The Best Trip of My Life

I mentioned it before - the best trip of my life.  I have a whole blog about this trip.  It's been almost three years since this trip ended, and I still talk about it monthly, if not weekly.

It started as a distant, foggy dream.  It started when I read books like "Travels with Charley" by John Steinbeck and "A Walk Across America" by Peter Jenkins.  These authors explored America - it's cities, it's small towns, and most of all, it's people.  Their writing made me hungry to do the same.

First, I wanted it to be a walk across America.  I wanted the leisurely pace to really explore and soak it all in.  Then, I realized that I would never have the time to walk all the places I wanted to explore in America.  Plus, it might not be too safe to walk across America as a young single woman.  My next plan was to bike across America.  I got farther on this plan.  I did the research on the kind of bike, the saddle bags, the packing list, how to train, where to stay, even routes.  That was my plan: one day I would bike across America until that day in 2011.

I had graduated with my major in English in 2008.  I had immediately enrolled in an alternative teacher certification program at about the time Texas began making budget cuts in the department of education.  As an alternative certification teacher looking for an internship, I was at the bottom of the totem pole.  Meaning, I was the last person they looked to hire.  Everyone else on the playing field would get hired before me.

I spent every year from 2008 to 2011 looking for a teaching job.  By the time the summer of 2011 rolled around, I was about to give up on my dream and I knew I needed a change of pace.  I decided since life was handing me lemons, I would make lemonade out of them.  I looked at my bucket list and saw the trip across America.  I knew that was the lemonade I would make out of these lemons!

I spent six months working two jobs.  One paycheck went to my living expenses; the other paycheck went into the savings account for the trip.  I set the leaving date for March 2012.

There was one change, though.  I knew I didn't have the luxury of enough time and money to bike across the U.S.  I knew it would take too long.  Instead I sold my truck and bought an aging, but still in good condition, Toyota Corolla.  My mechanic brother looked it over, I made a few repairs, and she was ready to go.

My apartment lease expired on February 29 of that year, and I resigned from both of my jobs a day or two before that.  I put everything in storage, and then I loaded the absolute necessities in the little Corolla and took off.

I traveled until the middle of October - nearly eight months.  I made a big loop up through the midwest and then turned east until I hit Florida and drove across the south back home to Texas.  I took a week break at my parents to earn a little more money before taking off for the second loop - up through  the midwest again, then turning west.

I spent nights in my car and at campgrounds.  I spent too many nights to count at homes of generous friends and family, who not only put me up for the night, but fed me and often took me sightseeing.  In the entire eight months, I only spent one night at a hotel - a rainy night in Lancaster county, when I was too tired to try to fight the rain camping and I had a coupon for a discounted hotel room.

Those are the logistics, but I can hear you asking, "Why was it the best trip of your life?"

Perhaps it was the freedom and independence.  Every day was a new adventure without a lot of structure.  I could stop at Gettysburg National Park and tour it for five hours if I wanted.  I didn't have a lot of time constraints.  I could stop at a random roadside seafood restaurant in Maine to enjoy crab cakes if I wanted.  I could stay up late sharing heart-to-heart talks with old friends.

Perhaps it was all the time to think on my own.  I kept a blog, which helped me record a lot of my personal growth during that time.  I spent many hours on the road or on my own sightseeing and camping.  There was a lot of time to think during that time - time I used to think about my future, where I was going, what my goals were going to be when I returned home, if I wanted to change my career direction, etc.

I think it was all of the above.  I know I came home with a renewed vision, purpose, and goals.  I know I came home feeling refreshed and ready for the fray of life once again.  I know I miss those days in the little Toyota Corolla - just me and the car and the road.  I look back on them very fondly.  This is how I know it was the best trip of my life.

Thirty Day Blogging Challenge

Every year I have this plan, and every year I fail to carry it through.

The plan consists of this: As a high school English teacher, with a bachelor's degree in English, I believe the best thing a teacher can do besides teach is to actually use the skill they teach as a hobby or side job.  So the plan is always to be a writer as well as a teacher.

Don't get me wrong.  I write.  A lot.  However, most of it is not writing I like to make public - it is in journals or other non-public places.  I want writing that serves as a good model for my students and encourages them to write in their spare time; therefore, I am starting this blog.

The first part of this blog is the thirty day blogging challenge.  I found a lot of lists for thirty day challenges, so I printed them and then chose a few off each list to create my own list, which I have typed below.  I will not go through these topics in order, but rather when I feel inspired on each topic, I will write about it that day.

1. Be the magic... (In what ways can I be the magic in your life and the lives of others?)
2. I am thankful for...
3. My bucket list
4. My favorite quote and why
5. Things I love
6. My dream job
7. My career goals
8. My personal goals
9. Things to do when I have time to myself
10.Things I am proud of about my personality
11. My zodiac sign and how it fits my personality
12. A moment I felt the most satisfied with my life
13. Somewhere I would like to move or visit and why
14. My views on mainstream music
15. My views on the importance of education
16. My favorite TV show and why
17. Ten of my likes and dislikes
18. Review of my current favorite song and the band/musician
19. Review of the last book I read
20. If the world were to end tomorrow, what would I do with my remaining time on earth, hour by hour?
21. A letter to a friend or relative who has passed away
22. Would I rather date someone plain with an amazing personality or someone beautiful with a plain personality?  Why?
23. My proudest moment
24. The best trip of my life
25.  My favorite childhood book
26. A review of the last movie I watched
27. What makes me happy?
28. What makes me sad?
29. My hidden talent
30. An embarrassing moment

I hope you join me on my journey; more than that, I hope this inspires you to write, whether in a public or private venue!