It has been over a week since we arrived in Chicago, but it’s taken that long to gather my thoughts for this, the OFFICIAL RECAP. The $5 Footlongs Across America trip was a complete success, even if we didn’t eat as many Spicy Italians as I’d have hoped…

DAY 1: Los Angeles, CA to Willcox, AZ
600 miles, hot desert, footlong tuna on 9-grain honey oat, giant bugs, shitty motel ($50/night), ghost town of Willcox, warm beer, sharing beds.

DAY 2: Willcox to Marfa, TX
450 miles, hot deserts, fireworks stand, New Mexico (I guess), gigantic burrito garage in El Paso, Lone Star beer, backyard camping, “Marfa lights,” thunderstorm huddles, Stitch the dog.

DAY 3: Marfa
Chinati tour, Food Shark falafel truck, wine in the afternoon, Dairy Queen Tagalong Blizzard, backyard BBQ, backyard camping, Lone Star beer, shuffleboard at Padre’s…

DAY 4: Marfa to San Antonio
Wandering, shuffleboard, Pizza Foundation, 400 miles, Dragonforce, broken power window, sunset, arctic grocery store, couch surfers (thanks Sam!).

DAY 5: San Antonio to Austin
Be Kind Rewind, laundry, 80 miles, free shit-flavored vodka, Jackalope’s BBQ chicken bleu cheesesteak, Scrabble, folding couch surfing (thanks Randy, Marlon, Thor, Erica…). No pix for today so here’s Akemi:

DAY 6: Austin
Juan in a Million breakfast tacos, Barton Springs swimming hole, Mr. Natural lunch vegan tacos, PARTY!, Scrabble.

DAY 7: Austin to Pizza Hut, AR
450 miles, Mr. Natural phantom breakfast, footlong turkey instead, “What are y’all doing in Arkansas?” (eating a pepperoni pizza), camping by White Oak Lake, throwing fireworks in the water with Tito, bugs x 1000000.

DAY 8: Arkansas to Memphis, TN
3 mile hike, spiderwebs, gunshots, Scrabble, 250 miles, “Welcome to Memphis” @ Corky’s BBQ, priceline DoubleTree ($52/night), Two Cow Garage, taxi driver.

DAY 9: Memphis
Oil change, swimming pool, Mississippi River, BIG ASS BEER, nicest people on earth, midnight birthday.

DAY 10: Memphis to Chicago, IL
550 miles, bunch of stuff, anxiety, arrival, the L&L, futon (thanks Jenn!!!!).

The end. We’ve been in Chicago since August 5th, my birthday, and things have had a nice pace since our arrival. Yesterday we got a bike for Akemi. I finished the BRAIN VACATION project (worldwide release Judgment Day, August 29). I may have lined up a job to work during school. Etc, etc. Life continues, but I’m already craving a new destination. Clinging to my consciousness, the mindless urge to continue forward has me still reaching for the sunflower seeds. I’m having driving withdrawals.  All that mattered was in that car, and that car was all that mattered. And God dammit, we made it!

I’ll close with this, the opening of Jean Baudrillard’s America. Let’s get arty:

Some photos here taken by John Almquist