Travel to Auburn, Alabama

I have arrived in Auburn, Alabama after the successful execution of the travel program, starting with a 6 am (Australian Eastern GMT +10) taxi ride from my place to arriving at the Crenshaw House Bed and Breakfast at 9.20 pm (USA Central GMT – 6). All up, 31 hours and 20 minutes of travel.

I only managed to book three hours of sleep the night before the flight, so this could have explained some of my tiredness. From the air, I more fully appreciate the enormity of the earth. The ocean was like frosted glass and the cloud cover like mashed potato. The facilities on the Sydney to Los Angeles flight were quite luxurious. There was a TV screen for every passenger with a choice of movies, TV shows, computer games, or the flight map. At one time we were traveling at 560 miles per hour, 37,000 feet in the air. There was also a satellite telephone for every passenger (in economy!). I placed a call home and spoke to mum on Friday night at 7.30 pm (Australian Eastern).

Looking at Los Angeles from the air, there are many freeways and spaghetti junctions. In one case, what I thought was a freeway was actually a concreted waterway. Before making my way through customs, I was greeting with the official portraits of President Bush and Vice-President Cheney. How strange! I couldn’t imagine seeing official portraits of John Howard at airports in Australia.

Being hungry at Los Angles airport, I popped into Burger King but not being fully aware of the time, I ordered a Whopper (burger) from the lunch menu at about 7 am local time. I forgot it was Friday morning all over again.

On the flight from Los Angeles to Dallas, I was presented with a complimentary ‘Granola Bar’ made by Quaker Oats. Now there is an outreach idea. Anyone want to put up some capital to make Anglican Muesli Bars, or in beverages, Baptist Spring Water (OK maybe that’s a little too much).

The weather was fine all the way until I got to Atlanta. Full cloud cover delivering extensive rain, just as I had hoped. The perfect time to drive an unfamiliar left hand drive car on the right side of unfamiliar US roads and highways. This was the fun part of travel, driving south down Interstate 85 at 70 miles per hour in the rain at night. The Chevrolet Classic and I formed a new partnership. The most exiting part was next: crossing the state border from Georgia to Alabama, finding exit 51 to Auburn, then driving to the Mises Institute (9.10 pm) and then arriving at the Crenshaw Bed and Breakfast at 9.20 pm. I was home.

© Danny Haynes

- posted 30 July 05 in

Comments

  1. Tim Haynes, 3 August 2005, 20:40:
    Good to hear about all the fun so far, with even more fun to come no doubt. Of course it’s all relative considering what you find fun. I thought of some other things that you could get for me while you’re in America if you have the chance. I’ll email the details to you.
  2. Neil, 3 August 2005, 21:45:
    Danny, just think of all the money and sleep you would have saved if you had just been content to go to Auburn, Sydney! ;-)
  3. David G., 4 August 2005, 07:38:
    Perhaps it shows how pedestrian I am but you do make it sound exiting. I look forward to reports from your Mises Institute program.
  4. Tim Haynes, 4 August 2005, 12:19:
    I look forward to the merchandise, not the stories. Don’t be frugal Danny, let loose
  5. Pete, 5 August 2005, 10:30:
    Re: Quaker Oats. I think the Seventh Day Adventists have already done it here.

    Glad to hear you’ve arrived safely. Oh and remember – always order a ‘small’ serve of anything and you’ll have enough food for a week.
  6. David G., 9 August 2005, 13:19:
    He’s having too much fun to blog!
  7. Tim Haynes, 9 August 2005, 15:51:
    I find that Mises has that effect on people. One mention of Eugen von Bohm – Bawerk and I’m off for hours. These economists have such cool name to try and get your tongue around.
  8. Neil, 9 August 2005, 16:30:
    I think Danny has just been absorbed into the mighty US economy at a cellular level. I doubt we will ever hear from him again – until his face mysteriously appears one day on a dollar bill…
  9. David G., 9 August 2005, 16:57:
    Ah, but Danny would howl at the suggestion. To be implicated in fiat currency. On a gold coin, maybe.
  10. Liz, 13 August 2005, 10:21:
    You know Danny, we really need to work on your similies. The ocean was like frosted glass and the clouds like mashed potato? Surely the beauty of God’s creation can inspire something a little more poetic in you.

Commenting is closed for this article.