I distinctly remember writing a final blog three years ago, after my big “once-in-a-lifetime” trip, and feeling very bittersweet that my travels were done and over with…and I think it says a lot that I don’t feel that way this time around. I am so lucky to have been able to embark on another several-month, many-mile adventure and don’t for a moment regret going, but I’m glad to be home, and ready to start another chapter of my life…one that will hopefully involve owning a house, and putting down more roots here in Salt Lake City (who knew?).

Having taken the 2006 trip, I thought I knew exactly what I was getting into this time around. I had benefited greatly from my previous travel experience,  having learned how to better plan such a trip, where to safely park my car for the night for free, and how to make my little home away from home more comfortable and organized. I’d gained a lot of self-confidence, overcome my shyness, and realized that I’m a good photographer. I should have been all set. What I didn’t count on was how homesick I would be. When I set out three years ago, I’d been living in Salt Lake for less than two years, and although I had made some close friends, everything on the road was new and exciting and I just wasn’t feeling the pull of home. Not to mention, I’d already been in a long distance relationship for several months before the trip started and couldn’t see my then love interest no matter how much I wanted to, so I never felt guilty about hitting the road and doing my thing.

Fast forward to Road Trip 2009, and that was a completely different story. After living in Utah for five years now, I have a small but amazing group of people here whom I think the world of, and I missed them dearly. I also started the trip off in a relationship, and although that ended midway through trip, it was hard to be away from him, and harder still to deal with things ending while I was clear across the country in Maine. I’d also specifically planned this trip to have a slower pace, mostly to keep my mileage down (ha!) and that came back to bite me a couple times, as I wound up sitting around twiddling my thumbs or reading every time it rained. Good weather, by which I mean “interesting” weather with good clouds, kept the missing to a minimum some of the time, but every time the gloom and boredom set in (and I encountered that a Lot this time), I found myself wishing I was at whatever Supersofar or Monarch show I was missing, kicking Paul’s butt at a game of Beans, playing drunken Rock Band at Justin’s, hanging out with James and Jill and laughing at their children’s antics, or just eating tuna noodle casserole with my parents.

Homesickness and boring weather aside, I had a great trip. I got to visit a lot of really cool places, some of which I’d passed within a couple miles of in 2006 and never had a clue what I was missing (how on earth did I miss Mono Lake???). Carlsbad Caverns were spectacular, I loved the Old Sheldon Church in South Carolina, and Sequoia National Forest was well worth the detour I made in from the California coast. And speaking of the coast, how can I forget the waves at Cape Arago in Oregon, and those several amazing days I spent hanging out near Monterery and Santa Cruz?  I also survived my solo backpacking excursions. The weather didn’t cooperate much, and body-slamming my camera at Mount Rainier was never high on my list of things I wanted to do, but I did at least prove to my wussy-scared-of-the-dark-self that I’m capable of hauling a 55-pound pack through the backcountry alone. And while my camera issues were a source of stress at various times, I’m still very pleased with my decision to replace my camera while I was on the road. I absolutely love my new Canon 5D Mark II and am so glad that I was able to use it for roughly half of my trip. And although the primary focus of the trip was my photography, I also was able to attend the Big Family Campout in Idaho and got to see most of my extended family, and my extra stops in Spokane let me spend more time with my neice, who’s growing like a weed.

But (isn’t there always one?)…25,344 miles, 19,095 photos, 37 states, 24 Walmart’s and 22 books later, it’s good to be home.

Oh, and if you’re interested, I’ve added one last album to my website and posted my 100 favorite photos from the trip.

This entry was posted on Saturday, November 28th, 2009 at 12:11 pm.