Links of a Calendar

These are the other two possibilities that I could think up for the drive from California to Pennsylvania. I spent a little more time on these with clever clip art from Word. Version B, immediately below, skips Colorado entirely and instead has a long drive from Salt Lake City straight thru to Omaha....nearly a 13 hour drive. Instead of spending a day looking at the Red Rocks ( I was inspired to go there by some decent concert DVDs).

The final proposed itinerary I created includes less spent time in California - two days instead of the three originally planned upon. Of course, this may create more pressure to buy a car, but that's why this is a possible plan, not the definitive one.

It seems to me that the most fun will be had on the 2nd half of the trip, no matter which route we take. I think I am just more interested in Cleveland, Chicago, and Omaha.

About a week ago I updated the weather app on my iPod to display the weather in the places we will most likely visit. I was hoping for warmer weather, but it seems that all the weather we experience will be similar to the weather going on in PA (45 degrees) right now.

It has been difficult to figure out specific stops and sleeping arrangements due to not have a strict schedule. In Reno, I expect to stop for food, if at all, so picking a restaurant won't be too tough. In Salt Lake City, the LDS Church History Museum is open 7 days a week and is free! That should also be a good cultural experience. If we had stuck to the original plan and gone to Mitchell, SD, we would be able to bask in the glory of the Corn Palace. If you ever travel in that area, take an hour out of your day and visit. Omaha seems really exciting, for being in the middle of nowhere. The Henry Doorly Zoo there seems to have some more impressive exhibits than the San Diego Zoo, including a shark aquarium that you walk under in a tunnel, a Bio-Dome housing a rain forest, and an underground nocturnal environment. In Chicago, I'm pushing for a return visit to the Museum of Science and Industry (the historical aspect) and if the weather is nice enough, the Navy Pier. The main destination in Cleveland is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Since I got into some (better) music a few years ago, I am interested in the cultural phenomenon of Rock and Roll. During the final stint in PA, I want to try to stop in State College (Penn State main campus) for a meal. Dinner somewhere in downtown, ice cream at the Creamery, and Stickies at The Diner. After that, its back to the monotony of summer classes.

Another update in the next few days with driving times and maybe other interesting places to stop along the road.

Lists and Lists and Dates

My girlfriend and I have been planning a road trip for this summer for a while now. We are going to fly from Philadelphia to San Fransisco, buy a car, and then drive back just prior to the start of Summer classes and projects. Above is a map I drew on the back of some classwork (if you look closely you will see text on the other side of the image) with several different possible stops marked in green.

The bulk of this roadtrip will take place on Interstate 80, which runs from San Fransisco to north New Jersey. With luck and strategic planning, we should be able to make it from California to Pennsylvania. As of now, the planned stops are as follows:
-Tiburon, California
-Reno, Nevada
-Salt Lake City, Utah
-Morrison, Colorado
-Omaha, Nebraska
-Chicago, Illinois
-Cleveland, Ohio
-State College, Pennsylvania
-West Chester, Pennsylvania

I'll be posting updates on this trip as well as blogs from the actual roadtrip which commences within the next month. Below is the first of 3 different possible calendars we mayfollow on the trip. This one has us hitting each destination (excluding Seattle, Yellowstone, Mitchell, and Minneapolis) but for rapid fire visits at each location. The others have different advantages.

Safe Travels...