Day 1 - The Route

Go ahead. You can tell me I am crazy. I feel like I am crazy. Of course, some in my circle of friends think that crazy is the only way to be. Sometimes I believe that too. Actually, most times I believe that. You can't inspire change in the world unless you're doing things a little differently.

So...Oscar and I are embarking on a pilgrimage. We're taking the next month or two to drive around the USA and Canada. We'll cover about 8,000 miles. It's the old fashioned contemplative kind of pilgrimage where you try to find answers to life's hard questions. It's also a modern kind, with the benefits of America's interstate system and a nice black steed in the shape of a Ford Fusion. I am going to camp wherever I can, and while I have a general path and direction set out, I'm planning to stop along the way and take scenic routes and state roads when the whim strikes.

This is the tentative general plan:

Begin in Washington, D.C. - Almost all of my worldly possessions are in a storage unit in Michigan, so I have some borrowed things and some new purchases of duplicate things, and a secure knowledge that I really don't need much.

I don't have a car of my own, so I rented one from the car rental place at the corner. It's a place that I walked past every day on my way to work. One day, one of the workers said as I was walking by, "Good morning, beautiful!" I remember that day very clearly. He really did make me feel pretty that day.

The same guy remembered me today when I walked into the store. He jokingly asked if I came to see him, and I smiled and said, "I came to rent a car!" He was happy to help me. And by "help" I mean upgrade me a level (or two), give me free Sirius radio and a half tank of gas. He hugged me three times and gave me a peck on the cheek, wishing me luck on my journey. Later he called me, from his cell phone, just to make sure I liked the car, and so I would have his number...just in case I wanted to call.

Drive to Asheville, NC via the Blue Ridge Parkway - I can't think of a better way to start this trip than by stopping to see my friends, Brian and Jenny Lumb at Nourish and Flourish in Asheville. Their comfort, perspective, wisdom, good humor are all going to be so great as I embark on a journey like this. I am soooo looking forward to seeing them again. Jenny's organic juices are super too.

Drive through Memphis, TN - I am going to skip Georgia this time. I was there in March and May already. I love it there, and I have soooo many friends. Athens and Atlanta are very comfortable, but I'm all about doing new things on this trip. I've never been to Western Tennessee, and I am told that everyone needs to go to Graceland at least once.

Drive across Arkansas - There are only five U.S. states where I haven't set my feet upon the soil, and this is one of them. I have to do it.

Drive to Albuquerque, NM - I took I-40 across the USA in 1993, when I moved out to Los Angeles from Michigan for grad school. There wasn't much to recall about Oklahoma or the Texas panhandle, except the billboards that went on forever challenging you to eat the 72 oz steak at The Big Texan Steak Ranch. Once I realized that 72 oz was 4 1/2 pounds of red meat (plus a salad and potato, I am told) I got disgusted just thinking about the waste, the gluttony, the indigestion. I am not sure even Oscar could eat 4.5 pounds of steak. He'd like a chance to try though. (Not gonna happen.) Well, this will be a good stretch for thinking.

I remember having the thought, as I drove I-40 into New Mexico in 1993, that it was a travesty that the young United States paid almost as much ($10 million) for the 29,670 sq. mile Gasden Purchase in 1853 as we paid for the entire 828,000 sq. mi. Louisiana Purchase ($11 million, plus the cancellation of almost $4 million in debt) because as far as I could tell, there wasn't much to see in New Mexico.

Well, one summer night, I got off the interstate and went to Sandia Crest, near Albuquerque, to watch a sunset. I still remember how it made me feel. It was one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen. I fell in love with the desert southwest that day, and I think that Gasden Purchase was a pretty smart thing. (Never mind the contribution to peace after the Mexican-American war. I'm all about the scenery.) I can't wait to get back to New Mexico. I might stay a few days.

Oh, and the night skies in New Mexico and Arizona are absolutely spectacular.

Drive to San Diego, CA -- Once I get past Flagstaff, Arizona, I'll find some path to San Diego, where a few of my best friends live. I haven't decided about stopping at the Grand Canyon. I've rafted through it, and I have to say that seeing it from the rim -- which I have done a couple times -- doesn't do it justice compared to passing through it on the river for days. I remember on that rafting trip, someone said to the guide, "It's Sunday! We're missing church!" The guide looked at this guy like he was crazy and said, "Look around you, man! If you can't see that you're surrounded by the hand of God in every direction, you need to look a little harder." Amen.

I might like to go to Death Valley just because I haven't been there yet.

I might sojourn down to Tijuana just to do it.

Drive to Vancouver, BC via the Pacific Coast Highway -- After I leave San Diego, I fully expect that this next stretch will be a big portion of my trip with many stops and detours. I spent four years living in Los Angeles, and I love California for a lot of reasons. A young woman I met earlier this year in Los Angeles and I are collaborating on a leadership development project in Africa, so I'll see her. I've been talking with someone in LA about a corporate job too. Maybe I can see her. One of my buddies from Afghanistan lives near Sacramento, so I will see him. I love Big Sur and Carmel-by-the-Sea. I'll have to see the seals. I'll spend some time in Napa Valley and among the Redwoods. The Oregon Coast is a special place. I have relatives in Washington state, and it sure would be great to get together if our schedules mesh. I also have friends in Vancouver, whom I have been threatening to visit since we attended a seminar together in January. I have been told I can't miss Vancouver Island.

Drive to Calgary, AB - I had a trip planned in 1998 to go to the Canadian Rockies, and I ended up moving from Los Angeles to Detroit instead. (Weather wise, LA to Detroit was not one of my smarter moves.) I would really like finally to see the Canadian Rockies, including Lake Louise and Banff and maybe Jasper, and to see Western Canada.

Drive to Winnipeg, MB via the Trans-Canada Highway - It's where I need to turn to get a few more of my missing states.

Drive to Council Bluffs, IA - On the way, I pass through North Dakota and Nebraska, two more of my missing states. Iowa is another one. After that, I am only missing Rhode Island, and I won't make it there on this trip.

Drive to Warren, MI - I'll pass through Chicago and visit with a friend or two. I will stop at my parents' house to get my mail, take care of some errands, see my family and celebrate my step-father's birthday.

Drive to Washington, DC - Perhaps I'll go by way of Toronto (to see friends) or maybe by way of the Jersey Shore, where some other friends have invited me for a week at Labor Day. We'll see how road weary Oscar and I are feeling by that time.

So that's the plan. Hopefully I can get some clarity about what's next in my life. I kind of feel like I am crazy for quitting my cushy, high-paying government job with nothing to go to, to load up a car with my dog and drive across the country, but that's what I am doing. Personally, I was not fulfilled in that job, and I happen to think I have a lot more passion to share with the world.

Carpe diem.