All in Y2KRTE

For many years now, I have been in search of a good time on the Fourth of July. Any holiday involving barbecues, patriotism, and explosives at high altitudes should be phenomenal, right? I've certainly had some good times over the years, but nothing has blown my socks off like I would have liked. This year started off nicely.
Before Chris and I embarked on the first official Road Scholars trip, the Year 2000 Road Trip Extravaganza (Y2KRTE), I took a few road trips to the San Francisco Bay Area to visit family and used the opportunity to test out the newly created RoadScholars.com mailing list. The first of these trips occurred over Halloween Weekend and I took along with me my roommate at the time (also coincidentally named Chris) his then girlfriend (now wife), Aliciana. It was our last chance to get away before the holidays and final exams.