2026 Cross-Country Road Trip

September 5, 2026

The focus of my fourth cross-country road trip is celebrating my friend's 50th birthday in Southern California. It will begin much like my first road trip, but my interests on the way back will be different than any previous trip.

Last year, when I turned 50, my best friend flew in to Ohio from southern California to celebrate with me. This year, it’s his turn, so I’m repaying the effort by driving to southern California so we can celebrate his birthday together.

The first half of this trip will be nearly identical to my first road trip back in 2019. I’ll be stopping at Badlands National Park and Devils Tower, and then head down to southern Utah. Eventually, I’ll get to San Diego via Las Vegas and Death Valley National Park.

The end of the trip will, more or less, bring me back home via the path of Route 66. All of my previous trips focused on visiting National Parks and Monuments, but I want to see weird, human stuff this time, too. Hopefully, I’ll see some of that at the old stops along that historic route.