Road Tripping Across America

Constant hand sanitizer after gas pumps can really dry out your skin. Even though I was drinking more than 120 ounces of water a day, stopping frequently to fill up gas during a worldwide pandemic wrecked my hands. I wanted to be extra careful traveling during the COVID-19 virus.

My mom and I started the journey with a U-Haul packed and a car ready to go.

We shipped the container because we didn't want to pull it across the nation. Our plan was to go from California to Nebraska, and then I would fly to Pennsylvania. 

Driving three days took us from fields of agriculture to rolling foothills, from golden grass to forests of pine. When we finally got to Nebraska, it felt a little full circle because agriculture was everywhere. 

Utah had beautiful canyons where I felt like I was watching European countryside pass by the car. I was under a time crunch, so we couldn't take many detours, but we did stop for the Salt Flats. 

It was a straight stretch of road through dried seas of white salt. I loved looking out the window and seeing endless flats of shimmering white. Oddly enough, with closer inspection, the terrain wasn't as dry as I would think. 

My shoes would break the crunchy surface and sink in. It felt like I was walking on a moon made out of salt.

I licked the ground because I was too excited not to.

I don't lick the ground often, but this exception was worth it. 

After the moon walk, we landed in Salt Lake City where we cleaned the hotel and grabbed some delicious food and drinks at a local place called Gracie's. I highly recommend the nachos.

On the second leg of the drive, we went through Wyoming where there was open space as far as I could see. We went to visit a new baby in the family, and stayed the night in Cheyenne. 

With our last day of travel, we headed towards Nebraska. Thunder clouds filled the skies over the countless corn fields, and Nebraska is much greener than I initially pictured. The random rains must help keep it green. 

My mom is going to drive through the last few states to Washington D.C. while I work for a month in Pennsylvania. More adventure awaits on the horizon.