Just for practice

I'm so excited and I just can't hide it
I'm about to lose control and I think I like it
I'm so excited and I just can't hide it
I know I know I know
I know I know I'm in Antioch

If it's Friday, it must be Antioch
===================

Yeah! I'm on the road, now. Just practicing, but it feels soooo real!!

As this test drive to Antioch approached I started getting a little nervous. The more I tried to get a handle on this riverfront city to the east of the East Bay, the more I started to fear that I had chosen the least interesting town in the world.

I had visions of wasting away in Antiochville -- the only somewhat interesting fact seemed to be that the place has a foul odor (It turns out that peat that accumulates in the wetlands on the north side of the river needs to be harvested from time to time and is burned; the wind inevitably carries some of the smoke and an unpleasant aroma over the river).

Anyway, I left home with a sinking feeling that I was in for a barren week that would make getting “stuck again in Lodi, again” seem like an event-filled picnic.

But, as I kept telling myself, there are no places without stories to be told. And as I got to know folks here in this "Gateway to the Delta," I discovered plenty of ideas for stories.

I've been here a little more than 48 hours and I'm now rather fond of the place.

Now, that's not to say that I'm finding life on the road -- even during this short dry run -- to be easy and comfortable. I've been adjusting to sleeping in a new bed and that's meant a stiff back. This made finding a comfortable spot for working a bit difficult and it was only after two days of adjusting that I sort of hit a comfort zone and have finally become more productive.

I've spent less time than I had hoped out in the community and have taken afternoon naps that seem to take up a lot of potential exploring time.

My enthusiasm for the trip is unabated. I've attempted to line up some activities for next week in Santa Rosa and have developed a few ideas for planning ahead as my February 14 departure date approaches.

The most rewarding and perhaps productive enterprise so far has been basic reporting -- driving around with my eyes open and talking to people.

A fantastic internet tool that I've been using for a long time seems likely to emerge as one of the most effective ways to get oriented to new communities: satelite photographs, particularly the dynamic views offered by Google Earth.

As a spatially challenged person, I often have trouble getting my bearings in new surroundings. Google Earth allows me to operate a virtual helicopter and to overfly new territory and really get the lay of the land.

Antioch. My first appearance as Wandering Dave. I'm making friends and collecting material. Life on the road is...
... so far, so good.