I think the number one spot on the list of things I will miss while living in Wyoming will not be the lack of reliable internet, nor having to climb a small mountain to get cell phone service, no, I think I shall miss Barnes and Noble the most. I just received the 2011 Rand McNally Road Atlas (at a 40% discount for B&N members) and have been fastidiously mapping out my drive west.
From Baltimore I plan on heading to Niles, Ohio. Although this town boasts the birthplace of William McKinley, I am not going for the purpose of paying my respects to our 25th president. I will be visiting and hopefully joined for the remainder of my journey by a very good friend from college, Alaina. From the once booming industrial belt, I head to Carmel, Indiana to visit the lovely Jordan, my muse.
However at this point the possibilities open up into a vast array of scenic routes, highways, byways, motorways, interstates, flat states, square states, and I am a deer in the headlights. At first I thought to head up 74 to 80 and drive through Iowa City, over to Omaha, up to South Dakota where we will pass through the Badlands and rush on to Mt Rushmore, where I hear my two favorite presidents, TJ and Teddy are carved with 20 foot noses each! 
Then I considered heading north from Carmel up towards Chicago, cutting through Wisconsin and Minnesota to SD. But I lived once in Minnesota and would like to see something new. My most current plan, which is as mercurial as high school relationships, is to head west, through Missouri and Kansas, up the western edge of Nebraska and to Rapid City. The plus side of this route is the possibility of a short trip to Oz. Having never driven west of a creepy campground in West Virginia, I am rather at a loss for where to go or anything worth passing through. As my last name suggests, the most important thing is that it make a good story! Thoughts, ideas, philosophies, questions, comments, interesting anecdotes and prayers are highly appreciated!
Ever wandering in search of a good story,
Jeny Timmel
