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Our fourth day took us to Hospital Rock to see Indian pictographs, Crescent Meadow on a frog hunt, and the High Sierra Trail for some breathtaking views of the Sierra Nevada range. A moderately early start put us at Hospital Rock, one of the first attractions along the General Highways' entrance. The trail allows you to access to the Kaweah riverbed. The swollen river rushed by us, while lizards sunned themselves on the rocks.

Our third day in Sequoia included several random hikes, a tour of Crystal Cave, and a hunt for wildflowers.

On the road up into the park (Generals Highway) we encountered our first herd of mule deer. Three of them were walking along the road, munching on the grass and wildflowers. We continued on to the museum. When we got out of the car we were greeted by several more deer, and were able to get fairly close to them.

After a long flight across the country, and an even longer drive to Three Rivers, CA, we finally arrive at Sequoia National Park.

DW has created another masterpiece of killing hardware - the War Bird. Thrill as he chops up a catalog with this monster blade. The War Bird is made from a paper mill's cutting blade. It is extremely sharp - it can easily slice through a thick catalog. The handle is made from an aluminum buss bar, with a brass military medallion in the middle.

Harpers Ferry sits at the junction of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers. The area is a National Historic Park, and features miles of hiking trails and an old-fashioned downtown district. We checked out the town, and went on the cliff view trail. Our total hike was about 4.3 miles. It is a very beautiful region - Thomas Jefferson said "This scene is worth a voyage across the Atlantic."

Once more we set out to conquer the grim dispensaries of Lancaster. After some cake for Sarah's 25th birthday, we headed to our first target: Q's. From there we went on a whirlwind tour of upper crust establishments such as Hildy's and Bubba's.... We ran into a campaigner for Luis Mendoza, one of the potential candidates for mayor. He talked to us for awhile, but probably didn't accomplish anything. Junior got his photo taken with Mr. Mendoza himself, which was a stunning success for democracy.

The dumbest thing I have ever done.We're in Wayne, NJ. After finishing at the job site we had to find our hotels. Dan is staying at a different hotel from Phil & I, so Dan leaves. Phil and I then hop in Phil's truck, fire up the laptop and GPS, and start driving towards the hotel. I punch in 334 Route 46/Service Road. So we're almost there, but the roads are confusing! Do we take this service road? Or the one on the left? Hey, there's Dan's hotel. His hotel (Holiday Inn) looks like it's next to the spot where the Fairfield Inn should be.

Jim threw a party - yes he did. I took a few photos - yes I did.

I type this post staring at the screen through a diphenhydramine hydrochloride-induced haze, so forgive me if it is not to coherent.

Today I noticed a pillar of smoke on my way home...

We stopped in St. Louis on our way from Louisville, KY to Omaha, NE.

Ohio is one of the most depressing states in the Union. Cold, bereft of joy, it plays the role of West New Jersey well. But all was not lost. I managed to half-way enjoy myself every once in awhile. While in Toledo I took a walk along the waterfront, and saw the Water Street Station, which was an old power plant. There was some boring modern art called the Propylaea, but if that's all the culture you have you might as well run with it. The baseball stadium (home of the Mud Hens) was interesting. There was a bar that look out at the stadium (good wings).

We're in the American midwest again, hitting Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio. Took some pictures while we were in Michigan City and Traverse City. We stopped at Michigan City because we were having radiator trouble. We saw a train track in the middle of the road - I thought it must've been decommissioned. Turns out I was wrong. The train runs right down the middle of the street - a full-sized passenger train!

Wednesday Sept. 22 I arrived in Chicago for Intelec, the annual "telecommunications energy conference." MM from Verizon Wireless, WC, and myself co-authored a paper concerning ohmic test instruments and their ability to determine battery state-of-health.