spontaneous + itinerary = spontinerary!

I think I've always been a planner. Probably has to do with playing with Legos as a child or something like that.

In my defense, I was just trying to build a space-pirate fortress, while my
sisters were trying to re-organize all the legos into their proper sets...

Having a plan allows me to develop expectations and foresee potential outcomes, mitigating the possibility of negative surprises. Pretty boring stuff.

So, in an effort to aggravate these proclivities, I'm taking a roadtrip in a few weeks and trying to plan nothing but a very rough route and a couple of hard dates. With barely any strings attached at this point in my life, I feel that I would be remiss if I didn't go galavanting around our fine nation for an irresponsibly vague amount of time.

A friend recently gave me the advice that freedom, not finances, should dictate whether you go on an adventure. Maybe I shouldn't run off and spend my savings on gas and national park entrance fees, but I can because I don't have a job to get fired from, I don't have a family to endanger, and my school loans are manageable.

So here's the basic route, highlighting some stops:

- From Knoxville, down to see an old friend in Pensacola, FL.

- From FL to Longview, TX (more old friends), maybe some stops in Mississippi & Louisiana (I usually try to rush through the dirty, dirty South).

Longview, TX, Summer 2010.

- A short hop over to the DFW area to hang out with friends and catch a Fang Island show on the 16th.

- Nothing planned between DFW and friends in Flagstaff, AZ, but I'll keep my eyes open for cool diversions. Grand Canyon maybe? Saw it much too briefly in college, and want to hike to the bottom sometime, but that might be for another trip.

Spring Break '07

- Then on to see more friends in LA, with stops at Joshua Tree, and maybe the Salton Sea, on the way. I really have no desire whatsoever to see LA itself, though.

- From LA, up through Sequoyah/Kings Canyon/Yosemite Parks, and you're darn tootin I'm excited for this leg of the trip! Wish I could spend the whole month there.

- Over to the coast! Through Sonoma County and more old friends.

- Heading north, I'll spend some time getting acquainted with the Pacific. More redwoods and beaches and whatnot.

- Sibling reunion in Redding, CA, with forays to Lassen Volcanic, Lava Beds, Redwood NP.

- North again, all the way to Eugeue, OR and Rogue Brewery? or just to Crater Lake NP?

- East! To friends in Boise and whatever else Idaho has to offer.

- Sadly skipping Yellowstone/Tetons for whatever else is between Boise and Denver. Mormonville?

- I hear Colorado is pretty boring, so I'll probably get outta there quick in favor of magical and thrilling Kansas. Jokes.

Kansas, Summer 2011.

- Uh.

- Sorry, I just zoned out thinking about driving across Kansas the long way. Probably to Missouri. Who knows.

- Things are getting pretty hazy at this point, the closer I get to familiar territory and the wasteland of southern IL/western KY.


- Eventually back to Knoxville, and responsibility. 

Not that I work in an office anymore, but you get the idea.
And I promise I have other shirts, even though this one is in every picture.

I know that sounds like a whole lot of plans and not really impulsive at all, but hey, baby steps guys.