SSS: Connecticut

"The Constitution State"

Things to see & do:

-Long Island Sound shoreline
-Hammonasset Beach State Park
-Mystic Seaport
-Norwich's Mohegan Indian Burial Ground
-Housatonic River Valley
-Housatonic Meadows State Park
-Quiet Corner farm country
-Mystic Aquarium
-Essex Steam Train & Riverboat
-Stonington lighthouse museum
-Scoville Memorial Library-- the first free public library in the U.S.
-Long Wharf & Schubert Theaters
-Peabody Museum of Natural History
-Yale University Art Gallery & Yale Center for British Art
-Old State House in Hartford
-former homes of  Mark a Twain & Harriet Beecher Stowe
-Wadsworth Atheneum & Bushnell Performing Arts Center

BUT MOSTLY:

*EAT in New Haven.
-Louis' Lunch Wagon (old-fashioned burgers)
-the "grinder" (hot Italian sandwich)
-"apizza" (thin, brick-oven pizza, best with clams & garlicky white sauce)
[Apparently, Frank Sinatra enjoyed New Haven pizza so much that he had it delivered to NYC (two hours away) rather frequently.]
:)

SSS: Rhode Island

RHODE ISLAND
"Ocean State"
Rhode Island may be the smallest state in America, but their motto is "Hope" which makes me love it already. :) & Since Rhode Island is so small (48 miles long & 42 miles wide) I'm planning to see pretty much everything this tiny state has to offer. ;)
Block Island:
-Mohegan Bluffs (200 feet high)
-Block Island Beach Rec Area
-New Shoreham (the island's only town)
Bristol:
-Colt State Park
-Coggeshall Farm (replica of 18th century working farm)
-Roger Williams University
-Blithewold Mansion & Gardens
-Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology
-Brown University (Native American Arts & cultural items)
-Herreshoff Marine Museum & America's Cup Hall of Fame
Newport:
-Tour a mansion on Bellevue Ave
-Hammersmith Farm
-Friends Meeting House
-Touro Synagogue National Historic Site
-Fort Adams State Park
-Old Colony House, Washington Square
-Gooseberry & Easton's Beaches, Sachuest & Third Beaches
Pawtucket:
-Slater Mill Historic Site
-Blackstone River National Heritage Corridor
Providence
- "costume jewelry capital of the nation"
-Ivy League Brown University, the Museum of Art-- Rhode Island School of Design, Providence College, Rhode Island College, & Johnson and Wales University
-first Baptist Church in America
-Benefit Street's "Mile of History"
-Roger Williams Park
Warwick:
-known for its malls & outlet stores
-Warwick City Park
-Oakland Beach
Westerly:
-villages: Westerly, Watch Hill, Bradford, Avondale
-beaches between Watch Hill & Weekapaug
-The Flying Horse Carousel at Watch Hill
Woonsocket:
-Museum of Work and Culture

SSS: Massachusetts

I'm not sure why, but I am beyond excited to visit Massachusetts! I've been there before, but for some reason researching Massachusetts makes me so happy! The plan is to be there for Halloween 2014. :D

This website, Massachusetts Vacations, has SO much fantastic information including sections all about holidays in Massachusetts... And of course my favorite is  HALLOWEEN! :D

SSS: Maine

MAINE
Also known as: "The Pine Tree State" OR "Vacationland"

Trademarks (& things I don't want to miss):
-lobsters
-blueberries
-moose
-rocky shores
-lighthouses
-mosquitoes (these I wouldn't mind missing)
^^ According to The USA BOOK

Acadia National Park
Mount Katahdin
Baxter State Park
Allagash Wilderness Waterway
Sand Beach
Camden Harbor
Moosehead Lake
Portland & West End

Mostly I want to eat seafood chowder containing Maine's famous lobsters & potatoes.  And maybe some blueberry pancakes & muffins too. Also, apparently it's a Maine tradition to enjoy "popovers with strawberry jam served on the lawn at Jordan Pond teahouse." So that'll be happening too. ;)

Human Again!

I'm finally feeling like a human again! Human again, human again! ;) I swear, my biggest accomplishment last week was NOT calling in sick to work.  And oh, how I wanted to! But I made it through the week, had Saturday off, worked again Sunday, and then had Monday & Tuesday off. And now, I feel human again! :)

Seriously though, when I'm sick I feel like the walking dead.  Except all I really want to do is play dead-- stay in bed all day and attempt to sleep... Although we all know that I'm almost completely incapable of that, so instead I stay in bed all day (except for the several hours I spend driving to/from & being at work) snacking, hydrating, researching, reading, watching Netflix, doing treatments, snacking some more & then doing more research while listening to my epic Pandora stations.

So although it has been over a week since my last post, and it may seem as though I'm slacking in the "road trip researching" category of my life, fear not! It is still very much alive and thriving.  In fact, my library books are over-due because I didn't want to give them back until I soaked up all they had to offer, and I've already reached the limit for online renewals.  And instead of just dropping them in the book return (remember how I said I've been sick and things like stopping by the library come second to laying in bed feeling like a zombie) I've held onto them, probably accruing many late-fees, but certainly benefiting from their plethora of good information and road trip ideas.

...

This post has been waiting in my "drafts" for the past few days with only those three paragraphs above.  I have since returned my overdue books (they were, thankfully, only one day late), and of course I borrowed some more.  There is something so inspiring about the travel section of a local library.  I'd really like to just take the whole collection home with me and immerse myself in the romance of some other traveler's experiences.  And study every detail of the routes those before me have taken to explore their world.  Or simply learn about every little thing there is to be seen, so as not to miss a single life-changing opportunity to discover something new (or at least new to me.)  If only so much more time existed in each day; time enough to waste (or in my opinion, use wisely!) escaping into daydreams about the innumerable possibilities of my fast-approaching road trip...

SSS: New Hampshire

...

L I V E 

F R E E 

O R

D I E 

...

I can't even imagine the forest colors when I am not seeing them.  I wondered whether constant association could cause inattention, and asked a native New Hampshire woman about it.  She said the autumn never failed to amaze her; to elate.  "It is a glory," she said, "and can't be remembered, so that it always comes as a surprise."

--John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley in Search of America

Visit New Hampshire
NH Travel Guide

^^^

SSS: Vermont

This week's state for State Study Sunday is...

VERMONT!

As excited as I am to share my findings from this week's research, I regret to inform you that I will not be blessing you with my "musts" for the Green Mountain State at this time.  Just wanted to make sure y'all didn't think I'd forgotten about my plan to post every Sunday...

...I'm exhausted & still sick & frankly, transferring my notes from my pretty journal to this mini iPad is the last thing I want to do right now.  So, I'm off to bed (with visions of pancakes drowned in Vermont's maple syrup dancing in my head.)  ;)

SSS: New York

The amount of adventures I plan to enjoy in New York is innumerable.   New York City alone leaves me dizzy with possibility.  New York is one of those states that may require more than the 5.5 days that my 9-month travel plans have allotted.  Which of course makes me question, once again,  whether or not 9 months will be enough time to see & do & experience all that I want to see & do & experience.  The answer of course is that it's not.  That's what I both love & hate about this whole planning process though.  I will never be able to  experience it all!  But how wonderful is that!? Our country is so full of wonderful things waiting to be explored and appreciated.  I'm excited to discover even a small portion of all that wonderfulness.  :)

Things to do & see & experience in NEW YORK:

• Catskills (New Paltz, Kingston, Woodstock)
• Adirondack Mountains
• The Hudson River Valley
• Niagara Falls
• Clark's Gully (waterfalls)
• Finger Lakes region (Ithaca)
• Long Island

• Drive Route 73 to Lake Placid
• National Baseball Hall of Fame
• Saratoga National Historic Park
• Coney Island FUN
• Eat buffalo wings at Anchor Bar in Buffalo
• Eat New York-style pizza, cheesecake, bagels, pastrami

• NEW YORK CITY !
• [I'm considering becoming a true tourist & buying the New York Pass to help me discover all that the Big Apple has to offer.]

Although I've been to New York before, I'm certainly excited to rediscover it. :)

Official New York Guide

h o m e s i c k

"You will never be completely at home again,
because part of your heart will always be elsewhere.
That is the price you pay
for the richness of loving and knowing people
in more than one place."

SSS: Pennsylvania

The more I research each state, the longer I want my roadtrip to last.  There's just SO much to see & do & eat in this country! I guess that's the best problem to have though. :)

This week's State Study Sunday is all about Pennsylvania.

Must See:

• Liberty Park (Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Congress Hall)
• Gettysburg National Military Park
• Allegheny National Forest
• Cook's Forest
• Frank Lloyd Wright's Falling Water
• Bushkill Falls
• Ponoco Mountains 
• State capital building in Harrisburg
• Philadelphia's LOVE sculpture

Must Do:

• Visit the Amish in Lancaster County
• Check out the trendy bars and restaurants at The Strip, a historic market district
• Ride the funicular up Mount Washington to see the view of Pittsburgh
• Watch the sunset at Sunset Point in Erie's Presque Isle State Park
• Pal around with Rocky Balboa on the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum
• Drive along Historic National Road (America's first interstate highway)
• & Route 6 ("One of America's most scenic drives" according to National Geographic) 

Must Eat:

• Philly cheesesteak! (OBVIOUSLY!) 
• Pat's in Philadelphia
• Gino's Steaks ("whiz wit")
• "Whoopie Pie" from Lancaster's central market
• Yuengling Lager from America's oldest brewery, a pierogi in Pittsburgh's Strip District
• Chocolate in Hershey, PA 

[The bulletpoints above are just a few highlights of Pennsylvania. There's a lot of good information for tourists online which will make you want to stay in Pennsylvania for an entire month-- at least now I do!]

Pennsylvania's Travel Guide

Pennsylvania Road Trips

Discover America: Pennsylvania

& a few state facts just for fun:

--Pennsylvania's State Dog: Great Dane (my favorite!) 

--Pennsylvania's State Insects: Ladybug & Firefly 

:)

Starting Fresh.

I went to Kaka'ako on Monday morning to look for my three books & journal in the spot that we so mindlessly left them, but no luck.  There's a key store right there too, so I asked the guy inside if anyone had found some books out front, but he said no.  And then he added, "There's a lot of homeless people in this area too though, so I don't think you're going to find them." Thanks for the encouragement, dude. :( I'm still hoping some Good Samaritan found them and is currently trying to track me down via the library book.  Honestly though, I mostly just want my journal back! AHHH all my research and good road trip ideas! :( ...We'll see.

After being upset over the loss of my books and journal for several days though, I figured its probably time to get back on the horse.  Time to start fresh! So I'm going to put my energy into re-researching Michigan & Ohio (which shouldn't be too hard!) and beginning my research on Pennsylvania.  One thing that makes all this a little bit easier is a fresh journal.  And my first order of business: writing my full name & phone number in the front cover! :)

SSS: Ohio

Today Lily and I went out to Kaka'ako to take some photos for my blog.  Our shoot was complete with awkward poses, costume changes, laughter, irritation (we would have preferred to switch roles-- I like to be behind the camera, and Lily's a natural in front of it) & of course props.  Some of our props included the plethora of books I've acquired during my road trip research and the planning journal I use to take notes on it all...

After our photo shoot, we got lunch at Lanikai Juice, crashed a wedding at Kahala Beach, and then went to see One Direction in 3D at Koko Marina with Kaili and Hoku.  (The movie was fantastic ;) and I always love being out in Hawaii Kai).  After the movie I took Lily to the grocery store and then dropped her back off at the dorms.

On my drive back to Ewa Beach, I remember thinking that I wish cars had two types of horns.  One that made a nice little "beep" to say things like, "Hey dude, I'm not sure if you noticed but the light turned green."  Or, "Um your blinker has been on for like five minutes; you should probably turn that off."  And then the other horn could say "HONK!" Meaning, "DUDE, you almost just effing killed me!" Or, "Stay in your own lane, drunk ass!"

Well for some reason, this thought process next found me singing Limbeck's song "Honk & Wave" in my head.  One has absolutely nothing to do with the other, except for the obvious "honk," but Limbeck was one of my favorite bands back in High School so naturally I turned off my radio and started belting out "Honk & Wave" and then "In Ohio On Some Steps" at the top of my lungs.  I smiled to myself seeing as Ohio is my SSS (State Study Sunday) for this week. :) & Limbeck is some seriously good driving (or road trip!) music.

When I got home I ate some dinner, uploaded my road trip photos onto Natasha's computer, and then went to collect my notes for tonight's "Ohio" blog.  Here's where it gets good:  Remember how I said Lily and I were using some of my books and my journal as props today? Well... WE FREAKING LEFT THEM THERE.  On some steps (in Ohiooooo. Except not.) Hahaha oh the irony.  It's really not funny though. :( Along with my journal we left a few good books. One of which was a super old awesome-looking, (and delicious-smelling) hardcover book I got from my mom's best friend's uncle who passed away. ...And a library book. Shit.

I'm going to drive back to Kaka'ako tomorrow morning and hopefully I'll find them still there, just chillin' on the steps.  :-/ So I know this is another failed attempt at a SSS post, but I hope you'll understand & forgive me.  (And pray that my journal & especially my books are still there tomorrow!)

You're Gonna Miss This

During a conversation about my plans the other day, I told a coworker that my road trip is all I ever think about; it consumes my thoughts from sunrise to sunset.  And while this is mostly true (I do spend the majority of my time thinking about what I'm going to be doing next year), I've also been thinking about how much I'm going to miss my life here, on Oahu.

I've always been the sentimental type.  Nostalgia often overcomes me; nostalgia for summers spent at the Pharm, holidays spent enjoying laughter and good food with family, carefree days of field trips with childhood friends and lemonade stands with my siblings, high school adventures with my girlfriends, college. 

I finally realized the other day, I have an incredibly confusing LOVE/HATE relationship with change.  My sense of longing for how things used to be, leads me to believe that change is bad.  But the truth is, I THRIVE off of change.  And I get incredibly restless when things remain the same for long periods of time.  In fact, I NEED change in order to feel alive. Sameness bores me.  Sameness makes me feel trapped...  Which probably has something to do with my commitment issues.  When things remain the same for too long, they start to feel too permanent, and permanence scares me.  

Knowing this about myself (that I'm incredibly sentimental & nostalgic, but that I also need change in order to feel alive), I've realized that I need to continue to immerse myself in the beautiful plans that are unfolding in maps before me, but that at the same time I need to make sure to enjoy where I am right now; to continue to live in the present while planning for the future.

Since I moved to Hawaii in 2006, this rock in the water has stolen a piece of my heart.  Every time I fly away from it (yes, even if just for a short vacation), I cry.  There's something about this paradise that just holds my heart so tight.  ...But as much as I love my home here, I feel that restlessness.  I do; I feel it so intensely... and it's not the island's fault, I just need that change.  

I know 100% without one doubt that I will miss it.  Hell, I already miss it when I'm on vacation for ten days.  Which is why I want to soak up every single aspect of this paradise in my remaining eight months here.  Eight months seems like a long time when you're already feeling restless, but then when I think about actually leaving this place, it seems all to soon.  (My heart, forever & always conflicted & contradicting.) 

So, eight months people!  Here's to soaking up every little thing Oahu has to offer (especially the SUNSHINE!) and making memories that will keep me warm all my days, 'cause I'm gonna miss this. 

You're gonna miss this

You're gonna want this back

You're gonna wish these days

Hadn't gone by so fast

These are some good times

So take a good look around

You may not know it now

But you're gonna miss this
You're gonna miss this
Yeah, you're gunna miss this
--Trace Adkins

SSS: Michigan

Yesterday I had a doctor's appointment in town and I had to get a shot. :( I remember when I was a kid, after our appointments at the Children's Hospital, my mom would take me and Zack to McDonalds for a treat.  (Or maybe I just remember her doing that one time specifically, and for some reason it makes me associate going to the doctor with receiving a treat?) Well I figured since I was already downtown, I might as well treat myself to an afternoon at Barnes & Noble.  Apparently Barnes & Noble's coffee and books are the big-girl's equivalent of McDonalds' ice cream and fries.  Although to big-girl Addie, Barnes & Noble itself is the treat.  It gives me the warm fuzzies and reminds me of Christmas and my daddy. :) The fact that its filled with coffee and books is just an added bonus. ;)

Anyway, as part of my road trip research, I decided I'm going to read books that serve as "representations" of each of the states (according to The USA BOOK: A Journey Through America.) Originally I was going to go in alphabetical order, and I just finished "To Kill a Mockingbird" for Alabama, but then I decided it would make more sense to go in order of the states as I'll be visiting them.  Since it's where my road trip will begin, Michigan has the pleasure of being the guinea pig for my State Study Sundays.  The plan is to read a "representation" book each week while researching things I want to do, see, and eat in that state, and then I'll write about it on my blog each Sunday. :)

Since I changed my mind last minute, (I warned you it would happen), I'm a little bit behind in my Michigan studies.  (But I'm also ahead for Alabama, so it balances out.)  At Barnes & Noble yesterday, I read Ernest Hemingway's short story, "Big Two-Hearted River" about the Upper Peninsula.  (Yes, sometimes I pretend Barnes & Noble is a library, and I go there to read books so I don't have to buy them...  Shh!) However I did end up buying "Middlesex" by Jeffrey Eugenides (partly because it's too long to read during quick, and sadly too infrequent trips to Barnes & Noble, and I want to have it read as soon as possible so I can start my Ohio research.) Anyway, I started it this weekend, and I'm hooked!

So this isn't the best example of what will be "State Study Sundays" (SSS), but I guess it's a start, and I'll be coming back to this soon to let you know more about my plans for Michigan. :)

I can say now though, when I find that place that feels most like home (as that's what this road trip is about, after all) I picture it feeling like it did for Nick in Hemingway's "Big Two-Hearted River."
-- Already there was something mysterious and homelike.  Nick was happy as he crawled inside the tent. He had not been unhappy all day.  This was different though. Now things were done.  There had been this to do. Now it was done. He had made his camp. He was settled. Nothing could touch him. It was a good place to camp. He was there, in the good place. He was in his home where he had made it.  Now he was hungry. 

& That last line is my favorite, of course. ;)

FLLC.

Earlier this week, I emailed the camp director at Fortune Lake Lutheran Camp to let her know that I'm interested in working there next summer and to ask when the application will be available.  Fortune Lake is located in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and it is the most beautiful, peaceful, God-filled, inspiring place I've ever experienced.  All who have the privilege of stepping foot on Fortune Lake grounds are destined to fall in love. FACT.  It is the greatest "Place of Grace" there ever was or will be!

Every summer, since the summer after 6th grade (with the exception of a few sad summers where I just couldn't make it work), I've attended Fortune Lake as either a camper, volunteer, or staff member.  It's a Bible Camp where you spend a week meeting new people who become your lifelong friends, building or re-building or starting a relationship with God, experiencing nature in its purest, most beautiful form, sweating in the sauna and then cooling off in the lake, singing worship songs in the dandelion-covered field, zipper hugging until your heart feels like it might explode with love, feasting on pudgie pies and s'mores and vagabond stew and pancakes and Oreo pudding, ending every perfect day with worship around a campfire, and growing in every good way...

Pastor Tracy (the camp director at FLLC) emailed me back saying that she's heard so much about me over the past two summers :) and is looking forward to talking to me more about next summer.  (& the applications will be ready either by the end of October or beginning of November.)  I feel good after emailing with her and I can't wait for the applications to be ready so I can fill mine out and send it in!

My timeline for the next year looks something like this:

• September 2013 (now!) until May 2014: continue to work for Disney & spend every other waking moment dreaming about and planning for my road trip.
• October or November 2013: apply for staffing position at Fortune Lake Lutheran Camp.
• May 29th, 2014: make two years working for Disney at Aulani, a Disney Resort and Spa on Oahu. 
• June 2014 through middle of August 2014: work at Fortune Lake (pending Pastor Tracy's decision to hire me or not.) 
• Last two weeks of August 2014: spend time with Grama and Grampa at the Pharm and finish any last minute preparations for my road trip. 
• September 1st, 2014: BEGIN ROAD TRIP! 

I think working at camp would be the perfect thing to get me in the right mindset for my road trip and kick-start my travels.  The timing for everything  just seems so perfect! :) Let's just hope & pray that everything falls into place... Sending positive vibes out into the universe-- this is what I want! Send a little extra out for me, too? :) 

Ready, Set, Start

The other day I Facetimed with my mama and our maps. :) As she is the road trip queen, my mother's the perfect candidate to help me plan.  My road trip will begin in the Upper Peninsula (U.P.) of Michigan from my Grama & Grampa's "Pharm" in Chassell. From there, I'll come down across the Mackinac Bridge and into lower Michigan. I'm so excited to explore more of Michigan! I spent every summer in the UP as a kid (and it is truly "God's Country"), but I've never been to Mackinac Island (as least not that I can remember).  Actually, one of my favorite ice cream flavors is Mackinac Island Fudge; how fun will it be to eat some there!! :)

My mom has a couple of cousins who live in Traverse City & Rogers City, and I'm hoping they'll want to show me around a little bit. Apparently there are awesome Cherry Festivals in that area too, and I think it'd be so fun to attend one while I'm in town!  I love festivals of any kind, but a cherry festival sounds extra spectacular. :)  

Anyway from Michigan I'll come down through Ohio, and then up through Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont and New Hampshire, all the way up to Maine.  I want to explore the East Coast from September-October and most likely into November because I hear its gorgeous in the Fall.  (Also, I'm really hoping to spend Halloween in Massachusetts.) So from Maine, I'll come down the coast and then probably travel around the south during the Winter where it will be a little bit warmer.  I haven't decided what I'm going to do for Christmas yet though. To have a White Christmas would be an absolute dream but I still have to look into that... :) 

After the east coast in the Fall and most likely the south during the Winter, I can't decide where to head next.  Should I go down along the bottom of the U.S. through Texas, New Mexico, Arizona etc.? Or up into the central states? I like the idea of doing the bottom half of the U.S. from east to west and then working my way back through the top half from west to east... But I haven't really figured out the logistics of that yet.  One step at a time, I guess! For now, I'm off to bed. :)

At least I know which direction I'll be heading in the beginning... Toward the Mackinac Island Fudge flavored ice cream! ;) 

Actually...

I love a brand new journal.  I find the idea of filling its pages with tales of my adventures absolutely thrilling.  Several months ago I bought two beautiful journals at Barnes & Noble, mostly because I couldn't decide between the two, but I justified it by deciding I'd use one as my roadtrip planning journal and one as my actual roadtripping journal.  As much as I love a brand new journal, I hate writing in it for the first time. In fact, I often skip the first page and begin scribbling my thoughts onto the second.

I contradict myself constantly. I have the hardest time making up my mind, and I'm often guilty of following a proclamation about what I want with the word "actually." Also, sometimes I leave things (things I had full intentions of completing) only halfway done because I've suddenly lost interest.

I find the same pleasure in the quiet calmness of watching a sunrise over the water, picking blackberries from my Grama's garden, and reading alone in my room with Bon Iver playing on Pandora and a cup of coffee in my hands, as I do in the adrenaline rush of skydiving over the North Shore, jumping off the highest rocks into the water below, and leaning into the wind while standing on the edge of a cliff.

All of this I write simply to say:

• I hated writing that first blog entry. I wanted to skip the first one and move onto the second already.  However, seeing as a blog doesn't allow you that privilege, I decided to make that first post simple and to the point. I realize that may have been misleading considering my writing style (as this post is proving) may be a lot more clumsy and scatterbrained in my remaining posts. Bare with me; maybe you'll learn to actually enjoy it. 
• I suck at making decisions and change my mind way more often than I'd like to admit. Sometimes I even chose both options (usually when it comes to food or drinks) because I simply don't want to make a decision (and I'd really just like both the hot pumpkin spice latte and the iced peppermint mocha.) So if I decide on a specific plan and then realize I'd actually like to be in Massachusetts for Halloween, and I have to reconfigure my entire route to make it happen, cut me some slack. That's what this blog is about after all: planning and making decisions and changing my mind until its perfect. But know this, as much as I will change my mind, and chose both options so I don't have to make up my mind, or follow an idea with "actually," one thing is for certain: This road trip is happening.
• I seek both contentment and adventure.  I am just as excited about the chaos of Mardi Gras that I will be experiencing in February (2015) as I am about the beauty of the lakes I'll be camping beside and fishing from in Utah. So when I post about the thrills of drinking my favorite hot chocolate from that breakfast joint off the highway in Albuquerque, or white water rafting in Colorado with some of my best friends, know that both experiences are of equal importance to me.

Better explained by Carson McCullers in only two sentences:
"We are torn between a nostalgia for the familiar and an urge for the foreign and strange. As often as not, we are homesick most for the places we have never known." 

One.

One year from today, I will be embarking on a 9 month journey across America visiting every one of our fifty United States along the way.  For as long as I can remember, my family has taken road trips, and for as long as I can remember, road trips have been my absolute favorite thing in the world.  There's something so calming about the open road and I love that anticipation I always feel for what lies ahead.   As much as I love road trips, I love to travel. Doesn't everyone!? Yes. And as much as I'd like to explore the whole planet, I've decided to start with the fifty, nifty United States. There's so much to see in our own country, why not start here? So I am. One year from now-- September 1, 2014 my journey across America begins. You can watch (or read about, rather) the planning process here.

"It is very difficult to say where a voyage begins. First of course there must be a dream, a longing for out-of-the-way places."
--Peter Hamilton