Saw a previous trip report for this route here, and I found it very helpful. Thought I’d return the favor. Hope it's helpful, amusing, or some combination of the two. First trip report / first ever Reddit post….be gentle ;)
3900 words
Where: Collegiate Loop - Colorado Trail - San Isabel National Forest - Collegiate Peaks Wilderness
Direction: Counter Clockwise
When: 2020/08/10 - 2020/08/18
Distance: 161-ish miles // 36k-ish ft elevation gain
Start / Finish Location: Cottonwood Pass Trailhead, Buena Vista, Colorado
Conditions: Couldn’t ask for better. Clear skies with some afternoon overcast. Never really checked temps...for what it's worth, I found them comfortable :)
Pics: Should have taken more. First few are the MYOG pack I carried, the rest are from the trip....generally in order. Did a lot of experimenting with vertically oriented panoramas. https://photos.app.goo.gl/YHmPU4nYCZKqu5x69
Lighterpack: I don’t have the attention span for Lighterpack. Main stuff is accounted for - Pack weighed around 10.5 ehl-beez before consumables. https://www.lighterpack.com/fdnlhp
Resupply: 1 - Mt. Princeton Hot Springs ( Mailed a box )
Hike Prep: I’m a CO resident, so it was pretty straight forward putting this trip together...not my first CT rodeo. Being a loop, there was no added headache of drop-off / pick-up logistics. Got an early start this hiking season on local trails, of which there are many, and am a reasonably in-shape dood. I’ve been day hiking 3 or 4 times a week with baseweight + water since the trails dried, #socialdistancing. Confident in a 8-9 day hike timeline, I picked Cottonwood Pass as my entry / exit point because it was 1) less than 2 hours from my house, and 2) it made Mt Princeton Hotsprings the de facto half-way/resupply point and was located literally on the trail. Easy peasy. Also, I hiked Segments 11 and 12 SOBO last summer and thought since I’d be hiking them again, covering those miles in the opposite direction would freshen them up, so I planned for a counter-clockwise heading. 99% of the Loop hikers I met on trail started / stopped at Twin Lakes and headed clockwise.
My First MYOG: I’ve carried an MLD Burn (DCF) for the last couple years, and generally like it, but had a queep or two with its dimensions (specifically width) and a lack of bottom pocket. I designed and built a MYOG pack and gave it a thorough test on this trek. Not my first sewing project, but definitely my most ambitious to date. She’s kinda heavy, 17ish oz, but a solid prototype nonetheless. I used materials I had lying around already- all the webbing was harvested from 1” ratchet straps from the bed of my truck, I 3D printed strap buckles and the G-clip, I cut the shoulder strap padding out of Thermarest ZLite Scraps (which worked surprisingly well), and had some X-PAC and pocket mesh from another project on hand. Ripe with potential weight savings in future versions. No one reinvented the wheel here, we’re basically talking about a shittier, heavier, home-brew, pa’lante pack. At the end of the day, it was always more about carrying something I made. Happy to report, zero problems :)
Gear that worked: Thought the gear was pretty dialed, the pack being the only wildcard. These two items kinda stood out though. Firstly…. Bro, Peloton 97 Fleece. Can't sing its praises enough. Got it after seeing Jupiter’s review, and it’s been on me since. The fleece and I are one. Second, tried some of those new-fangled, wireless earbuds on this trip and they were a real, albeit not so UL, treat. No tangles, no yanks. I typically hike stoveless, but I carried a stove this trip, I don’t feel bad about it.
Gear that didn’t: Sleep system needs some work, or I need to pick better campsites... probably both. I cut my Thermorest Uberlite to torso length before my Superior Hiking Trail section-hike last summer. Slept perfectly well. On this hike however, I was missing those extra ounces. My knees were seemingly always hitting against the ground or hitting against each other. Found it really hard to get comfortable and sleep despite being wiped upon arrival at camp. I think I’ll be going back to a full size or at least knee length pad, though I doubt I'll cough up another small fortune for another Uberlite. Next, I’m over the Litesmith Flex Air pillow. It leaks, crinkles, rolls and slides all over...most nights I just used my puffy. Lastly, I filtered water with the Katadyn BeFree, the bag sprung several pinholes this trip and just wasn't flowing. It was pretty old though. I swapped it out for a new Sawyer Squeeze at Twin Lakes.
Gear I’m thinkin’ about: 1) Would have really dug an umbrella on this trip, particularly for the exposed areas in the East Collegiates. 2) Just found out CNOC now makes a VECTO bag with 42mm threads to fit the Katadyn filter- I’m down. 3) I'm starting to get tarp-curious. There was basically no mosquitoes out there, which is the only real reason I carry a fully enclosed shelter. I’ll do some researching and we’ll see what happens. Might be a fun next MYOG project.
Gear Sightings: Not a ton of UL kit out there. Saw a few hyperlite packs, 1 Gossamer Gear and 1 other ultralight MYOG pack. Almost everyone was hiking with 60L+ packs by the looks of it. Heard quite a few comments from older hikers about my “daypack” lol.
Wildlife Sightings: 1 deer, 1 moose, 2 sneks, Lots of birds, marmots and other small rodents.
Navigation / Guides: First and foremost, easy trail to follow. Well worn, marked, and at time of hiking- snow free. I primarily used Guthooks - Colorado Trail Guide, but carried the Colorado Trail Databook (CTDB) also- I’ve done CT trips the last 3 summers and this has always been a trusty companion. The Collegiate Loop is supposed to be part of the CT map package in Guthooks but I was unable to select it (I personally am not super happy with the app’s menu interface on iOS). Biggest gripe here is that I couldn’t see the elevation profile on the West side of the route in Guthooks- it only showed the East. Despite this, it showed all waypoints, water sources, etc. and it generally worked adequately. I just got elevation profiles from the CTDB. Hiked my last 17 miles with a dood that loaded his Continental Divide Guthook map for the West Collegiates and solved the elevation data issue. I fiddle with Gaia GPS a little here and there and loaded the NatGeo 14er maps in case I felt squirrely to bag a 14er or two while I was out there ( I didn’t ).
COVID Camping: I’ve always had a Buff buried at the bottom of my pack, but never wore it till this trip. I was personally pretty lax with pulling it up passing by folks on trail, but wore it indoors. This seemed reflected in other Thru and Loop hikers I encountered. Day Hikers were really the only people actively wearing or pulling them up on trail. People just kinda honored the 6ft bubble and that honestly made me feel safe out there. The Monarch Crest store didn’t appear to be ‘enforcing’ masks by the looks of it, but most patrons and employees wore them. I think mostly I kinda just forgot about COVID. Being out there gifted a brief reprieve from the insanity of reality.
Day 1 - Collegiate West 03 - Cottonwood Pass >> Tincup Pass Rd (15.9 miles)
Arrived at the trailhead (about 30 minutes drive West of Buena Vista) around 0840. I climbed out of the truck, proceeded to lolligag, onceover the gear, and hit trail by 0900 heading SOBO. (Note: Left my truck at the parking lot at top of Cottonwood Pass for the duration of hike with no issues.). This section is above treeline almost in its entirety. Quite a bit of elevation change as you move up and down ridgelines and across scree fields, but overall I thought it was mellower than the Databook presages. Lots of Marmots :). Wasn’t super cold, I was hiking in shorts and wore my Peloton fleece as a sun hoodie comfortably for the entire segment and most of the trek as a whole. Afternoon clouds moved in as I was making it down to Tincup Rd in the late afternoon, but nothing sinister...couple drops of rain while I set up camp (just South of Rd). I slept like crap that night because I chose a poor campsite on a slant and was slipping and sliding all over my tent. I was warm at least. I did “test laydowns” in all my campsites the remainder of the trip.
Day 2 - Collegiate West 04 - Tincup Pass Rd >> Hunt Lake (18 miles)
Bad sleep led to a later start than desired, 0830 or so. This segment starts with a mellow climb above treeline. Enjoyed my cold soaked mush with a stunning view and made my way down to where the trail rests atop an abandoned railroad. From here, the trail has a few historical placards staggered all the way to Hancock Trailhead. They talk about why trying to maintain a railroad cutting through the mountains of Colorado can be tricky....kinda neat. The sun was high and hot by the time I made it to Hancock, say 1130 or thereabouts, and I was greeted with trail magic put on by a bloke named Caveman- a cooler of frosty, fizzy beverages. Talked long trails and gear for a bit while I had my soda, leaving up a fairly busy, and thereby dusty, jeep road. The midday sun implored me to indulge a dip in an alpine lake along the way. I had planned on camping just before Boss Lake that night (end of Collegiate West 04), but Guthooks comments mentioned Verizon LTE at the dam a mere .6 miles up the trail. Wanting to check in with my family, I pressed on. Come to find out that .6 was sharply uphill...of course it was. Widowmakers around all the campsites kind of scared me off pitching there so I checked in quickly, had a snack, and walked a couple miles more to Hunt Lake to pitch camp. Sites on the South side of the lake weren’t anything spectacular. Still lots of standing-dead. Slept better, but still crappy.
Day 3 - Collegiate West 05 / Segment 15 - Hunt Lake >> US Hwy 50 (21.8 miles)
Got going by 0715, hiked 2-3 miles while breakfast reconstituted. Found an excellent breakfast view and partook my mush. Wind was there but not super cold. The climbing kept me sufficiently warm…but I debated digging out the puffy for several miles. Terrain is pretty exposed, traversing ridgeline until you reach Monarch Ski Area ( there’s one or two more historical markers along this stretch). I gathered from a previous trip report that there was ice cream and other junk food available at the pass, and definitely had some spring in my step as I trotted up to the Monarch Crest store. After my ice cream bender at the pass 2 scoops of snickers- coned not cupped, only a handful of miles remained before rounding the southern horn of the Collegiate Loop and I was now headed NOBO on Segment 15. There’s a pretty distinct difference between the West and East portions of the route- and it's readily apparent as soon as you descend South Fooses Trail, trading the massive landscapes for the forest. I was planning to make camp at South Fooses Creek that evening (lots of car camping goin on there) but started hiking and chatting with a dood slackpacking the East Collegiates after making it to Durango (Note: I quite liked the idea of “cleaning up the loop” on a CT thru-hike. Seems more pure). He made a compelling pitch for the hostel he’d been staying at the last couple nights, and I figured I could score a ride to town and satiate the deep burning desire for pizza that had been prodding at me after my ice cream high subsided. So I walked with this dood to US-50 and we followed a jeep trail from the Segment 15/14 Trailhead to the Butterfly House Hostel (2.4 mile side quest). No pizza- hostel keeper didn't feel like driving to town and I didnt feel like hitching after my first 20+ mile day of the trip. I personally wouldn't recommend the place, but I got a shower, did laundry, and slept in a bed...crappily. The hostel probably wasn't the greatest idea- I wrongly assumed there would be ‘COVID policies’ like everywhere else, but that wasn't the case. You know what they say about hindsight?
Day 4 - Segment 14 - US Hwy 50 >> Browns Creek (13.6 miles)
Got a lift in the morning from the hostel keeper to Monarch Spur RV & Campground to investigate their junk food offerings. Basic chips, chocolate, Gatorade etc. This place offers laundry and shower services for hikers, I also read conflicting things regarding tent sites. Would be a good place to send a box however, at only a mile from US-50 trailhead. The walk back to the trailhead is kinda sketchy, not much of a shoulder and the road is fairly busy so I walked through the grass and brush on the westbound side of the highway as much as possible. I thought there might be a jeep road up the hill a little ways, similar to the one I followed to the hostel, but I did not find one nor look particularly hard. Back on trail about 0930. This section doesn’t stand out in my memory very much, but it provides an opportunity for extra credit in the forms of Mt. Shavano (14,229),Tabeguache Peak (14,115) and Mt. Antero (14,269). I also encountered some travellers on horseback. I sang Toby Keith’s “Shoulda Been a Cowboy” for several miles after. It was great fun. Pulled a short day milage-wise and hiked slow as I was worried I may have overdone it the day before pushing extra miles. Camped at Browns Creek and had a decently restful sleep finally.
Day 5 - Segment 14 / 13 - Browns Creek >> South Cottonwood Creek (20.6 miles)
Resupply Day! Nice mellow hiking through some cattle grazing areas before descending to the Chalk Creek Trailhead and County Rd 162 and beginning a chill and fairly well shaded roadwalk for 3 miles to Mt Princeton Hot Springs where I’d mailed my box. The convenience store here is well stocked, not much of a ‘resupply’ point, typical gas station type offerings, but you could make due. I packed my resupply and had a burger at the Hot Springs Restaurant while the gadgets charged up. Checked in with the family and started the pretty long, exposed, climb/roadwalk to Dry Creek. Its asphalt for the first 1.5 miles and a gravely, dusty 4WD road the next 1.5. Pretty hot at midday. There’s access for a jaunt up to Mt Princeton (14,197), but it would be a lengthy side quest. Dry Creek is thankfully a misnomer as it was flowing strong and a welcome sight to this parched hiker (one of the few times I wish I had carried more than a liter of water). Filled up and chatted about 3D Printing with the only other counter-clockwise looper I met on the trip. Super cool fellow. Knocked out the last 6ish miles for the day and pitched at South Cottonwood Creek. Spotted a moose buck across the creek from my campsite.
Day 6 - Segment 13 / 12 - South Cottonwood Creek >> Pine Creek (21.1)
Started the day off with some mellow warm up miles over to Avalanche Trailhead. There is a campground located here and it was pretty full of cars and RVs. One of the patrons of said campground had painstakingly raised a Trump 2020 flag directly over the CT/CDT. (Sigh….Like, I would have been equally as annoyed if it was a Baiden flag, but somehow more surprised. Facepalm*). As I started the 2nd most grueling climb of the trip, I was welcomed to seemingly the first of the bigger views since starting the East Collegiates. Eventually I made it to the saddle on the East face of Mt Yale (a nearly 3k climb). I took a break and contemplated the side quest up Yale (14,196), a couple more miles and a couple thousand more feet up …..aaaaaand passed. Only a couple hundred feet on the other side of the saddle, I crossed paths with a mothedaughter duo that I had met the previous Summer. Small world :). At the bottom of the hill I was dumped out onto the Silver Creek Trailhead and the start of Segment 12. Guthooks comments provided a number for a pizza shop in Buena Vista that delivers to that particular trailhead. With a pizza itch yet un-scratched, I kicked off my shoes and made a call. Turns out there’s only one employee there who drives a 4x4 / AWD vehicle and thereby the sole employee able to make the drop, and guess who was answering the phone that day…. I decided once again to trudge on pizzaless. Another exposed and hot climb from the trailhead, but eventually giving way to the shade of the forest. The next 10+ miles were a mellow gain in elevation. I filled up in Morrison Creek and met a CT thru-hiker working on his “Triple-Tiara” (Note: This was the first I’d heard of this: John Muir Trail + Colorado Trail + Long Trail...I was amused). I hiked a few more miles that evening, crossing an avalanche field and some solid views, the wildfire smoke was now becoming apparent. Pitched camp near a beaver pond on Pine Creek. I watched a really lovely, quasi-smokey sunset and got some sleep.
Day 7 - Segment 12 / 11 / Collegiate West 01 - Pine Creek >> Twin Lakes (17.1 miles)
Was off again before 0700. Day started with a decent, albeit short, climb out of Pine Creek Valley. Then there’s a fairly steep descent to Clear Creek Reservoir and Campground - Segment 11. Trail is very exposed and dry for several miles after crossing county rd 390, and I should have filled up at Clear Creek. There wasn't much scenery until I reached Twin Lakes. Thought about having a dip in the water, it was pretty hot out…..I passed. I was hungry, I knew across those lakes was a paradise of sweet and salty confections galore- Twin Lakes General Store. The CTDB has a spur trail marked that goes off the CT/CDT to Willis Gulch trailhead and would involve a hitch or roadwalk East on Hwy 82 to get to Twin Lakes Village. Far too much fuss for treats. Almost 3 miles into Collegiate West 01, there’s a trail junction sign with a handwritten note indicating a 1 mile shortcut to Twin Lakes Village. Beer, junk food, …..done deal. The note rang true. I followed a jeep trail for about half a mile, crossed a river (only knee-deep and only time I had to get wet on the whole trek), and meandered through an overgrown meadow to reach the Twin Lakes store. The beer, cold. The chips, salty. The ice cream, bliss. I planned on being in and out as it was only about 1400, but you know how it goes….got to talking with my fellow hikers and one beer turned into two, snacks gave way to grilled chicken sandwiches, some hikers left, others arrived, and time escaped. Before long, rapport was built with a couple hikers and we closed down Twin Lakes General Store (17-1800, if memory serves. Note: They still let you hang out there and charge electronics after hours). Our small band of travelers grabbed a to-go beer and a homemade cookie from the inn next door, and we wandered into the meadow across Hwy 82 and all pitched camp. It was the soft, grassy camp bed of my dreams! Great view and pit privy included...at the cost of some road noise, but not bad.
Day 8 - Collegiate West 01 / 02 - Twin Lakes >> Lake Ann (15.8 miles)
Having had a sound night's sleep, a smooth move at the pit privy, and my piping hot morning coffee….I started the hardest climb of the trip- Hope Pass. Results may vary, but this thing beat me up a little, I took a few breaks. After traversing the pass and a long hike down to Sheep Gulch (saw no sheep), I started my final segment- Collegiate West 02. This section has access to La Plata Peak (14,336), Huron Peak (14,003) and some other day-hiker friendly excursions, and saw lots of them coming up Hope Pass as I descended...some of them cursing….I’m telling you, nasty beast that one. Anywho, I was originally planning to shoot over Lake Ann Pass that day as well, but the Guthook comments were a buzz about Lake Ann- “best campsite on the trail” - yada yada. It was pretty rad... great view, little sunset light show, plus you get the bulk of the pass knocked out...solid enough deal IMO. I finished up camp chores and was kinda just laying around, when one of my compatriots from Twin Lakes sauntered past my tent. Cool. Camp friend. We shot the shit a while, and I went to bed with aspirations of a Lake Ann Pass sunrise.
Day 9 - Collegiate West 02 - Lake Ann >> Cottonwood Pass (17 miles)
Slept through sunrise. But I was up, packed, and on trail by 0645. Lake Ann Pass felt like a breeze after Hope. As you head down from the pass, you leave the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness and can expect some motorcycle traffic, probably more on weekends. The few riders I encountered were very respectful and practiced good trail etiquette. My homie from camp had a very similar hiking pace as me so we ended up hiking and chit-chatting from Lake Ann Pass to Cottonwood Pass. It was cool to have company. I'm pretty used to hiking alone, going on trips alone, etc. as I don’t have friends/family with as much time or inclination to spend extended periods in the woods like I do….yet. Those of you keeping score at home, may have noticed I have yet to exorcise the pizza-thirsty demon driving my body at this point. Upon reaching Cottonwood Pass, I bid my friend good luck on the remainder of his CT thru-hike, and with great haste, drove to Buena Vista and crushed a Large Pepperoni, Sausage, Mushroom pizza…. finally.
Post-Hike Percolations: I like big views. Forest hiking is nice, but feeling like a tiny spec among giants is what draws me outside. This trip scratched that itch, but Cottonwood Pass came far too soon. I wanted more. I should have got my shit together earlier and done a CT thru-hike. This hike identified some areas I need to build my experience, but also gave me a sense of confidence in the skills I've gained so far. I noticed how ‘lost in thought’ I tend to be while walking. Had I intended on writing this trip report prior to the trip, I imagine I would have taken better notes. I wish I’d been more present, more closely aware of the sights and sounds around me, rather than spending hours adrift in my head. Anywho, loved this hike, and I'd recommend it to anyone.

UPDATE 5/5 -- If applications didn't go your way or you're just wanting to reassess everything because of Covid 19, it's not too late. NACAC (National Association for College Admissions Counseling) has now posted their May College Openings Update. You can find it here with lots more schools that I didn’t list, and check back regularly because they will be updating it. I only include schools I've personally visited, met with an admissions rep, or I know someone who's been a student there. Also be sure to read through the comments as people often leave good suggestions that didn't make my list.
I sorted by accepting Freshmen, and Financial Aid Available on the NACAC list.
Agnes Scott College -- Beautiful liberal arts college in Atlanta. Women's college. I visited in November and fell in love with the beauty of the place and the intellectual vibe.
Austin College -- small liberal arts college in north texas
Belmont - Beautiful campus in Nashville near Vandy. Strong biz and music programs
Earlham - haven’t visited but I know some really smart people who graduated from there
Colby Sawyer College
Colorado State U - big state college in beautiful Fort Collins, CO (edited)
Columbia College Chicago
DePaul U - cool city style college in Chicago. If you like the vibe of NYU and BU, you'd probably like this school -- even though it does have a bit more of a campus.
Fordham - amazing Jesuit school in New York City -- near Arthur Avenue (amazing Italian food), the Bronx zoo, and the Bronx Botanical gardens. A short train ride away from Times Square
Fort Lewis College (Durango, Colorado) -- I visited here last summer. Such a pretty campus right in the mountains in the cool, beautiful town of Durango, Colorado.
Georgia State - downtown Atlanta, great financial resources, president is committed to helping FGLI students.
Furman
Franklin University (June 15) -- Switzerland -- beautiful scenery, I wanted at least one of my kids to apply here!
Gonzaga U Hawaii Pacific -- it’s in Hawaii
Hofstra
Indiana U (as space is available) -- Bloomington. Cool town. Great campus.
John Cabot University (Rome) -- this is right in the heart of a very cool part of Rome
Knox -- need and merit aid available -- I haven't visited, but I've chatted with their admissions officers a number of times and I love the vibe and their goals as a college. It's in a cute little town a 3 hour train ride from Chicago.
Lewis and Clark - beautiful campus in park setting in Portland, Oregon
Loyola New Orleans -- just visited here at the beginning of March. Beautiful campus right next to Tulane in Uptown New Orleans. Great city school, lots of diversity, and happy chatter and happy looking students
Loyola Chicago - gorgeous setting right on Lake Michigan in the middle of Chicago
Marquette
Marymount Manhattan (July 28) . ---- small campus a few blocks off from Central Park in upper Manhattan
Miami U -- cool, traditional feeling campus, strong business, cute town
Michigan State
Montana State
New England College
New Mexico State -- gorgeous campus, I visited here in the summer
Oglethorpe (july 26) -- beautiful campus in Atlanta, I visited here in the fall. It really does feel like Hogwarts. Lots of Merit Money
Ohio U
Oregon State (July 28) -- strong engineering (my nephew went here and loved it)
Oklahoma State
Prescott College - cool outdoorsy liberal arts college in Arizona
Rhodes -- Amazing campus in Memphis. Beautiful setting. Memphis is cool -- great music. Intellectual vibe. Active in the community. Strong mock trial team. I love their admissions team. Look at this college. I have lots of pics of it on College Vizzy if you want to see pics.
Rochester Institute Technology
Rose Hulman Institute Technology
St. Mary’s College California - -northern california, good connections with Google
Rutgers
Seattle U
Southwestern U - Beautiful liberal arts school in Georgetown TX, half an hour outside Austin. Known for great professors. Cute town.
St Edward's -- gorgeous medium sized school in Austin, Texas
St. John’s College - liberal arts college in Santa Fe. Beautiful campus. Great Books program. Super intellectual.
LOTS OF SUNYS
Texas Christian University -- Fort Worth. This is an amazing opportunity. I love this school and their admissions office. They are truly trying to be world changers. Campus is gorgeous and Fort Worth is a fun city. Lots of school spirit.
American U - Paris
U Tennessee Knoxville -- beautiful campus in a cool town
U Sydney Australia
U Alabama
The College of Wooster -- I haven't visited, but I've chatted with their admissions offices a number of times. They have a really cool research project that every student must do and it's highly respected by employers. Evergreen State (July 20)
Uni of Tulsa (July 28) --
Trinity College Dublin
UC Boulder - amazing campus in Boulder. Large student body. Boulder is beautiful. My niece went here
U Arizona -- I’ve known lots of happy graduates from here
Union College - small liberal arts college with engineering programs
Uni of Houston (June 1) -- love this campus -- fun vibe, lots of happy, involved students -- one of the top entrepreneurial programs.
U Kansas
U Montana (July 29) -- great merit aid
U Kentucky
U San Francisco - beautiful mid sized university in SF
U San Diego - beautiful mid sized u in SD
U Oregon - lovely campus in Eugene Oregon. Lots of out of state kids
U Oklahoma
U St Andrews (Scotland) -- haven't visited, but I really want to. The students I know who go there are very happy
U St Thomas (Houston) - cute little campus in the trendiest part of Houston. I got my masters here. Great profs.
UT Dallas - I visited here last summer. Cool, modern campus, lots of kids interacting and hanging out and I saw their video game team practicing
U Pacific -- northern california
Western Colorado (July 28) - cute little campus in Gunnison, CO. 30/45 minutes away from Crested Butte, Colorado -- my favorite ski resort. Western Colorado has an engineering agreement with CU Boulder
Whitman -- amazing liberal arts college in Walla Walla, Washington. I haven’t been able to visit yet, but I’ve known kids who’ve said it changed their lives.
Whittier -- not too far from LA, their nickname is the poets - so what’s not to love?
Willamette - very pretty campus in Willamette, Oregon, right across the street from the State House. If you're interested in politics, you might want to look here.
U Redlands - I’ve met some profs from here and they were great. Pretty campus about an hour outside LA
Mary Washington
These are from my last update in March, but they might still have space and just haven’t been updated. YES means they said they had aid last I checked. Others might have aid too, so check with the college.
The University of New Hampshire -- Beautiful campus about an hour outside Boston in the cute little town of Durham. (YES)
University of Louisville YES
Wittenberg YES
University of Central Florida
Uni of Iowa -- love that they are looking to educate American and the world
Uni of Nebraska - fun campus, full of spirit.
Louisiana State U (May 1) -- beautiful campus, large, fun state college feel, lots of diversity. i loved the vibe when I visited this school a few weeks ago. YES
June Deadlines Baylor. YES
Millsaps (June 15) I just visited here in early March. Beautiful campus. Not far from health centers.. YES
University of Missouri (June 30). YES
U Alaska schools (June 15) — edited to add
July Deadlines(rolling) Columbia College Chicago (July 25) -- YES
Uni of Maine (July 27)
Dominican Uni of CA (July 26) 0
UNC Asheville (July 29)
Arizona State Uni (July 27) - always gets rave reviews from students, lots of great merit. I know many successful adults who attended there with lots of merit and it was a great jumpstart to their career. YES -- automatic merit based through May 1
Dean College (July 27) 0
Ole Miss -- U MIssissippi (July 27) -- just visited here in early March. Huge, gorgeous campus in the cute, town of Oxford. If you're interested in American Lit, you def need to check out this school
Colby Sawyer College (July 28) 0
American U of Rome (July 28)
U Arkansas (July 26)
Uni of Wyoming (July 28) -- great merit aid
Iowa State (July 21) - - cute little town of Ames, Iowa. cool place to be in you're interested in politics, pretty campus. YES (if funds still available)
West Virginia University (July 28)
St. John's University (July 24) -- Easy access to Manhattan for internships, lots of diversity, merit money
August U Hawaii Manoa (extended to August 1) -- also most other Hawaiian schools!
U North Texas (8/3) (fee waivers, YES, no enrollment deposit)
Rolling University of Idaho -- YES
University of Tulsa -- YES
Elon U (North Carolina -- supposed to be beautiful campus) (rolling deadline likely end of June) YES
U New Mexico (merit) -- Albuquerque, near downtown, beautiful Southwestern Style campus, lots of students, good vibe -- YES
U Alabama (still have merit) -- YES, automatic merit based scholarships through May 1
New Mexico Tech . -- historic feeling campus, Liberal Arts Style STEM education, if you're interested in any kind of astronomy or engineering you need to check it out
University of Hawaii Manoa
Penn State
Texas Tech -- Lubbock Texas. lots of school spirit. happy excited kids. strong engineering programs -- YES
St. Louis U -- YES
The New School (auditions in May) -- YES
Colorado Mesa University -- YES
Mississippi State U -- YES
University College Dublin (so cool!) -- YES
University of Pittsburgh - cool city campus in the heart of Pittsburgh -- definitely check this school out YES
University of Tennessee - YES (no merit)
University of Utah -- YES
Virginia Commonwealth -- YES

I work in Medical Field Service, mostly Operating Room equipment at the time. Think surgical lights, OR tables, video integration, and booms.
Now, this particular company was big in the US, like all biotech companies. Yet most of the stuff was made by a subsidiary we owned in Europe. So anytime we needed a major part, or something someone hadn't ordered in a while, we had to wait ages for it to be made/found in Europe, shipped to the US, and then to us in Canada. About a year after I started I was still receiving things my predecessor had ordered. Not only was the ordering system absolutely dismal, but the subcontractors that worked in our US offices only relied on whatever bar code was on the part, and they were wrong very often.
I get woken up around 0900 by a client in Eastern Canada, where I lived at the time. He's panicking over the phone.

Panicking Biomed Tech: The suspension, its blown up! There's smoke and sparks and a patient on the table, what do I do!

Now, I was nowhere near my home territory, rarely was back then. I had gotten back to my Holiday Inn maybe 4 hours earlier, OR work is mostly done during evenings/nights. This was essentially my wake up call.

u/ilikefixingthings: Oh, hey, lets start by shutting off all the breakers for that suspension and getting the patient out of there.
PBT: They're already taking him out, Ok I just shut off the breakers and all the lights have shut off too. I don't see anymore sparks.

Well that's a start.

u/ilikefixingthings: Can you also shut off all the gas going to that room? And is this PBT from St. Joseph's?
PBT: Yes, I'm doing that right now. And yes, sorry it's PBT from St-Joseph.

Obviously this wasn't good. I was pretty far and had more things to do here before going home.
I should explain OR Suspensions. They're essentially a fancy and expensive ceiling mounted extension. A lot of things can be extended or mounted, the usuals are monitors, power, backup power, video signals both in and out, oxygen, and various other health care gases. They're ceiling mounted and are used in every hospital with the financial means to have them. The ones we sold were always a custom amalgamation of standard parts. Depending on on what device, service, shelves, load capacity, swing arcs, etc. you wanted, they built it, sent it to the US, then to us. That would take a minimum of 6-8 weeks, if I had someone senior make a stink about it. Otherwise I'd be waiting for months.
I start troubleshooting with PBT, we Facetime making things much easier. He opens up the arm where the smoke came out of and what I see confirms my greatest fears. The limit stop for not only the spring arm that goes up and down, but the internally welded, non field replaceable, limit stop on the main column also gave up the ghost. Instead of stopping after 270 degrees of rotation, they've instead been left to turn and turn until all the cables twisted themselves into oblivion. Even better, since the grounding wires are not part of the main loom, they break first insuring a total lack of Line Isolation. Usually the smaller gauge 5v cables go next which is when we get the call. Not today! While the 5v cable was indeed gone, their system was a bit different and wasn't affected right away. The 120v cable then had its turn and unsheated itself, shorting and arcing along the way.
Some of the carnage https://ibb.co/W3ng9jy
I obviously don't tell the client that right away that his room might be down a few weeks/months, but I tell him I need to call some more people and let him go. I was already wearing a shirt for Facetime purposes, but I figure I should get dressed.
I text some of the pictures to my senior colleagues to get their input and get to work.
Now you would think I could login to software, go into the client file and know right away what they have onsite. No. Maybe the sales rep knows, or better yet tech support at the office? No. The only way to know exactly which variation of equipment they have onsite (short of going there and in this case, in the ceiling) is to hope its been installed within the last 5 or so years and the project managers feel like sending you some drawings. Or, look into your batbook and find it there.
When I'd understood we didn't have any accurate repertory of equipment I made my own with a Moleskine and a pen. I'd draw out the room and note every model and serial number of our equipment room by room. Could take up to 2 hours of crawling around, finding the tiny little stickers with stupidly small, easily erasable font, where the REF and SN where. I needed them anyway for all the recalls we often had to go through.
Found the REF, variation, and how much it would cost. Around 25K plus install fees. Now comes the fun part. Where can I find one. All I can see is that we don't have one in the office warehouse inventory.
I get a quote together and send it over to the client, no way we're doing anymore without a Purchase Order. Especially since this particular client "doesn't need a PM/Service contract".
I go about my day but a little after lunch time I get a client email, fully approved PO for 35K. Phone rings soon after, its no-longer Panicking Biomed Tech.

BT: Hey, I just got you that PO, never seen one approved so fast but I think having their main OR go down like that scared them, plus it's end of fiscal year rn and I figure we have extra. When are you coming to fix this?

PO's this big take weeks, if not longer. Hell sometimes they condemn the equipment and wait years to get a Request for Proposals. This was a first time and the only time it happened that fast.
​

u/ilikefixingthingz: Well, I'm still trying to find a replacement suspension. We don't really keep them in stock. I'll see what I can do.

Usually my job should end there, I've put in a request in our archaic system and I should get a reply some time tomorrow. But I'm not lucky like u/Bytewave, there's no union for miles and miles around here. So I get to use my batphone and extend my job description.
I start calling people I hang out with at the office when I'm in town.
Inventory is first, but they have so many different tools, multiple ERP programs, and very complicated excel sheets detailing our inventories that it'll take him a while.
I check in with Josh, my mentor in Field service. Do we have any of these hidden in a storage locker somewhere (it's happened before)? No, ok then. Yup, its going to be a fun time trying to get a suspension like that.
Then I call the real muscle, a Warehouse Associate called Bob. He's a nice guy, but his tittle is bullshit. He's one of the 3 people there that can actually run a forklift, albeit slowly now because of the new safety regs and the crazy amount of 360deg cameras. He's got one of those cool mobile workstations that we usually sell to nurses. No real office, just a chair, twin monitors hooked to a laptop, and a UPS. He likes stout beer and I know it. If you need something shipped, moved virtually or physically, assigned to a spot, or hidden somewhere, Bob can do it.

u/ilikefixingthingz: Hey Bob, do you know if we have REFxxx, yeah that's one of those huge suspensions.
Bob: What did inventory say?
u/ilikefixingthingz: Email says none available in the country, ETA for delivery 8 weeks+, this is for an urgent repair.
Bob: Uhhhh, when are your repairs not urgent dude? We have a bunch of those huge suspension boxes at the top of the racks, you sure there's nothing in the system?
u/ilikefixingthingz: None that we can see, do you feel like exploring?
Bob: They're 32 feet up and there's about 30 of them, you really want me to pull them down one by one to find if maybe the one you're looking for isn't in inventory but it's up there?
u/ilikefixingthingz: Mmmmm, yeah, that's not ideal. The repair is in that city that sells good dark beers though.
Bob: What's that REF number again?

I don't mind going out of my way for some people, when they're worth it. It's getting rarer and rarer nowadays and I enjoy it. The beer might cost me 50$, but the commission on that repair will more than cover it. Because I'm out in the field I can't really do anything to earn chits professionally, so little things like chocolate, beer, and cigars are my got to's
I get a call the next morning from Bob, he doesn't sound too excited.

Bob: I didn't find your REFxxx but I found REFyxx. Could that work?
u/ilikefixingthingz: Yeah, that just means there's no cables pre-wired into it. Was that in Inventory? Thought I had looked it up...
Bob: Nope, Quarantine. Judging by the amount of dust on it, it's been here a while.

The Quarantine is no-mans land in the medical world. Recalls, defective equipment, equipment that caused customer injuries, implants taken out of patients for various reasons, etc. Rarely does something usable live in the Q-cage. I call up my best friend in Quality, Suzanne.

u/ilikefixingthingz: Hey Suzanne, I need REF yxx that's in your Q cage, why is it there?
QA: Let me pull my excel sheet for a sec. Yup, that's that big suspension right? Looks like it needs to get shipped back to the MFG (us but in a different country). Don't really know why it's still here.
u/ilikefixingthingz: So it should still be new? I didn't fall down on someone?
QA: Looks like it, can't give it to you though, as usual.
u/ilikefixingthingz: Yup, as usual. Don't worry too much about that.

If anyone had ordered it and could move it to the Q-cage, it was a Project Manager. They don't answer their phones, too cool for that. I would change that with an express cross-country delivery of bagels and smoked meat, but for the time being, email only. It was, in fact, thanks to them that we had that particular suspension in stock. But they wanted it sent back to the US since they'd misordered it a while back and had to get another one in. Can't have that taking up the budget. I asked him to call me since I had to ask things that should't be written down.

u/ilikefixingthingz: So, REF yxx isnt in your inventory, can you check if maybe the US thinks its been sent back and we've had it for free all this time?
PM: I mean, it's happened before, let me check, ill get back to you.

And in fact, I was right. We had a ghost sitting in our warehouse and I needed it. I called back the cavalry.

u/ilikefixingthingz: Hey Bob, that REF yxx, can you make it appear in inventory?
Bob: Yeah, for sure. Are you going to want it sent to you too?
u/ilikefixingthingz: Yup, ill need it sent to hospital St-Joseph's ASAP.
Bob: On its way.

I call back my biomed, tell him the good news and he confirms I can come whenever I'd like. Now I need to get Logistics involved. Bob can do a lot, but he's not allowed to ship anything at warp speed.

u/ilikefixingthingz: Hey Logistics, I need this shipment that Bob is getting ready at St-Jospeh's ASAP.
Logistics: ASAP? or The Client Is Paying ASAP?
u/ilikefixingthingz: TCIP-ASAP. I'll need a Genie lift too.
Logistics: You know we'll have to send a driver down direct with both? He's gonna have to go back to pick it up too. Do you have a PO already?
u/ilikefixingthingz: PO number is $69420, I have 5k set aside just for you on that PO.
Logistics: You'll have tracking in an hour, should be there tonight.

Every thing is falling into place. Those Cuban cigars I got the logistics guys really help. Now all I need is manpower. While I have installed a suspension on my own, it sucks. There's a lot of weight involved, coupled with the fact that most OR ceilings are 10/12feet, that's never a good idea. Because it's not prewired i'll have to fish everything through, and then into the ceiling conduits to the control cabinet.
There's 5 cables (Fiber, 5v power, 120v power, S-video, RGBHV) per monitor, 2 monitors, plus two lights on that thing. Lights have a single control cable that needs fishing back to the cabinet. So I have 10 cables to fish back to the cabinet since 120v is hooked up at the suspension by the onsite electrician.
Best guys for this are the Installers. But Install is booked solid all the time. Install Contractor Pierre though is always available for more work. Especially something like this. And bucking the trend, even without training, company resources, or any sense of decency from my company, this contractor is actually better than our own installers. He's quick, smart, knows what and how to do pretty much everything. His english is meh, but who cares.

u/ilikefixingthingz: Hey Pierre, feel like meeting up tomorrow in the East? Got a quick install for you.
Pierre: You need me to install a suspension on my own again?
u/ilikefixingthingz: Nope! I'll meet you there this time, and I have a Genie going there too.
Pierre: Can I drive the rental Durango T this time? You always get to do donuts and I think it's my turn.
u/ilikefixingthingz: Sure, I'll make sure to get one for you.

I booked my flight for the next morning, made sure to get some chocolate at the airport for the rental counter. Got my usual Durango and off we went. The rest is quite self explanatory, everything went without a hitch thanks to my extracurriculars.
While there was a bit of luck involved, I was the only one on the small service team that had any meaningful contacts at the office. My boss cared little about these kinds of things, but my clients and colleagues sure knew I got things done, and that was good enough for me.

I wasn't sure about potential spoilers, so I went ahead and marked the post as such to be on the safe side.

WARNING: WALL OF TEXT

FOREWORD: WHY I'M DOING THIS

Howdy, partners. I don't know if you're like me, but if you are, then your mind wanders extensively when you're taking in the inescapable beauty of RDR2. I'm a huge fan of history, Old West history especially so. Also, I make maps for a living. Geography and history appeal to my mind very acutely, so this is the area my mind tends to wander in.
I went into RDR2 aware of R*'s habit for creating lifelike environments; I've spent the last 5 or so years of playing GTA5 roaming around, seeing a location, and thinking, "Hey, I've been there!" Knowing R*'s penchant for detail and accuracy, I was also aware of they hype surrounding RDR2 this entire year; people have only been calling it the "most detailed" game ever created every day on every website since February.
With all this in mind, when I started playing the game back in October and experiencing the scenery for the first time, I would find myself thinking the same thing as with GTA5: "Hey, I've been there!" Only this time, unlike in GTA5 where I knew exactly which parts of Los Angeles and the surrounding areas the game was representing to me, there was more uncertainty. It was more like deja vu, thinking to myself, "I know I've been there, but where was it?"
In my following of the RDR community, I've seen a handful of attempts to equate the in-game locations to real-life counterparts, but none of them have completely sated me. You see, I have this mythic vision in my head when I'm playing RDR2, where I can mentally place myself somewhere in the real world based on what I observe within the game. I've found that my opinions differ quite a bit from others' that I've seen around, so I wanted to throw my hat in the ring. Not as a way to say "I'm right and everyone else is wrong," but to add my knowledge to the collective discussion about this subject, because I've seen that I'm not the only one out there asking these questions.

A NOTE ABOUT MY METHODS, AND SOME GENERAL OBSERVATIONS

First of all, I'm fully aware that R* created the world of RDR as a collection or amalgamation of real places and regions, and therefore not every game location will have an exact real-life counterpart. It's difficult for me personally as a geographer, but it's necessary to accept the fact that the world of the game is NOT simply a scaled-down version of the United States and Mexico. Compromises had to be made for scale when making the game environment, because after all, this is a story-driven action game, not Microsoft Flight Simulator.
Second, I'll be taking an unpopular stance - unpopular at least in regards to most other opinions I've read. I'm aware of the existence of "states" as such within the game: New Austin, New Hannover, West Elizabeth, and Lemoyne. I'll be rejecting the idea that these "states" are legitimate analogues of any real, single American state, but rather combinations of several states, for reasons you'll see below.
Third, I won't be basing my conclusions 100% on geography, but I'll also take into account in-game lore to find matches. From my playing these past 2 months, I've found that what the locations mean to the characters contained within the game matter just as much as what they mean to me.
Fourth, I've been fortunate enough in my life to have lived and traveled in a lot of U.S. states. I meant it when I said that a lot of these locations cause me to think, "Hey, I've been there!" So a lot of what I'm basing my conclusions on are the things I've seen with my own eyes.

1. KNOWNS

These locations can be accurately matched based on inferred details from the game as well as commentary made about the game.
​ 1. Bayou Nwa
Louisiana, specifically the area including and surrounding New Orleans. Saint Denis as a representation of New Orleans has been covered so frequently that I don't have any more details to add.
2. San Luis River
Rio Grande River. The most prominent riverine boundary between the US and Mexico.

2. MY OWN DEDUCTIONS

Here goes!
1. Ambarino / Grizzlies West
Northern Colorado and western Wyoming. The mountains in Grizzlies West strongly resemble "high country" along the border between Colorado and Wyoming, especially in the Medicine Bow and Arapahoe National Forests. The mountains feature low-prominence peaks consistent with the ranges in these areas, and feature several glacial moraine bodies of water that are frequently found there. Lack of major settlements make more specific placement than this.
2. Ambarino / Grizzlies East & New Hanover / Cumberland Forest
Black Hills of South Dakota and Wyoming. Three Sisters gave me the strongest clue to this region, closely resembling The Needles) in the Black Hills. Elsewhere, the Wapiti sacred site that Rains Fall and Arthur visit, located northwest of O'Creagh's Run, indicate that the region is culturally significant to the Wapiti, a Lakota-speaking people. The Black Hills have long been a sacred location to the Lakota of the northern Midwest, once included by treaty within the confines of the Great Sioux Reservation but taken away, along with other lands, by several acts passed by the US Government. Rains Fall alludes to these broken treaties at several points, including in reference to the present location of the Wapiti Reservation, which had been moved several times as a result of these broken treaties.
3. New Hanover / The Heartlands
Eastern Colorado. The high terrain features in the western part of the Heartlands appears to be eroded sandstone in the manner found in areas around Colorado Springs and Pueblo, CO, specifically Garden of the Gods and Red Rock Canyon. Moving further east drops you into rolling plains and occasional prominent buttes in eastern Colorado, like ones found in the Pawnee National Grasslands.
Valentine represents a generalized cattle-boom town, more characteristic of the mid-1800s than the very end of the century, however the location of Valentine in the context of the previous paragraph lends itself to several examples that still exist today, like Canon City, CO. The cow-town feel, especially with the stockyards in Valentine, would have been characteristic of settlements that developed along the Goodnight-Loving Trail that ran through Colorado. The settlements that were able to persist were usually serviced by both rail and stage lines, like Valentine.
4. New Hanover / Roanoke Ridge
Eastern Kentucky, southeast Missouri, northeast Arkansas. The hilly areas lend themselves strongly to the geography of the Ozarks, as well as the culture, which you'll find in examples like the Butcher's Creek community, who live in a manner similar to many turn-of-the-century communities in the Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Kentucky hills. Also to consider is the economy, which appears to rely on coal mining coming out of the Annesburg settlement, which was and still is common in eastern Kentucky and aided by the presence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, much like the Kamassa and Lannahechee Rivers in the game.
Also notable is Fort Brennard, headquarters of the Lemoyne Raiders. A specific letter looted from a Lemoyne Raider indicates that the Raiders are considered by many to be "Border Ruffians." This title was applied to guerilla bands operating out of Missouri before and during the Civil War in an effort to undermine democracy in Kansas, and later to support the regular Confederate army when violence did break out. This leads me, personally, to believe that parts of Roanoke Ridge represent Missouri. Also notable is that many Border Ruffians who did not cease their raiding and violent ways after the Civil War turned to crime, including individuals like Jesse and Frank James, as well as the Younger brothers.
5. Lemoyne / Scarlett Meadows
Georgia, specifically the rural areas around Atlanta. This one was really interesting. Scarlett Meadows is incredibly unique in its geography, one of the most notable reasons why is its soil. Dark brown/red soil is abundant, and a lot of areas in the US claim this kind of soil. However, the soil type (Ultisoil) is most prominent in the southeastern US. Interestingly, one of the subtypes of Ultisoil is called Cecil), present and prominent in the Piedmont) region of the US. Cecil Rhodes was a British imperialist and white supremacist, and the settlement of Rhodes is in this region.
Also noteworthy is the spelling of Scarlett, normally with one 't' when referring to the color, however one of the main characters in the novel 'Gone With The Wind' was Scarlett O'Hara, set on a plantation near Atlanta during and after the Civil War. The town of Jonesboro in Georgia was the basis for the fictional plantation in the book, and even today there are several attractions related to the book in the city. Additionally, the Stately Oaks historic site in Jonesboro has a resemblance to the Gray family manor at Caliga Hall.
Finally, Stone Mountain near Atlanta carries a resemblance to Face Rock north of Rhodes, in that it is an isolated rock or knob rising abruptly from the surrounding terrain.
6. West Elizabeth / Big Valley
Front Range of the Colorado Rockies. Little Creek River closely resembles the terrain around the Big Thompson River in northern Colorado. The presence of the nearby settlement of Strawberry bears a close resemblance to the resort town of Breckenridge, which was originally established in response to a gold rush in that area. Several random encounters along the Little Creek River and the nearby Dakota River involve prospectors panning for, and finding, gold. It was only after the gold veins had been mined out that Breckenridge became more known as a resort destination, however. Trinidad and Durango, CO are also fairly good candidates for Strawberry, thanks to local proximity to rivers in the way that Hawk's Eye Creek runs through the settlement in the game.
7. West Elizabeth / Tall Trees
Northern New Mexico. Specifically, the Carson National Forest which covers a large area north of Santa Fe. Being both covered in hilly, heavily-forested areas, but also containing mountainous terrain (Cochinay and surrounding areas in the game, Sangre de Cristo Mountains in real life) make this the best candidate to me.
8. New Austin / Hennigan's Stead
West Texas and eastern New Mexico. In assessing the areas from RDR1, I'll likely be less verbose since they've been covered pretty extensively.
9. New Austin / Cholla Springs
Southern New Mexico. Specifically, the area around Las Cruces, which is also what I believe to be a close analogue to Armadillo. The abundance of cacti in the area make it clear that this is a desert environment, while Pike's Basin is startlingly similar to the nearby Dripping Springs Natural Area. Additionally, the Organ Mountains bear strong resemblance to the mountains surrounding the impassible northern border of Cholla Springs.
10. New Austin / Rio Bravo and Gaptooth Ridge
Southern Arizona. The abundance of Saguaro Cacti in this region and other natural features are strongly reminiscent of the Sonoran Desert. Also, the presence of Fort Mercer strategically along the Mexican border is very similar to Fort Huachuca. Finally, I believe that Tumbleweed is meant to be an analogue for Tombstone, AZ. Both towns sit in hilly terrain rising above the desert floor in most places, both towns had reputations for being somewhat lawless, and both towns degraded over time. By the time of RDR1, Tumbleweed is essentially abandoned save for some gang activity, much like the town of Tombstone suffered following the failure of silver mining in the area.

3. WHERE I HAVE NO IDEA

You've probably noticed the Great Plains area, especially Blackwater, missing from my analysis. This area, in all honesty confounded me. I'm nearly sure that Great Plains is an amalgamation of Texas and Oklahoma, but what troubled me was Blackwater. I've had reason to suspect that Blackwater was based on several real-life cities, such as Texas City (based on location and layout), Houston (based on political significance), and Oklahoma City (also based on political significance). Blackwater is obviously a politically significant city and the seat of state government in the game, as it's referenced multiple times that Nate Johns is defending his title of governor, and the various government buildings that occupy the north end of the town in the game. What makes this detail important is that, if West Elizabeth were a territory and not a state, a governor would have been appointed, not elected. If Nate Johns was already incumbent governor by RDR1, 1912, he would have been elected in 1908. Oklahoma was admitted to the Union as a state in 1907.
(However, it's also possible that the title of Governor was would have been a new creation had West Elizabeth become a state in 1912, and Nate Johns would have been running for the inaugural title. The 2 states to join the Union in 1912 were Arizona and New Mexico. I don't believe that Great Plains is analogue to either of these states, but I would be remiss if I didn't include that information here after everything else I've written.)

AFTERWORD: WHAT DOES ANY OF THIS MEAN

I don't know, truth be told. I love geography, I love history, I love Americana, I love the Old West. These are just things I think that I felt like sharing. You might think R* had no real-world analogues in mind when they made the game in the first place, and that all the game locations are completely fictitious, made-up places to explore in the context of some American West fantasy land. That's okay if you think that. Sometimes when I'm playing, I get to wrapped around the axle thinking about this subject, and I remind myself, "A bunch of dudes in a design studio made up this whole world, it could mean anything, you dingus." I understand where you're coming from if you think that, too.
But...I don't know. Part of my, a large part, wants to believe that I'm actually riding around parts of America that I recognize, it is actually 1899, and I can behave as myself would probably behave if I were around back then. The world in RDR2 is just simply that amazing, and beautiful, and diverse, that I can get a little carried away with my thoughts.
Also, I'm with my relatives for Christmas and I'd rather think about the game than talk to anyone.
Discuss if you'd like, point out flaws if you'd like, don't call me a dingus though because I'm aware that I'm a dingus.

Hi Reddit, apologies in advance for a long post.
My wife and I have never done any "major" travel before. We're in our late 20s and live outside Atlanta. Aside from a few spots in Virginia (family) and Florida (vacation), we've never been anywhere. And I've never been on a vacation longer than a week, except to stay with family. As such, I really have no idea what to expect or how to go about planning a big trip. I'm overwhelmed.
We've been having the itch to go out and explore somewhere together for a year or so now, and at the beginning of this year we sat down and did some planning. We set some goals (financial and personal) and are really committed to the idea of a week or longer vacation (May 19-28, might consider stretching that out if needed). The Southwest has been near the top of my list for a long time, and my wife is on board. The problem is that there are so many things to see, and not enough time. I honestly don't know where to begin narrowing this down; I don't know what's worth seeing (I suspect all of it is) and what can be skipped. My wife also very much wants to go to Las Vegas in the next few years, so Vegas + Arizona will likely be another trip in the future that some of the southern Utah stuff (Escalante/Bryce/Zion) could be rolled into. The plan at the moment is to drive cross country from Atlanta to NM/CO/UT. That's a big fucking drive but if we're going on a trip to the opposite end of America to see huge rock formations and one of a kind landscapes then I want to camp it. This will be our biggest adventure so far so I want something interesting. There are a few options here: - drive and camp. Cheap, appropriate for the trip, not as comfortable or romantic. - combination of driving & Airbnb. Still inexpensive, but more amenities. - fly, rent a car and stay in hotels or Airbnbs. This is the simplest way but feels to me too sterile for a great adventure in the great outdoors.
Places I want to see: - New Mexico - Santa Fe - Albuquerque - Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad - Colorado - this is the big one for us. We both have friends we want to visit here, and there are so many beautiful places. - BouldeDenver - smaller "pass-thru" towns along likely travel routes like Telluride, Durango, Pagosa Springs, and Grand Junction - Canyons of the Ancients National Monument - Mess Verde National Park - Gunnison Gorge National Park (specifically Black Canyon?) - Colorado National Monument - Utah - SLC - nearby towns/cities like Ogden or Provo? - Moab - Arches National Park - Canyonlands National Park - Bryce Canyon - Zion - Capitol Reef - Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest/High Uintas?
Obviously this is a very large list, I have no idea how to figure out what to see or how much we can see in 10 days. Also need to factor in travel arrangements. I was thinking about loading up the back of my SUV with camping supplies and doing a combination of camping and Airbnb along the way. I've also seen a few camper conversions for my vehicle online that look like they could be done for about $500 (basically remove the back seats, build a 2x4 raised frame with a mattress/sleeping bags on it and store supplies underneath). What I need suggestions for is a) the best way to get west; b) the best/most important things to see in the limited time; and c) how best to get between those things. Thank you for your time.

One Act

• Feb. 1st: Pegasus Theater Company's Tapas: The 8th Annual Short Play Festival For residents of northern California
• Feb. 1st: Heartland Theatre’s Fowl Plays Plays “inspired by birds”
• Feb. 1st: Seattle StageRight’s Festival of New Works
• Feb. 1st: Valley Players’ Vermont Playwrights Award For residents of Vermont, New Hampshire, or Maine.
• Feb. 1st: Newburgh Free Academy’s 4th Annual One-Act Play Festival $1 suggested donation
• Feb. 1st: Lee Street Theatre’s 2014 10-Minute Play Festival: Office Hours
• Feb. 1st: Minnesota Shorts Play Festival Deadline for non-Minnesotans, is March 1st for residents of Minnesota
• Feb. 1st: Henrico Division of Recreation and Parks’ Voices from the Past Radio plays
• Feb. 1st: Goddard College’s Clockhouse Magazine Call for Short Dramatic Works
• Feb. 2nd: Mount Carmel Theatre Company’s 2014 New Works Festival
• Feb. 3rd: Say Sí’s 4th Annual Young Playwright’s Festival: Wings to Fly For residents of San Antonio, Texas who are under 21 years old
• Feb. 3rd: 3MT’s Playathon
• Feb. 7th: The Poet Acts’ Pause & Play Theme is ‘happy people’
• Feb. 10th: Bath Fringe’s 20:20 Vision For playwrights between the ages of 18 and 30
• Feb. 10th: Emerging Artists Theatre’s 10th Annual New Work Series
• Feb. 12th: Nomads Theatre Company’s Variations XIV
• Feb. 14th: Durango Arts Center’s Durango 10 Minute Play Contest $10 fee per play
• Feb. 14th: Spokane Civic Theatre’s 26th Playwrights Forum Festival For residents of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, or Alaska
• Feb. 15th: Little Black Dress INK’s Female Playwrights ONSTAGE Project
• Feb. 15th: Theatre Oxford 10 Minute Play Contest $10 fee
• Feb. 15th: Over Here Theatre Company’s ObamAmerica Theme is “life under the Obama administration”
• Feb. 15th: Flying Muskrats Theatre Company's 2014 Playwright Contest For students between 6th grade and undergraduates in college
• Feb. 15th: EEK! Theater’s Marijuanarama
• Feb. 15th: Pigs Do Fly Productions’ 10-Minute Plays for Actors Over 50
• Feb. 15th: Pend Oreille Players’ One Act Play Festival $5 fee
• Feb. 21st: Abingdon Theatre Company’s [Blank] v. [Blank] Plays For residents of New York City
• Feb 21st: Oldham Coliseum Theatre’s First Break Monologue Writing Competition
• Feb. 22nd: Indie Boots Theatre Festival
• Feb. 28th: New American Theatre’s Spring One Act Festival
• Feb. 28th: Sandalle’s Five ‘n’ Ten Monologue/Duologue Competition £6 fee for one play, £5 fee per play for multiple submissions
• Feb. 28th: Grin Theatre’s Queerfest 2014 LGBT plays
• Feb. 28th: Grin Theatre Company's Young Playwrights Competition For playwrights between 16-30 years old
• Feb. 28th: Eastbound Theatre's Summer 2014: For the Road
• Feb. 28th: Samuel French 39th Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival
• Mar. 1st: Onstage/Offstage’s Call for Plays Plays with springs as the theme, subject, or critical element. Email to [email protected]
• Mar. 1st: The Haylofters and the Burlington Area Arts Council’s One Act Play Writing Contest
• Mar. 1st: Golden Thread Productions’ ReOrient Festival Short plays by playwrights of Middle Eastern heritage or about the Middle East
• Mar. 1st: Disquiet International Short Play Competition $15 fee
• Mar. 7th: Därkhorse Drämatists’ 200 Miles Off-Broadway
• Mar. 10th: Jack Studio Theatre’s Write Now 5 Shorts: Speak Up, Speak Out
• Mar. 15th: Theatre Southwest’s 17th Annual Festival of Originals
• Mar. 18th: Georgia College & State University’s Arts & Letters Prize $15 fee, $17 fee for online submissions
• Mar. 31st: Firesale Productions’ One Act Play International Competition €30 fee, waived if you’re a member of Stageplays Forum
• Mar. 31st: Explora Theater’s Short Science Play Festival

Full Length

• Feb. 1st: Central New York and Western New York DGA’s Roving Reading Series For residents of Central and Western New York AND members of the Dramatists Guild
• Feb. 1st: College of Charleston School of the Arts; Todd McNerney 4th Annual National Playwriting Contest $10 fee
• Feb. 1st: Enbridge playRites Awards For citizens of Canada
• Feb. 1st: Bartleby Theatre’s Good News/Bad News Reading Series and Drinking Game
• Feb. 4th: National Yiddish Theatre – Folksbiene’s David and Clare Rosen Memorial Play Contest
• Feb. 7th: University of Edinburgh’s James Tait Black Prize for Drama
• Feb. 7th: Fortune Theatre’s Studio 4 x 4 Young Playwrights Initiative For playwrights between 18-35 who live near Dunedin, New Zealand
• Feb. 10th: HighTide Festival Theatre’s Royal & Derngate Award
• Feb. 10th: 3 Brothers Theatre’s Playwrights in Residence
• Feb. 15th: The Autry’s Special Call for Scripts: The American Indian Boarding School
• Feb. 15th: Shannon Cameron Productions’ Call for Full Length Plays
• Feb. 15th: University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill’s World War I: The Legacy Project
• Feb. 28th: Midland Community Theatre’s McLaren Comedy Competition $10 fee
• Feb. 28th: Theatre503’s Playwriting Award
• Mar. 1st: Centre Stage’s New Play Festival
• Mar. 1st: 12 Peers Theater’s 2014 Summer New Play Festival
• Mar. 1st: Washington College’s Douglass Wallop Fellowship
• Mar. 1st: Theatre Suburbia’s 2014 Mellerdrama
• Mar. 1st: HRC Showcase Theatre’s Playwriting Contest $10 fee
• Mar. 1st: East Valley Children’s Theatre’s Aspiring Playwrights Contest
• Mar. 1st: Capital Stage’s Playwrights’ Revolution
• Mar. 1st: Trustus Playwrights’ Festival
• Mar. 1st: Bloomington Playwrights Project’s Woodward/Newman Drama Award $10 fee, waived for members of the Dramatists Guild
• Mar. 1st: American Theatre in High Education’s Jane Chambers Award For female undergraduate and graduate playwrights
• Mar. 1st: Harriett Lake Festival of New Plays at the Orlando Shakespeare Theater
• Mar. 3rd: Barter Theatre’s Appalachian Festival of Plays and Playwrights Plays set in Appalachia or written by residents of Appalachia
• Mar. 5th: 11th Windsor Fringe Kenneth Branagh Drama Writing Award
• Mar. 15th: OKC Theatre Company’s Native American New Play Festival
• Mar. 15th: 2014 Neil Simon Festival $25 fee
• Mar. 21st: R.E. Ross Trust Playwrights’ Script Development Awards For residents of Victoria, Australia
• Mar. 30th: Theatre Conspiracy’s New Play Contest $5 fee, but waived if you are a member of the Dramatists Guild
• Mar. 31st: Bard’s Town’s Call for Full Length Plays
• Mar. 31st: Tobacco Factory Theatre’s Script Space 2014 For citizens of the United Kingdom
• Mar. 31st: Six Percent Nuance Theater’s New Play Competition

Both

• Feb. 3rd: OC-Centric: Orange County’s New Play Festival For residents of Orange County, California
• Mar. 1st: The Brick Theater’s Game Play 2014
• Mar. 1st: DC Black Theatre Festival $25 fee for full length plays, $15 fee for one act plays

Sources

• American Association of Community Theatre
• Austin Live Theatre
• BBC Writers Room
• Boston & New England Playwrights
• Burry Man Writers Center
• Calgary Arts Development
• Chicago Artists Resource
• Emerging Playwright
• En Avant Playwrights Forum
• Kentucky Playwrights Workshop, Inc.
• League of Chicago Theatres
• League of Professional Theatre Women
• London Playwrights Blog
• NYCPlaywrights
• Official Playwrights of Facebook
• Playbill Job Listings
• Playwrights Forum
• Playwrights of Pittsburgh
• Playwrights of WNY
• Theatre Alive

Verified? (This bot cannot verify AMAs just yet)
Date: 2016-05-10
Link to submission (Has self-text)

Questions	Answers
What's some of the things you have learned doing your time walking? What advice do you have for someone interested in walking a long distance? Not across the US perhaps, but doing something on a smaller scale for a holiday?	I've learned to appreciate the small things and live minimally. When all you have is not a lot, not a lot becomes plenty. Take plenty of breaks and plan out water. Sometimes people overpack water because they think it's super important (and it is) but if you're going to be passing a gas station after 20 miles, you're not going to need 4 gallons of water to get you there. Water is heavy and you can refill basically anywhere. This is highway walking mentality though. If you're going to do the Appalachian Trail or PCT, plan accordingly. I take rest breaks every couple hours and make sure to get my legs elevated. The coolest thing that has happened is I walked into a McDonalds in Garden City, KS at the exact same time another cross-country walker was walking in. We had the exact same stroller model. He was going Tallahassee to Seattle and we just happened to cross paths at a random McDonalds.
What is your budget?	The goal is $1 per mile, but I overspent in the first few weeks. I estimate it will cost ~$5,000 total but it can be done for much cheaper if you're willing to truly rough it. I'm a sucker for a hotel and hot shower every few nights.
Where do you stay at night?	My tent/sleeping bag, a hotel if I feel indulgent, lately strangers and Instagram followers have been opening their spare bedrooms for me, which is really cool. I've been blogging/writing for about eight years, so I know people all over.
How do you stay safe?	I've never felt threatened really. I have a big knife, but have never felt the need to reach for it. No guns.
Do you walk in day time only?	Daytime only. I walked once a few hours past dark, but it was when my brother had joined me for a few days and we felt safe together.
I have a big knife, but have never felt the need to reach for it. How I'm imagining you, if you get into trouble.	Just a little chubbier.
How is one chubby after walking 1600 miles in 74 days?	I started out more chubby.
What unexpected physical, mental or just plain bizarre situation have you encountered so far? What has been the most surreal moment so far?	The first night I camped out in a city was Riverside California and around 4 a.m. I got so sick of bad sleep from being scared that I just got up and started walking. I walked by an adult book store in east riverside and a strange dude standing outside it started calling after me. "HEY, COME HERE" I told him, "I'm good" and kept walking, trying to play it cool. Dude started following me with his grocery cart, and yelling for me to come over to him, that he had to show me some stuff. I'm pretty good with regular crazy people but this guy just seemed, threatening, so I started running. He half-heartedly jogged after me but gave up. Adrenaline was going pretty good.
How difficult is it to maintain your existing relationships being out on the road for the length of time you have been already and will be before you finish?	It's hard. We met and started dating about 3 months before I left so it was really tough still being in that puppy love stage. We talk/text/facetime/skype every day which makes it a lot easier. And she's coming to KC to spend a few nights with me for my 30th birthday this week, so that's going to be awesome. I had this walk planned for about 6 months before we met and I had envisioned it as me being alone and unattached, so it was a game-changer in that regard, but having her be so supportive back home, and having someone to talk to every day, it's made a huge difference mentally.
What's the funniest experience you had so far?	I was in the Mojave Desert, middle of nowhere, and my phone was getting no signal for miles and miles. When the sun starts to set you want to camp somewhere with at least voice calling service. A drunk dude with three girls in the backseat pulled up and asked if I was okay. "YOU ALLRIGHT?!" he yelled. "Yeah, I'm good! Hey, do you happen to know when I'll get cell phone service?" He laughed as he drove away, "OH FUCK MAN, WHEN PIGS FREEZE OVER!" He laughed as he sped away. I chuckled at that.
The path you have set to go, do you have hotel reservations or just going by when you feel comfortable to stop?	Hotels happen spur of the moment.
The nights you spend in a tent, did you ever feel like you were in danger?	I'm always scared in my tent after dark. It's a mind game thing. I always hide out pretty well and far off the road, so logically nothing is going to happen (I'm scared of Criminal Minds type murderers, not animals) but it's just ... eerie. I don't like being out in the wilderness alone.
Thanks for doing this!! Good luck with the rest of your journey!	Lately I've been putting headphones in and listening to classical music all night so not hearing the wind and random tree noises helps.
Favorite place you've been so far? Place you're most looking forward to?	Wolf Creek Pass in the Rockies was amazing. Here's my camp at the top. I'm just happy to be east of Wichita. It was so desolate once I hit Mojave Desert in California and it really is only starting to get civilized. Flagstaff was cool. Durango, CO was cool. Northern Arizona was not cool.
Ever have a bad day, and just want to get a ride to an airport, and go home? Another way to phrase it could be - Is it hard to stay motivated?	Very rarely do I get discouraged. I had a bad day from Dodge City to Cimarron, Kansas, just hated every step, but then, as usually happens, I get picked up by the kindness of strangers. The woman who worked at the hotel in Cimarron walked Delaware to San Francisco and gave me a free night in the hotel out of the rain. It was magical.
What was the reason behind doing this?	The adventure. I was in a place in life where I had the freedom to do it and once I had the idea, I realized I didn't want to end up at 80 years old wishing I had done it. The prospect of regret spurred me to research and start planning. I'm so glad I did. It's been the time of my life, truly.
How long did you plan this for before leaving? What was your planning process like? What advice about planning would you give to someone considering something similar?	There's not a whole lot of planning. Just reading previous walkers gear list. A lot of it can be made up as you go since you're always near big towns early on. I'd just recommend reading some material about long highway walks. There are a few books about coast to coast walks.
So happy to hear this and not some "to bring awareness to.." bullshit. Good luck to you and safe travels.	Yeah, everyone is entitled to their thing, and I respect people's charitable causes, it's just not my style I don't think.
Have you had any unpleasant experiences with other people during the trip? Did you work out in preperation of this trip? How does your legs feel?	Yeah, a lot of weight loss and running. I was up to about 35 miles per week running. About a month before I left for the walk I started doing 10-12 mile walks a few times per week around Little Rock (home) but I'd say the first couple of weeks of the official walk was the main training. Now I can do 25-30 miles each day.
What silly side show attraction would you recommend out west to see?	I liked Joshua Tree national park. Pagosa Springs, CO is a nice spa town with natural hot springs. That was fun. Tsegi, AZ is a weird place that's worth staying in for the night just to see what it's like to live without wifi or cell phone service. Stay at the only Inn in town, Anasazi Inn.
Have you thought about doing any other giant excursions like this one? What advice would you give to a sophmore in college if they are wanting to do similar trips? Also thanks for keeping us updated on this, its super cool and inspiring! Good luck on the end of your trip!	I can't look past this trip since I'm still so far from the goal, but I love doing triathlons so I'll definitely get back into that. Just plan a trip and do it when your apartment lease runs out. Go over summer break. You'd be amazed how far you can walk in three months (90 days x 25-30 miles per day by foot or 100+ by bike).
What brand & type of footwear are you sporting?	New Balance, 450V3 running shoes. I come from a running background, so it's what I feel best in. Since I'm on the highways/pavement all day and night I don't really need proper hiking boots. Just standard walking/running shoes.
What's your average day looking like? Do you spend the entire day walking, or do you stop in certain cities to experience their culture? What are you eating along the way?	I walk 25-30 miles with a few hours of rest so most of the daylight is taken up by that. I stop in every town I go to and talk to the locals. I'm writing a book about the journey so I love meeting new people and seeing how they live life in their respective towns.
If you decided to turn around and walk back to where you started, would you consider it a failure?	I would never do that. The desert followed by the Rockies, followed by the prairies. The three hardest parts. So desolate. If someone put a gun to my head and told me to turn around, I'd ask them to just end me there. It's too daunting to do again.
Place you're glad you walked away from and the best food you've had on this trip so far?	Riverside, CA. I told the story in another response. But I was walking toward a sketchy hotel where no cars were parked. The sign said "knock loudly and we'll wake up." It was a frightening motel, like House of Wax style. I noped out.

Last updated: 2016-05-10 20:36 UTC | Next update: 2016-05-10 20:46 UTC
This post was generated by a robot! Send all complaints to epsy.

So, this really all started back in February, when I decided that I was going to drive halfway across the country (from Austin, TX to Walla Walla, WA.) A bit of background: I am a formerly homeless, recently married, morbidly obese woman. To say that I am not good with saving money and don’t have much in the way of impulse control would be quite the understatement. No one thought I could do it. Not my husband, not my mom, not even the friend I was going to visit. But mostly, I didn’t know whether I would be successful or not.
Behold, I managed to do it. In 4 months I saved $2000 to drive cross country in 12 days and to have money to cover my bills when I got home. I don’t think anyone was more surprised than I. So I embark on this journey. On June 1st I left Austin to see the beautiful country that I live in.
I had an experience on this trip that ties into the story of how I got here. Now, I am born and raised in Texas, never more than ~900 feet above sea level. A flatlander, if you will (and if you live around/in the mountains, then you certainly will.) So I am driving along US550 through Durango, CO heading north toward Grand Junction, CO and I pass this sign that reads something like “Mountainous road, next 45 miles.” At this point, I look over to the person I am with and ask a very important question, “What does that mean?” See, I have never been to the mountains, don’t really know what to expect, don’t know about things like downshifting, and certainly nothing about altitude and elevation.
I ascended from 800 ft to 11000 ft in 2 days. It turns out that I am fine going up a mountain. No problem, I got this. Then we turn a corner, and suddenly cliffs. Sheer drop offs with no guardrail. Like no thing I have ever seen. It was near to a psychedelic experience. Mountains are reality on a level separate of our perceptions, mountains are a universal reality. Breathtaking. Terrifying. I am deathly afraid of heights. Cue a panic attack at the top of a mountain. I saw death that day at the periphery, hovering in the blackness that threatened to consume me. I believed I was going to die. We make it to Silverton, CO and pull into a parking lot. I am shaking from head to toe, tears streaming down my face. My brain is telling me over and over again that I cannot do this.
There is another (higher) mountain pass north of Silverton, heading into Ouray.
The only way out of this town is over a mountain and I am certain I almost died on the last one. In the midst of all of this, I am disoriented, nauseous, and cannot breath. My weight coupled with the elevation had me gasping for breath every 15 minutes the night we spent in Silverton.
We got up the next day at 6:30 in the morning, hoping to catch the pass before it closed for the day (for clearing fallen rocks!) The lady who owned the motel we stayed in told me I ought to eat breakfast, it’s 7 hours to Salt Lake. I told her I hadn’t had anything to eat since we crossed over into Colorado the day before, the thought of food makes me nauseous. I told her about my shortness of breath and disorientation and she said “You’ve got elevation sickness, you need to get off the mountain.”
No kidding.
She tells me about downshifting and that it is a scary drive, but people do it all the time, in the snow even, and if I just go slow and pay attention I will be fine. The whole way over the next pass I just keep telling myself, “It’s only 23 more miles. 23.” I did it, I am here to say. And that is amazing.
So what does this have to do with losing weight? I guess just that in the last six months I have faced tasks that seemed bigger than I am and I overcame them. Even when I knew I couldn’t, I did.
I weigh more now than I have ever weighed in my life and it is terrifying. I have fused discs in my lower back and I work a desk job 40 hours a week. I have a literal and true addiction to sugar, and I never learned coping skills that didn’t involve something delicious. For the first time that I can remember, I am ready to take this on.
I have been using MFP to track calories and macros for the last 23 days. I have stayed under my calorie goal every week, not so much that I am starving, but just eating until I don’t feel hungry anymore. I haven’t been full in 23 days, but I haven’t been hungry either. I drink water and eat food that I can identify as food. I have slowly incorporated 2 hours of water jogging a week, it has actually helped alleviate some of my back pain. I have had a period that caused a mental breakdown and NEED for something gross (read: chocolate or fried) and I didn’t give into it (big props to my husband, because he didn’t give into me.)
I am afraid of this task, it seems much larger than I am. Some days I have wept with my need for comfort and self care. I am learning other ways to care for myself. This is hard, and I am afraid. But I have already overcome a mountain.
Thanks for letting me share.
Rhie

First off I'd like to disclaim that, YES, I am going to be complaining and making plenty of structural mistakes because English kind of sucks. I will start with the good and slowly transition you in to the bad but then give you the climax and end.
Ever since I owned my first vehicle, a 1998 Dodge Durango http://imgur.com/eajk6eW, I've always had a problem of not being able to keep a vehicle for more than a year. Though I loved my loud, rusty, 5.2L green monster I sold her 14 months after I bought her and bought a 2001 Volkswagen jetta VR6 http://imgur.com/ee94OLl . At first I was starstruck because I have never thought about owning a "sports car." As it turns out I was one of the lucky few that got totally fucked over by purchasing this jetta. The first problem was the biggest, you guessed it, the transmission went out around 130xxx miles. I spent 2 days looking for a good place to bring my car but I was young and stupid so I brought it to an unprofessional shop on the west side of town. This was the worst mistake I made because it total it took 3 months and 2 weeks for the shop owner to find an automatic transmission for my car. The time in between start and finish was spent playing hide and seek with the shop. It wasn't until month 3 of not having my car that I decided to call the cops and showed up at the shop. With the extra push from the police they decided to use a transmission "they just picked up." It took them 3 weeks but they got it done and it worked perfectly with no codes and no problems. A week after I got it back my windshield wiper motor went out during a cold winter snowstorm. Not only that but the same day just a few hours later, my left headlight and left tail light went out which caught the police's eye. After I was sent on my way I had a long thought of why I owned the car and that pushed me to sell it. I posted it on Craigslist for $2,000 under blue book because of the existing problems and so that the nightmare would be over. It hadn't sold after the first month and by then I had got a new wiper motor and fixed my lights. At that point I just kept the jetta for another year until I could basically sell it for $2,500 and move on. I actually ended up selling it for $2,800 and moving that money to a 2001 Ford explorer sport trac http://imgur.com/eajk6eW. I had absolutely no problems the entire time I owned it and I'm still scratching my head and wondering why the hell I sold her. So now you are wondering how this story is bad. At this point I have a truck that is paid off and life is good so I decide to finance a motorcycle and live life a little more and you guessed it, this is where I fucked up! I financed a 2013 Kawasaki Versus 650. It was new and I was able to pick my own color, add-ons, and arrival date. I spent a whole half a year with my Kawasaki before I decided I wanted something more, something more comfortable, and just something that I can finally keep up with in 5 o clock traffic. That was the biggest finical mistake I will ever make. I came across a 2009 Jetta TDI http://imgur.com/xKAiSnx, that I absolutely had to have. I went inside and talked a little about the car to the saleswoman and she explained to me how terrible the situation I'm in has become. At this point I went out and test drove the jetta while she went through the numbers on how this would be possible. The test drive went great and when I drove back she had went through my tradwins and told me that I had a flipped loan and this want going to be possible. however I didn't stop there I kept thinking that I had to have this car and I wasn't going to stop trying to obtain it. After 3 weeks of defeat I finally got approved with a co-signer and it was time to give my vehicles to the dealership and drive home my new car. It felt like the end of the war and the smoke was clear. It wasn't until now, 8 months later, that I truely realized how badly I fucked up. This realization came from the opportunity I took to drive my dream car. I randomly went out of town to look at some used cars as this is a hobby of mine and I stubbled across a 2012 pearl white impreza WRX hatch and with the up most luck I was able to test drive my dream car and have my car valued as I took my dream car on a test drive. It was amazing and handled the snow like it driving on dry pavement. I had a blast and it all came down to seeing what they could do for a loan and that was the true turning point was. I explained to them what my situation is and everything that led up to me wanting to sell my car. The decision of giving up on the way I think about financing started when they told me my car is only worth $5,000. If my car was paid off this wouldn't be a problem but I owe nearly double of what they would give me so it was a complete bust. Its my motorcycle still hanging around in my loan that thought me to triple think about my financial future and what made me realize there's no way I can get rid of the trap I laid for myself. The best part of all this is that I know my true dream car and I am now content with my car.