in search of america

At the ripe ol' age of 26, I have decided to take on America in a solo cross country expedition. Inspired by too many stories of "When I drove cross-country," and so many more of "I wish I had done that when I was younger," I have whole-heartedly considered and embraced the idea of taking on such a feat. I'm not completely naive - there is still much to be planned and it's by no means a sure thing. As with any whim of out-of-the-blue passion, prior to any concrete commitment comes waves of excitement and over-eager disillusion. And until I have purchased the appropriate automotive, it will be merely a daydream and a good conversation piece around the water cooler.

Much like Steinbeck notes in his Travels With Charley, I've discovered that the vast majority of people are wildly fascinated, many times to the point of jealousy, with this endeavor. Especially members of any generation post-baby boomer. (They just think I'm a little nuts. Which I may be.) It seems that people don't necessarily care where they're going - they just want to go! I think there's a certain comfort with the idea of stepping out of the expectations of the masses and into the mind of the wayward. Execution and submersion are the tricky parts. In William Least Heart-Moon's travelogue, Blue Highways, he comments, "A man who couldn't make things go right could at least go." Of course, he took his trip right after being laid off and going through a divorce. Hats off to new beginnings!

After some very infant stage planning, I intend to leave the first week of August. My initial route covers some 10,000 plus miles, should take circa 8-10 weeks and looks something like this:

This experience, should it transform from vision to reality, will be logged here in detail; preparation for the road, cities, towns, and monuments visited, strangers befriended, foods encountered, etc. Please feel free to come back and visit from time to time as I explore these amazing united states of ours. See some of the wonderful and unusual things I hope to see without leaving the comfort of your own home. If you have any comments, advice, or any of that good stuff, let me know. I'd love to hear it.