I couldn’t get a close enough picture of the more impressive sign I first saw from the highway, a tall, stark black-on-white that read only “CHEEKS.”

Dayton skyline

Checked in to the Knight’s Inn, Miamisburg (according to the receipt) or West Carrolton (according to the water tower right across the street.) Conveniently placed on I-75 in the same lot as a Perkins and a Bob Evans. Good eatin’ guaranteed. And I spotted something else just down the road that I’ll post later when I have a pic. A few antennae on cars in the lot here, even 15 miles outside of town. All the nearby hotels were filled weeks ago.

The room smells overpoweringly of soap/detergent/carpet cleaner. There is a ‘fridge and an unplugged microwave and just enough outlets for all my gadgets and their chargers. The outlet nearest the desk is dead and my laptop died just as I was logging in. Argh. The lamp that was plugged in there has a broken switch, too.

I completely forgot I’d be on Eastern time here, so it’s 6:30pm already. Despite this I made it to the ‘fest on time and picked up my passes for tomorrow. I toured the grounds where people were already selling their junk, but haven’t bought anything yet. I spotted a nice Vax 4000/600 that would fit nicely in the car, but the seller wasn’t around to give me a price. Judging from his other prices ($25 for a Commodore 1541) I probably won’t want it. I remember this guy from last year, though. I bought (and never used) a lot of glassware from him.

I have until 8pm to go back and drop off my stuff to sell, but I’d rather eat now and do that in the morning. All day I’ve eaten a blueberry muffin, some trail/fruit mix and a Power Bar. It’s time for a real meal.

I'm standing in my vendor spot (#2839) at the Hara Arena in Dayton, OH. It's a little cold here but tomorrow will be better. OK, time for some pre-sale shopping…

Fuel stop Ohio exit 10

Only an hour and a half late. Got to be in Dayton by 5pm. Might not be any time to stop. Heading into the Dan Ryan hellride…

Preparing for trip to Dayton now…car is packed, maybe I forgot stuff, maybe I didn’t. Got to gas it up and drive down to the Southern Command and stage for a morning departure.

Cats fed? Check.
Big bag of snacks and sugared water? Check.
Enough space in the car to bring back more than I’m leaving with? Check.
DVDs for the hotel room and a second laptop just to play them? Check overkill.
Hungry because I forgot to eat dinner during all the packing? Yep. Jimmy John’s, here I come.

(Also – blogging from the Blackberry is pretty slick. Expect a report at every gas stop and roadhouse I encounter!)

Making the turn at Union Ave and 35th St, Chicago.

A big box of something on the upper shelf at CostCo.

Hey there – another new blog for me. I’ll be using this one for technical adventures, showing off old junk I drag home, and random photo uploads. No deep thought here, no pithy observations, at least not intentionally.