roadtrip_overview

The Itinerary

I have 3 days of work remaining before my adventure begins. I thought I’d share an overview of the plans for my trip.First, I’ll be traveling to Eastern Pennsylvania (Reading, to be specific) to attend the wedding of a very good friend and catch up with her and with some other friends. It will be a short trip – leaving Thursday and coming back to Ohio on Saturday – and I’ll be taking my dog Amos along. The major plan for this portion is to spend time with friends, celebrate their marriage and to have at least one (or maybe more) V&S cheesesteak. (Of all the places I’ve lived, I miss the food of PA the most.) This leg of the journey will be 293 miles each way. [Total Mileage: 586]

 roadtrip_overview

Next, I’ll come back home to Ohio. I’ll pack up the Jeep with everything I’ll need for the next month – most importantly, the beagle, all three cats and ‘Rolbak’ my currently 4×6 HF trailer which my dad and I will be converting to a Teardrop Trailer. Then comes the biggest part of the drive – 981 miles from the Cleveland area to Monroe, Louisiana [Total Mileage: 1567 miles] . I plan to spend the majority of my time in Monroe, staying with my dad and step-mom while my dad and I build the trailer. They’ve set aside a bedroom for me where I’ll also house the cats. Amos will be a little more free to roam but only in the fenced area or while on leash since he’s a beagle and … well, he has a beagle’s nose.

When the trailer is done (or as close to it as I can stand), I’ll head east – with the goal of visiting my mom in Jacksonville, FL for Thanksgiving (772 miles). Along the way, I’ve planned tentative stops in Pass Christian, MS to visit my aunt; and possibly in Pensacola, FL to visit my godparents. I don’t have any major plans for JAX other than spending some time with my mom, eating some good food at places we’ve always loved (like the Columbia Restaurant) and visiting the beach. I also hope to spend a bit of time with my cousin and his wife while I’m there.[Total Mileage: 2339]

And then – (whew, that was a quick month) – I’ll head back to Ohio. The last few stops will be completely dependent on how much time I spend at the others. I’m tentatively planning on stopping for a quick visit with a friend in Wilmington, NC and an old high school friend (and her wonderful mother) in Roanoke, VA. After that, I’ll return to Cleveland, my home and my job. Hopefully with a ton of relaxed energy and a joy for life. [Total mileage: 3494 miles]

I plan for my next post to be a little more in depth about the actual Teardrop Trailer. Or maybe it will be about a Halloween wedding. In any case, I’m very excited for this journey to begin.<3 – Ansley