May, 2004 Massachusetts -- West Bound!

I received my National Parks Pass this week shortly after ordering, and it came with a helpful guide/map which shows all the National Parks in the country. It's nice to know that all I have to do aside from parking fees is flash plastic rather than go through the rigmarole of entrance fees at the gate. Costing only $50, it will also save me a ton of dough.

Yesterday I had meetings with my boss, and later the peronnel director at work regarding my leave date. I re-affirmed my last day will be May 13th, and that they should probably start interviewing for a replacement because I'm leaving on the date I gave them no matter what. It went well though, and my boss said he'd be glad to have me back if a position is open when I return. I told him I'm not sure what I will want when I get back, but that coming back was definetly an option I'd consider.

I reviewed my piggy bank, and decided that I will have more than I will need. So I made the decision to purchase a Sony MiniDV camcorder to make some video of the trails, towns, and roads. This will complement the high resolution photos from my digital camera. One of the things I wanted to do with this trip is share the experience with others, which is why I wanted to post the experiences on the web as I go. But that is looking very unlikely, so I might make a webpage when I return, and possibly sell a multi-DVD set of my year on the road to support it. Many people have encouraged me to do it, so I think there is a significant chance I will.

As I mentioned last week, my DSL will be shut off next Friday (4/16/04), so I will be making one more update from my personal computer before tearing it down and rebuilding it in a case that fits somewhere in my van. I will make some updates from our family computer after that time.
<b>Only 34 days left!</b>

Treat that National Parks Pass like it is irreplaceable. Because it is. A couple years back, I bought one at the Badlands in South Dakota -- I was in a rental car and left it (I think) tucked into the driver's side sun visor when I returned that car in Omaha. Someone that rented that fine Mustang convertible after I did prob'ly got an extra nice bonus with their weekend rate! I doubt I had signed the card or anything, so it was definitely "transferable." Anyway, if you lose it, it's gone, along with your $$$ -- so be careful!

Sounds like you're just about ready for a grand adventure!

Wow that stinks big time Bob! I checked the info about passes at the National Park Services' website, and it indeed says that they will not replace lost passes. I'll certainly have to be careful about that!

I also included a picture in the above post of what the 2004 passes look like. Pretty nifty picture. Apparently they have a photo contest every year in which they choose a background for the next year's pass. I may just have to send a few in for consideration when I return! ;)

Just curious if anyone would like to host the pictures I have posted here in this thread. I'm losing my webspace friday, so if no one responds by thursday I'm going to take them down. Total file size is 2.41MB.

Give me an eMail if you do...
- Nick ;)

Woo-hoo! I just purchased a year of Mexican vehicle insurance through "MexPro" for only $183! I can't believe how inexpensive it is to insure a vehicle south of the border. My coverage here is 5x that, and I have a clean driving record (but I'm 22). Just printed out the policy, and I'm insured from now until 4/05. I only plan on visiting Mexico from 12/1/04 until 2/28/05, so I even have a buffer if I decide to enter/exit early/late.
My camcorder should be arriving today via UPS, and I picked up a PCI firewire card to transfer the video onto my comp for editing. That department is looking good.
One of the only things I havent rebuilt/replaced on the van is the fuel lines, so I have decided to bend some up to eliminate that possibility. The ones on it work fine, but they're 14 years old, and while it only costs me $100 to do here, it will cost me $1000 for someone else to do on the road if they should blow. Still haven't built the ladder, but I'm going to pick of the tubing this week to weld one up.
I'm also considering the option of "diversifying" my trip funds into two bank accounts. That way if something happens at one bank (or to one bank account), I have the other to use while I straighten out the first. I'm going to call my bank and get some more advice on this.

Only three days left before my DSL is cut, and I finish packing my room. Things are getting serious ;)

Today is the last day for my phone and internet connection. All posts after this one will have to be made from the family computer when I'm able to kick my siblings off it. I'd also like to point out that my eMail address will no longer function, so please no more eMails. I'm going to get a yahoo address up and running next week and I'll post that up. I also took the photos down from this thread because I no longer have storage to host them. I still have them in a folder on my desktop if anyone would like to host them.

The date is certainly getting closer. They are interviewing for my job at work now, and I should be training a new employee within a couple weeks. I still can't believe I'm actually going to get to do this. Lots of long hours at work (just got off a 15hr shift), and countless hours of preperation.

When I finish with this post, I will be shutting down and taking apart my computer in order to measure up the internal components so that I can make a compact case for the van. I received the new boards so that I can transfer video to my hard drive, and I just ordered some software to do some video editing.

But I'll see you guys next week, or as soon as I can pry my sisters off the family computer ! :)

- Nick

You go brother! I'd like to meet you before you go on your trip! I live near Boston and work out on 495 near Route 2.

Send me an email and we can try to meet up for lunch sometime perhaps!

Good luck!

Well I no longer have a phone or DSL connection, so I am posting this from a family member's computer. I need to get a yahoo eMail account up and running, and when I do I promise to post it here.

I also haven't figured out how to sign myself in so I can post/edit under my former account.

Talk to you guys later, Nick.

By the way, I'm still on track to leaving May 15th. Less than three weeks left of work!

Sorry I haven't posted in so long, but I have been doing <b>ALOT</b> of last minute stuff. I'd like to give you a nice solid update of what I've been up to the past few weeks...

First off, I had to delay my "launch date" 2 days, so I will be heading out Monday morning, the day after tomorrow. I feel like I'm standing at the edge of a diving board, or going to my first day of kindergarten. Yesterday was my last day at work, so now I am officially unemployed. The end savings have totaled $11,500 which is more than I planned on needing. That works out to $30/day plus change. I have all my bills (just my car insurance and dues to a hot rod club) paid ahead a year and a half, so that gives me six months to find a job when I get back home. My boss gave me a hug my last day of work and told me to call as soon as I get back, so I feel fairly confident about my future job opportunities (haha).

The van is all set to go. Yesterday I rotated the tires, greased the front end, changed the oil, topped off the fluids, and checked the tire pressures. I am a bit bummed out that gas has hit $2.00/gal for 87 Octane, but I'm sure I'll be even more dissapointed when I see how much it's going to cost out west. My budget of $30/day includes $20 for gas, and at 35mpg I should roughly have a 350 mile range. But some days I will be driving 500 miles, and others zero, so it won't bother me to spend $30 on gas when I have to.

Today will be spent on the final packing of the van, and tomorrow I will be spending time with my friends and family. Against my wishes, my mother purchased me a cell phone to bring. I've had them before, and find them to be an annoyance. But I'll toss it in the glove compartment to make her happy.

I purchased some basic video editing software from Sony titled "Screenblast", and plan to make a big 'ole video of my year on the road. I will most definetly come back and post when I return, and give anyone interested some more information. It will feature capital cities, national parks, secondary highways, and whatever else I find interesting in a chronological experience.

This being my last post, I hope anyone that is considering doing something similar takes the plunge. I wish everyone the best!

- Nick

Nick,

Bon Voyage! I bet you can find a way to reach the Web on the road... We hope so anyway, it will be interesting to see what you find out here!

Mark