In the next few days I will be embarking on an adventure...a road trip up the West coast!! I intend to leave within this week...though the actual departure date depends my efficiency at tying up the loose-ends of the preparation. Leaving in a timely manner necessitates the implementation of some serious organizational skills.
Which should be a piece of cake.
Since, you know, I'm an overwhelmingly organized person.
Cough. Cough.
In reality, it will require a Herculean effort on my part to stay on top of everything. But I'm SO excited about this trip that, other than taking the time to write this blog entry, I've remained remarkably on task. I still have a slightly-daunting To-Do list to get through (the progression of which was hindered by my recent one-week-stint in NYC), but I'm determined to stay on schedule. My dates spent in a particular city are pretty solidly set in stone, because many times I'm visiting with friends or family. That doesn't allow for much schedule-flexibility...or rather, it would be incredibly rude of me to insist upon it.
Anyway, remember how sometimes I like
using pictures instead of words to display something important? Well, here's what my road trip “itinerary” looks like:
Obviously that's a very vague portrayal...I did that on purpose. I'm going to be documenting each leg of my coastal journey and updating frequently, so that y'all can follow along!
More on that later!! For now, here's a little Q&A I put together for some of your more general inquiries:
Why are you going on the trip?
Because I can, and because I feel like I need to. I graduated from college over a year ago, but I feel like I've been standing in the same place ever since, not moving forward and unable to move back. After declining to return to my former nannying job for another school year, I fell into a lifestyle slump. My future job prospects were dismal, I was still living at home in less-than-perfect conditions, my Costa Rica plans had fallen through...I felt like I had nothing to say for myself, no worth to my name, and I was itching to make a change. I had always intended to spend part of this last year traveling, going away in order to come back to myself. Getting lost so I could be found. After thinking my options over, and
taking a few precursory pilgrimages out to California, I finally started to feel like my life was headed in an encouraging direction. So I followed up on those feelings, and now I'm standing at the Starting Line of what promises to be a great adventure!!
When are you leaving?
Thursday, August 27
How long will you be gone?
The trip rounds out at just a few days shy of 5 weeks! I should be back in The Valley of the Sun in late September/early October
How many cities will you be visiting?
15, possibly one more depending on events and scheduling
Are you going by yourself?
Yup, I'm a solo flier! I need the time to reflect and explore my life and it's options, and this is a great way to do so.
You're terrible with directions. How will you find your way around?
I consider this road trip an “orientation” challenge. By using a simple compass and a handful of maps, I am resolved to find my way around with as few wrong turns as possible!
Your birthday is towards the end of your trip. Where will you be? What are your plans?
As it stands, my birthday is also the last official day of my roadtrip. By then I will also have my mother in tow (we'll meet up somewhere in the northern hemisphere of the Golden State a few days before my Big Day), so I'll have some company...more details to follow!!
So there you have it! If you have any other questions, comment or send me an e-mail, I'll happily answer them or direct you back to my blog at the appropriate time!
