I was sitting in the motel room wondering about the tension on my drive chain as I flipped thru channels and I hear that a plane has crashed into the world trade center. I switched to CNN and they announced a second plane had crashed into the other tower. It looks to be a clear and beautiful day there, clearly this couldn't be an accident.

I went up to the office for a little breakfast and people and had just started talking.

--Manhattan is now engulfed in smoke and dust--
--It looks like the top of the building just fell--

We sat and ate and I was quiet with mild shock. It was difficult to deal with the news and then I had to deal with ignorant, racist, and isolationist bullshit spewing from the mouths of the people in the office. Much noise about all those foreigners that come to this country and are all plotting. We should stop letting them in and send the all home.

Just as we were talking about the second plane one man realized that his brother worked near there. I thought he said in the second tower. He came back and said he had spoken with his mother in NJ who had spoken with his brother who actually worked a building or two away. The man seemed relieved.

As I was sitting finished my raisin bran I heard, "they blew-up the pentagon." I finished and came back to my room and sure enough CNN is saying a plane crashed into the pentagon. They're saying now it sounded like another commercial jet, a 767 hit the first trade tower.

All airports have been shut down. Most government buildings in DC have been evacuated, The sears tower has been evacuated, it's only 10:25, it hasn't even been 2 hours, will more happen?

--The second tower just collapsed--

11:35
Soo MI
2.15 gallons
2071 miles
390.7 trip

NORTH!

I had to get going. Sitting around would drive me crazy.

3:30

Sitting at Wally's in Wawa after a nice ride up from the Soo. The TV at the bar spews CNN. One more plane went down, though apparently it crashed in a field. The planes were all big, well-fueled airliners.

I Crossed the border at the International Bridge; the border guard warned me that they had closed one border crossing at Niagara Falls and were considering closing the whole border. I stopped at the welcome center and pondered going through the UP instead, but finally decided *fukkit* and took off for Wawa.

The ride was beautiful, much of it was like the western UP, beautifully stoney hills and rocky bays. The water was a deep turquoise. As I rode further away from the Soo traffic become lighter, the roads twistier, and my cycle went faster.

I only stopped for construction which I found twice. Now, I'll decide if I'm going to Timmins or not. Oh yeah, Joe, I found jesus in his purple semi about an hour north of the Soo.

4:18
11.843 liters
2229.1 miles
548.6 trip

TO TIMMINS!

6:55
8 miles east of Foleyet
14.84 liters (no premium in Foleyet, so stop at Mooselands)
2388.5 miles
705.0 trip

Odd: radio phone at a gas station to key in credit card, no modem.

The ride to Timmins was just as gorgeous as the ride to Wawa and there was even less traffic so I drove even faster. I pulled into Timmins just after sunset and caught the beginnings of some rain. Not wanting to deal with setting up in the rain I checked into the Super 8 and watched a movie.