6000 miles. 46 Days. Why I [F, 23] Solo Road-Tripped Across the United States
The tickets were booked. For 4 years, I’d been saving up and looking forward to a big senior trip to east Asia after my graduation from The Ohio State University. The itinerary would be Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, and Bali.
But, for myself and many others, perhaps yourself too, any kind of travel plans you’ve had for the year 2020 were squelched. For me, when Coronavirus initially hit, I retreated out of my campus apartment in Columbus and to the safety of my parents’ house in Cleveland. It was around then that I realized my east Asia dreams might not actually be realized.
It was over this time, in the comfort of my childhood home, that I realized an opportunity existed to personally put the principles of change I share in my book, The Power of Pivot, into my own life:
What other opportunities exist within these new constraints?
I decided to solo road trip out west. I thought a solo trip would provide me the freedom to be flexible and embrace spontaneity, (something I am personal trying to improve), and to make a test run of living out of my Honda CRV to challenge myself with a more minimalistic living experience than what I’m used to; a lifestyle I hope to embrace in the future.
So, on May 15th, I began my drive to Denver, Colorado. I had the first week planned out, but other than that, I really had no idea what I was going to do after that. Talk about ambiguity.
What happened over the next 7 weeks will undoubtedly stick with me for the rest of my life.
As I traveled through Colorado, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and then spontaneously back to Colorado to meet up with some friends, I found myself learning so much and filled with immense gratitude for this opportunity I never imagined for myself.
Sometimes it’s the most unexpected and unplanned parts of life that bring the most joy.
I explored some of America’s most beautiful landscapes of 9 national parks, read and listened to several eye-opening books (Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East, The Tipping Point, Homo Deus, Waking Up White, The Hour of Land, White Fragility, and Thinking Fast and Slow), had enriching experiences with strangers who became friends, and hiked, ran, and rock-climbed my heart out.
But, this was never supposed to happen…
I begin my book, The Power of Pivot, by exploring the concept of change and how it all really comes down to anything that deviates from our expectations.
I argue that within this deviation exists immense opportunity.
I also argue that women in particular have a profound power to pivot, and as a women myself, I was testing this hypothesis in the societally-questionable environment of female solo-travel.
It’s interesting how society pushes scary narratives about female solo-travel. Some of the most common comments and questions I recieved over my time on the road are as follows:
“You’re alone!”
“I wish I had the guts to do that.”
“Aren’t you scared?”
“Are you OK?!?”
And my personal favorite:
“How do you go to the bathroom or shower when living in a car?!?”
(I will not be answering that right now…)
I understand the concerns and questions. We’ve all heard scary stories. But I’ve realized that these inquiries are mostly psychologically subjective, based upon different cognitive bias’. We see and hear the negative narratives about women traveling alone (ie. She was assaulted, she got lost in the woods, she fell off a cliff), but the news, and even human conversation in general, fails to propagate the positive narratives of female solo travel (ie. She was safe. She solo-ascended a 14-er. She met some really cool people!).
Let me just take a moment to say that although woman in particular should take many precautions in solo travel (or really just life in general), I will passionately advocate for a positive narrative of female solo travel over a negative narrative.
Like I’ve mentioned, this trip wasn’t supposed to happen. This trip wasn’t built out into my life plan. Yet, this experience became the living embodiment of The Power of Pivot in all of its glory.
Let me tell you why.
In The Power of Pivot, I build out 8 principles from stories of women which catalyze change. I personally experienced each of these principles in an intimate way on this trip:
1) Resilience
On my way to Denver, somewhere in Missouri, the low tire pressure light came on in my car. I just got new tires, this can’t be happening… I found a tire shop, and the mechanics were willing to take a quick look. They came to the conclusion that there was nothing wrong with my tire pressure, I just had to reset the pressure system. From the beginning, resilience helped me to embrace the minor annoyance of a car-mishap, and several other mishaps along the way as well.
2) Grit
Castleton Tower, a 400 foot pillar in the desert, was one of the rock climbs I completed while in Utah. This tower was the most difficult climb I’ve ever done, and I did in with a style of climbing I had never previously done, known as trad (traditional) climbing. In trad-style climbing, you push your fingers, hands, wrists, legs, and/or feet into cracks in the wall. I truly had absolutely no idea what I was doing. Doubts creeped in within the first 50 feet as my mouth went dry from the early signs of dehydration and I felt my body quiver with each breath I took. After the first pitch (or part of the climb)I wanted to quit. Nonetheless, I pushed through, got gritty, and dug deeper than I have in a long time, and eventually ascended the tower.
3) Questioning
I was in Moab and about to leave when an opportunity came up to climb Castleton tower (as mentioned above). I made the gut decision to stick around Moab for an extra day, and then somehow got ‘stuck’ there for 3 extra days, because of the incredible people I had so serendipitously met. If I hadn’t questioned my own schedule to drive to Capital Reef National Park, I wouldn’t have been gifted with the memories I made in Moab.
4) Innovation
My Honda CRV, (named Lola), became the ultimate innovation on my road trip. Lola became my home. I created a ‘car-bed’, organized a ‘pantry’, and designed a ‘library’ in my passenger seat. Iteration by iteration, I learned how to optimize every inch of this vehicle, whether it be hanging my headlamp on the ceiling or using carabiners and a blanket to create an seclusive open extension of my back trunk. I learned that even simple, incremental innovations can go a long way in enhancing a human experience.
5) Belief in Oneself
Colorado and the mountains are almost synonymous. A week into my time in Denver, I decided to hike up a 14er, or a mountain that is 14,000 feet or more in elevation. I did the research on the route, packed my gear, and headed to the trailhead at 4:00am to avoid the infamous afternoon storms that frequent this landscape. Almost a vertical mile in elevation gain later, I submitted the peak of Mount Bierstadt. I was personally reminded that underlying belief in oneself is preparation. Without preparation and knowledge, you could still have belief, but its foundation isn’t nearly as strong. In other words, you might have blind faith, which probably isn’t the best thing to lean on when solo summiting a mountain.
6) Gratitude
Speaking of mountains, there’s always been something visceral in me that’s revealed when I am face to face with these geological wonders. There’s something about the mountains that evokes a mystery of emotions throughout my mind and body. I remember the first time I saw real, snow-capped mountains while on a mission trip in Quito, Ecuador in high school. I couldn’t believe the immensity of Cotopaxi erected in the distance at 19,347 feet or Cayambe at 18,996. Something about beholding something so immense makes me feel both insignificant yet significant. Since that first mountain experience in Ecuador, I’ve seen mountains a few more times, but after the 18 hour drive from Ohio to Denver, when I finally saw the front range while approaching the city, tears streamed down my face. I was so grateful.
7) Defining Success for Myself
At Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, I obtained one of the last few backcountry permits when I arrived to the ranger station of the park. However, the only option left to hike down into the canyon was on the most advanced trail, the Warner Route. I didn’t have anything else to do that day so I decided to make an attempt. My ego wanted to push through and make it to the bottom of the canyon, but after a few miles on some of the most treacherous, rocky, and steep terrain I’ve ever been on, I realized it wasn’t safe or smart to continue. I didn’t make it to the bottom. And that’s ok. Success for me is in the effort I give, not the outcome achieved.
8) Vulnerability
In Colorado, you do not want to get stuck in the mountains during a storm. I specifically timed out my trail runs to finish when afternoon storms were forecasted to roll in. However, one day I missed that forecast by about 30 minutes. As I descended the mountain trail, it began to drizzle, and then shortly thereafter torrential rainfall and lightning began. I was completely vulnerable and unprotected. This is a clear case of vulnerability that should be avoided in life. Yet, in terms of emotional and social vulnerabilities, I was once again reminded that we should embrace it.
I hope you can see how these principles were put into action on this trip and how each can be used as tools to help actualize changes in our lives and more effectively handle the environmental changes we have little to no control over.
For me, this trip was full of change-physical, mental, and emotional. Coming back to Ohio, and now very shortly moving to Dallas to start my full time job, I realize only more changes will be coming my way,
and I have to keep telling myself that that’s ok.
I’ve learned that change is a key pillar of the human experience, and I’m just experiencing this oftentimes scary truth as best as I can.
-Alli
Over the next few weeks, I’m going to be sharing excerpts, stories, and personal musings from my book, The Power of Pivot: A Female Perspective on Embracing Change, in this article series. The Power of Pivot will launch in a few weeks on Amazon! In the meantime, if you want to connect, you can reach me via email (thepowerofpivot@gmail.com) or through my website: http://www.thepowerofpivot.co/#/*
