I couldn't help but include a little nod to the Beastie Boys (the first concert I saw as a teenager) in the title but it's not entirely true. Thankfully, we slept every night of our five day road trip.
Last Sunday my wife, Amstel, and I left St. Paul in the new Prius...destination, Brooklyn for two solid weeks of work on HardFork with @dougkarr and @bakerchristopher. What better way to break in a new vehicle than a thousand-plus mile drive?
The Prius was beyond impressive, averaging around 52mpg for the trip in Eco-mode, most of which was driven at around 75mph. The car has a 1.8L four cylinder engine paired with an electric motor, which proved to have far more combined pep than my old Honda Fit, which only averaged 32mph on the highway.
We stopped in foggy Chicago the first night and Amstel slept in style in Greektown.
After another full day on the road brought us to Johnstown, Ohio to spend a few nights with my parents. We hadn’t seen them since May. Although it was a short visit, it was one that I cherished. A trip home always is a potent reminder of where you came from and how important those roots really are.
Two more days on the road and we rolled right on through the Holland Tunnel to our final destination...Brooklyn. Amstel is still trying to get used to the big city and something completely new for him...elevators. An authentic NYC pizza from L'industrie Pizzeria was the perfect way to round out our first day in the Big Apple.
For those of you who've never had pizza here in NYC it's not like anywhere else in the world, beyond delicious. There are many theories as to why pizza is so much better here...I tend to believe it's the water.
There’s nothing like a thousand mile drive to make you think. So many ideas swirled through my head as the tires droned and the mile markers blurred together as one from the vast expanses of the Midwest to New York City. Some of these ideas will end up in the HardFork series. The main reoccurring thought kept coming up during the past few days is I care about this HardFork series project more than anything I've ever worked on in my entire career.
Speaking of HardFork, we announced a crazy contest yesterday on our @hardfork-series Steemit page! It goes like this...
HardFork Contest! We should all dream up a crazy stunt activation to coincide with the release of the @hardfork-series and make it happen. You can never start planning these things too early. This is the perfect community to engage in this kind of wild and crazy activity. Click here to read more details on the contest.
We’re very excited to see what ideas you come up with! Our team will have our thinking caps on too. Let's create something amazing together!
Yours in the chain,
Eric
Please follow our official Steemit account for the film series @hardfork-series. Did you miss our last post? If so CLICK HERE to read it!
*I am an American novelist, poet, traveler, and crypto-enthusiast. If you’ve enjoyed my work please sign up for my author newsletter at my website. Newsletter subscribers will receive exclusive updates and special offers and your information will never be sold or shared.
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I really believe in this project and this team. So I spent a couple hours pondering on how to help with this particular contest. Here is a post I made with a 13:45 minute video of a midnight brainstorming session for Hard-Forked promotion possibilities.
https://steemit.com/hardfork-series/@quinneaker/midnight-brainstorming-session-for-hardfork-series-contest-submission-video-4-juicy-inspired-ideas-for-hard-forked-stunt-type
This is your really wonderful road trip. I really enjoy this story and especially glad to see you with your parents. They are looking so much happy to meet you. And also happy to see your Amstel sitting in beautiful car. Congratulations for your safe journey and eco- testing cars. All the photos are really amazing and beautiful. Thanks for sharing your wonderful moments with us.
Dude I have Prius plug in 2012 and its by far the best car I have ever owned! I love EVERYTHING about it besides that it doesn't fly.....haha
Loving the photos, I can feel ur experience in them. So exciting to see your passion for @hardfork-series ! I really have so much passion for it also and believe I have a lot I can bring to it. I have a meeting with @dougkarr on Monday, hope to talk to you more in depth one day soon also.
Full Steem Ahead to the New Paradigm∞§∞
Dear @ericvancewalton,
You got nominated in my latest article TOP 5 trending Poetry Accounts you should follow today!
Feel free to check it out:
https://steemit.com/poetry/@bestmemes/top-5-trending-poetry-accounts-you-should-follow-today
Thank you for your upvote! I appreciate it, I would be really happy if also read my article. Thank you very much! Have a good day, my dear friend :)
Great post, great journey... and NOW YOU'RE HERE!! These next couple weeks are going to be amazing Brother!
Thank you, Doug! It feels so great to be in the city again and I have a feeling our collective muses will be singing like a choir in these next few weeks. So excited, my friend!
You guys works soooo well together and I am already excited to see the manifestations!
EXCITING!!!!!!!
Yes, driving does make you think because you have no choice on a long drive. I agree the water is good in Brooklyn. We have good water in Canada and it tastes the same! The pizza is unforgettable.
The water is so good I've been drinking it unfiltered. Amazing for such a huge city. Oh, and the pizza! It's incredible!
I was just wondering if Amstel came along....maybe I'll get to meet him?? Please??
Beastie boys is a helluva first concert, that's impressive....mine was Jgeils band and I don't remember anything about the music at all, that's how impressive it was, lol
I think that could definitely be arranged Ruth! I was pretty starstruck to see the Beastie Boys live when I was 15 years old. In retrospect though it was a horrendous performance, they were drunk...so drunk in fact they didn't even know what city they were in. Fishbone opened for them and they put on a wicked performance but no one there appreciated it because the were there for the Beastie Boys. It's such a good memory though. I used to really like JGeils!
can't wait to meet the pup for sure ;-)
I too used to love jgeils...but they are definitely suited for the maturity of a teen. Too bad the beastie boys were so drunk, I've been to shows like that and it just sort of turns you off. I saw US3 and they were my fav band and once I saw them live I never listened to them again.
Being an opening band is kind of a bummer and so many amazing bands are overlooked! Of course though it gives them prestige and does help them grow.
Eric, u the man.
Thanks, Raj. You were such a positive influence for me, I thank you for that!
Well a thousand miles is certainly a really long drive.
My car only gets 16 miles per gallon so that would have cost me a fortune
Your dog is a real trooper to be able to hang in for that long of a drive.
I will check out the details of the contest although I'm usually not very good with that kind of thing.
It was way too long @jeezzle. We were never so happy to see a skyline in our lives. Amstel is an amazing traveler. It's stressful for him but it would have likely been worse if we left him for two weeks. Cool! Thanks for checking out the contest and if you have any ideas please let them in the HardFork Series post comments!
a very interesting story, I wait for the rest of the story
HardFork Stunt CONTEST its better way to providing @hardfork-series. I'll check it out how to participate.
Congratulations for your eco-testing cars. Nice family vacations; nice fun with them. Dash board pretty cool.
Best meals and Your dog is pretty smart looks. Inspiration me again sir.
Cool, thanks for your comment! I hope you have some unique ideas for the contest!
Good to hear that you made it safely there, when you get some time please share some about what your parents think about your change from the corporate world to full time writer. Those look like very supportive smiles but as we all know, "smile for the camera" is the command right before the click. Have you converted them to the crypto scene yet? As always, just a curios old man being curios.
Now I have to go check out the contest, I am pretty creative when it comes to dreaming up wild ass ideas for things.
Until next time,
@sultnpapper
Hey @sultnpapper, thanks and it's always good to hear from you. I'm very lucky, my parents have always been fully supportive of my decisions. The timing of my exit from the corporate world was sort of a leap of faith but, luckily it worked out. My mom is a true believer in cryptocurrency. I guess she could be considered an "early adopter" (that seems strange to say.) We opened an exchange account for her back in November of 2016 and she's gotten to experience some of the explosive growth. My dad doesn't really understand it but is supportive of it. I was going to get them set up with a BitPay card before all of the crypto-based credit cards starting being shut down but now, since there are so many problems with them I decided to wait. I'm excited to see what ideas you have for the HardFork contest, being curious is good! I'm the same way. I hope you never lose that curiosity! Have a great day my friend.
@ericvancewalton, Wow....Your new Toyota Prius car awesome with dark red color. Nice journey across going highway. Very interesting story and photo shots indeed.
I've read hardfork contest waiting to join it. That's nice stuff.
Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it! Feel free to share any ideas you have for the contest in the HardFork post comments.
A trip home always is a potent reminder of where you came from and how important those roots really are.
Maybe because I am older than you, maybe because I am a historian, but this sentence kept popping up in my mind. It is so good to remember this from time to time. It helps to keep your feet on the ground. It also makes grateful, because when I was a little child and a teenager, I had loving and caring parents. I benefit from that until today.
I very much agree @clio. I just finished a very interesting book that reminded me of the importance of remembering history (in a larger sense )called "On Tyranny." I'm so thankful that success found me later in life, I feel so much more grounded now than when I was younger. I hope you're doing well, spring is coming soon!
I looked on the internet and found the book you were referring to. I found out he won the Hannah Arendt Prize for political thought. I read Hannah Arendt book: " Three faces of fascism" as a student and it made a huge impression.
Snyder discusses important topics. Reading books and language use for instance. He says:
"In the president’s frame of reference events are only ever bad or sad or mad. With his Dr. Seuss vocabulary, he can present the world as a place of simplistic oppositions, stripped of nuance."
Scary. What I read about this book of Timothy Snyder is reason to order it when I am back in the Netherlands. Thank you for the tip.
Hi, @clio. You're welcome. It sounds like I need to read Hannah's book. Tom Snyder talks a lot about language and symbolism and how it was used in the Trump campaign as well as after the election. It's downright frightening how far we've slipped in just a year, it can happen so fast. We very well may end up coming to the Netherlands soon to live if things get much worse.
I am very happy for you. More blessing are coming. You’ve earned it.
Thank you, brother! More blessings are coming for you as well. 2018 is going to be an amazing year and soon we'll be celebrating in Montreal.
that long drive was definitely worth each moment of it :)
such beautiful and wonderful shots
Thank you so much, @cutiepie!
That was quite the drive! I've racked up similar mileage driving from Toronto to Northeastern Ontario.
It sure was, we got to see some great scenery through Pennsylvania. I'd love to explore Toronto, it seems like an amazing city!
That's one Roadtrip over and done with... now for movie work! Living the dream! :)
Keep going!
Yes! We have high hopes for these next two weeks. Thanks, Michelle!
I like your car :) with long distance you can make relationship with your car hh
Thank you! Yes, a drive like that allows you to get to know a car very intimately!
Glad you got back safe, though we wish you stayed for a game in Chicago!
We will be in Brooklyn soon anyway!
Nice post beautiful presented and explained. detail oriented with nice writing. thank you for sharing @cricvancewalton
Thanks!
It is really good post . I love this your update steemit post. upvoted
nice post .this is amazing as i was story or your post and finally i got some great things to see thanks for posting
Amazing post my friend
This nice post i like your story.. thanks for sharing..
good story. love to read it.
thanks
hhaah It's so sweet
excellent post ..loving to your blog.thanks for sharing..
very good post
Love the layout man. Keep it up!
Aw! I love your doggie! :)
we have to worked hard to achieve something, love to read it...
excellent Stunt CONTEST dear friend @ericvancewalton
thousands of miles for that precious smile : ) beautiful pics
good post, I like your post ..
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This is a super cool post to check out thanks eric for sharing this
what an amazing and fabulous day you had wow
very beautiful @ericvancewalton is red your favorite color? your post is very interesting to read.
keep working and give a lot of benefits to people who always follow you.
If you have time, let's visit my blog @bangmimi
How I wish I could take a journey. Soon though. Have fun man.
Nice story blog dear Eric.
Your pics are also nice
Thanks
Nice journey story, nice pics.
Thanks dear Eric for this article.