North Dakota to New Mexico

Spring Break 2008
I can’t remember how the idea got hatched, but it stemmed from the fact that my friend Jessica and I had never taken a real Spring Break trip and we both had the goal of visiting all 50 states. Upon comparison of states visited, it seemed a trip from North Dakota to Texas or the Southwest was the best choice to get the optimal amounts of new states for each of us. We started ambitiously, a drive to the Grand Canyon followed by an insane drive up to North Dakota. Eventually, our planning became more realistic.

I convinced Jessica to allow Adrian to come, not because we’d enjoy his company, but because his presence provided (a) a car we didn’t have to rent (b) an extra driver (c) a third person to split the cost of gas and lodging and (d) the added safety factor of traveling with a male escort. We tried to find a fourth, to reduce the negative consequence of Adrian becoming our third-wheel, but we had no luck. I’m not sure we could have fit their stuff in the car anyway!

After some limited planning, we had devised an itinerary to take us to four national parks, and more importantly the Four Corners. We had seven days to accomplish the feat. Fueled by plenty of gasoline and carbohydrates in the form of Jolly Ranchers and Gummy Bears, we were ready for our insane journey.