Journey Blog
Detailed below are day by day accounts of the entire 'counter-clockwise' journey around the fringe of the lower 48.The trip started out in Vermont, headed south to Boston, then west to Michigan. Leaving Michigan, i headed south to Chicago, then west across the divide until Seattle. Then it was a turn south through Oregon and into California. South through California and then a garage parking of the SmartBeetle for my first trip to Hawai'i....
If you prefer a monthly calendar view, hang in there, it's coming...
- March 06, 2000 | Day 1: The SmartBeetle launches the journey south towards Boston
- March 07, 2000 | Day 2: Harpoon Brewery, Boston to Corning, NY
- March 08, 2000 | Day 3: Corning, NY to Traverse City with a stop at the Rock-and-Roll Hall of Fame
- March 09, 2000 | Day 4: North to Traverse City, Michigan
- March 10, 2000 | Day 5: Second day in T.C.
- March 11, 2000 | Day 6: Third day in T.C.
- March 12, 2000 | Day 7: Headed south to the Butcher farm in Owosso, then on to Chicago
- March 13, 2000 | Day 8: Wisconsin & westward ho!
- March 14, 2000 | Day 9: Badlands & Idaho; Mount Rushmore
- March 15, 2000 | Day 10: The last westward leg. Destination = Seattle
- March 16, 2000 | Day 11: Downhill to San Francisco
- March 17, 2000 | Day 12: St. Patrick's Day in San Francisco
- March 18, 2000 | Day 13: Sonoma & the PCH with Dave Houle
- March 19, 2000 | Day 14: LA Story & south on the PCH
- March 20, 2000 | Day 15: Meeting Greenwald in West Los Angeles, leaving SmartBeetle (temporarily!)
- March 21, 2000 | Day 16: Waking up in Kauai and the Stinky Hippies
- March 22, 2000 | Day 17: Wednesday in Kauai
- March 23, 2000 | Day 18: Thursday in Kauai (days blend together!)
- March 24, 2000 | Day 19: Leaving Hawai'i; landing in Los Angeles (again)
- March 25, 2000 | Day 20: Smartbeetle tries her luck in Las Vegas
- March 26, 2000 | Day 21: Las Vegas with Don & Ilse; on to Arizona
- March 27, 2000 | Day 22: By the time i got to Arizona - Molly Gaffey and friends
- March 28, 2000 | Day 23: Roswell, New Mexico & the Aliens
- March 29, 2000 | Day 24: UFOs, FEMA, Dust Devils the size of Texas and Houston
- March 30, 2000 | Day 25: Houston, the Space Center, selling ENI and New Orleans
- March 31, 2000 | Day 26: New Orleans and 'riverboating' up Mississippi to the Greenwalds
- April 1, 2000 | Day 27: On to Memphis to see the King, then Atlanta to find a queen
- April 2, 2000 | Day 28: Atlanta with Carrie Eubanks and the gang at NETC
- April 3, 2000 | Day 29: Disaster in Atlanta!
- April 4, 2000 | Day 30: Repaired SmartBeetle Skull and on to Charlotte, NC
- April 5, 2000 | Day 31: If i only had a brain - Chicken wing ships me a new laptop
- April 6, 2000 | Day 32: Wake Forest with the Rusin's
- April 7, 2000 | Day 33: More fun with the family & remembering previous ports-of-call
- April 8, 2000 | Day 34: Return to Atlanta (U-Turn!)
- April 9, 2000 | Day 35: Carrie and I do Atlanta
- April 10, 2000 | Day 36: Buckehead and the Butcher Shop with Carrie
- April 11, 2000 | Day 37: Spoof at the Rose & Crown
- April 12, 2000 | Day 38: Leaving Carrie in Atlanta, 29th early Birthday in Wake Forest, then on to D.C.
- April 13, 2000 | Day 39: Washington D.C. with Patrick Tuohey, then on to New York City!
- April 14, 2000 | Day 40: New York City, Ilse, the World Trade Center and Philadelphia with Sugdens
- April 15, 2000 | Day 41: Time in NYC
- April 16, 2000 | Day 42: Giant Gorillas & Donkeys in New York City
- April 17, 2000 | Day 43: The SmartBeetle returns to Boston - amid the 104th Boston Marathon!
- April 18, 2000 | Day 44: Rubbing the Fish in Boston
- April 19, 2000 | Day 45: Boston with Harpoon, Frenchy and Nancy Banks
- April 20, 2000 | Day 46: The SmartBeetle's last leg home - Mass to Vermont via North Adams