Leaving the fear and loathing...

It strikes me as a an odd coincidence that while we're making final preparations to leave Las Vegas Hunter S. Thompson, the Gonzo journalist and author of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, has killed himself. In many ways Gonzo Journalism was a predecessor to weblogs. Its 'involve yourself in the story' ethic rings true with blogging. The world of journalism has lost one of its strongest voices.

Meanwhile, our exodus from Las Vegas draws near. While the time here was no where near as convoluted and wacky as Thompson's was, it was not normal or easy either. The dot-com bubble bursting, 9/11's effect on the economy, and our being hit by a drunk driver, were the three strikes that have turned us against Las Vegas. So on February 24th all our stuff will be loaded on a truck and sent on its way to Florida.

It's very weird putting all one's stuff on a truck. You put a lot of faith in the driver and his ability to avoid all the bad weather and bad driving of others on the road. I feel like there is something else we should be doing, but hundreds of thousands of people do this every year with only a few stories of total disaster. I try not to worry.

We're looking forward to starting over again in the Orlando area. But first we're going on what will surely become known as The Frost's Great American Road Trip. We'll be travelling slowly across the southern US spending 6 or 7 nights on the road. This slow pace should allow us to stop and see what remains of the many of the roadside attractions that have filled our highways and byways in the past.

Some of the major highlights we expect to see are:

• Sedona, AZ - beautiful art galleries situated in some of the southwests most beautiful countryside.
• Talesin West - Frank Lloyd Wright's western residence
• The Alamo - San Antonio's Riverwalk too.
• Houston, TX - our friend Tex
• Louisiana Bayou - Plenty of good eats
• New Orleans - We aim to spend a whole day here checking out all the architecture and eating fun
• After that there are a ton of spots along the Florida coast as we make our way to Walt Disney World.

We also aim to dine only at locally or privately owned restaurants and eateries along the way. The proliferation of corporate chain restaurants is threatening to put the mom and pop establishments out of business. In an example of consumer democracy, we plan to do our part to support the small guy (and gal) by directing our tourist dollars their way. Plus with the help of the internet finding these joints is relatively easy compared to just a few years ago (Roadfood.com, chowhound.com, etc). Netizens contribute reviews and news on the latest openings, closings, and menu items. All we have to do is mark them down on the map.

This brings me to Foodrelish. Foodrelish is a new blog I've started to track my love of food, cooking, and dining. Yes, it does seem strange to announce a new blog just as I'm about to take a 10 day vacation from blogging, but there it is. I'm sure to gather plenty of material over this roadtrip and look forward to blogging it all.

Other noted deaths this weekend included actor-singer John Raitt and actress Sandra Dee. I've enjoyed Raitt's songs and Sandra Dee will forever be Gidget to a generation. Sad passings indeed.