The Badlands

Didn't think I'd make it this far today. Whenever I tell people, "You should go out and see America," what I'm really referring to is the Badlands in South Dakota. After nearly 10 hours of cornfields and pasture, the reward at the end of the road is well worth it.

Back in 2009, my friend Sarah and I arrived here right at sunset. I'm apparently in mountain time now, so there's a ways to go until then. It also promises to be a clear night, and I hope to see at least a few stars.

Long driving day, but the next few days promise to include a bit less time in the car.

There seem to be more people with out-of-state plates in South Dakota then there are people with South Dakota plates in South Dakota. Noodle that one for a while.

Illinois and Iowa

I swung by the Chicago area and saw a friend from grad school, then made the long trek across Illinois and eastern Iowa to see my buddy AJ. AJ is about eight feet tall, and all of his friends are also about that height. Something's in the Iowa water, and that something is making Iowans tall beyond reckoning.

Crossed the Mississippi today. Did you know that the largest college chapel in America is the Chapel of the Resurrection at Valparaiso University in northwestern Indiana? Did you also know that it was on my way, today? Well, it was gigantic and lovely.

Tomorrow, I make for South Dakota.

Ohio and Michigan

I've been through Ohio on I-80 at least two or three dozen times. They need to install some pinball machines or dancing bears or something exciting, because it is, without a doubt, the second most boring road in America on which I've driven. The first most boring is I-90 in Minnesota. I'd describe it to you, but you'd fall asleep, and I can't have that.

In Ohio's defense, the suburbs around Columbus and in the south of the state are beautiful and well worth the drive. I don't know if I'll make it down there this time around, though.

So, onto Michigan. What a beautiful and varied landscape. Forests, rolling hills, sand dunes, and beaches. I camped out on the Lake Michigan beach at Grand Haven State Park. It has a historic lighthouse and sunsets that really can't be beat, no matter how hard you try. It's been very windy, so I had to weigh down the inside of the tent with everything I've packed. I can't risk blowing away to Nova Scotia. At least, not yet.

Downtown Grand Haven is a gem. Not a chain store to be found, it's clean, friendly, artsy, and full of bakeries, restaurants, and olde tyme charm. You'd love it.

My next destination is possibly Chicago or Iowa. Chicago is an easy city in which to drive, as cities go. And as for Iowa, well, it's Iowa. A lovely state in its own right, and vastly underrated.

Having a nice time and meeting some great people. Isn't it time you took a road trip, yourself?

Pittsburgh

First, a stop at Penn State. It was less idyllic than I had imagined, and definitely dominated by the stadium. It's truly as if the place only exists for the stadium and the rest of the university exists as an afterthought around it, as some college football fans might be quick to point out.

After a drive through the countryside, I arrived in Pittsburgh. A visit to Carnegie Mellon was in order, as I had never been and had always wanted to go. It was a pretty urban campus with modern art installations mixed with a bit of ye olde classical architecture. Fun fact: it's difficult to leave a building at CMU once you enter it, not because it's so lovely inside (some admittedly were, including one that had a zebra-themed cafe just aside a statue-lined colonnade), but because every exit sign leads to a dead end with a locked door, and by the time you've made it to that spot, you've forgotten how you arrived there in the first place. Pretty campus, though, as aforementioned.

There are meters in downtown Pittsburgh that cost 25 cents for five minutes. Coming from Sunbury, where 25 cents is worth a solid hour, it really makes one think. Specifically, it makes one think that 25 cents for five minutes is asinine.

It was national free donut day, so I was sure to nab my free donut. My friends Matt and Cathy brought me to a great local roadhouse for dinner. Great to see them.

Onto Ohio and Michigan!

Pennsylvania

PA sure is pretty. My first stop, after leaving one of the most populated cities in the world, was to visit one of its least populated.

Centralia, PA has been a road trip staple ever since my first trip in 2007. It sits on one of the largest anthracite coal veins in the world, all of which happens to be ON FIRE. The government moved everyone out in the 1970s and 1980s, but a few stragglers remain. Every time I go back, more structures are gone, and the woods have taken more of a foothold.

Afterward, I drove through Sunbury, which is a town lost in time. Specifically, I'd say the 1950s. Trolley tracks still run through this quaint downtown burg, and the locals were falling over themselves to tell me local history. Seriously. A dude with a beard about a full meter long came up to me as I crossed the train tracks with my camera and he said, "There's a really good photo of town from the 1930s in the window of that shoppe over there, city slicker!" I made up the city slicker part, but the rest of it is true.

Then, it was off to Dutch country to find a park in which to camp for the night. I settled on Reeds Gap. No one else was staying there, and I had it all to myself. That is, aside from the eagle scout induction ceremony that was taking place, for hours and hours into the evening. How long does it take to say, "Welcome to the eagle scouts. Let's eat"?

I'm off now to Pittsburgh.

NY to NJ

Taking I-78 west toward PA. Centralia's up as destination number one. I can't remember taking the Williamsburg Bridge into Manhattan before, so the gorgeous view of the city really took me by surprise.

Road Trip 2012!

This year's trip will take me through the Badlands, Devil's Tower, Arches National Park, Bryce Canyon, Texas, and the mid-Atlantic. Photos and general tomfoolery will be posted here as fortune and Internet access allow. Thanks for visiting!

Here's my route (it runs counter-clockwise). If you're on or near it, please let me know! I'd love to see you!

Click here for the route!