A Trip Eight Months In The Making… Finally Underway

Disclaimer

After the blog I maintained for my 2022 cross-country trip, I promised myself that, if I kept a blog on this trip, the posts would be short but sweet. Let’s see how that goes.

The Past Week

Yeah, the past week… probably the past two weeks… of balancing life and preparation for this trip was a complete nightmare. I think I pretty much maintained a constant, mid-level panic attack the entire time. The last week, especially, was non-stop from morning until night with little sleep to be had.

But… Today Finally Arrived

So, despite only getting about five hours of sleep last night, I was relieved to wake-up this morning, pack my car and get on the road. You know, once you’ve jumped out of the airplane, you can stop worrying about how well the chute was packed, right? It’s either going to work or not, so enjoy the ride.

Ohio In October

Being that my birthday is Halloween, I’ve always loved October and Autumn in Ohio… and I’ve never… ever… NOT been in Ohio for Autumn, which makes this trip, which will last from October 7 through to October 28, sort of bittersweet. When I left Ohio, the leaves were just beginning to change and this morning it really FELT like Autumn in Ohio: chilly and brisk with a startlingly blue, partly cloudy sky. It actually hurt a little to leave, but I’m excited to see what other parts of the country look like at this time of the year.

Ten Hours Of Driving

The first two days driving west from Ohio are going to be as boring as hell. There’s really no way around it, so I decided to bite off a bigger portion of the pie today. The first part was about 8 hours with the destination being Gateway Arch National Park in St. Louis. The park gets a bad rap because “it’s not a park” but being that I live in Cuyahoga Valley Nation Park, I’m not a fan of that type of sentiment and want to stand with the Arch. But, it’s not forced because the arch, the grounds around it and the museum beneath it are all really amazing. I didn’t have time to go up for a ride, but the day was beautiful and just walking a couple of miles around it on such a beautiful day was enough.

From St. Louis, I drove another two hours to Jefferson City, Missouri, to say in a Travelodge motel. It’s a sub-$100 room, so you get what you pay for, but I really just need a place to crash and maybe do some work in the morning. And, of course, write this blog for you.

Fifteen Minutes!

Yes, that took fifteen minutes to write. This is what you’re going to get on this trip. If you’re not happy with it, you’ll have to talk to the manger about it, but I’m the manager, so… good night.

That Was A Lie

I’m still editing…