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December 2, 2003
road trip
Every once in a while, it occurs to me that I do a lot of my life-planning in my head or person-to-person, and that I seldom get around to actually writing any of it down. It doesn't make sense to document these things when they're still hypothetical, I guess, and sometimes I have to make sure that all the proper authorities are notified before they read it on my webpage.
And then I forgot that I haven't actually written about it. So it goes with my upcoming road trip.
This is the part where you go, "Road trip? What road trip?" See? If I'd told you, you'd know about this already.
The plan is still a bit up in the air. C has been distracted with her upcoming comps (someday, I'll tell you what it's like to live with a doctoral student), so we haven't decided for certain where we plan to go, but it will definitely be west of Austin.
See, as longtime readers already know, my friend C is from Romania, and she's never been farther west than Bandera, the self-styled "Cowboy Capital of the World." And she was a bit disappointed when she arrived in Texas to discover that it wasn't a deserted wasteland full of sand dunes and tall cactus. (It always fascinates me why people not from Texas think that it's Arizona!) So I've been promising for a long time to take her west to see the cactus like this (that's C's imitation of a saguaro, for those of you playing along from home). So we've got to go at least as far west as Arizona. After that? Your guess is really as good as mine.
Our biggest limitation is time, really. We won't be leaving until the day after Christmas, because I still can't quite stomach the thought of Christmas away from home, and I return to work on January 5th. That's eleven days. It's not really that much, assuming we stop along the way. It takes an entire day of driving just to get from Corpus Christi to El Paso.
Beyond that? I'm not really sure yet. Maybe we'll go on to California, or maybe we'll stay in Arizona and New Mexico. In any case, I've got a lot to do before then; the car needs its oil changed, and we'll have to make preparations for possible snow. I'd like to get the tires checked out just in case. And, of course, I'll have to re-evaluate my supply of cold-weather clothing. It tends to be a bit on the wimpy side.
The good news is, I intend to take a laptop with me, so that I can update from the road and upload pictures. It'll be a bit like going along, won't it?
Yeah, okay, I'm psyched!
Posted by Rachel at December 2, 2003 7:41 PM
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Comments
That sounds like so much fun! Holy cow, if you come all the way out to California, please don't leave before January 6th! That's when I come back from London! It'd be cool to see you again. Come to the Bay Area! Or you know, if you can't, that's okay, too. But I'm glad you'll be taking pictures and updating from the road. That's so badass. I want to be able to do that from London, but I just have a very old, non-connecting to the web kind of computer I'm lugging along. We'll see how it goes. At any rate, yes, it will be a little bit like going along for the ride, so I'm now looking forward to your road trip, too! Though probably not as much as you are. Have a GREAT time!!!
Posted by: Meg at December 2, 2003 8:17 PM
I concur.;) The Bay Area is gorgeous, and you don't have to do all the touristy stuff to have a good time. There's some nice little towns just north of San Francisco on Highway 1 (like Bodega Bay, Jenner and Valley Ford). Point Bonita is great, too -- it's got a lighthouse, huge banana slugs and secluded little beaches. Great for a day of exploring. When I was there with my school, we saw an unusual rock formation that our guide told us was the San Andreas Fault. You can actually touch it.:) It's a long way from Texas, but more than worth it.
..I got here from Holidailies, in case you're wondering who the hell I am.;)
Posted by: Beth at December 2, 2003 8:22 PM
El Paso -- where a guest bedroom and cable modem await you. :)
Posted by: CY at December 2, 2003 8:26 PM
You may find yourself staying in Arizona. There's something intoxicating about the deep desert. If I weren't adverse to temperature extremes, I'd live there.
Posted by: Dreama at December 2, 2003 11:12 PM
Excellent!
I had to back track to find your destination. I was hoping you were headed to Abbey country. Edward Abbey that is. Famous "Monkey Wrench Gang" man. http://www.abbeyweb.net/
Not an excellent fiction writer. Apt. But a wonderful spirit and a deep desert dweller. Or atleast he was. A decent travel writer and essayist though. Anyway. I'm rambling.
Now I am even more excited to continue to read your adventures. I am quickly becoming a fan of your writing and photography.
Posted by: Darren at December 28, 2003 9:46 AM