On March 29, 2023, Joe and I said goodbye to our Southwood Drive home in Woodland, California, and hit the road for a cross-country adventure. (Note: The blog posts dated March 29 through July 1, 2023, chronicle the trip and the people we visited along the way.)
As we drove across America, we found ourselves sleeping in all kinds of places—our car (which prompted one friend to quip, “Ah, so you’re homeless now!”), guest rooms of generous friends and family, the occasional hotel, and a fair number of nights under the stars in a tent.
Each state greeted us with its own brand of beauty and friendliness. The landscapes wowed us, and the people warmed us. We had a rough idea of certain towns we wanted to visit—usually because we knew someone there or it had been highly recommended—but otherwise, we made up our itinerary as we went. That kind of flexibility is what allowed us to add in bonus stops in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, Canada.
When we weren’t driving, one of our favorite things to do was visit libraries. Joe and I are both big readers, and libraries are our happy place—enforced quiet, comfy chairs, outlets for our laptops, and an unlimited supply of books and magazines. Heaven. They also gave me a comfy place to write this blog and a place to research and plan the next leg of our trip.
Life on the road with Joe Coehlo? Surprisingly easy. Our initial plan was to mostly sleep in the car. We'd even splurged on a fancy, highly-rated air/foam mattress combo. It worked great—until we hit the Carolinas and discovered that car camping in parks wasn’t allowed. Enter: our tent era. Lucky for me, Joe is an experienced camper. So instead of disaster, camping was (mostly) fun. Emphasis on "mostly."
Along the way, we also uncovered a few quirks in how we communicate under new and mildly stressful circumstances. Translation: we had a few moments. And by “we,” I mostly mean me. I learned to do better. Progress!
Joe recently asked me, “Remember how people used to ask if we were still speaking to each other after all that time on the road?” Oh yes, I remember. Most people—my own friends included—assumed Joe must be a saint. And honestly, he kind of is. Not that I’m that hard to live with, but we were together almost 24/7. The only alone time Joe got was when he went for a walk. Sure, he loves nature, but I’m guessing those hikes were also his version of hitting the reset button... from me.
But we did it—we survived all that togetherness! And in the process, I learned to admire Joe’s adventurous spirit even more, along with his uncanny ability to stay flexible no matter what each day brought.
Next up: Our stay in Michigan.
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