Foggy San Jose

Miles Clocked: 1147
Gallons Burned: ~33
Caffeinated Drinks: 6

So I get to the sunny desert east of San Francisco, and it's foggy....

Well the rest of the country is frozen solid, so I really can't complain. I had the privilege of riding my cousin Dave's mountain bike this afternoon and it was great. The fog was almost gone and the cool air was perfect to ride in. I have never ridden such a nice bike it was maybe 11 pounds and had perfect gear shifting, great breaks, and a comfortable seat. I have shied away from riding bikes because the fat tired mountain bikes I'm used to tend to be awfully uncomfortable, this bike was a pleasant exception:

Tomorrow I get to go to an auto show. Sweet! Then Monday I'll go see San Francisco again, and Head south to LA on Tuesday.
Talk to you all soon.

My First VLOG

Miles Clocked: 1147
Gallons Burned: ~33
Caffeinated Drinks: 5

Hello,
I apologize to you for not posting something earlier but I have been with out WiFi until recently, and then I had some technical difficulty with uploading a 270MB file to youtube.com. Anyways now everything should be in order.
I am well. The second leg was exciting, two nights of camping, about a thousand awesome switchbacks, huge redwood trees, jaw-dropping beaches, and one creepy run in with a hidden California state prison.
Here are my favorite pictures (sorry for resolution variation, 3 cameras were used):






Here is my first attempt at a Video Blog.
This video was taken HERE with me standing on top of a cliff.

The Video:

Portland Oregon

Miles Clocked: 187.2
Gallons Burned: ~6
Caffeinated Drinks: 2

I downed 2 energy drinks to make it to the green citadel to Seattle's south and met up with my buddy Andy from Hillsdale College, my old Alma Mater. I have only forgotten two things so far: CAT 5 Cable and all my warm hooded sweatshirts.

As I type this I am enjoying the REI Thermarest sleeping pad that Jen so Graciously lent me and a small glass of Arabica Cherry-Cafe Wine.

I am tired after 40 hours of preparation and driving, so I'll end with a quote from Donald Miller's Blue Like Jazz...

There is something beautiful about a billion stars held steady by
a God who knows what he is doing. They hang there, the stars,
like notes on a page of music, free form verse, silent mysteries
swirling in the blue like jazz.

Gearing Up

Miles Clocked: 0.0
Gallons Burned: 0.0
I just purchased a box of military surplus MREs (meals ready-to-eat) from my local army navy surplus store. Now I have 7 days of heated emergency rations in the event I get stuck in a blizzard/zombie invasion. I, being a total nerd for these sorts of things, did a little research and found out about the history of military foods stuffs from the Civil War forward. About 1.7 million became ill and 45,000 men died from tainted food in the Civil War. The Department of War (later "defense") has been working on this issue ever since.

Anyways the modern MREs I've got will still be edible for the next 7 years, so I'm all set.

For those who are interested here's the menu:

(No dreaded ham omlets)
Here is the US government's official MRE site for further study:
http://www.dscp.dla.mil/subs/rations/programs/mre/mreabt.asp

The Car...

Miles Clocked: 0.0
Gallons Burned: 0.0
This is it. I guess with the car in the shop and my trusty mechanic going over her stem to stern the trip is starting to hit me as a reality. I am going to do this.
Feels good to type that.

Replacing the timing belt, flushing the radiator, possibly replacing the alternator, fixing the AC blower, and then she'll be ready to roll.
I'm excited.

Gear for the Road

This a list of the gear I'll be taking. Does anyone have any suggestions for additions/subtractions from my gunna [Late Latin "gunna", leather traveling garment, term for all one's worldly goods]?

Net book computer
GPS unit: Magellan Maestro
Power Inverter (1200 Watt 12 Volt DC to 110 Volt AC)
DC in-car refrigeration unit
Propane cook stove
2 man tent
12 emergency rations (Military MREs)
Costco of hand warmers
ThermaCare Heat Wraps
-25F bedroll
Cameras
Books

My Blog's Purpose

I'm Taking a 12,000 mile road trip across the United States....in January.
Now for no reason at all a random poem:

Leavin' from Seattle's Emerald green,
Drivin' coast's curves to Diego's shore.
Questin' from warmth of West to heat of East,
Crusin' Florida's Keys,
Jinglin' beaches Northbound thru' Capital and Appletal.
Rollin' into tundra's crown, so Maine,
Feelin' the brutal wind of Cago-town,
Endurin' the dark towering Rockies so cold.
Back to my wet town of olde.

Don't know where that came from.
Anyway, I'm leaving Seattle on January 4th, do the loop, and be back to Seattle late in February.
This blog will be the best place to keep tabs on me as I progress. My best pictures will be posted here. Almost-daily updates will be made as WiFi opportunities emerge.
Also Facebook is the place I'll be posting all the pictures.

Check out my links to see the trip's map.

Keep checking back...