Continued: What a long, strange trip it's been: 48 states in 106 hours

Three guys who set out from New England this week in a car and on a mission to visit all Lower 48 states as quickly as legally possible ticked off their final states in a flash this evening, arriving where four of them meet at the same point on the map.

"The Great American Road Trip" began Sunday in Vermont and in an unofficial record wound its way through all four dozen states, with the briefest of stops Wednesday in Minnesota.

The Utah 20-somethings -- Joshua Keeler, Joey Stocking and Adam Gatherum, all of North Salt Lake -- not only rolled up about 7,010 miles in their boxy 2005 Toyota Scion, but their odyssey fascinated a surging legion of followers who absorbed news media accounts far and wide, wrote good wishes on the three's blog and twice sent their website crumbling under a crush of visits.

"How cool is it to be able to share such an experience with everyone in the world as it is happening. WOW!" read one Minnesota follower's blog entry today at greatamericanroadtrip.us.

Wrote Travis Merrill of Utah: "You have captured a glimpse of the true American spirit, that of chasing a dream and watching it unfold into reality and on the other side capturing the hearts of others as they have lived their dreams or take a brief escape from their day to experience a part of your adventure."

Keeler said this afternoon that they have heard from people on every continent except for Antarctica, and he bought extra band width for the website to keep it running.

"We had no idea," he said, referring to the following the three attracted. "We set out to hit all 48 states and have fun, and we end up sharing it with far more people than we ever imagined."

The three arrived at the Four Corners where Utah, New Mexico, Arizona and Colorado meet at about 6:15 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time, finishing in about 106 hours, only stopping for gas and rest room needs. And best of all: no breakdowns and no traffic tickets, keeping their 80-plus police sightings uneventful.

Their visit to Minnesota was as brief as possible. With Gatherum behind the wheel, the three rode 1 mile into the southwest corner of the state at about 1 a.m. Wednesday on Interstate Hwy. 90 in Rock County. They left the freeway at Exit 1, drove over the overpass and entered westbound I-90 for South Dakota.

Guinness World Records declines to recognize cross-country driving records such as these because they encourage speeding, but these three are trying to beat the "best known time" for a continuous drive touching the contiguous 48 states (5 days, 7 hours and 15 minutes for such a pursuit).

Along the way, the travelers engaged their followers in a contest to name their Scion.

Among the suggestions: "The Scion from Zion," "Scionic Man" and "The Little Toaster That Could," with the three agreeing on "Scionara."

The three used AAA maps and a global positioning system to help them stay on course and document that they actually entered all 48 states.

Keeler's father, Jim, conceived the trip 15 years ago, but it was set aside when his mother died.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482

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