Hello!
I'm so excited to report (to whomever will listen) that I have successfully completed Phase One of my grand road trip dream. Just went through a divorce (age 33) to a European after having relocated to France for 7 years to follow my man. Decided I wanted to ease the transition back to the US by getting to know MY country - thus the road trip.

I came back to the US, bought a car, got health and car insurance, put a cell phone in place, settled my belongings into storage and then hit the road June 22nd. The decisions I had to make before hitting the road exhausted me after having made far too many life changing decisions before leaving France. (Do I leave my good job? How do we split our personal belongings? How will I make it without my soulmate? etc. etc. etc.)

Once everything was in place, I somehow put off the departure for 48 hours (I just COULDN'T leave my brother's place - like a little bird released from the cage not knowing quite what to do...). I finally hit the open road the 22nd of June. (Got a starbucks as I left and told my little story - the worker girls didn't get it at all.)

Started in Indianapolis (brother's place), headed to the east coast and climbed from NYC to ME, then over NH and VT and then into Quebec province for a week to get my French language fix (am I adicted?). Visited good friends, and friends of friends along the way. Did the city thing, did some camping, got my haircut but a woman with a wild east coast accent. Did some hiking. Had alone time, had group time. Had close girlfriend time. Found just sitting in a random backyard in Boston for an entire Sunday afternoon sipping wine and observing the comings and goings of the 30-somethings around me was worth so much more than a "good tourist day". I think I am re-connecting...

Zipped through Northern Ontario to re-enter the US via the UP of northern Michigan, my home state, crossed over the Mackinac bridge (memories of childhood), and am writing now from the safety of my parents' house in Michigan!

Phase two should bring me West! This is the part I've dreamed of most. Just wish I could compress the drive from Chicago to Colorado somehow. Excited to loop from CO to NM, AZ, all the way up the west coast San Diego to Vancouver, hit the Canadian Rockies, down to Yellowstone, and back over ND to end up meeting friends in northern MN for a final summer fling before "getting serious" again and settling.

Will this help me transition? Or is it just an excuse to avoid reality? And in moving around I may just appreciate Michigan more than ever before - who knows maybe I'll take this break time to get a calm beach job for a month or so before starting Phase Two... (in which case the above described loop would be done in reverse!).

Thanks for reading my news at any rate. I hope in phase two that i'll meet some other Women doing this for the same reasons I am. I know you are out there, but have yet to cross your paths...

Cheers to all who have been brave enough to get on the road, and thanks for this site to help me see that I'm not a nut case!

Kim