Bob Dole's Odyssey Suggestions

[Bob Dole]

So for the first time since 1978, Bob Dole is without a full time job. Feels kind of strange, but Bob Dole has normal blood pressure for the first time in over a decade. Along the way, Bob Dole has been really bad at taking vacations. Really bad. Just got a check for 42 days of accrued vacation bad. (Bastards wouldn't pay for the 403 hours of accrued sick leave.)

No real interest or need to go back to work immediately. Which leads to the question: What now? Despite a long list of productive things Bob Dole should probably do, Bob Dole feels like doing something relaxing, and is looking for suggestions.

Not interested in getting a passport, and there is a lot of the United States that Bob Dole has yet to see. Thinking about going and buying a cheap used car instead of piling miles on the Silverado at 15mpg. Trying to think of a theme, or something unusual. Also thinking it would be fun to document/blog the adventure. Given this place's propensity for the bizarre, Bob Dole figured he'd open up a thread for suggestions.

What ya got?

[Rain Man]

Okay, how about this?

There are 22 states in the continental U.S. that are west of the Mississippi.

If you look at areas with 10,000 or more people, there are none that start with the letters Q, X, and Z, so you kick those out. You start in Texarkana, so that takes care of T, and now you have 22 letters left and 22 states.

Try this as a starting point, recognizing that you want Amarillo and Denver in the mix.

TX Amarillo A
MO Branson B
OR Coos Bay C
CO Denver D
NV Elko E
AZ Flagstaff F
KS Great Bend G
AR Hot Springs H
IA Iowa City I
WY Jackson J
MT Kalispell K
NE Lincoln L
ID Mountain Home M
LA New Orleans N
OK Oklahoma City O
WA Port Angeles P
MN Rochester R
NM Santa Fe S
CA Ukiah U
UT Vernal V
ND Williston W
SD Yankton Y

As a route, I might suggest:

TX Amarillo A
NM Santa Fe S
CO Denver D
AZ Flagstaff F
UT Vernal V
NV Elko E
CA Ukiah U
OR Coos Bay C
WA Port Angeles P
ID Mountain Home M
MT Kalispell K
WY Jackson J
ND Williston W
SD Yankton Y
MN Rochester R
IA Iowa City I
NE Lincoln L
KS Great Bend G
MO Branson B
AR Hot Springs H
OK Oklahoma City O
LA New Orleans N

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by Nzoner

If you're in Las Vegas next week give don't forget to call.

If he does that, he can't go to Lincoln.

[Amnorix]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

That river thing would take me a lifetime. I would walk half a dozen blocks to Cherry Creek in Denver and put the raft in the water. That would merge into the South Platte in downtown Denver, heading north and east. From there it would turn into the Platte and make it all the way to Omaha, and then the Missouri winding back south through KC and St. Louis. Then it would be the Mississippi for a straight shot to the delta.

A couple hours, at most, on whatever river, and then BOOM, Atlantic Ocean. Yeah, that one isn't so exciting when you live in Eastern Mass.

[Bob Dole]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

Okay, how about this?

There are 22 states in the continental U.S. that are west of the Mississippi.

If you look at areas with 10,000 or more people, there are none that start with the letters Q, X, and Z, so you kick those out. You start in Texarkana, so that takes care of T, and now you have 22 letters left and 22 states.

Try this as a starting point, recognizing that you want Amarillo and Denver in the mix.

TX Amarillo A
MO Branson B
OR Coos Bay C
CO Denver D
NV Elko E
AZ Flagstaff F
KS Great Bend G
AR Hot Springs H
IA Iowa City I
WY Jackson J
MT Kalispell K
NE Lincoln L
ID Mountain Home M
LA New Orleans N
OK Oklahoma City O
WA Port Angeles P
MN Rochester R
NM Santa Fe S
CA Ukiah U
UT Vernal V
ND Williston W
SD Yankton Y

As a route, I might suggest:

TX Amarillo A
NM Santa Fe S
CO Denver D
AZ Flagstaff F
UT Vernal V
NV Elko E
CA Ukiah U
OR Coos Bay C
WA Port Angeles P
ID Mountain Home M
MT Kalispell K
WY Jackson J
ND Williston W
SD Yankton Y
MN Rochester R
IA Iowa City I
NE Lincoln L
KS Great Bend G
MO Branson B
AR Hot Springs H
OK Oklahoma City O
LA New Orleans N

Definitely a good framework. Will have to find a different H, because Bob Dole goes there all the time.

Went car hunting this morning. Going to go back tomorrow and look at an 01 Corolla.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by Bob Dole

Definitely a good framework. Will have to find a different H, because Bob Dole goes there all the time.

Went car hunting this morning. Going to go back tomorrow and look at an 01 Corolla.

Okay, I'll work on the H.

Do you want all of the western states, or (ahem) would you want to do perhaps two alphabetical cities in only the states that are, say, west of Kansas?

[Bob Dole]

All the western states is cool. Might as well.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by Bob Dole

All the western states is cool. Might as well.

I'm on it.