With navigation devices pretty much standard for travel, the days of drivers keeping eyes out for landmarks and street signs are virtually unnecessary when out on the road.

Well, not for Dustball Rally participants when they are behind the wheel. In fact, they embrace the uneasy-to-many feeling of not knowing when that next turn is coming up - so much that this unusual group of drivers is headed cross country with the assistance of a co-pilot who holds new-each-day scavenger huntlike directions.

Think about directing a lost driver in the neighborhood to, as an example, turn left at the red house, drive to the traffic light, then take the fork in the road. It is that sort of concept; but imagine applying it to a roughly 3,000-mile journey across the country.

"The overnight destinations and the routes are always both confidential information. In other words, you have no idea where your journey will take you, nor what route you will take to get there" is the description on dustballrally.com.

So, who are these adventurous travelers?

One of them is Newtown's own Tom Fuchs, a longtime car enthusiast who found out about the Dustball Rally several years ago while participating in another rally in Florida. Each year, the Dustball Rally course begins and ends in different states. With this year's departing from New York City and culminating in Los Angeles, Mr Fuchs - being the most local Dustball Rally participant to the starting point - had 15 drivers and their cars at his house for a gathering on July 27, the day before they departed.

His driveway was full of exotic and sporty cars, among them a magenta Bentley, a white McLaren, gray Porsche, gray BMW, a red Mustang, and Mr Fuchs' white Chevy SI sedan. Some of the drivers had their cars shipped from faraway places such as Texas and Washington state. Others made the drive to the starting line.

"It's more fun if you have a sporty or exotic car," said Mr Fuchs, explaining that the mystery course takes driving enthusiasts on lightly traveled, two-lane roads.

Then again, the Dustball Rally organizers do not discriminate against certain vehicles. Mr Fuchs recalls one driver taking an 18-wheeler cab for the ride during one of the past Dustball Rally events.

It can be likened to the theme of the movie The Cannonball Run, described as variety of eccentric competitors who participate in a wild and illegal cross-country road race.

Okay, so the eccentric part certainly applies - magenta Bentley owner Grayson Harcourt dyed his dog, Binky, to match the color of his ride - but this is perfectly legal; perhaps a bit wild, but this is not really a race. As a matter of fact, the first to get to the end destination is not the winner; the driver or driving team that accumulates the most points by discovering landmarks as part of a scavenger hunt within the hunt to find their way is the winner.

"I love that aspect of it," Mr Harcourt said of not knowing what each day will bring. "Everything else in life is so planned out. You get an opportunity like this to just wing it."

Mr Fuchs, who is married and has two children with his wife, Helen, is managing director of consulting practice BDO USA LLP, and is traveling with his cousin, Sebastian, who came from Germany to see the country in a most unusual way.

"It's really important that you have a navigator to show you where you're going. It's very hard to do it by yourself," Mr Fuchs said. "We don't know what way we're going. We're going to end up in L.A. It's all part of the adventure."

The drivers use two-way radios to communicate and, in some instances, packs of cars will travel together and make stops along the way. The only requirement is that they reach each night's destination by that night.

No Sniveling

Car trouble? Speeding tickets? Lost?

Those and other factors are really no excuse for not making the daily deadline in the Dustball Rally. So much so that the drivers prepped their cars with stickers that include the Dustball Rally slogan of sorts, "No Sniveling."

Mr Fuchs said there are 23 teams of two, including husband and wife duos. Among them is a couple from Texas, Marie and Drew Wilson. They were dating when they went on their first Dustball Rally excursion. They have since participated in four Dustball Rally adventures and members of the Dustball Rally community traveled to Texas for their wedding this past spring.

"We call them a Dustball couple," Mr Fuchs said.

The Dustball Rally gave Mr Wilson good material to make a pitch to his soon-to-be wife.

"He said if you can Dustball together you can live together forever," Ms Wilson said.

"She's the best navigator on the face of the planet," Mr Wilson added.

Mr Fuchs has participated in several other rallies and says the Dustball is his favorite.

"It's the best group of people, the best driving, the best roads, and the most fun," Mr Fuchs explained.

"The best part about it is the camaraderie. It's a really tight group of people," adds Steven Beaney of Dallas, who is on the cross-country trip in his Mustang. "I love it because I'm big into adventure."

The approximate $5,000 cost to participate in the Dustball Rally covers the cost of high-end hotels and the course information.

"We pay for food, fuel, and any traffic infractions you might get," said Mr Fuchs, who has to this point not gotten any tickets during his adventures.

On day one, the drivers went from New York City to the Steel City, Pittsburgh. Mr Fuchs checked in with The Newtown Bee as his adventure got underway. The drivers went across southern Pennsylvania, through Amish country, through Punxsutawney (home of the groundhog), and into Pittsburgh in the rain.

Day two took drivers to Indianapolis through southern Ohio, "which has amazing driving roads. Passed through dozens of small towns, too many to name, rolling hills, farmland, etc," Mr Fuchs wrote in an e-mail.

On day three, they went to Omaha. "Great weather, great roads, superb driving," Mr Fuchs reported.

The drivers went from Nebraska to Kansas on day four, and ended the day in Colorado Springs, Colo.

"Some of us had a detour for an up-close visit with the Global Supertanker, worlds largest firefighting aircraft," Mr Fuchs said.

The rest of the trip, which culminates at Ruby's Diner in Redondo Beach, Calif., in the first weekend of August, promised to provide new discoveries. Mr Fuchs said they drive about six to nine hours per day, through some touristy towns along the way.

The old saying that it's not the destination but the journey that matters, certainly applies here.

"This is about the journey," Mr Fuchs acknowledged.

And for Dustballers, it is also about the mystery.

For additional information, visit dustballrally.com or the group's Facebook page.