No you can't fence time and you can't stop love

Milage: 4,108. Best rando: Afternoon bout of frisbee after not playing the whole trip.

Rolling hills, country home.

I guess being away from Pennsylvania also made me realize how beautiful it was when I got home. After a wonderful weekend in Philly, a drive through Lancaster county and more Amish than I could ever imagine seeing at one time, it just seems natural to pull into my mountainside driveway under a sky splattered by stars and turn off the ignition for the last time.

There's plenty I think I learned on this trip, and there's plenty that got me thinking. Some places I think I could explore for years and not be finished with.

But still, there's nothing like coming home.

Super thanks to all those along the way who made it one of the best experiences of my life and made me so happy to be unemployed and 23.

Until next time, y'all.

Funny how a melody sounds like a memory, like the soundtrack to a July Saturday night

Milage: 3,974 and add a couple from our sick morning rain run. Best rando: Summer veggie&pepperjack cheese eggs on fresh local toast.

Gahhhh if I lived in Philly, I just picture Lar and I cooking seriously delicious meals, running along the water and going to fabulous little corners of the city all the time. Probably because that's basically what we do.

My brief weekend visit was enough to get my Philly fill for a little while, and it included many of my favorite people and activities. Not only did we go see Jackie's beautiful photographs at Head House Friday night (after a scrumptious quinoa-veggie meal), we went to the Zac Brown Band concert fo' free on Saturday night (shoutout: Thanks Christopher!!).

Coupled with some much-needed exercise and scrumptious food, the last weekend of my trip is a serious contender for my favorite. If only there had been a beach...

Where the wind blows babe you can bet I'll be riding high with it

Milage: 3,845. Best rando: Free junior frosty with gas purchase, seen below.

Today there was some seriously gloomy weather to match a gloomy mood. Not only did I have to head the 10 hours back up north, but the Freeh report (www.thefreehreportonpsu.com) was released and it's not looking good. I haven't read the whole document yet, but as sure as I'm a journalist I certainly will and I'm not looking forward to what it has to say.

This is not the venue where I'd like to really get into the whole situation, but I will say these are hard times for the whole Penn State community. There are a lot of people I can be praying for and it's going to take some serious healing time to get us back on track.

The drive got dreary around Alexandria as I was reminded both of the congestion of the northeast and angry rush hour drivers.

Made it safely to Baltimore and then I was pleasantly surprised when Jared showed me parts of the city besides Inner Harbor that I wasn't scared to be in. We had a delicious meal at Fells Point and caught a great sunset from a dock looking out to the Domino Sugar Factory. I finally then made it to Columbia to catch up with some more wonderful family.

It's a little sad to be near the end, but I guess that means the trip was as awesome as I hoped it would be.

We're giving this life everything we got and then some

Milage: 3,230. Best rando: Free condensed milk on my snocone at Folly.

All I could think of as I spent my last South Carolina hours on Folly Beach was these are the reasons I need to move here:

10. Because my kindle got a little sandy and nothing bad happened.
9. I could have awesome calves from running on the beach all the time.
8. Everybody knows curly hair loves saltwater.
7. The always lovely Megan and her rockin frisbee friends are so darn sweet.
6. I can finally legit learn how to sail.
5. See top right photo in collage below
4. Mom always says I should eat more fish.
3. It's a non-city city with short buildings and people who say hello when you walk down the street.
2. Maybe I can finally stop complaining about being cold.
1. It's beautiful, friendly and someplace new.

Somewhere between the setting sun, I'm on fire, I'm on the run

Milage: 3,208. Best rando: Watermelon beer and alligator bites (the food, not by the creature itself).

Today I hopped on down to Savannah to see the wonderful Jon Kalinowski and help him find an apartment for when he becomes a cool kid and starts SCAD in the fall.

Though I've been wading through it for weeks, I still think neither of us expected the heat that slapped us in the face. It didn't help that we decided to take on the city by foot and had to walk almost two miles one way to see the first place.

The rest of the day was half sight-seeing and half finding places with free AC to cool off. Tried some watermelon beer, took sweet photos of the Spanish moss. I liked Savannah, but Charleston definitely has it beat. The good news is if I move down here it's not too far to visit again!

Today the sun is shining on me, sitting with my feet in the breeze, ain't sweating the little things

Beach day!!

Do I have to further explain?

Charleston is beautiful. Meg and I hit the farmer's market in the morning Saturday with our matching venti iced coffees. I drooled over the artsy jewelry and delicious homemade lotions. Saw a couple dogs that looked like Belle and geeked out over that.

Then we hit the beach.

The more time I spend with these easygoing, fun, warm Charleston folk, the more I think I might want to become one. I guess I'll give it a few more days to wait and see.

Let the warm air melt these blues away

Milage: Car same, bike is up another 25ish. Best rando: Awesome $1.50 tacos with jars of margaritas (seen in another post).

I swear no matter how well I wash them, my ears always have sand in them for days after going to the beach.

After the glorious weekend of sand, mimosas and lovely secondhand friends was over, I got some time to myself to really get to know Charleston. I decided to take a bike tour put to Sullivan's Island and back, which proved awesome and a little daunting.

I'm really loving just feeling out the place and all its little nuances. One night we sat on a swinging bench at the pier and watched the last bits of sunset fade away over the water. I mean, come on.

Now I can't really imagine NOT being close to the shore or able to bike around. I've got one more day to decide how much I'm really drawn to this place.

Heading for the highway baby we ain't ever coming back

Mileage: Same ol' Best rando: Dive bar songwriter concert in Nashville.

So far much of this trip has been Starbucks triple cappuccinos, my home-made trail mix, long stretches on southern highways and an overload of country music. In between granola bars and juice boxes I've had some fantastic meals like catfish in Louisiana and food truck barbecue in Georgia.

I've learned some major road tripping lessons like don't count on being well-rested, ever, and have an adaptable diet. When you have time to exercise or get the urge, make it happen. Driving for 12 hours is impossible to accomplish without a glute cramp.

It hasn't been too lonely, and thankfully I've seen old friends and made new ones almost everywhere I traveled. Thanks to all those who made quick friends with me, showed me around and generally helped me out!

I live to love and laugh a lot and that's all I need

Mileage: 2,981. Best rando: "Authentic" Hawaiian cuisine restaurant on the highway in Georgia. Sounds plausible.

Sometimes there's just nothing better than a strawberry Pop Tart. Now add a real life Georgia peach and it gets too wonderful. And I did just that today.

It felt strange getting on I 95 northbound. One, because I'm not ready to drive north yet. And two, because we have 95 up by me. That's not new and exciting!

I have to say though, South Carolina has the best welcome sign out of all the states I've seen so far. Check out the photo collage below to see what I'm talking about.

Somewhere along the road these long drives became pieces of cake. I feel like six hours is nothing, when before I dreaded just three. That might have something to do with how pleasurable it is to drive on the roads down here. And the fact that I haven't had any tolls.

Maybe it's all the country just infusing my soul with a happy-go-lucky attitude, or the hot (sometimes way humid) southern air, but this road trip thing is pretty fabulous and I'll be sad when it's over.

Ain't in no hurry, I'd be a fool now to worry

Mileage: Stayin' steady. Best rando: Larger-than-life caricature of a man named Bacon, dressed head to toe in America.

My short trip through Gainesville was definitely filled with patriotic spirit and also got me revved up for some Penn State football come fall.

I not only got to see University of Florida's very lush campus, but their stadium (which is so close it made me wish they'd relocate Beaver Stadium) is OPEN so I went in and checked it out. Also took my picture with the gator and saw a Tebow statue.

Gainesville nightlife isn't quite up to par by State College standards, but they do have bars like Swamp and Balls, so they're certainly in the running.

Speaking of running- I had the most bizarre urge to just run and run one afternoon, which I did. It was hot hot and I wasn't entirely sure I'd even make it back. I did, obvi, but that was a challenge.

A great stop, and I was sad to leave and head north again.

Should try to grow up but who knows where to start

Mileage: 2,674 Best rando: A 6-mile strip of Florida highway with at least 20 churches on it.

Happy belated birthday America!

My fourth did not get off to the smoothest start. Turns out that this race called the Peachtree 10k runs straight through town and since my friends live on that street I would've been parked in until 1 PM had I not heard about it the previous afternoon and moved my car across that street. The day was also pretty great to begin with but I was certainly fading fast come afternoon.

Lots of days of long driving can take a toll, and I certainly fought off a sickness somewhere around the middle of this trip. I've been trying to eat not terribly and keeping fruit and veggies in mind, but it's so hard and I can't keep any kind of a stable or regular diet. At least I haven't succumbed to fast food... except once McDonald's coffee.

But down to Florida was not at all awful and I even found some Georgia postcards at a cheesy rest stop to make up for the ones I accidentally sent without addressing (sorry, y'all).

I also left Atlanta with plenty of hilarious memories- like getting locked in both the pool and the parking garage. Thankfully I met some really nice folks who helped me out.

The south really is the best.

Yeah it's all we've been given so you better start living right now

Mileage: Would've been less had marta been cool. Best rando: Sweet modern/hipster coffee shop that was also a bar.

I'm pretty sure the city is called Hotlanta because of days like the ones I spent there.

When I arrived early Monday evening it was still sweltering from the day and it didn't cool off until got major storms Saturday night. Initially I was overwhelmed by the size of the city, but after meeting the lovely Megan for lunch and experiencing her wonderful knowledge I really did come to believe that it's just a bunch of little neighborhoods smushed together.

And so I ended up having a pretty good time. Some highlights include food truck barbecue, getting locked in the pool and spending time with my two gracious hosts, Pete and Ariel. And after a couple tries I got my hands on some real local Georgia peaches.

Probably one of the strangest things that has happened so far on the trip is my ears have been in semi-clogged state since Nashville. Dunno what that's about but I'm trying not to worry about it.

Anyway with so much to see, I feel like I just grazed the surface of what there is to do in Atlanta so I'll need to be coming back.

And I know sometimes it feels like we're going the wrong way but it's just a long way home

Mileage: 2,300. Best rando: The US's largest fireworks store.

I missed it the second time around. The trip meter, that is. Thankfully there will be a third shot and I am not going to miss it again!

Monday's driving got off to an earlyish start but I needed coffee and didn't think clearly until it had kicked in almost an hour and a half into things. That caused just a few wrong turns and stupid errors.

Luckily driving down here is so relaxing. There's hardly anyone on these wide open roads that just carry you from one beautiful city to another. I didn't hit traffic until Atlanta and even then it didn't measure up to Philly or DC's chaos.

Well I definitely have everything I need, I may have slightly overpacked. The back of the car is starting to resemble what I sometimes think inside my mind looks like: everything is there but sometimes it's a little out of place.

Sunrise there's a fire in the sky never been more happy never felt sohigh

Milage: Samesies. Best rando: An old favorite, Kliebert's Gator Farm.

How fantastic is family?

I made a last-minute decision to nix the trip to Memphis and add an extra nine hours of driving time to come down to Ponchatoula, Louisiana, to see my family at a big reunion. And boy, am I glad I did.

Not only were all of the children together, almost all of the grandchildren were there too (we missed you Matthew!). And the most precious great-grandchild. It was a wonderful afternoon filled with bacon-wrapped pretzels, chocolate cake and lots of laughter. And I can't forget the countless rounds of Cadillac.

I spent the rest of my evening before I crashed into bed with my dear friend Alli, her furball Lily and the always gentlemanly Tyler. My world was flipped upside down when we went to my favorite catfish joint, Middendorf's, and it had been redone completely. At least the food was still as delicious as always.

In the midst of record-setting heat and all kinds of catastrophes happening across the country, I've at least been lucky enough to stay places with AC and wonderful company.

Side note: I think it's a miracle right now that I haven't forgotten anything behind at any of my stops yet. Knock on wood?

Love is wild for reasons, and hope though short in sight might be theonly thing that wakes you by surprise

Milage: 1,780. Best rando: Group of church vans from just outside of Allentown, Pennsylvania seen in Mississippi.

Special thanks to all those Nashville folks-musicians and otherwise-who showed me a great time last night in the city. While I got a little bit of the touristy honky-tonk feel, what I really enjoyed the most was going to see three sweet artists at and off-the-beaten-path kind of bar.

And speaking of local culture, my BLT from Athens really hit the spot and I still say we could've been best friends with that security guy outside the window.

I hit the pavement just after 6 AM expecting to get my coffee on the way. Little did I know there're very few rest stops on I 65 south heading towards Alabama. That must be the Yankee in me who thought there'd be a Starbucks every 5 miles.

So as the gas got cheaper ($2.85, suckers up north) and the sun rose into the sky, I trekked on down the rest of I 65 and onto I 59. The "bridge may ice in cold weather" signs scattered in Alabama make me laugh. Yeah, right.

Heading down to Louisiana is definitely like coming home.

Discount shades, storebought tan, flip flops and cutoff jeans

Milage: 1,239. Best rando: Parthenon replica

Would you consider it lucky or unlucky that on my first trip to Nashville I just so happened to witness the hottest temperatures in the city's history?

I guess if heat is what I wanted it's what I got. As per the wonderful Phil Swaney's suggestion, I tried Silly Goose on Friday night followed by Jeni's ice cream. I wasn't at all disappointed.

Despite setting my alarm wrong, I still woke up at 7:30 Saturday and drug my butt out to the park to do an 18 mile bike ride around the city. If there's any doubt, cycling is the best way to see a city fast.

In the afternoon I attempted to get Belle out so I took her to the Shelby dog park. She was interested for all of five minutes before she conked out in the shade. Even walking across some of the stones was too hot for her paws- she basically got stuck and I had to go rescue her.

We did a brief tour of Vanderbilt and Centennial Park that was broken up by a delicious Ben & Jerry's stop. Two of the sweetest high school kids took pity on Belle and gave her a dish of water and let us sit in the shop.

In the evening I checked out the Broadway scene first before moving on to the cooler, hipper club with some locals. Safe to say I didn't get near enough Nashville.

Ain't going down till the sun comes up, ain't giving in till we get enough, rolling around the world in a pickup truck

Milage: 1,162. Best rando: Birthplace of Abraham Lincoln.

The part of Kentucky I drove through today is all cornfields and old tractors. Thought I'd be cool and get a picture of the trip meter when it turned to 1000 but then I forgot that it only hits 999.9. So I have a picture of it starting over it zero. Luckily I'll definitely hit that number again so I'll be more prepared the second time around.

Again no shortage of country stations down here. I did catch a little NPR this morning talking about the Supreme Court decision, but it just felt wrong to be catching up on news. I feel like a step back in time.

In one sense that's true. Driving down I-65 in Kentucky I saw a sign for the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln. And, being a Gettysburg girl, I decided I needed to go see that. I feel very Forest Gump in the way I've been making decisions.

It also put me on some backwoods Kentucky roads, which I totally just ate up.

Mammoth Cave, our second stop, was breathtaking, and probably would've been more so if I'd done a real tour. We did discover a little river off the regular path but my anti-water dog wanted nothing to do with it, no matter how refreshing. At the end of the hike we caught a "natural AC" breeze from the caves below.

Many thanks to Val and Joe for being wonderful first hosts!

We are young enough to say oh, this has got to be a good life

Milage: Similar to yesterday, as Louisville is about 13 miles away. Best rando: Giant gold sculpture of David.

Louisville (Lou-e-ville) is hot.

I realized an americano may have been a bad coffee choice when I was flat out sweating in the shade at 10am. However, if you know me, I wasn't at all miserable about it. Just sat in a park, read my kindle and sipped my hot coffee on a hot Southern morning. I could get used to them.

The rest of the city day was pleasant. Lunch with Val, a walk along the Ohio. Kind of dirty but beautiful bridges. Gave myself some extra rosiness on my cheeks by spending the hottest hours of the late afternoon sleeping by the pool. Hey, it's vacation.

Tomorrow is a day for exploring and like ventures. Granted, they'll all be pet-friendly, (Belle is well!) but they will be adventures.

Here's a little of Louisville:

Heading out west with my headphones on

Milage: 848. Best rando sighting: Noah's Ark.

There are a lot of Christian music stations and wildflowers in Western Maryland. Neither of which I have a problem with. Also did you know that they're rebuilding Noah's Ark? I guess that's a good thing. You know. Just in case.

West Virginia is actually lovely. There's no shortage of country stations, which I love, and I even saw a sign for moonshine. I probably should've stopped to check it out, but Belle was getting a little antsy around the middle of the day. I guess the dog that loves car rides doesn't really love 12 hour car rides.

I also passed the Amazon customer service center. Kinda does make sense to put it in West Virginia since people here are so friendly. One man at a gas station had about half the teeth he should have but he smiled at me and Belle very politely.

And one question I had to ask myself some point in western West Virginia was,"Am I still in the same time zone?" Usually I move through them at the speed of a modern jetplane. I'm definitely not used to ambling along, crossing state lines like I'm hopping scotch and resting for a while on each square. The answer, I discovered much later, was yes.

I also wondered as I drove through the Daniel Boone National Forest if that's where the name boonies came from. While I often affectionately use the term to refer to where I live, being in Kentucky and seeing the whole slew of trees that seems to make up the better part of the state gave it a whole new meaning.

I'll be phone-blogging the rest of this trip so look forward to rising milage and hopefully more share-worthy landmarks.

And I gotta get a move on before the sun

Leaving in less than a week on this adventure and now I'm getting down to business on this planning ish.

Anyone who lives between here and Kentucky and Florida and the southern east coast, LEMME KNOW and I shall visit you! I'm definitely hitting Louisville, Nashville, Memphis, Atlanta and Charleston. So what should I see there? What should I do? Suggestions encouraged – the crazier the better.

Also looking for great roadtrip snack suggestions, both recipes and the regular buy-it-in-the-store types. I'm definitely thinking trail mix, juice boxes and roadside fruit stand goodies. Anything else from your experience that will make 3,000 miles that more awesome?

Meanwhile, I did a little pre-trip excursion yesterday and I'll end with a little representation collage of the beautiful Belmar Beach, NJ.

Burgin.

This makes me remember why having a really good hometown is a really great thing.

Don't be scared to walk alone/don't be scared to like it

How good is the new John Mayer album?

Well if you don't know, get acquainted. I plan to have all but memorized that sucker by the time I return home from my sweet road trip, which begins in t-minus 20ish days.

If we're friends and right now you live anywhere between here, as far west as Kentucky and down to Florida, let's hang out. I'll be bringing this gem with me, but she's cute as can be and only 16 lbs. That's less than the bags of dog food I buy for her weigh.

I have almost three weeks squeezed between summer concerts (um, it's been too long since I last saw DMB) and the little rascal and I are going to see the world. Well, America. About a quarter of it. So that's something?

Also I'm currently taking suggestions for must-see landmarks (Foamhendge in Virginia, to name my favorite so far). Leave a comment, let me know what to see. 

I'm packing, planning, preparing and getting in my last doses of homecooked meals before Clif bars become my best friends. As JohnnyM would say,

But I am tempted to keep the car in drive/and leave it all behind.