The opposite of stagnant

I've recently been telling my friends I want to buy a van. I have received a "you're out of your mind" look from every one of them. This, however, is no ordinary van. It's a passage to fulfilling a hunger for exploration. People talk about making an intense cross country road trip happen one day. Most of them just end up talking about it. They never get intentional about making it happen. Dodge has a slogan, "Grab life by the horns!" As cheesy as it sounds, this is a statement many need to live by. Well, maybe not all the time, but at least a few times out of the year. If not, maybe a predictable stagnant life would suffice. Can you sense my sarcasm?

Let's talk about the van a little before I dive into the road trip. Of course I'm going to make it look cool. Who do you think I am!? Think about it... 4 wheel drive, bike racks, kayak racks, hammock racks, generator, fully attached electronics system... and more. I really hope I can make this happen. As you can tell, I'm quite excited about it.

I have been constructing routes for the trip to find the most wicked but efficient one. We would most likely start in Memphis and head west... all the way west to Southern California. Sites, camping, and hikes along the way would include the Grand Canyon, Zion (Utah), Vegas, and of course the beach. From there, we would head north, partially along the coast and partially through the mountains all the way up to Portland, Oregon. Once again, camping and hiking along the way include Yosemite National Park, the famous Red Woods, and of course the astounding northwest coast. From this point we will travel even further north into the beautiful British Columbia, Canada. Here we will get the chance to marvel in the beauty of a place we have never set eyes on before. Who knows what we will run into here?... glacier carved chasms, exciting wildlife, unforgettable beauty, etc. From this point, I think it would be appealing to drive back down the east side of the Rockies. You know, Montana, Wyoming, down to Colorado. Stops along the way would be whatever we want to make as long as it involves cliff diving, kayaking, and fishing. The great Yellowstone National Park is a "must camp" spot.

If you have read my previous blogs, you know I took a trip 1/3 of this distance before and it cost me under a thousand bucks. With 4 people going on this trip, the individual cost should not exceed a $1000,... gas and all! At worst... $1500. If all goes according to plan, this will happen in the summer of 2012. So far, Morgan Sanko is the only one that wants to "grab life by the horns." Think about how easy this is... you have a year to save money and plan for a particular event. Don't let a moment like this slip away. You will regret it!