Planning, planning, and planning!

It looked easy. It seemed easy. Just plug in one point to the next, and plan out your trip. But it was so much more than that.
Dad and I spent two hours solidifying the trip.
The first matter - how to get the best friend and I together. Meet in Fargo. Would she come down to Watertown and we'd leave from there? But I94 is faster from Fargo than going south and over. But then we'd be going right back through Bismarck. But Chelsea needs her car for when she flies back from LA to Fargo. Figuring out a plan to begin the trip was the majority of my first hurdle.

I will be driving to Fargo and over via '94, taking hwy 85 south, connecting with I-90 in Spearfish, SD, and then driving farther west to finally hit Buffalo, WY in our first day. Where I pick Chelsea up is TBD - probably Bismarck, as she thinks she will have a relative drive her car out to Fargo during memorial weekend.

My former roommate Jenna will host us for the night - well, her and her mother. We will have lodging for the night, and the next morning we will get up early to leave again as Jenna leaves to teach Kindergarten.

For the next 8 or so hours, Chelsea and I will drive south to south and west to Salt Lake City, UT, home of the Mormon Tabernacle, the 2002 Winter Olympics, and apparently a beautiful peace garden. Hopefully we'll have some daytime left to enjoy some sights before turning into our hotel for the night, which is apparently a pretty snazzy hotel for $60.

The following day will be our longest, as we'll drive from Salt Lake City straight across the desert through Nevada. Making our way through the width of California, Chelsea and I will then head to Sunnyvale, CA, where her great-aunt lives for the night.

Our final day will start with a trip back to San Fran, to drive across the Golden Gate Bridge, see the Full House house, and then take our time driving down the Coastal Highway. We might also stop at the Monterey Bay to see if we can catch a glimpse of any whales or dolphins. From there, it's straight down the coast, driving with mountains, hills, and palm trees on one side, and the ocean right on the other.

Four days. Four long days. Four exciting days. Four days full of driving, best friend laughter, singing crazy songs, sleeping, eating munchies, and simply enjoying each others' company.

It will be four days I will never forget.



Chelsea will then spend through the 31st with me and my aunt/uncle in Ventura, then the evening of the 31st, we'll drive down to LA to spend the night at my friend Deana's...the next morning we will leave at 3:30 am to head to LAX.

This will be an unforgettable experience. :-)