After spending the entire summer in Maine with my family (for the first time in 15 years!), our departure date got closer and closer, and the logistics part of our adventure became very real. When I first put the beginning (Maine) and end (Flathead Lake, MT) into Google Maps, the 40 hour route travels that winds through upstate NY, around the Great Lakes, and across North Dakota is the shortest. Then I began to really visualize spending 4 full days in a car and I considered what creativity we could have with the drive west.
A few things became apparent: (1) we had to split up the approx. 8 hour drive each day; (2) we definitely needed exercise; and (3) we wanted to explore new areas (while being socially distant and safe). I spent a lot of time adjusting waypoints on Google Maps, looking through national and state park websites to find out what was open or closed due to COVID and what areas were more pet-friendly than others. I’m also woman traveling alone with her dog, which means, there are a number of precautions like staying in more populated areas at night, and checking in with friends and family at regular intervals, that I needed to ensure.
These ideas helped plan out our tentative route, which will likely take us through New England and the mid-Atlantic, followed by West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, Colorado, Wyoming North Dakota, and finally Montana. For two weeks, we’re set to explore a large chunk of the continental US. We plan to drive in the morning, hike for a few hours midday, and then continue our drive to the evening destination. We likely won’t have a stretch in the car longer than 5 hours.
Thanks to our friends, I’ve received hundreds of suggestions for audio books and podcasts to keep me company. We have healthy snacks and lots of water. We have reasonable driving times, mixed with hiking in beautiful parks and grasslands. It’s my hope that this allows enough of a schedule as well as time for spontaneous wanderings as they appear. We shall see…
Sabbatical with Scout 