Perry's Cross-Country NIME Odyssey
May 18 - 24, 2005

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Original Trip Plan, Day by Day
blog as I go...
Equipment List
Why So Much Equipment?


Day 4, Tuesday, May 24
Moses Lake, WA to Vancouver, BC
11AM - 7:PM
Drive through Washington State was 
pretty routine.  Gets pretty at
the pass, stopped just before there
at the Red Horse Drive In in ??? Wa.
It's a restored old Mobil Gas Station
(red flying horse logo) turned into
a great drive through/sit down cafe.
Seattle rush hour was a little gritty.
Canadian Customs was a piece of cake.  
One car in line, three questions
(how long will you be here?  What are you
doing?  Who is paying you to do this?).  
Spent more time sitting in line for the one-lane
tunnel, and the bridge, then expected.  All and
all, OK.  3400 miles total from Princeton.

Day 4, Monday, May 23


Day 4, Sunday, May 22

Day 3, Saturday, May 21

Day 2, Friday, May 20

Day 1, Thursday, May 19

Day -1/2, Wednesday, May 18

So I got out of town at exactly 3:PM, after having
taken the soundlab group to lunch, stressing over 
packing, making sure things seemed ok at home, etc.

Following the MapQuest route, save for taking 206 S. 
to 95 S. to 1 S. to 76, worked pretty darn well. 
Avoided all traffic near Philly, went around Pittsburgh,
and now am holed up on the Hampton Inn in Washington,
PA, just a few miles from Ohio.  Yep I drove 345 miles
today, passing about 4000 cows, some sheep, three 
speed traps, and not much else.  ZZZZZZZZZZZ.  Lots
of country stations on FM though.


Pre-Trip, Tuesday, May 17

Well I got my grades turned in, have packed the 
Ford Escape, and now am just fretting over what I
might forget.  Ahh.  The road awaits me.  Lunch
tomorrow with the SoundLab group, to a couple more
trifles around the office, then it's 95 south
to 76 West.

Pre-trip, Monday, May 16th:

OK, so the original idea was to leave early Thursday
morning the 19th, and to make the whole drive to Indy
by that evening.  My niece Tracy, her  husband Doug, 
and kids Bryce, Andrew, and Shayne are there with a 
very big dog, so this (combined with the obvious 
Kansas City requirement (see below)) mandates my
initial route to be via I-70 (76) for the first 
couple of days.

If all works according to my master plan (idyllic 
romantic mental image of an epic journey across the
United States), then I hope to leave early evening
on Wednesday and make it to Pittsburgh, worst case
Harrisburg, to ensure that I don't have to actually
drive 700 miles the first day (originally planned to
be leaving early Thursday to make the whole drive to
INDY).

Packing goes well so far.  The whole purpose for this
crazy scheme is that I have so much equipment to get
to NIME that it might make more sense to drive it than
to try to ship it all and fly out.  We'll see...

THE WHOLE ENCHILLADA!!!
Days 1-6: Princeton, NJ - Vancouver, BC
Distance: 3012.6 miles
Approximate Travel Time: 46 hours 20 mins

1. Starting in PRINCETON, NJ on ELM DR - 
   go 0.2 mi
2. Turn  on NASSAU ST - go 0.2 mi
3. Turn  on WASHINGTON RD - go 1.6 mi
4. Turn  on BRUNSWICK PIKE[US-1] - go 5.8 mi
5. Continue to follow US-1 SOUTH - go 17.8 mi
6. Take the HARRISBURG exit onto I-276 WEST 
   - go 17.5 mi
7. Take the I-476 exit toward ALLENTOWN/EXITS 
    31 - 131 - go 74.7 mi
8. Take exit #95 onto I-80 WEST - go 817.3 mi
9. I-80 WEST becomes I-280 WEST - go 26.6 mi
10. Take the I-80 WEST  exit toward DES 
    MOINES - go 261.1 mi
11. Take exit #27 onto I-680 WEST toward 
    SIOUX CITY/NORTH OMAHA - go 16.6 mi
12. Take exit #13B onto I-29 NORTH 
    toward SIOUX CITY - go 164.4 mi
13. Take exit #84B onto I-90 WEST - 
    go 701.4 mi
14. Take the I-90  exit toward BILLINGS 
    - go 815.2 mi
15. Take exit #10 onto I-405 NORTH 
    toward BELLEVUE/EVERETT - go 19.1 mi
16. Take the I-5 NORTH exit toward 
    VANCOUVER BC - go 71.3 mi
17. Take exit #254/IOWA ST. toward STATE 
    ST. - go 0.2 mi
18. Turn  on IOWA ST - go 0.2 mi
19. Bear  on N STATE ST - go 0.1 mi
20. Bear  on OHIO ST - go 0.4 mi
21. Bear  on HALLECK ST - go 0.3 mi
22. Turn  on C ST - go 0.1 mi
23. Turn  on ELLSWORTH ST - go 0.3 mi
24. Arrive at the center of BELLINGHAM, WA