When I got a summer teaching job at California State University Long Beach, I knew I couldn't live in L.A. without a car and saw it as the perfect opportunity to do a USA road trip. Many friends and family would have liked to come with me, but no one had the time and in the end I drove alone, which worked out better than most people expected. It took many more miles than necessary (4520), but it was worth it to see my family in Rochester, Niagara Falls and Toronto, a friend in St. Paul, the wonders of South Dakota and Wyoming, Lake Tahoe, and San Francisco during the Gay Pride parade.

I am posting information on my trip almost entirely from my journal entries during the trip, with some minor clarifications and edits. Additional information is given on each page of miles driven (based on my log) and lodging when I wasn't staying with family or friends. In a few cases I was able to scan photos from my trip; journal entries with photo links have a (.gif) beside them.