It is 2 weeks and 2 days after leaving Sacramento, and the time has flown by. It took us 6 days to drive across the country and nearly a week to get settled into our new condo and town. The week of getting settled in involved a combination of unpacking, errands to setup house and a good mix of exploring the neighborhood and doing a few fun things. We even did hot yoga 2x this first week.
It seems like a long time and a short time ago that we were driving across the country. In summary it went like this: Day 1 (Monday November 21) leaving just after noon: Sacramento to Palm Dessert. Day 2: to Las Cruces New Mexico (nearly to El Paso Texas). Day 3: to Austin, Texas -- Texas is a very wide state! Day 4: Thanksgiving! We decided to rest this day in Austin and check it out since it is on our list of possible cities to live in next. It was a very good decision because both Joe and I were exhausted mentally and physically from the packing and prior trips to Arcata (and work trips for him). Day 5: Austin to Marianna Florida, Day 6: to our new home in South Beach. We were at our new condo before dark Saturday.
Most days we drove about 10 hours and covered approximately 600 miles. In the beginning, we diligently kept a log of every milestone event (every time 100 miles flipped on the odometer, every hour, every time we switched drivers, every time we got gas -- we logged what was happening - where we were, what song was playing, what silly thing one of us had just said). Our diligence and excitement to log everything waned slowly over time as the trip wore on. Perhaps it was because the silly things we were saying had waned too, as things seemed a little less exciting and more tedious. Don’t get me wrong, we traveled well together, but it is a long trip and the country side across Hwy 10 isn’t the most interesting for the greater part of it. By Day 3 we were only logging end of day time and mileage.
Spending this much time together in the car, with minimal space to move provided us with ample time to talk and dream about the next 6 months. We also drafted a list of possible cities to live in over the next 2-3 years. We joked a lot, and enjoyed each other’s company. We were grateful each evening for our safety and the support of our friends and family and that we are able to do what we are doing.
One of the things we did during the trip was to discuss and clarify our intentions for the next 6 months. This looked a lot like a new years resolution, or goal setting exercise, but it feels different because our goals are clearly time boxed with the May 16th deadline -- a little LESS than 6 months away!
There were times of doubt, at least for me. As we drove through Blythe California I thought about my Grandparents moving with my 2 or 3 year old mother to live in a tent and farm flax. They were setting out on an adventure seeking riches (or at least a livelihood). They did not find riches and the land eventually won the battle; sending them back to the coastal region of the state to seek more traditional work. My adventure is of a different sort. I’m seeking the ‘what’s next’, without really knowing what that might even be! I am just trusting that it will come if I am out there and following my dream of traveling and learning more about the world. Along parts of the drive, when I was tired, I heard the voices of the people who love me but who think I’m crazy for doing this. There were times when I thought that perhaps they were right. Maybe it is stupid to go the expense in time and money to travel away from friends and family without a (traditional) meaningful reason such as a job. The feelings of doubt don’t last for me though, and if indeed this turns out to be a bad idea, we can simply call it quits, pick a city and settle down. I know I will be richer for the experiences either way.
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