Travel | Nathan Gross

This afternoon, while driving up to Dayton to celebrate Easter with my family and girlfriend, I’ll be passing over the 100,000 mile mark on my Nissan Xterra. Having a job where I work primarily from home, I don’t put as many miles on the truck anymore. So, this 100,000 milestone has been slowly approaching for some time. And, maybe because of that, I’ve thought about it quite a bit. At first, the thought seemed kind of sad—maybe sort of a reminder of the number of miles I’ve accumulated on my own mind body and soul. But a brief comment from my cousin—something to the effect of “it’s really more of a badge of honor than anything”—quickly changed my mindset.

I bought the truck brand new in January 2008. So every mile, except for maybe the 5 or 10 from the factory and dealership, are my miles—and they’ve been some great miles. Nearly 8,000 of them were accumulated in a short span of 33 days driving around the country in 2013—a trip I so vividly imagined during my first test drive.

So, yesterday, in preparation of today’s odometer turning, I gave her a bath. While, drying her off with a shammy, I inspected every ding, dent and scratch and I was reminded of each and every story of how they came to be.

This may all seem silly to be writing about such a thing, but, for me, it has been fun to think back about my last 7 years and how this truck has been a part of them.

Here is to another 100,000 miles!

“We shall not cease from exploration. And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started, and know the place for the first time.”

T. S. Elliot

I’m doing it. I decided a few months ago that this is the year I’m finally taking an extended road trip around the western half of the United States to hike mountains, sleep under stars and gain a wealth of knowledge about myself and my limits. Inspired over the years by blog articles, videos on YouTube and Vimeo, a Ken Burns documentary, and stories from family and friends, it’s all finally coming together.

Why?

For several years I have wanted to and have been talking about taking a road trip to explore the west. I think for a lot of people, to be able to drop everything, pack up and travel is a dream. I have a somewhat unique situation that allows me to do this and I feel the need to take better advantage of it. I’ve gotten a taste of ‘westward ho’ from trips to San Francisco, Austin, and Boulder but not yet enough to satisfy. I have a strong desire to step outside of my somewhat normal and urban lifestyle to go explore the world for a bit. I am also determined to ensure, the best I can, that when I am on my inevitable death bed, the regrets of things left undone in this life are limited.

How?

Simply put, I’m going to pack up my Xterra and drive. To discover solitude and to satisfy the spirit of independence, I’m planning on car sleeping in between destinations as much as possible. I’ll also stay with friends and family when I can. This will help keep the trip’s trip’s total costs down. I have had to purchase quite a bit of gear for the trip. I plan on writing more about it in future articles.

Goals:

To have a jolly good time.
To see as much of the west as possible, while never feeling rushed.
To enjoy the company of infrequently seen friends and family
To meet some interesting people along the way
To thoroughly document this trip

In a recent and exciting development, my mom is planning on flying out to San Francisco to meet me for the portion of the trip that includes Yosemite National Park, driving up the west coast (will likely include portions of CA State Highway 1, U.S. 101 and Interstate 5), Seattle (including Whidbey Island where her brother lives), and possibly Vancouver, BC (if I can get my passport in time).

Some trip details:

Departure:

Cincinnati – May 22nd or 23rd 2013

Primary Destinations:

Dallas (visiting several friends for Memorial Day Weekend)
Grand Canyon National Park
Los Angeles, CA (visit my cousin)
San Francisco CA (pick up my mom)
Yosemite National Park (+ my mom)
Seattle WA (visit my friend along with visiting my Aunt and Uncle (my mom’s brother) on Whidbey Island)
Vancouver BC (if I can get a passport in time)
Yellowstone National Park
Grand Teton National Park
Minneapolis, MN
Chicago, IL

Estimated Return:

Cincinnati – June 23, 2013

Trip Duration:

32+ days

Estimate Trip Miles:

7300 mi.

Number of states:

Travel Vehicle:

2008 Nissan Xterra SE 4×4 (about 20 mpg)

Estimated Fuel Cost:

$1,800

As stated above, I plan on documenting this trip fairly well. If you’d like to follow along, you can check back or subscribe here.

If you’ve done something similar or have any advice, I’d love to hear about your experiences.

Nathan Gross

Livin' the dream.

Category Archives: Travel

100,000 Miles

2013 Epic Road Trip or: Cincinnati to Cincinnati by way of Dallas, Grand Canyon, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Yosemite, Seattle, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Minneapolis and Chicago.