Godzilla rests beside the Great River
after a fast drive of some 570 miles.

Go Fast.

Friday, August 7, 2009
Muscatine, Iowa

You have to begin somewhere. Me 'n Godzilla began our road trip on the fast road. I'll admit, driving the interstate highway system is against our religion, but sometimes you gotta break with doctrine for the greater good.  I'll try to explain.

We went fast and far, ending up on the right bank of the Mississippi River in downtown Muscatine, some 570 miles away from Crow's Cottage. There was just enough light to take a few pictures.   

Now I'm sitting at a little table in the corner of a room in the EconoLodge next to Burger King on Highway 61, determined to begin the narrative.  Most of you didn't even know that me 'n Godzilla had gone.   

As late as it is, as sleepy as I am, as far as we've got to go, I'll make this first dispatch as brief as possible.

1.  We're headed to Pine Bush, New York.  Gotta be there a week from tomorrow.  Today, by putting several hundred fast-road miles behind us, I was able to set the table for the meander that begins with the sunrise tomorrow. 

2.  I've some special stops planned along the way.

3.  Once we get there, we'll stay for a few days, listening to doers and thinkers as they engage vital issues of our age and times.

4.  The way back home shall be filled with wonders and adventure, Lord willin' and the creek don't rise.   

From here on out, it's the slow roads all the way to the Hudson River Valley, except for the times we venture into a city and can't avoid the freeways. We'll be lookin' for natural wonders and an insight or three about culture and society.  The plan is to show and tell along the way. 

Stay with me now.  Without you, the journey becomes an empty exercise.  Stay in touch, too.  Hearing from you will fortify me and my trusty atomic lizard for the long road ahead.

ebenezer@corndancer.com

The inscription under the statue at Riverfront Park reads:

Presented to
the City of Muscatine
by
Musquitine Tribe No. 95,
Improved Order of Red Men
and Dedicated to
the Mascoutin Indians
1926

The workboat Kathy Ellen, steaming downstream at sunset.
Her cargo was six empty hopper barges.

The stories
linked below
form the narrative "Travels with Godzilla."

The Journey Ends:
Bye, Buck Bowles.

Dispatch Eighteen
Fayetteville,
Arkansas
Monday, August 31

Tobacco:
By the Hand of Man.

Dispatch Seventeen
Benton,
Kentucky
Thursday, August 27

Shy and Wonderful:
In Pursuit
Of the Wild Image.

Dispatch Sixteen
Bowling Green,
Kentucky
Wednesday, August 26

Mullens
It Wasn't the Flood.

Dispatch Fifteen
Williamson,
West Virginia
Tuesday, August 25

What Coal?
So Many Mountains
They're
Giving Some Up.

Dispatch Fourteen
Beckley,
West Virginia
Monday, August 24

Illustrated Man:
Pay Is Pay
On the
Honorable Path.

Dispatch Twelve
Morgantown,
West Virginia
Saturday, August 22

Which Road?
Counting the Lanes.

Dispatch Eleven
Bel Air,
Maryland
Friday, August 21

An Easy Puzzle:
Shade Drenched,
Flat and Tidy.

Dispatch Ten
Seaford,
Delaware
Thursday, August 20

Sea Cruise:
A Fine Old Motor Vessel Makes a Smooth Crossing from Jersey to Delaware.

Dispatch Nine
Seaford,
Delaware
Wednesday, August 19

Mighty Joe:
From the River Valley To the Sandy Pine Barrens On a Road to Heaven.

Dispatch Eight
Vineland,
New Jersey
Tuesday, August 18

Sugar Hollow Road:
Not too Far
down the Way
from Mehoopany.

Dispatch Seven
Scranton, Pennsylvania
Friday, August 14

Lucky Stars:
Godzilla Wrestles
a Bear.

Dispatch Six
Scranton, Pennsylvania
Thursday, August 13

Erie:
Off Balance, Agitated.

Dispatch Five
Erie, Pennsylvania
Tuesday, August 11

Purpose:
Success and Fear On the Sly Peripheral.

Dispatch Four
Kent, Ohio
Monday, August 10

Indiana:
You Want to Take Forever.

Dispatch Three
Howe, Indiana
Sunday, August 9

Army Truck:
Carry Me Home.

Dispatch Two
Watseka, Illinois
Saturday, August 8

Road Trip:
Go Fast.

Dispatch One
Muscatine, Iowa
Friday, August 7