driving into the sunset

Today consisted of waking up to Rosebud's delicious homemade banana bread, breakfast on the roof (picture below!), the rock and roll hall of fame, and then driving westward across Indiana and changing time zones to get to Chicago! The picture to the left is driving on I-90 west through Indiana, which took a couple hours or so, and the sunset colors were amazing. It was kind of cool to drive into the sunset going westwards because it lasted that much longer.

We're staying in Lakeview in Chicago with Kevin's friend Scott, and he lives pretty close to Lincoln Park and Wicker Park. We're having breakfast tomorrow morning with Leah and Tiffany, co-workers from PIRG, and I can't wait to see them! They are traveling cross country as well, with Seattle as their final stop since that is home for Tiffany. Since we arrived tonight in the dark, I don't really feel that aware of my surroundings yet. I've been in Chicago before for a few hours back during the college hunt period in high school, but definitely didn't get to see much of the city. I'm excited to have the next two days (or day and a half) to explore the city.

After Chicago we are staying a night in Des Moines, Iowa with Mike (a co-worker from Repower America) before heading to South Dakota for the Badlands, Mt. Rushmore and Wind Cave National Park. SD will start our northern route of camping in National Parks, before we hit Seattle. We will be stopping and camping in Yellowstone in Wyoming, and then Montana from there. I think I will be in Glacier National Park in MT on my birthday (Sep 13), which hopefully won't be too cold! From Glacier we're driving through some of Idaho to get to Washington. I'm not sure how much time we're staying in Seattle and Washington yet, as I still need to confirm a farm out on an island off the coast. In Portland, Oregon we will be staying with a friend of mine, Michelle, from studying abroad in Costa Rica. From Portland we'll go to Crater Lake, and hopefully be working on a farm beforehand for a few days or a week depending on the help they need. Then we'll be in California for a couple weeks...trying to go to as many places as we can up and down the coast and do at least one volunteer stay on a farm in southern California.

OK this is as far as I can go for now -- it's only day two and things are bound to change. I think that when we leave Chicago, it will really hit me that I'm doing this and that I'll be living out of my car for many, many weeks. It's going to be a challenge, but I'm ready for it. I'm going to be seeing our country and learning an incredible amount about myself and what America really is. There's something about the open road and the freedom that comes with it that is inspiring. Although it does make me question how our country has developed to favor automobiles and not public transportation. I do wish I was able to do this trip via trains and buses, in an affordable and convenient way.

Anyway, I tend to digress. Let me know if you have suggestions of places to visit, places to stay (for cheap or free ideally haha) or if you are going to be in any of our major destinations.

Kevin's quote of the day: "I can't believe we're actually doing this, there's something about the night-time that puts it all in perspective."

'til next time :)

The Route

This is a giant map of the US that has been in Kevin's room that outlines our trip across the country. We'll be going through around 28 states and the route has been changed from what the original map above looks like. We also have changed plans, ALREADY, go figure. We're staying another night in NJ before heading to Ohio tomorrow morning. I am a bit under the weather, and it's tough to pack a car for 2 months! We will be staying with my friend Rosemary for a night, before heading to Chicago. I wish I was going back to Columbus to say hello to friends and family - but next time!! I'm excited to hit the road tomorrow, and hoping that a good night's sleep in my own bed (for quite awhile) will have me feeling better tomorrow.

I'll be posting our itinerary soon with a better idea of when we will be in certain places as we travel :)

'til then!

4 days left on the east coast

i am embarking on a journey across and around the united states for about two months with my travel companion, kevin. we leave on sunday august 29th, and will be returning as of now at the end of october. it just might be the most daring thing i have done in my lifetime thus far. i will be spending probably close to 200 hours in my forest green "earth lover" toyota corolla and driving close to 10,000 miles across the country. this trip has been months in the making, and something i've dreamed about since high school when my dad would tell me stories of him and his college buddies piling into someone's car and taking off for a few weeks and seeing the country. i've talked to dozens of people about this road trip, and have had many different reactions, questions and concerns. yes, i'm aware it's dangerous to spend this much time with one person. no, i won't blow up my car. yes, i'll bring books and carry snacks. no, i won't be growing lettuce the entire trip. YES, WE'RE A LITTLE CRAZY.

okay, maybe really crazy. but even though we may be crazy, this trip will shape my understanding of society in america, and ideally forecast the next chapter of my life. i hope to deepen my connection to the natural world and appreciation for open spaces and preserved/protected land. i also plan to learn as much as i can about agriculture and organic farming in our country through visiting organic farms through a program called "WWOOF: World-Wide Opportunities On Organic Farms". it's basically a way to connect to organic farmers and farms across the country and world, and set up short-term or long-term stays with those farmers in order to learn what they do and provide volunteer work in exchange for free housing and food.

you pay a fee of $30 for a year to become a WWOOF member in the region/country of your choice, and have access to a search for farmers by state or area. the idea is that you contact a farmer, have a conversation over the phone or email, and decide on a length of stay and project that you would be helping with at their farm (or garden, site, center, etc). we will be only doing a few short-stays on farms in Washington, Oregon and California as there are many national parks, cities and places to visit that we want to fit into this trip. i'm excited for these visits and portion of the trip, and i may decide to work on a farm for a whole season after the trip if it seems right for me to do. i don't really know anything about how to farm, except that it is extremely difficult and takes a lot of time and patience. i know that small organic farmers in our country are consistently struggling to compete in an unfair and unequal market for their produce. i want to understand why a vision of locally-grown, healthy, and safe food for everyone is not a reality right now. i want to find out how pieces of this vision it can be put into practice. i have some big dreams for this trip, and how it will help me decide what programs i should apply to for a master's degree (and potentially doctorate) and what my next steps will be.

i also can't wait to have FUN and visit people that live far away, many whom i haven't seen in months, or years. we plan on stopping in major cities along the way and taking time out to explore and get to know different places where friends and family live. i'm especially psyched for chicago, seattle, portland, san francisco, LA/pasadena, san diego, santa fe/taos, and new orleans! i've only been in chicago for a few hours, and visited my aunt in new mexico during a trip that i can't remember much from except that it was hot and i got a beaded piece of jewelry of some sort.

finally, the biggest part of our northern route and time spent out west will be at national parks. we are visiting or camping in more than 10 parks - and will be spending a good amount of time in each of them. the big national park systems that i can't wait for are: yellowstone, glacier, olympic, redwoods, yosemite, and grand canyon. i'm craving the hiking, clean air, beauty of nature...it's going to be incredible. i've been to a few national parks during that same family trip that took me through new mex, but again - i don't remember them all that clearly. we plan to fully enjoy each park, and try not rush our time at each one.

i will do my best to post and update with pictures as often as i can, and kevin will be posting to the blog as well during the trip - so we shall hopefully have an awesome chronicle of our adventures!