Ladies and gentlemen, I have traveled quite a bit. I have circumnavigated the world, crossed this great country and feel that the only way for me to keep up my happiness is to keep traveling. Sure, I can stay put for a while, but eventually I will need to go. Doesn't matter to me if it's by myself or with a friend (or a partner, fingers crossed), but I need to do it.
Since funds are low, that means that the travels have had to stop and I am slowly going stir-crazy. When I first got to LA, I traveled the city, but I've gotten to know a lot of this area, so the mystery is dwindling. During weekends at Scrubs when I wasn't working, I'd sometimes just drive up and down the Pacific Coast Highway for hours just for that feeling of freedom. To see the ocean to my side was a vision of beauty, reminding me of my happy days aboard the MV Explorer. One day, in fact, I just got out along the side of the road to sit and stare and had it not been for a police officer, I'd have done it all day.
You see, I was raised near the shore, so that's always had nostalgia for me.In fact, I was at the shore about two weeks after I was born, if that gives you an idea of how young this addiction began. I, a chubby newborn, would sit on the beach and I was just in a glorious mood. If you add in the fact that the shore trip was a departure from regular life, you can see why my trips to the PCH make me happy.
But even that's not enough now. So, I've devised a plan and I'd like to share it with you. When I first came out to California, I drove across the country with my dad so I could have a car here. However, because I wanted to make good time, I barely stopped except to eat or pee. Imagine that, my first big California road trip, and all I have to show for it is a few thousand miles on my odometer, some shoddy photos and a vague memory of the Will Rogers museum in Oklahoma.
Back to the plan. I want to take a road trip. At some point soon, barring job opportunities, I want to cross this great land again to experience what I missed my first time around. And I don't just want to cruise from coast to coast direct. No, that won't do at all. The starting point is Los Angeles, California and the ending point is Cherry Hill, New Jersey, then L.A. again. Other than those parameters, I just want to see it all. I know I can't see everything across America, but I want to see as much as I can.
I want to sit on the open prairie some day in the early morning and realize that there are some places that haven't changed in a century. I want to feel the lifeblood of America under my fingernails. I want to see the mighty Mississippi River, the Rocky Mountains and all those beautiful girls that Jack Kerouac said live in Des Moines. The big cities of Chicago, Boston, Dallas and Miami and whatever lies between them. I want to see some monuments, but the foremost monumental thing is that I will drive there. I, and hopefully an accomplice, will figure out the routes, the trails, the highways, byways and roads which criss-cross the US and we will find our own way. Should a whim some day take us in an unexpected direction, so be it. That is the point of the trip, as I see it. We need to explore for the sake of exploration.
Before you believe that this is a hapless voyage, I will say there is an ulterior motive for my travel. I am a nerd for many things in this world, but food seems to trump them all. I'm sure my quest will send me on many insane trips to out-of-the-way destinations, but I am assured that it is worth it. I'm beginning to amass a large list of places I might go from Food Network shows like 'Diners, Drive-ins and Dives' and 'The Best Thing I Ever Ate' and if you have any other suggestions, feel free to leave them. I do want to experience this country on my stomach, so any help is appreciated.
What do I hope to learn from this trip? I don't know. I just want to do it, and like the impulsive child that I am, one day it will happen before I get too antsy. This isn't a dream that will remain unfulfilled, too. If I hit thirty years old and still haven't done this trip, chances are I'll just head out on the road and never come back, so you can see my urgency. I feel like I'm being called to the road and I will answer some day. I just need to prepare and see what I can do at this current moment in financial time.
The last order of business is a partner for this grand enterprise. I could use another driver, somebody to talk to and a good friend for the lonesome miles between the coasts. If you're interested in joining, let me know. Until then, I'll be dreaming of spinning odometers on my car, flashing landmarks in innumerable cities and my glorious cross-country plan.
Andrew Gutin
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