Oh, and...

My curriculum also includes individual lectures selected from quasi-random topics that piqued my interest from Itunes U. If you don't know Itunes U, I recommend checking it out - there, you will find videos and audio files of lectures/talks given at various universities around the country. Most of the material is free! Highly recommended!

Summer 2008 - Solo Trip to Big Sky Country

Dear Blog readers, This year my summer vacation is a two-week self-designed summer school road trip. On July 6, I will be climbing aboard the RUBYSIPR (red Prius) and embarking on a solo journey to Big Sky Montana. Along the way, I will be, in addition to driving, enjoying an auditory curriculum consisting of (1) Langauge (Pimsleur's Chinese, lessons), (2) History (1776), (3) Religion (Krista Tippett's Speaking of Faith series), and (4) Travel (Bill Bryson's In a Sunburned Country). In addition, I plan to listen to Bill McKibben's 'Wandering Home' book about an extended hiking trip in Vermont and the Adirondacks. I'll intersperse these with music and NPR news to keep me alert and entertained. I hope to find wireless internet along the way and will plan to take the occasional photo or two to share the sights. If I have any insights from my 'readings', I'll share those as well. For my route, I'm hoping to scoot rather quickly across the plains to Wyoming, then work my way northwest across the state by the Wind River Range, with perhaps a foray or two into the mountains. While in Big Sky, I'll be with Kevin's family, so we'll have the usual smorgasboard of activities, before I head back on the 17th or so. This should be fun! It's been a while since I've made the cross-country trek. See you on the road!