the days
Thursday - Sunday
August 12 - August 29California - Nevada - Utah - Wyoming - Nebraska - Iowa - Wisconsin - Illinois - Indiana - Ohio - Indiana - Kentucky - Tennessee - Kentucky - Ohio - West Virginia - Pennsylvania - New Jersey - New York - Connecticut - New York - New Jersey - New York
the occasion
My brother is starting at Yale in two weeks, so my mother originally proposed that my father, mother, brother, and I drive across the country to settle him in. I loved the idea -- despite the bizarre aspect of travelling with both my divorced parents together -- but my father immediately said he couldn't go; he couldn't take that much time off of work. So then we were down to three, until my brother found out that there is a freshman backpacking trip the week before school starts -- a mush-take opportunity. So I proposed to my mother that she and I deliver Adam's stuff to him while he is hiking away, and somewhere along the way I decided to move to New York. So my mother and I have set out on a two week adventure for some serious mother-daughter bonding time and whatever the wind blows our way...
the mode of transportation
By an incalculable coincidence, my mother's best friend is moving to New Jersey at the same time my mother and I are making our cross-country voyage, so, to save herself shipping fees, and my mother and I car rental fees, we are driving her brand new BMW to its new home on the East Coast. The car had 3755 miles on it at the outset of our trip, and had been driven an average of 35.5 miles per hour. We raised that number one mile in our first day. I have no idea what the chances are that a friend would need a car driven tot he same place we are travelling at the same time, but my mom and I are both pleased as punch to have such a swanky ride.
the end
The journey begins in a BMW with my mother and I. We arrive in New Jersey on day 14 to drop the car off, and then proceed in a rental to Yale. My mother leaves to fly home early on day 17 and then my father and I make our way to my Aunt's in New Jersey, where I spend the night. My father and his friend Dennis leave the morning of day 18 and in the evening I am driven to my grandfather's in Manhattan, bringing my travels to an end.
the vision
16 July 99
1 33 am PDT
From 12 August - 26 August my mother and I will be driving across the country. I want to find some new way to capture this US trip in my diary. Thus US trip '99 is born. The structure is not solidified in my mind, but every day will be a unique experience, as I finally see the states between Arizona and Florida. My mother intends to spend a good portion of the time antique shopping, which she refers to as junkin'. I don't think I will manage to procure a digital camera, so the forthcoming trip pages will probably be sprinkled with my own illustrations.I hope this is a journey not to be forgotten,
