The Idea

I should have started this a week ago.  I had very good intentions to start this blog in a timely manner a week or so ago, but at least I followed through with actually taking this journey and slacked off only on blogging about it.  

I'm 33, recently "temporarily retired" (as I like to call it), just relocated to Savannah from Orlando, and my best friend is a Beagle named Max who is going to turn 12 next month. I read somewhere that the average lifespan of Beagles was 12, which may have been the genesis of an idea of taking him on a grand adventure.  Of course, since then, I've read that the oldest dog was a Beagle who lived to 28 so he's got that going for him (which is nice). 

I realized about a week ago, no, maybe it was rattling around in my head longer ago, anyway, that I basically had the opportunity to do ANYTHING.  I have no job, a little money put away, good health, a dog with good health, and a Jeep Cherokee that has been running pretty well despite being a Chrysler product with 90,000 miles on it.  I'm not saying Chryslers are functional autos, they're not, but I have spent enough on maintenance to keep it running so far.  Max and I went to visit my Aunt Arlene in Albany, GA, which is maybe 5 hours each way.  I realized how much he liked riding in the car and seeing (and sniffing, and peeing on) new places.  Actually, he just likes being in the car any time.  If he gets scared- thunder, smoke alarms, etc- he wants to go get in the Jeep because he thinks it is safe, I guess.

Well, it was all downhill from there.   After a few days of mulling it over, I discussed it with my wife (Deri) and she said that she thought I should do something for myself while I had the time to do it.  I think she knew that taking a cross-country trip was something that I had intended to do after college, but of course I was in debt and had no money then, so it did not happen.  Now it was on.  The "planning" stage was intentionally abbreviated- maybe 5 days- and mostly focused on what equipment to take.  The itinerary did not even get started until a day or two out.  But, I had a list of some things I wanted to see, a time frame to be gone (roughly a month), an iPhone, some camping supplies, and... well, I guess a desire to hit the open road and see what was out there.  

Blogging about it is mostly intended to be for me to have something to remember this trip by, but there may be some funny/interesting/stupid moments that would be entertaining for others to read about.  What did Kerouac say at the beginning of On The Road?  "The things that were to come were too fantastic not to tell."  I'm sure that is a little much, but what the hell.  How about this for my token On The Road quote: "Then came spring, the great time of travelling."  I think we can live up to that.