With less than seven weeks remaining before the beginning of my 12-month, 15,000-mile road trip, it's time to start spreading the word...

My seven-channel media combine is up and running -- albeit a bit low on content, but we're just getting started and I intend to begin "feeding the beast" on a more regular basis -- and there's plenty to talk about. I need some help with plans for what to do in Lodi for five days . . . help!

Meanwhile, we've begun planting seeds in the blogosphere and elsewhere and are confident that if we keep on priming and pumping, we'll be rewarded with cool, clear water gushing from the spout (gotta love those metaphors!).

This posting is being used, in part, to hook up with Technorati.com -- one of several conduits through which we hope visitors to Wandering Dave sites will flow. The following link should do the trick:

Technorati Profile

If you've found us, please leave a comment or travel tip -- we're working hard to attract a crowd and the only way to know we're reaching folks is for them to leave something behind when they visit.

So, ride along with me on this trip of a lifetime by logging in often to WanderingDave.com

Rolling out my mobile media conglomerate

With less than seven weeks remaining before the beginning of my 12-month, 15,000-mile road trip, it's time to start spreading the word...

My seven-channel media combine is up and running -- albeit a bit low on content, but we're just getting started and I intend to begin "feeding the beast" on a more regular basis -- and there's plenty to talk about. I need some help with plans for what to do in Lodi for five days . . . help!

Meanwhile, we've begun planting seeds in the blogosphere and elsewhere and are confident that if we keep on priming and pumping, we'll be rewarded with cool, clear water gushing from the spout (gotta love those metaphors!).

This posting is being used, in part, to hook up with Technorati.com -- one of several conduits through which we hope visitors to Wandering Dave sites will flow. The following link should do the trick: Tecnorati Profile

If you've found us, please leave a comment or travel tip -- we're working hard to attract a crowd and the only way to know we're reaching folks is for them to leave something behind when they visit.

So, ride along with me on this trip of a lifetime by logging in often to WanderingDave.com

Can one wander in cyberspace?

Some 800 miles later, I have new insights and a more clearly defined sense of mission for the upcoming trip around the United States.

I'm very excited about seeing the sights and meeting the folks; but I am now just as excited about "exploring" the virtual worlds that are visited through conduits with strange new names, like "podcasts," "blogs" and "discussion boards."

As I traveled along Interstate 5 and Highway 99 for a Christmastime visit with family and friends, I wondered, "Why would anyone care about "What I did on my "summer vacation?”

I finally had to admit that there's not much about me or my travel plans that would justify an expectation that people will choose to visit the Wandering Dave site off and on for a whole year.

Maybe if I committed a series of bank robberies and tried for a "Bonnie and Clyde" kind of following... NAH!

No, the compelling feature of my yearlong trip (if there really is such a feature) msut be the way I'll be reporting about the trip -- using multiple media channels.

This revelation about what the audience will find interesting leads me to believe I should focus some of the content on my role as ... now, get this moniker ... a "mobile media mogul."

All right, all right, I know that sounds more than a little egomaniacal. I'm just trying to make a point: Never in history has it been possible for average people (like me) to send messages to a worldwide (and potentially huge) audience.

Thanks to the Internet, I can now publish newspaper copy, broadcast radio clips, display images and even engage in a dialogue with a mass audience -- actually with several mass audiences by way of multiple media channels.

Move over, Joe Pulitzer, David Sarnoff and Ted Turner. Here comes Wandering Dave -- the mobile media mogul who is out to capture your audience!

If being on the road makes me feel THIS good about myself, I can't wait to start my trip.

Just seven weeks before the "go" date: Valentine's Day 2007.

Heading south

My first shakedown cruise begins Friday.

I'll be making a fairly typical "hop" -- about 170 miles straight down Highway 99 to Bakersfield. I will be able to have breakfast here at home, extending holiday wishes to my neighbors; and then I can leave before the Friday-before-Christmas traffic builds too much and make my way south -- perhaps stopping for lunch in Fresno or Delano.

I'll arrive in plenty of time to learn the lay of the land. Though check-in isn't scheduled until 4 p.m., I'll have little luggage and public facilities are available for freshening up after the drive.

Weather permitting, I may take a stroll around the neighborhood; if the weather is extra nice, perhaps I'll take a short drive -- to the Kern River Park. This historic venue attracted people by the hundreds back in the Roaring Twenties, featuring a big amusement park

The Depression and changing times led to the slow demise of the park. After WWII, the owners slowly sold off the rides to keep their heads above water and eventually the site evolved into its current status: a great communty resource for picnics, fisuhing, enjoying wildlife and just getting away for a family outing or -- in my case -- a chance to commune with nature in the middle of a 300-mile trip to Los Angeles County for Christmas.

If the weather and timing are both right, I could drive a few miles up river and around to the east shore of Lake Ming. The web-site description of this man-made lake suggests that sunset might be worth seeing:

"Hills surround the lake, and the Greenhorn Mts. stretch along the eastern horizon. From a hilltop picnic ground overlooking the lake, the view is soul-stirring."

Web searches will provide lots of ideas like these for points of interest that are well-known to area residents but a bit off the beaten path for tourists. But I'm hoping that visitors to the Wandering Dave sites will also contribute ideas for places to go -- and particularly for events to attend and people to meet.

On the eve of Christmas Eve (Saturday), I'll head on down the the Southland and a few days with family. This outing will even include a 200-mile side-trip to sunny (hopefully) San Diego, the city of my youth where I'll connect with my mother and more.

The trek home will begin on the 27th with another stopover in Bakersfield (another sunset?) on the rebound.

I'll be taking three of these shakedown tours before casting off all lines and beginning my "year before the steering wheel." Next stops: Antioch and Santa Rosa.

Join the fun, drop me a line, post a message in the forum or make a comment here on the blog. Remember, it's your trip, too -- if you'd like to ride along as a virtual passenger.

Power to podcast proves elusive

Since returning from the Southland with my new laptop, I've been struggling to assemble the rest of the equipment needed to create podcasts and radio spots.

That process proved much more challenging and time-consuming than I expected. When I sought help, I discovered only two extreme categories of help-providers: those that knew way more than I think I ever need to know but who can't bring their explanations down to my level of ignorance; and those who are pretty much in the dark, as I am -- or, hopefully, as I was.

My first failure was deciding that I needed a “mixer” when what I needed was a "preamp." A couple of trips to Radio Shack -- including purchases and returns -- followed by a rather interesting and enjoyable visit to a nearby pawn shop got me what I needed at a pretty good price.

Cables became the new problem and I finally managed to cobble adapters together and found a way to transfer input from both my new microphone and my cassette recorder into the computer.

And what have I learned from this?

Well, one thing I've learned is that I have neither the ear nor the brainpower to become a sound engineer or electronics expert. My output will hopefully be of acceptable quality; but it won't rival that created by real professionals.

But the other thing I discovered while seeking help is that this process of assembling audio messages and then disseminating them using only personal computers -- in my case, a laptop -- is part of a brave new world of personal mass media.

Personal mass media? I may have just coined that phrase; but I think it may hold up. Individuals with limited resources are suddenly able to transmit information to diverse audiences through several channels -- including podcasts and radio spots.

Even as I make my way around the country next year, hundreds, thousands, perhaps even millions of “amateurs” world wide will be learning to use one or more new channels and will add their voices and messages to the mix.

“Mass” media is being redefined in the 21st century. To many of us, the result is a cacophony of nearly random noise; but new audiences will emerge with new skills for selecting channels and filtering messages. The new media moguls may be “mini-media-moguls” like me, working out of their bedrooms and their cars.

And to think I have been able to enter two of the seven channels I’ll be using by buying a new laptop online and then making three trips to Radio Shack and one to a pawnshop.

Meanwhile, Jesse is making amazing progress with the Wandering Dave sites and I'm committed to filling all seven channels with new material every week from now through the end of the trip.

Stay tuned.

Finding my focus

Would you believe Johnny Appleseed?

I've had a few recent experiences that have been quite helpful in the process of clarifying the mission, so to speak, of the Wandering Dave Road Trip.

One of these is a real pain in the rear: I've been starting the transition from my desktop computer to a laptop. The desktop is set up with two big monitors and has been wired not only to some useful peripherals like a printer and scanner but also to the wall and a high-speed cable that transferred data at lightening speed.

I got used to lightening speed, believe me.

My new laptop is more powerful that the desktop and has much more memory. But I'm now experimenting with a wireless connection to the internet and it's reminding me of the bad old days when computer hobbyists sat for hours watching their screens fill with data -- one pixel at a time.

My calls to the Internet service provider (a cell phone company) and to the computer manufacturer have revealed that I am pretty close to the cutting edge as far as going mobile is concerned. It has been interesting (albeit frustrating) to listen in as the technical support people huddle in their call centers and brainstorm about how to make my machine work with the hardware and software that's available today.

The focus coming out of all of this fuzzy systems management has clarified in stages. I've realized from the start that using several media channels (blog, newspaper column, podcasts, radio spots, maps and photos) is unusual. But I'm only now beginning to see how far out on the new wave I'll be riding -- "hanging ten" in the surfing vernacular.

I hope that what I'm doing with technology will attract attention and that I may leave a trail that's populated by folks who've become more aware of and perhaps even used to new media channels.

Another exciting development resulted from my notifying correspondents of changed email addresses. One of these was a favorite professor from grad school. His enthusiasm for my project has been very encouraging. This is the man who introduced me to the history of the mass media and who made it possible for me to recognize the significance of technology changes over the past few decades that have transformed the media in magnitudes we couldn't have contemplated.

While on the road, I'll be demonstrating the most amazing features of this new media -- it's portability, ease of use and availability to people of ordinary means. 25 years ago, one had to be rich enough to buy a radio or TV station, printing presses or recording studios. Today, we can create output of amazing quality with a laptop computer -- while on the road -- and we can theoretically reach billions of people instantaneously.

A brave new world, indeed.

Road Test

Here I am 100 miles from somewhere and 200 from somwhere else -- a condition I expect to find myself in pretty often next year.

I'm on my way back home after spending Thanksgiving with family. And I'm "camped out" in the lobby of a motel I spied along the way to test the potential for "getting work done" midway between stops.

So far, so good. The motel management passed through this lovely lobby a few minutes ago and gave me a look. But they didn't seem to have a problem with my taking advantage of this comfortable chair or of their FREE wi-fi service.

I'm writing this while online and will post it immediately.

This demonstrates how very much in touch I may be during my upcoming adventure.

I'm loving this!

Less is more...

Downsizing Wandering Dave

With room and board taken care of (more on that another day), my major expenses
during the trip will be gasoline and maintenance for the Saturn and some unavoidable ongoing expenses including insurance (health, auto and renter's), communications (phone and internet), taxes, contributions and my rent back in Merced.

I've managed to reduce those costs significantly this week by moving out of my luxuriously spacious 1-bedroom suite on the elegant third floor to a tiny, ground-floor studio at the end of the south wing. The savings should cover the cost of gas and repairs, so I expect my monthly costs on the trip to be no greater than they have been over the past six months or so. That's good news and certainly justifies taking my time and lingering at each stop along the way.

One summer day in 1968, I was driving my Jeep from Colorado to California and took note of the fact that all of my worldly possessions fit in its tiny rear compartment. It occurred to me that I was free to steer that Jeep toward any destination, carrying all of my "stuff" with me toward whatever new adventures
might await me down the road.

Ever since that day I've had mixed feelings about possessions. As subsequent moves required larger vehicles, U-Haul trailers and eventually large rental trucks, I felt the increasing burden of … things.

Of course, it wasn't that simple. Along with material possessions, I acquired new responsibilities, became an important part of other peoples' lives and developed many other new associations and affiliations. But now that I’m a bachelor again and retired, most of those considerations are history.

Between 1968 and 2006, I've moved more than four dozen times. Until recently, each move required the transportation of more stuff than the last.

But in preparation for a year away from most of my possessions, I've downsized. And I am continuing to filter through the remaining flotsam and jetsam to decide what few hundred pounds may accompany me on the road – and how much I should store in my little studio apartment for future use.

Fortunately, although I live in a material world, I'm NOT a material boy. I'm enjoying flashbacks to that day in 1968 and look forward to discovering that, once again, I can carry everything I really need in the back of my vehicle.

Like Steinbeck, I’m heading out in search for America; but I realize that I’m at least as interested in searching for myself.

Being apart from my trappings, so to speak, may help to define David Burke. I am, of course, more than the sum of my possessions. I'm curious to learn whether I'll even miss being in contact with these things – or having a home, for that matter.

I've noticed that time seems to be passing at a rapidly increasing rate since I’ve retired. I no longer can measure time as intervals of work and weekends or vacation periods. Though the holidays still arrive on schedule, they’re no longer savored quite as much because their arrival doesn’t mean an extra day away from work.

I’m going to try to embrace a fairly ludicrous interpretation of Einstein’s theory that as one approaches the speed of light, time begins to pass more slowly.

I’m going to operate under the theory that by keeping on the move for a year, I will – at a minimum -- reduce the sensation that time is passing more quickly. And I’m hoping against all reason that I may actually make time stop or reverse course and that I’ll enjoy some days on the road that remind me of my earlier travels in that jeep I owned nearly 40 years ago.

OK. Maybe I'm not being very lucent at the moment. You'll forgive me, I hope. You see, I'm staring at boxes (thankfully far fewer than before) that I must now unpack as I settle in to my latest new home. I'm not called “Wandering Dave” for nothing, you know.

Building's aBuzz aBout Burke's Bon Voyage

Now that the word is out here at The Hampshire about my upcoming odyssey, I get stopped in the hallways every day by neighbors saying, "Have a nice trip."

Of course, I have to explain that I won't be actually leaving for more than 100 days.

I may end up naming this period as "the long goodbye."

Naturally, I want as much attention as possible. A major goal of this trip is to generate interest and convince lots of folks to join me on the road -- by logging in to this blog and the other media channels we're setting up.

So, I guess I'll just have to get used to being greeting with "goodbye" rather than "hello" until February 14 when I finally make good on my promise and set off on what promises to be the adventure of a lifetime.

Folks seem to enjoy talking about travel...

I think I may be on to something here...

I've been telling people about my upcoming adventure and many seem to be curious about the "who, what, where, when, why and how" of the thing; others are very interested in sharing their own stories of life on the road.

When people appear to be intrigued by something you are doing, I guess it's just human nature to start thinking of oneself as being a bit "intriguing." The decision to document my "four corners tour" puts the spotlight on me -- and that's both exciting and a bit disconcerting.

It occurs to me that I'm sort of creating a "poor man's reality show." There are big differences, of course -- I don't have a crew of producers; I'm the director (that should help control the number of "in flagrente delecto" scenes that are so popular on the TV versions); I'm the only "contestant"; and this show won't be on Television.

My little reality show won't have the drama and action seen in Hollywood productions; but I promise that it will all be "real." and you re welcome to come along for the ride -- add a comment to this posting or go on over to the forum and join the ongoing discussion.

Wandering Dave's Blog!

I just can't wait to get on the road again.

Wanderlust. What a perfect word for that restless feeling many of us get whenever we hear that lonesome whistle blow (I'm less than a mile from the tracks in Central California and hear them often) or when we see someone else pull into the gas station with their vehicle packed with supplies.

John Steinbeck, who also set off on a search for America when he was my age, called it "the urge to be someplace else." Of course, I'm not the writer he was, but I'm not ruling out the notion of writing a book about my upcoming four corners tour.

Dreams of being footloose and fancy free, of seeing the other side of the mountain, of chasing after some dream or another
aren't the province of any one age group.

Steinbeck met one youngster who shared the itchy-feet syndrome and explained the encounter as follows:

One small boy about 13 years old came back every day, He stood apart shyly and looked at (my camper); he peered in the door, even lay on the griound and studied the heavy-duty springs. He was a silent, ubiquitious small boy. He even came at night to stare... After a week, he could stand it no longer. His words wrestled their way hell-bent through his shyness. He said, "If you'll take me with you, why, I'll do anything. I'll cook, I'll wash all the dishes, and do all the work and I'll take care of you."
Unfortunately for me I knew his longing. "I wish I could, " I said. "But the school board and your parents and lots of others say I can't."
"I'll do anything," he said. And I believe he would. I don't think he ever gave up until I drove away without him. He had the dream I've had all my life, and there is no cure.

I suppose the fact that we're drawn so powerfully toward the unknown results in a sense that there must be something very important to be learned on the road. Whether that's true or not probably depends on how well the traveller does keeping eyes open and seeking meaning from the experience.

Come along with me and help make this trip-of-a-lifetime more meaningful.

Your comments are welcome here; and you are invited to visit the Wandering Dave forum where you can discuss specific locations and general topics with others who love to travel.