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I'm So Tired

Arches National Park, Utah

As Donald Trump would put it, I'm a “low-energy” guy.

My partner and I have been on a cross-country road trip for over five weeks, and I am homesick. Terribly.

Not that the trip hasn't been interesting. It has. We have seen some beautiful sights, met many really nice people, and learned a lot. But easy it ain't. Fun? Sometimes, but not always.

What were our motivations?

The main one was to explore the big USA, which has many parts we know nothing about. So we revved up our little car in LA, climbed up the Rocky Mountains, cruised through the Plains, and are now dipping our toes into Lake Superior. Next we'll swing through more of Canada, see the autumn colors of New England, roll down the East Coast, dance into bluegrass country, and return through the South. (Since we already traveled through the Pacific Northwest on a previous trip, this time we're skipping that region.)

The secondary reason was to scout out a new place to live. Don't get me wrong - I love LA, as the song goes. It's a dynamic, fun city with an extraordinary amount of entertainment to offer. Its culinary diversity and excellence are hard to beat. And the weather is as perfect as it gets.

However … I've been living in LA for over 30 years, and I'm curious about life in other areas of the country. A part of me longs for a place with fewer impatient drivers and more nature.

The original plan was to travel for three to four months. Now I'm not sure.

Some of my exhaustion is physical. In the beginning, we did a lot of hiking in the ultra hot Utah heat. That was taxing.

The bigger part is psychological. There's something very mentally draining about being on the road every day. In keeping with the freewheeling spirit of the Great American Road Trip, we're trying to be flexible with our itinerary. Thus we don't book lodging more than a day in advance, if we book at all. Sometimes we just wing it, but finding lodging at the last minute can be difficult. One night we didn't check in until midnight. Usually, when we get to our room, we have to plan for the next day. Every night I'm just dead tired, yet I can't sleep well because of the unfamiliar bed. The constant movement saps me. Repeat.

Weary, achy, and a little frayed, I feel like I need to sleep for a week to recharge. But like the optimistic rabbits of Watership Down, I'm gonna trudge on, hoping to find a new home.

Comments

  1. Dood, I am exhausted just thinking about a 5-month-long road trip. Maybe take a day or two to rest at one of the motels or bed and breakfast you guys like before soldiering on?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dood, I am exhausted just thinking about a 5-month-long road trip. Maybe take a day or two to rest at one of the motels or bed and breakfast you guys like before soldiering on?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, so far it's been five weeks, not months, so it's not that bad. :)

      Five months is a possibility. A tiny one. Not likely, but I wouldn't rule it out.

      Your suggestion is wise. We did take a couple of days to chill out. But I'm kinda too cheap to do a lot more chilling out because it feels like a waste of lodging money. You know, like I should be more productive on the road since chilling out is, like, free at home.

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