At 3,000 miles, Road Trip 2007 is in the home stretch

Road Trip 2007 author Daniel Terdiman hit 3,000 miles in the Infiniti QX56 he's driving just after starting a slow, winding road back home.

(Credit: Daniel Terdiman/CNET News.com)

CHAMA, N.M.--We all like milestones and round numbers. That's why, during all the driving I've been doing on Road Trip 2007, I've made a point of pulling over and documenting the most important ones.

When I hit 1,000 miles, I couldn't stop. It was late at night, and it was dark, and I couldn't see a place to pull off. But I was within a few miles of Arizona's Meteor Crater. And I thought that was cool, especially since last year, on Road Trip 2006, when I hit 2,000 miles, I was at an overlook with an incredible view of Washington state's Grand Coulee Dam.

Last week, I hit 2,000 miles on this trip out in the middle of nowhere near the tiny town of Three Rivers, N.M. There was a gorgeous sunset, and I was only about in the middle of the whole trip.

Now, I'm at 3,000 miles, and I've begun to slowly head toward home. There's still days to go and much to see, but I'm no longer getting further away. I turned left at Taos, N.M., and homestretch it is. And at 3,000 miles, I was once again in the middle of nowhere in New Mexico, though this time it was raining and about to turn into a maelstrom.

Last week, I asked where I'd be at 3,000 miles. I know that answer now. There's at least another thousand to go, though. Where will 4,000 be?

The 3,000 mile point was just south of the town of Chama, N.M.

(Credit: Daniel Terdiman/CNET News.com)