48stateroadtrip.com

Got sick of studying for the GMAT today (they should just accept my 14-year-old scores), so tried to design a logo. Here’s what I came up with (please let me know what you think):

Then here’s a slight variation:

And this is the other thing I came up with:

So I dunno. I like the first one, with the one significant problem being that it looks like it was designed by a TV station for an election 61 years ago. Maybe that’s not a bad thing.

Added @ 21:40:

A couple more possibilities:

No, I don’t know how I would use a logo if I had one. Probably just get it tattooed on my neck.

bkd

This is only a test.

I figure there are a number of you out there who would like my 121-day road trip to be more meaningful to you, but currently don’t have enough at stake for it to feel that way. So I’m providing odds and you can bet.

Number of Bears I Will Have Seen
0 –> 2 to 1
1 –> 4 to 1
2 –> 7 to 1
3 –> 15 to 1
4 or More –> 3 to 1

Mileage At Which Point I First Utter “Man, This Was a Stupid Idea” (or similar)
Over/Under –> 4,812

Will I Have a Mechanical Breakdown?
Yes/No –> 2 to 3

Number of Comments Received About My California License Plate
Over/Under –> 29

Number of National Parks Actually Visited
Over/Under –> 21 (23 are currently in the itinerary in some way or other)

Number of Times Pulled Over
0 –> 2 to 1
1 –> 3 to 1
2 –> 5 to 1
3 –> 10 to 1
4 or more –> 21 to 4

First Infraction for Which Pulled Over
Speeding –> Even
No Front License Plate –> 3 to 1
Weaving –> 9 to 1
Failure to Stop –> 20 to 1
Field –> 9 to 1

Will I Actually Use My Inflatable Kayak?
Yes/No –> 5 to 3

Will I Actually Use My Bike?
Yes/No –> 7 to 5

Will I Actually Fish?
Yes/No –> 5 to 1

Number of Posts to This Blog  That I’ll Write During the Trip
Over-Under –> 70

Number of Actual Days I’ll Be on the Trip
Over-Under –> 122

State That, Immediately After the Trip, I’ll Say Was My Favorite
Washington –> 5 to 1
Oregon –> 7 to 1
Montana –> 9 to 1
California –> 10 to 1
Minnesota –> 20 to 1
New Hampshire –> 20 to 1
North Carolina –> 25 to 1
Virginia –> 25 to 1
Tennessee –> 30 to 1
Michigan –> 40 to 1
Vermont –> 40 to 1
Maine –> 40 to 1
South Carolina –> 50 to 1
South Dakota –> 50 to 1
Wyoming –> 60 to 1
West Virginia –> 60 to 1
North Dakota –> 60 to 1
New York –> 100 to 1
Mississippi –> 100 to 1
Kentucky –> 100 to 1
Illinois –> 100 to 1
Georgia –> 150 to 1
Texas –> 150 to 1
Utah –> 150 to 1
Field (other 24 states) –> 12 to 1

Site That, Immediately After the Trip, I’ll Say Was My Favorite
Glacier National Park –> 14 to 1
Olympic National Park –> 20 to 1
Boundary Waters –> 20 to 1
Oregon Coast –> 20 to 1
Yosemite National Park –> 20 to 1
USAF Museum –> 25 to 1
Charleston –> 25 to 1
White Mountains (New Hampshire) –> 25 to 1
Natchez Trace –> 50 to 1
Mt. Baker Area –> 50 to 1
Great Smoky Mountains National Park –> 50 to 1
Field –> Even
(This one’s dodgy — the state one is probably better.)

Number of “Click-It or Ticket” Signs I See
Over-Under –> 187

Will I See a Car on Fire?
Yes/No –> Even

Actual Number of Gallons of Gas Put into Tank
Over-Under –> 1,345

Actual Number of Miles Driven
Over-Under –> 21,844

Actual Number of Miles Hiked (Doesn’t Include Walking Around in Cities)
Over-Under –> 480

Should be enough to get things started. Am open to suggestions on other possible wager subjects. Enjoy.

bkd

Not sure how I’ll while away the time on the trip. I’ll be by myself a lot and I’m guessing that one guy at a campsite can only stand to fish/hike/paddle/pedal/whittle for so long. Excepting the stuff I’ll need for those four activities, here’s what I’m thinking I might take, broken down by probability:

Definite

• Laptop
• Kindle

Probable

• Generator (not necessarily entertaining in itself, but would help with other entertainments)
• Playing Cards

Possible

• XBox 360 + TV Screen — Plus: hours and hours of solo entertainment; Minus: could get stolen and I’d have to find a secure, stable place for them to ride while the truck is in motion.
• Baseball Mitt (and Ball) — Just not sure where/when I’d use them or with whom.
• Frisbee/Nerf Football/Etc. — Ibid.
• Firearms — I’m guessing I’ll be driving by some vacant canyons along the way, the kind like we don’t so much have here in SoCal.

Remote Chance

• Rock Band Guitar — Requires the 360; might come in handy at the family reunion in Washington.
• Nintendo DS or PSP — I don’t have either of these and wasn’t all that impressed with the PSP I borrowed, but on the other hand either would be more convenient than lugging my 360 and 24-inch screen along.

I guess that’s all I got. I suppose if I don’t take enough stuff I can always whittle myself a chess set. Not sure when, where, or with whom I’d use that, either. Meh.

bkd

I put together a preliminary packing list a few weeks ago. It’s time to revisit it, I think, but for the sake of adding some visual flair to the site, here’s this:

My hand, posing with my handwritten packing list.

Y’know, since creating this list, it’s occurred to me that it’d be real romantic and cool-like to bring as little as possible. I’m not sure what’s going to win out. I got a few weeks still. Maybe also note that I’m mostly camping on this trip, and hiking. Here’s what the above says (with cross-outs where I’ve altered plan).

• Tent & Footprint
• Happy Sleeping Bag (as opposed to the unhappy one, also known as…)
• Nylon Sleeping Bag (aka, the expensive, lightweight one that I hate)
• Inflatobed/Cot (or both)
• Stove (+ Backpacking Stove?)
• Fry Pan
• Sauce Pan
• Lantern
• Water Jug
• Cooler
• Utensils
• Flashlight
• Hatchet
• Mallet
• Day Pack
• Overnighter Pack
• Rope
• Headlamp
• Knife
• Camera (Point & Shoot)
• DSLR
• Power Inverter
• Laptop
• Kindle (yes, the reading device)
• iPod (yes, the hipsterism-compliance device)
• Headphones
• Earplugs
• Trekking Poles
• Legal Pad
• 2x Pen
• Pencil
• Hike Boots
• Hike Shoes
• Water Shoes
• Flip Flops
• Dress Shoes (I’m going to be having some important meetings at a couple points, hopefully)
• Runnin’ Shoes (I’ll get plenty of exercise without ’em)
• 2x Quick-Dry Shorts
• 2x Normal Shorts
• 1x 2x QD Pants (b/c I may hike on consecutive wet days in tick-infested locations)
• 1x Rain Pants
• 1x Camp Pants
• 1x Jeans
• 1x Business Suit
• 2x Ties
• 2x Belts (one nice, one indestructible)
• Nice Watch
• Parka (this trip isn’t ending till mid-November…)
• Rain Coat
• Tritium Watch
• 7x Hiking Socks
• 7x QD Socks
• 3x Dress Socks
• Long Underwear Top
• Long Underwear Bottom
• 10x QD Underwear
• 4x Normal Underwear
• 4x QD T-Shirts
• 6x 3x Normal T-Shirts (if I need more, they sell these in stores nationwide I hear)
• 4 Long-Sleeve Warm Shirts
• 2x Short-Sleeve QD Shirts
• 2x Short-Sleeve Shirts
• 2x Long-Sleeve Dress Shirts
• 1x Golf Shirt
• Stocking Cap
• Boonie Cap
• Baseball Cap
• Thin Gloves
• Thick Gloves
• Beach Towel
• Normal Towel
• Camp Towel
• Blanket
• First Aid Kit
• Hiking First Aid Kit
• Kayak (Inflatable)
• Paddle
• PFD
• Bike
• Helmet
• Bike Shoes
• Bike Shorts
• Bike Shirt
• Water Bottles (Bike)
• Fishing Rod
• Reel
• Bike Gloves
• Road Atlas

Add:

• Gas Generator
• Blackout Window Coverings
• Fishing Tackle & Box
• XBox & Screen (?)

That’s way too much possibly about right. We’ll work on it.

bkd