Michigan, you caught me by surprise - I wasn’t prepared for your beauty.
Daylight until past 10pm and the insane skies before dark, the odd elegance of Detroit, Muskegon and the charm of its local life, the sunsets on Lake Michigan, the swims in pristine waters, the roads nestled between lakes and forests in the Upper Peninsula (the UP if you want to sound like you’re from here... which I kinda want now), I just can’t get enough.
So much so that I ended up booking a ferry last minute to get into Isle Royale’s wilderness on Lake Superior, to hike and camp for 4 days and 3 nights. Not sure how ready I am to carry all my gear and food and water, but I couldn’t be more excited about this new adventure within the adventure.
*Spoiler alert as this post never went through due to limited service : I had to share my (filtered) drinking water with a few moose swimming in the lake, but I made it.
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New Hampshire, Vermont, New York State, Ohio.
The last week has led me to breathtaking countryside roads, beautiful mountain towns (with legit bakeries) and my beloved Killington that I rediscovered in Summer after having spent so many Winter cold days snowboarding there. The Niagara Falls well exceeded my expectations with the walk across the Canada border so worth it, and getting a glimpse of the Amish life provided a new insight into the diversity of this country.
After 2 months my rythme is pretty set and even if I drive a little more than I’d like, I take the time to make detours and to do everything so slowly that I barely have time to write some notes, let alone read books. It feels like I do nothing and yet I’m never bored (and surviving very successfully my Netflix detox).
Days come and go, but I’m now learning to surrender and accept that nothing will stop time and stressing about the future won’t make it any more certain. Easier said than done, but I have literally nothing else to do than practice.
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I fell hard for Maine and Acadia.
After all, this part of the East Coast has everything I love: the dark blue waters of the lakes and ocean, the green pine trees of the forests, the whites and greys of the wooden houses and fishing boats, and the multitude of small islands. This is so impossibly beautiful that it kinda hurts - at least that’s how I felt up there.
I better start saving again if I want to fulfill that cabin dream one day...
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There’s nothing duct tape and climbing rope can’t do for someone who desperately wants a shower (and just the proper amount of privacy).
The rain has been a bit of a mood killer but the sun is back and being clean after the hiking and all the DEET is a glorious feeling this morning. The simple things.
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Total change of pace this past week: outdoors concerts and picnics, long walks in Manhattan, sweet family life weekend in Park Slope, surf in Rockaway at dawn and back massage at dusk, reconnecting with old work friends, and stuffing my face with bagels and cheesecake and all the other good stuff.
Might take a couple days to readjust to filling the gas tank, buying ice for the cooler, setting up the tent, and cooking on state parks picnic tables, but it’s time to get back on the road. Doesn’t take away the fact that I’m quite heartbroken to leave the city and my people here though.
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More rain, more damp campground bathrooms and more showers at Planet Fitness. But after that, quality time with friends and the East Coast cities: DC’s museums and great vibe, Philadelphia on a sunny afternoon, and the one and only NYC, forever close to my heart. Oh and The National (nevermind the pouring rain) and the New York Philharmonic the next night with a firework, both at Prospect Park. I officially made it across the country and it feels really good to be back here.
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It would feel wrong to complain given the freedom and traveler’s dream I’m currently experiencing, but the reality is that this fifth week has been tougher somehow. Looks like the rainy weather, the hundreds of itchy insect bites (no joke), the milestone of the first month reminding me how time flies and confronting me with the uncertainty of what’s next, and simply being tired of moving every single day, have taken a toll on me. I fell a bit down for a few days. But my lows are what makes me appreciate even more my highs, as simple as they are right now - a great breakfast in the morning shade of a State Park, a dragon fruit popsicle in the nation’s oldest town (St Augustine), the romantic trees of Savannah plantations, falling for the charming streets of Charleston, a home made hot chocolate in the back of my car on a gas station parking lot somewhere in Virginia, or finally arriving at a campground before dark and having time to cook and bake - full disclosure, the chocolate cake was burnt and didn’t even taste good. Can’t get it all.
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Florida I’m sorry I almost ignored you. I actually really liked you. The colors of your houses, sand, water and sunsets. The Everglades that I’ve wanted to check ever since that Bear Grylls episode 💦. The Keys. Miami and its Art Deco buildings, funky beach towers and Wynwood murals. I don’t know if I left a bit of me down here, but I do know I’m taking a bit of Florida back with me - in the form of nasty noseeum bites and scars. No hard feelings though, it’s part of the adventure.
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Two notable things in my little mobile world today. First, I had lunch with my dear friend who happened to be in Atlanta at the same time as me even though he now lives in Amsterdam (not pictured here, I’m trying to respect his non existent social footprint) - after 3 weeks on the road the familiarity of being with him, even for only a few hours, felt amazing and refilled my happiness tanks. Second, Florida the absolute underdog of this whole trip (I had always described this section of my itinerary as « the buffer in case I’m behind and need to cut something out ») made an unexpected come back and instead of going directly East I’m now heading back South. I can’t really explain - I woke up this morning and decided there’s nothing like here and now, so I did one of the things I enjoy the most when traveling: I rejiggered everything (again) and trust that eventually I’ll make up for this time down the road. Mosquitoes, your main course is back.
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Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama. The South. Its sunshine, heat, humidity and mosquitoes, its sunsets which never grow old to me, its super nice people with accents I don’t understand and who keep warning me about the dangers of the world, its polarizing New Orleans, and of course its somber past. I decided to ditch the Gulf Coast (Florida fell off my plan anyway when I extended my Big Bend stay) and to go North and learn more about the segregation and civil rights in the Black Belt - I’ve been to more museums in the past few days than in the past year. Heavy stuff but very insightful to better understand the history of the country. It’s now been more than 3 weeks since I left my LA home, and my car and my tent have become my new home - I thought I’d need some hotel or at least hostel breaks every now and then but there’s actually nothing I like more than not knowing where I’ll sleep next when I wake up in the morning, while knowing I have everything I need with me. Some evenings are magical with the prefect site and a great dinner (chocolate cake in my Dutch oven was a success!), and some aren’t. But it’s what makes this adventure so unique.
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Resuming normal programming - I chased more sunsets (and I’m not about to stop, although reaching the East Coast soon might make this a little tougher), my hikes in Big Bend made me fall in love even more with the Park, I caught a surreal moonrise and enjoyed my beloved campsite until the last minute, hit the road again (and its lovely rest areas) and made a detour to San Antonio River Walk before exploring Austin by bike and scooter and vowing to come back soon, and now off to Louisiana and its mosquitoes after gicking out at the Houston Space Center. It may not be epic 100% of the time, but it actually is for the most part and I’m practicing gratitude everyday.
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Traveling is not always as epic as it may seem. Today I had my first car mishap: I spilled half a bottle of water on my gear shifter as I was making my way to Austin. Luckily it didn’t happen in the wild, but by a big city. Unfortunately I had to spend the rest of the afternoon at the nearest Jeep service provider (talk about the glamour of the road trip) and had to pay $$$ to get the electrical damage repaired. So tonight I’m making a desperate attempt to make up for it by eating left over mashed potatoes mixed with eggs - I would post a picture, but it really doesn’t look good 😬
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Big Bend turned out to be one of the places that feel so right, that I simply can’t leave. I scored the absolute best campsite of the park and made it my new home, met a rad French family traveling the Americas who shared their dinner with me two days in row, and super cools Texans who offered me my first Shiner after hiking together. I have a shower, more food than needed and a cooler full of fresh ice. All current plans are cancelled and I’ll be here for the foreseeable future (but more likely another two or three days) - my crazy itinerary spreadsheet is completely falling apart and it feels amazing.
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8 days in and my traveling groove is getting back. So is cell service, for now. I’m moving fast (SoCal, Arizona, New Mexico and now Texas) but other than that, living the slow life - everything takes hours although all I do really is drive, sightsee or hike, set camp, cook, sleep, pack up and repeat. Wouldn’t want to do anything else right now.
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New morning views and rituals. A lot of driving. And the Grand Canyon. So far so good.
*Not pictured here: when I considered turning back on night 2 as torrential rain was starting to wet my mattress and sheets.
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