kjoyce4Most trips, my plan is to have no plan, but sometimes the universe decides to take weeks of planning and throw them out the window. That was our trip to Colorado last October.
There were a lot of half-baked plans and moving parts to this trip, so I wasn’t surprised when it didn’t turn out exactly as planned.
Our plan: Spend the weekend in New York City with a friend, head west toward Colorado, stop in Wyoming to see Grand Teton National Park, drive south to Boulder to see another friend for a week, go hiking at the Maroon Bells with said friend, drive back east to see another friend in Cincinnati, head home for Halloween. Simple right?
Unfortunately, my friend in New York found out the day before we were supposed to leave that she’d been exposed to Covid. We made the quick decision not to risk cutting my trip short, and picked another weekend for my NYC adventures.
Less than 24 hours later, I packed the car and Chloe with enough supplies for two weeks on the road. I picked out an adorable Hipcamp spot in our college town of Ithaca, NY, and hit the road.
It was a rainy, humid evening when we made it to Ithaca, and I was in desperate need of a bathroom by the time we got into town. We ended up stopping at Buttermilk Falls for a bathroom and a little hike. I was tired and pretty cranky after our walk. Not for any particular reason that I remember, but instead of going to one of the many amazing restaurants in town, I went to Wegmans and got some food to eat at our campsite.
For this trip, I had just about perfected my car camping set-up. This was the first time I had everything in my new (to me) Volkswagen Jetta, so there was a little less headroom than my RAV4. I am the perfect height to fit comfortably in the back of the car though, so that was a win.
We turned in early, ready to take on a long day of driving in the morning.
After a stop at my favorite bagel place, Ithaca Bagel, we headed west toward our next stop. I booked a hotel in South Bend, Indiana for our next night, knowing I’d want a shower and the ease of knowing where I would park my car that night.
The rain was falling in sheets as we drove west through New York. There were points when I couldn’t see more than a couple feet in front of me, but we pushed on as slowly and safely as we could, knowing the further west we got, the faster we’d be out of the storm.
By Ohio, the skies were clear and the speed limit was 70, so it was an easy afternoon of driving. After hours of snacking on the food I’d brought with us, I was ready for a milkshake and a burger. When we pulled into our hotel and saw a Steak and Shake across the parking lot, my eyes lit up. I ignored the two star reviews on Yelp and treated myself to dinner.
The next morning we were off to Iowa where I’d read about a campground right off the highway. It didn’t take long for the cities of the Midwest to fade into miles of farmland. Our night at the Iowa campground was one of those roadtrip stories I’ve learned to laugh at. An overenthusiastic campground caretaker worried I’d try to slip in without paying the $20 for my spot. Unknowingly choosing a spot in between two branches of a rather rowdy family. Sometime between Ithaca and Iowa, the temperatures had dropped about 30 degrees, and I spent a chilly night snuggling with Chloe in the back of the car.
Finally, we were on our way to Colorado. After a stop at one of the largest Targets I’ve ever been to in Des Moines, we rolled on through Nebraska and a mind boggling number of wind farms. Hours of highway later, we drove over miles of backroads to our next camp spot, a gorgeous piece of prairie land that was free to camp on. I drove past spot after empty spot, wondering where everyone was. The place was totally empty, in the middle of nowhere and the loneliness I’m usually able to combat on these trips sat like a rock in my stomach.
I chose the most scenic spot and started making dinner, convinced it would pass. But a car pulled up to the trailhead next to my spot. A single man got out, looked at the signs for what felt like half an hour and took off down a trail. That rock in my stomach weighed heavy and I decided that no matter how many hours I’d already driven, I couldn’t stay there. The most important part of being a solo traveller is trusting your gut, and my gut was saying suck it up and get a hotel room.
We booked a last minute room in Fort Collins. The pet fee cost about the same as the room itself which was a hard pill to swallow, but safety comes first and a hot shower cures all worries after a long day on the road.
The next morning, I considered my next steps. I wanted so badly to go up to Wyoming and I was a couple days ahead of schedule after my marathon drive the day before. The weather had other plans though. Apparently October isn’t too early for winter to start in the mountains of Wyoming and there was a snowstorm in the forecast. I’d never driven my new car in the snow, let alone on the backroads I’d planned to camp on. So I texted my friend and asked if it would be ok if I showed up on her doorstep a couple days early. She’s an angel so she said yes, and I spent the day slowly making my way to Boulder.
Chloe and I stopped at a nearby hiking trail where she met long horned steer, and I think it was love at first sight. She refused to walk for several minutes while studying her new friends.
Colorado is one of those places I’ve seen pictures of, and heard about. It’s one of those places people told me I’d like, and they were right. Every day trip and hike I took, I loved. I told my friend that I couldn’t move there because I’d never want to work. If I had a van to travel around in, I’d drive right back there.
Chloe and I entertained ourselves by taking hikes and day trips to Colorado Springs and the trails around Boulder, all leading up to a camping trip and a trip to the Maroon Belles that weekend. My friend and I loaded the dogs and our supplies up in the car and drove up toward Aspen. We camped in the rain and got the largest donuts I’ve ever had at a cafe along the way.
Sunday morning we woke up ready for our hike before realizing we were supposed to arrive before 8am. It was already past that and we were still an hour away. We ended up enjoying our donuts in standstill traffic. There’s something about sugar and a beautiful view that makes the let down of changing plans hurt a little less though.
We stopped in Aspen and walked the dogs. We stopped at trails along Route 82 and hiked with the dogs. We made a loop back toward Boulder, stopping at viewpoints and little trails. It wasn’t the views we were expecting, but it was still breathtaking.
After a week at a mile above sea level, Chloe and I left our friends for lower altitude. It’s amazing how fast the Rocky Mountains disappear in the rearview mirror and all you can see are the stretches of land all around you fading into the horizon.
Our trip back was less eventful, or maybe I had just completely let go of any hope of keeping a plan. We stayed at the a surprisingly nice Super 8 motel in Kansas, choosing to go the Southern route home. Then another night on a piece of public land in Missouri where I was surrounded by the right amount of people. Not too many to feel crowded, but enough to feel safe.
We weren’t quite done yet though. There were more friends to visit and air mattresses to sleep on. We made our next stop in Cincinnati, Ohio to visit a former coworker who had just made the jump to the Midwest. She showed us the downtown and walked with us into Kentucky. We had a delicious brunch and she forced my to take a picture in Fountain Square. It was nice to have friends play tour guide in their new cities. When I travel alone, it’s hard to guess what the local spots are, so having a local show me their favorite spots made the trip a little more personal.
One more stop I promise. I think Chloe could travel forever, but after two weeks of driving her across the country, I was ready for a vacation from my vacation. Luckily, our last stop was with a college friend who works mornings and was also ready for bed by 10pm. Just as Chloe’s two week supply for food was dwindling to the final pieces of kibble, we were ready to head back to the Northeast, and wrap up our trip.
The eight hours back from Pittsburgh we probably the most tiring of the trip. Northeast traffic hit me hard and the exhaustion of two weeks of driving was catching up to me. As I passed through Waterbury, Connecticut, delirium hit and I was ready to be back in my bed with a hot meal.
As I’m recounting this six months later, the muddled plans feel as laughable as they did when I was setting out on the trip. What I remember is spending time with some of my best friends all across the country and the time I spent exploring with Chloe along the way.
