Good evening friends,

How are you doing this Saturday? I am well, thanks for wondering! I write you this beautiful night from the patio provided by the Little Red Barn campgrounds that I’ve been tenting at all week. I closed out my second week working in nearby Philadelphia, with Chris the contractor. I actually have my New Jersey gig set up for tomorrow morning just across the mighty Delaware River, just south of here. I’m excited to complete it, wrap up Pennsylvania and then finally visit New York City. Then on to Connecticut and the New England states by this time next week.

I’m feeling relaxed and enjoying my day off from the long days worked in Philly. So I have wanted to talk about this silly, yet important, subject of road kill. Now I didn’t furnish any pictures, so if this topic interests you, you’ll just have to use your imagination. If not, then you can check out my new pictures I posted on the gigs album!

From the day I left Arizona in May, I have seen the usual asphalt menu served up on the road, thanks to the multitude of vehicles hitting, ramming, squashing and colliding with all the local and regional animals that dare to cross their path.  Now back home in the city, I see the normal cats and stray dogs. In the outside desert highways, I see coyotes, rabbits and reptiles and birds. But as I went forward, especially from Texas and Oklahoma onward, the characters have dramatically increased and changed in nature. Starting with those weird looking, armored plated armadillos. I had seen them in pictures and animals shows, and the first one I actually saw on this tour was alive and scurrying away safely on the Texas pan handle.  Since then, I’ve seen dozens of those critters DOA on the road, more than any other animal. Whats up with armadillos? Do they have a death wish or something?

My theory is that these rascals, blessed by God with a full suit of armor, tend to be a bit over confident or cocky when making a decision to cross or not to cross any given road! They might look impressive to a wily coyote or any of their natural predators, who hunt them for dinner, but they are no match for a Cummings diesel roaring down the interstate, with a full load of Chinese made Wal-Mart goodies! May be they could hang with an electric smart car or a Prius, or tackle a aging biker on his Harley, but someone should tell them that real armor is made of metal, not cartilage. I assume as animals go, they’re not too bright. Life has played a cruel trick on these guys, and it all changed for them when the automobile was invented. Thanks Henry Ford, for rendering the armadillo and his full suit of armor to a simple buzzard buffet entre!  I’ve seen skunks, raccoons, porcupines, squirrels and things I can’t even recognize. Just piles of flesh, blood and crushed bones, I even saw a little deer on this Pennsylvania road. I actually wacked my first and only victim so far, a couple of weeks ago, on a dark Delaware highway. It was a possum and it was ugly. Poor thing, it never had a chance, with my fully loaded Avalanche. After eight thousand miles driven, I was due to score my share.

 The problem with all this meat on display is my shrinking budget and the lack of protein in my diet! As most of you know, along with all my building skills, I spent many years working as a retail meat cutter at the local grocery store. I was known in my day to be pretty good with a hook and knife.  I could dismantle any two or four footed animal in minutes, and I still carry my tools with me. Now before you jump to any conclusions, or think you know where I’m going with this line of thought, you’re probably right! After weeks of skipping meals and eating cup a soup to save money, I have lost 14 pounds and counting.  In reality, I’m in survival mode now. I have to think like a survivor and keep my options open. Don’t be too quick to judge me, ye without hunger, cast the first stone! I have not reached that level of desperation yet, but I’m barley reaching the half-way point of this adventure. It can’t be any worse than eating at McDonald’s!  Stay tuned.

Well that’s all I have to say about that. Thanks for spending a little of your precious time with me! Have a good night and take care!  #Yo-Ga-Fla

Juanjohn

Hello friends.

I Hope all are well and resting on this Tuesday evening. I myself am doing fine here at the Little Red Barn Campgrounds, in the beautiful Pennsylvania countryside, just north of Philadelphia.

 I decided to spend another week working for Chris on his remodeling projects, since the pay is good and the bills are coming up soon. I also switched from my New Jersey camp ground to this one, just south of Quakertown, Pa. The area is a little higher in altitude, so the temperature is a lot better for tent dwelling. The commute is lighter and I get to relax and enjoy the scenery on the way to town.  I also avoid the toll fees they charge at every river crossing. This leads me to the topics of today’s post. Tolls.

What is going on in this part of the country with these toll roads?  As most of you know, I hail from the great state of Arizona, and one of the things that make it great, aside from the best Mexican food, is that you will never pay to ride a road! Now I had heard of toll roads and turnpikes before, and expected to encounter these revenue enhancement traps on my journey, but what a shake down!

My goal with this site, as you know, has been to keep the politics, religion and social issues out of the adventure. Not that I’m opposed to any of those topics, but I just wanted to make this blog a fun, entertaining event and experience for anyone who follows it. And provide, if possible an escape from the world we all have to share, and deal with said issues on a daily basis. With that said, I have to express my opinion, or sound off with these toll fees!

So my question is, how much money does it take to maintain a road or highway? It’s not like they need repairs every week or day. There is thousands, if not more, vehicles crossing those booths 24/7, charging folks three to five dollars or more. The amount of money it must generate is astronomical. What determines which state or municipality will burden the population with such a heavy financial load? From Oklahoma onwards, I’ve had to shell out cash to these state run highway robbers! Don’t they know or care that I’m on a survival tour? With all the money I have paid to ride their cash cow, boulevards of asphalt, I could have stayed in some pretty nice motels, and ate a few ribeye steaks. Instead I’m shacking up in a cheap Wal-Mart tent, skipping meals and eating off the dollar menus when I do get a couple bucks to eat!  And if you try to be sneaky and bum rush the booth, they take a picture of your plate, then you get a nice little letter in the mail, like I did back home in Tucson, after I dodged all the tolls in Florida. Now I owe those nice people thirty four dollars, or else. Suspension of my lenience!

I do however, all kidding aside, feel for the locals who have to endure this scam the rest of their driving life. I have spoken to a few folks around the campgrounds, at work and thru my travels, and they may not agree on a great many subjects, but every time I bring up tolls, they are all on the same page. It’s a rip off! I tell them to move west and avoid the tolls, only be careful with the wildfires, droughts, landslides, armed survivalist, earthquakes, dust storms, and drug traffickers, to name a few.

Okay, I’m done. I got that off my chest now. I feel better. Next time, road kill!

Thanks for your time and support!

Have a good night!  #Yo-Ga-Fla

Juanjohn

Hello friends,

I hope all are well on this Saturday afternoon. I write you today from somewhere in the middle of western New Jersey.  I’m not sure where I am exactly, since I had to scramble all over the countryside looking for a library to write this post. It is a beautiful place to get lost in, filled with farms, produce and animals. I pulled off the road for a minute, on a lonely lane, to tear off a couple ears of corn from a field. I don’t know if that’s illegal or not, but I was hungry and this is after all, a survival tour!

I’m getting to like this part of the country, the more I see of it. Philadelphia is an amazing place. I’ve only see parts of it and worked only in the north and south sides of town, but just driving through the local neighborhoods and busy streets on my way to and from the campsite. The different types of homes and buildings give the area plenty of character and charm. Crowded streets and busy stores fill almost every block for miles on end. The smell of mom and pop eateries fill the air as I stop at the red light intersections. The different races seem to blend very nicely here, as opposed to some of the other stops I have encountered. Something I have only seen in the big cities like San Fran and Los Angeles. There is still a lot more cities to visit, so I look forward to comparing them all in the end,

I’m yet to eat one of the world famous Philly cheese steak sandwiches, something which I have on my list to do. My new friend/coworker Tony has given me a number of places to try and I will before my time is up here. The historical places dot the entire area and the waterfront views are great to see, especially from atop of the Ben Franklin and Walt Whitman bridges that connect the two states. It’s been difficult for me to take pictures, since my eyes and hands are on the road constantly. I guess I will have to settle for the pictures in my mind.

My only criticism of this place is the fast moving pace of the traffic and people. Maybe because I’m riding with the commuter crowds or this east coast impatience attitude is spot on. Many seem to have a hair trigger on the horn. The streets and freeways are very congested and it feels like every person for themselves. A far cry from my time spent in the heavy traffic of the H1 and 2 of the island of Oahu. I didn’t hear a honking horn or see a middle finger fly weeks or months during my time there. Here you have one second to react to a green light or they are beeping you immediately! People cut in lanes and force their way in as if you don’t exists. I’m new to the area and still rely heavily on my Google maps to get around, so sometimes I hesitate at intersections, only to be blasted with a rude honk! Some woman screamed at me on a turn, thinking I was going to scratch her car as we passed each other on a narrow street.  I try not to get fired up and react hastily to the idiots who act this way, fighting my pure Mexican/Aztec blood from boiling over is a challenge! Ha-ha.

So I will spend another week here working with Chris and Tony, remodeling and saving up my money for the end of the month bills. I’m hoping I can visit N.Y.C. by this time next week. Although I still have to complete a New Jersey gig before then. I’m going to try tomorrow Sunday to get one in before Monday and Philly start up again.

Thanks again to you friends for your precious time and support. Have a great rest of the week and stay safe wherever you call home. #Yo-Ga-Fla

Juanjohn