Just a quickie to let everyone know Meg and I made it safely to our campsite in Eastern Washington State. I am actually writing you from camp, beside a gorgeous river…


What can I say, wireless internet rocks, lol.

The car (and tires) seem to be holding up fine and things feel back to “normal”. We stopped at a Jiffy Lube somewhere in Idaho earlier today for an oil change and everything is in working order. Feels good to be back on the West Coast — I was starting to go through Starbucks withdrawal, LOL. We’ve improvised on the itinerary a bit, and have decided that tomorrow we’re going to head up into Vancouver, Canada for the day 🙂 Yay! I’m so happy that our little adventures on the side of the road didn’t ruin my trip! Just a few more days before I have to go back to “reality”, so I’m determined to enjoy every last second… Til next time!

So we’re about an hour outside of Yellowstone when we blow out my left rear tire. Lovely. I was already cranky, sore, and hungry (major PMS ya’ll), so this didn’t help matters. Immediately called AAA and they assured me they’d have someone out there in 10 minutes, but AN HOUR LATER, still no tow truck (they had jacked up my location and told the tow truck driver I was 15 miles North of Livingston when we were 15 miles South… Aargh!). Now I would have tried to change the tire myself, but we were too close to the road, and the tire was on the traffic side, so I decided to leave it to the professionals, lol. Thankfully a Sheriff showed up and he was the most awesome man and totally changed our tire for us! (We LOVE you Officer Hamilton!!!) I swear, Montana has totally renewed my faith in law enforcement — turns out they’re not all profiling assholes, lol. Anyway, we get the spare donut on, and drive about 20 minutes to the next town, where there’s a Walmart, where I can purchase a new tire. This took another hour, but we got to shop a little and eat lunch, and before we knew it we were on the road again…

Okay, so not 15 miles on the highway with our BRAND NEW TIRE, it blows again!!! I swear, I could not fucking believe it! How many people get two flats in one day! And on a BRAND NEW TIRE! So now we’re stranded on the side of the road AGAIN, calling AAA, and I’m fixin’ to cuss out the folks at Walmart, lol. Well another cop pulled up almost immediately after we pulled over, and the wonderful (and cute!) Deputy Dyk, not wanting us to be stranded for another second, offered to change our tire for us! (We LOVE you Deputy Dyk!) The cops in Montana freakin’ Rock! So now I’m driving back to Walmart, to get ANOTHER tire so we can get to our destination already. I swear, you just can’t make this stuff up people…

They put another tire on there, and I guess everything is fine now because we made it to our hotel in Missoula, Montana without incident. Long, long day. I can’t believe I made it for almost a month on the road, by myself, without any problems, and now all of a sudden the Universe wants to throw every obstacle imaginable at me in my final lap! (I didn’t tell you about how we hit and killed a spotted hawk or owl while driving through South Dakota… Honestly, have you ever heard of a person hitting a bird of prey with their CAR???) Ah well, great stories for the blog and book – that’s what I keep telling myself. Tomorrow we leave Montana, driving through the top of Idaho, en route to our campgrounds in Eastern Washington… I’m so excited to return to the Pacific Time Zone and I’m very excited to be getting closer and closer to home… It’s been a wild and lovely adventure, but I miss my kitties and Devin and I’m definitely starting to get sick of driving, lol. But there is still much fun to be had between now and then, so I gotta remember to stay present and enjoy this last week on the road…

So yeah, I started out the trip with four hubcaps. In Atlanta, I noticed one was missing (I have no idea what happened to it, lol). Lost the second one today when we blew out the tire. But you bet I’m gonna ride it til the rims fall off, and I still got two left…

If there were to be a battle for the bestest National Park in the country, I am convinced that the Grand Tetons would kick every other parks butt! My mouth hasn’t hung open like that since Sedona, and the Grand Canyon ain’t got nothin’ on the Tetons. The mountains, the lakes, and the surrounding scenery were among the most gorgeous I’ve ever seen in my life…

We camped for two days in Colter Bay Village in the coolest little tent cabin. My body was ready for a non-driving day by this point, though Saturday hardly felt like a day off. Meg and I went for a hike around GORGEOUS Jenny Lake that ended up being 6 miles and 3 hours long. The trail itself wasn’t as challenging as trying to keep up with Megan’s pace (the girl hasn’t smoked a day in her life and runs miles for FUN). Needless to say, after we were done, I was exhausted. But it was beautiful and there was an awesome waterfall at the halfway point, and I just love me some waterfalls.
As lovely as our tent cabin was, Meg and I didn’t get very much sleep in it, lol. Apparently the Tetons is very much bear country, so when checking in we were warned that bears are in the area and to lock up all food and food-scented toiletries in the car or bear bins before retiring for the night… Well I was awoken in the middle of the night by some major rustling and slamming in the camp, like a large animal was trying to get into the bear bins. Then I heard the growls and roars of a bear, not at all far away, and could not go back to sleep. I just laid there praying that they did not come after us (I spilled some cranberry juice in the tent earlier). Super scary. Meg totally made fun of me, and was jealous she slept through all the commotion, but she got her fill of wildlife sounds the next night as bear growls and coyote/wolf howls woke her and kept her up. But I still love camping, and our trip was pretty much without incident, so I will definitely be back.

Today we drove through Yellowstone which was cool. Not nearly as pretty as the Tetons, but still very scenic and we got to glimpse some pretty cool wildlife in their natural habitat. Saw a couple of buffalo walking up the road (like they owned it!) and a herd of elk. Very cool. Unfortunately, that was where the fun stuff ended (see above). I tell you, this trip has not been without its adventures!

Well, I almost went to jail tonight, lol. Okay, so maybe its not that funny, but what everyone keeps telling me to focus on is that I did NOT go to jail, and that it will make a great story for the book, so that’s how I’m going to try to view it… I suppose in the grand scheme of things, it could have been much much worse.

But first the fun stuff. South Dakota is just gorgeous, and there is a TON of stuff to do here (contrary to popular belief). Meg and I were so excited to set out on our full day of sightseeing. It’s awesome to have her with me because as I’ve said before — she’s like my chick soulmate. We get along incredibly well, find humor in the same bizarre things, are interested and entertained by the same activities, and can even communicate without words. She’s an awesome travelling companion and her excitement about our adventures really kept me up and going through the long drives and long days. I love having her here with me – she’s an awesome best friend.

We stayed in the CUTEST cabin in Badlands National Park last night. We were just giddy when we finally got a peek at our accommodations after a 10-hour driving day. It was just perfect and quaint inside and out. Got up early, had breakfast and then set off for a full day of exploring.

First stop was Wall Drug Store which is just this massive trading post with everything imaginable inside. (There are a ton of bikes outside because the next two weeks is the Sturgis Rally, a huge Harley convention that brings about 500,000 bikers to South Dakota to commune and party.) She shopped, I tried not to shop, and then we had a blast taking silly pictures in the mini-theme park out back. Then we went to Mount Rushmore, which was a trip. Presidents faces carved into the side of a mountain are most definitely cool.

Then we made our way through the Black Hills mountains which are just GORGEOUS. Meg totally fell in love with South Dakota and I totally will be back to visit her when she does, despite my unpleasant run-in with the Law… Then we set off for Deadwood, the town depicted in the HBO Series Deadwood. That was pretty cool, walking the streets where all this history took place. And after that we visited Mount Moriah Cemetary where Wild Bill Hickock, Seth Bullock, and Calamity Jane are buried. Very cool. Check Flickr for the full set of pictures.

As we were leaving South Dakota, en route to Buffalo, Wyoming where we were spending the night, I got pulled over for speeding. I was only going 83 mph in a 75 mph zone, so I thought the whole fact that I was getting a ticket at all was pretty ridiculous. I thought it was even more ridiculous when the cop informed me that he was calling in a K-9 unit to search my car for drugs. WTF — they profiled my ass cause I had California plate and I think that was totally fucked up. Now when I set off on my trip, I intentionally did not bring anything with me for this precise reason. But when I was in Atlanta, my friend gave me some stuff as a gift. Well, I actually left MOST of it in Chicago with another friend, so what I actually had on me was just one pinner emergency J… But apparently in South Dakota, which has a zero-tolerance regarding drugs, a little bit was enough to get my ass thrown in jail.

(Forgive the cursing, but I just came from fucking Deadwood for fuck’s sake, LOL)

Well after Demo the drug-sniffing dog got through with us, and they went through ALL our stuff (probable cause anyone? Unfortunately I am not well versed on my rights), I found myself in a little bit of trouble. They informed me that they should be arresting me, taking me to jail, and towing my car away, but instead they were going to let me off with a ticket (two to be exact if you count the one for speeding). I suppose I was supposed to be grateful, but I really think they went way overboard on the search and seizure bit considering I wasn’t driving under the influence, driving recklessly, or doing anything really except speeding. The great irony of it all was that I did not see one black person our entire time in South Dakota (that was a first for me), UNTIL I got pulled over and jacked by this BLACK cop. No love, none whatsoever. And he had the nerve to try to chat me up and make small talk like he was my buddy. The white cop with the dog was waaaay nicer.

Anyway, I’m happy to report that I’m not writing you from jail, but from our cabin in Buffalo, Wyoming. Things could have been much much worse, so I’m grateful for that. I’ve never been harassed by the police before, so I suppose this was a worthwhile learning experience and it will make a fantastic inclusion in the book I’m planning to write about this trip. But they don’t fuck around in South Dakota ya’ll.

Well surprisingly our quaint little cabin in South Dakota has wireless internet, so I’m able to blog after all… I’m telling you, my luck on this trip has just been outstanding.

Where did I leave off – oh yeah, my day and a half in Chicago. Chicago is HUGE. I’ve never seen a city this big — I swear you can fit 3 downtown San Francisco’s in Chicago. Huge skyscrapers punctuate a gorgeous skyline, with a river running through the middle, and bordered by Lake Michigan. As far as cities go – this one has a lot going on. Almost too much going on.

I experienced many epiphanies and moments of clarity on this trip, the main one being — I am a country girl (as opposed to a city girl). I love love LOVED the South, and miss it terribly already… But in the bustling metropolis of Chi-town, I was just overwhelmed. As much as it had to offer – I could never live there. Too much congestion, too many people, and I find high-rises terribly unnatural, lol. I’d take a lonely country road and 37 acres any day over the bright lights of a big city. So while it was a nice visit, Chicago didn’t wow me the way The South and Florida did.

But I still managed to enjoy myself immensely. I stayed with my good friend (and kindred spirit) Corey, and his girlfriend Kristina. It’s awesome to be introduced to the city by locals (well, technically they’re transplants, lol) because they know all the good places to go to eat, which we did a LOT of. Amazingly delicious food for dinner both nights and a grubbin’ breakfast on Tuesday. It was incredibly restful and relaxing, and quality time with a dear friend who truly knows, loves, and understands me is just priceless. It was also great to spend some time getting to know Kristina (who I really like!), and see that Corey is in very good hands. Cause he sure is a handful (sorry, couldn’t resist that one Dr. Capers!) 😉

Swooped Megan up in the evening, and after a long night and then a long day of driving, we made it safe and sound to South Dakota just after sunset. Gorgeous country out here. More on our adventures in South Dakota later, cause its late and we have a full day of sightseeing ahead of us tomorrow. But I’m having the time of my life ya’ll!!!

Hey Folks… Just a quick update on my status/whereabouts for you chronic worriers out there 🙂 Picked Meg up at the airport at 11:30pm in Chicago and we immediately hit the road to try to shave some time off our ridiculously long driving day tomorrow. Currently we are somewhere in Wisconsin, getting a few hours sleep (its 4am) before setting off for South Dakota. We’re entering the camping part of our journey, so I may not be able to get online as much as I used to, but I promise to post updates on our travels as often as I can. It is so AWESOME to have Meg here with me — we are gonna have a blast exploring the gorgeous scenery in this part of the country! But first, gotta try and catch some zzzzz’s….

My visit to Nashville, TN, the country music capital of the world (yeehaw ya’ll!) was AWESOME. The cowgirl in me really needed and appreciated this stopover, and it is a city I will definitely be back to visit.

I got in around 3pm and hooked up with Iris, Mary, Colleen and Mama Karen for lunch. I gotta say — I really love hanging out with these women. It was great to have a posse to explore the city with. Iris and Mary were kind enough to let me crash in their hotel room (thanks again SO MUCH for everything!), and around 7pm we headed down the the Gaylord Entertainment Center for the concert. Thanks to a McFriend named Paige, I was able to see Tim and Faith again from the 3RD ROW Saturday night, and it was incredible. I swear, every time is like the first time – there is no such thing as too much Tim… The seat was slightly better than the one I had in Dallas, the energy inside the arena was incredible, and it was so cool to be watching Tim and Faith perform on their home turf. Not something I ever thought I’d do, that’s for sure. Definitely a night to remember.

This show was also crawling with McFriends, and I got to meet a whole bunch of new folks from the Board and the Zone, including Janet (aka Granny J) who I just respect and admire so much… Then after the show, a large group of us headed over to Coyote Ugly…

For those that don’t know, Coyote Ugly has a reputation for hot, scantily-clad bartendresses with a penchant for dancing on the bar. Well in this club, all female patrons were encouraged, no, ordered to hop up on the bar and shake their tailfeathers. And damn near everyone did! I tell you, the bar at Coyote Ugly is magic – all one has to do is hop onto it and you’re instantly converted into a lesbian with a sudden urge to make out with all your friends, LOL. It was sooooo freaking hilarious I can’t even tell you. Colleen got to live out her secret stripper fantasy while Mama proudly looked on (LMAO!), and I was just cracking up the whole time because it was all too, too, wild. Here are the girls getting their freak on, and no, I did not join them up on the bar. Someone had to stay on the ground to document the debauchery 😉


Colleen, Karen and I made it home somewhere around 2am, laughing the whole way… I can’t wait to see them again in LA and Vegas 🙂 I am so happy I decided to go to this show and meet up with them – I could not have partied like that by myself, lol.

Spent yesterday in St. Louis, having enjoyed a wonderful visit my dear friend Carolina. Carolina is one of my favorite friends, and it was awesome to catch up and recharge once again. I only wish I could have stayed longer (a recurring theme this trip). Currently I’m in Chicago, having a wonderful visit with Corey the Kindred and his lovely lady Kristina. The 3rd leg of the tour officially begins tomorrow when Meg flies out (YAY!!!!) and we officially start heading back to California. Three weeks down, two weeks to go folks! I can’t wait to see what adventures this final leg brings!

Relax — I’m not referring to a crash in the automobile sort of way, lol. I’m talking about 20 days on the road finally catching up to me physically…

Let’s face it – I’m not in my 20’s anymore. I’m thirty years young and just can’t hang like I used to in college. Can’t drink like I used to… Can’t stay up late like I used to… Can’t survive on coffee and cigarettes like I used to… And today my body decided it was time to smack me upside the head and remind me of that.

In this alternate universe I’ve been living in the past few weeks, my “job” has been to drive. Get up early, pack up, and hit the road for an average of six hours a day. Don’t get me wrong – I’m not complaining. I love to drive and I’ve been having a blast out here. But I’m getting to the point in my journey where the driving part feels like a “job,” and after 4 straight driving days since leaving Jackson, I was really ready to come off the road. Atlanta is a 2-day stopover, so I didn’t have to drive at all today. It was like having a day off work, and I treated it as such.

I had such ambitions for what I wanted to experience in Atlanta — this is a great, huge city with tons of stuff to do and see. Stuff of great interest to me. I got in around 9pm on Thursday night and was treated to a queen’s welcome by Berhan – a good friend of me and Bill’s from college. Once again, this southern hospitality thing is wonderful, and it’s kind of wild to have men all over the place bending over backwards to attend to my every need (Baby, you were right – I have to raise that fucking bar, LOL). He had cold beer waiting, a clean towel so I could shower, a huge comfortable bed to rest in… Awesome. After we hung out and caught up, I showered and we headed out to meet up with his cousin and another friend from college, Benito. So nice to hang out with these guys, share my adventures, and reminisce… It was very chill and I got lots and lots of material for my book. But about an hour into the kickin’ it, I felt myself starting to crash…

Benito and I went out to get some dinner (I was hoping food would perk/sober me up), and had more laughs and great conversation, but I was still fading fast. All the peeps back at the house were gearing up to hit the strip club (which under normal circumstances I would have been all over), but I was just out of gas. I had to call it a night.

Still didn’t get home and into bed until after 2am, lol, but the next morning, when it was time to get up and explore the city, I could not move. My limbs were heavy, my eyes were droopy, and it soon became clear that I wasn’t going anywhere. I slept until noon, layed in bed until 1pm drifting in and out of consciousness, flipped on the TV at 2pm to watch soaps, laid in bed watching TV for another 2 hours, and then finally dragged myself out of bed at 4pm to take my ass down to Jiffy Lube to get an oil change… EXHAUSTED. Needless to say, I wasn’t able to see much of Atlanta at all. 🙁

I did meet up with James Reid from the Black Writers Conference for dinner, which was GRUB, complete with southern hospitality (he even opened my car door for me! Sweet!). Once again, I love hanging out with my writer friends, and that was the best shrimp linguini I’ve ever had. But after a full meal, the ‘itis’ set in, and I was ready to go back to bed… Oh well.

Tomorrow I head off for Nashville, where I will be seeing Tim and Faith in concert again. I managed to find a McFriend who had a 3rd row ticket she needed to get rid of (thanks Paige!), so I rearranged things so I could attend the show. Serendipity ~ I’m telling you, stars are just lining up! Can’t wait to see Iris, her aunt, Colleen and Mama Karen again too! 🙂

Okay, heading off to bed. Long, exciting day ahead tomorrow…

Well this has been yet another WONDERFUL day of missions accomplished… I swear, the stars have just lined up for me on so many levels that I can hardly believe it sometimes. I’ll be driving down the road, and remember some random adventure from the day before, and the hugest smile will spread across my face… Just cheesin’ it up, all alone in my car, until I break out into a random laugh at how GOOD life has been to me lately. This is, hands down, the BEST summer of my Life…

Today marks the official halfway point of my cross-country journey… I left California on July 7th and have been on the road for 19 days. It seemed only fitting that today would be the day that I would immerse myself in the warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean, signifying my official arrival on the East Coast…

First of all, I must say it again, I FREAKING LOVE FLORIDA! I am so glad I decided to take my Atlantic dip in Jacksonville instead of finding a beach further north in Georgia. The beaches were white, the water was warm, and I swam for an hour just in awe of the beauty and the almost tropical climate… The stretch of beach I was on was sheer heaven, practically deserted, and I had quite a moment with myself floating in the blue water, marvelling at how far I’ve come…
To quote my man Keith Urban “There ain’t no doubt that God’s been good to me…”

Made it to Savannah, Georgia by early afternoon and had a blast driving/walking around this Gorgeous town, taking a grip of pictures… I’m telling you, after the houses in Santa Cruz, Hawaii, Sedona and Florida, I’m getting me a spot in Savannah…
The trees are huge, majestic and draped in moss… The majority of the downtown area is dotted with these charming little parks and squares, each with their own monument… And the historic Antebellum and Regency houses paint a picture of the South I longed to see… The beauty, the charm — it took my breath away. Strolling through the cobblestone streets, I really felt like I’d stepped into a time machine and gone back 200 years. (Meg, I wish you had been here – you would have LOVED it!) I was so awed and inspired by the beauty that I’ve decided I’m naming my second daughter Savannah, after this gorgeous place…

11 States in 19 days people… It’s wild… And tomorrow, after a quick stop in Charleston, South Carolina, I head out to Atlanta, where the playas play… I suppose I’ll fit right in then, eh? 😉

Today was the best day on the road I’ve had since the Nudist Hot Springs in Colorado, lol. I decided to leave New Orleans a day early because of bad weather (torrential rain), lack of stuff to do (it’s just not the same ya’ll) and an overall vibe of not feeling “safe” (it didn’t help that I seemed to end up deep in the hood whenever I decided to improvise on my driving tour, LOL). So I checked out of the hotel early, picked up a beignet in the French Quarter (YUM!), and set off for Florida…

On the way to Florida, I decided I wanted to tour the Gulf Coast… Man, Eastern New Orleans looks a lot worse than downtown New Orleans did. Just a ghosttown with empty buildings and broke down houses all along I-10. But I didn’t glimpse true total devastation until I got to Gulfport, MS and Biloxi. Oh my God. Most of the media coverage focused on New Orleans, but Gulfport was the true epicenter of Hurricane Katrina… And I’m sad to report that Katrina completely LEVELLED that town…

All I saw along Hwy 98, what I imagine used to be a gorgeous coastal town, was wreckage and empty lots. All the homes were gutted and blown out, all the businesses gone. But for some reason, many of the signs remained, marking what USED to be there. It was creepy. You know its bad when even the rich folks aren’t bothering to rebuild. Huge mansions and upper-class neighborhoods, what used to be prime real estate, and its just been destroyed… I looked into the shells of vacant apartment buildings, windows all blown out, and furniture still sitting in there almost a year later… I can’t even imagine what it looks like in the more impoverished areas. Broke my heart.

I know the World Trade Center bombing was bad, but I really think Hurricane Katrina was the most destructive thing to ever hit U.S. soil… God Bless the Gulf Coast…

After that, I continued east through Alabama and into Florida. I LOVE FLORIDA!!! Oh My God – if it wasn’t hurricane territory, I would move here! Florida wasn’t even on my original tour itinerary, but when John and I were at a drive-thru Starbucks in Colorado, we got to chatting with the woman serving us our coffee, and when she heard I was on a cross-country road trip, she told me I had to stop in Destin, FL. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but filed it away… A week later, Cousin Doug also suggested that I stop in Destin, FL. That’s two plugs — had to be Fate, right? So here I am driving along, pointing my car in the direction of Destin…

Goodness was Destin beautiful! White sand greeted me the second I got within the city limits and I immediately pulled over at the first beach I saw. Got out, took a swim in the warmest, clearest water I’ve ever seen, and just felt so happy to be swimming in the ocean on a sunny day on the coast of somewhere beautiful… I had a wonderful, spiritual “I am so blessed” moment, and then all of a sudden I hear the Rascal Flatts song “Me and My Gang” floating on the breeze.

I turn my head and there is this guy in a boat parked along shore with the country music cranked up. Nice! Then Faith Hill’s “Breathe” came on, one of my favorite songs, and it was like serendipity… I had to swim over and thank the man for providing such a lovely soundtrack for my swim…

Well we got to chatting, and he offers me a wine cooler, and then asks if I want to take a ride in the boat around the bay… Oh Hell Yeah!!! So I gathered up my stuff, hopped in the boat, and we cruised around for the rest of the afternoon on the open sea talking, drinking, and bumping country music. It could not have been a more perfect day! Mark was so awesome and nice and we had the best time… I swear, it is just one adventure after another… To say I’m having the time of my life is a huge, huge understatement…

Tomorrow I head out to Savannah, Georgia, where I will be putting my foot in the Atlantic Ocean, having officially made it from COAST to COAST. Wild. Just Wild. You just can’t make this stuff up people…