Across the Country - 2009

The Civic Shuttle

This post is about 6 months late, sorry. The greatest roadtrip of my life was quite a success and the fantastic little car that made it all possible is to be commended, old Honda’s are the best!

See all the photos on Flickr

The New River Gorge

In total I was gone for over 7 weeks and drove over 7,500 miles! I saw parts of the United States I had never been to before and came to appreciate the places I have been all my life. Traveling, especially alone is something I think everyone should experience at least once in their lives. You gain confidence, helps you become a better problem solver, and learn alot about who you really are.


View Cross Country 2009 in a larger map

Of course the trip began with the flight to North Carolina where I bought a 1986 Honda Civic Wagon with about 180,000 miles on it. My first car was a 1987 Civic and so I was familiar and confident in these old cars. After making a loop in the North East seeing friends and checking out awesome places like the New River Gorge I drove home to Texas and took about a month to plan the next leg of the trip.

California
My goal for the entire thing was to stay on the road however long felt right and always choose the scenic route. I drove through many desserts, high mountain passes, forests, and amazing coastal roads. It was wonderful to see alot of family and friends that I had not seen in years, and I made more new friends than I can count! Every hostel I stayed in was a fantastic experience, one I wish more American’s would take advantage of.

I got to experience the horrible city of Las Vegas, the healthy and vibrant city of San Francisco and everything in between. One of my favorite some towns was Cambria, California. There is a small and charming hostel there, the scenery is breathtaking and the beaches are great, not to mention Big Sur is directly north. I had always heard about how amazing California is, yet I was skeptical it could live up to the hype. By far California was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. From the beauty of Big Sur to the majesty of the Redwoods, everything was amazing in California.

Big Sur

Monterry Aquarium Jellyfish
By the time I got to Portland, one of my main destinations, winter was settling in and I was becoming home sick. So after a great week in Portland I set off with Texas as my destination. I made a few stops, but ultimately drove home as fast as I could. As many amazing places are out there, it all made me appreciate even more the diversity and uniqueness of Texas. I chose the settle down in Fort Worth because it is a city that still has a small town feel while still offering everything you could want in a city. Fort Worth is also on the verge of becoming a really amazing city, if things continue as they are it will be able to rival places with reputations as high as Austin and Portland.

Me on a Redwood Tree
I want to travel more now than I did before and I hope that my trip will inspire you to do one of your own. Come visit me in Fort Worth!