Stopped at Suhsi Yoma in NN to end the trip (#bestsushiplaceever). I may add a few more pics, but thisll be the last post of the trip.
What an amazing spring break trip! I had so very much fun every single day. It was a treat to drive it.
AND PATTY MADE IT THE WHOLE WAY!!!!! I love you Peppermint Patty. She was a trooper on this trip. I am very proud of her, and god am I happy
to have her as a car. Shes now officially been to her birthplace (broadly), Canada, and from Cali., to Texas, to Virginia, up through Mass. & across
NY, to Kitchener & Toronto, and back to Virginia. She will be receiveing a well-deserved oil change & a well-needed transmission flush very soon...
probably next weekend. I think Ill also be getting a prancing moose to celebrate. Thanks to Dave Barton & his prancing meese, TurboBricks and SwedeSpeed, IPD and FCP Euro
for their help in keeping Patty kicking. Also thanks to Dave's Automotive, European Cars of Wburg, and Auto Muffler King for their help on/before this trip (respectively),
as well as Southwest Automotive (especially) and CarSport in HTX for their support and help over the years. This trip wouldntve been possible without any of them.
Special thanks to AH, CB, and OEH for the couches & hospitality. Thank you guys so much for letting me crash & muck around!
All of your souls shine with the light of a million stars.
It has been so much fun to keep a blog for this trip! Im very happy I did!
Peace 2 everyone who followed along, especially those who signed the blog, but everyone else as well. It has continued to shock me how many of you
guys have followed along & reached out along the way, and it made me feel all warm & fuzzy inside every time.
Peace 2 everyone I met along the way, the genuinely inspiring work of every traffic controller, safety tech, maintenance worker, and the litany of
other unseen jobs that made my trip possible & safe. Seeing the response to accidents & the number of safety innovations that have been made on the hways is amazing. I love our society.
Peace 2 OEH for keeping me company Boston->NN, putting up with my shitty music, and handing me a cup of coffee as I write this.
Peace 2 OZG, who inspired this trip in the first place - it really was outstanding to finally meet you. Hopefully it wont take quite as long the next time.
Peace 2 B, who I met at the start of this trip, and Stellar.CT (or something close) who I met at the end.
Peace 2 the occupants of the Veloster and everyone else who played around with me on the roads, and to all the cars who put up with Pattys limited hill-climb ability.
Peace 2 coffee & redbull & html & bologna.
Peace 2 SoulSeek (used Spotify for 1 song this trip... and only to prove a point!).
Peace 2 my job, my parents, and my friends for making this trip financially possible.
vermin trip statscard
Total gas cost: $454.28
Total EZPass cost: $90.16
Total cost of an airplane ticket to Toronto & back TOMORROW: $455
Bologna sandwhiches eaten: only 3
Bushes peed in: 3 or 4
Miles driven: roughly 2800
Rolls of film shot: roughly 2 1/2
Days: 6
Scrobbles: 760
Top Albums: Loukeman - Sd-2 (42); Otto Benson - Peanut (36); Resavoir - Horizon 2025 (31)
Top Artists: 100 gecs (46); underscores (43); Loukeman (42)
Favorite Sights: GW Bridge in NY; Wyoming county in NY; Mystic, CT; and of course Boston, MA
Favorite State excluding VA: NY, but with MA close behind
Least Favorite State: Delaware by a very long shot
Sudden Brakes: 3
Leaks: 0 (me); 1 (Patty)
Drinks consumed: a lot (me); 0 (Patty)
Avg. Mileage: ~24.4mpg
Stops for gas: 10
MG of Caffiene: a lot (~350/day, very roughly)
Shouldered stops: ~8
Traffic violations: a lot
Traffic violations I was caught for: 0!
Best parking: in the MIDDLE of downtown Toronto. It was beautiful.
I Love All of You & Thanks For Following Along!
See you again the next time!
#longlivetheblog
#verminnation
-vvermin
03/07 @ 03.44EST: Wow!! After the cold & snow & cloudiness off the NE, its a bright, sunny, and warm day in VA! Heading out for NN now.
Odo - 163412; 26.1mpg (last-leg). DAMN PATTY! FEELIN GOOD!
03/07 @ 12.38EST: Ok.... maybe slept in a little. A nice bed & no place to be is a very nice change of pace. Still want to get back to NN, but
taking my time getting there is pretty nice too... will update when we head out! -vvermin
03/06 @ 11.36EST: Back in VA!!! Nice to be back. Patty did great the whole way, even with a (little bit) of gas left for tomorrow. Traffic really
cleared up after NY, fortunately, and it was decently clear the whole way back. Will finish up & officially end the trip with a brief drive down to NN
tomorrow morning(ish)! But probably no more adventures... will post a nice final recap/synopsis/stats at the official end! -vvermin
03/06 @ 06.06EST: Man. Friday afternoon, start of spring break for most people. Traffic is gonna be awful the whole way down. Oh well!
Odo - 163126; 24.9mpg (last-leg).
03/06 @ 2:10EST Finished up at the Harvard Art Museum, saw some Whistler Nocturnes, a Cezanne sketch, and a Nevelson (who they have an exhibit
of at the Chrysler). On the road heading to DC now, on the Mass Pike headed west. Thanks to everyone who signed the b log, I had a lot of fun
with that! Thanks to OEH for transcribing this post! - vvermin (transcribed by OEH, who says youre welcome to vvermin)
03/06 @ 10.26EST: Headed out of Boston! Going to the Harvard Art Museum, then probably stopping in DC-area at OEHs couch for the night, instead of
going the extra few hours down, since were leaving a bit late. -vvermin
03/05 @ 11.59EST: Had an awesome day in Boston! Coffee-shop crawl, aquarium, walkin around, dinner.
03/05 @ 04.03EST:
03/05 @ 11.19EST: Heres some other cool sites to check out in the interim day: furia.com, by the former Spotify engineer responsible for grouping genres; artbyform, an open online art collective; sfpc.study, an experimental art school in NY; vmfunc.re, a security researcher who recently did an excellent writeup about/with the CEO of Persona ID verification; kwsx.online, an online radio with an awesome site Ive been listening to on this trip; 512kb.club, a collection of cool non-bloated websites; ...and so many more. I love the internet!
03/05 @ 01.44EST: No driving tomorrow, just hanging around in Boston. Will probably upload some pictures & Ill maybe make a post or two, but probably
not much. In the meantime, since the trip has only two days left, Ive added a vermin blog log! Sign your initials (up to 3 letters), if youd like! All
initials will be publicly visible. Please only sign once, and please dont try SQL inject me because it will probably work! -vvermin
03/04 @ 10.23EST: Back in Boston! Time to unfreeze. Patty made it back well! Thanks again AH!
03/04 @ 08.41EST: Odo - 162841; 23.5mpg (last-leg). Almost back to Boston! Patty is holding up well, and I am really appreciating her newfound cruise
control. Nothing else really insightful to add right now, except for the fact that to prevent fog on my windows Ive been keeping the heater off, and
damn is MA cold. Cest la vie. -vvermin
03/04 @ 03.41EST: Museum is closed on Wednesdays...... BUT the library was open! Learned a bit more about the Seascape window - was displayed somewhere
in his house, its four layers of glass (and no paint!!) which was important for the development of his style. Would have loved to stay and read longer,
and thank you to the librarians at the Rakow Research Library, but Its certainly about time I get back on the road. Got a bunch of free museum passes,
if Im ever back in the area! Got some good leads for future reading. -vvermin
03/04 @ 01.40EST: Made it to Corning just fine! Clamps seem to be holding great! Plus, a Tim Hortons gift card has fed me well (thanks CB!). Museum time!
Also, new favorite landscape of the trip: Wyoming county, NY! Holy!!!
03/04 @ 10.43EST: Would it shock everyone to hear that Patty has a transmission leak? It wouldn't quite shock me...
Thanks Dave's Automotive in Orchard Park, NY! Got some new hose clamps on the leaky transmission cooler line. Doesnt look bad. Heres hoping it holds for a while!
Thanks Steve for letting me go no charge, and Im sorry I didnt get your name valiant mechanic, but thanks for immediately taking a look and
getting those clamps on.
03/04 @ 09.51EST: Headed out of Buffalo towards Corning for my museum! Last real stop on the trip before Im just doing whatever. My master plan worked out,
too. I stole all of OZGs pastry snacks (def. not accidentally left in the car). Mwahahaha. That was my real goal all along.
Patty was feeling great on the highway last night, but not as fantastic in the neighborhoods. However, I was also pretty tired & it was very foggy,
so I could be imagining things again. Will update in Corning!
03/04 @ 01.45EST: Back to Buffalo! Crazy fog out there for the last bit - by far the densest Ive seen. Thanks again CB for the couch, and again, man
what a great day. Will attach some pictures in the morning, probably, unless I instead dont. We shall see!
03/03 @ 11.01EST: What a fantastic day! Best day of the trip by far! It was a pleasure beyond words (and, in a weird sense, a relief) to meet you OZG.
Toronto was an awesome city! Great to walk around, as was my time spent in Waterloo. Gonna keep this short since Im still headed back to Buffalo, but man.
What an ideal day. Coffee, museum, dinner, walking around. Thanks Canada! Id like to be back sometime. Plus I got some ketchup Lays (the best flavor).
Forgot poutine, but that will be all the more reason to find a way back up here some day. :) -vvermin
Odo - 162278; 25.0mpg (last-leg).
03/03 @ 01.20EST: Kitchener? I hardly know 'er! Arrived! See you soon 01!
03/03 @ 9.54EST: Picture courtesy of CB:
03/03 @ 09.27EST: Odo - 161987; 23.3mpg (last-leg). Ok. Not a record. I miscalled that one a touch. Oh well!
03/03 @ 08.17EST: Good morning! Had a nice dinner & night in Buffalo and slept like a baby. Heres the plan for today: food -> drop CB @ airport ->
pick up OZG in Kitchener -> muck around in Toronto -> reverse (minus the airport one). Gonna go get gas in a second - brb!
Location temp. diff: 9deg F; Total spent on EZPass: $57
03/02 @ 07.02EST: Arrived in Buffalo ~20 min ago! Easy last bit, and the whole way was pretty scenic (except for a stretch before the exit for Rochester).
Dinner time! Will update some more later. Patty is doing great! I think I hit a PB mileage-wise on that stretch. We shall see tomorrow!
Thanks for the bed, CB! - vvermin
03/02 @ 03.41EST: Damn NY. These lakes are pretty impressive.
Odo - 161764; 23.7mpg (last-leg).
Frozen rivers,
Rifted fjords
New York shivers,
For what Ive abhorred
Has come to pass:
Im mug-mogged; aghast.
FUCK YOU RB!!
03/02 @ 01.50EST: Wow. Every time I think im at surely the prettiest part Im proven wrong. In NY now, and man the sloping snowy hillsides really are
beautiful. Not sure it beats Mystic, but its just a different sort of beautiful. This is true of all bad pictures, but this one really doesnt
do the area justice:
Patty did great in W Mass., flying up the "highest point on i90 east of S. Dakota," or something like that. I think she likes the snowy hills!
Its got to be the closest thing to her home shes seen in a long while.
However, Im out of carrots AND celery. My only source of water left is all the water I brought. If I dont make it, Patty, if youre reading this,
keep driving til you meet OZG. One of us has to.
Miles: 859; Location temp diff.: 19deg F; EZPass balance: -29.95 (whoops)
-vvermin
03/02 @ 10:53EST: Ok, leaving Boston a little later than planned, wont make it to the Corning museum today. But Ill get it on the way back! Makes
the timeline for today a bit more relaxed anywho, which Im not complaining about.
03/02 @ 09.41EST: Thanks AH for all the coffee & experimentation! Looking forward to being back in a few. For now, its a sprint to Corning because I
totally messed up my timing. We shall see if I get there before they close. If not, more time in Buffalo & Ill see the museum on the return! Works
well either way. Couldnt get comments sorted last night, but Ill try again tomorrow - it would be very nice to have. -vvermin
03/01 @ 11.32EST: Bit of a late update, but had a great night in Boston! Made it in around 06:30EST, so a total of 11.5hrs to Boston. Not bad! It was
a really, really nice and easy ride up. Will give a stats update tomorrow morning - the mix of HWY and city mileage will be interesting to see at the next
fill-up. Patty is doing well. The city streets didnt phase her, fortunately, and her shifting has been just about fine since I mentioned it.
Nice to see you MU and JJ! I had fun! If you guys are up tomorrow morning-ish, let me know!
Thanks for the couch AH! CB - count your hours. Im coming to kill you.
Itll be a later start tomorrow, to Corning for the glass museum, then onto Buffalo. I'm really hoping the museum has something even vaguely similar to Seascape Window,
but at the same time, I think Ill be just as happy if they dont. It really is a special one. Thanks RB, GM, & CL for the well wishes!
See you guys tomorrow, vvermin
03/01 @ 04.41EST: Stopped at the Mystic overlook in CT - wow!! I get why people like it here. Heres my bad-picture take of it:
Also, I forgot to mention in the last update, but I have cruise control! I suppose its the new steering bellowses (bellowi?), but that was
a nice surprise on the NJ Turnpike. See ya in Boston soon, AH, OEH, and MU! -vvermin
03/01 @ 02.51EST: Second stop for gas in CT, odo - 161261; 26.2 mpg. Pretty good! Easy ride so far - first time being in NY! I might
stay for longer on the trip back down. We shall see. Patty is shifting a hair rougher, unless Im imagining things, but she's been a trooper so far.
We had a lot of stopping/starting thru NY which Im sure she didnt love. Making great time though!
Location temp diff: 17deg F
Favorite part: GW Bridge in NY
Miles: 473
3/01 @ 10.05EST: First stop for gas in MD, odo - 160976
3/01 @ 07.02EST: Highway time! Sticker reads: my other car is a website (vverm.in). If you're reading this on the road, honk!!!
3/01 @ 05.41EST: Good morning and happy March! Getting my last things put in the car and headed out. Will attach a pic of Patty in the next post!
2/28 @ 10.32EST: Ok, day got away from me a bit. Working a bit on the site now, but I'll
update it as the trip goes on to add more features! Peace to B.
Post 4 2/28,1.39EST: See you guys in the morning -vvermin
Post 3: Path: NN->Boston->Corning->Buffalo->Kitchener->Toronto, and back
Post 2 (technically): Peace to - AH, CL, RB, LP, EH, GM, CB, MU, LC, FH, OT
Hi guys! First blog post of the trip... site's not quite set up yet, but I'll get to it tomorrow!
Plan is set, Patty is in condition, beds arranged. All that's left to do is get some stuff for food
... mm . .bolognaa .. (and set up this site!) and I'll be on the road first thing on Sunday, Boston-bound.
Hi LPK, OEH, O1, PO, ZS, KB, RB, WW, GW, BW, TS and KWSX! And all others!
See ya, vvermin
