The Journey Begins Wednesday August 11

20 years ago, I went off to college with little money and no car.  I was madly in love with my high school girlfriend, Emily.  We were determined to stay together, despite the fact that she was attending Wake Forest and I was going to the University of Kentucky.  We would see each other on weekends.  We would talk on the phone.  The odds were against us, but we didn't care.
Unable to stand the separation, with the help of Kelli Phillips and Crisanne Lawson, my friends from high school that went to UK with me, a plan was hatched.  Over a six pack of Milwaukee's Best, we came up with the idea of going door to door in the girls' dormitory and asking for the spare change off their dressers.  The goal was to raise enough money for me to buy a Greyhound Bus ticket that would take me to North Carolina.  The thought was that these girls would be so taken by this story of love and devotion that they would gladly fund this voyage.
We raised about $80, which got pretty close to the cost of the ticket.  I left Lexington at 5 pm on Thursday and arrived in Winston Salem at noon on Friday.  A seven hour car ride turned into a 19 hour trip from hell.  The bus was stinky.  There were drunkards and wandering souls, all heading somewhere.  They were my traveling companions. 
About a month later, I got the dreaded phone call: "I've been doing a lot of thinking.  We're in college now and I just feel like we need to see other people..."
The sting of the breakup lasted through Christmas.  But, the memory of that bus ride has stuck with me over the years.  I felt alive.  I was on an adventure.  I had no regrets.
But now, 20 years later, life has changed.  I've married the most amazing woman, Erica Stone.  I have two great boys, Russ and Mitch.  But, sometimes, I still wonder about the bus.  When I see a Greyhound barrelling down the interstate, I imagine who's inside.  Where are they going?  What are their stories?  The only way to find out, is to ride.  And ride I will.
This Wednesday, I'm starting a 30 day journey across America.  I'm buying a "Discover America" pass that will allow me to take the bus anywhere my heart desires. 
The question before me is this: Why has this 19 hour bus trip from 20 years ago stayed so fresh in my mind?  Is it an era of my life that I miss?  Am I just trying to recapture that feeling of being young and foolish, setting out on a journey?  Or, was it because of the people that I met?  Are they still out there?  Does America even know about the passengers of the Greyhound Bus? 
I'll find out, starting this Wednesday.  My first leg will take me from Nashville to New York.  I'm hoping to barge into the office of a literary agent, tell them my tale, and suddenly be represented as an author.  We shall see.
Stay tuned...