Cross Country in a Weekend (or Two)
A 2,500 mile thunder run is absolutely not my preferred pace of travel.
I put a great deal of time and effort into building a life that would allow me to travel and explore at a somewhat leisurely pace.
Unfortunately, elements of this particular trip are dictated by constraints that are outside my control.
That means a lot of thought and planning had to go into it.
I’ll be driving my motorhome from Rochester, NY to Quartzsite, AZ. A distance of 2,523 miles (4,060km), based on the route I intend to take.
And I need to do it all while still holding down a regular 8am-5pm job.
So the plan is to leave promptly at the end of the workday Friday and try to make it at least as far as Cleveland, OH.
That will set me up to drive all day Saturday and make it to my brother’s house in St. Louis, MO for a very brief overnight stay.
Sunday will have me driving to Oklahoma City, OK where I will stay with my sister for a week while I wait for the following weekend and my next big driving window.
That next Saturday should see me in Roswell, NM. Then Sunday the rest of the way to Quartzsite, AZ.
I fully expect it to be grueling, exhausting, and perhaps even have me questioning my life’s choices.
(Kidding.)
Not about the grueling or exhausting part. It will absolutely be both of those things. But I try to never lose sight of just how fortunate I am that this sort of thing is even possible.
I will be able to escape the winter, enjoy relatively mild temperatures in southern Arizona, have tons of adventures along the way, and still earn a good living without interruption.
Once there, my 8am-5pm schedule will become 5am-2pm because of time zone differences. That suits me fine. I’m a natural morning person so I won’t mind getting up early.
Best of all, my workday will be done early enough every day that I can get out and enjoy some adventure. Meet new people, go on bike rides, explore…
In short, get out and live life.
Could I do that in upstate New York in January?
Sure I could. But single digit temperatures are not my cup of tea and I wouldn’t be my happiest.
Perhaps more to the point, I didn’t spend so much time and effort building a portable life so I could spend all of it anchored to one place.
So the preparations have been made and I will be setting out on Friday!
Wish me luck.
