After seeing 24 countries in the last 11 months, one thing I have learned in those travels is that you learn as much about where you are from as where you are visiting. And it was great to come back and experience my own country with those new eyes.
And, while the road trip got cut a little short, it was 12 great days of randomness, friends, gradual re-entry, coffee, roadkill, and the license plate game (49 out of 50 - still need Delaware!).
And, while the road trip got cut a little short, it was 12 great days of randomness, friends, gradual re-entry, coffee, roadkill, and the license plate game (49 out of 50 - still need Delaware!).
This country is MASSIVE, awesome and I can't wait to see more of it.
But that will have to wait. Real life beckons. Before we get there, I'll share the last adventure of this chapter:
Day 1:
The Davies' Dog also likes to eat Cats... And you saw pics of Punxsy 4 times already!
States: RI, CT, NY, NJ, PA, OH
Miles: 643
Cups of Coffee: 3
Points of Interest:
- Punxsatawney, PA
- Western Reserve Academy – Hudson, Ohio - Home of the Davies', their dog Foster and their fine Bar
I had to include this after I showed Jeff making drinks... Thanks for the Manhattans Davies!
Best Town Name: Panic, PA (right next door to Paradise, Desire, and Harmony)
Things I Forgot I Missed:
NY Sports Talk Radio
Air Conditioning - About the time I got to PA, I figured it was getting a little warm and it was time for some AC. Well, it turns out that the AC in the car wasn't working properly, so I did the rest of the drive with the windows down and the system up. After a year on the road, without many conveniences, this seemed to be exactly the way it was supposed to go down. If there is another Cross Country drive in my future though, I assure you all that it won't be done without checking the AC first.
Air Conditioning - About the time I got to PA, I figured it was getting a little warm and it was time for some AC. Well, it turns out that the AC in the car wasn't working properly, so I did the rest of the drive with the windows down and the system up. After a year on the road, without many conveniences, this seemed to be exactly the way it was supposed to go down. If there is another Cross Country drive in my future though, I assure you all that it won't be done without checking the AC first.
Musical Accompaniment:
Vampire Weekend – Vampire
Weekend
Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
Kings of Leon – Aha Shake
Heartbreak
Bob Seger – Greatest Hits
Outkast – Speakerboxx/The
Love Below
Elton John - Caribou
Elton John - Caribou
Day 2: Tour of Cleveland
Highlights -
- The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – I easily could’ve spent twice as long in the museum, and I was there for 3 hours.
- The Cleveland Museum of Art – A beautiful museum, and fantastic collection.
- Sokolowski’s University Inn – Damn Good Perogies!
Day 3:
Touchdown Jesus!
States: OH, IN, IL
Roadkill:
5
Miles: 369
Cops: 15
Best Town Name: Elkhart
Points of Interest:
RV Hall of Fame
Touchdown Jesus at the University of Notre Dame
Things I Forgot I Missed:
Barbecue sauce
24oz Servings of Coffee
HD Baseball on 60"+ Screens
Eli Manning’s sourpuss face
24oz Servings of Coffee
HD Baseball on 60"+ Screens
Eli Manning’s sourpuss face
Musical Accompaniment:
The Band – The Last Waltz
The Samples - Transmissions from the Sea of Tranquility
The Samples - Transmissions from the Sea of Tranquility
Sigur Ros - Með suð í eyrum
við spilum endalaust [With a buzz in our ears we play endlessly]
Smashing Pumpkins –
Melancholy and the Infinite Sadness
Steve Martin and Edie
Brickell – Love Has Come for You
Sufjan Stevens - Illinois
Day 4:
States: IA, IL, NE
Roadkill: 5
Miles: 693
Cups of Coffee: 4
Points of Interest:
The Mississippi! - So small and unsensational at the Dubuque crossing that I didn't even realize it was the Mississippi until I was leaving town.
Holy cow they're not kidding about the amount of corn in Iowa
The Bridges of Madison
Country - I had no idea these were in Iowa, if I had more time I totally would've stopped for them.
The Home of US Grant - Yeah, that's right, I stopped for the brief tour.
And, of course, the Field of Dreams:
As if the film crews pull up stakes yesterday!
The Bleachers the Karin fell off of and starting choking before Moonlight Graham saved her life...
Shoeless Joe's Home
Musical Accompaniment:
tUnE-yArDs – who kill
Warren Zevon – I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead
LOTS OF NPR - The highlights:
- 99% Invisible
- Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me
- This American Life
- Radiolab
Things I Forgot I Missed:
Cholula Sauce
Along with the above Podcasts - Terry Gross’ Fresh Air
Day 5:
You remember Elizabeth, right? She's so big now!
States: NE, CO
Miles: 411
Cups of Coffee: 2
Things I Forgot I Missed:
Baseball
Peanuts and Hot Dogs at
Baseball Games
Musical Accompaniment:
A.C. Newman – Get Guilty
Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires of the City
Florence & the Machine - Ceremonials
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes - Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes
Denver Sports Talk Radio
Day 6:
States: CO
Miles: 228
Cups of Coffee: 1
Had planned on Camping around Vail Pass. I was hungover and it was raining. So, obviously, I drove a bit longer and then pulled into a big, comfortable bed for the evening.
Day 7:
The Delicate Arch
States: CO, UT
Miles: 186
Most interesting Town Name:
Rifle, CO
Points of Interest: Arches National Park!
Camping on the Banks of the Colorado!
Starry Night over Moab, UT
Day 8:
The Great Salt Lake!
States: UT, NV
Miles: 654
Cups of Coffee: 4
Most interesting Town Name: American Fork
Points of Interest:
The Bonneville Salt Flats! - Estimates put the Salt Flats at 1/3 of their original size due to the mining of salt in the area. There is even a Morton Salt Plant that can be seen from the road.
Musical Accompaniment:
Band of Hourse – Everything
All Behind – specifically for the part driving past “The Great Salt Lake”
Beach Boys – Pet Sounds
The Beatles – Sgt. Pepper’s
Lonely Hearts Club Band
The Beatles - Revolver
Day 9:
The ROCK!
States: NV, CA
Miles: 386
Points of Interest:
I got to drive over the Bay Bridge on the day the new eastern span opened!
Things I Forgot I Missed:
- In-N-Out Burger – Technically, I didn't forget about this one, since I dream of A Double Double, Animal Style, with Extra Crispy Fries and a Black and White Shake frequently. In fact, I’m pretty sure 50% of the reason I wanted to drive to California was to have one of these. For those keeping score at home, it was awesome.
- The expansion of Lashfully - San Francisco and taking a picture of it. Seriously, Matana, it is awesome!
Musical Accompaniment:
Billy Bragg – Mr. Love &
Justice
Billy Bragg & Wilco –
Mermaid Avenue
Day 10: Day in San Francisco
Dinner with good buddy, and college roommate, Reid.
Things I missed:
Blue Bottle Coffee –
Seriously folks, one of the best in my book.
San Francisco - Seriously, had been way too long since I'd been there
Day 11:
States: CA
Miles: 400
Musical Accompaniment:
Volcano Choir - Repave
James Blake - Overgrown
Explosions in the Sky &
David Wingo – Prince Avalanche Soundtrack
Capital Cities - In A Tidal
Wave of Mystery
Day 12: Return Flight to the East Coast
States: CA, NY
(Not that I care, but the) Famous People Seen:
- Anna Gasteyer
- Bobcat Goldthwait
- Maggie Grace
And now it's time for whatever comes next. Over the next few days and/or weeks, I'll be doing some summary posts of favorite photos, parting thoughts, thank yous, and maybe a few other random bits.
But for now, thanks for coming here and sharing this "thing" with me. It's been a blast.
