This is the end. Beautiful Friend.

What an amazing journey it was. A little recap…

I left Caprinteria, California the evening of Saturday, Aug 07, 2010 to drive across the country. Final destination: Anderson, South Carolina. I wanted to get across Los Angeles, spend the night in Joshua Tree, and begin the journey fresh from there on Sunday morning.

California to Arizona to New Mexico to Texas to Oklahoma to Arkansas to Tennessee to North Carolina to Georgia to South Carolina. Ten nights on the road, staying in Joshua Tree, Phoenix, White Sands, Santa Fe, Santa Rosa, Oklahoma City, Little Rock, and Nashville. With all the detours, 3,000 miles driven.

I stopped when I wanted to, shot what I needed to, ate more than I should have. I met old friends and made new ones along the way. I fell in love with parts of this country I’d never seen, stood in awe of epic natural beauty, and more than once wondered why the hell so many of us cram into cities like Los Angeles when there’s more than enough space for everyone out here. (I can hear you New Mexican’s now… shhhh don’t tell them!!)

I made an effort to shoot every sunrise and every sunset. Didn’t catch them all, and some didn’t catch me, but I collected a few along the way.

I’ll be assembling a picture book and offering that on this site. It was such a beautiful journey, and I’m very pleased with many of the photos made, and I hope you’ll support the effort and consider adding the book to your collection. Soon I’ll be assembling the Wallpaper pack, as well. [Edit: it’s here]

Here’s a collection of every entry to this log along the way. Also the photos can be viewed on flickr, here.

Driving Across the Country; California to South Carolina

Cross Country Drive Starts Tomorrow!

And So It Begins…

Carpinteria to Joshua Tree

Joshua Tree to Phoenix

Phoenix Fire Station 42

Sunrise Over Phoenix

Phoenix, AZ to Alamogordo, NM

White Sands National Monument, New Mexico

Beautify Your iPad (Or Any Device) with Images from Across America

Alamogordo, NM to Santa Fe, NM

Abandoned Shop in Duran, NM

Santa Fe, New Mexico

Sunset on Route 66, Between Santa Fe and Santa Rosa, NM

Blue Hole, in Santa Rosa, NM

Santa Rosa, NM to Oklahoma City, OK

The “Oklahoma Standard”

Sunset on Lake Hefner, Oklahoma City

Pops on Route 66

Truck Fire on I-40 in Arkansas

Sunrise Over Little Rock, Arkansas

Memphis, Elvis, and Dr. King

Nashville, TN — Loveless Cafe, Neon and… the Parthenon?!

Tail of the Dragon

Thanks to everyone who supported me on this journey. Followers on twitter, listeners of TWiP, friends and family.

The final photo. Just before leaving North Carolina for a short stint in Georgia, the sun set, the rainbow bowed, and the traffic lights turned red one last time.

This is the end. Beautiful Friend. This is the end.

Tail of the Dragon

My final day of driving…

From Nasvhille, Tennessee, through North Carolina, Georgia for a touch, and finally ending in Anderson, South Carolina. And the road down… is the Tail of the Dragon.

One end of the Dragon. I was there mid-week, so the roads were nearly empty. I’ve seen video of this place on the weekend… insane. What’s the point of driving it with 1,000 other enthusiasts (and just as many cops)? It was blissfully peaceful while I was out.

The warm water and cool air cause a mist to sit on top of the lake. Very mysterious looking.

To the right is one of the dams on Calderwood Lake. Check out the view from space, too.

The victims of the Dragon. And we all know what you have to sacrifice to the dragon to appease her.

Misty mountains of the Nantahala National Forest in North Carolina.

Nashville, TN — Loveless Cafe, Neon and… the Parthenon?!

I stayed the night with a high school buddy in Nashville, and after a burger at Rotier’s we did a little night sight seeing. Imagine my surprise when we pulled up in front of the Parthenon.

Then a drive down the main drag, which looked every so cool. I love these neon signs, they just add so much character to the area.

And finally, the next morning, breakfast…

The Loveless Cafe had been added to my map at some point, and I’d heard it referred to at least once or twice. So there was no way I was missing this treat. Nor was it gonna miss m’ah belly!

That cheesy potato thing in the front? My god. It’s like butter, sour cream, potatoes, and lard. And let me tell you… it’s goooooooooooooood.

This shirt really summed it up for us… “Praise the Lard and Pass the Biscuits”. Amen.

Their wall of fame. Quite the collection of characters on this wall!

Memphis, Elvis, and Dr. King

I’ve never been to Memphis before, and I can already tell that I need to come back. I even tried to convince my buddy in Nashville to get his ass down to Memphis instead of me heading up there, but it wasn’t an option. So I had a couple of hours at high noon to wander the town in the blazing heat, snap some photos and find a good local BBQ.

I had rolled into town for lunch, with great expectations of amazing BBQ. Unfortunately for me, I came on a Monday—and the highly recommended “Charles Vergo’s Rendezvous Charcoal Ribs” were closed. Tragedy struck! The door was open though, and the (intimidatingly large) man at the front suggested I try Blue City Cafe. But on the way there, a stranger who saw me come out of Rendezvous with a hung face offered another suggestion. Look for the sign that says “Pig with attitude” he says. I found it and went in—apparently well past the lunch rush, as the Pig was mostly empty. But I took my place at a table and ordered up some ribs.

As I tweeted after, while these were good, I’ve definitely had better. Which just made me want to stay in Memphis even more, determined to find some amazing BBQ. But as I’ve already said, I was getting a little on the anxious side to get to my destination. Plus, my buddy in Nashville (who wussed out on joining me in Memphis!) was expecting me there that night.

I’m gonna take a stab in the dark here, and guess that this town is off the hook at night. Just maybe.

I spent a couple of hours wandering, at first on the main drag, which is fabulously closed to street traffic.

Then I met Elvis. Nice man. Doesn’t talk much though.

Next I headed towards the National Civil Rights Museum, wandering through some pretty desolate parts of town along the way.

Interesting legacy in this city, of course.

Something tells me this limo doesn’t get too many calls anymore.

The balcony where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, at the Lorraine Motel, on April 4th, 1968. These cars represent the cars parked there when he was shot, waiting to take him to dinner. (They are not the original vehicles.)

From there, it was time to head back to the car, and hit the road for Nashville. I jumped the streetcar heading back the direction I came.

Everything in town was like this… empty, vacant, nearly deserted. I hope it was just because it was a Monday, and in the middle of the day. It’s a city rich with history, and I look forward to returning one day to properly enjoy the music, the food, the drink, and the people!

Sunrise Over Little Rock, Arkansas

Little Rock has a very nice downtown. The renamed President Clinton Ave, and the beautiful Clinton Library make for a great stop on the trip. I probably should have spent more time there, but I had a long drive ahead of me and really wanted to get to Memphis for lunch. I probably should have stayed in Memphis for the night and added another day to my journey, but anyway…

I shot the sunrise here, and that’s about it. Unfortuantely the rises on the “wrong side” of the city; I’m sure  sunset is pretty spectactular there. But alas, I was pushing 10 days on this journey and for all my talking of “I’ll spend as much time on the road as I damn well please”, I was getting anxious to get to my destination.