And we’re off! At exactly 10:20 this morning, after five months of planning and three days exploring southern California, Edgardo and I finally left on our cross-country road trip. In just six days, we will have traveled more than 3,000 miles; visited seven different friaries from five different provinces; witnessed an ocean, bay, swampy bayou and rivers, hundreds of miles of desert, and rolling lush mountains; and eaten our weight in unhealthy (and delicious) regional delicacies. All of this without leaving the country.

The first leg of our trip begins in Oceanside, CA and ends in Phoenix, AZ. We’ll be leaving the cool California coastline and for the hot Arizona desert. Because of the change in plans (due to Edgardo’s appointment this morning), we will not be able to travel as far as we had originally hoped. This was certainly a disappointment at first, as it will make the second day very long. On the other hand, a “short” five and a half hour drive is nothing to complain about. Easing into the trip rather than getting burned out on the first day is a good thing, and now that we’re arriving early and spending the night rather than quickly driving through, we’ll have time to explore Phoenix.

I’m writing this via iPhone so I apologize if the quality isn’t like it usually is, but you’re getting a first hand look at our trip as we drive! Be sure to comment here or Tweet us @Friarcasey and we’ll get back to you! We may even read and answer your questions in our video…