Clearly I have a lyrical pattern going that I promise was not planned because the title of this post now sounds like a country song. However, I did find that cruising through the West Virginia mountains to John Denver was particularly fitting. But as I write this, it’s day 14 out of 14 of our cross-country trip and we have wrapped up our time on the road (for now). We have traveled nearly 5000 miles, through 24 states (including D.C.), stayed overnight in 11 different towns, navigated 11 national forests, visited 6 national parks, and pulled over countless times to take in the views.
This has been a road trip of a lifetime and it’s still only the beginning of our year of adventure! After two weeks on the road, I’ve compiled a list of principles that I have reflected on and that I believe contribute to an epic adventure:
- Have a destination and time limit for each leg.
I planned this initial leg of #SabbaticalwithScout based on my online teaching schedule, which begins on Monday, September 14th. I knew that I wanted to be settled into our cabin two days before, which meant arriving on Saturday, Sept. 12. Thus, I planned backwards and decided that leaving 14 days to drive and explore would be a perfect amount of time, and luckily, it’s been right on target.
We incorporated a visit with friends over Labor Day weekend in Boulder, Colorado, which meant we took 6 days to get to Boulder and then would have 6 more days to explore in the mountain west. Knowing the places we could recharge helped keep everything fresh and exciting each day. On days where we spent 8 to 9 hours in the car, having an “end in sight” kept things in perspective knowing that we may not see these landscapes again and to enjoy the present.
- Do the research and read the reviews.
Each stop, each park, and each hiking trail was carefully reviewed. I knew where dogs would be allowed and where Scout had to stay in the car or be kept in the parking lot on a leash. This helped a lot when deciding between a few options on our route; for instance when deciding between trails to hike, Scout’s great at climbing over boulders on Maine islands, but he’s not (yet) equipped to rock scramble on a ridge at the top of a mountain!
- Leave time for the detours.
Despite the fact that we did have destinations to reach each day, I never planned a day that required excessive travel time. This enabled us to take the backroads, stop to take in the epic landscapes, or add a hike we hadn’t bargained for. Occasionally a day that I thought would be roughly 5 hours ended up taking 9 hours because we added in a few zigzags. We got to catch up with friends in Mason City, Iowa and send reports back to friends from their Big Ten alma maters with this mindset!
This also happened the day that we traveled up Beartooth Pass Highway. The Wyoming side was supposed to be open by noon to let travelers continue their journey, but it ended up remaining closed when we got to the border. Thus, we traveled back down all the switchbacks which made for a harrowing, but truly awesome experience. It added 2 hours to our day, but not a single regret!
- Be prepared for anything.
You may wake up to 95℉ weather with ash falling like snow from nearby wildfires and then go to sleep 16 hours later in 33℉ and actual snow falling. Literally, prepare for anything.
- Stop often for fuel & check your tire pressure every morning.
I quickly got into the habit of filling up once my tank dipped just below half. This enabled me to always feel comfortable taking a detour knowing that we weren’t going to be stuck in a 100-mile stretch without enough gas.
My portable tire inflator came in handy with the fluctuating temperatures so I didn’t have to find a gas station, many of which I noticed didn’t have air pumps. One time, we were meandering down a back road when all of a sudden there was an orange sign that said “Rough Road for 63 miles.” I didn’t know if that meant loose gravel, washed out parts, poorly patched black top, or more. This particular road had all three obstacles and full tires meant that I didn’t worry about my little Honda Civic bottoming out.
- If you have a bucket list item, make sure it’s a waypoint so you won’t miss it.
On this leg, I had three things that I really wanted to see: (1) The Dignity Statue in Chamberlain, SD; (2) both Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse memorials in the Black Hills of South Dakota; and (3) Beartooth Pass Highway in Montana/Wyoming. When designing my route, I knew that I had to get to the Black Hills early in the morning based on how hot it was going to be by mid-morning and to avoid the crowds. Thus, I planned to stay in close proximity to Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse, got on the road early, and I was able to spend a decent amount of time at both.
- Understand the ever-changing “rules of the road.”
i. This goes for both the drive and the various regional environments we traveled through. For instance, I quickly learned that 5 mph over the 80 mph speed limit was too slow for traversing the flat, two lane freeways in Iowa and South Dakota.
ii. Another time, in Montana, I took a back road (which I’m convinced was solely built for cattle transport) between the Wyoming border and Billings, and I encountered 3 cowboys on horseback herding about 75 head of cattle along the road. They were off to the left side, but I didn’t know if I was allowed to pass them or if I would spook the cattle. I stopped, which gave me a great opportunity to observe their work, and eventually, one of the cowboys noticed my car and moved the herd a little more to the side so that I could pass. It seemed like it was no big deal to them, and now I know for more encounters in beef country.
iii. The first week of the trip, we stopped every day to hike in a state park or national forest because they are friendlier to dogs than the national parks. However, after we left our friends in Boulder, CO, we adjusted our daily activities because we entered bear country, and it was just the two of us, one human and one dog. I constantly took note of the environment we were going through and determined if we could explore the forest or if it was better to take a long walk closer to town. Our first bear that we saw (from the car!) was in Grand Teton National Park and so we proceeded with caution through Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho.
- Finally, with all of this in mind, always take the back roads!
You will never regret it. Gravel will fly, bugs will splatter everywhere, and dust will cake everything, and even if you hit a roadblock and have to turn around, do it anyway. Traveling down the same road, but in the opposite direction shifts your perspective and you get to see different things than you did on the initial drive. Or you just might get the perfect road, lined with Black-eyed Susans, alone for 100 miles in Nebraska.
Sabbatical with Scout 