The Summer of Travels

I have hardly done anything productive so far this summer, yet I feel as though I have been extremely busy... I became really excited when I was given the idea to start a blog, but I can't find the time to discuss anything! This is also my very first blog or journal of any kind, so I'm sure I will get better at writing down my thoughts as time goes on...

Although this summer is nowhere near its end, I have already come up with a title for it. Just as last summer became known as "The Summer of Drugs" (for reasons to be mentioned later...), this summer will be referred to as "The Summer of Travels". I realized I have been going on a lot of spur of the moment road trips, such as Cape Cod, MA, Baltimore, MD, and Shelter Island, NY. I have also found myself developing the unofficial title of Town Chauffeur. I drive my friends everywhere!

Before I fall asleep at the keyboard, here is my plan to top off the Summer of Travels: a cross-country road trip! I love to drive, and this has always been a dream of mine... Greg, Ben, myself, and hopefully a few other lucky ones will take my 1998 Toyota Camry to the Pacific and back, with plenty of awesome stops along the way.

Quick Outline for Summer '09 Road Trip:

Camp in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TE

Camp in Big Bend National Park, TX

Camp in Grand Canyon National Park, AZ

Las Vegas for a night...

Drive through Death Valley, into San Diego.

Up the coast, staying in LA and San Francisco

Camp in Yosemite National Park, CA

Stop by Greg's sister's home in Reno, NV

Camp in Yellowstone National Park, WY

Climb Mount Rushmore, SD

Obviously, we are poor college students and are trying to do free, nature-inclusive activities such as hiking and camping. Gas will be expensive, but I plan on living off of peanut butter sandwiches for the three weeks we are gone to save some money... Below is a map of the plan...

Please comment if you have any advise!!

View Summer '09 Road Trip in a larger map