66 days

66 days! 13,093 miles! Done? On Thanksgiving Eve, I pulled into a driveway in Irvine , CA. Earlier that morning, I left Flagstaff, AZ, on what would be my 66th and final day of this chapter. Riding in solitude, I pondered whether I would actually be finishing my adventure if it were not for this Thanksgiving holiday and my cousins' request for me to join them in celebration. I was conflicted. I wanted to keep going, perhaps turn north again and head toward San Francisco. I also knew that I had to get back to normal life and, you know, figure out what to do with the rest of mine. I needed to get on with things. As long as I was on the road, I was free, delaying the reality of what awaited. I knew that several weeks worth (or more) of catch up was awaiting me when I eventually rejoined the world. I needed a place to live. I needed to pursue my creative endeavors. I needed to stress about the undiscovered country.

Alas, the odyssey is not over. Instead, it is just beginning. From the moment I began this adventure back in mid September, I was planning the next trip...and the one after that. Though the next odyssey will not begin tomorrow, it will begin soon. The more I saw, the more I realized there is to see. The more I saw, the more I wanted to see. The more people I met, the more people I wanted to meet. The more I learned, the more I wanted to learn. We are an beautiful and incredible country!!

My video recordings that are posted to this blog cover only the first half of the trip. As I get settled back into life here in California, I will be posting the second half of the trip on this site. So, just because I am done does not mean that new material will not continue to be posted. Stay tuned.

Thank you to all who I saw and visited with along the way. My life is enriched by my personal relationships with all of you. Thank you for your continued support and interest in this trip.

-Joel

McConnells, SC

Me, dancing with Jean Wheeler, organizer of the Marine Corps League Birthday Ball that I attended last night. She is a fabulous dancer and wore me out...she's 70!!!



I'm currently in McConnells, South Carolina visiting my aunt and uncle. The three of us danced up a storm...I, in a borrowed suit!! Tomorrow, I'm heading to Florida!

This is a short clip of my aunt and uncle dancing to Somewhere Over the Rainbow last night. It was taken by my digital camera and therefore not as clear as my former videos. But it's still beautiful!! It's dark and may only show well on certain monitors. Let me know if you have trouble seeing it.

More videos coming soon!!!!

Yellowstone

Alright- the second video posting of the day (be sure to scroll down to see the other).

After we left Little Big Horn, we camped at a truck stop off I-90 in Montana. The next day we rode through Yellowstone with the overall goal of seeing Old Faithful and getting out of the park before the sun went down. So far, Yellowstone was the coldest part of the trip (and I was just in Boston two days ago!!). Ultimately, I decided after this day to turn south and east. I was cold until I was in eastern Colorado and out of the Rockies.

Hope you enjoy....

Little Big Horn

Hey all,
To catch everyone up, I just finished spending a few days up in Boston and Connecticut visiting a cousin and some friends. I'm now back down in Delaware and will be headed to Arlington, VA tonight to see an old Marine buddy. But first, lunch in Philly with my uncle.

Here is a video from my visit to Little Big Horn from three weeks ago. It's by far the longest video (around 9:45) and as such has gone against my better judgment of keeping each clip between 5 and 7 minutes. Please let me know if the length detracts from the entertainment value; I hope it doesn't deter you from watching it!!

More coming...

Rushmore

This is the third video of a long line (I still have several more at various stages). Be sure to scroll down to see the two from yesterday.

This one is of Mt. Rushmore. The guy I'm with is Brad from Vancouver. He and I met outside the Badlands and we traveled together for a few days before parting ways in Idaho.

Again, to alleviate any confusion...I'm currently in Delaware with my brother. I'm heading up to Boston today to see several people.

Black Hills

Okay...second video post of the day. The reason this one took me so long is because I had a specific piece of music in mind. Unfortunately, I didn't have the piece of music with me and it took forever to find it and incorporate it into the video. My loss of momentum in posting videos is due in part to not finding this piece of music for so long. Hopefully, you find that it was worth the wait.

I'm also experimenting with higher quality videos. The trade off, of course, is that computers may or may not be able to keep up with the buffer. Recommend you close all other applications before trying to play this. Please let me know what you think of both the quality and the music selection. I'm not sure how much quality is sacrificed when uploading to YouTube.

For those interested, the music is by Michael Nyman and it's called Musique a Grande Vitesse. The label is Argo. It's my favorite modern classical piece!!
Take care,
Joel

Wounded Knee

Alright, I know it's been a while. So to catch everyone up. I'm currently in Delaware with my brother and sister-in-law. Shortly, I'll be heading up to Boston to visit some more folks. I left Louisville a few days ago.

This video is from Wounded Knee. After getting out of the Badlands in SD, I found a museum for Wounded Knee. I was so intrigued by the exhibits that I rode the 90 miles south to the site of the massacre. I'm glad I did it.

There are many more videos to come. Stay tuned.