Tonight I volunteered at an event for the King County Conservation Voters. A part of the evening consisted of a live auction, which had about 30 items. Many of the items involved getaways, such as a trip to Sedona, a stay in Great Britain, a condo rental in Washington D.C. and some little getaways in our own Washington.

If you aren't from Washington, it can be difficult to grasp the weirdness of the geography of our state. We have some bodies of water that break our state up. If you see water shots in a picture of Seattle, it isn't the Pacific Ocean you are seeing, but either a lake or the Puget Sound. To get to the Pacific Ocean from Seattle, you need to drive a few hours, and in some routes, take a ferry, which would be quicker. (I'm totally simplifying things here, sorry).

For you Twilight fans, Forks is pretty close to the coast, and is, I think, about 3 1/2 hours away from Seattle. You would drive north a bit and take a Ferry and drive a few hours to get to Forks. I definitely want to go there because it is beautiful.

If you look at a map of Washington and really zoom in on the western part, you can get a better idea of our geography and see the Puget Sound.

I write about this because aside from the auction I attended, I have been watching reruns of Little People, Big World and right now the reruns are of the Roloff's RV trip to some National Parks. It reminds me of the diversity and the beauty that is all around us. Even the most "boring" looking states, contain vast amounts of beauty.

Most of you know that the area that Mt. Rushmore is in, Badlands, is pretty nice looking. Well, I would disagree, it contains an infinite amount of beauty. You cannot even imagine how gorgeous it is. I so badly wished I had a day or two to spend near there because it was breathtaking! But, even before I got to the Badlands area, I was shocked to find so much pretty scenery in South Dakota. I really want to go back to South Dakota because I loved the Badlands area and the whole western history was really neat.


So I guess the moral of the story is that there is beauty all around us, in our state, in our country, and in our world. We should carpe diem and see as much of it as we can. We need to spend less time working (which is easy for me to say) and more time living.

The problem with me is that I find too much enjoyment in being a nomad. The thought of settling down somewhere is frightening! Being in Las Vegas and not knowing where I would go next was both scary and exhilarating. Same thing with New Hampshire. When I spent a month flying all over the east part of the USA, (Michigan, South Carolina, Florida, Tennesse, Connecticut, etc) I had the time of my life. I found it far too easy to live out of suitcases, motels, and my car.

It's the fear of commitment that gets me. I can commit to friends and family, but beyond that it gets really dicey. Having pondered my living situation for the last year or so, I always found the idea of buying an RV and living out of that and being so mobile really attractive. Driving across the country twice exposed me to this whole culture of RVing that was really fun to watch.

Most of the RVers were, of course, retired folks, who had the time and money to do it. BTW, It's so absurd that you have to wait until you are 65 or older to actually travel and enjoy our country. I know someone who is closer to my age who bought an RV and has that mobility, but chooses to stay around the Vegas area. He loves it and I can't blame him.

So having been unemployed since November, I've found myself a bit disappointed that I didn't do something more fun with this time. I truly didn't think the economy would keep getting worse and that hundreds of people would be applying for janitorial jobs and such. It would've been fun to rent an RV back in November and just drive around!

I don't wanna believe that my traveling days are behind me. Is normalcy that only thing I have to look forward to???

Wow, out of the thousands, maybe millions of people who manage to get thru customs with their undeclared items, Cuban cigars, drugs, suitcases of liquor, and way too many cartons of cigarettes, I got caught bringing in undeclared jewelry. So lame, but I should've been honest and declared it. Anytime I enter the country now, I am on some list where I'll be searched. Oh joy. 

In just a few days, I will be on my way to Miami, Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, and St. Maarten and I cannot wait. I definitely need to just get away and recharge my battery. How sad is that as I am not even working right now!?!

The weather this winter in Seattle hasn't been too horrible, but I am stoked for sunny skies, warm water, and warm wind, if there is any wind at all!

As the economy continues to take more and more victims, I am left wondering if there is any point in looking for a job at all? News story after news story document hundreds and thousands of people applying for low-paying and often times temporary work.

With that said, I am definitely moving full steam ahead with getting my knowledge compiled into a small book so as to consult campaigns on the use of candidate trackers. If they can't afford a consultant, they can get the small e-book and I might print out some hard copies because it would come in handy to have a small copy.

I better get to work, the 2010 campaign season is fast approaching!

I haven't made my love and obsession of New Hampshire a secret. Can you blame me? NH is beautiful and has such a diversity of scenery that is incomparable. The Lakes Region, coastline, forest areas, the mountains (North Country), the more urban areas, the country, and all within a short drive of eachother. It reminded me of Idaho in some ways, though NH is a bit superior, IMO. It reminds me of Washington State much more.

Well one of the great things about Washington State is that you get a lot of that diversity, though much more spread out. Mt. Rainier, Mt. St. Helens and more, the country, the urban, the forests, the beaches and coastline, beautiful bodies of water, suburbia, etc. There isn't the beautiful color of fall that manifests itself in the leaves during Fall and there isn't the proximity to other states, but it's home, my home.

I am so excited to go camping, hiking, biking, weekending, etc. The west truly has so much to offer and the summer's in the west are amazing!

The title of this blog post is the best way to describe my 2008.

-I drove across the country for the second time in a year.

-I met Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Bill Richardson, Dennis Kucinich, Chris Dodd, Mitt Romney, Fred Thompson, John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, Duncan Hunter, Tim Russert, James Denton, Viggo Mortensen, Anderson Cooper, Candy Crowley, John King, Joe Lieberman, and more that I am forgetting.

-I adopted two kitties.

-I lived in 3 states.

-I have now visited 47 states in the US.

-I lived in my Mecca, Washington D.C.

-I worked on K Street.

-I became known as the best in my field of tracking candidates for public office.

-I bought a new car, my dream car.

-I helped a few people have a Christmas.

-I lived my dream and I had moments of such profound happiness, there are no words to explain it.

Unlike many I know, and countless I don't, 2008 was a pretty good year for me. I hope 2009 is even better, especially for those who need it.

I am totally feeling at home with all the snow in Seattle! I've never lived in a big city during winter and it is just awesome looking out my windows and seeing the snow amidst the cityscape.

I had a physical therapy appointment this afternoon and thought it best to cancel. It isn't as though I am scared to drive in it (I am, a little), but other drivers here generally have very little experience driving in it. Also, the City of Seattle, and other areas in Western Washington, just aren't prepared for weather like this. Had this snowstorm happened in Idaho or New Hampshire, the roads would be consistently plowed, salt and/or red rock put down, and the sidewalks cleared. Not here. I live on Queen Anne, which is on a hill and no roads have been plowed.

Living in New Hampshire and Idaho, I loved to venture out in my car, even in several feet of snow, and just defy logic. Here, I don't wish to defy logic and drive in it (until tomorrow to go get my kittens from the airport) and it looks like a lot of other people feel the same way. It's the traffic jam time and I-5 in Seattle has no traffic. I know this because I can see I-5 from my condo (well part of I-5, obviously). So maybe I have underestimated Seattle drivers?

It isn't much and it's pretty pathetic to what Idaho and New England are capable of producing, but it's still snow and it will have to do.

I remember back in Junior High and High School when we would get a few inches and the entire area would shut down. People out here get freaked out by snow. Emergency school closures, late-starts, people thinking they can drive in it when really they can't. That's winter in Seattle.

After 8 winter's in Idaho and 1 winter in New England, I've seen plenty of snow and no matter where you are, no matter how ugly the area, snow has a way of beautifying it. Everything is so much prettier with snow. That is until the red rock is poured on the streets and the pure white snow becomes red gunk. But still, there is never enough red rock to ruin it.

My favorite is when you get the whiteout snowstorms where you are almost insane to go drive in it. We had several of those in New Hampshire. One right after another. It would take 30 minutes to an hour to dig your car out and enough of a trail to get to a road the city had plowed and then I would drive the approximate 1 mile to my office and work while the city was calm. Yeah, that's right, I'm one of those insane people who insist on driving in snowstorms.

I love sitting in an office or your home and watching the massive amounts of snow fall. Seeing the buildup on trees, roofs, cars, and streets is exhilirating. This all makes me yearn for a white Christmas that is possible in Seattle, though unlikely. Last Christmas, I was in Rhode Island. I wanted to go somewhere I might never ever see and Rhode Island was only about 2 hours from New Hampshire. I was barely in Rhode Island because about 1 mile down the road from my hotel was Massachussets. lol. Gotta love how every state in New England is so close to other states.

I didn't really have the white Christmas in Rhode Island. There were traces of snow off the sidewalks and it was cold, but to the best of my knowledge, I don't remember snow. What I remember is driving across bridges that led to islands within Rhode Island. Rhode Island was simply gorgeous.

I have really good reasons why I broke my promise and didn't post the other night. I lost my camera which has my memory card which I use to plug into my computer to upload pictures (found it the next morning). Then, I haven't had internet access until I got to Sundance, Wyoming, but when I tried to access Blogger, it wouldn't let me. This is the first time I've had internet access since Sundance (which is awesome, by the way).

I feel incredibly blessed that I have had this opportunity and I hope that my adventure inspires you to have your own adventure.

So I left around noon yesterday and began my long journey west. I decided to take it easy and stopped for lunch in Ohio. A few hours later I got an ice cream and attempted to nap. That is difficult when it is 500 degrees in your car and you have too much stuff to make room to sleep. So I got back on the road to drive as far as I could.

At about 11pm I decided to take a nap and figured out a way to remove a large suitcase from my backseat, place it on top of my car, and therefore have room to sleep. I left my sunroof open for fresh air, reclined my seat and fell asleep for a few hours. When I awoke, I noticed several bug bites all over my legs and arms. Whoopsy. Shouldn't have slept in shorts and a t-shirt.

I decided it was time to get up so I went into the service center (those of you out west take note that in some states the rest areas are service areas and have restaurants and such, including 24 hour Starbucks) and got a Starbucks drink to help wake me up. Yummy. Strawberries and cream! I was excited to get going and was anxious to drive through Chicago.

You know how you can just tell that some cities are amazing? Chicago is one of them. Haven't spent much time there, but I loved driving through it. I got some great pictures that I will post later today.

The next big highlight of the day was finally getting into Wisconsin! First time I've been here. Very green and lush. Foresty, but also the rolling hills with the country houses. Kinda how you would picture Wisconsin. I see lots of places advertising cheese. Oh, gotta love states and their things they are known for.

So here I am. Camping outside of Madison, Wisconsin. At a KOA spot, so it's kinda half-ass camping, but I'm not looking to rough it when I have such a long drive to conquer.

I really like this KOA spot as you get water and electricity at your campsite, a picnic table, access to clean bathrooms, showers, laundry, a pool, their little store to buy firewood, food, drinks, etc. Oh, and the best part, FREE WIFI. Welcome to camping now.

I've got horrid drives coming up, as my schedule has me in Yellowstone on the morning of the 5th, meaning 27 hours of driving in 2 days, and this includes driving and seeing Mt. Rushmore. So basically lots of driving, little sleep. Then from Yellowstone I'll head to Coeur d'Alene for a day+ and then to Seattle.

Check back later for pictures of Chicago and a few random ones I've taken as well.

I'm sitting on my bedroom floor surrounding by bags and boxes knowing the end to my time in D.C. ends in the next 12-14 hours. I was hoping to leave today, but I needed to ship more boxes than I anticipated and my sleep schedule is so out of whack, there was just no way I could leave before tonight.

I said my last goodbyes yesterday and now it truly feels as though it is time to bid farewell. So, Washington, D.C., you are my Mecca forever, but the timing just isn't right. I know I'll be back for visits, but until then, goodbye.

My name is Jessica. For the last several months, I have tracked over 130 events, all of which included Republican Presidential Candidates (oh and I tracked for 2 days at CPAC, which was a blast!). I tracked town halls (including invite only, private, closed, corporate, etc), house parties, rallies, parties, speeches, "events", press/media avails, tours, and every other type of campaign event. I was able to gain access to events no other tracker could get into. I was told and known by many people and organizations as the "best tracker in the country." What can I say, I have a gift.

I tracked for an organization that provided me with the top notch equipment that made my job easier. I had a Macbook and Final Cut Express for editing, a sweet Canon HD Camcorder, a nice microphone that captured great sound, a fancy Manfrotto tripod, the cords and adapters to plug into a mult box, a digital voice recorder, and more.

So, Washington State Democratic Party, if you want to track and ensure that the crook Dino Rossi doesn't win, and ensure a Darcy Burner victory so that douchebag Reichart loses his seat, I suggest you not only keep tracking their events, but you invest in equipment that will capture great images and, more importantly, GREAT sound.

Call me. I'll help you. I'll be in Seattle by August 11th, see you then.

Sincerely Yours,

Jessica

Editor's note: This post was written over a week ago. I didn't post it until today because I am lazy.

Tonight I met with some of my former co-workers at Recessions, a bar a block away from the infamous K-street (I worked on K street, ironically enough!). It was a time to celebrate and a time to say goodbye. Words can't adequately describe the emotions I experienced tonight. Some of the strong emotions are related to individuals I am leaving behind. Some, the life I am leaving behind.

The journey I've embarked on over the last year has been remarkable in many ways. I have traveled this wonderful country we live in. I have lived in Vegas, New Hampshire, and now Maryland. I have fallen in love with New England and I think about NEW HAMPSHIRE almost daily.

I have grown up in a lot of ways, matured in just as many, and I have fallen short and recognized that it is a daily struggle to improve upon ourselves, and sometimes we lose the struggle.

So, here are some pictures as I reflect on the last year and the journey I began July 1st, 2007 and the journey that ends this August.

One of my first days in Vegas (July, 2007), I met my hero, John Edwards. Words cannot describe how excited I was to meet him. When he walked into the room, he saw my shirt, shook my hand and grabbed my shoulder with his other arm and said, "I like your shirt." I was speechless, but I managed to say, "I like it too." A friend captured this on video but I never got her to send me the footage. Ah well.

This was my office in Vegas! Sign signs everywhere. This was in August of 2007.

Tim Russert and on the NH Primary Day (January 2008)! He was so kind! RIP.

Me at Daytona Beach in Florida (February 2008). Probably the prettiest beach I saw on my travels. Miami beach was pretty too. Daytona Beach was better. More peaceful and better sand.

So the travel advice I received is pretty much the course I'm looking to take. It allows me to see North Dakota, hit South Dakota and see Mt. Rushmore, then drive through Wyoming and see Yellowstone National Park. I lived so close to it for years and never went. I know, I know, I'm totally lame.

I'm trying to convince some of my friends in Pocatello to drive up and camp with me in Yellowstone. I'm thinking of camping two nights in Yellowstone because I don't know if I'll ever be back.

I bought a tent for $30 on Amazon.com. From the reviews, I surmised that I can set it up alone and in less than 20 minutes and it was on sale and normally priced at like $50, so it's a pretty cheap tent, but it should last me through my cross-country trip. I already own a nice tent, but I don't have it with me.

I'm trying to think of other things I might need for my car camping, aside from flashlight(s) and a tarp. I don't want to buy a whole lot, and just need the essentials for camping. I am also trying to be frugal about this. Any ideas, let me know.

I posted on a travel forum that I wanted to hit Wisconsin, N. Dakota and S. Dakota. So, this is what someone wrote to me (see below)...and I thought it would also be cool to FINALLY see Yellowstone. Adding in S. Dakota and Yellowstone only adds about 7-8 hours onto my trip and only a few hundred miles. So, what do ya'll think? Rob, I'd love to see you in Minnesota.

To get to Minneapolis from Chicago you take Interstate 94 or 90 (90 is shorter, but you take 94 if you want to go through Milwaukee) until you get to Madison, Wisconsin.

At this point both Interstates are the same road until you get to the city of Tomah.

At this point you have to stay on Interstate 94 to go to Minneapolis.From Minneapolis, stay on I-94 to Bismarck, North Dakota (the capital), then go south from there on North Dakota state highway 6 to the state line.

This road then becomes South Dakota state highway 63, which you stay on south to Interstate 90. Go west on that just a few miles to Badlands National Prk, Rapid City, and Mount Rushmore.

P.S. The reason you go to North Dakota first and then South Dakota second is that all the good stuff to see in South Dakota is in the western part of the state (and you are coming into those states from the eastern side).From Mount Rushmore go north to Deadwood and the wild west area of South Dakota, then continue west into Wyoming and visit the Custer's Last Stand site just north of Sheridan.

From there it's west on Highway 14 to Yellowstone, then north to Glacier National Park if you want (or skip both and just stay on I-90 to I-94 at Billings, Montana)--and then on west through Idaho and into Spokane and on to Seattle.

Enjoy

My romance with the east coast that is. I LOVE D.C., but that love mainly consists of loving the monuments, museums-all the touristy stuff. The weather during the summer is hellish and it can be expensive using the subway for transportation. Having a car out here can truly suck because parking and traffic are nasty. The economy, meh. There are so many educated and experienced people here that companies and organizations can afford to pay low wages. In many respects, the economy in Seattle and surrounding areas is superior.

I truly miss New England and everything about it. If I had the money to rent a place in Maine on the beach, I would do so in a second. I miss the smell of the ocean, lighthouses, the beaches, the history, the town halls in NEW HAMPSHIRE, the people-the amazing people and their accents. I miss the snow, I miss seeing presidential candidates daily. I miss being in love and by that I mean being in love with where I was at. So close to so much. One hour to Boston, one hour to Vermont, one hour to Maine, 45 minutes to the coast, 40 minutes to the Mass. border. A few hours from New York City. Ahhhhh!!! That, my friends, is one of the biggest differences between the east and west. Everything is so close out here and I LOVE THAT. But I can't love it enough because I don't have the funds to see everything that is close. And this plays into my decision to move. Being so close to things doesn't mean much when you can't trave to those things.

I've been on the outside of politics for the last few weeks and I've found it surprisingly delightful. I still read Politico daily and want to keep up with the general political happenings. It's been nice to refocus on what's important. Last night I was laying in bed and it hit me. My job dominated my life far too much and I lost track and focus of things that deserved my attention. Hopefully my next job won't present the same time and mental challenges to having a well-balanced life.

So my car got some work done today and today was just the beginning. I need four new tires, new front brake pads and rotors, and my rear struts MIGHT be leaking. If they are, I will send the meanest letter to Nissan. It would be completely ridiculous for them to be leaking this early. And my warranty just ran out last month! sigh.

My rotors are rusty and warped. Too rusty to be able to be turned, so they need to be replaced. It's something I can't hold off on until I get to Seattle, I need to do it before I leave. Same with the tires. With the drive home costing so much in gas and tolls, I'll be broke by the time I reach Seattle. In case you are wondering, yes I got two opinions. I might go to a third place and see if my rotors can be turned, just because I want to be absolutely sure they can't be before I fork out $400+ dollars for new rotors and brake pads, especially since my brake pads are only 40% worn.

My car has been a champ up until now and I do feel lucky there isn't more needing to be done.

For the last several months, I've tracked Republican presidential candidates. The campaign I was on would disburse the videos to various blogs (Crooks and Liars) and websites (Brave New Films) as well as members of the press. One of my videos that I got at a private town hall at Rice University was used to alert the folks at Countdown with Keith Olbermann that McCain had goofed on the Shiite-Iran connection on yet another instance. Olbermann ran a segment with that video of McCain screwing up. Thanks to me.

My videos and audio I got from videos was also used in commercials for the campaign I was on, Campaign to Defend America (go here for one where multiple videos I shot were used), and a commercial Moveon.org did, which you can view here. I never got credit outside of the campaign, but I want to give myself credit now. My videos are still being used and dammit, I'm gonna take credit each time they pop up. You can go to this link for the youtube page of the campaign I was on and view hundreds of videos, a majority of which are mine.

If you watch a video under the last link to the IssueAlliance youtube page and want to know if I shot it, click on the "more info" link in the video description box and look for a label. If the label contains "JC", which stands for my name, then I shot the video. Here is one example you can see where "JC" is listed under the "label."

The last few days I've really been thinking about moving back to Seattle and the drive. On one hand, I'm super excited about the drive. On the other, I'm nervous and impatient that I even have to make the drive. I'm really thinking I'll aim for 7-10 hours each day.

The places I'd like to stop and smell the roses, so to speak are Chicago, Billings (my friend's parents live there), Coeur d'Alene, Wisconsin, and maybe Minnesota. I'm sure the Dakota's will be a bore, but it will still be exciting because I've never been to those two states. When I get to Minneapolis, I'll have to get off I-90 and take a different highway if I want to go through South Dakota. I'm not sure if this other highway (not sure which one it is) takes me near Mt. Rushmore, but if so, I'm definitely stopping there. I could stay on I-90 and make a little detour and hit the corner of S. Dakota, but I'm not sure if I can do that and if it would be efficient.

I'm pretty nervous about fitting everything into my car. I bought a little refrigerator I'll have to sell and a tv, which I am NOT selling, as well as acquiring some clothes since I've moved here, but I'll most likely have to ship some boxes home. I was thinking it would be fun to buy a tent that is super easy to setup and then camping my way back to Seattle, but I'm not sure that's doable.

I emailed my dad to see if he could mail me a small gun that I could have on the way back for protection. I have a bb gun and some knives (swiss army types) but I'd feel better if I had a gun as well, especially since I'll most likely need some naps in the car to keep me going. Thoughts?

Ok, before you do anything else, read the post I just made below. Now you can read this. I've decided to add a donation button to my blog (look to the right) in case anyone feels so inclined and would like to donate to my journey back to Seattle. If I don't decide to go back, any donations will be returned, but I highly doubt I'll stay out here. If you do donate and have a special request tied to the donation (pictures, a post, a public thank you, etc), let me know. With gas prices, I'm anticipating paying around $600 in gas and tolls. A few motel nights thrown in there, buying food and snacks for the road, and the trip could easily reach $1000.

Life in Bush's America and this Bush economy is frighteningly expensive.