The Planning Process

My turn for a blog post! It is my intention with this adventure to connect with my nationality. I have always been jealous of people that can identify their ethnicity or nationality with pride, and feeling lost with my mixed Caucasian American identity. I hope to be able to wear "I am American" comfortably with all the pride and embarrassment and knowledge that can be associated with it. The blog is because I love living vicariously through my traveling friends, and so I think it's important for us to reciprocate.
In the 163 days until the trip actually begins, we'll be posting our planning status. Kinda so we have it solidified and typed, kinda so we can share with our loved ones when we're visiting their areas. The living vicariously through us part will probably not happen for another 163 days or so.
We've broken the trip into 9 "legs" of varying mileages and times allotted.
The Legs are broken up as such:
1. Seattle-Los Angeles
2. Los Angeles-Yellowstone
3. Yellowstone-Chicago
4. Chicago-Maine
5. Maine-Florida
6. Florida-New Orleans
7. New Orleans-St Louis
8. St Louis-Carlsbad Caverns
9. Carlsbad-Seattle













A rough map of the route, minus a few little wiggles here and there.
I want to second what John said about feedback and advice! If you know any great (free) campsites or little towns or Civil War battlefields, etc, don't hesitate to let us know!

Live, travel, adventure, bless, and don't be sorry. - Jack Kerouac

-Amber

The Blog Begins

Hey y'all,

       My name is John and my girlfriend, Amber, my dog, Seymour, and I are preparing for an adventure of epic proportions.  We intend to spend 28 weeks on the road touring the great landmarks and the cultural heritage of this country we call our home, the USA!

       You may be asking yourself what could compel a group toward such an ambitious endeavor? Well, I think that even more than the great beauty or the promise of freedom that living on the road brings, we want to live.  So much of life is the routine and rhythm of work and home.  And while the success of career and the love of family are indeed fulfilling, I believe there is a part of the human soul that wants adventure, that wants to reach into an unknown and come back from it changed.  There is that part that longs to transform dream into reality, that longs for a sense of the magic in which we once believed as children.  I think that we chose a road trip to express this both because it has been in our minds for many years, but also because there is something deep inside a person to want to connect with their home, the land and its people.  In this connection a third eye of perspective can be gained that is invaluable in the journey of life.

       This blog is to show our journey in both the planning process as well as the trip itself.  We hope that our effort in this process will help anyone who is looking to do something similar and inspire anyone who has some other dream they want to reach for.  We would also love any input or suggestions anyone wants to share.  This is a big first for us and any support we can get, from a diner suggestion to vehicle suggestions to donations will help a lot.

       That all being said, I look forward to keeping you all posted and always remember:

       The dreamer is the real you.