I'm almost back to Iowa. But not after experiencing what my trip could have been like had I choose to travel like 90% of the travelers on the road. My wheels were in four states yesterday.. I just drove until 9:30 or so and decided to get something to eat. I was in Kansas City and started to think about BBQ, except that it was 9:30 on a Sunday and downtown KC was a ghost town.

I decided to drive a little further on my way and I stopped to get gas somewhere in the KC suburbs, Liberty, I think. Filled up my tank with the cheapest gas I have seen on my trip and crossed the street to a giant chain restaurant. It was one of those clutter restaurants where they hang all the shit on the walls. Road-signs, Movie Posters, Baskets, and occasional taxidermied animal.

I have spent the last two months visiting people around the country, many of which are collectors of sorts, with collections of various types of things in various states of order, but personal collections none the less. I never walked into a house and said, "oh your house looks just like the last house I was in". It never was, the things that people collected were so different from each other.

The corporation that owned this chain of restaurants makes sure that every restaurant looks just like the other. A chain of restaurant that look like someone collected shit all their life and the put stuff up as they found it on their walls.. Too bad that half the shit is manufactured and no one in the restaurant is authorized to put anything on the walls themselves..

I ordered a steak. It was the only thing on the menu that seemed like a thing that they couldn't screw up. A steak, medium rare, with a baked potato, the fish attack is officially over. They must have soaked the steak in MSG for a week or two, it had a flavor not unlike the salty tartness of a bag of Doritos. A simple steak ruined by the corporate headquarters that made sure that every steak would taste the same regardless of the source by marinating their steaks in their special flavor enhanced brand marinade.

I couldn't eat it. So I had a second beer and decided that I should stay in a hotel for the night. I stayed at a Comfort Inn down the street and watched cable TV until 3 in the morning. There was a "complementary" copy of USA today in the lobby and a free continental breakfast. Featuring instant coffee, canned orange juice, and mini hostess muffins.

I realize that this it what my trip could have been, day after day of bad chain food restaurants and night after night of late night cable and free continental breakfasts. I'd recommend staying with strangers if you can when you travel. And I'd try to avoid any restaurant that is part of a Chain. I've made a little deal with my self-this morning to see if I can live "Chain" free for the month of November

Last night I went to a party on a ranch with Melanie's friend Susan. There was a bonfire and a movie that they projected onto a giant rain water storage tank that provides the house and ranch with running water. It was really nice to be on the out-skirts of Austin. Its amazing how quickly you can go from city to county in Texas. On the east coast when you drive 20 minutes out of even the smallest of cities you never get out as far as I felt on this ranch in Texas.

I'm going to leave today. I'm heading back to Iowa. I'm looking forward to sleeping in a bed and sitting in one place for a while. Dawn hasn't called. I'll be back in Texas before long.

I'm sitting in Melanie, Rick and Savannah's house in Austin, Texas. I set my tent up outside on Thursday night and still haven't left. They left this morning for a camping trip so I have volunteered to take care of their chickens while they are away.. I still haven't heard back from Dawn in San Antonio, which I think will be my last stop on this journey.

Austin is like molasses.. Yesterday when I crawled out of my tent, their next door neighbor Sam said hello and offered me a cup of coffee, after talking for a little while she invited me to a party at Molly Ivins house.. I guess I'm staying an extra day.. So I did and tonight I have been invited to another party, and on Sunday there is a Day of the Dead event that I am welcome to attend.. My one-day visit has turned into five.

I've been trying to get all of the last week's entries posted but I don't really have very reliable internet access from my tent.. I'm going to go up to U of T and see what I can do to get on their Ethernet network.

I think that I am going to turn my car North really soon. Margaret thinks that I should get back sooner rather than later b/c I was supposed to start working for her on the 15th of October, and Sasha tells me to come home nearly ever single day.. What to do, What to do, What to do?

I'm pretty road weary, and having a lot of trouble getting anything done. I've even stopped taking as many photographs of late.. I'm thinking of heading back to Iowa for a while and getting everything that I have written so far postedÉ For those of you in the Southeast, it looks like I will have to visit at another time.

In debate.

Last night Melanie, Rick and Savannah took me out to Taco Express for dinner. It was the best Mexican food I have ever had, even better than the taco's that I had in the mission district in San Francisco. We sat around for a little while and then I decided to set my tent up.

They invited me to stay inside but I kind of wanted to take advantage of the warm weather while I still have it. It was such a beautiful night. I was up for a few hours last night writing updates in my tent. Am I a geek for sitting in a tent in the front yard of a house in the city limits of Austin writing journal entries on a laptop computer?

I woke up this morning at about 9 am and as I ventured out of my tent I saw Melanie and Rick's neighbor Samantha drinking coffee in her front yard. She offered me a cup of coffee and invited me to a party at Molly Ivin's house. I guess I'm going to stay another day or two.

I bought a pair of jeans today at the Salvation Army today. I had to change my pants after wearing the same pair of jeans for the last three weeks straight. And I guess I should wear denim to a party at a Liberal Democratic Texans' house. I'll let you know how it goes.

Austin is only three hours away from Dallas. Last night Brian told me to keep my eyes out for the Dome Home community 45 minutes south of Dallas. I didn't really know what he was talking about until I saw the 400 ft concrete caterpillar named Bruno on the eastern side of I-15 just north of Italy Texas. I missed the exit, drove ahead five-mile and turned around.

When I got to the dome home community I noticed that they had a 24-hour welcome center which was also a model dome home. They had videotape in the VCR and I took a little break and watched it. The dome community is actually part of the Monolithic Dome Home Institute, which trains people to build the patented Monolithic Dome Home system.

I'm not sure how much I can tell you about the process but it involves a giant inflatable bubble, polyurethane foam, and quick setting flash concrete. These people have brought new meaning to the term "concrefication." One of the selling points on the dome homes is that they are energy efficient and disaster proof. I guess 15 tones of domed concrete can withstand more wind than your average inflatable home.