Tampa, FL

I found out last night that one of my friends from New York will be flying out to New Mexico to join me on the Utah leg of this trip. We'll meet in Albuquerque, then head up to the canyonlands in Utah for some camping and national park-ing. My plan is to drive up through Four Corners, through southeastern Utah to Salt Lake City, then back down to southwestern Utah, and hitting the north rim of the Grand Canyon on the way to Vegas. The national parks in Utah will be among the more remote areas I plan to hit, so having some company will be lovely. I envision us cooking bacon on my camp stove, splitting a nice bottle of red, and tussling over tent real estate in the night. It'll be like Thelma and Louise, only without the crime and, you know, death.

And my friend from Tampa is considering flying out to join me on the Oregon leg of the trip. So maybe this starts a nice precedent! Speaking of Pockets, I love her dearly, but I'll be glad to restart the road trip tomorrow. Partly because I'm excited to see the Margaret Mitchell Museum in Atlanta (come on, you knew that was going to happen), partly because I'm excited to see two old friends from high school that I haven't seen SINCE high school, and partly because--and I love Pockets dearly--she has too many pets in too small a space. I'm sharing a one-bedroom apartment with her, two dogs, and four cats, and let me tell you, I was not aware that much animal hair existed in the world. Also, let's just say there was an incident involving my backpack and a cat. After repeated washings, the backpack was not salvageable, and has been replaced.

So tomorrow I'll head up to Atlanta, and then down through Alabama to Gulfport, MS, to spend a few days with my sister. I'll hit New Orleans, Cajun country, and Mobile while I'm there. For the first time, I'll visit her in my own car, so this affords me the perfect opportunity to stock up on Abita beer for the rest of the trip, and possibly beignet mix, which might come in handy in Utah. I'll also visit at least one Gulf Shore beach--I haven't had a chance to hit any Florida beaches. I spent yesterday catching up on back episodes of "Lost," and then wandered down to the Green Iguana, a South Florida bar known for the giant iguana on the roof. The bar was advertising grape Jager bombs. Grape. Jager. Bombs. The mind boggles.

Tonight I'm told we're going to a South Florida club, where I'm sure I'll have ample opportunity ("ample" being the key word) to make fun of the various silicone implants, fake tans, and man jewelry. Come to think of it, South Florida is just like Jersey, only with palm trees.