The Preparation

I've been packing all my belongings and I've loaded some of them into the Honda Fit. This tiny car has a LOT of space in it. A great friend has given me a TomTom GPS, so now I don't need to fear travelling off the beaten path. I also have my Zune, with about 70gb of music and comedy tracks to keep me entertained.

I've prepared a brief itinerary. It doesn't have much detail in it because I want to keep my schedule liquid. If I see something off in the distance, I want to change my course and check it out. If I get tired on the road before I reach my planned destination, I want the freedom to spend the night wherever I stop.

Still, I don't expect the plans to change too much. So, in their natural order, my stops will be:

1. Bethlehem, PA
2. Columbus, OH
3. Indianapolis, IN
4. St. Louis, MO
5. Kansas City, MO
6. Hays, KS
7. Denver, CO
8. Green River, UT
9. Las Vegas, NV
10. San Diego, CA

I'm certainly open to suggestions of things to see/do in each of these cities or in between. I'm hitting the road on Wednesday!

The Pledge

My last day at work is Saturday, the 26th of September.

Since my coworkers have discovered that I'm leaving the hotel to pursue a new life on the west coast, some have come forward to express how proud they are of me. They envy my ability to jump into the unknown and they hope that they would've done the same or similar if they didn't have so many obligations holding them back.

I guess that means I have to really enjoy this and document it, not only for my sake, but for theirs as well. Maybe it will inspire them to do it despite their own obstacles. I'm going to find my digital camera, it's somewhere in this mess of my room. I'll try and take as many pictures as possible and I will try and write about each day's experiences.

I'm getting very excited for my trip.