First solo road trip was a complete BLAST!!!

[birdybird]

Hello all
I wrote in months ago to this site, looking for support and encouragement regarding the undertaking of my first solo road trip. And, of course, I received much support and encouragement and because of that, I went ahead with the planning. And......IT WAS A HUGE SUCCESS!
I flew to Denver with my husband on a thursday, toodled around Denver for 3 days, then he flew back sunday and I took off west, across colorado, up through Utah and into Idaho, where I ended my 3 day solo sojourn at my sisters house in Boise.
I cannot even begin to tell you how amazing a journey it was. The sights, the scenery, the people....but most of all, the pride I have, the sense of accomplishement I now have. Before this trip, I had never driven longer then 2 hours by myself....I went from that to 6-7 hours alone on the road for 3 solid days. I had never gone ANYWHERE without family or husband present and, there I was, a 43 year old mother of 2, visiting the awesome Colorado National Monument park in Grand Junction, Colorado- standing at the edge of the most amazing, beautiful canyon, all alone, not a soul in sight- listening to the wind howl, watching the hawks soaring....it was amazing, spiritual, inspiring....And I was not the least bit anxious or scared, that's the most amazing part. I anticipated so much anxiety and loneliness that NEVER materialized...not once, the whole trip. AS a matter of fact, driving into Boise, I felt a sense of sadness, knowing that my solo sojourn was coming to a close.
So, for anybody out there who is pondering a solo road trip.....my advice is DO IT!!! DO IT!! DO IT!! It was a life changing event for me and I now plan on doing it every summer. Having a sister in Boise is convenient because it is a landing place and there are 50 different locations I could start from.
So, THANK YOU THANK YOU Road Trip America Forum folks for helping me to see that I could do this trip....and do it well!!!
Birdy

[Midwest Michael]

Thanks for sharing your story, and for encouraging others to also get out on the road!

[Mark Sedenquist]

So, for anybody out there who is pondering a solo road trip.....my advice is DO IT!!! DO IT!! DO IT!! It was a life changing event for me and I now plan on doing it every summer.

Birdy, thanks for coming back and sharing this adventure with us!

Mark

[Mass Tim]

Glad to hear that you had such a wonderful time! We look forward to hearing about your adventures in the future as well.

[lhuff]

I remember your post. I'm so glad that you had a good time. I don't know if you remember, but I was feeling a little scared about my trip too, but it also turned out wonderfully. Here's a link to my trip.


Laura

[UKCraig]

Well done to you both... look forward to hearing about your next trip, birdybird!

[birdybird]

Hi Laura! Yes, I do remember you from my earlier posts and it sounds like your road trip was fabulous!!! Makes my dinky 830 miles seem miniscule in comparison!!! It was so exciting and inspiring to hear about your road trip. I have friends who will be moving to San Antonio, Texas next spring and I am already considering making them the starting point to my summer road trip 2008. Thinking I"ll drive through NM, Arizona, up into Cali, up to Oregon and then across to Boise again. Boy, it's nice to have a family member located out west- there are 50 different places to start from that would make a fun road trip ending in Boise!
So glad to hear your trip went so well-
OH, and by the by...next time you do Colorado, take I-70 west, across the Rockies and into W. Colorado and Utah...We stayed in Denver for 3 days and it was fun, lots to see...but the best part of colorado was I-70 west for sure. Glenwood Canyon was so beautiful, it about brought tears to my eyes at one point. I stopped at EVERY SINGLE scenic pull off that I could. Also, Frisco Colorado was a very cool little town up in the Rockies- I stopped there for lunch and almost considered staying there overnight, it was so quaint and friendly- but I'd only driven about 120 miles at that point so......haha! kind of defeats the purpose of "road trip"...Anyway, give I-70 west a shot next time, you won't be sorry...
Red Rocks Amphitheatre was also amazing, wondrous...my hubbie and I already plan on keeping up with the concert schedule and definitely making a trip out there to see a show sometime if it's a "worthy" band....
Anyway, thanks for your support and I really enjoyed reading about your trip!!!!

[UKCraig]

I have friends who will be moving to San Antonio, Texas next spring and I am already considering making them the starting point to my summer road trip 2008.

Great news that you're looking forward to the next time! Be sure to keep visiting this site and seeking any help that you need. Also, now you're no longer a roadtrip novice, be sure to share any tips that you picked up with other visitors who themselves are asking for help!

it about brought tears to my eyes at one point. I stopped at EVERY SINGLE scenic pull off that I could.

Yep, that's what it's all about! I was just the same on my trip 'out west' last summer :)

almost considered staying there overnight, it was so quaint and friendly- but I'd only driven about 120 miles at that point so......haha! kind of defeats the purpose of "road trip"

Well that depends entirely on how you define a 'roadtrip', of course! It's precisely that freedom to make it up on the ground that I love about it.

[lhuff]

I remember my first trip out west. I was in such awe that I kept pulling over and taking pictures. I felt that way much of this past trip as well.

I'm definitely trying to get my courage up to do a Colorado trip and figure out what all I missed. I really think that being in very sparsely populated areas on 2 lane highways made me freak when I actually hit a city again. I was also very stressed driving through Dallas, but that's fairly normal for me.

[SCgirl]

I just had to sign up so I could respond to this. I found this website b/c I am searching for advice on solo travel. I really want to take a long road trip this summer and am considering going solo.

Thank you so much for your inpsiration. Your posts have really been helpful for me to read.