Cross-Country Road Trip

I’m sure many of us are feeling the travel bug. We’ve officially been living in a pandemic for a whole year. I know I’ve got the urge to drop everything and travel. There’s nothing more exciting than a new adventure. I’ve been reminiscing on my adventure last August when I road tripped from Canton, Georgia all the way to Burbank, California with my mom. My cat Phoebe came along for the ride as well!

I had been at home from March to August due to the pandemic and it was time for me to go back to California. I figured that I’ll never get such a perfect opportunity to road trip and enjoy time with my mom while seeing the country. So, we packed up the car and hit the road! (I made it my mission to get a picture of every state sign we passed!)

Day One:

We left our house and traveled from Georgia to Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, and then stopped for the night in Little Rock, Arkansas. Each day we tried to do one fun little stop and we actually went to see Elvis Presley’s Graceland the day before the anniversary of his passing. This was a total coincidence! There was a lot of people out remembering and honoring Elvis while we were there. We didn’t pay to do a tour or anything special, but we did see the gates to Graceland as well as the airplanes - The Lisa Marie and another smaller Lockheed Jet Star. I loved that everyone left messages and artwork on the sidewalk and brick walls leading up to Graceland. It was really neat to see and I definitely recommend checking it out if you’re ever close to Memphis, Tennessee.

Day Two:

We left Little Rock and headed for Oklahoma. From Oklahoma we made it to Texas where we stayed for the night. We stayed in Amarillo, Texas. The weather in Texas was absolutely crazy! It was pouring rain and the sky was pitch black. We had to be really careful driving. In Amarillo, we made a stop to see the art installment Cadillac Ranch. A bunch of Cadillacs are standing straight up in the ground and people spray paint all over them. It’s literally located right off the highway in the middle of a field. This was a fun little stop and I even spray painted on one of the cars!

Day Three:

On the road again! We left Texas and made our way to New Mexico. I have to say that New Mexico was my favorite state to drive through. It was so beautiful! It’s really crazy to see how different each state is and the way that people live. Our next state was Arizona! This is where we ended up staying the night. We stayed in Flagstaff which was the most adorable little town. I really wish we would have gotten there earlier so we could have explored the little town some more!

Day Four:

The fourth and final day! We left Flagstaff and actually took a little detour to go and see The Grand Canyon. I’ve always wanted to see The Grand Canyon and I finally got to check it off my bucket-list! The Grand Canyon was incredible. The only word to describe it is breath-taking. It’s magical. I couldn’t get over how massive it truly is. You must go see it if you haven’t had the chance! Pictures really don't do it justice at all. I can now officially say that my cat and I have seen The Grand Canyon! We hit the road again and eventually reached California. I’d definitely say that this was the most boring drive out of all the days. Once we hit the desert, there was unquestionably nothing to look at for miles. Seriously. Absolutely nothing. Eventually we made it all the way to Burbank after a long day of driving!

I’m forever grateful for our cross-country road trip. I’d rather do the drive than the flight any day of the week. It really put things into perspective for me. Our country is massive and so beautiful! People are living completely different lives and experiencing different culture each and every day. Each state we passed through had its own unique look and feel. It was neat to get to even drive through each state for a little bit. My grandpa got me an atlas before we left and I have to say it was the first time I’d ever used an atlas. I now keep this giant atlas in the back of my car! You truly learn something new every single day.

If you ever get the chance to drive across country, I highly recommend the adventure! Make stops along the way! See our country! Learn something new! Always remember that you’re currently living your best life. Let’s make the most of it! 🦋

Xo,

-Courtney