Introductory Note: Prior to our trip, I looked into a number of organizations and established relief projects where we might offer our time, services and technical skills to do on the ground efforts and also assist with building systems to help with future disaster planing and relief efforts. That was unfortunately unsuccessful, and without any defined prospects we excitedly prepared for our vague (but hopefully worthy) adventure!

We started out after work on Tuesday, packing far too many things (mostly snacks) into Perry’s car and got as far as Virginia. One state away and about 5 hours in, we got as far as Blackberg, by Virginia Tech. I was hopping for a cute college town but we were greeted by enormous duck statues in questionable taste and some racial profiling at 2am.

For the record, the officer was amicable and helped us get to a place to stay (it still felt weird…). We found a Super 8 and for about $20 each, the four of us slept until the traffic woke us in time for the dregs of a stale pastry complimentary breakfast. James and I had an impromptu driving lesson. Minutes before our ambitious departure for 36+ hours of driving I learned that Perry’s car was stick!

I have very little previous exposure to stick shift, my first time was in Boston where I mostly listened to a friend cry about her ex as we drive slowly by his house. Repeatedly.

I felt terrible that I couldn’t be an equal partner in driving (James was already removed from the equation since he is still learning to drive automatic..) so this morning, I only stalled out a large handful of times and held up parking lot traffic once. Progress!

Perry and Jesse piled into there car and we were off to….Panera. Today we wanted to make it through at least four states, and as I types this now, i can say we have VA, TN, GA, AL, MI under our belt. Several hours of ted lectures, itunes and discussions of system dynamics, we made it to Knoxville and stopped for lunch. James and I enjoyed a picnic in a grassy commons while we listened to a military band and ate mulberry that we had tucked away in our rapidly defrosting freezer bag.

Reflects on this stop:

James: in Knoxville, there was a man who passed us while we were on the grass enjoying our picnic and said “Have a nice stay” calling attention to how we Northerners stuck out like a sore thumb eating on the grass.

Jesse: Jesse and Perry approached a construction worker and asked for directions to Chik Fil’a. He immediately got excited, almost jumping up and down and said “Yeah, i just found it the other day, it is hidden in that big glass building” He went on to describe in detail about how to take the left revolving door and so they triumphantly got their food, right where he said it would be.

We were also impressed by the reduced costs of living—parking garages for $1 an hour, a jumbo lemonade (32oz) for $2.40 and a really cute handmade skirt I picked up for a reasonable price.

Back on the road, and full, but thinking about food again, we called our coworker Tyler, a native of Birmingham and he recommend that we head to Dreamland for the Best BBQ in the state. The boys were really excited for sausage and ribs and I enjoyed some tasty southern sides of coleslaw, potatoes salad both zestfully seasoned with the mayo. They gave us plate after plate of white bread to sop up the BBQ sauce and the same bread served as one of the 4 components of the banana pudding (easy whip, vanilla budding, bananas, and white bread) that we shared for dessert, stuffing us for under $60 (our most expensive meal to date). This comfort food jogged Perry’s memory as a kid in Vancouver enjoying the simple pleasures of white bread, baked beans and cheese-product. Yumm

Perry and Jesse took the Myers Briggs test and for the record, their types make sense in the schema of programmers I know…INTJ for Jesse and Perry was INFP.

Getting late, we are listing to a Japanese singer who in a hybrid language (Perry told a story about a boat adventure from Taiwan to Japan in search of a mythical island…) and we hope to stay wake for the next 220 miles to New Orleans.

Waffel House visits: 1 Chik Fil’a: 1 Fireworks/ gas stations: 2 Panera:1 * they don;t recycle in VA :( Energy drinks consumed: 8