Four Corners 2016: Snapshots of the Days That Started Me on My Journey to Solo Traveling

My first impression of Chance was that he was an obnoxious prick. We were fifteen-going-on-sixteen sitting in driver’s ed, he was the person in the front of the class repeatedly interrupting the teacher because he thought he knew better. I was the girl in the back left-hand corner closest to the wall, praying I didn’t get called on almost as much as I was praying for the boy in the front to shut his trap.
 
So, what changed by the time we were eighteen?
 
Honestly, I couldn’t tell you.
 
Then why did I ask him to go with me?
 
Because I was willing to give him a second chance (pun only slightly intended). Asking Chance to go with me was a whim. We didn’t really know each other. It could have turned out a hell of a lot differently. We could have ended up hating each other. But we didn’t.
 
Maybe I’ll regret this advice when I finally make it back to some of these places but here it is anyway: NEVER be afraid to give second chances. One of my best friends in the world would shake me silly if she heard me say that and I’ll probably get a very irritated call when she reads this (because I am notorious for giving TOO many chances) but it’s advice that I’ve been trying to live my life by for the past few years and I honestly think this trip is a big part of that. Hopefully these snapshots from 2016 and 18-year-old me inspire you to give something (or someone) a second chance...
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DAY ONE:
​A ROUGH START

​If the subtitle didn't give it away, we definitely did not leave when we were supposed to. We didn’t even leave today like we were supposed to. Chance's mom got called into work because one of her patients collapsed, their health rapidly declining, and she needed Chance to watch the little ones at home. Luckily, she got the call right before we were meant to leave so it’s not like we had to turn around to make it back in time. We just didn’t get to leave when we wanted to. We'll just have to add a few more hours onto our driving for the next few days so that we can make it to our first Airbnb reservation in time.
 
Plus side: I got to put together my Mom's player packs for her Little League team before I had to leave.

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DAY TWO:
​ENGLISH MAJORS DO NOT BECOME HORROR MOVIE CLICHES 
 
We left my house at 8:30 and basically only stopped for gas until we made it to Winifred (after driving through Blaine and stopping at Birch Bay to walk on the beach--see picture above), MT where our campground was supposed to be (but you'll get that rant in a second). However, we did make a stop at the Garnet Ghost Town in Idaho...at like ten o'clock at night and it was scary as hell I'm not going to lie. We didn't even make it all the way to the top. The road leading up to the town was this tiny little road off the freeway (that we passed before we saw the sign and did a u-turn when we decided to go to some random ghost town in the middle of the night). Trees lined both sides making the darkness seem endless. And the damned road wasn't straight either, it was curvy as hell so that just added to the whole creepy factor. Then the pavement trend to gravel, Chance jerked the car around, and we were heading away from the town.
 
It was straight to Winifred after that, straight to what should have been our first camp site. Rolling into Winifred, MT at 3:33 AM (2:33 AM my normal time) the "campsite" was nowhere in sight. The address given by Free Campsites lead to a parking lot in front of a building that clearly wasn't what the website said it was supposed to be. At that point we didn't really care though. We just parked by the police station and slept.

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DAY THREE:
WHEN YOUR PLAN GOES TO HELL

So… I totally fucked up the reservations I made through Airbnb and I honestly don't know what I was thinking. I gave Chance and I less than a day to get from NYC (if we didn't do any of the things we want to do) to Orlando then like three days to get from New Orleans to California. Stupid, I know. I didn't think this through very much. I managed to find new places to stay and cancel/move my reservations in California, Louisiana, and Florida. (Which all the hosts were super great about.) We've got a lot more time to make our way down to Florida from New York (until the 24th...Well, 23rd since we want to go into Harry Potter World as soon as it opens). We also decided to not hit the exact "corner" cities, we're just going to visit each state. (Which means everything will basically be the same except the place we're visiting in Maine is now Portland instead Madawaska.) All of these changes were done from my phone the few times I actually had service (and data) on my phone in the endless abyss that is Montana on the Airbnb app which has been amazingly helpful on this trip.
 
We left Winifred at 8:30 this morning. On the dot. We literately woke up, pulled up our seats, threw our blankets in the back, buckled our seat belts, and drove. We only stopped for gas as we added another hour to our time zone and made our way into Wisconsin before stopping at a truck stop at 2 AM to finally crash.

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DAY FOUR:
SEE ABOVE

Today was basically a copy of yesterday and the day before. We basically drove and did nothing else. We left the truck stop at 8:30 AM, passed by one of the Great Lakes, found out the hard way that Illinois and Indiana have a shit ton of tolls, and ended up having to stop in Aurora, OH for the night so that we could pick up Chance's money transfer from Walmart when their money center opened at 7 the next morning.
 
Being used to staying up until 2 AM though, neither of us was tired when we entered the store around ten. So, like the mature young adults we are, the two of us played in the toy aisles for the next two hours. Two bathroom breaks, one Jedi battle, a giant Frisbee toss, and a basketball match later we headed back out to the car for a goodnight's sleep in the Walmart parking lot...or visiting and playing on our phones for the next few hours (texting my friend-boyfriend-I-don't-even-know-what...or maybe it was my mom that night and that guy the night before...either way it was one of the two in my case and lazily scrolling through Facebook).

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DAY FIVE:
A BIT OF SPONTANEITY

We started off today a little earlier than normal. By 8 AM we had gotten Chance's money and were on our way to Portland, ME (while I was desperately trying to figure out how to kill almost two full days considering our check in for our first Airbnb stop isn't until the 18th). At least that was the plan. And I figured we'd stick to that since Chance isn't big on winging it. He likes to get from point A to point B as efficiently as possible which isn't a bad thing... I'm just the complete opposite. I love the scenery. I don't need to be doing something all the time.
 
So, when Chance looked over at me with wide eyes after passing a Niagara Falls sign and asked as we could go, I was so surprised that I couldn't say no (not that I would have anyway, Niagara Falls is fucking amazing). And it was honesty the best thing we've done yet.
 
We followed the trail around the falls and took pictures from the scenic views first which were gorgeous and I'll have to put up some of the ones I got from my actual camera when I get back home but the best part was getting soaked to the bone at the Cave of Winds. Seriously exhilarating and more than worth the $17 and wet clothing.

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DAY SIX:
PORTLAND PRIDE

We rolled into Portland, ME with a whole day to kill, both of us hoping to kill the majority of our time here because it didn't look like there would be much around the Airbnb we were supposed to be staying at in Vermont (about two hours away from Portland). And luck was more than on our side. We happened to stop in Portland on the day of their Pride Parade (something Chance had been bummed about missing back home because of our trip). It was my first time going to one and I have to say that it was kind of amazing. Not to mention the fact that there were no protesters like we always have in Seattle and other places as well. It was all about a community coming together and supporting one another and it was an unexpected yet amazing experience. We actually ended up not going to our Airbnb that night.

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DAY SEVEN:
WELCOME TO NEW YORK 

​We stayed at our first Airbnb place and Felix (our host) was absolutely amazing. He offered to show us out his neighborhood (which was extremely safe, neither Chance or I felt uncomfortable walking there at night) but we were both tired from driving for so long and putting up with New York traffic while attempting to go to the World Trade Center (which we ended up not doing today in favor of talking the subway there tomorrow). So, we relaxed for a bit instead then walked around his neighborhood in search of something to eat. (We ended up having Popeye's for the first time and it was surprisingly good for fast food.)

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DAY EIGHT:
OFF MY BUCKET LIST

I couldn't call myself a Percy Jackson fan and not stop at the Empire State Building while visiting New York especially when we had more than enough time to kill before seeing The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway. Which was freaking phenomenal even if I honestly thought it was a bit over the top, I thought the set design and lighting design (though both were incredibly gorgeous) clashed a bit because they were both so extravagant. I can still check that off my bucket list though which is freaking amazing! I wouldn't change that for the world. New York City is an absolutely amazing place.

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DAY NINE:
LESSONS LEARNED

Before my Uncle Chris moved to Florida (and well before he moved back to Washington), when I was still in elementary school, we went camping with my Grandparents (his parents). One of the most distinct parts of that trip in my mind (besides collecting sand dollars) was my Grandpa forcing me to stand completely still in the water and telling me to look out at the horizon. It felt like the entire world was moving around me at hyper speed. In that moment, he taught me how to hold still. And to this day, it's still one of my favorite things to do on the beach. To hold still and let the world come at me for a moment. It's absolutely exhilarating, and I hadn't realized that it wasn't a normal thing for people to do until I had Chance do it for the first time today at Sandbridge Beach in Virginia.

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DAY TEN:
IN WHICH I PICK UP A SOUTHERN ACCENT

I pick up accents at the drop of a hat and southern accents are something I pick up even more quickly. I don't know why, and I don’t do it on purpose but it's just something that's happens for as long as I can remember. Which is why I had a very prominent southern accent after spending less than two hours with Chance's sister (and her family who are some of the nicest people I've honestly ever met...not to mention some of the cutest freaking kids) in North Carolina.

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DAY ELEVEN:
SHOULD HAVE BEEN ON MY BUCKET LIST

We wanted to leave at noon today...We woke up at 11:11. Really should've set an alarm. Then it took a couple hours to get our shit together, so we didn't really leave until around two and we didn't get to Daytona Beach until close to midnight. Luckily the beach is open 24/7 to pedestrians. And Chance didn't waste any time, he dove straight into the water. He came out pretty quickly when I didn't jump in with him though and managed to convince me to go into the water... And, honestly, it was kind of amazing. Going to the beach in the middle of the night definitely should have been on my bucket list. There's barely anyone around and you're surrounded nothing but the waves crashing around you, only able to see what the moon lets you. It's an incredible experience...The only downside was that we ended up not going to sleep until well past two when we had to get up at 7:30 the next day to get to Universal Studios when it opened.

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DAY TWELVE:
A MOMENT OF SILENCE AFTER A DAY OF SOUND

No one who goes into The Wizarding World of Harry Potter can deny that it is an absolutely amazing experience. I could honestly spend the rest of my life in there and I would never be bored. It will most likely have a post all to itself at some point or another. However, even people who haven't gone to it can't deny that The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is an extremely loud and hectic place. Where we went afterward though is someplace you would have been able to hear a pin drop in.
 
We went to Pulse after finishing in the theme park which, if you haven't heard yet, is a LGBT night club in Orlando where a mass shooting occurred about a week ago. I didn't go to write about it in this post or to take pictures to show I had been there (I actually didn't take any pictures there at all because I felt like it would be disrespectful.), I went because it was something I couldn't ignore. Tragedy like that can't be ignored. It doesn't matter that I'm straight. It doesn't matter that I didn't personally know any of these people. And, even if I didn't stand by the LGBT+ community as an Ally, I wouldn't be able to just ignore this loss of life. I wouldn't be able to come into this state, let alone the exact city, without taking to the time to stop and pay these people the respect they deserve. Chance felt the same way.
 
A lot of people were there taking pictures or videos, but even more were just standing there, completely silent. Which I expected (even though the people taking pictures kind of irritated me) but what I didn't expect was the lack of reporters. When the MPH shooting happened almost two years ago, reporters tore up Marysville for weeks (and months) afterward. They tormented the high schoolers and badgered anyone willing to speak. It was awful and it cemented my choice of not becoming a journalist. At Pulse though, there was only one reporter and he was silent almost the entire time I was there. He just stood there, taking it all in just like I was. It wasn't until just before I left that he began quietly talking to the woman next to him. It was amazing and I have so much respect for him because of his actions.

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DAY THIRTEEN:
A BAD FIRST IMPRESSION

I NEVER want to go to the New Orleans ever again. Our motel room is in some shady as fuck neighborhood. There’s no pool like the pictures on Airbnb showed, I’m pretty sure there’s mold in the bathroom, and THERE IS A GIANT FUCKING COCKROACH ON THE FUCKING WALL. Which of course Chance tries to take a picture of instead of killing so we lose it in the room for 45 minutes before Chance finally kills it and then Chance still switches me beds because there is no way in hell that I am sleeping in the bed closest to where that damn thing came from. After we’re sure the damn thing is dead, we head back out to one of the only places still open at this time of night that isn’t a bar. Parking is expensive, the town smells, there’s garbage piled up in the alley leaking God knows what, I almost step in horse shit, and there’s so many people that Chance has to pull me through the crowd because the stench of alcohol and the mass amounts of people start to give me a panic attack. Definitely not an experience I want to have again.

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DAY FOURTEEN:
A BETTER SECOND IMPRESSION

​I found the pool today, it’s filled with dirt now and has a nice little lawn growing on it. Of course I find it right as we’re about to get into the car to leave so it doesn’t really matter either way but whatever, it’s still irritating as fuck. We leave the motel and head into town, can’t go to New Orleans without getting a crepe, and it’s absolutely beautiful. A completely different place. There’s no garbage in sight, there’s just a handful of people on the streets, parking is free because it’s Sunday, and The DeVille is the cutest place I’ve ever been in. Not to mention it had the BEST coffee I’ve ever had (and that’s coming from a Washington State coffee addict). The DeVille is also where we meet some amazing people, including a fellow Washingtonian who recognizes our BECU cards and asks if that was where we’re from (She also happens to be the person who made our coffee.), and I’m starting to think that maybe New Orleans is some place that I want to spend more time… At a later date of course.

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DAY FIFTEEN:
CONMEN AND CAR TROUBLES

​So… We forgot to put the coolant in the car again... and we break down in Arizona (Shocker right?)...and some asshole cons me out of $3 while we’re distracted before we fill up at the gas pump and it’s not that much (I definitely would have been fine if he had just asked.) but it’s a dick move to pull a stunt like that… So, we don’t get to Chance’s other sister’s place until 3 AM.

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DAY SIXTEEN:
LEAVING LATER THAN PLANNED

​So, we’re stupid. Instead of sleeping like normal people when we get into Chance’s sister’s, we watch One Tree Hill because the caffeine's finally kicked in and we’re wired. We figure pulling an all-nighter won’t be hard, we do it all the time. Wrong. We’re tired, so we decide to take a nap a little later in the day. We don’t end up leaving until 6 PM and we can’t see the water when we ride the PCH.

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DAY SEVENTEEN:
SAN FRANCISCO SANCTUARY

​This is definitely some place I can see myself living. Every building is a different color or style of architecture, the weather’s like Washington (an acquired bipolarish taste), and it’s swimming in art. I wish we could stay longer.

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DAY EIGHTEEN:
HELLO OLD FRIEND

​Ashland, OR is one of my favorite places in the world. Some of my favorite memories are in this town and introducing Chance to somewhere that means so much has been amazing. Even if the play we’re watching is one of the worst ones I’ve ever seen here and the bookshop I really liked has changed so much that it’s nearly unrecognizable to me, it’s still amazing. But I’ll dedicate a whole article to this town another time because if I write everything I love about it here, this post will be super awkward.

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DAY NINETEEN:
HOMEWARD BOUND

Is it bad that I don't really want to go home? But that I feel this relief now that we've passed the Washington State border? That I feel safe because I'm back in the familiar even though I’m already missing our adventure?

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HINDSIGHT IS 2020
 
When I was eighteen, I thought I knew EXACTLY where I would be at 22 and 24 and 30. I was going to join the Peace Corp straight out of college and then join Teach for America when my two-year turn was complete. Then I was going to settle down somewhere where I would have my own classroom during the school year and travel in the summer. I was going to meet someone somewhere along the line and fall in love. We were going to start a family. All before I was thirty.
 
Living at my mom’s and questioning every decision, feeling like I’m thirteen again, was never part of the plan. Instead of joining the Peace Corps after completing my degree at CWU, I took a year off and stayed in Ellensburg. It has honestly been one of the best and worst years of my life. I got my dream job teaching middle schoolers English Language Arts which started with certification issues and ended with COVID; went on my first out of state solo trip and then watched my backpacking plans come to a halt because of travel restrictions; and fell so easily in love that I didn’t realize how deep that love ran until everything fell apart. At this point in the year, I’ve decided to take another year off (which eighteen-year-old me would have scoffed at) instead of going to law school (which eighteen-year-old me would have been shocked by) like I had began planning to do last year.
 
At 22, I have no idea what I’m going to do; however, I do know that I want to continue giving second chances. To people, places, and things. Starting with Maine and, hopefully, ending with myself…at least for the time being.