Hi Friends! I am working diligently to get This Crazy Trip up and running. Since I decided to leave in January in the hopes that people would be more interested in loaning me a car or camper during the "off season," I'm having to revamp the whole trip from the one planned 2 years ago before surgeries.
I'll be starting off to the South, for one thing, instead of to the North. Many of the people I'd planned to stay with have either moved and sadly, a few have passed away. With my mom feeling frantic about me sleeping in a tent (especially at Yellowstone) when I don't have a place to stay, I've been working on getting a small camper instead of a car, so I can just stay in the camper. That means, though, that my gas prices are going to be higher.
So far, I've written down every person I know who is in each state, categorizing everyone as either "1" - they said I can stay with them, or someone I don't need to ask
"2" - people I would feel comfortable asking if I can stay
"3" - people I'm not sure I know well enough to ask
"4" - single guys, Public Figures that I'm friends with, or others I wouldn't feel comfortable asking to stay with, but that I'd still like to meet or at least say "hi" to.
I've also compiled many lists from all over the web which I'm mapping:
The Oldest Restaurant in each state
The Best Restaurant in each state
The One Thing to Do In Each State
33 Most Beautiful Places in America
The One Can't-Miss Event in Every State - which was from 2015 and sadly, I believe only one of
them is between January and May
A State by State Guide to the 50 Coolest Things to do in America
The Best Ice Cream in each state (which my body won't allow me to do now)
Fodor's 20 Places to See in the U.S. Before You Die
The Most Beautiful Spot in Each State
U.S. Landmarks to see according to that "perfect trip" meme
Strange Roadside Attractions in each state
The Weirdest Roadside Attraction in each state (some of which are the same)
50 Natural Wonders
and the National Park Service guide to parks.
I've also added in all of the U.S. Temples for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and all of the restaurants mentioned by Diners, Drive ins and Dives.
Right now, I'm color coding a map for each state with all of those items and all of the cities where my friends live so I can mark my exact (or nearly exact) route and know how many miles I'll be traveling. I'd really love to not travel on Sundays, if at all possible. The only practical way I can do that is if I can have someone loan me a camper instead of a car.
I've also started writing to the U.S. Senators for each state to see if I can come talk with them here in DC (or someone from their offices) about their states. I'd like to know if there's anything I'm missing that I really should see, or if there's something they'd want me to note and write about when I visit their state. Not having any responses so far, except to see on a couple of their websites that they only make time for their constituents. I know the new session started this week, so they're likely to be swamped and with the election coming up, I may not be able to visit with anyone.
I've got my packing list done, for with a camper or with a car. I've got 4" white quilt squares from my fabric stash that I'll have people write or draw on. And I've got blank journals for my notes and for the people I'll visit along the way.
Next on the list are to:
Send letters to all of the restaurants on my route to see if they'll comp me a meal when I'm there
Send letters to the places I'd like to stop that aren't already free to see if I can get free entry
Go to the Bank on Monday and open a new account that's just for this trip
Check out GoFundMe to see if that's a viable option for getting help paying for gas and for food that's not comped
And contacting the National Park Service to get an Annual Pass for free.
And I'd really love some instruction on how to better use my cameras and to put pictures on this blog correctly.
I contacted Cruise America today to see about getting a camper. I figured it would be best to use a national company who would benefit the most from me "advertising" them all over. If that doesn't work, I'll start contacting local car companies and rental agencies. No luck with getting a car through Priceline. They were offering cars for $5 a day - that didn't seem such a stretch to be FREE for a day. LOL I'd also contacted a couple of rental agencies when I started this and wasn't successful, however, maybe they'll have changed their mind by now.
So... that's where I stand. Still definitely in the planning stages and a huge jump further than I was last week. I'm getting excited!! Bob's getting more morose. LOL
Stay tuned! It's coming together!
Showing posts with label car. Show all posts
Showing posts with label car. Show all posts
Friday, September 9, 2016
Sunday, February 8, 2015
Updates, plusses and minuses
I haven't posted in a couple of weeks because I was feeling like I might not be able to make the trip and I wasn't ready to give up on it yet.
I did get a huge plus when I wrote to Pepsi to ask if they'd sponsor a "Halftime" for my trip to go along with Halftime Hype from the Super Bowl. I received an email back stating that they liked my idea and would send me a t-shirt, some coupons and other fun stuff for my trip. I was so excited! I was able to say that Pepsi was helping to sponsor my trip! WooHoo!
Then yesterday, I got a package in the mail from them. I'm still so happy that they recognized what I am doing with This Crazy Trip, but I don't think it's going to cover much of a half time. LOL
My halfway point, mileage-wise will be somewhere between Glacier National Park and Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, most likely. If I go by days, though, it turns out to be the weekend of my high school reunion for Buchser High School in Santa Clara, CA! I thought that would be so much fun to have a halftime there, so that's what I asked Pepsi to sponsor.
What I received was a t-shirt with a Pepsi logo, a Pepsi key ring, a blue Pepsi wristband, three different Pepsi bottle magnets, a card thanking me for my loyalty to their products and four coupons for 50 cents off of any flavor Pepsi-Cola soft drink. The coupons expire the week after I leave on the trip. So, even though it's not quite as big a halftime as I was hoping for, it WILL get me a discount on my daily Diet Pepsi for the first four days.
Another plus came when I went to Antwerpen Hyundai to get my Santa Fe detailed on Feb. 5th. I didn't have anyone who could drive me back and forth, so I just stayed there and worked on my Seminary lessons for 3 1/2 hours. It was exactly the same thing that I would have been doing at home, so I was pleased to be able to sit, undisturbed, for a long time and work. When I told the Service Manager that I was staying, he was a little concerned but I assured him that I was pleased to be doing so. Then he offered me a desk in the main showroom, which was completely awesome, and I happily accepted. As I sat there, I wondered if the Manager would know who I should talk to about getting a car for this trip. Just as I was getting ready to get my car, I got the courage to go talk to him.
Ron Fitzgerald is the Sales Manager for Antwerpen Hyundai in Clarksville, MD and as I shared my trip plans with him, I could see him catching the vision of what I was doing. He got this grin on his face that I'm starting to recognize when I tell people about the trip - it's that look that road-trip people get, a longing and wishful-thinking kind of look, wishing that they could be doing it too. Some people just think I'm crazy for wanting to do this, but there's a large group of people who just want to come along for the ride! Ron was one of those people and I could see the wheels turning. I never even asked for a car, I just asked who I should talk to, but he was WAY ahead of me. Finally, he asks, "How much can you afford for this car?" and I replied, "Nothing. It has to be free."
"OK," he answered, "I think I have an idea. I'm calling our General Manager to see if this will work." So, I'm quite excited about it and hope that his idea will work!
Now, for a couple of minuses. In October, just before I had my knee surgery, I found a lump in my abdomen. I had an ultrasound that showed a small mass about the size of a small apple. I had another ultrasound in the middle of January to follow up with it and see if it had grown. I was pretty sure that it was larger, but wanted to see what the ultrasound said. My doctor called me and told me to go have an MRI done as soon as I could. The MRI showed that it was about three times larger than it had been three months ago; about the size of a large grapefruit now. So, I've been to the surgeon and I'm seeing an oncologist tomorrow. The doctors don't think that it's cancerous, but it is growing rapidly and is causing other problems, so I need to have a hysterectomy fairly quickly. I've been advised by three of the doctors I've seen that I should still be able to go on the trip, as long as it's not cancerous.
The other minus is that I wouldn't be able to teach Seminary next year if I do the trip. I love the kids that I teach and I haven't been able to make a decision about whether or not to leave my calling in order to do the trip. Or to possibly just get a sub during the time that I'm gone? I don't know yet what to do, so it's still up in the air and is a bigger question to me than whether or not I have a car.
So, now you know all the details, good and bad. I wasn't going to post everything that was going on health-wise, but then I figured that I'm going to be sleeping on your couches! That alone connotes a certain level of intimacy, doesn't it? LOL
Have a great week!
I did get a huge plus when I wrote to Pepsi to ask if they'd sponsor a "Halftime" for my trip to go along with Halftime Hype from the Super Bowl. I received an email back stating that they liked my idea and would send me a t-shirt, some coupons and other fun stuff for my trip. I was so excited! I was able to say that Pepsi was helping to sponsor my trip! WooHoo!
Then yesterday, I got a package in the mail from them. I'm still so happy that they recognized what I am doing with This Crazy Trip, but I don't think it's going to cover much of a half time. LOL
My halfway point, mileage-wise will be somewhere between Glacier National Park and Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, most likely. If I go by days, though, it turns out to be the weekend of my high school reunion for Buchser High School in Santa Clara, CA! I thought that would be so much fun to have a halftime there, so that's what I asked Pepsi to sponsor.
What I received was a t-shirt with a Pepsi logo, a Pepsi key ring, a blue Pepsi wristband, three different Pepsi bottle magnets, a card thanking me for my loyalty to their products and four coupons for 50 cents off of any flavor Pepsi-Cola soft drink. The coupons expire the week after I leave on the trip. So, even though it's not quite as big a halftime as I was hoping for, it WILL get me a discount on my daily Diet Pepsi for the first four days.
Another plus came when I went to Antwerpen Hyundai to get my Santa Fe detailed on Feb. 5th. I didn't have anyone who could drive me back and forth, so I just stayed there and worked on my Seminary lessons for 3 1/2 hours. It was exactly the same thing that I would have been doing at home, so I was pleased to be able to sit, undisturbed, for a long time and work. When I told the Service Manager that I was staying, he was a little concerned but I assured him that I was pleased to be doing so. Then he offered me a desk in the main showroom, which was completely awesome, and I happily accepted. As I sat there, I wondered if the Manager would know who I should talk to about getting a car for this trip. Just as I was getting ready to get my car, I got the courage to go talk to him.
Ron Fitzgerald is the Sales Manager for Antwerpen Hyundai in Clarksville, MD and as I shared my trip plans with him, I could see him catching the vision of what I was doing. He got this grin on his face that I'm starting to recognize when I tell people about the trip - it's that look that road-trip people get, a longing and wishful-thinking kind of look, wishing that they could be doing it too. Some people just think I'm crazy for wanting to do this, but there's a large group of people who just want to come along for the ride! Ron was one of those people and I could see the wheels turning. I never even asked for a car, I just asked who I should talk to, but he was WAY ahead of me. Finally, he asks, "How much can you afford for this car?" and I replied, "Nothing. It has to be free."
"OK," he answered, "I think I have an idea. I'm calling our General Manager to see if this will work." So, I'm quite excited about it and hope that his idea will work!
Now, for a couple of minuses. In October, just before I had my knee surgery, I found a lump in my abdomen. I had an ultrasound that showed a small mass about the size of a small apple. I had another ultrasound in the middle of January to follow up with it and see if it had grown. I was pretty sure that it was larger, but wanted to see what the ultrasound said. My doctor called me and told me to go have an MRI done as soon as I could. The MRI showed that it was about three times larger than it had been three months ago; about the size of a large grapefruit now. So, I've been to the surgeon and I'm seeing an oncologist tomorrow. The doctors don't think that it's cancerous, but it is growing rapidly and is causing other problems, so I need to have a hysterectomy fairly quickly. I've been advised by three of the doctors I've seen that I should still be able to go on the trip, as long as it's not cancerous.
The other minus is that I wouldn't be able to teach Seminary next year if I do the trip. I love the kids that I teach and I haven't been able to make a decision about whether or not to leave my calling in order to do the trip. Or to possibly just get a sub during the time that I'm gone? I don't know yet what to do, so it's still up in the air and is a bigger question to me than whether or not I have a car.
So, now you know all the details, good and bad. I wasn't going to post everything that was going on health-wise, but then I figured that I'm going to be sleeping on your couches! That alone connotes a certain level of intimacy, doesn't it? LOL
Have a great week!
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Time to Start Asking for Stuff.
Today is the big test. I just sent letters to Ford and to Enterprise Rent A Car to see if they'll loan me a car. I'm sending the letter to other companies also, but thought I'd start with those.
I sent a letter to a company that makes personal safety jewelry called Cuff. It's a little devise that fits into a bracelet or necklace that will call 911 when pressed. Their product is in pre-sales right now and won't be available for a few months yet, but they suggested I contact them later in the Spring, so we'll see.
After hearing the Pepsi half-time ads, I decided that it would be fun to see if Pepsi will give me some sodas for a half-time on the trip. That should be somewhere around Glacier National Park in Montana and Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Wouldn't that be funny to just pull over and offer people a Pepsi for half-time?
I'm getting more excited about this trip all the time! LOL
Here's the letter I sent:
I sent a letter to a company that makes personal safety jewelry called Cuff. It's a little devise that fits into a bracelet or necklace that will call 911 when pressed. Their product is in pre-sales right now and won't be available for a few months yet, but they suggested I contact them later in the Spring, so we'll see.
After hearing the Pepsi half-time ads, I decided that it would be fun to see if Pepsi will give me some sodas for a half-time on the trip. That should be somewhere around Glacier National Park in Montana and Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Wouldn't that be funny to just pull over and offer people a Pepsi for half-time?
I'm getting more excited about this trip all the time! LOL
Here's the letter I sent:
It All Started With
An Accidental Dare From My Husband…
Hi, I’m Judi
Stull. I’m a Realtor (among other
things) in Mount Airy, Maryland. For a
long time, I’ve harbored a dream of traveling around the U.S. but it was just
cost prohibitive to stay in hotels every night and pay for gas while traveling
that long. I wanted to visit other
Realtors, friends and family members who are flung all over the country.
One day, my husband said, “You can do it, if you can do it for free.”
I just laughed at the time, but then a few weeks ago I
decided to ask my 1500+ friends on Facebook if anyone would let me sleep on
their couch for the night if I stopped by.
Within a few hours I had more than enough offers to get almost all the
way around the U.S. I was missing 5
states. I even had friends in 26 other
countries offering to let me stay with them!
I’m now getting offers from friends of friends in the states I was
missing.
My first thought was to use an electric car so I didn’t have
to pay for gas, but I soon realized that my route would not allow for that. There just aren’t enough charging stations in
the places I’m going. However, I could
use a hybrid! I’m only scheduling about
250-300 miles a day so I will have time to visit and to see some sights, which
will allow me the time needed to stop and charge up an electric hybrid. During the times when there aren’t any
charging stations, I can use gas power.
I’ve already had people offering me money to cover the costs
for tolls and gasoline.
What I need now is a
car. Will you loan me a car to do
this crazy social media fueled trip? I
will be gone a little more than four months and will probably drive a little
more than 20,000 miles. It’s just under
19,000 with only having cities, not exact addresses, on my route. I am hoping to leave on this trip June 10th
and to return on October 15th.
That’s 129 days if I stick to
my schedule. I will be staying with 120
different people and will be visiting nearly 300 people, all of whom will know
that you have loaned me a car. Plus it
will be mentioned several times in my blog and on social media.
I am very active on Facebook (Judi Bland Stull) and have
been for many years. After cleaning out
my friends list of people who were no longer active, I ended up with 1522
friends. I am followed by 1133 people on Twitter (@JudiStull) and use Twitter,
Yelp, Instagram and Swarm fairly regularly, I have a blog just for this trip at
ThisCrazyTrip.Blogspot.com . I am
a good driver with no accidents that were my fault. I don’t have any speeding tickets or other driving
issues, even though I will admit to exceeding the speed limit occasionally.
Will you help me make
ThisCrazyTrip a reality?
Thanks!!
Judi Stull
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