Excerpts from my first trip across America:
(Written exactly as was in my original travel journal)

11/23/96

Said "Good Bye to Irvine, CA" at 9:30am. We only got 88 miles to the first pit stop. We Drove through the mountains and the Mojave Desert. Then I started to feel queasy, but only a little. When we stopped in Needles. My Uncle pulled into a gas station. My mom and I walked to Carl's Jr. When my mom and I got back we found out we had a flat tire. It took only 20 mins to fix. After that Needles was needless no more. Then we saw the Purple Mountains Majesty. I took a picture. I hope it comes out. we drove on the famous route 66. I saw the Grand Canyon. We drove 545 miles to Winslow, AZ. We stayed at Days Inn. We sunck Sheena in. She peed on the carpet. I also made a huge snowball. Uncle Bill made one too and tried to hit me with it, but I jumped out of the way and I hit him with mine. Before we stopped in Winslow we pasted Devil Dog Road, Uncle Bill tood us a hard to believe but true stupid story. About Boy Scouts.

11/24/96

Started out at 7:30. arrived at Wall Mart 8:02for a hot tamale run. We pasted Petrified forest, but we saw no trees so we kept going. There was no sine of inntelligen life through Arizona, New Mexico, or texas. We saw a snow storm, or a power plant. it turned out to be a power plant. We listened to a football game on he radio. We ate dinner at W.H. and at 8:00pm thay still said Good Morning. We drove 450 miles.

No Date*

We left Clinton, OK at 8:30. We got off of 40 and on route 44 with only 1/4 tank. Someone said there would be a gas station but there was nothing for 20 miles. ** We were on 1 last oz of gas when we saw a gas station. We were saved. Little did we know what was ahead. **(there was an arrow connecting this next sentence to the ** above) Uncle Bill had to call Emergency *55. It was a really, really, really big storm. There was rain, snow, & ice. We saw 25 accidents. But of the woresed accidents was a car fliped over in a ditch. The other was a truck on its side.


Signed,

Adam

All These Things To Come

So it's around three thirty in the morning and I'm tired of ripping apart poems I liked before I had to write about why I liked them. It's the thirteenth now, and that means there's eight days till my birthday, but more importantly to anyone following this blog, that means eighteen days till we start our trip.
I've been sleeping even less as of late. My bed seems like a good idea, like a good song that I could never really get into. Maybe like one of those really long Russian novels that you know are good, you just know it because the book can sit on your shelf and stare you into submission with it's title alone, and maybe you envision the long-bearded man who wrote it at some fancy event eating a leg of some Siberian animal and discussing the finer points of their genius. But then you probably don't, but I do, and that's probably why I'm trying to distract myself long enough to make me remember that I love poetry but hate writing about it. I'm no academic.
I finished a play yesterday, cut it down from forty three pages to twelve, and I turned it in for a class. People laughed while we read it, and for the right reasons, I think. Or at least, they laughed with fine timing.
I'm sorry, this doesn't have anything to do with the road trip. But you see, it's three thirty in the morning and I'm tired and I think I just want to talk with someone, but there's no one really to talk to.
I've basically got the idea for blackout curtains for the car. I just need to do a bit of stitching and some tactical placement of material and the car should be able to act as an incredibly cramp but private bed.
I cannot wait this long to see the road. It seems like a crime.

Signed,
Andrew

Just One of Those Things

Today I woke up and ate old, cold Chinese food and watched the end of House Arrest, and it was the saddest movie I had ever seen. The movie is about this group of kids who kidnap all of their parents in basement because they want their parents to love each other again. Granted it is a children's movie, but as a 22 year old I was captivated by the movie and felt (probably more then I should have) for all of the characters involved. It is a sad world where things do not work out for the best all the time, but if it wasn’t sad sometimes we’d never get the chance to realize how great everything really is. It’s officially 26 days until we depart on our trip across America and a lot has changed. We have put up a Facebook group entitled “Across America!” which has quickly developed over 575 members. I won’t spend too much time talking about the group as the page describes its own purpose. Also, we have all become rapid fans of twitter, our accounts are up and running. I’m sure once the trip starts our posts will all become much more exciting. Maybe I’ll write haiku’s from the road…maybe not, we’ll see.
I should be talking about myself, I always forget that. Tonight is Senior Thesis Night for all the film students here at Fairleigh Dickinson, myself included. I was asked if I was nervous. I am not. Everything in my life has dulled because my excitement for the trip has taken my periphery. I am definitely searching for something on this trip, but what it is I still do not know. I know great things will come of it, and I can not wait to be living it. Yes, I cherish everyday and very much do not wish to be forced into the future, but come on, I’m going on a road trip across the country with three of my best friends! Who wouldn’t be excited.
I am definitely enjoying my final days as a senior in college. I would say I spend more days then not living the lines of the song “I Love College”. This world is a big crazy place and crazy things happen in it, you just have to hold on, smile through it all, and enjoy the ride. I do enjoy my parties and formal get togethers. My goal for the end of the year and for the rest of my life is to not miss out on anything. Try to do as much as I can. When the day comes I’ll be able to say, “Yeah I did it all. I lived my life to the fullest.” Some of this sounds a bit clichéd or maybe that’s not the world but I am still not sure what kinds of things people talk about in the Blogosphere. This is what I talk about. Next time, I’ll tell a story. For now I will sit and wonder, how will I change the world? What will my contribution be? Do I just come for a visit or do I leave something behind?

Signed,
Adam