When Joe and I pulled into my parent's driveway two days ago, I thought of something very obvious, yet a bit strange. Think about this: Your driveway is connected to every single road in the United States. From your driveway you can get to the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia, Monument Valley Road in Utah, and the Pacific Coast Highway in California. The United States is technically one massive loop that you have access to if you have a car, bike, and/or shoes. I might be making this up, but the USA is probably the easiest country to explore at your leisure. If you decide to drive across this country, you can pick up and go at any time. I think this was the true pull for me. My driveway was literally right in front of me. How could I not follow it and see where it took me?
When I told friends and family of my road trip plans a few years back I heard a recurring question. "If you have a month, why wouldn't you go to Europe?" Besides monetary reasons, my response was always something like this: "Why see another country if I haven't even seen my own?" I have also heard the argument that by going over seas you can experience different cultures & pace of life. Let me fill you in on something. There is so much diversity / cultural difference in the United States, that I'm still trying to wrap my head around it. (Although the one thing each state had in common was an abundance of Subway Sandwiches...I'm not complaining). The reality is that we didn't spend too much time in each location to really soak in the people and culture, but I think Joe and I have a better understanding of the fact that priorities, passions, opportunities, & accents differ from one location to another within the Country. For me personally, I always heard about job loss & home foreclosures in this country, but never understood the impact because it didn't touch my life. I am not saying that I completely understand and feel the impact simply because I have driven through places hit the hardest, but I can now visually attest to what I've heard so many times on the news. Seeing is believing for me, so by driving around this country for 20 days, I now believe.
On the same note, one thing I learned is that despite differences in beliefs, appearance, and culture, people are generally the same. They care for their friends, family, and want to have a fun time. "Judging books by their cover" was a common theme in my posts. One takeaway from this trip is to talk to random people more often. You never know what you might learn from someone or even yourself. Despite what you might experience in big cities, people ARE very kind. I think working high pressured jobs in big cities can sometimes bring out the worst in people due to stress & other factors. It's just a reality, but deep down, everyone just wants to eat, drink, and be merry. I will be returning to work in a few weeks, so lets see how long I keep this attitude :) It doesn't matter because I never stress about anything anyway... That's a joke for people who don't know me.
Since we are on the topic of people, let's talk about animals. I am fairly certain that evolution is widely accepted throughout the world, but if for some reason you don't buy it, you can take what I have to say as my own opinion or just skip it all together. After viewing wildlife in the various parks (Bears, Bison, Birds, Deer, Elk, ect...) Joe and I have a better appreciation for life in general. Watching the bears and bison care for their young proved to me that we are all part of the same natural order. On our way back to New Jersey (After visiting all the national parks and seeing animals in the wild) it really made me think more about these animals that live on farms which eventually end up between wheat buns drooping in ketchup. I know I am being hypocritical (I ate an Elk Burger in Yellowstone and it was awesome), but we are essentially raising and killing animals to satisfy our taste buds at McDonald's, Wendy's and all the other places out there. I guess it made me a little more conscious of what I am eating when I order a "burger". I am not hear to ruin anyone's dinner (I had Pork for Lunch & planning on chicken for dinner), but I am just commenting on something we usually don't think about.
After being back Joe and I have been asked a slue of questions. What was your favorite part of the trip? Were you scared at any point? Did you guys try killing each other? Below I will answer some of these questions, spit out some stats of the trip, and then conclude the final post.
Ghost Towns: We wanted to see a famous ghost town in Bodie CA, but most of the roads to get there were closed due to weather. We looked up some other ghost towns on the way back from Yellowstone but they were off the path and many didn't have roads to get there so we would have had to hike to get to these towns. We decided to leave the ghost towns for the next trip....
Favorite Location: Grand Canyon
The sheer size of the Canyon was literally breathtaking. When we first arrived to the Canyon there was a spot with railings so people wouldn't fall 3600 feet to the bottom. I ventured away from that area and found a spot where you could walk to the edge of the cliff. I am not a huge fan of heights but I slowly tip toed to the edge and looked down. It was an uneasy, yet cool experience, knowing that it only took one small mistake to fall thousands of feet. Joe and I hiked the Canyon to the bottom so I had a chance to experience it from the top looking down and the bottom looking up. The hike took about 10 hours. The GC was my favorite spot because I feel like I fully experienced it and as a result gained a solid respect for it.
Greatest Fear: Grizzly Bear
On the last day of Yellowstone we encountered the Grizzly Bear. Although there were other people around, at one point a guy drove by the nearby trail and warned the gathering people to get back to their cars because they were too close. More people started gathering to take pictures and seemed to disregard the danger they were truly in. Grizzlies can hit 40-50 mph in a heartbeat. We were so close that if it decided to attack, there was literally nothing we could have done. At the time I wasn't too fearful because it seemed so calm and uninterested, but after reviewing the pictures and video, we realized we were in harms way.
Did Joe and I get along?
Yes, we got along for almost all of the trip. You have to understand that we are cousins. Joe is 30 years old (5 years older than myself) and we were very close as kids (We lived down the block from each other). Of course we had arguments and there were times we wanted to strangle each other, but that's what family is all about, so we were used to it. I would say that after the trip we are even closer considering we have 100s of inside jokes that nobody will ever understand. Now that I think about it more, if it was anyone else, it might have jeopardized friendships. It was perfectly normal for Joe and I to sit in the car for 10 hours and not say a word to each other. Not that it happened for any particular reason, but we have the same social character trait when it comes to things like that. We felt no obligation to entertain one another. When we wanted to listen to our own music and zone out for a few hours, it was usually encouraged.
Did I get everything I wanted out of the Journey?
I got this question a few times from friends and family. This is difficult to answer at this point, because I wasn't sure exactly what I was looking for in the first place. As my experience tells me (At the wise age of 25) I probably won't fully appreciate the trip until some time has passed. Maybe when I am back to a normal schedule after a few months and I start thinking back on the long drives and hikes. We shall see.
Stats:
Miles Driven: Roughly 8200
States Driven Through: 24 : (In Order) NJ, PA, MD, WV, VA, TN, AR, OK, TX, NM, CO, UT, AZ, CA, NV, ID, MT, WY, SD, MN, WI, IL, IN, OH
Total Cash Spent on Gas: Roughly $1700
In Closing...
So this is it for now. Born in the USA 2011 Road Trip across America is complete and it's time to check it off on the old bucket list. I have to say that I am happy to be home, but part of me wishes I was still out there because there is so much more to see. I am definitely thankful for the people we met along the way and all the help, stories they shared. A HUGE THANK YOU goes out to family and friends who provided advice & tips for our journey and a SUPER THANK YOU to Joe's Wife Lauren, who gave Joe permission to take the 20 day adventure. Talk about a good catch huh? (Joe will be in debt to her for a good 20 years.... (1 day away = 1 year of debt)... You're awesome Lauren.
In closing, I leave you with a quote from Christopher McCandless from "Into the Wild" a book I read when I was in high school (Recently made into a movie... I suggest reading or watching it). This quote stuck with me for a long time and I was re-introduced to it again by my friend Christina maybe a year or so ago.
"So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more dangerous to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun."
— Chris McCandless
Feel free to reach out to me at cocito.vincent@gmail.com. If you have any questions about planning a trip like this or have any advice for a new adventure, I am all ears.
Thanks again for reading... Signing off until the next journey.
Vin
So sad this blog is over. Thanks for doing it I enjoyed it immensly and will miss it. Until next time...
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