For a long time, I have laughed at myself for one of my most ironic traits;

I've spent more of my adult life on foreign soil than my own homeland, and have visited almost as many countries as I have American states.

Don't believe me? Let's check -

Japan, South Korea, North Korea (By a few feet), China, Ireland, North Ireland (Yes, there is a difference), England, Germany, Italy, Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan (Again, by a few feet), and Haiti.

States:
Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, West Virgina, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Missouri.


My previous journeys have carried me to nearly every corner of the eastern edges of the U.S., the longest trip of which was "Tour USA - 2010 Edition" which took me from Georgia through Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, West Virgina, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and returning to my Augusta GA barracks. Sadly, the simple fact is that I have been no further west than Saint Louis, just barely past the Mississippi.

SO, after the grand spree that was Tour 2010, I made my decision, to wait a year, save my leave days, and in June of 2011, I will take a full 45 days of leave. The first 15 days will be spent in OH and PA, a week back home to see my growing neice and nephew, and a week in Pittsburg to attend AC2011. After that, it's a copy of Tour 2010's trip, up into New England and down the East coast again.

However, this time, rather than turning westward in South Carolina toward base, I will instead head south, crossing the Florida line for the first time. Then there will be alot of bouncing about the southeast to visit some friends, and once I hit Texas, it's a beeline for Los Angeles and the West Coast, head along northward to Seattle, and then slinging along the mid-north back toward Ohio.

Of course, right now the Tour is still in it's planning stages. The entire purpose of the trip is to visit friends along the way, and to see monuments and sights I have only read about and seen on a screen. There's alot of stops that are going to be made, far more than what is on that map right now, and while the driving itself is set to take about 5 days in all, I will be using the 30 days of my leave after Anthrocon to take my time and enjoy every one of the 9,000 miles of road.

I've already began to save up for this trip, and honestly, I had hoped to have more saved by now, but more important matters came up. Still, I have every intention of securing myself a reliable little 4-Cyl, to cut back on fuel expenses, and setting out on the road by Mid-June.