The plan

Marcie is selling her car to her uncle's friend back in Utah and decided to drive it from Hickory before moving back to New York. But embarking on a cross-country automobile journey is not something you do alone -- oh no. You must invite a colorful sidekick. Enter Amanda. Amanda is on break from school, is hilarious and fun and tells good stories she's adapted from Zombie movies and comic books. It's good she knows loads of stories, because we've got 2,400 some miles of country to cover. We're starting in Hickory, NC before heading into Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado and, finally, Utah. We have a mascot -- Tommy the bear, who was named lovingly after our friend Tommy. Check in starting Aug. 4 for updates on our journey and for photos of Tommy visiting Mount Rushmore and the world's largest ball of twine, or something.