T-Minus 10 Hours ‘Til Takeoff

So we’ve said our goodbyes and packed our things.

Bright and early tomorrow morning, we take off for the open road.

As you can see from the map above, our trip out west begins most logically — by driving 10 hours east.

When we finally arrive at point H (Mesquite, Nevada) on or around Memorial Day, we’ll have a week to catch our breaths before we take off for the island of Oahu, Hawaii, where we’ll be getting our hands dirty working on an organic aquaponic farm. But more on that later…

Here’s the rundown of the next 10 days:

A to B: We leave Troy, Mich. early tomorrow morning and drive as fast and far east as we can in a day, ending up in East Brunswick, N.J., where we’ll be staying with some very good Kurlyandchik family friends (see you soon Stella, Eugene, and Anna!) who Katie has never met. Not sure what the plan is quite yet, but I have a feeling we might end up in NYC on Sunday.

B to C: Monday evening we’re meeting up with a bunch of friends I met on my Israel Birthright trip last summer. A whole bunch of them live in or around NYC, and one of them has been kind enough to throw a dinner party at her Brooklyn apartment (thanks Rebecca!).

C to D: Tuesday we take a leisurely drive down the Eastern Seaboard to the rural cabin of the Bowerbirds. They’re one of our favorite bands (if you haven’t already, check out their most recent album, The Clearing). For backing their latest endeavor on Kickstarter, we were offered overnight accommodations in their DIY cabin/studio, dinner, and the chance to hang out with Phil and Beth and their pups.

D to E: From the woods of North Carolina we set our compasses due west (for real, this time) toward Kentucky, where Katie’s paternal grandmother (whom I have not yet met) lives. We’re going to spend a few days with G’ma Jenks and the rest of the Kentucky fam before embarking on the least anticipated leg of the trip…

E to F: We were originally going to attempt to make the drive from western Kentucky to Denver in one day, but then logic got the best of me (finally!). Although we’ll hopefully be refreshed after two full days in one spot, 16 hours of driving is a lot of miles to cover. While it’s not pinpointed on the map above, we do plan on breaking this leg up into two. We’ll find a dog-friendly hotel somewhere near Colby, Kansas, if all goes as planned. The next morning, we’ll drive the additional 4 hours to Denver, where we’ll be staying with another Israel friend (whadup Ben!).

F to G: If we get enough of an early start, aren’t completely wiped out, and feel like dealing with Memorial Day crowds, we hope to stop at Arches National Park in Utah for at least a quick tour and a photo op before continuing on to our temporary final destination…

G to H: …of Mesquite, Nevada, where Katie’s parents will be waiting.

Phew!

Stay tuned for regular updates from the road…

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