And just as the settlers of the 19th century headed westward believing it was inevitable and justified, so did we. Ok so granted, we didn't do it to gut the resources of our country and move native peoples out of their lands, but to us this was indeed inevitable. There comes a time in your life, in everyones life, when you start to realize that you need a change in some aspect of your life. Some people plan it out carefully and execute it...well I guess most people. Others realize it, keep living their lives knowing fully that something's gotta give, something's gotta change, and then one day wake up, and do it. Our story is a little bit of both.
I want to start this blog post when we started our actual 3 day trek across the U.S. Throughout time we will weeble and wobble to the past and future, but this is where i'm deciding to start telling my experience. This part is a story of sanity and comfort. The best way to describe the journey would be to teach you a simple mantra for each day.
Day One: I am strong, I am comfortable, I am caffeinated. For our first day, we ended up driving 16+ hours. How you might ask? Too soon...too soon. So when you google the distance between lets say, southeast PA to Denver Colorado, it will tell you it takes 25 hours, almost exactly. This is when your comfortable trust and admiration for google begins to diminish. You wont feel it just yet, but trust me, you will. Now think about if you're planning on bringing actual human artifacts, you'll need a U-haul. (don't even call Pods, trust me, you'll just end up getting drunk about it that night and laughing yourself silly). Go ahead, please actually for the love of GOD read your drivers manual and see how fast you can go whilst dragging your belongings behind you. And then, remember that we live in 2017 and many highways that lead you out west have a speed limit of 75 mph.
I cant even begin to describe to you what happens to your psyche when you see your ETA consistently extend even while traveling. Let alone when it doubles as soon as you have to pee. All I'm gonna say is it is rough, and bring a friend. A VERY good friend.
Day Two: Sleep is life, caffeine is God, don't push yourself, Kansas is pretty. That last one was sarcasm, and I am allowed to speak of Kansas in such way because my mother is from there. And okay, yes, Kansas is kinda cool...when you've grown up in pa. Its just hilly and...well..thats about it. But it is long, exactly 400 miles long, which is why you need to keep affirming to yourself, even if it is a dirty filthy lie, that KANSAS...IS...PRETTY! For one, make sure you sleep plenty the first night. If anything, don't drive 16 hours. Just don't do it. Which brings me to "don't push yourself." On our second night we ended up picking a new hotel for the second night because we were just too exhausted to drive any longer. (probably because we didn't get enough sleep *cough**cough*). So if anything have multiple places to stop on the second day, don't be too hellbent Hannah on being an anal Allison.
Day Three: Steak N' Shake doesn't last forever, caffeine is now a diety, how doth one geography. As in traditional fashion, I will begin by addressing these from back to forth. You can now see the state line fast approaching like a great reward, the promised land awaits you. MOUNTAINS DO EXIST. The second you cross that state line, you still have two hours to go. TWO HOURS. Do not over excite yourself with the state line. The mountains will come. You are not crazy, and they do exist. You probably now understand the true unwavering power of caffeine. My suggestion are the Bai drinks. (just so you don't have an espresso episode every two hours.) And finally but most certainly not leastly, Steak N' Shake only lasts for so long, soak it up. If you've never had it before, then it may take a few tries to understand its beauty. Go inside, sit down, and soak it all up, and APPRECIATE IT DAMN IT!
Getting here: a biiit of a headache. We went came straight to the apartment, went into the leasing office, AFTER CALLING AHEAD, and were told "oh I can't find your file." then the girl walked around a couple times, came back and said "yeah sorry, I can't find it. You can come back tomorrow when Jessica is in." To which Hannah said "we just drove here from Pennsylvania" (not very nicely, I mean the girl was quite cranky by the end of the drive). & FINALLY then we got the girls key. AND IT DIDN'T WORK. But then we got the janitor ring of master keys and finally got into our new apartment. & it has been absolutely incredible. (Will post photos at a later date)
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