And I’m off! Driving through Los Angeles tonight… destination: Joshua Tree. A little sunrise in the desert, then east to Phoenix!

Some housekeeping… you guys have left a load of awesome comments with suggestions and tips and encouragement, and I love it, thank you! I haven’t responded to all of you individually, but don’t think I’m not reading the comments—I absolutely am. I’ve been adding places to the map from the comments, too. So again, thanks! Keep ‘em coming :)

For those who’ve asked about meeting up along the way, I’m keeping track but PLEASE reach out again as I get close to your town. I’d hate to miss someone who’s offered to connect!

I’ve created a hashtag on twitter, so those of you on the twitters who may want to ensure you don’t miss a step, keep an eye on the hashtag #CA2SC (that’s “California to South Carolina”, btw). Likewise if you’re tweeting back to me, please include the tag. Makes this whole thing easier to follow for everybody.

The car is loaded and overloaded… and the front seat looks like “Darth Vader’s bathroom”, as my father would say. Nothing like a little tech to keep you on track (or off!).

Lastly, a precursor of things to come. I grabbed this photo last night at the tail end of the sunset, from Carpinteria, looking north towards Santa Barbara. No matter where I am on the road, I’ll be sure to stop for sunset photos. Assuming things go as planned (haha), I’ll start every day with some sunrise, magic-hour photos before starting the drive, and end the day the same way. When possible I’ll avoid driving at night, just because that’s a perfectly good way to miss something beautiful!

See you on the open road, my friends…