On May 4, 2010 I was packing up my new-to-me 2005 Honda Element and heading out for my first ever solo road trip. I remember standing in my driveway saying goodbye to my husband and him smiling and saying “You look terrified. You will be fine. And you will have an amazing time!”
He was right. I WAS terrified. But I was also fine and that trip was the beginning of a series of incredible travels, life-changing adventures, person-changing growth and self-discoveries.
Thirteen years later and I’m still road tripping out of that Honda Element (which now has over 300,000 miles), but I’m rarely solo, as my two co-pilots love the adventures as much as I do.
My camera is still with me wherever I go, but I now also carry with me paints, brushes and canvases. I still write about my journeys, though they haven’t made their way online nearly as often as they should. My body has gone thru multiple spinal surgeries, anxiety and depression, but is still serving me well and often eager to hit the road.
This year, with plans to fly more and drive less, I’ll be solo once again, if only temporarily. Over the summer I plan to visit Seattle, Portland, Denver, Minneapolis, Chicago, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Las Vegas and possibly a few more cities. I hope to write about what it means to travel solo, vegan, carless and thrifty in those cities. And I hope to fit in a few road trips with the dogs as well.
The journey changes, but it continues.