The Long Journey Home

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How do you wrap up the last three months of your life? With reflection on the past or wistful thoughts of the future? I suppose all that will come with time, but right now more than anything we feel like slapping each other five and toasting with a little self-congratulation, because we did it! We completed the journey we planned in the manner we envisioned with the budget we hoped. In fact we did more than just survive the last ten or so weeks on the road, we enjoyed it immensely. I remember when we left there wasn't much support being handed our way. We were reminded time and again how it wouldn't be giving up if we just decided to cut a straight path across the country, repeatedly told how this would be a "true test" of the relationship if we could handle seeing each other day-in day-out and spending hours upon hours in a car together, feeling the unspoken lack of confidence in our abilities beneath the smiles and snickers of individuals when we told them our summer plans. So I don't really know how to react when as I find myself sitting here on the front porch of my mothers house, having arrived earlier this afternoon. Is an "I told you so!" in order?

It feels rather strange sitting here, indoors. We've gotten used to the fresh air of the forests and of having to, literally, build a shelter to rest our heads and a fire to cook our food on a daily basis. A permanent roof, bed and kitchen don't seem like luxuries, they almost seem...superfluous? It's become habit not to rely on the ordinary devices I never used to give much thought to-- like toilet paper just hanging there in the bathroom. Surely in time, the hum-drum of western living will once again be the status quo and we'll look back on our tented summer with fondness and marvel at all the energy and work it took to accomplish, but not right now. Right now if I sit inside and look at blue sky out the window I feel trapped and claustrophobic, yearning to get back outside and stretch my arms wide.

We covered 10,729 miles and visited 19 national parks and monuments, 16 US states and 1 Canadian province in a matter of 68 days. When written out that way it doesn't seem like all that much (it certainly seems like we've been traveling for much longer than that) but statistics, while nice and deconstructive do little to summarize our experience. It wasn't 68 days on the road, it was 68 days with ourselves and we've done some things I never imagined. Like bathe in a dish-tub with a sock in Michigan, or consider sleeping at a no-name roadside motel sleep a "good idea", or end up sleeping under a picnic table in Colorado after driving all night. I successfully cooked a pie in a dutch-oven over a campfire. We ate buffalo. And we saw more diversity in geography, climate and geology is this country that I believed possible. I've certainly become more self-reliant, more low-key and we've come to depend on one another for all things great and small. Our relationship has never been better. What a great way to experience the United States -- on foot, sleeping under the stars, driving across the highways that connect this nation coast to coast.

I think what surprised me more than anything was how few other Americans we saw along the road. We met people from all over the world, heard languages from near and far and yet, when visiting the cities right around such great landmarks as Grand Canyon or the Great Sand Dunes we ran into people who had never driven up the road to see what glories resided in their own backyard. It seems than more foreigners have explored the US than Americans themselves! It really makes me wonder why, given that we have such a rich natural history in this area. The summer rolls around and Americans fly to Europe when there is a huge area of unvisited bounty right there around the corner that will never been fully appreciated by those who live the closest. It's a real shame, and makes us all the more fulfilled that we've been able to experience as much of the country as we have. So now when we travel abroad and people ask us where we're from, we'll know quite a bit about the land in which we claim citizenship.

Technically we're still homeless--crashing with my parents isn't exactly a permanent solution, and now the rush begins to secure an apartment somewhere in Seattle before classes start back up again. I hope we continue to find solace in the outdoors and don't drift back into our lazy, unmotivated former selves lounging around in front of the television. Part of me thinks this is inevitable, when the days get long and the pressure mounts, but at least I hope it's not the case. This cold hard stop we made though seems like a jolt--one that I wasn't prepared for. It's easy to prepare yourself to leave, but there is little in terms of preparation we could do prior to our return.

So stunned, here we are back in Washington. In Seattle, ready to make a go of it. I hope it's everything we envisioned.

PS: For those of you who have followed our blog throughout our journey, I certainly hoped you've enjoyed the ride (no pun intended! Okay, maybe a little...). We plan to continue blogging through-out the Northwest or wherever our travels take us and we hope to have you right along with us. All the best until then....

- Stephanie and Andras

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Photos

Crater Lake, OR
We hardly spent any time here, which was a shame, but we were able to stop long enough to have a picnic from the rim and enjoy the crystal clear cerulean blue waters.

10,000 miles
I made Andras pull off on a little dirt road somewhere in Oregon to watch the trip-meter roll over to 10,000 mi. Worth it? Absolutely.