Roots or Wings?

   January 8, 2018, I traded the camper life in for a more "settled" life. Now, 522 days later I'm unsurprisingly restless and have been for awhile. Being on the road taught me a lot, but so did coming "home."
   I thought being settled would make me happy, and after keeping the same address and job for more than 3 months, I felt like I was in a routine that should make me happy, but it didn't. In typical social media fashion I compared my life to everyone else's. Everybody I went to school with was getting engaged, having kids, buying houses, and they all looked happy. I thought maybe that would make me happy too. But, a ring isn't going to fix a relationship and neither will a child. A big, beautiful house will get lonely after all the shine wears off, and it's hard to see that when you only see the highlights on social media. I felt like all I was doing was working and staying miserable, while everyone else was living their best life.
   I finally got my head out of my ass and got a second job, left my situation and found a new place. I stayed depressed for a few weeks at first but slowly came back out of my shell. So many people I had met on my travels checked in on me and sent me words of encouragement, I really did meet so many amazing people while I traveled. My Virginia friends checked in on me too, lending a listening ear when I needed to vent.
   I think my heart will constantly be torn between seeing just how far away I can get, and coming home to everything I've known. Recently I've seen so many people taking risks and travelling, doing things on their own, and I am so proud of them for pushing past their fears and taking that leap. I forget that a little over two years ago I did the same thing. Left what I knew and headed to North Carolina. Coming home is always an option, and I'd rather come home a million times than never leave once. You never know just how many people you can inspire with the stories you can bring home to share.
   I've been making plans for the next few months, lots of day trips and crossing off some of my Virginia bucket list. I can't be totally rooted, and can't completely let my wings have all the control, I'm learning to find the happy-medium between the two to keep my soul happy.

Last Two Weeks in Missouri

   Since I'm terrible at keeping my blog updated, I figure I'll share plans for the next few weeks while I have the time, before we get busy. Yesterday at work we gave our two-weeks notice, we're down to our last bit of time here in Missouri. This stop on our journey was different from our first one, Missouri has went way more smoothly than North Carolina did (for me at least!)

   Although we stayed in both places for the same amount of time, I was able to work a lot longer here than I did in North Carolina. So I've had more time to bond with my coworkers, and I'm going to miss them all once we're gone. I'm thankful for all the people I've met here, all the different backgrounds and lifestyles and interests we have, yet we feel pretty close-knit. I love my job but I'm hoping to find something more fast-paced in Texas, the slow days have killed me. Branson is beautiful but I couldn't live here year-round. When the off-season hits a lot of attractions shut down for January and February, I can't imagine saving all year just to pay the bills for two months straight that I wouldn't have work. 

   Our next stop is Canyon Lake, Texas. I won't be along for the journey between here and there though, which is sad because driving is my favorite part of all of this. I'll take a plane back to Virginia for a day, then hit a truck show in North Carolina for the weekend, then be back on a plane to Texas. It'll be a short trip home but I don't want to make myself any more homesick! I was talking to my boss yesterday and made a comment about, "just wanting to go home." I've never felt like more of a child until I said that, it sounds so weak. I am excited to be home and see some of the leaves changing colors, these trees out here aren't quite the same.

   I'm counting down these next two weeks that I'm sure will be crazy busy, so I'll try to keep everyone updated as best I can, and hopefully I can a lot of y'all for the 30 or so hours that I will actually be in Virginia!

Living the Dream

   It's been over a month and a half since I've written, time has flown by so fast since we've gotten to Missouri. When I start talking to people I haven't spoken to in awhile I realize just how much has happened these past 8 weeks. I found a job as a ride operator at The Branson Coaster (should definitely check it out if you're ever in Branson!)  I love my job and I have some amazing coworkers, there's always those days that you don't want to go in, but I usually look forward to going to work everyday. I get to meet all kinds of people that are in Branson for vacation, and meet some locals, too. Branson is entering its slow season now, so my hours have been cut and I've been searching for side work or a second job.

   We made a day trip to Tulsa, Oklahoma two and a half weeks ago. Mom and I had found some cool sights we wanted to check out. From Branson it was about a three and a half hour trip to Tulsa. We went to the Center of the Universe, if you stand in the middle of the brick circle you can hear your voice echoed back to you! We also checked out the Golden Driller, the Praying Hands at Oral Roberts University, East Meets West: Father of Route 66 statues, and Toby Keith's I Love This Bar and Grill before heading home.

  We made another day trip this past week to Eureka Springs, Arkansas. It's only about an hour from Branson. It was a beautiful, quaint little town. There was lots of architecture, and the roads were a little too small for the dually, but we had a lot of fun and plan on going back another day. We visited Thorncrown Chapel, found Humpty Dumpty sitting on a wall, crossed the little Golden Gate Bridge, and saw the Christ of the Ozarks.

 

   Dustin came to visit last week, we did a lot of the "tourist" stuff here in Branson, and made a day trip to St. Louis during the solar eclipse. It was absolutely beautiful standing under the Gateway Arch when it got dark! I love traveling places twice, once to see it from my point of view, and the second time to watch someone else discover it for the first time. It always makes my day. We went to the top of the Gateway Arch, it was pretty claustrophobic and not good for those who don't like heights, but I think it's worth it even for just five minutes! There was a lot of traffic backed up on the interstate on our way home from St. Louis, so we got to take Route 66 for a good portion of the ride, it made me miss home a little bit.

 
   We were only going to stay in Missouri for two months, but we decided to make it three because we liked it here. I'm already getting restless though and I'm ready for the next destination.
   When people find out we're living in campers they usually think it's so odd, I've gotten used to my camper being my "home." Sometimes I see pictures and think, "Damn! I'm really doing this!" I'm really proud of us for doing what so many people thought we shouldn't. Most days it feels like I'm living life like normal. I still have bills, still go to work, still talk to my friends; then I go do "crazy" stuff like day trips to another state in the Midwest.

Escaping your comfort zone

   The past (almost!) four months have been a huge learning experience for me, and not always in a bad way. I had some personal goals I wanted to reach while on this trip, and I've already gotten closer to accomplishing a few of them. I believe a trip like this would be a good thing for everyone, but even just moving to a new place where you didn't know anyone, for just a few months, could be a good change for many people I know. It puts you in a very vulnerable position but allows you to learn so much about yourself.
   Ever since I was younger I had always been painfully shy, in high school that got a little bit better, but I'd still be nervous in social settings. After going to so many job interviews while on the road, I don't find myself getting nervous for them anymore. If I don't get the job, I'll find something else, it's not the end of the world. I enjoy working with the public, and have an easier time making conversation now. I'm still quiet because I'm not a chatty person, but I do enjoy hearing people's stories. I've learned I'm definitely more of a listener. I love hearing about the different places people have lived, different jobs they've had, their hobbies, and even suggestions on places I'd like to eventually visit. In North Carolina I even line danced with strangers, even though I'm not good at dancing!

   As a part of the younger generation, and recently graduating high school a year ago, you always hear how important it is to go to college, get a good job, and make lots of money. But for what? Sure, money is important, you cannot actually live without it, but it isn't everything. Yes, I have long term goals that require money (lots of dogs and a diesel don't pay for themselves LOL) but I also have to remember to enjoy life. Some days it's hard when I see people my age moving into apartments with their friends, getting lots of tattoos, or a pretty new car, but I have to remember just how much time they spend at work to pay for all these things. It's not that I just get to lounge around on this trip, I work full-time jobs, but it's not jobs that make me miserable. I'd rather make less and be happy, than make a ton of money and be unhappy. I remind myself that eventually I'll get to do some of those things I want to do, but right now I'm getting to fulfill my dream of seeing the country. So many of these people my age may never get to see as much as I have in these past few months.

   My biggest goal for this trip was learning self-love. The past five years or so I spent a lot of time in unhealthy friendships and relationships. There were people that I allowed to walk all over me for the simple fact of, "oh we've been friends for years" or "but I'm 'serious' about them." If someone cared about you, they would not hurt you, plain and simple. They wouldn't purposefully put you down and use you as their own personal doormat. I don't believe you should shut people off completely, never allowing yourself to get hurt could also make you miss the chance of a lifetime. I've learned a lot about what I want to surround myself with, and I've learned a lot about who my real friends are since I've been on the road. Distance makes things harder, I don't talk to some of my closest friends as much as I used to, but it also proves what bonds are real.
   I'm excited to see what the next four months hold, and how much I'll learn and how many experiences I'll gain during them. Being away can be hard, but I'd rather be able to say I followed my dreams and chose where my life went, instead of allowing it to be the same every year as it had been. I feel like if I had never left, I would have never figured out who I really was. I know who I am will change some throughout my life, but learning some of these huge lessons are things I hope to take with me to the next chapters of my life. I've learned to love being out of my comfort zone.

8 States in 8 Days

Friday, June 30th we set out on the next leg of our adventure. It would be our longest day of driving, around 400 miles to spend the weekend in West Virginia visiting family. That was my first experience hauling my camper with my truck, and because everything has to be an adventure I got to drive through six lanes of traffic and torrential downpours. We also had to stop and buy a new hitch, in hopes that that would solve our camper death wobble problem. Mom and I switched seats about 200 miles in as we drove through construction and more rain. What was supposed to be about a 7 hour drive, ended up being a 14 hour day on the road, before arriving at the campground in Glen Jean, West Virginia. Dustin came out to see us for the weekend, too!

We've been to West Virginia countless times, but this time we decided to check out the New River Gorge Bridge. I got some amazing shots as we rode down the mountain to the river on the narrow, one-way road. I hadn't realized just how big the bridge was until I saw it, it reaches an insane height of 876 feet.


After we left the bridge we headed to Naoma to visit my great aunt and uncle. I love visiting with them because it's so peaceful back there with no cell phone service. They have a huge garden with a tomato plant that was already taller than I am, and later in the afternoon the turkeys came out of the woods close to the house to eat.

On Sunday, we left West Virginia to continue the journey. We stopped in Waddy, Kentucky and stayed at a Flying J truck stop that night. That was my first experience backing my camper, and I did pretty good! Kentucky was beautiful, and it was my first time being in that state! It was free to stay at the truck stop, but it meant we didn't get to hook the campers up, so we didn't have AC. I don't sleep well when it's hot, so it was a long night. Truck stops have nice showers, but it was $12 each for us to shower there.

The next day we got up and made our way to Illinois. Instead of staying at a truck stop again we found Wayne Fitzgerrell State Park in Whittington, IL and stayed there. For only $20 a site per night, we had electricity and free showers! The showers weren't as nice as the truck stop showers, but at least we had AC this night. The state park has a 19,000 acre lake that was absolutely beautiful. It rained most of the time we were there, and we all ended up sleeping about 12 hours from being so exhausted from the night before. It's definitely a place I would love to visit again and take the kayaks out!

We had one more day left before we could check into our campground in Branson, MO. So we stayed at another truck stop just outside of St. Louis, MO. That afternoon we walked around St. Louis and got to see the Gateway Arch. The Arch was huge, but was smaller than the New River Gorge Bridge at "only" 630 feet! We also ate at a Steak n Shake for the first time, it was delicious! Another night at a truck stop meant no AC again, so we didn't sleep very well. Since it was the 4th of July we got to see fireworks from the parking lot. The next morning I got up to go pay for another $12 shower, but thankfully a nice truck driver let me use a free shower he had on his Pilot card, it made my day!

Wednesday, July 5th, we finished our journey to Branson. I love our new campground because we actually have grass in our "yard" and trees to have lots of shade! We got settled in and saw some of the sights around town, giant instruments and a Hollywood version of Mount Rushmore. We also visited Table Rock Lake, we will eventually take the kayaks out there!

Saturday, July 8th we decided to adventure to Arkansas since the state line is only about 20 minutes from where we're staying. I pulled out my list of places I wanted to see in each state, and found one of the closer options on the list: Whitaker's Point. It was a relatively short hike, only a little over 3 miles round trip, after a 6 mile drive up a bumpy mountain road. Needless to say, I probably won't be allowed to pick the next adventure, but the view at the end of the hike was definitely worth it!

So, that was our journey through 8 states over the course of 8 days. North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, and Arkansas! Over 1400 miles, I'll be glad to be stationary for awhile :)

Enjoy it while you're there..

   It always seemed as if nowhere could be quite as boring as home was. Once I moved, I realized that must be the thought process of most people, wherever "home" is for them, because many young people that lived in the Emerald Isle area, complained about how boring it was, too. You can choose to do the same things every week, and never see or try anything new, but what's the fun in that? It seems like recently I've heard more people back home saying how bored they are, and how their friends never want to go do anything. Personally, I've come to love being alone and adventuring out by myself. Sometimes that's not the safest, so you should always use good judgement. Most of my friends are pretty adventurous too, or at least humor me enough to tag along. I decided I should write about some of my favorite places back home (or relatively close) because so many people have either never been or never heard of these places, and I think they are definitely worth seeing!


Reddish Knob
After ending up lost while trying to find it the first time, I've made MANY trips up there since then. It's a great spot to take pictures, I took some of my senior pictures and just pictures of my trucks up there. It is absolutely gorgeous, especially in spring or fall. The ride through Ottobine and all the farmland is amazing. The road is pretty skinny and quite a few potholes, but I've taken lifted trucks and Hondas up there and they've all made it!

Woodstock Tower
This seems like a place that everyone who lives in Shenco has probably been to, but I've known people who even live in Woodstock and had never been until I took them! It's a windy road up the mountain just outside of Woodstock, maybe about a 20 minute ride from town. It's a gorgeous view of the seven bends of the Shenandoah River at all times of the year, and if you go at night you can see the lights all the way to Love's in Toms Brook.

Storybook Trail
To me, this seems like another place that everyone has been to, but I've actually talked to quite a few people who didn't know how to even get there. Take 211 up the mountain at New Market, and at the top before you start down the other side towards Luray, you make a left. Once you follow that road you'll arrive at a parking area on the right, and that's where you want to be. It's a nicely paved trail that takes you out right to the edge. You can also crawl out on the edge of some of the rocks around the landing at the end. I had typically only went during the daytime, but while I was home visiting in June I got to go watch the sunrise there, it was breathtaking!




Endless Caverns Sign
You see the sign when you drive down 81, but it's awesome to see the sign up close and personal! It's a very short hike, but pretty steep. I think there are only certain times of the year you can go up (starting the season in April?), but a quick call to the Endless Caverns campground office can give you an answer. You don't even have to be staying at the campground to walk up to it, but you do have to sign a liability form if you do.

Big Schloss

This is one of my favorite hikes, only about four and a half miles and in Wolf Gap. The first mile or so is very steep (I'm out of shape so it takes awhile to get up the mountain haha) but the view at the end is absolutely worth it. I've made this hike multiple times, once to watch the sunset. Right after the sun went down we could hear the coyotes in the ridges a little farther down. We hiked back by the moonlight, and eventually my cell phone light because I'm clumsy! It's definitely a fun one to pack a lunch and make a day trip out of!

The Cross at Orkney Springs

Near the shrine at Orkney Springs is a trail up the mountain, with a cross on top of an observation deck at the top. It's a short and easy hike to that point, with pretty views! You can continue the trail to the Stairway to Heaven hike, which I have only done once. The views at that summit were totally worth all the joint pain I was having at the end of that portion! But, the hike to just the cross is definitely a worthwhile adventure, too!

These are just a few of my favorite places from back home, I could add so many things to this list! I even have a list of places that I would still like to see in Virginia. Before I left I made a "Virginia Bucket List" and I think that's something that everyone should do, whether you're moving away or not. There's so many hidden places that are absolutely beautiful in the Shenandoah Valley!

Home

   In recent years I absolutely hated living in Virginia, and had wanted a blank slate somewhere new. Many people I have talked to though, seem to have the same feeling towards their hometown. It always seems like there's never anything fun to do, and you always end up doing the same things every week. I thought that by moving to the beach, there would always be something exciting to do. Most young people I've talked to down here hate it if this is their hometown. As an outsider, I didn't understand it because having the beach close by was a new experience for me! I couldn't understand how anyone could get tired of these views, and just simple walks on the beach.
   It didn't take long for me to get used to the views and take them for granted, much like I did at home. Recently we've had quite a few friends from Virginia come visit us, and I finally realized just how much I've taken it for granted down here. When Dennis and Katy came down to visit three weeks ago, I loved showing them some of my favorite places down here, and getting to see it all through their eyes, like the first time I had visited this area. Once you've been here for awhile, you get used to seeing giant boats with multiple motors, tanks driving down the highway, and hearing the jets flying low overhead right after you have laid down to sleep. It was so refreshing to feel like I was getting to see it all again for the first time.
   A little over a week ago I made the trip back home to Virginia. As I was driving down 81, I realized just how much I had missed the valley as the mountains came back into view. Although I DEFINITELY did not miss the traffic on 81, I got off the interstate and took the back roads that I knew like the back of my hand. The weather was perfect, and the radio seemed to play all my favorite songs. This time of year was always my favorite back home when everything started "greening up" again. That trip home definitely made me homesick, spending time with some of my favorite people and going on new adventures. The valley hadn't really felt like home until then. Some of that may be because of the fact that it was more of a "vacation" or maybe because I was surrounding myself with people that are better for my happiness than I had before.
   Rachael came back to North Carolina with me, and then Colton and Kendra surprised me at work on Thursday, I may have shed a few tears in the middle of McDonald's! I really am thankful for those who have taken the time and money to come down here and visit, I love being able to show them the sights and pretty views down here. We even tried out a country bar and I went out of my comfort zone and tried some line dancing while we were there, even though I was definitely born with two left feet! Although I'd really like to go home soon, I'm excited to see the mountains out west in about two weeks, and find new fun things to do in a new town!
   No matter where "home" is physically, I think it matters more about who you're surrounded by and how you choose to live life. In my opinion, adventures are a must for a happy life. They don't even have to be big crazy moments, just small moments with those who mean the most to you. I went on new adventures while I was home, to places I didn't know were even there, with gorgeous views I'm glad I didn't miss out on. I think I may have many "homes" across the country by the time this trip is over for me.