It's over. We did it. Twelve days, thirteen states, two oceans, countless caffeinated beverages, and we only got called "you gentlemen" once. Next time, with any luck, the road trip won't be connected to a relocation, so we can leave the cat at home. If I never ingest American cheese or powdered coffee creamer again, I'll die happy.

This country is big, diverse, complicated, and inexplicable. I don't know how long, and how many places, it would take for any of us to completely grasp it. The "flyover zone" can be surprising: Iowa has slick, pricey business districts and Nebraska has at least one hip college town with excellent microbrew. New York has farms, Ohio has good sushi, and the Internet is a long-distance call from Worland, Wyoming. Not all small towns are boring and not all cities are interesting. People from Mississippi must never leave, as that's the only license plate we never saw [note: we finally saw one our 5th day in LA]. Passing through the more rural areas of the country, it