ROADTRIP!

After driving a lot last weekend, and overall, driving a lot this year, I have decided that after graduation in May that I will take about two weeks to go on a road trip across the USA. I do not really know when I am going to leave, or where I am going, or who is coming with me. I just feel like that before I leave college “officially” and move on to the next thing (whatever that is) that I should take some time to myself. And what better way to enjoy that time than to take a few friends with me on a trip across the country. By all indications, it should be a trip not to be forgotten.

However, there are a few problems. Most notably my car. Before embarking on this trip it is going to need a substaintial number of repairs that I have been neglecting including: new winshield wipers, new tires, transmition fluid changed, radiator fluid changed, new winshield, and several oil changes. My air conditioning might also be shot by then too, which may make using my car impossible, if May of 2006 is hot and humid. The other option is to use someone else’s car. Which might be possible, but it is pretty much unlikely. Renting is pretty much out of the question because the miles would make the trip cost far too much.

Cost will probably be an issue. Excluding repairs for my car (which need to be done anyway) I would like to spend no more than 600 dollars. Probably a good 10-25 percent of that will be spent on gas, the remaining amount on food and lodging. I think that it goes without saying that it would be impossible for me to remain in budget and stay in a hotel for every night of the two week trip. However, it is possible if two to three other people coming with me. I have not asked anyone yet. And I do not even have a single person in mind. But it goes without saying that the trip becomes increasingly affordable the more people that come along. Moreover, the trip becomes more affordable if people are willing to camp out for a few of those days instead of sleeping in a hotel. I think a 60-40 split would be nice (8 days hotel-6 days camping). Unfortionately, camping will also add to trunk space. And to make matters worse there’s probably a trade off between trunk space and people, given that its a 14 day trip and people might be inclined to pack ridiculously.

And so, we’ve reached the two fold reasons for this post. One to gauge interest level. Who thinks this might be fun? Who wants to go along? Who would rather spend 14 years in jail than 14 days with me?

The other is reason is to start brainstorming where exactly we (if it ever moves from me to we) want to go. I have made a list of the places that I would like to see. But this is no where near a complete list, its just the end of the brianstorming that I have done tonight. You can see a lot of the country in two weeks, but it requires careful planning. And so a very detailed list of activities will be required, as well as much planning. (Both of which I think I would do a decent job at and would probably have fun creating too. Damn! I’m a geek.)

Anyway. Here’s the list I’ve come with for now. I will probably update this a bunch. And I realize it is pretty lame to start a cross-country trip off with stuff that’s only 2 hours away, but still; this is what was on my mind.

Milwaukee
• Art Museum
• Summerfest
• Brewers Game
• Skip Milwaukee altogether

Chicago
• Downtown
• Cubs Game
• Art Museum

Other Destinations
• Boston
• St. Louis
• Tennessee/Kentucky – for whiskey and bourbon tours
• Washington D.C.
• Seattle/Puget Sound/Pacific Northwest
• San Francisco
• Yosemite/Yellowstone (big difference between CA and CO, but I’d like to see either or both)
• New Orleans