USA 2023. Getting there.

Road tripping is hard but worth it. I think I said something similar at the beginning of my last big trip. The first few days are often about putting down lots of miles. This results in a certain amount of trials and adventures, but they always make good stories and reminders of God’s care in my life.

This one started off the same as they all do. The 4am alarm clock, on the road by 4:30, Tim Hortons coffee. Things got different pretty quick as I had the border crossing in Detroit. This was my first time crossing into the US for a longer trip, and the guard asked a ton of questions. It seemed like it was a bit of a red flag that I was just one person  taking THREE weeks off, and didn’t have just one destination. In the end he let me through. It does make me curious how many questions others get asked.

The highway seemed hectic going from Detroit through Toledo, but then it opened to farmland, and stayed nice and calm for pretty much the rest of the first day, with a few changes in the major cities. That being said, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois were quite boring. Not much of interest to see. Missouri was a bit different, but not by much.

Missouri was very hot and humid. 35 degrees Celsius. That caused it to pour rain as I went through St Louis, but the heat continued. My air conditioning was struggling, especially since the soft top doesn’t insulate much from the outside. By the last few hours of the day, it was hardly able to cool the inside…I think I may have overheated the fan, as it was starting to have trouble pushing air through the vents.

I arrived at an RV campground feeling very hot. They didn’t have proper tent camping but had a spot in the grass to setup. The lady warned me there was a big storm coming. As I setup the tent I could see the dark clouds rolling in. She came out again and said she got an alert saying there was supposed to be 70 mph winds…I assured her that my tent could take it. I didn’t have time to grab dinner or anything and the storm arrived. I was out taking pictures of the clouds, when the wind arrived like a freight train, slamming through with a howl. I quickly retreated to the tent, as it succumbed  to the wind, the poles pushing down flat. I stood in the tent, holding it up as the torrents of rain and sometimes hail fell. I was praying, hoping that it wouldn’t last all night…and it didn’t. After about 30 minutes, the wind died down and it was just raining. Nothing had broken on the tent, but 2 of the poles were quite bent, but at least they could still hold the tent up.

It stopped raining sometime in the night. And that was day one.

My trial for day 2 was showing up at a cash only toll booth in Oklahoma, with no cash. The guy at the booth was really nice about it, he gave me a note and told me to get off at the next exit, show them the note, then get some cash at an ATM. Of course the first ATM machine I tried was out of service, but the next one worked. And I was back on the road.

The rest of the day was largely uneventful, aside from being passed by some transport trucks in Texas…I was already doing 80 mph, so they were really moving. American speed limits are quite high across the midwest, I felt like I was working the Jeep harder than I would have liked, but it did help me make excellent time, so that at the end of the second day, I was 2.5 hours further ahead than I thought I would be.

Texas was a big change in scenery, being wide open…reminding me of the Canadian Prairies, just more populated. I really enjoyed New Mexico. The desert, the colors and the rock formations in some areas was really great. Near the end I did slow down a bit and enjoy a lesser highway through a state park.

I ended the second day just over the Arizona border, in a small campground in some pine trees. It was getting late when I arrived and the sun was going down as I setup the tent. I was so tired and it was late, so for the second night in a row I skipped dinner. Eating isn’t my strength when I’m doing long haul driving days. Some things do get sacrificed when you want to put down 1,600+ kilometres per day.

The upside to my sacrifices was that day 3 was set to be only a 900km day. I still got up and was on the road by 5am, but that meant I arrived at my destination by 3:30pm.

The 3rd day started off with a bang. Driving down into the Arizona desert, I went through an amazing canyon road. Up to this point, I had seen some interesting things, but the Salt River Canyon was the first thing that truly made my heart soar. Also, I knew I had some extra time, so I slowed down and enjoyed it!

After the canyon, I drove across the Arizona desert. It was interesting at first, but dragged on after a while. It was also extra hot. 44 degrees celsius! I was being sparing with the air conditioning, and it did keep up all the way to California. Meanwhile, the Jeep itself was getting hot. After the long hill climb out of the desert, my coolant temperature was a bit high. But, it was actually quite a bit cooler by the coast. Only 22 degrees celsius.

I enjoyed a slower evening at the campground, organizing things and getting ready for the camper top install.

I’ve learned, it’s often the trials that make the trip. Without some struggle, the highs aren’t as high. They give me good reminders of God watching over me, and make me all the more thankful for the amazing things I see along the way.

The trip is just getting started. Coming up, Jeep evolution.