Pushmepullyou

... that's the llama-like creature in Dr. Doolitttle that has two heads, facing in opposite directions. The two heads work together to get the llama moving in the right direction (but sometimes they disagree), as one pushes and the other one pulls- it's a pushmepullyou. Anyhow, the last week of my life has been spent rather similarly-me with two heads, facing two different directions. Hitting the road with a 16ft Penske truck towing my Honda across the continent was the time of my life. During the drive there wasn't a single familiar soul in sight for nearly five days, but I felt like my whole world was watching and right there with me. I've never been more alone but less lonely.

Every minute was spent either feeling gently nudged or pulled forward.

The nudge: it came from behind, from the people I was leaving in the Bay Area. They were infinitely encouraging, openly concerned for my safety, and honest about their sadness. They urged me on, reminding me to keep driving, to play it safe, to take good care. They kept me company and reassured my decision.

The pull: it came from in front from the people waiting for me in New England. They were infinitely encouraging, openly concerned for my safety, and their excitement was contagious. They kept my spirits up and my foot on the gas.

So there it was. Over 3000 miles, 50 hours of driving, one hot meal. I locked my keys in the truck in Nevada, left a bag and a laptop in a parking lot in Iowa, was surprisingly disappointed by Illinois while oddly intrigued by Cleveland, sang my ass off to my music, listened to Dr. Laura and conservative talk radio while making peace with NPR, and cried a little bit every day for some reason or another. Exceeding my cell phone minutes (many, many minutes) and the detour to Denver to see the Barnitt's were two of the best decisions I've ever made.

And now, in no particular order: Top 5 Moments of the Trip

1) Golden, CO: All of it- Visiting with Robb and Anne and meeting their kids. Their sweet little home and amazing town. Running on top of the mesa at 6am above Golden, watching the sun rise over Denver and being blinded by the light was spectacular. I was exhausted and my legs were like, "Um, why are we out of bed and where the hell did all the oxygen go?!" Then after a few minutes, they figured it out and were like, "Oh yeah, baby, we're climbin'!" and they started to fly. I was so happy to be there and wandered the infinite table top for over an hour with tons of energy, then was lucky enough to meet up with Robb walking the dogs on the way back and join him on his morning wander.

2) Nevada to Iowa- Hwy 80 stretch truly is one of the most beautiful places I've been. Not boring, not flat, just beautiful.

3) Pennsylvania: I will go back. The trees, the Lake Erie, and yes, there are hills there. I found them. I ran them. The road kill in PA is baby birds, frogs and snails. Weird.

4) Nebraska: Fountain Soda "Happy Hour" from 3:30-5:50 every day at the truck stops. Seriously, people, I thought I was in heaven for a minute there.

5) My phone: never stopped beeping with texts and ringing with calls. Honestly, it got a bit dangerous at times and I will cringe when I see the phone bill, but I don't know how I would have done this without you all right there with me. Instead of 9 birds on my back, there were, like, 30... or maybe even 40. Who knows, but however many it was, it was a shit-ton.