1. Sunsets are beautiful, and they are different in every state. They are distracting, and worthwhile. I've taken photographs of the sun setting every chance I've had, and no two are alike. If you're lucky enough to catch one, outside of your own playground, take the time to pause and watch.
2. When a yellow and black sign announces deer as a possibility on a highway, believe it. Tonight, whiled driving through the Pequops Pass in eastern Nevada, I saw the sign, ignored it, then looked up and saw a buck in my lane 20 feet ahead, and somehow managed to swerve and only sideswipe its nose with my driver's side mirror. Deer (and other indigenous North American animals) ain't no joke. We are in their way, it's not the other way around. And they wreak havoc on cars. Just ask my rearview mirror.
3. Roadside attractions are important. Part of this imagined society we live in (The United States, all 50 of them, have you seen them?) is based on common social norms and fictitious bonds. We do not share the same beliefs or value systems state to state, we have different views on important issues such as political parties, religion, gun rights, the environment, and so on... but stop and check out the funny stuff along the national highway system (and off the beaten path). It will make you feel both grateful and disgusted to belong to this country, but either way, you can say you were there.
4. To get authentic food, you must leave the highway. To get beyond Subway, Taco Bell, Kentucky Fried Chicken, or McDonalds, chuck the GPS and get out a paper map.
5. The best traveling tools a girl could ever ask for (besides the GPS) are:
a. Cruise Control
b. Her own pillow (hotel room pillows really do suck.)
c. Earplugs
d. Running shoes
e. A stash of good beer (desperate times call for desperate measures.)
f. A car cell phone charger
g. An air broadband USB modem (shameless plug -- Verizon can pay me now.)
h. A smile and an open mind
6. You probably think you think you live in the coolest town in the best state, and its probably true. But that doesn't mean that other areas don't have something to offer, and if you concentrate on just getting through places to end up somewhere, you'll miss the beauty of it all. Open your eyes.
7. Watch out for old people and farmers. Neither should be on the road, and when they are, they are ssllllloooooowwwww (and are potentially more dangerous than deer). A wise friend once told me, "watch out for the old guy in the hat." Yep.
8. Dress up. The cool thing about traveling through parts of the country unfamiliar is that you are unfamiliar. Go with it. Sometimes I pull over and change my clothes or put on a hat or blue tights or cat-eye sunglasses or a tutu just because I can, and when people smile at me (yes, I know they're laughing), it makes all the difference. "You ain't from around here, is you?" Nope. Enjoy it.
9. Listen to local radio stations, check out local commercials, read billboards, and follow local norms. Assimilating is fun, and you might just learn something.
10. Parts of Nevada are beautiful. But Wyoming has no redeeming qualities. At all.
11. Take pictures, document, and remember. But not pictures of you in front of a statue or pictures that you know will go on facebook: photos of life as it happens, places and people in situ. Cause you don't know when you'll see it again.
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