I gave Running Down a Dream a close listen for the first time when I was nine years old. The freedom and energy of the road trip Tom Petty describes in this tune tapped into my still-developing wanderlust. Right then and there I made it a lifetime goal to someday drive across the entire country.
Fast forward 10 years. My friend Cein was moving from Truckee, California to rural Vermont and asked me if I would co-pilot his 1989 Audi. To paraphrase Jack Kerouac, accepting that assignment began the part of my life you could call my life on the road.
That first cross-country trip was liberating and eye-opening. We saw amazing sites, and we were taken by the inherent freedom of the road. On day two we gave up our watches for the remainder of the trip. This was in solidarity with the broken dashboard display clock. Time had no bearing. It was just us and the road.
Fast forward another 15 years. By now I've jumped around the country numerous times, covering thousands of miles during trips with my traveling improv show, journeys to baseball stadiums and vacations with my wife Leanne (heretofore known as Mrs. Tires). I've visited 46 states in total. North Dakota, Alabama, Alaska and Hawaii are still ahead of me, but in the meantime, in my rearview mirror lies a lifetime of road trip memories.
Join me as I relive my many adventures, state by state.
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| Mrs. Tires and me at Glacier National Park. |
