So this is it...I've spent a LOT of time yapping about this trip and how I plan to see the country and start a blog and blah blah blah...but it's finally here.  I'm honestly not entirely sure how to start this...but here goes nothing.

A bit of background to start...I am 27 years old...was born and raised in southwestern Virginia...attended Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, VA...worked in investment banking for two years in Richmond...and spent the last three years working for an alternative asset management firm in Washington, DC.  In August, I will start a three-year joint MBA-MPP at Harvard University in Cambridge, MA.

Despite having traveled to China, I have somehow lived my life never having visited the West Coast (shocking, I know--at least according to my friends who hail from California).  However, I was lucky enough to have an early leave date from my most recent place of employment, and seized the opportunity to hit the road and do something really interesting (well, hopefully several interesting things).  After all, when will I ever have the opportunity to spend two months driving cross country, with no real responsibilities (never entirely true, though I'd like to believe it!)?  I don't know, but those who do tell me it won't happen, and I'm taking their word for it.

So...I plan to take two months on the road, seeing sites and discovering America...and hopefully myself.

My first stop is Asheville, NC, where I plan to meet up with one of my best friends and see the Biltmore Estate and some other local attractions.

Beyond that, I plan to see a lot of places, from Jackson, MS to Vegas to Cheboygan, MI.  My very rough itinerary is here, for reference.  I'll try to keep it updated as I go.

One last thing...I am still figuring out this blogging thing, so I ask the one or two bored souls who are reading this to bear with me...it's definitely going to be corny, clumsy, and occasionally stupid.  I will try hard not to wax poetically or nerd out too intensely.  I just ask that you humor me for a reading or two.  Also, if there are particular things you'd like to hear about along the way, let me know!

Hopefully I'll get the hang of it soon, and have some cool things to share with y'all.

Signing off for now...
DRB