Adventure Friday: Traveling with grief and a budget

Today, Andy and I are finishing up our second crosscountry road trip from the east coast to Salt Lake City. Although we followed the exact same route both times, these road trips are wildly different from each other.

Traveling with Grief

When we first did the trip in October 2011, we were driving Andy's tiny Nissan Sentra, overpacked and loaded down with Andy's life belongings. This week, we're driving a zippy Volkswagen Passat, just purchased from a family member and my first ever car. In October 2011, we were giddy with the excitement of Andy's new job and new life. We were awed by the stretches of country we had never seen. This week, although our eyes still saw the beauty of endless blue sky and scrappy pine bluffs, we also felt the burdens of anxiety and sadness. Worries about work, money, family, self, and loss lurked somewhere within the hum of the tires, the vibrations of the engine, the gusting of wind. 

Eating on a Budget

One difference that I've really enjoyed is our approach to food this week. In 2011, we mostly ate at restaurants along the road. We're pretty broke this time, so we packed all of our food with us: instant oatmeal, peanut butter, bread, trail mix, cheese, beer, Red Bull, and a huge batch of spaghetti with homemade sauce. We wash our reusable bowls and utensils with Dr. Brauner's liquid soap in the hotel sinks, and we refill our big coffee mugs at each hotel breakfast.

Let me tell you, at the end of a long driving day, there are few things more comforting than those spaghetti leftovers.

Love begins with 'W'

One thing that has stayed the same is my love for wind turbines and Wyoming. I think my mom would have liked both, too.

Sights from a Salt Lake City road trip

Pennsylvania (not pictured) gave me my October fix. Beautiful autumn leaves in those rolling hills.

Ohio was the first sign that we were no longer in the northeast.

Illinois? Well, we passed by Chicago, spotting a little luck along the way.

Indiana left me with little more than songs from "The Music Man" stuck in my head. "Gaaaaaary, Indiana, Gary, Indiana, Gary, In-di-an-a!"

Iowa was more than just corn country. It was beautiful rolling hills with elegant windmills spinning slowly as the sun set.

Nebraska? Well, the service people were nice. This was the point in the trip where we almost strangled each other. It's inevitable. Nebraska is perhaps unfairly shouldering the blame. So here's a nice picture:

Wyoming was amazing. State parks line I-80, so the rest stops had museum plaques and taxidermy animals. One even boasted a population of bison grazing at the foot of a hill.

Utah was a rapidly changing landscape that I will have to read up on in order to describe.

We landed in Salt Lake City a little later than expected, so we only had time for a bit of apartment hunting for A., followed by an anniversary dinner. We stumbled upon this on our way to dinner: 

Yes, I think I could eventually live here.

Road Trip: How to Pack Light

Going on just one long hike with a painfully heavy backpack convinced me to start packing light. Whether it's on a hiking trail or a city sidewalk, it's never pleasant to lug a really heavy bag (and sweat from the effort). Aside from toiletries, the biggest burden for most traveling women is clothing.

The key is picking just a few multifunctional items that keep you dry, keep you warm, and feel comfortable. 

For my four-day road trip, I'm packing:

• 1 pair of jeans. I'll be wearing them when we first hit the road, so they don't even take up space in my suitcase! 
• 1 pair of comfortable hiking pants. Last spring, I invested in a pair of well-fitting hiking pants made from a water-resistant, breathable, comfortable material. They look good even after many wears, on and off the trail. A looser fit on the legs is better for circulation when sitting for hours on end 
• 1 warm base layer. A base layer is a thin shirt that you can wear under other clothing to a) keep you warm and b) keep you dry if you do start to sweat. Think soft polyester, which feels cozy and wicks moisture away from the body. 
• 1 short-sleeved top. For either warmer weather or a burst of color on top of the base layer. 
• 1 fleece sweater. Warm, cozy, comfortable, and stink-resistant. Enough said. 
• 1 waterproof jacket. This jacket should be relatively thin. With the fleece or alone, it acts a windbreaker for extra warmth and stays dry in an unexpected rainstorm. 
• 1 cute blouse. Just in case I do decide to swap the camping gear for a nice dinner or night on the town. 
• Minimal travel cosmetics. The airline won't hate me when I fly back to New York City, and I won't loose my overpriced face cleanser. If you can't be without your best toiletries, however, invest in a few reusable travel containers. Nalgene and Coghlan make small toiletry bottles with leakproof tops.  
• A few necessities, of course. With so few items of clothing, I had plenty of room for socks, underwear, a camera, and a notebook (for my scribblings).

Everything fit in my favorite piece of "luggage," a messenger bag!

Though I can't speak for everyone on this trip...

Salt Lake City road trip & the secret society of women's cycling

I suppose I should have expected this. My preparation for outdoor adventures has been put on hold by the very thing that inspired me: A's move to Salt Lake City. The past few weekends have been filled with frenzied bouts of sorting, packing, selling, tossing, and donating. In a completely selfish maneuver, I also volunteered to drive out to Salt Lake City with A (and take a redeye back to New York). According to my reasoning, this would mean not only a few extra treasured hours with him. It would also be my first time out West. Wasatch Mountains, here I come!

I've always had romantic visions of road trips: winding roads, beautiful vistas, new people, and spontaneous stops. In reality, it always works out to involve a bit of grumpiness and misadventures, too. Since we're on a tight deadline for reaching our destination, the trip will probably feel a bit more like this (and at this speed):

Courtesy of Michael Bartolomeo

Or, it'll be a mind-numbing stretch of corn fields.

My research skills must be lagging from all of this packing frenzy. At least, I'm telling myself that, because I'm having a hard time believing that there aren't any women's cycling clubs in New York City.

I started researching groups to contact when I'm back from Salt Lake City, and I tried every search variation I could imagine:

• women's cycling clubs
• women's cycling groups
• bicycle clubs women
• girl cycling
• girl bikes
• cycling for chicks
• chicks on bikes
• chicas y bicicletas

Well, you get the picture. (I don't recommend looking up the last two.)

One group on Meetup.com with particularly pink fonts looked promising until I read this: "I started this group for the more leisurely paced rider who enjoys riding slower like I do." I found myself reassessing my strategy. Just why am I looking for a women's group? Am I afraid that I'd eat the dust of faster, dorkier bike dudes? (Maybe.) Am I looking for simple camaraderie in a male-dominated sport? (Yes.) Aren't there women who enjoy riding fast and breaking a sweat? (Definitely!)

It'll probably be more fun and productive if I try riding with a few diverse groups. Who do you ride with, and where do you ride?