Fairy Tales and Automobiles

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away called Ann Arbor, there were a boy and a girl who, depending on who you talk to, were either 'friends' or just 'acquaintances'. The boy and the girl had many things in common, most notably their love of beating on other people with swords. So, when it was determined that those living in the land of Ann Arbor would travel to the land of Wisconsin to find new people to beat upon with swords, the boy and the girl packed themselves into a large van with a few other persons and a heck of a lot of sports equipment. For the eight and a half hours it took to drive from Ann Arbor to Appleton, WI, the boy and girl talked. Then they talked that entire weekend (well, whenever they weren't beating someone with swords, that is). Then they talked for eight and a half hours on the way back.

Curiously, afterwards, they found they still had things to talk about.

So, when it was again decided that new opponents to beat upon must be found (this time in South Bend, Indiana), the boy and the girl were happy to once again share a vehicle. They talked on the way down, while there, and throughout the heavy snow storm that plagued their drive the whole way back. They skipped dinner on the road because of that storm, and when they finally got back to Ann Arbor, the girl invited the boy up to her room for pizza and a movie.

The boy never really left after that.

Ten years, four graduations, three apartments, a wedding, a condo, two ferrets and a cat later, the boy and the girl decided to take a road trip to see the American west. It certainly wouldn't be their first time traveling together in a car, as apart from their initial experience they had also, at one time or another, been to:

Chicago, IL (a lot)
Charlotte, NC
Austin, TX
Toronto, ON CA
Traverse City, MI
Washington, D.C. (twice)
Round trip Las Vegas, NV via Los Angeles and San Francisco, CA
Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Columbus, OH
Harper's Ferry, WV
New York, NY
Mackinac Island, MI
Myrtle Beach, SC

However, this would be the longest and most ambitious of any trip they had ever taken. More importantly, it would be the first time they ever took a "road trip" with the goal of seeing things along the way, as opposed to getting someplace else as quickly as possible. So, they made their plans (or relative lack thereof), packed their bags and set off, literally, into the sunset.

This is not their story.

No, this is my story. A story of adventure and the opening chapter of a lifelong dream to see everything there is to see in the world. Because, you see, every garden gnome hopes to be a traveling gnome someday.