April 11, 2006

In Motion

A month or two ago, I mentioned an idea I was kicking around. Something I’ve been thinking about for a few years, actually. From here on out it will be referred to as a project because it is more than in the works. The idea is to travel the United States via minor highways and country roads. Throughout the journey I will document what I learn, what I see and of course where I go.

What will I be trying to accomplish on this project? Well, the primary goal would be travel, fishing, adventure, enlightenment, blah, blah, blah and blah. A secondary goal is to document my experiences with various medium. This blog, a likely podcast, and several book ideas that I would be formulating. Along the way I would explore various aspects of American life across America. Along with a fair catalog of music and ideas, MK will truly go in motion. I will pack my fishing gear, golf clubs, laptop, camera, guitar and an adventurous spirit. There are places I’d like to see and in the coming weeks I will make some of those public, but I’m also looking for participation from you.

The best part of this project is your ability to get involved. There are a number of ways you can get involved. The first and easiest is by reading and listening. The idea of vicariously traveling around the United States has to appeal to some of you. By reading and providing feedback, you can also have some impact on the direction and outcome of the project. Another way you can get involved is by participating. As I move across the country, you could have the opportunity to meet up with me and either give me a tour of your world or travel with me for a leg.

As I work through the preparations for this project, I solicit your ideas of places to visit. Some standards like national parks, landmarks, museums and historical spots are always interesting. There are a lot that are fairly well known, but what I’m looking for is the ones that aren’t as well known.



I’ve developed a pretty extensive spreadsheet to act as a budget. Another way to participate is to sponsor me. You can do this a number of ways, the easiest for you and for me is to use PayPal (there will now be a button on the sidebar and I will publish my progress), but there are other ways. My budget can be divided out to be about $0.52 per mile, so sponsoring individual miles is an option. I’m also set up as an Amazon.com associate, so any purchases made through this site generate some income to me. Other ways to contribute financially would be to sponsor individual items that will be used along the way. I’ve created a wish list on Amazon with some items and will keep it updated as the project goes along.

You might be asking yourself, why would I want to get involved? Why would I want to spend my hard earned money on this project? Well, other than the obvious thrill of traveling the U.S. vicariously through me, you would earn my respect and get yourself mentioned in any capacity this project earns notoriety. Whether it is the podcast or other podcasters/bloggers covering me, etc.; my sponsors would be the champions of my project. Cross promotional opportunities…synergy.

And I know someone out there wants to design me a logo. Because we all know that MERCH is a great way to get some funds.

If you work for or own a company that has some sort of product or wants very cheap advertising, I will also accept corporate sponsorship. I am actively seeking minor sponsorship from some companies whose products I already use and would be willing to make sure everyone knew I used them. As I fish and golf and explore the U.S. I will have ample opportunity to share my experience with countless people. This could be as simple as bumper stickers, T-Shirts, Baseball caps, etc. I am willing to turn myself and my truck into a cross country traveling billboard as long as I can agree with the “cause.”



In the coming weeks I will post much more about the project. My target is to launch somewhere around the 1st of June.

So submit your donations, submit your ideas, and submit your corporate sponsorships…

Of course I will have more updates and develop this as the project goes along.

I got mentioned on a podcast. It wasn't much, I added myself to their frappr map and they thought my parents must not like me to have named me MKinMotion. The podcast is called "The Big Show" and is done by a married couple in the Phoenix area.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Here's to your first 10 miles!

Anonymous said...

Looking at your list....good choice on the XM Radio. MLB Brodcasts! I would reccomend the Delphi receiver though. Just a little bit more, but you can get a data lin at the bottom of the screen to scroll any sports scores that you want. Follow your team specifically, or have everything show. Stock quotes available too if you're into that. Then you can also get the boombox for it to go into outside of the car. Very nice and highly recomended.