We're on the way!

[Jaeden]

This post comes to you from a rickety rental van on Highway 3 in Massachusetts. The TomTom says 12 hours to Indy; we're guessing more like 14 (I need to stop and eat. A lot.) We've got the booth in tow (and the guy who built it, just in case!) I'll be online the whole way while Colin drives, air card coverage willing. We'll be in Booth 233 at the exhibit hall, for those of you swinging by. We anticipate arrival in the wee hours of Wednesday morning, with the show going up Thursday at dark-thirty or so.

Until then!

[Jaeden]

Just stopped at a Dunkin' Donuts in Connecticut for a bio break, and some desperately needed personal pizzas. The van is loud and rattly, and Colin is listening to some horribly droll talk radio show about car repair. We spent the first hour of the drive jamming out to the CX2 soundtrack, masterfully put together by our own Danny Bloks. We're jamming Diet Coke (me) and Monster (Colin). Kyle "Mullet" Fullford, our booth designer, decided to mark the side of our van so he can keep track of us (he's following us in another vehicle).

Thought we'd take a snap for ya. That's Mullet on the right.

[Jaeden]

Just passed the Timexpo Museum in Connecticut, home of a watch museum and store. Looks like a cathedral from the outside. Tried to get a picture, but Colin's iPhone was busy doing important music stuff.

The road is slow at present, since it's only 2 lanes and full of semi trucks. At present, we're looking to arrive between 8 and 9 tomorrow morning. Glad Colin brought energy drinks! The air card has been surprisingly reliable, especially since we're out in the mountains. Go Sprint!

[Suleiman]

Safe travels, and have a great time at Gen Con!!!

Don't be (too) frightened by the old time CXers, and good luck recruiting all sorts of newbies!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Jaeden]

Presently, we're cruising through the New York mountains. At least, they're mountains to a Florida boy like me. Colin says they're just wussy hills. *shrugs* Still overwhelmingly impressed with the air card's reliability (only been dropped once in 3 states), if not its speed. My camera phone won't let me send pics on roaming, so we can only do so from Colin's iPhone. I will attempt to sneak it from him later and take some pictures when there is something other than trees to take pictures of.

At present, Colin is swilling energy drinks and eating absolutely horrid protein bars in a bid to keep awake for the drive, as the rental van place would only let him drive. Our supply of Diet Coke and Red Bull/Monster is holding - for the moment. The van creaks, and with the booth and such rattling back there, we can barely hear each other speak as we go over our talking points. As such, radio is off for the moment.

 We're noticing lots of trucks, cars, and other weird stuff (like portable storage units and forklifts) randomly abandoned on the side of the interstate. It has an almost post-apocalyptic feel to it that would be very Chron X-ey if not for the lush grass and lack of bombing raids. We're driving west, into the setting sun, so it's quite obnoxious with the whole sun visor thing, especially since the sun will be behind a hill, and then nail you when you come around the corner.

Speed has picked up about as much as it can - our van tops out at about 60 and the transmission leaves something to be desired, even though it's a 2008 with fewer than 5,000 miles on it. It revs up to 6000 RPM or so if we accelerate basically at all.

Struggling for power - we're charging three cell phones, my laptop, and the TomTom. Apparently the TomTom lady is getting very frustrated with Colin. The feeling's mutual. The machine tried to change our route to go through 4 different states to save us an estimated 5 minutes.

I know almost nobody is reading this, but I'm having fun pretending

[Donbo]

We're noticing lots of trucks, cars, and other weird stuff (like portable storage units and forklifts) randomly abandoned on the side of the interstate. It has an almost post-apocalyptic feel to it that would be very Chron X-ey if not for the lush grass and lack of bombing raids.

You did take pictures of the awesome cxness of the situation? ;p

Btw I hope you can kick the server from Indy , whatever you did didn't work, Donbo still locked out of
core.

Wasn't sure you'd get an email so I'll just post here.

[Jaeden]

Just crossed the border into Pennsylvania, and our 500-mile point. The rent-a-van needed a quick pit stop in Port Jervis, NY, where we obtained food and poured $75 worth of petroleum-inspired liquid into our tank, at the first full-service gas station I've ever seen in my life. Some incredible views here, especially for me; Colin says it's pretty common for this part of the country.

Stopped at a McDonald's in Port Jervis, which had surprisingly delicious black Angus bacon burgers. My arteries are sad, but my stomach is filled with glee. It was uncomfortably warm there due to the franchisee's apparent addiction to neon, and we had a hell of a time pulling the van out with little kids sprinting all over the parking lot after having spent the last few hours cooped up in the back seat of Mom's Prius.

Glad we're going to GenCon and not returning from it yet, as the opposite direction is loaded with construction vehicles of every description. We nearly squished a repair guy on the side of the road, who apparently thought the right lane of I-84 was an outstanding place to stand. Good thing he was wearing a reflective Oh God Don't Hit Me Vest. Hey, maybe that should be a new CX2 enhancement, which gives you a bonus to armor and a minus to stealth. It's dark as hell out here.

Colin's getting tired (neither of us have slept much this week), and the van is nervewracking to operate. Lost the aircard signal as I type this, so I'm posting this about 45 minutes delayed.

[Jaeden]

Finally have Net access again -- Pennsylvania is apparently a death trap for Sprint. It's 4AM, and we're caffeinated to the max, doing 80 on the interstate in our wobbly van as we enter Ohio. It's hard as hell to keep the vehicle steady as the steering is a bit sensitive, so it feels a bit like I've been on a roller coaster for the last 10 hours or so. Thank god for the "Wake up" strips on the interstate. The TomTom puts us in Indy at about 9:45am, depending on additional stops. We've done some driver-switching to keep the most awake folks at the wheel, and we press on.  I think I'm the most awake of us all right now, but I'm at the keyboard so I'm off the driving list.

Just had our second gas stop, at the PA/OH border. Tried to get on a TravelCenter hotspot, but it wouldn't take my Visa debit card. It's too dark to take any pictures, and likely will be for most of the remainder of the trip, until daybreak, where ever we'll be by then.

[Suleiman]

Great posts!   I hope you made it and are sleeping!!!!

[KLAW -D-]

so when will we be able to get started on cx2?  wednesday night?  thursday morning?  i'm almost busting at the seams!

[Jaeden]

The trek continues! We should have been coasting into Indy about now, but at about 5:00 am, we discovered we had fewer conscious people than we had vehicles in need of drivers. Thus, the Akron, OH Best Western Executive Inn became home for a few precious hours. There were about 50 amenities the place advertises, but we were interested in the beds and the shower. Sleep came fast for us all. Sadly, we didn't get to experience the local attractions, like the Rubber Bowl or the All-American Soap Box Derby, but places to go, people to see! I did lament not having time to stop at the Canton, OH Pro Football Hall of Fame, less than an hour from our present position.



A continental breakfast and some GenCon paperwork later, we're back on the road. We just merged onto I-76 West, which we'll be on for about 18 miles. It's a bit overcast, but we're hopeful we won't get more rain. We're on our second case of Diet Coke and third of Red Bull. We now place our ETA at about 2:30pm Eastern.

We will have a separate post in a bit regarding CX2.

[LongShadow]

Your trip log is looking like it can be the inspiration for the next set of CX2. "Mullet", "Reflective Vest", "Fast Food Stop" (move once without tapping, lose 2 HPs).

A suggestion about the driving, the two of you look enough alike that you could get away with it even if you got pulled over. Especially if you shave that lip ornament.

Looking forward to pics of the event and the booth.

[Jaeden]

Greetings, from buckeye country!



Stopped at an Englefield Oil store to grab some stuff from the other vehicle and hit the john. I fail to understand why the bathrooms with one toilet bother to identify as mens' or womens' bathrooms, since only one person can be in at a time. I also don't get mens' rooms that have no stalls, but have both a urinal and a standard john, as if someone would... yeah, we'll just let that one hang.

I'm still kinda cloudy from abbreviated sleep, but Colin is barreling through the corn fields of Ohio with the steering wheel in one hand and a quesedilla in the other. Danny Bloks, our masterful techno composer, just emailed us a rough cut of a new track for a new CX2 map, which we're blaring through our Ford E150's stock stereo courtesy of Colin's iPhone. Great story here - I asked Colin what kind of van this is for the blog, and he called Kyle in the trailing vehicle to ask him to read them the model number off our bumper as we do 80 down the Ohio interstate.

I'm reading Slashdot posts aloud to keep Colin up to speed on the latest in IT, and of course, blogging this. 7 miles to 270 West, says the exasperated TomTom lady, who apparently spent 5 hours alone in the quiet of our empty van, pleading with the darkness to turn around and make a left in 800 yards to take the highway. Good advice indeed.

[Game Keeper]

ROAD TRIP!!!

Also inspired by the last picture -- Angry look, target photographer takes 5 damage.

[Jaeden]

Thought you guys would appreciate this - Just drove by the Columbus, OH Budweiser plant, which was pretty friggin' huge. Tried to take the pic out the driver's window, with Colin smooshed against the seat. Sorry if it's a little blurry.



Also, the iPhone went off as I was sending the photo, but thought you'd find the resulting shot humorous.



I've just informed Vista, much to its chagrin, that it cannot download 10 important updates over my unreliable air card and install them as we rattle about on 270 west.