So last time I said I'd tell you some things about my cross country trip and I'd like to start by saying this:

OK, maybe it wasn't like that the whole way, but it was pretty damn close, which means you could set the cruise control at 90 and not think twice about it. The trip was made in a '01 VW Beetle Turbo S with two Chihuahuas (they eventually mellowed out and became friendly and then wanted constant attention.)

The whole trip took about 3 1/2 days. The first leg was from Edison, NJ to Knoxville, TN which took somewhere in the neighborhood 11-12 hrs. Nothing much exciting to see on the way. You're driving through mountains but there's a wall of trees on each side of the highway so there's not much to see. So far it's like a drive to the Catskills only less scenic. We were lucky to find an open restaurant at 9:30 PM. Thanks Applebees.

Next leg was from Knoxville to Oklahoma City, OK. Once you cross the Mississippi River everything immediately flattens out. All farms, pastures as far as the eye can see. So far it still looks like Jersey to me except now it's the Southern part of the State. (OK, not really. Same thing just a whole lot more of it, much bigger tracts of land.) Ran into a swarm of bugs so thick, the splatter momentarily blurred the windshield. Got to town early, had a nice feast on roast beast, roasted pork loins in a horseradish/dill sauce (big emphasis on meat/potatoes, BBQing, grilling animals around here. Cool. We're definitely in cattle country now).

Here a Waffle House. There a Waffle House. Everywhere a Waffle House. Didn't stop at one the whole time just on principal.

Next leg was from Oklahoma City to Flagstaff, AZ. This was a long trip: 13hrs, 2 time zones, over 850 miles. But now things were beginning to look interesting. The cow pastures became not as flat, started to have small streams running through them, eventually giving way to more desert-like red rock formations later on in AZ. Though we were on Interstate 40, really this is historic Route 66 country and the old highway and signs for it's many interesting attractions weave in and out for a good bit of the rest of the trip.

To wit:

That's right, the Largest Cross In The Western Hemisphere! What else would you expect to find in Groom, Texas? (funny page about it)

We also passed the "Cadillac Ranch" - a piece of land with a bunch of old Cadillacs sticking up out of the ground (I couldn't get my camera out in time. See it here).Things are kind of weird and strange in middle America. It begins to occur to me to me people have way too much free time here and I nervously wonder how long it is until we're over the state line and I can breathe a sigh of relief instead of wondering wether or not I'm somehow going to end up starring in my own personal "My Cousin Vinny". Not much to do once we got to Flagstaff; it's pretty much the only pitstop on your way out west if you've come this far. You start to realize just how big the US is when you drive across it.

The last leg and by far the most scenic, Flagstaff to Santa Monica, CA. Western New Mexico was beautiful. Huge red rock formations, the Painted Desert, windy roads into the Mountains of California. Definitely "Big Sky Country". And hot! Triple digit hot! Death Valley hot (we drove through it). When car companies say they've tested their cars in the heat of the Arizona Proving Grounds this is what they mean. If your car breaks down here, get out a shovel and dig yourself a grave 'cause help is a long ways away. Eventually we came upon the Santa Monica Mountains and the air began to thicken with LA smog as we reached the coast. All in all a really great trip. I highly recommend it if you have the time. I have many more pictures that will eventually be posted to the gallery page (right after I post all those other pics I said would be posted. Sooner or later this site will be complete) Here's a cool shot from the plane ride home:

One more thought before I go. I was thinking about what a great invention air conditioning is and wondered who exactly invented it.

All hail Willis Haviland Carrier, inventor of air conditioning!