2014–17: Happy 25th Anniversary USA 1989

Everything featured in this week’s blog took place 25 years ago. It was April 24, 1989 when Jeff James and I quit our jobs for the ultimate road trip — to see the entire United States.

 

We’d purchased a 10 year old Chevy van and made some interior modifications to make it habitable. Starting from Los Angeles, our goal was to visit all 50 states (we’d knocked out Hawaii the year prior). Jeff being a baseball fan added the additional goal of visiting every major league baseball stadium.

 

The entire idea was inspired two years prior in 1987 by the movie “Baby Boom” starring Diane Keaton where she chucks a high-pressured NYC job, moves to Vermont and makes applesauce.

 

1980’s Los Angeles was not an easy place to live. The streets were ruled by rival gangs (Bloods vs. Crips). The news became repetitive, “13 people killed in drive-by shootings this weekend” was a common headline. We wanted out of LA.

 

Jeff and I had each invested 5 years at Dick Clark Productions, and our departure sparked the best-ever send-off party involving the entire company (that’s Dick and his wife Kari in the lower left).

 

There was a secondary party at Dick and Kari’s house in Malibu the following night. We will always remember their hospitality — we were treated as family.

 

With a Rand-McNally road atlas as our guide, we hit the road on Monday, April 24, 1989 and headed north. From a very early age I had carried a wish to visit all 50 states, and finally now, this quest was underway.

 

Our first major destination was Alaska, which was not an easy drive. I’ll never forget the 212 miles of gravel roads, the endless bouncing from frost heaves, and the two flat tires (the second one came before the first one was fixed).

 

But we made it. For me, this is the most prized photo from our entire journey.

 

Alaska is by far the largest of all states. We visited the two major cities of Fairbanks and Anchorage…

 

… as well as Mt. McKinley. At 20,237 feet, it is the highest point in North America (and hidden somewhere here in the background).

 

This is the famous trans-Alaska pipeline which transports oil 800 miles along the entire north-south distance of the state. Note: our journey took place only one month after the Exxon Valdez oil spill, however, we did not see any effects of this incident.

 

The drive to Alaska was so grueling, we booked a ferry back to Canada. For two days, we navigated the panhandle islands on our quest back to smoothly paved roads.

 

It was during this time we met two young ladies from Colorado who were on a similar adventure, along with their dog. They too had driven to Alaska and returned via ferry.

 

We visited major landmarks along our journey, including Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park…

 

… and Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota.

 

This was a long time ago. There was no Facebook, YouTube or Twitter. The Internet hadn’t been born and we just called it “mail”… we wrote letters with ink and paper and relied on the mailman to deliver it several days later with the aid of a 25 cent stamp. This was prior to the digital age when we used pay phones, photos were taken on 35mm film and video was shot on a camcorder using VHS tape (youngsters, ask your parents).

 

St. Louis is known as the gateway to the west.

 

The arch is impressive (we traveled to the top inside little modules that run up and down the interior arms of the arch).

 

And there was plenty of baseball along the way. At the time, there were 26 major league teams.

 

Somehow we worked our way into the Philadelphia bullpen. Despite Jeff’s coaching, the Phillies finished last in their division with a record of 67-95 that year.

 

Fans of the book / movie “Moneyball” will appreciate this story. This is Art Howe, then manager of the Houston Astros. He was later hired by Billy Beane to manage the Oakland A’s and implement his revolutionary strategy of selecting low-cost players who get on base.

 

This is Tiger Stadium in Detroit, one of my all-time favorites. Sadly, it’s been replaced by a modern mega-stadium with its luxury box seats for corporate fat cats.

 

Bathing was rare and challenging.

 

This called for efficiency (this is the “before” photo).

 

I opted for the low-maintenance cut.

 

Our friend Mike joined us for a week. Here we visited Ray Kroc’s first ever McDonald’s in Des Plaines, Illinois, which opened in 1955. Today, there are more than 34,000 McDonald’s restaurants in 118 countries worldwide.

 

We rode the Staten Island Ferry into New York City. Note the twin towers of the World Trade Center in the background.

 

There’s a “Welcome to” sign at every state border, and we stopped to photograph every sign.

 

Americans love icons, even if they’re manufactured. This is “Plymouth Rock” where the pilgrims began life of religious freedom in the new world nearly 400 years ago.

 

We visited my mother in Pennsylvania. She turns 90 this weekend. We now connect with her via Skype.

 

Also in Pennsylvania, this college reunion came about thanks to our mutual friend, Tim. Little did either of us know at the time that this innocent little dinner would turn into marriage three years later.

 

Our friend Rob joined us for a week-long east-coast tour which included multiple historical sites, including Independence Hall.

 

This is the battlefield of Gettysburg, the turning point in the war between the states in 1863.

 

In Washington D.C., we visited the monument which shares the same name as the city…

 

… and the White House. The Reagan years had just concluded and the first George Bush had recently taken office.

 

Farther south in Florida, we toured Disney World’s Magic Kingdom and EPCOT before sending Rob on his way back to LA.

 

Also in Florida, we visited my former apartment complex in Fort Myers (note our license plate on the van).

 

Along the way, we photographed businesses which shared the name of our former boss. Upon return to LA, we presented a poster collage to Dick for his 60^th birthday in November, 1989.

 

We met many friends along the way. The parents of friends were the best. We’d get a bed, a shower and a home cooked meal – the three most valued treats along our journey.

 

It’s all Elvis all the time in Memphis. Everywhere you turn, Elvis is there.

 

Here’s my best Elvis impersonation.

 

Here’s an impressive “Welcome to” sign. Perhaps they are trying too hard.

 

Somewhere in the middle of nowhere New Mexico, I ran out of gas. As I hitch-hiked to find fuel, Jeff sat in the van at the side of the road next to a sign that read “don’t pick up prisoners.” I’m sticking with my story that I created a memorable experience.

 

This bright and colorful welcome sign comes with its own subtitled warning.

 

Other signs are very simple.

 

We concluded the Grand Canyon is aptly named (clearly, we survived).

 

Utah was our 50^th and final state (this is the Great Salt Lake). We traveled 32,000 miles in 6 months (enough to circumnavigate the equator one-and-a-third times). From here we were off to San Francisco for the World Series where my brother Dave had scored tickets for game 5 (in a best of 7 game series). We arrived just in time to experience the 6.9 magnitude earthquake on October 17 which collapsed a section of the Oakland Bay bridge, killed 63 people, and delayed the World Series for 10 days. Baseball fans will recall the SF Giants were swept by their cross bay rivals, Oakland A’s, so there was no game 5. After visiting every single major league baseball stadium that year, and holding World Series tickets in our hands, the cherry on top was denied us.

 

Epilogue 1: It was mid-October, we’d just departed Utah, our 50^th and final state, and were now driving across the barren high desert of Oregon. It was past midnight, and with moonlight reflecting from the deserted landscape creating a lunar appearance, the sadness hit me. This lifelong dream of visiting all 50 states was fulfilled. It was over. It very quickly led to the question: “What’s next?” It was at that moment I realized it’s important to always have a dream. The thrill is the chase. Life is an adventure, live it to the fullest. Happy anniversary USA 1989. 

Epilogue 2: We both found our way back to Dick Clark Productions. Jeff is there now and has built a 30 year career (the longest-running current employee). For me, after a season as a ski bum at Mammoth Mountain in the California Sierra Nevadas, I returned via the TV game show “Let’s Make a Deal” in Orlando, Florida in early 1990 before moving to Dick’s Princeton, NJ office in 1991. Lynda and I married the following year. In 1995, Dick Clark Productions won the business to launch BMW’s Z3 Roadster (the James Bond car), which eventually lead to my employment with BMW in 1996. 

Special thanks to Jeff who scanned and transferred all these photos (my collection is locked away in our New Jersey basement). But more importantly, thanks to Jeff for taking the risk and sharing the journey. We created memories of a lifetime. The future course of our lives started April 24, 1989.  ts

2014 – 16: Prom and other big news

April has already been a big month for Kayla (with still more to come).  Last weekend was her senior prom.  But let’s first back up a few hours and learn about the preparation.

 

At 1:00 pm Saturday afternoon, I went in search of a shoe repairman (one of Kayla’s heels needed a new rubber tip).  I found a solution here.  Can you see where?

 

Was this your guess?

 

Here, on this little piece of dirt, under the umbrella by this busy road is a shoe repairman.

 

He was quite busy, but after a short wait, he was able to tackle the challenge.

 

He had all the necessary tools and supplies. 

 

 

Note how the shoe repairman works without shoes.

 

After 3 minutes and 30 Rupees (50 cents), these shoe were ready for the big evening.

 

Now, back to the prom.  The gowns were stunning.

 

Poise and maturity were at levels I never knew at this age.

 

This is a major milestone for the seniors as they wrap up their final year of high school and prepare for college.

 

Speaking of college, Kayla has selected Dickinson in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.  Founded in 1783, Dickinson is the nation’s 16th oldest college, and was chartered six days after the signing of the Treaty of Paris (ending the American Revolution), making it the first college founded in the newly recognized United States of America.

 

And finally one more big piece of Kayla news, she received her Girl Scout Gold Award this week, earned from her community service work here in Delhi.  Enjoy your week.  ts

 

 

2014 – 15: Awards and Election

There are two big stories this week. First, what is this man doing on the ladder?

 

He’s taking this picture at the all-employee unveiling of our brand new 60,000 square foot Training Center. This state-of-the-art facility is unlike any other in India.

 

The Training Center was showcased to our dealers during our annual awards show, which included high-energy entertainment…

 

…and lots of awards.

 

The evening concluded with spirited karaoke involving the audience.

 

But the even bigger news is India’s national election. The process started this week on April 7 and will run until May 12. The results will be announced May 16.

 

There are more than 800 million registered voters out of 1.2 billion citizens making India the world’s largest democracy. The election takes places in waves, and voters are required to physically vote where they are registered. There are no absentee ballots.

 

Unfortunately, there are those who try to disrupt the democratic process.

 

Government mandates businesses be closed on election day, allowing everyone ample time for this civic duty. The Delhi national capital region voted on Thursday, April 10. A splash of ink on the finger is used to prevent duplicity.

 

Selecting candidates requires clear thinking, thus the government prohibits the sale of alcohol for 48 hours, including the day before and actual election day.

 

The Congress Party has dominated elections since Independence, holding the prime minister’s chair 80% of the time, however, they are clearly on the back foot this time. Rahul Gandhi, great-grandson of Jawaharlal Nehru, is a reluctant candidate and an unskilled politician. Note: Congress is a political party and is unrelated to how Americans think of this word.

 

A new book just released by a political insider exposes what everyone already knows – the current prime minister, Manmohan Singh, is controlled by Congress Party President, Sonia Gandhi. She pulls all the strings. Keep in mind, Sonia Gandhi is Italian. She married Indira Gandhi’s son, Rajiv, and then became active in politics after his assassination in 1991.

 

The primary challenger, Narendra Modi, has a checkered past, but a huge head of steam. Note the word “change” in this ad, which is undoubtedly following the 2008 U.S. election playbook.

 

Stay tuned. More election updates ahead. Enjoy your week. ts

 

2014 – 14: Impressions of China

Before wrapping up the China adventure, there was big news in Delhi this week. The U.S. Ambassador to India, Nancy Powell, resigned. Relations between our nations have been severely strained since the arrest of an Indian diplomat in New York City last December. This static has impacted us directly (teachers’ visas were not being renewed). This change is seen as building a fresh start.

 

Now, back to China one last time for some final impressions. Facemasks are common in Beijing…

 

… as are bicycles. The honor system is strong. Most of these bikes do not have locks.

 

You have to admire this inventiveness.

 

In our attempt to integrate, we donned facemasks, however, we found Beijing’s air to be better than Delhi’s.

 

And yet smokers are everywhere. We found it ironic to see a nation of chain smokers wearing protective masks to guard against smog.

 

We saw Tai Chi often. This Chinese martial art is practiced for both self-defense and better health (it’s a stress buster).

 

For fans of the 2008 summer Olympics, you’ll recognize this building styled as an Olympic Torch.

 

You’ll also remember the famous “bird’s nest” venue.

 

The Chinese have no problem with imitation. If the statement is true, then BMW designers are quite flattered by the kidney grill on this van.

 

Prior to this trip, my impressions of China have come from high school history in the mid-1970’s. We studied this communist, cold-war advisory who was isolated from the outside world with a black and white understanding (democracy is good, communism is bad). Much has changed in the past 4 decades.

 

China is struggling to find the right balance between old-world Communism and Capitalism, and right now, they have a foot in both camps. My impression is the heavy-handed communist approach still operates behind the scenes while there is a capitalistic face to the outside world.

 

For example, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter are blocked in China. People are aware of the pro-democracy protests which took place in Tiananmen Square in 1989, but they’ve never seen this image nor the famous video of this man confronting a tank.

 

While in China, I searched Tiananmen Square on Google. All the controversial links are blocked, however, this very happy and sanitary information is available:   “Located at the center of Beijing City is Tiananmen Square, where you can visit Tiananmen Tower, Monument to the People’s Heroes, Great Hall of the People, Mao Zedong Memorial Hall and see the national flag raising ceremony. Thousands of people come to the Square every day. It is the must place to visit in Beijing City.”

 

Reading an English version of the local newspaper, you’d never suspect the press is controlled. Journalists touch on difficult topics and use phrases including “problems to solve,” however, there is no criticism of the government which is presented in a positive light and as addressing the issues.

 

This blog (IndiaTom) is blocked in China (it must be a threat to national security). Colleagues tell me a special VPN connection is required to work-around the censorship.

 

We visited an ultra-modern shopping mall. This overt show of capitalism completely flies in the face of my schooling some 4 decades earlier.

 

I can’t say I’m familiar with this brand.

 

Chairman Mao Zedong is still prominent and beloved. The communist era was ushered in under Chairman Mao in 1949.

 

Don’t mistake this as a sign that Chinese have a sense of humor. This is merely a clever concept to sell t-shirts to tourists.

 

We are officially “Hot Pot” fans. This time, we ordered the “dancing noodles.”

 

And wow, could these noodles dance.

 

Dinner time was never so entertaining.

 

Only once did the noodles hit the floor (and fortunately, this disqualified the noodles from further competition).

 

This is Greg’s name in Chinese. There is no connection between the written and spoken language. It’s possible to become fluent in Chinese, without the ability to read.

 

Why are these women so excited with their cameras at the ready? Could it be a celebrity sighting?

Not quite. It’s just us. We posed with more than a dozen people who were fascinated by our white skin.

 

In Guilin, we enjoyed watching the simpler life.

 

This bird is better than any fishing pole. He’s trained to catch fish and return them to his owner.

 

The bird would dive down and come up with a fish in seconds. The fish was half-way down his throat, but with some “encouragement” from his owner, he coughed it up.

 

 

There you have it. One last look at China from our spring break. It was a jam-packed week, full of adventure and pleasant surprises. Please include China as a travel destination in your future. Enjoy your week. ts  (Bonus item below)

 

Bonus item: Two major updates on our viral video this week: First, we crossed a quarter million views, and second, cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar posted the video on his Facebook page garnering 100,000 “Likes” within a day.