Day: October 6, 2015

I can’t believe it has been over a month since I concluded my cross-country journey. The trip has really stuck with me–I keep flashing back to parts of it, the same way my mind sometimes wanders back to the vibrant streets of Florence or the peaceful coastline of Nova Scotia. From frolicking through South Dakotan sunflower fields to watching the majestic Tetons unfold as we drove along (and everything in-between), there’s no shortage of exciting memories for my wandering mind to re-visit. While the highlights of the trip were documented throughout my past posts, I think it’s time to sum up what I learned on this trip.

1. This country is far more rural than I ever imagined. Yes, I knew to expect a lot of farmland. After all, blocks of fields are often the dominant view from an airplane. But it wasn’t until driving through days upon days of crops, fallow fields, and grasslands that I realized just how much rural land there is between our coasts. We’d drive for hours without seeing a building that wasn’t on a farm. Yes, there were exits off the highway, but often they dropped you off 40+ miles from the nearest town.

   

   It’s amazing to think how different life must be for people who live this way… Better plan that grocery list carefully because the supermarket is a long drive away. No access to the museums, restaurants, historical buildings, or other cultural mainstays that perhaps, I have taken for granted. I wonder if it’s peaceful living out there–if those who choose that life are happy to see more cows than people and to be so far removed from the overstimulated, over-commercialized hubs of our country. Just food for thought…

2. Never take a clean windshield for granted. While it’s sometimes rare to see another human along those roads, bugs are EVERYWHERE. I very quickly became a pro with a windshield squeegee.

   

   There were some stretches of the drive where we could only go a couple hours before needing a scrub!

3. There’s nothing like a road trip to teach patience and appreciation for life. This, I already knew to some degree because I’ve been a lifelong road-tripper. But driving such an epic distance, I had to surrender myself to the fact that the miles would only go by so quickly. Rather than constantly thinking about what was next, as was my habit, I eventually began to enjoy the present moment (and present mile).

   

   Further, experiencing such a huge swath of the country allowed me to appreciate the immense diversity of culture, economy, and terrain that we have here. It’s something I think everyone should see, if they have the chance.