A week ago today...

...my son and I set out for California. To paraphrase the Chinese philosopher, Lao-tzu, "A journey of a little over two thousand miles began at the end of our driveway."

It proved to be a bittersweet trip.

Having graduated from college just two weeks before, my son decided to move to Los Angeles where he would try to break into television (behind the camera, not in front). Sensing an opportunity for one last road trip with my son (and a short vacation in southern California), I offered to make the drive with him and leave my beloved Honda Civic Hybrid (with satellite radio!) in his care.

So at a little after seven o'clock last Saturday morning, we said goodbye to my wife and headed west for Cheyenne, Wyoming. (Or The Great American West, as Jack Kerouac might have called it.) According to Mapquest it would take us about fourteen and a half hours; with a stop for a late lunch / early dinner in Omaha, Nebraska, it took a little longer -- about sixteen and a half.

(Lunch was at Brewburger's, above, a restaurant featured on the Food Network show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. My son had a burger of some sort; I went with the smoked brisket with Swiss cheese on rye -- good call! -- and House fries -- another good call.)

We emerged from the restaurant after about an hour and I looked at my son in the parking lot; I couldn't help recalling that famous quote from On the Road: "I was halfway across America, at the dividing line between the East of my youth and the West of my future."

We pushed on.

After driving through western Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska (and, boy, is Nebraska a long state!) we pulled into Cheyenne at around 11:00 local time, or 12:00 our time, or whatever -- it was late! -- and we were both beat. We collapsed into bed knowing we only had a twelve hour trip ahead of us the next day. But at the end of that leg was Las Vegas!