Just for practice

I'm so excited and I just can't hide it
I'm about to lose control and I think I like it
I'm so excited and I just can't hide it
I know I know I know
I know I know I'm in Antioch

If it's Friday, it must be Antioch
===================

Yeah! I'm on the road, now. Just practicing, but it feels soooo real!!

As this test drive to Antioch approached I started getting a little nervous. The more I tried to get a handle on this riverfront city to the east of the East Bay, the more I started to fear that I had chosen the least interesting town in the world.

I had visions of wasting away in Antiochville -- the only somewhat interesting fact seemed to be that the place has a foul odor (It turns out that peat that accumulates in the wetlands on the north side of the river needs to be harvested from time to time and is burned; the wind inevitably carries some of the smoke and an unpleasant aroma over the river).

Anyway, I left home with a sinking feeling that I was in for a barren week that would make getting “stuck again in Lodi, again” seem like an event-filled picnic.

But, as I kept telling myself, there are no places without stories to be told. And as I got to know folks here in this "Gateway to the Delta," I discovered plenty of ideas for stories.

I've been here a little more than 48 hours and I'm now rather fond of the place.

Now, that's not to say that I'm finding life on the road -- even during this short dry run -- to be easy and comfortable. I've been adjusting to sleeping in a new bed and that's meant a stiff back. This made finding a comfortable spot for working a bit difficult and it was only after two days of adjusting that I sort of hit a comfort zone and have finally become more productive.

I've spent less time than I had hoped out in the community and have taken afternoon naps that seem to take up a lot of potential exploring time.

My enthusiasm for the trip is unabated. I've attempted to line up some activities for next week in Santa Rosa and have developed a few ideas for planning ahead as my February 14 departure date approaches.

The most rewarding and perhaps productive enterprise so far has been basic reporting -- driving around with my eyes open and talking to people.

A fantastic internet tool that I've been using for a long time seems likely to emerge as one of the most effective ways to get oriented to new communities: satelite photographs, particularly the dynamic views offered by Google Earth.

As a spatially challenged person, I often have trouble getting my bearings in new surroundings. Google Earth allows me to operate a virtual helicopter and to overfly new territory and really get the lay of the land.

Antioch. My first appearance as Wandering Dave. I'm making friends and collecting material. Life on the road is...
... so far, so good.

2007 Resolutions

Knowing that I'll be on the road and away from friends and family for nearly all of 2007 has thrown my annual New Year's goal-setting ritual into a state of disarray.

Standard resolutions, like "spend time with family" and "get files and photos organized" will have to stay on hold for a year as I'll be far from the people in my life and from nearly all of my worldly possessions for most of the new year.

Some of the obvious travel-related "rezes" sound kind of silly. "I resolve not to tailgate," for example; and "I’ll signal before changing lanes" seem rather trite.

Other candidates make me feel a bit selfish: "I won’t pick up hitch-hikers," for example; and "Don’t exceed the speed limit no matter how many cars line up behind me" certainly seem to be in conflict with the Golden Rule.

The idea of taking this kind of road trip actually came from watching television shows like "Route 66," "The Fugitive” and "Highway to Heaven." The heroes of these and other dramas of that genre were constantly finding adventures and ended up saving the day – at least once a week – and rescuing a lot of damsels in distress.

I’ve decided that, except in some dire circumstances, I'm going to limit my Good Samaritan acts to making a cell phone call for help. The roads aren’t as safe as they once were; nor am I as capable of changing the flattened tire – and I've never really known what to look for under a stranded motorist’s hood.

I will be looking for adventure, but with considerably less abandon than while on the road trips of my youth. I've even decided to limit most of my sightseeing to daylight hours and fairly well traveled roads. After all, this trip is a marathon, not a sprint; I'll need good nights’ sleep to maintain the pace.

Gee, these resolutions are making the trip sound rather subdued, maybe even a bit staid. Have my months living among the eighty- and ninety-somethings at The Hampshire have made me over cautious?

Perhaps. But if I'm going to complete this nonstop solo journey, I’ll need to stay healthy and avoid trip-ending mishaps. So, a stepped up level of applied common sense seems only prudent for 2007.

I also resolve, within the constraints I've imposed here, to make the most of this once-in-a-lifetime experience. I'm going to pay attention and to drink in the tapestry of landscapes and cultures I will encounter during my 15,000-mile (maybe even longer) odyssey.

And, as I'm saying in all of my podcasts, newspaper columns and radio spots, "I hope you’ll ride along with me at WanderingDave.com."