Follow my trip from California to Louisville, Kentucky during the summer of 2008. It had been eight years since I moved from Charlottesville, Virginia to California — it was time to move on, or I was going to have to clean the apartment.

Day 1, July 19, Alameda, California to Canyonville, Oregon

My first day out was to travel through the delta to Sacramento and then on up I-5 to Oregon.

Days 2 and 3, July 20–21, Canyonville, Oregon

I spent the first two days of my relocation staying with my sister, her husband, and his family. They have a piece of property they visit every year, and Penny had been trying to get me up there for years. My relocation happened to coincide with their annual camping trip, so I joined them. It was a welcome break from the stress of moving and gearing up for the new job.

Day 4, July 22, Canyonville, Oregon to Boise, Idaho

The night before, we stayed in the South Umpqua Falls campground. I broke out the telescope and we looked at some double stars, an open cluster, and Saturn. This morning I left early from the campground, heading down the back of the mountain on several miles of gravel road. Wildflowers were in bloom and no one else was out. It set a great tone for the day, as I spent most of it traveling backcountry roads through Oregon and on into Boise.

Day 5, July 23, Boise, Idaho to Cheyenne, Wyoming

I started this day off with the idea that I would try and go through Yellowstone and into the Badlands. As I drove and looked at the schedule and distances, I realized I wouldn't get much useful time in Yellowstone. So I changed my plans and cut Yellowstone from this trip. I decided to push on to Cheyenne, which would put me within easy reach of the Black Hills. It was a great drive — the weather was perfect, not too hot, sunny, and clear. The only problem was that Cheyenne was hosting its annual Rodeo Days so all the hotels were charging about $100 extra a night for a room.

Day 6, July 24, Cheyenne, Wyoming to Hot Springs, South Dakota

I left Cheyenne about 8am and got into Hot Springs around noon. This gave me a fair amount of time to visit Custer State Park and the Crazy Horse Monument. I had another beautiful day that wasn't too hot. Although the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally was still a couple of weeks away, there were already lots of bikes and groups of riders in the area. It's a beautiful region with plenty of wildlife, and this was my second visit.

Day 7, July 25, Hot Springs, South Dakota to Wall, South Dakota

I took another drive through Custer State Park in the morning and then headed for Mount Rushmore. National Treasure 2 was filmed in the Hot Springs and Mount Rushmore area. On my previous visit I hadn't hiked down to the base of the monument, but this time I decided to. The trail to the right, which passes the studio and other exhibits, is the steeper route with several hundred stairs. The trail to the left is much more level. From there I headed to Wall and drove through the Badlands.

Day 8, July 26, Wall, South Dakota to Kansas City, Missouri

Between the camping at the start of the trip and the extra time I spent here in the Black Hills area, I needed to make up time. There was one place on this leg that I wanted to visit and that was the Corn Palace in Mitchell. I had seen photographs of this place at the Lawrence Welk Center in San Diego and was always curious about it. Every year they change the murals on the outside. I knew the place was decorated with corn, but I thought it was kernels. It wasn't until I got there that I realized they use entire ears of corn.

This day's drive was long, flat, and straight. The weather was nice until I got into Missouri, where outside of Kansas City I got caught in a thunderstorm.

Day 9, July 27, Kansas City, Missouri to Louisville, Kentucky

The final leg from Kansas City to Louisville was relatively straightforward. There is a time zone change that doesn't help with timing, but the distance wasn't bad. I took I-64 for a mostly straight shot, except for all the construction going on in St. Louis. Illinois and Indiana were a blur of cornfields and long, straight roads. I got into Louisville around 5:00 p.m. and went looking for my temporary housing.