As I've promised, I will present my travelogue with photos I took on this trip. Since it is a big project and I have to deal with some other things, I have to write and post the log part by part. I'll keep updating this entry until it is finished. Please keep an eye on that. Thank you for your patience.

I know the title sounds like a cliche. But so far I can't come up with another title which can better generalize this trip than this one. I will change it as long as I get any inspiration. Please be tolerant to it for the moment.

Another thing to mention/brag about. It is the 100th entry on my blog. I'm surprised at my own perseverance. Keep going, Dan!!!

Day 0 -- Homework

We seven [ Tianyi, Xuying, Jianjie & XIe jiun, Pan Feng, Ye Min and I ] had four meetings in the same study room of Raynor before we got everything done. I can't recall too many details about those meetings but one thing impressed me deeply -- Jianjie and I had a presentation on the first meeting. To make the trip more like a team work, everybody was assigned something to do. Since then I was still struggling for the move and suffering from the absence of telephone and the Internet, I was lucky enough to be exempted from the obligation of camping site/hotel reservation, car rent and some other things that might bother me a lot. And yet, I was required to be a tour guide for the trip -- OMG!!!!

My inventory:

DIGITAL GEARS
CDs | Mp3 player | Digital Camera/Charger | PDA/Charger | Laptop/Charger | Cell phone/Charger | Batteries | 6 output connector

Notes:
If you are a zesty amateur photographer like me, I would strongly recommend you bring a high volume digital storage to store the photos, say, an external drive [ if your camera can transfer pictures to it directly ] or a laptop. In this way never you will fear running out of storage and can shoot whatever you want. A laptop can also work as a portable entertainment center: you can listen to music, surf the Web [ if you've got wireless connection via cell phone ], watch DVDs and refer to any helpful software any time. Nevertheless, I have to admit a laptop is kind of cumbrous in some sense, but you will find it worth all the pain if you count all the payback in.

A PDA would be of great help to your trip. You can read e-books, play games, find directions from map softwares and organize your trip with it. If you've got one, don't hesitate to bring it along the road. Guess what? Tianyi even finished reading a book of Qiongyao on our way back home. Also I should warn you that reading on a small screen in a car might hurt your eyes.

If you travel with a lot of friends, bring a multiple outlet connector with you. Electrical outlets in hotel/motel's room are usually no more than 6 and not every you can fully use. Don't forget you've got so many digital gears and so do your buddies! An outlet connector would greatly extend the space you could utilize when charging your equipment. I was taught a good lesson about that on my trip to California in spring break -- I had to stay up to wait for a free outlet for my digital camera and it was really a pain!!!

CLOTHES
[ my own list omitted ]

Notes:
Bring some warm clothes. The temperature in Yellowstone at night can drop below 32 F and if you wanna sleep in a tent, you'd better wear all the warm clothes you have in case you will be waken up by the coldness at as early as 4 am. Also bring some long sleeve Tee shirts to wear while hiking to prevent sunburn. Poor Xuying suffered a lot from that.

If you go for a long trip like me, don't bring all your clothes for you can do laundry in hotels. Just keep your backpack as light as possible.

ACCESSORIES
Poncho | Bucket cap | Nike cap | Sandals | Strap

Notes:
Poncho is NECESSARY if you plan to visit Yellowstone. In the two days we were there, we were followed by a cloud and showers were unpredictable.

PERSONAL CARE
Acne Treatment | Q-tip swaps | Sunscreen | Oil & dirt removing wipes | Lipstick | Mirror | Comb | Toothbrush/toothpaste | Towels | Shampoo | Conditioner

Notes:
Sunscreen of SPF [ Sun Protection Factor ] 45 or higher is better. Due to the high altitude and dry air in Yellowstone, the trip was a challenge to your skin which might have got accustomed to the relatively mild climate.

MISC
Keys | State/University ID | Pen | Domestic stamps | Glasses case | Sunglasses | Canteen | Flashlight

Notes:
Bring some domestic/international stamps is a trick but surely will make your trip more convenient. If you happen to visit some places on weekend, post offices are usually closed so it might take you extra time and money to buy some stamps. Mail some postcards to your friends and give them a surprise!!!

MAP

The green loop on the map is the route we had planned and finally took. The ten states we traveled across were: Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, and Illinois. The route was 4,500 miles long -- it is the same distance stretching from Korea to the Gobi Desert.

The map was generated by Microsoft Streets & Trips. It worked fine in the trip excepts for two times we took the wrong ways.

VEHICLE

Different from the account we read on Dodge's website, the floor of the minivan is not convertible so that we lose some extra storage space. It is kind of crowded to accommodate seven people and a lot of luggage. Anyhow, it will be a good choice if your team has fewer people.

BACKPACK

Notes:
Bring another small backpack for hiking. While hiking you just need some water, sunblock, raincoat and a few clothes. You might not look that professional if not carrying your big backpack, but your back will appreciate your consideration.

It was a challenge to push all my stuff into the 35 liter backpack. Later I found it was another challenge to get one thing out while keeping other things in a good order. Anyway, the feelings of packing up were always exciting. I just couldn't wait for the trip!!!

Day 1 -- On the Road

Actually the trip had started since June 18th, when I posted my farewell entry before I left for the long way. The new travel schedule was a better plan than the previous one in that we wouldn't have to arrive at MT Rushmore at 8 pm or so and have nothing else to do but to lodge. At 5 pm the guys picked up the Dodge Grand Caravan minivan we rent at the airport and we girls shopped for food and drinks meanwhile. In fear of being bored in the crowed minivan, we grabbed eight bags of tomato chips, which was proved to be crazy but wise. Then we seven gathered at the front door of Tianyi's apartment building, with packs and bags on the ground which made a pile.

Having gained some experience on cramming a cup with an elephant, we worked like veterans, oh, no, masters! Master-to-squeeze-everything-into-an-insufficient-space. It took us one hour to settle down and it's time to set off. 4,500 miles were waiting for us ahead.

The night fell finally. In case of driver's falling asleep and driving us all to heaven or hell, we decided that one girl would accompany the driver and keep talking with him. I were on duty from midnight to 2 am. It was usually my awake time so not a pain to me at all. During the two hours we drove across Minnesota we even saw a dead deer on the middle of the road and its blood had turned brown. Poor deer. Maybe s/he should read Wisconsin Motorists' Handbook online first to know what people would do when they hit a deer.

If you hit a deer, you are entitled to keep it. If you do not want the deer, the next motorist on the scene is entitled to the deer.

At 4 am or so I was waken up by my friends' low exclamation. Looking out of the window, I saw vapors floating on the surface of a dark river. The sky was as dark blue as a dream and the translucent mist blurred my eyes. My friends told me it might be Missouri River. I didn't know and I didn't care. I was just shocked by the scene I'd never seen before. A steamy river, so quiet and mysterious. At the sight I felt somewhat awe.

At 7 am or so we arrived at a town near Mt Rushmore in South Dakota. Oh, one thing to mention is that the coffee in the first gas station we stopped by in SD cost only 15 cents. Really a good deal. We had a quick breakfast and surprised to find hundred of dead moths on the spotlights of the minivan. Whew!!!

TO BE CONTINUED...