Phew.
Glad to be home. Felt good to roll into Portland today. Felt like “coming home.” Felt comfortable. Felt thankful to have enjoyed damn near 14,000 miles of smooth sailing. No accidents. No drama. No tickets. Aside from some serious-ass election heartbreak, it was a completely amazing roadtrip.
I got to see everyone. Old friends, family, foes.
One for the record books:
01. Conquered new states…those Carolinas and Louisiana.
02. Sweated it out in the East Mojave desert of California.
03. Shivered to the bone in souther Wyoming.
04. Enjoyed a cheesesteak in Philadelphia.
05. Walked down main street in St. Genevieve, Missouri.
06. Picked some cotton in rural Georgia.
07. Paid homage to those Flaming Lips in Oklahoma City.
08. Hung with my little lady in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.
09. Blew my mind “Smithsonian Style” in DC.
10. Raced across Canada’s eastern flank for some 700 miles.
11. Big city wonders: SF, LA, Chicago, NYC, Toronto, Montreal, Philly, Richmond, New Orleans, St. Louis, DC, Detroit and ol’ Minneapolis.
12. Followed the complete stretch of Route 66.
13. Sipped cider in the fall foliage Vermont’ed majesty.
14. Lunch at the Ideal Diner, Central Ave, Minnepolis.
15. Got the shit scared out of me on Busch Gardens rollercoasters.
16. “Ran hot” for some 2400 miles on I-80 and I-84, Westward.
17. Gave my respects to Civil War P.O.W.’s.
18. Saw Lincoln’s home in Springfield. His shitter, too!
19. Wonder about Uncle Tupelo in Belleville, Illinois.
20. Archgazing in St. Louis.
21. Legoland love in Enfield, Connecticutt.
22. Slept in shady reststops all over hell.
23. Hung with my parents in Michigan.
24. Earned money designing documents off a rickety-ass laptop rig.
25. Completed another issue of SNOWBOARD. Whoo-eee.
26. Made Elk Rapids, Michigan my home away from home, more or less.
27. Got lost in Mississippi and didn’t give two shits otherwise.
28. Smelled the pukey streets of hte French Quarter in New Orleans.
29. Cursed Ohio for some 150 miles.
30. Sang along to the Coug’s greates hits across norther Indiana.
31. Flipped off Los Angeles for one last time. No more SoCal. No more.
32. Got to know the menu at Waffle House restaurants.
33. Got a little sentimental at those Bridges of Madison County, Iowa.
34. Scaled foggy-ass mountain passes in eastern Oregon.
35. Battled flurries in western Nebraska.
36. Got to know the “truckstop life.” Love, loss and chicken-fried steak.
37. Hung with dad for some 2400 miles.
38. Paid respects to Uncle Jess. I’ve got good memories of you.
39. Saw all the Aunts and Uncles for big night at Sarah’s pad.
40. Wondered about things like stars and earth and water all over.
41. Cursed the clogged Jersey turnpike.
42. Enjoyed a new wave of DDC promo items. (stay tuned!)
43. “Maintained” rock-solid client relationships. Well, tried to, at least.
44. Crossed the Mackinaw Bridge.
45. Drove up the Mississippi River for some 1200 miles.
46. Got a clean shave from Angel Delgadillo in Seligman, Arizona.
47. Crooned to classic soul tunes in Memphis, Tennessee.
48. Snipped a mere corner of Kentucky, and came out unscathed.
49. Snapped a million photos.
50. And made it home in one piece.
