**** I set off from Pittsfield, Massachusetts, in July 2011...and ended up in Aspen, Colorado, in February 2012. Along the way, I visited 28 states, three countries, dozens of national parks, hundreds of cities and towns, and countless friends and strangers. Why? Why not? In fact, I lost my job of seven years when Berkshire Living, the regional magazine I helped launch, folded. Then my apartment building burned down while I was in Miami for the weekend. A breakup and a stolen bicycle figured in shortly thereafter. Wouldn't you hit the road, too? Enjoy my virtual scrapbook of anecdotes and eye candy from a freewheeling, cross-country, cross-cultural odyssey--past, present, and future.Amanda Rae Busch
amandaraewashere@gmail.com
My Kind of Graceland: ZAPPOS HQ
I’ve toured ceramics centers, cheese factories, champagne cellars, and potato chip fryeries on my travels, but perhaps my most anticipated educational excursion was to Zappos Headquarters in Henderson, Nevada. (I’ve been a faithful customer since 2006—back when they only sold shoes, glorious shoes—and the site has been instrumental in helping me rebuild my collection from the closet floor up.)
Upon entering the building, I noticed two things:
![Time to get organized. (I miss having an office!)
[Tijuana, B.C., Mexico, December 15, 2011]](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lwa21fJ4xJ1qloi1ho1_1280.jpg)
Time to get organized. (I miss having an office!)
[Tijuana, B.C., Mexico, December 15, 2011]
