is on sale at Amazon.com and through Arcadia Publishing

View my previous blog posts: In Their Footsteps: Cape Cod History - Deacon John Doane

In Their Footsteps: Cape Cod History - Sandy Neck Colony and Lighthouse                         

Photo Prints available here: Smug Mug.com

Be sure to check out my website: Christopher Setterlund.com