Introduction

This is the story of my 23 day, 8000 mile solo road trip across the country and back. I'd really never left the east coast before, and I was always curious about what the rest of the country was actually like. I was not interested in seeing the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, or any of the other places filled with tourists. I know these places are incredible, but I'll wait and see those some day with someone else. The point of this trip was to discover what the rest of the country and its people are really like. I generally stayed off the interstates and spent the night in small towns, unless I was visiting someone in a city.


Here's the actual GPS trail of my trip. Started from VA on the more southerly route.

I was supposed to drive up through Oregon and Washington, but as is typical, the whole region was covered in heavy rains for a few days, so I cut east into Nevada to avoid the weather.

And the strange path I took to Tuscon, AZ was so I could drive through Monument Valley.

And for anyone who doesn't understand the title, it's the name of a Jackson Browne song, one of my favorites, and possibly the best road trip song ever written.