The drive south was uneventful. I did not tap Fiona on the knee and shout “Red winged Blackbird”. We were riding in a Prius and could talk at normal voices, and not on Pirsig’s motorcycle. We were going to see Fiona’s sister. My ex wife would be there and while it very different from Pirsig going back to his earlier life, this was not Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.

It would be an eight hour drive. We had various books on tapes to listen to. Fiona had her video game to play. Yet, instead, we spent time talking. We crossed the Hudson River and talked about New York City, about my family and their travels.

We stopped at Dietrich’s meats to pick up some local soda. We passed by Harrisburg and looked down the river towards three mile island. We headed down Interstate 81 where there were many signs for gun shows. In Virginia, the Blue Ridge Mountains were shrouded in fog and we eventually checked in at our hotel.

I could write more about this, but the day is beckoning.