FFA--A DIFFERENT KIND OF TRAVEL

A DIFFERENT KIND OF TRAVEL
FFA Nationals 2014
Going places by coach bus has its own advantages, as well as its own unique challenges. In the past two years, Andy and I have officially chaperoned four high school trips.  Initially I didn't count them as "retirement travels," but we've covered hundreds of miles and seen a lot of territory, especially in New York state.

Waiting for the 3 a.m. school bus at Tri Valley Central School
in Grahamsville, New York, FFA members on the Food Science
team practice in the Ag room for national competition.

So this morning deservedly begins another blog account.  Advantages include not having to drive and enjoying limited cost, but we sacrifice all freedom as chaperones for 15 teenagers on a coach bus with 45 teenagers going on a trip with two sold-out bus loads to a convention with as many as 60,000 kids.
"How are you doin'?" asked Emily, climbing back on Bus 107 at the first rest stop. "Did you sleep?"
"I snoozed a little," I told her.  "How about you?"
"Well, it's better than the school bus," she responded, looking rather bleary-eyed.
We had worked at school until 3 a.m. Then from 3 a.m. to 5 a.m. we traveled by school bus from Grahamsville, New York to Greenville, New York to meet two Brown coach buses for a circuitous trip to Louisville, Kentucky via Chicago for the annual FFA National Convention.

The roof greening trays remind me of
ground cover in an Arctic climate.

After pick-ups in Schoharie at Dunkin' Donuts and at the toll plaza, we headed through Syracuse in daylight, across the north end of the Finger Lakes.  As the sun climbed, clouds parted to show patches of blue.  Fields spread far in every direction--expanses of dried stalks of corn, waving feathery yellow elephant grass, brilliant green stretches of spring wheat, fallow patches of plowed earth, and trees in shades of yellow, orange and red. This is most of New York... rich agriculture open space instead of big city urban sprawl.
Batavia Turf is one of three businesses owned and managed by our tour guide Craig.  He explained that diversity is one of the primary marketing and management ploys to effective business practices.  When the turf cycle of an 18-month production season for sod declines, onion production, roof garden palettes and heifer feed lot services take up the financial slack.
We walked across some of the 300 acres of turf to the 12 soccer fields owned privately by Craig and his partners but managed publically by the town of Batavia. "Our name is on these fields," explained Craig.  "We won't have anything but excellence when it comes to the quality of the turf.  We care for it, and the town rents from us. Both parties benefit.  That's good business."

Craig, partner and production manager of Batavia Turf,
 shakes hands with trip leader Rick as students from nine New
York schools admire the turf of the12 Batavia soccer fields.

Craig also explained his partnership with a company in France that installs roof greening trays for environmental benefit of growing ground cover on the roofs of buildings.
In an hour we were back on the road toward Cleveland.  By the time we reached Pennsylvania, the skies cleared and the wind picked up.
A few major differences stand out on a trip like this one. First, I appreciate how tremendously much planning goes into travel.  But Andy only drives about 150 miles a day maximum, and he usually wends his way leisurely along back roads.  Because the main point of travel by bus is destination, we keep moving on the FFA excursions. Our stops are brief--maybe ten minutes.  We cross whole states at a time, and we drive on interstates. Whether it's the tinted windows, the distractions of so many other people, the nondescript route along the interstates, or the steady speed of a super highway, I'm much less aware of the terrain outside and the surrounding countryside.  With speed on the bus controlled by a "governor," our driver maintained a consistent and steady 65 m.p.h. (maximum 55 m.p.h. in a school bus), even when the speed limit was higher.  Andy doesn't drive a whole lot faster than that in Little Red, but since we cover so much less distance in a give time, it doesn't feel like we are driving forever.