Don't worry, I'm not going to stop blogging. But I thought I should address a couple things that keep coming up.
People often ask me what my "thesis" is for this project, and that's a great question. You can check out my about page to see why I'm doing this.
As a journalist and amateur sociologist, though, I'm trying to keep my own opinions from heavily affecting what I present to you.
Of course, my "coverage" is bound to be skewed by my political views! Also, because I'm driving my house and dog everywhere with me, I'm sticking to smaller cities and towns, which has so far resulted in pretty poor ethnic diversity.
I'll try to work on that.
I am finding patriots are everywhere!
If I had to choose a thesis for this project, so far, I'd say it's that there is a powerful connection between American identity and wild lands. I'd probably argue that we need to actively preserve and promote our landscape in order to maintain a connection to our rugged, individualistic history.
That may sound 101 to lots of you, but growing up and spending much of my adult life in the suburbs and city, it's actually not something I really connected until recently.

The other thing that's been bugging me is the fact my focus on patriotism is not obvious when you peruse my blog.
Because I'm not getting paid, I've been using this forum as a travel diary in addition to my project. I'll try to stick closer to Americana stuff in the future.
Lastly, you would not believe the juggling act required to post sometimes. Many of my entries have been shorter than I'd like, but just know that I am on deadline – the deadline imposed by a flickering bar of wi-fi and the waning batteries in my electronics.

As always, I love getting feedback so please comment or email me.

And enjoy this mural on the wall in Cody, Wyoming!