All Aboard!!!

It is not every day that two people are able to travel cross country with one another. Indeed, when most people make the decision to get into a car and drive the breadth of the one of the largest countries on the face of the planet, it is certain to end in some kind of disaster or other. Perhaps the two hapless people will find that they are not as mutually compatible as was previously thought; or maybe they will discover that each is perfectly suited for the other but the fates have put up certain road blocks between them and their mutual satisfaction and happiness; or even an act of nature, such as a tornado or mud slide, could just wipe out the journey and leave the fair travelers stranded, or worse...

These kinds of worries are not unreasonable when embarking on a serious adventure, and any traveler who considers themselves to be of the breed that seeks out a little more challenge than just the standard Disney World vacation, or layabout on the beach, should have such thoughts firmly in their head before they get in the car. Or truck. Or Land Rover. Of course, folks who lean towards the lovely machines from merry old England are, in my opinion, the most adventurous of sorts, and such is the nature of my beautiful new wife and I. Hence we have chosen to take our honeymoon driving across the United States by Land Rover. Not just any Land Rover, mind you. See, Allison and I are very adventurous, so a 2008 LR3 would not do for our needs. We opted instead for a 1964 Series IIa 88. Ours comes with a pickup truck top and a recent paint job done with a brush by the gentleman we purchased it from. We have not driven it, nor have we had any kind of inspection done by a local Land Rover mechanic. The simple reason for this lack of basic investigatory self preservation is simple: there is no local Rover mechanic. We have grown fond of saying that our honeymoon is powered by gasoline and blind faith, and perhaps it is true as we do have a certain believe in our fellow human beings to do the right thing and we know we will break down and have great adventures on the way.

When told of our plans, our Land Rover mechanic - Glenn at DAP in Springfield, Vermont – tried to keep a straight face, but I noticed the barely perceptible shake of his head and the sudden downturn at the edges of his mouth, suggesting his lack of belief and faith in at least two fellow humans. Steve Young, also of DAP in Springfield, took things differently, perhaps because of his deep passion for Series Rovers, or maybe because he knows it is Glenn that will be walking me through road side repairs while he basks in the knowledge that he can look forward to enjoying my customary form of payment upon my return: Lasagna Bolognese.

Steve is also less worried because he knows we will be traveling with the comfort of a SPOT satellite locater, which has been graciously provided to us for the honeymoon by the folks at SPOT. We will be using this device to add information to our blog entries and allow our friends and family to know exactly where we are at all times. The SPOT satellite locater will not only send out an emergency distress signal to rescue and law enforcement, it can also contact a select list of personal contacts for less critical help – the kind that does not require the full blown cavalry - as well as send out a little blurb that just lets people know we are OK and marks our location on our blog site's google map. It is very exciting and I can promise has set our families' respective minds at ease as we embark on this tip.

Things are quite upbeat now, of course, because we have yet to arrive in Ellensberg, Washington to pick up the truck, and as such are still filled with good cheer and a sense of adventure. All of this could change, but we have done our best to prepare for the eventuality that the truck will break down by traveling with a good set of spare parts and the knowledge that we can have anything we need drop shipped in within 24 hours by our mission control center at Steve's desk, DAP, Springfield, VT. Until then we will be on the train from Boston, MA to Seattle, WA, enjoying traveling the old fashioned way, and even though the dinning car no longer serves first class travelers by candle light, it suits us as we head towards our Land Rover.