Adios Grand Canyon

We barely got to know you. We rolled out of Vegas at 5 AM after a hearty breakfast and some successful gambling and drove east past Hoover Dam and into the rising sun. 300 miles, approximately 5 hours, one security checkpoint (they don't want you to blow up the dam, apparently), a gas stop or two and some heroic driving by Issao got us to the Grand Canyon by 10 AM. A couple of hours checking out the colossal hole in the ground and and now we're back on our way to Albuquerque. No casualties yet. The road ahead is 800+ miles of flat on I-40 but leads to the promise of some very tasty ribs in Kansas City. Stay tuned.

Note: 1 casualty. We accidentally left Jonathan at the gas station and drove off without him. Epic fail. Might be time for the buddy system?

Vegas, Baby

Shortly after 2am, we pulled up at the Bellagio in Vegas and tried to get valet parking for the RVs. They only laughed a little. Then we parked ourselves in the back.

Three crazy hours later, Yaron and Bharat are a little wealthier, Jelena is a little giddier, and we're back on the road. No casualties yet.



The rest of what happened in Vegas really should stay in Vegas.

That's not a good sign

And they're off!

At 3:15pm, Gws-team debarked on our ridiculous RV trip across the country. After a painful instructional video from the 80s, we're all certified RV drivers, and equipped to handle the open road. Time to enjoy the next 3500 miles!

Next stop: Bakersfield-ish.

RV "Tesla" hitting the road.

No backing out now...

At 1pm tomorrow, we roll out.

Just by signing up for this trip we've evolved from 16 coworkers to 16 co-conspirators. It's going to be cramped in those RVs. It's going to be exhausting driving 3000 miles in 6 days. We'll get bored, and annoyed, and we'll test each other's patience. But by surviving this ridiculous exercise, we'll have stories and friendships to last a long, long time. At least that's my hope.

"It ain't an easy job, but when you bring your team into Pittsburgh and you ain't lost a one of 'em, there ain't a feeling like it in the world..."



I'm excited.

We has a route!

After much deliberation and optimization for fun, we have a proposed route! Issao is confident we all share the same definition of "fun". We'll find out soon enough.

The first night, we'll have an interlude in Vegas and then drive until morning to reach the Grand Canyon. Over the following days, we'll also hit Santa Fe, Topeka, BBQ in Kansas City, a data center tour in Council Bluffs, and the new GWS office in Chicago.

Of course, that's just the Plan of Record. I'd love to swing by Canada or Mexico while we're at it. We may find out whether Gcards can be used for bail.

Tomorrow we're stocking up on snacks and liquor. Here's just the list (so far) of beers I'm supposed to procure: Breckenridge Brewery, Guinness, Natty Ice, Dogfish Head, and anything from Fort Collins CO.

Yep. It's going to be epic.

The Time is Nigh

Today was our first RV Stand-Up Meeting. Everyone is doing stand-ups, so why should we be left out? The meeting was a high-energy 15 minutes of craziness. Still some debate on the route we're going to take. It may come down to an air hockey match.

Added to the trip: Astrid, Jinnah, Justin

Lost: Robin