Day One

So, driving solo isn't that bad. No backup driver on this transcontinental road trip, through mountain passes, flat farmland, Badlands, peaks and troughs and from ocean to another.

starting time was supposed to be 3:30 a.m. But with folks who take their time, that departure was actually 5 a.m.

I found myself on a familiar route, traveling along I-80, as I had done almost three months ago from the Big Apple with my backseat driver and navigator extraordinaire. Now she will speak her mind and she'll make sure you'll never forget it, like keeping the speed within the state's limit. (Pushing 80 mph on the speedometer will trigger that outburst.) And her navigation skills have been replaced by a GPS device.

But the trees look fuller with their leaves maturing at the peak of summer, and this time I can take my time traveling. I can hardly believe that just three months ago, we made it to Chicago in a day. Today, I just barely made it to (Holy) Toledo, Ohio from New York City.