| Introduction |
| Boston |
| Williamstown |
| Grove City |
|---|
| Louisville |
| Calgary / Banff |
| Prince George |
| Vancouver |
| San Francisco |
| Las Vegas |
| Los Angeles |
| New Zealand |
| Thailand |
| Rome |
| Venice |
| Vienna |
| Berlin |
| Oslo |
Grove City
9th October - 10th October
Grove City is about 60 miles from the nearest airport, so once I got into Pittsburgh, there was still a long shuttle-bus ride to go. I had actually thought that it was near Philadelphia, so I needed to rearrange my travel plans at the last minute. Anyway, it all got sorted out in the end, so that's good. Between DC (where I changed 'planes) and Pittsburgh I got to take my first ever ride on a prop 'plane. And only ride, so far. That was fun.
TOM (for those that don't know, "TOM" stands for "The Other Matthew", but I kept calling him Tom, and his friends didn't know who I was talking about) met me as I arrived at the college. He went to play Frizizbee, and I watched, and I think I managed to figure out the rules, at least roughly. I didn't get to see TOM break his ankle, though. There were CHIPMUNKS running around, but they didn't stay still long enough for me to photograph them. Rascals.
In the evening, TOM and I went to hear a lecture on Chinese military capabilities, which is what people do for fun in Grove City. It was pretty good, but I don't really remember the details. The basic message was "They've got lots of soldiers (but they're all untrained), and lots of equipment (but it's all rusted)", I think.
On the 10th, I think I went out and explored the town. I found signs to a haunted house, but I never actually managed to find my way there. Spooky. In the afternoon we got together with Gahalia and Cobra, and watched Fellowship of the Ring on DVD. Apparently I have the same accent as Boromir. Hrmph. There was more pizza. I was beginning to see a pattern with the pizza. I also noticed that whenever he had a few minutes to spare, TOM would fall asleep. Meanwhile, me and Cobra discussed recipes for napalm and explosives, which is always a fun way to kill time.
That evening, one of TOM's friends gave me a lift down to Mercer so I could catch my overnight bus (well, sequence of buses, really) to Louisville. The bus stop was little more than a lay by, but we found it, and so, onwards.