So I’ve been nattering on about going to Peru on here. That’s still a trip I want to take someday, but I decided it would be extravagant to buy a house and go on a big vacation in the same year. It’s cheaper and just as fun to do something else I’ve wanted to do for a long time–go on a cross-country road trip.

Here’s our potential route, Southern first, then Northern:

We would spend roughly a day in each state, with the exception of Texas–too big to do in one day–and Kentucky–we would stop and see Kyle’s family for a few days. Since we can’t see the entire country, we decided to concentrate on the South, and will be making a nosedive to New Orleans, and then up through Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, and back along the North.

This way, by the time I get ready to do another big trip, I’ll be over my “airplanes are a pain in the ass” mode, and will be more open to flying more than 10 hours.

We are going to be winging a lot of this. Few or no hotel reservations, just drive and stop whenever. I know how boring parts of it will be. But here’s the thing: We plan to be completely wired the entire time. As long as there will be cell phone coverage, we will be on the Internet and e-mail. We may even have a GPS with us. I’ll have books on tape and knitting and my laptop. We’re getting one of those coolers that plug into the car, so we will have snacks. It will be an adventure, Jack Kerouac style! (Only in a car with the Internet.)

Some of the things I plan to visit on my trip:

Las Vegas
The Georgia O’Keeffe museum in New Mexico
Aztec ruins in New Mexico
Austin, Texas
The Texas Conspiracy Museum
New Orleans
Faulkner’s house in Mississippi
Kyle’s family
Memphis, Tennessee
Graceland
Hannibal, Missouri (Mark Twain!)
The Rocky Mountains
Salt Lake City
Some park in Utah–maybe Zion?

Any other suggestions of what we should see? In particular: Is there anything to do in Kansas?