Saturday, July 30, 2011
Day One: It still doesn't feel like we've left yet... somehow.
Greetings from Iowa! Technically, I'm writing from Illinois, which is better than Indiana. Sorry guys, but after getting very lost and losing an hour in travel time because your highway system falls apart as soon as there's any construction, not to mention the smell of sewage that permeates half the state... well, let's just say it wasn't a fun drive. I'm sure Indiana has some redeeming qualities... like Nascar fans. It was really funny to see the Amish postcards in the stores... like, what, you think your Amish really compare to Pennsylvania's? We invented the Amish. You can't compete with us. Not gonna happen.
Anyways, we're OUT of Indiana and into Illinois, which so far has been full of construction warning signs, but absolutely zero actual roadwork going on. Typically that wouldn't bother me, but the roads are so rough, a cobblestone company offered to smooth them out. Maybe I'm just grumpy from driving all night. I"m sorry, Illinois. You have some very nice trees. And some nice farmland. And one very nice lady at a rest stop who wished me a good romance because I'm a nice young man. I don't think anyone's ever told me they hoped I found a nice girl and had some good romance before...
We're on our way to meet up with Moriah near Des Moines for breakfast... or lunch, at this rate. After that, it'll be back on the road towards South Dakota. We're all pretty excited to get out and camp for a full night's rest rather than driving all night again... of course, we're just kind of assuming we can find a good boondocking location that won't get us in trouble with the state. You shouldn't need a permit to sleep on the ground. In theory, state land should be fair game... but it's just a theory.
Fun story about Indiana - it currently tops my charts of CREEPY AT NIGHT. If you ever want a horror movie set, just drive anywhere (and I mean ANYWHERE) off the freeway in Indiana. It's even creepier at, say, 4 in the morning. As soon as you're off the freeway, you're IMMEDIATELY as vulnerable as you can be. According to Metric, "It's like an unholy union of a place where aliens would land and axe murderers would strike." And to be completely honest... I agree. I'm sorry, Indiana, but you have a bad combo of scary movie sets for towns and bad odor on your expensive highways. But don't worry - if you're good enough to be American, you're still good enough to be my neighbor. Just keep on your side of the fence, eh?
We also managed a stop in NY on the way to surprise the prettiest girl in the state with a visit before we left... *totally* started the trip on the right foot. :D
We're about an hour away from Moriah, and it's almost lunchtime, so we anticipate spending money on some good real food before shopping for our first night of camping in the Badlands. It's still hard to believe we're finally on our road trip, but so far it ROCKS.
Anyways, we're OUT of Indiana and into Illinois, which so far has been full of construction warning signs, but absolutely zero actual roadwork going on. Typically that wouldn't bother me, but the roads are so rough, a cobblestone company offered to smooth them out. Maybe I'm just grumpy from driving all night. I"m sorry, Illinois. You have some very nice trees. And some nice farmland. And one very nice lady at a rest stop who wished me a good romance because I'm a nice young man. I don't think anyone's ever told me they hoped I found a nice girl and had some good romance before...
We're on our way to meet up with Moriah near Des Moines for breakfast... or lunch, at this rate. After that, it'll be back on the road towards South Dakota. We're all pretty excited to get out and camp for a full night's rest rather than driving all night again... of course, we're just kind of assuming we can find a good boondocking location that won't get us in trouble with the state. You shouldn't need a permit to sleep on the ground. In theory, state land should be fair game... but it's just a theory.
Fun story about Indiana - it currently tops my charts of CREEPY AT NIGHT. If you ever want a horror movie set, just drive anywhere (and I mean ANYWHERE) off the freeway in Indiana. It's even creepier at, say, 4 in the morning. As soon as you're off the freeway, you're IMMEDIATELY as vulnerable as you can be. According to Metric, "It's like an unholy union of a place where aliens would land and axe murderers would strike." And to be completely honest... I agree. I'm sorry, Indiana, but you have a bad combo of scary movie sets for towns and bad odor on your expensive highways. But don't worry - if you're good enough to be American, you're still good enough to be my neighbor. Just keep on your side of the fence, eh?
We also managed a stop in NY on the way to surprise the prettiest girl in the state with a visit before we left... *totally* started the trip on the right foot. :D
We're about an hour away from Moriah, and it's almost lunchtime, so we anticipate spending money on some good real food before shopping for our first night of camping in the Badlands. It's still hard to believe we're finally on our road trip, but so far it ROCKS.
And so it begins...
Day one. It has begun.
The trip started off a bit slow, mainly because I forgot my longboard (much to the frustration of Hollywood and Metric). But eventually everything came together and we headed out.
After traveling for a couple hours, Hollywood discovered our route would take us close to a camp where a close friend of his was working, so we made a quick stop to see her, had a couple slices of pizza, and resumed our driving.
I have to say, I’m really looking forward to the rest of this trip. I almost forgot just how much fun I have had with Metric and Hollywood in the past. I grew up with these guys, and they’re just incredible people. The funny quips, the engaging conversations, the inside jokes – passing time in the car is as good as it gets.
To top off this post, I just want to throw out a “thank-you” to Metric’s mom for the delicious muffins and chocolate chip cookies!
…and the odyssey continues.
This is Record, signing off.
The trip started off a bit slow, mainly because I forgot my longboard (much to the frustration of Hollywood and Metric). But eventually everything came together and we headed out.
After traveling for a couple hours, Hollywood discovered our route would take us close to a camp where a close friend of his was working, so we made a quick stop to see her, had a couple slices of pizza, and resumed our driving.
I have to say, I’m really looking forward to the rest of this trip. I almost forgot just how much fun I have had with Metric and Hollywood in the past. I grew up with these guys, and they’re just incredible people. The funny quips, the engaging conversations, the inside jokes – passing time in the car is as good as it gets.
To top off this post, I just want to throw out a “thank-you” to Metric’s mom for the delicious muffins and chocolate chip cookies!
…and the odyssey continues.
This is Record, signing off.
Friday, July 29, 2011
Blast Off!
This is it! All of the final preparations have been made, all of our supplies have been packed, and all of our psyches have been psyched. By the time anyone reads this, I will be on my way to meet up with Hollywood and Record to take this show on the road. It will be glorious. We will drive with steadfast purpose, the Muppet Movie soundtrack issuing forth from our speakers, never straying from the road that lies before us (except, you know, to use the bathroom). We will leave a sense of wonder in our wake, those we pass will pause for a brief moment to wonder where that black, box-shaped chariot is taking its passengers.
Let me tell you about this box-shaped chariot. It is the mother of all box-shaped vehicles, the very one that first made it cool to drive wheeled boxes in an age when cars are becoming more sleek and streamlined. But appearance is only a fraction of its appeal.
To step into this car is to enter C. S. Lewis’ wardrobe. No other vehicle has ever given me the impression that it is bigger on the inside than on the outside, and the illusion doesn’t fade as I fill it with stuff. We could take a small piano with us and still travel comfortably. Other subtleties of convenience abound throughout its spacious interior—it is the poetry of practical design. Even its name speaks its virtues: no matter where our journey takes us, we will be in our Element.
Let me tell you about this box-shaped chariot. It is the mother of all box-shaped vehicles, the very one that first made it cool to drive wheeled boxes in an age when cars are becoming more sleek and streamlined. But appearance is only a fraction of its appeal.
To step into this car is to enter C. S. Lewis’ wardrobe. No other vehicle has ever given me the impression that it is bigger on the inside than on the outside, and the illusion doesn’t fade as I fill it with stuff. We could take a small piano with us and still travel comfortably. Other subtleties of convenience abound throughout its spacious interior—it is the poetry of practical design. Even its name speaks its virtues: no matter where our journey takes us, we will be in our Element.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Practice Makes...Things Potentially Easier Later On?
Another update coming at you from Record:
Last night, Hollywood, Metric and I got together just about everything we'll be taking on the trip to practice packing it into the vehicle: Metric's Honda Element.
This is basically our packing list:
Oh yeah, and special thanks for Metric's parents for giving us an updated atlas of the USA!
Last night, Hollywood, Metric and I got together just about everything we'll be taking on the trip to practice packing it into the vehicle: Metric's Honda Element.
This is basically our packing list:
- PERSONAL ITEMS
- 1 duffel bag of clothes, toiletries, towel
- 1 sleeping bag
- 1 mug
- 1 water bottle
- THINGS TO BRING ONE OF
- 1 tent
- 1 small drink cooler
- 1 water purifier
- 1 camp stove
- UTENSILS:
- Pan
- Pot
- 3 Fork, spoon, knife sets
- Spatula
- Big spoon
- MUSIC:
- 1 Guitar
- 1 Mandolin
- 1 Violin
- 1 Ukulele
- 2 Ocarinas
- RECREATION:
- 1 Frisbee
- 1 Hacky-Sack
- EMERGENCY:
- Trauma Kit
- Flares
- Fix-A-Flat
- Bottled Water
Oh yeah, and special thanks for Metric's parents for giving us an updated atlas of the USA!
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Let's do it!
Metric here. Welcome to the blog. This is where the three of us will document our progress as we travel across the country. I hope that anyone who reads this will experience at least a small taste of the thrill and excitement of what we're doing.
In many ways this trip is emblematic of a larger theme. My two traveling companions and I are entering the prime of life, and we have a small window of time available to us in which the practical responsibilities of adulthood have not yet overtaken our adult freedoms. For us, a road trip is perhaps the ultimate single expression of that stage in life.
It's also something of a reunion. Hollywood and Record and I have been good friends for well over a decade, but as childhood friends often do, we went our separate ways for college and saw each other less and less frequently. When we realized what was happening, we agreed to take a road trip before the forces of life brought us even further apart. The trip is not a last hurrah of friendship, but it will mark the close of one chapter in our lives, and perhaps the beginning of another.
Of course, we weren't that sentimental when we came up with this idea. It began with a conversation that probably went something like this:
“I've got a crazy idea.”
“What?”
“Let's go on a road trip.”
“To California?”
“Yeah!”
“Let's do it!”
And so we are going on a road trip. I can't wait to see what happens.
In many ways this trip is emblematic of a larger theme. My two traveling companions and I are entering the prime of life, and we have a small window of time available to us in which the practical responsibilities of adulthood have not yet overtaken our adult freedoms. For us, a road trip is perhaps the ultimate single expression of that stage in life.
It's also something of a reunion. Hollywood and Record and I have been good friends for well over a decade, but as childhood friends often do, we went our separate ways for college and saw each other less and less frequently. When we realized what was happening, we agreed to take a road trip before the forces of life brought us even further apart. The trip is not a last hurrah of friendship, but it will mark the close of one chapter in our lives, and perhaps the beginning of another.
Of course, we weren't that sentimental when we came up with this idea. It began with a conversation that probably went something like this:
“I've got a crazy idea.”
“What?”
“Let's go on a road trip.”
“To California?”
“Yeah!”
“Let's do it!”
And so we are going on a road trip. I can't wait to see what happens.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Road Trip 101: The Prep
A good road trip doesn't just happen. You'll never hear awesome stories around the water cooler from the guy that just "got up and went," mostly because he got fired and isn't at the water cooler every 10 minutes to share his stories over and over again with the same 3 other employees that go to the water cooler every 10 minutes. But seriously, planning is important. Who are you gonna bring? What are you gonna drive? Where are you gonna go? If you don't plan some basics, you'll end up taking someone lame, like, your dog, or your uncle, or that friend of yours you don't really hang out with for any reason other than that he's so-and-so's friend. (Coincidentally, so-and-so probably feels the same way about that guy.) For instance, living near the East Coast, if I set out driving east, I'll only have a one-day road trip, and that's *definitely* not worth taking vacation time for. Especially when I'm gonna have to face that guy at the water cooler who used to work for my boss (whose lame road trip was *obviously* better than mine. Mr. Water Cooler is also Mr. Topper, in most workplaces.)
On the other hand, a good road trip can't be over-planned. If it's not spontaneous, it's really not a vacation at all. If your road trip is planned down to the minute start to finish, you won't actually have any time for the stories that make road trips awesome to happen. That brings me to point number one about road trips:
Road trips are not about the things you plan on doing.
Nobody wants to hear your stories about driving through the Midwest and being bored out of your mind. Nobody wants to see your pictures of the Grand Canyon, Mount Rushmore, or those 300 pictures of desert sunsets. Anyone can Google those pictures, and Google's pictures are always better than yours. Road trips are about the unexpected. Like when you had to push the car 3 miles to find a gas station, or when you found the skunk asleep in your wheel well that one morning after you packed up your tent and were ready to head down the road. Maybe you left one of your party at a rest stop because you forgot him. (More likely because he was annoying as all get out.) (Even MORE likely: You guys were playing Oregon Trail: LIVE and he was unlucky enough to die of Dysentery.) There are thousands of places to stop along the way on your trip, and every one of them is SUPER BORING unless something goes horribly wrong or terribly right. So, plan extra hours into the day, and extra days into the trip, because you never know what's going to happen, and in all of your road tripping, you have to be ready for when the road trip actually happens.
Number 2 point: NOTHING is essential. "Well, what about a car?" A car is a good idea, but a bus can be just as awesome. If you have no friends that want to put up with you long enough to go on a proper road trip, meeting strangers on the road to Tipperary is a great way to go. Food is another item that seems pretty important, but you can do without as long as you know what sort of plants are edible (or if you're a really good mooch.) Extreme examples, but what am I getting at? Don't be so set on taking/bringing/using/doing that you ruin the road trip before you start. Honestly, do you really want to bring that garbage bag filled with Aunt Linda's special caramel popcorn for snacking, if it means leaving your surfboard at home? Hurt Aunt Linda's feelings and SAY NO. (Unless you're one of those guys that prefers popcorn to surfing. If this is the case, we'll all be hoping you're the one that gets killed in the indian raid. Or dies in a buffalo stampede. Or contracts terminal cholera. Long story short, you're road tripping on your own, buddy.) And if you get almost to Yellowstone and see there's a 9 hour queue line just to get in, and you saw some crazy awesome waterfalls you could swim under for free, weigh your options. It's worth it to be flexible; it just might make or break the trip.
OUR TRIP
Myself and two comrades will be driving west after work on July 29th. We'll be touring the country, with several planned stops, including an overnight hike into the Grand Canyon. We're either taking a 1990 Camaro or a Honda Element. We'll each be contributing to this blog as often as possible, along with adding video blogs as we collect them. Our route takes us as far north as South Dakota and all the way down into Texas. KEEP CHECKING BACK FOR UPDATES! Or, subscribe to updates by email by following the link on the right.
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