But I have experienced the vehicular version of Gestapo Headquarters in the DMVs of Southern California, and those ordeals have left me scarred for life. I took the rest of the day off to tackle this seemingly insurmountable task. I have told you all this to set the stage and to explain why I decided to cut off my caffeine intake for the day. I could only imagine what it would be like to stand in lines for hours, vibrating with excess energy, humming some tuneless melody and waiting for my number to come up, so I could plead with some brain-dead 'crat to give me my identity back. Well, it wasn't nearly as bad as I had built it up to be.
Shift gears now.
Down at the bottom of Ton-Up Hill flows the mighty Mississippi River. We who live in the Twin Cities often take it for granted. Here in the fast-paced urban jungle, the only time we notice this famous body of water is when we have to slow for traffic across a bridge. That's the price of city life, I guess. This night I went out riding solo with no particular destination in mind.