Sparks, Nevada
March 13, 1997
I have wanted to take an extensive vacation and see the all of the 48 contiguous United States in one trip. For a variety of reasons, I had not been able to take this trip previously, but now that I have retired from IBM, after 40 years of service, the time for such a trip is now!
I have made extensive plans for what I want to see and do. The number one objective for this trip is for a driving vacation (I love to drive and see things) and during this trip 'touch' all 48 states. I am not trying to see the best or all there is to see in a given state, but simply be able to say, I saw all 48 states in one trip.
During my trip, I plan to see friends and relatives, sights I have not seen before, and in some cases, sights I want to see again. I plan to stay several days in some locations, but for the most part, I'll just motor along the "Yelavich Road".
Except for one day, no day has more than 200 miles of driving. I'm an early riser, so could cover that in a morning and have the rest of that day and evening to see things at the destination. The destination is not the highlight of every day, because in some cases, the sight I want most to see may be along the way. I like to break up driving into short segments anyway, to avoid road fatigue, etc.
I plan to take video pictures, as well as slides and print film pictures of my trip. When the trip is done, I plan to edit it all down for my viewing and that of my family. If you ever come to Nevada, you're welcome to stop in Sparks and I'll entertain you with hours of pictures, etc.
I will be travelling by myself. I considered buying or leasing a recreational vehicle, but I have chosen to use my 1996 Ford Explorer for its mobility. I plan to stay in inexpensive motels along the way (e.g. Motel 6, Super 8, Days Inn, etc) and budget for around $100 per day. We'll see how that works out. When visiting friends and relatives, I may save on hotel/motel expense, but I'm not planning for that.
In the event, I cannot find accomodation on a given night, I will have my air mattress and sleeping bag, and the back of my Explorer is just the right length with the back seat folded down. I'm not planning on this, but it's a contingency.
The miles per day tends to be very short on the eastern seaboard and longer days in what I call the sky country (Montana, etc). On those days with short driving distances, I should be able to do quite a bit in one day. My attitude, objective, expectation is that if I can see or do one enjoyable thing per day, I will consider my trip a success.
Thanks to Leigh Compton for setting up a portion of her Internet web server and giving me my own web page. For those interested, you can periodically check to see my progress. I plan to have my laptop with me and I will be sending Leigh daily notes for posting to the web page.
I have used reference material from a variety of sources in order to plan this trip. Primarily, National Geographic publications, AAA tour books, and items sent to me by Visitor's Bureaus and Tourist Centers around the country (I sent out over 200 postcards asking for information).
If you have questions or comments about my planned trip, send me a note using yelavich@ibm.net. I'd love to hear from you.
Bob
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