Day 0*: Tears and Beers

Bloating. Cramps. Gas. Some people may blame this on "The Change" (Hi Mom!). Or maybe bad shrimp. Or maybe you went to your brother's going away party at Red Robin.

A word of advice - if you're going to have a four course meal, don't do it at this outstanding establishment. When the waitress asks if you want Onion Rings, don't reply "Please, we want 2 orders!". When you have the chance to order a burger topped with bacon, eggs and guacamole, pass it up. When the waitress comes back and says "Our desserts usually feed 3-4 people", believe her. Pretty much, be anti American if you visit this most American of eateries.

And while you're at it, don't have those 3 extra beers once you get home. Or the Root beer Schnapps. I could go into detail, but sometimes a picture does more justice than words ever could:

Needless to say, the start of Day 0 did not see yours truly feeling like a million bucks. Luckily, a long, cleansing run with my mom, followed by a double-d breakfast provided by her way too patient fiancee put me right back into the swing of things. After some packing of cars, obligatory photos, hugs, handshakes and tears, we were finally on the road.

Unfortunately, so was every Mass-hole, spoiled Rhode Island trust fund baby (sorry ICH - you know it's true), and speedo clad OOB patron. Despite the challenges brought on by such people who should never be allowed to enter the beautiful state of Maine (or NH or VT for that matter), we were able to make it to our first stop with no major problems (other than a couple stops for adjustments of a couple bike and cargo straps).

All in all, a very good Day 0. Up bright and early for Day 1 tomorrow - New York State, here we come!


View Larger Map

*If you are unsure why I start counting at 0, ask your favorite Computer Scientist.

Leg 3: Hiking, Highways and Home

Homecoming. A joyous occasion for 90% of high school students. On no other evening can you guarantee pep rallies, bonfires, furry mascots and the loss of virginity (in the classiest of towns, this can all happen simultaneously). While I don't expect all of these in the final leg of my trek, a boy can hope for at least one or two.

This leg of my journey will see me leaving the West Coast hospitality of Robert and Dwight for unknown adventures in the storied west. National parks will be crossed off my list, ballparks will be visited, and the Midwest will have the chance to show that it has more to offer the world then some great beef and a few super consultants.

(Editor's note: Please don't confuse Robert and Dwight for "Robert and Dwight". They both have very nice and attractive female companions. It gives me a lot of hope, because if those two can be so lucky, then I might have a chance too!).

And just as it looks like the last visit has been made, the last trail hiked and the last tank filled, I will visit one of the most perfect towns ever created (even if the fame is unwarranted).

So without further adieu, my final itinerary of the journey...

	Date	Start Location	End Location	Miles	Time	Notes
Day 22	Monday, August 4	Grand Canyon National Park	Zion National Park	254	4:51	A morning hike followed by an afternoon drive. I may need these to help me contain my excitement.
Day 23	Tuesday, August 5	Zion National Park	Denver, CO	634	9:17	Another morning hike and afternoon drive through Bryce Canyon. I might even stop and visit one of the few Dookies (NSFW!) I actually like.
Day 24	Wednesday, August 6	Denver, CO	Kansas City, MO	603	8:45	Batting practice for the Sox in KC.
Day 25	Thursday, August 7	Kansas City, Mo	Knoxville, TN	732	11:13	Might have to get some friends of the road to keep me awake.
Day 26	Friday, August 8	Knoxville, TN	Shenandoah National Park	371	5:56	Drive through Great Smokey Mountains National Park.
Day 27	Saturday, August 9	Shenandoah National Park	Cooperstown, NY	442	7:23	Baseball HOF!!!
Day 28	Sunday, August 10	Cooperstown, NY	Pelham, NH	257	4:32	Home Sweet Home
Day 29	Monday, August 11	Boo	Hoo	0	0:00	Crying as I boot up my machine for the fist time in 28 days

3,300 dusty miles for the finale.

10,500 total miles @ 25mpg = 420 gallons of gas. You can do the math from there.

So those are the plans. Can I stick to them? Will I run out of money? Luck? Patience? Check back for updates, pictures and stories as frequently as I can post them...

Leg 1: Coast to Coast the Saab Way

While I've been trying to convince myself that a 10,000 mile jaunt can in fact be a laid back, relaxed, worry free venture, this may not entirely be the case. Between a bevy of pink, alcohol infused beverages this past weekend, my travel mates for leg 1 of this sure to be epic tail pulled me aside and got me to start doing some planning.

I've come up with a rough, 10 day outline that will get us from Skowhegan, ME, the home of Margaret Chase Smith, The Skowhegan State Fair and Guitar Hero Legend Chaz Holmes (no relation) to Metlakatla, AK, the home of...I'll get back to you on that one.

Here's a little breakdown of this part of the journey. Don't stop believing that it will be a blast. (See what I did there with the Journey reference. Yeah, I'm good.)

	Date	Start Location	End Location	Miles	Time	Notes
Day 0	Sunday, July 13	Skowhegan, ME	Pelham, NH	186	3:20
Day 1	Monday, July 14	Pelham, NH	Brockton, NY	516	8:38
Day 2	Tuesday, July 15	Brockton, NY	Portage, IN	449	7:33	Lunch at Notre Dame
Day 3	Wednesday, July 16	Portage, IN	Martin County, MN	504	8:32	There is literally NO reason to stop in Martin, except that we must sleep at some point. Sorry to the good folks of Martin (both of you) for my bluntness
Day 4	Thursday, July 17	Martin, MN	Badlands National Park, SD	392	6:19	Major National Park #1 AND Mt. Rushmore!
Day 5	Friday, July 18	Badlands National Park, SD	Yellowstone National Park, WY	590	11:14	I am trembling with anticipation for this stop. I think I just peed a little.
Day 6	Saturday, July 19	Yellowstone	Yellowstone	0	0	Hiking Day!!!
Day 7	Sunday, July 20	Yellowstone	Glacier National Park, MN	431	9:56
Day 8	Monday, July 21	Glacier National Park	Jasper, Alberta	440	9:54	This drive will go directly through Banff National Park of Canada. Starting to notice the theme yet?
Day 9/10	Tues/Wed, July 22/23	Jasper, Alberta	Prince Rupert, BC	679	13:09	Lots of mountains, moose and Canadians. Which pose the greatest threats?
Day 11	Thursday, July 24	Prince Rupert, BC	Metlakatla, AK	???	???	Ferry travel between the Southern Alaskan Islands

Total miles for this leg? Just short of 4,200. No, it is not the quickest route, but the views will be better than a spring day on the Chapel Hill quad.

Up next, "Leg 2: Salmon, Coffee and Sushi. America's Left Coast"

An Investor, A Writer and Some Ball Players Walk Into a Blog

Have you ever noticed how unbelievably tiny Alaska makes the rest of the United States seem? I'll be traveling with Scotty, Janine and Moose to an island off Ketchikan named Metlakatla. That is still over 1,000 miles south of Anchorage - the "real" part of Alaska people think of. Seward's Folly my ass - that man knew a good deal when he saw one. So much land, oil, opportunity and protection from the Commies - definitely the steal of that century.

My amazement with Alaska is inversely proportional to my interest in the Mid West. I know that Bill Bryson has a huge soft spot in his heart for Iowa and Warren Buffet loves his Omaha home base, but I can honestly find nothing that interests me.

Take a look at the glorious locations I'm planning to stop on this journey:


View Larger Map

Notice that HUGE hole in the middle with no blue markers? Yeah, that is the Mid West. Seriously, I've searched for things to do, and this is what I've come up with:

• Go to a Cardinal's Game


• Go to a Royal's Game

That's it. And one of those options isn't really all that appealing. I'd rather pay $4 to go to a Lowell Spinner's game than watch the Royals throw like Johnny Damon and hit like Jason Kendall. Maybe I'll just zoom across that 1,200 mile void where life ceases to exist after 8pm (9pm on Saturdays!) in a day and a half so I can focus more on the beautiful areas within a day's drive of an ocean.

Other than that huge hole, I think I have a pretty good route planned. Of course it will change, but that is one of the great benefits of Google Maps. Routes can be changed on a whim simply and quickly. 5 years ago we were stuck with the horrible interfaces, bad directions and awful color schemes provided by MapQuest and Yahoo! Maps. Now we have Google Maps with a slick interface, lots of add-ons (like personal maps, drag-and-drop driving directions, easy zoom, etc) and a great open API that anyone with a good idea and some decent programming chops can use to make a mash-up (check out housingmaps and gmap-pedometer if you never have).

Gone bye are the days of TripTicks from AAA, 4 different color hi-liters and a hand full of paper cuts. Welcome to the new Millennium where all I need is a MacBook with Google Earth and an internet connection (thanks Panera!). That's it. Fire it up, zoom on in and get directions. Brilliant!