homeless2010

It’s unlikely that anyone is still following this, but for posterity’s sake, I’ll note here that I did finally make it to Pennsylvania. I’ve been shuttling back and forth between Bethlehem and the Bay Area. Here are some broad-strokes highlights. 1) It was great to see George in Chicago (this was just after the Gas Station at the End of the Universe). Maddy and I went for an epic rollerblade where she nearly died of […]

In case you were wondering, I made it

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I’ve noticed that after driving the first thousand miles across country, the next 1500 seem to go really smoothly. Maybe that’s why driving across the middle states isn’t so bad–you just get in the mood to drive. But, if you actually live in these states you don’t have time to warm up, and the 3 hour featureless drive to the nearest town must seem insurmountable. Maybe that’s why everybody I talk to has barely left […]

Omaha to Aurora, and the gas station at the end ...

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By Tuesday, I was chomping at the bit to get driving again. I drove 550 miles, and really enjoyed the breathtaking desolation of the scenery and the ease of the driving.For most of the way through Colorado, I took back-roads (still 65mph speed limit) bordering several national grasslands. Now, National Parks are places so beautiful that we’ve decided not to let anyone develop them; National Grasslands are places so desolate that nobody could really find […]

Loveland, Colorado to Omaha, NE

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After hanging out with Dan on Saturday, I checked into an awesome motel called the Silver Saddle in Boulder. It was $60/night, which is way beyond my price range, but Boulder seems to be one of those cities that has strategically purged of itself of anything that’s reasonably priced or convenient. I spent most of the day in and out of sports bars, watching Tiger be an extra big tool while Phil Mickelson put on […]

A few days to relax

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Taking Highway 40 was an excellent choice. The lame thing about driving cross country in a car, with a dog, is that it’s much harder to meet people than with public transportation. Plus, I can’t stay in hostels (no dogs) or do anything that means leaving the car for more than a couple of hours. But, taking less-traveled roads means (1) seeing restaurants, etc. that aren’t attached to oversized gas stations, (2) actually being able […]

Hwy 40 and Denver

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I was really excited about Salt Lake City. I figured, since these people don’t drink, smoke, or seemingly do any of the things that take up most of the energy of a big city, they must have lots of fun non-bar stuff to do. It turns out that, in fact, they just spend most of their energy building temples and trying to convert you. Plus, everything has a generally creepy vibe to it. However, I […]

Salt Lake City

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I could’ve pushed on to Salt Lake last night, but didn’t want to miss the experience of seeing the Bonneville Salt Flats, a huge, incredibly flat dried lake bed (made essentially of salt). It’s where most landspeed records are set, although I wonder why people aren’t looking for areas at higher elevation to set these records (it seems that ~100% of your power goes to air resistance, so why not minimize it?) Anyways, the image […]

Bonneville Salt Flats

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Today, I mostly just drove. I’m trying to write less, and post better pictures, so I’ll keep it short. Had a nice time rollerblading the dog around a lake (Lake Victoria?) when I woke up, and I took my time cleaning the car and organizing my crap. Although I managed almost completely avoid Reno’s casinos, I did take the morning to visit the National Automobile Museum near downtown Reno. You wouldn’t expect it, but it’s […]

Reno, NV to Wendover, UT

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Today, the day of the big first step of my trip, finally came. I feel sad to be leaving so many people and memories (even if it is, hopefully, temporary), but I also feel wonderful and free to be finally moving again. I began the day running errands and selling the last of my stuff. I still wasn’t sure if I was going to leave today, but ultimately I just couldn’t stay any longer. I […]

San Jose to Reno

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Although the road trip hasn’t technically started yet, I might as well keep the blog updated so I don’t fall out of the habit. In this edition: Dan Strenge, Big Sur, moving out, and a final weekend in San Jose. Dan (a Harvey Mudd friend) just finished a 1 week trip up and down the West Coast, all the way to Seattle (I believe). He spent the next few days hanging in Berkeley (where Jaclyn […]

Big Sur with Dan Strenge

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