Part 3: A Celebration of 38

Utah & crossing the US

I have wanted to go to the National parks in the western United States for years. I have wanted to drive across the country for years. I have waited for the right people and the right time. I have waited to be prepared with more camping knowledge or more confidence in figuring out where to sleep or in how to get around. Plain and simple, I didn’t believe myself capable of keeping myself alive or safe and not-lost on a trek out west. I wanted a good playmate for the road-trip.

I drove from Washington, DC to San Diego, CA, hiked four major parks in Utah, and left myself open to last minute planning. I was both alone and with others.

I loved every moment in the 90+ degree heat, amongst the red rock formations, climbing various heights, and driving windy roads in the middle of canyons and desert landscapes. I chased a roadrunner and got bit by a spindly cactus. I hiked a riverbed, listening for sudden thunder and vigilant in my awareness for higher ground in case of a flash flood. I followed the sunset red light that sets Moab rocks ablaze until I reached the iconic Delicate Arch. I lay in the pitch black, quiet darkness of night as star after star appeared. I stared and marveled at the sheer expanse, at the colored rock bedding, and at the fissures of the Grand Canyon and in Canyonlands. I observed how others travel, some leaning on last minute hotel finds, inspiration, and exploration via Google Maps, while others planned with camping gear, advance research, and early reservations.

On Rt. 66 I spoke with strangers and absorbed the local history and road art. I laughed along with Precious Patty as she recounted watching us naive New Englanders walk the five blisteringly hot minutes to her shop in the Texas summer heat. She immediately and knowingly offered us a ride back to our car, a block away. I joined the traveling masses at Cadillac Ranch, adding my mark in spray paint to the vintage cars sticking out of the hard, dry earth, knowing it would soon be erased by the next wave of arrivals. I delighted in the interesting past of Oklahoma and the serene, mountainous surroundings of Albuquerque, New Mexico.

What did travel throughout the southwestern United States teach me?

That the sun is very hot and Utah very beautiful. That there are many ways to have your needs met and people have different strengths and weaknesses. Even in the same time and place, what you feel and think is often different from what another feels and thinks. That if you’re paying attention and stay patient and open, you can learn skills in communication, strategy, and giving and receiving love. That crossing the country in a car is interesting, fun, and meditative. A furry friend in your lap, good playlist, and fellow fun voyagers make it better.  I learned that places and experiences aren’t always what you think they will be. Things you were afraid of turn out fine, places you underestimated wow you, and you surprise yourself. Being on the road quickly becomes its own immersive life and world; you begin to belong to everything and also nothing.