Delafield, WI

Ice Age Trail

Run Time: 63:41 + 2-minute kick

I had some difficulty finding a hotel room for the first night of this trip. Most hotels were not available, and those that were had room rates of $800+. What the hell could be going on in Milwaukee in early July? It’s kind of a cool town, but really?

So, yeah, Republican National Convention. Just days after The N-Ear Miss. I stayed in Johnson Creek, about 30 miles west of the city, right off I-94. On my way I found this nice trail that followed along the highway, far enough away that the exhaust fumes were likely below toxic levels.

Hot and muggy, some inclines, light breeze — felt pretty good after half a day in Chicagoland traffic. The trail took me into the boutique downtown area, then followed a creek. I think it is part of a longer regional trail. I saw signs further north for the Ice Age Trail later in the week.

I do not have much to say about political conventions at this point. I just feel a mixture of confusion, futility, and disappointment. Who the hell knows what the next four months will bring, to say nothing of the next four years? I kind of want the system to blow up also, but I have children and grandchildren that I want to be safe.

So am I just focusing on what is important to me, or am I hiding from reality? Do I have to be involved and in-the-know to avoid disapproval? Can I not just spend the last quarter of my life thinking and doing what interests me?

I recently watched “Turn Every Page,” a documentary about Robert Caro and Robert Gottlieb working together to publish Caro’s biographies of Robert Moses and Lyndon Johnson. First of all, Caro writes about the true nature of power, so that we can better understand it. He is a treasure. Second of all, it made me nostalgic for the pre-internet era, when we didn’t know what all corruption and graft was going on.

It gave me some ideas about a book I am trying to write, some alternate history threads to follow. What if Nixon had not resigned? What if he had refused to leave office, even after his term ended?

I am not pro-Nixon. I am just interested to understand why these types of scenarios never occurred to us. Almost anything can happen, and given enough time, likely will. Isn’t there an Everything Everywhere All At Once universe where Nixon reigned until his death?

I had to rewrite the last few paragraphs from memory when this damn blog site froze and would not let me save or publish. I hope they are as illuminating and intelligent as the first version. Maybe it was saved and published in Alternate Nick’s universe. If you’re there, let me know.