Well I've picked up some wheels, and now am roaming the states any which way I please. No more timetables, crowded stinky buses or train platforms at 3am.
My original plan was to buy a dump in Philadelphia and traverse the country from East to West. Turns out new laws passed this year mean you need state ID to purchase a vehicle in most states. For state ID, you need a social security number, which means you need a permanent address. Luckily Washington State doesn't have those laws, and there's a guy there who buys cars specifically for tourists. So a couple of phone calls later and a cheap flight to Seattle means I'm in business.
I thought I was gonna get a little thing to save on petrol, and when I get to Seattle I've got a mini-van decked out with cooking gear, esky, and a bed to sleep on. Turns out I won't be paying for accommodation much in the states!
I call her Candy-Sue Esmerelda, or Esme for short (after the complex and multi-faceted character from A County Practice).