So.... how did this whole thing come about.  You could say I have always been adventurous.   As a kid, I was the one who always wondered off, out of the group.  Maybe not the smartest adventurer out there, but one of the most daring.  Ever since I have been into cars I have always enjoyed road trips.  A few years ago, I drove from Los Angeles, CA to Atlanta, GA.  Not for the most enjoyable reasons (bad relationship thing), however that did not stop me admiring being able to see the country. 

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Each state of the Union was like going through a different country.  Each one has it's own character, it's own feel to it.  Arizona was dry heat with breathtaking landscapes, huge Cacti here and there and some of the smoothest roads ever.  Then there were the Native American reservations and fun casinos to indulge.  Texas .... well, it is BIG!  Oh yeah... it is very flat too.  But don't get silly when you see the football field sized highways - putting pedal to the metal could attract the big hand of the law on you.  People were friendly, down to the State Trooper I met at a gas station.  I was also impressed by the sheer diversity of people, cultures and such.  Similar things could be said of New Mexico, Louisiana, Mississippi, and then Georgia which TRULY is the Peach State.

 

On this trip, the only stops I really made were to get food, gas or the overnight stay in Texas.  I have always harbored the idea of doing a road trip across America where I get to stop, meet the people, see the sights, and experience the different parts of this country. 

 

Now, that opportunity has come.  I intend to drive my car from San Francisco, CA to the East Coast... somewhere, no specific destination yet.  From the East Coast, I plan to head south to places like Virginia (is that really the South?), North Carolina, Georgia (Atlanta), then make my way back West via Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana through Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and back to San Francisco coming up north from the Los Angeles area.

 

It just so happens that my road trip falls into July, which is Independence Month for the US.  Thus I am naming it my Freedom Tour of the US :-)  What better way to celebrate life in America and being able to live free than to go see the country.  I hope to get to see things like Mt. Rusmore, The Great Lakes, Sturgis, Chicago, and as many other major cities and land marks I can get to.  My handle will be rovingredm5 because that is what I intend to do - rove! 

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OCTOBER 2016:  Due to an unfortunate incident, RRM5 - the M5 that took me across the country is no more.  While I start my search for another chariot, I will be trying to take shorter trips.  This month, I will be undertaking a 1500 Mile Topless Challenge.  Did I just say topless???  Okay, maybe I should say top down instead.  I will be doing a 1500 mile trip in a classic 1998 BMW M3 Convertible.  The challenge is to do this top down the whole trip - the top can only come up from threat of rain.  Stay Tuned!

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