Let's Get This Started

"If you want to succeed you should strike out on new paths rather than travel the worn paths of accepted success" 

-Old Man Rockefeller

Old Man Rock has given me both a dorm and a dining hall throughout my college career, so it is only right that he kicks off this epic blog. 

It's about that time! On Tuesday, September 15th, Ch'nel and I will head out for a roughly 5 week tour of the US. The catalyst for this trip is simple, we are unemployed. Simply...we have nothing else to do. Both of us worked upwards of 60 hours a week this summer, often working 7 days a week for weeks on end. We've done this for the every summer during college. We quite frankly have no idea what to do with ourselves when we don't have anything to do. 

As this summer drew to a close I began pondering the idea of a road trip. I posed the idea to Ch'nel one day and was surprised to hear that she was on board. Once word of a possible road trip spread around the office (this took about 1 minute...our office at the time had 25 people working in 4 rooms) the enthusiastic response cemented the mission. There was no way we could back out of it, we were going. 

From that point on we went into trip planning super mode. Key boxes went unfilled, linen piled up in dorms and media equipment unreturned. We were no longer unemployed but rather employed by the road. 

And now it's time to go. It all still seems a like a lie. I was talking with one of my grandmothers neighbors the other day when she mentioned that she had a winter home in St Augustine, FL. I quickly responded "Oh, I'm going to be there in a month!". Even as the words spilled out of my mouth I didn't believe them. But it would appear it's true! Let's look at the basics of this blog and this trip.

Route: The basic idea is head out west through the north and come back east through the south. Apologies to Kansas, but we will basically be making a loop around the US. Stopping points include, but are not limited to: Cleveland, Chicago, Mt Rushmore, Yellowstone, San Francisco, Grand Canyon, Arches National Park, University of Oklahoma, Marianna, FL, Atlanta, Great Smokey Mountains and Blacksburg, VA. Anyone located at any of these spots or who would like for us to consider their location as a stopping point, please contact us! Particularly if you have a sofa. 

As for the blog...where the heck did we get this title? Well that's a story for you. Clearly our office hadn't given us enough by agreeing to employ us a full month past the official ending date of the summer job. Because of this, we demanded that each of our bosses give us a "gift" of some kind for our journey. Ex. Dudley gave us dufflebags and Tara gave us a model of an ancient Chinese cooking vessel. Our Commander in Chief did not give us a gift upon demand but rather took the weekend to mull it over and came back with a travel guide to roadside oddities. Ch'nel and I were touched as our Fearless Leader had done this trip numerous times and we assumed that this was the book that he had used in his travels. Wrong, he picked it up at a flea market. Oh well. We opened it to find an inscription. How sweet! El Capitano had written us a note! Nope, this was a note addressed to "Doug, Susan and Auggie" and suggested that they use the book for all the adventures that they would have "now that they were a family". 

This fascinated us. Who are Doug, Susan and Auggie and what circumstances led to them becoming a family? After a long debate we decided (read: I decided and refused to hear any other possibilities) that Auggie was Susan's 8 year old son. Susan had just married Doug and Mid (the giver of the book) was hoping that long road trips were just what they needed to solidify their blended family. Auggie is a quiet boy, toe haired and a little doughy, but by no means fat. He is introspective and while he doesn't contribute to conversation that frequently, when he does it's surprisingly deep for an 8 year old. He's also a fan of cows and is able to tell even the slightest difference between breeds. He is excited to finally see these cows in real life. 

Long story short, he is a fantastic road trip buddy. We are going to travel the country with Auggie's book and Auggie's sense of adventure. We are going to see the things that we had previously only read about in books. Sometimes we'll trek through parks and cities but we hope we'll be just as satisfied watching the countryside go by as we drive along. Hence...Travels With Auggie. 

This blog will be a joint effort by myself and Ch'nel. I will monitor it to make sure that Ch'nels entries aren't funnier than mine, yet funny enough to keep everyone laughing. Internet access will probably be spotty but we will update as often as possible. I often felt guilty updating a frequently as I did with my Ireland and Senior Year blog however with only a 5 week timespa and such a diverse subject matter we'll have to squeeze in a lot. 

I'm not going to lie, this blog will be aimed at those who read it. If I know you're reading it, I will tailor it to what I think you will find interesting or funny. Maybe we'll take a picture of a sign with your last name on it, or a rock that looks like you. Long story short, let us know if you're a reader. Let us know what you want us to look out for. Again, there is no room in the car, but we still want you along for the ride.

So remember the date! September 15, 2009. From that point on this blog should be your homepage. Check it everyday, check it multiple times a day, I will not judge if you check every hour. We definitely won't be updating every hour, but it would make me happy if you at least checked. We're beyond excited for this journey and we hope you're excited to come along with us.