Satori-no-Tabi

"Sometimes it's a little better to travel than to arrive" - Robert Pirsig

I departed San Jose, California on April 28, 2026, driving 7,775 miles on secondary roads, and returned home on May 31. 

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The Itinerary

Part 1: Pier-to-Pier Route 66

• 3,704 miles | San Jose - Santa Monica - Chicago (4/28 - 5/14)

Part 2: Pirsig's Zen

• 1,681 miles | Chicago - Minneapolis - Rapid City (5/17 - 5/23)

Part 3: Lewis and Clark Trail

• 2,390 miles | Dakotas - Lolo Pass - the Cascades - San Jose (5/24 - 5/31)

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Driving secondary roads can be slow but has an advantage. I can open the window and let the environment in, to hear, smell, and feel the passing landscape. It's not as immersive as riding a motorcycle, yet I gained so much from the embodied experience.

While driving, I listened to audiobooks. Between passages, I often paused, opened the windows, and pondered the thoughts that came to my mind.

From the cultural history of Route 66 to the expeditions of the American West, and finally to the philosophical exploration of human and animal behaviors, these books were the perfect companions for my journey.

10 audiobooks of my road trip

1. Hip to the Trip - Peter Dedek (5h 54m)

2. Travels with Charley in Search of America - John Steinbeck (7h 59m)

3. Whose Names Are Unknown - Sanora Babb (8h 45m)

4. The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck (21h 1m)

5. Driving the Green Book - Alvin Hall (9h 41m)

6. Exploring Lewis and Clark Along the Columbia - Laura Reeves and Peter B. Lewis (2h 29m)

7. Undaunted Courage - Stephen Ambrose (21h 40m)

8. The Greatest Salesman in the World - Og Mandino (2h 33m)

9. The Story of Human Language - John McWhorter (18h 15m)

10. Other Minds - Peter Godfrey-Smith (7h 1m)

(Total listening time: 105h 18m)

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Windows Down. Mind Open. Roads Within.

I began this journey focused on the tangible, physical reality of Route 66. For this, I took a lot of photos.

But then, as the landscape shifted from the plains to the mountains, so did the landscape of my thoughts.

The grit of the American West led me to ponder the deeper nature of life. My attention then shifted from the external world to the inner workings of life itself.

I returned home with a renewed sense of what it means to be present. 

I did not know what to expect when I began this road trip.

It turned out, it was a journey of enlightenment.

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Why Daily Journal

Back in 1997-1998, during my one-year around-the-world backpacking journey, I kept daily journals which I still have and occasionally read. Flipping through the pages of my handwritten notes brings back the feeling of that embodied experience. They are like time capsules, meaningful only to me, and no one else.

The experience of this epic road trip, I want to remember. Hence this daily journal. A few thoughts I want to reflect on later:

• Day 11: Thoughts on Migration

• Day 19: Reflection

• Epilogue