This video is a bit random, but I think you’ll like it. Megan pretty much stars in it and I do some commentary. The random girl in the middle with the fish, that’s my friend Angie & Chris’s daughter Grace.
There are many more videos coming. Megan has shot nearly 3 hours of video in two days. There is a lot to sort through still.
Megan and I are safely tucked into a hotel in Tulsa, Oklahoma. So far it has been an awesome trip. We’ve covered about 1100 miles. Both of my passengers are doing great. Megan is passing the time by playing with the video camera, making signs for her window, and learning all about the license plate game. Stoney is passing the time by sleeping. We’ve turned the passenger seat area into a dog bed and he seems to be comfortable. His favorite part of the trip so far is rest areas… lots to smell.
There is lots to show and tons of video to produce. Megan has taken more than 150 video clips! Since we’re going to shack up here for a long morning (they have a pool for Megan) I’ll be working on getting as bunch of videos to time their release over the next several days. If you subscribe to my YouTube feed you won’t have to wait. But you know you like suspense.
Not “live” enough for you? Head over to my Twitter page and get up-to-the-minute updates from me every 15 minutes or so.
The trip begins in just two hours. Everyone is still asleep at my in-laws house but I’m wide awake. Go figure. There are a couple pre-trip things I thought were worth mentioning.
#1 Travels with Charlie. If you’ve never read the Steinbeck book which this trip is named after you should check it out. Travels with Charlie: In Search of America is a classic.
#2 Participate in the journey. You can track our journey here. The best way to get in contact with us on the trip is by leaving a comment. Through the magic of mobile internet I’ll get your comment pretty soon. Feel free to ask Megan, Stoney, or Adam pretty much anything about our trip. We’ll either comment back directly on the blog or in a video. I can’t guarantee I’ll answer any emails during the trip.
#3 Track our progress. Follow me on Twitter and I’ll be posting a lot about the trip in 140 characters or less. Also, I’ve started using Bright Kite. So if you use that you’ll want to friend me. But if you don’t, my Bright Kite updates appear on my Twitter feed. If we follow one another, just remember that the best way to contact me on the trip is to leave a comment. I’m going to try to minimize my “driving while twittering.” Twitpics are another story. I tend to do that while I drive.
#4 Meet up. Check out our route. We’re still open to meeting up with people along the way. Again, a comment is a great way to make that happen. I’ll contact you via the email you leave in the comment dialogue.
#5 Videos. Megan and I will be making daily videos of our travels. I can’t guarantee a regular broadcast schedule or anything like that. Nor can I guarantee what will be on them. But if you know me, you know they should be fun.
#6 Today. In just a couple hours the first leg of our journey begins. This takes us out of Michigan, through the left half of Ohio, bisecting Indiana, and landing on the eastern shores of Illinois.
Bon voyage!
So here is the itenerary of my trip to San Diego. Of course, it’s a little odd to write about a trip to San Diego when I’m currently sitting in a hotel room in San Diego but let’s just pretend prepositional phrases don’t matter, OK?
Sunday: Detroit to Terre Haute, IN. Having lunch in the Cincinnati area with Angie and Chris before bisecting Indiana like a carrot. We’re spending the night at my friend Gene’s crib. Should be fun.
Monday: Terre Haute, IN to Tulsa, OK. This is mucho state day. Kicking it off with breakfast in Vinncennes, IN with my grandma. Then we’re blowing through Illinois, coasting across Missouri, waving at Kansas, and trekking into Oklahoma for dinner with PK in Tulsa. Anyone want to meet up in the St. Louis area?
Tuesday: Tulsa, OK to Albuquerque, NM. Other than lunch with Len in Amarillo, this is a quiet day as we drive into brownness. It’s days like this that we’ll be having fun exploring stuff.
Wednesday: Albuquerque, NM to Las Vegas, NV. Originally I was going to try to make it to San Diego on Wednesday. But it’s about 750 miles and unless the Camry drops into a stealth mode and we can drive 120 all day, I just don’t want to go that far. Plus, kicking it with my mom in Vegas sounds like fun. Maybe we’ll take Stoney for a walk on the strip?
Thursday: Las Vegas, NV to San Diego, CA. The home stretch is only a 5 hour drive. Should be a good time as we finally drop out of the brown and start to see the greenish that is San Diego.
Of course, we’re documenting this trip with a combination of video, pictures, stories, and “other media” to be discovered. Megan and Stoney are ready, are you?
Get all episodes of Travels with Stoney by subscribing to my RSS feed or subscribing to my YouTube channel.
Megan and I are very actively planning our our trip. We’re still looking for a place to say in the greater Albuquerque area. We’ve also determined that we’ll be stopping at the memorial of the Oklahoma City bombings. Check out our trip and feel free to suggest a stop for us.
One thing that is going to make our planning a little easier is for you to tell me how you’d like to follow out journey. Do you want me to write stories? Post a ton of pictures? Make daily video blogs? So take a second to vote and let Megan and I know. Stoney doesn’t care.
Every once in a while I come up with an idea that is crazy enough to try. This is one of those.
On August 10th, Megan and I will push Stoney (our yellow lab) into the car and leave on a 2500 mile adventure. Together, we will travel through 10 states between Romeo and San Diego. As Megan told me, “This is the adventure of a lifetime.”
You’re nuts! I know, it’s completely insane to travel for four long days with a 7 year old and my dog. But let’s be honest, how often in life do you have the opportunity to share an adventure with your kid? Never!
The cool part? This is a participatory event. You want to meet up with us? Send me an email at mclanea@gmail.com and I’ll add you to the list. (If I can fit it in.) Of course, being that we are total tech heads, this will be a very well documented trip. We’ll blog, twitter, twitpic, and other “tech stuff” all the way across the country. Expect regular video updates too! I hope to meet all sorts of friends, including crashing at their pads, all the way from
Don’t follow me on twitter? This is a great time to jump in and follow me. Tune in here on the website for all the latest.
This is more of a confessional post than anything else. I can feel my travel schedule getting out of control. In 2007, Kristen and I carefully managed our schedule to maximize our time together. It was fantastic spending so much one-on-one time with the love of my life.
Then reality struck back. Here’s a quick rundown of what I’m currently trying to jam into the next 12 months… these are the temptations of a networking-crackhead. A true one-week family vacation. A YMX getaway. Two or three National Youth Worker Conventions 08. Internet Ministry Conference 08. National Youth Ministry Conference 09. Shift 09. Staff retreats, Light Force mission trip, and of course… more family trips. Did I mention that next week I’m headed to a 3 day conference? Yeah.
Every single one of those are good things. Great things! I love every one of these opportunities. I love that at each one of them I get a chance to be a friend to people, learn new things, and hopefully minister. The challenge is that I don’t truly have the ability to travel that much. Every one of those opportunities comes at a cost, doesn’t it? And sometimes the cost has nothing to do with money… it has to do with the time away from family.
I’m not the only person in the world with more opportunities than time. How do you balance it all?
According to a recent Fox news story, the TSA knows that $31 million in items have been stolen from bags since the agency took over airport security. To highlight, here is how it goes down most often.
Three tips for keeping your valuables safe while you fly.
Top 5 TSA Approved Luggage Locks
HT to Boing Boing
This is the perfect example of what our trip (life, marriage, child-rearing) was all about. Kristen is cute and studious taking millions of thoughtful pictures. Adam is the same idiot no matter where he goes. Check out our snaps. And for bonus… here are a couple videos.
