Coming Soon: LA/XC-6!!!

* * *COUNTDOWN: 77 DAYS TO LA/XC-6 * * *

You thought my days of cross-country-road-tripping-with-dog were finished, right?

Me too.

The fifth and final journey — or so I assumed at the time — was LA/XC-5, back in the fall of 2016.  I figured it was a wrap after

that one, for a bunch of reasons.  1.) I no longer had a son out in Cali who needed to see his dog, which was how this whole thing started in the first place; 2.) Driving all day for three or four weeks in a row with a hyperactive pup, fun as it mostly is, can also be grueling; 3.) And most important:  As many of you know, I’m working on a book about these cross-country escapades, and if I keep doing them, the book will never end! 

Well, now it appears that book (ROAD DOG is the working title) is about to get a little bit longer.  Because on Thursday, November 7, I’ll be setting off on LA/XC-6, or, as Carol calls it, the Epilogue Trip.  And she can call it anything she wants, because she’s the one who set the whole thing up — as a surprise present for my upcoming Big Birthday!

This was all sprung on me the first week in August — while we were celebrating Matt’s birthday.  After he got his gifts, I got mine: a detailed four-page itinerary for LA/XC-6.  The gift was three months early — and with good reason:  All the key players figured I’d need at least that amount of time to digest, absorb, process, and get comfortable with a three-week chunk in my calendar that I’d had no say in planning.

Carol had kept everyone (but me) apprised of the evolving plan, and their part in it, via emails carrying the subject line “Project Bonfire.”  She actually stole this phrasing from me.  This past June, Jeff, my best friend from growing-uphood, celebrated his 70th birthday. I suggested that instead of candles, we just start a bonfire.  Though, please note, my upcoming birthday is only 69-Plus.  Robby came up with this nomenclature:  He knows the number 70 makes me queasy, and he also finds endless humor in the number 69.  So far he’s given me three different gifts of apparel featuring #69: a ’69 Mets World Champs jersey; a Jimmie Johnson 69-NASCAR-wins long-sleeve pullover, and an Al’s Breakfast [Minneapolis] 69th anniversary tee.  And it was Robby, of course, who organized my 69th birthday extravaganza at Triona’s sports bar last November.

But back to the main event — LA/XC-6.  There’ll be some huge differences this time around,

beyond the obvious one:  I planned the first five; this one has been planned for me.  Also:  I already have hotel rezzies for the major stops — an unheard of luxury — courtesy of Carol.  And finally, the biggie, the one that makes this sayonara trip super-special:  Besides my dog riding shotgun, for each key leg, I’ll have a family member dropping in to be my guest co-pilot!

•  Heading out of Westport, it’ll be Greg in the co-pilot seat.  In Pennsylvania, we’ll pick up the famous Geiger (aka Beagle Man’s Body Guard), and then continue on through West Virginia to Kentucky . . .

•  Matt and Robby fly in to Lexington to join us for dinner, and to cruise the legendary Bourbon Trail — a route Matt and I already know and love from our February, 2017 adventure.  Lots of co-pilots for this stretch of distilleries . . . and we’ll need ’em all.

•  Matt and I drop Greg, Geiger, and Robby at the airport in Louisville — and then we continue on to Indianapolis for a Colts-Dolphins game.  Which will also allow Matt to cross off Indiana in his quest to visit all 50 states.  (So far he’s made it to 45.)

•  Robby drops out of the sky and onto the tour again, this time in Albuquerque, to join me for dinner on my actual birthday (November 13).  Then he takes over as co-pilot as we hit the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas (his home-away-from-home), and L.A./Santa Monica, familiar stomping grounds from his USC days.  Carol joins the party in L.A.

•  Matt makes his second appearance in Little Rock, Arkansas, where he’ll meet me for dinner.  He’ll also be knocking off state #47, leaving only Nebraska, South Dakota, and Alaska.  He’ll stay on as co-pilot as we drive to Nashville, and then on to Asheville, NC — location of his 2018 wedding — where we’ll meet up with Carol (again), Alison (Matt’s wife), and Terry and Patrick (his in-laws from North Carolina).  Then together we’ll all drive the 173 miles to Greensboro for the musical highlight of LA/XC-6:  Miranda Lambert (my G.O.A.T.), Maren Morris, and the Pistol Annies in concert at the Greensboro Coliseum.

•  Carol then stays on as co-pilot up through Virginia to D.C. (where we’ll pop in on a bunch of old friends), then Delaware to

visit the Smiths (our other in-laws), and finally, back to Westport.

For those who’ve been following along in detail, with map in hand (all, I’m sure), you’ve probably noticed that there are a few really big gaps where I’m co-pilot-less — just like in the old days.  There’s the 1,283-mile westbound stretch from Indianapolis to Albuquerque, for instance, which the itinerary says I need to cover in three days.  And then there’s the 1,682-mile eastbound leg from Santa Monica to Little Rock — also to be covered in three days!  If you have any ideas for spicing up those long, lonely hauls, feel free to post them in “Comments.”  (See that little dialogue icon at the top of this post?)

Finally:  For those of you keeping score at home, this will be Kemba’s third cross-country journey, tying him with Ricky the Beagle, my original and immortal co-pilot (LA/XC 1 through 3, 2011-2013).

Stay tuned for updates . . .

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