USA Road Trip: Prologue

9 January 2016:  I am about to set off on a new adventure – a road trip across the United States!

I flew yesterday from Paris to Boston, and then took a bus to Providence.  Today, I picked up the new car that we have bought for Chloé, who finished her studies at Rhode Island School of Design three weeks ago.  Chloé and I had planned to drive from Providence to California together.  (The car would be useful to transport some of the things that Chloé accumulated during her four years at RISD.)  Needless to say, I was looking forward to this father/daughter road trip very much!  But then Chloé went and got a job, teaching art at an elementary school in Thousand Oaks, California – starting this week!  So now I'm on my own...

I'll load the car with Chloé's stuff tomorrow and start driving.  Chloé, of course, is looking forward to the arrival of her new car sooner rather than later, but we've agreed that I need not rush across the country; I'll pause here and there (and even take an occasional, short detour) to see some interesting and beautiful sights along the way.  My first destination is Woodbury, Connecticut.  After that, I'll drive southwest toward Shenandoah National Park (Virginia), passing (and perhaps visiting) Gettysburg (Pennsylvania).  I'll turn right in Tennessee and drive west on I-40.  I look forward to listening to some bluegrass music (at least on the radio; maybe even live somewhere) as I drive by Nashville.  Oklahoma and the Texas panhandle offer little to slow me down, but when I reach New Mexico and Arizona, there will be choices to make: There are interesting cities (e.g., Santa Fe) and spectacular sights (e.g., Zion National Park in Utah) on or near my route.

I'll report on my progress as I drive and post a few pictures on this blog.

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One of the distinctive landmarks of Providence is the "Superman Building",  originally known, prosaically, as the Industrial Trust Tower:

I returned to Christopher Dodge House, a comfortable and conveniently-located B&B where Chloé and I stayed in September 2011 at the beginning of her studies at RISD. 

Chloé's new car:

Car and Driver:

The Rhode Island State Capitol looms on the horizon behind Christopher Dodge House: